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.
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.
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.
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.
The same dilemma arises every year around this time and it never gets easier.
A plant commonly known as the food source of the panda bear is now being used to revolutionize the T-shirt industry.
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.
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.
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
I debated how to broach this topic; it's certainly a charged issue, but there's no other way than to simply lay out the facts. The events of this Tuesday at Lockwood Library were a near miss for the University at Buffalo, and at the very least it should serve as a wakeup call. As we waited for news, it was hard to not think of school shootings in the recent past, Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University among them. School shootings are not the domain of high schools anymore; college campuses, and you, are equally under threat. There was a lot of confusion, as there would be in a real shooting, and as another Spectrum writer aptly mentioned it is sad to say that social networks delivered us our information faster than UB officials. However slow or fast we got our information though, according to The Spectrum's 'Chaos on North Campus' article, it took campus police a full 35 minutes to evacuate Lockwood from the time the report of a suspicious person came in. What if there had been a shooting? At Virginia Tech, the gunman had killed 30 people, wounded 17, and committed suicide all within 12 minutes. There would be no time for orderly evacuations, no time for e-mails that took an hour telling students to go home, and no time to sip coffee in Alfiero discussing the unfolding events across the street. There would only be a moment to flee, if that. By the time the police even got a call, many would be hurt or killed, and far more by the time they arrived. What if I told you there was a better way, in which students didn't have to run for their lives, that they would have a chance, and a good one, in such situations? The concealed carry movement, an ideology that has been steadily gaining ground over the last decades, offers a valid solution. Recognizing that each and every person is their own first line of defense, able to respond in seconds rather than the time it takes for the police to arrive and draw chalk lines. It has embraced the Second Amendment right of Americans to keep and bear arms–a majority of Americans affirm it is an individual right. As of 2010, 48 states, including NY, allow private citizens to apply for and obtain a Concealed Carry Weapons permit. This, though varying by state, allows those who pass FBI background checks and complete mandated training classes, to carry a pistol in public for their own defense, and that of the public at large. Yes that's right, out in public, right now, are millions of your fellow countrymen and women legally packing concealed heat, ready to act in situations they hope never come to pass. The reason you haven't noticed is that these individuals aren't the ones you see on the nightly news; they value this hard won right, and exercise great responsibility. Despite what its detractors may say, the 2nd Amendment is not only alive and well in the USA, but needed no less than 230 years ago. It is really our first freedom, securing all the rest. While concealed carry is accepted in almost every state, not all places in public are treated the same. Ever wonder why school shootings occur as much as they do, or why so many are harmed? It's because even those with CCW permits are banned from carrying on campuses; not in all states, but in NY. Law disarms off-duty cops, students, security guards or anyone who has the proper training and license that would stand ready at our side to defend us at a moment's notice. Gunmen such as the, 'Lockwood Monster', as some have called him, know we are defenseless in ironically named, 'Gun-free zones', and obviously would feel no need to obey such foolish legislation themselves. It didn't stop VT, it didn't stop NIU, but it did stop an effective response and the beating hearts of those who could've been saved. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is a nation-wide organization of 50,000 students in all states who support the belief that self-defense doesn't end at the campus property line. They feel that those who are ready and licensed for the unexpected should be no less prepared at schools. Utah values their students' lives and refuses to let them be victims by allowing CCW on campus. Life is a precious thing; recent events should make us reconsider how New York treats its students' safety. No one is saying you need to go out and get a gun; you may even dislike firearms, but if you too believe that we are no less apt for self-defense here than off-campus, join our Facebook group: 'Students for Concealed Carry on Campus – SUNY Buffalo'. Help remind UB, NYS, and your fellow students to never bring a notebook to a gunfight. E-mail: SCCC1337@gmail.com
