Opinions - The Spectrum

OPINION

Eminem’s latest freestyle is hip-hop done right

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Oct. 19, 2017

I’ll throw Eminem in the conversation of top 5 of all time and, no pun intended, I’m not afraid to say that. From quirky personas to upper echelon word-play, the rapper can easily box with some of the best in the field. But as a rap fan who primarily got into the genre in the late ‘00s, I, unfortunately, had to mill through the tail end of his career. Albums like “Recovery” and “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” -- with the exception of few & choice songs -- are dumpster fires.

A pink slime feels left out as three tabby slimes play around. “Slime Rancher” features themes of loneliness and long-distance love that the millennial generation can especially relate to.

OPINION

Hear Me Out: 'Slime Rancher,' Courtney Barnett and loneliness in love

By DAN MCKEON | Oct. 16, 2017

“Slime Rancher,” a video game about ranching slimes on an alien planet, deceptively contains one of the loveliest and loneliest narratives in pop culture, as well as one of the most relatable for a generation built on new means of communication. Throughout the game, the character, Beatrix LeBeau, learns more and more about the special someone left on Earth, all while reading through a parallel love story of the man that once lived on the ranch.

OPINION

What happened to the Newspaper Readership Program?

By Editorial Board | Oct. 16, 2017

UB used to have several newspaper stands throughout campus that offered students copies of The New York Times, USA Today with a quick swipe of their student ID. This semester, students returned to campus to find these stands gone. Several students including us Spectrum editors looked forward to reading these newspapers in between classes and studying.

OPINION

Congratulations Jerry Jones, you're a hypocrite

By DANIEL PETRUCCELLI | Oct. 12, 2017

General Manager of the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones spent this past Monday making himself the biggest joke in the NFL. From atop his throne in “Jerry World,” he decreed all Dallas Cowboys players who refused to stand for the anthem will sit for the game. Really?

OPINION

Toothless: A look at health, both mental and dental

By DAVID TUNIS-GARCIA | Oct. 12, 2017

I’m scared that I’m losing my teeth. I don’t mean that in a dream logic, “losing teeth means you’re having money problems” or whatever else. Even though I take good care of my teeth – brushing two to three times a day, using mouthwash, flossing most nights – I go about my day concerned that a cavity has started to form in my formerly pristine pearly whites. I have a sneaking suspicion that my still-present wisdom teeth have begun to stray off their God-given course, slowly but surely rendering my grill jacked up.

OPINION

Coming out: one year later

By MADDY FOWLER | Oct. 8, 2017

I was afraid to come out publicly because I was afraid people would make negative assumptions about me based on stereotypes about bisexuality. But then I realized that the only way to combat those stereotypes is to speak out against them. I realized I had the power to own the narrative about my sexuality and define my identity for myself. And in doing so, I could help change the negative misconceptions about being bi.

OPINION

What. A. Game.

By DANIEL PETRUCCELLI | Oct. 8, 2017

Dear anyone who wasn’t at UB Stadium Saturday, it sucks to be you. You missed one hell of a football game. The kind of football game you tell your kids about. The kind of football game where every other play a record is being broken. The kind of football game that makes the entire country tune into a mid-major conference game. The most exciting football game I have ever seen.

OPINION

Christopher Columbus is not a hero to be celebrated

By Editorial Board | Oct. 8, 2017

While Christopher Columbus has been a celebrated figure throughout American history, he is no hero. Columbus is responsible for the brutal deaths of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people.

OPINION

The Bulls big come up

By THOMAS ZAFONTE | Oct. 5, 2017

Well, the football team (3-2, 1-0 MAC ) proved me wrong. I wrote a few weeks ago about how I felt there was nothing to be excited for this season and how I expected another losing record for the program.

OPINION

My stolen identity

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | Oct. 4, 2017

In August 2014, I was hanging out at my friend’s house. It was an average overnight visit. My friends and I created some pretty memorable Vines; the type that would only be funny to overtired teens singing selections from Disney films. But the rest of the visit became memorable for all the wrong reasons and lasted way longer than six seconds. I checked my Twitter notifications and saw something alarming. A Twitter user with the handle @zacf*ckoff quickly followed and unfollowed me on the app. This user was using a photo of me as their avatar and essentially posing as me.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor: Response to 'Students, faculty hold rally demanding fair graduate stipends' article

Oct. 2, 2017

In a Sept. 26 story, “Students, faculty hold rally demanding fair graduate stipends,” The Spectrum reported that over a hundred members of the UB community marched to Capen Hall to demand that UB pay its RAs and TAs a living stipend.

OPINION

Reinstating some weekend night busing great example of compromise, communication

By Editorial Board | Oct. 1, 2017

At the beginning of the semester, UB Transportation Services announced that it was eliminating the weekend “drunk bus” in an effort to deter disruptive partying in University Heights. The decision was made without student input and students were angry and concerned.

OPINION

"Stop Popping": How I learned to stay creative

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | Oct. 1, 2017

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

Body image concerns are a symptom of eating disorders—not the cause

By MADDY FOWLER | Sep. 24, 2017

Suggesting there is a direct correlation between attitudes about bodies and eating disorders indicates a gross misunderstanding of how eating disorders work.

OPINION

How SpongeBob made us hate capitalism

By DAN MCKEON | Sep. 21, 2017

“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.

OPINION

UB administration needs to pay TAs a living stipend

By Editorial Board | Sep. 20, 2017

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

By MAGGIE WILHELM | Sep. 20, 2017

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

By MADDY FOWLER | Sep. 18, 2017

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.

OPINION

A letter from President Tripathi

Sep. 14, 2017

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

Dennis Black’s crime is an embarrassment to entire UB community

By Editorial Board | Sep. 11, 2017

Dennis Black has embarrassed and betrayed the entire student body. Not only did he steal funds, but he also stole our faith in administrators.