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OPINION

"Stop Popping": How I learned to stay creative

It has been hard to stay in touch with family and friends as a senior. Nonetheless, like most college students, I always attempt to call home during my off-times. This past summer, in one of my many phone calls with my mother, she reminded me of a dreaded moment during fourth grade. The moment is probably nothing for most people but for myself – a self-conscious young man with an obtuse mind – it hurt. My fourth grade teacher called me out for what he liked to call “popping.” The only definition of “popping” I recognized growing up was if something looked fresh.


OPINION

How SpongeBob made us hate capitalism

“SpongeBob SquarePants,” a show that many college-age students could quote in everyday conversation, first introduced an entire generation to societal and economic critiques through a typically leftist perspective. High-level topics, especially by children’s show standards, exposed young viewers to gender theory, socialism, the prison-industrial complex, xenophobia and environmentalism, often through capitalism-critical lenses.


The Spectrum
OPINION

UB administration needs to pay TAs a living stipend

The average cost of living for a student living on-campus is over $18,000 and over $21,000 for students who live off-campus. But the average TA stipend is only $13,190, according to the Graduate Student Employees Union. The UB Living Stipend Movement is circulating a petition requesting a $21,310 minimum TA stipend. This is more than reasonable, especially when considering the financial strength and means of the university.


OPINION

You’re killin' me, snacks

Day drinking on your couch, neglecting all school responsibilities, grilling out and eating your weight in chicken wing dip – there's nothing better than NFL Sunday. Most people don’t think about their health when they’re five beers and two hot dogs deep, but being conscious of what you’re eating and drinking on football Sundays is important.


OPINION

Bed Buggin' Out

I’ve always had trouble sleeping through the night. One night in early August I woke with a start at 1 a.m. That’s when I saw it. Illuminated by my bedside lamp that I forgot to turn off, a little reddish-brown oval-shaped insect scurried across my pillow.


The Spectrum
OPINION

A letter from President Tripathi

As university president, I share in your sheer disappointment and deep anger over the crimes committed by two now-former UB employees. It is only natural that we, as a campus community, would feel a collective sense of betrayal upon learning that two of our own longtime employees abused their trusted role as public servants by stealing university funds for their own selfish purposes. Their actions demonstrated a brazen disregard for our university, our students, our faculty, our employees and the many communities we serve.


OPINION

Let's talk about suicide

World Suicide Prevention Day was September 10. In the United States as well as in most of the world, cultural squeamishness over discussing mental illness can lead to feelings of isolation. For someone going through a strong period of mental illness, isolation can significantly worsen the symptoms. 


OPINION

Letter from the editor

Where were you in 1950? What were you reading? Harry S. Truman was the thirty-third president. Gas was 30 cents per gallon. A loaf of bread cost 10 cents and on November 17, 1950, The Spectrum, UB’s only independent student newspaper was born. Our first editor in chief was Jack Keller. I’m Hannah Stein, the sixty-fifth editor in chief of The Spectrum. I am honored to fill this important and historic position during such a volatile time in our country and our campus’s history. Students at universities across the country are at the center of debates about campus free speech, historical naming rights on campus, how sexual assaults on campus are handled, how to handle immigration and transgender rights. Our country is angry, afraid, politically divided and worried about what comes next.


The Spectrum
OPINION

Letter to the editor: On the elimination of the UB late night weekend bus service

Eliminating late night weekend busing was a decision the university made without any student input. The same day the story broke, I met with Interim Director of Parking and Transportation Christopher Austin and learned that contrary to what was reported in the news, the changes to the bus schedule mean that after 1:30 AM on Friday and Saturday nights, there will be no official UB transportation between campuses. As University Council Student Representative for all 30,000 students at UB, I’m committed to ensuring safety for students at all times.


OPINION

Surviving your first year

You’ve made it. After years of schooling you’re finally in college. Remembering back two years ago when I was at my orientation, I was so excited for the school year to start. Like many others, I had a warped idea of what my college experience would be. Of course, I’d seen movies like “American Pie” or “Blue Mountain State” and thought my time at UB would mimic what I saw on TV.


The Spectrum
OPINION

Robert Spencer's open letter to the University at Buffalo

Dear students, faculty and administration of the University at Buffalo: On Monday night, a mass murderer killed 22 people and injured 59 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. The perpetrator was a man named Salman Ramadan Abedi, a man whom friends described as a “devout” Muslim who had memorized the entire Qur’an.



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