SA E-Board elections are coming up on Friday, March 6. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!
See candidates’ platforms, page 2 See the Executive Board’s endorsements, page 15
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Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | Vol. LXXXVII, Issue 11 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
BU takes last two of three to enter playoffs Beck, Rodriguez post 20-point performances in 76-69 win over UMBC Ashley Purdy Sports Editor
As far as the postseason is concerned, this game didn’t matter. The Binghamton men’s basketball team was going to play No. 3 Stony Brook in the quarterfinals Wednesday night toting the No. 6 seed, and a win or a loss tonight had nothing to do with it. But for the Bearcats (6-25, 5-11 America East), the 76-69 victory over UMBC was important nonetheless. First of all, the game was senior Jabrille Williams’ last at the Events Center.
2015 MEN'S BASKETBALL AMERICA EAST TOURNEY SPECIAL FEATURE PIPE DREAM'S AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
SEE PAGES 7-12
SEE BUPIPEDREAM.COM/SPORTS/ BASKETBALL FOR FULL RECAP
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BEARCAT FEATURES ON PAGES 8 & 11
Center for Israel Studies to open in fall
Over dinner, Peruvian reps discuss presence on campus
SOM, Watson students begin talks with members of Peruvian Trade Commission Carla Sinclair
Assitant News Editor Representatives of Peru’s government were not just passing through Downtown Binghamton Friday night; they were there to personally meet Binghamton University students. In an intimate dining room separate from the main dining area in Downtown’s Little Venice, seven students representing the BU Marketing Association (BUMA), the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) sat down with Conrado Falco, the director of the Trade Commission of Peru in New York, to discuss increasing student marketing experience and enhancing BU’s global perspective. The collaboration began last year with Michelle DiGiacomo, a senior majoring in management and the president of BU’s SAE team. The team, which is working to create a hybrid race car, needed sponsors; DiGiacomo reached out to BUMA for sponsorship and funding. The project caught the eye of Emil Lezama, the father of a BU sophomore, who is a member of the Trade Commission of Peru. After months of presentations, the Trade Commission decided to sponsor the hybrid car. Seeing an opportunity for them to return the favor, the Commission
suggested furthering the relationship, albeit in a different direction. They suggested working with BUMA to create a tourism and awareness campaign about Peru, giving both the country exposure on a college campus and BUMA experience running a marketing campaign. “We’re here to develop an up-andcoming country, working with an upand-coming school,” Falco said. The collaboration would also market Peruvian products to the school and surrounding areas, which the team said will hopefully include a Peruvian fashion show at Spring Fling. They also planned on sitting down with Sodexo managers to brainstorm Peruvian-themed specialty nights in dining halls. “We’re helping to promote culture and understanding, and a lot of people just don’t think about those kinds of things,” DiGiacomo said. “Engineers are getting more out of building cars, business students are getting more out of working with a real organization and the school is working on being more ‘international.’” After the main course, Falco and Lezama discussed the breadth of the collaborations, which would begin with a marketing competition within the team to work with local travel agencies to sell
See PERU Page 4
Outside grant to pay for three tenure-track professors, research aid Habin Kwak Staff Writer
implement a GPS system on the buses. OCCT will purchase one additional large bus each year for the next four years, and four smaller shuttle buses. The shuttles will be used exclusively for runs on-campus, which will free up larger buses for off-campus trips. Though times have not been set yet, OCCT Director Charles Brundza said that the shuttle buses should run every six minutes during peak times and every nine minutes during the rest of the day. Tentatively, peak
For students looking to learn more about the country, Binghamton University has announced the opening of the Center for Israel Studies for the fall 2015 semester. The Center for Israel Studies, which will be housed in the Library Tower and will be working under the broader Division of Research at the University, plans to offer undergraduate students an Israel Studies minor and will offer research resources for graduate students and faculty drafting dissertations about Israel. Possible coursework for the minor includes studies of Israeli history, literature, society and majority-minority relationships, according to Randy Friedman, the director of the center. Friedman, who is also an associate professor of Judaic studies and comparative literature, said the idea to start the center began nearly three years ago when a visiting Israeli
See OCCT Page 4
See ISRAEL Page 4
Raquel Panitz/Pipe Dream Photographer
Pictured: BU students wait in line to get on an OCCT bus. SA President Alexander Liu recently unveiled plans to expand and enhance the OCCT fleet due to the expected growth of the University’s population.
With planned University expansion, OCCT looks to accomodate growth Additions to bus fleet, GPS system among intended changes Alexandra Mackof Assistant News Editor
As Binghamton University plans to expand to 20,000 students by the year 2020, Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) also plans to grow to meet the increased demands on its bus service. Alexander Liu, president of the Student Association (SA) and CEO of OCCT, discussed his plans for expansion in an SA town hall meeting last Wednesday. The changes will increase the size of the OCCT fleet and
Watson invites community to discover engineering With record low temperatures, Local families explore STEM possibilities at third-annual BU Engineering Week University calls for conservation Alana Epstein Staff Writer
The Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC) became a hub of boat building, zip lines and imagination on Saturday in honor of the third annual Engineers Week. During this year’s National Engineers Week, also known as E Week, the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science and a number of student organizations hosted a week of activities to celebrate the achievements of engineers throughout history with both students and local residents. This culminated in Community Day on Saturday, which over 535 people attended, including local elementary and high school students, prospective students touring Binghamton University and students attending Watson for next fall, according to Olivia Schofield, the Watson Career and Alumni Connections
coordinator. The week was designed to celebrate the feats, as well as the fun, of the profession, said Denise Lorenzetti, the director of Waston Career and Alumni Connections. “Engineers Week creates a lot of buzz and gets students in Watson excited about why they’re engineers,” Lorenzetti said. “It shows children in the community all of the possibilities that come with being an engineer.” From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. engineering student organizations held over 20 workshops to show kids and teens from the surrounding community the creative side of engineering. Activities included a “Bouncy Balls” station, sponsored by engineering sorority Alpha Omega Epsilon, where kids used household ingredients like cornstarch,
See STEM Page 4
When kids are doing math or science problems, they don't realize the practical applications, and that's why E Week is important —Kia Zivari BU Senior
Physical Facilities asks students to help cut costs by closing windows, unplugging unneeded devices Zuzu Boomer-Knapp Staff Writer
The chilling winter winds have been hitting students in the face for the past month, but the below-freezing temperatures have also begun to hit Binghamton University’s budget as well. Physical Facilities Communications Specialist Karen Fennie has sent out two emails this semester urging students to try to conserve energy this winter because energy prices have reached $200 per megawatt hour, which is $150 over the usual rate. A megawatt hour is the equivalent of using one million watts of electricity continuously for an hour. Communications Manager of NYSEG
Clayton Ellis said that this year, the Binghamton area’s megawatt usage peaked at 3,043 on Jan. 14, just under last year’s peak of 3,095 on Jan. 7. According to the National Weather Service, this will likely be the coldest February in Binghamton history and the second-coldest winter month on record. While the University frequently calls for energy conservation in the summer season when the power grid is stressed by the heat, Fennie said that Physical Facilities did not send out an email last year during the polar vortex when energy prices were up to $400 per megawatt hour. According to Utilities Manager Sandy DeJohn, Physical Facilities
See COLD Page 4
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PRESIDENT Dillon Schade Junior majoring in industrial and systems engineering Schade is a chair of the student philanthropy committee and assistant to the current executive vice president. If elected, Schade said he will focus on improving alumni relations and increasing alumni donations. Funding from alumni, he said, is directly correlated to the University’s national ranking. He said his other priorities are to continue the expansion of Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) and Harpur’s Ferry and to increase the outreach
work that student groups do in the local area by offering monetary incentives for community service.
Max Bartell Junior double-majoring in political science and philosophy, politics and law Bartell is a member of the financial committee and has been a part of the student advocate program. He said that if elected, he wants to help the SA “grow within its means.” He said his platform prioritizes continuity, pragmatism and a sense of reality. His immediate goals are to implement cultural competency training at the University and create an e-petition system that enables the student body to voice complaints and create change.
Under his presidency, conduct hearings would be more focused in residential communities.
Amanda Baker
a course can have more resources to reach out to, and to increase opportunities for students to get involved.
Robert Pim Sophomore double-majoring in finance and mathematics Pim is currently an assistant to the vice president for academic affairs. He said he wants to implement initiatives focusing on programs that advocate for students, which includes requiring cultural competency training and creating a Student Bill of Rights in the code of conduct that would make privacy and conduct rights clearer. He also plans to expand mentoring programs within the undergraduate community and push for the creation of a
create-your-own-minor program to diversify students’ academic interests.
Steven Lazickas Sophomore double-majoring in history and political science Lazickas is a vice chair of Student Office Space Allocation Committee and a chair of the student life and academics committee as well as former vice chair for the SA’s election committee. He said he wants to work with the VPMA to encourage more cultural events on campus, as well as expand the peer mentoring program. He said he wants to increase student awareness of the goings-on of the SA, which he said would foster more communication between the student body and the SA. He also
Student Association Executive Board elections take place via email this Friday. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Use this handy guide to get informed on each candidate’s platform before casting your vote.
VPF Mike Sabony
VPAA Junior double-majoring in mathematics and history Baker is a member of the Mountainview College Council (MCC) E-Board and a Financial Committee representative. She said she will improve the ESL program by creating more tutoring services — she has already begun work on this. She also said she will focus on increasing accessibility on campus to create equal access inside and outside the classroom for students with all disabilities. Baker also said that there needs to be more undergraduate TAs in the classroom, so that students taking
SA E-BOARD ELECTIONS 2015
Junior majoring in accounting Sabony has previous experience as the vice president of finance for Hillel. He said he plans to focus on short-term goals that are easy to implement during a yearlong term that will increase efficiency and accessibility. Sabony also said he wants to implement training sessions for students to educate groups on the budgeting process, and put the Treasurers’ exam online during the summer.
Tashman also said she plans to focus on OCCT expansion.
VPP Bernadette Machuca Junior majoring in biology Machuca has worked on every committee within the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB). She said that as vice president for programming, she would have the Programming Board work with student groups closely to host and sponsor events. She also wants to restructure the SAPB E-Board to facilitate better budgeting, requiring strict accountability for all expenses to maintain the budget and reduce the debt the SAPB has accumulated. She also said she plans on better utilizing the
said he will work to create walk-in hours for the Student Advocates program so students can be more aware of their privacy and conduct rights.
Saturday @ 8:30 PM in the Undergrounds latenite.binghamton.edu
James Sereno Junior double-majoring in history and political science He is currently the president of the Hillside Community Council, and has been the SA representative for College-in-the-Woods and a member of the Internal Affairs Committee of the Student Congress. If elected, Sereno said he wants student groups to use B-Engaged more by creating a mobile app that synchronizes B-Line, the events calendar and OCCT bus times. He also said he aims to require student groups to admit any and all students
who wish to join, and find nonperformance roles for auditionbased groups.
Jared Skwiersky Junior majoring in economics Skwiersky was the founding vice president of the Binghamton American Parliamentary Debate Association and is an Off Campus College Council (OC3) representative. If elected, Skwiersky said he wants to hold weekly focus groups with student organizations to facilitate collaboration between the SA and the student body, and address any issues that groups may be facing. He also said he plans to expand the marketing and publications department within the SA, and
update B-Engaged by adding a forum and grievances system, among other functions.
Sophomore majoring in economics Ferrara is a member of Student Congress and a co-creator of Bearcat Exchange, a BU textbook buying and selling website. Ferrara said he wants to revamp the SA’s technology, making it more accessible to students and student groups, and make the chartering process easier to understand. He said he will reach out to club leaders to improve collaboration between clubs, as he said many students are not aware of overlap
between many groups, which may hinder their growth.
Zachary Vigliani Junior majoring in management Vigliani is currently an assistant to the SA president and on the nominations committee. If elected, Vigliani said he wants to implement coalitions in student group management by appointing committees to oversee student organizations and encouraging larger groups to work with and mentor smaller groups. He also said he wants to increase transparency and diversity within the SA by formalizing the hiring
process for SA businesses like the Food Co-Op and SA Ink.
VPMA SAPB’s social media pages, which would better broadcast upcoming events to the school and outlying community than the webpage.
James Kuo Sophomore majoring in management Having been the social vice president for MCC and assistant to the SA president, Kuo said he wants to increase alumni donations and corporate sponsorships to fund events on campus and eliminate the SAPB’s debt. He said he will better advertise events to increase student attendance and participation, possibly by creating incentives. He also said he plans to have photobooths and cameras at every event to both show sponsors
EVP
Nicholas Ferrara
Kate Tashman Sophomore double-majoring in biomedical engineering and mathematics Tashman is an assistant to the current vice president for finance and the only on-campus representative on the OCCT board of directors. She said if elected, she wants to create an open office policy to create transparency between the vice president for finance office and the University, and include student groups in the budgeting process. She also plans to put the rollover process online.
bupipedream.com | March 3, 2015
the types of events being hosted and to have students remember their experiences.
Epiphany Munoz Junior double-majoring in Africana studies and sociology Munoz said her platform focuses on diversifying the University’s hiring process to include more faculty of color, and exploring the legal processes to make this happen. She said she wants to be a resource to multicultural groups on campus and encourage different cultural groups to collaborate more. She wants to “be of service to multicultural organizations.”
Don't forget to vote by email from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 6.
PAGE III Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Address: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 Phone: 607-777-2515 FAx: 607-777-2600
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Amnesty International Talks Rights
Spring 2015
LOCAL NEWS editor-in-ChieF* Rachel Bluth editor@bupipedream.com
Brrr! February brought record cold, snow to Northeast Hardy souls who shivered and shoveled their way through February in the Northeast now have evidence of just how brutal the weather was, with record cold in at least eight cities and record snowfall in Boston. The climate center shows the New York cities of Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton and Ithaca had their coldest months ever. The average temperature was 10.9 degrees in Buffalo, beating the 1934 record of 11.4. The normal average temperature for February in Buffalo is 26.3. The monthly average was 9.0 in Syracuse, 12.2 in Binghamton and 10.2 in Ithaca. Syracuse and Ithaca each had 14 days of zero or below temperatures, a February record. The National Weather Service said Rochester also had a record-cold February with an average temperature of 12.2 degrees.
