BASKETBALL ISSUE
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 Therefore, his guilty plea is withdrawn.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
see debate page 3
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,
SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGE 8
SEE PAGE 10
SEE PAGE 10
PAGE II Monday, November 5, 2018 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
Address: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 607-777-2515 FAx: 607-777-2600 Web: bupipedream.com
Phone:
Break it down
FALL 2018
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF* Emily Kaufman editor@bupipedream.com
MANAGING EDITOR* Bridget McCusker manager@bupipedream.com
NEWS EDITOR* Sasha Hupka news@bupipedream.com
ASST. NEWS EDITORS Amy Donovan Gillian Kenah Yuri Lee
OPINIONS EDITOR* Jessica Gutowitz opinions@bupipedream.com
ASST. OPINIONS EDITOR Savanna I. Vidal
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR* Katy Wong arts@bupipedream.com
ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITORS Shauna R. Bahssin Nikkolette Sather
SPORTS EDITOR* Samuel Ditchek sports@bupipedream.com
ASST. SPORTS EDITORS Evan Cole Grace Palumbo
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR* Rebecca Kiss photo@bupipedream.com
ASST. PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Ariel Kachuro
The X-Fact’r Step Team and Black Dance Repertoire perform “BDX: Back to the Streets” on Saturday evening in the Mandela Room.
theo mason staff photographer
FUN EDITOR* Nate Walker fun@bupipedream.com
Pipe Line DESIGN MANAGER* Cory Bremer design@bupipedream.com
DESIGN ASSTS. Khaled Pendleton Gaoming Lyu
COPY DESK CHIEF* Sarah Molano copy@bupipedream.com
ASST. COPY DESK CHIEF Lia Berger
DIGITAL EDITOR* Jillian Forstadt digital@bupipedream.com
NEWSROOM TECHNOLOGY MANAGER* Michelle Tan tech@bupipedream.com
EDITORIAL ARTISTS Annabeth Sloan Max Samson
BUSINESS MANAGER* Maryam Soomro business@bupipedream.com
BUSINESS ASSISTANT
LOCAL NEWS
BU, Vestal High School alum kills two in Florida shooting On Friday, Scott Beierle, 40, entered a yoga studio in Tallahassee and opened fire, killing two and wounding five before shooting himself, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin. Beierle graduated from Vestal High School in 1997, and attended Binghamton University from 1997 to 2002. In 2014, Beierle posted multiple misogynistic and racist videos to YouTube, according to The New York Times.
Binghamton seeks $12.2 million grant for reconstruction Binghamton applied for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant to help fund a $15 million project to revamp the Main Street corridor, according to WBNG. The grant, awarded by the federal Department of Transportation, would supply the city with $12.2 million, which would be used to install new bike lanes, redo damaged sidewalks and add new bus stops. NATIONAL NEWS
Molinaro holds rally in Downtown Binghamton
District of Columbia to vote on lowering city voting age
Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro visited Binghamton on Saturday to rally supporters, according to WBNG. The event was held at the Holiday Inn in Downtown Binghamton and attracted hundreds. Molinaro will face Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo and several thirdparty candidates in elections on Nov. 6.
The Washington, D.C. city council is voting this month on a bill that would lower the legal voting age to 16 in the city, according to U.S. News. The bill won approval in a Judiciary and Public Safety committee vote last week. The 26th Amendment of the United States Constitution states voters must be 18 or older; however, the amendment doesn’t directly restrict states and municipalities from lowering the voting age.
Samantha Agnoli
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laura Staff distribution@bupipedream.com
Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel. Positions seated on the executive board are denoted by an asterisk. Pipe Dream is published Mondays and Thursdays while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters, except during finals weeks and academic breaks. The content on the Opinions page with bylines represent the views of those authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board. The content of advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board. We reserve the right to reject ads for any reason. All letters submitted for publication must include the author's name, year and major. Please limit letters to the editor to 400 words and guest columns to 750 words. Pipe Dream reserves the right to edit submissions, and does not guarantee publication. All submissions become property of Pipe Dream. Guest column submissions may be emailed to the opinions editor at opinions@ bupipedream.com, and all letters to the editor may be sent to editor@bupipedream.com. © Pipe Dream 2018
stabilizing:denny
conference:destabilizing
Don’t forget to
VOTE
6 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6 Registered with your current on-campus address? Vote in UU-Old Union Hall. Others, find your polling place at canivote.org. All are welcome for an Election Day celebration in Tillman Lobby! Get informed! Learn who will be on your ballot and what they stand for: http://bit.ly/BINGvotes2018
“This incident, like at Emanuel, was not an attack on a particular group. It was an attack on America because it challenges our right to assemble and worship our God in the way we want. It has continued a downward spiral of hate, one that’s prevalent in all corners of the United States.” — Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, discussing a 2015 attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in relation to last Saturday’s attack at his synagogue, where 11 people were killed.
Police Watch The following accounts were provided by Investigator Robert Meddleton of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. Road rage MONDAY, Oct. 29, 2:31 p.m. — A 33-year-old female employee contacted UPD to report an incident that occurred while she was driving on Glenn G. Bartle Drive on Friday, Oct. 26. According to the employee, the driver made obscene hand gestures and used explicit language toward her after she merged in front of his pickup truck. Later, when the employee parked, the suspect knocked on her window and said she can’t park or drive well. She remained in her vehicle until he left. UPD located the suspect, a 59-year-old male employee. He denied using foul language and harassing the female. He was given a warning. Sleeping bus driver WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31, 8:12 a.m. — Officers responded to a crash involving an Off Campus College Transport shuttle bus in Parking Lot M2. The bus driver, a 21-year-old male, said he fell asleep while operating the bus and hit a 39-year-old female employee’s black SUV. The SUV was parked; however, the female was in the vehicle. She was thrown into the passenger seat and complained of left-side pain. She was transported to United Health Services Wilson Medical Center for evaluation. The male driver said he tried to apply the brake, but
Melanie Gulbas Pipe Dream News
accidentally pressed the acceleration. He reported no injuries. No tickets were issued. Soap stealer WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31, 9:31 a.m. — A Sodexo employee contacted UPD to report soap had been stolen from the Appalachian Collegiate Center. The employee noticed that one soap bottle that had been full the night before was empty and another was missing. Both bottles are valued at $90. The missing bottle is part of a series of larcenies, and the case is still under investigation. Lighting up THURSDAY, Nov. 1, 1:06 a.m. — An officer on patrol observed a male spark a lighter in a black Ford pickup truck and speed down Glenn G. Bartle Drive. The officer stopped the car and approached the vehicle. Upon reaching the truck, the officer detected the odor of marijuana. The suspect, a 59-year-old male, initially denied the usage of marijuana and claimed it was a vape pen. Other officers arrived at the scene for backup and searched the vehicle, but they were unable to find any marijuana. The suspect did not appear to be impaired. He voluntarily emptied his pockets and produced a lighter. While he was doing so, an officer noticed the suspect was hiding something in his hand. When the officer asked to see what was in the suspect’s hand, the suspect admitted to possessing marijuana and turned it over to the officer. The suspect was given a warning for possession of marijuana and a speeding ticket.
