Spring 2014 Issue 25 by Pipe Dream

featuring

WEEKEND WARRIORS

For snapshots of Saturday's events, see PAGE 2. Check out a special edition of Weekend Warriors on PAGES 8 & 9. Don't see yourself? Visit our Facebook page for more.

PIPE DREAM Tuesday, May 6, 2014 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXXV, Issue 25

Experts dissect Middle East conflict Professors explain Israeli-Palestinian history and consequences Margaret-Rose Roazzi Pipe Dream News

The Binghamton University Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a discussion on Monday to outline the history and consequences of the Palestinian refugee situation. Two professors gave presentations, after which audience members wrote questions on notecards and had them answered by the speakers. Kent Schull, an assistant professor of history at BU, explained the history of the conflict. Before he began his presentation he said that he had no ideological bias in regards to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. “My approach to this type of issue is looking at it from a humanist perspective,” Schull said. “I don’t have an ideological axe to grind; I’m not Palestinian, I’m not Israeli.” In his presentation, Schull linked the beginning of the conflict to the War of 1948, where he said that territorial control of the region was disputed. He detailed the history of dispute in the region from World War I through 1948 and the problems that colonial

OC3 election results announced

Off-Campus College Council finalized Joseph Hawthorne Pipe Dream News

Xindi Tian/Staff Photographer

Kent Schull, assistant professor of history, outlines the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Binghamton University Students for Justice in Palestine hosted the event on Monday to discuss the consequences of the conflict.

Britain left behind when it withdrew from the country. He said that when Britain withdrew, a three-way civil war broke out between Jews, Palestinians and foreigners. According to Schull, the state of Israel was formed with boundaries never fully established to this day. Land left

behind by exiled Palestinians was given to Jewish immigrants and he said that Palestinians still live in refugee camps if they cannot afford to leave. Afterwards, Eric Cheyfitz, an English professor from Cornell University, discussed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement

created to protest Israeli acts against Palestinians. The goal of the organization, created by Palestinian activist groups, is to put economic pressure on Israel to recognize more Palestinian rights. Cheyfitz said that he was Jewish and had family in Israel, so he had no intention

of bringing bias into his comments. “I’m not here to delegitimize Israel,” he said. “I think Israel is doing a good job of delegitimizing itself.” Cheyfitz said that he got involved with the BDS

See SJP Page 6

Elections for the Off Campus College Council (OC3) concluded with two runoffs last Thursday night, following the April 28 elections that settled the other three positions. On April 28, the race for president went to Lynn Mugodo, a junior double-majoring in political science and philosophy, politics and law. Nicole Lebowitz, a junior majoring in psychology, was elected vice president of communications, and William Quick, a junior doublemajoring in history and political science, was elected program director. On Thursday, Steve Molinari, a junior majoring in political

See OC3 Page 6

Groups showcase War hero's life remembered firefighting skills Father shares Pike's Fireman Challenge raises $2,000 for burn center Joseph Hawthorne Pipe Dream News

On Friday afternoon, students were challenged to see if they had the mettle to be part of the Binghamton Fire Department. During Pi Kappa Alpha’s (PIKE) Fireman’s Challenge, cheerleaders, athletes and members of Greek Life competed in teams of 10 to pull a fire truck, run a water-themed relay race and complete an obstacle course. PIKE sponsored the

fundraiser with the Binghamton Fire Department. Firemen came out in uniform to oversee the games and let students try on actual equipment. According to Joseph Pellegrino, community affairs chair for PIKE and an undeclared sophomore, the Fireman’s Challenge is the largest fundraiser for PIKE chapters across the country. “We have chapters around the country raising up to $50,000,” Pellegrino said.

See FIRE Page 6

stories about Lt. Michael P. Murphy Nicolas Vega

Assistant News Editor

Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL from Patchogue, N.Y., was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. On Friday evening, his father came to Binghamton University to speak with students. Daniel Murphy addressed a

See MURPH Page 5

Michael Contegni/ Staff Photographer

Daniel Murphy, father of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, addresses a crowd of close to 70 students in the West Gym. His talk covered the life and death of his son, a Navy SEAL from Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005 and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle.

BU students to vote on activity fee May 7 vote to determine if charge will remain mandatory Rachel Bluth News Editor

Tycho McManus/Staff Photographer

Students from the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity pull a fire truck as part of the Fireman’s Challenge. Firefighters and students participated in various activities outside the Events Center on Friday to raise money for the Clark Medical Burn Center in Syracuse.

The Student Congress approved a proposal from the Planning, Research and Elections committee for a ballot referendum regarding the student activity fee. The fee is currently $95.50 per semester, and every two years the student body must vote to keep it mandatory or make it voluntary. The referendum will be sent to undergraduates via SurveyMonkey at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 7. Polls will close at 6 p.m. Paper ballots will be available in the Student Association office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

for students who have opted out of SurveyMonkey at any point. According to SA President Eric Larson and Congress Speaker James Grippe, the SA was under the impression that when students voted to increase the fee last year, that referendum was sufficient to make the fee mandatory. However, the SUNY Board of Trustees informed the SA on Saturday that a separate vote had to be held incorporating specific language written by the Board of Trustees. Grippe noted that the referendum did not raise fees, and said he was confident that students would vote to keep the fee mandatory.

“Typically we don’t have a problem with [passing a referendum to make the student activity fee mandatory] because we advertise to all the student groups and all the students that they all have something that will directly impact them,” Grippe said. “Everyone has an interest in keeping this mandatory.” All SA-chartered organizations, Harpur’s Ferry, Off Campus College Transport (OCCT), SA Ink, Binghamton Sound, Staging and Lighting and all residential communities rely on funding from the student activity fee. “It is in everyone’s best interest, if you approve of what the Student

Association does in the smallest amount, to make sure that this activity fee remains mandatory. We do not have the funds that we would need to otherwise operate without it being mandatory,” Larson said. Harpur’s Ferry is one group supported by the fee, and Larson joked that people would “literally die” if it became voluntary. Larson and Grippe said that they are trying to avoid what happened to the Graduate Student Organization last year, when they did not vote to make their activity fee mandatory and subsequently have had difficulties collecting funds.

News

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

Revelers gathered from the Peace Quad to the Spine for Spring Fling and International Fest on Saturday. The day featured a variety of amusement park rides and fried foods, with the evening rounding out with performances by Matt and Kim, RDGLDGRN, Joey Bada$$, 3LAU and student band The Funkophiles.

Photos by Kendall Loh/Photo Editor, Franz Lino, Tycho McManus and Michael Contegni/Staff Photographers

PAGE III Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Pipe Line

Taking Woodstock

State News Teen at NYC bus terminal had heroin, crack Police say a Syracuse teenager has been arrested at New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal with 444 decks of heroin as well as nine grams of crack-cocaine and four small bags of marijuana. Port Authority police say officers spotted the youth loitering at 1:40 a.m. Friday and asked him for ID. Police say the teen could not produce ID and was escorted to the department’s youth service office. They say he tried to flee by jumping over a desk. He was restrained and patted down. Police say the crack was found in the teen’s pocket and the heroin and marijuana in his bag. He was identified as 17-year-old Naheem Glenn of Syracuse. Glenn was awaiting arraignment on drug charges. It was not clear if he had a lawyer. NY physician pleads guilty in painkillers case A former suburban New York physician faces up to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges in an ongoing crackdown of prescription painkiller abuse. Dr. Eric Jacobson, who had a practice in the tony Long Island community of Great Neck, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Central Islip to 19 counts of illegally distributing the painkiller oxycodone. Jacobson, 51, had been the target of a federal investigation following the June 2011 killing of four people inside a Long Island pharmacy by a gunman who later admitted he was hunting for painkillers. In December 2011, Jacobson voluntarily surrendered his Drug Enforcement Agency license to distribute controlled substances. But despite surrendering the license, Jacobson continued to issue unauthorized painkiller prescriptions to 19 patients, prosecutors said. Jacobson had allegedly written prescriptions for the confessed killer in the pharmacy shootings, David Laffer, but Monday’s plea agreement involved only other patients. Laffer is serving life without parole. His wife, who drove the getaway car following the pharmacy killings, is serving a 25-year sentence. The killings of two store employees and two customers at the Medford pharmacy on a quiet Father’s Day morning touched off investigations by state and federal prosecutors into the illegal distribution of painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Jacobson is the fourth physician to either be convicted or plead guilty to federal drug distribution charges on Long Island as a result of those investigations. Jacobson faces seven to nine years in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 7. Student found dead at upstate NY fraternity house Authorities are investigating the death of a student whose body was found in an upstate college fraternity house. They tell local media outlets that fellow fraternity members initially thought 20-year-old Alex Davis was sleeping when he was found Sunday on a couch at the Phi Sigma Xi house off the State University of New York at Geneseo campus. Investigators say there were no signs of injury and the cause of death will be determined after an autopsy. The university says Davis was a sophomore biochemistry major and a lacrosse player from Victor. He was a member of the fraternity who lived in a dormitory on campus. SUNY Geneseo is in Livingston County, 27 miles from Rochester.

National University News Whale washes up in New Jersey, gets graffiti tag A dead Minke whale that washed ashore in New Jersey suffered some further indignity: someone tagged it with graffiti. The whale, which was roughly 12 to 15 feet long, was discovered Thursday morning below Atlantic City’s Central Pier. Police tell The Press of Atlantic City the purple markings are not gang-related and appear to be Greek letters. The letters appeared to be Tau Epsilon Phi, a fraternity that has chapters at several area schools, followed by what looked like “94.” Spokesman Jesse Cohen says while it has not been confirmed that Tau Epsilon Phi members were involved, the fraternity considers it a “reprehensible act” contrary to its teachings and is cooperating with authorities. A state pathologist will try to determine the cause of death.

