MONDAY January 24, 2011
Tues. Wed. Thurs. SNOWY SNOWY SNOWY 28→20 29→20 21→7
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news
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Binghamton ranks among top public universities
Vol. LXXIX, Issue 1
Binghamton University
lifestyles
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Alone at home
Living at home while going to college can put a damper on your college experiences
Kiplinger’s has ranked BU No. 1 in best value for out-of-state students for the third time in a row
Ex-coach to author book
The Free Word On Campus for 64 years
opinion
Tucson to Binghamton
Two tragedies, two cases of troubled individuals who struggled with college life
No injuries reported in hotel fire
Brian Racow
See BOOK Page 5
Chancellor aligns with Cuomo Rob Bellon
Assistant News Editor
Kevin Broadus, the former head coach of men’s basketball at Binghamton University, is writing a book after resigning from his position last November. Broadus, who received a $1.2 million settlement in return for his departure and a commitment to drop a discrimination lawsuit, has not yet announced what the book will be about. Broadus could not be reached for this article, and neither his literary agent, Frank Weimann of Literary Group International, LLC, nor his attorney, Linda Kenney Baden, responded to calls and e-mails seeking comment. The former coach all but confirmed that he is writing a book by posting a link on his website, www.kevinbroadus.com, to press coverage of the forthcoming work. Baden did the same on her Twitter account. Broadus previously stated in a letter to the editor published in The Wall Street Journal in April 2010 that he would eventually give his version of what transpired during his tenure at BU. “At the appropriate time I will speak more directly to many of the inaccurate and misleading allegations that have been misreported regarding our program and me,” Broadus wrote, possibly alluding to the book he is authoring. In the meantime, he has generally refrained from speaking with
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News Editor
Daniel O’Connor/Photo Editor
Firefighters respond to a fire at the Quality Inn across from Binghamton University. According to authorities, no one was injured and the cause was not immediately known.
Rob Bellon News Editor
Firefighters from the Vestal Fire Department responded to a fire Saturday at the Quality Inn across from the Binghamton University campus. The fire burned in a single room of the 4105 Vestal Parkway East hotel, which has 142 rooms in all. Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Rose said the Vestal Fire Department received the call at around 4:10 p.m., just after the beginning of check-in time, and
that there was no one in the room when firefighters arrived. “Everyone was out when we went through,” he said. There were no reported injuries in connection with the fire, and all of the guests were allowed to remain in the hotel the night following the fire, according to a report from the Press & Sun-Bulletin. Though the call was received around 4:10, it was not immediately clear when or even how the fire started. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke as they entered the building, and they
searched the building for other possible sources of fire. Officials and workers at the hotel declined to comment. The Press & Sun-Bulletin reported that the fire was extinguished within minutes, and that the hotel sustained smoke and water damage in the area around the fire. At least six fire trucks were on the scene, and many of them stayed well after the fire was extinguished. According to the Press & Sun-Bulletin, the Endwell and West Corners Fire Departments provided assistance.
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher delivered what was by all counts the first-ever State of the University address last week, in which she outlined her vision for SUNY as an integral driver of the state’s economic recovery in spite of a challenging fiscal environment. In her Jan. 19 speech in Albany, Zimpher sought to bring new life to a host of reforms that failed to pass in the New York legislature last year, but she also introduced several newer initiatives that all but confirmed that SUNY would need to seek new ways to raise revenue — including tuition increases — in the absence of additional state funding. Zimpher referred early on to newly inaugurated Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address, given two weeks earlier. She quoted him directly on his comments on the role of SUNY in the state economy. In his discussion of creating jobs, Cuomo said that “higher education will be the key economic driver. We look to partner with our great SUNY system, especially across upstate New York in making this a reality.” It was the only time he referenced SUNY directly in his 45-minute address. Zimpher then directed her speech to Cuomo himself. “Governor: SUNY is up to the challenge and we are well positioned to answer your call,” she said. “We are absolutely focused on leveraging our mission toward economic recovery and job creation for our great state.” Zimpher also took stock of
See SUNY Page 2
Judge rules evidence admissible in case of former Bearcat Assistant News Editor
A pretrial hearing for a former Binghamton University basketball player was held at the New County Courts Building in Binghamton Jan. 13 to determine the admissibility of evidence being presented by the district attorney’s office. On Sept. 18, 2009, Derrick “D.J.” Rivera admitted to using a stolen debit card in an hour-long interview with the police. Rivera told the police that he had found the card and used it at Manley’s Mighty Mart and Walmart, charging nearly $700 to the card. According to the charges against Rivera, BU student Ziena Antonios reported that her debit card had been stolen and used illegally on Sept. 14, 2009. Rivera’s attorney, Mark Rappaport, had requested the interview with the police and was present in the room when it was conducted. Rivera told police that he had felt guilty using the debit card and had thrown away hundreds of dollars in clothing in BU dumpsters the next morning.
Rivera also admitted to purchasing a television and giving it to a friend. “I threw it all away,” Rivera said in a video taken of the interview, which was played at the hearing. “I felt bad about the situation. I’m not that kind of guy.”
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Aaron Axelson
You don’t have to Mirandize if they are not in custody or being interrogated Matthew Rossie,
BU Deputy Police Chief
Three days prior to his interview, Rivera spoke to BU police voluntarily when he arrived at the station’s loading dock with a teammate who had been summoned for questioning. According to Deputy Police Chief Matthew Rossie of Binghamton’s New
York State University Police, when asked why he was at the station, Rivera admitted to having taken the card, but said he had enough money to repay the victim in cash. Rappaport argued at the hearing that the evidence should be inadmissible because he and his client had not been aware that the interview was being taped and the conversation on the dock had been held without Rivera being read his rights. Broome County Judge Martin Smith ruled that the statements would be admissible in Rivera’s trial. According to Rossie, hearings in which the defense is “challenging the validity or legality of the evidence” are common. Rossie said he was asked basic questions at the trial about Rivera’s admission, such as whether he had been read his
See TRIAL Page 5 File photo
D.J. Rivera (photo at right), a former Binghamton student, faces several felony charges for stealing and using a fellow student’s debit card in September 2009. Rivera, once one of the school’s top basketball players, has pleaded not guilty.