Fall 2019 Issue 18

Arts & Culture celebrates

LGBTQ History Month, See pages 6 and 7 Monday, October 28, 2019 | Vol. XCVI, Issue 18 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

City councilman under internal legal investigation BU intern at center of ethical questioning

taylor hayes pipe dream illustrator

BU tied for first in national ranking University at the top of Sustainable Campus Index

of understanding was obtained from Livingston, stating the internship was with the Binghamton City Council.

However, other members of City Council say the memorandum was not made available to them, the city clerk’s office, personnel office or any other administrative offices in City Hall, according to an Oct. 16 letter sent by the Office of Corporation Counsel to BU President Harvey Stenger on Oct. 16. Other documents revealed that no work product

month.

According to the Oct. 16 letter to Stenger, the investigation was prompted by an internal review Jeremy Rubino by the Office of Corporation assistant news editor Counsel, led by Kenneth Frank.

The office became aware of Binghamton City Council the issue on July 21 through member Dan Livingston has Christian, who advertised herself become the subject of an as a “property tax research independent investigation and general advising intern at regarding an internship with a Binghamton City Council” on her Binghamton University graduate LinkedIn profile. The office also student that has raised ethical discovered a financial disclosure concerns. statement by Livingston stating According to a Christian was paid press release from “The timesheet and research notes for canvassing, a the Binghamton campaign raise more significant issues than political City Council, Emily activity.

Christian, a secondOn July 29, previously reported.” year graduate student Frank reached out — Kenneth Frank, corportation studying public to Christian and administration other University counsel for Binghamton and Livingston’s officials, who, over intern, was to be paid $1,000 was shared with members of the time, became increasingly through BU’s Student Affairs City Council or other city staff, uncooperative, according to the Internship Fund. But Christian raising questions about whether Oct. 16 letter to Stenger. was also paid more than $500 the internship was of a partisan In a follow-up letter to Stenger, from Livingston’s political political nature. written on Oct. 21, Frank wrote campaign during the course At an Oct. 21 work session, that the apparent misuse of the of her internship, according the Binghamton City Council internship program’s funds has to financial disclosures with unanimously approved the hiring escalated the issue at hand. the New York State Board of of an independent legal counsel “The timesheet and research Elections. Although Christian’s to investigate the matter. The notes raise more significant internship lasted from May 13 to council has yet to name which issues than previously reported,” Aug. 20, Christian was working legal counsel will pursue the Frank wrote. “Once again, the for Livingston beforehand in an investigation. Livingston, who City remains very concerned that unknown capacity. represents Binghamton’s second see investigation page 4 Additionally, a memorandum district, is up for reelection next

Steven Canals, ‘08, Students stage ‘diediscusses ‘POSE’ in’ protest on Spine Emmy nominated show focuses on breaking barriers Brendan Hurley

contributing writer

This past Thursday, the Binghamton University Distinguished Speakers Series hosted Emmy-award-winning alumnus Steven Canals, ’08, at the

Anderson Center. Returning to his alma mater after receiving six Emmy nominations for his show “Pose,” Canals took the stage to a resounding standing ovation for his talk about breaking down barriers and posing, quite literally, a remarkable challenge to the status quo with his show.

The talk was hosted by Desborne

see pose page 7

DIVEST BING calls for financial transparency Leora Schwadron

assistant news editor

Bodies were scattered across the Binghamton University Spine on Thursday as students participated in a die-in.

At the die-in, which was organized by DIVEST BING, student pretended to be dead in protest of a lack of transparency regarding the University’s endowment investments.

Elizabeth Nutig, a member of DIVEST BING and a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said the die-in was meant to represent

see protest page 5

Jeremy Wells & Brendan Enochs pipe dream news

For nearly 50 years, Binghamton University has been active in the areas of environmental and sustainability research. Now, BU is tied in first place nationwide for Sustainability Research, and these efforts are being recognized.

The designation came from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) yearly Sustainable Campus Index (SCI) rankings. Although they were released in August 2019, BU President Harvey Stenger recently announced the ranking at the Upper Susquehanna Watershed Forum held on Oct. 1 and at a BU Council meeting on Oct. 18. BU shares the number-one spot with four other universities: Florida State University and three University of California campuses: Irvine, Merced and San Diego.

The SCI recognizes colleges and universities that are top performers in 17 sustainability categories. Ultimately, they are given scores and ranked for each category including designations for curriculum, transportation and energy use, according to the AASHE guidelines. These scores are tallied up and used to give each university a rating

Women’s soccer beats UML in road contest Binghamton clinches first AE tournament berth since 2017 Ryan Giglio

pipe dream sports

The path to the playoffs in any sport is never easy. Just ask the Binghamton women’s soccer team. After an undefeated stretch of six straight games earlier this season, the Bearcats entered Sunday’s matchup against UMass Lowell (4-9-2, 3-3-1 America East) without a win in nearly a month.

But thanks to junior midfielder Sarah Dibble’s goal and some gutsy defensive stops, BU ended its losing streak with a 1-0 victory. The win also means that Binghamton (9-5-2, 3-3-1 AE) has clinched a spot in next weekend’s AE tournament.

“It’s a great feeling to get three points on the road against a good UMass Lowell team and to qualify for the postseason,” said BU head coach Neel Bhattacharjee.

“Hopefully this game gets us on a roll in

see ranking page 4

see soccer page 10

ARTS & CULTURE

alex gross contributing photographer Junior midfielder Sarah Dibble scored the game-winning goal in the Bearcats’ 1-0 win against UMass Lowell on Sunday.

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Local drag queen featured on reality show,

Pakistani Students Association hosts first Fall Mela,

Contributing columnist Michael Levinstein calls for ethics classes to be implemented across majors,

Swimming and diving swept by Bucknell on the road,

Men’s soccer earns second conference victory against UMBC,

SEE PAGE 6

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 8

SEE PAGE 10

SEE PAGE 10

PAGE II Monday, October 2019 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,28, 2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017

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Pumpkin Portraits

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zachary canaperi contributing photographer

Students participate in a pumpkin painting contest held by resident assistants on Friday night in Lehman Hall of Hinman College.

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stabilizing:birthdays

specialissues:destabilizing

“He didn’t die a hero. He died a coward: crying, whimpering, screaming and bringing three kids with him to die.”

— President Donald Trump, while announcing the death of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died during an American military raid on Saturday after detonating a suicide vest, killing himself and three children.

Police Watch

Rose Coschignano Pipe Dream News

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

Admissions Center bathroom and confirmed that there was a mirror in that location. The claim was deemed unfounded.

Making a statement MONDAY, Oct. 21, 8:09 p.m. — UPD responded to Broome Hall of Newing College following a vandalism complaint made by a 21-year-old resident assistant. The RA stated that a printed-out image of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had been maimed, as the eyes of the image were scratched out and the entire poster was torn down from the board. Officers reviewed video footage, which ultimately showed two male suspects approaching the bulletin board at approximately 1:44 a.m. The first suspect was observed scratching out the eyes of the poster; the second suspect was then seen tearing down the poster from the board, dropping it to the ground and stomping on it multiple times. The suspects then walked down the hall and went into a different room.

Officers responded to the suspects’ room and upon entering, the first suspect asked, “Is this about what me and my friend did to the bulletin board?” The suspect was apologetic and admitted to the vandalism and provided the officers with the name of the other suspect, who was also apologetic. The criminal charges were dropped and the two suspects were referred to the Office of Student Conduct.

Friend, foe or drug dealer WEDNESDAY, Oct. 23, 12:45 a.m. — Officers observed a vehicle near the campus entrance on Glenn G. Bartle Drive stopped with its hazard lights on.

Officers asked the 20-year-old male driver if there was anything wrong or if he needed assistance. The driver told the officers that he was visiting a friend who lived on campus and was waiting for the friend to bring his student ID to the entrance booth since he is not affiliated with the University.

While speaking with the driver, officers observed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver admitted he had smoked marijuana on the drive up to BU, but said there was no marijuana left in the vehicle. The driver was found not to be impaired. However, upon searching his vehicle, officers discovered several bags full of marijuana, a RAW loader card and funnel, an ashtray full of marijuana remnants, a bong and a glass pipe. The officers asked the driver if he intended to distribute any of the items, and he said he did not. The driver showed the officers the Instagram page where he had purchased the items.

UPD confiscated the contraband. During the course of the interaction, the driver’s license was found to be suspended for a number of unanswered traffic tickets.

The driver was issued an appearance ticket for Vestal Town Court.

