News

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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

Bundling up for Winterfest

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

A thank-you to the University community

To the editor,

Handling a crisis

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.

Questions remain unanswered

In the aftermath of the incident at Lockwood Library on Tuesday, the University Police Department, officials, faculty and students are left re-examining the situation. Much uncertainty plagues the minds of many when analyzing the situation. Uncovering the facts Tuesday's events began to unfold at about 4:05 p.m., when the University Police Department received a call from a student at Lockwood Library. The student claimed there was a possible sighting of a man with either a rifle or a shotgun under a navy pea coat. According to Chief of Police Gerald W. Schoenle Jr., an officer was on the scene within one minute of the phone call and others were on their way. The first officer who reached the scene was already in Baldy Hall when the call came in. 'We went to a [security] video and we immediately saw someone walking into the library that was right at the location where the [student] said there was a person that they thought had a weapon,' Schoenle said. 'We were able to zoom in on those cameras and see a person in a very grainy video, that you certainly could not identify, who was carrying something that sort of fit the description, so that elevated our concerns a little bit.' These images have not yet been released to the media or the public. As The Spectrum reported on Tuesday, the library was evacuated at 4:40 p.m. and the campus was alerted via text messages and e-mails that students, faculty and staff received at various times throughout the afternoon and evening. By 6:30 p.m. Amherst Police, who had arrived as backup, left the scene. Nearly two hours later, the announcement was made that the search had been completed. 'Police have determined that there is no threat to campus and that it will be safe to resume activities, so classes will resume,' said Joe Brennan, vice president for University Communications. Now, three days later, the situation remains unclear. What actually happened? When did events unfold? And how was it discovered? Safe technology? Police allude to a security video from a camera that rests inside of Lockwood Library, but not much other information currently exists about the footage. Between the leaked footage from the Cybrary and UPD comments, it's still unclear as to exactly what was captured on camera and how well it was documented. Schoenle himself said the footage was 'grainy.' Spol Pollaor, a junior exercise science major who works at the CIT Help Desk, isn't even sure if the cameras are regularly monitored or in working order. University response No one seems to know exactly what went on Tuesday evening. Police evacuated Lockwood Library, but there is no certain figure on how long that took. Michelle Lafica, a sophomore environmental engineering major who was working in Lockwood at the time of the evacuation, said that the police really didn't make a scene of the evacuation. 'A cop came in and said, ‘You guys need to leave,' Lafica said. 'That was around [4 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.]' Lafica said that after she was asked to leave the library, she and others were left standing in the hallway between the Cybrary and Lockwood. Only after waiting for approximately 20 minutes were they asked to leave the building entirely. '[The police] were definitely unprepared,' Lafica said. Despite uneasy feelings from some members of the UB community, others felt the situation was handled as well as possible. 'The University Police have received countless positive e-mails from students, faculty and staff regarding the handing of [Tuesday's] incident,' Schoenle said in an e-mail to The Spectrum. Schoenle shared some of the comments pleased members of the community in the e-mail. 'The rapid physical response … leaves me very impressed with the overall safety services that the force is able to provide. After the events of Tuesday, I feel much safer on campus,' said one student. Another comment in the e-mail said, 'Given the fact that UPD was responding to a very nebulous threat, I think the actions taken, and the manner of which they were, were appropriate. It seems to me that the way that the university communicated with the public was fair. I did not feel unsafe and I was not worried. Has there been a substantiated gunman in the building, it would have been considered the absolute right approach to take.' From speaking with university officials, it's clear that many in power during the incident on Tuesday did not see a direct or legitimate threat to anyone on North Campus. Barbara J. Ricotta, associate vice president for Campus Life, was coordinating the efforts in the university's response. It was she and the provost who ultimately made the decision to cancel classes but not to evacuate the whole North Campus. 'At the time, we felt it was wrong to encourage people to come to campus during the situation, so we decided to cancel classes,' Ricotta said. 'We never felt that there was a security threat. We felt that the best way to diffuse the situation was to have less people on campus.' Ricotta also felt that university response was satisfactory. 'I'm very satisfied with the response from everyone. We took time to evaluate the situation and act accordingly. We received new information every 10 minutes or so, but our main focus was to evacuate and secure Lockwood before anything else,' Ricotta said. However, while officials from the university are proud of their efforts, some students are still looking for answers and remain confused about the situation. Perspectives from students, faculty and staff Student Association President Ernesto Alvarado has the unique ability to see the situation from both a student and administrative perspective. 'I think the police are getting a lot of criticism from across campus, but UB did a good job overall,' Alvarado said. 