MAnAging editor* Tycho A. McManus manager@bupipedream.com
neWs editor* Nicolás Vega news@bupipedream.com Asst. neWs editors Joseph E. Hawthorne Carla Sinclair Alexandra Mackof oPinion editor* Molly McGrath opinion@bupipedream.com
STATE NEWS NY colleges taking part in national policy issue simulation Several New York universities and colleges are participating in a national competition that has students come up with a solution to a simulated health care policy problem facing local, state and federal legislators. The University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy is serving as the Northeast location for Saturday’s first-ever simulation competition by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration. Students at the participating schools will be asked to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom to devise a real-world fair solution for the problem presented. Among the other New York schools participating are Manhattan’s Baruch College, Columbia University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York University and The New School; Long Island University-Brooklyn, Binghamton University and Syracuse University. Longtime ban on cellphones at NYC public schools is lifted A longtime ban on cellphones at New York City public schools has been lifted. Mayor Bill de Blasio had promised during his 2013 mayoral campaign to overturn the ban. The city had announced in January that the ban would be lifted. The change went into effect Monday. De Blasio called it “a common-sense action” that would give parents peace of mind. Each school will have an individualized policy determined by its principal, with input from parents and teachers. It could include allowing students to use their phones during lunch or in designated areas and storing them in their backpacks during class. The ban was put in place by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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Jonathan Bluvstein/Contributing Photographer
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Binghamton University students discuss human rights in the Fine Arts Building. Amnesty International addressed some of the issues surrounding those with mental illnesses.
Asst. sPorts editors Jeff Twitty E.Jay Zarett Fun PAge editor* Ben Moosher fun@bupipedream.com
“You know, Leonard played an alien, but to me, he was the most human person I’ve ever met.” — George Takei, on the passing of former Star Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy.
This Day in History
design MAnAger* Emma C Siegel design@bupipedream.com
March 3, 1873 Censorship in the United States: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd or lascivious” books through the mail.
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NATIONAL NEWS Teen girl accused of encouraging boyfriend to commit suicide faces manslaughter charge As the deadly carbon monoxide fumes from a gasoline-powered generator filled his lungs, a suicidal Conrad Roy III got scared and stepped out of his truck, but police say his 18-year-old girlfriend goaded him into taking his life with three chilling words: “Get back in.” Roy, 18, was found dead on July 13 inside his truck in the parking lot of a Kmart in the Massachusetts town of Fairhaven. Michelle Carter, who was a 17-year-old student at King Philip Regional High School at the time of Roy’s death, faces up to 20 years behind bars on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and will be tried as an adult. Police say Carter never called 911 and instead continued texting her friends, feigning concern.
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Pipe Dream strives for accuracy in all we publish. We recognize that mistakes will sometimes occur, but we treat errors very seriously. If you see a mistake in the paper, please contact Editor-in-Chief Rachel Bluth at editor@bupipedream.com.
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Police Watch A lighter take on campus crime Aaron Berkowitz | Police Correspondent
The Grinch Who Stole DayQuil THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 9:12 p.m. — An 18-year-old female was allegedly the victim of larceny, said Investigator Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. The victim was in a single room in Oneida Hall in College-in-the-Woods last semester, and this semester a roommate was assigned to her room. Over winter break, the victim left a Target bag filled with cold medication, swimwear, winter clothing and a hat. When she returned for this semester, she noticed that the bag was missing. She believes that someone took the bag while they were getting the room ready for the new roommate. The case is still under investigation.
Tipsy Taxi FRIDAY, FEB. 27, 1:05 a.m. — A fight broke out in front of Delaware Hall in Newing College, Reilly said. It began in a cab coming back to campus when a 20-year-old male tried to pay the cab driver with a ripped $5 bill. The driver would not accept this, so the suspect gave the driver three $1 bills. At this point, the other passengers of the cab were getting belligerent and annoyed with the suspect and began screaming at him. Once the cab got to the hall, the suspect and the other passengers got into a fight. When police arrived, no one admitted to being in the fight. Eventually, the officers found that they were lying. There were no injuries. The suspects were told to go back to their rooms.
Drunk Driver SATURDAY, FEB. 28, 1:24 a.m. — Officers on West Drive observed a car going 35 mph in a 20 mph zone, Reilly said. The officers pulled the car over and asked the 22-year-old female driver for her license and registration. The officers smelled alcohol inside the vehicle and asked the driver to exit the vehicle. She complied, and the officers administered a standard field sobriety, which she failed. The suspect was arrested for speeding and DWI. She was transferred to the station, and her BAC was taken. It was .12. The suspect was given an appearance ticket returnable to Vestal Town Court.
B-Ball Buffoon SATURDAY, FEB. 28, 4 p.m. — Officers at the men’s basketball game noticed a student walking across the court, Reilly said. Officers stopped the male of an unidentified age and asked what he was doing. He said that he saw water behind the visitor’s side bench and went to get some. He believed that it was for anybody to take. He was advised that it was just for the team, and he was told to sit back down in his seat. The suspect got angry and left the Events Center.
Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel. *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. 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. 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.
stabilizing: free ice cream
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stand alone headline :destabilizing
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bupipedream.com | March 3, 2015
Engineering week highlights STEM career options STEM continued from Page 1 borax, water and glue to create homemade bouncy balls, then tested them out to see how high they could bounce. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) hosted a zip line challenge, where participants devised a mechanism to drop a pingpong ball into a dixie cup using straws, balloons and cups. The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) hosted a boat-building contest. According to Kia Zivari, the present of SWE and a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, Engineers Week is important because it exposes children to the STEM fields early in their lives. “E Week enables kids to understand their options and see how fun engineering and technical sciences are,” Zivari said. “When kids are doing math or science problems they don’t realize the practical applications, and that’s why E Week is important. It exposes kids to the fun side of engineering.” In addition to Community Day, Engineers Week featured trivia night, an exhibit on notable black engineers and a Watson talent show. The Watson Career and Alumni Connections office also held its first E Week Local Alumni and Student Networking Event on Thursday in the ITC, with 70 alumni from
Campus energy bills hit unexpected highs COLD continued from Page 1
Neil Seejoor/Contributing Photographer
Daniel Murphy, a freshman majoring in computer engineering, and Pavel Berezovsky, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, show a local Binghamton resident a robot they built in the Innovative Technologies Complex.
engineering companies in the local area, including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, IBM, Raymond and Rockwell Collins. The networking event featured Watson alumnus Srikanth Poranki, Ph.D class of 2010, who spoke about Watson and how the school impacted his life. Another speaker,
Jerry Lavine, from the Watson class of 1991, described his career and the places he has worked, including Ford Motors. Engineers Week is not just about celebrating the achievements of engineers, but also about showing current engineering students what lies ahead, said Zuzanna Rybicka, a
sophomore majoring in computer engineering. “I wish they had a community day like this when I was I kid,” Rybicka said. “The activities offered really gave kids a nice feel for the endless possibilities and wide range of professions within the many stem fields.”
did not choose to send such an email because they did not believe it would last as long as this winter is predicted to last. This year, according to DeJohn, BU avoided an extreme energy bill by sealing older buildings that had previously leaked significant amounts of heat. The University also uses sensors in dorms and other buildings to determine whether they are sufficiently heated. Mark Blumler, a geography professor who is teaching a weather and climate class, said that these conditions are uncommon. He explained that while it is not definite, many researchers believe this cold winter is caused by polar outbreaks, or cold air from Siberia. Usually, cold air stays at that latitude or comes down once or twice, but this year the air has traveled south several times. DeJohn said that students can help to conserve energy by limiting hot water usage, unplugging appliances when they are not using them and, most importantly, keeping windows closed. “When you open the window,
and we see a temperature decrease, we crank up the heat,” DeJohn said. “It kind of defeats the whole purpose.” While Fennie said BU keeps the dorms at a standard 68 to 70 degrees, Lisa Nowak, a freshman majoring in biochemistry, said that her dorm room in CollegeIn-the-Woods is too hot, although she did not know what the exact temperature was. “I definitely think the heating in some of the buildings, especially in the dorms, are just maxed out and, if reduced, we could save a lot of energy, oil and money,” Nowak said. “Honestly, I’m always having my window open because it’s very hot in there.” Grace Clark, a freshman majoring in industrial engineering who lives in Delaware Hall in Newing College, also said that the temperature in her dorm was sporadic and more often hot than cold. “It’s different for me in the morning and evening,” Clark said. “I think in the morning it’s very cold and in the evening it’s warmer. I sleep in a T-shirt and shorts.”
On campus, a possible partnership between Peru, BU After Israel Institute PERU continued from Page 1
John Babich/Pipe Dream Photographer
Conrado Falco, the director of the Trade Commission of Peru in New York, sits down to dinner with students at Little Venice in Downtown Binghamton.
tickets to Peru. “You will get experience designing products, developing programs and campaigns, while getting to know the clients and the marketing climate,” Falco said. “We’re open to discussing and utilizing all of us to get a hands-on marketing opportunity.” Michael Puccio, a senior majoring in management, said he was happy to see a relatively small project between the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Management develop into something that could benefit the entire University.
“This is an exciting opportunity for everyone involved, and this is just the beginning,” Puccio said. “We can take building a race car for a Watson project and turn it into a multinational, multicultural effort that benefits everyone with a new perspective on Latin America and diversity.” Lezama said the experience was good for both the country and the résumés of those participating. “When I was younger, I would have loved for someone to give me a chance to show someone why they should hire me,” Lezama said. “Here you’ll have the chance to learn about the country, the product and get experience.”
OCCT plans to expand with GPS tracking, mobile app OCCT continued from Page 1 times will be from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Off-campus trip times have not been decided yet. Liu said that the buses will not only increase efficiency in service to Downtown and the West Side, but will also allow OCCT to create additional routes. He added that he could not disclose how much each bus would cost because the contracts have not yet been finalized. According to Brundza, the GPS system will be installed during spring break, and will come with a laser system that counts every passenger who enters and leaves each bus. The mobile app connected to the system, which Liu said he hopes will be ready by next semester, will display bus schedules, the locations of each bus in real time and the amount of students on
each vehicle. James O’Brien, a sophomore majoring in accounting, said that having an app would make OCCT much more user-friendly. “I always check [the OCCT schedules online], and then I have to download it on my computer and I end up with a billion of those downloads,” O’Brien said. “Having an app for that instead would be pretty great.” Brundza said that through the GPS system, OCCT will be able to better analyze where students are living off campus, and what routes need increased service. “We can monitor where we’re picking up people and see where people have moved and lived,” Brundza said. “In the fall we had the West Side increase and had to add a bus to the West Side. With the GPS we can determine where population
shifts have happened and how we can better service the community.” This is not the first time that OCCT has looked into expanding and changing its service, and a swipe-in system has been tried multiple times. Liu said that the reason past attempts failed was because OCCT never sought help from an outside company to help with the changes. ETA Transit, the company that OCCT is purchasing the new system from, has also installed this service to buses at the University of Houston. “Four years ago or three years ago or two years ago we’ve had swipe system ideas, and all of them have failed,” Liu said. “We’ve learned the hard way that we need to contract it out because there is stability that can make sure that the system can stay active for a long time and be catered to students’ needs.”
With the GPS . . .we can better service the community — Charlie Brundza OCCT Director
Some students, however, remain skeptical of OCCT’s plans regardless of Liu’s assurances. “I think we’ve all been disappointed a lot in the past,” said Brendan Foehr, a senior majoring in English. “Once the buses start arriving on time, and once it’s clear that the buses are being regularly maintained and inspected, I’ll put my faith back in them.”
grant, BU gains minor ISRAEL continued from Page 1
scholar, Maoz Rosenthal, taught courses in the political science department at the University. Shortly afterward, other professors suggested bringing more Israel studies experts to campus. According to Friedman, the center at BU is funded primarily by a grant from the Israel Institute in Washington D.C., a non-partisan organization that coordinates with universities, research institutes and cultural organizations to promote the study of Israel. The institute is providing a grant to hire three full-time professors focused on Israeli studies which, according to Ryan Yarosh, the BU director of media and public relations, will amount to $450,000 to be paid over three years. Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Nieman was involved in the inception of the program and said he was hopeful of the educational value the new center would bring. “The grant from the Israel Institute will support hiring three tenure track faculty members, allowing us to expand teaching and research about important issues in a critical part of the world,” Nieman wrote in an email. “I believe that the center will foster high quality research that helps us better understand Israel from social, political, cultural and international perspectives and allow Binghamton students to learn about Modern Israel and its role in the Middle East and
Seas the Night! What: Seafood House Night When: Wednesday, March 4th Where: ALL Resident Dining Centers, 5 8pm Join us for an amazing array of Lobster Tail, Crab Legs, Shrimp, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and much more!
the world.” The University has selected Shay Rabineau as the first Israel Studies professor to begin teaching in August and plans to hire the second professor next year for fall 2016 and the third for the following fall semester. Both will be vetted and interviewed by faculty in the same process that Rabineau went through, but there are no requirements for candidates with particular specialties within the field. Rabineau received his Ph.D. from the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University in 2013, and is the trail research consultant for the Abraham Path, a longdistance walking trail that spans the Middle East and traces the journey of biblical figure Abraham. Jenn Duppert, a junior majoring in nursing, said that she supported the creation of the center because it filled a large student interest. “I think the Israel Studies program is a great idea for Binghamton,” Duppert said. “The University has a big interest in Judaic and Israeli Studies so this program will appeal to a wide variety of people. On the other hand, Aidan Quigley, a junior majoring in urban planning, said he was skeptical of the addition of the center. “It’s pretty hard to get actual dialogue going about Israel nowadays,” Quigley said. “If this institution turns into another advocacy group I think that would be bad, but as long it’s unbiased I think it’s fine.”
6
John Babich/Pipe Dream Photographer
Yeah, Parade Day is next week. But you needed to go Downtown this weekend to get acquainted with the area and to know what it is like to be drunk on State/Main Street. But let’s be real here — if you’re sober enough to know where you are this Saturday, then you’re not doing Parade Day right.
– –
Do you have a question and don’t know where to start?