bupipedream.com | November 5, 2018
NEWS
3
University alum discusses journey to medical career Dr. Jordan Gitlin, ‘90, returns to talk to students Jake Kerr
news intern
Dr. Jordan Gitlin, ‘90, returned to Binghamton University on Saturday to speak on his journey from his undergraduate years to his current role as a surgeon at a pediatric urology hospital. The talk was part of a speaker series organized by Leah Joggerst, director of Harpur College constituent relations, and Dr. Thomas Langhorne, director of pre-health services. The series consists of several physician alumni who return each semester to speak to students about how they got to the current point in their career. According to Joggerst, students will be able to learn about the difficulties and process of becoming a physician through these talks. “We say to [the speakers], ‘You know, tell us the good, the bad and the ugly of your experience and be completely honest,’” Joggerst said. “This way, our students get a sense of what it’s really like to do this.” Dr. Gitlin doubles as a surgeon at Pediatric Urology Associates, P.C., in New York City and an assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After graduating from BU with a biology degree, he received
Sharpe rallies local voters sharpe from page 1 the reds and blues that are usually seen at Republican and Democratic events. “This is a marathon,” Hollister said. “We are in the final sprint, and we are going for the gold.” Sharpe had similar sentiments regarding the Democratic and Republican parties. “For 16 years, Democrats have run this state,” Sharpe said. “They’ve won every single statewide election, and they’ve fixed nothing. This state is in a death spiral because of them. For 16 years, the Republican Party has watched this happen and they have no plan and no movement. I’m running because they suck.” According to Sharpe, over 100,000 New Yorkers leave the state every year because the state has continued to lose jobs and innovation. He highlighted this issue at the rally, in addition to his plans to repeal the SAFE Act, a gun regulation law signed by Cuomo in 2013, decrease taxes, legalize recreational use of marijuana, support small businesses and minimize government spending on education. Although Sharpe heavily attacked Cuomo at the rally, he also took shots at other candidates. In a gubernatorial debate held Nov. 1, which featured every candidate but Cuomo, Sharpe went after Molinaro, something he referenced at the rally to approving cheers and applause. “How many of you saw the debate recently?” Sharpe said. “You didn’t hear many ideas. What you heard was the same old thing again and again.” Attendee Andrew Yinkowski, 19, of Fulton, New York, has been supporting Sharpe for a year. “I found the campaign last October,” Yinkowski said. “I was thinking about how bad New York looked as I was driving through, and I was thinking, ‘Is there anyone running for governor who can fix that?’ I’m Libertarianleaning already and found Larry Sharpe, and ever since, I’ve been supporting and working with the campaign.” Midterm elections will take place statewide on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Dr. Jordan Gitlin, ‘90, spoke to students on Saturday about his journey to becoming a surgeon.
his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Gitlin said the academic challenge BU poses for students was what prepared him most for his career. “In a positive way, Binghamton
[University] was competitive academically; it was demanding and it was tough,” Dr. Gitlin said. “You really had to study hard, and I think being surrounded by really smart people who are also studying hard motivated
rose coschignano staff photographer
me. I always tell my kids, once you learn the skills to work hard and to study hard, you will be prepared for anything.” According to Joggerst and Langhorne, they look for speakers who can bring a unique
Roque claims innocence roque from page 1 “I was backed into a corner,” Roque said. “I can prove I’m innocent.” Roque also requested a new lawyer during his appearance on Friday, which was scheduled when he sent a letter to Dooley expressing concerns about his legal counsel. It is not the first time Roque has voiced issues with his defense lawyer, David Butler — at his arraignment on Sept. 6, he accused Butler of failing to meet with him regularly, which Butler denied. Under the plea deal Roque accepted, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years to life. Without the deal, the case would go to trial, where Roque could see a sentence of 25 years to life. On Friday, Dooley declined to make an immediate decision on Roque’s
motion. Instead, he will rule on the motion on Nov. 14, just days before Roque’s sentencing is scheduled. Given the current circumstances, there are several potential outcomes in the case. If Dooley approves the motion filed by Roque, his guilty plea will be withdrawn and the court will set a date for a trial, where the prosecution and defense will present their cases. Additionally, a jury will be selected and ultimately deliver a verdict in the case. In order to withdraw a plea on the basis of ineffective counsel, a defendant must convince the judge their lawyer wasn’t effective and was the reason they pleaded guilty. If Roque’s motion is not accepted, Dooley will have to explain why he denied the motion. In this case, Roque will proceed to sentencing, where
Dooley will hear from the defense and prosecution before making a decision on Roque’s sentence. Because the plea would still apply, Roque would face a maximum sentence of 20 years to life in prison, rather than 25 years to life. The murder of Souza is the second to take place this year involving a BU student. Orlando Tercero, 22, a former nursing student at BU, is accused of murdering Haley Anderson, a senior nursing student from Westbury, New York. According to police, Tercero strangled Anderson, who was found dead on March 9 in a student residence on Binghamton’s West Side. He then fled to Nicaragua, where he was apprehended by the Nicaraguan National Police. Tercero is awaiting extradition to the United States.
experience to the students. Dr. Gitlin’s concentration within the physician field fit that requirement. “We like to make sure we have an array of specialties represented,” Joggerst said. “I
don’t know if we’ve ever had a pediatric urologist, so it was very attractive to have Dr. Gitlin come speak.” Dr. Gitlin said he was excited to come back to talk to students and was eager to give them advice. “It’s nice to be able to guide students, and I feel that I can see it from the students’ perspective,” Dr. Gitlin said. “I know what I felt like when I was in their shoes. I wanted to speak to them, and tell them the things I wish someone told me when I was in their shoes.” More than 30 students attended the talk, many of them pre-health students. Michelle Toker, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she appreciated how Dr. Gitlin showed both sides of medical school and how he related to students like her. “I got a lot out of the talk because Dr. Gitlin illustrated the negative consequences of going to medical school, but also that the rewards outweigh the costs,” Toker said. “He was truly inspiring. It was cool to feel a connection to someone who started where I started and succeeded in what I want to do.” Dr. Gitlin concluded by encouraging students to pursue a career they will actually enjoy. “Follow your passions, and do what you love doing because it will never feel like work,” Dr. Gitlin said.
Legal terms Arraignment — A court appearance where the defendant hears the charges brought against them and enters a plea. The defendant may go through multiple arraignments, depending on what they plea and whether the defense or prosecution requests additional arraignments to resolve issues before a trial or sentencing. Trial — An appearance in court where the defense and prosecution present their cases to a judge and jury. At the end of the trial, the jury returns a verdict of guilty or not guilty. If the jury is unable to return a verdict, the case ends in a mistrial. Sentencing — A court appearance where a judge gives a defendant a sentence. Typically, this occurs following a trial, but if a defendant has waived their right to a trial by jury by accepting a plea deal, a defendant may proceed directly to sentencing. Motion — A request for a judge to make a decision about a case. Motions can be filed by the defense or prosecution for a variety of reasons.
Debate watch party aims to educate students debate from page 1 the ambassadors is to work with the CCE to encourage voting, especially among students. According to Geringswald, it is critical for young people to recognize the impact politics has on their daily lives. “Events like this are crucial because people our age, general college students, don’t understand how important stuff like this is,” Geringswald said. “And that’s why I’m so passionate about politics, because every aspect of your life is impacted by politics. If you like breathing, you should care about who represents you in government — who protects your air.” Elizabeth Nutig, another ambassador and an undeclared sophomore, said she doesn’t want students to be intimidated by registering to vote and that she hopes events like these can help. “I think an event like this, where you see the candidates actually talking, encourages students to be more politically active,” Nutig said. “It just makes it more accessible for students to see what’s going on in the election or the race. We just kind of wanted to bring the race to students so they could make informed decisions on Election Day and also be encouraged to vote.” According to Anthony
sam prinzi contributing photographer Multiple student groups held a watch party on Thursday night to view the televised debate between the candidates for New York’s 22nd congressional district.
