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OPINION

Where are we getting our information, news sources or comedy on TV?

Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin have argued over these past few weeks as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on the Saturday Night Live presidential debate parodies. At first, the clips made me laugh, until I realized I should be concerned. Why did I have such a sudden change of reaction? It dawned on me that this particular content was less a parody of the debates than a slightly exaggerated, self-deprecating version of exactly what is occurring in the political world right now.


OPINION

Money Talk: the cost of the campaign trail

If there is one fact that holds true in each election, it’s that campaigns are expensive. A campaign requires constant fundraising to maintain its pace and candidates cannot continue without this funding. Both candidates have raised more than $2 billion all together, leading up to Oct.


OPINION

My Battle with PMDD

Around this time last year, I was feeling quite different regarding my academic career and my life in general than I am now. Midterms were in full swing and the stress to succeed was hanging over my head.


The Spectrum
OPINION

Letter to the editor

[Monday’s] UB Spectrum contains an article by Ashley Inkumsah titled “Philip Glick and Domenic Licata speak out on UB Foundation transparency” (Oct. 24, 2016). It includes the following passage regarding a plan by Staff Senate Chair Licata and Faculty Senate Chair Glick to share UB Foundation secrets with a slightly larger group, including staff, student, and faculty representatives: “’I think I’ve read in other news organizations that there’s still some faculty members that are very unhappy about this,’ Glick said. ‘When you represent 1800 faculty members you just can’t make everyone happy, but this was an effort to try to make the majority of the people happy and to represent them.’”


OPINION

Purpose in trauma: My victory over my traumatic brain injury

On July 23, 2010 I was in a terrible car accident. I was found wrapped around a tree, completely unconscious and turning blue. Firemen extracted my lifeless body from the car and resuscitated me as I was transported to the nearest hospital. From that point on, I was transferred to two other hospitals. According to the many doctors my family encountered, the details of my possible future recovery were a mystery.


OPINION

Costume conundrum: culturally appropriated costumes are offensive

Halloween is the perfect time to show your creative side when it comes to costumes, but culturally offensive costumes aren’t creative – they’re downright inappropriate. What you and your friends might think is cute and clever can be extremely uncomfortable to an entire group of people.


OPINION

Money Talk: How tax brackets affect small businesses

Taxes and small businesses are mentioned constantly during election processes, but competition between small businesses and large companies are complicated. So complicated that even a tax bracket can put small businesses at a disadvantage, not only against larger companies, but even to make a profit.


The Spectrum
OPINION

Letter to the editor: Shared governance will assist UB in leading the way in higher education

Shared governance is the name commonly given to the collaborative processes by which the students, faculty, staff, and administration express and exercise their governance authority and responsibilities in support of the institution’s mission. It is a distribution of authority based upon the law and its mandates. In essence, it boils down to effective, constructive, and timely engagement by the administration and trustees with the students, faculty and staff.


OPINION

A lack of interest and information leads to uninformed decision making

In the age of information, our generation is incredibly misinformed and underinformed. The debate Monday night between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is just one example of this – the highly publicized event was essentially a chance to Tweet the most notable and quotable phrases. Students were more concerned with drinking games and memes rather than the policy platforms the candidates discussed.


OPINION

Money Talk: Ciminelli projects at UB

Ciminelli is the CEO of LPCiminelli, which is the largest general construction firm in Western New York. Ciminelli is facing charges of conspiracy and bribery for winning public contracts, which raises questions about his trend of winning bids for UB construction projects.


OPINION

Money Talk: Opportunity cost

In life, we’re faced with situations that force us to make some kind of decision, one way or another. So how do you go about making the best decision for yourself when you find yourself at an impasse? Thanks to the economic concept of opportunity cost, it’s easier to make such a decision while also giving yourself a long-term outlook. Opportunity cost forces you to evaluate what you should take into account, what you shouldn’t and how that will take you into the future.


The Spectrum
OPINION

Letter to the editor

On the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 6, my office in Clemens Hall was found defaced with the phrases “Fuck Peter Clavin,” “Pussy,” “Bitch,” “Fagboy,” and “your class sux” scrawled on my door and a small cartoon of the late poet Amiri Baraka ripped off and tore into pieces.


The Spectrum
OPINION

Letter to the editor

How does UB create the kind of community that will promote not just diversity and inclusion, but also wellbeing and justice? What are the best ways to move forward from the homophobic vandalism that appeared on a Teaching Assistant’s door?


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