Mirror, mirror on the stall TUESDAY, Oct. 22, 1:07 p.m. — Officers responded to the Admissions Center following a harassment complaint made by a 19-year-old female victim. While the victim was using the restroom in the Admissions Center, the suspect, a woman wearing a red dress and high heels, entered the restroom and appeared to peek through the crack in the stall door at the victim while she was using the bathroom. The victim attempted to get the suspect’s attention, but the suspect did not respond. However, as the victim exited the stall, the suspect left the restroom. The student proceeded to contact UPD. Using video footage from outside the bathroom, the suspect was identified. The following day, the suspect was contacted by UPD and questioned. The suspect said she was using the mirror on the back of the stall door to adjust her dress. Officers returned to the

Gotta look harder THURSDAY, Oct. 24, 4:00 p.m. — Officers responded to Digman Hall of Dickinson Community following a report that a painting belonging to a 19-year-old male victim had disappeared. Initially, the student believed the painting had just fallen behind his desk, below where it had been hung. After checking behind his desk, it was not there, leading him to suspect the painting was stolen. An officer confirmed the painting had not fallen behind the desk, but proceeded to look behind the victim’s wardrobe, which was in close proximity to where the painting was hanging, and found the painting behind it. Officers helped the student rehang his painting in the spot where it had been. The report was closed as unfounded.

This Day in History Oct. 28, 1636 The first school of higher education in the United States, established by the Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, is founded. Today, it is known as Harvard University.

Pipe Line LOCAL NEWS

‘Drug Take Back Day’ reaches Broome County Counties from across the country, including Broome County, opened their doors on Saturday to residents looking to return unused prescription drugs, according to FOX 40. During the event, anyone could bring their drugs to places like the Broome County Health Department and the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.

County officials said the event aimed to provide an opportunity to dispose of drugs safely and educate the public about drug abuse.

Cornell University student reported missing The body of Antonio Tsialas, a freshman at Cornell University, was found Satuday evening in Falls Creek near Ithaca Falls, according to FOX 40. Tsialas was seen last at a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity event on Thursday night, and reported missing on Friday afternoon when he failed to meet a family member. No foul play is suspected, police said.

STATE NEWS

New York state brings ExxonMobil to court A trial against ExxonMobil started Tuesday in Manhattan following a four-year investigation by New York state, according to U.S.

News & World Report. The state claims ExxonMobil scientists have known about their company’s harmful effects on the climate for more than four decades.

After the trial began, Massachusetts also filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil, and the Supreme Court moved forward with three other lawsuits against many oil companies, including ExxonMobil.

Wegman’s opens in New York City After four years of anticipation, Rochester-based grocery chain Wegman’s opened it’s first location in New York City on Sunday.

Shoppers stood in the rain to wait for the opening of the new store at Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, which spans 74,000-square-feet and carries more than 50,000 individual products.

NATIONAL NEWS

Trump announces death of ISIS leader U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday morning that a successful military raid in Syria resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to The New York Times. His death marks a major victory for the United States in the battle against ISIS, even as troops are pulling out of Syria. No Americans were killed in the operation, although one military dog was injured.

bupipedream.com | October 28, 2019

NEWS

3

TAE lunch talk focuses on sustainable communities

zachary canaperi contributing photographer Louisa Holmes, an assistant professor of geography and environmental studies, gives a presentation at Thursday’s Sustainable Communities Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence (TAE) lunch talk.

Discussion covers health, accessibility Jane Mou

contributing writer

On Thursday, approximately 30 members of the Sustainable Communities Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence (TAE) gathered to hear from Louisa Holmes, a TAE committee member and an assistant professor of geography and environmental studies.

The TAE, which consists of faculty members who have backgrounds in a range of subjects, acts as an initiative to combine the perspectives of different disciplines to take on a

more holistic approach to research in sustainable communities, according to Binghamton University’s website. Holmes said she is primarily concerned with incorporating population health into current models of sustainable communities.

According to Holmes, health education is often a topic that is overlooked in the framework of sustainable communities. During her talk, she mentioned that factors such as food insecurity, quality education, gender equality, sanitation and economic growth may promote disease in certain communities.

“Health and accessibility [are] inextricably connected,” Holmes said. “Income inequality is related

to poor health outcomes …

The U.S. ranks high in income inequality and worse on the index of health.”

This was a common theme throughout her talk, in which she said that there cannot be one without the other.

Holmes proposed planning communities around a 20-minute neighborhood, meaning that important locations such as grocery stores, hospitals, schools and more are located within a 20-minute radius from neighborhoods.

Holmes explained that although cities are not planned according to this model, it could have profound impacts on both a social and ecological level.

Mark Blumler, an associate professor of geography, was in attendance for the talk. He applauded Holmes for her ability to discuss the complex health issues in a concise way.

“Our health care system is screwed up in multiple ways, such as overemphasizing drugs and surgery rather than prevention,” Blumler wrote in an email. “I was amazed at how much [Professor] Holmes covered, and that she was able to go through so much material so rapidly yet without being confusing.”

In addition, Blumler called for more research that would shift priorities away from pharmaceutical drugs and instead toward the social factors that

induce disease and solutions to foster prevention.

A majority of attendees were members of the TAE committee, faculty members interested in Holmes’ work and some of her friends. The intimate setting allowed for a thorough Q&A session to take place at the end of the talk.

Several students said TAE talks are often tailored to a specific community that excludes undergraduate students. Gabby Ng, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she was not aware about the TAE event. Still, she said she would be interested in attending future events to learn more about sustainability.

“I feel like sustainable communities are important to raise awareness about pollution,” Ng said. “Also, it’s important to educate the public, especially younger adults and children, about how to help the environment.”

Samantha Wong, a junior majoring in environmental studies, was also not in attendance at the TAE talk; however, she said she feels strongly about the importance of sustainable communities.

“I feel like implementing sustainable communities is important for mitigating the effects of climate change and help[s] reduce our impact on furthering it,” Wong said.

English faculty respond to Georgia book burning incident Department condemns reaction to novel Gitl-Yevgeniya Driker pipe dream news

Jennine Capó Crucet’s book, “Make Your Home Among Strangers,” fell victim to a bookburning protest at Georgia State University (GSU) earlier this month. In response, Binghamton University’s English department wrote a public statement condemning the protest.

“The image of burning books evokes powerful associations of

racial terror connected to Nazis in 1930s Germany and the burning crosses of the Klu Klux Klan,” the Oct. 21 statement read. “While this book burning cloaks itself in the language of free speech, it is an act of intimidation that contributes to an anti-intellectual atmosphere of silence, fear and domination.”

The protest took place on Oct. 9 at GSU following a talk given by Capó Crucet, who was invited to the university to talk about her book which had been assigned reading in certain firstyear classes. The talk, as well as the novel, focused on Capó

Crucet’s experiences as a woman of color in a predominantly white academic environment.

Some students at GSU responded negatively to the talk, claiming that Capó Crucet was insulting white people. In turn, they threw copies of Capó Crucet’s book into open flames.

According to Jennifer Stoever, an associate professor of English at BU, the English department felt the statement was important to show solidarity and make it known that they will not tolerate such actions.

“We wanted to offer our support and solidarity to the

author, who came to Binghamton University to speak and receive our highest literary award in 2010, the John Gardner Award — [to] our colleagues at GSU and our colleagues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Capó Crucet’s home institution, letting them know that we saw what happened, that we witnessed it for what it was: a very specific speech act connected to the racial terror of the Nazis and the Klu Klux Klan, and we could not be silent about it,” Stoever wrote in an email.

Stoever also wrote that the act is important to address because of a recent rise in racial violence.

“These incidents of overt racial terror are on the rise, and contrary to popular belief, white supremacist violence is not just a ‘Southern thing,’” Stoever wrote.

“Many people have been saying this about the GSU incident, but it’s everywhere in this country, particularly right now. The English department collectively refuses the kind of fear that the GSU book burning attempted to engender in us; we will continue producing anti-racist knowledge and we will speak out on our own campus.”

Joseph Keith, chair of the English department and an

associate professor of English at BU, wrote in an email that the statement also aims to show the department’s commitment to creating an open and inclusive environment.

“We felt it important to make a statement to our own students and our own campus and as an opportunity to reflect upon the kind of work we can do as a department to foster an inclusive space and where we can consider how racism impacts our campus — our students and colleagues both here at Binghamton and those visiting our university,” Keith wrote in an email.

