The Textbook Black Market
$23 for a burrito? The editorial board examines Sodexo's pricing, see page 10
Release investigates the shady underworld of textbook dealing, see page 7
PIPE DREAM Friday, February 8, 2013 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXXIII, Issue 4
Tom & Marty's gone forever, for an hour When Larry Shea, owner of Tom & Marty’s bar on State Street, awoke Wednesday afternoon to a closure notice from the New York State Department of Health on his bar’s front door, he was shocked in a way he could only describe as having a “heart attack.” Fortunately for Shea and his brother Michael, who co-owns
the bar, the notice was simply the result of a delayed food permit payment and only lasted about two hours. Though he was concerned at first, Shea had a sense of humor about the short-lived closure. “Got officially shut down for a few hours today because I owed the government $200 for my permit renewal. Thought I could run a tab. Oops,” Shea tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
After a photograph of the closure notice circulated on Facebook and Twitter Wednesday, several accompanied with the hashtags “#SaveLarry” and “#RIP,” the bar owner took to the social networks to reassure worried patrons that the bar was back open for business. “I go on Twitter and Facebook and shit just blew up,” Shea said. “It was remarkable the response I got from everybody, it was actually
kind of touching.” Tom & Marty’s regulars may have overreacted to the two-hour closing, but many showed sincere concern for the bar’s well-being. “Tom & Marty’s is the only bar in Binghamton that truly appreciates what a great time ’90s R&B is,” said Lauren D’Angelo, a junior majoring in environmental studies. “We would probably have to pool the efforts of BU students into reintroducing ‘No Diggity’ to
the mainstream. That would be my primary concern.” Matt Gochan, a first-year graduate student studying physics, said he was devastated when he thought the bar had met its end. “I was more heartbroken when Tom & Marty’s closed than when the world was apparently ending,” Gochan said. To prevent future mishaps, — Matt Gochan BU Graduate Student
BU ranked eighth for "Best Value" Off Campus College Transport expanded its services this semester, adding one bus route and extending service hours to others, but many students living off campus still complain that overcrowded buses keep them from getting to class on time. With the introduction of the the Triple Cities (TC) route, two additional buses stop at Floral and Main streets each hour on weekday mornings. According to Student Association President and OCCT CEO Mark Soriano, the route was created to mitigate the overcrowding on Downtown buses that resulted from the student housing developments that opened this school year.
Binghamton University remains in the top 10 in the Princeton Review’s list of “Best Value Colleges for 2013,” despite dropping four spots from last year. This marks the fifth straight year that the University has made the top 10. Binghamton University fell four spots from No. 4 in 2012 to No. 8 in 2013, but still outranked other large state schools such as the University of Michigan, which placed at No. 9. The ranking, which compared 75 different public universities from across the nation, takes into account more than 30 data points, which include academics, cost and financial aid, according to the Princeton Review website. The list also takes into account the quality of students the schools attract as measured by admissions credentials such as average SAT and ACT score ranges and average high school GPA of enrolled freshmen, as well as how students attending the schools rated their academic experiences and their professors on the student opinion surveys, according to a
— Samantha Ahern BU Junior
“The OCCT staff acknowledges that students wanted more runs in the morning, since at times crowded buses would make people late for class,” Soriano said. “After observing the impact that the new residential facilities Downtown had on bus routes and crowding, it was determined that new runs would help the situation.” The changes will last through the semester, and the SA may consider further changes for next semester to better meet student needs, according to Soriano. “It is important to realize that OCCT routes are never completely permanent, they will change semester to semester in order to
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An OCCT bus picks up passengers at the Old University Union bus stop.
accommodate changing commute patterns,” he said. Lina Riveros, a junior majoring in industrial and systems engineering, is one of several students who said the TC route has improved their morning commute. “I’ve had to wait less time at the Union,” Riveros said. “I didn’t really notice the changes at first, but my commute has
been smoother.” Chris Starace, a junior majoring in industrial engineering, said he missed the bus on Tuesday due to overcrowding, but overall his commute has been better. “I generally don’t have to worry as much about getting to class in the morning because I know there are more options,” Starace said.
1 “Having said that though it was kind of annoying to miss the bus on Tuesday.” But many students contend that the SA is neglecting other Downtown areas that require increased service, such as the Downtown Center Riverside (DCR) route. “I’m not a huge fan of the
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Princeton Review press release. The Princeton Review used information taken from institutional and student opinion surveys they conducted from fall 2011 through fall 2012 to create the ranking. University spokesperson Ryan Yarosh wrote in an email that the ranking validates Binghamton’s efforts to be an exceptional university. He added that Binghamton only has plans to improve. “Throughout our current Road Map strategic planning process, a dedicated, diverse group of people have shared a commitment to make Binghamton University even better,” Yarosh wrote. “We will continue striving to improve our reputation as a best value and also to set Binghamton on the path to becoming the premier public university of the 21st century.” For some students, university rankings played a role in the college search process. Thomas Mitchell, a junior majoring in financial engineering who started out as an out-of-state student from Maine, said that both the
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