Fall 2018 Issue 25

Phelps Mansion

adds Christmas cheer to its tours all December long see page 8 Monday, December 3, 2018 | Vol. XCIV, Issue 25 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

University Union renovations to begin next summer BU plans to expand study areas, create student-centered space

University Union Renovation Plans

Valerie Puma news intern

With a rising student population at Binghamton University, seating options throughout the University Union have become sparse. To address this issue, BU’s Physical Facilities and Union staff are planning renovations to the basement of the complex beginning next summer and carrying into fall 2019.

The project was conceived in 2015, when a consultant was asked to examine the layout of the University Union.

According to Suzanne Howell, director of Residential Life and associate dean of students, administrators wanted to gain better understand of how people were using the building space and determined the basement was not being used to its full potential.

“A presentation was given after the consultant came in for next steps,” Howell wrote in an email. “This year, when it was decided we had capital funding, we began planning meetings with [Union] staff, Physical Facilities and the SA.” According to Howell, she and Randall Edouard, interim dean of students and assistant vice president for student affairs, have discussed renovating the Union’s basement with several Student Association (SA) presidents over the past three years. This semester, as the project began to solidify, the SA Executive Board has served in an advisory role, meeting biweekly with Howell and Peter Nardone, general manager of the Union, to discuss project updates and provide student feedback.

“The goal is to creatively enhance community and student space to meet

Imagine Craft Bike Shop Post Office Billiards

Ping Pong

Wall removal locations image provided by student association

our growing needs, understand some of the operations of the Union, compare it to other Unions and maximize the current space utilization in all areas,” Howell wrote. “Based on the feedback we received, it was determined that we’d focus on renovating the basement.”

At the annual State of the SA address held on Monday, Nov. 12, the

edited by cory bremer design manager

SA E-Board announced the $2 million campus renovation, among other projects. According to Jerry Toussaint, SA president and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, the project to renovate the Union is just one part of a larger University initiative to revamp the entire campus and ensure that all of its spaces are being utilized to their

fullest capabilities.

“The basement project looks to change the dungeon-like feel of the University Union basement,” Toussaint said. “To create more of a see-and-be-seen space for students, similar to the Marketplace and University Unions at other universities.”

During spring 2018 SA elections, Toussaint ran for SA president on a

platform that included reclaiming the University Union as a space for students, a promise the basement renovations may help him fulfill.

“I believe this project is necessary for our campus, as it will provide more spaces for students to relax and interact with one another outside of the Marketplace,” Toussaint said. “With such limited seating in that area, it is important more spaces are created so students are not as prone to immediately return to their dorm or apartment.”

The current plan includes tearing down walls to replace them with glass sliding walls, creating a more open space in the bowling area while combining the billiards room, table tennis room and hallway to accommodate players and spectators in the game areas. Despite the wall removals, the new space will include a few enclosed study areas for privacy.

There will also be expanded and more relaxed seating options. In November, students were offered the opportunity to view and vote on furniture and provide responses to be taken into consideration by project managers.

Additionally, the current plan will work with the Food Co-op to install a moveable wall in the space. The Food Co-op will keep its current tables and chairs, but will receive updated kitchen appliances.

Kevin Darrell, SA vice president for finance and a senior double-majoring in accounting and mathematics, said he helped plan the renovations and is excited to see the finished product.

“I believe the idea to transform such a central space on our campus into a location where students can meet, hang out and study, among other things, is a great idea,” Darrell said. “I’m graduating this year, so I will not be on campus

see union page 3

Forum covers local NYPIRG talks tuition changes water quality, safety ‘The Fight for a Free SUNY’ promotes student activism

NYPIRG hosts panel of environmental experts Jacob Kerr news intern

In 2017, Binghamton’s water system served 1,263,688,404 gallons of water to 44,564 people, according to the city’s official website. Now, students are starting discussions on whether this water is as clean as it should be.

A panel of five speakers, each experts of different aspects of local environmentalism, took part in a discussion about Broome County’s water systems on Thursday night.

The panel was organized by Binghamton University students who are members of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).

Natalia Romanzo, secretary of the NYPIRG BU chapter and a senior majoring in environmental studies, said the

organization’s Environmental Protection Campaign, which she co-chairs, organized the event to educate students and residents on water safety.

“Water quality is an issue prevalent in the Binghamton area, and as a part of NYPIRG, we believe that access to clean drinking water is a right, not a privilege,” Romanzo said. “We’re looking to empower community members to protect their rights and their health.”

Maya Ballabon, outreach coordinator for NYPIRG and a junior majoring in environmental studies, also co-chairs the Environmental Protection Campaign.

According to Ballabon, the panel aimed to promote a direct conversation about local water quality and propose possible solutions to the issues in Broome County.

Each speaker presented their perspective on local water quality issues before opening up the discussion to questions.

see water page 3

Max Samson

contributing writer

Advocating for free tuition for all students enrolled in SUNY schools, two members of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) taught a group of Binghamton University students how to organize and influence higher education policy on Friday evening.

The teach-in, titled “The Fight for a Free SUNY,” was provided by Emily Skydel, ‘13, a NYPIRG higher education affordability campaign organizer, and Smitha Varghese, chair of NYPIRG’s board of directors and a student at Queens College.

Skydel said her student loans pushed her to become more politically active and ultimately led to her involvement in NYPIRG, where she advocates for changes in tuition policies.

see tuition page 3

mike yang contributing photographer Students gather on Friday evening to learn about organizing and advocating for change in higher education.

PULSE hosts eighth annual leadership conference Keynote speakers, panelists talk entrepreneurship Laura D’Angelo

contributing writer

From jewelry and beauty products to career building and the news cycle, female entrepreneurs of color from a variety of businesses arrived at the eighth annual Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate (P.U.L.S.E.) leadership conference, titled “Fearless and Flourishing Leadership.”

The conference, held on Friday and organized entirely by P.U.L.S.E.’s Executive Board, featured speeches from female entrepreneurs such as Kelcy Hercules, who runs a nonprofit organization called Blossom Be You Project, and Fabiola Jean, a broadcast journalist who runs a nonprofit organization called the Propelled Media Mentorship Program. It also hosted a number of student panelists, including Susan Obatola, an undeclared sophomore, Jada Greene, a junior majoring in graphic design and Danielle Christian, a senior majoring in business administration, all

ARTS & CULTURE

of whom run businesses at Binghamton University.

P.U.L.S.E., which started in 2007, was created to promote professional and personal empowerment for women of color on campus. The leadership conference is one of its largest events of the year. According to Jennifer Tiburcio, president of P.U.L.S.E. and a junior majoring in political science, this year’s conference aimed to be more interactive and encourage networking.

“Last year’s [conference] was on a Saturday morning and was a lot more

sit-down,” Tiburcio said. ”But this year, we focused more on networking and chasing your own dreams. We wanted to empower the women on campus and show the attendees that they are able to follow their own goals and pursue their own paths in life while also being able to sit down, network and have a nice, less formal dinner.”

Shermila Maitland, vice president of P.U.L.S.E. and a senior majoring in human development, said centering the dinner around empowerment made it less formal and showed attendees they shouldn’t be

OPINIONS

apprehensive when it comes to striving for their goals.

“I wanted our audience to know that they don’t have to necessarily wait in order to start capitalizing on their talents,” Maitland said.

Hercules, who started Blossom Be You Project, a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, New York that aims to empower young women of color in underserved communities, spoke about her experiences as a woman of color and an entrepreneur.

see conference page 3

SPORTS

“A Brief Inquiry” into the 1975’s third pop album,

The theatre department put on a jazzy rendition of the timeless ballet “The Nutcracker,”

Copy Desk Chief Sarah Molano criticizes characterizations of immigrants,

Women’s basketball pushes past Fairleigh Dickinson,

BU wrestlers have strong showing in Vegas,

SEE PAGE 9

SEE PAGE 8

SEE PAGE 4

SEE PAGE 12

SEE PAGE 11

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

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The Binghamton Student Managed Adderall Research Team hosts an event in Lecture Hall 7 Friday afternoon titled, “Adderall: Friend or Foe?”

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Illinois is granted statehood, becoming the 21st state of the United States.

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— Former U.S. President George W. Bush in a statement about the death of his father, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

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Police Watch

Christine DeRosa Contributing Writer

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

was intentionally walking slow and gave him the finger. He said the victim also used profanity toward him. The suspect will appear in Vestal Town Court.

GPS struggles WEDNESDAY, Nov. 28, 8:32 a.m. — An officer was dispatched to Vestal Parkway after three vehicles were involved in a crash near the University entrance.

A 26-year-old female said she was following her GPS to get to work when it instructed her to turn into the University. The female knew these instructions were incorrect and stopped in the road to figure out where to go. Her stop caused a vehicle traveling behind her, operated by a 65-year-old male, to come to a sudden halt, and the male’s vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle, driven by a 21-year-old male student. Two of the vehicles sustained minor damage; however, there were no injuries.

The drivers exchanged contact and insurance information.

Drunk and confused FRIDAY, Nov. 30, 1:28 a.m. — Officers responded to the Information Booth on Glenn G. Bartle Drive after a driver refused to leave campus. According to booth attendants, a Dodge Ram arrived at the booth and was unable to present a University ID. The driver, a 19-year-old male, was told to leave campus, but he refused and headed past the Information Booth toward West Drive. An officer located the suspect near the traffic circle on Glenn G. Bartle Drive.

