VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI

Tom Toles (left) speaks with his friend and SUNY Buffalo Arts initiative co-director Bruce Jackson (right) at Slee Hall on April 14, 2016.

Photo: Courtesy of Douglas Levere / University Communications

FEATURES

A conversation with Tom Toles

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | May 4

Fifty years after he first set foot in The Spectrum’s office, Tom Toles is walking into the sunset with a Pulitzer Prize and decades of work at The Washington Post and The Buffalo News under his belt.

Students say they were "disappointed" by UB's response to recent anti-Asian hate crimes, saying the response was not distributed appropriately and came "too late."

NEWS

‘We felt neglected:’ Asian students disappointed in UB’s response to hate crimes

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Mar. 26

Elaine Lin waited two days for UB to issue a statement about the racially motivated Atlanta spa shootings that left eight people dead and millions more rattled last week.

Anti-Asian abuse is hard to escape, appearing everywhere from social media to the nightly news to the streets of New York City.

Photo: Macau Photo Agency / Unsplash

FEATURES

‘I’m worried about being the next victim:’ Asian students fearful of hate crimes

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Mar. 17

Hate crimes against Asians increased by nearly 150% nationally and by 833% in New York City in 2020. And things are only getting worse.

“Maintaining and rebalancing our international student enrollment numbers remain a priority for UB, and we will continue to assist our students with all the challenges and rewards of pursuing an education in our outstanding academic programs,” Vice Provost for Enrollment Lee Melvin said.

NEWS

UB’s international student enrollment drops for fourth consecutive year

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Mar. 5

UB continues to host thousands of international students each year, but its place near the top of the national leaderboard is slipping.

UB students have earned millions of views and likes on their TikTok videos.

FEATURES

From zero to millions: UB students find success on TikTok

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Jan. 5

Back in April, Benjamin Rein posted a 54 second video to TikTok, assuming no one would watch it. But within days, his notifications were flooded with thousands of likes, comments and views.

UB will delay spring semester and cancel spring break in accordance with SUNY guidelines in an effort to slow the spread of COVID.

NEWS

UB anticipates financial challenges due to refunds, state budget cuts

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Oct. 13, 2020

President Satish Tripathi sent an unprecedented email to the UB community Monday night outlining the dire financial shortfalls the university faces as a result of the pandemic.

From left to right: Screenshots of pharmacy student petition and Reddit post.

NEWS

Students mandated to pay for services they won’t access

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Sep. 21, 2020

UB is charging around 16,000 students up to $1,000 in fees for services they won’t have access to this fall.

Netra Mittal, a junior economics and mathematics major from India in the Ellicot complex.  Mittal says after the policy was announced she realized her status as an international student is “vulnerable,” and can be taken away anytime.

NEWS

‘Under this administration, I know I’m not welcome in this country’

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | July 17, 2020

For a week, UB’s close to 7,000 international students and the administrators who supervise them hurried to understand and respond to a July 6 Trump administration directive to deport or deny entry to international students at U.S. colleges and universities offering virtual instruction only this fall.

Senior architecture major, Alexander Sansolo at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Sanolo’s internship with Disney came to an abrupt end early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FEATURES

Pandemic derails students’ internship plans

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | May 10, 2020

Alexander Sansolo’s wishes were granted when he got the opportunity to intern at the Magic Kingdom. Three years of college and academics left him “burnt out” but the internship was his golden ticket to the Disney “imagineering” world and a way to find his true calling.

UB aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 through its newly announced Climate Action Plan.

Photo: The Spectrum

NEWS

UB aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2030, 100% clean energy for electricity by 2025

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | Apr. 22, 2020

UB is aiming to use 100% clean energy for its electricity by 2025 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 with its new Climate Action Plan.

Felisha Legette-Jack, 54, is entering her tenth season as head coach, after amassing a 177-107 record in Buffalo. The winningest coach in program history, Legette-Jack guided the Bulls to a 15-9 record and a MAC semifinal appearance in 2020-21.

VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI

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By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | July 22

Felisha Legette-Jack, 54, is entering her tenth season as head coach, after amassing a 177-107 record in Buffalo. The winningest coach in program history, Legette-Jack guided the Bulls to a 15-9 record and a MAC semifinal appearance in 2020-21.