News

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Classes cancelled due to weather hazards

University officials advised students to "stay home" on Monday following a weekend of harsh winter weather that downed power lines and coated local roads with ice.An announcement posted online late Sunday night stated all classes on Monday, including evening classes, would be cancelled.The closure marks a change in policy for UB, which is notorious for not closing due to weather, even through major blizzards, ice storms and natural disasters."The unforeseen and hazardous weather events of this weekend present a treacherous situation for all University at Buffalo students," President John Simpson said in the announcement.

"Hate mail, pantsing forces birth of Spectillar"

Due to recent controversy over The Spectrum leaning too far towards the liberal side, George Zornick, editor in chief of the paper, announced his staff is going to join forces with the College Republicans to create a bi-monthly, non-biased magazine, The Spectillar.The Spectillar will combine ideas from both The Spectrum and the sole issue of the Pillar, and Zornick said he hopes it will win him over some fans from the Republican community at UB."I know the idea may seem a little weird at first, especially coming from me, but I've been re-evaluating my life, and this seems like step one to making me a better person," Zornick said.

UB unveils new bus fleet

Do you have fond memories of yellow 'cheese buses'? Seat belts? Bus aides? Spitballs? Hot green vinyl seats?UB transportation officials hope your answer is "Yes."A group of about 20 yellow buses made their appearance on campus this week, and soon will take over the whole fleet as part of UB's new transportation contract with the security and transportation company Cognisa.John Grela - the director of public safety, parking, transportation, the university police, and the emergency response system - stated that the newly purchased buses might not be what students and faculty expected to see cruising the university's roadways."We signed a contract with a new company that is really well known in Texas for their accuracy," said Grela.

Hofher's hot idea

Most students are familiar with the poor play of UB's football team; the Bulls have produced a record of 7-39 over head coach Jim Hofher's first four years.For next year, Hofher has a plan to change that."I've decided to do something a little different for this coming season," he said.Reports indicate that Hofher and his coaching staff have removed certain plays from their playbook, including the plays "Pro Split: Throw Interception," "I-Formation: Fumble On Goal Line," and "Extra Point: Kick To Left Of Upright.""I always wondered about those plays," said UB quarterback Randall Secky.

Bulls atop the Summitt

Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt announced on Saturday that she plans to quit her job as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

Moroccan spice added to Dazzlers

The room is filled with whispers. Sparkly blue pom-poms lay strewn across the hardwood floor. The music is blaring but no one is dancing.

Thickening the herd

The Department of Communication at UB has decided to offer a new course this fall, COM 497, entitled "How to Live Life in General." The class aims to make the students of UB more ready to adapt to the everyday problems of life.

SATV 'After Hours' to debut

SATV is up and running on Channel 46, and in an effort to attract more viewers, station directors have announced a string of new shows that will have a more "adult focus," according to SA officials.The new shows, part of a programming bloc known as "SATV: After Hours," will be produced by and include students in starring roles.

Today's Corrections

The Spectrum apologizes for the article

Customer hopes to impress record clerks with selections

A young man stands frozen with apprehension between the Hip-Hop/R&B and Jazz sections of Record Theatre in University Plaza.

Perspectives

After the monumental deaths of Pope John Paul II, Terry Schiavo, Mitch Hedberg and Johnnie Cochran, reasonable people can only wonder: "Who's next?"Hood guy: H.G.

Copy editor leaves Spectrum

After 3 semesters with, the spectrum, Sean Holbert, has resigned from his position as copy editor.

"'Spoon: Suit-jacket off, basketball jersey on"

Once the UB Men's Basketball season came to an end, fans, teammates and coaches were forced to say goodbye to an influential and talented senior class.

College Republican gets laid

As he began to "tussle" with a freshman girl on the floor of his dorm room Saturday night, sophomore political science major Herve Villechaize knew he was making history.Less than one minute later, it was official - Villechaize had become the first member of the UB College Republicans, since the group was founded 25 years ago, to get laid."Yeah!

Choose your own adventure #149: Polar Snakes

Deep in the steaming jungles of Antarctica, you find yourself face to face with a saber tooth polar snake, its venomous underbelly lying in wait.

Simpson reveals more details on AVCOR

After facing criticism over the hiring of a consulting firm to engage in long-term planning at UB, President John Simpson revealed more details about AVCOR Consulting to an anxious staff Friday afternoon.Faculty members have complained that Simpson has failed to reveal key details about AVCOR to the faculty, but Simpson sought to allay those concerns during the meeting.

Second tape exposes further Mazin-gate bribery

The Student Association Election and Credentials committee has thrown out all the charges against Elevation '05 and will not consider new evidence of bribery from the Reform Our Campus party, according to SA officials.Committee chair Joe Varghese told The Spectrum late Friday the case has been closed despite the surfacing of a second audio-taped conversation in which treasurer-elect Mazin Kased offers delegate candidate Francisco Baiocchi the papacy and the position of SA godfather.Baiocchi also alleges that Kased tried to bribe him in an earlier conversation with SA jobs in turn for him dropping out of the race and turning on fellow party member Matthew Pelkey."We're going to take you into the family now," Kased says on the tape.

An ethical solution to voter turnout woes

When Student Association treasurer-elect Mazin Kased offered an opposing SA delegate candidate any job he wanted, he was just looking out for the interests of his party.

'Assbook' new trend in cyberspace

Remember that booty from English class two semesters back, but just can't place the name?What about that butt from back in high school you've lost touch with?Students at UB are finding the solution to these dilemmas in the Assbook, the latest cyber-craze to hit college campuses.Building off the success of wildly popular Facebook, the Assbook aims to connect people - and their butts - in cyberspace.Students post profiles of their posterior, along with a listing of their interests and contact information.James Mixalot, who joined Assbook as soon as he heard about it, said it's a great opportunity for students to stay connected."There's more to a person than just the ass you see in the hall," said Mixalot.

The Week Ahead