SA tables to promote sexual assault awareness campaign Initiative aims to combat abuse stigma Melanie Gulbas pipe dream news

Binghamton University’s Student Association (SA) hopes to broaden the conversation and reduce the stigma surrounding sexual assault as part of a new campaign being rolled out this fall.

On Thursday, the SA and Crime Victims Assistance Center, Inc. (CVAC) collaborated by setting up a display table on campus to talk with students about sexual assault and hand out pamphlets offering on- and off-campus resources.

SA President Emma Ross, a senior double-majoring in political science and psychology, said it is incredibly important to discuss sexual assault and break the taboo nature of the topic.

“We are trying to make the discussion around sexual assault more accessible,” Ross said. “This is a very serious topic and, until recently, one that has not been very public.”

Ross said she wants students to never feel alone and to know their resources. Still, she said speaking up is the victim’s decision, and assault happens more often than records show.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, more than 90 percent of sexual assault

victims on college campuses do not report the assault.

Maggie Koekkoek, SA chief of staff and a junior majoring in biomedical engineering, said those who experience sexual assault may not know who to reach out to afterward, something she hopes to change on BU’s campus.

“I hope that students come away with a greater understanding of the places that they can go for support and solutions after cases of sexual assault,” Koekkoek said. “I am hoping that students will hold onto our reference materials for the future to use and share with friends in need.

I also hope that this event opens up the conversation and starts to

normalize the use of reporting and getting help after cases of sexual assault.”

Some of these resources include mandated reporters, who must report the names and facts of cases that are brought to them to relevant authorities, and others are confidential, meaning any information a victim provides remains between the resource and the victim.

“These are important distinctions to know about as different students have different needs,” Koekkoek said. “I wanted to create an event where we can hand out information in a concise format that makes these distinctions clear.”

Koekkoek said giving a variety

of resource options is important as students may feel more comfortable talking about the subject in the community and not on campus, naming this as one reason the SA partnered with CVAC. The center offers a number of confidential and off-campus resources, such as counseling and a 24-hour crisis line.

“When students are vulnerable, some may not want to be on campus in the Union talking about it,” Koekkoek said.

“It’s such a personal choice.”

Taina Diaz, SA director of advocacy and a senior majoring in political science, helps contact student organizations to coordinate events, and said she hopes to help with additional

student group collaborations on sexual assault. She said she is particularly concerned with partnering with more diverse student groups, especially given how sensitive the topic of sexual assault can be.

“It affects so many people and honestly affects more people than we know,” Diaz said. “If we can have these conversations, then maybe we can prevent it from happening and people won’t feel like they have to stay silent.”

The SA plans to have more events this semester centered around sexual assault education and partner with other student organizations to continue their sexual assault education campaign.

4

NEWS

bupipedream.com | October 28, 2019

University, students prepare ahead of winter season BU advises community on weather safety Hamza Khan

contributing writer

As students begin replacing summer clothes with sweaters, Binghamton University is preparing for yet another snowy season.

While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that this year’s winter will be warmer than the last, it will also contain slightly more precipitation, raising concerns among students who utilize campus roads and parking lots.

Samir Rahimy, a senior majoring in business administration, said he has lived on campus for the past three years, and commended the University on their responses to snow in the past. Older students may recall being snowed in by Hurricane Stella in 2017, during which several cleanup employees worked more than 80 hours in a week to keep campus roads open.

“I thought BU did a great job clearing snow, but I would just park at Appalachian [Collegiate Center] and not drive much because of ice,” Rahimy said.

Kiernan Fischer, a sophomore majoring in political science, was also supportive of the University’s past efforts to manage the snowfall, though she voiced concerns about commuters’ safety, given the University’s reluctance to cancel classes last year.

“While the University did a good job cleaning up snow in general, it did feel a bit slippery and there were times I felt commuters would have a difficult time reaching the campus if it remained open,” Fischer said.

David Husch, director of transportation at the University, suggested that students take time to prepare themselves for commuting in the snow.

“Students should plan ahead when bad weather is in the forecast and allow themselves more time for their daily commute,” Husch said. “For those that drive to campus, more time will be needed to clean off your vehicle and safely navigate

max samson art director

slippery conditions.”

While commuting in the snowy season may be difficult,

Husch reminds students of the campus-provided alternative — Off Campus College Transport

(OCCT) buses.

“If classes are canceled during the day, OCCT does

their best to provide service for a few additional hours in order to get everyone home,” Husch

said. “For those taking a bus to campus, plan ahead and take an earlier bus so you can ensure you get to class on time. During bad weather, buses may run behind.”

OCCT Director Raul Avalos extends OCCT hours to accommodate students after classes are canceled, but also cautions his bus drivers during the snowy season.

“During snowfall, I ask my drivers to keep safety at the forefront of their minds,” Avalos said. “Safety is our top priority and comes before thinking about making it to a destination on time. I tell them to follow a safe speed and to practice caution when going up and down hills.”

On campus, snow cleanup operations are handled

by Physical Facilities. Tanya Husick, executive director of Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), praised the department on its past efforts, and warned students of the restrictions placed on campus parking during the winter.

“Physical facilities does a great job clearing the parking lots and bus stops for the campus community,” Husick said. “During the winter months, it is even more important to remember that during snowfall, vehicles are prohibited from parking in commuter lots between midnight and 5 a.m. In addition, the visitor’s paid lot, Lot LT and Lot J1 need to be empty between 5 [a.m.] and 7 a.m. if the green light is on. These rules are in place to keep the commuter lots cleared of snow.”

Students need to be wary of these restrictions, as any vehicles breaching these terms will be towed and ticketed a $40 fine when snow is expected overnight, according to the TAPS website.

Husick said students wishing to stay overnight can park in available 24-hour ‘R’ lots. The TAPS website provides a map of parking lot options for students.

The threat of the not-so-faraway snowy season continues to loom over campus. Students such as Ned Rozell, a senior majoring in biology, prefer taking it upon themselves to remain prepared.

“Just drive slow,” Rozell said.

“It can snow really hard at times and the school last year was adamant not to close.”

Campus recognized for environmental sustainability ranking from page 1 of either platinum, gold, silver or bronze — BU currently has a silver rating with an overall score of 61.82 out of 100.

Carl Lipo, professor of anthropology and environmental studies, director of environmental studies and chair of the Sustainable Communities Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence (TAE), attributes much of the University’s success in sustainability research to the TAE program, which has brought faculty from different backgrounds together to work on various research projects.

“The sustainable communities TAE has greatly assisted in supporting and growing research in

sustainability,” Lipo wrote in an email. “The TAE supports seed grants, runs lecture series, has research projects and generally provides a way [for] faculty to talk about the many dimensions of sustainability. That has really made a difference in our work.”

Lipo’s work in sustainability research has been conducted jointly with Timothy de Smet, a research assistant professor of anthropology at BU and Pamela Mischen, an associate professor of public administration. Their research focuses on Easter Island and the sustainability of its inhabitants.

There are a number of other professors involved in the sustainable communities TAE program, including Louisa Holmes, an assistant professor

of environmental studies and geography, and Jessica Hua, an assistant professor of biology.

“Louisa Holmes has been examining the factors that lead to differences in the health of communities that are the result of economics, education and access to resources,” Lipo wrote.

“Jessica Hua looks at the effects of pesticides and road salt on amphibians and their ecologies.”

Holmes has also worked on sustainability efforts directly related to the University.

“Examples include the ongoing development of Nuthatch Hollow, and research of the Smart Energy research centers and the Center for Integrated Watershed [Studies],” Holmes wrote in an email. “The BU faculty and President Stenger

ratified a sustainability plan last year, for which one goal is to increase the number of faculty on BU’s campus engaging in sustainability research.”

Smart and sustainable energy has been a focus of research at BU, especially in the FirstYear Immersion (FRI) program, which connects freshman students with hands-on research in a number of areas.

Liliana Karam, a research assistant professor of the smart energy stream of the FRI program, said she believes in the importance of sustainable energy research at BU. “It’s really exciting to be part of a university that is taking sustainability so seriously, and it’s great that Binghamton [University] has been recognized

in its efforts,” Karam wrote in an email. “Students are looking for ways to improve the optical properties of materials, decrease their toxicity and increase their stability to facilitate commercial implementation in energy-related devices. Other projects include investigations of new materials for next generation batteries.”

Julia Berliner, a senior double-majoring in biology and environmental studies, said BU is dedicated to sustainability research and has provided students interested in the field with valuable research opportunities.