Corrections An article titled “Binghamton University groups ‘Stand Against Racism’” published online on April 29 incorrectly states that the Interpersonal Violence Prevention program tabled at the event; they did not. It also does not mention that the BU chapter of the NAACP was present.

Ryan Gyanchand/Staff Photographer

Jeff Roth, a freshman majoring in human development, plays guitar during CIW Woodstock. Roth was one of 12 performers to play Sunday evening in College-inthe-Woods.

Police Watch A lighter take on campus crime

Shit, shit, not that license! SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 5:03 a.m — Officers on patrol noticed a vehicle run through a stop sign, said Investigator Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. During the traffic stop, the officers noticed that the 22-year-old male suspect had a warrant for possession of a forged instrument through a check of his ID. The suspect was arrested and brought to Broome County Jail on $1,000 bail. More like Lecture Hall 69, amiright? SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 7:21 a.m. — Officers were called to Lecture Hall for reports of two suspects allegedly engaging in sexual activity under Lecture Hall 10, Reilly said. Officers came into the building and heard a male voice say, “We need to go somewhere else.” The officers went downstairs and saw the suspects, a 20-year-old male and a 20-year-old female, without pants. The suspects were told to clothe themselves and meet the officers in Lecture Hall 10. When they got to the room, the suspects were shown a bottle of Jägermeister and were asked if either of them drank from it. Both initially denied but eventually admitted to drinking the alcohol. The suspects were given appearance tickets for underage possession of an alcoholic beverage returnable to Vestal Town Court.

This Day in History May 6th 2004

TV sitcom “Friends” airs its last episode

Might as well be walking on the Sun SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 4:48 p.m — Reports were made of four male and female suspects allegedly walking on the roof of the Fine Arts Building, Reilly said. Officers responded and escorted the suspects off of the roof. The suspects were brought to Parking Lot D and told the officers that they heard that the view was good from the roof. They were then told that being on the roof was unsafe both for them and the officers who had to escort them down. The suspects were referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Turn down for cops SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 7:40 p.m. — Officers working the Spring Fling concert were alerted of an unruly individual, Reilly said. Officers dealt with the 20-year-old male earlier in the day and told him not to come back to Spring Fling because he was being unruly and belligerent. The suspect was seen again and officers subsequently arrested the individual for disorderly conduct. While being put under custody, the suspect allegedly pulled away from the officers in order to make it difficult to handcuff him. The suspect was eventually detained and brought to Broome County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The suspect is on bail for $1,000.

“When the citizens of this country approach their government, they do so only as Americans, not as members of one faith or another. And that means that even in a partly legislative body, they should not confront government-sponsored worship that divides them along religious lines.” — SCOTUS Justice Elena Kagan on the decision to allow prayer at government meetings

stabilizing: Group Picture

A lot of tears :destabilizing

NEWS

CoRE showcases inventions Projects focus on design, engineering

Picketers protest Hanneford Circus

Animal rights group rallies against abuses Friday

Carla Sinclair

Pipe Dream News

Brendan Zarkower Pipe Dream News

More than a dozen members of the CoRE program gathered in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4) to present their semester projects on graphic imaging, computer designs and engineering. CoRE, which stands for Computers, Robotics and Engineering, is a special interest housing program in Dickinson Community for students who share similar interests in technology and research. There are a number of livinglearning communities in the residence halls for students with similar academics interests to live in close proximity to one another, but according to Joe Palazzolo, president of the program and a sophomore majoring in computer science, CoRE is among the oldest of these communities. According to Palazzolo, CoRE students are enrolled in a onecredit class in which they must complete a research or engineering project by the end of the term, but do not have specific guidelines or a rubric. Friday afternoon’s event was a culmination of those students’ work. “Every year, everyone on the floor takes on a project that they choose themselves,” Palazzolo said. “Everyone is encouraged to learn

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

Franz Lino/Staff Photographer More than a dozen members of the CoRE program gathered in C4 on Friday, May 2. CoRE, which stands for Computers, Robotics and Engineering, is a special-interest housing program in Dickinson Community for students who share similar interests in technology and research.

about a new technology, solve a problem or just learn something new.” Due to the fact that many CoRE students are computer science majors, many of the presentations featured a programming language or other graphic skills that the students learned during the semester. Shane Thompson, a sophomore double-majoring in computer science and mathematics, used ray tracing, a method of rendering graphics that he said creates a more accurate picture than traditional methods. Thompson demonstrated an example of a sphere and pyramid, and said the tracing produced better shadows and reflections than graphics that attempt to simulate real light. “Right now, people approximate images using polygons, which create imperfect, blocky images like

in video games,” Thompson said. “Ray tracing can create a much more accurate representation of the real world than this. Pixar uses it now for their movies, but it takes a long time to render images this way.” Thompson said that the technology could be used in future video games, but that it was not yet robust enough. For his project, Thomas Kump, a senior majoring in computer science, created a piece of wearable technology. “I made a wrist-mounted computer that runs Raspbian, which is a Linux-based operating system,” Kump said. “I bought plastic from Amazon that you can mold at 140 degrees and made parts of the casing by heating it up in a toaster.” According to Kump, the project was still an early model, but it could

run a word processor and operate like a digital notepad. Other projects included a robot designed to react to changes in light by rattling its box, a quail egg incubator and a text-based game coded in python, a programming language where users can create their own adventures by making their own folders and text files. Another student created a piece of exercise equipment from PVC pipes and demonstrated the variety of exercises that could be done on a seemingly simple construction. Palazzolo said the variety of projects was important to the program. “We’re one of the closest and oldest communities on campus,” Palazzolo said. “Everyone does their own projects individually, but we all learn about each other’s.”

Members of the animal rights organization Binghamton Can Do Better (BCDB) along with Binghamton University students lined the sidewalk outside the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena to protest the arrival of the Royal Hanneford Circus. The Royal Hanneford Circus performed at the Memorial Arena from May 2-4. BCDB, an organization focused on “improving the conditions of nonhumans and humans alike in the Greater Binghamton area in order to promote social justice,” put together the protest. “You could go in tonight and watch the show and see whips being used,” said Amber George, co-founder of BCDB. “How can you justify whipping an animal to make it do tricks that are unnatural and not something they’re accustomed to doing?” Allegations of Hanneford’s usage of whips, neglectful veterinary care and below-standard living conditions were what drew both students and BCDB, led by founder Joe Leeson-Schatz. “A lot of it has to do with the animal training,” said LeesonSchatz, director of BU’s speech and debate team and an English professor. “Beating with bullhooks, tying them down, taking the baby elephants away from their mothers … to get them to do these things is a long train of systemic abuse. If you search the circus, there is a long train of FDA files of abuse.”

Both Leeson-Schatz and George said the circus could be made to accommodate certain animal rights standards. “Cirque du Soleil is animalfree, and people pay tons of money to see it,” Leeson-Schatz said. “If you remove the animals from the circus, it will be the same event but without the exploitation involved. ” Marty, a clown for the Royal Hanneford Circus who wished to withhold his last name, said that besides the animals being taken out of their natural habitat, no circumstances of abuse occur. “Yes, all of the animals are not dealt with in captivity the way they would be in the wild. So to some extent, there is some subjugation of their instincts,” Marty said. “But they’re not mistreated. The animals are well-kept and wellcared-for. They’re appreciated and they’re loved. But yes, they’re not in their natural environment. There is no abuse and there’s no mistreatment. That’s the way it is.” According to Carlos Konowalskyj, a senior majoring in environmental studies, the Royal Hanneford Circus is known for its maltreatment of animals. “We want to raise awareness about what goes on in circuses, particularly this circus. We want to get people to realize that other animals are just like humans, they’re just like us in many ways. They don’t want to be in captivity and they certainly don’t want to suffer and be in pain,” Konowalskyj said.

COME BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN AND CELEBRATE WITH US! 5-7 P.M. FRIDAY MAY 16

Hillside and Susquehanna — Hillside Commons College-in-the-Woods — CIW quad

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RESLIFE.BINGHAMTON.EDU FB.COM/BINGHAMTONRESLIFE

NEWS

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

B-mail data compromised

Navy SEAL leader's bravery honored

Phishing scam hacks accounts, tries to steal information Souvik Chatterjee Contributing Writer

A number of B-Mail users have received fraudulent emails that claim their mailboxes have reached full capacity and ask for personal information to resolve the issue. The cyber threat has since been diminished by Information Technology Services (ITS) on campus. However, they said that this was not the first time a scam has occurred. Phishing scams have happened several times this semester, according to ITS. “Phishing is an attempt to gain information under false pretenses,” said Logan Robinson, who works at ITS. “This takes the form and the template of a credible institution, so they’ll try to act like your bank, they’ll try to act like your credit card company, they will try to act like a donation website of some sort.” At least three B-Mail accounts have been compromised, resulting in more than 1,000 emails being sent to Binghamton University email addresses, according to Robinson. The user logging into the compromised accounts is located outside of the United States. “When I saw it in my inbox I was skeptical but I still looked at the email, mainly because it was from a Binghamton.edu address. Then it asked me to fill out a form with some personal information and I realized it was a hacked account,” said Graham Mentis, a junior majoring in biology. ITS implemented safety measures after receiving concerns

from students in regards to the email. The phishing link on the fraud email was blocked to users on campus, and ITS changed the passwords on the corrupted accounts and logged them off any active sessions. ITS is continuing to monitor the situation and the domain. Increasing awareness of cyber safety has been an agenda on campus. ITS has used several methods to raise awareness of the issue and educate students. These include cautionary screen savers in the Pods, posters in the library and in dorms and announcements on B-Line and Dateline. “It’s difficult to educate on this topic because you never know the form that the phishing attempt may take and some can look pretty legitimate,” Robinson wrote in an email. Investigator Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State University Police said these emails are commonplace, and can be particularly rampant early in the fall semester. He advised going online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s homepage to get educated on scams, and also to report all incidents. According to Robinson, students need to have sound online habits to ensure their web security. “I know here at Binghamton we have a lot of different log-in passwords, it is good practice to refresh those every now and then,” Robinson said. “There are some people with the practice of changing it every day, just being very proactive on it.”

Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer On Friday evening, Daniel Murphy addresses a crowd of students in the West Gym. Murphy, the father of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, spoke about his son, who was killed in battle during Operation Red Wing.

MURPH continued from Page 1 crowd of close to 70 students in the West Gym. His talk covered the life and death of his son, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle during Operation Red Wings. During the operation, Murphy and his three-man Navy SEAL team ended up in a gun battle with dozens of Taliban militants. Murphy, who had received several gunshot wounds, risked his life to reach higher, exposed ground in order to get a call out to inform their headquarters of their position. Of the four SEALS, only one, Marcus Luttrell, survived. Murphy is credited with having made this rescue, as well as the recovery of his and his teammates’ remains, possible. Darin Mihalik, a junior majoring in physics, was one of the organizers of the event, which raised $800 for the Lt. Michael P. Murphy

Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which awards nine educational scholarships a year. He said that Lt. Murphy’s story hits close to home. “I’m from Patchogue; I’m from Mike Murphy’s hometown,” he said. “The news of his passing came to our town pretty much before it did to anyone else. Once everyone found out the hero that he was and what he did and when he got the Medal of Honor, the story kind of spread.” Mihalik said that it was important to bring a different perspective for students to hear than just that shown in the 2013 movie “Lone Survivor.” “This is one of the greatest American war heroes of our time. I wanted to try and do something to honor him,” he said. William Lemen, a senior majoring in biology who also helped organize the event, said that Lt. Murphy had been a hero of his for the past few years, and that he wanted to find a way to share

Murphy’s story. “At the beginning of last semester, I got the idea to do an event in [his] honor,” he said. “I thought it would be great to have his parents come in and talk about his life.” Murphy’s father spoke to the crowd about a variety of topics, including how Lt. Murphy was growing up. He shared stories about Lt. Murphy protecting a disabled boy from bullying in the locker room. “The principal called and told me that he was suspended for getting into an altercation,” Murphy explained, “but he told me to not punish him, because he had been protecting someone. The school had to suspend him because of protocol.” Afterward, he took questions from the audience. One attendee asked what his fondest memory of his son was. Murphy answered that he cherished his late-night drives to Pennsylvania State University from Long Island.

President Harvey Stenger said the Murphy family was extremely receptive to the invitation to come to BU. “When the students were beginning to plan it, they asked me if I would do the invitation to the Murphy family. So I was the one who wrote the original letter to Mr. Murphy to see if he would come,” he explained. “Very quickly, they responded that they would love to come and honor Michael one more time.” Mihalik said he wished more people had attended the talk. “It was unfortunate we couldn’t get a bigger turnout,” he said. “The Medal of Honor — of which there are only around 3,000 — was on campus and not many people came to see it.” However, he added that he greatly enjoyed Murphy’s speech. “I could have listened to Mr. Murphy for a few more hours,” Mihalik said.

NEWS

Professors critique Israeli politics SJP continued from Page 1

movement when he realized that Israel wanted to make Palestinian territories into a domestic dependent nation, or a nation that relies upon a more powerful nation. He said that Israelis are often unwilling to listen to the Palestinian side of the story. “If you deny somebody their narrative, you take their identity away from them,” Cheyfitz said. “To this day, Israel still does not want to hear the Palestinian narrative.” Jon Mermelstein, a sophomore majoring in history and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, said that he was pleased with the presentation. “It was cool to have such an extensive question-and-answer period,” Mermelstein said. “I really liked that we allowed for every professor to be challenged on things that they said in a civilized manner with decorum. We almost filled up the lecture hall, which was also really cool.”

Fundraiser benefits Syracuse burn center FIRE continued from Page 1

“We’ve had a great turnout with nearly 200 people, but because this is our first year we’re shooting for $2,500.” Pellegrino said that the money would all go to the Clark Medical Burn Center in Syracuse, which Chris Mallery, public relations director for the Binghamton Firefighter’s Benevolent Association, said was an important reason they decided to partner with the fraternity. “It’s the only burns center in central New York and it covers people from over 27 counties including New York, Pennsylvania and parts of Canada,” Mallery said. According to Mallery, the

"We wanted to work with the because what they stand for is what we want to represent"

— Alex Freedman President of Pi Kappa Alpha

center provides research and care for many people throughout the region who cannot otherwise afford it. “They rely on donations and these kinds of events to keep going,” Mallery said. “It’s intensive care and sometimes insurance doesn’t pay for all of it, but they help supplement and pay some of the costs that the patient couldn’t otherwise afford.” According to organizers of the event, the PIKE fraternity had been partnering nationally with local fire departments for over a century because of similar commitments to community service. “All these events simulate what firemen may go through any given day,” said Alex Freedman, president of PIKE and a junior double-majoring in mathematics and economics. “We wanted to work with the fire department because what they stand for is what we want to represent.” Twelve teams participated, including the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, the BU Cheer Team and the men’s and women’s rugby teams. Many participants said that the charity was a reason they came out, but they were also interested in the challenges of the event. “We knew we had the strength to pull the fastest,”

said Marcin Burdzy, a senior majoring in economics and a member of the Barbell Club, in reference to the fire truck challenge. “We just had to execute. One man’s not going to win it all.” The fire truck challenge required teams to pull the truck 100 feet as fast as possible. The Fire Department team and Delta Sigma Pi fraternity won the trophies for fastest men’s and women’s times, respectively. Other events included a

relay race that incorporated throwing water balloons at members of PIKE and an obstacle course in which contestants had to drag a fullbody dummy in between traffic cones. Many participants said the truck was the biggest draw for them. “The other challenges were team challenges as well, but the fire truck pull allowed the entire team to be working in unison to accomplish a set task,” said Anthony Anselmo, a

senior majoring in economics. “Once we were done pulling it felt amazing that we all worked together to accomplish something.” Other participants, however, said the events were more daunting than they anticipated. “PIKE does a lot of good events and it’s nice to support them,” said Ellaine Ho, a junior double-majoring in history and philosophy, politics and law. “But the truck pull was rough. I’m pretty sure I just lost five pounds.”

Binghamton University receives $333,901 for biology equipment

Alex Mackof

Pipe Dream News

— Eric Cheyfitz Cornell University professor

Binghamton University received $333,901 this past week to fund general cell and bacteria research. The Dr. G. Clifford & Florence B. Decker Foundation made the donation for the University to purchase a

fluorescence-activated cell sorter, also known as a flow cytometer. The equipment, from BD Biosciences, will help with cellular biology and microbiology research. According to Karin Sauer, a biology professor at BU, the fluorescence-activated cell sorter allows researchers to separate a mixture or population of cells into

SUMMER SESSION IN NEW YORK CITY REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

6/2-7/2

Dassie Hirschfield/Staff Photographer Binghamton firefighters drag a full-body dummy in between traffic cones. Nearly 200 attended the fundraiser on Friday, which sought to raise $2,500.

Decker foundation to fund biofilm research

"To this day, Israel still does not want to hear the Palestinian narrative"

SESSION 1

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

SESSION 2

7/7- 8/6

SESSION 3

6/2-7/16

MINI-SESSION

7/21 -8/13

WHY LEHMAN COLLEGE THIS SUMMER?

LEARN MORE ABOUT GRADUATE STUDIES

subpopulations. “Flow cytometers are able to analyze several thousand particles every second, in ‘real time,’ and can count and actively sort particles/cells having specified properties,” Sauer wrote in an email. The fluorescence-activated cell sorter will play a main role in biofilm research, according to a press release. Biofilms are thin layers of bacteria that can adhere to any surface. They contribute to 80 percent of infectious diseases, and can pose major health challenges to patients since they are antibiotic-resistant. “One application of the fluorescence-activated cell sorter is related to the extraordinary resistance of biofilm cells to antibiotics by allowing the separation of resistant bacteria from the general population,” Sauer wrote. According to Sauer, this instrument will be helpful to

many facets of student research in addition to biofilm research. “This method is a necessary requirement for many applications in tissue engineering, infectious agents research,” she wrote. “The study of cancer cells and genetic disorders, the development of smart drug development and deliveries and more. ” The federal government provides up to 63 percent of funding for research, with state and local governments providing 14 percent. Donations from outside organizations currently fund 2 percent of University research. The Decker Foundation has provided BU with a total of $7.3 million in donations. “What we can say is that this is an exciting new avenue of collaboration for the Decker Foundation and the University,” Sauer wrote. “Many schools are looking to supplement federal research dollars with money from industry and

from charitable organizations, and this is an example of Binghamton doing just that.” According to the University’s press release, the Decker Foundation said it hopes that the fluorescence-activated cell sorter will assist BU in becoming a premier public university in the 21st century. “We are very excited about the new equipment and the impact it will have on ongoing research,” Sauer wrote. Binghamton University has identified Health Sciences as an area that will guide future faculty hiring in the coming years. In addition, there are plans to launch a Health Sciences Core Facility, a lab for both on- and off-campus researchers. “This new technology completes Phase I of the Health Sciences Core Facility, which will be a critical resource for the University’s faculty conducting health related research,” Sauer wrote.

