Features - The Spectrum

Samuel Kuruvilla, a junior financial analysis and marketing major, and Kittikawin Cheecharern, a senior communication major, teamed up to create a website that helps students find better storage solutions.

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UB students create storage company to solve summer storage dilemmas

By LINDSAY GILDER | Mar. 5, 2017

In the fall of 2016, Kuruvilla, a junior financial analysis and marketing major, teamed up with Kittikawin Cheecharern, a senior communications major, to create a new company called Storbnb. The website is a platform for students to rent or lease empty space for storage. Students can earn money by renting out their space and renters can store their belongings cheaply. The team also hopes its website will foster a sense of community by allowing people to rent from their neighbors instead of traditional storage facilities.

Jarvis B lot (pictured) is a faculty, staff and student parking lot. Students say they park in faculty only lots to avoid being late for class.

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UB parking problems persist

By SARAH CROWLEY | Feb. 16, 2017

The university has acknowledged students’ frustration with parking, but students feel the university should create more parking space.

Sex toys can help spice up one's sex life. Forty-six percent of UB students said they have used a sex toy before.

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Toy joy: UB students share experience using sex toys

By ASHLEY INKUMSAH | Feb. 9, 2017

When Aliyah Hadid went to a sex toy store in Canada, she thought lonely, old women would be there. She was surprised to find a crowd of couples, including a woman buying a rabbit-shaped vibrator with her boyfriend right beside her.

Samiha Islam, Musa Alsaedi, Soojung Baek and Biplab Bhattacharya are four UB students. Muslim and non-Muslim students share their reactions to President Trump's travel ban.

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Muslim UB students react to Trump’s travel ban

By SARAH CROWLEY | Feb. 2, 2017

Since President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning travel from seven Muslim nations, protests have broken out in airports around the world. Green-card holders who live, teach, work, or attend school in the U.S. have been detained at airports and border crossings.

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Shedding light: how to tackle Buffalo winter blues

By SARAH CROWLEY | Jan. 24, 2017

If Buffalo winters leave you feeling unusually tired, hungry, sad or unmotivated, the good news is that you’re not alone. Mood disorders are fairly common and almost 10 percent of adults in the U.S. experience them, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.

Garfield Walker started a GoFundMe page on Nov. 29 to raise money to support his cousin who lost his parents. In just four days, he raised $1,035.

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UB student creates GoFundMe page for his orphaned cousin

By ASHLEY INKUMSAH | Dec. 5, 2016

Santeno Nembhard’s mother died a day after Thanksgiving. His father was shot and murdered in his home in Jamaica in 2013. Nembhard, who is 14 years old, is now an orphan, living with his 9-year-old sister and grandmother in an impoverished section of Jamaica.

Joey Santa Lucia, a sophomore business major, trains five days a week to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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UB student overcomes skull tumor, wins body building competition

By HANNAH STEIN | Dec. 5, 2016

Joey Santa Lucia received an urgent phone call during school saying he needed immediate brain surgery. He had a panic attack and thought he was going to die. He didn’t think he would be able to smile, speak or work out again.

On Monday, UB's Black Student Union held their 49th annual Solidarity Day, an event meant to support local black-owned businesses and galvanize black voters beyond the general election into local and state elections.

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UB's BSU celebrates 49th solidarity day

By KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS | Nov. 8, 2016

On Monday, UB's Black Student Union held their 49th annual Solidarity Day, an event meant to support local black-owned businesses and galvanize black voters beyond the general election into local and state elections. The event was also a celebration of BSU's past as they approach their 50-year anniversary.

Danielle Dispenza (right) and Sarah Fullington (left) sit outside of the Student Union. Dispenza said she will vote for Hillary Clinton due to her disdain for Donald Trump and Fullington said she will not vote at all.

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What women voters at UB see in Hillary Clinton

By ELIZABETH SILBURN | Nov. 7, 2016

Alliyah McIntosh believes Hillary Clinton is the best candidate for president and can represent women like no president before. “She has children of her own,” McIntosh, a junior studying exercise science major, said. “She has a family of her own, she really gets what it’s like to be a woman.”

Jennie Gibson, a sophomore communication major, said she will be voting for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Nov. 8. She said she will not dwell on Trump’s comments toward women but will focus on his platform.

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The voices of female Trump supporters at UB

By MALLORY MAILEN | Nov. 7, 2016

Jennie Gibson said she does not judge Donald Trump’s presidential abilities based on him calling a model “fat” 20 years ago. Gibson, a sophomore communication major and political science minor, is one woman who will be voting for the Republican presidential candidate on Nov.

Hosoo Kim, a junior international student from South Korea, has lived in the U.S. for three years now, but feels his voice in the presidential election does not matter.