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MEN'S AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
March 3, 2015 | bupipedream.com
MEN'S BASKETBALL 2015 AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
DESIGNED BY COREY FUTTERMAN & PHOTOS BY FRANZ LINO
PIPE DREAM'S FIRST TEAM AND PLAYER AWARDS ETHAN O'DAY, JR. F
The regular season is officially over in the America East, and starting Wednesday night, it’s time for playoffs. With the new tournament structure, each game will be played on the home court of the higher seed. All quarterfinal games are set for Wednesday night, with semifinals slated for the subsequent Sunday. The remaining teams will be paired so that the highest seed hosts the lowest, and the second-highest hosts the second-lowest. Finally, six days later, the AE Championship game is scheduled to be played on Saturday, March 13, on site at the highest remaining seed.
VERMONT CATAMOUNTS
A 6-foot-9 shot blocking machine and a potent shot, the Catamounts’ only returning starter came up big for head coach John Becker. O’Day is averaging 11.9 points per game on a 56.7 shooting clip, good for second in the America East.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TANNER LEISSNER, FR. F
UNH WILDCATS SEE LEFT
JAMEEL WARNEY, JR. F STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES
Warney won ROY honors two years ago and POY honors his last two years. If there’s anyone in this league who can go pro, it’s Warney. The 6-foot-8 Jersey native leads the conference in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounding (11.4 rpg) and blocks (2.4 bpg).
AE REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR JAMEEL WARNEY, JR. F
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES SEE LEFT
SAM ROWLEY, SR. F ALBANY GREAT DANES
Rowley powered Albany to an 8-0 record with Peter Hooley taking a leave of absence in the middle of conference play. Rowley is averaging a second-best 14.3 points per game and third-best 7.7 boards per game in 2014-15.
1. ALBANY 2. VERMONT 3. STONY BROOK 4. UNH 5. HARTFORD 6. BINGHAMTON 7. UMBC 8. MAINE
TANNER LEISSNER, FR. F UNH WILDCATS
Behind Leissner, University of New Hampshire posted the most wins it has in 20 seasons. The 6-foot-6 frosh won the Rookie of the Week award six times this year and finished sixth in the conference in scoring (12.4 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (7.4 rpg).
CARSON PURIEFOY, JR. G STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES
While Puriefoy was somewhat streaky this season, he’s been huge for the Seawolves a sufficient number of times to qualify. He’s fourth in the league in scoring (13.9 ppg) and second in assists (3.3 apg).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR DRE WILLS, SO. G
VERMONT CATAMOUNTS The AE doesn’t have the technology to measure how much a single player contains his matchup but if it did, Wills’ numbers would undoubtedly be staggering. The 6-foot-1 point guard is notorious for containing opponent’s best perimeter players.
COACH OF THE YEAR JOHN BECKER
VERMONT CATAMOUNTS In his fourth year at the helm of the Catamounts’ program, Becker added seven freshmen to the roster and relied on only three players who averaged more than 10 minutes per game last year, Becker’s defense bested itself, ranking 14th in points allowed this year.
BEARCATS ENTER PLAYOFFS ON HIGH NOTE
RODRIGUEZ DOMINANT AS BU TAKES TWO OF LAST THREE SEASON RECORD (6-25), CONFERENCE RECORD (5-11) Ashley Purdy Sports Editor
“Two out of three ain’t bad” has taken on another meaning for head coach Tommy Dempsey and the Binghamton men’s basketball team this season. BU’s 76-69 win over UMBC on Saturday was not only the second in its last three games, it was also its fifth in conference play. So while the Bearcats (625, 5-11 AE) finished the regular season with one fewer win overall, they earned one more AE win this year than last year. And that ain’t bad. “I would be lying if I said that I didn’t pay attention to that, just because we don’t have to be talking about it, but we haven’t put the team out there that we expected to put out there throughout the course of the year,” Dempsey said. “But the team that we did put out there battled. And the team that we did put on the court all year got better.” In light of that, the Bearcats besting their conference record from last year is pretty good. They did it without their preseason first-team all-league player and without their two 6-foot-9 sharpshooters. Binghamton’s made do with the entrails of what was once a deep roster, and the UMBC win on top of the 57-55 victory over No. 2 Vermont on Feb. 18 is just the result of a lot of hard work. Contrary to last year, this end-of-theseason success isn’t largely residual of one player’s monster performances. There’s no Jordan Reed putting up 30-plus
points in back-to-back games to end the season, though there is a team that’s finally become a team, and that’s found good chemistry together. “The major difference is, this team does it much more, now, by committee and in a teamoriented way, whereas with last year’s team, we lived and died a lot of times with Jordan’s performances,” Dempsey said. The closest thing BU has to Reed is freshman forward Willie Rodriguez. He’s been the team’s go-to player when it comes to driving into the lane and finishing tough layups in traffic. He also does essentially everything: He leads the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and blocks (22), finishes third in assists (1.3 apg) and has the third-most steals (26). But freshman guard Romello Walker and sophomore guard Marlon Beck II are right up there with Rodriguez, with all three averaging over 10 points a game in conference play. Beck and Walker play their own discrete roles on top of scoring, with Beck managing the floor and finding looks and Walker being a regular sparkplug. Not to mention the room that freshmen guards Justin McFadden and Bobby Ahearn create for those guys to score when they themselves aren’t scoring. Binghamton’s primary two defenders provide all the intangibles and thrive in the low-post region, although each has had his own prolific scoring night. But Rodriguez is notable because he’s taken the most shots and made the most out of any player on the team, and yet he’s still not aggressive enough. Dempsey wants him to score more, and that requires not passing away his looks. “One thing with Willie is, he’s so unselfish by nature,” Dempsey said. “He’s kind of a guy that likes to blend in and I think with everything, with some of our guys that we count on for a lot of points not playing, we’ve really had to focus with him on looking for his shot more, looking to be more aggressive. And that’s not an easy transition.” Though this end of the season resembles last year’s, hopefully the similarities stop there. Entering the playoffs winning three of their last six, the past season’s Bearcats took the court against Hartford with “a false sense of
confidence,” a statement echoed by Beck and Dempsey alike. The Hawks had only just beaten them in both games — they hit a buzzer-beater in the first and needed overtime in the second. So in their quarterfinal matchup, when Hartford came out harder and more aggressive, the Hawks promptly put an end to the Bearcat season with a 69-42 routing. This time, BU will face Stony Brook. The Bearcats dropped both contests to the Seawolves this season, but they were tight. Stony Brook relied on junior guard Carson Puriefoy’s 27 points in the first game and redshirt freshman forward Roland Nyama’s six 3s in the second to pull away from the Bearcats for final scores that look more dominant than they were. And in both cases, BU contained 2014 and 2015 AE Player of the Year and 2015 AE Defensive Player of the Year Jameel Warney, keeping his offensive presence to a minimum. So, while the Bearcats know not to enter this matchup with an inflated ego, that doesn’t mean they don’t think they can win. “I’ve seen enough signs in the last six weeks that says, if we put it together and play really well — I know we’re going to play hard — so if we put it together and we shoot the ball well, that we’ll be in the game,” Dempsey said. “And if we’re in the game, especially as the game wears on, the longer we’re in the game, the more pressure that shifts on the favored.” If Stony Brook, in its dazzling new arena, with the two-time reigning Player of the Year and one-time Rookie of the Year on the floor, can’t adequately pull away from the six seed in front of a sellout crowd, then the pressure’s on for the Seawolves. And at that point, Dempsey has a plan: “Our goal is to go up there and play hard, stay in the game, put game pressure on Stony Brook in the second half, where they know we’re there and they know we have a chance to win it, and then we have to try to find a way to make some plays at the end of the game and come up with a big upset,” he said. Tip-off against Stony Brook is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Island FCU Arena in Stony Brook, New York.
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MEN'S AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
bupipedream.com | March 3, 2015
2015 AMERICA EAST MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PIPE DREAM BRACKET PREDICTIONS STONY BROOK 3
1 ALBANY 1 ALBANY 8 MAINE
STONY BROOK 3 BINGHAMTON 6
1 ALBANY
VERMONT 2
STONY BROOK 3
4 UNH 5 HARTFORD
VERMONT 2 UMBC 7
5 HARTFORD SEMIFINALS
QUARTERFINALS
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
SEMIFINALS
QUARTERFINALS
PROJECTED 2015 AMERICA EAST CHAMPION STONY BROOK N0.3 SEAWOLVES BACK TO BECK
SOPHOMORE LEADER SHAPES BACK INTO FORM MARLON BECK II - SOPHOMORE POINT GUARD - #1 Ashley Purdy Sports Editor
Unlike most of the Binghamton men’s basketball team, Marlon Beck II has been here before. Heading into the first round of the America East Tournament on Wednesday, Beck is the only veteran in the freshmandominated starting lineup Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey has
fielded the past six weeks. He’s the only one who remembers the disappointment of marching into Albany last February, feeling like the sky was the limit, just to have Hartford deal the Bearcats a seasonending romping in the quarterfinals. But on the nation’s youngest Division I team, it’s only fitting that the old man on the court is just a sophomore. Still learning himself, Beck has taken the challenge of being a leader in stride: He even delivered the opening statement — a coach’s rite — at a press conference in mid-February. “I love the situations that all of the coaches have put me into, leading this team and getting on them on and off the court,” Beck said. “I like to just take it all in and think that the progress and the growth
of the team that I’ve seen so far, and the potential that we do have going down the road, I like to think that I had a good part in it.” In conference play, Beck has been more than just a good part of the Bearcats’ success. As is common to all effective floor generals, he’s located the balance between finding shots for others and taking some himself. “We need Marlon to run the show, and a lot of times, it’s hard to ask the guy to run the show and also hunt his own shots,” Dempsey said. “But I think he knows that we need him to score. He knows that we count on him to take some big ones, he knows that he picks his spots, that if he thinks offensively we’re struggling a little bit, then he knows that he can look for his shot more and try to get us going.” Not only did he reach double-digits in scoring in 10 of BU’s 16 AE games — including two 20-point outings — Beck posted a dominant 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio. That was the result of the 5-foot-11 Bowie, Maryland native’s decision to slow down his game so he wouldn’t commit so many turnovers as he did in his debut season, and he’s reaping the rewards of his patience. But that’s not to say he’s slow: On the contrary, Beck is by far the team’s quickest player. His speed has allowed BU to be a serious threat in transition, where the Bearcats thrive. But just as impressive as Beck’s speed is his clutch factor. He’s lit a fire under his team with a big 3 to disrupt an opponent’s run through multiple games this season, and that’s not something you can teach. “I love the big moments,” Beck said. “I live for the big moments — I’ve always been that way. So if we need a 3 or someone
to do a drive or kick or some play the coach draws up, I always want to be the one to take the shot, whether it’s for me or not.” Those plays are infectious, and Beck knows that what he gives to his teammates, they’ll take and magnify to new proportions. “I’ve kind of got the keys from coach Dempsey to really run the show on offense,” Beck said. “I’ve really felt that when we get things moving and we have great energy, I know when I’m giving 100 percent on the court, my teammates are going to give me 150 percent.” Beck has seen his development this season mirror the team’s. The sophomore was stripped of his starter role in the early season, as the backcourt duties shifted along a roster searching desperately for its identity. Through the first half of the season, Beck averaged a mere 4.5 points in 22 minutes per game. Struggling to find his own shot, he still served his role, taking far better care of the ball than the hyperactive freshmen and posting a 1.18 assist-to-turnover ratio. Come conference play, Beck exploded. He’s now averaging 11.5 points per game, which is second on the team. He’s shooting 37.4 percent from beyond the arc on the season, and 36 of his 47 made treys this year have come during the AE slate. Beck saw all his numbers spike in conference play, not the least of which is the point guard’s 2.8 assists per game. But for all his own growth, Beck just wants to see his team thrive. “It’s not about me, it’s not about them; it’s about us, really,” Beck said. “I just have to do the best I can so that we can have the best team chemistry on the court while we’re playing, because that’s how we can get the wins. When we’re playing together, we’re getting a lot of assists, or we’re playing with a lot of energy, the bench is giving good energy — including the coaches and the fans — it’s hard to stop us.”
I love the big moments. I live for the big moments — I’ve always been that way. So if we need a 3 or someone to do a drive or kick or some play the coach draws up, I always want to be the one to take the shot, whether it’s for me or not. — Marlon Beck II Sophomore Guard
Undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines are invited to showcase their research, scholarly and creative work. All formats are welcome, including posters, displays, slide presentations and video. Student work will be displayed at one of two sessions in the Mandela Room on Friday, April 24: one at 11 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. To submit a poster or presentation — and to learn more about Research Days — visit go.binghamton.edu/researchdays. Questions? Contact Rachel Coker at rcoker@binghamton.edu.
10
FUN
bupipedream.com | March 3, 2015
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, April 2, 2009
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Mark Cuban’s NBA team 5 Some 35mm cameras 9 Volkswagen since 1979 14 Oscar-winning director Kazan 15 Amanda of “The Whole Ten Yards” 16 In combat 17 Sack dress creator 18 Pauly 20 Pauley 22 Words before ghost 23 Any Beatle, e.g. 27 Columbia River city 30 Cuba libre ingredient 31 Long odds 36 Closing letter at Oxford? 37 “Paulie” 39 Friend of Fidel 41 Academic term 42 Mus. key with three sharps 44 Wisconsin birthplace of Orson Welles 48 Deli hangings 53 Printing gizmo 54 Polly 57 Poly 60 Prefix with -syncratic 61 Señor’s “See ya!” 62 Vague quality 63 Turn bad 64 Philippines’ highest peak: Abbr. 65 Knock off 66 “Skip __ Lou”: kids’ song DOWN 1 Snaky-haired monster 2 Arlo’s favorite restaurant 3 Part of Roy G. Biv
4 City south of Tampa 5 Humane org. 6 Pope after Benedict IV 7 Make a payment 8 Token taker 9 “Juno” director Reitman 10 Kind of food or group 11 Company, so they say 12 Paving material 13 “__ you nuts?” 19 Co. in Paris 21 Kitchen gadgets 24 Nap 25 Like the Opry? 26 Youth 28 Memo words 29 Tiny power source 32 Suffix with Capri 33 Trans-Siberian Railroad city 34 Staff member? 35 Allowing for the possibility that 37 Ring loudly 38 Absolute control, metaphorically
39 Subway alternative 40 Gp. with a co-pay 43 Build a lengthy résumé? 45 Scram 46 Second lightest element 47 Weapons source 49 Tempera painting surface 50 AEC successor
51 Turkish bigwigs 52 1988 Olympics city 55 Romance novelist Roberts 56 “Love the skin you’re in” brand 57 Skye cap 58 Va. summer hours 59 Cloak-anddagger org.
