It's been real
I've always hated it when people say, "Our lives are just beginning," because at this point, my life has been well underway for the past 22 years.
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I've always hated it when people say, "Our lives are just beginning," because at this point, my life has been well underway for the past 22 years.
Just before University at Buffalo students embark on another demanding semester, they can celebrate the end of summer at one of Western New York's oldest traditions.
After 10 million ratings of over 6,500 schools, the University at Buffalo has come out on top.
Catherine Scharf is a UB swimmer with a secret. She is legally blind. But water is a great equalizer. In it, her eyes don't matter. She can be like everyone else, if not better. She just can't see the scores when she gets out of the pool. Cat, a Division I athlete and a junior health and human services major, competes as a sprinter in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly on the women's swimming and diving team. In and out of the pool, Cat refuses to be labeled "the blind girl." "I hate that - it's not me, it's just a part of me. It doesn't define who I am, it's just something that has made me who I am," Cat said. "And I think that's still something I'm learning." Diagnosed at the age of nine with Stargardt's disease, a macular degeneration that causes vision loss in children, Cat barely remembers what it was like to have full sight. She cannot see the details of her mother's face, but can recognize a blurry image walking toward her as her mother by the way she holds her purse on her right shoulder, always with one hand grasping the strap. This is one of many things Cat has learned to pay attention to in order to compensate for her lack of sight. She recalls a time in high school when she was swimming and her mother was sitting in the stands. "I said to my friend, ‘I can smell my mom. Is she here?'" Cat said. At first, she struggled with being different. She has 20/300 vision in one speckled, hazel eye, and 20/400 in the other with or without the help of corrective lenses. That makes her legally blind, according to The American Federation for the Blind, which sets the bar at 20/200. "I think the worst time is junior high because you start trying to figure out who you are and where you fit in," she said. "And a person who is visually impaired, with a rare impairment, doesn't really fit in with a group." Today, Cat stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and walks with the confidence of someone much taller. But she admits getting around a campus the size of UB does pose its challenges for a visually impaired student. "You feel confined because walking through the halls, you can't see people's faces," Cat said. "It shows what solitude you're living in when you're unable to see their expression and recognize people and you feel so vulnerable because they can see you." Cat always excelled at sports and early on, that helped her make friends and a place for herself in her hometown of New Hartford, NY. But as her vision loss progressed, the sports she loved – basketball and soccer – became more and more difficult. She hated to admit it, but she could no longer see the ball. She knew she had to find something else. "I started competitively swimming in sixth grade. It was the better one of all the other sports because it doesn't rely on a ball flying at you," Cat said. "Swimming put me on a level playing field with everyone else. I got to jump in and be like every other person, and rely on myself and depend on myself – and that was something that I wasn't used to." It wasn't hard for Cat to keep her secret protected while in the pool. In the water, all that mattered was speed, strength and will. A Section III champion in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, Cat qualified for the New York State Championship meet all four years of high school. During her junior year, her closely kept secret escaped. She tied in a vital race because of a missed flip turn and someone told a reporter that it was because she was visually impaired. The reporter wrote an article blaming the mistake on her deteriorating eyes. Cat was enraged and wrote a letter to the reporter informing them that her condition was not to blame for her missing the wall. She added that she does not "suffer" from her eye condition – she lives with it. Today, some may argue that Cat does more than live with Stargardt's disease – she thrives with it. "[Cat's] just done a tremendous job for us," said Andy Bashor, head coach of UB swimming. "She is very committed to the sport of swimming and being the best she can be." Bashor says that Cat has adapted in the pool the way she has in her everyday life. "Suprisingly, she has one of the best flip turns on the team because I think she had to learn from a really young age that she had to practice that," he said. "That would be where the vision would hamper her, but she does that really well." Alie Schirmers, a sophomore undecided major and Cat's teammate, says Cat makes them all better swimmers and people. "She's always very positive and can find light in the darkest situation," Schirmers said. "She just wants to make everything around her better. And that's how I feel when I'm around her – everything should be better." Schirmers didn't notice anything unusual about Cat when she met her last year. They were on the team together a few weeks