Meet HOBU Freshman introduces the Humans of Binghamton University, see page 4
The bold return of St. Vincent The indie pop singer releases another bizarrely great album, see page 10
PIPE DREAM Tuesday, February 25, 2014 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXXV, Issue 9
Experts debate hydrofracking
ESPN personality hits BU
Steingraber and Holko discuss drilling in NY Rachel Bluth
It is our generation now that needs to make this leap into renewable energy. The fate of the entire planet and our children’s lives depend on it.
of those created to support the industry. Though he could not give any exact numbers on how many jobs would be created for New Yorkers, he noted that fracking would provide long-term growth for the unemployed. “We can grow this industry into thousands of employees, and that is directly related to operation,” Holko said. “From land work through drilling, through pipeline through production into maintenance of compressors and pipelines.” Steingraber, however, had a less optimistic view of the potential employment opportunities created by hydrofracking. According to Steingraber, the jobs created by fracking have much higher rates of on-the-job fatalities. She said that workers are exposed to explosive, highly flammable materials and may be prone to “grievous injuries” like crushing, burning and loss of limbs. She also talked about the dangers of being exposed to silica sand, an ingredient in fracking solution that is blasted into the shale. “The tiny particles of silica sand are like asbestos, they are a known cause of lung cancer and silicosis, which is a disabling illness,” she said. “Workers on the job site cannot protect themselves efficiently from silica dust by wearing masks.” For Jim Pudish, a resident of Endicott, Steingraber’s argument about the potential risks was not sufficient to convince him that fracking was a bad idea. He said that there are risks with every industry, and it shouldn’t prevent economic growth. “You’ve made the case that we should never produce any farther in New York in terms of industry. We should either stay where we are or regress back into the Dark Ages,” Pudish said. Steingraber also spoke about the environmental impacts of fracking. According to Steingraber, the excess methane produced by fracking that is not burnt off contributes an enormous amount of greenhouse gas to the
—Sandra Steingraber New Yorkers Against Fracking
See FRACK Page 2
News Editor
In a deliberately nonconfrontational format, two experts took the stage in the Anderson Center Monday night to present each side of the hydraulic fracturing debate. On the anti-fracking side of the debate was Sandra Steingraber, an ecologist and the founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking. She contested the idea that fracking could ever be a safe, viable option in New York state. She raised concerns regarding the disposal of radioactive material, and the potential for it to get into the milk supply, a major concern in a dairy state like New York. “There are many risks inherently unmanageable, and that no regulations would be able to make us feel safe,” she said. “Many of the harms created are inherent to the system, and they are unfixable.” Steingraber noted the difficulties in disposing of fracking waste water, arguing that there were no best practices in place that would ever provide a safe means of disposal. “There is no right way to do something that we shouldn’t be doing in the first place,” she said. John Holko, the president of Lenape Resources, Inc. and the director of Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, spoke about the positive benefits of fracking, including bringing jobs directly related to the oil industry, to say nothing
Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer Stephen A. Smith speaks in Lecture Hall 1 to 450 students Saturday evening. Smith, a sports journalist and ESPN personality, was the keynote speaker for the Black Student Union’s Black History Month festivities.
Stephen A. Smith visits campus for Black History Month a jet to address Binghamton University students. Assistant News Editor Smith, a sports journalist and ESPN personality, was the After spending his morning keynote speaker for the Black interviewing Kobe Bryant, Student Union’s (BSU) Black Stephen A. Smith hopped on History Month festivities.
Nicolas Vega
His talk, which drew more than 450 to Lecture Hall 1 on Saturday evening, focused on the importance of making oneself marketable and attractive for jobs in corporate America.
“See, I’m a proud capitalist, y’all,” he said. “I’m not a Republican and I’m not a Democrat; I don’t give a damn about any of that. I believe in
See ESPN Page 5
HackBU teaches coding for free Student-run initiative offers lessons to all students
Margaret-Rose Roazzi and Emilie Leroy Pipe Dream News
Binghamton University students don’t need to take a computer science course to learn web coding, thanks to a project started by one BU student. HackBU was started by Daniel O’Connor, a senior majoring in computer science. It aims to teach students from various academic backgrounds about coding, to create a deeper understanding and appreciation for the software used every day. The club also aims to increase BU’s standing among schools like Princeton University and
Daniel O'Connor/Staff Photographer
Students attend a HackBU seminar, a new program teaching beginners how to learn basic web coding. Daniel O’Connor, a senior majoring in computer science, started the club, and said the club also aims to increase BU’s standing among schools like Princeton and Penn State that have a large, thriving computer science community.on Water Street Wednesday evening. His talk featured both an analysis of the executive budget and a call to arms by a number of advocacy organizations.
Pennsylvania State University, which have a large, thriving computer science community. Club members are planning Binghamton’s first Hackathon from April 25-26, where
teams of hackers would come network with representatives from together to create the best web large web companies like Google application in a given time span. and Facebook. Besides the prizes and giveaways, O’Connor said he was sitting on participants have the chance to See HACK Page 2
Recyclables and awareness hit the runway Trashion show encourages students to create where they would otherwise waste Emilie Leroy
New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and the Poverty Awareness Coalition (PAC) held a Trashion Show, in What are the latest trends to hit which teams of students displayed the runway? Sunday afternoon, the their designs made out of recycled answers were recyclable materials materials. and raising awareness. Ten contestants had one month Contributing Writer
to get their trash creations ready to send down the runway. The outfits were made out of different recycled materials, including newspaper, trash bags, empty tissue boxes and old holiday decorations. The variety of material used to create the outfits also highlighted
the issues of recycling and sustainability by showing how items normally deemed trash can be repurposed. Rebecca Pepe, the president of PAC, praised the creative uses of trash in the designs. “We know how much overconsumption Americans
tend to have, and we’re trying to showcase that in a really artistic way,” said Pepe, a senior majoring in anthropology. “Take a look at all the trash you have and see what cool ways you can use it when others are living without.” Contestants were faced with
challenges when creating their trash outfits. For designer Allen He, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, the hardest part of the process was fitting his dress to his model, Meegan Petrucci, an
See TRASH Page 4