Run-off finalizes OC3 E-Board OC3 continued from Page 1 science, was elected vice president over Ethan Binder, and David Huberman, a sophomore majoring in psychology, defeated Souvik Chatterjee to be elected treasurer. Both elections were conducted through email. The OC3 is the main representative student body for off-campus students, according to Tom Furman, current president of OC3 and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law. “The main role of the council is to provide student government, programs, and services for OffCampus undergraduate students in cooperation with other members of the University and surrounding communities,” he wrote in an email. Furman said the primary responsibilities of the Council were to hold weekly meetings, represent off-campus students at the Student Congress, host social events and help to organize Bar

Crawl. He also said that the Council sponsored a free legal clinic and was working with the Student Association to publish a landlord rating website by next fall. Program Director-elect Quick said that better event planning was important to him. “I want to bring back popular events from last year like the Thanksgiving dinner, Halloween and Christmas party we had,” he said. “But I’d like to see more events at our office and in Downtown Binghamton.” Quick said he was considering planning a trip to the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse and organizing an OC3 block party. President-elect Mugodo said the OC3 needs to appeal to more students. “It’s very hard to advertise to off-campus students and get the OC3’s name out there,” she said. “We’re probably going to use more tactics that are in your face.” Mugodo said the council would

promote events by co-sponsoring with SA groups, putting up balloons across campus, using social media and surveying student interest ahead of time. Matthew Sausner, a sophomore majoring in theater, said that he and his housemates have gone to OC3 for legal advice. “We had them look at putting a clause into our lease regarding payment through financial aid,” Sausner said. “They also showed us a bunch of reports from other students on our potential landlord.” Sausner said he would go back to the office in the future. “They really have info you can’t find anywhere else,” he said. Mugodo, though, said she wanted the Council and offcampus office to provide more than just legal counsel to students. “I want to create atmosphere where students feel safe to come,” she said. “The goal is still to create some form of community, even if we’re off campus.”

RELEASE Arts & Culture

Maryams Mart: your halal family away from home

The Court Street convenience store offers a personalized experience for every customer Rich Kersting | Release

Conveniently located at the intersection of Court and State Streets, Maryams Mart is a little halal food market with a big heart. On the surface, the convenience store sells products to satisfy all of your favorite vices: condoms, cigarettes, vaporizers and canned foods. It also boasts an impressive selection of beef jerky for such a small space. While Maryams originally only sold prepackaged items, about six months ago they decided to convert part of the store into a kitchen. Lo, the halal food market was born. Halal food essentially means food permissible to eat under Islamic law. The menu at Maryams resembles the ones at New York City halal carts — falafel, chicken and lamb are served in many styles to maximize flavor and minimize hunger. Whether you’re dying for a gyro, or maybe even a salad, Maryams has something for your palate.

"The secret to cooking is that you’ve got to love what you’re doing" - Rafael Morales Maryams Mart Chef

“It’s really easy to make bad falafel. Even from falafel places you can get falafel that’s too dry,” said Jordan Mesibov, a sophomore majoring in biology. “Maryams falafel is some of the best I’ve ever had.” Through Maryams Mart’s official Facebook page, the clerks try to connect with their customer base at a more personal level and foster a sense of community. Presenting it as a friendly neighborhood store, the workers of Maryams Mart hold very firmly that those who visit their store are more than just patrons. The clerks post photos of students buying halal food in the store daily and keep us in the loop with their personal Facebook posts. Rafael Morales, Maryams Mart’s residential chef, even posts photos of his biological family on special occasions. “When I was young, a lot of stores used to treat people like family, not customers,” Morales said. “We’re trying to bring that back, we want them to feel warm and safe.” The meal portions are more than filling for a flat rate of only $5 for any item. Since the food is made to order, you’ll always wind up with a hot and fresh meal. The store is looking to expand its menu in the coming months to include more American options like burgers and fries. Maryams Mart has also started delivering to the surrounding Broome County

Jaime Soto/Contributing Photographer

area, including the Binghamton University campus. Now you can get hot, fresh halal food delivered right to your dorm or apartment. Morales has worked hard over the last six months to build up the kitchen to where it is today. According to him, the halal served at Maryams is similar to the food at other halal spots, except for one fundamental

difference: Morales claims that he adds in the extra TLC. “The secret to cooking is that you’ve got to love what you’re doing,” Morales said. “If you don’t love what you’re doing, then the food is not going to come out the right way.” That attitude extends to the front of the store as well. Employee Sohail Khan mans the register with a smile and keeps

interactions with customers friendly and caring, even when the store gets busy. Morales largely attributes this attitude to why customers keep coming back. Maryams Mart believes strongly in the merits of community and charity, and often sponsors local events, including some on campus. The store also values giving back

to the community, and will be sponsoring a cookout on May 31. If you’re looking for that lunch place where people will recognize you, some place where you can be a regular, look no further than Maryams. With a respectful staff and brilliant food choices, you can’t go wrong with Court Street’s little slice of halal.

A snapshot of Jonathan Cohen Mo' information Behind the lens of the University's official photographer Erin Rosenblum | Contributing Writer If you look closely enough at any given Binghamton University photo, you’ll find his name written at the bottom. You may have seen him around campus, present at every big event from University Fest to Spring Fling. While he has captured every moment from freshman move-in to graduation, few actually know the ubiquitous Jonathan Cohen — the University photographer responsible for documenting our stories. That’s why Release decided to capture his.

In his 20 years in the field, Cohen has worked for The New York Times, the Associated Press and the Washington Post. He’s also received acclaim by the National Press Photographers Association, the Eddie Adams Workshop and the Communications Association of the Southern Tier. In 2012, Cohen won first place in the photo-essay category from the University Photographers’ Association of America for his pictures of the September 2011 flood evacuation. Cohen’s work has also influenced our country’s laws. His photo-essay “Staying

Cohen takes the University’s “Daily Photo,” a once-a-day picture that gives viewers a glimpse of campus life, from basketball games to exhibits in Fine Arts. He advises students to wear BU apparel and smile a lot if they want to get into a daily photo, but he also says he enjoys the creative liberty that comes with his job and tries to take candid photos of students in action. He says he finds it easy to capture the beauty of a place rarely described as such. Cohen often wakes up before sunrise to photograph buildings on campus, which he showed off enthusiastically mid-interview. Cohen also finds beauty in the genuine emotions of his student subjects, especially at commencement, his favorite event to shoot. “It’s such a positive event when the diverse student body gathers outside the Events Center, hugging and crying happy tears,” Cohen said. “Everything they have done, their stories that I have photographed, ends up at that point. It’s beautiful.” Although Cohen makes a living taking pictures of other people, he is rarely photographed. “People rarely take my picture, and when they do, I usually hate it,” Cohen said. “I take my own best picture.” Thank god for #selfies. Franz Lino/Staff Photographer

Afloat,” published in The Courier, was widely cited after Louisiana passed legislation in 2002 to protect the local shrimping industry from foreign imports. In 2005, after years of working as a photojournalist for The Courier, Cohen accepted his current job as the official photographer for BU. “I am so lucky to have had that great college experience, and that’s why I work at a college now,” Cohen said. “Education is such a positive thing and I enjoy supporting what the University is trying to accomplish.”

about Moefest

The lineup and details about this year's WHRW festival Staff Reports | Release

Just because Spring Fling has come and gone doesn’t mean that Binghamton University is done jamming. This Friday, WHRW 90.5 FM and Binghamton Underground Music Presents (BUMP) are bringing the students the fourth annual Moefest. This year’s show features both student acts and well-known artists, like Michigan outfit Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. “We are trying to make Moefest like a real music festival so we are having two stages this year, which allows us to have more music,” said Kim Muller, a senior majoring in English. Aside from the music, activities include an art wall, a yoga class, tie dye with the Rainbow Pride Union, hula hooping with the Binghamton Hoop Troop and food tasting with I.D.E.A.S. The Ross Park Zoo will also bring animals, and Jimmy John’s subs will be sold for $1.

Here is the rundown of set times to optimize your Moefest experience:

Stage 1 (Mainstage)

Stage 2

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

FUN

Our Aemittaphagus Future

Spring Fling

Seth Wegener

Ari Fararooy

Binghamton Ninja

Vulture Etiquitte

Chris Walsh

Jared Auwarter

Caption Contest! What is This Guy Thinking?

Team Fun Page

RELEASE DATE– Friday, September 14, 2007

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Cursory 6 Mindful of 10 River to the Caspian Sea 14 Its motto is “Esto perpetua” 15 Nib 16 Star with potential 17 Problematic deli syndrome? 20 Oscar winner Jannings 21 Grate 22 Boxing brothers 23 Star witnesses? 25 What a topog. map shows 27 Quarrel in paradise? 32 Asleep 33 Prefix with gram 34 Holdups 36 Tony-winning actor in the musical “Foxy” (1964) 38 Put on 40 Nurses 41 Temper 44 Additional ones not itemized 47 Sportscaster Berman 48 Speech about eagles? 51 “__ put hair on your chest” 52 “Fish Magic” painter 53 Fragrant oil 56 Miller __ 58 Sport 62 Wired money? 65 And addl. ones not itemized 66 One of the British? 67 Weed B Gon maker 68 Summon the courage 69 Canonized Mlles. 70 They culminate attack preparations DOWN 1 “Women and Love” author

50 Bounty 2 “__-12”: ’60s-’70s 32 Pay stub? 53 Made one on 35 Govt. ID police drama 54 “Bye-bye” 37 Trusted 3 “The Square 55 Lift on the 39 Businessman’s Egg” author slope closet array 4 Louise’s partner 57 Monty Python 42 Media workers’ 5 “__-hoo!” troupe member union 6 Got 59 Place enjoyed 7 Beatty and others 43 Cholesterol by Sundance letters 8 Capital SSW of 60 Hurting 45 Foot parts Seoul 61 Frat letters 46 Datebook 9 Agreements 63 Dogtag wearers abbr. 10 Comes apart 64 Veggie holder 49 Least well 11 Teased 12 Say with ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: conviction 13 Metallica drummer Ulrich 18 Didn’t just suggest 19 Chubby and then some 24 Prefix with culture 26 Acid 27 Beijing-born violinist Frank 28 History opening 29 They may be screened 30 Catches, as a perp 31 Melville’s most popular novel, in his time 9/14/07 xwordeditor@aol.com

9/14/07

OPINION Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Address: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 Phone: 607-777-2515 FAx: 607-777-2600 Web: www.bupipedream.com

Spring 2014 editor-in-ChieF* Christina Pullano editor@bupipedream.com MAnAging editor* Paige Nazinitsky manager@bupipedream.com

neWs editor* Rachel Bluth news@bupipedream.com Asst. neWs editors Davina Bhandari Nicolas Vega Geoff Wilson oPinion editor* Michael Snow opinion@bupipedream.com releAse editor* Darian Lusk release@bupipedream.com Asst. releAse editor Jacob Shamsian sPorts editor* Ari Kramer sports@bupipedream.com Asst. sPorts editors Erik Bacharach Ashley Purdy Fun PAge editor* Ben Moosher fun@bupipedream.com

design MAnAger* Zachary Feldman design@bupipedream.com design Assts. Rebecca Forney Cari Snider Photo editor* Kendall Loh photo@bupipedream.com Asst. Photo editor Janine Furtado editoriAl Artist Miriam Geiger Paige Gittelman CoPy desk ChieF* Victoria Chow copy@bupipedream.com Asst. CoPy desk ChieF Paul Palumbo leAd Web develoPer Willie Demaniow developer@bupipedream.com systeM AdMnistrAtor Daniel O'Connor soCiAl MediA MAnAger Keara Hill social@bupipedream.com neWsrooM teChnology* William Sanders tech@bupipedream.com

business MAnAger* Zachary Hindin business@bupipedream.com

Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel.

