Thursday, September 5, 2019 | Vol. XCVI, Issue 4 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
‘When they hear us’ recognizes human rights.” In the past, Harder has vigorously denied claims of mistreatment within the jail, which he directly oversees. His only comment on the Erin Kagel & Jackson Galati protest was that it had disappointed him. pipe dream news “It’s unfortunate because the people had no idea what they were protesting,” Harder said. “This is not unusual for the organizations Ten inmates in the Broome Country Jail involved to spread false information. The people have died in the past eight years. On Thursday, there had no idea what they were saying, and they Binghamton community members, advocacy were believing lies.” groups, University students and faculty gathered Nearly 200 protesters held signs and stood for the third year in along the road a row to protest the “They’re not taking care of inmates, they’re let- leading up to the deaths and call for Broome County Jail, better conditions in ting people die inside that jail. We need some- periodically breaking the facility. into chants body in there who recognizes human rights.” out The rally, held of “No justice, no at the jail, is the — Alexis Pleus, founder and executive director peace” and “Black most recent effort lives matter.” Then, of Truth Pharm by community on a stage made organizations to of wooden pallets raise awareness and demand action in response stacked on top of milk crates, paired with a PA to allegations of abuse, medical malpractice and system, several speakers shared their stories and negligence toward inmates of the Broome County thoughts on the jail. Jail at the hands of corrections officers and Dr. One of the speakers, Talon Thomas, 27, of Mahmood Butt, the jail’s health administrator. Binghamton, was incarcerated with Salladin Alexis Pleus, founder and executive director Barton, a 35-year-old man who died in solitary of Truth Pharm, one of the organizations confinement at the Broome County Jail in coordinating the demonstration, said the removal January 2015 while waiting two years for his day of Sheriff David Harder and jail administrator in court. Because his cell walls were made of glass, Mark Smolinsky would be the only way to begin Thomas was able to see Barton in an adjacent cell, to solve mistreatment of inmates at the jail. and said Barton would often not receive his food Pleus cited examples of inmates being denied or medication because he would be asleep during medications, proper nutrition and privacy behind the times guards brought them out. On another the facility’s walls. occasion, Thomas said he witnessed Barton being “They’re not taking care of inmates — they’re restrained in a stretcher with a straightjacket and letting people die inside that jail,” Pleus said. “It’s propped up behind the corrections officers, who about four times the national average of deaths in see protest page 3 a jail of its size. We need somebody in there who
Local organizations call for Broome County Jail reforms, removal of administration
jackson galati pipe dream news Around 200 members of the greater Binghamton community gathered to protest conditions at the Broome County Jail on Aug. 29.
BU receives $1.23M grant for HAXPES-Lab Research instrument first of kind in U.S., third in world Jake Kerr
news editor
Binghamton University is gaining a new piece of equipment for research, and the machine will mark the first of its kind in the United States and third in the world. On Wednesday, Louis Piper, director of the Institute for Materials Research and an associate professor of physics, was awarded a $1.23 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation Program to purchase a Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES) instrument, called
HAXPES-Lab. HAXPES is a method researchers use to measure the contents of various materials and electronics without having to disassemble them. According to Matthew Wahila, a postdoctoral research assistant in physics under Piper, a major benefit of the method is the ability to measure batteries and other electronics while they are functioning. “We have theories, and we have a good idea of what’s happening [inside a working battery], but actually measuring something while it is working is very difficult,” Wahila said. “It’s like trying to look inside your car engine while your car is driving down the highway.” The HAXPES method is typically done at a
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TGAB to fund study on underage drinking BU partners with NYS office to utilize $19.5K grant provided by matthew j. wahila The HAXPES-Lab instrument is designed to observe photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, giving researchers knowledge on the makeup of batteries and other material.
Ryan Giglio
pipe dream sports
After outshooting their opponent 21-5 and retaining control of the ball throughout much of Sunday’s match, the Binghamton women’s soccer team shut out the Manhattan Jaspers 2-0 over the weekend. Of the 15 shots that were on target for the Bearcats (3-1), both goals came from one player: junior forward Essie Bonney. Her first goal came off a corner kick in the 25th minute when junior defender Erin Theiller headed the corner to Bonney, who then volleyed the ball over
the goalkeeper’s head into the goal’s top right corner. “We’ve done a good job at getting corners but haven’t finished any yet,” said BU head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “So it was good for us to get that first goal coming off a corner.” Bonney’s second goal was the more important of the two and all but secured Binghamton’s victory over the Jaspers (0-4). The team spent most of the game in Manhattan’s defensive half and took 12 shots in the game’s final 45 minutes. However, Binghamton struggled to push through and score a second goal. BU’s break came in the 84th minute
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ARTS & CULTURE
Festival is largest projection lights show in the country Krishna Patel
arts & culture intern
This weekend, the walls of shops, bars and government buildings in Downtown Binghamton will light up with the work of projection artists from all over the world as part of the fifth-annual LUMA Projection Arts Festival. Since 2015, LUMA has attracted crowds of up to 30,000 people, and this year is expected to be no different. LUMA is the largest projections arts festival in the United States and has been positively reviewed by Forbes, Culture Trip and the Smithsonian.
news intern
Event co-founder Joshua Bernard said he developed the idea along with his friends when he moved to Binghamton for a job opportunity. At the time, the city was looking for a way to attract visitors from surrounding areas. In an effort to find something unique to attract people to Downtown Binghamton, the co-founders stumbled upon projection mapping, an art form involving projecting moving images and animations onto 3D surfaces, usually the facade of a building. According to Bernard, projection mapping has been popular in Europe for a number of years, where artists will often project their works
In an effort to reduce underage drinking in New York state, the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) awarded $2.5 million to 20 SUNY and CUNY colleges throughout the state on May 1, 2017. Binghamton University has partnered with OASAS to utilize a $19,500 grant to gather data and look into new approaches to deter underage drinking, administered through the Town-Gown Advisory Board’s (TGAB) Dangerous Drinking/ Underage Drinking subcommittee. The proposed study would research the use of fake IDs in Downtown Binghamton. The grant money would also fund the implementation of ID scanners at local bars, some of which already use scanners during popular nights and later hours of the evening. Miesha Marzell, an assistant professor of social work in the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) and co-investigator for the OASAS grant, said she has helped reach out to bar and business owners that she met on the Binghamton Campus and Community
see luma page 6
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Women’s soccer earns Fifth-annual LUMA to second straight win come to Downtown Binghamton downs Manhattan in Sunday match
Gillian Mathews
OPINIONS
SPORTS
Plan your first First Friday of the school year,
Local drag kings perform at the Bundy Museum,
The Editorial Board reviews the merits of a decentralized budget,
Men’s soccer wins season opener, drops second game,
Golf places 10th in Missouri Tiger Invitational,
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