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(06/30/14 5:47am)
In The Spectrum’s final issue of the 2013-14 school year, managing editor Lisa Khoury exposed a dangerous and unchecked phenomenon occurring just minutes away from UB’s South Campus. In her article, “Animal Heights,” Khoury outlined the organization and behavior of five illegal fraternities at UB: Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Tau Omega, Phi Delta Theta, Kappa Sigma and Delta Sigma Phi.
(09/01/10 4:00am)
In the early morning hours of Saturday, August 14, the city of Buffalo witnessed the worst crime it had seen in 30 years. Four people were killed and four more wounded by gunfire outside City Grill, a downtown restaurant.
(09/01/10 4:00am)
Monday started as nonchalantly as the first day of classes possibly could. But some big and unexpected news was released around 3 p.m.: University at Buffalo President John B. Simpson announced his retirement, effective Jan. 15, 2011.
(03/21/10 4:00am)
After a meeting with all the Student Association candidates, asking them the tough questions on what is best for students, The Spectrum's editorial board voted by paper ballot to endorse the Student Alliance party for the positions of president, vice president and treasurer for this week's upcoming Student Association elections.
Leading the ticket for the Student Alliance party are Nischal Vasant for president and Shervin Stoney for vice president, as well as treasurer Antonio Roman.
As for the SUNY delegate positions, Amanda Horn from the Student Alliance party joins ONE Party candidates Jennifer Harb, Amanda Jonas and Yazan Alsaadeh.
However, Yanco Escano, an independent SUNY delegate candidate, was tied with Alsaadeh for the fourth and final delegate post. The tie was broken after a runoff vote by the editorial board.
ONE Party delegate hopeful Amanda Jonas was the only candidate to win unanimous support of the paper's editorial board. As a SUNY delegate this year, Jonas brings a tremendous amount of seniority and experience to SUNY's ever-changing relationship with the state government of New York.
Vasant and Stoney represent not only the experience necessary to close the gap between SA and the student body, but also innovative and creative ideas to make campus a better place.
As stated in their platform, they seek to continue the transparency of SA to the student body and make themselves more available to the student body as well. They will accomplish this by allowing greater access to SA's operating budget, along with greater detail so students understand exactly where their mandatory student activity fee is going.
The Student Alliance party will also mandate SA clubs to have more table hours in the Student Union and provide incentives for clubs to reach out to the student population on South Campus. Both Vasant and Stoney plan to practice what they preach in having their own tabling hours in the Student Union. Furthermore, they wish to create a new fundraising and community service database for all SA clubs to use.
The pair also supports the UBreathe Free policy to designate smoking areas on campus. As for making UB more green, they plan to reuse the printing cover sheets for SA and club printing.
Potential treasurer Antonio Roman of the Student Alliance party hopes to seek even greater financial transparency of SA if elected. For next year's budget, Roman would like to include greater descriptive lines in the budget.
Roman also intends to inspect the current SA budget for unneeded spending, so students' funds will be used rather than going to waste. In addition, he is already in talks with campus officials to allow credit card and debit card use on campus.
As for the SA delegates, Jonas, Harb, Horn and Alsaadeh are competent, diverse and incredibly enthusiastic about their respective causes. Harb seeks to solve parking and transportation issues here on campus.
Jonas plans to continue advocating against SUNY budget cuts by New York as well as increases of tuition. Alsaadeh is promoting greater involvement of international students within the SUNY system.
Horn, the only Student Alliance delegate, will champion environmental issues facing all of SUNY. Horn plans to encourage other campuses within the SUNY system to adopt UB's climate neutral plan.
All these delegates must prepare themselves and work together to take on New York State legislators. Effective change can only come through hard work and dedication.
There is no doubt about how far SA has come in a year. All these candidates seek to continue the current trend of repairing the relationship with the student body. Each party has big, ambitious plans. But only the end results matter.
Regardless of personal preference for the candidates, all of them seek to better UB at every level. The only difference is their vision of how to accomplish this. These endorsements are only recommendations to the student body.
In spite of of personal preference, the key is to join the process and go vote.
(03/19/10 4:00am)
The world's oldest conflict has taken another detour this past week.
