Fall 2018 Issue 20

GÜÝSand DØLLS to open at Watters Theater on Nov. 9 see page 7

Thursday, November 8, 2018 | Vol. XCIV, Issue 20 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

Broome, BU see rise in voters, close congressional race County follows national trends, varies from statewide results Sasha Hupka news editor

In an election that energized voters across the United States, Broome County and Binghamton University saw several parallels with other areas of the state and country.

Despite rainy weather on Tuesday, voters came out in droves to vote on campus and across Broome County, following statewide and national trends.

The county saw a total of 69,205 votes, not counting absentee ballots, an increase of 15,000 votes from the 2014 midterm elections. The number of votes counted in Tuesday’s election is roughly 19,000 fewer than those cast in the 2016 presidential election.

According to the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), BU’s Vestal campus made up about 2.1 percent of Broome County votes, with roughly 1,450 ballots cast in Old Union Hall. The number is a sharp increase from 2014 elections, when only 350 students voted on campus, according to Benjamin DeAngelis, political engagement coordinator at the CCE. “Gubernatorial and midterm elections have not, in the last few decades, really grabbed the attention of students across New York state,” DeAngelis wrote in an email. “But this year, with national attention on the importance of midterms, we saw a real jump in campus voter turnout. While about half as many students cast ballots on campus as in the most recent presidential election, nearly four times as many students voted on campus yesterday as did in the last midterm year.”

According to Jonathan Krasno, a professor of political science at BU who researches public opinion, congressional elections, campaigns and campaign financing, turnout increases with interest, which drove Tuesday’s turnout.

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“In this case we had a bunch of things going on to drive that interest, starting with one of the most competitive House elections in the country with lots of campaign ads and coverage,” Krasno wrote in an email. “Plus, there was the sense that President Trump had labelled the election as something of a referendum on him [if Republicans won], which certainly motivated plenty of voters who support and oppose him, with campus falling firmly among the opposition.”

However, in addition to more students voting on campus, the CCE saw a large increase in students voting via absentee ballot, sending in their votes early to their home districts. The rise in absentee ballots among young voters is in line with national trends — for the 2018 midterm elections, unofficial results indicate more than 35 million Americans, many of them voters aged 18 to 29, cast early ballots, a 75 percent increase from 2014 elections.

“We have seen a rise in the number

of absentee requests that have come through the CCE,” DeAngelis wrote.

“In 2016, approximately 300 students requested absentee ballots through our office. This year more than 750 requested absentee ballots through our office. Without having any survey data in front of me, I might attribute that to the difference between a presidential year, [when] students can receive their ballot anywhere and still have an opportunity to participate in the presidential race, and a midterm election year, where students

may feel some direct connection to the members of Congress or other state and local-level representatives who are running in their home districts.”

With a large number of voters came several notable election results. In many local races, including several races for Broome County Legislature seats and the race for Broome County sheriff, winning candidates easily took the election.

Republican incumbent David Harder won the Broome County sheriff’s race by a landslide, despite seeing protest over inmate deaths and conditions in the Broome County Jail during the last half of his term. He won roughly 77 percent of the vote across the county, trouncing his Democratic opponent, former city of Binghamton mayor Matthew Ryan.

Harder will start his sixth term in office in January.

Similar victories were seen in studentpopulated districts for Broome County Legislature races. In Broome County’s 4th district, which encompasses the University’s Vestal campus, Democratic incumbent Daniel Reynolds won 71.3 percent of the vote, and in the county’s 14th and 15th districts, Democratic incumbents Mary Kaminsky and Mark Whalen both won with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Additionally, several local representatives were running unopposed.

State Sen. Fred Akshar will again be representing the 52nd district in Albany come January, and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo also won re-election.

Because they had no opponents, both were elected with more than 95 percent of the vote. Lupardo saw roughly 29,400 votes and Akshar received about 51,700.

But at the state and federal level, the election cycle highlighted discrepancies between campus and Broome County results and statewide election results for New York races. In the governor’s race, New York voted heavily for Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo and his running mate, Kathy Hochul. Cuomo

see race page 3

BPD arrests suspects in vandalism case Anti-Semitic graffiti found on Tuesday morning Amy Donovan

assistant news editor

Two suspects have been arrested by the Binghamton Police Department (BPD) for spray-painting swastikas outside of Binghamton High School early Tuesday morning.

The suspects, who have been identified as Binghamton residents William Ritchie, 22, and Andrew Carter, 17, were arrested on Wednesday.

A total of four spray-painted swastikas were found Tuesday morning in several locations near the high school, including the pavement on the corner of Main and Oak Streets, nearby sidewalks and on a window of the school.

The incident comes almost two weeks after an anti-Semitic gunman shot and killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Local officials spoke out against anti-Semitism in various press releases following reports of the graffiti. County Executive Jason Garnar wrote in a statement that he was horrified by the incident.

“This is an attack on our entire community,” Garnar said in a statement. “This hatred has no place in Broome County and whoever did

this is not welcome here.”

Binghamton Mayor Rich David also denounced the incident.

“Hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism have no place in our community,” David said in a statement. “This was a cowardly act.”

According to BPD’s press release, police identified Ritchie and Carter through an investigation that developed as video footage was discovered. Both suspects were arraigned on Wednesday in Binghamton City Court and remanded to Broome County Jail without bail. The suspects are charged with aggravated harassment in the first degree and criminal mischief in the second degree, designated as hate crimes.

Melissa Esposito, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, lives around the corner from Binghamton High School and said she was shocked to learn the graffiti was painted so close to a synagogue that served as a polling location for Election Day. “When learning about voter intimidation in history classes, I never imagined it was something that would occur in 2018, especially so close to home,” Esposito said. “This incident made me feel even more aware of the legitimate obligation that all Americans have to make sure that this form of ostracism is never seen as acceptable, and to provide support and solidarity to those who are vulnerable to it.”

ARTS & CULTURE

theo mason staff photographer Students don all black to celebrate Black Solidarity Day and the Black Student Union’s 50th year on Binghamton University’s campus Monday in Old Union Hall.

BSU celebrates Black Solidarity Day Annual event aims to reflect black influence, voting impact Gillian Kenah & Valerie Puma pipe dream news

The day before midterm elections, Binghamton University’s Black Student Union (BSU) held its annual Black Solidarity Day Festival to acknowledge and showcase the influence and sociopolitical power black people possess

within the campus community.

On Monday, more than two dozen students and faculty gathered at the Pegasus Statue near Glenn G. Bartle Library to recognize the black lives lost to police brutality and their inability to cast a vote. BU’s Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) lined the Spine with 800 black flags with handwritten names of those lives lost since 2015.

Black Solidarity Day was created in 1969 to bring black men, women and students together to discuss their

OPINIONS

political status and personal plans for the future. The day mostly aims to focus on the value of education, the power of black economics and community building.

According to Kelly Clark, director of the Q Center, Black Solidarity Day typically includes self-reflection and introspection and recognizing the importance of exercising the right to vote.

“All of those flags represent a vote that can’t happen,” Clark said. “Some of us

see solidarity page 3

SPORTS

Graduate computer engineering student Jesse Pelzar “lights up” Downtown Binghamton,

Student talent shines at IC’s annual show,

Columnist Georgia Kerkezis applauds millennials’ efforts to mitigate environmental damage,

Women’s basketball wins narrowly in season opener,

Pipe Dream Sports’ Week 10 NFL fantasy football picks,

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 8

SEE PAGE 12

SEE PAGE 11

PAGE II Thursday, November 8,2017 2018 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017

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The Binghamton University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine holds a discussion entitled “Great March of Return” on Monday evening.

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Porch collapse traps multiple people

Democrats take New York Senate

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On Monday, Nov. 5, the Chenango Bridge Fire Department received a report that six to 10 people were trapped under a caved-in porch at the Chenango Fenton Project Concern clothing bank, according to WICZ. Responding officers found the ramp leading up to the front door caved in, with multiple people trapped underneath the broken wood. Fire department officials are unsure of what caused the collapse, but have determined the trapped individuals were huddled near the top of the ramp when it fell through. Two were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

For the first time in decades, the New York State Senate will be under Democratic control, according to The New York Times. On Tuesday, Democrats won eight Republican-held seats, flipping control of the Senate. The party also has a majority in the New York State Assembly and saw Gov. Andrew Cuomo elected to a third term in midterm elections.

“The voters of New York state have spoken, and they have elected a clear Democratic majority to the state Senate. I am confident our majority will grow even larger after all results are counted and we will finally give New Yorkers the progressive leadership they have been demanding.”

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Benefit held for BU professor battling cancer

EDITORIAL ARTISTS Annabeth Sloan Max Samson

A benefit was held at the American Legion Post 80 on Sunday, Nov. 4, for Pichomay Be, a computer science professor at Binghamton University, according to WICZ. Be has been receiving treatment in Syracuse for her ovarian cancer since March, but will soon be moving to Boston. At the event, dozens of gift baskets were raffled off, with funds going toward Be and her family.

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stabilizing:wacky

darkness:destabilizing

— State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, leader of the New York Senate Democrats, in a statement on Tuesday evening after Democrats seized control of the New York State Senate in midterm elections.

Police Watch

NATIONAL NEWS

Democrats flip House, Republicans keep Senate Democrats won back seats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday in midterm elections that drew a record number of voters to polls across the country, according to The Washington Post. The Republican Party maintained its majority in the U.S. Senate. The change could have vast implications for President Donald Trump’s agenda, and House Democrats could launch new investigations into Trump.

This Day in History Nov. 8, 2016 Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The following accounts were provided by Investigator Robert Meddleton of Binghamton’s New York State University Police.