When the officer performed a traffic stop, the driver hit the curb. While approaching the vehicle, the officer noticed dirt and grass in the truck’s hitch. The suspect’s speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot and droopy. The officer asked the suspect if he had consumed any alcohol before driving, and the suspect said he hadn’t.

He said he only entered campus because he didn’t know how to leave the University. The officer administered a standard field sobriety test, after which the suspect admitted to drinking two beers. The suspect was arrested and is scheduled to appear in Vestal Town Court.

Walk faster THURSDAY, Nov. 29, 2:55 p.m. — A 23-year-old male contacted UPD to report an assault. Officers noticed the male had a cut on his cheek with swelling and both fresh and dry blood. The victim said he left his class in Academic Building A around 2:30 p.m. and was walking in the crosswalk on West Drive toward Parking Lot L when a driver in a Honda revved his engine at the crosswalk and told him to walk faster. Later, the victim was crossing Connector Road near Parking Lot M when the same vehicle turned around and stopped in front of the male. The driver, a 28-yearold male, exited the vehicle, removed his jacket and punched the victim twice. The male was evaluated by Harpur’s Ferry, but not transported to the hospital.

He remembered the suspect’s license plate number and officers located the suspect, who said he had a bad lapse in judgment and told officers the victim

Manners matter FRIDAY, Nov. 30, 1:45 a.m. — An officer patrolling East Drive observed two males urinating on the landscaping at Old Digman Hall in Old Dickinson Community. The officer approached the suspects, who were identified as an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old, and began speaking with them.

The suspects admitted they were intoxicated and apologized to the officer for their actions. The officer advised the suspects that if they were caught again they would be arrested, but let them go with a warning.

bupipedream.com | December 3, 2018

NEWS

3

SA introduces mental health, feminine hygiene committees Groups aim to enhance campus resources Hannah Walter pipe dream news

In late November, the Student Association (SA) announced the creation of two new committees aimed at improving life for students: the Feminine Hygiene Committee and the Mental Health Committee.

The Feminine Hygiene Committee was initiated by Binghamton University Council Representative Harry Bittker, a senior majoring in political science, with the goal of increasing affordability and access

to feminine hygiene products for students.

Bittker campaigned on the initiative last year, and the University’s Faculty Senate passed a resolution of support in October.

“The cost of buying tampons and pads every month adds up, especially for college students,” Bittker wrote in an email. “Once you realize how much extra half the student body has to pay because of the bodies they were born with, it becomes an issue of economic equity. And anytime I discuss this initiative with people, it only becomes more and more clear how meaningful it would be for them to see that the University understands and wants to help like that.”

Providing students with affordable menstrual health needs has been increasing in prevalence among public institutions. In October 2017, the SUNY Faculty Senate passed a program to provide free feminine hygiene products in all restrooms at SUNY facilities, modeling it after a New York City initiative that did the same in all public schools, prisons and homeless shelters.

The committee will be led by JoAnn Navarro, the vice president for operations at BU. It will include members from Physical Facilities, Auxiliary Services and the health and wellness department. Bittker will provide a student’s perspective and input to the committee, along with Rachel

Anszelowicz, an assistant in the SA’s multicultural affairs office and a junior triple-majoring in philosophy, classical and Near Eastern studies and philosophy, politics and law.

“One thing that was mentioned in the meeting was that students would gain the most from this initiative, and so I think there’s a sense that, whenever costs and logistics allow, this needs to be crafted with students in mind,” Bittker wrote. “So our goal is to help the committee better understand students’ needs, and make sure that we’re getting the best possible outcome for students.”

Andy Jean-Baptiste, the SA’s vice president for multicultural

affairs and a senior doublemajoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, proposed the Mental Health Committee, which will be chaired

by Anszelowicz.

Anszelowicz said the purpose of the committee will be to assess the mental health resources available on campus, spread awareness of these resources and help end the stigma surrounding mental health illnesses.

“Mental health is a prevalent issue in today’s world and that doesn’t exclude the [BU] campus,” Anszelowicz wrote in an email.

“Mental health issues can often be managed well when met with the proper resources but many students on campus feel that those

resources are not readily available or could be improved. For that reason we started this committee to aim to shape Binghamton’s mental health resources to be able to best help the students that they aim to help.”

The committee itself will not be an active group that requires funding, but instead an exploratory body that works with other groups and departments on campus to address issues and promote mental health care.

“The committee functions by bringing a number of these groups with vested interests in mental health together, in an effort to pool resources to most efficiently shape mental health resources on campus,” Anszelowicz wrote.

Local environmentalists discuss water quality Union water from page 1 The first speaker, Laura Pangallozzi, a visiting assistant professor of geography, spoke on the history of water quality protection in the area, which includes the passage of a federal law titled the Clean Water Act in 1972. The law aimed to set higher standards for water quality, but according to Pangallozzi, a lack of federal funding for water treatment plants has hindered its success. In 2016, 55 percent of rivers and streams and 75 percent of lakes and ponds failed to meet standards set by the Clean Water Act. There are also new threats.

William Huston, environmental advocate from NY Friends of Clean Water and Air, said hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, poses significant dangers to water quality. Fracking is a process in which liquid is pumped into rock beds in order to crack them and make room for natural gas to flow through for extraction. It was outlawed across New York in 2014 on the basis that it can cause contamination of groundwater, among other environmental impacts. But fracking is legal in Pennsylvania, which is upstream

from the Broome County section of the Susquehanna River.

“Binghamton draws its drinking water directly out of the Susquehanna River, straight out of the river, and then they do some filtering,” Huston said.

“There are, back when I checked, about 97 hydrofracked gas wells in Binghamton’s watershed.”

According to Broome County’s website, 70 percent of the county’s water source is from groundwater, or wells, but Binghamton receives its water from the Susquehanna River, a surface water source.

But according to Susan Ryan, a member of the Broome County Legislature for District 11 and a program coordinator of evolutionary studies, there is little that legislators can do to stop the pollution of the Susquehanna River as it flows through other states. Instead, she encouraged students and residents to be informed citizens and vote for politicians that advocate for getting money out of politics. Ryan said passing legislation to prevent corporations and industries from donating to politicians will help ensure laws are passed in favor of environmentalism and local citizens, including laws regulating water quality and

to see open layout union from page 1

sidney slon staff photographer Students involved in Binghamton University’s chapter of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) host a panel discussion with environmental experts to educate the community on local water safety.

banning fracking.

“I think reforming the way money works in politics will then get industry, especially big industry, out of the business of manipulating our democracy,” Ryan said.

Ivo Kennedy, a senior double-majoring in psychology and Spanish, said he attended the panel to learn more about environmental issues in the area.

After hearing from speakers, he

said he believes the solution to protecting water quality resides in social change.

“There definitely needs to be more activism,” Kennedy said.

“Everyone needs to kind of get more involved. One of the speakers was saying it takes a lot of people to make social change like this, and I think it’s super important to do.”

According to Ballabon, the water issue is just one of many environmental concerns that

need citizen support to be fully addressed. She said the panel is another way of encouraging students to think deeply about climate change and other largescale environmental problems.

“Water scarcity and access to clean water is not going to get easier,” Ballabon said. “Especially with all of the climate change issues we have to deal with, it’s only going to exasperate this. So now’s the time to do this.”

Advocacy training pushes free tuition tuition from page 1

rose coschignano staff photographer Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate (P.U.L.S.E.) hosts its eighth annual leadership conference to celebrate female entrepreneurs of color.

Annual event empowers entrepreneurs of color conference from page 1 “In a predominantly white middle school, I was constantly picked on about my skin color, my height, my oversized features and my diction, so I didn’t understand why I was different, and I started to try manipulating my features so that I could fit in with the white students at my school,” Hercules said.

Those experiences inspired Hercules to build her own organization. At Blossom Be You Project, young women focus on learning about career paths and education options, understanding how to address challenges they may face in their schools or workplaces and receiving guidance about how to foster healthy relationships with their peers and adults.

Jean, the founder of the Propelled Media Mentorship Program, also works with young women. During her keynote speech, Jean discussed her nonprofit, which aims to mentor Caribbean and African American women between the ages of 16 and 21 through multimedia platforms and entertainment.

The event also featured a group of student panelists who run their own businesses on campus. Obatola, who created Adunni Angel Extensions, a business that sells eyelash extensions and hair bundles, said feeling

supported is crucial to being a successful entrepreneur.

“I always wanted to have my own business and I feel that tying it into my education and putting my passion to my market would fuel my drive to continue,” Obatola said. “What’s fueling my motivation is to know that people actually want to buy my products or support me.”

Greene, who started her own beauty businesses for hair and eyelashes called “Jadadidmyhair” and ”Jadadidmyminks” on Instagram, said the hardest part about starting a business as a student is maintaining a work-life balance. ”The main struggle is having to balance classes, relationships and just staying sane in college, along with making money, doing my own business [and] taking clients,” Greene said.

Kelsey Bobb, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she was inspired by the leadership conference.

According to Bobb, P.U.L.S.E. reminds her there are other women on campus who share common backgrounds and experiences.

“I feel like this is one of the organizations on campus, especially for colored women, to come together and feel unity and know that we’re in this together,” Bobb said.

“My political awakening definitely happened while taking out a lot of student loans,” Skydel said. “I saw politics as being partisan, and I didn’t know where to go beyond my own frustration socially and financially. What NYPIRG gave me with the emotional struggles with inequalities and injustices was an opportunity for political action.”

