Opinions - The Spectrum

OPINION

Letter to the editor

Dec. 20, 2019

Indian Universities Under Siege Much like most of the world at this moment, India is in a fight against religious intolerance and against, as many in the country are now terming it without reservations, fascism. In the past few days, the matters have come down to the streets, with police forces entering university premises and bleeding out protestors. And this is not only in the capital city of New Delhi, but across the country from its north-most to its east-most to its south-most.

OPINION

Women have been ‘surfing the crimson tide’ long enough

By ISABELLA FORTUNATO | Nov. 23, 2019

Once a month, I find the best way to spend the minute break between my classes is frantically searching through my bag for a tampon that isn’t there. As I rush into class 15 minutes late, the cherry on top is that explaining the reason behind my delinquency is completely out of the question.

OPINION

My best friend, ‘Ana’

By REILLY MULLEN | Nov. 23, 2019

Thirteen-year-old girls are supposed to fawn over Justin Beiber. Instead, in eighth grade, I was counting the calories in a stick of gum.

OPINION

Letter from the editor: Here's what we do. Here's how you can, too.

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | Nov. 17, 2019

This semester at The Spectrum has been an absolute dream.

OPINION

The UB Curriculum is a waste of time

By ALEX WHETHAM | Nov. 17, 2019

I used to be a proponent of the UB Curriculum. As a former pre-med student, the chance to take a few English and Music courses while also pursuing psychiatry seemed ideal and a step above what I assumed regular general education programs would be like. But I misunderstood.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor

Nov. 13, 2019

For the Sake of Diversity and Inclusion, It’s Time to Bury Millard Fillmore in UB’s Past As the semester comes to a close and winter recess begins, UB will, again, move forward with an annual ritual that diminishes its efforts to promote diversity and inclusion on campus. On January 7, UB will again organize the celebration of Millard Fillmore’s birthday at Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery.

OPINION

Why I don’t watch porn

By ISABELLA FORTUNATO | Nov. 13, 2019

I have never watched porn. Some people may believe this to be a bold-faced lie, but it’s not. Throughout my entire life I’ve made an active choice to avoid graphic pornographic material, and have never, even tried searching for any kind of the content.

OPINION

Edward Cullen walked so Robert Pattinson could run

By LAURYN KING | Nov. 10, 2019

“Do I dazzle you?” “Frequently.” Although Edward Cullen is inarguably Robert Pattinson’s most notable role, it couldn’t be further from his best.

OPINION

Set up to fail

By CHLOE FERNEY | Nov. 10, 2019

I remember leaving my professor’s office on the verge of tears sophomore year. There was a line of students in the hallway waiting to find out their fate. I knew why they were there. It was the same reason I was. The professor thought we cheated.

OPINION

Letter to the editor

Nov. 6, 2019

As a alum of The Spectrum, as a woman who works with sexual assault survivors, and as a survivor myself, I was deeply disappointed with parts of Amal Elhelw's article "Hypocritical feminism." While her main point seems to be that feminism needs more action, and less labels, the author seriously loses her way when she begins to talk about feminism with respect to sexual assault survivors.

OPINION

Would you ruin your family to bang Paul Rudd?

By SAMANTHA VARGAS | Nov. 6, 2019

Incest used to be a social norm across every continent, especially in royal families. But now it is one of the most widespread social taboos and is forbidden in most modern cultures. While many filmmakers choose to frame consensual incest as a serious plot device, some directors choose not to explain its presence. That’s unacceptable.

OPINION

Letter to the editor

Nov. 6, 2019

On Monday, November 4th, the UB Spectrum ran its annual Political Issue. In it, they featured a poll of issues important to UB students, a community made up of over 31,000 people. We were saddened to see that only 100 students participated in the poll; this sample is merely 0.3% of the total population whom the survey supposedly represents, meaning the margin of error is more than triple what most published pollsters allow for (+/-3%).

OPINION

Letter to the editor

Nov. 3, 2019

My name is Arianna Rothfuss and I am a chemistry grad student here at UB. UBIT has recently put out requirements for students to sign up for DUO two-step verification, a process that is by no means justified and is simply an added annoyance to college students.

OPINION

Commander-in-beef (cake)

By SAM VARGAS | Nov. 3, 2019

This is a satirical column. Discussion of past commanders-in-chief typically surrounds their background and policy stance. But the important question is: how hot are they?

OPINION

Free speech vs. revenue: The fight between what’s right and what’s profitable

By Alexander Poland | Nov. 3, 2019

Americans pride themselves on the First Amendment –– freedom of speech, freedom to protest –– protecting citizens from governmental consequences. But private American corporations are showing less support for these concepts than ever before. Even though these companies have no obligation to the First Amendment, people should be able to voice political opinions without losing their jobs.

OPINION

SEAS and defense contractors: An engineering student’s perspective

By Alexander Poland | Oct. 30, 2019

With any job or career, ethics matter, whether it be a minimum wage job or running a Fortune-500 company. The Young Democratic Socialists of America’s Friday protest of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences touched on these ethical issues, arguing that SEAS’ partnership with defense companies like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman is morally wrong.

OPINION

Toxic fandom

By ZACH MCADOO | Oct. 30, 2019

As a sports fan, I love going to the games and watching my favorite teams play. No matter the sport, be it football, baseball, NASCAR, they are all great to watch in person. But one of the worst parts of live games is being surrounded by obnoxious fans.

OPINION

Out of options

By JUSTIN WEISS | Oct. 27, 2019

On a sunny Wednesday in early September, UB football players entered an empty UB Stadium for morning practice. There, they were greeted with deafening heavy metal music and crowd noise. The Bulls were preparing for their Saturday night tilt at Beaver Stadium, the third-largest open-air venue in the world. In practice, they readied themselves for the sheer volume of the Penn State crowd.

OPINION

Hypocritical feminism

By AMAL ELHELW | Oct. 24, 2019

Today, we are at the peak of the women’s equality movement. More women are in political office than ever before and women’s rights are a constant conversation. It’s no secret women are on the rise and these successes are due to strong women defying the odds, both big and small.

OPINION

Letter to the editor

Oct. 24, 2019

The Young Democratic Socialists of America at UB have chosen to demonstrate on Friday because the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has made it clear that they feel no guilt about association with and promotion of war profiteers.