Jenouri, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, it is worrying that people do not realize the importance of the midterm elections. “Midterm elections are actually more important because it will determine the course
of the president’s agenda and whether or not it’s going to be halted by a Democratic Congress or if it’s just going to stay the same,” Jenouri said. “We are all just going to keep complaining if we don’t vote, so please vote.” For Kayleigh Bugalla, a
junior majoring in political science, voter education is an important issue that should be discussed more. “I think an event like this is really important because I think that students on campus want to go out to vote, but they just
[haven’t] or they are not aware of resources to go learn about candidates,” Bugalla said. “So I think it’s important to make education on these elections as accessible as possible.” Midterm elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
4
NEWS
bupipedream.com | November 5, 2018
Triathlon Club holds 5K in honor of de Tournemire Race raises more than $2K for suicide nonprofit Valerie Puma news intern
On a rainy Saturday morning, students and families raced around the Binghamton University campus to honor and celebrate the life of Sophie de Tournemire, a rising sophomore who took her own life last July. BU’s Triathlon Club hosted Sophie’s Run, a 5K trek around campus to commemorate de Tournemire, a past club member, and to raise awareness for mental health. The event created a memorial fund that
collected donations, including the race’s registration fees, for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a national organization that funds research and advocates for public policies in mental health and suicide prevention. The foundation also runs educational programs and supports survivors of suicide loss. Inspired by de Tournemire’s passion for the Triathlon Club, the team decided to host a marathon race for her memorial. Julia Gabalski, secretary of the Triathlon Club and a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, organized the race with the goal of giving those who knew de Tournemire a chance to remember her by doing
something she was passionate about. Before the race began, Gabalski read a speech she wrote. “Today is the day that we honor Sophie and that we take a step forward, bringing suicide and mental health out of the darkness where it so often hides,” Gabalski said. Initially, the club aimed to raise $1,000, but with the help of 42 individual donations, Sophie’s Run ultimately raised $2,687 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Each donator had the option of including a public message, many of which were a few sentences focused on celebrating de Tournemire’s life. Al Vos, collegiate professor of Hinman College who had de
Tournemire as a student in his human development course, wrote a message in honor of de Tournemire. “In loving memory of Sophie, who was a gift to all of us who knew her,” Vos wrote. “In hope that all who struggle will find peace and strength for their journey.” Diana Zebinato, co-president of Triathlon Club and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said the Triathlon team had never experienced losing someone to suicide, and collectively decided the race would be a great way to mourn and remember together. “We all decided to organize Sophie’s Run because we wanted
to have a memorial for her and to raise awareness [for] suicide because it is something that happens and people don’t really talk about it,” Zebinato said. “I was really passionate about [Sophie’s Run] because it was a way to grieve for her and be able to move past it. It was important for us as a team to do this, because she means a lot to all of us and we wanted to be able to honor her.” Lindsey Hodges, copresident of the BU Rowing Team and a senior majoring in systems science and industrial engineering, also participated in the race, along with the rest of the the Rowing Team’s varsity squad. “Sophie’s older brother, Greg, was on the Rowing Club for a few
years,” Hodges said. “We wanted to run to honor Sophie and show our support for Greg and the whole de Tournemire family.” As this was the first race hosted by current members of the Triathlon Club, Gabalski said organizing the event was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. “Self-doubt was accompanied by the pain of the loss of such a bright soul, making it hard to rise up to the challenge of simply getting out of bed each day and saying ‘I can do this,’ but I would do it all again in a heartbeat,” Gabalski said. “[At first], I didn’t believe we were going to be able to pull it off, but we most certainly did.”
Religious communities discuss mental health stigmas Interfaith banquet aims to raise awareness Phariha Rahman pipe dream news
Ending the stigma against mental health was just one of the many topics discussed at the interfaith banquet hosted by the Muslim Student Association (MSA) in Old Union Hall on Sunday night. The event, titled “Mental Health Matters,” was co-sponsored by Binghamton Health Promotion and Prevention Services, University Counseling Center (UCC), Hillel at Binghamton and the Campus Bible Fellowship. It featured guest speaker Anisa Diab, a licensed mental health counselor and interfaith speaker who uses her training on mental wellness to understand Islam and coping with Islamophobia. Diab spoke about the stigma surrounding mental health, how to help someone experiencing mental health issues and the difficulty of being Muslim and a first-generation American. “It can be difficult to navigate that [cultural difference] and develop a sense of identity,” Diab said. “Should I call myself Mohammad or should I call myself Mo, should I call myself Ibrahim or should I call myself Abe?” After, a panel of speakers including Diab, Rabbi Marley Weiner, the senior Jewish educator at Hillel, Shannon Berkheiser, a member of the board of directors at the Crime Victims Assistance Center and Arlene Arisme, a senior counselor at the UCC, opened up a discussion and Q&A, followed by a dinner. According to Mahmoud Almady, vice president of the MSA and a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, the event was originally supposed to be much smaller and separate from the organization’s interfaith banquet. “Originally, this was not going to be a big interfaith event — it was going to be a small event we did one Friday evening, but then we kept talking about it more and more and we felt the need to devote our full banquet to this because it deserves that sort of attention,” Almady said. “We find that mental health and self-help, at least anecdotally speaking, are not being addressed in the Muslim community as much as it should in my opinion, so we decided to set
up this whole event to show that there is a mental health side to our religion.” Almady also said a discussion surrounding mental health was brought to the organization’s attention after three of its members got involved in M-HOPE, a team of students who work with the UCC to engage and educate the campus community on mental health. “Three of our executive board members work with M-HOPE on campus,” Almady said. “So, they’re well-versed in this, and when they proposed this idea and kept describing it and all the angles we could look at it through, it felt like a good idea.” The interfaith component of the panel was very important, according to Hebba Ahmad, secretary of the MSA and a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience. “It kind of puts it in a generalized perspective, like what everyone says about [mental
health],” Ahmad said. According to Haseeb Rahman, president of the MSA and a junior majoring in biochemistry, the goal of the event was to address the stigma attached to mental health, especially in the Muslim community. “We want to achieve raising awareness for mental health, not just that it exists but also that it’s extremely important and we want to touch upon the religious side as well,” Rahman said. “In our holy book, a lot of the chapters are consoling the prophet [Muhammad], peace be upon him. If mental health wasn’t important, then it’s not something God would be doing to the prophet. This general theme of consoling someone and recognizing their feelings is very important, coming from the relationship between God and the Prophet, and since it’s in our holy book, it’s something that should be paid attention to as well.”
theo mason staff photographer A panel of speakers addresses the stigma attached to mental health at the “Mental Health Matters: Interfaith Banquet” in Old Union Hall on Sunday evening.
CIW wins on-campus voter registration competition vote from page 1 the Broome County Elections Board, using a common algorithm to account for errors. According to Krasno, campus voter turnout increased by 35 percent between 2008 and 2012 and increased 55 percent between 2012 and 2016, an increase that he credits partially to the competition. “The contest isn’t the only thing going on on campus, so I surely don’t think it’s solely responsible for the huge increases in voting since 2008,” Krasno wrote. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s been one of and perhaps even the biggest contributing factor, and it’s certainly the single thing that makes Binghamton different
than a lot of other colleges that are working to increase turnout.” This election year, the CCE has registered over 2,000 students to vote, around the same number of students the CCE registered in 2016. However, the center saw a decrease in on-campus registration from 2016, with 1,200 residential students registered to vote at their on-campus address in 2018 compared to 1,500 in 2016. An increased number of absentee ballot requests made up the difference, with absentee voters on campus rising from 300 in 2016 to 750 in 2018. The rise indicates that on-campus voters are more interested in voting in their home elections this year, rather than in Broome County’s. Ben DeAngelis, the political
engagement coordinator for the CCE, wrote in an email that the competition is meant to encourage students to participate in the voting process. “We find that this competition helps to raise awareness about student voter rights,” DeAngelis wrote. “Many students do not realize that they can register to vote with their on-campus address while they live here, so this competition helps to spread the word about this important opportunity.” According to DeAngelis, low voter turnout among college-aged people throughout the country is another reason they continue to host this competition. “Research shows us that young people who register to
vote turn out at similar rates to older adults, so making the registration process easier makes a big difference,” DeAngelis wrote. “This initiative also creates energy and excitement around voting, and creates a space for students to encourage their friends, roommates and others to register to vote.” Elizabeth Nutig, an ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Foundation at the CCE and an undeclared sophomore, helped with the Hinman College voter drive this semester and said the competition was meant to clarify registration for students who may be confused by the process. “There is a lot of misinformation about it and
confusion, which leads to students not wanting to register or not registering how they want to and then getting confused at the polls,” Nutig said. “That’s why I think it is important to have efforts like this one to try to clarify the process so students can express their political needs at the polls.” According to Nutig, volunteers encouraged students living on campus to register by tabling all over campus and presenting in classes. “The goal of the residential hall competition was to get students hype about registering to vote,” Nutig said. “Many oncampus living communities really came together and got so many of their community members
to register.” DeAngelis said it’s important for students to vote because if they don’t, the issues they care about will not be adequately addressed. “When students vote, they empower themselves to not only choose the people who represent them, but also to shape the policies that will be enacted,” DeAngelis wrote. “Young people make up the majority of the electorate, but because they vote at lower rates the issues that they care about may get less attention.” Midterm elections will take place on Nov. 6. Registered oncampus voters can cast their ballots from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Mandela Room.
