Spring 2017 Issue 13

AMERICA EAST

basketball TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

See B section

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

Monday, February 27, 2017 | Vol. XCI, Issue 13 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

U Club to offer shuttle buses to campus, DT

University promised over $2M in FEMA aid

Apartment complex plans to provide free transportation service to U Club residents

Senator Schumer announces federal reimbursement for 2011 flood damage

Stacey Schimmel

Brendan Zarkower

Pipe Dream News

Assistant News Editor

For Binghamton University students living at U Club Binghamton, getting to Downtown Binghamton and to campus has been a challenge. But now, a long-promised shuttle bus service is finally taking shape.

The proposed shuttle will hold 25 to 30 students and will provide transportation to campus Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Downtown shuttle will run Thursday to Sunday, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., and will be modeled after the schedule for the Off Campus College Transport and Broome County Transit buses. Both shuttles are intended to run every 15 minutes. The Downtown route is still being finalized, but will stop somewhere near the University Downtown Center.

The idea of a shuttle service from U Club to Downtown has been in progress for over a year, according to Dan Barry, regional manager for American Campus, which bought University Plaza apartments a year and a half ago and changed the name to U Club. They have worked with the University, Broome County Transit and a third-party vendor for the last nine months to release the new bus service.

“We know students are going to go Downtown, and we are looking out for our residents [to see] that there’s a consistent and secure option,” Barry said. “Right now, there’s not a good pedestrian path to get from campus back home and we want to make sure our residents are being responsible.”

The bus service will be run by an outside vendor, First Transit, which runs similar programs at other universities, including SUNY Buffalo. American Campus is paying for this service in full as another amenity to U Club.

Andrew Heller, a U Club resident and a senior majoring in biology, said he is looking forward to having an easier way to see his friends who live Downtown.

“I think this is an opportunity students have been waiting for since last year,” Heller said. “[U Club] has promised a shuttle to Downtown for a while now, and I’m happy they’re not going back on their word.”

Barry said that outside of housing, American Campus wants to make sure students have a good experience and offer them tools to be responsible, especially because, too often, taxi services are

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer visited the University Downtown Center (UDC) Thursday to announce that Binghamton University has received $2.1 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds as reimbursement for repairs for damages that resulted from the historic floods of 2011.

Six years ago, the bottom floors of the UDC incurred heavy damage due to Tropical Storm Lee, which devastated much of the Binghamton area. The building was shut down for an entire year and much of the equipment and furnishings inside had to be removed or replaced.

At the time, Binghamton University reached out to FEMA to secure disaster relief funds. FEMA initially sent $3.1 million to help with the cost of repairs.

But, due to what Schumer described as an error, FEMA ended up deducting $2,778,462 from the federal funding

SEE BUS PAGE 2

Stephen Ruiz/Contributing Photographer Students design and develop projects during HackBU, a student hack-athon where participants work on original, short-term coding projects within a 24-hour period.

More than 350 pack ITC for HackBU Student hackers vie to win first place title in 24-hour-long competition competitions, including best beginner hack, best design and funniest hack.

Participants were awarded $1,378 in Roughly 350 students chugged prizes, which included gift cards, swag caffeine, ate snacks and brainstormed bags, T-shirts and headphones. project ideas at the fifth annual HackBU According to Erik Langert, the hack-athon this weekend. director of HackBU and a senior doubleThe hack-athon began at 1 p.m. on majoring in computer science and Saturday at the Innovative Technologies mathematics, the hack-athon gives Complex (ITC) and lasted until 1 p.m. students a space to explore new ideas Sunday. During this time, students were and projects and provides a collaborative able to work either individually or in space where participants can receive groups on specific coding projects. The feedback. hack-athon consisted of several different “At the hack-athon, we try to keep Alexandra Hupka News Intern

project ideas as open-ended as possible.

We want people to be able to work on whatever they want,” Langert said.

“There are people here to help you, and you feel like you’re a part of something.”

The hack-athon is organized by HackBU, a student group that hosts weekly coding workshops taught by students. Planning the hack-athon includes booking an ITC building for the weekend, allocating a budget for the event, coordinating with sponsors and

SEE HACK PAGE 2

SEE FEMA PAGE 2

Local attorneys discuss Trump's immigration policies

BU professor coordinates panel to explore immigrant rights, acceptance in US society

Samuel Abaev Staff Writer

In response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders concerning immigration and refugee protocol, a panel of three local attorneys convened on Thursday evening to discuss the issues imposed by the policies and methods to deal with them.

The panel was held at the American Civic Association, a nonprofit immigration service organization located in Downtown Binghamton. Dara Silberstein, the executive director of the women, gender and sexuality studies department at BU, coordinated Thursday’s event, which was attended by over 50 community members and BU students.

The attorneys were Zaid Hydari, the executive director and co-founder of the Refugee Solidarity Network, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports legal assistance programs for refugees in Turkey

and carries out advocacy on refugee rights; Carmen Maria Rey, the deputy director of the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families, a role in which she helps to oversee the legal representation of thousands of immigrants; and Tamara Bloom, the managing attorney of the Community Events under the CUNY School of Law and a BU alumna.

Hydari explained that the United States’ acceptance of refugees is a symbolic gesture on an international level, and the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail immigration may implicate negative consequences. He emphasized that given the United States’ international influence and history of leading by example, the choice to not participate in accepting refugees sets a bad example and may emanate a level of selfishness.

“It is a largely symbolic step that the U.S. takes to share with the rest of the world,” Hydari said. “It has huge ramifications on a global level to simply

say we will no longer participate in that program. That is effectively what the executive order has done, to basically say, ‘We are not participating in the program any longer for the next four months.’”

Rey noted that Trump has built on the notion of targeting and scapegoating immigrants. She said that Trump has expanded the definition of a criminal alien to cover all immigrants who have been arrested, even if that arrest did not lead to a conviction.

“The concept of a good immigrant and a bad immigrant allows the government to demonize a portion of our community and start with them, yet it never just stops with them is the problem,” Rey said. “First they come for the people with convictions and then they come for our children, and there is no way to stop it unless you stop it really early on.”

The panelists discussed the work of

SEE IMMIGRATION PAGE 2

Kevin Sussy/Photography Editor Zaid Hydari, executive director and co-founder of the Refugee Solidarity Network, speaks to the community as part of a panel of attorneys on the issues imposed by President Donald Trump’s immigration ban.

Stenger provides glimpse into his time as a researcher before BU University president discusses work in chemical engineering, encourages student research outside of class Hannah Walter Contributing Writer

Around 40 students gathered in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4) fireside lounge on Friday afternoon to hear Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger discuss his former research as a chemical engineer and the skills he gained from it.

The event was hosted by Dickinson Research Team (DiRT), the Dickinson Community program where residents can learn about and conduct research under School of Management and Dickinson Community collegiate professor

Kimberly Jaussi. The conversation was part of DiRT’s Research Rap series, an event that started last year in which the group invites professors to speak about their personal research and the value of academic investigation.

Once Stenger heard about the program, he asked Jaussi if he could speak about the research he had done as a Ph.D. candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and as a professor at Lehigh University.

“One day, Harvey visited to look around DiRT and see what was happening and he heard about the raps,” Jaussi said.

“He said that he would love to do one of

ARTS & CULTURE

them. I figured, what a great way to see a whole other side of the president.”

Stenger spoke about his diverse array of research throughout his years, including his investigation into how salt can create and alter colors in chocolate candy, how to turn carbon-based gases into liquid fuels to run machines and how to make solar energy-powered cars.

He brought up the important qualities, development and traits a person can get from researching.

“The ability to [fall] forward, the ability to be patient, the ability to be flexible, the ability to be empowered is something a person can’t get just from a classroom,”

Stenger said. “In classes, you can get the answers in the back of the book and you write a paper that’s just a summary of another paper. You don’t create something that’s inside of you. Students get that from research, from programs like DiRT.” Stenger also talked about the benefit of interdisciplinary research and exploration, as well as what the University plans on doing to expand student involvement in this area.

“We need to create spaces and opportunities where you can bring your assets to a problem and help solve it,” Stenger said. “We have two projects we’re

OPINIONS

working on now. One is Nuthatch Hollow, a ‘living building’ that has to create more benefits for Earth and people than it would take away. About 100 students and faculty are working on ideas for it now.

The second one is the innovation lab. The concept is that we would create a very flexible space where students can come in, have conversations and solve problems.”

Emily Kuehnle, an undeclared freshman, said she enjoyed what she had heard from Stenger in the past and came to the event in order to find out more about his experiences before becoming

SEE STENGER PAGE 2

SPORTS

Visit bupipedream.com to see our Oscar Awards coverage.

Celebrating Black History Month with poetry,

The Editorial Board discusses the upcoming break,

Women’s basketball splits final AE contests,

Alkins sets meet records at AE Indoor Championships,

See bupipedream.com

See page 5

See page 8

See page 11

See page 12

2

NEWS

bupipedream.com | February 27, 2017

Schumer announces $2M in FEMA funding for BU FEMA FROM PAGE 1 award because it believed that BU would be compensated by insurance companies for the damages.

Schumer said that this deduction was errant because the University never received any insurance payout, as FEMA claimed.

“This goes into the Washington category of ‘duh’ — they’re self-insured,” Schumer said, referring to BU. “They don’t have insurance. So FEMA left the University in the lurch.”

Schumer said that FEMA had just now admitted its error and agreed to compensate BU for $2.1 million of what they initially deducted. He said that although some of the money remains uncollected, around 75 percent has already been transferred to the University.

“There’s about $700,000 left,” Schumer said. “But we’ll continue to fight for the remaining money,” BU originally had to reallocate money out of its own pocket — from what Stenger referred to appropriately as the “rainy day fund” — to pay for the repairs.

“The found money is great to have, and what better use of found money than to do what the original purpose of this college was, and that is to engage our

community,” Stenger said.

