News - The Spectrum

Graduate student Alexa Russo stands in front of a model constructed from her affordable housing design. Russo designed the one-story row-house as a model for students to eventually build a home for a Buffalo family.

NEWS

Affordable housing projects underway at architecture school

By SARAH CROWLEY | Apr. 9, 2018

On Tuesday, UB will host a symposium to begin an effort in the architecture school to address Buffalo’s affordable housing shortage. As graduate students wrap up a semester-long design project focused on creating affordable, inclusive housing, Tuesday marks the beginning of a more collaborative effort to bring together alumni, interested donors and experts in affordable housing development.

UB alumni Andrew Mingola is the creator of Spot Swapper, a free app allowing students leaving campus to match with a student looking for parking. He hopes pairing students together will save them time when searching for a parking spot.

NEWS

UB alum hopes app will help campus parking problem

By MAX KALNITZ | Apr. 9, 2018

While UB officials have said there are several hundred parking spaces free at any given time, students have long complained about driving from lot to lot searching for a spot in time for class. UB alum Andrew Mingola wants to help with the parking problem with the launch of his new app, Spot Swapper.

SA Senate Chair Devashish Agarwal speaking on the phone with newly appointed Vice President Ben Harper at the Thursday night Senate Meeting.

NEWS

SA Senate elects new vice president

By HARUKA KOSUGI | Apr. 6, 2018

The Student Association appointed a new SA vice president on Thursday, after the SA Senate approved current Director of Club Services Benjamin Harper to take over the role. The position had been left vacant since Feb. 2.

Students attending one of the Society for Political and International Affairs’ general body meetings. The club, a nonpartisan group interested in current events, gained temporary status last fall.

NEWS

New club aims to promote non-partisan discussion, debate over current affairs

By ELIZABETH NAPOLITANO | Apr. 5, 2018

For years, clubs like UB Democrats, UB Republicans and Young Americans for Freedom have attracted like-minded students to discuss current events, but Harris Bresowsky, a senior international affairs and public policy major, felt students needed a non-partisan club on campus.

NEWS

News briefs

By News Desk | Apr. 5, 2018

Campus Women in STEM Summit to focus on roles of females in advancing sustainability The fourth annual Women in STEM Summit, coinciding with Earth Day on April 18, will focus on the roles of women in advancing sustainability and how local leaders are influencing sustainable change.

A new lounge is available in the Student Union for veteran, military-affiliated students to study and relax. The lounge was created after a WWII veteran made a donation in the fall.

NEWS

New lounge gives veterans space to study, meet students from similar backgrounds

By NOAH MOYER | Apr. 5, 2018

A newly opened student lounge gives military-affiliated students a space to work, relax and meet others with similar life experiences on campus. The lounge, located in SU 321, has two rooms: one for socializing, furnished with couches, a TV and an Xbox, and another conference-style room for group study. Only military-affiliated students have access to the lounge, which opened this semester after a donation from a WWII veteran, Efner “Lucky” Davis, 91.

NEWS

The Spectrum elects 2018-19 editor in chief

By DAVID TUNIS-GARCIA | Apr. 5, 2018

The Spectrum’s editorial board elected Hannah Stein as editor in chief for the 2018-19 school year. Stein, the current editor in chief, ran against Maddy Fowler, the editorial editor. The editorial board voted 12-4 in favor of Stein.

SA announced Anyssa Evelyn, Gunnar Haberl and Tanahiry Escamilla as the 2018-2019 SA executive board. The R.E.A.L. Party candidates ran unopposed and will assume their positions in May.

NEWS

R.E.A.L. Party wins SA election

By HARUKA KOSUGI | Mar. 30, 2018

It was no nail-biter, but elections for the 2018-2019 Student Association e-board still managed to bring over 650 students out to vote, which is an improvement since the last time an SA e-board ran unopposed in 2015 when only 217 students voted.

NEWS

Number of EOP students admitted this fall could be significantly reduced

By SARAH CROWLEY | Mar. 29, 2018

UB may slash the number of students admitted this spring through its Educational Opportunity Program by roughly 50 percent, in response to state budget cuts to the tune of $5 million across SUNY campuses, according to Lee Melvin, UB’s vice provost for enrollment.

The Spectrum editor met with President Tripathi for a monthly lunch to discuss student concerns. The Spectrum will meet with Tripathi next on April 12.