bupipedream.com | November 5, 2018
NEWS
5
Talk highlights domestic violence in Latin America 50 percent of Latina victims never report Alexandra Scharf
contributing writer
One in three Latinas have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime and 50 percent of Latinas who experience violence never report it, according to statistics read at the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Latin America event on Thursday evening in the University Union. Hosted by Corazón de Dahlia, a fundraising organization that supports social and academic enrichment for children in Peru, and Omega Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, the event aimed to educate students about the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence in Latin America. The event started by defining domestic violence and reading statistics related to domestic violence. Attendees were then shown a clip that featured Miss Peru candidates giving out gender violence statistics in order to draw attention to how women are mistreated, an act that strayed from the traditional beauty pageant climate. According to the organizers, these laws are not strictly enforced, and although Latin American countries have laws against sexual violence, aggressors often face few consequences for their abuses. Ana Maria Suarez, secretary of Corazón de Dahlia and a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said the event aimed to increase awareness about domestic violence. “We wanted to collaborate on this event to bring awareness of the severity of domestic violence in our area and also Latin American communities,” Suarez said. Additionally, organizers spoke about sexual violence in the United States, discussing different ways people can take action, such as writing letters to petition for the reinstatement of the Violence Against Women Act,
Corazón de Dahlia and the Omega Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated host a discussion about domestic violence and sexual assault in Latin America.
a bill issued in 1994 to provide more enforcement for prosecuting those who committed sexual assaults, or supporting local institutions that aid victims, such as the Crime Victims Assistance Center, an organization that provides counseling and assistance for domestic violence and assault survivors. Afterward, the room split into two groups, with one group discussing four poems by sexual abuse survivors and the other
making bracelets for crime victims at the Crime Victims Assistance Center. After reading the four poems, the group discussed which poems they found powerful. They were then asked to write their own poems about a difficult time in their lives, not necessarily having to be related to domestic violence. Some voluntarily shared their poems. Savannah Markel, a junior majoring in human development
and an organizer from Omega Phi Beta, said her sorority’s philanthropy focuses on all forms of violence against women, including violence committed by family members, intimate partners or friends. Markel, who also works as a legal intern at the Crime Victims Assistance Center, said her job is to advocate for people so that they will not be taken advantage of by the legal system and to make sure their rights are being met. She
nate platzner contributing photographer
added that most crimes victims she meets with are women of color in the Binghamton area. “The purpose of this event for us is to basically just raise awareness, give back to the Binghamton community by helping with [the Crime Victims Assistance Center] and also just [show] healthy coping skills when people are affected by it and when their loved ones are affected by it,” Markel said. Delia Martinez, a senior
majoring in electrical engineering and one of the attendees at the event, said it is important to break the stigma about the sexual violence discussion. “Overall, I just thought that the topic was really important,” Martinez said. “I feel like usually people don’t like talking about it, and it’s good to bring awareness to it and know that there’s a space on campus where like similar people have gone through similar experiences.”
Wednesday, Nov. 7 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. University Union Being Resilient, Fostering Grit and Developing Life Skills 9:40 – 10:40 a.m.
This presentation will provide a detailed description of the concepts of resilience and grit, including an exploration of ways that students can bring these concepts into their lives and their learning communities. The presentation will begin with a definition of resilience and grit and how it can be enhanced in response to various student life stressors.
Leading and Modeling Resilience on Campus 1:10 – 2:10 p.m.
Gregory Eells
This presentation will summarize research on resilience and discuss ways that faculty and staff can develop and model their own resilience on campus. The presentation will draw from a consultation done at Rochester Institute of Technology, where resilience was characterized as “Recognizing Reality, Reframing Experience, Reaching for Support, and Reflecting and Rallying.”
Changing the Way You Think About Stress: Stress, Stress Mindset and Well-being 10:50 – 11:50 a.m.
This presentation will explore what stress really is, highlight how powerful our beliefs are and discuss current research challenging the age-old belief that stress is harmful to our health and well-being.
Mindfulness, Meditation and Acceptance: Strategies for Enhancing Personal Growth and Potential 2:20 – 3:20 p.m.
Jennifer Wegmann
Mindfulness, meditation and acceptance are increasingly moving into the mainstream of psychological applications for enhancing personal growth, compassion and human potential. This presentation will review these promising approaches, including research regarding their effectiveness, and present examples of strategies for promoting psychological flexibility, resilience and control of attention.
Student Health Behavior Research Poster presentations, Tillman Lobby
Student researchers in Assistant Professor of Health and Wellness Studies Lina Begdache’s courses HWS 332: Nutrition and HWS 410: Pathophysiology of Nutrition-Related Diseases will present findings on 10 different research projects investigating Binghamton University students’ health behaviors.
Steven Jay Lynn
Kojo Senoo pipe dream photographer
SA Chartered
Circus Arts Association Juggling Magic
Student Perfomances Join Circus Arts Association on B-Engaged for more information!
bynn lee if you have questions!
ARTS & CULTURE
Graduate student creates sustainable knitwear Eliana Epstein founded KnitSprout this year Gabby Iacovano arts & culture
A graduate student’s passion for yarn has inspired a business dedicated to saving the earth with style. Eliana Epstein, a first-year graduate student studying sustainable communities, has recently started an Etsy business promoting sustainable lifestyles. Her business, KnitSprout, sells knitted and crocheted home goods that utilize eco-friendly materials while encouraging reuse and waste reduction. Epstein taught herself to knit as a child, learned to crochet from her grandmother a few years ago and expanded her knowledge with online tutorials. She started making gifts for friends, eventually taking to Instagram to showcase and sell her products. In search of a more professional platform, she opened an Etsy account a few months ago. As her hobby expanded into a business, Epstein started to see her craft in a new light. She said that her identity as an environmentalist led her to consider the environmental costs of using synthetic fibers. “It was such an inconsistency that I was going to Michael’s and A.C. Moore and buying what was essentially plastic,” she said.