Stenger specified two major projects that the “found money” will benefit.

Nuthatch Hollow is an 80acre property that was donated to BU by local businessman Robert Schumann, which will be one of the world’s first “living buildings.” Some of the funds will go toward building a community center on the property, which will be available for use by local residents as well as the University.

Additionally, Stenger hinted at a new endeavor to build a welcome center near the front of campus that will serve community engagement and admissions functions, and provide an outward facing entranceway into the University.

“People will be able to feel welcome, take a little break, park their car, get a small cup of coffee before they venture onto the campus for perhaps an admissions tour, or an event at the Events Center, or perhaps recruiting some of our students at the career placement center,” Stenger said.

At the event, Schumer was accompanied by College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) Dean Laura Bronstein, Binghamton Mayor Rich David, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar and Stenger. Each lauded the senator for his dedication to

Photo provided by Binghamton University Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at the University Downtown Center Thursday afternoon.

the city of Binghamton and BU. Schumer is beginning his fourth term in the U.S. Senate and earlier this year replaced former Sen. Harry Reid as the minority leader. He is known to make appearances at BU on Parade Day and in May for graduation and, according to Stenger, is a powerful ally

for the school.

“All of us at Binghamton are honored that despite his busy schedule and the many important issues he has to address, he considers us a priority, and we are humbled by his support through the years,” Stenger said.

Schumer returned the compliment and emphasized

Stenger’s role in improving the University’s influence on the Southern Tier’s economy.

“If you asked most people, ‘What is the brightest spot on the horizon for the economic future of the Southern Tier,’ they would say Binghamton University, and it is in good part due to this man’s vision,” Schumer said, referring

to Stenger.

Bronstein emphasized the importance of the UDC as a beacon in the community that is more than just a building to CCPA. “This building is more than a building to us, it’s really a symbol of our college’s commitment to the community,” Bronstein said.

UClub to Immigration panel discusses Trump policies Stenger offer bus recounts services to research residents IMMIGRATION FROM PAGE 1

BUS FROM PAGE 1 overcrowded and unsafe.

BU Director of Transportation David Husch said his top priority is ensuring that students are getting back and forth to campus easily for their classes.

“As far as going back and forth Downtown, I know [a bus is] something students have been asking for for a few years now,” Husch said. “As a member of the advisory board for Broome County Stop-DWI, I think it’ll be beneficial, so students aren’t driving while intoxicated.”

Rebecca Stern-Shock, a U Club resident and a junior majoring in psychology, said this will relieve some of the burden of getting Downtown and will make it more enjoyable to go out.

“I’m incredibly excited,” SternShock said. “It will make nightlife at Binghamton so much easier, because every time I wanted to go out it would mean so much planning on exactly when I could get a bus home or rely on a cab, which can add up.”

The exact date of implementation has not yet been finalized, but Barry said it will be before the end of this semester.

the Immigrant Defense Project, a nonprofit organization based in New York City which aims to protect and expand the rights of all immigrants. The organization provides information about what one’s rights are in the face of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

For example, if an agent approaches an individual, the panel explained the first thing they should ask is “Am I free to go?” If the agents say no, one should use their right to remain silent and ask to speak to a lawyer. If agents begin to search an individual’s belongings, one should state, “I do not consent to a search.” The panel further stressed that one should

not lie, show false documents, attempt to flee or resist arrest, as it may further aggravate the situation.

Maria Leira, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, expressed that she attended the event in order to gain deeper insight on the recent happenings regarding Trump’s immigration policies.

“It’s frightening to make certain people feel excluded from a community and Trump has tapped into that dangerous territory,” Leira said. “If we can learn more about what’s happening now with the recent changes, it’s always beneficial to know why things are happening and perhaps learn methods we can use to combat these changes.”

Students compete at 24-hour hack-athon HACK FROM PAGE 1 buying prizes and food. This takes about nine months, but Langert said the experience is worth the time they put into it.

“The club was started because it’s always fun to teach people new stuff,” Langert said. “There is this really special moment that you have at the hack-athon where you are sleep-deprived and can’t get stuff to work, and you’re surrounded by people who are really smart and are willing to help you and see you succeed. There’s a community and an atmosphere that forms at events like this that you can’t get anywhere else.”

While Binghamton University students dominated the event, students from nine other nearby universities such as Cornell University, Stony Brook University and New York University were also invited to attend. Md Islam, a junior from Rutgers University

majoring in computer science, built a web app with his group to help people get better at phone interviews.

“I came to meet new people and build something awesome,” Islam said. “My group is building an app that asks questions on the phone to the user and then directs the user to a website where they can receive feedback on the interview. So far, I’ve met some pretty awesome people here.”

Islam, along with teammates Rohit Kapur, a senior majoring in business administration; Emma Siegel, a senior majoring in graphic design; and Akash Kothawale, a graduate student studying computer science, won first place overall and best design in the competition.

In addition, 12 corporate sponsors, including The Vanguard Group, Citi, BAE Systems and Viacom, held talks, workshops, competitions and challenges

during the event. They also gave students feedback on their projects and spoke with participants who were seeking employment.

Participants worked on a variety of projects including a random image generator, a game designed to teach American Sign Language and a website that tells users what milkshakes are available at Nite Owl in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center each night. Lydia King, a junior double-majoring in mathematics and economics, said that she was working with a group of people to create a program capable of predicting a Twitter user’s future tweets.

“You will be able to type in a handle and the program will predict future tweets of that user,” King said. “We are having fun and the results should be interesting.”

Emily Bernstein, a sophomore majoring in computer science, said that this was her second time

participating in the hack-athon.

“I know a little kid who I wanted to teach to type, but I couldn’t find any free, interesting typing games, so I decided to make my own,” Bernstein said.

“This is a great place to work on projects because there are lots of people around to help you.”

Junhson Jean-Baptiste, an undeclared freshman, said that his group was working on a website that acted as a search engine for athletes. He said that this was his first time attending the hackathon, and that he thought it was a good learning experience.

“I wanted to apply what I’ve learned in class,” Jean-Baptiste said. “I’ve worked on projects of my own, but I’ve never worked with other people, so I wanted to come and have fun.”

Editor’s note: Rohit Kapur is the managing editor of Pipe Dream, and had no involvement with this article’s content.

experience STENGER FROM PAGE 1 president at BU. She said she was intrigued by his assessment of failure.

“When he talked about embracing failure, that really stuck out to me,” Kuehnle said.

“I definitely think it is a good mindset to have, because everyone is going to fail and it’s hard when you are in the process of failing, but to have that outlook postfailure is definitely a good trait to carry with you in life.”

...bring your assets to a problem and help solve it — Harvey Stenger BU President

PAGE III Monday, February 27, 2017

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

Pipe Line

Alumni Love

Web: bupipedream.com

Spring 2017

Thousands continue to watch local pregnant giraffe

LOCAL NEWS Five arrested after prostitution investigation in Vestal Five local residents have been arrested after a prostitution investigation in Vestal, according to Binghamton Homepage. The arrests come after the Vestal Police Department conducted an investigation into the activities at 821 Main St. They say they have had multiple complaints and responses to this residence in recent history, and have executed search warrants there previously. The five were charged with a variety of offenses including prostitution, criminal possession of a controlled substance and loitering.

Rep. Claudia Tenney returns to US after trip to Afghanistan and Iraq Rep. Claudia Tenney is returning to the United States following a congressional trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Binghamton Homepage.

While on the trip, Tenney met with U.S. servicemen and women and officials to better her understanding of how terrorists fund their operations.

On Saturday, Tenney made her second trip to Broome County since being elected and met with local veterans.

editor-in-ChieF* Jeffrey D. Twitty editor@bupipedream.com

The world continues to wait in anticipation for April the giraffe to give birth to a baby calf. According to Binghamton Homepage, the giraffe, which lives in the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, is expected to give birth in the coming days.

An online video stream of the giraffe has garnered national attention and millions of viewers.

MAnAging editor* Rohit Kapur manager@bupipedream.com

neWs editor* Alexandra K. Mackof news@bupipedream.com Asst. neWs editors Pelle Waldron Gabriella Weick Brendan Zarkower

NATIONAL NEWS

oPinions editor* Caleb D. Schwartz opinions@bupipedream.com

Trump declines to attend White House Correspondents’ Association dinner President Donald Trump has announced that he will not attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, according to CNN. “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year.

Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” Trump tweeted on Saturday. The last president to miss the dinner was Ronald Reagan, who sat out because he was recovering from an assassination attempt in 1981, although he still delivered remarks by phone.

This Day in History Feb. 27, 1997

Divorce becomes legal in Ireland.

“This wasn’t a president that was elected to spend his time with reporters and celebrities.”

— White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on why President Donald Trump will not be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

Corrections On Feb. 23, Pipe Dream published numerous factual errors in our recap of the Feb. 20 Congress meeting.

For an accurate reporting of the events, please visit our website at bupipedream.com. Pipe Dream regrets the errors.

Arts & Culture editor* Odeya Pinkus arts@bupipedream.com Asst. Arts & Culture editors Rachel Greenspan Georgia Westbrook

Kevin Sussy/Photography Editor Seth Lipper, ‘12, proposes to Shaina Fischer, ‘13, in the Nature Preserve Friday afternoon.

sPorts editor* Orlaith McCaffrey sports@bupipedream.com Asst. sPorts editors Noah Bressner Kyle McDonald PhotogrAPhy editor* Kevin A. Sussy photo@bupipedream.com

Police Watch

Alexandra Hupka Police Correspondant

Student purchases Domino’s with stolen credit card MONDAY, Feb. 20, 11 p.m. — Dispatch sent a call regarding a fraud case involving a University student, said Investigator Dennis Bush of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. The caller, a 58-year-old male, was a manager at Domino’s in Johnson City. The manager stated that someone had made a purchase with a stolen credit card and had asked for it to be delivered to the University. The pizza had been delivered at approximately 8 p.m., and afterward, the manager had discovered that the credit card number was stolen. The pizza order came to $80. The manager gave officers the name, address and phone number of the student that the pizza had been delivered to.