Bathroom vandals FRIDAY, Nov. 2, 11:35 p.m. — Officers received a vandalism complaint from a bathroom in Glenn G. Bartle Library after an unknown suspect carved multiple phrases into the walls. The messages included, in all capitalized lettering, “KILL ALL NAZIS” and “ACAB KILL.” UPD saw similar vandalism last semester.

The case is still under investigation.

Not taking the test SATURDAY, Nov. 3, 2:22 a.m. — An officer on patrol observed a car at the intersection of Vestal Parkway and Bunn Hill Road make a right-hand turn during a red light, violating signage posted at the intersection. The officer performed a traffic stop, and upon approaching the vehicle, detected the odor of alcohol coming from inside the car. The officer also noticed the driver, a 34-year-old male, had glassy, bloodshot eyes. The suspect admitted to turning right on the red light, but denied consuming alcohol. The officer administered a field sobriety test, which the suspect failed. The suspect declined an alcohol sensor test, and after being brought to the police station, also refused a chemical test. He was given tickets for driving while intoxicated, refusing to take a Breathalyzer test

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and driving through a red light.

Stop sign SATURDAY, Nov. 3, 9:51 p.m. — An officer patrolling West Drive observed a vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign.

After pulling the vehicle over, the driver was identified as a 23-year-old female. The officer discovered her license was suspended on Sept. 5, 2018 for failure to answer a summons and pay a fine in Staten Island. The suspect said she was unaware of the stop sign, her summons and her fine. She was arrested for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Smokin’ up the place MONDAY, Nov. 5, 1:18 a.m. — Fire alarms in Cleveland Hall of Hinman College sounded and officers reported to the scene to investigate. Upon responding to the dorm room that set the alarms off, officers observed a haze of smoke in the room and the odor of marijuana, but no fire. When they checked the alarm, there was a plastic bag and red solo cup covering the sensor. Officers located the two 18-yearold male occupants of the room, who both admitted to smoking marijuana and covering the alarm. The suspects gave officers consent to search their room, and officers found a half-smoked joint in the toilet, about four grams of a green leafy substance, two digital scales and a metal grinder. The students were charged with criminal tampering and unlawful possession of marijuana.

bupipedream.com | November 8, 2018

NEWS

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NY-22 race inconclusive, absentee ballots to be counted race from page 1 won 59 percent of the statewide vote, besting his 2014 showing and securing a third term.

Nevertheless, in Broome County, Republican Marc Molinaro won the popular vote, beating Cuomo by roughly 9 percentage points and 5,600 votes. Cuomo only won in six upstate counties — Ulster, Albany, Tompkins, Erie, Onondaga and Monroe counties — but saw wins in Rockland and Westchester counties, New York City and Long Island.

“It’s an honor to fight every day for every New Yorker,” Cuomo tweeted roughly an hour after his victory was confirmed. “New York will always lead the way forward.”

In other statewide races, Democrats won Broome County, but did so with markedly smaller margins than in other areas of the state. State election results show Democratic incumbent Thomas DiNapoli capturing the comptroller race with almost 67 percent of the vote, but in Broome County, he only received about 58 percent of the vote — a nine point difference. Similarly, Letitia James, Democratic candidate for attorney general, won her race with around 62 percent of the vote statewide, but only received 49.4 percent of the vote in Broome County, narrowly winning the county over her

opponent, Republican candidate Keith Wofford, by about 2 percentage points.

“Tonight we made history,” James tweeted on Tuesday. “This is a night for justice, a night for our future. I am proud to be a New Yorker who knows it’s our diversity, strength, courage and determination that makes us great. As your Attorney General I promise to fight for all of us.”

The attorney general’s race was not the only close election on local ballots. For two candidates, the election might not be over.

The expensive and contentious race for New York’s 22nd congressional district has yet to be fully decided, with final results hinging on more than 13,000 absentee ballots that have yet to be counted across the district.

Currently, unofficial election results show that Democratic candidate Anthony Brindisi has the lead by 0.6 percentage points — just 1,422 votes. The Associated Press and CNN called the race for Brindisi around 11 p.m., and he gave a victory speech in which he pledged to communicate with constituents in his district during his time in office.

“It’s going to be my job to represent all the people in this district,” Brindisi said. “Not just the people that voted for me, all the people. So for those who did not vote for me let me say this

— my door is always open, I will always listen.”

However, Tenney has yet to concede the race. At her election party in New Hartford on Tuesday night, she said she was not giving up and suggested the possibility of a recount as her supporters chanted “No concession.”

“I’m certainly not going to give up the fight,” Tenney said.

In a statement released later on Tuesday night, Tenney thanked supporters and echoed her comments from the election party, refusing to concede the race until absentee ballots are counted. It is unclear when the eight counties in the 22nd congressional district will begin counting those votes, but according to election officials, it could be weeks. Election officials will also have to consider thousands of sealed affidavit ballots, or ballots cast by voters who have lapsed registrations, that were cast on Election Day and determine if they are valid and should be counted.

“With over ten thousand absentee ballots left to count, this race is still too close to call,” wrote Raychel Renna, Tenney’s campaign manager. ”Over the next few days and weeks our team will participate in the recanvass process and review the absentee ballots.”

Prior to election night, the

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race was considered a toss-up, and was expected to be one of the closest U.S. House of Representatives races in the country. In the days leading up to the election, both campaigns ran a barrage of advertisements across the district, and while Tenney brought several high-profile Republicans to the Southern Tier and central New York, including Donald Trump Jr. and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Brindisi appeared at community events and panels throughout the region.

Several days before the

election, a New York Times poll showed Tenney ahead of Brindisi by 1 percentage point. A Siena College poll released on Oct. 24 also showed tight results, with Brindisi leading Tenney by 1 percentage point.

But although the race across the district is tight, in Broome County, unofficial results show Brindisi led Tenney by more than 10 percentage points on election night, with about 55 percent of the vote. Roughly 7,800 votes separated the two, the largest margin of any county in the 22nd congressional district.

According to Krasno, it is likely Brindisi will still win the race, despite the absentee ballots yet to be counted.

“Even if there are 15,000 absentees uncounted, Tenney would have to win them by nearly 55-45 to overcome Brindisi’s lead of 1,422 votes,” Krasno wrote. “That seems very unlikely, especially since several of the counties — but not Broome, Brindisi’s best county — have released [information] about the party registration of the absentee voters, who are pretty much evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.”

In Broome County, Krasno wrote he believes students played a large role in Brindisi’s 7,800 vote advantage. According to Krasno, BU students might be a big part of what gets Brindisi elected, if he ultimately wins the election.

“I think it’s very likely that Brindisi won campus by 50 or 60 points,” Krasno wrote.

“Even if just 1,100 voters voted for Congress, that’s a 550 to 660 vote margin for him from campus — not counting the votes of students who live off campus. That’s not Brindisi’s whole margin of victory, but it’s an awfully big chunk of it. He should be very aware of the role our students likely played in his win, [if he actually won].”

Annual summit highlights resilience MRC plants flags to honor lost lives Speakers discuss stress management, health Leora Schwadron

solidarity from page 1

contributing writer

Students and faculty gathered in Old Union Hall to learn about stress management, mindfulness and healthy eating at the annual Healthy Campus Summit on Wednesday.

The annual event, part of Binghamton University’s ongoing Healthy Campus Initiative, featured multiple guest speakers, professors and counselors from BU. Highlighting the ways to improve the health of the student body, the summit also featured various programs, including a de-stress event with therapy dogs and a healthy cooking demonstration and luncheon.

With this year’s theme of “Grit and Resiliency,” the summit aimed to emphasize how the BU community can better develop these qualities in order to expand its capabilities. Each speaker and program used different concepts to show how grit and resiliency can be incorporated into people’s personal and professional lives.

Cindy Cowden, an organizer of the event and a senior associate director of facilities and internal operations, said addressing these topics can help students manage stress better.

“Discussing topics like grit and resiliency will help us help students learn that it’s OK to struggle and that it’s OK for them to consider different alternatives to how they handle stress and difficulties,” Cowden said.

Gregory Eells, director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell University, led two presentations. The first, “Being Resilient, Fostering Grit and Developing Life Skills”

sidney slon staff photographer Students and faculty learn about handling stress with grit and resiliency at the annual Healthy Campus Summit on Wednesday.

provided a detailed description of the concepts of resilience and grit by focusing on enhancing social connections, specifically through vulnerability-resilient role models.

Eells’ second presentation emphasized taking these values and using them to facilitate more positive approaches to stress and failure.

“The time you don’t get what you want is when you learn the most and when something is not normal, we pay the most attention,” Eells said. “People need to realize that they have a lot of power to change their relationship to the things that bother them, and there are some ways of doing that that can help make them more resilient.”

Other presenters, such as

Jennifer Wegmann, a health and wellness studies lecturer at BU, and Steven Lynn, distinguished professor of psychology at BU, discussed how mindfulness, meditation and stress management can improve people’s lifestyles.

Johann Fiore-Conte, assistant vice president for health and wellness at BU, said she hoped students take the lesson of mindfulness to heart.

“I would think and hope that students who attend the presentations would be able to stop and pause and reflect on their own life, on how they respond and react to situations and stress,” Fiore-Conte said.

“Students should realize that we have control over how we respond.”

Throughout the summit, speakers and attendees also discussed the stigma surrounding mental health and stress. Presenters emphasized this stigma comes from an internalized way of thinking less of oneself. Devon Close, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, said this discussion helped her learn more about how to handle feelings of stress and self-doubt.

“We’re always worried about what other people think of us if we admit we are anxious or having problems with something,” Close said. “In reality, though, we judge ourselves more harshly than anyone else ever does.”

The Healthy Campus Initiative will continue with more events in spring 2019.

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had ancestors that literally died to earn our right to vote. There is no excuse that we could use to not cast a ballot [on Election Day]. We can’t tell you who to vote for, but what we can say is to take the time to vote your conscience and find out who’s running and vote for what you want this society to look like.”

