News

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Cleanup set for campus nuclear site

Eleven years after UB's nuclear reactor shut down for good, New York State is investing millions of dollars to clean up hazardous materials at the site.The university has held a license to possess and secure the nuclear material at the South Campus facility since it closed down in 1994, according to David Vasbinder, director of the Buffalo Materials Research Center."There was not a great deal of on-campus use of the facility," Vasbinder said.

Not one damn clue

On the day of President Bush's second inauguration, a cry rose up from angry Americans to spend "Not One Damn Dime" to protest the incompetence, consumerism, and ignorance of the Bush administration.

Touching on their roots

While it is a fairly well known fact that rock and roll was spawned from a combination of country and blues, these two genres seem only distant relatives of modern rock for many of today's listeners.On their debut album, "Dark Snack," The Moaners do their best to reconcile rock and roll with its forgotten roots, creating a sound that is likely be greatly appreciated by fans from any generation.The Moaners, an all-female outfit based in North Carolina, consists of only two members, lead vocalist/guitarist Melissa Swingle and drummer/vocalist Laura King.

Open-and-shut case

When a band decides to end their run, the first question posed is, "Why?" Most times, the culprit is some sort of inner quarrel, whether musical or personal.

Bulls fall at Kent despite second chance

When Turner Battle nailed a three-point shot with less than one second to play Wednesday night, tying rival Kent State, it looked like last-second heroics would save the Bulls again.But the Golden Flashes outplayed the Bulls in overtime, handing UB their first loss in a close game this season, 85-80 at Kent's Memorial Athletic Center.The loss dropped Buffalo (10-5, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) below the .500 mark in conference play.Undisciplined play hurt the Bulls all night.

New Pell Grant rules threaten student aid

Dancarlys Valdez wouldn't be in college if it weren't for the United States government. Like many students, she relies on federal aid to pay for college.

Anxious Akron beats Bulls on road

Taking on winless Akron, the circumstances appeared to be favorable for the UB women's basketball team as the Bulls looked to bounce back from a Mid-American Conference loss to Ball State last Saturday.But Buffalo (3-12 overall, 1-3 MAC) squandered the opportunity to gain its second MAC win of the season, falling to the Zips (1-15, 1-4 MAC) on the road by a final score of 71-63.A flat start from the opening tip hindered the Bulls and proved to be a setback that UB could not overcome."We just didn't get out of the gate well.

Scoreboard

M. BasketballWednesday:Kent State85Buffalo80 (OT)W. BasketballWednesday:Akron71Buffalo63

Counseling office moves back to Ellicott

UB's Counseling Services has moved back into Richmond Quad in the Ellicott Complex after a semester-long stay in the Student Union.Though Richmond is further from the center of student life, counselors say the location of the office won't deter their ability to reach troubled students."We're very happy with our newly renovated space," said Sharon Mitchell, the center's program director.The counseling center needed to be moved when health concerns involving asbestos surfaced before last semester.While the center settled temporarily into the Student Union, the Ellicott office suite expanded by three rooms, and its waiting room was expanded with new seating and a redesigned reception area."It's much more professional looking and a more welcoming space for clients as well as people who work there," said Amanda Tyson, a counselor at the center.The counseling staff was spread out into different offices during the renovation, but now that the renovation is done, the counselors will be centralized once again."I'm excited about the fact that we can put previously unused space to good use," said another counselor, Andrea Greenwood.Last semester the counselors reported that 71 more students sought help in their Student Union office.

"SUNY examines $600 tuition hike, regular increases"

Students at UB and across the SUNY system may see a $600 tuition increase next fall, but would be almost guaranteed a freeze on tuition over the next four years under a proposal by SUNY aimed at giving students predictable increases.SUNY Chancellor Robert King recently proposed a plan to raise SUNY tuition to $4,950 for the next academic year.

Putnam's gets fresh look

Students returning from winter break were surprised this week to find a complete renovation of the Student Union eating area at Putnam's.The old tables, chairs and booths were completely removed to make way for a more modern-looking setup to accommodate more students.UB officials said the renovations - which cost about $100,000 - were necessary."We had a lot of broken tables and chairs," said Mitch Green, executive director of Campus Dining and Shops.

"Rock, paper, scissors ... Florida"

There was an abundance of giggles and fist shaking at the rock, paper, scissors contest held in the Student Union lobby on Thursday.The contest, brought to UB by the College Store and Pi Sigma Epsilon, could serve as two UB students' entryway into the National Collegiate Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament to be held in South Beach, Fla.

Sidelines

Academic all-starsThe overall grade-point average for UB athletic teams for the fall semester was a 3.003.

Students hurt by new aid rules

A running theme in compassionate conservative policy is to enable those in need. But the Bush administration's new financial aid rules are having the opposite effect.

Set to host the Herd

A little less than one year ago, the Marshall Thundering Herd ended the UB Bulls' season in a first-round Mid-American Conference Tournament game at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, WV.

Donning a new cap

Chris Stamey, the producer behind such contemporary bands as Whiskeytown, Yo La Tengo, and Le Tigre, as well as the former leader of pop band the dBs, exercises his own vocals once again with his "A Question of Temperature," a pleasantly eclectic compilation of pop-rock nuggets and classic covers.The sound itself is not revolutionary - one of the aims of the artist seems to be dusting off and buffing old sounds - but Stamey is pretty good at what he does.

Tough nut to crack

Occasionally, an album comes along that is next to impossible to make a decision about. The Chariot has created just such an album.Josh Scogin, former lead singer of hardcore troubadours Norma Jean, has grouped himself with four other young men to create The Chariot.

Ready to win against MAC's worst

Set to square off against the worst team in the Mid-American Conference, the UB women's basketball team will look to even out its conference record as well as rebound from a recent lopsided loss to Ball State.

Ben Sargent Cartoon 1.19.05

UB families avert deadly tsunami

A month after the devastating tsunami that struck South Asia, UB officials said Tuesday it doesn't seem any of UB's international students or their families have been directly affected by the disaster."There was a lot of scrambling around trying to get in touch with people, and certainly a lot of concern," said John Wood, director of communication for the Office of International Education.