New York has drawn attention from higher education advocates for its tuition-free program, the Excelsior Scholarship, which was introduced

by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in April 2017.

Currently, only a certain subset of SUNY students qualify for the program, which stipulates that students’ families cannot have a combined annual salary of more than $125,000. Additionally, students must be New York residents, take 30 credits per calendar year and plan to reside in the state after graduation for the same length of time they participated in the scholarship program.

Despite the Excelsior Scholarship, Skydel said education is still unaffordable for many students within New York.

Skydel and Varghese drew a problemand-solution tree to depict various issues with SUNY’s current tuition model and possible solutions to the issue.

According to Varghese, corruption in state government and an overall lack of state funding are creating starved departments at SUNY schools, causing a drop in the number of full-time professors and advisers at colleges and universities across the system. Skydel and Varghese encouraged attendees to consider how current budgetary issues within the SUNY system impact the lives of students and overall tuition.

“The problem is that higher education is becoming more expensive, and the quality is shrinking,” Skydel said.

“Campuses are underfunded.”

Skydel said current policies will continue to inflate the cost of a college degree in New York, shifting the cost of

a tuition-free program onto students without the Excelsior Scholarship, while restrictions on the program ensure it will only provide tuition-free college for some — mainly, middle-class New Yorkers not already receiving state or federal aid, such as Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

After outlining their view of the problems plaguing higher education within the state, Skydel and Varghese discussed possible solutions to New York’s tuition issues. Some of the discussion revolved around the importance of voting and raising voter awareness.

Skydel and Varghese also highlighted the impact of student action on SUNY campuses, encouraging BU students to table regularly and grow a movement.

Ellie Plotkin-Kaye, president of BU’s NYPIRG chapter and a junior majoring in biology, said her organization regularly engages in this sort of grassroots organization.

“We table regularly on campus to engage students in various environmental justice issues,” PlotkinKaye said. “For the first half of the semester, this is generally on a biweekly basis, with voter registration several times a week.”

Plotkin-Kaye said the group plans to attend Higher Education Day, the largest union advocacy day of any student organization, in Albany in February. At the annual event, NYPIRG members aim to humanize the higher education issues that legislators vote on by providing faces to proposed policies. This year, many advocates at Higher Education Day will be stressing the urgency of pushing for a pro-student budget that decreases tuition costs and ensures higher education is accessible for students across the state.

“If we believe that higher education is a right, because it’s an economic necessity, then it’s our job as advocates, as students, to make sure that every student has access to education,” Plotkin-Kaye said.

full-time to see the new changes next year, however, I am looking forward to visiting and seeing how the students like these changes.”

However, some students expressed mixed feelings on the plans. Daniel Devlin, a junior double-majoring in history and classical and Near Eastern studies, said he thinks the renovations are a great idea.

“I think it’s great that they’re adding more space, and I’m glad they’re supporting the Food Coop,” Devlin said. “They should try giving it more exposure, though, because it’s a really great idea, but not in a very popular location.”

But others were hesitant to embrace the changes, especially the Food Co-op renovations. Ava Glasser, a senior majoring in environmental studies, said the renovation plans should leave the Food Co-op as it is.

“It’s a space with so much history,” Glasser said. “It was made by students, for students, and renovating it will be such a loss for the school. It’s a very unique and cherished place on campus for those who go there, and changing it will make it lose the charm it’s always had.”

Glasser also questioned the necessity of the renovations, and said the money could be better spent elsewhere.

“The libraries just took a big hit in terms of funding, as did the fine arts department,” Glasser said. “I think it’s unnecessary to spend $2 million to completely replace all the furniture when it’s pretty much brand new.”

Toussaint said he expected some pushback on details of the renovation plans, which is why the SA E-Board aimed to collect feedback from students.

“I think some students will be reluctant of the renovations initially because of the issues certain groups will have accessing their spaces in the basement,” Toussaint said.

“Overall, however, once the renovations are finished, it is my hope that the basement could become another big social spot for students to interact, taking some of the high volume of students typically concentrated in the Marketplace.”

Darrell said he hopes the University will continue to seek the feedback of the general student body throughout the implementation of the project.

“When the new space opens, some students may have great ideas on how a procedural element could be improved, such as reserving a space or possible quiet hours for studying,” Darrell said. “Being that the space will be so new, I think it is important for the University to gather student feedback so that students’ concerns are heard and can be acted upon.”

The renovations are scheduled to be completed by Dec. 1, 2019.

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

We must change the way we talk about immigrants They are people, not objects of labor

giannis papanikos/shutterstock Many immigrants have been forced to run to avoid tear gas canisters thrown by authorities.

Sarah Molano Copy Desk Chief

By now, you’ve likely seen the viral photograph of a Honduran mother and her two children fleeing from tear gas in Tijuana, Mexico. Unsurprisingly, the image has been a polarizing force: Many on the right praised U.S. border agents for “protecting” the southern border — conservative commentator Tomi Lahren called it “the highlight of [her] Thanksgiving weekend” — while the majority of liberals condemned the actions of the border agents, pointing out the irony of attacking fleeing migrants on Thanksgiving weekend. While each side has contrasting views, both of their respective rhetoric on immigration is lacking.

To backtrack, the people of the so-called “migrant caravan” are Central American asylum-seekers

fleeing their countries mostly due to violence. In particular, Central America’s Northern Triangle — Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — is known for high rates of homicide, extortion and corruption, drug trafficking and gang violence. Its countries are consistently ranked among the most violent countries in the world. These factors are certainly cause to flee.

No meaningful conversation can be had about Central American refugees without addressing the United States’ contribution to the destabilization of their countries.

For instance, the CIA aided a military coup in Guatemala to overthrow its democratically elected government in 1954.

Why? Guatemala’s government had decided to tackle exploitative labor practices and give land to Mayan Indians, and that would have clashed with U.S. interests, specifically threatening the U.S.owned United Fruit Company and all the land it controlled in Guatemala. Moreover, the

leftist leadership in Guatemala was attacked with accusations of communism, justifying U.S. intervention under the guise of “spreading democracy.” In short, the United States overthrew the Guatemalan government to continue profiting off exploitative Guatemalan labor and resources through the United Fruit Company. The U.S.-backed military regime in Guatemala then led to a series of conservative military dictators and, eventually, the Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted for 36 years and saw the Guatemalan government execute thousands of people, especially its indigenous populations.

I draw out this historical example because it must be made clear that much of the violence these refugees are fleeing from was either caused or supported by the United States. I have yet to see people on either side of the political aisle substantially address this.

Additionally, both sides focus solely on the legality of the

migrants’ actions. For the right, these people are breaking the law by not coming “the legal way,” and so that justifies any actions the United States takes against them. Liberals reply, correctly, that asylum-seekers actually have to come to the United States first in order to seek asylum. In fact, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services states that “[y]ou may apply for asylum status regardless of how you arrived in the United States or your current immigration status.” This answers the right’s assertion about the illegality of the migrants’ actions, and all the right’s allegations that “illegals” increase violent crime in the United States and abuse our social benefit programs have been disproven time and time again.

Though liberals are correct about the asylum process, the conversation cannot end there.

We must acknowledge that our laws often directly oppose social progress. During segregation, people like Rosa Parks were

breaking the law. During the Holocaust, anyone who aided in the Jewish people’s escape was breaking the law. Yet, in retrospect, we know that these lawbreakers were integral in saving lives and pushing humanity in the right direction.

Therefore, I find it unproductive to dwell on the legality of the situation at the southern border.

It should be enough that the refugees are people, and they need help.

In the same vein, I’ve seen my fair share of liberals proclaiming that we should allow the refugees to seek asylum simply because of what they can do for us. In 2015, Kelly Osbourne of “The View” said that if there are no Latinos in the United States — referring to immigrants in this context — then, “Who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?” Likewise, I’ve seen tweets from liberals where they reduce the value of immigrants to their labor, often mirroring Osbourne by alleging that we

need janitors, maids and other jobs that are considered lowskill — we should think about the stereotypes here, too — and that’s a reason to grant migrants asylum. This is not a progressive stance. Again, we should help asylum-seekers simply because they are people who need help.

We need to work on our rhetoric in regard to immigrants.

The whole spectacle we are making of the migrant caravan is doing just that — making it into a spectacle. That’s damaging to us because it removes the individual humanity of each person looking to seek asylum and reduces them to a political hot topic, something to post on social media about and attain “woke” points. I implore you not to fall into that. Advocate for these people not because of what they can do for us, but because it’s the right thing to do.

— Sarah Molano is a senior double-majoring in English and philosophy, politics and law.

Defending abusers is never acceptable One person’s experience with them does not negate another’s experience Annick Tabb Columnist

Many people are taught to always assume the best in others.

Utilizing this principle can be a helpful tool in establishing a sense of trust in a world that can otherwise feel overwhelming and chaotic.

Our surroundings feel safer when we are under the impression that the people around us do not have malicious intentions.

As I’ve gotten older, I have grown more and more cynical about my fellow human beings. I am officially sick and tired of the phrases, “They’re not like that,”

or, “Oh, that person would never do that.” My automatic response is, why wouldn’t they? Anyone who has ever opened a newspaper or a history book knows that the human race has never had any trouble doing horrible things.

