Spring 2024 Issue 19

Anne Bailey shares background, research at SAPB Professor Spotlight event

Her accomplished career has included extensive research, several published books and a United Nations speech.

Nuala Kappel news contributor

To celebrate both Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB) hosted the latest event in its Professor Spotlight series. Held on Thursday in the Lecture Hall, the event featured Anne Bailey, a professor of history and accomplished author who has spoken at the United Nations. Bailey’s distinguished

academic career has included extensive research in African, AfricanAmerican and Caribbean Studies, and members of the campus community listened to her speak about her youth, background and published works.

Chelsea Kaden, the SAPB’s insights chair and a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, described her goals of promoting diversity and inclusion.

“I hope to give [Bailey] a platform to speak not only about the content of her work, but her passion for it,” Kaden wrote in an email. “Understanding how our professor[s] found their appreciation for their field of study can expand our appreciation for it as well.” See bailey page 3

Speakers share voyages at Odyssey-themed conference

The conference’s speakers described fundamental changes they made in their academic pursuits, careers and lives.

Tyler Brechner news contributor

TEDxBinghamtonUniversity held its 14th-annual conference, themed “Odyssey,” on Sunday in the Fine Arts Building’s Chamber Hall.

This year’s speakers sought to center their talks around “breaking barriers and trailblazing forward toward a new

future,” and audience members were given the opportunity to network with them following the event. Each speaker made fundamental changes in their careers, academic pursuits or lives that can inspire attendees, according to Jay Yong, TEDxBinghamtonUniversity’s vice president and director of sponsorship and a sophomore double-majoring in accounting and psychology.

TEDxBinghamtonUniversity, an independent affiliate of TED — an international nonprofit organization that hosts speakers and creates online video programs about various scientific, political and cultural topics has organized

conferences at BU since 2014, booking both student and professional speakers. This year, the organization showcased six speakers, including three current students and an alumna.

“As they explore the uncharted territories in their lives and careers, we wish to inspire, enlighten and motivate our audience and spread the message of perseverance and courage,” the TEDx website said.

Dynamic choreography takes center stage

HPC presents ‘Radium Girls’

The production leaned into important themes of worker rights while depicting 1920s music and clothes.

Grace Flandreau

Over the weekend, Hinman Production Company (HPC) put on “Radium Girls,” a play about the girls who worked with paint containing radium in the 1920s. The production included themes such as workers’ rights, scientific discovery and moral shortcomings.

The play follows a girl named Grace Fryer as she struggles to fight for justice after discovering that the radium paint she had used to paint clocks for the United States Radium Corporation was harming both her and her fellow workers. It was not known at the time, but radium is extremely dangerous, despite having positive results when treating cancer. Grace Fryer was portrayed by Jessica Knaster, a sophomore majoring in psychology. Knaster explained how she was able to bring her character to life over the run of the show.

See HPC page 6

The two dance performances were inspired by “Oedipus Rex” and Dante’s “Inferno.”

Deborah Sridhar arts & cuLture writer

The department of theatre at Binghamton University showcased one of its spring studio projects, In The Works - Choreography, producing two captivating performances — “Andha - The Blind” and “Pandemonium.”

Performed in Studio A at BU’s Fine Arts Building from March 21 to March 23 at 8 p.m. and March 24 at 2 p.m., the ushers welcomed the eager audience half an hour before the curtains went up, with dim lights and silence creating an air of anticipation.

The production began with the choreography of “Andha - The Blind,” a dance drama inspired by Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex,” in which the protagonist, Oedipus,

is prophesied to kill his father and marry his own mother.

Departing from the Greek influences of the play, director and choreographer Jithendra Vidyapathy, a first-year graduate student in the theatre program, experimented with the performance by including influences from South Asian culture.

“To bring this production to life, I have incorporated both dance and vocal dialogues,” Vidyapathy wrote in an email.

“The choreography is a blend of Sri Lankan classical Kandyan dance form, contemporary dance, Indian dance and freestyle dance with gestures to convey the story. However, in some scenes, I have used text to help the audience understand the story.”

See stage page 6

Wrestling finishes season at NCAA Championships

DePrez, Day, Cassella, record two wins each to cap off 2023-24 season.

Luca Carrese sports contributor

The Binghamton men’s wrestling team finished its 2023-2024 season at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships with junior Brevin Cassella, graduate student Jacob Nolan, graduate student Lou DePrez and graduate student Cory Day representing the Bearcats. Cassella, DePrez and Day picked up two wins each, the first time since 2012 that Binghamton has had three wrestlers win two matches at the NCAAs.

“It’s always an amazing experience,” said Binghamton head coach Kyle Borshoff. “Hopefully for our guys we have left, it drives them to be more successful in the future. It is the best wrestling event in the world, hands down. I’m proud and thankful for [Cassella, Nolan, DePrez and Day] to have all gotten back there again this season.”

With two wins, Cassella became the first Bearcat with 30 wins in a season since DePrez won 33 matches during the 2018-2019 season. Cassella shut out his opponent from Virginia Tech 5-0 before suffering an 11-3 loss by major decision against his Penn State opponent,

the eventual NCAA runner-up. In the consolation bracket, Cassella narrowly defeated his Indiana opponent 1-0 before a loss to his Oklahoma State opponent ended his season.

“[Cassella] had a great year,” Borshoff said. “I think he made a lot of improvements. Notably, beating the Virginia Tech guy in the first round at nationals this year, that was the guy who knocked us out of the tournament last year and tightened the match up with the Penn State guy from earlier in the season. It was overall a really nice season with a number of really good wins over nationally ranked opponents.”

See wrestling page 10

blake derossi contributing photographer

The event featured two dance performances, one of which was inspired by “Oedipus Rex” and the other by Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno.”

TEDxBinghamtonUniversity 2024 speaker Q&As

Riya Bolander, senior double-majoring in psychology and music

Q: What is amatonormativity, and what are the negative impacts that this societal assumption has on people?

A: “For me, as an [asexual spectrum] person, [amatonormativity] led to a lot of feeling isolated and feeling like there was something wrong with me as I was growing up, and I wasn’t experiencing the same things [as others]. There’s one standard path in life and it’s like, you go to school and then you get married and have kids so not being able to see myself on that path was really scary, because what else do you do? Contemplating that ended up being rewarding in the end, but [amatonormativity] also affects everyone else who isn’t acespec.

Yan Chen, third-year Ph.D. candidate studying industrial engineering

Q: Could you tell me a bit about your journey leading up to where you are today?

A: “So I’m currently a Ph.D. student doing research where I use different techniques to fabricate artificial organ tissue for transplantation. That’s the ultimate goal and what I do starts at the very beginning [where] I have to find a way to create the scaffolds in the tissue.”