“Even cotton is often slaveproduced, and these are things I don’t want to be part of.” This concern took her work in a new direction, and the use of earth-friendly materials is now a core priority of her growing business. She has committed to only purchasing materials that have at least one of three merits: fair trade, upcycled or biodegradable. Environmental consciousness is also a factor in deciding the types of products Epstein makes. KnitSprout sells water bottle cozies, bar soap holders and produce bags, all designed to make earth-friendly living more appealing and convenient. A few crocheted bralettes are currently available on her Etsy, but she said she’s trying to phase these out in favor of projects that allow her to solely use hemp and other natural fibers. “I like the idea of adorning women’s bodies from a women’s point of view, but the kinds of materials that are usually best for making bras are not the kind of materials I want to work with,” she said. Since her childhood days spent hanging out in a local yarn store, Epstein maintains an interest in the materials she works with and hopes to research the topic of ethical fibers. While her current creative focus is on household goods, she started out making clothing, and said her research this semester on garment waste reflects
her concerns about modern clothing manufacturing. “I’m definitely interested in the concept of ‘slow fashion,’ which is about artisanal clothing and transparent business practices,” she said. A vegetarian since the age of 4, Epstein has always been environmentally conscious, but she said that her undergraduate experience in the environmental studies department broadened her horizons. “As I got to college, I was able to make my own decisions and learn more about environmental studies in this wonderful program,” she said. “I was able to cultivate my own lifestyle.” Epstein is currently experimenting with some new products, including fruit hammocks, herbal tinctures and plant holders woven from recycled jeans, for which she is seeking jean donations from people who might otherwise throw them away. She said she is less concerned with profit than she is with using her revenue to keep her business afloat and continue to make ethical, thoughtful choices as it expands. “I think it’s really important that my money goes back into high-quality, locally sourced material,” she said. “I’m not really making much money from it, but I get to put that money back into good pockets.” KnitSprout’s Etsy website lists “making the world a softer place” as a business goal,
rebecca kiss photography editor Eliana Epstein, a first-year graduate student studying sustainable communities, advocates for ethically sourced fashion through her online store, KnitSprout.
and Epstein said she hopes to inspire an enthusiasm for eco-friendly products through
loving craftsmanship. “When I decorate my goods with [the] love that I [have
creating] them, it makes me enjoy having them around a lot more,” she said.
Queen movie misses mark Mercury biopic presents sanitized life story Lakhsmi Chatterjee contributing writer
mike yang contributing photographer KRNFX was the main performer accompanied by other student groups at Asian Night held in the Osterhout Concert Theater on Saturday, Nov. 3.
ASU ‘spotlights’ cultures Subgroups performed at Osterhout Theater Marcus Budashewitz staff writer
Since starting his beatboxing career in 2007, Terry Im, known by his stage name, KRNFX (pronounced “Korean FX”), has garnered over 630,000 YouTube subscribers, performed on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and was a finalist on “Canada’s Got Talent” in 2012. Now, the Korean Canadian beatboxer can add performing at Binghamton University’s Asian Student Union’s (ASU) Asian Night to that list. While KRNFX was the guest performer of the night, the driving force of the event was the plethora of student performers representing different branches of the ASU. Eleven different ethnic student groups put their talents on display throughout the night, each performing under the theme of the contemporary slant that many student groups put on their art form. “Speaking from our theme this year, which is ‘Spotlight,’ we are highlighting the lack of Asian representation in mainstream media,” said Jeffrey Wong, an event coordinator for ASU and a sophomore majoring in computer engineering. “We really just wanted to showcase what our Asian students have to offer and just how talented they are.”
The night started with the Philippine-American League (PAL) executing a traditional Filipino folk dance known as Tinikling. The dance involves the tapping of bamboo sticks, but the group put a modern twist on its routine by performing two hip-hop songs: YG’s “Big Bank” and 21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin’s “Ric Flair Drip.” “I wasn’t very familiar with almost all of the acts heading into the night, and I was somewhat skeptical if I would be able to connect with the performances,” said Matt Havekotte, an undeclared sophomore who attended the event. “Hearing familiar songs throughout the night really kept me engaged.” Furthering the message of the night, the Asian Outlook organization presented a spoken word piece on famous Asian and Asian American figures in media such as Jeremy Lin and Dumbfoundead. These two Asian celebrities have broken barriers in their respective fields of basketball and rap, and the performers relayed their essence powerfully to the crowd. In between each performance were short, pre-recorded skits that went along the theme of “Spotlight,” which outlined the life of a young aspiring Asian actor. The shortcomings he goes through work as reminders throughout the exciting night of the purpose behind the entirety of the event and of the ASU as a whole, which is that
popular media needs more Asian representation. The final act of the opening acts before KRNFX came on was KASA MODA (Korean American Student Association Modern Dance), who hit the stage with a fluid, versatile dance performance. Dancing erratically to hard hitting hip-hop, such as Gawvi’s “Slingshot,” eventually transcended into slow-paced partner dancing that mesmerized the crowd. To conclude the night, Im lit up the theater with a performance that displayed his impeccable beatboxing technique. Being able to replicate instruments ranging from violin to kazoo to drums allowed the beatboxer to riff with ease. KRNFX then inserted singing into his routine, as he performed Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” while simultaneously maintaining his beat. The audience was loud and raucous to show its support for the Korean Canadian artist, as his finale did not disappoint. KRNFX began to record individual portions of a track and layer them on top of one another, eventually proving to be “Starboy” by The Weeknd. This elaborate and layered composition exhibited Im’s wide range of skills all at once, perfectly wrapping up the night. Asian Night was not all about the entertainment, but about the appreciation of Asian culture, which was evident in all of the performances on Saturday night.
A movie eight years in the making, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released on Friday, Nov. 2. With help from surviving Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor as executive music producers, the biopic followed the life of lead singer Freddie Mercury and the formation of the band. Given its tumultuous history being produced, many fans had high expectations for the film and what it could cover. While it did touch upon the singer’s life, including his concerns with his sexuality, appearance and relationship with his parents, it failed to dive deeply into any subject, turning it into a shallow, sanitized look at the legend’s life. Still, Rami Malek delivered a breakthrough performance of Mercury, breaking away from his usual quiet characters and expressing his true range as an actor. Best known for his role as the quiet, mentally unstable cybersecurity expert on “Mr. Robot,” Malek transformed into the flamboyant and outgoing person Mercury was known to be. Because of his work with “Mr. Robot,” Malek already knew how to portray mental instability and it showed as he portrayed Mercury’s doubts about his sexuality and downward spiral while he created his solo albums. But on stage, he did Mercury justice as the extravagant performer he truly was. On Malek’s Egyptian descent, Bohemian Rhapsody also did a good job at keeping Mercury’s ethnicity relevant throughout the movie. Many forget that the singer was not Caucasian, but a ParsiIndian refugee, born Farrokh Bulsara, from Zanzibar. This is touched upon several times in the film, especially in the beginning when people often referred to Mercury as a “Paki,” and he chose to legally change his name to Freddie Mercury. Apart from casting, though, the film fails to make a major impact on any of the subjects it touches upon, especially regarding Mercury’s sexuality. While
provided by geektyrant.com “Bohemian Rhapsody,” directed by Bryan Singer, was released on Nov. 2 and tells the tale of British rock band Queen and its legendary lead singer, Freddie Mercury.
portraying his female and male lovers, “Bohemian Rhapsody” didn’t establish his bisexuality as a major part of his life, especially as he pined over Mary Austin, his first love, for the entire film. While it did portray her importance, the film could have done a better job showing Jim Hutton, Mercury’s long-term boyfriend until his death, but Hutton’s character had notably little screen time. In addition to that, the film barely touched upon the AIDS crisis and Mercury’s illness, showing only the beginning of his sickness and barely mentioning the mass hysteria around the disease that was present during his lifetime. This was probably done as an executive decision by both May and Taylor, who wished to maintain Mercury’s legacy and hoped to make “Bohemian Rhapsody” a “family-friendly” movie. In that way, they wanted to showcase Mercury’s and Queen’s good times more than their bad times, which ultimately turned the film into a very clean account of Mercury’s partying and disease. The film ended with Queen’s 1985 performance at Live Aid,
a benefit concert that was held at Wembley Stadium, instead of Freddie’s final years and death. This meant the film didn’t mention a very important aspect of Freddie’s life and the cultural phenomenon that was the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, which set back LGBTQ history as people were afraid to touch gay people who carried the disease. Still, the ending was uplifting and fun, especially since Queen sang its most popular songs at Live Aid. Some of the audience sang along with Mercury in the stadium, creating a joyous environment, which the surviving members of Queen were aiming to achieve. Yet, there was still a longing for a more concrete ending. Overall, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a fun biopic, but it fails to illustrate serious, darker aspects of Mercury’s life. May and Taylor were too concerned with making the film “family-friendly” and maintaining a good legacy for Mercury to depict any of the ugly sides of his life, leaving a hole of questions that could only be answered by doing more research on Mercury’s story.