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
xwordeditor@aol.com
By Dan Naddor (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
04/02/09
04/02/09
Peace Corps
at Binghamton University
Information Session Thursday, March 5
5 p.m. to 5 p.m. University Union Room Choose where you want to go. Apply in one hour. Make a difference overseas as a Peace Corps Volunteer peacecorps.gov - 855.855.1961
Fun.
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MEN'S AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
March 3, 2015 | bupipedream.com
NOT YOUR AVERAGE FRESHMAN
BEHIND A THEATRIC FLARE, WALKER FINDS SUCCESS ROMELLO WALKER - FRESHMAN GUARD - #11 E.Jay Zarett
Assistant Sports Editor In a lot of ways, Romello Walker is your garden-variety talented freshman making the transition to Division I level basketball. He’s played a successful debut season, finishing third on the team in scoring by averaging 8.2 points per game in the regular season and a heightened 10.3 mark in conference play. He crashes the glass, forces turnovers, commits his own, takes ridiculous shots — some of which go in with a swish and some of which don’t even approach the backboard at all — fouls abundantly, but also gets to the line. Basically, he does everything. It made sense when the 6-foot6 forward out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida didn’t have an immediate answer when asked to describe his role on the team. He’s too versatile, too athletic to just play a specified role or be contained to one area. “He’s had, to me, the typical freshman year of the guy who’s going to be a really good player,” Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “There’ve been a lot of ups and downs. He’s had nights where he’s looked like an all-league player, and he’s had nights where you feel like you have to get him out of there.” “I’ve coached a lot of freshmen over the years that turned into really good players, and I think that he strikes me as a guy that, going through this experience like he has and being able to play so much because of the situation that he walked into, it’s really
benefited him,” Dempsey concluded, referring, of course, to the decimated roster leaving ample room for freshmen to play serious minutes. So, typical. Talented but raw, energetic but hasty. Walker has recorded a freshman season like a tick on the wall to measure how tall he’ll grow, how much he’ll improve. Yet in a lot of other ways, he’s absolutely atypical. His favorite part of the game? “I like talking trash,” he said after a brief pause. “I think that’s my favorite part of the game, is making it competitive. I love talking trash to try and get in somebody’s head. That kind of hypes me up.” Perhaps a fitting answer for a theater major, but Walker’s immediate answer to what he needs to improve on for the future was even more unique. “I can’t sing,” he said. “I try a lot, but I can’t sing. If I want to trash talk, I can probably sing something to them.” Frame those responses in Walker’s resolution for this team — aside, of course, from the typical answers of getting better every day, playing hard and winning games — and it makes sense. “I just try to keep everybody happy and having fun,” Walker said. “I don’t really like frowns — I’m not a fan of frowns — so I just try to keep everybody happy. Try to make a joke at a rough time. Probably not a good joke.” Clearly, Walker’s staple this season has been his energy. He’s been a fount of it. He’s one of those guys who has occasionally flown out of nowhere to swat a shot away and who drops in from the wing to slam in a jam. He’s also one of those guys who seems
to actually enjoy throwing his body around the court, whose long limbs flail all over the place whether he’s defending, running up and down the court or taking a shot. Sometimes it’s too much — sometimes he operates far too quickly, resulting in passes hurled to players who aren’t ready, simply aren’t where the ball was thrown and maybe at the unsuspecting ref. But that was part of the early season, in which Walker was just one of five players making those rookie mistakes. Walker just did it — like everything else — in more dramatic fashion. “He’s got a lot of confidence,” Dempsey said. “I think the thing where Mello’s grown, his shot selection has gotten a lot better, his turnovers have gotten better, his lapses on defense have all gotten better.” Walker took the charge on that improvement. From speaking with his coaches, he was able to spectate his play from outside and isolate some problem areas for him to work on: “Just slowing down and trying to play smarter and try to make the right decisions, and just trying to get smarter at playing basketball,” he explained. Behind Walker’s own improvements and the team’s correlative strides, Binghamton’s ready to take on Stony Brook on Wednesday. They won’t enter the quarterfinal with as much confidence as they did last year — the few veterans and Dempsey will make sure of that — but their belief is there. “I’m kind of confident that we can do it,” Walker said. “I believe that if everybody’s on full gears and everybody’s clicking, we can get this win.”
UNEXPECTED STAR
FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE, BOBBY BUCKETS DELIVERS BOBBY AHEARN - FRESHMAN CENTER - #15 Ashley Purdy Sports Editor
Bobby Ahearn may have come onto the Binghamton men’s basketball team this season as a gritty defensive specialist, but somewhere along the line he developed into “Bobby Buckets.” It all started out rather inconspicuously. Ahearn, a 6-foot-6 forward-turned-center, was playing behind 6-foot-9 big-men Nick Madray and Dusan Perovic. Ahearn’s minutes were to be few, coming in off the rotation to keep the defensive intensity up while some of the other players rested for a few minutes. The story from there is well known at this point: The frontcourt went down with injuries midseason, and Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey needed his freshmen to step up.
Defense has always been a focal point for me just because I think my offense feeds off my defense. — Bobby Ahearn Freshman Center
Ahearn was one of those, and he embraced the role thrust upon him as well as he could. “I think I was ready, in a sense,” Ahearn said. “I watched them play through practice, and I was doing the things that they were doing, so I just needed to get more mentally prepared, and I think I transitioned right.” Seeing an increase in his minutes through conference play and gaining a role in the starting lineup, Ahearn quickly integrated. Still primarily a defender, Ahearn posts up and boxes out, crashes the glass on both ends of the court, absorbs charges and heads to the line. “You’re kind of the last line of defense, so you want to make sure that you don’t give up any layups,” Ahearn said of playing center. “I mean, I’m not a 6-foot-10 or 7-foot center, so I can’t block a whole lot of shots. The best way I can defend the basket is take charges.” To the mire of defensive players everywhere, though, it’s difficult to measure one’s impact. But for Ahearn, his blossoming scoring impact may be more indicative of his defensive prowess than his team-high eight foul outs, a number he shares with freshman forward Justin McFadden. “Defense has always been a focal point for me just because I think my offense feeds off my defense,” Ahearn said. “With every team, no matter if it’s individually or as a team, if you play good defense, it’ll transition to a positive offense, so you get good outcomes for that.” Behind Ahearn and McFadden, that’s been the case. When the Bearcats have been able to piece together runs and get their offensive cylinders clicking, it’s when the defense is able to force turnovers out of opponents and stifle them to poor shooting on contested opportunities. Ahearn started off playing right on the block, scoring points with quick layups under the rim when his team broke through the defensive line and got him the ball. But
from the early season, Ahearn has extended his jumper, magnifying his production along with it. Averaging 6.9 points per game in conference play on a team-best 54.7 percent shooting clip from the field, Ahearn has actually racked up the fourth-highest number of points on the team in America East play. The last man on defense, he was also the last man on offense, being the guy to pass the ball to for a layup when the clock was winding down. Ahearn developed into not only a reliable scorer, but sometimes even a prolific one. Hence Bobby Buckets. “One game — I think it was Buffalo — but I hit a few jumpers and someone in the crowd started chanting it and then it kind of caught on after that,” Ahearn said. “I kind of laughed it off at first, figured it would be like a one-time thing, but now it kind of stuck.” Against Buffalo, Ahearn scored in double-digits for the first of seven times this season. He poured in 12 points on
5-of-6 shooting from the field while pulling down six boards. That was just one case, and since then, the freshman — who has basketball DNA, being the nephew of former NBA player and coach Vinny Del Negro — has only grown more aggressive and more dominant. From a guy who shot 3s in high school and is working on his arc now to incorporate into his arsenal, we can expect a lot going forward.
I just try to keep everybody happy and having fun. I don’t really like frowns — I’m not a fan of frowns — so I just try to keep everybody happy. Try to make a joke at a rough time. Probably not a good joke. — Romello Walker Freshman Guard
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MEN'S AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
bupipedream.com | March 3, 2015
SEAWOLVES POISED FOR SUCCESS
SBU SEEKS UPSET BEHIND TWO-TIME POY WARNEY SEASON RECORD (21-10), CONFERENCE RECORD (12-4) E.Jay Zarett
Assistant Sports Editor
By all accounts, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team turned in a stellar season. The Seawolves (2110, 12-4 America East) captured 20 or more victories for the fourth consecutive year, defeated a nationally ranked and undefeated Washington squad on the road, and tied for second in the America East regular season standings, carrying the three-seed into the conference tournament. However, for a team that was picked to win the AE crown during the preseason and has earned the one or two seed in the conference tournament for three consecutive years, dropping four conference games during 2014-15 appeared to be a letdown. But for those inside the program, the regular season was an overwhelming success. “I felt good [about it],” Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said of his team’s season. “We lost four starters from last year’s team so we had a whole new team basically … We played our best non-conference schedule ever. We finished 12-4 in league play. I think we had a good non-conference schedule, played well during the conference season and now we have to continue doing
that into the postseason.” The one returning starter from last year’s squad — junior forward Jameel Warney — is Stony Brook’s most important player and one of the most intimidating in the entire conference. The 6-foot-8 Plainfield, New Jersey, native was named the America East Player of the Year for the second consecutive year on Monday, and picked up his first AE Defensive Player of the Year award in the process. Warney is averaging 16.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in 2014-15, all of which rank first in the conference. He currently ranks fifth in the entire country in rebounding and his 20 double-doubles on the season are the most in the nation. After starting just 12 games as a sophomore, junior guard Carson Puriefoy teamed with Warney to become one of the most feared guard-big man tandems in the AE. Puriefoy averaged 13.9 points per game while dishing out 3.4 assists and was named to the AE First-Team All-Conference squad on Monday. He also developed a reputation as a ferocious defender, leading SBU with 30 steals on the season. “We have good leadership from that
junior class,” Pikiell said. “They are both first-team all-league guys and I am just most excited that they are both juniors and are both back next year.” The Seawolves opened their nonconference schedule dropping six of their first 11 games, but have since been on a roll. After dropping four straight contests in the beginning of December, Stony Brook has won 16 of its last 20 and enter the AE tournament on a six-game winning streak. SBU dominated on its home floor this season, compiling a 12-2 record in Long Island Federal Credit Union Arena, however the team struggled on the road, going just 8-8. Fortunately for the team, the Seawolves will play their first-round America East tournament game at home. In previous seasons, one conference school hosted the entirety of the tournament’s first two rounds on its campus. This year, under a new format voted on by the AE coaches, the higher seed will play at home for every tournament game. “Since I’ve been in the league I’ve never had a home game,” Pikiell said. “We have never hosted as a University. I’ve been to
Binghamton, I’ve been to Albany … I’ve been everywhere. To have our fans and to have our band and our cheerleaders and all that and our community come and see a meaningful game in March, I think it’s great for our program.” Despite all of its recent success, SBU has failed to ever qualify for the NCAA tournament and will look to capitalize on the new system when the team takes on Binghamton in the first round. While the Seawolves defeated the Bearcats, 61-54, in the Events Center on Jan. 25 and then again on Long Island on Feb. 25 by a score of 6452, Pikiell’s squad will not overlook BU. “Binghamton’s been playing good basketball,” Pikiell said. “They are a talented group, well coached. It will certainly be a challenging game for us.” If Stony Brook defeats the Bearcats, they will then either travel to second-seeded Vermont or host seventh-seeded UMBC in the semifinal round on Sunday. The championship game will be held March 14. Tip-off for SBU’s first round matchup against Binghamton is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Long Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
DEFENSE LEADS VERMONT TO TRIUMPH
O'DAY, WILLS FUEL STINGY CATAMOUNT DEFENSE SEASON RECORD (17-12), CONFERENCE RECORD (12-4)
Ashley Purdy Sports Editor
No one knows better than Vermont how unfortunate it is to earn a higher seed in the postseason, but still have to play on somebody else’s turf. Thanks to a restructuring of the America East Tournament, John Becker and the Catamounts (17-12, 12-4 AE) won’t have to worry about that this year. Following the old style, all of the quarterfinal and semifinal games would be played at a host university’s gym, with those six games spread over two days. So when Vermont — 2013-14’s regularseason champion — played its semifinal matchup against No. 4 Albany last year and lost, 67-58, to the Great Danes on their home court, the news of the change was overdue. This year, each individual matchup will be played at the higher seed’s court. The league’s head coaches voted for the change at the end of last season. “That’s huge, especially for a young team,” Becker said. “We’re a lot more confident at home — we’re [11-3] at home this year — so I think it would be a huge advantage.” So what that means is, Albany can’t
upset the top seeds behind a home-court advantage, stealing the AE’s automatic bid to the Big Dance for the third year in a row. The Great Danes (21-8, 15-1 AE) would simply earn that privilege, since they’re actually the No. 1 seed this year. But Vermont can’t hone its sight on the top dog just yet. The No. 2 Catamounts still have to grapple with No. 7 UMBC at home on Wednesday. And if they win that one, they’ve secured another home match by default for the semifinals. Vermont’s sizable success this year came as a bit of a surprise. The team graduated four of its five starters, losing a Defensive Player of the Year and its two leading scorers. But as Becker said in the preseason, he loves change, and behind his only returning starter from last year’s dream team — junior forward Ethan O’Day — that change proved a good one. “I think it’s a credit to the players,” Becker said. “We have a lot of freshmen and a lot of returning guys who hadn’t played a lot with experience, and the guys bought into what we were doing … We’ve really played great defense all year and that’s kept us in games.” Defense is Becker’s bread and butter. The Catamounts ranked 14th nationally in points allowed last year, and rank 13th this year, allowing just 57.6 per contest.