before Cat opened up about her condition. "That's probably the hardest thing – to know when the best time is to tell [my teammates]," Cat said. "All the freshmen each year, I sort of have to announce it to them. And I never know how to say it or how they're going to react – even though I've done it so many times, it doesn't get any easier." When people hear that Cat is legally blind, the most common reaction is shock. Cat's condition rarely manifests itself in any outward characteristic as she walks around campus among the rest of her peers. She has also mastered the art of fake eye contact during conversations by using her peripheral vision to guess where a person's eyes are located. "I can never directly look at a person, or that person disappears," Cat said. The Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired provided Cat with a laptop equipped with Zoomtext software to enlarge print five times, to the point where she is able to see it. UB's office of Disability Services has also provided note takers and large-print tests. Bashor does what he can to ensure Cat's success in the pool. He included a portable pace clock in the swimming budget to place in Cat's lane. Now when practicing swimming sets, Cat doesn't have to watch the person next to her to know when to push off. "That showed me that he was really looking into something that could make it easier for me, and that was different," Cat said. "Usually people do what they can and they do what you ask for, but they don't go out of their way to help you." But during meets, Cat is unable to see her final time. "Swimming is an extremely demanding sport both mentally and physically, but it's also very rewarding when you look up at the clock after a race and see all of your work pay off with a best time," said Caitlin Reilly, a senior international studies major and team co-captain. "Cat doesn't get that opportunity. She is forced to rely on someone else to give [the final] time." Despite this and other difficulties, Ellen Scharf says she has never once heard her child complain. She said Cat had the most maternal instincts out of her brother and sister, and always looked out for her twin brother. "Even though there is only two minutes between their births, Catherine and her twin couldn't be any different," Ellen said. "They continue to stay close, even though they have both chosen very different life paths. Catherine chose college and to be a Division I swimmer, and Adam chose to follow his dream … and is working for Disney World." Today, Cat lives off campus with her two teammates and Ellen is exceptionally proud of the independent young woman that her daughter has become. "Cat is an example to us all," Ellen said. "At times, I find myself complaining about little things that, most likely, I could fix if I chose to. And then I think about Cat, who faces obstacles and difficulties with a smile on her face. She conquers those obstacles because of an inner strength that I think she doesn't even know is there … she makes me very grateful that I have her as my daughter." During her senior year of high school, the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired featured Cat's story in their newsletter. They talked about her being an inspiration, as a championship swimmer with a visual impairment. A Utica paper picked up the story and interviewed Cat for a front-page article. That was when Cat officially let her secret out – for a little while. She admitted to all – in writing – that she was legally blind. She figured that if her story could reach one person with a disability – perhaps even another young athlete going blind – it was worth it. According to the New York State Commission for the Blind, 120,000 New Yorkers are legally blind and nearly one million live with vision loss. Twenty-five million Americans live with significant visual impairment, according to the American Federation for the Blind. After she finally learned to accept her own condition as a part of life, Cat began educating other students about being more tolerant toward those with special needs – a quest she continues today. Cat says a career in mental health counseling is what lies ahead. She believes that in a world of people looking out for themselves, there will always be a need for those who are willing to dedicate their lives to others. According to Cat, living with a disability for the past 12 years played a part in the decision of where her future will take her. "It's actually quite ironic, really. With everything I cannot see, there are so many more important things that I can see," Cat said. "I can be more compassionate and I can be more understanding or patient because I know that I've needed that from other people. I've needed other people to take time for me … [and] I want to give that time back to other people when they need it." E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