In hopes of breathing new life into the Middle East peace process, the United States sent Vice President Joe Biden to Israel to hold talks with the Israeli government. All seemed to be going according to plan until the Israeli Lands Authority and Ministry of Housing and Construction announced an additional 1,600 new housing units to be built in East Jerusalem.
This took many in the international community by surprise, even the United States and Palestine.
The United States and Israel have been on rocky footing since the Obama administration came into office. The current US administration has condemned the proposed housing project. President Barack Obama had asked the Israelis to place a firm ban on all new housing settlements as a good faith gesture to come back to the negotiating table.
In return, other Arab nations would engage in confidence building measures. Such measures usually mean an exchange of information, generally about military forces and armaments. The intention of such measures is to build trust between two conflicting parties.
The current model of the peace plan would have two separate states, one being a Jewish state, the other being a Palestinian state.
One of the main reasons the peace process has been bogged down is because of the disputed claims over Jerusalem. West Jerusalem would be part of the Jewish state, while East Jerusalem would be incorporated into the new Palestinian homeland.
Washington officials have grown weary of the missteps taken by both sides. Many called for the United States to reexamine its aid to Israel. The United States total aid to Israel is reaching $114 billion, according to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, a not-for-profit foundation.
Officials from both governments have made assurances that this disagreement is just that and its strong ties have not been severed.
Many within Israeli politics believe that this is just another step to make Jerusalem undividable as part of the two-state solution. The reaction from the Palestinians has been one of demonstrations against Israel.
Clashes between Israeli police and Arab youths were reported throughout Israel on Tuesday. The situation will quickly fall apart if no steps are taken to rectify the situation.
The continuation of building is a major roadblock on the avenue to peace. It almost seems that the Israeli government doesn't want peace, or if it does, that it only wants it to be on their terms.
The trouble with this particular negotiation is that there is such a blood-soaked history that neither side will be willing to give up more. For Obama, engagement has only gotten the process this far.
Seven American presidents have tried to broker deals in the Middle East and all have failed. Nobody thought it would be easy to accomplish.
Many members of the Democratic Party have even lambasted President Obama's actions, calling them a "temper tantrum."
For the rest of the world, it becomes a game of watching, waiting and hoping for the best.
(03/17/10 4:00am)
America is pill obsessed.
Its citizens take pills for everything. Pills help millions with everything from getting erections to relieving depression.
Many citizens in the United States believe that the most dangerous drugs threatening the country are illicit narcotics like marijuana and cocaine.
They are sadly mistaken.
The most heavily abused drugs are the ones found in the medicine cabinet at home. Prescription drugs need to be the focus of America's war on drugs.
But no one seems to care. After all, it is convenient to pop a pill that's in your own home in order to feel good for a while.
The numbers are scary when it comes to prescription abuse. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), in 2000, the number of Americans on prescription drugs was 3.8 million. Six years later, that number jumped to 7 million and it is still climbing. That is an 80 percent increase in six years.
According to the DEA, those numbers are higher than the number of Americans who use illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy, and inhalants — total.
But it's not only the use of the drugs that's the problem. According to a Center for Disease Control study, 40 percent of teens and parents believe that abusing prescription narcotics is safer than abusing illicit drugs.
America has a drug problem. It is a lazy nation and instead of getting real treatment, people find it easier to pop a pill. It is not just teenagers being teenagers. Everyone needs to understand that prescription drugs are just as harmful as other substances.
The most common prescription abused on college campuses is Adderall. Because of its widespread use and acceptance in society, it is extremely difficult to calculate the number of Americans who use it. Many experts assume roughly 20 percent of college students are on the medication.
Adderall makes students focused, allowing them to do a tremendous amount of work with limited interruptions. In other cases, it can be taken before drinking, which allows kids to drink copious amounts of alcohol in a night and hardly feel the effects.
Because of these effects, there is an amazing market for the pills on campus. Many students sell the leftovers from their prescriptions to make quick money.
The CDC also found that about one-fourth of all emergency room visits resulted from abuse of prescription drugs. Fifty-two million Americans age 12 or older have reported non-medical use of any prescription drug – that's almost 21 percent of that population group, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2008.
Is life so difficult that Americans need to be doped up all the time?
These drugs do serve useful purposes in helping people with actual problems function in society. But when controlled substances are abused and easily obtained through purchase or fraud – such as walking into a doctor's office and saying it's difficult to concentrate – something has gone horrible wrong.