“There are so many labs to choose from that are doing research that’s interesting and accessible to undergraduates

in the environmental [studies] program,” Berliner said.

But Berliner also said many students are unaware of BU’s efforts and their position on the list.

“I haven’t seen anything about this,” Berliner said. “I’m proud of it, so I wish they’d show it off more.”

Ryan Flood Taylor, a junior majoring in environmental studies, shares similar concerns, and hopes the University’s new placement on the SCI list will bring increased funding and recognition.

“I feel the University should do a better job advertising our success in sustainability research,” Taylor said. “It will help us secure more notoriety and funding.”

City Council says Livingston failed to disclose BU intern investigation from page 1 University resources and funds and the ‘intern’s’ time were being used improperly.”

In the second letter, a review of Christian’s internship asserted that her work was limited to 34.5 hours per week, according to the memorandum. However, Christian and Livingston did not provide records for the last month of her internship, from July 30 onward. Furthermore, Christian worked on policies regarding the Binghamton-Johnson City Joint Sewage Treatment Plant, which Frank wrote is a pending political issue outside the proclaimed scope of the internship.

In sum, Christian spent up to 34.5 hours on assessment work,

32 hours doing partisan research on the sewage plant, 21.75 hours devoted to campaign activity and four hours relating to unknown work, according to the Oct. 21 letter to Stenger. However, her work on assessment review, the primary purpose of the internship, was last recorded on June 27, two months before the end of her internship.

Christian declined to comment on situation, citing contractual obligations.

Livingston commented on the matter in a public video released on YouTube from the Oct. 21 work meeting, where he said Christian worked as his intern, as there are no formal internships for the Binghamton City Council.

“As I recall, I was told that

there was no internship program for City Council and I also remember that Council [member Giovanni] Scaringi has talked about setting up an internship for City Council in the past,” Livingston said.

Livingston added that Christian mainly worked on tax policy, but did indeed look into policy on the sewage plant.

Livingston said the projects Christian undertook may not have fit the guidelines of the University.

“I talked with the internship coordinator over at [BU],” Livingston said. “Apparently the [memorandum] was drafted as a project by the intern and it wasn’t a standard form that [BU] was looking for … She

wasn’t representing Binghamton City Council.”

A press release from the Binghamton City Democratic Committee alleges that the investigation is a continued partisan attack by opposing Republicans. The press release also stressed Livingston’s efforts to increase transparency and gave examples of local Republican officials engaging in similar work-related partnerships.

“This latest attack is the most obvious attempt to launch a political hit job two weeks before the election,” the statement read. “The facts are clear, and Livingston has nothing to hide, which is why he voted in support of the investigation.”

John Matzo, council member

for Binghamton’s sixth district, wrote in a statement that the City Council has a right to know what happened over the course of t he internship.

“On the surface, it appears Councilman Livingston coordinated a paid internship for one of his campaign staffers without City Council’s knowledge or approval,” Matzo wrote. “City Council has a responsibility to investigate exactly what happened and ensure all documents, facts and information come forward in a transparent, timely manner.”

Others echoed similar sentiments. Dani Cronce, council member for Binghamton’s third district, wrote that Livingston “coordinated this internship behind the backs

of his colleagues,” and Chris Papastrat, council member for Binghamton’s fifth district, wrote that the internal review has “uncovered more questions than answers.”

Despite the investigation, Thomas Scanlon, council member for Binghamton’s seventh district and City Council president, wrote that partnerships with BU will continue.

“This situation raises ethical concerns, especially given that no one was even aware this internship existed,” Scanlon wrote. “City Council’s goal should be to get a complete assessment of what took place and ensure that positive, productive partnerships with Binghamton University continue in the future.”

bupipedream.com | October 28, 2019

NEWS

5

Campus group demands information on investments

kimberly gonzalez digital editor

In protest of lack of transparency in the allocation of Binghamton University funds, students participate in a ‘die-in’ on the Spine on Thursday.

the negative effects of certain industries the group believes BU could be investing in.

“We’re protesting against the lack of transparency with

the endowment of this school,” Nutig said. “The Binghamton University Foundation refuses to tell us where our money is going, and historically money that universities and other big organizations or corporations

invest in is fossil fuels, war machines and prison labor, which is stuff that literally kills people.”

The protest featured students facedown on the ground next to mock gravestones displaying names of deceased environmental

activists. Megan Carrie, a protest organizer and a senior majoring in economics, said the protest was meant to inform students on a topic the University does not often discuss.

“The administration seems

adamant on keeping as much of this as quiet as possible and they don’t want students to understand that their money is being used in the way that it is,” Carrie said. “At this point, we’re really just trying to get students

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to understand the project because it’s not going to just get done through meetings.”

In response to the protest, Sheila Doyle, executive director of the BU Foundation, wrote in an email that she previously met with DIVEST BING and addressed their concerns.

“I met with this group and discussed how the Binghamton University Foundation distributes nearly $14 million back to campus every year based on the donor’s intentions,” Doyle wrote in an email. “I listened to their concerns and informed them I would pass them on to our Foundation Board. The Foundation and its affiliates are audited annually by an independent public accountant and in support of our commitment to transparency, we have IRS Form 990 and annual financial statements available to the public online.”

Participants of the event said they did not intend to campaign for conflict between DIVEST BING and University administrators, but instead want to increase visibility for their cause. Colin Williams, a protest participant and a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said he believes it is important for students to know where the money they give to BU goes and what effect it can have internationally.

“The event is about raising awareness, and just getting people’s attention because honestly I think a lot of conflict in politics isn’t so much about fighting the other side but just about getting people actively involved,” Williams said.

“Students should just know and be conscious about where their money is going because if you don’t know, whether or not you think that this money is going to the right place, you can’t even make that conclusion in the first place. We are all part of this community and have an impact on it, and it’s important we know what that impact is.”

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Paris LuRux, a drag queen and Vestal, New York native, performs monthly at The Cave in Binghamton.

Paris LuRux talks experience on YouTube reality show Local drag queen featured on ‘Camp Wannakiki’ Marcus Budashewitz staff writer

RuPaul’s Drag Race creates America’s next drag superstars while The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula places an emphasis on horror-inspired drag queens.

However, twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Wright noticed that a certain genre of drag was not getting the platform they felt it deserved, leading them to them to create the YouTube series “Camp Wannakiki.”

The series recently featured Paris LuRux, the youngest contestant on season two of “Camp Wannakiki” at just 23 years old and a local of Vestal, New York.

Each episode consists of a summer camp-type activity and a talent show that rewards a prize

to the winner and eliminates the lowest-judged performer.

LuRux, whose stage name is an amalgamation of Paris Hilton and artist La Roux of “Bulletproof” fame, spent her time on the show completing obstacle courses and creating unicorn- and UFOinspired looks for episodes one and two, respectively. While she was eliminated in the second episode of season two, placing 11th out of 12, she said the bonds she created on “Camp Wannakiki” stick with her.

“I was expecting a lot of the girls to be like, ‘This is a competition, I’m here to win, I don’t care what you say, I don’t care about this person, like, end of the day, we’re not friends,’” LuRux said. “But that’s really not how it was. It’s a giant sisterhood. Everyone was so encouraging, everyone was so supportive. I still talk to all the girls today, like I was literally just on the phone with some of them.”

Ashley Wright, co-creator

of “Camp Wannakiki” who also serves as a judge on the show in his drag persona, Apple Brown Betty, said supporting one another is a tenant of the show’s values and emphasized that “fun and friendship” is the goal, rather than “backstabbing.”

“We were like, ‘Why doesn’t anybody make a show about campy drag queens, because those are the drag queens I like, the funny ones,’” Wright said. “So we were like, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if someone did a show and put it in a summer camp? Oh, that would be hilarious!’ and next thing you know, we’re calling campgrounds.”

But coming up in the drag community, LuRux felt that she didn’t have anyone to guide her other than herself.

“Because I started at such a young age, a lot of the older queens that were already in the business didn’t wanna be a part of the younger queens because we’re

young and reckless and do stupid stuff,” LuRux said. “Also, when I started, YouTube wasn’t really a thing, so I couldn’t just look up, ‘how to do a smoky eye,’ so it was very much self-taught, trial and error.”

LuRux began doing drag at an early age, which limited her ability to get involved in the more established drag scene.

“I started doing drag when I was 16 years old and there weren’t many places where I could perform so I would basically only do teen shows,” LuRux said. “I’m a cheerleader, so I pull a lot of inspirations from cheer and old high school movies, especially ‘Mean Girls,’ like Regina George is a huge inspiration, the very empowered women.”