This is not to say that every person you come across is maliciously planning your downfall. It is more to say that no one should turn a blind eye to someone’s bad behavior because it goes against the sanctified idea of that person that they have constructed — celebrities and loved ones alike.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, there has been a sharp increase in people sharing their accounts of sexual misconduct and assault. Consequently, people are being forced to come to

terms with the fact that someone who they feel close to may be responsible for someone else’s pain and trauma. Despite this focus on accountability, there has been a reluctance from some to criticize accused individuals whom they know or admire. We, as a society, have been fed the lie that if we are to be sexually violated, it will be by a stranger.

This person is visibly unsavory and immediately can be identified as a criminal. By this logic, an abuser could never be anything like your “male feminist friend” or your “super chill brother.” The reality is that 80 percent of people aged 12 or over who are sexually assaulted know their attacker.

This means that potential abusers are able to blend into our circles

of friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances.

Many celebrities who have been accused of sexual harassment and assault have been able to rely on their equally or more powerful friends and family to testify on their behalf to the public. When chairman and CEO of CBS Les Moonves was accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace, many people came to his defense, citing his friendship, decency and morality as reasons to dispel any suspicions about his guilt.

When Murray Miller, a writer on the show “Girls,” was accused of sexual assault by actress Aurora Perrineau, the show’s co-runners, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, came to his defense. They wrote in a statement, “While our first

instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year.” Dunham also wrote in a tweet, “I believe in a lot of things but the first tenet of my politics is to hold up the people who have held me up, who have filled my world with love.”

Dunham has since apologized for her remarks.

In my opinion, people who continue to defend the actions of abusers are wildly audacious.

Believing that your experience with someone is the only one that counts is both self-absorbed and dangerous. The fact that someone has been kind and supportive to

you does not negate their potential to be manipulative and abusive to someone else. No one should be absolved of their behavior because they wrote a song or directed a film you like, remembered your coffee order at work or is a friend of your significant other.

It can be shocking and demoralizing to learn that someone who you value is capable of hurting someone else. However, it is important to not let your preconceived views of this person blind you to the truth about their behavior. Survivors who come forward with their stories deserve nothing less.

— Annick Tabb is a junior doublemajoring in political science and English.

Is online shopping better than traditional shopping?

It can save time and reduce crowds Sophia LoBiondo Contributing Columnist

I am much more of a Cyber Monday person than a Black Friday shopper. The mob scene of Black Friday, with stories of people tackling each other over the last iPhone or the stretch of standstill traffic leading up to the malls and outlets, has never appealed to me. I would much rather sit on the couch with my

computer, in my pajamas, and shop at my leisure. No traffic, no lines, no crowds of people who will lay their life down for that flat screen TV. Still, as I’ve gotten older, it seems that with each passing holiday season, the holidays have become even more commercialized.

Sadly, commercialization of the holidays takes both employees and shoppers away from their families during a season meant for spending time with family. This, combined with the crowds and lines, is why online shopping is the smartest

way to buy gifts during the holiday season. If more people did most of their shopping online, maybe there wouldn’t be a need to open stores on Thanksgiving to kick off the sales, which forces employees to miss out on time with their loved ones because they have to come into work.

The more people that shop online throughout the holiday season versus rushing out to the stores, the less crowded the stores will be. There’s a trend among consumers that shows that an increase in online

shopping is already happening.

According to projections for sales this holiday season, it is expected that stores will experience up to a 22 percent increase in online sales. The reality is that online shopping is more convenient for people’s increasingly hectic schedules. Finding time to go to the stores, knowing that they’ll probably be a zoo, is difficult when people don’t have much free time to begin with, making online shopping oftentimes the best option.

Not only is online shopping more convenient, but there

are also plenty of online sales during the weeks leading up to Christmas. If you missed out on Black Friday this year, know that there will be many other sales in the next few weeks and that sometimes the best deals come after Black Friday. According to a former Best Buy employee who worked on Black Friday for several years, the sales closer to Christmas or the week before Black Friday were better than the Black Friday sales. While it may be tempting to rush out to the stores, going shopping on Black Friday does not necessarily

mean that you’ll be getting the best deals.

If you’re sick of the crowds, consider doing most of your shopping online this year. Try not to get too caught up in the madness of holiday shopping or missing out on deals in stores.

Online sales can be just as good, if not better, and overall, it’s a more convenient way of shopping — for both you and employees — than going to the stores.

— Sophia LoBiondo undeclared freshman.

is

an

bupipedream.com | December 3, 2018

OPINIONS

5

Fracking is not only an environmental issue The practice also emphasizes social and class injustices Hannah Gulko Columnist

“What the frack is going on, with all this fracking going on?” was the theme song of my sophomore year in high school.

It is from a highly recommended, educationally relevant music video by David Holmes.

To give you a slightly more unimaginative gist of the song, “fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing, is a shale gas and oil recovery technique achieved by drilling deep pits into the earth and flooding them with a highpressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals, thereby allowing space for gases to rise — a process that fractures the rock.

Environmental issues with this process have already been raised; they concern fracking’s use of absurdly high quantities of water, earthquake associations and the escape of carcinogenic chemicals that contaminate surrounding groundwater. Because fracking promotes a continued reliance on fossil fuels, it discourages governments and corporations from investing in renewable sources of energy.

But the environmental concerns actually highlight another deep-rooted problem: fracking’s role in propagating environmental injustice.

Environmental justice, to start, is a concept born out of the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Founded on the idea that the varied costs of industrial development shouldn’t be disproportionately dumped (both literally and figuratively) on poor or minority communities, it stresses the correlation of

industrial development and areas of low-income residents.

Pennsylvania, home to a portion of the Marcellus Shale, an almost 95,000-squaremile rock formation that also stretches across parts of New York, Ohio and West Virginia and holds trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, sees the detrimental effects of fracking.

Environmental researchers were called in to test the estimated exposure to possible gas well pollution, noting that exposure was significantly higher in poor Pennsylvania communities.

From a sociological point of view, this raises environmental justice concerns, as communities under the poverty line generally have less mobility and access to information regarding the potential dangers of contaminated water and release of toxic gases.

Recent findings have found that common fracking chemicals pollute the groundwater feeding three homes in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, where the median household income is 10 percent lower than that of the rest of Pennsylvania.

Researchers have reported that the world’s second-leading cause of lung cancer, radon (a radioactive chemical), is more common in areas near those wells as that in those same locations. Similarly, sulfur dioxide emissions spiked 57 percent from 2012-13 near Pennsylvania natural gas sites.

Sulfur dioxide has been linked to harming the respiratory system and can cause or worsen asthma.

As pictured in Josh Fox’s Oscar-nominated and Emmy award-winning documentary “Gasland,” Pennsylvania residents are finding their groundwater (and thereby home water) sources poisoned

Many people protest fracking, knowing that it is bad for both the environment and the people in affected communities.

by local fracking plants, with high enough levels of methane running through their water system that the families of Dimock, Pennsylvania can literally light their water on fire.

Under the administration of former President George W. Bush in 2005, fracking was

made explicitly exempt from the Safe Water Drinking Act. The exemption gave fracking companies the freedom to inject toxic materials near underground sources of drinking water without reporting the chemicals or the quantities of these chemicals to the

government or to the public.

These are the same sources of drinking water that have been linked to the detrimental health effects exhibited by those who drink it.

Let me make clear that an attack on the earth is an attack on its people. So if you stand for the

seshooteatrepeat/shutterstock

protection of people, you stand for the protection of the earth.

Call for environmental justice.

Protest for environmental sustainability. Fight the frack.

— Hannah Gulko a junior majoring human development.

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General education classes make learning more well-rounded Though not perfect, they enhance academia Theodora Catrina Contributing Columnist

General education classes refer to the foundational courses required in a student’s college career that are meant to promote interdisciplinary learning and to prepare students for success after they graduate. Regardless of a student’s major, everyone must take classes in the same core subjects. However, it seems that the general education system is increasingly regarded as outdated and counterintuitive, as more and more people are wondering why an English major should be paying to take a math

class they have no interest in.

Similarly, the general education system that is present in universities across the United States can be seen as a way for universities to ensure students’ completion of a full four years, as opposed to graduating early, and thus receiving a student’s full four years’ worth of tuition.

As a result, general education requirements could be seen as a profit-maximizing system that has lost sight of what is truly important — interdisciplinary learning and exposure to subjects that may have otherwise been disregarded. Instead, the system has morphed into a financial burden on college students.

In addition, general education classes are, unfortunately, quite inconvenient. For example,

for a math major who hates history and is decidedly bad at the subject, requiring general education history classes can have detrimental effects on their grade-point average, especially at schools like Binghamton University, where general education requirements often cannot be fulfilled through pass/ fail courses.

While it is necessary to take into account the burden general education requirements place on college students, whether that be academically or financially, we must also recognize why they were set in place and the goals of this educational system. The general education system can be seen as the foundation of modern American education, with the intention

of promoting well-roundedness and versatility. Though the general education system has its flaws — potentially restricting students economically and harming them academically — its goals should not be forgotten.

For college students who did not receive premier education in high school, general education classes are a good way to introduce other potentially interesting subjects for students to pursue, particularly ones that they may not have had the opportunity to realize their passion for previously.

Furthermore, incoming college students, as well as freshmen and sophomores, have proven to be fickle people, with 30 percent of associate’s and bachelor’s degree students changing their majors

at least once. For students who come to college undecided about their major, or even for students who are unsure of the major they are pursuing, the variety of required general education classes could introduce them to a major or minor they are passionate about.

