News

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Bulls come up short against Cornell

The men's tennis team went to Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend, looking to make history.

Former editor dies of pneumonia

Aaron Moe, former Asst. Sports Editor of The Spectrum and beloved friend to many Buffalonians, passed away Friday night from complications due to pneumonia.

Early to leave

In the near future, teenagers might be sprung even earlier from high school.

Not worth believing in

Grade: C-

Molding the future of virtual reality

Research conducted at the University at Buffalo has led to groundbreaking new software that literally puts the virtual world at our fingertips.

Centuries of controversy

Many parishes offer services tailored to the needs of the LGBTQ community and invite hosting pastors that can identify with the community on a more personal level.

Bulls split despite slow bats

After a record breaking 25-win performance last season, the softball team traveled to Denton, Texas to start its 2010 schedule at the Sleep Inn Classic.

Overtime buzzer-beater lifts Bulls

Senior guard Sean Smiley had a flair for the dramatic Saturday against Saint Peter's College. First, he made a poor out-of-bounds pass that led to a turnover and a Nick Leon game-tying 3-pointer with one second left in regulation.

Zodiaque springs into action

Going on 36 years of experience, the Zodiaque Dance Company presented its first round of 2010 spring semester concert shows last weekend. The dance company showcased eight brief dance skits featuring a wide range of music and rhythm.

A property owner's duty

I don't have a car.

Outrageous and ridiculous

To the editor,

Story of the Year constantly surprises

The great forty days

The same dilemma arises every year around this time and it never gets easier.

Eco-friendly attire

A plant commonly known as the food source of the panda bear is now being used to revolutionize the T-shirt industry.

Local organizations present concert series

Stop blaming the cheerleaders

To the editor,

City of Tonawanda adopts safety program

Last week, the Tonawanda Police Department announced that it joined a Florida-based non-profit organization called A Child is Missing, a missing-person program which makes automated phone calls to alert citizens about a disappearance in their area.

Why the Olympics rock

A different use for campus trash

Tom Ludtka's enthusiasm about UB's recycling program is well placed. As the Service Center Manager for UB's Campus Dining & Shops, Ludtka is expected to take care of all of the waste generated by all of the UB Campus Dining and Shop locations.

Passport office to open in Western New York

Passports will now be easier to obtain for those living in and around the Buffalo area. A new passport office in downtown Buffalo is expected to open later this year and will allow travelers to obtain a passport in a matter of hours, as opposed to days. This new office, which is expected to open in late September or early October, is a response to the tightening of cross-border regulations that went into effect last summer, leaving many residents in the Buffalo area annoyed. Before these regulations went into effect, traveling back and forth from Canada to the United States was a semi-easy process. U.S. citizens were only required to present a primary form of identification, such as a driver's license or birth certificate, and had no trouble getting through Customs. Under the new system, U.S. travelers must have a passport, passport card, enhanced license or other valid identification, making the trip a hassle for those without these documents. The process to obtain a passport can take up to six weeks, unless a rush is put on it, making it hard for many students who enter college without a passport to obtain one. 'I think [the new office] would be very beneficial because many of my friends are thinking about getting passports now,' said Gregory Quackenbush, a freshmen biomedical science major. '… It would be convenient if the process didn't take so long.' This project, announced by Representative Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo) and Representative Chris Lee (R-Clarence), has been a bipartisan effort to improve cross-border relations. 'Western New Yorkers need to have the ability to travel easily across our northern border …' Lee said. 'With a one-stop shop passport office located right in our community, Western New Yorkers will be able to more easily acquire valid travel documents while not having their need to conduct cross-border business negatively affected.' To many UB students, for whom border crossing is a regular occasion, getting a passport before now was already a necessity. Patrick Evan Medlock-Turek, a sophomore biology major, wishes the new system had been in place a while ago. 'I'm sure it would expedite getting a passport, which would be useful,' Medlock-Turek said. 'When I had to renew mine, I had to wait at the post office, and then it took a month and a half to get it. Plus $25 of the $100 went to the post office.' The new office will be located in the historic Warner building in the Genesee Gateway development complex, which is under redevelopment and seeking lasting businesses to make a flourishing environment for the community. It is estimated that this office, which is funded partially by federal stimulus money, will create more than 20 jobs in the area. Additional reporting by Brendon Bochacki, Asst. Campus Editor E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com