Nicole Sirju-Johnson, interim chief diversity officer and director of the MRC, said during Black Solidarity Day, black Americans come together as a community and separate from society to strategize how to best vote in the election the following day.

Students were encouraged to post on social media with their pledge to cast their ballots on Election Day. Andy Jean-Baptiste, vice president for multicultural affairs of the Student Association (SA) and a senior double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, said he pledged his vote for those who are not able to vote for themselves.

“Voting is a very important right,” Jean-Baptiste said.

“You can’t immediately change politics and policy, but you can change your politicians. You can change the people who will be representing you and voting on your behalf, so vote for someone who will have your community’s and your best interests at heart.”

At 7 p.m. in Old Union Hall, roughly 60 students gathered at the annual Black Solidarity Day celebration. This year’s theme was “Black Festival: Celebrating 50 Years of Unity,” as it is BSU’s 50th year on BU’s campus. At the event, various multicultural organizations tabled to showcase unique aspects of African American culture. Attendees also saw a performance by Evan Nelson, a second-year graduate student studying voice performance, and a speech on black solidarity delivered by BU assistant English professor David Sterling Brown.

Sarah Merke, political correspondent for BSU and an undeclared sophomore, said the day’s events aimed to highlight the impact made by people of color and to bring the multicultural community together prior to Election Day. “It’s to show the impact that people of color have on this campus, and, I guess, nationally, on this country,” Merke said.

“So basically, it’s promoting people of color to get together

and go out and vote, to show our numbers and our unity among each other, so the Day of Absence beforehand was to show a day of absence without people of color, and how a day functions with us and that we are needed in a day, people of color, to show our impact and our worth.”

Yasmine Nartey, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said the celebration in Old Union Hall connected multicultural students with one another.

“I think it’s important to continue to spread the culture in ways we know how — this is one of them,” Nartey said. “So, this event is one about, first of all, getting acquainted with other organizations within the multicultural community, and then building those bridges also reaching out to people that normally wouldn’t come to these events.”

Aminata Jaiteh, president of BU’s chapter of NAACP and a senior majoring in sociology, said the event gave students the opportunity to join together and celebrate their culture, something that doesn’t often occur because of the University’s demographics and students’ busy lives.

“Especially being on a predominantly white campus, what ends up happening is we don’t necessarily get to see all the people of color on the campus,” Jaiteh said. “So just to get an opportunity to have all the multicultural organizations in one place allows for us to come together, create a safe space, talk about what exactly we love about our culture and embrace one another better, and I feel like we don’t get to do that every day because we’re so focused on school.”

In his speech, Brown said the black community must continue their education to progress as a collective and to fight against racism.

“For conscious black ignorance, which contradicts the goals of black excellence, is perhaps the dominant culture’s most effective weapon against black and minority solidarity and advancement,” Brown said.

“If being black and educated is dangerous, then I aspire to be as dangerous as I can be.

In fact, we at Binghamton [University] should all aspire to be as dangerous as we can be, for cultivating and nourishing our intellect keeps us on the path for progress and away from the shackles of ignorance.”

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NEWS

bupipedream.com | November 8, 2018

Discussion emphasizes appropriation in headdresses Group holds talk for Native American History Month Michael Levinstein pipe dream news

tyler gorman contributing photographer The Undergraduate Anthropology Organization holds a discussion about appropriation of Native American cultures.

In an effort to increase awareness and dialogue about cultural appropriation, the Undergraduate Anthropology Organization (UAO) held “Was your Halloween Costume Racist?: The Appropriation of Native American Culture” on Wednesday evening in the University Union.

The event, held in honor of Native American History Month, focused on cultural appropriation in costumes, specifically toward Native Americans, with the wearing of headdresses and redskin costumes. Participants discussed why this appropriation is offensive and talked about appropriation in relation to music, fashion and food.

For Mariya Ivanova, editor of the UAO and a junior majoring in anthropology, it is important to recognize that appropriation, especially at events like Coachella, is not acceptable. Ivanova said the only way to fight appropriation is to start a conversation.

“The way that I experience this campus is not the way that a person of color experiences

this campus,” Ivanova said. “If an institution gets behind some kind of initiative to foster these types of conversations and create a safe space, that’s what’s going to help create that safe space. It can’t be an individual effort, it has to be coming from a place of power.”

The UAO, a Student Association-chartered organization that hosts events on campus related to the anthropology major at Binghamton University, has recently begun hosting events that address sociocultural issues such as cultural appropriation. In the past, it has hosted events on language and dialect, and hopes to host an event on sexual assault awareness in the near future.

Melina Valencia, UAO events coordinator and a junior majoring in anthropology, said anthropology relates to how people are perceived by the world, which makes cultural appropriation an interesting topic to tackle from an anthropological viewpoint.

“Making a lot more events and allowing people a way to be perceived that isn’t overtaking someone’s culture is really important to me,” Valencia said.

The UAO E-Board wrote that Native Americans have been oppressed for centuries,

and the fact the University lies in an area once populated

by Native Americans means students should be more aware of cultural biases.

“We live in an area of New York originally settled by Native Americans and still see them being subjugated and appropriated to this day,” the statement read. “Native Americans are subjugated to reservations and appropriated by the use of headdresses and face paint during Halloween, further maintaining the power dynamics inside the country.”

According to the e-board, although this Halloween at BU was more culturally sensitive than in the past, it still saw some inappropriate costumes during the holiday.

Christian Tejera, a senior majoring in computer engineering, said appropriating is different from actually caring about the culture.

“You’re not giving back to the black community when you like rap — you wouldn’t go to a Black Lives Matter speech,” Tejera said. “Same thing with Native American cultures; them [being] in reservations does not affect you. The appreciation of just wearing their clothing, or liking their stuff, is just not enough.”

Watson offers Python class Course teaches basics of coding language Max Samson

contributing writer

As nearly 7,000 Harpur College students register for classes, few will be able to register for the limited seats in Watson-restricted computer science classes. In an effort to provide programming knowledge outside a traditional classroom setting, the Watson School of Engineering offered a one-day certification course on Python, a popular high-level, general-purpose programming language, to both computer science students and those outside of the major.

On Tuesday, about 60 people attended a seven-hour certification course in the Innovative Technologies Complex.

The course, taught by Hiroki Sayama, director of the Center for Collective Dynamics of Complex Systems at BU and an associate professor of systems sciences and industrial engineering, introduced attendees to the basics of Python.

Michael Testani, director of industrial outreach at the Watson School, wrote in an email that the course offers introductory information on Python’s basic functions to a variety of students and professionals.

“This class is an Introduction to Python Programming class, and little or no prior programming experience is required to attend,” Testani wrote. “This is a basic course in Python programming fundamentals and is intended to get

learners started with programming using Python. The course is open to all BU students — graduates and undergraduates, as well as industry professionals.”

According to Testani, the class focuses on six aspects of the programming language: software and language basics, variables and data structures, flow control and function definition, plotting and visualization, using modules and object-oriented programming.

Victoria Osuchowski, a senior double-majoring in political science and economics, attended the certification course. She said the course was relevant to her studies and to the professional world and offered an important learning experience at a reasonable price.

“Computer science is just useful everywhere,” Osuchowski said. “I’m a political science and economics student, and Python is especially useful for data analytics, which is a lot of what you do in economics.

It was just 50 bucks, so it was a financially feasible way of dipping my toe in programming.”

The course was discounted to $50 for Binghamton University students, whereas other attendees paid up to $300 for their spot.

According to Testani, proceeds from the course will go to the Watson School.

“The fees we collect go towards paying for our courserelated expenses, [which] include instructor and teaching assistant costs, course materials, conference room fees, parking, refreshments, certificates and digital badges,” Testani wrote.

In addition to teaching

the basics of Python, Sayama encouraged students to think about its applications in text analysis, data analysis, data visualization, image processing and games. According to Sayama, although Python is designed to be readable for beginners, learning programming takes considerable time.

“This is very much an introduction,” Sayama said. “It’s almost more of an introduction to an introduction — learning programming is like learning a language, you need to learn for five to 10 years before you know what you’re doing. You need to practice a language constantly to become fluent. Today, it was more like learning how to say hello.”

Sayama emphasized, in particular, the role of Python in developing applications that analyze data.

“Perhaps the most appealing part of Python is data manipulation,” Sayama said. “Everything is flowing into the internet, and Python has been developed along with the history of the internet. The web was born in 1993, and Python has been used along with it. It’s a friendly language for developing applications for the web.”

According to Sayama, the course was a way for students outside the major to learn programming basics, rather than having to enroll in traditional Watson School classes, which are typically designed for computer science majors.

“This class is for noncomputer scientists,” Sayama said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a remedy to a problem, it’s just targeted at a different audience.”

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Students board a bus to New York City to go home for a University break.

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Parents start ESCAPE petition Petition advocates for mid-Hudson Valley stop Jeremy Rubino

contributing writer

Binghamton University parents have created a petition to the ESCAPE Bus Company, a student-run charter bus service for BU students going home for holiday breaks, to include a new mid-Hudson Valley stop to its regularly scheduled route.

ESCAPE, which embarks from Lot E near the East Gym, allows students to leave for breaks straight from campus. According to the ESCAPE constitution, the purpose of the bus company is to provide transportation for students and members of the University community while also seeking to establish a travel center on campus with competitive prices for riders.

ESCAPE, which currently offers bus rides to the New York City and Long Island areas, has no stops or bus routes running to the mid-Hudson Valley region. Instead, students from the Hudson Valley must either drive or carpool home, or take commercial bus lines such as Shortline and Greyhound from the Greater Binghamton Transportation Center. The closest stop that ESCAPE offers to the mid-Hudson Valley is Westchester, which excludes other populous counties in the region.