OPINIONS Monday, November 5, 2018 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
Anthony Brindisi is the best choice for representative
Your vote can be the deciding factor in close races It is important that everyone casts a ballot this Tuesday
Claudia Tenney’s voting record is a mark against her Emily Houston Columnist
Anthony Brindisi and Claudia Tenney are names I’m sure you’re all familiar with right now. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t follow politics and can’t fully tell the difference between Democrats and Republicans, these names are constantly being emitted from your TVs and laptops as their political ads interrupt your Hulu streaming to ensure that your brain is effectively oversaturated with political exposure. In the last week before the election, the frequency of these ads has only increased, but on Tuesday, they will come to an end; Tuesday, you get to vote for the representative of New York’s 22nd district. It needs to be Brindisi. Elected in 2016, incumbent Tenney has only served one term in Congress, but she has consistently voted in favor of dangerous legislation that threatens the livelihood of the people of the 22nd district. According to FiveThirtyEight, a website respected in the political world for tracking our representatives’ voting habits, she votes in line with President Donald Trump’s position 96.8 percent of the time. As the TV ads have already informed you, Congresswoman Tenney voted in favor of the health care bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act that would strip coverage for people with preexisting conditions. She also voted for the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, legislation that allowed for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. The congresswoman frequently favors laws that restrict women’s rights, increase the rights of gun owners, roll back environmental protection procedures and limit the rights of immigrants. In complete contrast, candidate Brindisi is committed to working for
the people of the 22nd district. He opposes many aspects of the Trump agenda, but has said at multiple town halls throughout the area that I’ve attended that, if elected, he will work with the president in a bipartisan effort to ensure the passage of the best legislation possible. Brindisi opposes any bill fully repealing the Affordable Care Act and has sworn never to vote in favor of a law restricting health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. He has a strong stance in favor of women’s rights, environmental protection and a fair immigration policy for our nation. Brindisi strongly sees the need for effective gun control, but understands that there are aspects of owning a gun that need to be protected, especially in this district. He does not support an all-out ban on assault weapons, but believes we need to take steps to protect our citizens from merciless attacks at the hands of gun owners. He already understands the needs of the people of this area more than Congresswoman Tenney has in her two years as our representative. When you vote on Tuesday, you need to think about the effects of your decision. This district is considered a “toss-up,” meaning the result could come down to just a few votes. A vote for Tenney is a vote for a decrease in health care access, a decrease in women’s rights and an increase in taxation of the poor; a vote for Brindisi is a vote for change. We already have a person sitting in the Oval Office who endangers the livelihood of Americans — we don’t need another one in this district. If you live in the dorms, you can vote right on campus in the University Union. If you live in Downtown Binghamton, you can find your precinct’s location by visiting the Broome County Board of Election’s website. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Go vote. — Emily Houston is a senior double-majoring in political science and English.
Michael Harel Contributing Columnist
samantha mizrahi design intern
Whether or not you vote Tuesday will make the difference in one of the most tightly contested national congressional races in the country and ultimately determine the political course of our country. Regardless of your party affiliation, the polarizing character of incumbent Claudia Tenney is not representative of someone fit for office. It’s not often that our vote holds so much weight, especially since many of us come from New York City, which consistently votes for Democrats. I urge you to grab this opportunity to make change; it would be disgraceful if only the 300 students who voted on campus last year turn up. Far-right Republican Tenney is the incumbent in the race. You may have seen her discussed on a late-night TV show, as she consistently makes national media attention for controversial comments. For example, following the devastating Parkland shooting, she said, “So many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats.” She also criticized Democrats as “unAmerican” for not applauding during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address. These are just two of many contentious comments she has made. In a political environment that is dangerously polarized, we do not need a Democrat-hating congresswoman in office to continue adding fuel to the fire. Democrats are working to regain control of the House and will need to flip 23 seats to do so. Currently, 29 Republican-held districts are considered toss-ups, and the 22nd congressional seat (Binghamton’s district) is ranked as one of the six most important seats to take, according to CNN. Our district will test Democrats’ ability to win in Trump’s hot ground. While Hillary Clinton won New York by a margin of 22.5 points in 2016, Trump won our district by 15.3 points. The fact that this race is so close, even with Trump having won the district, is especially shocking since
around 90 percent of House members are re-elected. Tenney’s inability to have a decisive lead in the race is proof of her inadequacy as a leader. Not surprisingly, political groups have put in a staggering 13.4 million dollars into influencing voters in the region, which is the highest in New York and seventh in the nation. Leaders of the Republican Party, such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, visited Binghamton earlier this month to lend Tenney a hand. Even Trump visited the 22nd congressional district in August to rally support for Tenney. Centrist Democrat Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi is the candidate challenging Tenney. He has promised to focus additional resources on the Binghamton area of the district, which is often neglected. In a debate with Tenney last Thursday, Brindisi talked about the issue of student loan debt and scolded Congress for not doing enough. ”[Congress] can allow for refinancing of federal loans […] offer more Pell Grants […] they can set the interests rates lower.” He also criticized Tenney’s effort to battle the opioid crisis, calling out Tenney for “taking money from big drug companies, turning a blind eye to this epidemic for many years.” Tenney attacked Brindisi on guns, saying, “I am very proud to have an A rating from the NRA. He has an F, because he doesn’t stand up for law-abiding gun owners.” Additionally on the issue of immigration, Raychel Renna, Tenney’s campaign manager, said that “Brindisi has a record in Albany of putting illegal immigration before our veterans and we can’t trust him to secure our borders.” A recent poll shows Brindisi has an insignificant lead over Tenney, with Brindisi at 46 percent and Tenney at 45 percent. With such a marginal lead, this is not an election you can afford to sit out. Whatever reasons that may have stopped you from voting in the past need to be pushed aside on Tuesday. We spend several years in Binghamton and are only harming our interests by not voting. Don’t waste your vote; make your voice heard. — Michael Harel is a senior majoring in political science.
