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.
Combine 200,000 gallons of water from Lake LaSalle, a dirt-filled field and 128 teams of volleyball players, and the muddy mayhem of Oozfest is created.
Bill Maher, the 100th distinguished speaker in the 23-year series, covered a variety of topics Saturday night in Alumni Arena. From calling Sarah Palin a MILF to President Barack Obama a good special education teacher, no subject was left untouched.
Two weeks ago, South Park hit an impressive milestone with their 200th episode. So how did they celebrate? In a fashion that only Matt Stone and Trey Parker could – by offending an entire religion to the point of receiving death threats.
Once final exams have been taken, final papers handed in, and the stress of the semester has become a memory, the sacred ritual of summer reading can begin.
After 10 million ratings of over 6,500 schools, the University at Buffalo has come out on top.The highly popular professor evaluation website, RateMyProfessors.com, has released its list of the top college professors for 2010, and UB instructors Jim Javor and Rob Busch were named 10th and 22nd in the nation."There are over a million professors in the RateMyProfessor database," said Carlo DiMarco, vice president of university relations for mtvU, which owns and operates RateMyProfessors.com.
As the semester comes to an end and the University at Buffalo campus becomes a desolate wasteland, students living in the surrounding areas will begin the search for inexpensive ways to enjoy their time away from books and lectures.Luckily, Buffalo is host to a variety of art festivals during the summer months.Perhaps the most well-known and popular festival, the Allentown Art Festival, will be celebrating its 53rd year in the Allentown Historic Preservation District on Sat.
In celebration of Earth Day and the recent beautiful weather, environmental groups from UB joined together yesterday to celebrate Earth Day 2010.
Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, sometimes a picture can leave you speechless.
Fred, a 20-year-old grizzly bear from the Buffalo Zoo, was euthanized on April 9 due to age-related neurological problems. As of now, the Buffalo Zoo only has seven bears left, six of which are nearing the end of their life spans. "Bears typically live [to] between 20 and 25 years old," said Jennifer Fields, public relations coordinator for the Buffalo Zoo. "Some may live longer, but those numbers are the average ages. Our bears are [in that range] right now." Fred came to the Buffalo Zoo in 2002 from the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in Montana. He was removed from his native Alaskan habitat after he became dependant on human garbage. For the safety of both Fred and the people around him, the bear was moved to Montana and then later transferred to the zoo. As of now, the zoo only has one young bear, Anana, a 9-year-old female polar bear. The zoo has decided to not acquire any more bears for a few years because it is planning to build a new state-of-the-art polar bear habitat, which will become the focal point of the bear exhibit. "We felt like taking on new bears when we are going to be renovating the exhibit would be pointless," Fields said. "There is no use getting new bears when we will have to relocate them soon after." However, the remaining male polar bear, Nanuq, may not be around to live in his new home. According to a press release from the Buffalo Zoo, the 22-year-old male polar bear is in the last stages of his life. Age is certainly a problem; the other bears in the exhibit are showing signs of age and illness and may not be around for much longer. Diana is a 31-year-old spectacled bear and is the third oldest spectacled bear in North America. However, signs of age are apparent in her. "[She] has developed some age-associated changes, including hair loss and arthritis," Fields said in the press release. Furthermore, Hannah, the other spectacled bear, has just been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and will be undergoing chemotherapy. Although dying in captivity is a normal occurrence, the Buffalo Zoo underwent scrutiny in 2007 when People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called to revoke the Zoo's membership in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums after the deaths of at least three polar bears, a hyena and a sea lion in that year. "PETA's request [came] after the group examined U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection reports," said PETA's website. "The violations cited in the reports describe trash-strewn enclosures, a negligent and incompetent staff and judgments by decision makers that led directly to animal suffering." PETA has become aware of the recent deaths of the zoo animals and Lisa Wathne, the PETA captive exotic animals specialist, believes that the zoo does not have a good track record when it comes to the safety of their animals. "As far as [Fred] goes, his death seems reasonable because [20] is old for a bear," said Wathne. "However, if it so happens that [the Buffalo Zoo] is culpable for [the deaths of more animals] … then [PETA] will ask the United States Department of Agriculture and the AZA to revoke the zoo's accreditation and license," Wathne said. However, the zoo feels protective of its animals and plans to relocate the spectacled bears to the Vanishing Animals Exhibit, featuring endangered animals, while renovations for the polar bear display are underway. Anana will most likely be able to enjoy her new habitat, but her considerably older mate, Nanuq, will probably have passed away by the time the exhibit is finished. The zoo plans to get another male bear and will also have room for whatever offspring they may produce. "The bears are incredibly special animals and are beloved by our staff and visitors," said Dr. Donna M. Fernandes, president/CEO of the Buffalo Zoo, in the press release. "While they are certainly showing signs of age-related issues, the Buffalo Zoo remains committed to providing high quality care for them for the duration of their lives." E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
Many would consider college to be the ultimate representation of freedom: the first true liberation from home.
