OPINION
UB’s ‘leadership’ is laboring with Labor Day
Aug. 25, 2020Editor's note: This letter remains in the condition it was sent.
Opinions
OPINION
Letter of solidarity from the UB Black Council
July 9, 2020Editor's note: This letter remains in the condition it was sent.
OPINION
Buffalo and UB need to stop celebrating Millard Filmore, NOW!
July 6, 2020Editors Note: This letter remains in the condition it was sent.
OPINION
A letter from transnational studies professor Cecil Foster
June 8, 2020I write to draw attention to the deafening silence emanating from the University at Buffalo and the College of Arts and Science on developments following the brutal execution of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police and the resulting street protest across the nation and internationally by diverse groups calling for racial equality.
OPINION
Thank you and farewell
By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | May 10, 2020Before I began my pursuit of journalism … actually, scratch that. During my first-ever interview in February 2012, a source gave me the greatest advice I could ever use. “Life is about dealing with all situations in moderation,” he said. “Whether you’re a celebrity, a teacher or just a guy with a shovel in his hand, digging a ditch.”
OPINION
Bye kids
By JACKLYN WALTERS | May 10, 2020I remember sitting in my first Spectrum class. It was fall 2018, the first day of my second year at UB. A year –– I promised myself –– that I would change my perspective. And boy was I in for a treat. Jody started talking about journalism and I was hyped. “This is perfect,” I thought. It was everything I was looking for in a career all lumped into one 300-level class.
OPINION
And now, the end is near
By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | May 10, 2020Eighteen-year-old eyes. A future in business. It was all the luggage I needed for Grandpa’s 2005 Kia. And close to 300 miles later, some of the first mist I got on that luggage came from exiting that old car, too.
OPINION
Goodbye UB
By JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA | May 10, 2020Last semester, my intramural soccer team lost in the semi-finals of the UB playoffs. It was a bummer for a team that still never won a championship. We’d come so close so many times over the last seven semesters. “But at least we had one more opportunity,” we thought. “We still had the spring.” Turns out we didn’t.
OPINION
Trying to avoid regret at the end of an era
By ALEX WHETHAM | May 10, 2020I never had a chance to make The Spectrum office the home it could have been. Usually, these types of columns are a place where I should say “things didn’t turn out how I planned them, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” But that’s simply not true.
OPINION
The winner takes it all, and I have
By SAMANTHA VARGAS | May 10, 2020It’s been almost two months since UB shut down campus, which means it’s been almost two months since I’ve been in The Spectrum office. Or since we’ve had a secret “girls room” meeting. Or since we’ve gone on a Tim Horton’s run, only to find out the line was too long. Or since we’ve bleached someone's hair in the conference room.
OPINION
So, I guess this is goodbye ...
By SAVANNA CALDWELL | May 10, 2020At the end of every academic year I would read all of the “goodbye columns” the seniors would write before they go to print. I’d tear up because they were always so moving. Everyone would talk about how they found their home away from home in our windowless office, how they shared laughs or napped on one of the couches. But I didn’t think I would ever write one.
OPINION
Gotta go
By CASSIANA ENDERLE | May 10, 2020I never thought that one day in March, sitting in Capen with my friend since middle school, would define so much of the rest of my college experience. I never thought I would be walking into a news office, excited to get a job with my extreme lack of experience and interest in writing.
OPINION
I’m no good at goodbyes (or headlines)
By LAURYN KING | May 10, 2020This isn’t my goodbye to UB, but it is a goodbye to The Spectrum and the dominant experience of my college years. More importantly, this isn’t a goodbye to my friends, but it is a thank you. When I walked into the office freshman year, terrified of an editing quiz and all of the seemingly-always-have-their-lives-together people, I never knew it would become such a big part of my life. I didn’t know it would be where I met the majority of my friends in college, where I’d finally get the courage to publish something I wrote, or where I’d spend what felt like 90% of my semester.
OPINION
What’s the point of Twitter?
By ALEX WHETHAM | May 5, 2020Like many people, I have a hard time getting out of bed without browsing social media for far too long first. This includes Instagram, Reddit, Facebook (for five seconds before I realize what I’m doing and close the app) and my least favorite: Twitter.
OPINION
Remembering you can’t ‘rescue’ them
By SAMANTHA VARGAS | May 2, 2020Editor’s note: This column contains sensitive content about domestic abuse which may be triggering. The 911 operator knew who my roommate and I were when we called. We’d give them the address and they filled in the rest of the details themselves.
OPINION
Reckless reporting can leave deep wounds
By AMANDA RAMIA | May 1, 2020It showed an image of my church, the title reading, “Williamsville church holds Holy Thursday Mass despite stay at home order.” Confusion set in. “This must be a mistake,” I thought. I clicked the link and couldn’t believe my eyes.
OPINION
Sports mailbag: NFL Draft, COVID-19, quarterbacks
By JUSTIN WEISS | Apr. 30, 2020Last weekend, the NFL Draft gave us a much-needed break from COVID-19. But after tasting live sports for the first time in over a month, our palate is even stronger for something — anything — to come out of the sports world. I don’t profess to know what comes next, but I do have the advantage of being around — metaphorically now — UB Athletics as a sports editor for The Spectrum. Here’s a brief look at the state of UB Athletics, and answers to some of your questions:
OPINION
The graduation speech that never was
By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | Apr. 28, 2020Editor’s note: This was the speech I planned to submit to the College of Arts and Sciences’ student speaker contest before UB moved commencement to a virtual ceremony.
OPINION
Green-card crisis
By AANCHAL YADAV | Apr. 28, 2020I need a green card. I have never wanted something so desperately in my life. But now, faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, I don’t know if that’s going to be a possibility anymore. As an international student, I feel like I am continuously left in the dark by the school and the government. It is hard to plan my future and feels like I can be thrown into uncertainty at any moment.
OPINION
Foul play: athletes forget who the real heroes are
By ANTHONY DECICCO | Apr. 23, 2020States like Georgia and Tennessee plan on reopening businesses and loosening social distancing guidelines by next week. But some athletes are already ahead of the game. Instead of throwing a ball around, a handful of professional athletes are throwing caution to the wind.