'I think [police] did the best they could in the situation they were in. I don't think there has ever been a situation where protocol didn't go without some sort of a glitch. There are obviously kinks in the system of texts and e-mails.' Alvarado feels that the abundance of rumors that circulated campus on Tuesday could have been prevented had university e-mails been more descriptive. 'I think it would have been better to get a little more information and description from texts and e-mails, but on the other side, I understand why they didn't give information about a gunman to prevent chaos. I do think [the police] sending out a descriptive message would have helped, but to be quite honest, I bet they didn't even know what was going on themselves,' Alvarado said. 'People don't read ‘unconfirmed gunman' — they read ‘gunman.' People have a tendency to skip over details and see only what they want to see.' While Alvarado feels that the UPD took appropriate action, he's a bit disappointed they didn't additionally evacuate all connecting buildings. Alvarado is also disappointed in the way some students reacted to the incident. Some students flooded social networking sites to spread their speculations and seemingly make light of the situation. Groups like 'I Survived the UB Gunman of 2010' popped up almost as soon as the university's e-mails appeared in inboxes. 'I think that students kind of forget that we have a responsibility when we're using social media networks because people honestly do read this stuff,' Alvarado said. 'It's a double-edged sword. In one way it was a good way to contact family and friends to reassure them that everything is fine … on the other hand, you have a group of people who just want to make light of any situation and make radical things up, which makes a situation into a bigger thing than it should be.' Despite praise from many students, faculty and staff, there are some on campus who are dissatisfied with not only the UPD response, but some faculty responses, too. A student who was in her sociology of gender class when the news broke learned of the situation from a classmate who checked her e-mail during class. She wished to remain anonymous so she wouldn't face academic repercussions from her professor. The student said that her professor, Dr. Mary Nell Trautner, was more concerned and annoyed about a student checking e-mail during class than with the students' safety. Trautner declined comment. 'Naturally, students are going to look for answers as to what happened, especially when you start to hear other students saying things about someone carrying a gun. Everybody was uneasy and curious to say the least,' the student said. She was fearful when her professor did not seem to take the notifications as seriously as the students were. 'When there's a situation like that, of course students are going to be checking their cell phones and e-mail so that they might find out what's going on. When our safety is concerned, that should be out first priority,' she said. 'Not every teacher or student even knew what was going on, but hearing all the buzz about it should have been enough to at least make teachers feel less offended if their students were checking their e-mail every few minutes to find out what was going on.' Another student in the same class felt similarly and also wished to remain anonymous. She felt the police did not disclose enough information and that their teacher was not sensitive to the potential severity of the situation. 'Knox had no cell phone reception, which is horrible, considering the only way for UB to get a hold of anyone is through text or e-mail. What if we didn't bring our computer? How were we to know? As an instructor, her responsibility was to stop class and make sure we all exited safely,' she said. 'Instead, she reprimanded the girl for checking her e-mail in class when there was a possible shooter on campus.' The student believes that worry of what could be happening outside the doors of their classroom caused more panic. 'Of course we wanted to know more information on what was taking place, so it was natural to check the warnings, especially since [the Virginia Tech shooting] happened. It wouldn't surprise me if the supposed gunman was simply casing out the place and seeing how UB reacted,' the student said. 'I don't think this will be the last of it.' Other faculty and staff reacted differently but still saw the situation as confusing and potentially dangerous. Michael Bozarth, an associate professor in the Psychology Department whose academic interest is terrorism, was teaching when he heard the news. He felt that there 'could be a real incident meriting serious attention and prompt, judicious action.' 'I found the University's Emergency Warning System to be woefully inadequate. Bluntly, the person in charge should be fired and someone hired to replace them that can handle the job,' Bozarth said. 'If I have the temporal order of events correct … we received the first warning around half an hour after the incident began.' Bozarth said he sent two students from his class to assess the situation. These students were told by UPD to stay away from Lockwood. 'They were told to ‘get the f*** out of here' [by police],' Bozarth said. 'From this, I surmised that the threat was not well contained and immediately dismissed my class, considering the possibility that there might be a shooter roaming the campus. I wanted my students dispersed and out of the potential target area.' Bozarth then went to survey the area himself and concluded that, 'the university needs to disseminate information more rapidly and to provide at least minimal details of the potential threat so that individuals can assess the situation and take appropriate action.' 'No excuses, UB administration, just fix it,' Bozarth said. 'My students' safety is at risk.' Investigating further Whether or not a suspicious person or a weapon was present on campus on Tuesday, students, faculty and staff have strong and differing opinions about how the situation was handled. Details are limited, but police say the investigation is still ongoing. Additional reporting by Lauren Nostro, Asst. City Editor E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com