Madelyn Fried, freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience

Q: Can you describe a little bit about your background and what led you to become interested in civics education?

A: “So I grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey — suburbia basically. I always loved just talking about civics, and I would constantly do it with my family. I didn’t realize that that was not the most normal thing that people usually do with their families, so in school I couldn’t have the same conversations that I had with my family with my classmates. And I just realized that there was a big lack in civics education and getting an education and just kids not knowing what I thought were basics of government. And I was like, oh my goodness, all these people are voting next year, they should probably know what they’re voting on. So that’s what led me to make the game and spread awareness.”

Erin Reed, transgender journalist and author of the newsletter “Erin in the Morning”

Q: Can you give a short preview of what your TED talk will be about?

A: “Absolutely. So, first of all, I’m going to be talking about the fact that trans people have a history. We have always been here. We are as old as humanity itself. And I think that that’s important to talk about to start off with, because so often the news around trans people and the reporting around transgender people are that we are somehow this new thing. That we have exploded onto the scene out of nowhere, but the truth is, we are as old as writing itself. The very first human author Enheduanna was writing about the priesthood of Inanna, which is a priesthood of transgender, third gender and gender nonconforming people, so people whose assigned sex at birth did not match their gender identity or presentation. And so the first time that symbols were placed down onto clay tablets and somebody signed their name, they were talking about transgender people. We’ve always been here, [and] we’re part of what it means to be human.

The reason why I like to start with this is because, whenever we establish that we have been here for so long, we can then talk about why it’s important that we be allowed to coexist in society today. And I will take all of this history and connect it to the situation today, the way in which we’re living today, the laws that target us, as well as the things that we’re able to do for the first time in history.

I’m going to close off with a discussion about how people are finding community and safety, and my hope is that, in the future, whenever they look at this day and age, they see that despite everything that was happening right now, people felt more free than ever to come out and be themselves.”

Eden Robbins ‘16, user experience design leader in the technology industry

Q: How did your time at Binghamton University prepare you for a career in big tech?

A: “So, when I came to [BU], I really focused on trying to find [degrees] that aligned with my skill sets and, and what I was good at. I didn’t know what career existed that would leverage my skills that I wanted to use, specifically creative art design skills along with business [and] math skills. If you think about it, it’s a hard thing to find.

I took a risk. I decided to pursue a dual degree program based on my skills, and after a lot of networking, I eventually discovered UX [and] product design [which] I do now. A light bulb went off right when I searched and read about UX design, and that was gonna be my career. I think given the fact that I studied areas that I wanted to use directly in my career, my education set me up really well to just directly continue leveraging those skills, because I was very intentional about doing that. My graphic design degree [and] business degree set me up perfectly for my current job, which is a huge blend of design, art [and] business — analytical thinking creativity. It perfectly blends what I studied and my career [is] amazing [and] set me up well to be successful in my job.”

Johnny Stanton IV, professional football player and owner of Crimson Herald

Q: The theme for this year’s TEDx event is Odyssey. How will your talk cover this theme of overcoming obstacles in your own “odyssey?”

A: “My whole speech is about the adversity that had to go through, [which] I personally think is not far off from most other [National Football League (NFL)] players’ journeys or [those of] professional athletes, professional singers, whatever. The adversity that I’ve gone through, even though it is personal to me, speaks to a larger experience that people have. That’s what I’m hoping to be able to accomplish by matching with the Odyssey theme and allowing for this hero’s journey idea to be much more accepted by a lot of different people.”

To read the full interviews, visit bupipedream.com

Bailey feature second in spotlight series this year

Thursday

Bailey, the recipient of the Fulbright Program and Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs awards, described her background growing up in Jamaica and her strong ties to the African continent.

The Fulbright scholarship allowed her the opportunity to travel to Ghana and Jamaica to research African perspectives of the transatlantic slave trade.

“It was my curiosity that got me [to Africa], and that’s what I try to encourage in students,” Bailey said. “If you’re curious about something in your classes or just in life in general, honor that. That’s the beginning of not just academic inquiry, but often figuring out your purpose.”

Bailey also discussed her two non-fiction published books — “African Voices of the Atlantic Slave Trade:

During her time in Ghana, Bailey spoke with locals to hear their oral history, passed down through generations, of the slave trade. Her research included fieldwork, interviews and learning about local culture to gain a fuller understanding of the African perspective.

Beyond the Silence and the Shame” and ”The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History.” She primarily focused on “The Weeping Time,” which tells the story of an 1857 slave auction in Savannah, Georgia — the largest slave auction in American history. In this book, she highlights “living history,” where past events are connected to current and contemporary issues.

“The living history part of it is that I not only told the history of the sale, but I traced 15 percent of the people sold on the auction block to today, to people like you and me who can tell their story,” Bailey said.

The attention Bailey has brought to this history has resulted in numerous annual commemorations on March 2 and 3 — the days of the auction — throughout Georgia, with people of all cultures uniting to recognize the auction’s horrors and address current issues. A bill to preserve the memory of the Weeping Time and the Weeping Time Corridor has passed Georgia’s General Assembly and will move to the State Senate. “It’s not just that

we’re honoring what happened on the auction block, but [the enslaved people’s] contribution to America,” Bailey said. “They contributed to the richest men in America on the eve of the Civil War, and that means that they contributed to modern America as we know it. But they never got any credit, and that really links to what we have here in Binghamton.”

Bailey spearheaded the Harriet Tubman Freedom Trail in Downtown Binghamton, which commemorates locations central to the Underground

Railroad and the Civil Rights Movement, like the Trinity Zion Church and Brigham Hall. It celebrates the important people associated with these events, as a statue of Harriet Tubman marks the trail’s beginning and it concludes with a monument of Martin Luther King, Jr. She concluded the event with advice for students trying to find their community and path in life.

“Experiment a little bit,” Bailey said. “If you do what you love, and you make the connections to the real world, the world is going to find you.”

14th-annual conference features six speakers

Eden Robbins ‘16, the lead designer at Venmo, described her struggles with imposter syndrome after shifting from an athlete interested in math to double-majoring in art and design and business administration. She shared how her mother’s validation of her art ultimately led to a design career, which has included work for Meta, Adobe and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Robbins said her ingenuity was overshadowed by doubt when describing her experience in both the University’s graphic design program and her first UX design analyst job.

“I had to turn my aspirations into reality,” Robbins said. “My journey has been a wild ride. One that I would not be

on if I hadn’t seen the invisible opportunity behind the discovery of my drawings and, more importantly, had the courage to act on the unknown. I live by a personal mantra, ‘complacency signals the need for change.’”