Moreover, while general education courses promote opportunity and variety, they also promote essential interdisciplinary learning.

For an engineering major, an English or history course may seem tedious and ultimately unnecessary, but they stimulate a broader skill set that teaches better writing skills and a deeper understanding of the humanities.

Following graduation, and in the subsequent job search,

the expectation to be wellrounded may be subtle, but it will be there, regardless of what industry you choose to enter. Thus, it is necessary to take these required general education courses, which are often in the form of large, lowerlevel survey courses, and to take them seriously.

Ultimately, while the general education system can encumber some students, it is important to realize that for many students, this system allows them to discover their major, learn what industry they would like to enter and potentially allow them to find a new passion.

— Theodora Catrina is a sophomore majoring in mathematics.

DEAR SOPHIA Dear Sophia, I am so stressed about finals.

I have 15 assignments due in the next two weeks! I’ve been staying up all hours of the night trying to get everything done, but it’s exhausting and seems to be never-ending. I already try to plan out my studying, but I always forget about something or get distracted and then my schedule gets thrown out the window. What can I do to manage my work and stress levels?

Hi! I’m sorry that you have so many assignments due! The end of the semester is rough for everyone, so if you feel stressed, know that everyone else is probably feeling overwhelmed as well. With making a study plan, sometimes making a long-term schedule and mapping out a detailed study plan can make you even more stressed, so maybe you should consider setting

smaller and more manageable goals for yourself. Tackle your assignments one day at a time and try to make daily goals that are achievable. You’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something when you complete these smaller goals. Also, try setting reminders on your phone. When I feel like I have a million things going on and know I’m going to forget something, I’ll set a reminder on my phone. Make sure you prioritize your assignments based on when they’re due and how much work needs to be put into each one.

You also might want to try finding a new spot to study.

Usually, I’m the most productive when I’m not in my room. One time I packed my bag and left my room because I knew I had a ton of work to get done and was not going to get anything done in my room. I went for a walk and ended up wandering to Science IV; I got more work

done in the two hours that I was there than I would have all day if I had stayed in my room.

Also, minimize distractions so you can be as productive as possible. For me, I usually get bored while I study and end up on my phone, so I’ll turn off my phone and put it somewhere out of reach.

To manage your stress levels, make sure you take study breaks. If you lock yourself in your room all day, you might have a harder time focusing, so try to do something fun with your friends and get out for a few hours. Get some fresh air and go for a walk (even though it’s freezing out) or watch a movie and then get back to the books. Hang in there; before you know it, these crazy two weeks will be over and you’ll be home. Best of luck, you got this!

Dear Sophia, When I was

home

for

Thanksgiving break, I remembered how exhausting it can be to be home. Everyone is constantly asking me about school and pressing me about whether I’ve decided on a major yet. They want me to tell them all of my crazy college stories, and my few family-safe go-to’s are running out fast. On the other hand, I don’t want my parents to think that my lack of academic achievement and excitement means that it’s been a waste of time and money. How should I deal with my family?

Hi! It can be really hard to deal with family after you’ve been away at school. As an undeclared major, I can definitely relate to feeling pressured for not knowing what I want to do with my life because people seem to assume that I’m wasting my time at college. Even though it’s annoying, sometimes the best thing to do is to tell people

what they want to hear. If your family keeps asking you what you’re majoring in and you don’t feel like getting a lecture about why you haven’t decided, just tell them about what you’re considering majoring in. I find that if I simply tell people “I don’t know,” I get funny looks and they clearly don’t seem satisfied with my answer, whereas if I tell them “I’m not sure, but am thinking of…” and then elaborate, it gives people the impression that I’m not just aimlessly wandering around at college doing nothing. Regardless, there will always be people in your life who will never be satisfied with your answers and will push their opinions onto you. I know it can be annoying, but they’re probably doing that because they care about you and want you to succeed.

If your family thinks that college has been a waste, try telling them about your classes

and what you’re involved with on campus. Talk about what you’re learning and any clubs you’re in or teams that you’re on. It sounds like they’re hoping to hear crazy stories about partying, but you, of course, want to keep the stories family-safe. Instead of going into detail about the wild nights you’ve had, maybe talk about the friends that you’ve made. Steer the conversation away from wild college stories and focus on the people in your life at school.

Don’t get too stressed about what your family thinks about you. I know how overwhelming it can be when everyone wants to know your business, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. Try not to get too discouraged if you feel like your family is not satisfied with what you tell them, and just remember to stay true to yourself. Hope everything works out!

Santacon

W

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Santacon Warrior. You missed all Rumchata shots on Saturday morning. Blasted by 10 a.m., you walked in stumbled your way to State Street and lost your friends in the crowd. But with. When you woke up at 7 p.m., you only vaguely remembered puking extra festive edition, of course. You rallied once again, Santa

bridget mccusker managing editor

WARRIORS

l your 8:30 classes this semester, but you were up bright and early taking nto the wrong party and took a cup of punch to go on your way out. You t don’t worry, you found a stranger at Tom’s to chug spiked hot chocolate g in your Santa hat to the tune of “All I Want for Christmas is You” — the acon Warrior, and now it’s time to recover until Parade Day.

sidney slon staff photographer

The Phelps Mansion Museum is hosting candlelight holiday tours every Thursday evening of December.

Christmas and candles light up the Phelps Mansion The museum will be decked out in festive decor Gabby Iacovano arts & culture

During the month of December, the Phelps Mansion Museum will offer extended hours and special candlelight tours to show off its holiday decor.

Built in 1870 for Sherman Phelps, a local business owner and fifth mayor of the city of Binghamton, the house became a meeting space for a private

ladies club in 1905. The club added an extension onto the house and furnished it with paintings and decor, most of it from the 19th century.

Most mansion tours focus on the story of the Phelps family, with some seasonal variations.

The candlelight tours this month are focused on Victorian holiday traditions. According to Joe Schuerch, house manager of the museum, traditions traveled across the sea from England to America, informing the Christmas celebrations of families like the Phelpses.

The decorating of the tree,

for example, was brought to England from Germany and popularized by Queen Victoria.

“Anything Queen Victoria did, people would emulate because you’re supposed to follow by the queen’s example,” Schuerch said.

The mansion’s first and second floors are open to tour groups, and most of the rooms have been decorated for the holiday season. There are eight Christmas trees in the house, scattered among the dining rooms, parlor, conservatory, halls and bedrooms. The mantles are draped with garlands

and scattered with baubles and angel figures. Schuerch said the use of greenery and natural decorations is true to the period.

“The Victorians loved pulling nature in, so they loved pinecones and berries, greeneries and fruits trees,” Schuerch said.

Schuerch said that the museum staff tries to stay as historically accurate as possible while taking some creative liberties, working to appeal to visitors while still showing off the design of the house.

“You don’t want to hide any

of this beautiful woodwork, you just want to dress it up,” he said. “We say we dress the mansion up in its holiday best.”

The tour focuses not only on decor but on the origins of Christmas games, cards and traditional meals, such as turkey and goose. Following in the Victorian custom of telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve, tour guides will tell a ghost story to guests.

Year-round, the mansion is strewn with fake plants, birds and plated desserts, meant to exhibit common tastes of the era. There are no ropes barring

visitors from the rooms, and most of the mansion can be freely walked through.

Schuerch said these details help contribute to a more realistic experience for visitors.

“You want people to feel like the house is still kind of lived in,” he said. “We try to make it feel like the family could come back any minute.”

Candlelight tours, approximately 50 minutes long, will be offered from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m every Thursday in December. Spots can be reserved via a link on the Phelps Mansion Museum’s Facebook page.

Student groups talk periods WSU and Food Co-op promoted sustainability Krishna Patel

contributing writer

“Jazz Nutcracker” had its annual showing this past weekend at the Watters Theater.

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Traditional ballet gets jazzy ‘Jazz Nutcracker’ performed last weekend Lakhsmi Chatterjee contributing wrtier

This past weekend, audiences were swinging through the land of sweets and walking in twosteps as the Watters Theater in the Anderson Center was transformed into a winter wonderland for “Jazz Nutcracker.”

“Jazz Nutcracker” is an original dance production performed annually from the Binghamton University theatre department. It features both students and local youth dancers and a variety of dances, including jazz, swing, tap, ballet, modern, ballroom and acrobatics.

The production was directed and choreographed by JoEllen Kuhlman, an adjunct lecturer of theatre at BU. She created “Jazz Nutcracker” when she was in college and decided to remake it here.

“We wanted to make a show that got students excited for the holidays, but in a brand new way,” Kuhlman said. “Jazz is much more upbeat, but it still puts the audience in that holiday mood.”

The story follows Clara, a young girl who gets a nutcracker from her grandfather, Drosselmeyer, for Christmas. When all the kids go to sleep, the Nutcracker comes to life and turns into a charming prince, taking Clara through an enchanted land of sweets on Christmas Day. The production is an

adaptation of “The Nutcracker” ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which was itself adapted from the short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” written by E. T. A. Hoffmann in 1816.

Rachel Russo, stage manager for “Jazz Nutcracker” and a junior double-majoring in electrical engineering and theatre, explained how a few things were changed to the story.

“We made minor changes, such as adding an assistant to Drosselmeyer and, of course, changing the choreography up for every scene,” Russo said. “But the land of sweets is still the land of sweets and Clara is still Clara. It’s just a fun twist on a classic story.”

