Features - The Spectrum

At the end of the year, Campus Living charges students move out fees in the residence halls and on-campus apartments. Meegan Hunt, associate director of Campus Living, said of the 7,750 people living on campus last year, approximately 35 residents were charged.

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Movin’ out: UB students discuss annual Campus Living charges, fees

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Mar. 29, 2018

When Arielis Rosales removed a painting from her wall as a freshman in Wilkeson Hall, she said some of the wallpaper came off. Less than a month later, she was charged $50. “The damage was noticeable but not that bad,” said Rosales, a senior psychology and Spanish major. “The circumference of the hole in the wall seemed like it was less than a centimeter. It was small.”

In 2016, UB hired Borders on Patrol to address the large number of nuisance geese on campus. The company utilizes border collies to chase and harass geese off certain areas on campus.

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No flock zone: UB tackles the goose problem

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | Mar. 29, 2018

Craig Cygan believes getting rid of students’ worst enemy requires man’s best friend. Cygan is the owner and founder of Borders on Patrol, a local goose management company that trains and utilizes border collies to scare away nuisance goose populations.

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Cone Spotting

By DAN MCKEON | Mar. 29, 2018

For some, the upside-down cone filling in a pothole near the UB Commons is simply that: an upside-down cone.

Thinking about throwing away that old coffee maker you don’t use at the end of the semester? Don’t. Instead, donate it to UBReUSE, an initiative which collects and refurbishes unwanted appliances, furniture and clothing at the end of each semester. The program’s goal is to save useable items from going to landfills as well as providing students with an alternative to buying new items at the beginning of each semester.

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If it ain’t broke… thrift it!

By MAX KALNITZ | Mar. 29, 2018

Over the last two years, students have prevented more than five tons of material from being dumped into landfills. UBReUSE, a student-run move-out program within the Office of Sustainability, collects and refurbishes unwanted appliances, furniture and clothing at the end of each semester.

Local artist Julia Bottoms discusses how she paints realistic portraits of African American men and women to combat negative stereotypes about black people. Bottoms was one of four panelists at Tuesday's DifCon event, which highlighted how art can be used as a tool to resist oppression.

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UB DifCon addresses role of art in resisting oppression

By MADDY FOWLER | Mar. 28, 2018

Julia Bottoms said she believes art will save us from our own ignorance.

Students and Buffalo community members gathered in Harriman Hall on Saturday evening to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Attendees said the event helped them feel more connected with their culture and less homesick.

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Iranian Graduate Student Association holds Nowruz celebration

By MADDY FOWLER | Mar. 18, 2018

Maliheh Karamigolbaghi said she often feels homesick and miserable around the Persian New Year, so she wanted to host a Nowruz celebration to help alleviate homesickness that many Iranian students may feel.

Omari changes swastikas, originally a symbol of peace but used by the Nazi party, into images like shamrocks, Rubik’s Cubes and animals.

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Berlin street artists turn swastikas into art

By MAX KALNITZ | Mar. 15, 2018

BERLIN –– Ibo Omari is a swastika hunter. He travels Germany, searching for swastikas sprayed on walls and obliterates them. He’s removed the symbol –– once an ancient sign of luck and prosperity, now synonymous with Nazis –– from playgrounds, backyards, public transportation buildings and elevators.

Brian “Sole Man” Gavigan repairs a shoe during the Points of Intervention (POI) tour in SU. Gavigan and other repairers aimed to fix everything from watches to laptops at this year’s fair.

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Buy it, use it, break it, fix it

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Mar. 15, 2018

If it was broke, it could be fixed in the Student Union on Monday. Close to 30 volunteers repaired small appliances and educated students on managing waste at the Points of Intervention tour in the SU. Repair stations were scattered throughout the SU lobby, along with educational tables for DIY-home goods, DIY-sewing kits and proper wire rolling instructions. The UB-hosted tour runs with the Post Landfill Action Network.

Jordan Einhorn, president of the Jewish Student Union, and Sasha Shapiro are upset that the SA Comedy Series on March 30 lands on the first night of Passover.

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Students upset Comedy Series aligns with Passover

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET , WANLY CHEN and ERIK TINGUE | Mar. 15, 2018

Andrew Meyer has attended every Student Association Comedy Series since 2015. The event is on March 30 this year, the first night of the Jewish holiday Passover. Meyer will not be able to attend this year’s Comedy Series because he will be home on Long Island for the holiday.

Dogs, including the one above, are available for adoption at the Erie County SPCA. SPCA president and CEO, Gary Willoughby, spoke at O’Brian Hall on Monday about the dangers of puppy mills and his non-profit organization’s mission. Note: None of the above dogs can be confirmed as raid rescue dogs.