An estimated 3,000 students at BU come from the mid-

Hudson Valley. As a result, the region was the fourth-largest student population at the University from New York state, behind the Southern New York area, which includes Westchester and Rockland counties, New York City and Long Island.

Marla Schwoerer, the BU parent who started the petition for a mid-Hudson Valley stop, said she views the ESCAPE service as a convenient and safe way of transporting students home for the holiday breaks.

However, for her and many other parents in the mid-Hudson Valley, students must resort to Shortline and Greyhound for a ride home, resulting in multiple transfers and inconvenient pickup locations.

“However much I appreciate that commercial lines do service BU students, the rides to the midHudson Valley often require three or more transfers and easily take upward of four hours, double the time it would take a chartered bus,” Schwoerer said. “I spoke with some other parents from the area, and we agreed that it would be great to have the mid-Hudson Valley served by ESCAPE.” Schwoerer became involved with the ESCAPE bus line after her daughter had problems with the Shortline and Greyhound lines. As a result, Schwoerer organized other parents in the mid-Hudson Valley on Facebook to begin the petition.

“We are not requesting an entire bus to go to the midHudson Valley,” Schwoerer said.

“We just want a singular, safe

stop along the way to drop off and pick up students.”

Elizabeth Schwoerer, an undeclared freshman, said she supports her mother’s decision to start the petition for a new midHudson Valley stop. Previously, she rode on a Greyhound bus that traveled to Albany before heading downstate. Elizabeth said she had also ridden on a Shortline bus, which was faster than the Greyhound, but only operated once a day at 6:30 a.m.

“I know a lot of people from the mid-Hudson Valley who go to BU,” Elizabeth said. “I think adding the stop would make traveling home a lot easier for me and others.”

ESCAPE organizes and schedules routes a month prior to an upcoming break, selecting stops based on high demand from Facebook polls. According to the company, new stops are possible if they meet demand, but for the mid-Hudson Valley area, a new bus route would have to be added.

When organizing routes, a constant demand must be met with around 80 to 100 students consistently buying tickets in order to add the stop. In this case, ESCAPE would have to hire more employees while remaining under budget to meet demand.

Although a mid-Hudson Valley route is possible, the company’s Facebook poll for adding the stop did not meet the demand required for this year. ESCAPE plans on holding a similar poll for the 2019-20 academic year.

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ARTS & CULTURE

‘Guys and Dolls’ rocks the boat at Anderson Center

The classic musical supports BFA program Alisa Darson

contributing writer

Binghamton University’s theatre department will take you back in time with “Guys and Dolls,” the fall musical of the 201819 Mainstage season premiering this Friday.

The production is directed by Anne Brady, a professor of theatre and head of acting and directing at BU, who said that she chose the musical for the Mainstage because of its timelessness.

“We wanted to look at what kind of musical would be good for our students, and also good for the audience, and ‘Guys and Dolls’ has been said to be one of the almost perfect musicals with a wide variety,” Brady said.

“Guys and Dolls” centers around the lives and habits of those living in New York City during the postwar era of 1949.

Nathan Detroit, a con man, in hopes of finding money to house his illegal gambling habits, makes a deal with a high-rolling gambler, Sky Masterson. If Sky agrees to a bet he will surely lose, Nathan secures the solution to his funding dilemma. Nathan is sure that any doll he chooses would go on a date in Havana, Cuba with Sky — unless that “doll” was uptight Sergeant Sarah Brown, head of the Save-a-Soul Mission. Whether Sky manages to accomplish the impossible depends on a few things, but no one ever accounts for hearts getting caught in the crossfire.

The production is adapted by short stories written by Damon Runyon, a writer in the ’20s and ’30s who was familiar with the workings of things like Broadway and nightlife in the city.

“It’s a time of optimism, a time where people, post-World War II, were about,” said David Wynen, choreographer for the production and an assistant

sidney slon staff photographer

“Guys and Dolls” takes the Watters Theater back in time to 1949 through classic songs and dance.

professor of theatre. “There’s a lot of action happening in Times Square at that time. You have pop culture starting to happen because it’s the first time there is disposable income for the youth.”

The production features bold colors and songs that echo the heat and energy buzzing around the city. Huge signs hang in the backdrop and clue the audience into the livelihood of the 1940s.

“I want [the audience] to feel like they’ve been transported back to this period because I feel like we have a lot of vibrant colors and big set pieces,” said Lauren Metzdorff, an assistant stage manager and a junior majoring in English. “I want them to feel like they’re in New York City, or they’re in Havana, especially since so many people have actually been in the city. Now I want them to

feel like they’re there — but in a different time.”

The process of bringing a work like “Guys and Dolls” to life can be challenging at times, making its actors and crew work hard to make the production a success.

The research into the lifestyle and gender roles during that specific time period was essential to creating authenticity and appreciating plays taking place in different eras.

“With ‘Guys and Dolls,’ and a lot of musicals from this time period, a lot of productions nowadays tend to label them as a comedy, and that there’s no deep character development,” said Greg DeCola, a junior majoring in theatre who plays Nathan. “But our director has done a great job making everyone delve into this world. It’s a comedy, it’s very funny, but it’s funny because of

the characters and the people that are in it, as opposed to the show itself.”

Wynen explained that the overall development of the style and dance reflected the remnants of “old-world Broadway.” The choreography and acting complement each other to create a personable atmosphere where the audience can feel the energy from what’s happening on stage.

“There’s a lot of soldiers and sailors,” Wynen said. “I tried to go with the choreography to bring about that change of an era — we’re on the edge of the last of the gangsters and the last of the vaudevillians here, and it’s all about to change.”

One of the biggest contributing factors for deciding to bring “Guys and Dolls” to life was the combination of beautiful songs and the different possibilities for dance

numbers. This decision was also about bringing bigger changes to the BU campus: the development of a bachelor’s in fine arts in musical theatre.

“We want to encourage dancers, as well as actors and singers, to be part of the program,” Brady said.

“And having a large cast also offers opportunities to as many people as possible.”

The audience will appreciate the atmosphere and magic production’s cast creates, drawing a level of authenticity with welldelivered New York accents and dramatic tensions artfully cut with musical entertainment.

The underlying themes of love and conflict help make the musical memorable.

“Some of the themes are a little outdated,” said Brenda Darcy, who plays Adelaide and is a senior double-majoring in theatre

and English. “There’s a little misogyny and a little sexism, but what we’re trying to do is turn it into something relatable. People from two different worlds meeting and falling in love, and I think that forbidden love is such a universal theme, which happens a lot in life.”

The students and faculty who put the show together worked hours and days of nonstop rehearsal to create a show that has a little something for everyone.

“This is such a joyous production,” said Christine Skorupa, a junior majoring in theatre who plays Sarah Brown. “I want the audience to enjoy their time here, to go away singing the songs, getting them stuck in their [heads] and having a good time. I want them to see how passionate people can be. It’s just a really fun show.”

Loomx shines Downtown IC hosts annual talent show Pelzar started his own business in 2017 Kyle Reina

contributing wrtier

In recent years, Jesse Pelzar’s LED lighting projects have illuminated Downtown Binghamton, with redecorated facades including The Colonial and other local organizations and businesses. After having designed multiple apps as well, Pelzar, a first-year graduate student studying computer engineering, is moving on to his next endeavor: a website for his own business, Loomx.

Started early in 2017, Loomx is headed by Pelzar and recent addition Robert Healey, a senior majoring in electrical engineering. The business provides private organizations with accentual lighting through the use of technologies built by the duo. Healey and Pelzar met through the Entrepreneurship Learning Community, exclusive to the fifth floor of Johnson Hall of Dickinson Community.

“Being in the Entrepreneurship Learning Community inspired me to look into starting Loomx and taught me where to begin and how to manage the business,” Pelzar said.

Pelzar’s knowledge of programming allows him to focus on the coding aspect of Loomx, while Healey’s background in electrical engineering directs him toward the hardware-oriented side of their projects.

“I brought [Healey] on for his drive and determination, someone that showed my same passion for the business,” Pelzar said.

One of Pelzar’s apps,

LoomVR, is an interactive language-training app that gives you a task to complete as you do everyday tasks in real time.

For example, the app teaches you how to say various fruits in Spanish by simulating you as a fruit vendor on the streets of Spain. The system tells you the script and recognizes your accent as you speak, aiming to teach the user the core of the word instead of how to say it in a specific Spanish dialect.

Pelzar and Healey look to continue providing private organizations with LED lighting and accentual lighting, as they hope to expand their clientele across college towns such as Ithaca, Oneonta and Syracuse, where they can work with organizations and eventually establish Loomx in a bigger city.

“We would like to try and find footing in either New York City or Boston, but we’re not sure yet which one would make sense for us yet,” Healey said.

Pelzar’s first project, Christmas-themed lighting on The Colonial’s exterior last year, was a testament to Pelzar’s effort and motivation, as he was tasked with completing the entire face of the building in one month. Pelzar was able to decorate the building with a vibrant display of colors that coordinated with the music playing in the restaurant.

“I was talking to the founder of LUMA, who put me in touch with the owner of The Colonial,” Pelzar said. “They asked if I could have it done by Nov. 25.

Starting from scratch, I was able to get it finished on time with just sheer determination.”

At the time of the Colonial project, not all of Pelzar’s technology was his own,

Students competed Sunday for cash prize Jason Gaffney

contributing writer

sam prinzi contributing photogrpaher Jesse Pelzar, a graduate student studying computer engineering, is the founder of Binghamton-based lighting business, Loomx.

including the controller used to match the lighting design to the music. Loomx has since developed its own controller for interactive aspects of the lighting — it was able to successfully manufacture the controller entirely from scratch, which is something it does with all projects now.