Fear the beard.The playoffs are in full force, and if the Sabres have anything to say about it, faces will be starting to look a little scruffy around campus.The Buffalo Sabres, in association with the entire NHL, will be holding its first annual Beard-A-Thon.
The Student Association Environmental Department will begin Earth Week on Monday, a continuing celebration to commemorate Earth Day on Thursday.
People usually watch movies for personal entertainment. On Earth Day, however, they'll have the opportunity to watch a flick for a good cause.
With Earth Day upcoming, the UB Environmental Network was hard at work this weekend to make a green effort to save a local state park.
The Buffalo Chips have reached a new high note.For the first time in their 15-year history, the club has qualified to compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella finals.
Finding a job has never been easier, according to UB Career Services, which is now offering the StrengthsQuest service to students.
A new policy was passed by the Student Association Tuesday, allowing clubs on campus to serve alcohol at their events upon approval by the SA and UB administration.
Nearly 200 runners met at Baird Point Sunday morning for the Nicholas Orrange Memorial Scholarship 5K run in memory of a University at Buffalo student who died in a car crash on Jan. 14. The event was put on by the Student Association, of which Orrange was the special interest service and hobbies coordinator before his death. According to Katherine Ruiz Meneses, the assistant race director and SA sports club coordinator-elect, the event was a huge success. "We raised over $2,500 in admissions," Meneses said. "There are also a lot of donations which [as of press time] have not been counted yet." Race participants paid $20 until April 9 and $22 on the day of the event. The fee included a T-shirt and admission to a post-race party, where there was food, beverages and raffle prizes. Supporters who did not race were asked to donate $5 to attend. All proceeds will be sent to the Nick Orrange Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was set up by his family at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. "It was a nice mix of students and outside runners," said Shervin Stoney, the race director, current SA sports club coordinator and vice president-elect. "On Friday, there were only about 50 people signed up, but we got about 70 people [on Saturday] and then about 75 more people showed up [on that day]." Stoney says that there were approximately 300 runners, volunteers and supporters on Sunday. The course started at Baird Point, went around Alumni Arena, looped through the Academic Spine and finished at Baird Point. Along the way, there were over 70 volunteers with water and cheers for the runners as they went by. "Having those extra voices [of encouragement] really helped," said Kathy Fretthold, 49, a winner of the 46-55 age group. "And the fact that they had water [and aid stations] was [helpful]." The run was open to not only UB students, but any other interested parties. Medals were awarded to the top three winners in each age group – 17 and under, 18-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55, 56-65 and 65 and over. The first runner to complete the course was John French, with a time of 15:56.00, while the first female runner to complete the course was Caitlyn Curry, with a time of 20:17.00. Other runners included Thomas and Wendy Zuch, who estimate that they run in 30 races a year. The Zuchs admitted that they did not know Nick, but Thomas worked with a member of Nick's family, who he saw at the run. In addition, many members of Nick's family ran for their age groups. David Orrange, Nick's biological father, won third place in his age group. "This was a very nice outcome," David said. "[I'm so glad] that Nick has a legacy [at UB]." David hopes that the race will be come an annual event for people to compete in and hopes to be in better shape next year so that he can get a higher position. "The family was very touched by the event," Meneses said. "They seemed happy because there was such a huge [amount of support]." According to Meneses, the Buffalo-native rock band the Goo Goo Dolls will be playing at Darien Lake this summer and plan to donate over $100,000 to the Nicholas Orrange Memorial Scholarship Fund. "We're excited about that; it's a big deal," Meneses said. She also stressed the importance of continuing the tradition in the coming years. As the sports club coordinator for next year, Meneses expects to make the 5K an annual event. "Nick wasn't a show-horse; he was a very humble guy," Stoney said. "I think that he would have found [the event] amusing, more than anything." E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
Solutions by The State News
