News

---

Bulls set to face off with Flashes

It seems like a lifetime ago, but it was actually less than a year. The University at Buffalo's men's basketball team defeated Kent State in front of a record audience at Alumni Arena and turned its 2003-2004 season around.The Bulls have been able to maintain the momentum they gained following the now-famous Kent State game throughout the rest of last season and through much of the beginning of this season.The Bulls do not get this match-up on their home court, nor they do need their season to be turned around, but they do need a victory against Kent State (11-6 overall, 3-3 MAC) to reach the top of the Mid-American Conference East Division standings, which is a spot the Bulls (10-4 overall, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) were projected to be holding since the beginning of the year.The Bulls have seemed unable to find their stroke shooting the ball recently, scoring fewer than 70 points in each of their last three games."I think that our shooting hasn't been awful, just that the pace has been a little slow," said Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon.During this drought, the Bulls are shooting just 39.5 percent from the field, which includes 26 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Gunpoint robberies heighten fears

A string of six gunpoint robberies in the University Heights three weeks ago left students shocked and police baffled as the search for two suspects continued through the start of spring semester.According to the Buffalo Police Department, five of the robberies occurred Sunday, Jan.

Experts examine danger of 'Germnasium'

With New Year's resolutions still fresh on their lips, many students have found themselves heading to the gym or finally giving that hot new diet a try.

Teams find mixed results over break

While some students stayed home and slept in late over winter break, many UB athletes were still in season.

Journalism's Dark Ages

Just over a year ago, noted television journalist and UB alumnus Wolf Blitzer came here and delivered a speech for the Distinguished Speakers Series.

Women's team braves blustery winter break

Erratic production on offense continued to haunt the women's basketball team as they lost six of eight games over winter break.The inconsistency shown by the Bulls can be attributed to the team's youth and inexperience on the floor, with only one senior cracking the starting five and just two seniors on the roster overall.The Bulls did register two wins, including a convincing defeat of Miami of Ohio on Jan.

Protestors to spend 'Not One Damn Dime'

After receiving an anonymous e-mail about plans to protest President Bush's inauguration last month, Jesse Gordon of Massachusetts began to search for the originator of the message and ended up in the middle of a media storm.When he could not find out who sent the message, Gordon enlisted fellow Democratic activists nationwide in a protest of his own and set up the Web site NotOneDamnDime.com.

Across the River

Welcome to "Across the River," a new feature in The Spectrum, where we'll catch up with artists and personalities outside the context of an upcoming show or newly released work.

"Amid uncertainty, opportunity for UB"

In 2005, questions about futures - academic, social, and financial - will dominate campus news. Should SUNY pass more tuition increases, including proposals for yearly hikes?

Zhang pulls a fly-by

"House of Flying Daggers" director Yimou Zhang is this generation's Sergio Leone. Leone dominated the Western genre in his series of "Spaghetti" Western films, which included "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly." Prior to his work, the Western genre, though attractive in many ways, consisted mostly of B-grade direction, writing and acting.With 2002's "Hero," released in the U.S.

Bulls win six of eight over break

The UB men's basketball team won six of the eight games they played over winter break, reaching ten overall wins on the season and evening their conference record.Heading into these games, the Bulls (10-4 overall, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) had their share of problems, including poor shot selection, too many outside shots and not enough ball movement.

SAD in Buffalo: Lack of Sunlight Contributes to Winter Depression

Those dreaded months of snowbrushes and salt rings on jeans are now officially here. But when it comes to mental health, gloomy winter days can be much more than just a nuisance.According to the Web site for the SAD Association, Seasonal Affective Disorder affects about a half million people during the colder, sunlight-lacking months of September through April, with December January and February being the most affected months."It's not an independent disorder.

Dining Hall Ignored Other Faiths

Upon noticing that the food and plates were in a different location than usual when I entered Richmond dining hall Wednesday night, I asked the person swiping my card if it was "holiday dinner night." "Christmas dinner night," came the reply, to which I thought, "Why can't the dinner represent more than one holiday?" Christmas was still two weeks away, and as a friend pointed out, Wednesday evening marked the second night of Hanukkah.Walking into the dining area, I noticed a large Christmas tree prominently displayed on a central table, around which were two long tables filled with food.

Sidelines

Ready, Set, TransferUB's wrestling team has barely started its current season, and the front office is already looking ahead to next year's squad.

Get Them the Good Gifts

'Tis the season to be jolly. So goes the famed saying that many have heard since birth. In many ways this illustrates how the holiday season is that special time of the year.People smile, the ground is perfectly covered with just the right amount of snow, and, of course, loved ones are brought closer together.However, all the smiles and affection can soon come to a screeching halt when it turns out that the person who was thought to love and care gives a gift that does not quite cut the mustard.

A Helpful and Moral Wage Hike

This year's incoming freshman class collectively read Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" in UB 101.

Popularity of Poker Game Explodes

It is taking over living rooms, dorm rooms, attics, basements, computers and television. Like an epidemic, the popularity of Texas Hold'em style poker has spread across the nation.ESPN's "World Series of Poker" is the biggest contributor to the outbreak of Texas Hold'em.

Baby It's Cold Outside: Date Ideas to Heat Up Winter Nights

Chilly Buffalo winters are good for much more than freezing your pipes and leaving salt streaks on your windshield.

Ben Sargent Cartoon: 12.10.04

Men's Team to Face MAC Foes Over Break

While most of the UB student body is away over winter break in some place warm, eating home-cooked meals and celebrating after final exams, the men's basketball team will be hard at work.The Bulls (4-2 overall, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) have five games scheduled against conference opponents, including a home game against the Toledo Rockets, the team that eliminated the Bulls from the Mid-American Conference playoffs last March.The game against Toledo is the Bulls' first opportunity to exact revenge on the team that ended UB's best season since joining the MAC.Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon isn't thrilled about the Toledo game falling during break."I would much rather play them during the school year, when the Maniacs are here," Witherspoon said.