They hold opponents to shooting a mere 38.2 percent from the field, which leads the conference. They lead the league in blocked shots (5.1 bpg) and finish second in steals (6.5 spg), as well, and those are just the defensive stats one can measure. On the other side of the court, Vermont is converting as well: The Catamounts average 65.8 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting from the field, which ranks 45th in the country and first in the AE. For all that efficacy, Becker has relied on O’Day, the 6-foot-9, 201-pound beanstalk. O’Day leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 points per game — good for eighth in the conference — and is shooting 56.7 percent from the field this season. Named to the 2015 AE First-Team All-Conference and All-Defensive teams, O’Day is also a strong defensive presence and a potent rim protector who is averaging 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. “Ethan was our most experienced guy and he’s been kind of our go-to guy, and he’s had a really good year,” Becker said. “He’s really talented. Give him the opportunity and give him the ball more, and he’s taken advantage of his opportunities.” Just 26 minutes per contest seems a bit modest for a player like O’Day, but that’s just Becker’s way. No player averages more
than 27 minutes a game. With the team’s depth, no one needs to, and that keeps the defense relentless. “We’ve been able to play a lot of guys, keep our defensive intensity up,” Becker said. “It also gives us flexibility. If we’re in foul trouble or a guy isn’t having a great night, other guys have played and can step in.” While Vermont’s dominance surprised many outside of the program, sophomore guard Dre Wills surprised those inside. The 6-foot-1 guard was accorded Second-Team All-League and AllDefensive Team honors — fitting for a defensive menace, a matchup nightmare who stifles opponents’ leading scorers. Wills leads the team in rebounds and steals this year, averaging 4.7 and 2.0 per game, respectively. He’s also an efficient producer, averaging 9.3 points per game on a teambest 58.6 percent shooting clip from the floor. “The guy played like six minutes a game last year for us and is, I think, a first-team all-league kid this year, and maybe defensive player of the year,” the fourth-year head coach said. “He’s had a great year.” Vermont opens its postseason against seventhseeded UMBC (4-25, 2-14 AE) Wednesday. Tip-off for the quarterfinals matchup is set for 7 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont.
Sasha Dolgetta/ Pipe Dream Photographer
ALBANY HOPES TO DEFEND TITLE
AUSSIE-POWERED TEAM LOOKS FOR THREE-PEAT SEASON RECORD (21-8), CONFERENCE RECORD (15-1) Jeff Twitty
Assistant Sports Editor Caroline Sardella/ Contributing Photographer
“Next guy, step up.” This mantra is what made the difference for the Albany men’s basketball team this season, according to UAlbany head coach Will Brown. Despite the loss of its top-scorer for half of the conference season, the reigning America East Champions are set to enter the conference tournament one game shy of perfect in conference play, thanks to a basic but powerful strategy. “We’ve kept things really simple,” Brown said. “I don’t think we’ll waver from that with the conference tournament … Our guys will be very relaxed, very confident. But not over-confident. And I think they’ll continue doing everything that we’ve asked them to do.” For Albany (21-8, 15-1), its KISS style of play has taken them to a 15-1 conference record — winning 19 of its last 21 while outscoring its opponents by
149 total points this season. With three different Great Danes averaging over 12 points per game, the team also showcased its depth and unselfish nature, which proved to be the team’s greatest asset when tragedy struck junior guard Peter Hooley. With news that his mother’s illness had taken a turn for the worst, the junior captain was out for eight of Albany’s 16 conference match-ups after taking a leave of absence. But despite Hooley’s departure, the Great Danes continued to roll behind first-team All-Conference honorees senior guard Evan Singletary and senior forward Sam Rowley, along with a few budding faces. “I think in Peter’s absence, it really gave an opportunity for a guy like sophomore forward Dallas Ennema to really play extended minutes and to produce,” Brown said. “That’s what’s special about this group. We played eight games without — in my opinion — the best guard in the league, and we went 8-0.” Ennema came onto the scene strong this season putting up 153 points in 589
minutes while shooting 33 percent from 3-point range. Also impressive as the next man up was freshman guard Wheeler Baker. Despite starting only one game this season, the newcomer averaged 5.8 points per game on the season with 25 appearances off of the bench. “I think if [Baker] played for a team that wasn’t winning a lot of games and played 28 minutes a night, he’d be a doublefigure scorer easily in our league,” Brown said. “But I think in Hooley’s absence, it gave those guys a lot of confidence, so now with Peter returning and heading into the conference tournament, I think we’re really deep on the perimeter.” Earning the top seed, the Great Danes are guaranteed a home-court advantage through the AE playoffs as they seek their third consecutive tournament title. Winning its previous two titles at Vermont in 2013 and in Stony Brook in 2014, Albany knows how to win during crunch time regardless of the setting. But how sweet must it be to play for all of the chips at home? “Any coach that says you don’t have
an advantage when playing at home is probably lying to you,” Brown said. “The one thing is, you’re comfortable with your surroundings. It’s your own locker room, you’re sleeping in your own bed, there’s no travel to worry about, you control your own shoot around time … But I think it’s very easy for teams to take that for granted, and maybe get a little complacent and not play with a sense of urgency.” Outscoring their competition in the first half of their last 17 games, the Great Danes should have no issue with urgency come Wednesday. But if Albany hopes to punch its ticket to its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in nine seasons, consistency must be key. “I think we’ve just got to continue to stay the course and do what we’ve been doing all along — especially the last two months,” Brown said. “It sounds like coach talk, but just taking [the AE tournament] one day at a time.” Albany is set to face Maine in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the SEFCU Arena in Albany, New York.
Arts & Culture
WHRW takes Skyler Spence for a spin Tycho McManus/Pipe Dream Staff Photographer
Campus radio station throws concert, gets students on a musical high with vaporwave
Skylar Spence’s and (exitpost)’s body language how much effort they put into their craft
Odeya Pinkus | Assistant Release Editor Energy shook the walls of room UU-120 last Saturday night, and it was brought to students in the form of up-andcoming musician Skylar Spence. With doors opening at 8. p.m., students ushered themselves in to be entertained by the electronic artist. Opening for him was one of Binghamton University’s own, (exitpost), also known as Ken Herman. Herman, a senior majoring in English, started the show off with dank beats and live guitar playing in front of a receptive crowd. Students were free to dance, talk with friends or just stand and listen. Cool multi-
colored lights brought in good vibes, and students bounced around inflatable guitartype instruments. One of the show’s highlights was the video projected behind the performers. Vintage-looking Nesquik commercials and Pacman clips, among others, were all shown on the wall, providing something else to look at while taking in the music. Daniel Kadyrov, general manager of WHRW 90.5 FM, said he wants to bring more diverse musical acts to BU. “We want to try to bring a different thing to campus,” said Kadyrov, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. “Saint Pepsi is a really good mixture of
electronic music and more of the indie-electronic styles that we’ve heard from BUMP [Binghamton Underground Music Presents] before.” At around 9 p.m., Skylar Spence walked on and kept the liveliness up. Formerly known as Saint Pepsi, Skylar Spence’s real name is Ryan DeRobertis — he played for a little over an hour, and used that time well. You can tell from Skylar Spence’s and (exitpost)’s body language how much effort they put into their craft. Moving their whole bodies as they mix, they look just as excited about the music as the crowd. DeRobertis changed his stage name earlier this year.
After being signed by Carpark Records, PepsiCo Inc. pretty much demanded a name change. Despite the new moniker, DeRobertis’ success is only growing. This year he’s playing at two big name festivals: Firefly in Dover, Delaware, and Electric Forest in Rothbury, Michigan. For those who find electronic music utterly mystifying, here’s a little info on what he brings to the table. Skylar Spence’s style is described as vaporwave, which emerged from the indie-dance scene in the early 2010s. For those who still don’t understand, vaporwave was described by Kadyrov as “heavy sampling of goofy 80s music with a lot of reverb.”
If you aren’t familiar with the music, it’s well worth taking a listen. Even if you don’t think it’s your style, you might surprise yourself. “I went because (exitpost) was playing but found myself looking up all the music on SoundCloud after,” wrote Sam Catalano, a junior double-majoring in management and cinema. “It made me realize how many great opportunities to ‘do stuff’ on campus there are - as opposed to just wasting minutes until it’s time to go out.” Release staff writer Ken Herman was not involved in the publication of this article.
Prepare A new view on controversial topics your liver For the duration of 'The View,' not one fell short of stirring up some controversy
The hour is approaching! Take a power nap Kathryn Shafsky | Release Week Five — You made it! Parade Day has finally arrived. While some may be brave enough to venture out on the night before the happiest day of the year, it might be useful to use this week as a cleanse. You’ve worked hard building up your tolerance, so now it’s time to let your liver have a quick power nap so it’s refreshed and ready for action. Remember, it’s a marathon, but be sure you can win the beer chugging race.
It might be useful to use this week as a cleanse week
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Photo Provided by BTV Channel 6
BTV's 'The View' brings diverse voices to campus television screens Kayla Harris | Contributing Writer Last Wednesday, BTV Channel 6 held its first official taping of “The View,” featuring hosts Eric Li, Esmeralda Murray, Yaa Takyiwaa, Shemar Middleton and Franklin Richards. Even though the show still remains in its early stages, these five students demonstrate a knack for on-the-spot conversation and an ability to remain composed while under pressure. Starting off an intro of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” the
episode covered a variety of topics, including Amber Rose, Zendaya and her controversy with Giuliana Rancic, the recent town hall meeting on campus addressing the demands of Students for Change, LGBTQ-related concerns on campus and, lastly, a talk from guest Yasmene Neita. Each host was assigned one of these topics, so that they could each research the subject prior to the show. As Murray explained, the goal is for each host to sound well versed in their topic, without appearing overly prepared.
Li, the show’s creator, wanted to provide an outlet where students in minority groups can express their opinions on relevant issues in pop culture. But even then, he wants to challenge and refine his hosts by getting them to think beyond their particular comfort zones. He said part of his inspiration came from people who told him he should have his own talk show. Taking that to heart, he made that dream a reality. “I wanted to create a platform for students to be heard, of different races and genders,” said
Li, a freshman double-majoring in political science and economics. Getting out of one’s comfort zone doesn’t even come close to describing it. For the duration of “The View,” not one fell short of stirring up some controversy. According to the show’s producer, Sarah Kumar, a sophomore majoring in management, “The View” is a novelty for BTV in more ways than just its content. Guest speaker Neita, a senior majoring in psychology, represented SHADES, one of
BU’s LGBTQ organizations. Neita discussed the possibility of a new resource center for LGBTQ students on campus. Not only does “The View” give students an opportunity to learn more about what’s happening on campus, but it also highlights the difficulties that members of the Binghamton community may be experiencing. While certain topics may be hard to digest, it’s important to take note of such issues so that we can be a more informed — and more accepting — campus.
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RELEASE
March 3, 2015 | bupipedream.com
Netflix pulls out latest card
In season 3 of 'House of Cards,' the stakes are higher Photo Provided by Netflix
Odeya Pinkus | Assistant Release Editor If anyone wants to lose their faith in the United States government, watch “House of Cards.” In its third season, Frank Underwood is more powerful than ever, and yes, you should be scared. For those just learning about Frank’s political administration, you’re behind. It’s been around for a while — two seasons, to be exact, and a lot of people are talking about it. For anyone who doesn’t watch it already, I highly recommend it. Sure, each episode is an hour long, but there are only 13 per season, and certain points will make your jaw drop to the floor, so it really has that going for it. It’s exciting and shocking and produced by David Fincher, so you can’t really go wrong. Netflix shows are released through floodgates — one season at a time. The devoted can watch for 13 straight hours, while the casual viewer can take his or her time. I’m going to label myself as somewhere in the middle. Season three premiered on Feb. 27, and I’m on episode six. Frank will always be evil, but I have homework. If you haven’t started watching season three and plan to, don’t read on. If you finished the season, don’t tell me anything.
For those just learning about Frank’s political administration, you’re behind
SPOILER ALERT Season two was insane, as was season one. What I find to be so cool about the show is how Frank seamlessly morphed from a deceptive politician into an actual evil murderer. He’s absolutely ruthless, so it makes sense that he’s now the president of the U.S. Rachel beat Doug Stamper with a brick in the middle of the woods, and Lucas is in huge trouble for attempting to hack into AT&T’s database. I’d like to first point out the nice shocker with which they began season three. Doug is not dead, regardless of the impression the show gave in season two. Surprise, surprise. He’s in the hospital, recovering from a hell of an injury. He gets better, more or less, but Frank is not letting him back to work just yet. Doug is not happy about this. Heather Dunbar, the solicitor general who aided in impeaching President Walker, has now announced candidacy for 2016. Frank on the other hand has announced that he is not running, but if you believe a word that Frank says, you haven’t been paying close enough attention. Doug wants to work for Dunbar? I’m still currently unsure if he’s trying to be a double agent or not. His dedication to Frank has always been unwavering, regardless of the murderous things in which Frank engages. He did, however, offer up some pretty harmful evidence against Claire, which Dunbar refused. Speaking
of Claire, she had her eyes set on the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The Russian president is butting heads with Frank, and there are a slew of international conflicts with which to deal. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about season three is that Frank may be showing some sliver of feeling. I’m personally still unsure and a bit confused. The trailer showed Claire’s concern over their past actions, so maybe some introspection is to follow. Still, I have to hand it to them; their marriage is somewhat admirable, despite their cheating past. They really have each others’ back. Still, I’d like to imagine that the show ends with Claire murdering Frank and becoming the president, meaning that every move she made was carefully calculated under her short blonde hair. But who knows. Perhaps good will trump evil in Washington? All in all, episode one was slow and focused way too much on Doug, and I currently have plenty of questions. Also, six episodes in and I’ve heard nothing about Lucas. Actually, I take back my original statement. I want Lucas to dramatically take down Frank and get an awesome promotion and compensation for his jail time. But still, I will keep watching; I love that show. I love it more than sharks love blood.