All the materials, lighting and software used by Loomx are inhouse built.

Despite making a name for themselves early on within the lighting business and hoping to make Loomx a fulltime career, Healey and Pelzar also hope to expand their work to other fields, such as augmented reality.

“For now, the plan is to advance the business, but we’re definitely open to other fields,” Pelzar said. “Right now, we’re just focused on expanding the business and making a name for ourselves with Loomx.”

An energetic host, good food and exciting performances are all what made up the seventh annual Binghamton’s Got Talent competition, hosted by International Connection (IC), a student organization that promotes the representation of different cultural groups on campus. Overall, it was an engaging event — audience energy was high, and the performances showcased the talent and diversity of Binghamton University.

“Our mission statement is to bring students of different cultural backgrounds and experiences together,” said Maria Lee, the president of IC and a senior majoring in biology. “We’re more than just a talent show. It’s more about putting other [student] organizations in the spotlight.”

The performances at this event included the cultural dance group by members of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association and poetry performances from the members of Slam Poetry Club. Every performance was captivating, but the ones that stood out to the judges were placing winners: modern dance group Legendex, break dance group BU Breakers, Korean drumming group Sulpoong and audience favorite, magician Eric Tremsky, an undeclared sophomore. The audience’s response to these acts in particular was uproarious, and for good reason. The crowd reacted positively during moments like Legendex’s impressive synchronized dance sequences and Sulpoong’s perfectly timed and well-rehearsed percussion ensemble. The winners each received funding for their student organizations as a reward.

Judges came to their decisions

anastasia figuera contributing photographer International Connection hosted its seventh annual Binghamton’s Got Talent event on Sunday, Nov. 4.

based on the performers’ effort, audience response and stage presence, according to Lee. As president, Lee said part of her responsibility when working on Binghamton’s Got Talent was making sure her e-board didn’t get stressed.

“At the end of the day it’s not just something you put on your résumé,” Lee said. “It’s something you should be proud of.”

Throughout the entire event, members of IC were serving free food from different cultures, catered by local restaurants like Moghul, Buffet Star and Thai Time. The local presences were also coordinated within the organization by IC’s social intern Kate Wu, a sophomore majoring in psychology. Wu is also pleased with how the event turned out.

“I think it turned out very nice,” Wu said. “We had very diverse performances this year and I’m glad people enjoyed it.”

Something else that stayed consistent throughout the show was the enthusiastic presence of the host of the show, Victor Ou, a senior majoring in geography. Ou is also the professional chair for IC

and was responsible for recruiting all of the acts who performed at Binghamton’s Got Talent. He said that it was tough finding this many acts to perform at the show — he had to “search left and right.” He spoke to many student organizations to find performers, but was also able to recruit some by talking to fellow students on campus.

“Some people I kind of just found walking around,” Ou said. “Like [Tremsky], for example. I didn’t find him through any organization, just word-of-mouth.”

Lee shared Ou’s frustration with difficulty finding performers. She stated that one of IC’s goals for this event was to showcase the diversity of performers on campus.

“The hardest part [of organizing Binghamton’s Got Talent] was getting a diverse group of performers so that we can represent every cultural group on campus,” Lee said.

The hard work from a dedicated group of people at IC contributed to the success of this year’s Binghamton’s Got Talent, and the members hope that the organization continues this annual tradition far into the future.

OPINIONS Thursday, November 8,2017 2018 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017

SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT Though basketball is the most popular sport at Binghamton University, the student turnout at games is abysmal.

max samson editorial artist

Attendance in the men’s first game of the season has declined steadily in the last several years, with this year’s opening day crowd being around 700 people thinner than last year’s and missing 1,000 when compared to the first game of 2016. Basketball is arguably the second most popular college sport overall, behind football.

BU doesn’t have a football team, but our basketball programs have fared decently during the school’s Division I era. Students should take advantage of their free entry into basketball games and make an effort to attend games this season.

The Binghamton women’s basketball team won its season opener this week, following up a historic season last year in which the program recorded 20 wins

and qualified for the Women’s Basketball Invitational. It has a new coach, Bethann Shapiro Ord, who did wonders for Weber State’s women’s basketball team, bringing a team with only 10 wins in three years to one with the highest win total in program history. Any efforts Shapiro Ord makes here would be bolstered by a larger and more dedicated fan base cheering her squad on.

Both the women’s and men’s teams have up-and-coming players this season. Even though the men’s team lost its home opener, it is easy to tell that this year’s roster is promising.

Freshman guard Sam Sessoms scored 27 points in his debut game, and is tied for the most points scored by a BU freshman in his first college game since 2011, when Ben Dickinson also

scored 27 points. The crowd was electrified; the spectators were thrilled by Sessoms’ mesmerizing crossovers and step-back 3-pointers. Despite the absence of key players such as senior forward Thomas Bruce, who is out with an injury, the team was able to hold its own against a reputable team from Cornell University. If demonstrations of team spirit and skill continue and grow, perhaps BU can be home to the next UMBC-like underdog victory.

Last year, the UMBC’s men’s basketball team, also a member of the America East conference, earned the 16th seed in the Big Dance and ultimately defeated the first-seeded University of Virginia, marking the first time an upset of this magnitude ever happened in college basketball

history. Though the odds were against it, UMBC defied all expectations and won, and its student backing on social media certainly contributed to it. One former student, who runs the team’s Twitter account, posted tweets with jokes accentuating the team’s historic victory.

Having their peers’ support throughout their postseason run helped propel the Retrievers to victory.

Additionally, there are multiple student groups you can support by going to basketball games, beyond just the basketball teams. BU’s pep band plays music at every home game, and the Kickline, Dance and Cheer teams motivate the players and rally the crowd from the sidelines. These students also practice hard to

perform for spectators. Both these students and the players perform better when enlivened by a substantial crowd. Students who don’t care for or don’t understand basketball can still find entertainment at the sporting events.

The athletics department works hard to put together events and promotions that will draw in fans. They held a “white out” game last season, where the first 4,000 students in attendance were given a free T-shirt to wear during the game.

Often, students will be receive a free tote bag or BU hat just for coming out. Throughout the game, T-shirts are thrown into the stands every time a Bearcat cashes in on a three-pointer, and you have the chance to earn Dunkin’ Donuts coupons

and free Coppertop pizza. The department has also hosted giveaway events where students have the chance to get $1,000 toward tuition if they can make a half-court shot.

Going to basketball games is a way to show your team spirit as well as your BU pride. Basketball is an extremely popular college sport, and we should treat it as such. Many students lament the lack of school spirit at BU, since it has a reputation for being many students’ second or third choice. If students had more school spirit, we could break free from this infamy. The competitive and fun atmosphere of basketball games can help foster school spirit. Everyone should aim to attend at least one game this season; get out and show your BU pride.

Views expressed in the opinion pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial, above. The Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor and Arts & Culture Editor.

Anti-Semitic acts are unacceptable The recent incident in Downtown Binghamton is especially disconcerting Samantha Fischler Guest Columnist

Tuesday morning, I woke up to an extremely disturbing Facebook post. It was not something I hadn’t seen before. In fact, it was something that pops up in my news feed somewhat regularly: a spray-painted swastika. This time, it hit too close to home.

The swastikas were painted in Downtown Binghamton, on Oak Street and Main Street, a spot I’ve walked past so many times over the past 3 1/2 years.

As children, two words were drilled into my mind by my

parents, schools and community: “Never forget” the atrocities of Nazi Germany. This echoes the idea brought forth in the verse from the Torah that commands, “Remember what Amalek did to you,” referring to the nation of Amalek’s attempt to annihilate the Jewish people while on their path to the Land of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. Yet despite this constant repetition of those two words, just 73 years after the Holocaust ended, we are seeing the same signs that were rampant across Europe before the Holocaust.

Flashing back to the 1930s, I wonder what my family thought in European countries and in Russia when they saw a swastika painted on the street. Did they

think it was all smoke and no fire?

Just another one of the countless displays of anti-Semitism that has manifested itself throughout the history of the Jewish people? They couldn’t have known the horrors that they would face or, for many of my ancestors, have anticipated the certain death that awaited them in the concentration camps.

Coming back to 2018, these swastikas painted in a cowardly act in Binghamton is not an isolated incident. Eleven Jews who were praying in the Tree of Life synagogue were murdered just last week in Pittsburgh.

Anti-Semitic graffiti appeared on a synagogue in California last week. The Anti-Defamation League recorded a 57 percent rise in anti-Semitic acts in 2017.

Being Jewish is a huge part of my identity. I grew up going to Jewish day schools and summer camps. I spent a gap year between high school and college in Israel. I am active in the Jewish community on campus, having served on the executive board of the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life for two years.

When I saw the pictures of the swastikas Downtown, my heart dropped. You always think of the issue as being so far away from home, not a five-minute drive away. Four thousand Binghamton University students identify as Jewish, and there is a thriving, vibrant Jewish community on campus made possible by an extremely supportive University administration,

Chabad at Binghamton and Hillel at Binghamton. In fact, the welcoming Jewish community at BU was a huge deciding factor when I enrolled at the end of my senior year of high school.

Following the horrific attack in Pittsburgh, at least 750 students and community members of all different faiths gathered in the Jewish Community Center of Binghamton for a vigil in a sign of strength, unity and mourning.

Additionally, I saw Brian Rose, BU’s vice president for student affairs, at Shabbat dinner at Chabad on Friday night, where he addressed students and showed the school’s support for the Jewish community. As of the time this was written, the University has not issued a

statement regarding the antiSemitic act. While the incident with the swastikas Downtown happened off campus, it is extremely unsettling nonetheless and deeply impacts many of the students on campus.

My message for anyone reading this is that the antiSemitic attacks need to end. I also want to remind everyone to never forget. Never forget the past or it will happen again. Never forget who you are and where you come from, and don’t let acts of hatred, like the painting of a swastika, intimidate you into hiding your identity. Never again.

