News - The Spectrum

The College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s office on the eighth floor of Clemens Hall.

NEWS

Students and faculty upset about recruitment pause in College of Arts and Sciences departments

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 26, 2019

Students and faculty are upset and confused by the College of Arts and Sciences’ announcement last week that it will halt funded Ph.D. recruitment in 23 of 29 departments for the 2020-21 academic year. On Wednesday, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Robin Schulze responded to concerns the announcement caused by apologizing for “missteps” and seeking faculty input.

UBIT will launch a two-step verification for HUB in October to prevent student account breaches.

NEWS

UBIT to introduce two-step verification

By ALEXANDRA MOYEN | Sep. 25, 2019

UBIT will launch a two-step verification for HUB in October, preventing student account breaches by asking users to verify their identity on another device before logging in.

NEWS

UB to pause recruitment for funded Ph.D. students in 23 College of Arts and Science departments next academic year

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 23, 2019

Twenty-three departments in the College of Arts and Sciences won’t be recruiting funded Ph.D. students in the 2020-21 academic year, UB announced Thursday.

UB students protesting the fossil fuel industry Friday.

NEWS

Buffalo community members gather at Niagara Square and UB to participate in global climate strike

By JENNA MARCUS and ERIN TUCKER | Sep. 22, 2019

Hundreds of Buffalo community members showed up at Niagara Square to demand the government to take climate action as part of Friday’s Global Climate Strike. So did students on campus.

Pictured left to right: Connor Gow, Emily Tout and Zachary Dickman.

NEWS

Fifteen years after accessibility lawsuit, UB still not compliant

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 18, 2019

“If there was an actual emergency I don’t know what I would do, because if someone were to carry me down the stairs in an emergency situation they would probably break every bone in my body.” These students are frustrated and say UB is not doing enough to accommodate them on campus or assure their safety.

The UB Safety Shuttle drives around Lee Loop, one of the spots the shuttle will stop when making its rounds from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly.

NEWS

UB introduces new Safety Shuttle, not available to intoxicated students

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 16, 2019

UB’s new safety shuttle, replacing Sub-Board I’s van transport, won’t transport students who appear to be intoxicated. Instead, Parking and Transportation Services advises drivers to call University Police.

UB’s Wellness Center task force is sending out a survey to students early next week to get input on a new health and recreation center on North Campus and integrating health and wellness on the other two campuses.

NEWS

UB looking for student input on North Campus health and recreation center

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 15, 2019

UB’s Wellness Center Task Force is sending out a survey early next week and looking for students’ input on a new integrated health and recreation center on North Campus. UB introduced the Wellness Center Task Force steering committee, chaired by UB’s Associate Vice President of Student Life Administration and Planning Christina Hernandez, at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year. The steering committee for the project consists of 18 faculty, students and professional staff who are coordinating the work of the project. But 54 people are on the Wellness Center task force including the financial, operation and stakeholder subcommittees.

Left to right: Alexander German, Amari Fall, Daniel Deslippe, Dominic Musilli, Eric Weinman, Ezekiel Arubuike, Hayden Gise, Jacob Kobler, Joseph Hoefenkrieg, Mohammed Abedin Rafi, Simi Oduntan Not pictured: Brandon Hoolihan.

NEWS

Meet the Student Association Board of Directors candidates

By ALEXANDRA MOYEN and BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 15, 2019

The Student Association Board of Directors –– previously the SA senate –– elections are taking place on Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Union lobby. Eighteen people are running for the 12 available seats. The board of directors oversees SA clubs, makes sure finances are in order for clubs and allocates the mandatory student activity fee.

Student check-in during UB’s Tuesday event for National Suicide Prevention week.

NEWS

UB hosts events for National Suicide Prevention Week

By ALEXANDRA MOYEN | Sep. 11, 2019

Student Life is hosting events this week to commemorate National Suicide Prevention Week. The office is hosting four events from Sept. 7-14, which began with an Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Prevention at Canalside on Saturday.

Vice President for Student Life A. Scott Weber will serve as UB’s interim provost upon Charles Zukoski’s departure on Oct. 1.