Leonard Nimoy, remembered He will always be Spock, but he was also much more Rich Kersting | Release Beloved actor and science fiction icon Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as “Star Trek’s” logical Mr. Spock, died Friday morning in his Los Angeles residence at age 83. The death, while deeply saddening, was not entirely a surprise: Nimoy recently announced his diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His family confirmed COPD as the cause of death. Within minutes of the announcement, social media was overwhelmed with tributes to Nimoy and his embodiment of the Spock character. Halfhuman and half-Vulcan, Spock represented a man of two worlds: one highly emotional, the other perfectly rational. Throughout his long career as Spock, the character became a part of the actor’s personal identity. To be seen, and to be loved, as one thing for so long, at points Nimoy felt fragmented in regard to this inner duality. Nevertheless, Nimoy stayed devoted to the character he sought to create, to the ideology he helped inspire, and the subculture that made him a legend. But to
reduce Nimoy to Mr. Spock is a great injustice to the man behind the character. Apart from his logically minded and absolutely rational counterpart, Nimoy was a very spiritual man, romantic even, in the way he looked at the world and other people. His personal endeavors included both poetry and photography, having published several books of poetry along with two autobiographies. “When you let me take, I’m grateful,” Nimoy once said. “When you let me give, I’m blessed.” He was a giver. On the screen he opened his heart and his mind to embody a character that was not human, that was not emotional. It’s a character that consumed his daily life for three years, and stood as source of a great identity crisis. Sharing his body with two souls, his own and Spock’s, Nimoy struggled with his life after “Star Trek.” He would discuss this in his controversial 1975 autobiography “I Am Not Spock.” While many fans were discouraged and felt that Nimoy was trying to distance himself from the character, the reality of the text was really a means of reconciling the two distinct parts of his life: the public
Photo Provided by The Associated Press
and private. Despite the disparity, Nimoy grew to accept, even love, his other half. In 1995, 20 years later, Nimoy wrote another autobiography, “I Am Spock,” where he reflects on the character that remained important to him throughout the rest of his career. “Spock is definitely one of my best friends,” Nimoy wrote. “When I put on those ears, it’s not like just another day. When I become Spock, that day becomes something special.” In his poetry, Nimoy was a romantic who sought to convey the magic of life in meter, accompanied by his photography. His last tweet resonates especially in contrast to his own death: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.” Long live and prosper indeed. Nimoy’s final words to this world should be heard, and deeply meditated on. Every day might not be perfect but, like a garden, you need to take care. Weeding out the bad, one makes space to let the good grow. To keep the garden green and lush, it’s important to keep the memory of those “perfect moments” close. So that even in the hard times, you can still find the light. Nimoy may have left us in life, but his memory survives in the hearts of fans everywhere. Nimoy had said that “The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have.” He had a long, colorful career in which he shared his talents and his art with millions of loving fans. He taught us that even logicians dream, and that the love of the stars is universal across all life. What Nimoy embodied in his character of the alien Spock illuminated what it means to be human. He will be missed. Beam him up, Scotty.
OPINION Tuesday, March 3, 2015
O
SA Endorsements 2015-16
ne of the most important jobs we have as an Executive Board — one we take very seriously — is endorsing candidates for the Student Association E-Board every year.
This is arguably one of the most important elections in which any student will vote. These people are the conduits between the students and the administration. They decide how our Student Activity Fee is spent, who comes for Spring Fling and advocate on our behalf in academic and conduct affairs. These are our choices for each position, and while we hope that you agree with our reasons and vote for the best candidates, it is important that everyone cast a vote on Friday. Vice President for Academic Affairs — Robert Pim Vote for Robert Pim if you liked Don Greenberg as VPAA. Pim is the clear choice. As an assistant to the current VPAA, he’s worked on a number of successful projects such as the Program for Undergraduate Guidance and a GenEd appeal process. But Pim’s new ideas set him apart from other experienced candidates. He seeks to implement an individualized minor program and a Bill of Rights for the Student Code of Conduct. Unlike many prospective SA candidates, Pim’s ideas are feasible and, well, good. We’re confident he’ll be able to meet his goals based on his prior experience and relationships with administrators. Greenberg has been a solid VPAA and Pim will be a solid sequel. Steven Lazickas is a quality contender, but he failed to propose any innovative projects. He’d like to continue the good work done by Don Greenberg and improve on existing Advocacy and Mentoring Programs. As the current Chairman of the Student Life and Academics Committee, Lazickas possesses the experience to deliver on his platform. He just might not bring
any fresh ideas to the position. Amanda Baker lacks the same level of experience as her opponents. Her proposals to improve services for students with disabilities and the ESL program make sense, but these are plans she has already started, and continues to work on without the VPAA title. Her plans to increase the number of undergraduate teaching assistants and end the option for students to test out of courses seem out of touch. Vice President for Multicultural Affairs — None Epiphany Munoz is running unopposed. It would seem that our endorsement would be a no-brainer. It is. We the E-Board cannot, in good conscience, endorse Munoz for this position. She came into her meeting with Pipe Dream staff with no speech prepared and no solid platform to run on. Frankly, it seems like she doesn’t even know what the job entails. She’s been to “a couple” of Intercultural Awareness Committee meetings, ever. If she can’t be bothered to take the position seriously during the campaigning period, we shudder to think what she’ll do if she gets it. It is for this reason that we encourage you, the voter, to write in a name — any name at all — when voting for VPMA. If she receives less than 40 percent of the vote, the Planning, Research, and Election committee will have to revisit the election for this position. The VPMA position is more important now than it has been in years — especially considering recent racial and cultural tensions that BU has experienced — and it needs somebody who can do the job. Nearly every other candidate walked into our office this year with a plan to increase cultural competency
on this campus, and the VPMA candidate’s plan essentially boiled down to, “I’ll talk to students of color one-on-one.” This could be such an important position; it would be a shame to see an underqualified and unprepared candidate put this role to waste next year. Vice President for Programming — Bernadette Machuca Bernadette Machuca is by a considerable margin the most experienced candidate running for this position, and the only viable one. She’s been a part of every committee within the SA Programming Board; her opponent James Kuo has been a part of SAPB for only one semester, years ago. Machuca isn’t as good of a communicator or speaker as Kuo, sure, but she has considerably more mastery of the relevant issues: She’s Concerts Chair, arguably the most important chair within the SAPB, so she knows how to book a concert, and she understands how to deal with the SAPB’s budget deficit. However, we find her plan to attend all the general body meetings on campus to be an impractical way of gauging what kind of programming students want. For a School of Management student, Kuo’s ideas for managing the deficit are bizarre. He’s merely hoping that big companies will pay to sponsor Spring Fling. Another part of his plan is to have more photographers at events, and then ask the Binghamton University administration to give the SAPB more money because the photographed students will have more memories of Binghamton and will therefore donate more to the University in the future. We’re all for more photographers, but let’s not
pretend that’s an actual economic policy. Machuca, on the other hand, has been working closely with current VPP Stephanie Zagreda all year to manage the budget. One request, Machuca: Don’t be too stingy with money! Let’s get some great concerts. Executive Vice President — Zach Vigliani If any of the positions this year end in a runoff, it will be this one. There is a large field of candidates with no clear front runner. We’re picking Zach Vigliani, but there are a few good candidates here, and we won’t be surprised if it requires another round of voting. Jared Skwiersky wants to move more functionality to B-Engaged, which should automatically disqualify him. Nicholas Ferrara wants to clarify the reasons why specific charters are denied, which seems like a good idea, but he just doesn’t have much experience. He’s a transfer sophomore, and while he spends a lot of time with Student Congress, he doesn’t seem to spend a lot of time with actual student groups. He obviously has a lot of passion for this campus, but we want to see him try again next year. James Sereno is plenty experienced, having been on several councils (he was also, until recently, a writer for Pipe Dream). Part of his plan is to create an app that would track where OCCT buses are by GPS, as well as synchronize B-Line and B-Calendar. That sounds cool, but we’re not exactly sure what it has to do with the EVP office, or if he can even pull it off. Furthermore, his plan to help every student become a member of any student group doesn’t sound great — there’s already language required in each group’s
constitution to allow anyone to join, and otherwise, groups should be able to have control over their own membership. It isn’t something SA groups actually seem to want. And then there’s Zachary Vigliani, another experienced candidate. As a current assistant to the SA president, he knows the SA inside and out. He wants to make it easier for students to track the progress of their intent to charter form by putting the process online, which sounds great. The only bone to pick with him is that he wants to formalize the hiring process for student groups — there’s no real evidence that the status quo doesn’t already work. Otherwise, godspeed, Zach. Vice President for Finance — Kate Tashman This is by far the easiest and clearest choice in this election. Her opponent Mike Sabony isn’t a bad candidate. We like his idea to put the Treasurers’ exam online in the summer to let student organizations hit the ground running when classes start for fall semester. In another election, we might be endorsing him here. But this year, Tashman blows him out of the water. Only a sophomore, Tashman has already made her mark on campus. She chaired the PRE committee, which was in charge of dealing with last year’s contentious and complicated runoff elections, as a freshman. Her experience as an assistant under the current VPF, Tom Sheehan, has given her experience we find invaluable. Tashman is also currently the only on-campus member of the OCCT board of directors, which will prove useful as the CFO of
OCCT next year. Overall, it is clear that Tashman knows the position inside and out, and she is familiar with the innerworkings of the SA like no other candidate. She has even rewritten parts of the student handbook. If any position requires experience, it is the VPF. President — Dillon Schade Though both candidates are qualified and have strong ideas, the E-Board is endorsing Dillon Schade for SA President. Yes, Max Bartell is a pretty good orator and certainly acts the part, but we can’t shake the feeling that he’s running for president simply for the sake of being president — a big part of his platform was that everyone know who he is and what his position is. His austerity measures seem a bit much, though we do really like his idea to create an e-petition system for students to voice grievances within the University. Ultimately, it seemed like his vision of an SA president is someone who simply stays out of students’ way. His small government message seemed inappropriate for the Student Association. Schade, on the other hand, has relevant experience in the SA as a current assistant to the EVP. His eagerness to help OCCT and Harpur’s Ferry expand is also welcome. However, if elected, we would like to see him focus more on improving life for current students rather than currying favor with alumni. Neither of these candidates would make a bad president, but Schade already has many connections and relationships with administrators, which will make the transition smoother and enable him to get to work for the students faster.
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.
Hold SA candidates accountable to their promises When unqualified candidates misrepresent themselves, it hurts the student body as a whole Chris Zamlout
Guest Columnist
My name is Chris Zamlout and I am the executive vice president of the Student Association (SA). I’ve worked in the SA for four years and absolutely love it. Every day this year, I’ve worked to make this institution even better. As dedicated as I am to the SA, I’m not naive enough to believe it’s perfect. In fact, I value the SA enough to point out its inefficiencies and problems. And there is one glaring problem I cannot ignore: our
elections. SA E-Board elections are broken because of the candidates themselves. The only way to fix this is to hold candidates accountable and start asking the right questions. The SA’s purpose is to serve every single undergraduate student, and we allow them all to run for our E-Board. While this inclusive policy seems fair on the surface, certain candidates who run for these positions leave much to be desired. Some candidates are qualified, with prior experience working in their relevant offices. Others barely know the duties their potential position involves. If such candidates win, it will hurt the SA and student body as a whole. Students are busy. Every
student does not have the time to understand the intricacies of the SA. Unfortunately, this knowledge gap allows unqualified candidates to misrepresent themselves to student groups. Candidates pitch ideas that aren’t remotely feasible, attractive, or even necessary, and receive support. When these candidates spread false information and lie to student groups about what they can achieve, it damages the SA’s reputation and relationships with the students the SA exists to serve. That’s when I have a problem. Last year, before I announced my candidacy for EVP, I worked closely in the EVP office with my predecessor. Before I won, I thought I knew absolutely
everything the position involved. As engaged as I was, I still needed to spend time learning about my new responsibilities. If candidates who’ve barely stepped into the SA office win, they’ll encounter an even steeper learning curve. By the time they learn exactly what their responsibilities are, it might be too late. How do we solve this? Previous E-Boards debated creating a vetting process: a pool of people trained in certain fields with specific qualifications able to run for office. Anyone outside this pool would be unable to run because they lack the necessary requirements and qualifications. This ensures that people who take these positions
are competent, but it goes against the inclusive and open approach the SA has taken in years past. It diminishes what the SA represents at its core. The SA shouldn’t close off elections to the student body, but we must hold each candidate to his or her word. Maybe then candidates will be forthright and better informed. I’ve spoken with many E-Board leaders who felt that certain candidates’ platforms appear laughable. If we want quality candidates to win, it is necessary to publicly confront prospective SA E-Board members with our concerns and questions. That way candidates cannot exploit voters’ ignorance. More students will
be better able to identify which candidate is right for the job. I simply want to make sure that a trustworthy individual with the same passion for serving students takes over as EVP, and every other position on E-Board. We need campus to weed out the qualified and passionate from the selfinterested and misinformed. Moral of the story: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and see some of them squirm! — Christopher Zamlout is a senior majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Law and the Executive Vice President of the Student Association
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OPINION
bupipedream.com | March 3, 2015
Enforce LGBTQ equality in Alabama Look to nature for The federal government must take a stand against intolerence Madison Ball Columnist
Over the past couple of years, the LGBTQ community has made tremendous strides. There’s been a nationwide shift in public opinion. This month, the United States Supreme Court refused to overturn the federal ruling that found Alabama’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. This effectively allowed samesex couples to marry in the state for the first time. It’s astonishing that less than four years after the legalization of same-sex marriage in the blue state of New York, Alabama became the 37th state to legalize. However, in practice, the battle still ensues in Alabama. Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore has chosen to disregard the federal ruling, ordering lower
court judges in the state not to implement the ruling that overturned the state’s same-sex marriage ban. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to finally rule on the power of states to ban same-sex marriages. In an interview with Michael Bloomberg, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke confidently about the future of same-sex marriage in the U.S., stating that Americans won’t need “a large adjustment” if the court rules that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. Justice Clarence Thomas also suggested that the court’s decision in Alabama was a strong indication that the court’s mind was made up on the issue. Thus, it looks like marriage equality may be achieved in every state by the summer. Clearly, this is a huge step for marriage equality, but the federal government cannot wait until then to do something about the situation in Alabama.
