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2018-19 see b section
Monday, November 5, 2018 | Vol. XCIV, Issue 19 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
Roque backpedals on guilty plea Sophomore dies in UClub apartment Judge Kevin Dooley to rule on motion on Nov. 14 Sasha Hupka news editor
Former Binghamton University student Michael Roque appeared before Judge Kevin Dooley in court Friday morning and backpedaled on his guilty plea, which he entered in September. Roque, 20, of Massapequa, New York, who is accused of murdering freshman Joao Souza, 19, faces a second-degree
murder charge. Souza was fatally stabbed in his dorm room in Windham Hall of Mountainview College on April 15. According to police, Roque fled on foot after stabbing Souza. He was apprehended in his dorm room in Hunter Hall of Mountainview College after a 20-hour manhunt. After he was indicted in May, Roque pleaded not guilty to the charge; however, at an arraignment on Sept. 6, he was expected to plead guilty. During that court appearance, Roque surprised everyone, including his own lawyer, when he refused to enter the plea. The next day, Roque
appeared in court again after requesting a second arraignment. He pleaded guilty to the charge and said he had panicked at the arraignment on Sept. 6. “I first want to apologize to the court,” Roque said. “The reason for my actions yesterday was that it was too overwhelming … I panicked.” But during his court appearance on Friday, Roque went back on his plea and said his attorney pressured him into pleading guilty. He said he found Souza’s body, but didn’t commit the murder.
see roque page 3
How will the court proceed? Option 1
Option 2
Judge Dooley approves
Judge Dooley denies
the motion filed by Roque. Therefore, his guilty plea is withdrawn.
Roque’s motion and explains why.
The court sets a date for Roque’s trial. A jury is selected.
Roque proceeds to sentencing.
At the trial, the prosecution and defense present their cases. The jury returns a verdict.
Dooley hears from the defense and prosecution and makes a decision about Roque’s sentence.
cory bremer design manager
Luke Stempa, 21, died of an overdose Wednesday night Sasha Hupka news editor
Luke Stempa, the Binghamton University sophomore who was found dead in his UClub Binghamton apartment in Vestal on Wednesday night, died of a drug overdose, police announced on Friday. According to the Vestal Police Department, the death does not appear to be a suicide. Stempa, 21, of Great Neck, New York, was discovered dead around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. An autopsy was conducted to determine his cause of death. A toxicology report is also being generated, according to Lieutenant Christopher Streno of the Vestal Police Department. Streno declined to comment on Friday regarding what Stempa may have overdosed on. “The results of the toxicology report will take a little bit to come back,” Streno said. “All we can say at this point is it was a drug overdose.” The case remains under investigation by the Vestal Police Department. In a Dateline statement released at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, University officials extended their condolences to Stempa’s friends and family. “The campus is saddened to learn of the death of sophomore Luke Stempa, who was found dead in his off-
campus apartment Wednesday night,” the statement read. “The University extends its sincerest condolences to Stempa’s family and friends.” Campus officials are urging students and staff struggling with Stempa’s death to reach out to the
linkedin Luke Stempa was found dead in his apartment Wednesday night.
Dean of Students Office and the C.A.R.E. (Consultation, Assessment, Referral and Education) Team. According to Stempa’s LinkedIn account, he was interested in pursuing a career in marketing, sales or public relations. A website, where friends can share memories and donate to Stempa’s family, has been set up in his honor.