The following two speeches were given by two current students. The first, Madelyn Fried, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, described the inspiration behind a civics-based video game she created to educate her peers about civics. (Ya Chen, a third-year Ph.D. candidate studying industrial engineering, spoke about her research into bioprinting, a process similar to 3D printing that constructs living cells. She highlighted her grandmother’s biological heart valve replacement, reducing the need for future surgery, and compared

it to the potential for her own research to “fabricate artificial capillary vessels.”

During intermission, Sulpoong, a Korean percussion student group, performed for attendees. After, Johnny Stanton IV, a former football player, recounted his history of injury and what it taught him about himself.

“I learned that I must love the game a lot to be able to fight back from each one of these injuries, each one of these times getting cut and have to redouble my efforts to be able to make it back to anywhere close to where I was before,” Stanton said. “Any time I have the opportunity to speak to high school students, this is really what I try to hammer home.”

Stanton explained that his adaptability allowed him to ex-

plore his other interests — becoming a Dungeons & Dragons influencer and game publishing company owner. He will speak with athletes about developing a brand outside of their sport on his podcast, Athletics Check.

Riya Bolander, a senior double-majoring in psychology and music, expressed their struggles with amatonormativity — the expectation that people should prioritize and desire romantic relationships. They claimed that it harmed both aromantic and romantic people by “creating an unnecessary hierarchy” and causing love to be “monopolized by romantic partnerships,” harming platonic relationships.

Erin Reed, a transgender journalist focusing on trans rights amid reactionary political backlash, spoke on trans people’s presence throughout

history — from Enheduanna, humanity’s first named author, in Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago to trans people today. Even with greater representation, civil liberties and medical care than in the past, activists and advocates are still battling anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

“In the last three years, over 20 states have banned some level of gender-affirming for trans youth or adults — sports, bathrooms, LGBTQ+ books, and more,” Reed said. “These laws have forced trans people to feel that they have to flee from their home states. In Indeed, a recent data Data for Progress poll has showed that 8 percent of [trans] people have already fled their home state[s] … with an additional 40 percent considering leaving … If this continues … this could be one of the largest

political migrations in modern [United States] history.”

Even with an ongoing international harassment campaign to demonize and exclude trans people, Reed said that some places are moving in a positive direction and that she is hopeful for the future.

“The overarching theme for all of our talks this year is honoring the journeys of our speakers, who are at the forefront and changing the paradigm of their career and industries,” Yong wrote in an email. “They will be sharing about the importance of the paradigm shift they are passionate about, and the endless possibilities that may entail for all of us.”

bailey from page 1

odyssey from page 1

SUNY plans to eliminate single-use plastics

The plan will reduce usage by nearly 100 percent at all 64 SUNY campuses over the next few years.

Keith Dellapenta news contributor

SUNY Chancellor John King announced a plan earlier in March to eliminate singleuse plastics from Binghamton University and the 63 other SUNY campuses.

A gradual, multi-year process, the initiative will eventually phase out and replace single-use plastics with more environmentally friendly alternatives. The ban comes after legislation, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, presented better methods of waste elimination, including composting and recycling. The initiative aims to encourage all SUNY schools to work toward reducing single-use plastics on campus to help curb the effects of climate change. Occurring over the next few years, the plan will reduce usage by nearly 100 percent for some products.

“With the fate of the planet at stake, New York [state] must continue to lead the way in the global fight against the climate crisis,” Hochul said in a 2021 press release. “This package of legislation will make sure New Yorkers are recycling, composting and phasing out wasteful plastic products, putting our state on the path to a cleaner, greener future.”

King’s plan would have the ultimate goal of a neartotal elimination of singleuse plastics SUNY-wide. Single-use plastics can be found as plasticware, takeout containers, plastic beverage bottles and plastic straws. Many items on the list were marked with a final elimination date of 2027, or whenever possible. Many plastic items are set to be phased out in a multistage process, with goals for elimination ranging from 25 to 100 percent.

BU has already taken steps toward creating a more environmentally sustainable campus. In 2023, the University won gold status in sustainability for the second time, as rated by the Sustainable Campus Index, which ranks universities across the country based on a 17-part review of their commitment to sustainability in a variety of fields — including air, climate and waste — with colleges earning either bronze, silver, gold or platinum ratings. BU aims to reach the platinum level, currently only held by 12 other universities and has complied with the state’s plastic bag ban.

In August 2023, the University enacted a new policy to limit the usage of balloons outdoors. The policy would reduce the “danger and nuisance to the environment” caused by the balloons being “entangled in trees and power lines or land on the ground or in waters,” according to a statement on the Operations Division’s website. This policy, however, does not affect the usage of balloons for educational and weatherrelated reasons or the usage of indoor balloons that are tied down.

“Research has shown plastics have a significant, long-lasting, and damaging impact on the environment and public health, which is why SUNY is taking this holistic approach to eliminate the usage of single-use plastics,” Carter Strickland, SUNY’s chief sustainability officer and executive director of climate action, said in a press release.

Pam Mischen, the University’s chief sustainability officer, explained that the change will affect everyone at the University. She reiterated that it would be a learning experience for the entire campus, from maintenance staff to students, and gave an example of how students can begin to make the change from single-use plastics to more eco-friendly alternatives through the use of OZZI containers — reusable takeout containers that would replace single-use containers that often end up in landfills.

Mischen encouraged students to avoid plastic water bottles instead of glass or

aluminum alternatives, which are reusable and more easily recycled.

“All students are provided an OZZI container in their first year,” Mischen wrote in an email. “If the container has been lost, a new one can be purchased from the dining halls.”

While most single-use plastics are set to be eliminated in the coming years, exceptions have been made to ensure accessibility and safety. The plan allows for the use of single-use plastics in the event of an emergency or for ease of access during a crisis. Plastics used in laboratory settings and food preparation are also

exempt from the policy to prevent contamination.

Olivia Rutherford, an undeclared freshman, expressed interest in the new waste regulation policies — but shared concern that accessibility could be an issue, as people with disabilities may not have adequate access to alternatives to single-use plastics.

“I think the ban has the potential to do a lot of good,” Rutherford wrote in an email. “However, it’s still important to be conscious of those who need to use single-use plastics, such as straws, due to various disabilities.”

University receives $123 million for renovations

The funding was announced on campus by the governor over spring break.

In an announcement on campus during spring break, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that Binghamton University will receive $123 million to renovate and maintain campus infrastructure.

The University will use the state funding toward several large projects, including a new lecture hall, classroom and chemistry lab complex, which will cost

$60 million. An additional $30 million will be used to renovate Science III, $22 million will go into Fine Arts building renovations and $11 million will be used for general campus maintenance.