The production included a real magician, David Black, who plays Drosselmeyer. Kuhlman included Black in the show after working with him before and hoping an actual magician’s performance would add to the festive mood of the show.

“The magic has added another layer to the show,” Black said. “I don’t get to work with ensembles a lot, let alone dance productions, but this show was worth it. I hope the audience feels delight and joy through all the bright visuals, dance moves and different styles of music that add to it.”

The setting featured a festive and warm household that quickly transformed into a mythical winter wonderland with a battle against evil mice that soon led them to the bright and colorful

land of sweets.

“We want the audience to feel like they’ve been swept off their feet to a new part of this magical, mythical world at every scene,” said Abigail Calandra, who plays Clara and is a junior doublemajoring in English and theatre.

“The ‘Waltz of the Snowflakes’ at the end of Act 1 is one of the most serene and beautiful scenes of the whole show, but before that, there’s a battle scene where there’s a lot of tension. But then Act 2 opens up into the cheerful land of sweets, which puts everyone in a good mood.”

The cast also featured a wide variety of dancers, including children from the Binghamton area. Evan Lapp, who plays the Nutcracker, is a senior at Johnson City High School who got the lead role after auditioning. He and his little sister were both featured in the production.

“The show quickly lifted me up and put me into the holiday spirit,” Lapp said. “It was hard to keep up with the college students at times, but the production has been so much fun and I hope the audience appreciates our hard work.”

The students and faculty involved in the show hoped everyone got into the holiday spirit after watching the show, especially with finals coming up.

“This time of year can be incredibly stressful, with all these tests and all the money put into the holidays,” Calandra said. “I want everyone to escape a little and appreciate the holidays as a time to enjoy [themselves].”

Menstruation impacts nearly half of the world’s population, and the current most common method of handling the flow of blood is the use of disposable pads or tampons. Recognizing the waste created by the worldwide use of disposable period products, the Binghamton University Food Co-op, a student organization focused on raising awareness about sustainable food practices, partnered with the Women’s Student Union (WSU) to hold a workshop about sustainable menstruation. The event was held at 8 p.m. last Thursday night in the Food Co-op, with the purpose of creating awareness of sustainable period management options that students may not have previously heard of.

While discussing periods, it can be difficult to avoid bringing up graphic images, especially of blood. Sharon Elkouby, manager of the Food Co-op, senior adviser of WSU and a senior majoring in sociology, started off the discussion by stating, “Disclaimer: We will be talking about blood.”

Students discussed everything from the way we talk about periods to the environmental

toll of pads and tampons.

Students even shared their own first period stories, experiences adjusting to and using alternative period products and methods of dealing with and managing menstrual pains in a socially, environmentally and physically conscious way.

Elkouby’s inspiration for the event stemmed from personal experience abroad.

“It started this summer when I met this girl from Germany, and she told me she was on her period,” she said. “I offered her tampons and she said ‘It’s OK, I have the cup’ and it felt like a slap in the face. I realized how much more eco-friendly it was and how ignorant I was to that topic. A menstrual cup was something I was really afraid of because I didn’t have any exposure to it. In America, you’re sold the disposable options from such a young age.”

According to Elkouby, a plastic, disposable sanitary pad takes centuries to decompose.

Period waste ends up in landfills, leaching harsh, toxic chemicals into the soil or in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In addition to this, the environmental consequences of using disposable pads and tampons include the pollution and waste involved in the production of these female hygiene products.

Students at the workshop discussed environmentally

friendlier versions of feminine hygiene products, including organic disposable pads and tampons that involve fewer fossil fuels in their production, reusable pads, reusable period underwear and reusable silicone menstrual cups.

Simon Abramov, a junior majoring in sociology, said that although the use of sustainable period products is only applicable to the portion of the population that experiences menstruation, the environmental consequences impact everyone.

“Environmental issues aren’t an individual issue, they affect everyone even if they are specific to menstruation,” they said. “Toxins involved in the production of menstrual hygiene products can end up in the fish you are eating. The impacts are intersectional, not individual.”

The conversation in the room was fast-paced, lively and energetic, with many people participating, sharing insight on their own experiences and interesting facts.

Alena Rodriguez, a junior majoring in linguistics, said the discussion was balanced and thorough.

“I loved the flow of discussion,” she said. “We had a good balance of information versus personal experience and shaping that within the context of feminism and sustainability.”

rebecca kiss photography editor Last Thursday, the Food Co-op hosted a sustainable menstruation roundtable, focusing on the ecological impacts of the toxins and waste produced by pads and tampons.

bupipedream.com | December 3, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE

9

The 1975 analyzes online relations in third album Band’s new work explores diverse genres Gabby Iacovano arts & culture

On Friday, The 1975 released its third studio album, “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.” Since its debut in 2013, the Manchester-based pop outfit has found its niche in a brand of excess, setting a trend of selfindulgence with its sophomore album’s ridiculously long title and its carefully aestheticized live shows. If The 1975 has historically been bound to the aesthetic culture that surrounds them, this album sees them branching out by pushing the boundaries of its own aesthetic. The result is the band’s most sonically varied and thematically resonant work to date.

Its first two albums dominated by dance pop beats and ‘80s-inspired synths, the band’s vintage roots emerge more brilliantly than ever in its latest album, which marries its signature sound with a miscellany of musical traditions. The album hits sonic sweet spots with “Give Yourself A Try,” a dance track that invokes the youthful desperation

provided by the independent British pop-rock band The 1975 released its third album, titled “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships,” on Nov. 30.

of post-punk, and “Love It If We Made It,” a lament to modern anxieties that cries for help with a whining beat behind its choruses.

The ‘80s inspiration doesn’t stop there — “Inside Your Mind” crawls like a slow Joy Division track, and “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” and “I Couldn’t Be More in Love” stuff the album’s

latter half with power-ballad cheese. Sparse instrumentals and glitchy electronic beats feature heavily on the album, most memorably in the twinkling “How to Draw / Petrichor,” the cryptic “Surrounded by Heads and Bodies” and “The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme,” an eerie spoken-word story

narrated by a male-voiced Siri.

Other tracks exhibit an eclectic blend of genres — “Sincerity Is Scary” and “Mine” are infused with jazz and gospel, and the upbeat “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” could pass for a Drake song. The self-titled intro song continues the band’s tradition of starting every album with a different

spin on the same set of lyrics, this time featuring a piano and vocoder pairing reminiscent of Bon Iver or Imogen Heap. “I Like America & America Likes Me” features similar vocals over a more bombastic, trap-influenced beat. “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes),” the album’s closing track, channels the emotionality of ‘90s Britpop or American emo, elevating modern melodrama to a decadent spectacle. The album yields only one major disappointment — “Be My Mistake” offers little innovation in production or songwriting, which becomes especially obvious due to its placement between two strong tracks.

With its largely young female fan base, The 1975 has always been invaluable in its ability to bring thoughtful mainstream pop music to circles that usually equate “girl culture” with “low culture” — in “Give Yourself A Try,” singer and lyricist Matthew Healy consequently refers to himself as the “millennial that baby boomers like.” Its latest album is no exception; it is sophisticated, ambitious and unabashedly tailored to the interests of young people. “Love It If We Made It,” a list of grievances rattled off like a modern alternative to

Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” references the fall of Kanye West, corrupt prison systems and the usage of “daddy” on the internet. “Sincerity Is Scary” and “The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme” illustrate the ways in which internet culture shapes relationships, and “I Like America & America Likes Me” relates anxiety surrounding mass shootings. The album speaks to Generation Z’s frustrating reliance on technology, our affinity for the music our parents listened to and even our vocabulary — the word “petrichor,” for example, has entered the teenage lexicon via moody Tumblr posts.

Caught between two generations at age 29, Healy acts as a sort of mediator, expounding the dangers of technology as someone who has lived them and not just as a skeptical onlooker. The album deals in the cultural language of young people while shirking memes and irony, treating our unique struggles with the gravity they deserve. In all this talk of the dangers of youth culture, there is a validation and sympathy offered here: “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” insists that “modernity has failed us,” but never once insinuates that we have failed modernity.

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

Moisturize me

Nate Walker Horoscopes

Hannah Nathanson

Cancer: Crochet me your nightmares. Papier mache an origami bird or a paper snowflake. Learn to fly or learn to fall. Or neither. I don’t really care anymore. Isn’t that unique? Me? Not caring for you but still having to filter out the night sky for fate to reach you. Don’t treat me like a symbol in your poems and I’ll touch you like you’re a real person.

Leo: Remember when you used to sing me that song about her? I never knew her name. Not until eight months too late and maybe that’s why it never worked out here. Maybe somewhere else it will. Maybe you have to move away to move back home. Good luck with that.

Vigro: Twenty-six weeks after your first heartbreak, you climbed into the back seat of Nickname’s car and held their hand. They drove to your brother’s house and you drank cocktails off Nickname’s smile. Sometimes your own voice sounds like an alarm clock, sometimes you can’t stop the beating. Nickname makes you.

Sudoku

By The Mepham Group

Level: 1 2 3 4 Solution to last issue's puzzle

Filthy

Annabeth Sloan

© 2017 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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

Let’s get this bread

Sarah Teper

ACROSS 1 “Agreed!”