LuRux performs once a month, typically at The Cave in Binghamton, and she said she’s noticed a substantial turnout from Binghamton University students.

Citing an 80-20 split at her shows between students and local residents, she said their energy fuels her performances.

“In a drag setting, we definitely feed off of the energy you give us,” LuRux said. “If you’re just like, standing there watching, we feel that and we’re like, ‘Am I doing something wrong? What do I need to change?’ But when you’re like screaming our names and clapping and cheering, we give our everything, we give our 100 percent.”

As much as LuRux enjoys performing for the students of BU, she thinks it’s time to move on to a bigger city. Competing on a show like “Camp Wannakiki” can catapult a performer to fame, and LuRux says she’s ready to explore the world outside upstate New York.

“Living in Vestal is kind of difficult when it comes to drag because Vestal is like, literally

nothing — there’s nothing there besides the college,” she said. “It’s just very hard because like, being so small, people in Vestal are so narrow-minded and not many people accept drag. But when it comes to drag, I really don’t care what people say. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.”

Drag is becoming more mainstream, but it still remains a niche community, and each performance is a chance to spread the word. While LuRux herself may not have had a mentor, she said helping others explore the art that she loves so much is a driving force for her performances.

“I’m actually currently talking with a student who reached out to me about starting drag,” she said.

“I love helping people, especially if they want to try something new.

Drag is a wonderful art form, and I advise people to try it at least once in their life because you’ll be surprised by how fun it is.”

Drag Queen Story Hour aims to teach diversity, inclusivity Vestal JCC hosts storytime led by local queens Gabriela Iacovano

arts & culture editor

While drag performances might be associated with nightclub parties and boozy brunches, a few Binghamton-based queens have brought the art form to a more unexpected setting: a children’s story hour.

On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Binghamton in Vestal hosted its first installment of Drag Queen Story Hour, a worldwide project that encourages drag queens to serve their local schools, community centers and libraries with independently run story-time events.

Drag queen and JCC employee Peaches Eclair, who organized the event, has previously hosted drag brunches at the JCC, the proceeds of which partially support Identity, a local LGBTQ youth center. Eclair, who has been doing drag for two years and has known the other participating queens for years prior, said youth outreach is an exciting new focus and an opportunity to showcase the JCC’s other resources for children.

“The fact that I have this huge platform and can bring in all this positivity energy, I love that,” Eclair said.

The event was free and open to the public. Drag queens India Bombay, Katrina, DeDe Kupps, Dusty Boxx, Paris LuRux and Eclair, some dressed like popular children’s characters, took the stage in colorful costume to read to a crowd of families. Kupps, who read Ian and Sarah Hoffman’s “Jacob’s New

Dress,” prefaced the story by giving out some rainbow stickers and explaining what the symbol meant.

“What we all have to learn to do is love each other,” Kupps said. “That’s what today’s all about, right?”

LuRux, who has experience working with children as a teacher and water safety instructor, read “Something Special” by David McPhail. She said she felt the book would be relatable to a young audience.

“I feel like kids are very much like, ‘Oh, my older brother or sister is doing something, so I want to do it,’ and when they’re not good at it, they get kind of down on themselves,” she said. “So [the book] was very much like, ‘What can you do that’s special to you and that makes you unique?’ and that’s what I really liked about it.”

Boxx, who read “My Friend Has Down Syndrome” by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos, said she chose the book for its message of inclusivity.

“I chose the book I read because I think it’s important to use our platform to stand up for people who are different and to bring love, diversity and acceptance to our community,” she said.

Gina Hernandez, 29, of Vestal, brought two children to the event and said she appreciated the stories that were chosen.

“We had a really good time,” Hernandez said. “The stories that everybody picked were really good stories about inclusivity and being different and being special, so it was nice for both [my children] to hear stories that centered around those themes.”

A drag queen story hour held at the Broome County Public Library in January 2018 made state news after facing backlash from Facebook users. Events across the nation

have elicited similar responses, prompting protests, counterprotests and social media debates.

LuRux said responses to the JCC’s event, which was her first experience with the program, have been positive.

“I love the community and the atmosphere of things like this,” she said. “It was so fun, especially with it being my first one. The fact that it was well received and everyone was so loving and humble about the situation, it was so good to walk into.”

Eclair, who hopes to hold the JCC’s next Drag Queen Story Hour this spring, most likely in March or April, said the queens themselves serve as models of confidence for both children and adults.

“They show acceptance, they show love and it’s [a] new experience, so for kids, they’re like sponges and they absorb anything, so if they see somebody up there who’s comfortable, who knows who they are and is accepting and loving, they’ll take that into consideration, and then they’ll start showing that as well,” she said. “It’s funny how you can see reactions with new experiences even with adults. When they try something new, they’ll remember it later and they won’t be as timid or scared, or look at it in a different way, so I’m all for new experiences.”

Boxx said she hopes to set an example that previous generations might not have had.

“I wanted to participate in this event because when I was little, no one told me I could grow up to be whatever I want to be,” she said.

“I’m here to show these kids that it doesn’t matter if you’re different, if you’re weird, if you’re picked on — it’s all of our differences that make us all the same.”

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bupipedream.com | October 28, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

7

‘POSE’ creator returns to BU to share success story pose from page 1 Villaruel, ’18, and Amiya Castro, president of the Latin American Student Union (LASU) and a sophomore majoring in biochemistry. Before attendees asked Canals any questions, the audience learned about Canals’ beginnings growing up in the Bronx and his life as a student at BU. Canals was a transfer student to BU in 2003, prior to the renovations of the University’s residence halls and before Mountainview College even existed. He jokingly described himself as the kind of student who would go around knocking on doors, asking people to be quiet at 2 a.m. It was partially from this that he was encouraged by his peers to be a resident assistant on campus, an experience that ended up defining his time on campus.

Posing a question for himself, Canals asked if everything everyone says about being an RA is true, and if he actually learned valuable skills in his time as one. He said, “it is absolutely the truth,” stating that the skills of being flexible and thinking on your feet that he learned as an RA have been transferable in every aspect of his life. Even more importantly, he began to discover his voice. At a time where he felt people “told him to tone his voice down,” he was now asked to turn it up and use it for the betterment of his community. Inspired, he turned up the volume and helped others find their voices as well.

Reflecting back on his time at BU, Canals set the scene for the day of the inception of “Pose.”

He was a cinema major, but he wanted to learn more about traditional film and television rather than the experimental work his courses were rooted in. He remembered a professor who he jokingly claimed to have “somehow sneaked in” a lecture on more traditional film. She showed the documentary “Paris Is Burning,” directed by Jennie Livingston. This documentary opened Canals’ mind to a world of drag queens and ballroom culture that he had no idea had existed just a few subway stations away from where he grew up.

Walking out of Lecture Hall 6 to his first floor RA room in Onondaga Hall of College-in-theWoods, ideas swirled around his mind about a story of a young man who ends up being taken in by members of the ballroom community. Sitting on his bed, he thought that it would be a great idea for a show that he might someday love to watch.

Concluding his reflection, he added, “I never imagined that I would be the one to tell it.”

Ryan Murphy, a renowned screenwriter who helped create shows such as “American Horror Story” and “Glee,” partnered with him on the project once it got rolling. After communicating with more than 100 people, the show finally sold. When it came time for casting, it was crucial to Canals that actual members of the transgender community, especially those of color, were represented on the show, and that meant casting real, untapped talent in the acting and writing communities.

When asked who would take the lead roles,

Steven Canals, ‘08, the acclaimed co-creator of “Pose,” discussed his work and his time at Binghamton University.

Canals answered, “I don’t know because we haven’t met them yet.” He didn’t want to default back to Hollywood’s standard of casting already famous actors and actresses. Instead, he wanted to meet new people and tell their stories. In fact, Canals and his team were so impressed by the auditions that they hired two more actresses than they intended and wrote in two new

characters for them to fill.

“Pose” broke through barriers and challenged the lack of queer and transgender representation in the Hollywood industry with five transgender women as series regulars. Billy Porter, who plays Pray Tell on the show, won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at this year’s Emmys. The show was nominated for five other

Emmy awards.

Canals said the entertainment industry still has a long way to go. Out of around 500 current shows in the United States, only 15 have representation of transgender people, and of those 15, only two have transgender series regulars: “Pose” and the show “Transparent,” which just finished filming. Turning to the crowd directly, Canals asked,

rose coschignano photo intern

“Where are the other ‘Pose’s?’”