The new lecture hall will be the biggest project and will function as an additional class space. With applications to the University increasing by five percent from 202122, the demand for more classrooms and living space for incoming students has risen.

“This new building will serve as a hub for students to take classes and study in the Information Commons,” University President

Harvey Stenger said. “It will help meet current and future demand for our largest classes, and provide space for more classes at convenient times for faculty and students.”

It will include two large lecture halls — one seating 300 and another accommodating 180 — a 100-seat active learning space, two learning studios, 23 general-purpose classrooms, three computer rooms and an information commons. Construction on the new complex, located across from Academic Building A and next to M Lot, will begin next spring.

The Science III building, which includes the E.W. Heier Teaching and

Research greenhouses, will be overhauled, with about 45,000 square feet being renovated. Parts of the current building will be gutted and turned into new laboratory spaces, classrooms and offices, and the building’s electrical, plumbing and fire systems will be upgraded. Construction for this project began in early 2023, and the first phase will be completed by March 2025.

“We want to attract more professors and welcome more students to these programs, so it’s an important investment — one of the largest we will be making in the SUNY system,” Hochul said at her March 1 press conference.

Critics of the University’s ever-increasing enrollment have mentioned the lack of established infrastructure to support students. Early in the fall semester, over 150 students were forced into super occupancy housing — an arrangement where three or more students lived in a space designed to accommodate two. To alleviate space concerns at the beginning of the spring semester, the University renovated and reopened Old Rafuse Hall, which can house 152. In addition to larger planned renovations, a second floor will be added to the Chenango Room — which will hold Einstein’s Bagels — while a new Panera Bread will take its

place on the first floor. The plan was slated to be completed in August 2018, but experienced delays. Yossi Schmeidler, a freshman majoring in English, said the investments in campus infrastructure were a positive development.

“I am glad that they are giving the school money, and the new lecture hall will be a good place for students to attend classes,” Schmeidler said. “The study areas will make more students motivated to study. I would like it if the school used its money to build a second gym, and possibly include the member fees in our tuition.”

Sara Feinseth news contributor

‘Nuclear Deterrance’ is losing all of its meaning This makes nuclear war more likely now than ever.

Deniz Gulay Opinions Columnist

The current state of international politics is filled with constant and rampant escalation. Apart from the conflicts we are already familiar with from watching the news, there are also now greater risks of new tensions emerging between more nations.

In the debate about these political events, one idea that gets thrown around is that we are, in fact, getting closer and closer to one giant spark — one worldwide conflict that will engulf the entire planet. You may know this concept by its typical phrase “World War Three,” and the measures humanity has taken so far to avoid it run the risk of losing their meaning altogether.

A principle that has governed geopolitics since the beginning of the Cold War is mutually assured destruction (MAD), whereby great powers cannot go to war with each other since the natural next step would be a full-scale nuclear war. However, this principle that arguably

prevented war for so many decades is now under the threat of becoming outright irrelevant. This is because in recent times and since the beginning of the War on Terror, war has once again begun to be seen as a method to resolve disputes as opposed to diplomacy. This has caused a change in the way nuclear weapons are seen, turning them from sources of immense danger to a means of defense from external threats. Today, nine nations possess nuclear weapons, and they are incidentally some of the most active and influential powers in geopolitics. Some nations had the potential to obtain nuclear weapons, but their failure to do so is arguably the main reason for the demise they faced in the past. Iraq and Libya have both historically run programs to develop nuclear weapons, only to fail in the process and be left powerless against invasion from Western coalitions. An even more relevant example is Ukraine, which obtained a part of the nuclear arsenal left by the Soviet Union’s dissolution but gave it up completely in exchange for security

agreements in the name of non-proliferation.

Today, these example countries are used to justify the supposed net benefit of having nuclear weapons both in America and elsewhere, as the message from their lack is clear — by not having nukes, you are at risk of being invaded by a nation that has them. I believe this idea is the main motivation behind the recent expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward the east, as well as the renewed efforts of nations like Belarus to obtain nuclear weapons through development or assistance from countries like Russia.

The debate on nuclear weapons has therefore evolved from the dangers they pose to all of humanity to the strategic benefit they provide to nations individually. Non-proliferation as a concept is already on its way out because of this, but the greater danger now is the possibility of governments completely forgetting the seriousness of the issue at hand and fueling escalations internationally. President Emmanuel Macron of France recently made an

announcement stating that France, a nuclear power, will not exclude the idea of sending troops to Ukraine to fight against the growing Russian forces on the battlefield. It is not at all difficult to imagine that in such a scenario as an example, rapid escalation born out of a clash between Russian and French forces can quickly ignite a conflict between two major powers. Similarly, North Korea and China are both expanding their missile programs in accordance with their territorial ambitions, and these ambitions stand against United States strategic interests. A possible conflict or even a small skirmish under such tenuous circumstances carries huge risks toward uncontrollable military escalation. The main point behind the risks of escalation is that the stratagems developed for Cold War conditions are inadequate for 21st-century circumstances. This is evident from the fact that agreements put into place for de-escalation between major forces are mostly defunct due to the lost diplomatic ties. The risk is that from now

on, the value of defending a single country or alliance may outweigh the threat of total global annihilation.

The objective conclusion should be — no matter how controversial or naive it may seem — to understand that the debate on whether or not we should keep nuclear arsenals is pointless to begin with and to realize that we must work toward finding ways to limit nuclear capabilities in all aspects.

Neither NATO embracing military exercises in Sweden and Finland, nor Belarus obtaining missiles from Russia, works toward solving this issue. The ongoing tensions surrounding Taiwan and Iran will only serve to make the nuclear threat worse by giving nations reasons to build their own arsenals.

If, even under Cold War circumstances, humanity was able to work toward arms reduction, then there is no excuse to not consider that motive today. The only legitimate step nations can take under current conditions is to re-establish diplomatic ties, which is very unlikely in the face of constant warmongering at the government level. This

is the reason why following world events matters more than ever today, as agitation through propaganda makes it more likely for us, the public, to rally behind flags and cheer for war.

Even if none of these arguments make any sense to you, think not about politics or complex diplomacy, but of life itself. A nuclear war fought between major powers is now more than ever likely to start out of the tiniest possible excuses for escalation. A war like that won’t be merely a tragedy — but, in all likelihood, a total extinction event for all mankind. I don’t want to live in a world that can burn at any moment because of incompetence or selfishness. For the sake of sanity and dignity, neither should you.

Deniz Gulay is a freshman majoring in history.

Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial.