5 Rose from a chair 10 Free ticket 14 Sicilian resort city 15 Houston baseballer 16 Salon coloring 17 Passenger train’s suitcase carrier 19 “Otello” solo 20 Single-celled creature 21 “Platoon” setting, briefly 23 Texter’s soul mate 24 Former Yankee manager Joe 25 Turned down an invitation 28 Victorian, for one 29 Puerto Rico, to the U.S. 31 Harlem Renaissance author Zora __ Hurston 32 Hissing sound 33 Jets or Sharks, in “West Side Story” 35 Filled completely 36 Guy acting more maturely 39 Some corporate jets 42 Japan is in it 43 Actress Ryan 46 Prenatal test, for short 47 U. of Maryland athlete 49 Affirmative vote 50 Cross between a Boston terrier or boxer and a beagle 53 In one’s stomach 55 French summer 56 Pub pint filler 57 America’s has 100 seats 58 Euros replaced them in Italy 60 Carriage outings 63 Tied, as a game 64 Continental divide?

65 Jazzman Allison 66 Cincinnati team 67 Golfer’s “pitching” iron 68 Art Deco icon

DOWN 1 Arguments with teams 2 Captivates 3 Some woolen sweaters 4 Bar beer 5 Story spanning generations 6 Mao __-tung 7 Like stocks not sold on an exch.

8 Sumatran ape 9 Hip-hop headgear 10 “Everychild. onevoice” org.

11 Everglades transport 12 Nasal cold symptom 13 Supplied with personnel 18 Assist with a heist 22 Brainy bunch 25 Sonia of “Moon Over Parador” 26 Che Guevara’s first name 27 Campus bigwig 30 It’s often broken at breakfast 34 “Peer Gynt Suite” composer

36 Naval hoosegow 37 Sicily, to Sicilians 38 Scratch or dent 39 Shipping department gizmo 40 Like tearjerkers 41 Made irate 43 Fighter with a cape 44 Exam that involves reading letters

45 Rochester brewery or its river 48 Jury member 51 Curved macaroni shape 52 A trey beats it 54 Cartoon genre 57 “Auld Lang __” 59 “Star Trek” rank: Abbr.

61 H.S. equivalency exam 62 Prank

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Kurt Krauss ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

12/03/18

12/03/18

bupipedream.com | December 3, 2018

SPORTS

11

Bearcats compete in Cliff Keen Invitational, Storm Open L. DePrez headlines BU wrestling in Las Vegas Marianne Bohn

contributing writer

sidney slon staff photographer Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kelly earned a sixth-place finish this past weekend at the Storm Open in Las Vegas.

The Bearcats faced tough competition against top-ranked wrestlers this weekend in Sin City at the 2018 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, one of the most challenging college tournaments in the country.

The huge event held over 300 wrestlers from 42 different teams, with approximately 115 ranked grapplers and a select few coming from the nation’s highest-ranked teams. Despite facing some rust early in the season, the team showed its potential to have consistent placing and success, with improvements from previous

matches and seasons.

At the invitational, redshirt freshman Lou DePrez shone through the competition with five wins and only two losses.

Ohio State senior Myles Martin and redshirt senior Drew Foster of Northern Iowa were the only two to defeat DePrez. Yet, he went on to down sophomore Jelani Embree of Michigan and, eventually, nationally ranked sophomore Max Dean of Cornell University to earn his placement on the podium.

Additionally, at the Storm Open, four Bearcats were able to earn spots on the podium, signifying the development that the team has undergone.

Freshman Christopher Barker registered decisions over redshirt junior Nick Steed of Ohio University in round one

and freshman Caleb Cass of Cleveland State University in the quarterfinals. Losing by a pin down to freshman Jake Hart of Virginia Tech in the semifinals, Barker pushed on to receive his third-place spot in the 157-pound bracket over freshman Lavinsky Collins of Clarion University, bringing home a fulfilling win to the Bearcats.

Binghamton continued to place in different weight classes, with three other wrestlers taking home a sixth-place win at the Storm Open. Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kelly fell to redshirt sophomore Jackson Renicker of Michigan State University at the fifth-placement match in the 141-pound weight bracket.

Freshman Michael Zarif fell to freshman Jackson Wrobel of West Virginia University in the

fifth-place match as well for the 149-pound weight bracket.

Redshirt senior Anthony DePrez turned in a victory in the second round against senior Willie Bivens of Clarion University, placing sixth in the 197-pound weight class.

“Today was about getting better,” Associate Head Coach Jasen Borshoff said, per bubearcats.com. “We talked about today being an opportunity to put ourselves in positions to make improvements, and I think we accomplished that. There’s a few matches that we would like to have back, but we wrestled hard and all in all it was a good day.”

The Bearcats will return to the mats this Thursday, Dec. 6 on their home turf against University at Buffalo. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. from the West Gym in Vestal, New York.

Binghamton swimming and diving sweep Canisius Smolar breaks program record in 1,000-yard free Clare Mahoney

contributing writer

The Binghamton men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams concluded an undefeated fall season by conquering Canisius in its home territory on Saturday.

The Bearcats dominated Buffalo’s Koessler Athletic Center with a 200-100 victory for the women and a 191-108 win for the men, earning a sweep.

BU head coach Brad Smith attributed the team’s success against the Golden Griffins to an optimistic mindset and determination.

“I’m proud of our team’s commitment to each other, to their goals,” Smith said. “They come in with a positive attitude, willing to take it one day at a time.

It’s easy when you have studentathletes who are passionate.”

Canisius did take top honors

for the three-meter board event: Senior Vivian Mroz earned a score of 233.10 and sophomore Brett Palo’s performance merited a score of 276.53. Aside from that and a few other isolated Canisius victories, the Bearcats soundly defeated their host.

The women were led by a pair of three-event winners, sophomore Kaitlyn Smolar and senior Brooke Pettis, as well as twoevent winner, sophomore Erica Bachiller. Smolar dominated the 1,000 (10:18.78), 500 (5:05.90) and 200 (1:54.05) freestyle events.

Pettis conquered the fields of the 200 fly, 100 fly and 200 IM with times of 2:05.15, 56.05 and 2:10.40, respectively. In addition, freshman Kelli O’Shea won the 200 breast with a time of 2:24.60, freshman Amanda McGraw placed first in the one-meter diving event with a score of 256.93 and junior Sydney Atendido dominated the 100 breast with a time of 1:05.75.

The women’s showing reflects the nature of their season thus far, one distinguished by

impressive team and individual performances. At the previous meet against Colgate, the 800 free relay team broke the record set by the 2006 Vermont team (8:01.12) with a time of 7:53.38. At the same meet, McGraw and sophomore Sophia Howard qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Meet with scores of 270.83 and 284.32 for the one-meter diving event (the minimum score to qualify is 265.00). Smolar, a member of the record-breaking 800 free relay team, broke a program record (10:22.96) in the 1,000-yard free on Saturday that has stood since 2012.

“She knew she was capable of it,” Smith said of Smolar’s momentous race. “When you have things culminating and building up it … was close to a perfect storm for [Smolar].”

The men have also turned in noteworthy team and individual performances this autumn that continued on Saturday. Four men won two events: Senior Alex Brion dominated the 50 (20.75)

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provided by shabut shagan Sophomore Kaitlyn Smolar won three freestyle events this past weekend, breaking a program record on the 1,000yard freestyle event.

and 100 (47.10), senior Zachary Kaplan won the 100 back (51.75) and 200 back (1:55.48), junior Ross Bernstein swept the 200 fly (1:53.83) and 200 IM (1:53.96) and sophomore Patrick Wilson won meet, highlighting the success of Binghamton’s divers. Smith stated that their triumphs have elevated the tone of the whole team.

“We have a great group of divers,” he said. “We have a great diving coach. When you have some athletes succeed it boosts others … I believe the divers’ performance last meet pushed the

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Dylan Van Manen in the 500 free (4:45.90). Walters qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Meet with a score of 313.80 (the minimum qualifying score is 300.00) in the one-meter event at his previous formula,” Smith said. “Take it one day at a time, focus on the task at hand and enjoy each other’s company. I feel if we do that, there’s not too much we can’t overcome.”

The Bearcats look to carry their momentum at Marist on Jan. 12 at 1 p.m. from the James J. McCann Recreational Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.

CFP selection committee got it right again Justin Zion

For more information,contact:

the 100 breast (57.73) and 200 breast (2:05.50). Single winners included senior Max Willard in the 1,000 (9:50.25), sophomore David Walters in the one-meter diving event (274.05) and junior swimmers against Canisius.”

The team’s performance is particularly notable considering there have been unforeseen issues with scheduling and injuries.

However, Smith noted that the team has not let it affect its depth or attitude.

“We’ve had to make some changes to the game plan … but we just need to keep to the

Another year, another down-to-the-wire decision by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee (CFP), which came out yesterday with its picks of the top four teams to compete for a national title.

This season, the combatants for the final slot in the CFP were Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia. In choosing Oklahoma (12-1), the committee made the correct decision and upheld the very fabric of the system under which teams are chosen.

Heading into championship week, the chatter among college football enthusiasts focused on whether the Alabama Crimson Tide would advance to the CFP if it fell to Georgia (11-2) in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. Nobody even considered that Georgia could still be alive with a loss in that game; the consensus was that if Georgia lost, it was unequivocally out of the conversation.

Then the game was actually played on Saturday. After Georgia once again failed to maintain a substantial halftime lead and dropped a close game to Alabama (13-0), some prominent

commentators, flavored with SEC bias, suggested that Georgia’s performance, despite the loss, earned the Bulldogs a spot in the playoff. “It’s about picking the best four teams,” many of them claimed, and, without offering any substantial evidence, claimed that Georgia was among the four best teams.