All they've got

Two bands that have gathered cult followings came to Niagara Falls Tuesday night, and luckily they did destroy the recently re-opened Rapids Theater. The Used and Atreyu, both heavyweights in their own right, brought some West Coast sunshine to gloomy western New York. Opening the evening was Drive A. This punk quartet may not have had the most original material – sounding like many other punk bands – but they made up for it with its enthusiasm. Lead singer and guitarist Bruno Mascolo may have been singing generic punk lyrics, but his voice and love for the music shined through during Drive A's set. In order to get the crowd moving, he dropped his axe and did a balancing act on the barricade to get closer to the fans. After literally performing 'on the edge' for half a song, Mascolo fully emerged himself into the crowd and joined the mosh pit, which resulted in much more crowd involvement. As Drive A's night ran out of gas, the first of the two legends already had the crowd simmering with anticipation. California-born Atreyu teased the crowd as an epic intro played for a minute before the band walked on stage. After playing a song off their latest release, Congregation of the Damned, the band dove right into its old stuff. Dan Jacobs, the lead guitarist, stole the spotlight by performing face melting guitar solos with his six-string. Lead singer Alex Varkatzas accompanied stellar guitar player, and his glass-shattering scream was near perfection. As the quintet played fan favorites 'The Crimson' and 'Bleeding Mascara,' Varkatzas hit the high screams and the low grunts as perfectly as he does on the album. Even with the dynamic Jacobs and Varkatzas showed off their talent, the liveliest member of Atreyu was drummer Brandon Saller. The drum kit Saller performed with did not have just one kick drum; it had three. Saller not only rocked out on the drums, he also did some serious singing for the band. When the band left momentarily, Saller showcased his dominance on the drums. Atreyu performed a great variety of its music, sticking to a lot of classics, but also throwing in some great new songs. To end out the set, Atreyu performed one of its earliest and hardest singles, 'Lip Gloss and Black,' resulting in one of the biggest mosh pits of the night. Atreyu left everything it had on the stage and the crowd was finally warmed up for the main act of the night. The band that helped form a scene that many bands followed into today was ready to show Niagara Falls why it has been around for almost a decade. When main singer Bert McCracken took control of the mic, it was clear what band the majority of the crowd came there to see. The Used took no time to get to the point, coming out and jumping right into the first track off their new album, 'Blood on My Hands.' Clearly not one for small talk, McCracken flowed through songs without much delay and moved right into 'Take It Away.' McCracken got the crowd two stepping as he sang the first song off the band's well-received 2004 release, In Love and Death. The band members cruised through some of their most beloved songs like 'I Caught Fire' and 'Let It Bleed,' but the best song was a mash up of its two biggest songs. The Used started to play 'The Taste of Ink,' the song that threw the band into the spotlight, but halfway through switched to 'All That I've Got.' The transition between the two songs was beautifully done. While the band performed this masterpiece, McCracken was almost inaudible as the whole crowd screamed the lyrics, showing the musicians how much of an impact their music has had on an entire generation. Before the band left the stage for the first time, the crowd separated into two sides. As 'Pretty Handsome Awkward' erupted, so did the mob of people participating in the wall of death. When The Used came back out for the encore, fans got to hear two of the band's songs off the self-titled debut album. The band first played the heartfelt 'On My Own,' which made almost every person in the theater tear up. But the group didn't want to leave on a lighter note as one of the hardest songs in the band's repertoire, 'Box Full of Sharp Objects,' was delivered next. With everyone in the audience dripping in sweat and gasping for air, it was clear that The Used is better live than most bands are on CD. If you are kicking yourself for missing the show, don't fret: The Used promised that the band would be back very soon. E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com

Investment in Tonawanda GM plant brings new generation

A multimillion dollar investment into the General Motors Powertrain Plant in Tonawanda was made public this week. GM announced that it would invest hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the facility so it can produce the next generation engine used in Chevrolet models. This news will breathe new life into the Tonawanda plant. This will also make it possible for workers that were let go in the past to come back. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), chairwoman of the House Committee on Rules, congratulated GM on its plans to upgrade. 'This is great news for Tonawanda and great news for GM,' Slaughter said. 'Over a year ago, Congress was deciding if we would step in to help GM and to me, it was a no-brainer. Our investment to keep an American icon afloat wasn't about Detroit, it was about Tonawanda. The men and women of this plant have proven their value time and time again and today's announcement is another testament to our local workforce. I applaud GM for recognizing your great work and look forward to the growth of this incredible facility.' The announcement affirms the competitiveness of the Western New York plant and ensures it will have new work well into the future as it manufactures this new engine. GM is upgrading in order to produce the next generation, fuel-efficient, four-cylinder Ecotec engine. Currently, GM makes four-cylinder L850 engines, which are used in the Chevrolet Cobalt, certain versions of the Chevrolet Malibu and certain Pontiac models. GM also makes four and five cylinder engines for other vehicles. In December 2008, Congress debated the auto bailout, which was signed by President Obama later that month. During this time, Slaughter debated the rule on the Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act. 'The U.S. automobile industry is one of the largest sectors of our economy,' Slaughter said. 'Auto companies directly or indirectly support over four million American jobs and provide nearly one million retirees with pensions and health care benefits. In Western New York alone, the auto industry supports over 12,000 workers, and 13,000 retirees.' According to the United Auto Workers officials, the Tonawanda Plant currently employs 600 hourly workers. About 375 workers are on indefinite layoff and available to be called back to work. With the new investment, it may be possible to bring employees who were let go back to work. In 2007, GM invested $100 million into the plant to produce a 4.5-liter diesel engine as a premium option in Chevy Silverado and also in GMC Sierra pickup trucks. GM rolled the last V-8 engines off the line that December, which resulted in 150 layoffs. 'It can bring back all these people that would be let go,' said Victoria Dillon, Slaughter's press secretary. 'This is certainly good news for Tonawanda [and] for the area.' Even though the auto industry has been hit hard by the economy, things are beginning to look up for GM. '[GM] is such a great piece of pride for the area,' Dillon said. Dillon added that that this shows 'the hard work ethic [this area] has.' E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com