The scariest part is that many in this country fail to realize the dangerous side effects of these drugs. For example, some pain relievers can slow or even stop breathing. Sedatives can cause seizures.
And let's not forget the dangerous mix that occurs when alcohol is added to those pills.
To reverse this trend, a few things need to occur. One is much stricter testing in order to prescribe prescription drugs. The other is the realization, by parents and doctors alike, that pills aren't always the answer.
It doesn't seem like the vicious cycle is slowing down any time soon.
(03/05/10 5:00am)
To the editor,
(03/03/10 5:00am)
Lately, the position of New York governor has been one controversial office to hold. This past week hasn't been the easiest for Gov. David A. Paterson; news of his using improper influence has spread like wildfire.
(03/03/10 5:00am)
Enron, torture and gun control are just a few of this week's coming attractions to the United States Supreme Court. Who ever said the land's highest court doesn't hear interesting cases?
(03/01/10 5:00am)
To the editor,
(03/01/10 5:00am)
Gov. David A. Paterson gave the residents of New York one of the biggest understatements on Friday when he dropped his campaign for reelection due to an incident with his top aide.
(03/01/10 5:00am)
(02/26/10 5:00am)
To the editor,
The Monday, February 22 review 'Zodiaque springs into action' caused a stir in the Center for the Arts, not because of negative connotations or opinions of the Zodiaque Dance Company concert, but because of the utter ineptitude with which the writer attempted to discuss an art form of which he knew nothing about.
If a sports writer does not know the difference between the outfield and the end zone, he would not be qualified to write for the sports desk, and would not be published. If a music critic could not distinguish Wagner from Mozart, he would not cover the BPO. How then, does the esteemed arts desk deem it appropriate to publish a review of a dance concert in which the writer does not know the difference between modern dance and hip-hop?
Let's set a few things straight.
1.'The dance company showcased eight brief dance skits featuring a wide range of music and rhythm … ‘the show was interesting, but the music didn't really match. It was more like it was tied together by the dancing.' ' Zodiaque's Concert is not a musical, nor an evening length continuous work, but a series of discrete choreographic works, (not dance 'skits') by individual choreographers. Each piece is therefore meant to be a unique work in itself, and not 'really match' with any other.
2. ' ‘Somebody's Gonna Luv U' … was the only dance that featured the better known modern dances, which even included an attempt at break dancing.' Modern dance is form of dance originating in the 20th century as a reactionary force to classical ballet. The UB curriculum, and that of most college dance programs is heavily based in Modern dance. Every work in the concert did indeed qualify as 'modern,' with the exception of the more vernacular hip-hop final piece.
3. Each work mentioned was discussed in terms of speed of movement, vaguely assuming a positive correlation between velocity and aesthetic value. No work was discussed in terms of expressivity, performance, artistry, or meaning. For example, Miserere, the 'slowest' and 'least exciting' work according to the author, is actually full of athleticism, and the spiritual connotations of Allegri's powerful music. The author gave no thought to the purpose of 'poses' in moments of stillness for emotional or thematic significance.
4. Costumes were not 'carefully chosen to contrast each other as well as represent the styles of the dance' but to complement the overall atmosphere and meanings of each respective piece. If the author had bothered to read the program he would have noticed that all new costumes were designed by a company member in the piece, and served to promote the essence of each new work. There was no mention of how the 'fancy dresses' of Fluttered complemented the graceful, exotic, and birdlike movement motifs, or how the costumes for Somebody's Gonna Luv U, reflected the vernacular movement style.
5. Also, is it not standard to include more than one quote in a review? The opinion of one environmental design major is indeed valid, but it seems to be the equivalent of asking an astrophysicist to discuss T.S. Eliot: not a member of the most qualified demographic.
We hope that The Spectrum in the future exercises more scrutiny over articles and encourages writers to actually research what it is they are writing about.
Sincerely,
Kerri Leonard
Junior dance major
kll7@buffalo.edu
(02/26/10 5:00am)
The cell phone is easily the past decade's most quickly changing innovation in day-to-day life. New phones come out every year and the American public can't wait to purchase them.
But the law is behind on the fast-paced nature of cell phone technology. The Federal Appeals court in Philadelphia is currently hearing a case over the location information gathered by cell phones.