Student Affairs, Student Athletics and the Undergraduate Student Association will host the first Winterfest on Friday and Saturday. The two day long winter festival is the first of its kind at the University at Buffalo and will feature several events and competitions for students to contend in. 'As a community, there really isn't much to do outside in the cold unless you ski, and people here look forward to the spring so much because they get sick of the long Buffalo winter weather,' said Tom Tiberi, senior assistant director for University Residence Halls & Apartments. 'This is something fun for students to get involved with and they can go outside and actually enjoy winter.' Opening ceremonies will begin on Friday and will follow with igloo and snowman-making competitions at Student Park behind Lake La Salle parking lot. On Saturday, participants will compete in broomball, human dog-sled races, snowshoeing and Olympic-style events such as curling and ice-skating on Lake La Salle. 'We really wanted to utilize the lake [because] it's a resource [UB] hasn't tapped into for a very long time,' Tiberi said. Teams will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in true Olympic fashion at an elaborate awards ceremony. First place winners for each event will receive passes to Colden Tubing, Co., a downhill tubing park located next to Kissing Bridge. Students can form teams to participate in more recreational activities such as polar bear kick ball and enjoy a horse drawn sleigh ride throughout the festival as well. Refreshments and food will also be available. Tamika Wilson, a senior occupational therapy major, has already registered and is looking forward to competing in broomball and the snowman-building contest. 'We have Fallfest and Springfest, why not celebrate winter?' said Wilson. Karen Rochford, assistant director of Marketing and Sports Clubs for Recreational and Intramural Services, is especially excited for broomball, a game similar to ice hockey in which two teams of six use brooms to push a puck or ball on the ice. Rochford finds it interesting that many students she works with on campus have never heard of the game before. 'Where I went to school [at SUNY Brockport], broomball was huge. We had intramural leagues and played all the time,' said Rochford. '[My friends and I] are pretty excited that it's being brought to UB for a weekend.' Because the Winter Olympics kicked off this week, Rochford believes that Winterfest could not have come at a better time. '[Winterfest] has the potential to become something huge, like a UB-Olympic type event, where Greek life and other clubs could compete, extending over a week instead of just two days,' Rochford said. Tiberi is also optimistic for the future of the event. 'This is just the first year, so we're just seeing how much interest we can get,' Tiberi said. 'But I wouldn't be surprised if it grew into something bigger.' Students do not have to live on campus to participate and can register as individuals or with teams. All registrants will also receive a free fleece cap. All interested participants can register online now at http://www.housing.buffalo.edu/winterfest. E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
At 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday, the University Police Department received a call from a student in Lockwood Library, where there was a possible sighting of a man with either a rifle or shotgun hidden beneath a pea coat. The police inspected the video and sprang into action. The library was evacuated and police sealed all entrances and exits to the building. The university alerted students through the alert system as well as eventually shutting down activity on North Campus for the night. The police concluded the search of the building and deemed the campus safe. No injuries, no deaths – a definite success. The police deserve to be credited with a hasty response to handle the situation. Many students have stated that such procedures took too long or that different tactics were in order. It is uncalled for; hindsight is always 20/20. According to Webster's Dictionary, the definition of crisis is 'a condition of instability or danger leading to a decisive change.' There can always be improvement in handling such situations as the one this past Tuesday. For example, in the early stages of the incident, many students were still able to walk to areas in Lockwood Library, ignorant of the events taking place. The UB alert system had sent out a text message to students that Lockwood had been evacuated. Now, the alert system is a fantastic idea in theory. But many students aren't even signed up for it. In fact, it should be mandatory. Another issue with it is that in many of the lecture halls, there is no cell phone reception, so the alert messages can't be received. This can lead to confusion, causing students and faculty to enter the danger zone. A more effective way to notify people here on campus should be conceived. Not every student has access to cell reception or the Internet when trekking through the halls of North Campus. Perhaps a public address system or phone system should be installed in the halls if another such incident ever arises. Perhaps another improvement that university leaders might want to look into is a better security camera system. Grainy footage isn't acceptable. An updated system with more cameras to provide general overall security should be a priority. There is no reason to suggest cameras covering every inch of campus. It is impossible to accomplish from a cost standpoint. However, adding cameras could aid the police in fighting crime here on campus and give the campus more security overall. Under the current procedures for an 'incident' such as this on campus, the university and the UB police get passing grades. But that doesn't mean the plan shouldn't be looked at and improved. Resting on our laurels is a dangerous thing. It can breed complacency. The events of Tuesday turned out to be nothing, but that doesn't mean the same will be true down the road. The world is a crazy place. Incidents at college campuses have begun occurring more often – look at the Virginia Tech and Binghamton incidents. Campus safety can always be improved, even by something as simple as students being more aware and looking out for one another. It was amazing to hear that large groups of students were hanging around outside of the library. If there's a potential threat of a weapon, there is no reason that anyone is occupying the police's time by forcing them to keep students away from the building instead of searching for the suspect. It doesn't help matters. Hopefully, an improvement from both ends of this situation will come.
Solutions by The State News