Isolated but not alone

t was hard to miss the news last week: Binghamton University is one of 55 colleges under federal investigation for possible Title IX violations regarding handling sexual violence and harassment complaints. On Friday, the following response appeared on the BU Facebook page: “The US Department of Education released a list of 55 colleges and universities being investigated for possible violations of Title IX (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all federally-funded education programs). For clarity, inclusion on the list is a reflection of a complaint that has been filed, but is not a suggestion that the campus is violating, or has violated the law. Binghamton University has been included because of an isolated complaint received by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights [OCR]. We have responded to the complaint and the University is confident that the extensive documentation provided demonstrates that the actions of our campus were in full compliance with both the letter and intent of the law. Again, there has been no determination of wrong doing by the University at this stage and we have responded to the complaint by providing OCR with extensive documentation that we believe demonstrates the University handled the matter properly. Due to the nature of the inquiry, we cannot discuss specifics of the case or provide any additional information,

Pipe Dream accepts stimulating, original guest columns from undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. Submissions should be 400 to 500 words in length and be thus far unpublished. Columns and letters to the editor in response to something printed in Pipe Dream should be submitted before a subsequent issue is published. Submissions must include the writer’s name and phone number, and year of graduation or expected year of graduation. Graduate students and faculty members should indicate their standing as such, as well as departmmental affiliation. Organizational (i.e. student group) affiliations are to be disclosed and may be noted at Pipe Dream’s discretion. Anonymous submissions are not accepted. Any facts referenced must be properly cited from credible news sources. Pipe Dream reserves the right to edit submissions, and does not guarantee publication. All submissions become property of Pipe Dream. Submissions may be e-mailed to the Opinion Editor at opinion@ bupipedream.com.

vacuum. For every one student who has the courage to come forward, there are dozens who remain silent. Given the University’s public treatment of this situation, we can’t blame students who don’t want to bring up sexual assault cases with them. The University’s response implies that a complainant can be treated as a liability, his or her case read with cold legal analysis, rather than as a testimony from a person in need. Following the letter of the law here is not enough. The University should go the extra mile to ensure that every student feels comfortable and safe. It’s completely possible that the University has done nothing wrong. Maybe the University took special care to adhere to the proper legal principles. Maybe justice was properly served. Either way, the University’s response was inappropriate. It was completely possible for them to claim that they’ve done everything right while also ensuring students that their safety is paramount. We aren’t concerned with how self-satisfied the school may be with its impeccable documentation or strict adherence to internally-created policy. If this system has failed even one student, it is time for a new system.

Views expressed in the opinion pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial, above. The Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Opinion Editor, Sports Editor, and Release Editor.

How do you tell a person's life story? Memorializing those who've passed taught me to appreciate those still with us

*Positions seated on the Executive Board are denoted by an asterisk. Pipe Dream is published Tuesdays and Fridays while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters, except during finals weeks and vacations.

however, know that Binghamton University has comprehensive policies in place to ensure that people are not discriminated against at our campus. Be confident that our commitment to a diverse and inclusive community is core to Binghamton University.” Commenters on the page suggested that the wording of the post made the University appear indifferent to sexual violence on campus. We agree. In the entire post, the phrase “sexual assault” does not appear once, nor does the word “safety.” The omission of these important words distorts the issue. Instead of actually addressing the issue of sexual assault, the University cloaked it in euphemisms regarding diversity. Instead of showing compassion or concern toward their students, officials are trying to save face. Instead of focusing on the potential reforms of University policy that could be needed, they’re zooming in on issues of legality. Calling this an “isolated” incident sounds antagonizing toward the affected individual. Why does it matter if only one person is impacted? This phrasing justifies the incident, writing it off as an outlier rather than the result of a potential flaw in the system. Incidents like these don’t occur within a

Geoffrey Wilson Assistant News Editor

During my three years with Pipe Dream, I took on the role of the newspaper’s unofficial obituary writer. It’s a strange, macabre title to bear. You would assume it’s a position reserved for the most experienced candidate, and that’s correct to an extent. I have written 10 obituaries — 10 articles commemorating the lives and announcing the deaths of anyone with a connection to Binghamton University. However, death isn’t easy, no matter what the context, and each and every obituary I wrote was just as difficult as the last. I took my work as an obituary writer more seriously than anything else in my life. Whether it was a retired faculty member or a student who passed too soon, I would lock myself away from the world, neglecting everything until the job was done. What is a late paper compared to a life? Writing a competent obituary required

learning the subject’s entire history, everything that made them who they were, in the hopes of capturing a fragment of their soul. I’ve spent hours calling and emailing the family and friends of each person, reaching out to these people during their lowest lows and asking them to talk about it. It’s a difficult job, but nowhere near as hard as what they are going through. You are doing it for them, in the hopes that they find some small solace in the fact that everything that made this person great won’t go unrecognized. It is the hardest work I have ever done, yet it’s easily the most memorable and rewarding experience of my life. I can still recall their names, faces, personalities, hobbies and achievements. Ten people, each with their own lives, ambitions and dreams. And I remember the families and friends who were just thankful that there was someone interested in writing about their loved ones. I can say without any reservations that I have been honored to get to know about all these people. There is one lesson I have taken from my time as an obituary writer, something easy to forget during the stress of day-to-day life. People are

complex. It’s easy to get caught up in your own little world and forget that there are more than seven billion people just like you, each with their own baggage. It’s easy to dismiss all the strangers in your life, even your friends and family, and get caught up in your own thing. I am more than guilty of adopting this mindset, but I try to remember those 10 people. Despite how well-reported any of my work might have been, it’s impossible to do more than scratch the surface of who someone is. Don’t take the people closest to you for granted and don’t forget that everyone is going through something, even if you don’t know it. That being said, I would like to acknowledge all the people who’ve been there for me. Mom, Dad and Kat: Thank you for being there, even when I pushed away. I love you. Eric, Dani, Mike, Chris, Kyle, Deanna,

Alvin and Vin: You have all managed to keep me balanced on that thin, thin line between sane and not. It’s been pretty great. Christina, Paige, Ari, Darian, Mikey, Kendy and the rest of the Pipe Dream geezers: You all made the office a second home for me and I am glad to have had such a wonderful family to fill it. Rachel and Nick: You are going to be amazing. Keep it up so I can keep bragging about you two. To anyone I haven’t mentioned by name: I have a word count, forgive me. To those of you still reading, thank you. I hope that you found my own experiences interesting at the very least and I ask that you take my message to heart. It’s easy to be the apathetic, but I believe we are better than that.

I took my work as an obituary writer more seriously than anything else in my life

— Geoffrey Wilson is a senior majoring in English.

OpiniOn

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

Make your own future

Details make the story big

Seek enriching experiences outside the classroom

The big picture and small details are equally important

classes. Finally, for once in my life, I feel somewhat experienced and qualified to share some advice. Before I go, I’ll leave you with three tips: join relevant clubs, work on side projects and surround yourself with great people. Want to be a journalist? Join Pipe Dream. Want to be an EMT? Join Harpur’s Ferry. Got rejected? Take EMT classes, volunteer at another agency and apply again. Don’t let rejection discourage you. A little grit will carry you far. Work on side projects. Please. Work on side projects. Make sure there’s something to separate you from 3,000 classmates once graduation rolls along. Graduation will creep up on you quicker than you can ever imagine. Companies want to see what you learn outside the classroom. Want to be a software engineer? Create a startup, fail and repeat. Want to be a social media guru? Find a struggling local business and volunteer to run their social media. Measure the improvements and blog about the process. Do research and read. Always be

at Tom & Marty’s, and maybe have more fun doing it. (Probably not more fun.) Big picture: I (barely) studied abroad in London for a semester. Small details: I visited every independent bookstore in my neighborhood. I saw James McAvoy play Macbeth in tights. I ordered Cokes with limes in pubs across the United Kingdom. I ate 37 scoops of gelato on spring break in Italy (sorry, Raves, but I won that eating contest). I learned that traveling to another continent didn’t make me love Binghamton any less. Big picture: I wrote a pretentious-sounding honors thesis. Small details: I worked with professor Alexi Zentner on a portfolio of short stories about race and beauty in America. I read a ton of cool novels and got to rave and complain about them without judgment in his office every other Tuesday. Thanks to Alexi, the fabulous Marissa Schwalm and three years of