Officers contacted the student, a 23-year-old male, who stated that he had no knowledge that the card had been stolen and had contacted a stranger through the internet to order the pizza for him. He said that he had seen a tweet advertising a discount on food from several chain retailers, and had messaged the person that the advertisement told him to contact. After exchanging several messages with the stranger, the student wired them $35 through PayPal and gave them their name and phone number. The student asked the stranger to have Domino’s deliver the pizza to campus.

The student agreed to pay Domino’s the full $80 for his pizza.

Candy stolen from Newing vending machine FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 3:52 a.m. — Officers responded to Bingham Hall of Newing College after receiving a report of criminal mischief, Bush said. When officers arrived at the scene, they were met by two male residents and a Residential Life staff member. The staff member stated that the males had woken her up after discovering that a vending machine in the building had been vandalized. The glass on the front of the machine had been smashed, and there were glass shards on the floor. There was a smaller amount of glass shards inside the machine. The machine appeared fully stocked, with the exception of Kit Kat bars and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which were running low. The machine was located directly across the public bathrooms and a water fountain. On the

water fountain, officers found candy wrappers. Officers checked for additional evidence, but none was found.

The remaining consumable goods were secured as possible evidence. The value of the food, which cannot be resold, totaled to $250. The damage to the machine is estimated to cost $600. The case is still under investigation.

Student arrested for stealing from campus bookstore FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2:20 p.m. — An offduty officer entered the University bookstore and was pulled aside by the manager, who claimed that she had found somebody shoplifting from the store, Bush said. The manager asked the officer to follow her out of the store, and told the officer that a man in line at the Red Mango smoothie station had picked up items in the bookstore and walked out without paying. The officer asked the man to come into the bookstore so they could talk. The man, a 19-year-old student, complied with the request and returned the items that he stole. He was arrested, and will appear in the Vestal Town Court. He will also face Student Conduct charges.

C4 employee fired after coming to work intoxicated FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. — Officers received a disorderly conduct report from the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4), Bush said. Officers responded to the scene and spoke with the manager of the dining hall, who stated that a 45-year-old male employee had come to work intoxicated, and when asked to leave, began to shout at the manager. The manager gave officers the employee’s name, and told them that he was outside the building but refusing the leave the premises. The manager stated that he did not want the man arrested, however, he did want him escorted off the premises and told to not report for any future shifts. Officers spoke with the man, who admitted to having several rum drinks before getting on the bus to go to work. Officers observed that the man appeared intoxicated, but was capable of taking care of himself. Officers informed the man that he would not be welcomed back at his job and escorted the man to the bus stop. They stayed with him and ensured that he left campus.

Asst. PhotogrAPhy editor Kevin E. Paredes Fun editor* Elizabeth A. Manning fun@bupipedream.com

design MAnAger* Teri Lam design@bupipedream.com design Assts.

Airi Kojima Casey Tin CoPy desk ChieF* Shauna R. Bahssin copy@bupipedream.com Asst. CoPy desk ChieF Gabrielle Teaman neWsrooM teChnology MAnAger* Henry Zheng tech@bupipedream.com editoriAl Artist Elizabeth A. Manning

business MAnAger* Michael A. Contegni business@bupipedream.com Asst. business MAnAger Andrew P. Genussa businessassistant@bupipedream.com distribution MAnAger Justine L. Seliger distribution@bupipedream.com

Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel. *Positions seated on the Executive Board are denoted by an asterisk.

Pipe Dream is published Mondays and Thursdays 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 departmental 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 emailed to the Opinions Editor at opinions@ bupipedream.com.

stabilizing: moonlight

EDUCATION CLUB is meeting on

Tuesdays at 6PM in UU202

SA Chartered

la la land :destabilizing

ARTS & CULTURE Local events celebrate Black History Month through poetry Entrepreneur brings hip-hop to coffee shop Black Student Union hosts Brooklyn-based artists Hannah Reichelscheimer Contributing Writer The theme was throwback hip-hop and the cover was $5, but the atmosphere was far different from any fraternity party. While best known locally for its coffee and tea, Strange Brew hosted “Poetic Vibes” on Saturday night, a forum for poets, dancers, rappers and musicians within the community to express themselves and celebrate Black History Month.

The night was put together

by Queens Recognize Queens, an “empowerment brand that promotes diversity, collaboration & leadership,” according to its Facebook page. The event stayed true to its theme, and provided entertainment in the form of hip-hop dancers. In addition, “Poetic Vibes” showcased a performer who, as a hip-hop artist by nature, was able to combine rap and song into the delivery of his poem.

During the event, performers touched upon some sensitive topics including sexual abuse, abandonment and police brutality.

“The importance of these events is having a conversation about things that are hard,” said Ebony Tutora of Binghamton, founder of Queens Recognize Queens. “I have a unique story.

I think everybody has a unique story.”

Khadijah Hamilton, a local resident, delivered a piece on

her experience as a Muslim woman. The poem contained statements like “they labeled us the mad black woman, and you know what, they were onto something.” The piece was critical of the societal stigmas surrounding black women as well as those who wear hijabs.

“Sometimes I’m not good at talking to people so it’s easy to just write it down; you can say how you feel — what you want to say — without feeling like someone’s going to judge you, and then eventually share it,” Hamilton said.

Regarding this issue of confidence, Tutora had a lot to say. She spoke about making videos on Facebook as a means of promoting her brand, but something about performing in a room full of “live and well people,” she said, seems to boost her confidence.

“I look to Will Smith, he said, ‘Do it afraid;’ you have to always do it afraid,” Tutora said. “That’s how you grow.”

While the event did often feature an emotional vibe, it was broken up by comedic and light moments, with poems titled “Love at first Snapchat,” “Add Me” and “Subtweet.”

The event consisted of scheduled performers, followed by an open-mic section for those feeling spontaneous.

Mornee Curry, a 17-yearold local resident, performed personal poems. She described the experience as inspiring.

“[This event] really helps people express themselves and listen to others,” Curry said.

“You get ideas from listening to other people.”

The audience fostered a community vibe, cheering on a poet when he forgot the last half of his piece and a young performer when her music stopped playing.

Audience members at Strange Brew were active participants in each other’s empowerment through the arts.

“Art is a really great form of expression,” said Elyssa Diamond, a junior doublemajoring in English and human development. “Just having an environment like this that’s so open, that people can just come and speak their minds [in] is really important especially in terms of Black History Month because poetry and dancing and music, it’s all so expressive.”

The importance of this event was evident in each poem and each round of applause which ensued thereafter.

Tutora and her fellow coordinators are hopeful that this event may become recurrent. She hopes to expand to the student community as well.

“My goal is to network with other organizations,” Tutora said. “I try to network with different organizations within the community to pull their people, so that’s the goal,” Tutora said.

Lida Tozzi/Contributing Photographer A performer participates in “Poetic Vibes,” an event held at Strange Brew in Downtown Binghamton. The event was held Saturday evening and brought together various poets, dancers and musicians within the community to celebrate Black History Month.

Mindy Qiu/Contributing Photographer A performer participates in a slam poetry event hosted by the Black Student Union. The event was held Friday evening in Old University Union and concluded BSU’s Black History Month event lineup.

Hannah Ettestadt Contributing Writer Poetry was set in motion this past Friday at the Binghamton University Black Student Union headquarters, located in Old University Union. The organization hosted a poetry jam as its Black History Month closing event.

The jam featured two renowned poets and performers, Nicole Shante and Moise Morancy, both from Brooklyn, New York. Shante and Morancy energized their poetry by acting out conversations and incorporating movement into their performances.

Shante performed a “choreopoem,” which is a piece combining dance and poetry.

She said she chooses to include dance in her performances because she believes it is another form of storytelling.

“I started dancing at 12 years old,” Shante said. “It was my first understanding of storytelling.”

Shante’s poems are deeply personal, stitched together with brutally honest details about everything from sex, to depression, to talks with her grandmother.

In one poem, she celebrated her body, lifting her arms and swaying her hips to accompany her declarations of self-love.

However, further into her act, she stood still, hugging her arms

protectively across her chest as she recalled instances of fear from the struggle of having a woman’s body in a world where it is “supposed to be given to everyone but [herself].”

Shante believes that her poetry is not complete without movement involved.

“A poem is a living and breathing thing,” Shante said.

“It doesn’t just exist on paper, but in my mouth and my body.”

Rosieva Ashong-Katai, a senior majoring in sociology, agreed that Shante’s poetry was enhanced by the elements of dance.

“I love the way her body mimics her words,” AshongKatai said. “It was surreal to watch her.”

After a long round of applause for Shante, Morancy took to the stage as the second act of the night to give his own version of performance art.

In addition to writing, Morancy is a professional actor, and has made appearances on TV shows such as “The Affair” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Just as Shante incorporates her dancing background into her work, Morancy uses his skills as an actor to create engaging and emotionally charged narrative pieces that include conversations between multiple characters, all played by himself.

Morancy interacts with the audience in his pieces, giving

them instructions on when and what to yell out to him in the middle of his poems. A chorus of “Thanks Obama!” filled the room during his piece titled “Dear President Obama,” which he was inspired to write when a professor of his constantly criticized the former president.

Morancy’s pieces are passionate and honest. In his opening piece, “My Generation,” he focused on the impact he and his peers have had on culture, politics and social media. In some pieces, Morancy includes dialogue between two characters, and alternates between narrating the story and changing into a character by spinning on his heel. Each new character was complete with a different voice, personality and mannerism.

On multiple occasions, Morancy’s performance brought up the Black Lives Matter movement, both directly and by talking about the issue of racism and corruption among police forces. Before a piece titled “Know Your Rights,” Morancy recalled times when he himself had been assaulted by police officers and shared that he wanted to impact the audience with his performance.