Not voting in the 2024 election is selfi sh

While criticized from both sides, Biden remains the better choice.

In recent days, the reasons for protest votes — especially from the moderate and more progressive wings of the Democratic Party — have gotten increasingly louder and stronger, with many voters threatening to not vote for President Joe Biden because of his stances on the Israel-Hamas war. In Michigan, home of one of the largest Arab-American and one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States, grassroots organizations encouraged voters to vote “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary election to show Biden their disagreement with the lack of ceasefire, leading the “uncommitted” vote to be 13.2 percent. The movement plans on continuing to push voters to not vote for Biden in Democratic primaries

to pressure Biden into changing his policy in regards to the war.

In addition, fellow Democrats have accused Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar of making offensive statements toward Jewish people. Tlaib’s support of the phrase “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” has upset more moderate Democratic voters and fellow politicians, who believe that the phrase is antisemitic. While Tlaib defended the statement as a call for “freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence,” many Jewish activists take issue with the phrase as they believe it intends to dismantle the State of Israel and replace it with a Palestinian state.

What these more moderate and more progressive Democrats have in common — beyond their unhappiness with Biden’s perceived lack of action — is that their motives are, simply put, selfish. Voters who feel that Biden’s sup-

port of Israel is wrong or that more needs to be done to help Palestinians in times of war can campaign for their chosen advocacies in a way that will not have a drastic negative effect on the future of our country.

Protesting in the way of not voting may send a message, but it will get lost when former Republican President Donald Trump inevitably wins as a result of uncommitted voters whose sole issue with Biden follows in a Trump presidency in which every other ideal they hold gets overturned.

Single-issue voters are not new, but, in an election as consequential as this, the dangers of not voting are stronger than ever. Additionally, while farther-left groups may believe that not voting for Biden because of his views on Israel may be a worthwhile cause, the truth is that if Trump wins, they will be even unhappier — Trump is decidedly even more staunchly pro-Israel and fosters far more hateful rhetoric sur-

rounding minority groups than Biden, and this campaign to vote uncommitted will lead to electing a president both groups have far less common ground with and influence over. This includes moderate Jewish voters who find themselves compelled not to vote while doing themselves a disservice by inactively electing someone who has made and supported antisemitic statements and comments.

Trump recently made comments about how “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. [Democrats] hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed,” in response to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) comments about voting Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, out of office. Trump’s comments are plainly antisemitic, speaking over the Jewish community and creating false stereotypes that

only further contribute to rising antisemitism in the United States. While Trump may be pro-Israel, his comments have been extremely harmful to the Jewish community and not voting, leading to his potential win, is simply an uncaring and uninformed trade-off.

For young voters too, they may feel disillusioned with Biden because of some of his policies and even because of his age. However, every policy they want to see implemented will certainly not get accomplished if they don’t vote and Trump eventually wins. What they will see, however, is a reversal of the policies they care about — gun control, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights and more — and almost no chance in successfully enacting the laws and policies they think will better this country and Palestinian people.

Democrats not voting in the upcoming election will result in more conservative judges being appointed, the reversal of more abortion

rights across the country, looser gun control and an increasing number of problematic policies. Abstaining from voting for Biden because of disagreement over one issue — even if that issue is incredibly important — does not justify the consequence, which will be another Trump presidency full of lies and harmful rhetoric used by the most prominent leader in the country. While the verbiage “voting for the lesser of two evils” may feel tired and overused, in this case, unfortunately, it’s true. Where this will lead — if no one votes — is a dictatorship that nobody wants. The future of America is at stake.

Sam Rigante is a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law.

Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial.

Sam Rigante Opinions Columnist

BU theatre department’s spring showcase

The influences of Vidyapathy’s roots were observed in the soundtrack chosen for “Andha - The Blind” and the costumes for his actors and dancers, designed by his father, Ravibandhu Vidyapathy, who is a dancer, drummer, percussionist, musician, painter and costume designer.

“I created the music for my play using a mix of Sri Lankan drums, folk tunes and Western orchestration,” Vidyapathy wrote. “This allowed me to choreograph the dance sequence with more emotional depth and relevance to the story.”

Aiming for the costumes to have Greek influence with a Sri Lankan touch, the character Jocasta, the mother of Oedipus, wore a traditional Sri Lankan costume known as a saree commonly found

in Sri Lanka and India which women wear for special occasions. Likewise, the costume of the character Teiresias, the blind prophet who prophesied about Oedipus’s incest, was another traditional South Asian outfit called a salwar.

Vidyapthay delved into the cultural inspiration behind the costumes and design.

“I wanted to showcase Sri Lankan culture on the modern stage through Jocasta’s costume,” Vidyapthay wrote. “My aim was to offer the audience a unique experience of a Sri Lankan dance-theatre production combining traditional and contemporary dance to retell a familiar Greek story using Sri Lankan music and drumming.”

Following a 10-minute intermission, the ensemble of “Pandemonium,” directed by Erica Gundersen, a senior

majoring in theatre, took to the stage. A passionate reimagination of Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno” by protagonists Dante and Virgil, the intricate display of ballet followed Dante’s journey under Virgil’s guidance through the nine circles of hell.

Gundersen described how one of Hozier’s albums helped to draw inspiration for her own choreography.

“I was thrilled to discover that one of my favorite musicians, Hozier, had created an album inspired by Dante’s work,” Gundersen wrote in an email. “It felt like two artistic worlds colliding in the most harmonious manner imaginable.”

Gundersen further explained how designing the choreography was a journey of discovery. Each piece of music from Hozier’s album

represented a different layer of Dante’s infernal journey and highlighted various characters and themes that resonate with Dante’s “Inferno.”

“Just as the novel traces Dante’s descent through the circles of hell, my show seeks to mirror this journey through the medium of dance, inviting audiences to embark on a transformative experience of their own,” Gundersen wrote.

Gundersen mentioned how assembling an ensemble of 14 talented dancers was not an easy feat, contrary to the effortlessness displayed on the night of their performance.

“It was my responsibility to communicate the vision and concept of my production to the dancers before and during auditions,” Gundersen wrote. “From the outset, I emphasized the diverse

styles and thematic elements present in the choreography, and I was delighted to see the dancers’ eagerness to embrace these challenges. The selection of my two protagonists was guided by their innate storytelling abilities, complemented by their exceptional technical skills.”

Sydney Vandermast, the lead dancer of “Pandemonium” and a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, described how she and the other dancers learned their choreography in time for the show.

“While preparing for ‘Pandemonium,’ it was newer to me to be in such a time crunch, having only a couple weeks to prepare, but it was a challenge that I enjoyed,” Vandermast wrote in an email.

