COREY PRESTON - The Spectrum

NEWS

The lighter side of Rushdie

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 29, 2005

Salman Rushdie, acclaimed novelist and the last speaker in this year's Distinguished Speaker Series, didn't tiptoe on Thursday night around the infamous death warrant placed on his head by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.Instead, the writer used his best-known controversy surrounding his renowned novel, "The Satanic Verses," as a starting point for discussion at Alumni Arena about the utter necessity of free speech."The first amendment is the thing that I, a foreigner, look at as truly wonderful about your country," said Rushdie, who was born in India and has lived most of his life in England.

NEWS

Controversial novelist coming to UB Thursday

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 27, 2005

Acclaimed writer and intellectual Salman Rushdie, who redefined the modern novel while sparking controversy in the Islamic world, is set to speak at Alumni Arena Thursday night as the finale for this year's Distinguished Speaker Series."We're just very happy he's here," said Bill Regan, director of the Office of Special Events.

NEWS

Committee confronts lack of minority faculty

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 22, 2005

The number of minority faculty members at UB is failing to keep pace with the growing percentage of minority students, according to a report from the UB Affirmative Action Committee to the Faculty Senate on Wednesday.According to committee chair Mattie Rhodes, 50 percent of university students nationwide will be minority students by the year 2015, which is vastly disproportional to the percentage of minority faculty at UB."American universities are educating a larger and more diverse group of students than ever before," Rhodes said.

NEWS

Broadway star thrills with slam poetry

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 22, 2005

"This is not Poetry 101," Mayda Del Valle told her audience. "It's more like church, really."An accomplished slam poet with two national poetry championships and four appearances on HBO, Del Valle had one request of her audience: forget everything they thought they knew about poetry.

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"Loyce Stewart brought quiet exuberance, integrity to pursuit of equity at UB"

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 20, 2005

Birthdays in the UB Office of Equity, Diversity, and Affirmative Action Administration, without Loyce Stewart, will never be the same.Stewart, who died last Monday at the age of 60, served as director of the office since 1999, defending social justice on campus while enforcing laws against various types of discrimination.According to co-workers, Stewart took a special joy in celebrating every aspect of the lives of those close to her, with a special emphasis on birthdays."Loyce loved to celebrate birthdays," said Barbara Burke, assistant director of the office.

NEWS

Feminist group battles false divides

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 18, 2005

For Erin Hoppe, a sophomore psychology major and member of the fledgling Feminist Action Group, activism here at UB isn't just about affecting political or administrative change.

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Officials working to make online course syllabi a reality

By COREY PRESTON | Apr. 13, 2005

Student Association and UB officials hope to have a program in place by August that would post course syllabi online and allow students to better plan for classes.SA President Anthony Burgio, who made the syllabi program a goal of his last fall, has been working with Michael Ryan, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, to promote the idea around campus.If implemented, course syllabi would be available months before the start of the semester, allowing students to prepare early for classes and judge what they are getting into.Burgio and Ryan outlined their proposal at a Faculty Senate meeting last Wednesday and fielded faculty questions.

NEWS

Fourth finalist for research VP has the last word

By COREY PRESTON | Mar. 7, 2005

Drawn to UB by the university's ambitious hopes for the future, Jorge Jose was the fourth and final candidate to make his pitch for the vice president of research position at an open forum held Friday in Park Hall.Jose, who is presently the chair of the physics department at Northeastern University, fielded questions from the 10 faculty members on hand for the hour-long session, and stressed that were he offered UB's top research job, his aim would be effecting serious and progressive change."I'm not interested in only management," Jose said.

NEWS

A quiet neighboor

By COREY PRESTON | Feb. 21, 2005

Nestled primarily in Amherst, removed from the City of Buffalo, UB has developed a reputation among community members as being "just there," according to a presentation from UB2020's Community Engagement Task Force last Thursday in the Student Union Theater.Although the task force found UB does a great deal of good within the Buffalo community, the university still lags behind the likes of Buff State and Canisius in the eyes of Buffalonians as a neighbor.The forum was the first of its kind for the UB2020 program, and task force members said they want to change UB's perception in the community."Students here want to graduate from an institution that's not only number one in the state, or number one in the nation, but number one in its own town," said Dennis Black, vice president for Student Affairs.

NEWS

Students get word out on health issues

By COREY PRESTON | Feb. 9, 2005

Fifty-two percent of Buffalonians who die from AIDS are African American, and according to the members of the Black Student Union, the more people who know that fact, the better."We're trying to shed light about diseases that affect the African American community, especially AIDS, where African Americans are one of the highest races affected," said Simone Hicks, president of the Black Student Union.Aiming to increase awareness of the diseases that affect the black community, the BSU along with the NAACP and Omega Psi Phi pooled their energy and resources on Tuesday for a health fair in the Student Union in the spirit of Black History Month.Event organizers offered free and confidential HIV testing, with results available on the spot, and with more than 30 students taking the initiative to get tested, the overwhelming message of the health fair seemed to be heard loud and clear."A lot of people in America, especially the youth, are suffering from HIV, so it's just so important to get yourself tested," said Sharee Hereford, vice president of the UB NAACP.