“I don’t write for myself, I do it for the cause,” Morancy said. “I want the people [in the audience] to take something with them when they leave.”

With baton and wand, orchestra makes magic in Osterhout BU Symphony Orchestra opens its semester with concert featuring mysticism and movie suites

Ryan Muller Contributing Writer On Saturday afternoon, the Binghamton University Symphony Orchestra practiced sorcery of its own in the Osterhout Concert Theater of the Anderson Center during “It’s Magic!,” the Orchestra’s first concert of the semester.

Under the direction of music professor Timothy Perry as conductor, the orchestra played five pieces relating to magic.

Perry, who began at Binghamton University in 1986, is also the current director of graduate studies for the Binghamton University Music Department.

The concert opened with Spanish-American composer Carlos Surinach’s “The Magic Fair,” a piece telling the story of an ominous fair shrouded in mystery.

Before starting the second

piece, a suite from the 2010 animated film “How to Train Your Dragon,” Perry explained that the work has its roots in Celtic and Gothic influences.

According to Perry, much of the music in the suite reflects these influences and cultures, while being a lighthearted piece fit for children and families. The lightheartedness of this piece in contrast to the first one showed that the orchestra would be exploring several types of magic, ranging from more mysterious, serious ones to fantastical, exciting interpretations.

With their third piece, Perry and the orchestra delved into a more sinister form of magic.

Before beginning the song, Modest Mussorgsky’s “A Night on the Bare Mountain,” Perry discussed the concept of black magic and its history.

“Only the coming of day and tolling of the church bell will

dispel the ongoing revelries of this unholy part [of magic],” Perry said.

With this piece, the orchestra led the audience through a battle against dark magic. Tensions and tempos varied as the power of black magic in this story rose and fell. The side winning at a given moment is made clear by the orchestra. At the end, the piece turned pretty and subtly joyful, perhaps telling the audience that good has prevailed and that black magic has been defeated.

The Symphony Orchestra then transitioned into a lighter piece with Paul Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Perry explained to the crowd that this comical piece may be recognized from it’s use in the 1940 animated Disney film “Fantasia.”

The orchestra used the different instruments to create comedic effects and represent different characters and themes in the

story. The bassoon and low brass, for example, played as the enchanted broom. Instruments engaged in call-and-response playing as if they were characters having conversations.

Perry ended the concert with a suite from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” composed by renowned artist John Williams.

The orchestra embodied the signature sense of awe and mystery the songs achieve in the franchise.

The concert closed with a standing ovation and cheers from audience members.

Music and magic have been present in societies and civilizations for years, often serving as integral parts in culture and lifestyle, but Perry’s message is about more than just the music. He said magic is a concept present in all that we do, represented by our ability as people to do good or bad.

Under the direction of music professor Timothy Perry as conductor, the orchestra played five pieces relating to magic Elizabeth Manning/Editorial Artist

<HACKATHON Brendan Zarkower & Stephen Ruiz Staff Photographers

‘Sup, dorks. Bet you didn’t expect to see yourselves here, did ya? Well guess what, hackers, it’s a new day NERD-BURGERS? Yeah, so anyway, we hope your wholesome and educational day was fun and exciti Take us with

SPRING 2017

WARRIORS/>

y, and we decided to venture into the ITC to deliver some wet willies. What did they serve for lunch there? ing. Also, please forget how mean weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being when you make six figures at a tech company one day. h you, please.

OPINIONS Monday, February 27, 2017

MARCH(ING) BREAK Many students are looking forward to getting away this weekend, when Binghamton University officially goes on break from Friday to Tuesday, March 7.

Yet some are not so happy about the upcoming five-day weekend and the subsequent closure of dorms and halting of university services. This is because Parade Day, the highly anticipated, city-wide celebration, falls on Saturday, and those who live on campus and wish to participate — unless they can crash at a friend’s house — are out of luck.

We understand why it’s in the best interest of the administration to limit student participation in Parade Day, especially for students under the age of 21. Although the University has claimed the timing is coincidental, Parade Day is the biggest drinking event of the semester for many students, which puts student safety and BU’s local image at risk. It makes sense

Elizabeth Manning/Editorial Artist

to limit liability by preventing students, especially underage ones, from drinking publicly.

Nevertheless, student resentment over the timing this break is also well-founded.

Binghamton has very few traditions that are as large-scale as Parade Day. No other event comes as close to connecting the community to the student body, for better or for worse. Students can look forward to Parade Day each year with regularity, even if most of them really only look forward to the drinking part of it.

While it’s understandable to want to limit this, detaching the student body from one of its only major traditions might not be the most effective way to mitigate harm. What if Parade Day were not just an excuse to binge drink,

as many students would otherwise be doing, but also an event that actually brought students closer to their city?

It’s not uncommon to find universities that rally around community events, and more times than not, said events involve alcohol. But alcohol is rarely the end all be all for these events, and it doesn’t need to be for Parade Day weekend in Binghamton.

On the Friday before Parade Day, students organizations and the Student Association could host large events or fundraisers in the evening. Barely anyone goes out that Friday, and therefore more students are available for a more sober activity.

Student organizations can also use the celebratory weekend to host in Downtown Binghamton.

There are opportunities for community events or tabling for clubs, before or after actual Parade Day. Maybe it’s volunteering at a local elementary school on Friday or picking up littered recyclables around Downtown on Sunday.

Limiting student participation in Parade Day by scheduling a break passes up an opportunity to grow a day-drinking opportunity into a larger-scale tradition for the students and the community — one that involves a day of partying and parading, but also hinges on community events and philanthropy. While the break from classes is much-needed by many students, we’d like something constructive to do in the downtime, and Binghamton — and its parade — seems like a great place to start.

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, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor and Arts & Culture Editor.

When politics intersect with Greek life

Personal beliefs should not and have not played a part in sorority recruitment Rebecca Klar

Columnist

Earlier this month, 300 girls signed up to be a part of a fourday cycle of endless small talk.

Sorority recruitment is like going on 1,000 little first dates, except more awkward because there is a lot of clapping and singing. And while talking about Netflix and campus food gets boring fast, there are two topics every sorority girl knows not to discuss during recruitment: partying and politics.

While the first tends to be difficult to avoid, the second usually isn’t. In my three years as a part of Binghamton University’s National Panhellenic Council, I’ve never been tempted to bring up political views in recruitment conversations, and it definitely never crossed my mind to consider when choosing

which girls to welcome into my organization. But that was before President Donald Trump’s United States became the norm.

Politics in Greek life are not generally an issue because it’s not a political environment. Whether you lean more to the right or left should have no impact on how you’re viewed. The values laid out in the mission statements of organizations in the National Panhellenic Council are values held on both sides of the aisle, or at least that’s how it was before Trump.

The “alt-right,” whitesupremacist wing that Trump’s campaign and now presidency has ignited is vastly different from normal party politics.

It’s created a society in which everything has become political because the hate spewed directly impacts the everyday lives of millions of people.

Recently, The Odyssey posted an article in which a Binghamton University student claimed to

be dropped by the recruitment process because she voted for Trump. What the article fails to mention is the author’s use of social media to proliferate hate toward minorities. You have the right to vote for whichever candidate you choose, and nobody else has to know. There is simply no way for the members of the six organizations participating in recruitment to know which box any of the girls picked on Nov. 8, unless those girls disclose that information. That’s how the U.S. democratic process works.

Even if it were public knowledge, it wouldn’t bar anyone from the opportunity to be a part of the National Panhellenic Council.

We’re several weeks into the Trump administration, and many “elitist liberals” have found themselves awkwardly mid-Trump joke only to realize they’re speaking to someone who voted for Trump.

There are plenty of people I was shocked to find out voted for

Trump, but that in itself is not a crime or immoral act. And I understand everyone had their own reasons. However, that’s completely different than openly targeting people of color on social media.

While those outside the Greek life system see a stereotyped image of sorority girls spending all day drinking and posing for Instagram pictures, the ideals of the six social philanthropic sororities on BU’s campus have more value than that.

They’re “dynamic sisterhoods of powerful women fostering uncompromising principles, igniting positive change and embracing individuality,” and women who “instill such ideals in the hearts of its members as will result in actions worthy of the highest precepts of true womanhood, democracy and humanity.”

Discriminating against or degrading people based on their race or religion has nothing

to do with party politics. The hatred for minorities that has been facilitated by the Trump administration has made politics more prominent in the media we see every day. Before this year I could count on one hand, maybe even one finger, the amount of times I had watched C-SPAN. Now, I can’t remember the last day I didn’t at least see one clip of C-SPAN footage while scrolling through Facebook.

The outlandish acts of hostility displayed by the Trump administration have brought politics to the center stage.

Regardless of who you chose to vote for in November, for whatever reasons you had, you have the choice every day to be accepting or to generate more hate. As politics continue to cross boundaries previously left untouched, we must continue to be vigilant about our choices.

Everything has become political because the hate spewed directly impacts the everyday lives of millions of people

— Rebecca Klar is a senior majoring in English.

A Moore effective avenue for feminism in TV Mary Tyler Moore modeled a balanced method of achieving social goals through comedy Kristen DiPietra

Columnist

Less than a week after the Women’s March on Washington, the United States lost a pioneering comic and feminist.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Mary Tyler Moore died at the age of 80 from a cardiopulmonary arrest.

Moore’s feminist legacy, achieved primarily through her comedic one, cannot be overstated. She cultivated the modern sitcom woman and made feminist issues palatable for ’70s audiences. On “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” she weaved contentious issues into her episodes through a witty and timeless execution. In a 1972 episode, Mary admits being on birth control to the chagrin of her parents, when her mother reminds her husband to take his pill, to which father and daughter respond in kind, “I won’t.”

