News

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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

Scorsese scores again

Grade: A-

Don't bring a notebook to a gunfight

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