If Gwen Stefani were to comment on the current Hollywood chaos, she would say, "This s*** is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S." Tiger Woods, Jesse James and now Bruce Springsteen have reportedly joined the ranks of the other Tinsel Town tools for cheating on their significant others, according to the New York Post. Like any other respectable human being, my own reaction to the recent headlines has been disgust and then a later state of confusion when photos of the mistresses begin to surface. My heart went out to Sandra Bullock, the actress that I have adored since her Speed days, who, right after her long overdue Oscar moment, was blind-sided with the news of her husband's year-long affair with a tattooed ex-stripper. But once the shock of, "How could her husband cheat on her with THAT?" wore off, I began to realize that Bullock was just another starlet to fall victim to the curse of the leading ladies. Kate Winslet, Halle Berry, Gweneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts are just a few on the list of actresses who won an Academy Award and then suddenly no longer had their man. It's sad that I'm not surprised when the accusations of infidelity come flooding in. Hollywood has long had the reputation of being synonymous with cheating and numb to the concept of divorce. What I find disturbing, however, is what happens to the men after they are exposed as cheating dogs. The term "sex rehab" is starting to creep into the headlines at an alarming rate - and it's creeping me out. Woods and James are names currently in the news for checking themselves into treatment facilities for their reported sex addictions – a trend started by X-Files star David Duchovny last year when he spent two months in rehab for his similar problem. I can't help but wonder, is addiction to intercourse an actual medical condition? Can these stars undergo behavioral counseling, take some sort of anti-Viagra pill and then suddenly not cheat on their wives? I don't think so. In my opinion, the only reason these disgraced men are checking into celebrity clinics is so they can hide from the media and stay out of the limelight until their scandal has passed. It's also their public way of saying sorry to their wives and fans. Well, I'm not buying the apology. Blaming their behavior on their "disease" doesn't sound very sincere to me – a little bit of accountability and personal responsibility can go a long way. What's worse is that after these men leave rehab "cured" of their addiction, they expect their wives to go back to them. And remarkably, some do. Duchovny's wife did - after a brief separation, the couple claims to be going strong. For now. Didn't anyone learn from Halle Barry, who said on the night she made history as the first black actress to win an Academy Award, that she was dying on the inside and her husband's indiscretions were to blame? Her then-hubby, Eric Benét, also tried rehab to kick his so-called sex addiction, but after a year of the couple trying to work things out, Benét reportedly relapsed and their union was over. The funny thing about celebrities is just when you think they have it all, scandals such as these break, and then you realize they're no different from the rest of us. Although I personally can't relate to a cheating situation, plenty of my friends can. Based on their experiences, the old saying is true - "once a cheater, always a cheater." I've cringed and lectured and then gave up as I've watched some of my friends continue to go back to their cheating boyfriends for the sake of "love." And with all the speculation in the media right now of, "Will Sandy give Jesse another chance?" - I can only hope that she makes the right decision and leaves him. Enough is enough. E-mail: jessica.digennaro@ubspectrum.com
Many students were still in high school when the end of an era rang through the University at Buffalo. The student body had worn out PJ Bottoms for decades – the bar, not the bedtime garment – and enjoyed the "food, booze, and boogie" with their notorious $0.10 chicken wings, $3 bottles of Labatts, and disorderly crowd belting "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison until the sun came up. Daniel Focher, an urban planning graduate student, says he will never forget PJ's "wings." "They were amazing," Focher said. "Plump, jumbo, sashaying – whatever adjectives you want to apply – they were pure bliss. And the chicken wings were great, too." Focher might be referring to another aspect of the bar's infamous existence – a hangout for salacious underage college students looking to pick up incoming freshman meat. Unfortunately, this was what eventually led to PJ's demise. On Dec. 15, 2005, the State Liquor Authority raided the bar located on 3270 Main St. Charges were brought against 20 minors for underage drinking and three bartenders who were accused of serving them alcohol. PJ Bottoms was "temporarily" shut down – and after years of unanswered rumors of the bar's return to UB, students began to expect the closure was permanent. Until now. Michael Bolton, who earned his B.S. in business administration from UB in 1987, is now being celebrated as the hero who will bring the "food, booze, and boogie" back to the university. After the bar's nearly five-year hiatus, Bolton obtained a new bond and liquor license. PJ Bottoms is expected to re-open its doors in September. But they won't be the same doors or even the same location that UB graduate students and super seniors remember – because Bolton decided to bring the bar a little closer to home. "I approached the university last year about moving the bar on campus because then many students won't have to worry about transportation, and also because I've seen bars on other campuses, such as St. Bonaventure University," Bolton said. Initially, University at Buffalo's administration did not buy Bolton's proposal. They pointed out that the UB student population exceeds that of St. Bonaventure by 25,000, so safety concerns are multiplied. They said UB