“What was unique about the

process was that many of the groups were split in order to learn all of the choreography, and our full company only met once a week to put it all together. Through preparation for the show, it was so rewarding to see all the pieces come together into a cohesive show. Overall, it was wonderful to see Erica prepare her piece and work with all the other dancers to make it come to life.”

Gundersen explained what she hopes attendees take away from the performance.

“My hope is that the audience will be swept away by the emotional depth and visceral power of our production, leaving them with a renewed appreciation for the enduring relevance of dance as a medium for storytelling and selfexpression,” Gundersen wrote.

HPC’s ‘Radium Girls’ addresses worker rights

“As I’ve reread the script, I’m always finding new moments where I’m realizing this is her first experience being wronged by somebody or this is the first time she stood up for herself,” Knaster said. “[It’s] kind of thinking about what her thoughts would be and then applying that as I’m acting … also thinking about instances in my life that I can apply or how would I feel if someone as close as one of the characters was to her, if that happened to them.”

The work that was put into developing the characters was clear throughout the performance. This remained true even when characters were switching between

different roles. Zoe Steinberg, one of the co-directors and a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and English, explained the challenges she faced while directing the play alongside Ian Moszynski, codirector and an undeclared sophomore.

“From the start, even from casting — because there are 37 characters in this show, and we only have a cast of 10 — we need to mix it around and see how that works,” Steinberg said. “And even from there it was a lot, but we took it all as it came. [My co-director, Moszynski and I] hang out. We’re friends, [so] work for the show isn’t really like work. The first two weeks of the show, I think [Moszynski] and I saw

each other for at least 11 hours every day — it was a lot of planning.”

With such a small cast covering so many roles, “Radium Girls” used a mixture of props and costumes to differentiate between different people throughout the show. The play also leaned into the 1920s by including 20s music and clothing. There was also clarity given to how time passed through the roles of Sob Sister and Reporter, who directly stated the year to the audience under the guise of reporting the events in realtime.

The emotional story depicted by the company helps to cover crucial themes of workers rights that remain

important today. Anne Muha, who portrays Sob Sister and is a first-year graduate student studying public administration, explained how her understanding of this topic motivated her to participate in this show.

“Part of the reason I wanted to do this show in the first place was because I think that this is a very important working class story to tell,” Muha stated. “In preparation for doing this play, I read a book about the radium girls, ‘The Radium Girls’ by Kate Moore … I do think it’s really important to tell and retell these kinds of cautionary working class laborer stories, so that we don’t forget the people who came before us and the sacrifices they made and

remind ourselves not to take what we do have, in terms of labor regulation, for granted.”

Luke Sullivan, who played Arthur Roedar and is a junior double-majoring in English and history, continued this idea by explaining how this important story was a new step for HPC and how this affected cast relations throughout the run of the show.

“Something that I was wondering when going into this was, this is a drama, and we’ve only really done comedies here, at least in my time here,” Sullivan said. “So I was wondering, how is the cast going to connect when we’re dealing with such a heavy topic? But I think there’s a beauty in the black comedy

that emerges from covering this topic, and I think that’s the way everyone comes together.”

The comradery displayed between the characters was apparent on stage. With such a serious subject manner, the actors were able to work with each other in order to put on a successful performance.

Moszynski explained the impact that this show and HPC as a whole has had on him.

“To me, it’s kind of the culmination of my journey as someone who’s part of this club,” Moszynski stated. “This has become way more important to me than I realized, so directing is kind of like the final step in really feeling like I’ve found my people.”

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Creative writing program presents Angie Cruz

The recent installment of Binghamton University’s Distinguished Writers Series brought novelist and editor Angie Cruz to the forefront, showcasing her latest novel, “How Not To Drown in a Glass of Water.” Cruz, renowned for her insightful narratives, delves deep into themes of immigration, violence and women’s sexuality, offering a poignant portrayal of the immigrant experience through the lens of her protagonist, Cara Romero.

During the event, Cruz read excerpts from “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” and participated in a Q&A session with Liz Rosenberg, professor of English, who had been her professor during her time as a student at BU. The session delved into the hardships Cruz faced on her journey to success, touching on topics such as immigration, career development and familial struggles.

“How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” tells the story of Cara Romero, a middle-aged Dominican woman residing in Washington Heights, who confronts the harsh realities of unemployment amid

the backdrop of the Great Recession. In a series of sessions with a job counselor, Romero recounts her life from her immigration to the United States from the Dominican Republic to finding solace in the tight-knit community of Washington Heights. The narrative delves deeply into her challenges with debt, the encroachment of gentrification and the profound sense of loss she experiences. The novel’s title, “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water,” alludes to a Latin American expression that speaks to the act of “undrowning” oneself, a metaphor Romero embraces as she comes to terms with and mourns her deepest struggles.

Giovanna Montenegro, associate professor of comparative literature and romance languages, interprets Cruz’s novel as a powerful narrative that gives voice to the marginalized, particularly immigrant women like Romero.

“The structure of the novel — centered around her 12 sessions with her job counselor — is very stream-ofconsciousness and allows Cara to ‘desahogarse,’” Montenegro said. “It’s a reflexive verb in Spanish which means to vent or unburden oneself — but with the prefix des- [and] the root “ahogar” (to drown) — and the reflexive suffix -se it brings attention to how Cara is not only unburdening herself, but ‘undrowning’ herself in a

world where there’s a stigma and lack of access to mental health.”

Montenegro further elaborated on Cruz’s contribution to Latin American and Caribbean literature, noting that her work adds to a new generation of diasporic writers who bring fresh perspectives and experiences to the literary landscape. Cruz’s portrayal of Dominican women offers insight for readers interested in Latin American and Caribbean studies, offering nuanced portrayals of racialized identities and immigrant life in New York City.

Marina Malli, lecturer

of Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies, has been instrumental in bringing Angie Cruz’s work into the classroom. She wrote that her recent teaching of Cruz’s novel in two 200-level classes sparked vibrant discussions among students, prompting reflections on greatly personal themes within immigrant communities.

“Among the most important conversations that this novel has allowed for have been our relationships with our own mothers and older relatives, transgenerational trauma and questions about parenting and mothering,” Malli wrote in an email.

Tina Chang, director of creative writing at BU and a main organizer for the event, played a pivotal role in bringing Cruz to the forefront of the Distinguished Writers Series. Her admiration for Cruz’s work and recognition of Cruz’s talent as a graduate of BU led her to invite Cruz to share her insights with the University community. Additionally, Chang’s passion for literature and dedication to fostering a vibrant literary culture at BU has made her a driving force behind the success of the Distinguished Writers Series. Chang reflected on her profound admiration for

Cruz’s authenticity and the impact of her narrative on the audience.