He said one of the major reasons he created the show was to instigate a real change in the industry and inspire others to be more inclusive in their casting and story lines. Despite not seeing this shift, he remains optimistic that there will be more inclusivity down the line.

In the meantime, he plans to create more himself.

Pakistani Students Association hosts first Fall Mela Event features South Asian cuisine and dance Krishna Patel

arts & culture intern

Over the past few weeks, Binghamton University students

have been getting into the fall spirit in a variety of ways. While there have been no shortages of pumpkins and Halloween decorations all over campus, the Pakistani Students Association (PSA) celebrated the fall season with biryani, Bollywood music and dance performances in their

first-ever Fall Mela, or Fall Fair, on Friday in Old Union Hall.

After paying a $10 admission fee, attendees were able to enjoy South Asian food and drinks like Rooh Afza, mango lassi, falooda, biryani, pani puri, samosas and kebabs. Tables were set up around the room, each featuring

a different activity. One table displayed traditional earrings and bangles, as well as regular, festive, plastic-beaded necklaces. Guests could pick and choose jewelry to keep from the collection. Others included a station where guests applied mehndi to one another, a table for playing Carrom (a

alex gross contributing photographer

The Pakistani Students Association’s Fall Mela showcased cuisine, jewelry and more.

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South Asian tabletop game), water pong, a Fall Mela 2019 photo booth and a table for food and drinks.

Party guests visited each table and intermingled while PSA played Bollywood music and introduced their executive board.

Shortly after the introduction, Masti, BU’s Bollywood-fusion dance team, performed an energetic dance to a medley of popular South Asian music.

Despite technical difficulties with the music frequently pausing, the audience and dance team members clapped and sang along while Masti performed.

The night ended with a gulab jamun-eating contest.

Christine Kurien, a member of Masti and a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said despite the difficulties, the crowd was enthusiastic.

“There were some technical difficulties which caused our music to turn off while we were dancing, but I was so proud of how we handled this by finishing our routine without any music,” she said. “We really embodied the Masti spirit. PSA and the crowd were so supportive and hyped, which really set the tone for our performance.”

Shamalena Sookoo, a

sophomore majoring in biology, said Masti’s performance was her favorite part of the event.

“I loved the Masti performance,” she said. “They were so amazing and I could tell they were having so much fun and I love that.”

Paige Foley, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, said cultural events like Fall Mela are valuable for the BU community.

“PSA always throws very good events,” she said. “The food was awesome and the people are so nice. The performance was very fun to watch. I think it is important to celebrate the cultural diversity on campus and PSA does a very good job of doing that.”

Sookoo emphasized the importance of visibility, diversity and a willingness to learn at cultural events, and said she hopes the event introduced attendees to Pakistani culture.

“There were a lot of people of all backgrounds there and that was really cool to see that people weren’t afraid to step out of their boundaries to learn about a different culture,” she said. “I was really happy to see that. I really hope they do this again and it gets bigger.”

OPINIONS Weekday, Monday, October Month Day, 28, 2019 Year Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3, 2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017

Diversity is needed within the size-inclusive community Companies use the label of “body positive” without actually catering to their customers Annick Tabb Senior Columnist

I recently visited the website of the clothing brand Reformation to see what the trendy and luxurious, yet sustainable company had to offer. In a paragraph describing the Reformation design process, the brand wrote that their quest was to ensure that their clothing fit people of many shapes and sizes. The website states that the company’s main clothing line is meant for people who are between 5’6” and 5’10”, but it also boasts a petites collection for people 5’2” and under, a size range going up to size 22 and a collection specifically designed for people who wear a C to DD cup — options that the website states are just preliminary steps in making their brand more accessible.

While this range of options might seem wide, the average American woman is a size 16 to 18, wears a 34DD bra and is 5’4”.

Additionally, all of the photos on the website’s homepage feature models who are tall, thin and very much fit into preexisting standards of beauty. For the average woman, there are limited options and little representation — even at a store that claims to be committed to inclusivity.

Reformation isn’t the only brand that seems to be sending mixed messages about size inclusivity.

Companies and advertisers are beginning to see that social responsibility and body diversity are ideas that their consumers value, and are thus beginning to implement them in their products and ad campaigns.

However, the ways in which people are being misrepresented and not represented at all make it clear that there is still much work to be done if there is to be true inclusivity.

When companies do choose to hire models who are considered plus-size for their campaigns, the people who are often chosen still usually fit relatively narrow standards, like being size 14 or smaller, having an hourglass shape, high cheekbones, light skin and a flat stomach. Social media influencer Garcia Lewin criticized the size discrimination within the body positive community, saying, “ … women on the smaller end of the plus-size scale are chosen to represent the entire plus community … I’m a size 24 all over, so I don’t know how clothes are going to look on me if I’m seeing them on a girl that has a D cup, a size-14 waist and a size-18 butt.”

The “body positive” messages a brand tries to disseminate often seem to directly contradict the realities of their business and design practices. In 2017, Urban

Outfitters came under fire for their “Class of 2017” campaign, which featured plus-size model Barbie Ferreira. At the time, Urban Outfitters did not seem to carry a size larger than 12, meaning that the brand was using Ferreira to sell clothes that would not fit her.

While the brand’s website now seems to carry much more stock in size XL, which is considered a size 14, I have found it very hard to find the size in stores and think that upping their size limit to 14 is not good enough.

The body positivity movement has its roots in the fat acceptance movement that was established in the 1960s to raise awareness about the anti-fat biases that existed in society. As social media networks like Instagram became popular, people were able to use the platform to build communities, post photos and share stories about their bodies that were largely not being reflected in mainstream media and advertisements. Companies began to see body positivity as a useful marketing tool and the true essence of the movement appears to have become lost in attempts to simultaneously make a profit and appear to be doing social good. Companies who choose to “embrace” body positivity in a way that is watered down and superficial do their customers a disservice.

Annick Tabb is a senior doublemajoring in German and English.

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Ethics classes should be a core requirement for all BU schools College should prepare students for the moral dilemmas they will face in their careers Michael Levinstein Contributing Columnist

Ethics classes can help prepare students for what their degree looks like in the real world. Not only does this help students, it also can have a positive effect on new hires questioning the effect that their workplace has on the world. And yet, few students at Binghamton University are obligated to take ethics classes.

Of the five schools at BU, the School of Management (SOM), the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Decker School of Nursing require few to no ethics classes. The Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences actually requires none.

The SOM curriculum includes Management 311: Organizational

Behavior, a class that teaches interpersonal skills and behavioral applications in the workplace.

In the Watson school, computer science majors take Computer Science 301: Ethical, Social and Global Issues in Computing, which teaches the implications of computing in society, while biomedical engineering majors take Biomedical Engineering 432: Ethics in Engineering, which covers professional responsibilities in natural disasters. The overall lack of ethics lessons tells me that we are severely under-preparing the student body for the dilemmas they will face in their careers.

According to BU’s website, some of the most popular destinations for recent graduates are BAE Systems, Inc., Lockheed Martin and JPMorgan Chase. These are morally ambiguous companies at best. According to their own website, Lockheed Martin manufactures weapons for the

U.S. military. BAE Systems, Inc. sells weapons to countries like the United States and United Kingdom, among others. Even after the 2008 crisis, JPMorgan Chase has been charged with having bribed officials in Alabama and rigging bidding practices across the United States to win them business.

Considering that these three companies probably draw from graduates from either the Watson school or SOM, it is problematic that they take so few ethics classes.

These companies, ones that have major global influence, can easily be staffed by people who have little background in the ethical dilemmas of their actions. That’s not to say that people can’t learn as they work, but a rigorous background in the consequences of your career is necessary for complex issues like investment and war.

The effectiveness of incorporating ethics classes into

degrees is a hard thing to quantify as substantial research hasn’t been done on it. Nevertheless, for now, we can look at the main ways it has been implemented in the past and what we can expect going forward. An article by Timothy Fort, a professor of business law and ethics at Indiana University, outlines different approaches. He writes that the four main options are a stand-alone class, infusing ethics into all classes, combining those two or placing emphasis on extracurricular programs that would provide some form of ethical lessons. He writes that “it takes time for students to develop those kinds of reasoning skills, and time is only available in a stand-alone course.” With this structure in mind, BU should add classes that deal with the social implications that come with your choice of major. For example, Philosophy 148: Medical Ethics is a class offered at BU. In it, students

discuss different obligations that doctors have, how to deal with those obligations when conflicts come up and analyze arguments as to why. This concept should be applied to all majors by creating classes that discuss what your program looks like in the real world, as well as the ethical dilemmas it may present.

