Opinions - The Spectrum

OPINION

Money talk: How we lost the understanding of money

By KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS | Feb. 11, 2016

The concept of money has grown more complex as large amounts of it became quantified electronically, even more so than physical quantities. The problem is complicated further when stocks and other financial assets are added to the equation. The form in which money has now taken no longer meets some of the most basic requisites to be a “good” medium of exchange.

OPINION

The life and death of ‘Johnny Football’

By MICHAEL AKELSON | Feb. 9, 2016

Police are investigating an incident in which Manziel allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, and threatened to kill her and himself. Manziel’s father also told the Dallas Morning News that he believes if his son doesn’t get help soon he won’t live to see his 24th birthday. This is just the latest, and potentially final, development in a story that hasn’t changed at all in four full years, although it continues to darken due to it’s inexplicable monotonousness. It is the story of “Johnny Football,” a character who conned America into thinking he was a better player, and person, than he actually is.

OPINION

Letter from the editor: Let’s think about sex for what it is

By Tom Dinki | Feb. 8, 2016

The truth is we’re all scared to talk about sex – at least in a way that can be seen on the Internet. We all know it’s forever. We go through it every year at The Spectrum as we attempt to put together a sex issue and students only agree to talk to us if their name is changed.

OPINION

Spectrum editors share their most embarrassing sex stories

By SPECTRUM STAFF | Feb. 8, 2016

Read some of The Spectrum editors' most embarassing sex stories.

OPINION

The Denver Broncos will win Super Bowl 50

By Jordan Grossman | Feb. 7, 2016

Defense wins championships.

OPINION

The Carolina Panthers will win Super Bowl 50

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Feb. 7, 2016

I believe that the Carolina Panthers will defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. But with this matchup between a rising star in Cam Newton and a potential swan song for one of the greatest of this generation in Peyton Manning, nothing is ever certain. But I would like to think the Carolina Panthers won the Super Bowl and Cam Newton already dabbed at the 50-yard line as Roger Goodell hands him the game MVP trophy.

OPINION

The UB Bulls are being built brick by brick

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Feb. 7, 2016

While Lance Leipold was the head coach last year as the recruits came in to Buffalo, there was a perception that those players - a few of them - were holdovers from a class built by the previous regime. So, I wanted to see what Leipold and his staff would do, some of the players and states that would target. And in the end, there were some trends that I liked from this class and last year’s group of players.

OPINION

Why should it matter how many people you’ve slept with?

By Editorial Board | Feb. 6, 2016

This stereotype seems to hold the most importance in the eyes of college students, as they are young and judgmental. Body count is simply a way to size up another person’s attractiveness. It’s another element of sex that can be easily discussed and spread quickly among groups, which makes it a common yet controversial topic.

OPINION

Caucus produces close race results, active voter engagement

By Editorial Board | Feb. 3, 2016

The polls closed at 10 p.m. with the top three GOP candidates Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio falling first, second and third respectively. Cruz received 28.3 percent of the votes followed by Trump with 25 percent and Rubio at 21.9 percent.

OPINION

Go-to guide on how to bet on Super Bowl 50

By Jordan Grossman | Feb. 2, 2016

There was an estimated $119 million placed two years ago in Las Vegas sportsbooks, and slightly declined last year to $116 million. The number is expected to stay around that range this Sunday for Super Bowl 50, with another $4 billion in bets coming from illegal bets like Super Bowl boxes and illegal bookmakers all across the country.

OPINION

Loss of Bortenschlager doesn’t hurt UB Bulls’ recruiting class – but losing Williams does

By Jordan Grossman | Feb. 2, 2016

But what seems like a detrimental blow to a program is actually not that crushing to the offensive side of the ball.

OPINION

J. Cole, your favorite 'woke' rapper, is probably a misogynist

By JAMES BATTLE | Feb. 2, 2016

It seems that the focus of social consciousness in rap is around black men, with women and people who identify as LGBT excluded and often attacked. Unfortunately this isn’t just a problem within rap. This has been a quite common belief regarding movements such as #BlackLivesMatter for quite some time.

OPINION

Celebrities retain enormous power in the political conversation

By Luke Heuskin | Feb. 2, 2016

With a sizable portion of the nation tuned into their every utterance, celebrities often use this inexplicable fascination to become activists, transcending their roles as entertainers by lending support to various political issues. The past decade has shown that a celebrity endorsement can be the factor that puts an unsung cause on the map.

OPINION

I’m a Barbie girl

By MARLEE TUSKES | Jan. 31, 2016

As I was growing up, Barbie was my favorite toy. I loved the fact that depending on what Barbie I was using, she could transform into anything: a doctor, an astronaut or even a businesswoman. She inspired girls to make them believe they could be anything they wanted to be. But when some girls played with Barbie, they might not have been able to see themselves when they looked at the doll.

OPINION

Applications increase can only mean good things for UB

By Editorial Board | Jan. 31, 2016

This can only be positive for UB – more students and students of a wider range are being drawn to the university. It’s a comment on the university’s success as a whole and how it works to cater the needs of its students. The increase in opportunities that have been presented to students, including the amount of clubs and majors available, can also be accountable for the increase in applications.

OPINION

Albany incident shows there’s still work to be done on campuses

By Editorial Board | Jan. 31, 2016

Three black female students at SUNY Albany say they were assaulted and harassed on a city bus Friday night by about 10 to 12 white men and women. The students allege their attackers used racial slurs during the attack, which occurred after an argument. The Albany Police Department said it is looking into the incident as a possible hate crime and SUNY Albany President Robert Jones released a statement to the campus that he was “deeply concerned, saddened and angry about this incident and would return to the campus to address the issue.

OPINION

Most students don’t take the beginning of the semester seriously, but you should

By TORI ROSEMAN | Jan. 31, 2016

Most students don’t take the first few weeks seriously because they feel they have the rest of the semester to do the bulk of their work. After having six weeks off – which, it doesn’t matter how much you love being home, is way too long – it takes time to get back into the routine of school.

OPINION

Second half success: UB men's and women’s basketball have tools, talent for conference runs

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Jan. 28, 2016

The Buffalo men’s basketball team is sitting at 11-9 overall and 4-3 in Mid-American Conference play. The women’s team is 10-8 overall, 2-5 in MAC play and in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Clearly, both teams will need to make adjustments to make it to Cleveland, come March and have any amount of success there.

OPINION

#OscarsSoWhite – again

By Editorial Board | Jan. 27, 2016

While there’s debate over whether any black actors deserved nominations, the outrage seems to be geared towards the Idris Elba snub. It appears there weren’t a slew of actors that were ignored for their award-winning performances, but rather there were less to choose from for the nomination. This could be a statement about Hollywood itself, and how fewer opportunities are presented to black actors therefore providing fewer opportunities to win awards.

OPINION

Letter from the editor: Spectrum reducing print day in effort to go more digital

By Tom Dinki | Jan. 27, 2016

We think this will help propel us into the future – and keep our methods in line with your news habits.