The United States government wants unfettered access to this information, while many civil liberties organizations believe that the information should only be turned over in response to a search warrant.
The court must rule that warrants are required. A decision to the contrary would bring to fruition a real-life 1984.
The public honestly has no idea how much information their cell phones collect about them. For instance, mobile phones actually transmit back to their carriers on where the users are at any time, even when the phone is not use.
Basically, whether you like it or not, a cell phone is, in fact, a GPS device.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that law enforcement wants to tap this valuable information source. If given access, police could track the movements of a suspect in real time.
It's a bit scary. The phrase 'Big Brother' really does come to mind. Privacy would essentially be lost.
The main argument in the case is that cell phone companies keep such data on customers' movements for years. This is the information that the government is after.
The Justice Department believes that obtaining cell data is essential 'because [a] suspect and his confederates can use a variety of vehicles and properties to conduct their legal activities, making physical surveillance difficult.'
Lazy much?
The burden of proof is called a burden for a reason – it should take effort to prove someone guilty. Remember, the American justice system believes that suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
The Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is acceptable because Americans enjoy no 'reasonable expectation of privacy' in where their cell phones are, according to government documents.
The ruling could be the first on what the legal standard is in regard to government requests for information based on location. The court should make clear that the Fourth Amendment requires the government to obtain a search warrant for such records after showing probable cause for connecting the phone's user to criminal activity.
The information about people's movements is extremely private. Hopefully, the courts will rule in favor of privacy on this one.
(02/24/10 5:00am)
Health care reform has been the Obama administration's top policy priority for almost an entire year. If Senator Edward Kennedy had lived longer, or the election for his replacement had turned out differently, maybe Congress would have done something.
The president has been on the sidelines for the debate over how to fix America's health care system. This week's live health care television summit between the President and Congressional leaders will shape American politics for years.
It may provide the political turning point this year. If the meeting fails to shake things up and doesn't lead to real reform, Democrats and the president are in for a miserable time.
President Barack Obama unveiled a new plan on Monday. Here are the basic facts to keep in mind: the bill would provide coverage for up to 30 million people who are currently uninsured, the future government deficits will also be reduced and medical costs will be brought under control.
Perhaps the flashiest new measure is to give the federal government, along with state insurance regulators, the power to halt excessive premium increases. Last week, customers of Anthem Blue Cross saw their rates increase by 39 percent.
Such actions would no longer be tolerated.
The proposals are far from perfect, but the administration estimates the cost of the plan will be $950 billion over 10 years, which would reduce the deficit by $100 billion over the next decade and about $1 trillion in the decade after that.
If Republicans threaten filibusters, let them. Democrats should use a budget reconciliation procedure that requires a majority vote for passage in the Senate.
It's time for the gloves to come off.
The United States ranked No. 37 in the World Health Organization's latest rankings. Countries like Oman, Cyprus and Finland all rank ahead of the United States. If that doesn't upset Americans, what will?
Just saying no to everything without any counter-proposal doesn't carry weight anymore. The point of having the summit televised is to allow all Americans to see what their leaders are actually doing.
Republicans need to start putting their own ideas on the table. Then the debate will no longer be about the flaws in the Democrats' plan – whether they are real or made up.
It will become a debate about what the Democratic and Republican plans consist of. That's a fair debate.
To anyone paying attention, Democrats have included many Republican suggestions in these proposed bills. If the only way to gain Republican votes is for Democrats to enact only conservative Republican ideas into law, that isn't bipartisanship.
That's blackmail.
Republicans were outraged over 'backroom' deals in forming the bill. The Democrats have made their plans public, let the Republicans do the same.
Let the American people decide for themselves.
Republicans have the right to be as conservative as they choose to be. They have justifiable political reasons to oppose health care reform.
But just saying no and providing no alternative plan is unacceptable.
This may be the last chance to fix the health care system. A loss for President Obama and the Democrats is not an option.
(02/22/10 5:00am)
To the editor,
(02/22/10 5:00am)
To the editor,
(02/22/10 5:00am)
In the near future, teenagers might be sprung even earlier from high school.
(02/19/10 5:00am)
To the editor,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of students, faculty, and staff members for their extraordinary cooperation under the stressful circumstances that took place Tuesday, Feb. 16 in Lockwood Library. There is probably no need to restate the entire incident, for through the efforts of UB Communications, local media reports, and The Spectrum's coverage, everyone should be well aware of the occurrences.