There are many faces of anti-Semitism In response to Jacob Hanna’s Nov. 1 column Aaron Bondar Columnist
On April 4, 2017, in Paris, Kobili Traore broke into the apartment of Lucette Attal-Halimi, known by her Hebrew name, Sarah Halimi, a 65-year-old Jewish woman. Yelling in Arabic, he beat her repeatedly, calling her the “devil” and shouting “Allahu akbar.” When he was done, he threw her from the window to the pavement below. She was dead before the police arrived. In the aftermath, some had accused the police and the government of covering up the anti-Semitic nature of the attack — the murder was not labeled an act of anti-Semitism when Traore
was charged. This was not the first, nor would it be the last, anti-Semitic attack in France. In 2015, Amedy Coulibaly, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, entered a kosher supermarket and killed four people inside — all Jews — and took 15 people hostage. He was killed after a standoff with the French police. In 2012, Mohammed Merah murdered four Jews at a Jewish day school in Toulouse — three of them children. In their column on Nov. 1, Jacob Hanna rightly notes the connection between antiSemitism and white supremacy and highlights the elevated confidence and visibility of white supremacist, neo-Nazi groups that are newly emboldened. It’s a point that must be made, and I applaud
them for it. But it is on their analysis of the causes and sources of antiSemitism that I depart from their overall thesis. The attacks I mention above were not white supremacist in nature. Instead, they were the consequence of percolating anti-Semitism in the Arab world, where blood libels against Jews are frequently exclaimed on television, repeated in sermons and whispered about in the streets. Medieval conspiracies — and the remnants of Nazi propaganda — about the Jews found new resonance in the 20th century in the Middle East, and a deep suspicion or outright hatred of the Jews has persisted, including Holocaust denial. This face of anti-Semitism has been ignored or excused by some figures in the United States
and Europe. Among these figures is Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party in Britain of which, as of Nov. 2, several members are under investigation for antiSemitism within its ranks. Corbyn has attended events with unsavory characters committed to the destruction of Israel, including senior officials in Hamas. In 2009, he said, “It will be my pleasure and my honor to host an event in parliament where our friends from Hezbollah will be speaking.” Corbyn has recently said that he regrets these remarks, but one doesn’t get credit for painstakingly coming to a conclusion that others have easily recognized as a consequence of decency. Corbyn was also photographed at a wreath-laying ceremony for the individuals behind the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich
Olympics — a charge he initially denied, but later admitted to. Precisely why this face of antiSemitism is covered up, ignored or excused is a question that deserves an answer. No doubt some of it is because the issue is bound up in questions about Israel and Zionism. No doubt one may be critical of Israel — as I often am — and even opposed to Zionism in principle, without being an anti-Semite. Presumably, it’s not necessary to excuse or abet the anti-Semitism of the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah. It is an amazing coincidence, then, that among the Palestinian movements one could choose to identify with — including those that are nonviolent and peaceseeking — the one figures like Corbyn have ostensibly chosen as representative of the Palestinian
people is the same that seeks the destruction of the state of Israel and the indiscriminate murder of the Jews who live within it. Can we be at the point where we wonder seriously whether to seek the murder of Jews, or to spread vicious libel about them, is to hate them? Pick and pull threads apart, and the fabric comes undone. Pick and pull apart the murder of Jews, and suddenly the motivations are a mystery to be excused or shrugged off. This kind of blindness can’t be helped, but some of us have to be clear-eyed enough to name the problem; there are many faces of anti-Semitism, and to confront anti-Semitism in its totality is to confront them all. — Aaron Bondar is a senior double-majoring in political science and economics.
Letter to the Editor: Tobacco-free campus policy As the Director of SA Advocates, I would like to clear up misinformation presented in the article printed on 11/1 regarding JUULing and other e-cigarette policies on campus. The use of JUULs and other e-cigarettes on
campus is a violation of Binghamton University’s Tobacco Free Campus Policy, which bans (among other things) “electronic nicotine delivery systems.” Rule 26 of the Code of Student Conduct prohibits the violation of any
published University policies, which, according to the Code’s definition of “policy,” includes the smoking policy. Because violating the policy is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct, the policy is enforceable by the Office
of Student Conduct. The University Police Department may report any violations of the Code, including rule 26, to the Office of Student Conduct. Students wishing to report a violation of the Tobacco Free Campus Policy should contact
either the Office of the Dean of Students (for violations by students) or Human Resources (for violations by non-students, including faculty, staff, contractors, and visitors). SA Advocates is a studentrun organization working to
defend due process and ensure fair outcomes in the conduct system. If you or someone you know has been accused of a violation, you can reach out for assistance at advocates@ binghamtonsa.org. Allison Romer, SA Advocate
F UN
Monday, November 5, 2018 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
Buddy’s adventure
Here’s the mail it never fails
Annabeth Sloan
Daniel Eisenhower
Fridge
Sudoku
Sarah Teper
By The Mepham Group
Level: 1 2 3 4 Solution to last issue's puzzle
© 2017 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
Release Date: Monday, November 5, 2018
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
Cow tipping
ME 302 kowalski analysis
Ashley Sanchez & Zoey Shulman
Daniel Eisenhower
ACROSS 1 Gillette razor introduced several years after the Trac II 5 Sleety road concern 9 Spherical 14 Cook, as cavatelli 15 Alien-seeking org. 16 “SNL” producer Michaels 17 What “bosun” is short for 19 Words to the audience 20 God of the Quran 21 Minute part of a min. 23 Voiced 24 Necessities 27 Town mentioned in “Sloop John B” 30 Give permission to 31 CPR expert 32 Kind of sax 36 When some news shows air 40 Maxwell Smart catchphrase 44 Knee-to-ankle bone 45 Elevator name 46 A half-dozen 47 Cinnabar or hematite 49 How dishes are often sold 52 October holiday in Canada 58 Draws a bead on, with “at” 59 Centers of activity 60 Ventricular outlet 64 Bronze or beige 66 Quilt, e.g. ... and a hint to the circled letters 68 Sagal of “8 Simple Rules” 69 Vicinity 70 First chip in the pot 71 “Goosebumps” author R.L. 72 U.K. mil. medals 73 “The Americans” FBI agent Beeman DOWN
1 Palindromic Swedish band 2 Saw, for one 3 Iranian money 4 Rite sites 5 Opposite of NNE 6 Reeves of “John Wick” 7 Formal answer to “Who’s there?” 8 Home fries server 9 Suffix with Cray10 “Goblin Market” poet Christina 11 “Monty Python’s Life of __” 12 Split up 13 Monopoly cards 18 Mr. Met’s former stadium 22 Cartoon frame 25 Wharf 26 Word after Happy or square 27 Politico Gingrich 28 Mine, in Amiens 29 Retained part of a paycheck 33 Canterbury commode 34 Tsk relative 35 Kimono sash 37 Hardy’s “__ of
the D’Urbervilles” 38 Songwriter Sands 39 Bakery call 41 Simba’s home 42 Like the night, usually 43 Morales of “La Bamba” 48 Immigrant’s subj. 50 Easy thing to do 51 Old Greek gathering places 52 “Honey do” list
items 53 Drum kit cymbals 54 Valuable viola 55 Spoil 56 Cupcake-topping workers 57 YouTube clip 61 __-a-car 62 “Later,” stylishly 63 Yemeni seaport 65 Watching organ 67 Flier to Oslo
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Frank Virzi ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/05/18
11/05/18
PODCAST
Pipe Dream Bearcast FOR INTERVIEWS AND ANALYSIS
Monday, November 5, 2018
Bearcats playoff hopes stay alive with win over UML Volleyball set to take on Hartford in AE qualifer Samuel Ditchek sports editor
Following a tough matchup in which the Binghamton volleyball team fell to New Hampshire 3-1 on Friday night, the Bearcats (5-18, 3-7 America East) bounced back with a critical five-set victory over UMass Lowell Sunday afternoon. With this win, BU is now tied with University of Hartford for fourth place in the conference standings, despite being five victories behind both University of New Hampshire and University at Albany. With a 12-13 overall record and 8-3 AE record, the Wildcats took care of business on their home floor in BU’s first match of the week. In front of the 250 fans in attendance, UNH displayed its dominance by jumping out to a commanding 25-12 victory in the first game. While the Bearcats put up more of a fight in the second set before they were down 25-20, they battled to a 32-30 win in the third frame. Consecutive kills by senior outside hitter Erin Shultz, junior outside hitter Victoria Keghlian and senior outside hitter Gaby Alicea powered BU to its only victory of the night.
