News

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Students get ready for Super Sunday

Football fans all over the nation are making beer runs and stocking up on Tostitos and dip in preparation for Super Bowl Sunday.Whether they are interested in the commercials and halftime shows, anticipating wardrobe malfunctions, or genuinely excited about the game, millions of people will be watching when the Eagles play the Patriots this Sunday."It's a culmination of the entire season down to one game," said Brett Shear, a senior business major.

Sidelines

Honors for KoeppelJenny Koeppel is at it again. The women's track and field star is picking up right where she left off last semester, earning Mid-American Conference athlete of the week honors for her performance at Penn State last week.Koeppel earned that award four times last semester as she won four races.

"Freaking out America, part II"

Retirement will be staring a current UB senior in the face in 2042, when President Bush predicts Social Security will run out of money.

Preparing for a second tsunami

With the catastrophic damage from the tsunami in Southeast Asia still fresh in the public's mind, new measures for minimizing the damage from natural or man-made disasters are being researched at UB.The research team, which includes faculty and students from UB, the University of Virginia, the University of Arkansas and outside consultants, has been working on the project using information fusion.Information fusion involves taking a number of pieces of data and combining them into a clear picture of the situation, said Peter Scott, associate professor of computer science and principal investigator.

Scenes from the bowels of a family album

Rediscovering old family photos can be like a warp in time, taking you to the completely altered, and sometimes disturbing, mindset of the photographer, revealing what they believed was important at the time.Such is the case with the new art exhibit by Valerie Pawlowski, who is working toward her master's degree in media communications at UB.Her latest gallery showcases reproductions of old negatives her father captured in the Vietnam era.

I love ink

Last week I started my column by proclaiming that I would probably never have the opportunity, or the patience, to write a multi-part column.

Bulls hope to extend streak against Bobcats

The Ohio Bobcats are hoping to ride a two-game home winning streak all the way from Athens, Ohio to Alumni Arena Wednesday night.They will face a streaking Bulls team that is coming off a win over Eastern Michigan.

Candidates sought for UB Council race

David Brooks remains alone in the race for the student representative position on the UB Council, though election officials expect more candidates to emerge before the March election.Brooks, who has held the student position on the council for one year, told The Spectrum he will run again this spring.

Today's corrections

On Friday, a photo for the story

Groups have big plans for Black History Month

Black History Month has arrived and the African Student Association, Black Student Union, and NAACP are ready to celebrate and educate."This month is particularly special because one month is taken out of the year to recognize and honor the achievements of African Americans," said Sharee Hereford, a sophomore business management major, and vice president of the NAACP at UB.The Black Student Union, a club boasting 82 active members, will be holding their regular general meetings Wednesdays at 5 p.m.

SA looks to strengthen influence with administration

Strengthening the student voice in UB decision-making, while making the entire Student Association stronger in the long-term, will be two of SA's main goals this semester, SA President Anthony Burgio said at a press conference Monday.Burgio also touched on a number of events and new ideas for the spring semester, such as Spring Fest, online course syllabi, and improving the quality of student life."I don't want to be a lame-duck SA president," he said.In his last semester as SA president, Burgio hopes to turn SA's attention toward strengthening the undergraduate voice in the administration's decision-making.In Burgio's opinion, a stronger voice could be achieved by creating a "committee of decision makers" made up of SA and UB officials, especially from Student Affairs."We're definitely trying to get involved in the long-term university planning," Burgio said in a Tuesday interview with The Spectrum.Such a committee would allow students to be more proactive than reactive, and although SA has a voice now in UB's administration, "it's fluff to me," Burgio said.Burgio also talked on Tuesday about the upcoming allocation of funds won during last fall's election, which he said would go toward keeping SA at its current level."It's going to go to everything we already have," he said.

Sidelines

Happenin' hoopstersBasketball was the name of the game last week, as both the UB male and female athletes of the week were selected from the same sport.

Steep demands for student Metro passes

If the NFTA wants UB to join its University Unlimited Program, it has to sweeten the deal. The plan would give UB students a free pass for Metro buses and the light rail.

Across the River: Christopher Crisci of Old Canes and The Appleseed Cast

Old Canes, a project from The Appleseed Cast's Christopher Crisci and members of The Minus Story and The Casket Lottery, released their debut CD, "Early Morning Hymns," in 2004.

Reactions to the Elections in Iraq

Following what many world leaders, media outlets and political analysts are calling a surprisingly successful Election Day in Iraq on Sunday, members of the Muslim and Arab communities at UB expressed optimistic caution over the future of the U.S.-occupied country.Many said they were surprised at the lack of violence on Election Day despite the rising number of attacks leading up to it."As someone who was always against the war, I was pleasantly surprised," said Amil Sarfaz, president of Muslim SA.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 2.2.05

Zieziula leads UB in singles action

After two straight losses, the men's tennis team showed last weekend that they can compete on the same level as some of the top teams in the nation.At the Army Winter Invitational, the Bulls scored a 9-9 record in singles action against a group of schools including Connecticut, Rutgers, Army, Hartford and St.

NFTA's free ride might not be so free for UB

Administrators at the University at Buffalo have afforded students the opportunity to put their student identification cards to use in quite a few situations.

Ohio gets razor-thin win against wrestling team

After taking the early lead in an important Mid-American Conference match-up, the wrestling team lost a nail-biter that came down to the heavyweight finale.The Bulls (1-8 overall 0-2 MAC) suffered a bitter MAC loss Sunday afternoon at Ohio (9-8-1 overall 2-1 MAC) by a score of 20-13.Sunday's loss came down to the last bout of the day when junior Harold Sherrell (17-14) lost to nationally ranked Joel Weimer 3-2 in overtime.Last weekend's loss became the third in a string of heartbreaking defeats for the Bulls.

State of the Union Reader

For the first time in his second term (and his first time as a legitimately elected president), George W.