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No voice, no vote: How international students handle an election they have no say in

By THOMAS ZAFONTE | Nov. 3, 2016

Hosoo Kim feels his voice in the upcoming presidential election doesn’t matter – not only because he isn’t a U.S. citizen, but because he feels his opinion is rude to his American friends. “There is some kind of transparent wall between me and my American friends... Maybe it is a wall made by me, but still I respect Americans because I am a visitor here. I will respect the decision because it is not mine to make,” Kim, a junior international student from South Korea, said.

President Barack Obama spoke at UB's Alumni Arena in August 2013. Students and faculty have mixed feelings about Obama's last eight years in office.

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UB students and faculty discuss Barack Obama’s presidency

By MICHAEL AKELSON | Nov. 3, 2016

Dr. James Battista still remembers the uncertainty he felt watching President Barack Obama give his initial inauguration speech in January 2009. “The first time you’re seeing an African American get sworn in, I think a lot of people were nervous through the whole time,” Battista, a political science associate professor, said. “Is this going to go off without a hitch? Is nobody going to kill him?”

Political science professor Michelle Benson will be voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the presidential election on Nov. 8. Benson believes Clinton’s knowledge of foreign policy and the complexity of U.S. and world politics qualifies her for presidency.

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UB political science professors weigh in on who they’re voting for and why

By ASHLEY INKUMSAH AND EVAN GRISLEY | Nov. 3, 2016

The Spectrum interviewed two political science professors to discuss their picks for the presidential election. Political science professor Michelle Benson will be voting for Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. Political science professor James Campbell will be voting for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The Bestest app allows users to survey different groups of people on different topics and is available to anyone with a smartphone.

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The Bestest choice: UB startup app makes for easier decision making

By EVAN GRISLEY | Oct. 30, 2016

When Lalit Goel’s wife went shopping for glasses, she tried on dozens of pairs. All she wanted was to poll her friends to see which pair they thought looked best. That’s when Goel came up with the Bestest app.

PodKeeper is an application to help parents manage family schedules and social groups for their kids but can also be used by students to manage their busy lives. It can be accessed online from a computer, tablet, iPhone or Android and syncs with calendars and emails.

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PodKeeper planning: UB alum creates online hub for management

By EVAN GRISLEY | Oct. 26, 2016

When Steve Sacks became a father, his life was in dire need of organization. Sacks, a UB graduate, and his wife Nikki also noticed a gap in the market. That’s when they co-founded the PodKeeper app for busy parents and students. PodKeeper is an application to help parents manage family schedules and social groups for their kids but can also be used by students to manage their busy lives. It is not available in the app store, but can be accessed online from a computer, tablet, iPhone or Android and syncs with calendars and emails.

“If Trump wins I’m worried he’s going to treat our country like a business. So many of his failed,” said Dixon Elegant, a freshman art and psychology major.

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UB students discuss what scares them most about upcoming presidential election

By EVAN GRISLEY | Oct. 20, 2016

This year, many college students will be able to vote for the first time, yet a large number are steering away from the voting booths because of their fears regarding each candidate. Twenty-five percent of Americans have unfavorable views of both Clinton and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to a recent study by Gallup, an analytic service. Only 11 percent of Americans had unfavorable views in 2012 when President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were running.

Mohawk Place, located on Mohawk Street, will feature local bands, such as Stress Dolls, The Naturalists and One Way Terror, on Oct. 29.

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Buffalo Halloween events for the above-average scare

By CARLOS LEYTE AND ANDREW SAFE | Oct. 20, 2016

Halloween in college is far different from the celebration at home, especially the party scene. Trick-or-treating and quiet backyard parties are replaced with big music events and club specials throughout Halloween weekend.

Joel Lim, a senior psychology major from Singapore, said Halloween has spread to his country and has impacted his experience at UB when he saw how it’s celebrated in the U.S.

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Halloweird: UB international students react to Halloween

By CARLOS LEYTE | Oct. 20, 2016

Madelon Brand is an international student from the Netherlands. She finds Halloween to be unique yet “superficial.”

Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton speak at their rallies. UB professors discuss what voters should be paying attention to for the upcoming election.

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UB professors discuss what voters should pay attention to in the presidential election

By EVAN GRISLEY | Oct. 12, 2016

More than 60 million people tuned into the first two presidential debates so far and some may be asking themselves, “What should I be paying attention to?”

Ryan Lynn and Kevin Santa run Niagara Falls Adventure Park. The duo use their experience from UB’s Outdoor Adventures Club to run the facility.

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Adventure time: UB Alumni run Niagara Falls Adventure Park

By KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS | Oct. 6, 2016

Zip lining down 350 feet or a daredevil jump off a rooftop might be a good way to blow off some steam as schoolwork starts to pile on. Niagara Falls Adventure Park is the place to go. The park is run by Ryan Lynn, a UB alumnus, and Kevin Santa, a student taking a year off. The park, located at 427 First Street, Niagara Falls, has three attractions for thrill-seekers: zip lining, rope-courses and Daredevil jumping.