“[The third frame] was definitely high-energy,” said BU head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “We had to come back in that third set and it didn’t look good, but our players responded well and we were able to turn things around for a brief period of time.” Binghamton was ultimately defeated by the Wildcats in the fourth set by another lopsided score of 25-16. UNH as a team had a complete advantage statistically with 33 more points, 27 more kills, 31 more assists and 12 more digs. The Bearcats could not contain junior outside hitter Kennedi Smith, senior middle blocker Gabri Olhava and junior right-side hitter Hannah Petke, each of whom had at least 15 kills. While BU struggled mightily with a dominant team in New Hampshire, the team fared better against UML, which finds itself at the bottom of the conference with a lackluster 2-9 AE record and 4-21 overall. Despite the stark difference in the level of competition, the Bearcats still found itself in a back-and-forth affair. Binghamton picked up wins in the first, fourth and fifth frames while dropping two straight sets in the middle of the match. The victory over UMass Lowell was especially critical for BU as it is in the hunt for the final playoff spot. Entering the day
sidney slon staff photographer Senior outside hitter Erin Shultz compiled 14 kills and 14 digs to help Binghamton overcome a 2-1 deficit and defeat UMass Lowell 3-2.
tied with UMBC in the standings and behind Hartford (10-12, 3-7 AE) by one win, the Bearcats desperately needed to come out on top. “[The victory] was big,” Kiriyama said. “A loss would have really killed us, but the win puts us in a position where we can play
our way into the playoffs, so we knew we had to respond. It was tough — we were down 2-1 and we really executed well down the stretch of the end of the match. It was hard fought, but we executed really well on our offense and defense toward the end.” Coming up clutch again was
the trio of Shultz, Alicea and Keghlian, who recorded the three final kills that ultimately lifted the Bearcats over the River Hawks. With the veteran leadership on full display, BU pulled out a much-needed win, 3-2. “[Shultz and Alicea] lead by example; they play hard out there,
they play passionate out there,” Kiriyama said. “It was good to see them to lead and take control when they needed to. They were just as intense as they could have been and it rubs off on everyone else. It was a good team effort all around.” For the Bearcats, the upcoming matchup against the Hartford Hawks is arguably the most important of the season. In order to qualify for the AE playoffs, Binghamton will have to down the Hawks on its home court this upcoming Friday. BU was defeated by Hartford 3-1 earlier in the season. “We didn’t do so well the first time around, so we got some adjustments to make against [the Hawks],” Kiriyama said. “Our offense has to come alive a little bit more against them and definitely we need to shore up our defense, because they have some really good hitters on their team and they’re tough to stop, so we know we got our hands full blocking and digging. We got to really prepare for them, and hopefully we can have a good result.” Binghamton’s postseason hopes will be on the line when it faces off with Hartford on Nov. 9. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. from the West Gym in Vestal, New York.
Binghamton prepares to kick off 50th season Sunday
ariel kachuro assistant photo editor Redshirt junior Frankie Garcia looks to continue his wrestling success from last season, which featured him garnering two victories in the NCAA Tournament.
Garcia, V. DePrez headline wrestling roster Justin Zion
sports intern
Last season, the BU wrestling team had one of the most successful campaigns put forth by a Binghamton sports program in the 2017-18 school year. After a half-year offseason, the wrestling team finally returns to the mat,
looking to replicate the success it captured just a year ago. Perhaps the biggest obstacle the team will face in this venture is filling the void left after the graduation of Steven Schneider, ‘18, who was one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever don a Bearcat uniform, totaling 108 wins in his college career and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament three times. Schneider was the driving force behind the Bearcats’ highestever finish at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Tournament last season, and the team will certainly miss his presence on the roster. On the positive side for the Bearcats, redshirt junior Frankie Garcia, the other big piece who propelled the Bearcats last year,
returns to the mat with the team. Garcia led the team last season with 27 overall victories, earning a 13-4 record in dual matches and contributing 43 team points along the way. Garcia was the only Bearcat to advance to the NCAA Tournament alongside Schneider, and posted a 2-1 record on the big stage. The team also returns redshirt seniors Joe Nelson and Vincent DePrez, both of whom will be competing for their final time as Bearcats this year. DePrez posted a team-best 14 wins in dual play last season and contributed a team-high 59 points. Nelson, meanwhile, stepped up as a leader in the 125-pound weight class. Entering last season with just a 2-12 record in dual play, Nelson flipped things around by contributing 29 team
points on a solid 10-5 record, part of an overall 25-11 season. The Bearcats also enter the season with a change in leadership, as it was announced that redshirt sophomore Alex Melikian will become a team captain for the season. Melikian struggled last season, putting up just a 6-16 record because of a sudden shift in weight class that he was asked to undergo. “Last year [Melikian] bumped up two weight classes to fill a hole that we had at 197 pounds,” said BU head coach Kyle Borshoff, per bubearcats. com. “Despite being massively undersized, he never complained or allowed his circumstances to negatively affect his attitude. I am hoping that his eagerness to go the extra mile in all aspects of his life translates over to his
teammates and [I] am confident that he will lead by example in his role as captain.” This upcoming season marks a special occasion for the wrestling team, as it marks the 50th season that the program has been in existence. To commemorate the occasion, the BU athletic department has scheduled an event-filled weekend running up to the opening event of the season, highlighted by a reception to be held the evening of Saturday, Nov. 10. The wrestling season officially gets underway the next morning with the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open, which will feature wrestlers from 18 different teams. The event is slated to begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11 from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.
America East men’s soccer semifinals preview The Binghamton men’s soccer team was eliminated from the America East (AE) Conference Tournament after a disheartening 3-0 loss to Albany last week, but for the four remaining teams in championship contention, the pressure is mounting. Let’s take a look at how the four AE postseason competitors will fare in the semifinal and final rounds of the tournament.
#1
#5
vs. Stony Brook: The Seawolves entered the postseason tournament as the AE regular season champions, earning themselves this past weekend off as they awaited the results of the quarterfinal matches. SBU is led in goals by senior midfielder Serge Gamwanya and junior striker Jarred Dass, who each put six shots in the net over the course of the season. Despite their home-field advantage and their first-seed status, the Seawolves should not let their guard down in their first match against UMBC on Wednesday. Last time the teams met, the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and with a championship on the line, UMBC will likely be willing to go the extra mile to secure a win.
UMBC: After defeating Vermont over the weekend in penalty kicks, the fifth-seeded Retrievers will take on Stony Brook this Wednesday. As previously mentioned, the last matchup between the schools ended in a tie, which likely means that fans can anticipate another competitive match come midweek. With upsets becoming synonymous of the UMBC athletics department, the Retrievers — led by freshman forward Jackson Becher, who was responsible for the winning penalty kick in the qualifying match against Vermont — could take victory.
#3
#2
vs. UMass Lowell: As the No. 3 seed in the conference, the River Hawks took a 1-0 victory over UAlbany over the weekend to solidify their place in the semifinal round of the tournament. UMass Lowell will take on UNH this Wednesday, but will lack homefield advantage. The River Hawks will likely leverage the offensive prowess of redshirt junior forward Stanley Alves and junior midfielder Roko Prsa, who have proven to be reliable in terms of scoring.
New Hampshire: Two-seeded UNH also received a break this weekend and will play in this year’s tournament for the first time on Wednesday against three-seeded UMass Lowell. The Wildcats not only have the higher seed, earning them the right to a home-field advantage, but they were also the victors in the teams’ last meeting, taking a win over the River Hawks, 2-0. With sophomore back Josh Bauer and graduate student goalkeeper Lars Huxsohl named AE Defender of the Year and AE Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, they appear to be in position to take victory.
Both of the semifinal matches will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7. The Seawolves will take on UMBC in Stony Brook, New York and the Wildcats will battle with UML in Durham, New Hampshire. The winners of each game will advance to the final tournament match, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Nov. 11.