Opinions - The Spectrum

OPINION

Test yourself before you wreck yourself

Feb. 11, 2014

Over four in 10 sexually active UB students have never been tested for STIs. Our survey of 1,003 UB students on sexual behavior revealed a series of startling statistics, but none as worrisome as this lack of testing. The results are particularly condemning toward those who identified as male - over half of sexually active respondents stated they have never been tested. It is important to remind students that STIs are often more than just a temporary nuisance.

OPINION

A letter to a friend who is just a friend

By GISELLE LAM | Feb. 11, 2014

You're far from any salvation.

OPINION

"No chivalry, plenty of shallowness involved in popular app"

By JOE KONZE JR | Feb. 11, 2014

Loneliness surged through me one warm night in July. I sat on my couch with questions stirring in my mind.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor

Feb. 9, 2014

Dear Spectrum, I would like to applaud CVS' decision to eliminate tobacco sales. I believe this will benefit UB's campus greatly.

OPINION

CVS Quits - good for business and student health

Feb. 9, 2014

UB smokers will have a tougher time getting cigarettes starting Oct. 1, due to a CVS Pharmacy decision that has already bolstered the company's image. In an announcement Wednesday, CVS President and CEO Larry Merlo said the company's over 7,600 stores will no longer sell tobacco products starting in October.

OPINION

E Pluribus Cola

Feb. 9, 2014

An advertisement by an American corporate icon meant to mark the cultural diversity that has made this nation great has brought out the ugliest of American xenophobia. The commercial ran during the Super Bowl and featured a multilingual rendition of "America the Beautiful," accompanying a disparate series of vacuous videos - people running and smiling, dancing, drinking coke.

OPINION

"Torch obscured by fear, but flame burns on"

Feb. 6, 2014

Following a tumultuous year, rife with political suppression, prejudicial legislation and threats of terrorism, the Olympic Games - intended to unify the world in a joyous cacophony of (almost) sportsmanlike jeering - begin Friday. They couldn't come sooner.

OPINION

Effort to shuttle for safety shrouded in silence

Feb. 6, 2014

An otherwise practical effort at dealing with the realities of college partying habits has turned into a political football game for the administration. Through an agreement more secretive than necessary, the UB Stampede will now stop at Maple Ridge plaza on (Thirsty) Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.

OPINION

Put that in your pipe and smoke it

By MADELAINE BRITT | Feb. 6, 2014

I had my first pack of cigarettes at age 6. Granted, it was a plastic sleeve filled with sugar sticks that I bought from the soda and sweets shop down the block.

OPINION

Tonawanda Coke explosion continues dangerous trend

Feb. 4, 2014

A dishonest company, a deficit of oversight and a history of negligence conflated Friday into an explosive mix, culminating in a plume of smoke and fears, as homes and nerves were rattled. Tonawanda Coke is disgracing local headlines once again as the explosion at the plant revealed that issues plaguing the company are far from over. The problems this most recent transgression will pose for the troubled company is not the primary concern.

OPINION

"Often educated and experienced, too often poor"

Feb. 4, 2014

A congressional report released last month outlines a growing group of highly educated, experienced and underpaid U.S.

OPINION

Humane' death no longer guaranteed

Feb. 2, 2014

With the supply of drugs traditionally used for lethal injection running dangerously low across the United States, the search for alternatives has yielded contentious results.

OPINION

A pattern of forgotten student concerns

Feb. 2, 2014

A callous response to issues facing students appears to be the default for campus administrators. Following the pipes bursting in Ellicott Complex over winter break, flooding several dorms, UB officials stated the importance of students purchasing their own renter's insurance. One student impacted by the issue made a point indicative of a trend: she thought insurance would be included in the slew of fees involved in dorming and attending the university. The issue of UB's myriad fees, and the bizarre euphemisms shrouding what they actually are, has been a common refrain.

OPINION

Another falls away

Jan. 30, 2014

With another Student Association executive announcing his resignation in just five months, apathetic feelings seem to be the default.

OPINION

"Speech low on ambition, heavy on ambiguity "

Jan. 30, 2014

A reserved tone and avoidance of hard issues overshadowed the evening. In his fifth State of the Union, President Obama presented a series of uninspired proposals to a divided Congress, beginning with a list of the nation's meager improvements and concluding with a heartfelt anecdote.

OPINION

What more could you ask for?

By OWEN O'BRIEN | Jan. 28, 2014

Editor's Note: This column is part of a two-part debate surrounding the 2013 UB football season. To see the counterpoint argument, look for the Related Articles tab below. For those who wanted more from this year's football team, it's time to take a step back and look at UB football history. What happened in 2013 was unprecedented. Sophomore quarterback Joe Licata's 233 completions in a single season rank third in program history.

OPINION

The death of prudent speech

Jan. 28, 2014

With the expected vitriol and cries that an Orwellian order is upon us, a federal court struck down net neutrality.

OPINION

To the bayou and back

By AMANDA LOW | Jan. 28, 2014

It is a wonder how a week filled with countless unforeseen troubles and disappointments became one of the most rewarding trips I will probably take in my life. Leaving my home the morning of Jan.

OPINION

New to UB means a new story

By MADELAINE BRITT | Jan. 28, 2014

"Do you want us to come up with you?"

OPINION

Addressing 'rape culture' begins with self-reflection

Jan. 28, 2014

Sexual assaults among UB students are on a slight decline, despite increasing awareness to the issue nationally.