News

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The two-year advantage

Community colleges, regardless of what many may think, are more than they are cracked up to be.In the small town where I grew up, we referred to the nearby community college sarcastically as Harvard on the Hill, but realistically as High School Part Two.The school acquired these nicknames mostly because the classes were rumored as easy, but also because a ton of kids from high school go there after graduation.So if the school is that much of a laughingstock, why do so many people go?While I was there, I couldn't figure out why I was spending the first two years of my college career at a school where you live at home and drive at least 30 minutes to visit your friends that went away to school to have a good time.

Hypocritical dressers

Some artists are content with playing serenely in the background. Others prefer center stage.The Plain White T's won't settle for less than the listener's full attention.The T's have earned a reputation as one of the hardest-touring bands on the Fearless Records label, performing up to 250 shows in a year.

Students honor favorite professors

Five professors were recognized on Monday as some of the most popular teachers at UB, and awarded for their efforts in the classroom, at the annual presentation of the Milton Plesur Excellence in Teaching Awards.The winners this year include Associate Professor Timothy Boyd, Department of Classics; Professor Jessie Carter, African-American Studies; Adjunct Professor Larry Davis, Marketing; Assistant Professor Lynne Formato, Theater and Dance; and Albert Michaels, Department of History.The Student Association, which gives out the awards, hosted a ceremony for the winners Monday in the Student Union Flag Room where friends, colleagues and students turned out to honor the five professors.Shirley Yiu, a business major who participated in a panel of students who chose the recipients, said 60 students nominated 20 teachers for the award.

Just a jersey

Monday was a day I never thought I would have to live through. I never ever thought I would be watching SportsCenter and see clips of the Boston Red Sox hanging a World Series Championship banner.Not only did I have to swallow that pill but also they were celebrating their accomplishment in front of my Yankees.

Sidelines

Bulls of the WeekAfter posting impressive individual performances in their respective sports, Chandra Hazey of the women's crew team and pitcher Tony Kurtz of the baseball team were named UB athletes of the week.Hazey came up big for UB's Varsity 8 boat, filling in a vacancy, yet the team saw no drop in performance.

Officials working to make online course syllabi a reality

Student Association and UB officials hope to have a program in place by August that would post course syllabi online and allow students to better plan for classes.SA President Anthony Burgio, who made the syllabi program a goal of his last fall, has been working with Michael Ryan, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, to promote the idea around campus.If implemented, course syllabi would be available months before the start of the semester, allowing students to prepare early for classes and judge what they are getting into.Burgio and Ryan outlined their proposal at a Faculty Senate meeting last Wednesday and fielded faculty questions.

UB grad breaks into Hollywood

Having found success in the intensely competitive show-business world of Hollywood, UB graduate Parry Shen has learned to juggle an acting job and a teaching profession along with fatherhood.

"Republicans 'come out' to celebrate, shake up campus"

Sitting out in the sun with the Center for the Arts behind them, Sean Weppner and Tom Gueli were ready for some serious heckling.After all, that was partly the point of having a Bake Sale for Arms in the heart of liberal-art-student country.

Fire shuts down dining hall

A Sunday morning fire in the Red Jacket Dining Hall has forced the Faculty Student Association to close the facility temporarily while the damage is cleaned up and investigated.According to a UB press release, the damage is estimated between $75,000 and $100,000, and the cleanup will take two to three days.Until cleanup is finished, all Ellicott residents will be redirected to the Richmond Dining Hall, where hours will be extended to accommodate all students.No one was injured in the fire, which did not spread beyond the dish room, according to the press release.

SUNY not cheap as advertised

I am writing in regards to the April 6th editorial "A reasonable delay." The author of this editorial advocates fair, incremental, and predictable tuition increases; while I agree with this position, I take issue with several of the points raised, as they misrepresented the political and economic climate of New York with regard to higher education.The editorial claims that New York state university students enjoy "some of the cheapest tuition in the country." This simply is untrue.

In my humble opinion...

Being a sports fan means that I have opinions on happenings in the sports world. Sports fans will find ways to unite and share ideas - whether using the Internet, sports talk radio, or in the local bar over a beer or two or even 10.These are some of the musings and opinions I've formed through conversations with my own group of sports-crazed misfits and miscreants:In my humble opinion, as much as college basketball is exciting to watch, give me the NBA.

Ups and downs

The UB women's tennis team split home matches this weekend against two Mid-American Conference rivals, notching a 5-2 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies but falling to the Western Michigan Broncos 6-1.On Friday, despite losing the doubles point early, the Bulls (7-4 overall, 3-3 MAC) used their fine singles play to loft them to victory over the Huskies (5-7 overall, 1-4 MAC) at the Village Glen Tennis Center in Williamsville.In tandem play, the number one duo of Andreea Novaceanu and Kristen Ortman defeated the Huskies' top pairing of Ivonne Andrade and Christy Svetlic by the score of 8-5.

Operation: Nipple Shield

Prepare yourself for the next war conducted by Congress, protecting the good people of the United States from themselves.Steady yourself for the next big one: the War on Indecency.The 1980s brought the War on Poverty and the War on Street Crime to American soil.

New chancellorship provides opportunities

Outgoing SUNY Chancellor Robert King has been criticized for playing the politics of education. With his resignation effective June 1, the process of hiring a permanent replacement should focus on a candidate who better addresses student concerns.

Mourning nothing

Some punk rockers just won't go down without a fight.Unwritten Law, a band of veteran SoCal rockers formed in the early 90s, will be joining Sum 41 and Hawthorne Heights this Tuesday at the Sphere in Buffalo to promote their sixth album, "Here's to the Mourning.""This is the next step in our evolution," said guitarist Steven Morris of the new release.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 4.11.05

Bulls blown away by Bowling Green

This weekend was anything but a walk in the ballpark for the UB baseball team. The Bulls dropped two of three games to the Bowling Green Falcons in a series that started Friday at Bowling Green's Warren Stellar Field."I thought it was a very competitive series," said Bulls' head coach Bill Breene.

Sidelines

Success on Tonawanda CreekUB's crew team hosted races on the waters of the Tonawanda Creek and Erie Canal Saturday, defeating Colgate and Bucknell handily.

Raising awareness with style

For the students in Deborah Silverman's advanced communication class, a semester's worth of work to increase awareness of organ tissue donation will culminate Monday in a fashionable walk down the runway.From noon to 2 p.m.

I'm a little bit Milton

Driving a van from Austin, Texas to every major city for a short stay may seem like a chore to most people.For Milton Mapes, an alternative-country quintet hailing from Austin, Texas, the pleasure is all theirs.The tour van is making a stop at the Mohawk Place this Tuesday night.