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Local SPCA president speaks at UB

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Mar. 7, 2018

Law school students discussed their concerns, with puppy mills, in O’Brian Hall on Monday. The discussion, hosted by the law school’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, featured Gary Willoughby, the CEO and president of Erie County’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

UB students forms new club on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Members discuss how cryptocurrency and blockchain technology looks to change the way the financial world runs.

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UB club gets cryptic

By WANLY CHEN | Mar. 7, 2018

Cryptocurrency –– digitalized money or assets –– has a unique stance in the financial market: its value will not be backed by any banks or government. With a current frenzy for cryptocurrency, UB Blockchains & Cryptocurrency Club is bringing interested students together. Members of the club are taught cryptocurrency’s financial impact and the technology behind how the currency obtains its value.

Fifty years after it’s founding, PODER Latinos Unidos abides by its original mission and continues to advocate for Latino students on-campus.

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PODER pushes students toward advocacy, education

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Mar. 5, 2018

Alberto O. Cappas founded PODER with a goal. He wanted an outlet for Puerto Rican students at UB. Cappas and other founding members aimed to bring reformist and radical techniques to PODER, based on clubs like Black Student Union.

The third annual Ethical Fashion Show Berlin took place Jan. 16-18 at the former Kraftwerk power plant, now a vibrant and energetic venue for exhibits and events. It involved over 120 vendors and a catwalk finale with 25 models wearing the hottest ethical styles.

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A glimpse into Berlin's eco fashion scene

By ELIZABETH ROTH | Mar. 5, 2018

BERLIN – From outside, the former industrial power station looks blocky and unappealing. Inside, it teems with life as vines cling to the walls and ceilings, and packs of 30-something fashionistas and 60-something fashion insiders comb makeshift stands for Berlin’s next big trend.

Chris McClure, assistant director of Intramural and Sports program, is striving to improve the program by recruiting players and offering more athletics and sporting events to students across campus.

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Check yourself before you 'rec' yourself

By ERIK TINGUE | Mar. 5, 2018

UB may be a school of Division-I athletes, but that has not stopped students like Matthew Nazzaro from playing in Alumni Arena.

Japanese international student Elle Machomoto says that one of the biggest differences between how Japanese and Americans date is public displays of affection. While Americans express affection openly with their partners, Japanese couples keep their relationships more private.

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International love

By MAX KALNITZ | Mar. 1, 2018

Love is a universal language, but everyone views and forms relationships in different ways. UB’s international student body represents more than 110 countries, each with its own dating culture. Many Asian countries have traditions and values when it comes to dating, marriage and sex and more often than not, domestic students have misconceptions about how international students date.

On Wednesday morning, "#ENDWOMENSRIGHTS" flyers were posted on bulletin boards throughout halls like Norton, Knox and the Student Union. The fliers listed Young Americans for Freedom as its distributor but the club and UB deny members posted the messages.

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'#ENDWOMENSRIGHTS' fliers found throughout North Campus

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET and ERIK TINGUE | Mar. 1, 2018

Across the academic complex on Wednesday mornings, many students were concerned to see fliers posted with text like “#ENDWOMENSRIGHTS.”

Junior biomedical engineering major Andrew Hoke controls his bot from outside the arena.

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Battle-bots, roll out

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET , MAX KALNITZ and THOMAS ZAFONTE | Feb. 26, 2018

Forget about Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream. UB engineers made Cybertron a reality in the middle of the Student Union. Ben Coleman, a sophomore electrical engineering major, represented the robotics department during this year’s Bot Wars competition. Part of Engineering Week, Bot Wars is an annual battle of student metallic creations.

The School of Engineering is beginning to research a driverless bus on campus. The bus, which has already been tested in places like Germany and Denmark, runs on 360-degree sensors and can seat 12 passengers.

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School of Engineering begins research on driverless bus

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Feb. 26, 2018

Principal investigators met Thursday to discuss UB’s purchase of a driverless Olli bus. The bus, composed of 3D printed material, does not come with a steering wheel and uses 360-degree sensors to drive. The passenger bus seats 12 people and runs on an electrical charge.

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Abbott Hall boasts rich history of medicine, architecture

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Feb. 22, 2018

The library at Abbott Hall is still in operation over a third of a century since it opened, preserving its history in its collection and architecture. The building features vintage woodwork study areas, like the Austin Flint Reading Room’s carved interior lit up by chandeliers. The library houses students in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as well as dental students and others.

“We Wanted A Revolution” is a survey of work by women of color through a period encompassing civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights and anti-war movements. Throughout, visitors to the gallery can view works by black female artists like Faith Ringgold, Ming Smith and Emma Amos.

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Art of a revolution

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Feb. 19, 2018

The Albright-Knox rewrote history on Saturday, celebrating black female artists. The gallery opened its latest exhibit this weekend, “We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85.” The exhibit, curated by the Brooklyn Museum, highlights over 200 pieces that encompass a time where black women artists were often underscored, devalued or overlooked.