doesn't have the resources for adequate safety personnel to be on duty monitoring a bar every night. Bolton switched gears and approached representatives from the Commons, a location that, while technically still on campus, offers land-lease flexibility and public-private partnership options. After receiving much a much more favorable response, Bolton realized that they were the perfect fit. PJ Commons will be across from Burger King in an area formerly occupied by a variety of office space. Construction will begin next week, and the project will set Bolton back around $2 million. Bolton, who says he spent nearly every weekend of his college life at the old PJ's, says he's going for a nostalgic design. "It will be just as students remember it," Bolton said. "Wood paneling, cheap beer and wings while watching Sunday football, sticky floors, the hockey pucks in the urinal, darts, pool tables and all your best friends around you enjoying every minute – perfection." Bolton has just received final approval by the university to accept Campus Cash because he doesn't want students to worry about handling cash or credit cards. However, one thing he insists on all students bringing with them is a valid I.D. "The major difference between the old PJ's and the new PJ's will be the underage drinking. I'm going to make sure the bar doesn't get shut down this time," Bolton said. The big comeback is tentatively scheduled for September 30. Bolton says a massive '80s party is scheduled for the grand re-opening to commemorate the decade when he considered PJ's his second home. Jesse James, the television personality best known for cheating on Hollywood royalty for the tattoo-faced "Bombshell" McGee, is expected to host the '80s blowout. "Jesse and I are good friends from my Choppers days. I told him about what I was doing here [in Buffalo] and he promised he would come out," Bolton said. "This party is definitely going down in UB history." Depending on the success of PJ Commons, Bolton says he's considering looking into re-opening other old UB hotspots to complement the bar. "Everything is still in the works, but I would love to open a Sal's Pizza next to the new PJ's," Bolton said. If all goes well, the upcoming fall semester will mark the beginning of a new era – or at least the return of an old one. Just as their predecessors did, University at Buffalo students will soon be chugging cheap beer before stumbling over to Sal's for a slice of pizza, which, in their drunken haze, will be the most delectable creation their taste buds will ever experience. And the tradition will live on. E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
Instead of soaking in the Florida rays last week, 20 University at Buffalo students made use of their spring break by preparing lunches for the Buffalo City Mission and collecting 200 pounds of garbage throughout the Queen City. In UB's third annual Alternative Spring Break, selected students got the opportunity to give where they live and volunteer for seven local charity organizations. "It's a very traditional spring break where we live together and eat together," said Terri Budek, community engagement coordinator for the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement. However, the not so traditional part of ASB is that students are also volunteering together for 15 hours a day. "We're doing [work] for the Buffalo City Mission, Vive la Casa, Women and Children's Hospital, Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, Buffalo ReUse and Catholic Charities," Budek said. "Most people love it, but I don't think they expect it to be as intense as it is." Budek and one other coordinator joined 18 participants and two team leaders last week to reconstruct houses, help the homeless and give back to the place they all currently call home. "We tried to get as diverse of a group as we could from different majors and different backgrounds," Budek said. "We get a lot of international students partly because they don't have anywhere to go over spring break, but also because these kind of experiences are not available in their own countries, so they want to get as much of them as they can while they're in the States." The program also attracts a number of local students, according to Budek, who believe they haven't performed enough service in their hometown. "Some volunteers who are from Buffalo didn't know these [organizations] existed, so it's an eye-opener for them, and I think once they see the need, they're very happy that they could help in their own backyard," Budek said. To make the experience as meaningful as possible, the students were given daily orientations at the organizations they would be lending their hands to, learning what resources they provide to the community and why they are needed. The group slept on mattresses in Goodyear Hall and explored the city of Buffalo during their much-needed down time. Their work was rewarded with a trip to Niagara Falls, a guided tour of City Hall, tickets to a Sabres game and a bowling and movie night. On day six of ASB, the coordinators prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for the volunteers to show their gratitude for the group's tireless efforts. David Molina, a senior biomedical sciences major, said that though he was volunteering, it was he who was thankful. "I can honestly say this was one of the best experiences I've had at UB," Molina said. "Most students in college, I feel, see the break