“[Cruz] is very special because she is authentic,” Chang wrote in an email. “The moments she described felt true and looking at the audience I could tell they were touched by her candor and the generosity with which she shared her life’s struggles which made her triumphs even sweeter. It made me feel so proud knowing she graduated from [BU]. Through hard work, her undeniable talent and the refusal to steer away from her dream, she is the ultimate success story.”

‘Dune: Part Two’ excels in cinematography

‘Dune: Part Two’ stands out with well developed performances and Zimmer’s perfected score.

Eli Engler arts & cuLture writer

“Dune: Part Two” blasted into movie theaters on March 1, 2024 and continues the story of the first “Dune” film, which was released in 2021. The first “Dune” can be succinctly summarized as the fall of House Atreides, while “Dune: Part Two” is the rise of Paul Atreides. Like the first film in the series, “Dune: Part Two” was directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and Zendaya as Chani. The cast includes many other famous actors, including Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Stellan Skarsgård and Javier Bardem. Hans Zimmer also returned to compose the score of the film.

As a whole, “Dune: Part Two” is an excellent film with stunning visuals that demand to be seen in a movie theater. Starting with the visuals, the production design, visual effects and cinematography of the film all work together in perfect harmony to create a beautiful piece of cinema

that can only be classified as art. “Dune: Part Two” is at its best when it scales up the plot, with excellent scenes that depict armies and crowds of innumerable size in a realistic way.

Similarly, the performances in “Dune: Part Two” are also phenomenal across the board. If Chalamet was good in “Dune,” then he is great in “Dune: Part Two.” He brings a certain charisma and humbleness to the character that makes it easy for the audience to understand why Chani falls in love with him, but he also portrays the darker side of Atreides as he has to come to terms with his destiny. Zendaya gives a career-best performance as the warrior Chani, demonstrating the strength and stubbornness of her character.

Beyond Chalamet and Zendaya, the rest of the cast are also at the top of their game. Butler’s turn as Harkonnen is genuinely terrifying because of his physical mannerisms and fitting voice. Ferguson, who plays Lady Jessica, the mother of Atreides, brings an air of nobility to the role that perfectly fits her character. Bardem is also great as Stilgar, a mentor and champion of Atreides who brings some humor to the film.

Another strength of “Dune: Part Two” is the score, composed by Zimmer. There is an audio motif that plays

several times in the film, each emphasizing the moment as crucial for the arc of Atreides as he slowly accepts his fate. By not overusing the motif, Zimmer and Villeneuve allow for the moments where it used to feel special and key the audience to the importance of the scene.

The biggest weakness of “Dune: Part Two” is the story, as it feels derivative at points and also drags in the middle. The book “Dune,” which the two films are based on, was released in 1965, years before “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” came to be. While the story of “Dune” may have been inventive when it was first released, now audiences are quite familiar with comingof-age stories about the prophetic “chosen one” who will take down an evil empire. It is hard not to watch “Dune: Part Two” and think of “Star Wars,” taking the viewer out of the film.

Likewise, the plot of “Dune: Part Two” drags during the middle part of the film. The beginning of the film is excellent, as Atreides forms alliances with the Fremen on Arrakis and learns the ways, paralleling Harkonnen’s rise to power. The end of the film also excels, as the Houses Atreides and Harknonnen meet in the perfect climax. However, the middle of the film drags a little too much as the viewers patiently wait for

the final pieces of the plot to come together. Altogether, “Dune: Part Two” is a stunning film that is sure to stay with viewers long after seeing it because

of the breathtaking visuals and powerful performances. Unfortunately, the plot of the film holds it back slightly, as the story feels repetitive of other film franchises. Despite

this, “Dune: Part Two” is a film that must be seen in a movie theater to be fully appreciated, to the credit of the filmmakers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

joanna FishMan Video intern

Angie Cruz’s novel explores immigrant life and identity in New York City during the Great Recession.

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Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya reprise their roles as Paul Atreides and Chavni.

Cruz discussed her path to success as a writer and editor while showcasing her latest novel.

Alison Martinez arts & cuLture writer

Women’s lacrosse defeats UMass Lowell at home

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head coach Stephanie Allen. “We’re a resilient group. So it was exciting to see them really battle with each other today — battle for each other — and when they put their minds to something, the sky’s the limit.”

take a 5-2 lead at the end of one quarter.

trailed 7-5 going into halftime.

In the mid of a fourgame losing streak, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team righted the ship and picked up its first victory of America East (AE) play with a 14-9 win over UMass Lowell. Despite entering halftime down 7-5, the Bearcats went on a nine-goal run, stemming from the end of the second quarter to third quarter, to come out on top over the River Hawks.

“I’m just really proud of this team,” said Binghamton

The Bearcats (5-6, 1-1 AE) opened up the match with the first two goals, both of which were free position goals from the first sophomore midfielder Emma Blloshmi and senior attack Madison Murphy. UMass Lowell (8-2, 0-1 AE) responded with two straight goals of its own to knot things at 2-2. After a goal from junior attack Olivia Muscolino to give BU the lead once again, the River Hawks scored three goals to

“We had to take on a different perspective,” Allen said. “We were playing a little fearful in the beginning and maybe afraid to turn over the ball. We told them at this point in time, turnovers are going to happen — it’s going to be a sloppy day out there.”

“I think obviously, the end of that first half, being a man up and then starting with possession of the ball, we just kind of had that weight lifted off of our shoulders,” Allen said.

scored two goals to cushion BU’s lead at 12-7. The Binghamton offense held UMass Lowell to zero goals in the period to go into the fourth quarter with a 12-7 lead.

The River Hawks scored the first two goals of the second quarter to extend their lead to 7-3. Eventually at the 6:19 mark, BU got back on the board as senior midfielder Kristen Scheidel and another from Blloshmi each found twine to make it a 7-5 game. The final 5:16 of the period saw no more scores as Binghamton

The Bearcats outscored the River Hawks 7-0 in the third quarter to make it nine unanswered goals stemming from the end of the quarter. To start the quarter, BU scored four goals in four minutes with two goals from sophomore attack Carla Curth, a goal from Murphy and a goal from Scheidel take a 9-7 advantage. Later in the frame, Blloshmi found the back of the net and Murphy

“Knowing we were going to have the possession, to begin with [and] rattling off those first couple in the second half, I think were huge momentum boosts and confidence builders for us,” Allen said. The River Hawks stopped the bleeding with a goal at the 8:54 mark in the fourth quarter as Binghamton still led 12-8. The contest then went back and forth, with UMass Lowell and Binghamton trading goals. Blloshmi scored BU’s final

goal of the match and as the clock winded down, Binghamton held its lead for a 14-9 comeback win.