I understand that employment is necessary after college. A lot of people don’t have the safety net of family members to help them as they wait for a perfectly ethical job to fall in their lap. The point of arguing for more ethics classes is not the short-term solution of one student personally avoiding employment at a company like Lockheed Martin. The point is that, in the long run, we as a society can view these companies as morally objectionable and begin to dismantle their place in our economy, but we can’t do that until we identify the ethical problems

they cause.

This is also not to say that the more liberal arts majors of Harpur College or the College of Community and Public Affairs are off the hook. But because the number of core classes differs by major and most social sciences can be argued as having roots in applied ethics, it is more difficult to analyze their requirements.

That conversation deserves its own separate analysis.

The fact remains that we aren’t teaching engineering students where the bombs they design will go. We aren’t teaching business students that there is a greater responsibility to investing than just making money. We aren’t teaching nursing students why only some people have access to their lifesaving services. This should change.

Michael Levinstein is a senior double-majoring in political science and economics.

Rising anxiety rates are determinably linked to political issues In recent times, those affected by injustice have seen the largest increase in stress David Hatami Contributing Columnist

People no longer trust the government. People are scared of each other. Instead of admiring the beauty of life, people are dreading waking up in the morning. Suicide rates are up, we are reminded of a looming environmental catastrophe every day and cynicism has become our default perspective on life. We are living in the midst of an age of anxiety, and we need optimism right now more than ever.

Much of this anxiety is politically fueled. Public trust in government is near historic lows, with only 17 percent of Americans today saying they can trust the government to do

what is right, with “just about always” at 3 percent and “most of the time” at 14 percent. This is a drastic change from about 50 years ago. In 1958, about 75 percent of Americans trusted the federal government to do the right thing almost always or most of the time.

With the threat of presidential impeachment coloring every single news outlet and television cycle this month, it’s no wonder why people not only are distrustful of the government, but also are feeling a general sense of cynicism regarding the country and society as a whole. With abortion rights and environmental policy in pure disarray, people are no longer confident in national institutions to do what’s right when it comes to matters close to their hearts.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said that cynicism has grown across the country

because the “government hasn’t delivered.” “Cynicism has grown on the right, in the center, on the left,” Kerry told Amy Schumer on her Spotify podcast, “3 Girls, 1 Keith” this week, which also sought to address climate change and contemporary politics.

How political turmoil affects everyday people has become increasingly evident. In a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, 39 percent of adults in the United States are more anxious today than they were a year ago. While anxiety has been increasing in all age ranges and demographics, women, people of color and millennials have been overwhelmed the most, and one can easily link this back to tense issues seen all over the social landscape today.

Women are at risk of losing reproductive rights, and

immigrants and minorities are being increasingly subjected to political stresses, joined by issues such as U.S. immigration, travel bans, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and individual cases of police brutality against people of color. With the extreme increase in university living costs and tuition, one can understand why millennials are under tremendous amounts of pressure to make ends meet relative to other generations, such as baby boomers. “This poll shows U.S. adults are increasingly anxious, particularly about health, safety and finances,” said former American Psychiatric Association president Anita Everett. The implications of this are very serious, and even more so dangerous. Everett says that we must be conscious “that increased stress and anxiety can significantly impact many aspects

of people’s lives, including their mental health, and it can affect families.”

Academy-award-winning actor Tom Hanks has expressed his opinion that “cynicism has become the default position for so much of daily structure and daily intercourse.” This may be a reason why Hanks had recently starred in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” a biographical movie following the life of Mr. Rogers, a man with a reputation for calming viewers down and teaching children to not take things too seriously.

It is important that people, especially young adults of our age, remember to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life, whether that be the cloud formations in the sky, the vibrant colors of autumn leaves or the liberating feeling of finishing an assignment. Optimism and hope

are two key attributes which take people far in life, and are not only healthy but essential to students in the midst of midterms and finals. If students feel as if things in life have just become too much to handle, they should seek out the resources and services Binghamton University has to offer, such as the University Counseling Center or psychiatric consultations with the Decker Student Health Services Center.

An after-hours crisis line for nights, weekends and holidays is also available at 607-777-2772, where a mental health crisis counselor will speak with you directly. While we are certainly living during a time of heightened social anxiety and cynicism, it is important to remember that worrisome things will always pass and that help is always available.

David Hatami is a sophomore majoring in political science.

F UN

Weekday, Monday, October Month XX, 28, XXXX 2019 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3, 2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017

I happen to like candy corn

Annabeth Sloan

Baby Baxter’s Play

Sudoku

By The Mepham Group

Daniel Eisenhower

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

Fair is foul and foul is spooky

Sarah Teper

© 2019 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

Release Date: Monday, October 28, 2019

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

Pumpkin spite latte

Tara Regan

ACROSS 1 Gives in to gravity 5 Annoying little kids 9 Hunter’s plastic duck, e.g.

14 Clear off the road, as snow 15 Actress Gilbert of “The Conners” 16 Make amends 17 What “Ten-hut!” is short for 19 Income __ 20 *Do business shrewdly 22 Tidy up 23 “__ you kidding?”

24 Off-the-wall 27 Walmart warehouse club 28 *Murmur lovingly 32 Muslim mystic 33 Lake near Carson City 34 *Basic experimentation method 39 Sea item sold by 39-Down, in a tongue-twister 40 Say no to 41 *Like a typical walking stride 44 Bygone Japanese audio brand 48 Conclusion 49 Boardroom VIP 50 The Lone __ 52 Compromising standpoint ... and what the answers to starred clues contain?

55 Deck alternative 58 Belittle 59 17-syllable Japanese poem 60 Suffix with major 61 Auth. unknown 62 Desert retreats 63 Monica’s brother on “Friends” 64 German thinker Immanuel DOWN 1 Reproduces like salmon 2 __ Gibson, first African-American to win a Grand Slam tennis title

3 Pep rally cheer 4 Candy and such 5 Turkey’s largest city 6 Principal 7 Spur to action 8 Beach footwear 9 Job of typing in facts and figures 10 List-shortening abbr.

11 Courteney who played Monica on “Friends” 12 Single 13 “By all means!”

18 Phillies’ div.

21 Significant stretch of time 24 Twice cuatro 25 Way in 26 Forest female 29 “__ tree falls in the forest ... ” 30 High-end chocolatier 31 __ es Salaam 32 Lustful 34 At that time 35 Oboe or clarinet 36 Not feeling well 37 __ volente: God willing

38 Vigorous qualities to put into one’s work 39 See 39-Across 42 Nancy Drew’s beau 43 Walk feebly 44 Arctic jacket 45 Exotic lizard kept as a pet 46 Was happening 47 Passionate

51 Buenos Aires’ country: Abbr.

52 Karaoke prop that often ends in “c” nowadays 53 Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” 54 Tolkien creatures 55 Vietnamese soup 56 Small battery 57 “__ the season ... ”

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Craig Stowe ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

10/28/19

10/28/19

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@PipeDreamSports FOR UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE

Monday, October 28, 2019

Men’s soccer shuts out UMBC for Senior Day victory Parker records career-high seven saves in clean sheet Samantha Marsh

assistant sports editor

With 23 minutes left in the Binghamton’s men’s soccer match against UMBC, freshman forward Dan Mansfield netted his second goal of the season, securing a game-winning score in Binghamton’s 1-0 victory on Senior Day. Mansfield’s goal was assisted by freshman defender Oliver Svalander and freshman midfielder Ethan Homler. It was the first assist of the year for the two of them, and they both now have five points. Svalander was also named the America East (AE) Men’s Soccer Rookie of the Week on Oct. 21 when he scored two goals against Stony Brook.

“Oliver played a great ball in and Ethan received the ball, and I saw that I had space in front of me,” Mansfield said. “So I demanded the ball back from him, and he played me a great ball, and I just finished it.”

While the first half was scoreless for the Bearcats (5-7-2, 2-3-0 AE), they put up four shots, all on goal. Shots were taken by redshirt sophomore midfielder Lucas Arzan, junior forward Jack Muller, Homler and junior midfielder Noah Luescher.

“I thought for a while the game was just going to end in a draw,” said BU head coach Paul Marco. “I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a goal in the game, but I’m delighted that we got the result against a really good team.”

