News

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News Briefs

Energy company faces backlash from community with environmental concerns

Police Blotter 3/5-3/7

All information according to University Police reports. 3/5 12:33 p.m. - A Crossroads Culinary Center manager reported five suspects stole decorations from the restaurant.

Because children can't fight alone

Before her death, Talia Castellano, makeup blogger, Covergirl and Internet celebrity, said, "In a hundred years, I want to be remembered as the bubbly girl who wanted to do something about childhood cancer." In September 2013, The Spectrum reported on Lizzy Lenchner's passion for raising money and awareness for childhood cancer research.

Calling for fairness in federal financial aid

Weather warming and birds returning to roost serve to remind us it's tax season: an exciting time of forms and frustration for disgruntled filers around the nation.

Leonard to speak at UB's Center For the Arts

World-famous sustainability proponent Annie Leonard will tell her Story of Stuff at UB Tuesday. She will speak at the Center For the Arts beginning at 7 p.m. Leonard is best known for her work leading up to the Story of Stuff project, in which she talks about the culture of waste with "stuff" today.

SA elections to begin after Spring Break

Student Association elections for next year's president, vice president, treasurer and SUNY delegates will take place March 25-27 - the week following Spring Break. Polls will be open from 9 a.m.

Video: Spectrum 360 Newscast - 3/9/14

Wednesday's abortion debate brings philosophical perspectives

Picture you and your friends are on a plane with Tony Stark from the comic book series Iron Man. Stark sees Pepper Pots making out with another man, becomes enraged and forces everyone out of the plane miles above of the earth. Wednesday's "Abortion: is it Ethical?" discussion was filled with anecdotes and hypothetical scenarios like this as the two debaters attempted to debunk each other's positions using philosophy as the basis of their arguments. "We can only ask people to leave once we've invited them to somewhere, not that we can kill them in order to remove them," said Catherine Nolan, a Ph.D.

UB students work to end global violence against women through V-Day Campaign

V is for vagina. V is for voice. V is for victory. For Jasmine Gray, a sophomore English major, "V-Day," a global movement to end violence against women and girls, encompasses the various meanings of "V." At UB, SBI Health Education and students like Gray work to raise awareness and combat violence against women with the annual V-Day campaign.

Sustainable Earth Solutions offers students leadership opportunities

Leadership is a trait most companies look for in the working world, and Dave Bauer is bringing a program to UB to help hone that skill while infusing a green aspect. Bauer is the president and owner of Sustainable Earth Solutions (SES) and has been involved with the UB School of Management since 2011.The company is committed to promoting environmental change and inspiring this generation of college students to keep moving forward.

Paranormal activities

Alicia Knauf has always felt surrounded by the supernatural - even before she was born. When Knauf's mother was pregnant, she visited a psychic, who told her the child she was carrying was a "gift from the angels." Knauf's mother always told her there was a bright white light coming from her room at night, which symbolized the "Lady in White" visiting. When Knauf, a sophomore biomedical sciences major, saw the advertisement for UB Paranormal Activity Research Association (PARA) at a club fair her freshman year, she took it as a sign and eagerly joined the group. UB PARA is a club geared toward the education and investigation of paranormal and supernatural activities.

High schoolers 'BAND' against bullying at the CFA

Curtis Vance didn't want a solo performance in the "BAND Against Bullying" event at UB. In the spirit of the evening, he decided to include all his classmates who wanted to perform. Vance, whom his classmates call "Young World," directed the choreography and act for Williamsville.

"Faculty Senate meets quorum for second time this year, prepares for reaccreditation"

Tuesday, the Faculty Senate met to discuss two topics: how to boost attendance at meetings and UB's preparation for next month's meeting with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) as part of an accreditation review. Fifty senators attended - four more than the number needed to reach quorum.

Eleven buildings on North Campus lose power

Eleven North Campus buildings lost power on Tuesday after one of the ceramic insulators and fuses failed on one bay of UB's substations, according to UB Spokesman John Della Contrada. The outage lasted approximately one hour and affected classes and students. Around 12:30 p.m., O'Brian, Jacobs, Norton, Bonner, Knox, Park and Talbert Halls, as well as UB Stadium, Lockwood Library and sections of Alumni Arena and Capen Hall lost power. The Office of University Communications sent The Spectrum a press release with the time and day of the occurrence, but some students complained they were never alerted. Barry Lee, a freshman chemical engineering major, was in his computer programming class when the power outage occurred. "[UB could have sent] out an email or text to all the students alerting them about the problem," Lee said.

UB's pediatric and general surgery residency programs no longer on probation

On Feb. 24, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) informed UB that its pediatric surgery and general surgery residency programs were no longer on probation and were granted full accreditation. Last year, ACGME cited the general surgery program for the following issues: teamwork, engagement of the residents in planning and quality and lack of a robust system for monitoring duty hours. Roseanne Berger, the senior associate dean of Graduate Medical Education, told The Spectrum in August the main issue with the pediatric surgery program - a fellowship program - was a shortage of pediatric surgeons to adequately train UB's two fellows. Berger also said general surgery and pediatric surgery are in the process of modifying their programs to comply with ACGME's new standards. "This very welcome decision on both the surgery and pediatric surgery residency programs at UB completely validates the changes implemented by the programs in order to address issues raised by the ACGME," Michael Cain told the UB Reporter. UB closed its dermatology residency program in June last year.

Building Onward

Reading about human rights issues was no longer enough for Emily Fiore, so she decided to experience the problems firsthand. In December 2011, Fiore was alone in Tacloban, Philippines, and ready to volunteer.

University Police investigating three larcenies in Red Jacket Quadrangle

University Police (UPD) is warning students to keep their dorm rooms locked after a series of larcenies occurred in the Red Jacket Quadrangle over the past three weeks. Monday night, Campus Living sent out a UB Alert to all students living on campus informing them of the incidents. Lieutenant Joshua Sticht of UPD said the burglaries occurred Feb.

UB's smoke-free policy leads monthly InFocus discussion

When Megan Bragdon was pregnant, she was concerned about the effects of second-hand smoke. Despite UB's anti-smoking policy, she said people give her rude responses when she asks them to put their cigarettes out on campus. Bragdon, the program coordinator for the University Honors College, had the chance to voice her opinion on smoking at the latest InFocus series meeting. Friday at noon, students and faculty gathered in 107 Capen Hall to talk about smoking and the university's smoke-free policy, UBreathe Free - which restricts smoking on campus grounds.

Campus discusses e-cigs as cessation method

As a sophomore in high school, Alex TerBush picked up a cigarette for the first time. It started as a pack-and-a-half-day habit. As a sophomore in college, he picked up an electronic cigarette and eventually weaned himself off tobacco products completely. He hasn't had a drag of a normal cigarette for two years. Though some people struggle with patches, gums and lozenges as a way to stop smoking, TerBush went straight for an electronic cigarette.

Video: Spectrum 360 Newscast - 3/2/14