Daniel O'Connor System Administrator

I nervously walked into the Pipe Dream “dungeon” four years ago and signed up to be a photographer. At the end of the semester, through a series of fortunate events, I became photo editor. As a second-semester freshman photo editor, I was terribly inexperienced and under-qualified. But, with the help of a great staff and photographers, we made it work. When the Pipe Dream website desperately needed a redesign, then-Editor-in-Chief Nate Fleming handed me the keys and gave me free reign. I was still inexperienced and under-qualified. But, once again, we made it work. That summer I applied to 25 internships and was rejected from all but one. I’ll always be grateful to the engineers at WePay, a 50-person startup, who took a risk on me and taught me more in a summer than I learned in two years of

Graduation will creep up on you quicker than you can ever imagine

creating. Don’t take irrelevant jobs if you don’t need the money. Time spent on side projects will pay off tremendously in the long run. Skipping grad school? Your GPA is probably less important than you think. The Googles and Facebooks of the world don’t care about your transcript. This is especially true when you compete against students from top universities around the world. Save some time for friends. Most importantly: Surround yourself with great people. I’ve learned so much from my friends at Pipe Dream. Rob, you were the perfect news editor and taught me everything about journalism. Nate, thanks for all the trust and, as always, thanks for coming in! Jules, you’re insanely talented and deserve all the success. The people at this University make it great and I’m so incredibly thankful. I won the housing lottery my freshman year and lived in the best suite on the best floor. Floor 1A, you made these four years incredible. The girls in Hughes: You’re all nuts but equally as great. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You all have a chance to do something great. Take this opportunity and run with it. — Daniel O’Connor is a senior majoring in computer science. He was also photo editor from December 2010–December 2011.

Victoria Chow Copy Desk Chief

As a creative writing major (or, as Pipe Dream’s style guide would have me call it, a senior majoring in creative writing) and as this newspaper’s copy desk chief, I’ve read a lot of writing by students here at Binghamton University. In fiction workshops, I’ve gotten to know some of the most passionate, creative and strange people at this University — thanks for letting me read your work and for never judging mine. I’ve also had the pleasure of reading and copy editing every article written in Pipe Dream this year. After a year of editing everything from the alwaysdebated Oxford comma to larger issues, I can safely say that Pipe Dream is the place that taught me the importance of both the big picture and the small details during my time at BU. Big picture: I went Downtown, a lot — and sober. Small details: I fell asleep at all my friends’ house parties (Lucas: We’ll always have Post-its. Vlad: Thanks for the bed). I almost got peed on at Delta Chi freshman year. I ran away from a cab driver once, then felt bad and ran back to pay him. I learned that being allergic to alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t get really contact drunk

i learned that where you live doesn't really matter; it's the people ... who make college as interesting as any story

Why I came, but not why I stayed Kendall Loh Photo Editor

When I thought about writing my senior column, I knew I wanted to tell a story. I wanted to tell a good one, one that summed up my weirdly deep affection for you all, because my experience at Pipe Dream deserves nothing less. With my limited writing skills in mind, however, I knew my ambition far exceeded my ability. In addition, when I sat and thought about it, between the countless late night productions, New Orleans, wine tour, wine and cheese (I guess we like wine?), camping out in the office due to snowstorms, even road trips to Albany, I knew I couldn’t choose just one. So I decided to go tell a different story — one that many of you in the office may not be familiar with: my journey to Pipe Dream, rather than the one within it. I have been drawn to photography for a long time, and for a very short set of reasons. First and foremost, my dad bought his own digital camera, a clunky, ugly-looking Panasonic, when I was in the sixth grade, and what sixth-grade kid doesn’t want to be like his dad? Secondly, as someone who is color-blind (shout out to you, Mom & Papa, for the solid genes. Rest easy big guy), I didn’t inherit the talent for art that some of the other members of my family have, and have always been somewhat jealous. “Taking pictures is kind of like drawing or painting,

So there you have it — my first, last, best and worst piece in a pipe Dream issue. it’s been a time, guys, and i will miss you all.

seat with Taco Bell from the Union in hand (important) and waited with bated breath for Corcoran to make all my wildest dreams come true. Corcoran starts talking, but before the end of his first beautiful sentence I started to hear, “beep … beep … beep.” It was Dan (who I didn’t know at the time) taking pictures for Pipe Dream, but he hadn’t turned the beep function of his camera off. The nerve. Looking forward to this event for so long, I was only slightly enraged. “Someone’s gotta tell this guy to stop,” I said to myself. “I can do that job better.” So, a couple of weeks later, I gathered my courage, walked into the office and the rest, as they say, is history. Sorry DO’C. There are a few acknowledgements I would like to make as well. First and foremost, Mom and Dad — I know I never call enough. I’m sorry, I just never want to disappoint you guys. I love you. To Keith, dude you’re the man and I’m incredibly lucky to have you as a brother, but letsbehonest I think we both know you’re luckier to have me as one. Your wedding shall be interesting. Also PD loves you. To Grandma, Papa, Nana and Hadia, thank you for supporting me through my life. A day doesn’t

go by without me thinking about how much you mean to me and how much I deeply appreciate it. To my Pipe Dream family, past, present and future — I wish you nothing but happiness, fame and fortune. To the lunch crew that almost was — Xtina, Zack (yoohoo) and Ari — You guys are truly magnificent, and helped me stand at points this year when I couldn’t do it myself. I do realize how much you put up with, and I will never forget that. To Paige, Becca, Blorth, Geoff, Nick, Cari and everyone on staff — I love you all (yes, even you, Froyo), and I don’t think you all realize how much I cherish just our simple, day-today interactions. It’s our paper but the newbies can take it away from us if they must, I suppose. To the NOLA crew — I can only sum it up with a quote: “Bro, take me back” — Ari Kramer, literally every weekend since we returned to Binghamton. So there you have it — my first, last, best and worst piece in a Pipe Dream issue. It’s been a time, guys, and I will miss you all. — Kendall Loh is a senior majoring in biochemistry.

— Victoria Chow is a senior majoring in English.

In other words

My journey to pipe Dream was unexpected, but transformative except it does it for you!” so my logic went. Third, for the first 20 years of my life, my electronics budget had been roughly one zillion times more than my food, clothing and leisure budgets combined. Priorities, man. I saved up for my first DSLR by pooling three Christmases worth of gifts. Little did I know that a patient investment at the beginning of high school would be paying dividends through my entire college career. As a biochemistry major, I joined Pipe Dream for a different reason than most of the kids here on staff (the quality of this column should make that fairly clear). I had little to no interest in journalism or photojournalism as a career. All I knew was that during my freshman and sophomore years here at Binghamton, I wasn’t entirely happy with the set of friends I had made up to that point in my college tenure, which was something that I had never experienced socially in my life before. Enter Dan O’Connor. He quietly changed my life, although he doesn’t realize it. But let’s start at the beginning: Sophomore year I was a total geek and listened religiously to the Science Times podcasts — these free science podcasts narrated by the incomparable David Corcoran, Science Times editor at the New York Times. I guess I still am a geek because I still listen to that shit on the reg (but now I have friends, right guys? Guys?). Anyway, David Corcoran actually came to campus that year, so naturally I was pleased as punch. I got my free NYT swag upon entering the Mandela Room, took my

intense workshops, I’ve learned that writing is my most cathartic endeavor — one that has the ability to create change. Big picture: I lived in University Plaza. Small details: I had to bribe friends to visit with Cold Stone and Chipotle. I’ve had the same roommate for all of college, and I still thank the housing gods for my Danish. Over the course of this year, my apartment mates have locked me in my room using furniture, mocked me endlessly for my manipulative “baby voice” and asked me to please stop taking naps in their beds. I learned that where you live doesn’t really matter; it’s the people — the characters — you live with who make college as interesting as any story. I’ve read a lot of both fiction and fact during my time at BU. And I’ve learned that there’s something rewarding about seeing the big picture and finding the small details in every story, article and experience.

extremism is education,

threat to militancy in the schoolbooks. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, writing about 276 Nigerian girls kidnapped by terrorists, May 3

Have an opinion? Contact our Opinion Editor, opinion@bupipedream.com

OpiniOn

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

32 months, 16,000 students, infinite possibilite6 Binghamton students each follow their unique passions and paths to success how often do you hear liberal arts students lamenting the job security of the accounting program, or engineers envying the freedom of English majors? When it comes to college, the number of choices is so staggering that I feel like I’m shrinking if I stop to think about it. It’s not impossible that every interaction may have forked the path a little bit more, leaving an infinite number of other potentially fantastic or disastrous outcomes to evaporate unnoticed. Usually, I’m distracted enough by all the ordinary “Binghamton-ness” we have in common to function properly — an overheard complaint about Pods space here, a loud sigh about campus construction there. But sometimes, glimpses of those other paths are visible. Stumbling across an exemplary student profile online, I’ll realize that the girl who ordered ahead of me at Jazzman’s is actively researching a cure for cancer or the guy who waited with me at the bus has already started his career at Apple. Did I miss some sort of collective group consensus that we’re now old enough to start kicking the world’s ass? Recently, in a moment of similar anxiety, a friend mixed up two famous proverbs by saying, “You can lead a man to water, but you can’t teach him to

Jules Forrest Managing Editor 2012-2013

Thirty-two months. Thirty-two puny, vast, boring, fascinating, stagnant and transformative months. If you’re average, it will have taken you about 32 months at Binghamton University to earn your degree, and this time will account for approximately 13 percent of your life. Tempting though it is to package up time in a neat little box, already this math becomes exclusionary. Maybe you’ll complete your degree in three years, or five; maybe you’ll finish at 24, or 44, or maybe you won’t finish at all. What’s fascinating to me about school is that though the circumstances that led to our arrivals might differ greatly, the 16,000 of us on campus each year navigate the same set of options with which we shape our college experience. By options, I mean only that the same classes, majors, professors, schools and even extracurriculars are made available to each student. Yet

fish.” Though accidental, his metaphor was actually pretty insightful. Whatever influences and preparations brought us here, learning “how to be” at college is a course in itself, one we have to figure out on our own. It took me a few years, but I eventually realized that each discarded path is a reality for someone somewhere. For every hopeful thought I’ve dismissed, someone out there has respected and acted on its parallel; now they’re in the positions I admire. And really, age has nothing to do with it. It seems almost silly not to try. As the years go by, these 32 months will become an ever smaller percentage of my life, but I hope to retain the sense of possibility that embodies daily life at BU. I’m an art student, and I’m lucky to count future accountants, scholars, nurses, lawyers, teachers, engineers and entrepreneurs as friends. A love of photography brought me to Pipe Dream, where I met sports fanatics and programming geniuses,

pop culture gurus and grammar snobs whom I might otherwise have had no occasion to know. By proximity, their experiences have been nearly as influential to me as my own, and I’m so grateful for the circumstances that caused our overlap. It’s been four years since I joined Pipe Dream, and I almost scraped by without writing a single article. I’ve wanted to since arriving on campus, but something — being judged harshly on bad writing always seemed more likely than being judged harshly on a bad photo or a bad design — always held me back. Eight semesters later, this piece will be my first and only byline in the paper, so thank you for reading what has allowed me to realize one more potential path of my college career.