— Samantha Fischler is a senior majoring in business administration.

Maybe the environment is not as doomed as we think Millennials are taking the initiative to fight climate change Georgia Kerkezis Columnist

I’ve recently been reading a book about climate change by Geoff Dembicki called, “Are We Screwed? How a New Generation is Fighting to Survive Climate Change,” because, truthfully, I’ve been feeling pretty depressed about the future of the earth. I was hoping that the book could offer me some sort of inspiration, and not even halfway through, it already has. The short answer to the question “are we screwed?” is no, we aren’t.

Dembicki frames the problem of climate change as being about more than just the environment; he writes that it is a symptom of a larger, broken economic and political system — a system that values short-term profits over the future of humanity. The fossil fuel industry is one of the worst examples of this. Fossil fuels are one of the greatest contributors to environmental degradation and pollution, and yet companies continue to enact unjust and unsustainable practices in order to reap quick, massive profits.

The system is even more broken because the fossil fuel industry is able to lobby its interests over those of the public solely due to its profits. One of

many examples of this occurred in the summer of 2010, when environmental groups spent over $22 million trying to pass a bill to move the U.S. economy toward clean energy. The oil and gas sector spent a whopping $175 million to defeat it. The oil and gas sector won.

In his book, Dembicki points out that millennials (people aged around 20 to 40, which includes us students) are realizing that this way of politics and economics is morally wrong. Research from the Hart Research Associates found that 72 percent of millennials were concerned with the influence fossil fuel companies have over our government. The Harvard Institute of Politics also

found that over half of young Americans are, as Dembicki writes, “deeply skeptical of freemarket capitalism.”

Further, Dembicki points out that millennials’ values are changing from the values of older generations in regard to climate change. A survey by the University of Texas found that two-thirds of millennial respondents “supported efforts to cut carbon and increase the use of renewable energy,” while only half of people aged 65 or older supported these efforts. This survey also found that 56 percent of young people are willing to pay increased prices to reduce environmental harm, as compared to only 20 percent of older people. Older generations

may not feel obligated to worry about the impacts of their actions because they probably won’t witness the impacts in their lifetimes. But climate change literally threatens the lives of millennials. So, we are fighting the very system that perpetuates it. This is why we, as millennials, have reason to hope.

If you don’t quite know how to translate your values into tangible change, as I didn’t before reading his book, Dembicki offers some ideas. We must continue to read and educate ourselves on climate change and other social problems. We must vote for politicians who truly care about the environment and our futures, and who are not swayed

by the corruption of money.

And we must protest fossil fuel companies and their projects, and demand clean energies in their place.

Environmentalist movements today are often met with such strong resistance that the fight can become exhausting and demoralizing. But I urge you, millennials, to keep in mind what exactly we are fighting for: our lives and the survival of humanity. Many millennials are already fighting, and I urge you to join the fight for our futures, too.

— Georgia Kerkezis a junior majoring environmental studies.

is in

bupipedream.com | November 8, 2018

OPINIONS

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Students should be aware of marijuana’s negative effects It may be less harmful than other drugs, but it is not harmless Sean Morton Contributing Columnsit

In recent years, the image of marijuana has undeniably shifted under a more positive light, as its legalization for medical and recreational use has begun to surface throughout the country. Its decriminalization and lessened stigma are not unwarranted, as some of its medicinal benefits are no longer a subject of debate, but are now proven remedies for people with certain mental and physical health complications. The drug’s inability to cause overdose-induced deaths has helped it become a popular escape, especially among younger generations, since it seems “less harmful” than other substances. However, “less harmful” is not necessarily synonymous with “harmless,” particularly regarding adolescent use.

Before you roll your eyes and flip to a different article, I’d like to stress that I personally have no vendetta against the substance or its use, and I daresay there’s been some cause and effect that went into my choice of topic for this column.

That said, I don’t agree with the idea that smoking blunts every day yields zero ill effects. It’s important to note that some of the more long-term mental and physical effects of cannabis are still relatively unknown. Additionally, the average THC concentration found in cannabis has tripled in the last 20 years and continues to grow, so our knowledge of its effects aren’t exactly set in stone either.

Since the widespread presence of the drug is still relatively new, our understanding of it is, too. There are some concerning studies that suggest that having the munchies or forgetting your keys might not be the only side effects of being an adolescent stoner, especially beyond the short-term realm. I stress the word “adolescent” because the human brain is said to fully develop around the age of 25. Until around this age, the brain is still in a relatively malleable state, so what you do to it in its maturing stages may have more lasting impacts than you

realize. The frontal cortex is one of the last parts of the brain to completely develop, a key component of one’s judgement, decision-making and personality. I feel I can personally vouch for findings that suggest that persistent cannabis use may hold some responsibility in influencing these traits. In addition, emerging studies link chronic adolescent use of marijuana to cases of schizophrenia, which, perhaps not so coincidentally, directly affects the frontal cortex.

A study was conducted in New Zealand based on data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study that followed 1,000 New Zealanders born in 1972. The subjects were given neuropsychological tests at ages 13 and 38 and were questioned about their marijuana use at ages 18, 21, 26, 32 and 38. These tests revealed that the most consistent users, specifically those who reported using it at three or more age checkpoints of the study, were reported to have lost about six IQ points. Given how much the potency of THC concentration in the drug has increased over the years, it would not surprise me if tests done on subjects born in the 2000s would yield some more concerning results. Of course, these tests do not consider other life habits of the more frequent users that may account for the loss in IQ, but the correlation seems too glaring to ignore.

As previously stated, the mainstream presence of cannabis is still a considerably new part of our world, and there is still a lot we don’t know and can’t confirm, including the studies on its effects. I don’t believe this lack of knowledge should encourage youth to assume the benefit of the doubt and green out on a daily basis, but rather cause them to take a step back and consider the reality that marijuana is still a rapidly evolving mind-altering substance that is not understood well enough to determine the full realm of its effects on the human body. I believe too much of anything can be harmful, and that certainly doesn’t exclude a natural but heavily chemically enhanced psychoactive. goaming lyu design assistant

— Sean Morton is a junior majoring in English.

Politically correct language The United States should not is polite language ignore human rights violations It is important to respect others’ identities politicizing everything, from the language used Hannah Gulko in children’s books to Contributing the diversity training Columnist seminars in workplaces, is trivial in that it holds less significance to the presence What does it mean to of the book or the position propose a ‘PC,’ or politically of the labor. It could even correct, culture? be argued that holding Is it a way to silence everyone accountable to a people, to rid them of their standard of being ‘PC’ is opinions or to infantilize unattainable, as a particular a population for wanting word to one person may protection from the big, bad mean nothing, and yet to world? Is it an idealistic, another pose as a source rose-colored, cotton candy- of negativity. flavored smoke screen from But to not honor and behind which hipsters, respect someone’s identity musicians and liberal or life by choosing to college students hide? intentionally employ Or is it just a formal way specifically targeted of asking society to please language speaks more to grow up, and, for the sake one’s lack of morality than of the thousands of dollars to their intelligence. This we’re sure you spent on is because being politically your education, to learn correct isn’t, and never was, some respect? about censorship. Political Is it genuinely hard to correctness is about amend your rhetoric to common, human decency. It exclude words that propagate is about using the language hate, disrespect, ignorance that we are so patriotically and discrimination? It could proud of, the ostensibly be argued our society is not universal common tongue, yet equipped to deal with to be able to connect to every single ‘trigger word,’ humanity. Society — and ‘buzzword’ or sensitive the individual humans point out there, and that it within it — tends to speak would be an inconvenience how they think, and the to speak in circles, avoiding verbal language that they what we are trying to say. use is often a pretty reliable It could be argued that reflection of their morals,

ideals and understandings.

So if we find issues in the way that people speak to one another, the solution would be to try and encourage people to change the way they think.

I promise, we really aren’t trying to promote some sort of authoritative mind control, but rather urge the necessity to break habit — a long-standing, conservative habit of blissful ignorance and disrespect. We’re simply asking that you heed “think before you speak,” and give yourself the chance to adapt, grow and thrive in a quickly developing culture.

It’s important to note that within our society, we teach children to be polite, to be politically correct, rather than to learn an antiquated, racially divided and cisgendered language.

So what is left for adults is to unlearn all of the prejudice and racism socialized through the course of our lives and to realize that it has no place in a world of acceptance, tolerance and intersectionality.

Ignorance and arrogance, delightfully, have no place within human decency.

— Hannah Gulko is a junior majoring in human development.

Only one US senator is paying attention to the Uighur people Mendel Litzman Contributing Columnist

There is an Orwellian state in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in China. It is filled with a network of more than 7,300 police monitoring stations that appear every 500 meters in urban areas.

In recent years, almost 90,000 policemen were recruited and there was a 356 percent increase in security expenditures. This is all designed to contain Uighur people. Uighurs are a Turkic Muslim ethnicity residing in the Xinjiang province, located in the Western region of China. The area has a proposed population of over 15 million Uighurs. The province is twice the size of Germany and has China’s largest natural gas reserves, about 50 percent of its coal and 20 percent of China’s oil.

In 2016, many Uighurs’ passports were systematically confiscated by Chinese authorities.

Regional travel for Uighurs is still restricted, as they cannot visit family in a different region or city without permission from the public security bureau. According to a resident of Xinjiang, “Entire villages in Southern Xinjiang have been emptied of young and middleaged people,” with an aggregate of 12.8 percent of village populations sent to concentration camps. At

least 1 million Uighurs were herded abhorrently into concentration camps for “re-education purposes.”

Guards in the camps are equipped with tear gas, stun guns, electric batons and spiked clubs in order to contain the “students” in camps surrounded by barbed wire and infrared cameras.