If they do, they run the risk of provoking chaos once samesex marriage is enforced by the Supreme Court in states like Alabama and others that have not yet legalized the practice. They need to prepare for a ruling that will be met with extreme opposition by first setting an example that intolerance is unacceptable, and that states do not have the final say on this question. Right now is the time to do so. Allowing judges like Moore to disregard the law on the grounds that they are in violation of a certain moral code opens a window of opportunity for other judges to do the same. Furthermore, LGBTQ rights do not end with marriage. Even with marriage equality, the LGBTQ community still faces a number of serious issues such as employment discrimination and homelessness. How can we expect to see any rulings on discrimination if there are still judges under the impression
that they are not obligated to follow federal law? The federal government needs to shut down Moore while he is more or less the only judge refusing to implement samesex marriage. Alabama is not the only place where the public and judges alike are against the equal treatment of LGBTQ couples.
$750 Billion budget shortfall is an environmental liability
— Madison Ball is a senior majoring in political science
Economics and the environment are inextricably connected. Their dependence on one another became more apparent this past Wednesday when the New Climate Economy and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Plan) released an annual report on global food waste trends. The report was created to address the vast potential in waste reduction. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an estimated one-third to half of all food produced is wasted. This amounts to two billion tons of food, or $750 billion a year. The yearly cost of food waste rivals the total value of two of the world’s largest companies, Google ($395 billion) and Exxon Mobile ($392 billion). Clearly, reducing food waste is an environmental and economic priority. Food is lost through all levels of the supply chain. The report recommends taking steps like improved packaging and refrigeration to offset the percent of food lost. Spoiled food ends up as landfill waste and contributes an estimated 7 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. This figure does not include the emissions necessary to initially produce the food: fossil fuels needed for agricultural machinery, the expense of chemical fertilizers, processing, packaging and transportation thousands of miles from farm to table. The byproducts of industrial agriculture, portrayed as an “efficient” model, amount to a waste of energy and resources. Food waste is particularly high in the United States because we have the luxury to waste so much. Every home is installed with a
LGBTQ rights do not end with marriage
Sex in the Triple Cities
Don't overflog the log: control masturbation Overindulgence disrupts normal sexual and emotional relations Mike Rulli Sex Columnist
To most, masturbation seems like a part of daily life. It’s natural, stress relieving and “healthy.” It seems like everybody is doing it. However, many are starting to wonder how today’s masturbatory patterns are affecting our expectations and sexual performance in the real world. Some who suffer from sexual dysfunction find that the more pornography they watch, the more difficult it is to feel satisfied by sex. They feel that sex isn’t necessary for them anymore. They’d rather “not waste time” on a relationship when they can just do it themselves. So what’s the truth about masturbation?
In a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, sex therapists found that men’s recent masturbatory patterns hinder their experience and satisfaction in sex, and ultimately their partners’ experiences as well. Why? Some say porn is to blame, with more viewers exposed to videos considered “unusual” and fantasies that cannot be recreated with a partner. This, the therapists say, is potentially the reason why so many men and women are experiencing sexual dissatisfaction and an inability to reach arousal during intercourse with a partner. An erection is a conditioned response. Sex therapists explain that men train themselves to only respond to “extreme stimuli.” It then becomes very difficult to even reach arousal, not to mention completion. How can this be reversed?
Many experts suggest that for these cases it will require “masturbatory retraining.” This is necessary to reverse the pattern and allow for stimulation by a partner. Masturbatory patterns aren’t just ruining sex lives. Many patients complain that irregular masturbatory patterns complicate emotional relationships as well. A large number of men avoid emotional commitment altogether. These men claim they can fulfill their own sexual needs and focus on other priorities outside of relationships. What does it say when people prefer their own hands to significant others? Therapists claim the only way to retrain the brain is to abstain from masturbation for a month to 90 days. It appears that reversing this problem might require more than a simple break from
food waste solution
jacking off or even flicking the bean. Opening oneself to romantic relationships requires a change in mindset. Are masturbatory patterns the issue of the decade? Probably not, but they may be changing how people choose to lead their romantic lives today. Social isolation and sexual dysfunction are negative consequences. Complex relationships with others strengthen one’s overall emotional health and quality of life. Masturbation itself is not the problem. Almost everyone does it. Excess is almost always unhealthy, and an overindulgence in self-pleasure is no different. If abstinence is necessary to reverse this trend, by all means, put away the tissues and lotion.
Dorothy Farrell
Environmental Columnist
refrigerator where fresh food from the supermarket can sit and rot. In comparison, many European consumers buy fresh produce each day from farmers markets because of the energy intensity used by refrigerators. European farms are closer to consumers, shortening the supply chain and diminishing the gaps for food to spoil. Despite global pitfalls, Binghamton University is already managing a progressive position on food waste. The Food Recovery Network, established in every dining hall, and the composting program, established in 2007, have significantly reduced Sodexo’s contribution to food waste. The Food Recovery Network takes excess prepared meals and donates them to Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW), a local food pantry. This means that Broome County’s underprivileged populations are still fed. The composting program collects food scraps from the dining halls and recycles them into a rich form of organic fertilizer for farms. Students can actually see food waste returning back to the land at BU Acres, the farm on Bunn Hill Road. The global crisis with food waste reveals the food industry’s inefficiencies. This is an opportunity to gain a perspective and create a sustainable future. In nature, there is no waste. All deceased organic matter falls back into the system as fertility for forthcoming generations. Compost has been heralded as the nutrition for healthy, organic farms. Two billion tons of food waste could become two billion tons of compost for next year’s local, organic farms. Solutions to our biggest environmental issues are closer than we think. — Dorothy Farrell a senior majoring in environmental studies
Have an opinion? email opinion@pipedream for more information on how you can contribute to Pipe Dream
— Mike Rulli is a junior majoring in English
Recently passed deserve respect on social media
Reckless behavior on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram can negatively affect the grieving process Giovanna Bernardo Columnist
Recently, one of my friends experienced the death of a close family friend from home. This young woman passed in the prime of her life at age 20. Her life, like yours and mine, was documented through social media on several of her own accounts and those of family and friends. And so consequently, the news of her death appeared through these channels. Today, the easiest way to express what’s going on in our lives is to post on social
media. And unfortunately when tragedies happen, our instinct is to express our pain. We do so through the mediums we are most accustomed to, through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. But we must be careful in how we communicate the death of a loved one in such a public space. News of this young girl’s death flooded social media in the same way a Buzzfeed link or YouTube video spreads through a newsfeed. The sister of the deceased found out about this horrible news while casually scrolling through her Instagram. She didn’t get a phone call. She learned her sister died through a #throwback #RIP post from one of her sister’s friends.
How horrible would it be to find out about the death of a close family member from a social media account? What does it say about our generation’s attitudes toward death when a family member learns about her sister’s passing on Instagram and has to call her mom to inform her? I understand that posting on these types of accounts is our generation’s way of processing tragedy. It offers a way to cope with what has happened and face the reality of the situation. However, I’ve seen these types of posts become more than just a message to honor someone that’s passed or a mode of properly saying goodbye. Rather than providing an
avenue to reflect on the sadness of loss, social media creates a contest where mourners compete over who is sadder over said person’s death. As if the more heartfelt the message, the more likes it will get on Instagram, which as everyone knows, determines our true worth. Sometimes the person posting simply wants attention or sympathy because something terrible has happened. At other times, posting a #funeralselfie on Snapchat is merely a chance to show everyone how good they look despite the heartbreak they’re experiencing. I’ve actually witnessed that blatant narcissism. It is truly disrespectful. When posting about deceased
persons on social media, we must be attentive to the effect upon other friends and family still trying to cope with loss. Does it do them any good to constantly have their own social media accounts inundated with pictures and posts about their loved one that is gone? I know it may help them to see how loved and cherished their daughter, son, sister, brother, etc. was. But it can make it harder to move on when there are constant reminders of their loss. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be allowed to honor someone’s passing on social media with pictures and kind words. But we must draw the line at some point.
If you did not have a legitimately personal relationship with said person, there is no need to publicly display your sorrow for their passing. No one should be forced to talk about their grief publicly unless they choose to do so by posting themselves. The accompanying pressure to ensure everyone that they’re “Getting better, thanks” is not fair. Everyone should be able to overcome loss in their own time. Give friends and family the virtual space to grieve properly. — Giovanna Bernardo is an undeclared sophomore
Reach out when you can, because some day you won't be able to Not everyone you meet will seem important to you, but their absence will be felt once they're gone Jacob Shamsian Release Editor
I’m going to be graduating this May. And while I’ll be sad to leave this place and the people here, I know I’m lucky to live in a world where I can talk to my friends without much trouble,
and that we’ll stay connected. I can’t stop thinking about the one person who should have been graduating with me, but won’t. The person who I’ll never be able to talk to again and who I haven’t been able to talk to since she took her own life here a few years ago. Sometimes I think I’ve forgotten about her, and everything’s fine, and it’s as if she’s never been a part of my life, but then memories of her strike
me like a bolt when I don’t expect them. Everything else seems frozen and small and irrelevant and I can’t speak or think about anything. The sheer emptiness is overwhelming. It can’t be filled or understood; I just have to give it respect until it passes. When she was alive, we weren’t even very close. We had a class together our first semester. It was one of those classes only freshmen take, with 20 or so
people, meant more to help you adjust to Binghamton University than to improve academically. I hung out with her a few times since then, but we were never really in the same social circles. I don’t even remember what we talked about, and I try so hard to remember those conversations, to do my small part to remember her and to honor her memory, but it’s so difficult. When she was alive, I hadn’t thought about the
space she held in my life, but if I did, I would have thought that it was small. If she had thought about my importance in her life, I’m sure she would have come to the same conclusion. When she died, I knew how wrong I was about her importance in my life. Her space is incomprehensibly large. Her absence unbending. I remember the night she died. I was awake at a late hour — one of those hours where it’s just you
and a couple of other people on the East Coast and a friend or two from Europe or Australia. There was a green dot next to her name. I still think about how that green dot winked out — how I’ll never see it again. If someone needs help, reach out. — Jacob Shamsian is a senior double-majoring in English and history
March 3, 2015 | bupipedream.com
SPORTS
Bearcats earn pair of victories at ASU tournament BU sweeps Toledo, falls to No. 3 Michigan and No. 21 Arizona State in five-game weekend Joseph Burns
Contributing Writer While taking on some of the top competition in the country, the Binghamton softball team sandwiched three losses in between a pair of victories at the Arizona State Tournament this weekend. Freshman Sarah Miller scooped up her second win of the season on the bump as BU (4-6) launched off the weekend with a 5-4 win over Toledo. Junior first baseman Griffin McIver swung the scoreboard in Binghamton’s favor early with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning while freshman outfielder Jessica Rutherford knocked in two runs with a double in the fourth. Despite a three-run fifth from Toledo, the Bearcats escaped the jam to hold on for victory. Sophomore pitcher Cara Martin took the mound against 21st-ranked Arizona State (157) in Friday’s nightcap. Martin exhausted the ASU offense over seven straight shutout innings, allowing only four hits and issuing three walks. Unfortunately for Martin, BU’s offense had an equally arduous time putting runs on the scoreboard. With the international tiebreaker rule, where an automatic runner is placed at second base at the start of extra innings, enacted in the eighth, the Sun Devils managed to put a run across home and take the game. “We played really great defense and Cara pitched a great game,” BU head coach Michelle Burrell said of the team’s performance on Friday. “We saw that if we truly don’t make any mistakes, that we can play with anyone.” The second day of the Arizona State Tournament marked the
Radford sweeps baseball in three-game weekend series Two-week hiatus leaves BU rusty at the plate, as Highlanders post 41-18 advantage Noah Bressner
Contributing Writer
Franz Lino/Photo Editor
Junior catcher Lisa Cadogan delivered four hits and two RBIs in Binghamton’s 16-11 victory over Toledo on Sunday.
first time in Binghamton’s 14year Division I history that the program has faced two nationally ranked opponents in the same day. The Bearcats were overwhelmed by third-ranked University of Michigan (18-1), suffering a 15-0 loss in the first game. In the following game, ASU solidified the tournament sweep over BU with an overwhelming 22-5 victory, a stark contrast to the 1-0 game the two teams had played earlier. Burrell praised the quality of competition her team played on Saturday. “I’ve thought, from all the years I’ve been playing and coaching, that Michigan is probably one of the best teams I’ve seen,” she said. “I’d be very
surprised if we don’t see them in the World Series at the end of the year.” Sunday’s finale featured no shortage of offense. Looking to avenge Friday’s loss to the Bearcats, Toledo (4-10) put its offense on full throttle — collecting six runs over the first three innings — but BU didn’t trail for long. Rutherford again delivered on offense, driving in three runs. Meanwhile, Richard, junior catcher Lisa Cadogan and senior designated hitter Caytlin Friis each homered for BU. In the sixth inning, junior outfielder Sydney Harbaugh continued the pounding, delivering a massive blow to Toledo’s hopes of a victory with a three-run double.
The Bearcats pushed eight runs around the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning alone and went on to conclude the tournament with a 16-11 victory. Burrell was particularly pleased with Rutherford’s performance over the weekend. “I thought Jessie had a really good weekend,” Burrell said. “She’s somebody who can make things happen because she’s got both good speed and power at the plate.” Binghamton is set to participate in the North Carolina State Tournament through March 13-15. First pitch against Longwood University is set for 9 a.m. on March 13 at the Curtis & Jacqueline Dall Softball Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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After being idle for the past two weeks, the Binghamton baseball team was handily swept in a three-game series against Radford over the weekend. The series, originally scheduled to be played at Radford University in Virginia, was moved to McNair Field in Forest City, North Carolina due to poor field conditions. The Bearcats (1-5) dropped both games of Saturday’s doubleheader after the Highlanders (5-4) jumped on the scoreboard early and often, tallying a combined total of 11 runs in the games’ first three innings. Saturday’s opener saw Radford rack up 13 hits in its 7-1 victory over the Bearcats. Senior outfielder Zach Blanden led the team with two hits and delivered the only Bearcat RBI in a game that saw only four hits recorded by the entire BU squad. Overall, Binghamton was struck out 11 times. After BU senior pitcher Greg Ostner gave up nine hits and five earned runs in just three innings pitched, senior Anthony Grillini and freshman Matt Gordon entered on the hill and fared better, allowing a combined four hits and no earned runs in five total innings. Radford’s winning pitcher, junior Michael Boyle, overpowered the Bearcats by striking out 10 of 24 batters faced, while allowing only three hits. From the start of BU’s 16-4 loss in Saturday’s nightcap, BU junior Mike Bunal — coming off of a brilliant victory over Auburn — appeared rattled. Bunal
balked and forced in the first run after loading the bases and then allowed a second run to score off of a passed ball. Radford senior infielder Hunter Higgerson then doubled to bring in two more runs, prompting Bunal’s removal from the game without recording an out. BU responded by scoring three runs in the third inning on an RBI ground out by Blanden, followed by RBI doubles from junior infielder David Schanz and senior outfielder Jake Thomas. The comeback came up short, however, as Radford racked up five runs in both the fifth and eighth innings to secure a victory. On Sunday, the Highlanders completed the three-game sweep, overwhelming BU, 8-3. Radford scored seven runs in the third through sixth innings and scored one run in the ninth to end its high-scoring weekend. BU attempted to rally in the sixth inning, scoring a run off of a double from Thomas and an RBI single from sophomore catcher Eddie Posavec. BU’s third run came in the seventh when Blanden scored on a wild pitch, but that would be all the offense Binghamton mustered for the game. There were a few bright spots in an otherwise listless game for the Bearcats, however. Blanden went 3 for 5 at the plate and scored two runs while both Posavec and freshman shortstop Paul Rufo recorded two hits apiece. The Bearcats are set to return to action against Virginia Military Institute in a three-game series this weekend. First pitch of Friday’s game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Virginia.