in March as an opportunity to do things that benefit themselves and not the community in which they live in. Doing volunteer work and making a difference in the Buffalo community has really made an impact on the way I view certain aspects of life." Ankita Kale, a sophomore environmental engineering major, said seeing the way many Buffalonians live put things in perspective for everyone. "Interacting with the children, teens and refugees made us realize the conditions they come from and are currently in. Their stories [brought] tears to our eyes and made us more sensitive towards people and life," Kale said. And according to Budek, one of the most surprising things for students at the end of ASB week is always how close they get to the people they didn't know existed just days before. "When we first entered Goodyear, it seemed like The Real World [on MTV]," Kale said. "But we were all very cooperative and considerate of [each other]. We did a lot of good work and put our best efforts into whatever we did. All in all, I would say that I had the most amazing spring break, and I am thankful to the CSLCE for giving us the best days at UB and the best of friends." E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
The juice age is finally over after steroids nearly ruined professional baseball, according to my always reputable news source, Radar Online. They say a new drug scandal is now rocking the sport - and it involves a tiny pill that college students are pretty familiar with. Yes, I am talking about Adderall. The Web site pointed to the messy separation of former star player, Jason Kendall, and his wife, Chantel. Their 3,000 page divorce file contained Chantel blowing Jason in for Adderall abuse and causing a reported fury in her husband similar to roid rage. "[Adderall] is widespread in professional sports and major league baseball because of its performance enhancing qualities," Chantel said. "[Jason] has been prescribed Adderall for Attention Deficit Disorder, but I can attest that the amount of Adderall taken by him and his mood swings have escalated since he was originally prescribed such medication." But that's as much sports talk that you're going to get out of me - professional athletes are just discovering the performance altering effects of a drug that college students have been using for years now. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports around 6 percent of our peers has taken Adderall for non-medical purposes. I think this number is really closer to 30 or 40 percent because students aren't going to honestly report their own drug use. Although it's kept hush, Adderall, the brand name psychostimulant used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is everywhere on college campuses. It can be bought and sold in libraries, cafeterias, dorm rooms, and anywhere in between. During exam week, the demand for the drug can shoot up its price to $25 a pill, according to National Public Radio. Personally, it seems the drug has surrounded me throughout my own undergraduate career. Freshman year I had a roommate who faked ADHD symptoms to get a hold of a prescription. She quickly became addicted and lost nearly 30 pounds a short time after. And one of my best friends who doesn't attend UB started having heart problems after she was prescribed the drug that she didn't need. But what could cause those close to me to continue to take something that was obviously bad for their health? The answer was they wanted to do it all, just like any other college student. Juggling school, work, and a social life, those in academia are overcommitted to an extreme. Many rely on brain enhancers like Adderall to do more and sleep less. But just like anything that seems too good to be true, Adderall is no different. Not only is the drug highly addictive, it's accompanied with serious side effects like insomnia, mood changes, and cardiovascular problems. The FDA even reported in 2006 that 51 Americans had died as a result of the drug. And in the opinion of someone who runs solely on coffee and the occasional Red Bull to stay up late and study, Adderall is cheating the same way a professional athlete injecting steroids to gain an edge in their game is cheating. It's true that the same brain is utilized whether you're using Adderall or not; however, on the drug that could basically be considered prescription cocaine, that brain is being amped up to concentrate harder and study longer. It's not natural and not fair to the rest of us who have to plan our studying around our work and sleep schedules. Yes, college is hard, but life after a degree will most likely be even more difficult. And although Adderall may seem like a wonder drug for many students now, they can't take it forever. Those who aren't suffering from ADHD should lay off the performance enhancers so they can learn to build up their own study skills and work ethic – and we can all play this college game on an even playing field.
'It's not what you know, it's who you know' – one of the most clichéd phrases in the English language is particularly valid when it comes to the art of the career quest.
It's hard to ignore the trench-sized pit of plastic bottles present in the Student Union these last few weeks or the 15-foot signs invading the university entrances to measure its recycling rate. This is all evidence of UB's attempts to triumph in the nationwide RecycleMania competition, which has now reached its halfway point.