NEWS

Q&A with UB President Tripathi

By HANNAH STEIN | Mar. 29, 2018

The Spectrum sat down for a monthly lunch with UB President Satish Tripathi in Tripathi’s office to discuss his career, campus security, freedom of speech and student concerns.

Students ordering food at The Poké Factory during lunchtime. The Poké Factory opened its doors over spring break and serves poké, acai bowls, and smoothies

NEWS

Poké Factory expands UB’s culinary scene

By HARUKA KOSUGI | Mar. 29, 2018

While students were off on spring break, UB welcomed The Poké Factory as the newest addition to its culinary scene. It fills the space in the Commons previously occupied by Marco’s Italian Deli, which closed last year.

NEWS

UB names Tom Tiberi as new Campus Living director

By SARAH CROWLEY | Mar. 29, 2018

After a national search, UB has named Tom Tiberi as the university’s new director for Campus Living, effective March 12. In his new role, Tiberi will oversee management and planning for UB’s 13 residence halls and five apartment complexes.

NEWS

Residence hall association loses funding from Campus Dining & Shops

By SARAH CROWLEY | Mar. 29, 2018

The number of UB students living on campus has grown steadily, evident as underclassmen begin to spill over into traditionally upperclassmen complexes. And yet as of last fall, UB has cut funding for the student organization that supports resident life programming and leadership training by more than $10,000.

Red Jacket building four has been subject of several elevator repairs since the fall semester. Students expressed discomfort and frustration with the elevators, which has been in and out of service for weeks at a time. Now in working order, students feel skeptical towards the future upkeep and operation of the elevators.

NEWS

Students angry about broken elevator in Red Jacket

By BRIAN EVANS | Mar. 29, 2018

The elevator in Red Jacket building four has been malfunctioning since the beginning of the fall semester.

Flickinger Court, located across the street from North Campus off Chestnut Ridge Road, is one of two on-campus apartment options for graduate students. On-campus rents have risen in recent years, and many graduate students are opting to live off-campus as a result.

NEWS

Graduate housing prices continue to rise while TA stipends remain low

By MADDY FOWLER | Mar. 29, 2018

Rent at Flickinger Court and Creekside Village will increase by 3 percent for the 2018-19 school year, according to Campus Living’s website. The rate hike comes in the midst of an ongoing movement by graduate students to demand higher stipends from the university.

More than 1,000 people gathered in Niagara Square for Buffalo's March for Our Lives. Protesters are calling for "common sense" gun laws following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.

NEWS

Buffalo community rallies in March for Our Lives

By MADDY FOWLER | Mar. 24, 2018

Survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Feb. 14 shooting Justin Colton and Ryan Walsh rallied with more than 1,000 students and demonstrators at Buffalo’s “March for Our Lives” on Saturday.

SA e-board candidates from the R.E.A.L. party, who are running unopposed, answered questions at a town hall meeting on Thursday.

NEWS

SA hosts town hall meeting with e-board candidates

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET and MADDY FOWLER | Mar. 18, 2018

Roughly 70 students gathered in the Student Union theater Thursday evening for a town hall meeting with the SA e-board candidates from the R.E.A.L. party, who are running unopposed.

Treasurer candidate Tanahiry Escamilla, presidential candidate Gunnar Haberl and vice presidential candidate Anyssa Evelyn are running unopposed for SA e-board on the R.E.A.L. party ticket. The candidates said their main goal is to "restore effective, accountable leadership."

NEWS

Meet the candidates: R.E.A.L. Party

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET , MAX KALNITZ , MADDY FOWLER and HARUKA KOSUGI | Mar. 15, 2018

Nearly 24 hours after interviewing with The Spectrum, United Peoples Party, one of two parties initially running in this year’s election, dropped out of the race.

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority approved a study examining the feasibility of extending the metro rail to UB’s North Campus. Many students are excited about this, but skeptical it might come with drawbacks.

NEWS

UB community weighs in on proposed NFTA expansion

By MAX KALNITZ | Mar. 15, 2018

Anjelika Catral has never taken the subway from South Campus to downtown Buffalo. She didn’t even know UB had access to a subway.

A ten-year-old in front of the Brandenburg Gate holds a protest sign reading "Walls suck / Ask a Berliner" at the Women's March. Berliners view Trump with concern since the United States is important to Germany.

NEWS

Trump's reputation in Germany

By SYDNEY CAPOTE | Mar. 15, 2018

BERLIN — At the January Women’s March in Berlin, one thing was clear: few who showed up liked U.S.