NEWS

A. Scott Weber appointed as interim provost

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 11, 2019

Vice President for Student Life A. Scott Weber will serve as UB’s interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, President Satish Tripathi announced at the UB Council meeting on Monday.

UB opens new Office of Academic Integrity to keep all records of academic dishonesty in a centralized place and enforce a new policy. The new policy allows undergraduate students to remediate accusations of academic integrity before permanently placing them on their records.

NEWS

UB enforces new academic integrity policy, opens new office

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 11, 2019

Undergraduate students can now remediate accusations of academic dishonesty before UB places them on their record with UB’s new academic integrity policy.

Publications ranked UB among the top public universities in the country this past week.

NEWS

UB named No. 31 public university in U.S.

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 8, 2019

UB is No. 31 among the top public universities in the U.S., according to the 2020 Wall Street Journal/ Times Higher Education College Ranking. This year’s ranking is seven spots higher than last year’s ranking of No. 38.

UB kicks off International Week with block party.

NEWS

Student Association kicks off International Week with block party

By ALEXANDRA MOYEN | Sep. 8, 2019

The Student Association kicked off its International Week with an International Students Block Party on Sunday in the Student Union Courtyard. SA is hosting its second-annual International Week Sunday through Saturday, as the block party welcomed students with free food and activities such as a bag toss and mega-sized chess game. The event also featured flags representing different countries decorating the trees around the courtyard.

Hannah Bocker is in critical condition at Westchester Medical Center after a plane crashed into her home a week before school started.

NEWS

UB student fights for life after plane crashes into home

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 8, 2019

Hannah Bocker, a junior civil, structural and environmental engineering major, sustained life-threatening injuries when a twin-engine Cessna 303 aircraft crashed into her home on Aug. 17 in Union Vale, N.Y. This happened just a week before she was getting ready to make the seven-hour road trip back to Buffalo to begin her junior year with her father, Gerard Bocker, who died on impact in the crash.

UB’s sponsored research totaled $178.4 million for the fiscal year ending June 30 –– $8 million more than last year.

NEWS

UB’s sponsored research funding grows by $8 million

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 4, 2019

UB’s sponsored research totaled $178.4 million for the fiscal year ending June 30 –– $8 million more than last year.

Josh Korman, Student Association’s attorney, attended the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday to discuss the changes to SA with it becoming a not-for-profit.

NEWS

Student governments become not-for-profit

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 4, 2019

UB’s student governments are now incorporated, meaning they are not-for-profit organizations independent from UB.

The Graduate Student Association held their first Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday. GSA still has no funds to reimburse clubs for another three to four weeks.

NEWS

Graduate Student Association funds unavailable while finalizing contract

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 4, 2019

The Faculty Student Association, the new fiscal agent for student governments, has yet to sign the contract with the Graduate Student Association, causing GSA’s funds to be temporarily unavailable.

Nyle DiMarco, deaf activist and winner of “America’s Next Top Model” and “Dancing with the Stars,” will speak at Alumni Arena on Oct. 23 as part of this year's Distinguished Speakers Series.

NEWS

UB announces 33rd annual Distinguished Speakers Series

By BRITTANY GORNY | Sep. 3, 2019

UB announced the 33rd annual Distinguished Speakers Series, with none of the speakers labeled as a “student-choice speaker,” which has been a longtime staple for the series.

UB community members cut the crosswalk ribbon at Thursday's ceremony.

NEWS

UB unveils rainbow crosswalk with ribbon-cutting ceremony

By ALEXANDRA MOYEN | Aug. 29, 2019

The Office of Inclusive Excellence held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Aug. 29 to commemorate the rainbow crosswalk in front of the Student Union. Roughly 50 community members attended the event, which also celebrated UB’s LGBTQ community and its value of inclusion.

After years of the Living Stipend Movement demanding a “living wage,” as seen here in 2018, UB announced on Monday that all "full-time funded" Ph.D. student stipends will raise to a baseline of $20,000 for the 2019-20 academic year.

NEWS

UB raises full-time Ph.D. student stipend floor to $20,000 for 2019-20

By BRITTANY GORNY | Aug. 28, 2019

UB deans officially raised all Ph.D. teaching assistant, research assistant and graduate assistant stipends to a baseline of $20,000 for the 2019-20 academic year.