Moore marketed these issues

through her subtlety and good humor. You didn’t need to be a woman to appreciate Mary Richards’ tenacity toward her work and relationships with others. Richards didn’t wave a flag of change to viewers.

Instead, each episode was a medicine dropper, injecting each controversial joke with flair, grace and familiarity.

Today, there are sitcoms and shows that grapple with equally compelling feminist issues.

As feminism aligns itself with issues of race, immigration and climate change, comedy must advance these issues in a way that is compelling, memorable and funny. While comedians should never worry about offending or alienating audiences, it takes a fair amount of dexterity to execute these themes without controversy.

In an episode of “Girls,” a character nonchalantly reveals with a smirk that she can’t go running because she had an abortion. This scene, aiming to be comedic, rather makes the procedure seem trivial. Although

there is no right way to write an abortion scene, this episode proved to be rather insensitive, supplemented by creator Lena Dunham’s fetishization of abortion — last year when Dunham was asked whether she had an abortion, the 30-year-old responded, “I wish I had.”

The scene had no comedic value and failed to present the reality of an abortion. While I appreciate the series diverging from the classic abortion narrative of tears, hugs and depression, “Girls” likened the operation to a bout of the sniffles.

HBO’s “Insecure” seems to be a better voice for the millennial generation. Issa Rae, who plays a protagonist in the show, flawlessly delivers intersectional messages as a kind-hearted, relatable and down-to-earth character.

Between her cringe-worthy freestyle in the bathroom mirror and her onstage “Broken Pussy” rap, it’s hard not to cherish Rae. “Insecure” breaches themes of race and sex in a way that’s insightful, not alienating. Rae’s

narrative of feeling out-of-place lends a hand to people all across the political spectrum, as long as people are willing to open up and experience life through the eyes of a black woman. Rae achieves a precarious balance of comedy and racial insight without relying on tropes or being on the nose. She has the potential to bring people together in a more progressive United States in a similar vein of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

We remember television primarily for its comedic value.

Between Moore’s inability to stifle her laughter during the funeral of Chuckles the Clown, her donning of that atrocious green dress and a stellar ensemble to hold it all together, Mary Tyler Moore became the quintessence of future workplace comedies. The show’s ability to advance progressive causes was a byproduct of having such a reliable and inclusionary protagonist.

Despite a tumultuous childhood, Moore did make it after all, and convinced an entire generation

to as well.

There are many different paths toward social progress.

As proven by Moore, television can achieve social goals most effectively through its dialogue and characters, not shock value or controversy. Both on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and her titular program, Moore did not demonize her pre-feminist co-workers and environment, but rather molded it through common sense.

In “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Moore insisted that her homemaker character Laura Petrie wear capris while doing housework as opposed to a skirt because it’s “what I do in real life, what my friends do, and that’s be a realistic wife who wears pants and doesn’t care how she looks.”

And she still looked damn good, or at least good enough to win the respect and attention of a relatively conservative audience.

— Kristen DiPietra is a junior double-majoring in English and human development.

Television can achieve social goals most effectively through its dialogue and characters, not shock value or controversy

##

FUN

www.bupipedream.com | TKMonth ##, 20##

F UN

Monday, February 27, 2017 Types of Showers Part 1

Fake News

Elizabeth Manning

Nate Walker

Thursday @ 9PM UU 209 Zombie Student Association lisa is dead

Weekly Meetings

11

SPORTS

bupipedream.com | February 27, 2017

Men's lacrosse suffers first loss under McKeown Despite Moore's second straight hat trick, third-quarter struggles doom Binghamton Kyle McDonald Assistant Sports Editor

Rebecca Kiss/Pipe Dream Photographer Senior goalkeeper Tanner Cosens recorded seven saves Marist.

Redshirt senior attacker Tom Moore scored his second goal five minutes into the second half to restore the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team’s two-goal cushion.

That lead did not last long, though, as Marist scored five straight goals and ultimately took the game, 118. “[In] the second half as a whole I think we just turned it over a lot,” said BU head coach Kevin McKeown. “With those turnovers came a lot of defensive possessions.”

The game got off to an odd start as the Bearcats (1-1) scored the opening two goals before storms in the area delayed play for almost an hour. Once it resumed, the two teams traded back-and-forth goals until the third quarter when

Marist (3-1) took control.

Binghamton looked overmatched offensively in the third, when the Red Foxes dominated possession and outshot the Bearcats, 10-4. Marist was extremely efficient in the quarter as well, converting seven of their eight shots on goal.

“We didn’t do a great job of defending their dodges from behind,” McKeown said. “With a lot of the possessions they had they were able to capitalize.”

For BU, it was a tale of two halves. They scored five of their eight goals in the first half. With a one-goal edge late in the second quarter, senior attacker Matt Kaser scored a dramatic last-second goal to send the Bearcats into the half ahead, 5-3.

Kaser’s goal provided BU with some much-needed momentum going into the second half. Despite

beginning the third quarter with the ball and a man-up opportunity, the Bearcats failed to capitalize, mustering just nine shots in the final 30 minutes of play.

“It would’ve been nice to get the first goal of the third quarter and keep that momentum going,” McKeown said.

One bright spot on a stormy afternoon was Moore’s performance. He continued his stellar play and led the Bearcats with three goals and one assist.

He leads the team with seven goals this year.

“Tom [Moore] is an experienced player,” McKeown said. “Being in his fifth year of playing college lacrosse, he has a good sense of the game. He’s a highly skilled player, so when he does get those opportunities he does a good job of canning them.”

Senior goalkeeper Tanner

Cosens was busy in between the pipes for BU, recording seven saves on 18 shots on goal.

One area in which BU saw improvement from its first game was the performance at the faceoff.

After only winning seven of 23 draws a week ago, the Bearcats won 11 of 20 against Marist.

After his first loss at the helm of the Bearcats, McKeown hopes his team will come ready to play next week against another tough opponent.

“We’re going to try to be more consistent in practice and in our practice habits … hopefully that will help us out come Saturday against Hobart,” McKeown said.

The Bearcats are set to close out their three-game home stand against Hobart on Saturday.

Faceoff is set for noon from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.

Bearcats' comeback bid halted against Dartmouth Kennedy, Golderman combine for seven goals, but BU defense fails to stop Big Green attack Samuel Ditchek Pipe Dream Sports

After recording its first win of the season against Colgate, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team came up short against Dartmouth Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats (1-3) fell to the Big Green (3-0) by a score of 15-11.

Junior midfielder Jacqueline Kennedy, who logged four goals, one ground ball and one caused turnover for the game, came out of the gates firing to record her first tally three minutes into play.

Despite the Bearcats’ early offense, Dartmouth went on to score three consecutive goals.

Following a free-position goal by sophomore midfielder Rebecca Golderman, the Big Green answered back with two straight

tallies to increase its lead to 4-2 at the halfway mark of the first half.

Even though Kennedy and junior attacker Tiffany Ryan each added a goal later in the opening frame, the Bearcats entered halftime down, 9-4.

BU continued to stagnate on both sides of the ball, giving up two goals to open up the second period. Although this game seemed to be already out of reach just four minutes into the half, BU proceeded to rack up five straight goals. Golderman, sophomore midfielder Olivia Batista and sophomore attacker Emily Yoo all scored before Kennedy netted back-to-back goals to cut Dartmouth’s lead to 11-9.

After slowly watching its lead slip away with 15 minutes left in the match, Dartmouth cashed

in with three straight goals to increase the Bearcats’ deficit to five. Trying to trim the Big Green’s advantage, both Golderman and Ryan tallied one goal apiece in the final sequences. The Bearcats’ comeback effort ultimately fell short and they earned their third loss of the nonconference season.

“We found ourselves in a hole and couldn’t dig our way out,” said BU head coach Stephanie Allen, according to bubearcats.com. “I am proud of our team for fighting back and putting us in a position where we still had a chance.

Lacrosse is a game of runs and we need to put ourselves on the better side of that next game.”

As a team, the Bearcats lost the shots-on-goal battle as well as saves, turnovers and draw controls. Additionally, Dartmouth

finished with 14 more ground balls than the Bearcats (34-20).

BU is currently tied for last in the America East with an average of 13.7 ground balls per game and is sixth in turnovers per game (19.33).

Aside from racking up another loss on the season, the offensive play of Golderman and Kennedy has been a major upside for the otherwise lackluster campaign.

Golderman has 14 goals on the year while Kennedy has nine. Both have been influential in keeping BU competitive in close games.

Looking to capture its second win, BU is heading home for a nonconference matchup with Canisius Tuesday afternoon.

Opening draw is scheduled for 4 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.

Katherine Scott/Pipe Dream Photographer Junior midfielder Jacqueline Kennedy logged four goals in Binghamton’s loss to Dartmouth.

BU splits final two games Binghamton defeats Hartford, falls to Maine

Julian Guevara Pipe Dream Sports

After playing over seven minutes of scoreless defense, the Binghamton women’s basketball team defeated Hartford in a nailbiting 60-59 victory on Thursday.

With 1:05 remaining, freshman guard Carly Boland drained a game-winning 3-pointer to seal the Bearcats’ first victory in three games. BU (13-15, 8-7 America East) couldn’t replicate that performance against on Sunday, falling to Maine, 62-49.

Against the Hawks (16-12, 7-8 AE), Binghamton played well in the second, outscoring 38-29 in the half. The Bearcats also outrebounded Hartford, 40-35; this marked one of the few games this season in which BU has won the battle of the boards.

“I have never been so proud of this team; this is the first game this year that was a nail-biter and gone in our favor,” said BU head coach Linda Cimino.

Junior guard Imani Watkins scored a game-high 28 points against Hartford. Despite tallying just three points, Boland sank the biggest shot of the game — BU’s game-winning 3-pointer.

Freshman guard Kai Moon played a key role in the Bearcats’ second half success. Due to early foul trouble, Moon was missed much of the second quarter, in which BU was outscored, 22-10.