“We’ve really got to value what we can,” Allen said. “We’ve got to battle for 50/50 balls on the ground, and we just got to buckle down on both ends of the field, defensively and offensively.”

The Bearcats will continue AE play against Vermont on Saturday, March 30. First draw control is set for 11 a.m. at Virtue Field in Burlington, Vermont. Binghamton

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

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Wrestling ends season at NCAA Championships

In the 184-pound bracket, Nolan took an early major decision loss to his Columbia opponent before moving on to the consolation bracket, where he took a close 9-6 decision loss to his Gardner-Webb opponent. With his career as a Bearcat concluding, Nolan finished with 84 wins and four appearances at the NCAAs. Nolan was also selected as Pipe Dream’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2022-2023.

“[Nolan] leaves this school being a four-time NCAA qualifier and there are

not many other guys in the program’s history that have done that,” Borshoff said. “[Nolan’s] been a bedrock of the performance of the team over the past five years and it’s going to be tough to fill his shoes. He’s an unbelievable wrestler, a great person and he’ll be graduating with his master’s degree in business administration this spring, [so] he’s got a lot to look forward to.”

After an overtime decision loss to his opponent from Navy, Day earned his first career win at the NCAAs with an overtime consolation win over his

Indiana opponent. Day then pinned his opponent from Cornell to earn his 29th win, before his season ended with a loss to his opponent from Campbell.

“[Day] got pinned by his [Cornell opponent] at the EIWA championships a couple of weeks ago, [but] this tournament, [Day] was able to secure the pin and flip the script,” Borshoff said. “Nice to see [Day] get that win, as well as over the Indiana wrestler. Those were [Day’s] first and second win(s) at this event. Overall, a really incredible season, [Day] finished the year with 12 pins and scored a lot of team points for us.” DePrez moved to the quarterfinals with two early wins before a loss to his opponent from South Dakota State and an overtime loss to his opponent from Little Rock brought his career as a Bearcat to an end. DePrez earned 156 career wins while setting Binghamton records with three individual EIWA Championships, five NCAA Championship appearances and becoming the first twotime All-American Bearcat at the Division I level.

really define the whole period of time that he’s been here as essentially the [DePrez] era of Division I wrestling for Binghamton,” Borsoff said. “He’s done so many positive things for the program, both as an individual and from a notoriety standpoint as a four-time top twelve finisher at the [NCAAs]. Truly an incredible legacy that he will leave behind. One of the best, if not the best, to do it at Binghamton.”

“Looking back on his time at Binghamton, you can

In their seventh season under Borshoff, the Bearcats earned a 9-4 overall record — including a 7-3 EIWA record — and another

season with multiple NCAA qualifiers.

“The program is in a strong position,” Borshoff said. “We have great leadership in the athletics department. I think we have a lot of people on campus that recognize and realize that we are putting [BU] athletics on ESPN. We are a forward-facing program to a lot of people and I think that the future is bright for the program. I’m just genuinely thankful for the athletes on the team and all the work they put in because nothing I do would matter without those guys.”

Men’s lacrosse rallies for win over NJIT

BU outscored NJIT 10-4 in the second half to secure a 17-12 victory over the Highlanders.

After falling to Merrimack 10-9 in overtime in its opening game of America East (AE) play, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team defeated NJIT 17-12 to pick up its first win of conference play. Despite trailing 8-7 at halftime,

“I thought we came out with great energy,” said Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown. “We were a little sloppy in the first half with the ball in the middle of the field, but I thought in the second half we came out a little bit cleaner, we still had good energy and we were able to take care of the ball a little

bit better.” NJIT (7-2, 0-2 AE) scored the first goal within their first 90 seconds of play to take an early lead. Just over a minute later, Binghamton (3-5, 1-1 AE) responded junior attack Gage Adams found the back of the net. The Highlanders and Bearcats traded scores until the Bearcats scored back-to-back goals in the final 3:08 — courtesy of senior midfielder Ethan Insinga. The Bearcats entered the sec-

ond quarter with a 6-4 lead.

“I thought my guys were patient offensively,” McKeown said. “We didn’t take the first shot available. We worked for good opportunities, and the ball was moving really well today.”

To open the second quarter, NJIT scored two straight goals to tie the game at six. At the 6:59 mark in the period, Binghamton retook the lead with a goal from junior attack Matthew Keegan.

However, the Highlanders continued to pepper Binghamton’s net, coming back with two scores in the next three minutes to regain the lead. Going into halftime, the Bearcats trailed 8-7.

“We did a good job starting on the offensive end,” McKeown said. “[Junior goalie Connor Winters] did a great job on goal. [Senior face-off Ross Chazanow], after not having a great first half, came out and did a really nice job scraping in the second half.”

Coming out of the half, Binghamton went on a twogoal run as Adams and senior midfielder Liam Ferris each found the back of the net to make it a 9-8 game. The Highlanders soon scored on their second man-up opportunity, tying the game up at 9-9. However, Binghamton then went on a 4-1 run to retake the lead. Two goals from Keegan, as well as one from both sophomore attack Colin Delay and junior midfielder Thomas Kelly, powered Binghamton to a 13-10 lead over NJIT entering the fourth quarter.

“The biggest thing we emphasized was the fundamentals,” McKeown said. “At halftime, we wanted to make sure we took care of the ball a little bit better. There was a lot of rain. It was a really wet day, so things got a little sloppier out there for both teams, so we wanted to make sure we could play through the conditions. I thought our

defense tightened up a little bit. We played a little bit of zone defense in the second half, and I think that helped us out a little bit.”

The fourth quarter opened with a goal from NJIT in the first minute of play, cutting Binghamton’s lead to two at 13-11. The Bearcats responded with two goals from Adams and Keegan, padding a fourgoal lead with 13 minutes to play. After a Highlander goal at the 10:56 mark, Binghamton closed out the game with a 2-0 run — courtesy of goals from freshman attack Andrew Girolamo and Ferris — to cement a 17-12 victory over NJIT.

“I think [going forward] we need to take care of the ball and not be reckless with it, making sure we’re clearing it the first time and continuing to develop offensively,” McKeown said. “I think this was our best shooting game, and we want to make sure that we’re more on the ball.”

Binghamton scored 17 goals, a season-high, with Girolamo scoring his first collegiate goal. Winters continued his eight-game streak with 10+ saves. Three Bearcats had hat tricks in the game, with Insinga, Adams and Keegan scoring three, four and five goals, respectively.

BU will continue its AE slate against UMass Lowell on Saturday, March 30. First face-off is set for 12 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.

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