The security of the region is strategic; it borders Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, Russia and Mongolia. It is a gateway for the ancient silk road that China wants to redevelop with the Belt Road Initiative. To do so, China is systematically effacing Uighurs from the region, spuriously securing Xinjiang for the Belt Road Initiative. The initiative is akin to the Marshall Plan. Its goal is to expand infrastructure, trade and influence to more than 70 countries in Eurasia and Africa.

It is a strategic imperative to the Chinese Communist Party, even at the cost of “the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.”

The most poignant fact is the only American proponent for the Uighurs is Sen. Marco Rubio. He has consistently highlighted the Uighurs’ plight.

Blood tests done via cell phone apps and ubiquitous facial recognition video cameras in public both contribute to the construction of an Orwellian biometric database.

Security checkpoints are like those of the TSA. Governmentrequired software scans your

phone at mandatory checkpoints looking for forbidden Islamic words; if discovered, the Chinese Communist Party may send you to a concentration camp for “reeducation.” There is a religious ban on beards and veils in Xinjiang.

When Uighurs purchase a kitchen knife, a QR code with their ID data is etched into the knife with a laser. China is now developing gait recognition software — these factors are an evolution toward Orwellian totalitarianism.

Senators and congresspeople, including officials of the current administration, fail to deliver remonstrations toward our ostensible “Cold War” adversary’s human rights abuses. When are we ever going to make countries accountable for their unabashed human rights violations? This administration has repealed its commitment to human rights — the sheer geopolitical tactlessness is sad. The president lauds himself claiming he hires “the best and most serious people.” The last administration to claim that nickname deliberately escalated conflict that seemed to start the Vietnam War — it also was duplicitous and deceitful to the American public. The United States should organize multilateral sanctions for corporations and Chinese officials that are linked to human rights violations.

— Mendel Litzman is a junior majoring in political science.

F UN

Thursday, November 8,2017 2018 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017

Mean Streets

Nate Walker

Horoscopes

Hannah Nathanson

Libra: Revamp your résumé. Add the fact that you’re the first place man stepped after Earth. You were mapped out in 1998, give or take a few years. Once someone places their body on yours, the footprints remain. You don’t even try to wash them off anymore, just let your hands hurt from holding grudges. Your task this week is to let go long enough to hold someone else’s hand instead.

Scorpio: You know what happened last time, and the time before that, and yet you still are laying in your dorm room pondering the appropriate emojis to add to your Snapchats. It’s not stylish. It’s not that easy to say this, but you remind me of a cape.

The way everyone knows what you’re about. You are so damn connotated.

Stop caring about it.

Sagittarius: If I were a better artist, this horoscope would be a really dope drawing of a giant organ with arms and legs and maybe sunglasses. Probably the heart, because this season has forced yours to grow. If I were more intellectual, I’d probably make it ironic instead, replicate your life as a giant liver. An appendix? I don’t know if this is free-associate but you should probably try to draw a self-portrait.

Bet you haven’t done that in a while.

Sudoku

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: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis Itsy bitsy spider

Bitch I’m a cow

Annabeth Sloan

Daniel Eisenhower

ACROSS 1 “__ Buddies”: ’80s sitcom 6 Words on a check 11 Asian noodle soup 14 Lavender is similar to it 15 Hon 16 Toondom’s Olive 17 Frank McCourt memoir 19 “XING” one 20 Postcard view of a city 21 Hold the deed to 22 Sandy slope 23 Salacious 24 J.M. Barrie play 26 Sharp turns 29 Many, many years 31 Deli subs 32 Game with Wild Draw Four cards 33 Of an arm bone 35 Response to bad service 38 Shakespeare comedy 42 Wombs 43 Mar. parade honoree 44 Genetic messenger 45 Starr knighted in 2018 48 Nine-digit ID 49 Antiprohibitionists 50 Gillian Flynn novel 53 “In that case ... ” 55 Discovery cries 56 Blossom buzzer 57 What discreet acts are done on, with “the” 61 Big Apple paper, for short 62 Portmanteau for a collection containing 17-, 24-, 38- and 50-Across?

64 Sticky stuff 65 Joe of “Casino” 66 “__ to suggestions” 67 California’s Big __ 68 Second-string squad 69 Fork points

DOWN 1 Camp bed 2 Wild party 3 Wizards’ castings 4 Skateboard leap 5 Have good intentions 6 Smartphone predecessor, for short 7 Greek storyteller 8 God, in Judaism 9 Jacque’s “thirty” 10 Cries of worry 11 Temporary retail space 12 “Laughing” scavenger 13 From days past 14 Faux __: social goof 18 Arizona resort 22 Crave, with “over” 25 Dadaism pioneer 26 Z, in a pilot’s alphabet 27 Playing an extra NBA period 28 Ahnold’s political nickname 30 Captures

33 Employing 34 Decays 36 “Money __ everything” 37 School orgs.

39 Great Lakes natives 40 Silver lining 41 Fled 46 Thanksgiving gravy ingredient 47 Ultimatum words

49 Chinese dumpling 50 __ up on: unites against 51 “What a kidder!”

52 High-end German camera 54 Hindu guru 58 Rapper __ Fiasco 59 Mining hauls 60 Benign cyst 62 BOLO kin 63 Apple CEO Cook

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Joe Deeney ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

11/08/18 11/06/18

11/08/18 11/06/18

bupipedream.com | November 8, 2018

SPORTS

11

Week 10: Start ‘em or sit ‘em?

Evan Cole Assistant Sports Editor

Fantasy Football Quarterback — Start: Carson Wentz (PHI): Wentz has been looking increasingly comfortable with each game he’s played since returning from an ACL tear. Throwing for at least 300 yards or three touchdowns in each of his past five games, Wentz has proven to be consistent of late. Facing a Cowboys defense that was just gashed by an inferior Titans offense, Wentz should again put up solid numbers this Sunday night.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (TB): Fitzmagic may be back, as the journeyman has thrown for six touchdowns in just over five quarters since supplanting Jameis Winston for the second time this season. Now facing a Redskins defense that has

struggled to contain pass-happy offenses of late, Fitzpatrick could put up another explosive performance this week.

— Sit: Russell Wilson (SEA): Wilson continues to struggle to put up prolific passing numbers, failing to reach 250 passing yards in each game since week one.

Wilson’s lack of yardage makes him tough to trust against a star-studded Rams defense.

— If you’re desperate: Andy Dalton (CIN): Dalton has shown a strong ability to take advantage of easy matchups, and he gets one this week against the Saints. The loss of A.J. Green puts a slight damper on his ceiling, but Dalton should still find the end zone multiple times with Tyler Boyd and company.

Running back — Start: Marlon Mack (IND): Mack is currently nursing a foot injury and has been a limited participant in practice this week.

However, if active, Mack has

proved to have as much upside as any running back, rushing for at least 100 yards and totaling four touchdowns in his past two games. Mack’s volume makes him playable even against a stout Jaguars front seven.

Matt Breida (SF): Despite underwhelming in his past few games, Breida is in a good position to bounce back on Monday night against the Giants. New York has a bottomtier rushing defense, and Breida’s main competition for carries — Raheem Mostert — is out for the season with a broken arm, giving Breida plenty of opportunities to produce.

— Sit: Chris Carson (SEA): Carson aggravated a hip injury in last week’s game against the Chargers, and will not be effective if he suits up this week.

Mike Davis makes sense as a free agency addition if available, as he will likely handle the bulk of Seattle’s carries this week.

— If you’re desperate:

Ito Smith (ATL): Smith has settled in comfortably as the Falcons’ 1B out of the backfield, scoring a touchdown in four of his past five games. Smith has a relatively high floor heading into this week’s matchup with the Browns.

Wide receiver — Start: Jarvis Landry (CLE): Landry has now put together back-toback performances in which he failed to top 50 receiving yards, but has a get-right matchup against a decimated Falcons defense. Landry should return to the solid form he’s had for the majority of the season this week.

Larry Fitzgerald (ARI): Fitzgerald has looked like his old self recently, averaging 71 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in each of his past two games. Becoming a favorite of Josh Rosen, Fitzgerald should continue to be targeted frequently against the Chiefs.

— Sit:

Allen Robinson (CHI): Robinson is expected to return from a two-game absence this week against the Lions.

Incredibly inconsistent to this point, Robinson cannot be trusted with a start this week.

— If you’re desperate: Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB): Regardless of the presence of Randall Cobb, Valdes-Scalding has been a consistent source of production among the Packers’ wide receivers. Recording at least 100 yards or one touchdown in each of his past four games, Valdes-Scalding could continue to produce against the Dolphins this Sunday.

Tight end — Start: Jack Doyle (IND): Doyle totaled 70 receiving yards and a touchdown in his return from injury two weeks ago, and appears to have supplanted Eric Ebron as Andrew Luck’s preferred tight end. Facing a Jaguars defense that has few holes, Luck should check down

to Doyle often, providing Doyle with a high floor this week.

Trey Burton (CHI): Having scored four touchdowns in his past five games, Burton has a decent chance to find the end zone against the Lions this week. Detroit has ceded four touchdowns to tight ends this season, and Burton has emerged as Mitchell Trubisky’s favorite target in the red zone.

— Sit: Eric Ebron (IND): As previously stated, Ebron has fallen below Jack Doyle on the Colts’ tight-end depth chart.

Running fewer routes, Ebron no longer has the upside he possessed earlier in the season.

— If you’re desperate: Evan Engram (NYG): Engram has had a rough sophomore campaign, battling a concussion and an MCL sprain. The 49ers have allowed big performances to teams with competent tight ends, so Engram could put together a solid performance this Monday night.

