News

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Law that strips financial aid for drug convictions reconsidered

This is the first of a two-part story analyzing federal laws that strip student aid When filling out the FAFSA application, every student comes across the question: Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs?Tom Angell, campaign director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy, says approximately 175,000 students nationwide have checked the "yes" box for that question and as a result have been denied financial aid.The controversial law that allows the government to block aid from students convicted on drug charges, but not other convictions like rape, is under heated debate once again as this year Congress is overhauling the original legislation in the 1998 Higher Education Act.

One loss among many after Katrina

As time passes after the destruction incurred by Hurricane Katrina and life for those affected begins again, the stories of those who lived it start to surface.For Lori Eldridge, a fourth year UB graduate student working on her doctorate in anthropology, Hurricane Katrina was more than just another event in the news.

Florida standout leads volleyball team

Powerful slams and exuberant energy are two things opponents should be prepared for when standing on the opposite side of the volleyball net from Nikki Morzenti.

Proof proves unworthy

"Proof" has a star-studded cast with Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal, but proves that even A-list actors can't make up for a lacking plot.Director John Madden took a Tony-and-Pulitzer-winning play by the same name and turned it into an uneventful, boring movie without depth or a colorful storyline.Despite the superb acting, the dragged-out storyline leaves the viewer with the hard decision between staying to see if the ending is as predictable as it seems or walking out.Paltrow plays Catherine, a 27-year-old, anti-social homebody who is forced to leave college to take care of her father (Hopkins), a math genius who loses his mind at the brink of his career.Hal (Gyllenhaal) is a former math student of Catherine's father and is a 26-year-old mathematics professor.

Grad students gain back forced union dues

If the ideal student job is one that gives a full-tuition scholarship, pays decently, offers flexible hours and involves meaningful work, then the Teaching Assistants and Graduate Assistants of UB should rejoice and congratulate one another on their good fortune.The job does have its pitfalls, however.

"Not true love, but true to life"

A sense of hope mixed with impossibility can grasp the mind and body of the single and loveless after a good romantic film.Some may walk out of the theatre complaining that "Elizabethtown" didn't depict true love.

Slavery is still alive

Millions of women and children worldwide are abducted every year and trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Jehovah's Witnesses not the only one at the door

I was amused at the "Holy Rollers" (Oct. 11) article. You should have included the irritating Wahabbi Islamics that would like to string up by your feet and let you die as crows eat the heals of your feet.

Apollo' burning hot

Take a look at mainstream rock and roll music today. The radio waves are crowded with monotonous pop-punk bands that all sound, look and write alike.However, there is a ray of light that shines through this cloud of bad mainstream music, and that ray is Coheed and Cambria.Coheed's new album "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear through the Eyes of Madness" may have material on the radio, but most definitely transcends any mainstream boundaries.On first impression, Coheed and Cambria could come off as pop-punk or emo.

Sidelines

First official tip-offIt's been over 200 days since a UB basketball team has suited up, but things will change this Friday as both the men's and women's teams get ready for Prime Time Basketball.Formerly known as Midnight Mania, Prime Time Basketball brings the two teams out to compete on the court of Alumni Arena at 8 p.m.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 10.12.05

One must respect quiet believers

I am writing in response to Nicole Coleman's column ("The Holy Rollers," Oct. 10) on her frustrations with the religious (particularly those who like to evangelize on her welcome mat). Of the many people that share their beliefs with you on your doorstep, (environmentalists, political candidates and marketing groups), I think that the religious are the most honorable.

Ms. Coleman

Strange, the fact that you, the author, caustically reproach people who solicit their beliefs to you.

Young rowers give glimpse of future

The UB women's rowing team followed its impressive showing at the Head of Ohio tournament last week with an equally respectable outing at the 17th annual Stonehurst Capital Invitational Regatta in Rochester on Sunday.

Coffee: regular or de-corporated?

Many college students live and die by one of the most commonly used drug in America: caffeine.In coffee, tea, pop, candy and now even in gum and soap, it's the most accessible stimulant available.

UB falls to Orange

Injuries are still plaguing the UB volleyball team and the short-staffed crew dropped another game on Tuesday night, this time to the Syracuse Orange.The Bulls went into the game with just one player available for substitution and the team's record took another painful blow as the Bulls dropped to 8-12 overall.Syracuse (14-7) started on the right foot, taking the first six points in game one.

Students make the decision to date interracially

He is Indian and she is Korean. He grew up on curry and she on kim-chi. But these differences do not keep Harkiran Singh and his girlfriend from dating.

Crossing borders with Matt Good

Musicians have a rich history of bringing politics into their realm of interest. Eddie Vedder, Zach De La Roca and Kanye West are only among the recent microphone junkies to spout their socio-political views on a sometimes less-than-receptive public.Americans generally don't think of Matt Good in the same respect as Serj Tankian, but the Canadian rock artist, slated for a stop below the forty-ninth parallel for his concert at Club Infinity on Friday is no less politically vocal.Without so much as a proper introduction, the musician/political guru broke out into a five-minute manifesto about our governments."For any understanding of both of our countries you have to admit we don't live in a democracy and we never have," Good said.

Gas Facts

The price of fuel has gone up 58.6 percent since Feb. 2004.The transportation fee, part of the comprehensive fee, went up $11.50 from last year, and that was before the recent spike in fuel prices.UB will be spending approximately $100,000 more than last year just to keep campus vehicles moving.UB purchases 120,000 gallons of gasoline per year.UB owns and operates 350 vehicles, which includes police cruisers, lawnmowers and snowplows.UB spends $60,000 per year on light bulbs alone.

Money for nothing

Forget for a second where UB will find the money to build a new rec center. Never mind how it will pay for more student housing.