Moon only took seven shots from the field, but drew three crucial fouls that led to her sinking all six free throws.

Strong defense has been a focal point for the Bearcats this season.

Their ability to grab key rebounds and force turnovers late in the game propelled them to the victory over Hartford. Three of BU’s six blocked shots were provided by junior forward Alyssa James.

“Alyssa James is the best defense player in the league,” Cimino said.

“Keeping her on the court was huge; she shut down their post

players today, and their post player that usually scores a lot of points didn’t even want the ball.”

BU has struggled to come out on top in tight games this season, but managed to do so against the Hawks.

It was a tale of two teams however, as BU had a tough regular-season finale in Maine (16-15, 9-7 AE) shooting just 32 percent from the field. BU gathered fewer rebounds, secondchance points and points in the paint, allowing the Black Bears to lead for almost all of the game.

Watkins once again led the way with a team-high 15 points against Maine. Sophomore guard Rebecca

Carmody put up 13 points but the rest of the offense could not get going against Maine’s tough defense.

This game served as a preview of BU’s first-round matchup in the AE Tournament. The outcome handed BU and Maine the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively. All games in the tournament, except the championship match, will be held at Cross Insurance Arena in Maine — where the Black Bears’ will have home court advantage.

BU’s AE Quarterfinal game is scheduled for Saturday.

Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. from Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.

9 ROUNDTRIPS A DAY

TO NYC! DAILY ROUNDTRIPS TO WESTCHESTER, QUEENS AND LONG ISLAND!

Great Student Fares, EXPRESS buses & FREE ON-CAMPUS PICKUPS ON FRIDAYS! ONLINE LIKE US ON FACEBOOK TICKETING REFUNDABLE

TICKETS

follow us on Twitter

FREE WI-FI Join Fre e!

VIP STUDENT TRAVEL CLUB www.Shortlinebus.com

FOR TICKETS & INFORMATION Rebecca Kiss/Pipe Dream Photographer Sophomore guard Rebecca Carmody scored 13 points off the bench in BU’s loss to Maine.

BINGHAMTON BUS TERMINAL Chenango & Henry Street, Binghamton 607-722-7553

MEN'S LACROSSE

BU records first loss SEE PAGE 11 Monday, February 27, 2017

HALEY, HOLT, ALKINS

CAPTURE AE TITLES Provided by BU Athletics Three Binghamton athletes recorded first-place finishes at the AE Indoor Championships.

Bearcat men place third, women finish fourth at America East Indoor Championships Grace Palumbo Contributing Writer

After crossing the finish line of the 200-meter at the America East Indoor Track and Field Championships, senior sprinter Jon Alkins glanced at the clock overhead, realized what he had accomplished and continued running — across the field and into the arms of a teammate. He had just set a new meet record in the 200-meter, becoming the only athlete to win the same event for four consecutive years.

Alkins’ performance was one of the Bearcats’ highlights at the meet, where the men’s and women’s track and field teams

exceeded expectations, finishing in third and fourth place overall, respectively.

“I thought they did very well; I thought both teams overachieved to do as well as they did,” said BU head coach Mike Thompson.

The meet took place at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Albany took home both the men’s and women’s overall team titles for the fifth straight season.

Alkins was named Most Outstanding Men’s Track Athlete and received the Men’s Coaches’ Award at the meet for the second straight year. The award is given to the athlete who records the most points over the course of the meet.

In addition to setting a new meet record in the 200-meter with a time of 21.17, he also finished first in the 60-meter (6.841), breaking yet another meet record.

“Jon had never won the 60-meter at the conference meet, and going into the championship, his season had been his worst season since he had been in college,” Thompson said. “For him to go to the championship meet and really shatter both the conference records in both the 60-meter and the 200-meter, it was really a surprise.”

According to Thompson, Alkins will not race in next weekend’s ECAC/IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships, as he has

chosen to end his season with his outstanding showing at the championships.

Senior distance runner Eric Holt also excelled at this weekend’s meet, finishing first in the mile with a time of 4:14.86. In the 3,000-meter race, he secured third place with a time of 8:24.98.

On the women’s side, senior Sarah Haley gave an impressive performance in the women’s pole vault, finishing first. Previously, she had earned this recognition at the same meet in 2014, but the title had eluded her the past two years. In 2015, she finished in third place, and in 2016, she finished second. “[Sarah Haley] was one of the

top jumpers there; she definitely stepped up and got that done,” Thompson said.

The pole vault finals came down to a jump-off, which was used to break a tie between four athletes who had passed the same height.

“At that point, you’ve already been in competition with a bunch of other girls and then you’re going back and forth for first place,” Haley said. “It’s just about being aggressive and trying to get over the bar.”

Junior Sunja Joseph was also an integral part of the women’s fourth-place finish, recording a second-place finish and jump of 38-0 1/4 feet.

In the weight throw, junior Oyin Adewale also had a standout performance this weekend, finishing second with a distance of 56-6 3/4 feet. Junior Brooke Bonney finished behind Adewale in third with a distance of 54-11 1/4.

Five BU men and six women were awarded all-conference honors at the meet, including Alkins, Haley, Holt and Joseph.

The Bearcats will continue competition at the ECAC/ IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday. The meet is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

BU blows 10-point lead, drops eighth straight game

Men's basketball slides to No. 7 seed in America East Tournament after loss to Maine

Noah Bressner Assistant Sports Editor

Senior guard Marlon Beck hurled himself through the air in an ill-fated attempt to intercept a pass intended for Maine sophomore guard Ryan Bernstein. He missed the ball by no more than a few inches, leaving Maine junior guard Austin Howard wide open at the other side of the court.

After dodging sophomore guard Timmy Rose, Howard drained the shot. Down by one point with 45 seconds remaining, the Binghamton men’s basketball team was never able to recover.

In an instant, the decision doomed the Bearcats (12-19, 3-13 America East) to a 72-69 loss to Maine. After leading by as many as 10 points in the second half on Sunday, BU suffered its eighth straight loss.

“That one hurt,” said BU head coach Tommy Dempsey. “Give them credit — they fought hard, they made a lot of shots. But once it got real tight there at the end, we just didn’t get it done.”

The Black Bears (7-24, 3-13 AE) embarked on a 12-2 run to tie the game with 8:10 remaining. Maine head coach Bob Walsh shouted from the bench, desperate to motivate his team as it inched back into the game. His shrieking voice pierced through the otherwise quiet arena.

With the game still tied and just over one minute remaining on the clock, junior forward Willie Rodriguez hit one of two free throws. But in the final minute, the Black Bears outlasted Binghamton.

“I thought we found a good offensive flow for a while, but we just weren’t able to maintain it once we got it to double figures,” Dempsey said.

Guards Beck and John Rinaldi were honored in a senior day ceremony before the game. After four years with the Bearcats, the duo received framed jerseys, a standing ovation and a hug from Dempsey. But after the festivities ended, the duo combined for just six points in their final game at the Events Center.

Rodriguez led the Bearcats with 24 points in 32 minutes on the court. He shot a 55.6 percent from the floor, but went 0-for-2 from the 3-point range. Rodriguez was followed by sophomore guard John Schurman, who tallied a careerhigh 14 points. Schurman’s play was a bright spot for the Bearcats; he shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and contributed an impressive defensive performance. Before Saturday’s game, Schurman had never scored more than five points against an AE opponent.

“A couple of teammates were able to make great passes,” Schurman said. “After the first one went in, I felt pretty good.”

The Black Bears were shorthanded against Binghamton after a locker room incident left a player with a broken jaw and five more players suspended. Redshirt junior guard Wes Myers punched senior forward Marko Pirovic after Pirovic declined to turn down his music. Prior to the incident, Myers was Maine’s leading scorer, averaging 16.9 points per game.

Without Myers, Maine relied

heavily on freshman forward Andrew Fleming, who led the Black Bears with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes.

Behind Fleming, Maine shot a 44.4 clip from the field, including 42.1 percent from the 3-point range while Binghamton hit just 5-of-20.

Freshman guard Fard Muhammad was sidelined against Maine due to a minor hamstring injury. He is set to be available for the AE Tournament this week.

Binghamton is set to face Stony Brook in the first round of the AE Tournament on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook, New York.

Once it got real tight there at the end, we just didn't get it done —Tommy Dempsey BU head coach

Emily Earl/Staff Photographer Redshirt sophomore guard John Schurman recorded a career-high 14 points in the Bearcats’ loss to Maine.

3

4

2

5

1

1) Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer, 2,3, 5) Raquel Panitz/Staff Photographe, 4) Rebecca Kiss/Pipe Dream Photographer

pipe dream's

America East Tournament Preview Men's

Men’s Basketball

Men's basketball pitted in tough first-round matchup Noah Bressner Assistant Sports Editor

The Binghamton men’s basketball approached the 2016-17 season as a turning point after slogging through a long rebuild under the guidance of BU head coach Tommy Dempsey.

For their first 15 games, everything seemed to be going according to plan. The Bearcats won nine games in nonconference play — a program record. Then, it all came crashing down.

With two games remaining before conference play began, the team announced that redshirt sophomore guard J.C. Show would undergo seasonending surgery to repair a ruptured left tricep. Before his injury, Show starred

as BU’s best player. He led the Bearcats in scoring with 13.3 points per game, while filling multiple roles in Dempsey’s schemes.

Show’s injury derailed Binghamton’s once-lofty aspirations. Since then, the Bearcats have slogged to a 4-14 record, including a 3-13 mark in America East (AE) play.

Over the course of the season, BU has struggled to shoot, and its defense has been invisible at times.

But Show’s injury isn’t the only cause for Binghamton’s problems. Other key players have also fallen short.