Men’s tennis competes at Cleveland State Invitational Cestarollo reaches singles finals with four victories Marianne Bohn

Contributing writer

At the Cleveland State Invitational this weekend, the Binghamton men’s tennis team put on impressive performances at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion, obtaining gritty wins while facing national competition.

The three-day tournament held in Cleveland, Ohio highlighted the Bearcats’ tenacity, especially with senior Ludovico Cestarollo’s determination to reach the finals, which is exactly what he accomplished.

As a fourth seed, Cestarollo

was earning wins in sweeping fashion until he finally lost a set in the semifinals against Youngstown State senior Danylo Veremeichuk, who was the eighth seed. After finally battling his way to the finals, he lost to junior Nico Mostardi of Cleveland State, a two seed and three-time champion of the tournament.

Despite the losses, Cestarollo showed off his skills in his six performances, including doubles matches that featured freshman Dylan Friedman and junior Kushaan Nath. “[Cestarollo] had a great weekend, fighting for six combined singles and doubles wins despite being sick and dinged up,” said BU head coach Nick Zieziula. “It was great to see

him work through that to reach the finals.”

Among Cestarollo’s matches, the Bearcats’ singles and doubles teams featured varying degrees of success on the court. Senior Inigo Saez and junior Tiago Lourenco both saw three wins and one loss in their singles bracket, respectively. Both dropped their opening matches. Saez lost to freshman Raul Teichmann of Cleveland State University and Lourenco fell to freshman Clark Bilinovich of CSU. They both came back fiercely to capture three consecutive matches in the back draw.

On the doubles side, Cestarollo joined Friedman, working well together to take two matches, but then turned in a loss

against freshmen David Pata and Mikko Malinen of Northern Illinois University in a heated quarterfinals match.

“We built up a lot of confidence this weekend by working on our grit and toughness,” Zieziula said. “We didn’t get all the results we wanted, but we were really committed to working on critical items. I think we are ready for the MAC Indoor event and it will be fun to see how we do in a strong field.”

The Bearcats’ season continues this weekend when the team travels to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the MAC Indoor Championship, hosted by Western Michigan. The three-day meet begins on Friday, Nov. 9 and runs through the rest of the weekend.

sidney slon staff photographer Senior Ludovico Cestarollo rode a string of four straight victories to reach the singles finals at the Cleveland State Invitational this past weekend.

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COMMENTARY

Fantasy football picks SEE PAGE 11

Thursday, November 8, 2018

kojo senoo pipe dream photographer

Senior forward Rebecca Carmody led the Bearcats in scoring with 16 points on five-for-eight shooting in Binghamton’s opening-night wins.

Women’s basketball defeats Charleston at home Shapiro Ord earns first victory as BU head coach Michael Steinberg pipe dream sports

The first game of Binghamton women’s basketball team’s 201819 season started off just as any game last year might have, with junior guard Kai Moon shooting two free throws. However, this team could not have looked more different on the path to its first victory of the season against the University of Charleston Golden Eagles, 69-62.

This is a brand new Bearcats team led by first-year head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord, who became the first head coach to win her first game with the team since Laurie Kelly in 1998, leading BU (1-0) to its first

opening-game win since 2003.

The team sported a blend of familiar and new faces to come together and secure the victory.

“The team that came in here, Charleston, did a terrific job,” Shapiro Ord said. “They’re gonna be a very, very good team this year and they’re gonna win a lot of basketball games … I knew they were gonna come to battle, but I’m really proud of our girls.

We got over the hump and got this first ‘W.’” One of the highlights of the game for the Bearcats was the performance of their bench, which put up 30 points combined.

Senior forward Rebecca Carmody scored a team-leading 16 points with four assists and two steals as the sixth man.

“I think the biggest thing is that everyone touches the ball,” Carmody said. “Everyone has an

opportunity to score. Everyone on the team can score, so just allowing and giving confidence to each player on the court is very important.”

Nine different players scored in the contest, including an especially strong performance from junior guard Carly Boland, who scored nine points with five assists, four blocks and two steals. “[The system] gives everyone an opportunity to do what they’re best at and keeps the offense moving and keeps people flowing,” Boland said. “It keeps the defense on their toes.”

BU’s impressive foul shooting played a large part in its victory over Charleston. Binghamton shot an impressive 77.3 percent from the charity stripe, which has been a large point of emphasis for the Bearcats in practice.

“We shoot so many every day,” Carmody said. “If we miss, we run. So we don’t want to run, so we make ‘em.”

BU’s sharpshooting did not end there. Despite not making a majority of its attempts from beyond the arc, only two for nine in the contest, BU still managed to shoot 47.2 percent from the field. A lot of that strong percentage came from the team’s dominance in the paint. The Bearcats outscored UC 46-28 in the paint and out-rebounded the Golden Eagles, 39-28.

“We always want to go insideout to get high-percentage shots,” Shapiro Ord said. “So, that was a big thing, but we don’t want to force the issue. Sometimes, we’re thinking we gotta go inside even if they’re not open.”

Binghamton did not shoot well from three and it did not

start the game defending the three-point line well, either.

BU allowed Charleston to score six threes in the first half of the game before stiffening up and allowing only one three-pointer in the second half.

“The whole game, we didn’t really protect the three-point line like we should’ve,” Boland said. “At halftime, we talked about closing out with our hands high.”

The other big problem Binghamton faced this game was turnovers, allowing 21 turnovers over the course of the match. The turnovers didn’t cost the Bearcats too much, however, as Charleston matched Binghamton’s turnover total with 21.

“We just want more opportunities, and the better we do taking care of the basketball, the more shots we get up and

that’s really what you want,” Shapiro Ord said. “When you get more shots up, then you’re gonna get this really high scoring game.”

Despite the mistakes, Shapiro Ord seemed proud of her new group and the way it performed against Charleston.

“It felt extra special tonight,” she said. “It really did, because this group has been working so hard and they’re buying in and they’re believing in the system, and it’s just such a great group, so I’m so happy for them for our first win.”

The Bearcats’ schedule continues with two games this upcoming weekend, the first of which will take place Friday, Nov. 9 against Cornell. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.

Men’s basketball falls to Big Red in season opener Sessoms’ 27 points spoiled by Morgan’s 38 Samuel Ditchek sports editor

Even though the end result was an 86-75 defeat to Cornell, the Binghamton men’s basketball team opened its season in electrifying fashion Tuesday night. Freshman guard Sam Sessoms torched the Big Red with step-back 3-pointers, crossovers that put the crowd in a frenzy and pump fakes that left defenders in disbelief. He corralled five rebounds and posted 27 points, 16 of which came off 64 percent shooting in the first half.

“He’s a game-changer for us,” said BU head coach Tommy Dempsey. “We knew that coming in, it was just a matter of getting him out there and making us a better team. None of it really surprised me.”

While Sessoms’ unquestionably sensational debut, which had him tied for the most points scored by a rookie in his first game as a Bearcat, caught the attention of the 2,108 in attendance, he certainly did not let his stat line cloud his judgment of the team’s performance. The Bearcats (0-1) allowed 49 points in the second 20 minutes compared to the 39

christine derosa contributing photographer Freshman guard Sam Sessoms set the court ablaze in his first appearance for Binghamton, compiling 27 points in 33 minutes of play against Cornell.

they scored.

“It felt good to get out there for the official time to play in front of that crowd,” Sessoms said. “It was like a dream you have always been waiting for, but I felt like it was kinda diminished since we lost. I don’t really care how I did. We just lost and I don’t like that. I don’t like losing, so

I don’t feel like I did enough to help the team win.”

As for the team, Sessoms and several other new additions showed promising flashes, at least offensively. Junior guard Richard Caldwell, Jr. earned a start and contributed two triples, five boards and 12 points. The Bearcats’ offensive production

was limited by their lackluster free-throw shooting, however. BU shot 3-7 in the first half and 3-10 in the second, leaving a costly total of 11 points at the line.

“We need to make our free throws,” Dempsey said.

“They shot more than we did for sure, but when we had our opportunities, we didn’t

make them.”

On the defensive end, though, Dempsey’s squad struggled on multiple fronts. The Big Red (10) hovered around an efficient 45 percent from the field for the entire game, repeatedly beat Binghamton on backdoor cuts to the basket and forced 10 fouls in the first half alone.

The most notable problem for the Bearcats was trying to contain senior guard Matt Morgan, who lit up BU with 38 points on 10-15 shooting.

Morgan, a former All-Ivy League First Team selection and an early entrant to the NBA Draft in both 2017 and 2018, also dominated Binghamton on the glass with 13 boards and defensively with four steals. Morgan shot five for eight from beyond the arc and 13 for 14 from the charity stripe as well.

“We certainly didn’t get it done on the defensive end and I think that was the difference in the game,” Dempsey said. “You can’t let a guy come into your building and get 38. It’s tough to win when that happens.”

Part of the defensive lapses were undoubtedly due to the absence of senior forward Thomas Bruce, who is currently out recovering from a concussion he suffered in the offseason.

The former America East leader in blocks per game with 2.1 currently does not have a

timetable for his return, yet Dempsey does not anticipate his offensive game plan will change much when he is inserted back into the lineup.

“We’re going to play faster in general,” Dempsey said.

“When [Bruce] gets back, that’ll certainly give us more size. We got beat up on the glass at times and we weren’t able to protect the rim quite like we do when he’s in there.”

Although the team came out of Tuesday’s opener with a loss, Dempsey seemed optimistic that the program is trending upward.

Once Bruce and sophomore guard Tyler Stewart return from their respective injuries and fully integrate into this fast-paced offensive system, the team will have the potential to be competitive in most contests moving forward.

“I think, collectively, we probably weren’t at our best offensively, and defensively, we were poor,” Dempsey said. “We saw some good things, we move on and we get ready for Friday night … We have the makings of a good team.”

The Bearcats will look to secure their first victory of the season when they take on the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.