Features - The Spectrum

From the inside, Big Mood on Elmwood looks less like a restaurant and more like your cool aunt’s ‘70s-themed apartment.

FEATURES

Big Mood: This groovy café is reimagining plant-based cuisine

By JACK PORCARI | Oct. 22, 2020

From the inside, Big Mood on Elmwood looks less like a restaurant and more like your cool aunt’s ‘70s-themed apartment. Complete with macrame plant holders, retro light fixtures and orange tie-dyes, this vegan eatery’s aesthetic is as retro as it is current. Big Mood offers a variety of 100% vegan burgers, bowls, salads, sandwiches and dessert. What’s more, each item on the menu corresponds with a quirky mood for the dish.

UB will delay spring semester and cancel spring break in accordance with SUNY guidelines in an effort to slow the spread of COVID.

FEATURES

‘They are doing a good job:’ Public health experts, university officials praise UB students

By JUSTIN WEISS | Oct. 21, 2020

University officials and public health experts are crediting a specific group of people with keeping campus safe: the student body.

The U.S. men's basketball team had a 7-0 record and won gold at the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo.

FEATURES

When the world came to Buffalo

By JUSTIN WEISS | Oct. 19, 2020

In 1993, UB hosted the second-largest sporting event in the world. But 27 years later, few students have heard of these games. Even fewer know that Buffalo was the first and only American city to host the summer event — that is, until they are held in Lake Placid in 2023.

Puffy and fresh, this Margherita pizza is hard to put down.

FEATURES

Freshness meets ethical cooking at Jay’s Artisan Pizza

By JACK PORCARI | Oct. 16, 2020

Pizza parlors are notorious for their red and white ceramic tiling, conveyor belt ovens and attention-grabbing neon signage – but this is anything but the experience at Jay’s Artisan Pizza.

FEATURES

Why you should care about Amy Coney Barrett

By SHIRA JACOBSON | Oct. 11, 2020

On Sept. 26, President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative-leaning federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor, to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Barrett, 48, will fill the role of the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and could reshape the bench for generations to come.

UB has implemented socially distanced seating in the Student Union.

FEATURES

UB’s COVID guidelines are clear. Its enforcement strategy isn’t.

By JUSTIN WEISS | Oct. 11, 2020

Across the country, colleges are grappling with how to enforce mask wearing and social distancing.

Thousand-year egg, tofu, cucumber and cilantro make for a healthy salad.

FEATURES

Spice up your Chinese takeout with Home Taste’s vegetarian selects

By JACK PORCARI | Oct. 8, 2020

Prepare to experience a whole new dimension of Chinese takeout at Home Taste in Buffalo. The restaurant, which prides itself in cooking Northern-Chinese cuisine, offers a variety of authentic dishes made by hand.

Students struggle to transition to remote learning.

FEATURES

Students struggle to adapt to online classes

By SHIRA JACOBSON | Oct. 1, 2020

Are students thriving or just barely surviving in their online classes?

Ranchos at 1516 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213

FEATURES

Ranchos hidden gem on Niagara offers great veggie selection and more

By JACK PORCARI | Oct. 1, 2020

You might expect the tacos at Ranchos to be good, but you can’t beat dessert: a black and yellow ATV roars down Niagara Street in wheelie formation as the sunset casts a golden spotlight on the rider.

The anniversary of Linda Yalem's tragic passing begs a question: Is the bike path safer today than it was 30 years ago?

FEATURES

30 years ago, the Bike Path Rapist struck campus

By JUSTIN WEISS | Sep. 29, 2020

In the 30 years since her death, Linda Yalem has been honored through memorial runs, safety patrols and a scholarship in her name. But the anniversary of her tragic passing begs a question: Is the bike path safer today than it was 30 years ago?

UB students traveled to Miami on Alternative Spring Break through Hillel of Buffalo

FEATURES

‘We want to be for everyone:’ Hillel embraces Jews of all backgrounds

By JUSTIN WEISS | Sep. 15, 2020

Before coming to college, Sari Arrow had never been away from her family for the Jewish High Holidays.

Thomas insists that UB is not being honest with students about the conditions inside the dorms and that no one is checking on quarantined students.

FEATURES

No hand soap, $2 water, loneliness: Life inside the UB quarantine dorms

By JUSTIN WEISS | Sep. 9, 2020

When Emily Thomas* arrived at South Campus’ Goodyear Hall for her mandatory two-week quarantine, she received: face masks, garbage bags, a muffin, two cookies, toilet paper, disinfectant, a bottle of water and a rotten banana.

A survey conducted by UB in March shows 56% of students are "very uncomfortable" or "somewhat uncomfortable" with completing their schoolwork online. Many UB students are struggling with distance learning due to financial burdens, lack of on-campus resources or having sick family members.

FEATURES

FAQ: How will COVID-19 affect campus reopening?

By JUSTIN WEISS | Aug. 2, 2020

Under normal circumstances, students would have dozens of questions about what campus will look like in the new year. But these aren’t normal circumstances; if anything, COVID-19 has left students with more questions than at any time before.

Senior architecture major, Alexander Sansolo at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Sanolo’s internship with Disney came to an abrupt end early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FEATURES

Pandemic derails students’ internship plans

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | May 10, 2020

Alexander Sansolo’s wishes were granted when he got the opportunity to intern at the Magic Kingdom. Three years of college and academics left him “burnt out” but the internship was his golden ticket to the Disney “imagineering” world and a way to find his true calling.

FEATURES

Something to smile at: Wholesome things happening around the world

By REILLY MULLEN | Apr. 24, 2020

This year began with catastrophe after catastrophe. Headlines describing the massive impacts of the coronavirus litter our screens. TikToks of college students longing for their friends with moody indie songs playing in the background have flooded the “For You” page. Oil prices dipped into the negatives for the first time in history on Tuesday. The new normal is filled with plenty to be sad about.

FEATURES

‘Bored in the house, in the house bored?’

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Apr. 17, 2020

We’ve been stuck at home for a month and there is no end in sight. But that’s where TikTok comes in handy.

FEATURES

Flattening the curve: DIY face-coverings

By REILLY MULLEN | Apr. 16, 2020

Precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are updating daily, as people are now required to wear protective face masks in public. These masks are often difficult to find due to high demand.

FEATURES

MAC lifts spirits with TikTok challenge

By ANTHONY DECICCO | Apr. 13, 2020

Collegiate athletes are accustomed to competition. They’re used to competing everyday in practice, in the gym and during games. And when the most integral part of their lives is taken away from them, they adapt.

FEATURES

Corona-can I take you on a date?

By REILLY MULLEN | Apr. 9, 2020

Quarantine came at an inconvenient time for all of us. Whether it was for seniors who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to their college days or for those who no longer have close friends at home like they do at school, saying goodbye this early is hard. But a less serious, yet still disappointing, result of vacating campus midway through the semester is the toll it can take on students’ love lives. Relationships become exponentially more difficult for couples who aren’t ready for the challenge of distance or are stuck inside a tiny apartment together all day (and it doesn’t look like the New York State self-quarantining guidelines are ending anytime soon).

FEATURES

Fighting off the quarantine 15

By CHLOE FERNEY | Mar. 29, 2020

With most of New York, and the U.S., under quarantine, all gyms are closed and leaving many without a place to work out. For some, the lack of exercise increases anxiety and depression, which is likely already heightened from the COVID-19 outbreak. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to stay fit while staying at home and helping flatten the curve. Be sure to shake up your self-isolation with one of these convenient at-home workouts.