CCE registers more than 2,000 students to vote From 2012 to 2016, campus voter turnout increased Amy Donovan
assistant news editor
Since 2012, the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), in partnership with Jonathan Krasno, an associate professor of political science, have hosted a voting competition for the living communities
on campus with one goal in mind — registering students to vote. For the third election year in a row, College-in-the-Woods has taken home first place in the Residential Life voting competition hosted by the CCE. The living community saw a 10 percent increase in registered residents between the start of the semester and the end of the competition, with a final total of 36.7 percent of its residents now registered to vote. Hinman College
came in second with a final total of 36.4 percent of its residents registered to vote, an increase of 12 percent according to the preliminary numbers from early on in the competition. Every living community on campus participated, including Hillside Community, which ended the competition with the lowest percentage of registered residents at 23.2 percent. College-in-the-Woods and Hinman College received a $1,000 and $500 prize,
respectively, which can be used in any way the community councils decide on. The competition started on Sept. 7 with a kickoff event and concluded on Oct. 9, three days before the New York voter registration deadline. Krasno wrote in an email that the competition came to fruition after a recent graduate of Binghamton University working on a local campaign mentioned the lack of student voters in local elections.
“I just wanted more students to vote because it would make it more likely they’d vote in future elections and students voting in one locale would be an important constituency that its politicians would need to cultivate,” Krasno wrote in an email. Krasno helps judge the contest by gathering data on on-campus registrants and matching it with the voter file from
see vote page 4
Larry Sharpe visits Binghamton Student groups host debate watch party Libertarian gubernatorial candidate holds rally Lia Berger
Tenney, Brindisi face off in televised debate before election
assistant copy desk chief
On Saturday, a crowd of supporters gathered outside Galaxy Brewing Company with signs and T-shirts in anticipation of Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe’s arrival. Sharpe’s rally, hosted in the Downtown Binghamton restaurant just days before the general election, drew around 60 people. Sharpe is running against Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo, Republican Marc Molinaro, Serve America Movement candidate Stephanie Miner and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins in Tuesday’s elections. According to a Siena College poll released Sunday, Sharpe is currently favored by 3 percent of the vote, while Cuomo leads the pack, maintaining a 13-point lead over Molinaro, the anticipated runner-up. Nevertheless, in his remarks at the rally, Andrew Hollister, Sharpe’s running mate for lieutenant
Michael Levinstein pipe dream news
jacob hanna pipe dream photographer Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe arrives at a rally he held at Galaxy Brewing Company in Downtown Binghamton on Saturday.
governor, looked to unite voters, political party associations aside. “This year is not the year of the Democrats,” Hollister said. “It’s not the year of the Republicans. It’s not even the year of the Libertarians. It is the year of the families of New York. It’s the year of the small businesses in New York.
ARTS & CULTURE
It is the year of the individual in New York. On Nov. 6, we are going to elect Larry Sharpe.” Gold, the color of the Libertarian party, was alluded to multiple times throughout the rally as a contrast to
see sharpe page 3
With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, Republican Claudia Tenney and Democratic challenger Anthony Brindisi, candidates for New York’s 22nd congressional district, clashed over guns, health care and taxes in a televised debate on Thursday night. Multiple student organizations, including the Andrew Goodman Foundation, held a watch party in the University Union. The Andrew Goodman Foundation, a national organization that encourages civic engagement through voting accessibility, has groups on campuses nationwide that focus on voter education and registration. At Binghamton University, the Andrew Goodman Foundation works with the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) to
OPINIONS
promote voting. Before the debate started, organizers handed out bingo sheets and a prosand-cons paper for viewers to take notes on the candidates. The bingo sheets included political buzzwords like “small business,” “top 1 percent” and “special interests,” which organizers predicted would come up in the debate. Bingo winners received prizes, such as T-shirts and mugs, from the CCE. New York’s 22nd congressional district encompasses all of Chenango, Cortland, Madison and Oneida counties and parts of Broome, Herkimer, Oswego and Tioga counties. Questions posed at the debate concentrated on issues such as affordable health care, access to child care, gun control, the opioid crisis and wealth inequality. Sophia Geringswald, an Andrew Goodman Foundation ambassador and a junior majoring in political science, led the watch party. The main role of
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SPORTS
New Queen movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” misses the mark,
Asian Night combines all of the Asian Student Union’s subgroups for one night,
Columnists Emily Houston and Michael Harel weigh in on why it’s important to vote on Tuesday,
Volleyball keeps pace in the America East playoff race,
Wrestling set to kick off its 50th season,
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