Did i miss some sort of collective ... consensus that we're now old enough to start kicking the world's ass?

— Jules Forrest is a senior majoring in graphic design. She has served Pipe Dream as an assistant photo editor, photo editor and managing editor.

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I wonder if our paths will ever cross again it's important to step back, notice your growth and laugh at yourself once in a while Erik Bacharach Assistant Sports Editor

In hindsight, my pursuits during my stint at Binghamton University would strongly indicate that I’m a masochist. I ambled on in as a doe-eyed freshman and made setting the bar way too high a reoccurring theme. I underestimated how agonizingly slow things take to happen, especially the things you really want. I chased girls, dreams and a lucrative career, and I’m walking out of here alone, more of a realist and as an English major. Hindsight is a son of a bitch. That’s not to say that I didn’t get the bang for my buck that was promised to me when I committed to this valuepacked institution, however. Four years at BU have certainly instilled in me the diligence, resiliency and frugality required of a graduating English major. And I’ve made some serious strides in terms of personal growth during my time here as well.

My posture has come a long way and is finally somewhat respectable. I’m now a seasoned eye-to-eye looker as I made improving eye contact a priority my sophomore year, and I also don’t apologize for every little action I take, as “I’m sorry” is no longer my default response for everything. I still maintain a certain insecurity that is associated with consciousness of mediocrity, but I’ve been able to dilute that with my hope for a bright future (my academic adviser assures me that I’m on the right track). But that, in my opinion, is the hallmark of a recent college graduate: disappointment laced with personal growth. In my case, it’s all merged into a level of dissatisfaction that will be my greatest asset as I leave the only routine I’ve ever known. I may be alone, more of a realist and an English major entering a relentlessly unforgiving real world, but I’ll be

laughing about all of my young adult struggles one day, right? I’m diligent. I’m resilient. I’m frugal. (I hope I’ll be laughing.) What’s really weighing me down though is the nostalgia that one can only truly fathom at the doorsteps of graduation. Despite my better judgment, these days I find myself playing the “Will I ever see this person again for as long as I live?” game every time I part with a friend, an acquaintance or even a stranger whom I see around Binghamton often. It’s quite the selfdefeating activity and I’d only recommend it to someone you hate, but it’s something I’ve had a lot of trouble suppressing. It’s an even more depressing game than it sounds because it’s immediately followed by the type of debilitating nostalgia that brings you to your knees metaphorically and forces you to stop what you’re doing and

What's really weighing me down ... is the nostalgia that one can only truly fathom at the doorsteps of graduation

take a deep breath literally. The silver lining lies in something a friend of mine once wrote. A person’s physical absence does not dictate their involvement in your life. There will still be those that continue to dance in the auditoriums of your dreams long after you’ve told them goodbye. For me, it’s already begun. Anyone who’s been around me for any amount of time is familiar with my proclivity for naps. As a result of this, I’ve also got a tendency to experience those trippy nap dreams that aren’t possible during REM sleep, during which close friends and even perfect strangers make random, uninvited cameos, and you remember the entire strange happening. So it’s time to get real — this is probably it for you and me. We may very well have crossed paths for the last time. So with that in mind, I hope you live a wonderful life and that you laugh about all of this someday. See you in my dreams. — Erik Bacharach is a senior majoring in English.

Congratulations, seniors!

SportS

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

BU drops two of three to Stony Brook, takes No. 3 seed to AE tourney Behind Bracchi's two base hits and three rBIs, Bearcats avoid sweep in regular-season finale E.Jay Zarett

Pipe Dream Sports

Freshman outfielders Bridget Hunt and Gabby Bracchi combined for four RBIs and a home run in Saturday’s game three victory to help the Binghamton softball team avoid a sweep at the hands of Stony Brook, the America East’s regular-season champion. The Bearcats will face secondseeded Albany as the No. 3 seed in the America East tournament on Thursday. “I thought overall we played pretty well [this weekend],” BU head coach Michelle Burrell said. “In the first game we had a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh. We just needed to come up with a big hit … I liked the way we responded on Saturday to get the win and give us good momentum going into the tournament and give the girls confidence knowing they can hit their number one pitcher.” The series opener featured

a pitching duel between BU’s senior ace Demi Laney and Stony Brook’s junior star Allison Cukrov. Laney scattered three hits over the first six innings while allowing only two Seawolves to advance into scoring position. “I thought [Laney] threw a great game. She stayed really composed,” Burrell said. “We weren’t anticipating throwing her the whole game, but she looked really good out there. She gave us a good opportunity to win the game and I thought she did a great job.” Cukrov was even more dominant, allowing only one Bearcat to reach base, via a walk, in the first six innings. “The umpire had a wide strike zone for both teams. It made it difficult for the hitters, which is why it was the kind of game it was,” Burrell said. “[Cukrov] kept us guessing. She was throwing in and out. “ BU (21-23, 10-7 AE) finally put some offense together in the seventh. Bracchi opened the inning with a single and

advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman Jessica Bump. However, BU was unable to plate a run. After hitting a batter, Cukrov retired the next two and ended the rally. Stony Brook (32-16, 15-2 AE) scored a run in the top of the eighth, and the Bearcats couldn’t muster a response in their half, dropping the game, 1-0. The nightcap was a completely different story, with offense coming early and often from both sides. The Seawolves pounced on BU freshman starting pitcher Annika Wiesinger, taking seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. Trailing by two in the top of the fifth, the Bearcats turned to freshman Shelby Donhauser for relief. Donhauser walked two while allowing eight earned runs before she was removed with one out in the game. Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Arneson managed to finally retire the Seawolves, who scored eight runs in the inning and stretched their lead to 10. Thanks in large part to a Bump grand slam, the Bearcats mounted a furious rally, cutting

the score to 13-10 in the bottom of the frame. BU never managed to tie the score — the team allowed two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh en route to its 16-10 loss. Despite the consecutive losses, BU responded well the following afternoon. On their Senior Day, the Bearcats, led by Bracchi, scored four runs in the first two innings. Stony Brook strung together four hits in the fourth to tie the score, but the Bearcats took the lead back with a score in the fifth. Hunt homered the following inning to give the Bearcats an insurance run. Never looking back, BU held on to win its regular-season finale, 6-4. Donhauser captured her first career save in the effort. “We overall did a better a job with our at-bats [on Saturday],” Burrell said. “We were more focused and individually, they kind of made some adjustments. We had better quality at-bats. We were seeing more pitches and taking them deeper into atbats and I think that made a big difference.”

Bracchi finished the series with a .625 batting average and five RBIs. She was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday for her performance. Stony Brook will host the conference tournament, which

begins Thursday. The four-team, double-elimination event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. with Stony Brook facing No. 4 UMBC at University Field. Binghamton and Albany will follow at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Tycho McManus/Staff Photographer

Senior second baseman Jessica Bump hit a grand slam in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader against Stony Brook.

Binghamton vs. Stony Brook 5/2 5/2 5/3

L L W

1-0 16 - 10 6-4

Women third, men fourth at AE track and field championships Four Bearcats register first-place finishes as Armstrong earns Most outstanding rookie award Staff Reports Following their runner-up finish at the indoor conference meet in February, the Binghamton women’s and men’s track and field squads competed at the America East Outdoor Championships over the weekend and finished in third and fourth place, respectively.

There were four first-place finishes for the women’s team. Freshman Keishorea Armstrong highlighted the Bearcats’ success in Vermont, winning the Most Outstanding Rookie award. Six individuals from the men’s team captured second in their events. Junior Alexx Baum took first place in the women’s triple jump with a distance of 40-10 ½ and

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was also part of the winning 4x100 relay team. The quartet, including Baum, Armstrong, junior Ivory Taussig and senior Kathleen Klein, won the relay with a time of 46.17 seconds. Armstrong also finished third in both the 100 and 200 meter relays with times of 11.80 and 24.33 seconds, respectively. Junior Christy DiMichele and sophomore Tori Shaffer rounded out the first-place finishers for the Bearcats. DiMichele recorded a height of 12-1 ½ in the pole vault, and Shaffer notched a 5-7 mark in the high jump for their titles. Second-place finishers included junior Pat Heikkila, whose 54-6 ½ mark broke the school record for shot put, senior

Ben Snodgrass (14:35.19 in the 5,000), sophomore Joe Miceli (6,305 in the decathlon), freshman Eric Holt (3:56 in the 1,500), classmate Jon Alkins (21.31 in the 200) and junior Brandon Bordeau (157-04 in the discus). Nine individuals recorded ECAC or IC4A qualifying numbers. Bordeau, Heikkila, Snodgrass, freshman pole vaulter Peter Fagan, sophomore distance runner Ethan Hausamann, Alkins, DiMichele, Baum and freshman sprinter Sarah Osaheni will all represent BU at the ECAC/IC4A Outdoor Championships in two weeks. For team results, Albany’s men’s and women’s teams each finished on top in the nine-team

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tournament. On the women’s side, Albany accumulated 195.50 points. Vermont secured second with 142.50, and BU clinched third with 131. For the men, Albany won easily with 208 points, UMBC and Maine followed up in second and third, respectively, and BU finished in fourth with 108 points. Next up for the Bearcats are the ECAC/IC4A Outdoor Championships hosted by Princeton. The events will be spread over the weekend of May 16, to give participants the opportunity to earn bids to the NCAA Championships two weeks later. First events are set to begin at 10 a.m. that Friday.