Bulls bowl over Falcons

The men's basketball team is hitting its stride at the perfect time. The Bulls (15-9, 8-5 Mid-American Conference) extended their current winning streak to four games on Wednesday night when they defeated the Bowling Green Falcons (13-12, 6-7 MAC), 64-51. Senior guard Rodney Pierce, who was honored before the game for topping 1,000 points in his career, led the way with 18 points and six assists. The Bulls victory was an important one, as they came into Wednesday night's contest just one game ahead of Bowling Green in the MAC East standings. They are now tied at 8-5 with Miami (OH) and just two games behind division leaders Akron and Kent State, who both sit at 10-3 with three games to left in the MAC schedule. Three-point shooting proved to be the difference in the game. The Bulls connected on 10-of-25 shots (40 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Falcons went just 1-9 (11 percent). The long range proficiency was especially important for Buffalo in breaking Bowling Green's 2-3 zone defense, a strategy that favors defending the areas around the basket over guarding the perimeter. Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon had his players well prepared for Bowling Green's defensive strategy going into the game. 'There were a number of different ways that we wanted to attack [the zone],' Witherspoon said. 'They're very good at their zone and they've confused a lot of teams… We wanted to move the ball in an efficient enough manner [so] that they had to chase it.' Pierce and fellow senior guard Sean Smiley were Buffalo's top zone-killers, as each hit four 3-pointers, including a string of crucial shots that saved the Bulls from a Bowling Green comeback early in the second half. The Falcons went on a 14-2 run to open the second period, cutting Buffalo's 15-point halftime lead down to just three. However, Buffalo responded with 3-pointers from Pierce, Smiley and senior guard John Boyer on its next four possessions to increase the lead to 49-38 with 10:29 remaining. 'We started the second half in a funk,' Witherspoon said. 'I thought we responded well to them making a run at us.' According to Pierce, the Bulls weathered the Bowling Green storm by increasing their intensity and getting back to their first-half strategy. 'Our mindset was just to stay locked in and do the things that we were doing in the first half,' Pierce said. 'We had to get our determination level back up to where it was. Once we did that, things turned out how they were supposed to turn out for us.' Buffalo's first-half success was due in part to contributions from the bench. Senior forward Max Boudreau, junior forward Jawaan Alston, and senior forward Adekambi Laleye provided key minutes for the Bulls after starting sophomore forward Mitchell Watt picked up two quick fouls to open the game. Despite recording only four minutes, Laleye provided solid bench play and what was arguably the highlight of the game: a huge dunk over a Bowling Green defender off of an assist from senior guard Calvin Betts with 7:03 remaining in the first half. '[Laleye] was big because he just played four minutes, and usually when a guy only plays four minutes he spends three of those four minutes trying not to make a mistake, which means he's going to make mistakes,' Witherspoon said. '[Laleye] knew – because he was active vocally on the bench – where he should be … He was able to contribute in a short period of time [which] was huge for us because Max [Boudreau] got tired and Mitchell [Watt] had two fouls.' As Buffalo moved up in the rankings, Bowling Green fell. The Falcons' loss dropped them to four games out of the division lead. 'You have to have a blue collar mentality when you come up here [to Buffalo],' said Falcons head coach Louis Orr. 'We were on our heels in the first half, and you can't come here and be on your heels – Buffalo is too aggressive at home.' While Witherspoon is enjoying the late-season momentum that his team has gathered, he isn't taking the success for granted. 'We've learned from the past that nothing we've already done qualifies us to be at less than our best in what we have in front of us,' Witherspoon said. 'We still have to use every opportunity to get better.' The players aren't satisfied, either. 'I think we have another notch we can take it to,' Pierce said. Buffalo takes a break from the MAC East grind this Saturday as it participates in ESPNU BracketBusters weekend. The Bulls will face off against the St. Peter's Peacocks (15-11). Tip-off is 2:00 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J. E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com