SOFTBALL
BU wins two of five in weekend tournament See page 17 Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Missed opportunites plague BU in 11-10 loss to Hobart Swimming Four unanswered Statesmen goals keep Binghamton on losing end in the third straight game Jeff Twitty
Assistant Sports Editor It’s said that opportunity knocks, and for the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team, it knocked plenty in Saturday’s matchup against Hobart. But it was the Statesmen (2-1) who were at the doorstep to answer, edging the Bearcats (0-3) at home, 11-10. “We played great for 95 percent of the game,” BU head coach Scott Nelson said. “For 5 percent we took some plays off … and that hurt us.” After winning the game’s opening face-off, the Statesmen got a shot off less than a minute into the contest to give freshman goalkeeper Sam Sanko his first save of the day. After a BU clear, redshirt freshman Sean Gilroy let off a shot from point-blank range for the Bearcat’s first chance of the day — only to be saved by Hobart sophomore goalie, Jackson Brown — in what looked to be shaping into a battle between net minders. The two squads put up seven more combined shots before senior attackman Brendan Saylor gave the game’s first goal to Hobart with just over six minutes to go in the first. But not to be silenced early, the Bearcats evened the score on their next possession, as senior midfielder J.T. Hauck found the back of the net after a feed from senior attackman Paul O’Donnell. Following two more goals from the Statesmen, BU ended the first 15 with a goal from freshman attackman Ben Kocis to end the stanza trailing, 3-2. Carrying their momentum into
the second period, the Bearcats tied the match at three when senior attackman Tucker Nelson scored his first goal of the day after a Hobart turnover. But it only took Hobart 15 seconds to take the lead back, as the back-and-forth quarter ended with BU on top at half, 6-5. Despite only leading by one at half, BU dominated Hobart in the game of fundamentals. Binghamton had committed only six turnovers to the Statesmen’s 12, and the Bearcats were successful on 100 percent of their clears while Hobart only posted a completion mark of 64 percent. “We thought we did everything right,” Scott Nelson said. “We rode them well, they had trouble clearing the ball. We’ve just got to learn how to win. We’re a little young and our senior class is not helping us win just yet, and we’ve got to learn how to do that.” Helping the cause of the BU seniors to start the second half, Tucker Nelson scored on a dive just over one minute into the third stanza to give BU a two-goal edge. But less than five minutes later, Hobart scored a pair of quick goals to tie the game back at 7-7. Determined to extinguish the comeback, Nelson found the back of the net for his third time of the day to put Binghamton back ahead. On the ensuing faceoff, sophomore midfielder Dan Mazurek took it to the house to reclaim BU’s two-goal advantage in five seconds. But despite the speed of the Bearcat offense on the series, Mazurek’s goal was the last that BU would have in the
Zorgman sets school records in 100- and 200meter breaststroke E.Jay Zarett
Assistant Sports Editor
Caroline Sardella/Contributing Photographer
Freshman midfielder Joe Grossi picked up five ground balls and caused a team-high three turnovers in BU’s loss against Hobart.
following 17 minutes. Scoring on its second manup opportunity of the day, Hobart scored its following two possessions after a ground ball pickup from senior midfielder Taylor Vanderbeek and another netter from senior attackman Alex Love. By period’s end, the Statesmen turned a 9-7 deficit into a 10-9 lead with 15 minutes to go. “They got a man-up goal, obviously that hurt us,” coach Nelson said. “I think we fell asleep on Vanderbeek on the lefty dodge.” Adding to its lead, Hobart scored on its second possession
of the quarter to go up, 11-9, with 12 minutes left in the contest. Struggling to find a rhythm after a string of turnovers and missed shots, O’Donnell ended BU’s scoring drought to make it a one-goal game with less than five minutes left in play. After both teams got two possessions, the ball was back under the Bearcats’ control after a Love turnover. Following a Binghamton timeout, the Bearcats had their final opportunity to tie the game blocked before Hobart held the ball for the next 37 seconds to keep BU winless, 11-10.
With its next contest set to be on the road against University of Delaware this Saturday, coach Nelson hopes that his young team can find its winning edge against a consistently impressive Delaware team. “We got to learn how to win,” Nelson concluded. “We got to go down to a place with a great tradition … so we’re going to have to go down there and play very, very good lacrosse in order to beat them. So we’ve got a ways to go.” Face-off is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.
Binghamton drops final regular-season game at UMBC Despite a career-high 15-point outing from Surdokaite, BU falls, 73-50, in 13th consecutive game Orlaith McCaffrey Pipe Dream Sports
Despite trailing for most of the game and never having led, the Binghamton women’s basketball team found itself within striking distance against UMBC on Sunday, down by one
with 10 minutes left to play. However, over the next six minutes, the Retrievers (11-8, 6-10 AE) exploded on a 20-3 run to pull away from BU (4-25, 2-14 AE), 73-50, to end the Bearcats’ regular season on a 13-game losing skid. The game began quickly,
Emily Earl/Pipe Dream Photographer
Senior guard Gintare Surdokaite scored a career-high 15 points in BU’s loss at UMBC on Sunday.
with possession shifting between the two teams frequently in the opening minutes. After four minutes, BU and UMBC were knotted at five. UMBC then responded with nine unanswered points, building a 14-5 advantage. The Retrievers shut down the Binghamton offense, pressuring their visitor’s backcourt with double-teams on freshmen guards Jasmine Sina and Imani Watkins. The Retrievers forced nine first-half turnovers and held the Bearcats to 25 percent shooting from the floor. “[UMBC] played really tough physical defense today and obviously our usual scorers weren’t having many good looks,” BU head coach Linda Cimino said. The Bearcats attacked the aggressive Retrievers’ defense by driving into the paint and drawing fouls. BU scored nine of its 24 first-half points from the charity stripe. “I wanted to get to the freethrow line 20 times today,” Cimino said. “We got there 10 in the first half. That was part of our strategy — to try to get to the free-throw line and score when the clocks were stopped.” This strategy, however, failed
to keep pace with the UMBC offensive attack. The Retrievers took a 12-point lead with 9:06 remaining in the first half after a 3-pointer from freshman guard Laura Castaldo. Sophomore guard Taylor McCarley and sophomore forward Pandora Wilson, who ended the game with 14 and 11 points, respectively, were also integral to UMBC’s first-half performance. Heading into halftime, UMBC led by a relatively small margin of 33-24, considering its dominant first period. Coming out of the break, the Bearcats cut their deficit to six with a trey from senior guard Gintare Surdokaite, who finished with a career-high 15 points. “We definitely relied on other people to score,’’ Cimino said. “[Surdokaite] stepped up and had a career high in scoring and knocked down some 3s for us.” The Retrievers responded by going on another run to extend their lead into double digits once again, 40-29. But Binghamton did not go quietly, making a comeback attempt halfway through the second half. Integral to this effort was Watkins. Despite being heavily guarded for much of the game, Watkins scored 14 points to keep
the Bearcats in contention. Binghamton went on a 12-2 run to bring the score to 4241 with 11:48 remaining, due in large part to four offensive rebounds during the stretch. The Bearcats, who have been consistently out-rebounded by their opponents this season, pulled down 41 total boards — including 14 offensive — while converting those second chances into eight points. “Our kids were physical on the boards,” Cimino said. “They’ve been getting better and improving every game with rebounding. They definitely competed and they challenged UMBC on the boards today.” After trading baskets with the Retrievers, the Bearcats once again cut the host’s lead to one point. UMBC then responded on its 20-3 run, while receiving scoring from six different players during that stretch. The Retrievers improved their shooting percentage to a 55.2 percent clip in the second half, which carried them to victory. Binghamton is set to return to action this Saturday against top-seeded Maine in the first round of the conference playoffs. Tip-off is scheduled for noon at the Events Center.
Men's tennis falters against No. 13 Columbia, No. 59 ODU Despite losses, Bearcats doubles tandems prove promising against ranked competition Nicholas Waldron Contributing Writer
Despite dropping two matches to No. 13 Columbia and No. 59 Old Dominion over the weekend, Binghamton men’s tennis coach Nick Zieziula believes his Bearcats (2-8) are headed in the right direction. “The big thing we take out of this weekend is our doubles is darn good,” Zieziula said, following stellar performances from all three doubles pairs over the weekend. On Friday, BU was shutout against Columbia, 7-0, but junior Sid Hazarika and senior Ismael Dinia were able to take down
Columbia’s number-one doubles pair, 16th-ranked seniors Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana. The Bearcats nearly won the doubles point, but senior Robin Lesage and junior Eliott Hureau fell, 6-4, after they were unable to hold serve with an opportunity to tie the set at five games apiece against their opponents, who were ranked 58th in the country. “We were within reason of taking the doubles point on a team that’s top 15 in the country,” Zieziula added. Despite falling, 5-2, Binghamton was able to take the doubles point against No. 59 Old Dominion on Saturday, and did so
and diving earn fourth at ECAC
without a win from its numberone doubles pair, Hazarika and Dinia, who were the only Bearcats to win a set on Friday against Columbia. “We like to get some balance across all three doubles,” Zieziula said. “You have to rely on everyone to show up and battle to get points.” A solid 6-4 effort by Hureau and Lesage was followed by a hard-fought tiebreak victory by sophomores Thomas Caputo and Frenk Kote to earn the Bearcats the doubles point. After dropping his doubles set, Dinia grabbed a win in his singles match, coming back from one set
down to win a wild match 4-6, 6-4, 10-8, against Old Dominion freshman Javier Mover Maestre. Hureau got off to a blazing start in his singles match, taking the first set, 6-2, but was unable to keep the momentum going as he stumbled to a 6-2, 2-6, 1-6 defeat. “He got off his game plan a little bit,” Zieziula said of Hureau. “He’s been an absolute rock for us this year.” Zieziula cited fatigue and the Bearcat’s tough schedule as reasons for Hureau’s disappointing second and third sets. The Bearcats have had two away matches every weekend for the past four weeks, which has
forced them to play many matches on the same day that they travel. In a sport that is so reliant on energy and stamina, this kind of schedule can really take its toll on student-athletes. “We’ve had a tough go in terms of our schedule and travel,” Zieziula said. “It’s pretty much been nonstop since our trip to Western Michigan,” Binghamton will look to reverse its fortunes on Sunday when it travels to New Jersey to take on Princeton. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. from Cordish Family Pavilion and Lenz Tennis Center in Princeton, New Jersey.
Behind an incredible performance by sophomore breast/ IM swimmer Ruan Zorgman, the Binghamton men’s swimming and diving team impressed at the ECAC Championships this weekend, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh. Despite capturing just one victory during its dual-meet season, the Bearcats (1-5) finished in fourth place out of 15 competing teams. “I was really excited and really happy with the way the team performed,” BU head coach Brad Smith said. “The team just stepped up as a whole and … really put us into position to contend at the ECAC, which was a lot more competitive this year then it has been.” Zorgman opened up his weekend in the preliminary rounds of the 200-meter breaststroke, swimming a time of 1:59.05, and the 100-meter breaststroke, in which he swam a time of 55.28. Both broke school records. While it may have appeared that he was headed for a letdown in the final rounds of each event, none such occurred for the sophomore. Zorgman followed up his recordbreaking performances in the prelims by breaking his own school records in the finals. Zorgman swam a time of 1:59.02 to earn an overall victory in the 200-meter and posted a 55.25 to earn bronze in the 100-meter. He also secured a silver medal for BU in the 200-meter IM event, finishing with a time of 1:48.86. Zorgman’s times in all three events were strong enough to qualify him for the NCAA B-cut. “I’ll be honest, that was not expected,” Smith said about Zorgman’s performance. “I expected him to be very strong in the 100 breast, 200 breast and strong in the 200 IM as well. I just didn’t anticipate him to set new school records both times he swam the 100 breast and both times he swam the 200 breast. That was surprising. He really did a great job.” Aside from Zorgman, Binghamton received medalwinning performances from a host of other swimmers and divers. Sophomore Liam Cashin and junior Brian McKenna each turned in silver-medal winning performances. Cashin swam a time of 4:56.08 — a new school record — in the 400 IM, while McKenna finished with a time of 20.44 in the 50 free. Senior Devin Zdanowski was BU’s most successful diver, placing third in the three-meter dive with a total score of 307.85. “I would say in some ways the team exceeded expectations and in some ways the team met expectations,” Smith said. “Our freshmen really stepped up and did well.” Overall, Navy won the ECAC with 661.5 points, with Army placing second scoring 428.5 points. Columbia came in third with a point total of 418, followed by Binghamton with 400. With his first season at the helm of the Bearcats now concluded, Smith views his team’s performance at the ECAC championship as a building block for the future. “The talent we have now and the talent and depth that we are bringing in, the momentum that we gained off of this meet, the confidence that we are building, I think the team sees what they are capable of going forward and where we are going with the program,” Smith said. “This was a huge confidence booster.”