BU @ ECAC/IC4A Championships DATE

May 16 LOCATION

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10:00 a.m.

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SportS

www.bupipedream.com | May 6, 2014

Early season tournament pays off for men's basketball Notre Dame, providence shell out combined $90,000 to host Binghamton in 2014 Hall of Fame tipoff Ari Kramer Sports Editor

Notre Dame and Providence view the Binghamton men’s basketball team as a cash cow. The two schools assembled a $90,000 guarantee package to entice BU to visit during the campus rounds of the 2014 Hall of Fame Tipoff. The Bearcats, who will open their season at Notre Dame on Nov. 14 before playing at Providence on Nov. 17, receive the money directly from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. According to Athletics Director Patrick Elliott, high-major programs are willing to pay a guaranteed sum of money to their guests because revenue generated from ticket sales, concessions, parking and, in some cases, television, will far outweigh the cost of hosting an opponent. “They’ve already sold the tickets in their season ticket packages, and what they do is, they’ve got Duke, they’ve got whomever else is coming in,” Elliott said, focusing on Atlantic Coast Conference member Notre Dame. “Binghamton is just another game that people are going to pay for because they want to see those other games.” As an extra incentive, the host teams in exempt tournaments get an extra NCAA-sanctioned home game. Division I basketball programs can schedule a maximum of 29 regularseason games. If a team participates in an exempt tournament, however, that total jumps to 30. High-major programs pounce on the opportunity to generate extra revenue. On the other side, revenue earned from guarantee games helps

smaller programs reach budget goals. Elliott said he and BU head coach Tommy Dempsey set a goal for the men’s basketball team to generate $200,000 of income next season. That leaves $110,000 coming from unknown origins, one of which could be Syracuse. A few sources believe the two schools struck a multi-year deal while scheduling a game at the Carrier Dome for last December. Syracuse paid Binghamton $90,000 for last year’s trip up Interstate 81. Because the athletics department will not announce the men’s basketball team’s full schedule until the summer, next year’s guarantee package — if the next game in the deal will be played in 2014-15 — is not yet known. Every thousand helps, though it’s all part of the plan. “We build our expense budget based upon income,” Elliott said. “In effect, it’s not like if we get $90,000 from Syracuse that we’re $90,000 richer. All of these guarantee games that we’ve been playing over time are built into our budget model.” Based on projected income, each of the University’s teams sets an expenses budget. In the 2012-13 academic year, BU’s men’s basketball team spent $1.37 million, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education. Notre Dame, reputed as a football school, spent $5.4 million on its basketball program. Providence doled out $6.1 million, and Syracuse expended $13.8 million. The discrepancy between BU, a mid-major program, and the high-

Daniel O'Connor/Staff Photographer

Binghamton Athletics Director Patrick Elliott discussed with Pipe Dream the logistics of the men’s basketball team’s participation in the 2014 Hall of Fame Tipoff.

majors is blatant. BU covets the money, and the high-majors can supply it. Because games against the Bearcats have been virtual locks for victories in recent years, BU has been a desirable opponent for highmajors in early season tournaments. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve gotten a lot of calls,” Elliott said. “We’ve been, over the last couple of years, attractive to some of these tournaments for obvious reasons.” Elliott said he and Dempsey had always planned on accepting a tournament invitation in the head coach’s third year. The Bearcats won three games in 2012-13, Dempsey’s first season on campus, before

registering seven victories this past year. Now, Dempsey has promised that the 2014-15 Bearcats will play at a consistently fast pace because they have the pieces to do so. This team, from a style standpoint, should resemble Dempsey’s squads while he was at Rider. “These are games that are always obviously difficult, but we expect every game to be competitive,” Elliott said. “We just felt that this was a better time, once Tommy was able to get a couple of his recruiting classes in.” The toughest of the competition will be the two road games against Notre Dame and defending Big East champion Providence, but the

Bearcats will also face Manhattan and either Navy or Northeastern when the Hall of Fame Tipoff moves to Mohegan Sun the weekend of Nov. 21. “The thinking is that everybody’s able to play a combination of midto high-major games and games within their common conferences, if you will,” said Greg Procino, the Hall of Fame’s director of events and awards. Mid-majors always face highmajors in the campus rounds and fellow mid-majors at the destination site, according to Procino. To match mid-majors with high-majors, Procino said the Hall of Fame employs a first-come, first-served preference system.

“In the case of Binghamton, I believe they were the second or third team in the field,” Procino said. “They were interested in Notre Dame from the get-go.” And though the guarantee money played a role in BU’s entry to the tournament, games against Notre Dame and trips to Mohegan Sun serve as recruiting tools as well. High school players see that BU is committed to playing top-notch competition, exposing the Bearcats to a national audience. “There’s an element of representing the University, of branding,” Elliott said. “We want to be able to travel across the country and represent the University.”

Bearcats capture penultimate conference series from UMass Lowell Nevares belts three two-run homers over weekend to keep Binghamton in driver's seat for AE tourney bid Matt Turner

Pipe Dream Sports The Binghamton baseball team is heating up at the right time. Continuing their offensive dominance with a series victory over America East foe UMass Lowell, the Bearcats (19-21, 1010 AE) have now won nine of their last 11, scoring seven runs or more in eight of those victories. Behind a record-setting series from senior second baseman Daniel Nevares, the Bearcats won the series opener and finale against the third-place River Hawks (18-18, 9-8 AE). Nevares batted a combined 7-for-9 with three runs scored and 11 RBIs in BU’s two victories. “Danny’s been a great fouryear player for us,” BU head coach Tim Sinicki said. “Over the years he’s shown the propensity to get

hot and have big weekends.” Junior Jack Rogalla (4-6) pitched well enough to earn the game one victory, tossing 6 2/3 innings while surrendering six runs, four earned, on seven hits. “We ask our starting pitchers to [do] one thing, very simply, and that’s to keep us in the ball game and give us a chance to win,” Sinicki said. “Some days, that’s a 2-1 game, and other times it might be a 10-6 game … It’s all about a team effort, it’s all about picking each other up and trying to play good, quality baseball as a program and not having to rely on one particular aspect of the game.” Sophomore third baseman Reed Gamache opened the scoring in the second with a tworun home run. In the fourth, Nevares hit the first of his two two-run homers in the game to give the Bearcats a 6-4 lead. His

second would come in the bottom of the seventh. Binghamton would never surrender the lead, winning the game, 10-6. “I feel like over the past few weeks, as we’ve gotten to practice outside, we’ve had the opportunity to do more things offensively and I feel like that’s showing in some instances right now,” Sinicki said. Freshman Jextin Pugh (01) got the start in game two and pitched 4 1/3 innings while allowing only two runs on seven hits. Freshman reliever Nicholas Liegi (1-1) was tagged with the loss despite pitching 2 2/3 innings and allowing just one run. “All we’re asking those guys is to go out and give us everything they have,” Sinicki said. “Even though we lost game two, I thought they both did a good job … and put us in a position to win.”

Aside from two hits apiece by freshman catcher Eddie Posavec and senior center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz, and freshman designated hitter Brendan Skidmore’s first career home run, the Bearcats could not find an offensive rhythm, falling 3-2. Nevares continued pacing the Bearcats’ offense in Sunday’s finale, recording three more hits and six RBIs. Nevares, junior right fielder Zach Blanden and Bereszniewicz combined to hit 9-for-13 while scoring six runs. In the fifth inning, Nevares hit his third two-run home run of the weekend, giving BU a 4-2 lead. He concluded his impressive performance with a bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore pitcher Jake Cryts was on the mound and earned the win after 7 2/3 innings of four-hit ball. He surrendered three runs, only two earned, as BU took the rubber match, 7-3. Nevares’ weekend was notable for two reasons. In addition to his career series at the plate, his father visited from Puerto Rico. “This weekend was special for him,” Sinicki said. “Any time you got a guy who can put the offense on his back and lead the way the way he did, it’s a great thing to have in the program, but it’s special when it’s his final home series and he got a chance to do it in front of his father.” With the two wins, the Bearcats have a three-game advantage over Maine for the third seed in

Franz Lino/Staff Photographer

Sophomore pitcher Jake Cryts allowed only two earned runs while striking out four in 7 2/3 innings against UMass Lowell on Sunday.

the America East tournament, with three conference games remaining. However, with the way BU has been playing, a shot at back-to-back AE Championships seems more and more possible. “You don’t win championships in March, you win them in May,” Sinicki said. “Our goal is to get [the players] playing their best baseball this time of year. I think

BU @ BC

Binghamton vs. UMass Lowell

DATE

May 10

6/2/14

we’re playing as well as we’ve played all year right now.” The Bearcats return to action this weekend when they take on Boston College in Massachusetts. First pitch for Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at John Shea Field. The series will conclude Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon.

LOCATION

John Shea Field

5/3

10 - 6

TIME

5/3

3-2

5/4

7-3

4:00 p.m.

SPORTS

softball

Bracchi helps BU avoid sweep Page 14

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

SEE YA!

Nevares belts three homers in senior send-off series See page 15 Tycho McManus/Staff Photographer