With pictures of their loved ones' faces pinned to their red parkas, around 150 close friends and family members of the victims of Flight 3407 symbolically reached the destination that their relatives could not one year ago.
Fifty people. One airplane.
The day devoted to love is one that splits our generation down the middle. Those who are committed spend Valentine's Day going on extravagant dinner dates, drinking wine and exchanging the clichéd gifts of chocolates in a heart-shaped box or red lingerie.
An eclectic crowd of students had curiosity written on their faces as they made their way to the Student Union Theater Monday night for a discussion of topics seldom grouped together: homosexuality and hip-hop.
An intruder crept into the unlocked first story window of a house on Custer St. late one night last semester. Jenny Lipari, a senior nursing and psychology major, woke the next day to find money missing from her pocketbook and her roommate's cell phone and digital camera gone. 'It was scary,' Lipari said. '[Back home], things like that don't happen, so [being robbed] was a big shock – definitely not something I was used to.' University Heights, where Lipari resides, is the Buffalo neighborhood from Niagara Falls Boulevard to LaSalle Avenue. There, burglary is a fact of life. The Buffalo Police reported around 150 robberies in the area in 2008 – a number that had nearly doubled since 2003. Still, the area's nightlife, proximity to South Campus and cheap rent outweigh safety concerns for many as around 2,500 UB students who call the Heights their home. 'It's not the best area ever,' Lipari said. 'But it's cheap living and convenient because most of my classes are on South Campus. Also, a lot my friends live down here, so it's more convenient for going to parties and out [to bars]. On North Campus, you have to drive everywhere – it's a totally different experience.' The cost of living in University Heights is another plus for students. According to Sub Board, Inc. Student Owned Services, which helps UB students find available housing, an entire apartment goes for $500 to $800 a month. Ryan Acklin, a senior communication major, moved to the Heights this year from the University Village at Sweethome and said he found the cost of rent to be one of the area's most attractive qualities. 'It's way cheaper than where I lived before,' Acklin said. 'I paid $699 a month at Sweethome and I wouldn't say I got what I paid for – there was garbage in the halls and the buildings were cheaply made. The house I live in now is pretty well-built, it's just [about] one hundred years old.' Acklin pays $260 in rent for his apartment on Winspear Ave., but this number often reaches $400 a month when utilities are added. Mary Clare Fahey, coordinator of off-campus student services, says many students tend to overlook these concealed charges. 'Not all landlords are trustworthy,' Fahey said. 'Students don't always realize the hidden costs of living off-campus, such as paying the water bill or exactly how much the gas bill or cable television will cost them. Not all students do their homework in advance, so [taking extra costs into consideration] is something I would definitely recommend.' Access to transportation is another advantage for those living in the Heights. The UB Stampede bus system takes students to their classes on North Campus and a trip downtown is made less complicated with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority metro rails nearby University stop. Those uncomfortable walking home from South Campus can utilize the Anti-Rape Task Force safety shuttle, which gives students living up to 1.5 miles away from campus a safe ride home, dropping them right off at their front door. Gerald Schoenle, chief of University Police, says his department, the Buffalo Police and the NFTA Police have made a joint effort to increase their presence in University Heights. 'Things have improved since last semester,' said Schoenle. 'There were still some isolated incidents of robberies, but we feel the joint Task Force has been very beneficial in this regard. We patrolled Main Street on bikes and Segways with all three agencies.' Despite their progress, Schoenle insists students take an active role in their own safety and adhere to general common sense precautions – something Fahey's office is working to promote. 'Statistically speaking, there is more crime in Buffalo than in Amherst,' Fahey said. 'So we've really worked on educating students about safety and crime prevention ... it's all about personal safety habits.' Lipari said that after their house was robbed last semester, her roommate was so distraught she wanted to leave Buffalo. 'I told her that it could have happened to anybody anywhere,' Lipari said. '[Robberies] also happen on North Campus – how many people do you hear of getting their computers stolen from Capen? If people are careless, things are going to happen.' Besides offering students advice on how they can protect themselves, off-campus student services also helps with issues like dealing with a roommate or landlord and how to be a respectful neighbor. The office has also teamed up with Student Life's Late Night Programs and the Amherst Theater on Main Street, located in the Tops Plaza across from South Campus, to present Midnight Movie Madness every Saturday. This event features free showings of newly released movies for the first 200 UB students with a valid I.D. Off-campus student services will also be throwing a 'moving off campus' fair on March 4 in the Student Union, which features personnel from campus legal services, environmental health and safety and the Getzville Fire Department to counsel students on how to live wisely on their own. For more information, visit http://livingoffcampus.buffalo.edu 'It's important for students to pay attention and take personal responsibility for their safety – and when in doubt, they should call my office,' Fahey said. E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
Early one morning last March, a vehicle swerved into a garbage truck's path. The impact sent its 20-year-old driver airborne. He landed in the middle of the road and died immediately.