In total, Binghamton had seven shots on goal. The Bearcats almost had two more goals in the second half. The first one came in the very beginning of the half from Luescher when he took a shot and hit the post. The second was in the 81st minute, when Svalander found the back of the net but was deemed to be offside.

UMBC (5-8-1, 0-4-1 AE) also had seven shots on goal, but sophomore goalkeeper P.J. Parker saved all of them, recording his first career shutout.

“UMBC really came at us,” Marco said. “We knew they had really good pace — a couple of tricky guys, but Parker had great saves. He kept us in the game and kept a clean sheet.”

Parker had one particularly memorable save in the 35th minute. He was recovering from a shot taken by senior midfielder Jon Bell when senior forward Tre Pulliam took a shot off the rebound toward the top left corner. Parker had to dive toward the goal and punch the ball backward over his head.

“It’s important that we got the win tonight,” Parker said.

“We went into the game knowing how pivotal it was for our spot in the conference.”

The game honored two seniors: forward Haris Brkovic and graduate student defender Stephen McKenna.

Brkovic will graduate with a degree in comparative literature while McKenna will continue to work on his master’s.

“Haris transferred in and McKenna’s a fifth-year guy,” Marco said. “They’re two guys who help our program. They’re

Freshman forward Dan Mansfield netted his second goal of the season in Saturday’s 1-0 victory against UMBC.

leaving their mark.”

Despite it being Senior Day, Brkovic did not play, but McKenna put in a full 90 minutes.

Brkovic has played in every nonconference matchup this year except for the match against Drexel, but he has only played

in two conference matchups this season.

Although the team has two seniors graduating, there is a substantial number of underclassmen available to take over their roles. Before that happens, however, the seniors

will have the opportunity to play in three more regularly scheduled games, and Marco appears hopeful as the season nears its conclusion.

“I think the guys are beginning to show more resilience,” Marco said. “They’re understanding

rose coschignano photo intern

what it takes to compete and play.”

The Bearcats are scheduled to take on Hofstra in a nonconference matchup at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, New York.

Women’s soccer earns first conference win since Sept. 29 soccer from page 1 the most critical time.”

Binghamton’s goal came in the 22nd minute after junior midfielder Ivana Pjetri’s free kick bounced off the hands of Lowell redshirt junior goalkeeper Lauren Huff. BU junior defender Erin Theiller took the rebound and crossed it in front of the goal where Dibble volleyed the pass into the back of the net. Dibble now has three goals this season.

“With it being a pretty wet day, we knew that there was a chance for rebounds and that’s pretty much what the case was,” Bhattacharjee said. “Dibble was where she needed to be. Like any

goal scorer, she has that instinct to be at the right place at the right time and then she’s there to put it away.”

While the rain-soaked field produced less than ideal playing conditions, the Bearcats played an all-around solid game. The offense put pressure on UMass Lowell’s defense and entered halftime with five corner kicks and a 5-1 shots advantage.

“I thought we had pretty good control of the match in the first half,” Bhattacharjee said. “We played with good rhythm and tempo and we certainly deserved to reward ourselves with the goal at that point.”

Binghamton’s defense

complemented the offense. The unit was forced to hold the slim lead while being down a player toward the end of the game after a red card was issued to Theiller in the 76th minute. Theiller was carded when she saved a breakaway but made too much contact with a UMass Lowell player.

“The replay showed that she did get a touch on the ball,” Bhattacharjee said. “I think it was a great tackle and the referee just saw it a little bit differently and that’s unfortunate.”

At that point, Bhattacharjee substituted junior midfielder Olivia Price into the game and dropped more players deeper in the midfield to counter UMass

Lowell’s increased attack.

The coach seemed impressed with Price’s outing. He said that Price made a couple of key tackles while being in the difficult position of only entering in the final minutes of such a close game.

The star of the match, however, may have been junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Hanna. On route to her first shutout of the season (and the team’s seventh), Hanna made key plays to shut down UML’s scoring threats. In the 70th minute, Hanna prevented a corner kick from going in with a diving save that knocked the ball out of bounds up field. Fortunately for the Bearcats, the savvy play

resulted in a UMass Lowell throwin rather than a corner. “[UMass Lowell] had three [corner kicks] today, so we saw how dangerous they can be,” Bhattacharjee said. “It was a good play by [Hanna] and heads-up to not give up a corner but a throwin instead. We overall had more of an easier time to defend that.”

Bhattacharjee said Sunday’s win boiled down to the team finally being rewarded after playing well in recent games but not having the wins to show for it.

“We knew if we continued to bring that effort then things would turn positive,” he said.

“That’s certainly the case today.

We played well on the ball. We

defended hard.”

With one game left in the season before the AE tournament kicks off next weekend, Binghamton may be hitting its stride at the perfect time. Bhattacharjee said his team’s good spirit, focus and determination has led to its resilient nature. “[The Binghamton players] know we are a dangerous team and that we can play anyone in the America East,” Bhattacharjee said.

Next up for Binghamton is its regular-season finale, a 7 p.m. matchup against UMBC on Thursday, Oct. 31 at the Bearcat Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.

Swimming and diving swept by Bucknell in road meet Cohn captures one- and three-meter diving events Joe Tonetti

contributing writer

The Binghamton men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams suffered their first losses of the season in their away meets

at Bucknell on Saturday, with the men (1-1) losing 172.5-127.5 and the women (2-1) falling 174-121.

The defeats came after a 190-point win difference against Niagara University for the men and wins against both Siena College and Niagara for the women in the teams’ opening meets.

“I think early in the season we’re just figuring out where we

are, where we’re strong and some of the things we need to work on,” said Binghamton head coach Jerry Cummiskey. “Bucknell is a good team. We swam pretty well and had a good day overall.”

Despite the loss, the men’s swimmers had a few winners.

Freshman Matthew Palguta won the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:53.02, six seconds faster

david grinberg contributing photographer Freshman Ryan Cohn swept the men’s one-meter and three-meter dives with scores of 287.1 and 274.88, respectively, in Saturday’s loss at Bucknell.

than his original seed time, giving the men’s team its first nine points of the meet. Palguta also won the 500-yard freestyle, clocking in at seven seconds under his seed time at 4:42.62. Additional firstplace winners for the men were sophomore Ryan Board in the 100-yard breaststroke (57.92) and senior Ross Bernstein in the 200-yard butterfly (1:54.09).

Junior Shane Morris came close to first place, but ultimately took second in the 100-yard backstroke (53.39).

“We had some really good swims,” Cummiskey said. “There were a lot of close races yesterday that, had they gone our way, would have changed how close the meet was down the stretch, but that doesn’t always happen.

We have to work to make sure that some of the closer races go our way.”

While the men’s swimmers only had a few wins, the divers swept on their end. Freshman Ryan Cohn tallied 18 points with his two first-place finishes in the one-meter (287.1) and threemeter (274.88) events, while sophomore Chris Egan took second in both events (275.18 and 268.80) to aid in the sweep

against the Bison.

“We’re always working on individually getting better, whether that’s race-planning or base-work or technique-work,” Cummiskey said. “Everyone’s got things they need to work on.

Overall, I think we need to work on our underwaters and some of the details of our starts and finishes, things like that.”

Senior Sydney Atendido delivered the first notable performance on the women’s team, coming in second in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.59), leading up to another secondplace spot by freshman Meadow Perez in the 200-yard butterfly (2:09.64). Senior Olivia Santos won the 50-yard freestyle (24.76), sealing nine points for the women. She earned the team another four from a secondplace spot in the 100-yard freestyle (53.50). Senior Rebecca Nelson capped off the swim results with a top finish in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:54.02. Bucknell junior Maggie Wyngowski actually won the event but used the event as her exhibition race.

Similar to the men’s team, junior Sophia Howard swept

both diving events, scoring 255.3 in the one-meter and 240.38 in the three-meter. Despite this result, the Bearcats still couldn’t pull together a victory for their teams. However, the most important results will come at the America East Conference Championships in February.

“We utilize the dual meets to just set ourselves up for what we’re going to do in February,” Cummiskey said.

“They’re stepping stones, and each week is a chance to get better and work on how we race and to do what we need to do to make sure things are as good as they can be in February.”

On Nov. 9, the Bearcats are set to face Canisius at home.

Last year, the Bearcats beat the Golden Griffins by 191-108 and 200-100 for the men’s and women’s teams, respectively.

“I think we have to get better at some things and figure out how we can improve ourselves,” Cummiskey said. “Overall, we’re happy with where we’re at.”

The meet against Canisius will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 from the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center in Vestal, New York.