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Pipe Dream Friday, November 8, 2013 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXXIV, Issue 17
Thirty-six votes cast from campus Binghamton University students express indifference, play minor role in state elections
Carla Sinclair Contributing Writer
While Election Day shook up the political spectrum in Binghamton and New York, a low student turnout at the Binghamton University polls meant little input from oncampus BU students. Up for vote in Vestal, the voting district for students registered on campus, was the Vestal superintendent for highways, along with
state Supreme Court Judge and six state constitutional amendments. According to the Broome County Board of Elections, only 36 of BU students voted on campus. Proposition 1, which passed, will allow for the construction of seven additional casinos in New York state. The vote passed 57 percent to 43 percent. Advocates say it will bring jobs and stimulate the economy, while critics say it will feed addiction and detract from more pressing matters.
However, many students remained indifferent. “I don’t think it makes a terrible difference, it’s just a source of income,” said Colton Coreschi, senior majoring in biology. “People have gambling problems but that’s more of a problem for the people than the casinos.” Propositions 2, 3, 4 and 5 also passed. Prop. 2 entitles veterans to extra civil service credits. Prop. 3 authorized local governments to exclude debt
regarding sewage plants from their debt limits. Prop. 4 allows the government to settle land disputes with private owners and allows them to expand with other parcels of forest. Prop. 5 authorized the government to allow NYCO Minerals to expand mining areas in Lewis and Essex counties. Proposition 6 did not pass, but it would have increased the age limit of judges serving. It lost 60 percent to 39 percent. In the highway superintendent race, Brock
Leonard beat Kenneth Fortier by about 5 percent. Justice Eugene Faughnan was elected to state Supreme Court Justice over Judith O’Shea. Though the 36 students who voted on campus could not vote in the Binghamton mayoral election, those who were registered off campus could. Some students still felt that the campaign was not relevant enough to their lives to vote. Conor Stillwell, an undeclared freshman, said the mayoral candidates failed to
connect with students. “They didn’t advertise their campaigns to students,” Stillwell said. “If they had, maybe more people would’ve shown up. I didn’t even know there was a poll center on campus.” Republican candidate Rich David won the mayoral race, beating out Democrat Teri Rennia. David will succeed Mayor Matthew Ryan, a Democrat.
See vote Page 6
UN rep talks spy tales
Blackboard to get an upgrade Improvements include video uploading capability Jeremy Bernstein News Intern Binghamton University’s academic management system is being taken back to the drawing board. Blackboard, a service used by almost all BU students, will experience changes including an improved navigation menu that allows users to switch quickly between courses without having to go back to the main menu, a more flexible grade book that allows online grading for assignments and a “retention center” that gives instructors a quick overview of student performance and activity in the course, according to Inside Binghamton University. “We’re taking this opportunity to change the design a bit, and we hope to reduce screen clutter and make it easier to navigate,” wrote Donald Loewen, vice provost for undergraduate education, in an email. “Also, there are some new features that will make it easier for students to track activity in multiple
courses, and to navigate back and forth between them more easily.” Loewen added that they are looking at ways to make it easier for instructors to incorporate video materials for students to use. “I think we may see more use of video as instructors adopt a ‘flipped’ or activelearning classroom model, and we need to be ready for that,” he wrote. According to Loewen, Blackboard usually introduces updates several times a year to add new features or improve existing features. “It’s important that we constantly look for ways to improve the learning experience — and ideally, make it more engaging for students and easier or more flexible for faculty,” Loewen wrote. “In the last 18 months there have been major changes in the Blackboard organization, and as a result we’ve seen a much greater emphasis on being responsive to the concerns and
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Tycho McManus/Staff Photographer
Ambassador Joseph Melrose speaks to students Thursday evening in the University Union. Melrose has worked for the United Nations and U.S. Foreign Service for over 30 years, serving in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Syria and Vietnam, and spoke to students about topics including wire tapping and working in war zones.
Joseph Melrose discusses work in U.S. foreign service Joseph Hawthorne
his experiences as at the United Nations and U.S. Foreign Service. “I find these controversies about spying on other countries After avoiding wiretaps and bizarre. Whenever spies in Syria, Pakistan and totally Nigeria, Ambassador Joseph I checked into a hotel we Melrose let students listen in on immediately put a scrambler on,” News Intern
Melrose said. “Pakistan would go through my phone bill and decide whether to listen to my calls. They got the number that my son used, and it was great because someone actually had to spend their time listening to whether
he played ball with his friends.” The event Thursday evening was hosted by Dorm Room Diplomacy, Model UN, African Student Union, the history
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Blueprint Binghamton promotes outreach Downtown program pushes for positive change in community with $500,000 grant Dhruv Sehgal
class presentations to local city youth, workshops with seniors, conducting surveys in underrepresented areas and the hosting of community Downtown Binghamton will undergo some major discussions. It also included changes in the coming collecting data on what changes months with the advent of people wanted and what people Blueprint Binghamton, a were and were not happy with comprehensive plan to help in the area. This phase lasted promote community outreach for several months. Bryan Delacruz, a senior and change the local area in a majoring in philosophy, politics positive way. The first phase of the and law, lives near Binghamton project was the participation High School, a short walk phase, which included in- away from the Downtown area. News Intern
Delacruz believes Blueprint Binghamton shows that the city government is playing a more active role in the lives of its residents. “I think Blueprint Binghamton is an innovative and intensive effort to improve the Downtown area, showing that the city government is listening to the community and seeking to push changes,” Delacruz said. “The increased community involvement and the data can be used for making changes in the short and long
term that the community wants and agrees with, which is always welcoming and exciting.” According to the Blueprint Binghamton website, the project is “a citizen-driven effort to plan for Binghamton’s future and move our city forward together.” The project is being funded by a nearly $500,000 federal state grant secured in October 2011 from the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Derrick Conyers, the Student Association’s vice president of
academic affairs, is optimistic about the future of the project and its ability to bridge the gap between the students and the local community. “I am really excited to see what happens as a result of Blueprint Binghamton,” Conyers said. “President Stenger laid out his roadmap for the University, and one of the major aspects was community involvement and making sure that there is a bridge between the community and the students, and I think Blueprint
Binghamton is an excellent way to make sure that there are new and innovative ways students can get involved.” Binghamton is one of 90 local cities to apply for and receive this federal government-awarded grant, which has gone a long way in ensuring that city planners can collect the information they need for the next major phase of the project — creating the Blueprint Binghamton.
See Plan Page 8