Senior guard Marlon Beck, who has been the face of the program since he arrived as a freshman, has averaged just 6.5 points per game — the lowest of his

collegiate career. Junior forward Willie Rodriguez, who was selected to the AE Preseason All-Conference Team, has seen his scoring decline to 11.5 points per game from 15.1 points a year ago.

BU will now enter the AE Conference Tournament with the eighth seed, which pits it against No. 2 Stony Brook. Even though Binghamton defeated Stony Brook earlier this season, the Bearcats have a history of struggling against the Seawolves. Stony Brook has knocked BU out of the AE Championship in three of the last five years.

Tipoff of the AE Quarterfinal match is set for 7 p.m. from the Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook, New York.

Women's

No. 7 Binghamton @ No. 2 Stony Brook Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook, New York

Women’s Basketball

Carrying fifth seed, BU to face Maine in quarterfinal Orlaith McCaffrey Sports Editor

Just three seasons ago, the Binghamton women’s basketball team languished near the bottom of the conference, winning just two conference games. These days, BU is a competitive team in the America East (AE), going 8-8 in league play and securing the fifth seed for the conference tournament.

This change in status is mainly due to the changes implemented by head coach Linda Cimino, who took the helm in the spring of 2014 and set out to transform the program.

Although the Bearcats have shown marked improvement from recent seasons, they have struggled to execute down the stretch in games this year, being outscored in the fourth quarter

in almost every contest. This has led to a number of close losses, including a particularly tough-to-swallow, doubleovertime loss to Hartford earlier this season.

But BU’s season has also included highlights, including the impressive play of junior guard Imani Watkins and junior forward Alyssa James, who are among the top players in conference.

Watkins is the undoubted leader of BU’s offense and James is nationally ranked in blocked shots per game. A group of talented rookies have joined them on the court. Freshman guard Kai Moon has started every game and is a constant offensive threat for the Bearcats. Classmate guard Carly Boland has proven adept at making 3-pointers, coming through in several crucial situations for the Bearcats.

After missing all of last year with a torn left ACL, 2015 AE Rookie of the Year and redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Sina returned this season poised to retake an important role.

While she hasn’t returned to freshmanseason form, she averages 10 points per game and leads BU with 87 assists.

BU is set to take on No. 4 Maine in the first round of tournament play.

The Bearcats lost to Maine, 62-49, on Sunday to close out the regular season.

In the rematch, the Bearcats will have to quiet AE All-Conference senior guard Sigi Koizar, who tallied 17 points in the teams’ most recent matchup and can be deadly from beyond the arc.

Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 3.

No 5 Binghamton @ No. 4 Maine Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine

B2

PIPE DREAM'S AMERICA EAST TOURNAMMENT PREVIEW

bupipedream.com | February 27, 2016

Binghamton Men’s

BASKETBALL

TOMMY DEMPSEY

In fifth year at helm, Dempsey still hopeful for turnaround

Assistant Sports Editor

hTree’s ont umhc to eb seen no teh direv form cSartnno to iBgnahtmno. hTe ohruolgn tirp no Itnretstae 18 geos omtsyl aornud ihlly, rrula trearni, hwcih si sacttrede wtih aleks nad hte coacisnola rset tspo. uBt ofr UB haed occah oTmmy eDpmesy, teh sohtr direv paleyd a amojr orel in ihs ediser to omev on rfmo hsi perivuos ojb sa teh haed occah ta Rdire. iLek amlsot nabydoy lees looikgn fro a nwe jbo, UB haed occah oTmmy eDpmesy est ihs ishgst tworad ohem. eH itnreivwede fro teh BU emn’s abksteabll taem’s ehda caohcnig opisitno deu in aptr to tis rpxomitiy ot hsi hmotewon fo Srcnaotn, Pnesnlyavina. “tA taht opnit, I tohguth it aws hte irhgt item in ym craeer ot go nad atek on a rpfoseisnola cahllneeg taht aws ont noyl coles to ohem, ubt ahd rgaet opettnail,” eDpmesy asdi.

“Nto olny sa an nitstituoin — ubt I nkwe teh Uinevsrtiy ahd a rgaet ocmmtiemtn to hte rpgoarm.” eDpmesy aws noyl 36 hwne he aws iherd ot tkae vore BU’s abksteabll porrgma. tA Rdire, eh hda been noe fo teh yuognset ehda caohcse in iDivisno I bsaekbtlal.

Atfre a lraegyl scuecssufl esevn-eyra sittn as a rBnoc, he aldnde at UB in 0221. tA teh tmie, BU aws amrrde by csnaadl nad ni dseeparet need fo a rbeiudl. eDpmesy eld iRedr ot tow 23iwn essanos faetr iwnnnig ujts egith gmase in ihs ifsrt eyra. hWne

he otko oevr ta BU, he aws afimilra wtih ohw ibg hte atks wuodl be.

“I ahd laerday ebne trhuohg a rbeiudl at iRedr nad I ahd ebne teher as na asssiattn,” Dmespye siad. “I nkwe Bnihgmaotn aws ocimgn off of a csnaadl nad ahivgn a raelly ahdr tmie. Teh tminig fo it lal emnat a olt.

I kenw ti wsa giogn to eb a wohel nwe rgemie nad htta Perisedtn Setgnre, [Ptairkc] lEilto adn msylef ewer all giogn to atek tihs erublid no tgoteehr.” uBt iscne htne, htnisg hvane’t gnoe caocdrnig ot paln. Wihel Dmespye hsa fuodn scuecss rceurtinig lpyares, teh wni clomun entx to ihs anem hsa lraegyl satngtade, aptrailly ude ot ulncuyk ijnrueis ot kye paleysr at nuoftrnutae items.

Naeirgn teh edn of ihs iftfh eyra, eDpmesy nad ihs etmas ahev rceroedd ujts 36 iwsn. nUedr eDpmesy, BU ahs enevr own na Aemirac Esat (AE) Tuonrmanet agem. hTsi saeosn, teh rselust on hte ocrut ahev been algrley hte asem. fAetr iwnnnig a rpgoarm-erocdr nnie agems ni nnoocfnreneec paly, BU ahs aftlrede aagnits AE poopentns.

Lsat eWndseady, Dmespye wlaekd niot teh mdeai room fo teh Eevtns eCtnre tride adn waeyreeyd rfmo teh ltae-inhgt rtpi hmoe ofllwonig a idasppiotnnig olss to aHtrofdr. lCtuhcnig a 21-onuec cna of oMsnetr nEreyg dirkn, eDpmesy ast odnw to idcssus ihs etuner so afr nad hte ufuter of hte rpgoarm. “eW hvae a hplisopoyh wtiihn hte rpgoarm htta we’er lkie a ibg

BOBBY AHEARN Raquel Panitz/Staff Photographer

aok rtee,” Dmespye siad. “tI tkase mnay amyn yaesr to rgwo, ubt ujts a fwe mmonest to hcpo dwon. Yuo cna lsoe rguodn qiukcyl.”

Dmespye kenw hte ubliidgn porecss wuodl tkae a olgn tmie, btu he laos epxceetd ti to og mroe msoohtyl tahn ti hsa. uBt vene nwo, eDpmesy eramnis poitimtsci aobtu teh fturue. Nxet essano, ersdihtr spoohomer gaudr J.C. hSwo wlil erutnr atfre udnreognig essanoednnig usgrrey ot rpeiar a urtprude lfet rtcipe. rFsemhna gaudr Tlyre Setawtr adn jnuoir ofwrrad aCelb tSwerat iwll porived teh Baecrtas iwht mcuh-endede szie faetr ersdihtrnig htsi saeosn. “rFmo a wni-lsos tsnapdiotn, ew’re ebihdn weher we ohepd ot be,” eDpmesy asdi. “Btu fro woh we rae sa a gorpu, I htnik ti’s gerta. eW hvae rgaet iksd woh wrok ahdr adn rpeerestn us ewll on nad fof hte ocrut. We’ev dnoe hwta we acem hree ot do ni so amyn wyas, adn we’ev awlyas htuohgt htta teh wniingn mgith cmoe alts.”

Fro BU, amlsot verey essano sniec Dmespye took vore hsa looekd isimalr. Tehy lal tsraetd uot iwht a gilmmre of ohep, hwcih uqcilky afedd niot teh hrozino. uBt eDpmesy nad ihs etma sitll bleeiev taht entx yaer si teh oen taht iwll allwo tehm ot ptu all of htier apts torbuels ni teh raevreiw imrrro.

“Wehn ew look ta it nad olko at hte ufuter, ew sitll tihkn we’er giogn to iwn eher,” Dmespye siad. “nAd ew feel htta we rae ognig ot wni bgi.”

Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer

Forward sheds reputation as defensive role player Evan Cole Pipe Dream Sports

Junior forward Bobby Ahearn has always been tough. His muscular 6-foot-6-inch frame lends itself well to boxing out opponents and tracking down rebounds. But this season, Ahearn has added scoring to his toolbox.

Looking to expand his game, Ahearn tirelessly practiced his shooting with his 15-year-old brother Dylan last summer.

Ahearn’s effort have paid off — he has improved in nearly every statistical category.

After averaging 4.8 points last season, Ahearn has improved his scoring to 9.6 points per game.

This season, he has shot an impressive 55 percent clip from the field and ranks third in the America East Conference (AE) in

3-point field goal percentage.

His performance isn’t the only thing that’s improved this season either — his confidence has too.

Before this year, Ahearn never recorded a shot from beyond the arc. This season, he’s taken 55 so far, shooting 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.

“I only have two seasons left, and I just want to make the most of it,” Ahearn said. “I want to contribute to the team in the best way I can because I want to leave here with an [AE] Championship.

That’s the end goal.”

Operating smoothly as a stretch four, Ahearn has become proficient at scoring from any level. He can finish layups at the rim and hit jump shots from beyond the arc. His versatility has eased the burden on his teammates, and he is a player that can be trusted with the ball.

This development has stemmed from a change in the dynamic forward’s mindset.