Once graduating seniors walk through those double doors of Alumni Arena, what greets them is the challenge of finding a job. And then there's the debt – the heaping amount of student loans that they accumulated while being consumed by the stresses of college.
As students return to school and are greeted by the harsh Buffalo winter, those without wheels are made slaves to the university bus system. But luckily for them, an alternative mode of transportation is now available that allows access to not only the UB community, but the entire Queen City. It's based on a concept imposed since kindergarten - sharing. The idea started in 2007 when visionaries in the school of urban planning entered an entrepreneurial competition with a for-profit car-sharing model. Although they advanced to the finals, the group unfortunately did not win because the New York State insurance market had not yet embraced the concept of car sharing. When the students switched to a non-profit service, they were awarded insurance backing. With the help of a grant provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency and the Department of Transportation, Buffalo CarShare opened for business in June. Eight months, seven Toyotas and 175 members later, BCS has provided Buffalonians with an inexpensive and environmentally friendly alternative to private vehicle ownership. Adam Blair, a senior environmental design major and founding research associate for BCS, explains how it works. 'You can sign up for as little as $5 a month. As long as you have two years' driving experience [without] any major infractions, we'll pass you through,' said Blair. 'To reserve a car, you can go online or call. We issue you your own key fob [to access the car], and then you return it to the same spot where you picked it up.' Car sharing is ideal for those who don't own a vehicle, but need one for the occasional errand or doctor's appointment - the reason why Creighton Randall, an urban planning graduate student and BCS's founding director, considers Buffalo a perfect market for it. 'Over 31 percent of households in Buffalo do not own a car. That is higher than almost every other medium-sized city in the country,' said Randall. 'Despite popular opinion, we have a decent transit system and people living near downtown can generally get around on the bus or train, so we have the conditions that pair well with car sharing.' With the UB bus system and a number of students without vehicles, BCS has recently begun reaching out to the university. One of its newest additions is a 2009 Toyota Yaris parked near South Campus's Townsend Lot. Emily Bauer, a senior ecology and evolutionary biology major, has been a BCS member for two months and finds the South Campus hub particularly handy. 'Since I live off campus, BSC allows me [the chance] to grab groceries and run other errands at my convenience, instead of relying solely on public transportation and other rides,' said Bauer. 'BCS is affordable and allows students without a car to have access to the Buffalo community and all its shops, services and entertainment opportunities.' Bauer, who has utilized similar car sharing programs in other cities, is happy that Buffalo is following suit. 'More car share programs in more cities mean people will have less of a reliance on their vehicles, which is good for the environment, the community and their wallet,' she said. Bauer's point is valid, according to AAA. They found that car-sharing members typically drive 20 to 40 percent less. 'When you buy a car, you're already paying for it so you drive it [frequently] to get your money's worth,' Blair said. 'If you flip that [model] and pay for your car by the hour, you're going to try to do more things all in one trip.' As more people come to realize its environmental and money-saving benefits, BCS continues to grow. A fifth of its current membership is affiliated with the university, and BCS seeks to expand on this number in the future. For more information, visit www.BuffaloCarShare.org. 'We hope to reach out to Amherst and work with the university to put hubs on North Campus,' Blair said. E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
The Buffalo Convention Center was full of energy Saturday night as 650 UB students traded in UGG boots for heels and sweats for formal dresses to celebrate the end of the semester.