Read about the best of Bing’s wings See page 5 Monday, September 16, 2019 | Vol. XCVI, Issue 7 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
Students voice concerns as LSATs go digital Lecture
to discuss refugee crises
Online testing format poses challenges for preperation Nicole Kaufman news intern
The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is facing one of its biggest changes since its creation in 1948, as the entire test will now be administered through a digital interface — a shift that students are concerned could impact their results. According to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website, the organization that writes and administers the LSAT, the content and structure of the exam will remain the same, but starting Sept. 21, the majority of the exam will be delivered through tablets provided by testing centers. The features on the tablet include a five-minute warning before the end of the test, highlighting and the ability to flag questions, which aims to help test-takers keep track of questions that they wish to revisit later. Jeff Thomas, Kaplan Test Prep’s executive director of pre-law programs, said the LSAC has spent years studying and designing the digital interface. “Digital testing should allow for a more consistent test-taking experience and for scores to be in students’ hands faster,” Thomas wrote in an email. “In fact, LSAT is somewhat playing catch up in this area — the other major graduate level admissions exams like the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) have been digital for several years already.” The LSAC announced they plan to release the scores for the Sept. 21 exam
Annual Bonzani memorial event features BU alumnus Lakhsmi Chatterjee pipe dream news
exam, and the test-taker must identify themselves before taking the exam by holding a valid, government-issued ID to their webcam. They will also have to scan the room with their webcam to ensure there are no other people or prohibited devices, such as cell phones and other digital items present. The LSAC will
The third installment of the John & Lawrence Bonzani Memorial Law Lecture will feature Binghamton University alumnus Eric Schwartz, ’79, president of Refugees International, as its main speaker, holding a discussion on refugees and surrounding political issues. The John & Lawrence Bonzani Memorial Law Lecture is an annual event, created in 2017, which aims to help educate students who are interested in pursuing careers in law. It covers topics such as career exploration and development, law school, specialization within the field and current events facing the field of law. It was established with a donation by alumnus Andrew Bonzani, ’86, and Marie Christine Bonzani in the memory of his brothers, John and Lawrence. Leah Joggerst, ‘02, director of constituent relations in Harpur College and one of the main organizers for the
see lsat page 3
see refugee page 3
taylor hayes pipe dream illustrator
on Oct. 14, but they anticipate that they will be able to get scores out more quickly in the future since the exam is now online. Another difference, as of June 2019, is that the test day for the LSAT will be shorter. According to the LSAC website, the writing portion will now be administered separately and online through a secured proctoring software
that test-takers will have to install on their computers. Using the new software, test-takers will be able to take the writing portion of the exam outside of a testing center. The software can only be launched by Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Internet Explorer. Other browsers, such as Safari, are not currently supported. The LSAC will have access to the testtaker’s webcam while they are taking the
BU Student uses crowdfunding to pay cost of tuition Freshman Omaya Shahata relies on GoFundMe donations Leora Schwadron
assistant news editor
There are many different ways students go about paying for their education, including applying for loans and scholarships or working jobs throughout high school. But for Omaya Shahata, a freshman majoring in social work, paying for school meant starting a GoFundMe page to raise funds for their Binghamton
University tuition. GoFundMe, a free crowd-sourced fundraising platform, can be used for nearly any cause, according to their website. Shahata’s page features updates on how much funds have been raised, as well as the story of their financial struggles and why they need to raise college tuition funds. “As a first generation, EgyptianAmerican coming from a working-class immigrant family who lives paycheck to paycheck, opportunities weren’t often open to me,” Shahata wrote on their page. “I have looked through every avenue that
I thought could help me and I was told that even if this whole crowd-funding thing didn’t work out, that I should try anyway because at the end of it all, I’ll be back in Virginia with a whole lot of people telling me that they ‘told me so.’” In an email, Shahata explained why they decided to create the page and spoke about how BU’s Office of the Ombudsman helped come up with the GoFundMe idea. The University ombudsman’s primary job is to provide confidential and impartial aid to the BU community, as well as act as an advocate for fairness and equality. The ombudsman also aims to help individuals
resolve any conflicts or problems they may have surrounding their education. “I looked at probably dozens of loan options but each time I turned away from them either because I don’t have a credit history or my parents are unable to cosign,” Shahata wrote. “I got the idea to use GoFundMe through the Ombudsman. She was the last advising resource I went to about my situation and after hearing my story, she went through several ideas on what I could do, one of them being ‘put your story out there.’” Shahata is not the only student who faces difficulty in paying for their
tuition, and the University has a variety of resources available for students in similar situations, such as the TRiO Programs, which provides support and advising to low-income and first-generation students. Jazmine Powell, a TRiO academic counselor and one of the advisers Shahata spoke with about their situation, wrote in an email that financial constraints are a common issue she helps advise students on. “When working for a program that provides support to first-generation and
see gofundme page 3
Talk highlights local hemp farm Matt Baker founds online fashion blog First BU Forum event aims to connect University, community Erin Kagel
Track and field standout discusses style inspiration
pipe dream news
Hemp was the main subject of the first Binghamton University Forum lecture of this year, featuring Geoffrey Whaling, co-founder and president of Hemp Development Group, LLC, who is building his first Hemp Industrial Park (HIP) in Broome County. Industrial hemp production is an increasing agricultural industry in the United States, after the passing of the 2018 U.S. farm bill that removed hemp from the list of Schedule I controlled substances. It has allowed for a resurgence in hemp production in the United States after about 80 years of it being illegal. Hemp is a cannabis plant with less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and can be used in the production of cars, building materials, medications,
see hemp page 3
Samantha Marsh
assistant sports editor
sidney slon assistant photo editor Geoffrey Whaling, co-founder and president of Hemp Industrial Park (HIP) Developments LLC, speaks about the creation of the new headquarters for Hemp Development Group, LLC in Broome County during the Binghamton University Forum lecture on Sept. 13.
ARTS & CULTURE
Senior Matthew Baker has been a standout jumper on the Binghamton men’s track and field team for the past three seasons, making it into the America East (AE) all-conference team five times, placing in the top three in the AE Indoor Championships in triple jump three years in a row and jumping as far as 46-6 ½. He puts in 12 and a half hours a week of practice, but for Baker, it’s not about the numbers. “My coach and I would have beginning of the year meetings, and he’d say, ‘What are your goals for this year?’” Baker said. “And I’d give him a number goal for how far I want to jump, but then I realized it’s just
OPINIONS
not about that. I can go jump a cool distance and get a school record, and it wouldn’t mean anything if I was a completely terrible human being. If you’re not bettering the people around you as well as yourself, then what are you really doing?” While Baker has spent his time at Binghamton University trying to better his teammates, he realized his junior year that he needed to do something to better himself. So he switched his major from biology to English and created an affordable fashion blog called Baker’s Rebellion. Baker said he knew from a young age that he was interested in fashion and the arts and began to idolize musicians for both their music and their style. “ASAP Rocky was my favorite artist for a long, long time,” Baker said. “I watched all of his interviews, listened
see baker page 7
SPORTS
A review of (Sandy) Alex G’s new album “House of Sugar,”
Bullet journal your way to a successful semester,
Comedians shouldn’t be censored by their audience,
Volleyball swept at Black Knight Invitational,
Women’s soccer earns pair of nonconference victories,
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