Such chatter was ridiculous, and the committee did a commendable job in drowning it out and sticking to its criteria for choosing the teams. The strengths of record were almost equal between Georgia and Oklahoma, and Oklahoma earned a conference championship to boot, a very important distinction in the committee’s eyes. Most of all, Georgia is a two-loss team, while Oklahoma only lost once.

To forsake that fact and put Georgia in because it “just is one of the best four teams” is absurd.

Yes, there is a clause that posits that these criteria can be forsaken if the committee determines that one team is “incomparably” better than another. The committee used this function to select Alabama over Ohio State last season, a decision that I supported. Ohio State, however, was a two-loss team back then, and Alabama had just one defeat. There were no conference champions with fewer than two losses (barring UCF), so the committee was justified in putting in Alabama.

This year, not only are there two major conference champions with one loss, but

Georgia itself has two losses. To claim that a two-loss Georgia team is incomparably better than either Oklahoma or Ohio State (12-1) makes no sense. Perhaps Georgia is slightly better, but that judgment is questionable at best. No one can reasonably say that Georgia is unequivocally better than the Sooners or the Buckeyes to the point that they are incomparable.

Had the committee selected the Buckeyes over the Sooners, I would have disagreed, but the decision would have at least been defensible as the committee would have still been acting within its standards. Had the Bulldogs been chosen, however, the committee would have been throwing away any semblance of a standard for selecting teams, opting instead for a subjective, feelings-based decision that is exactly what drives fans crazy.

Fans want as structured a system as possible, which is exactly what the objective criteria of the committee provides, and is exactly what the committee decided to go with in the end.

Georgia did not deserve to receive a spot in the national semifinals. The Bulldogs had their shot when they had a 14-point lead over the Crimson Tide in the third quarter on Saturday, but they blew it.

Championship teams hold the leads they need to hold and win the games they need to win. That is exactly what Georgia failed to do, and the Bulldogs have rightly gone home as a result.

WRESTLING

BU competes in Vegas SEE PAGE 11

Monday, December 3, 2018

sidney slon staff photographer

Junior guard Karlee Krchnavi tallied 13 points, eight boards and three blocks to help the Bearcats defeat Fairleigh Dickinson at home.

Women’s basketball overpowers Fairleigh Dickinson Carmody, Krchnavi propel BU to 3-1 home stand Evan Cole

assistant sports editor

After a hot start, the Binghamton women’s basketball team was struggling to create open shots against Fairleigh Dickinson. With the Knights (24) down by two, a steal by FDU senior guard Peniel M’Bikata put her ahead of all defenders and in great position to tie the game in the third quarter. However, junior guard Karlee Krchnavi chased down M’Bikata’s shot from behind, punching the ball to the Binghamton pep band.

The momentum-swinging play helped propel the Bearcats (53) to a 73-54 victory over the Knights. Krchnavi dominated on both ends of the court, recording career-highs of 13

points and three blocks. “[Chase-down blocks] are always my favorite,” Krchnavi said. “I had those down, so as soon as I saw that number 12 got the steal, I was like, ‘That ball is mine, I’m gonna get it one way or another.’ I just sprinted my butt off, got back and gave the pep band the ball. I have those down, any time I can get them.”

Both teams began the game on fire offensively, combining for 40 points and seven made 3-pointers in the opening period. BU struggled to get stops defensively because of M’Bikata, who recorded eight points without missing a shot in the first quarter. Featuring great pace and intensity, the quarter was capped off with a buzzerbeating jumper by sophomore guard Lizzy Spindler, who proceeded to let out a vociferous scream of satisfaction as Binghamton took a 23-17 lead.

Each squad made effective defensive adjustments in the second quarter, cooling off from 3-point range as a result. FDU made zero shots from deep in the period but was able to run the Bearcats off the 3-point line and force tough shots inside the arc, as BU shot a lowly 2-for10 on 2-pointers in the second quarter. The teams combined for only 23 points in the quarter after an explosive start to the game. Entering the game in a groove offensively, senior forward Rebecca Carmody struggled to get open in the first half, recording only four points on 2-of-5 shooting. Binghamton failed to attempt a free throw in the first half and entered the halftime break up by three.

The third quarter opened with the same drudging pace with which the first half ended. With both FDU and the Bearcats playing tight, the

game remained winnable for the Knights. Krchnavi’s chasedown block came with just over seven minutes remaining in the quarter, and the Bearcats seized momentum from that point forward. Leading by two at the time of the block, BU outscored Fairleigh Dickinson by 17 in the game’s remaining minutes to earn the victory. Four players scored in double figures for the Bearcats as the team’s off-ball movement produced many open shots off assists.

In the second half, Carmody returned to the form she has shown all season. Freeing herself on many cuts to the basket, the senior poured in 13 of her game-high 17 points in the final two quarters.

“They were overplaying me a lot, so just go backdoor, which the coaches were emphasizing the entire game, and I finally listened,” Carmody said. “My

teammates did a fabulous job of getting the ball to me.”

Sophomore forward Olivia Ramil was one of Carmody’s benefactors, recording five assists in the win. As one of the Bearcats’ tallest rotation players, Ramil has now averaged 4.5 assists over Binghamton’s past four games and has emerged as one of the team’s main facilitators despite playing a position not known for its passing. “[Ramil]’s a great passer, especially when they were doubling her at the top,” said BU head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “She’s an excellent passer.

She knows the game, and she was another spark as well.”

Junior guard Carly Boland and Spindler each played well as BU’s starting backcourt, filling in admirably for junior guard Kai Moon. Boland chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, five

assists and two blocks, while Spindler contributed 13 points and four assists. Binghamton recorded 20 dimes on 30 made field goals, exemplifying the team’s crafty ball movement.

Moon missed her second consecutive game with an injury and was sporting a walking boot on the bench. After the game, Shapiro Ord provided some semblance of a time frame for Moon’s return.

“Hopefully we’ll know more this week,” Shapiro Ord said.

“We’re gonna still rest her a little bit, but we’ll know more. It’s her foot. She should hopefully be back next week. It’s kind of up in the air still.”

After going 3-1 on its home stand, Binghamton will return to action on the road against Niagara on Wednesday. Tipoff from the Gallagher Center in Niagara Falls, New York is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Men’s basketball outpaces Hartwick College at home Four Bearcats reach double figures in third win Samantha Marsh pipe dream sports

rose coschignano staff photographer Senior guard Timmy Rose scored a season-high 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting in a dominant victory for BU over Hartwick.

Coming off a loss to Army, the Binghamton men’s basketball team channeled some stored-up energy in order to not only claim a win against Hartwick, 89-70, but also have five players score in double-digits. Freshman guard Sam Sessoms led the Bearcats (3-5) with 17 points, and senior forward Caleb Stewart was right behind Sessoms with a seasonhigh of 16 points. Twelve of Stewart’s 16 points came from 3-pointers, showing 80 percent accuracy on that front.

“It felt good,” Stewart said. “I got in the gym the day before, and I kind of worked on [threes], so that felt good. I had a rough game the year before, so I tried to bounce back. Coach told me before the game, ‘Get going, gotta get going,’ so I tried to get it going.”

Graduate student forward Chancellor Barnard was next in total points, coming in with 13, including one dunk in the second half. Barnard also led the team in rebounds with 10. The two other double-digit scorers, senior guards Timmy Rose and Everson Davis,

had 12 and 10 points, respectively, a season-high for both players.

Prior to the game against Hartwick (4-3), Davis’ seasonhigh was three points, which came against Misericordia. Davis showed a significant improvement this game, reminiscent of his previous seasons on the team.

“We can’t have one or two guys carrying the team,” said BU head coach Tommy Dempsey. “You need contributions from many, and the reason that I mentioned to [Stewart] before the game ‘You need to get going’ — especially from the three — is because we have two point guards that can live in the lane, but we need to space around them.”

Even though several players had season-best performances, not every player was riding that wave.

Most notably, graduate student guard J.C. Show came away with only seven points, slightly lower than his 11.3 points per game.

Show, however, was 100 percent accurate on free throws and had one steal in the first half.

While the Bearcats were able to put on a notable performance offensively, the team struggled on defense, allowing Hartwick to make 15 3-pointers throughout the contest, which accounted for 45 of the Hawks’ 70 points. The Bearcats were ultimately playing

a three-man team, as Hartwick’s sophomore guard Pat Garey, junior forward Kyle Bradshaw and sophomore guard Tommy Kelly combined scored 50 of the team’s 70 points. Garey, a native of Johnson City, cashed in on all five of his attempted 3-pointers, showing up BU from downtown.

“As I said to our team, I don’t think it was the performance that we wanted, but you have to give credit to your opponent,” Dempsey said. “We talked the last couple days that if they had a chance to hang around in the game, they were going to have to make a lot of threes. Even though it didn’t look like it, we tried to focus on guarding the 3-point line.”

The Bearcats were much more accurate on free throws than they have been in the recent past. Last game, the Bearcats were only able to make one of six free throws, but this time around they were able to make 13 of 16 free throws, with six of those points coming from Sessoms.

With this 19-point win against Hartwick, the Binghamton men’s basketball team is looking to secure its fourth victory Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland as the team faces Morgan State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Talmadge L. Hill Field House.