In summary; the best information we had at the time required us to do a thorough search of the library in order to make certain there was no continuing threat to our university community. The end result was an unconfirmed report of a person with a weapon. University Police officers responded within 1-minute of the call and began searching for the suspect. After consultation with the library staff, we decided to evacuate the library and continued to search for a suspect or a weapon.
A short time later, UB Communications sent out a Text Alert, which was followed by email and Web site postings.
At no time was there ever any direct threat to a member of our community.
Considering this, we did a targeted search and evacuation with the assistance of the Amherst Police Department, while the Buffalo Police assisted in patrolling our South Campus.
The main point of this correspondence is to acknowledge the cooperation of our community in evacuating the library in a very calm and orderly fashion. Every student, of the hundreds of students that were given the instruction to evacuate did so in a quick and calm fashion as each floor of the library was asked to leave. Clearly, this is a most unfortunate event and we apologize for the inconvenience this caused to our campus community, but it is for your safety that we took these extraordinary precautions.
The University at Buffalo continues to be a safe community. Unfortunately, in any community with a daytime population that exceeds 40,000, problems occasionally occur. With your assistance we can make this community even safer.
While our investigation continues we have increased our police presence on the north campus. In addition to the extras steps your University Police are taking we are asking for you assistance: the most important thing you can do is call us to report any suspicious activity! Call the University at Buffalo POLICE for assistance at 716-645-2222 or call from a Blue Light Phone. In closing, I would like to offer a special thanks to the many students, faculty, and staff that sent thank-you notes to our department.
Sincerely,
Gerald W. Schoenle Jr.
Chief of Police
(02/19/10 5:00am)
At 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday, the University Police Department received a call from a student in Lockwood Library, where there was a possible sighting of a man with either a rifle or shotgun hidden beneath a pea coat.
The police inspected the video and sprang into action. The library was evacuated and police sealed all entrances and exits to the building. The university alerted students through the alert system as well as eventually shutting down activity on North Campus for the night.
The police concluded the search of the building and deemed the campus safe. No injuries, no deaths – a definite success.
The police deserve to be credited with a hasty response to handle the situation. Many students have stated that such procedures took too long or that different tactics were in order.
It is uncalled for; hindsight is always 20/20.
According to Webster's Dictionary, the definition of crisis is 'a condition of instability or danger leading to a decisive change.'
There can always be improvement in handling such situations as the one this past Tuesday. For example, in the early stages of the incident, many students were still able to walk to areas in Lockwood Library, ignorant of the events taking place.
The UB alert system had sent out a text message to students that Lockwood had been evacuated. Now, the alert system is a fantastic idea in theory. But many students aren't even signed up for it. In fact, it should be mandatory.
Another issue with it is that in many of the lecture halls, there is no cell phone reception, so the alert messages can't be received. This can lead to confusion, causing students and faculty to enter the danger zone.
A more effective way to notify people here on campus should be conceived. Not every student has access to cell reception or the Internet when trekking through the halls of North Campus. Perhaps a public address system or phone system should be installed in the halls if another such incident ever arises.
Perhaps another improvement that university leaders might want to look into is a better security camera system. Grainy footage isn't acceptable. An updated system with more cameras to provide general overall security should be a priority.
There is no reason to suggest cameras covering every inch of campus. It is impossible to accomplish from a cost standpoint. However, adding cameras could aid the police in fighting crime here on campus and give the campus more security overall.
Under the current procedures for an 'incident' such as this on campus, the university and the UB police get passing grades. But that doesn't mean the plan shouldn't be looked at and improved. Resting on our laurels is a dangerous thing.
It can breed complacency. The events of Tuesday turned out to be nothing, but that doesn't mean the same will be true down the road.
The world is a crazy place. Incidents at college campuses have begun occurring more often – look at the Virginia Tech and Binghamton incidents.
Campus safety can always be improved, even by something as simple as students being more aware and looking out for one another. It was amazing to hear that large groups of students were hanging around outside of the library.
If there's a potential threat of a weapon, there is no reason that anyone is occupying the police's time by forcing them to keep students away from the building instead of searching for the suspect. It doesn't help matters.
Hopefully, an improvement from both ends of this situation will come.