“This year, I’m more aggressive,” Ahearn said. “In past years, I haven’t really scored a ton, but this year I stepped up in that area when there was a need.”

Last season, Ahearn served largely as a defensive specialist in BU head coach Tommy Dempsey’s lineup. He played few minutes and started only two games against conference opponents. He has started all but three conference games this season; he only sat the bench for a short period after suffering a broken nose.

As the nephew of former NBA player and coach Vinny Del Negro, Ahearn has basketball in his genes. In high school, he traveled to Los Angeles to practice at the Clippers’ facilities, where

Del Negro was the head coach.

His sister Maggie is a 6-foot-2inch freshman forward on the Providence women’s basketball team.

Due to the amount of injuries that the Bearcats have faced this year, Ahearn’s improved skill set was put to the test. After the loss of redshirt sophomore guard J.C. Show, Ahearn has emerged as one of the team’s most reliable scoring options. As the season progressed, Ahearn has become more dominant, which he credits to his teammates and himself.

“I stepped up as much as I could, but other guys stepped up too,” Ahearn said. “Everybody gave it their all at each and every practice, trying to make us successful going into the playoffs.”

After lost season, guard makes waves for BU offense Kyle McDonald Assistant Sports Editor

In the team’s season opener against Cornell, redshirt junior guard Yosef Yacob stepped into a 3-pointer and drilled it. It marked his first bucket in over a year.

Yacob missed the entire 201516 season with a shoulder injury.

After a long recovery process, he was thrilled to return to the court.

“It felt great to come back,” he said. “It was hard just being sidelined, and just being back on the court with my brothers is just a great feeling.”

As a freshman, Yacob averaged 11.5 points per game, good for second on the team.

He had another solid season his sophomore year. He played in all 32 games, finishing with 5.8 points per game. While the injury kept him out of action for a year, he is back to being an impact

player for BU. “Whichever way I can help the team, that’s what I want to do,” Yacob said.

In his first three games back this season, Yacob played limited minutes. But in BU’s fifth game of the season he was let off the leash, playing 25 minutes and scoring 13 points.

He then put up a seasonhigh 15 points two games later against Long Beach State. Yacob’s encouraging regular season showing is a step in the right direction as he tries to recapture his freshman-season form.

Although Yacob’s redshirt gives him another year of playing in the Events Center, he will have to say goodbye to two seniors with whom he entered BU. Guards John Rinaldi and Marlon Beck were in the same recruiting class as Yacob and were his roommates for three straight years.

“It’s definitely going to be

different; it’s going to be weird,” Yacob said. “I’ve been with those guys, we came in together [in] the same session … and I’m going to miss those guys.”

The three were the first recruiting class for BU head coach Tommy Dempsey. Yacob knew once he visited BU that it was the place for him.

“When I came here and saw the school and the campus and [Dempsey’s] vision for it, I fell in love,” he said. “I fell in love with the school.”

Unlike most Division I basketball players, Yacob hasn’t played since a young age. He got a late start, not playing competitively until the seventh grade.

As a senior year at Archbishop John Carroll, he led his team to the Pennsylvania state title game, finishing his high school career with 1,139 total points. Yacob credits his work ethic to his

brother, Henok, who pushed him to be successful. “[My brother] is the one who told me if you work at it you can be good,” Yacob said. “I went from not being known to [having] a DI scholarship. I don’t know where I would be without him.”

With the impending departure of Beck and Rinaldi, Yacob will hopes to step up and assume the leadership role on the team next year. Yacob knows his time at BU is coming to an end, but hopes to continue to build on what he’s accomplished this year.

“I’m looking to just step in and just give it my all every day,” he said. “When your time starts to wind down, you realize how precious coming on the court is and how quick the time goes.

So I’m just going to enjoy every second of it next year.”

Raquel Panitz/Staff Photographer

YOSEF YACOB

Noah Bressner

February 27, 2016 | bupipedream.com

B3

PIPE DREAM'S AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

Pipe Dream's

ALL-CONFERENCE PICKS Individual Awards

MEN'S

FIRST TEAM

Trae Bell-Haynes — Vermont, Jr., G Bell-Haynes ran the offense of the first ever team in the AE to go undefeated in conference.

He averaged 11.3 points and 3.9 assists per game.

Rookie of the Year: Anthony Lamb — Vermont, Fr., F After spending the past few years as one of the youngest teams in the America East Conference, Vermont was supposed to be led by its upperclassmen. But Lamb has been a monster both offensively and on the boards. He’s a no-brainer for Rookie of the Year after racking up seven Rookie of the Week honors.

David Nichols — Albany, So., G

Defensive Player of the Year: Iba Camara — New Hampshire, Jr., F When Camara is on the court, New Hampshire’s defense is nearly unstoppable. His defensive rating of 90.8 points per game leads the conference. Camara ranks second in the conference with 9.0 rebounds per game.

Nichols has come from nowhere to lead Albany’s offense to a third-place finish. After barely getting off the bench last season, Nichols raised his scoring average to an impressive 17.3 points per game, from 2.7 his freshman year.

Coach of the Year: Jeff Boals — Stony Brook Stony Brook was in disarray when Boals took the helm after last season. It had lost its two star players, and its top returning player was suspended. Despite the setbacks, Stony Brook finished second in the conference this year.

Jaleen Smith — New Hampshire, Sr., G While Smith has been a key player in the Wildcats’ offense since he was a sophomore, he took his game to a new level this season. The senior averaged 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this year.

Jairus Lyles — UMBC, Jr., G Since transferring to UMBC from VCU two years ago, Lyles has become the star of an increasingly dangerous offense. He ranks second in the conference with 19.1 points per game, second in steals and sixth in rebounds.

Jahad Thomas — UMass Lowell, Redshirt Jr., F While UMass Lowell is ineligible to play in the conference tournament, it has played well enough to be a contender to win it. Thomas has led the River Hawks with 18.3 points per game and also leads the conference in rebounds with 9.0 per game.

Player of the Year Jairus Lyles This season, there was no obvious choice for Player of the Year. But Lyles has proved his worth to UMBC, who finished fifth this season — a year after finishing last.

America East STANDINGS

M

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

WOMEN'S

FIRST TEAM

Carlie Pogue — New Hampshire, Jr., C Pogue is the reason UNH is carrying the first seed into the tournament. She leads the Wildcats’ offense with 16.3 points per game and is second in the America East (AE) with 7.2 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-3 rookie is one of few bright spots on a team that has gone 5-10 in conference play.

Crymble ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (50.7) and has been a force on the glass, pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game.

Imani Watkins Binghamton, Jr., G

Defensive Player of the Year: Alyssa James — Binghamton, Jr., James, the AE’s reigning defensive POY, is the backbone of the BU defense and an imposing presence at the post. She set a program and conference record for blocked shots in a single game with 11 and ranks 25th nationally in blocks.

For the third straight season, Watkins, Binghamton’s leader, has been a constant for the Bearcats. She averages 19.4 points over 37.9 minutes per game — the most time on the court of any AE player.

Coach of the Year: Maureen Magarity — New Hampshire Just last season, UNH finished in seventh with a 6-10 record. In her sixth season at the helm, Magarity led the Wildcats to their first regularseason title in program history and a 14-1 conference record this season.

Imani Tate Albany, Sr., G After the graduation of three-time AE Player of the Year Shereesha Richards and the departure of head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, Tate has kept the Great Danes together. She leads the conference with 19.8 points per game and is a threat on the floor, hitting an average of 46.2 percent of her shots from the field.

Taylor McCarley UMBC, Sr., G McCarley’s is fourth in the conference with 13.7 points per game. Her presence at the point has helped the Retrievers to a third-place finish for the second year in a row.

Kayla Gibbs UMass Lowell, Jr., F Gibbs averages 12 points per game, but her most important contributions come on defense.

She’s grabbed 245 boards this season — 44 more than anyone else — to lead the AE in defensive rebounds.

Player of the Year Carlie Pogue New Hampshire couldn’t have gone 15-1 in the regular season without Pogue’s dominant play. Her contributions on both sides of the ball make her a clear choice for Player of the Year.

17-12, 12-4 AE

19-11, 10-6 AE

19-12, 10-6 AE

18-11, 9-7 AE

11-20, 5-11 AE

9-22, 4-12 AE

12-19, 3-13 AE

7-24, 3-13 AE

W

Individual Awards Rookie of the Year: Hanna Crymble — Vermont, Fr., F

26-5, 16-0 AE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

25-4, 15-1 AE

18-11, 12-4 AE

15-14, 10-6 AE

16-15, 9-7 AE

13-16, 8-8 AE

16-13, 7-9 AE

9-19, 6-10 AE

12-17, 5-11 AE

3-26, 0-16 AE

Binghamton Women’s BASKETBALL

CARLY BOLAND Rookie guard's confidence rises with increased time on court Orlaith McCaffrey Sports Editor

There’s a look that comes over Carly Boland’s face when she wants to take a 3-point shot.

BU head coach Linda Cimino knows it.

Her teammates know it.

“I can always tell when she wants the ball, and when I know she’s going to hit the shot,” said junior guard Imani Watkins. “[Carly Boland is] really quiet, but when she gets that look in her eyes and when she’s on her toes, she really wants it.”

On Thursday night against Hartford, in a rematch of a disheartening double-overtime loss earlier this season, the freshman guard got that look in her eyes.

Down by two with just over a minute remaining in regulation, the Bearcats hinged all their hopes on the 6-foot rookie.

Boland came through in the clutch, sinking the three and propelling her team to a well-fought 60-59 victory. Anyone holding a stat sheet, though, could have guessed that. Boland has carved out a place for herself as a player Cimino relies on to provide a spark off the bench.

She leads BU and the conference in 3-point percentage (48.3 percent).

In BU’s first three games of the season, Boland was on the court for an average of six minutes. In the Bearcats’ three most recent contests, she has averaged 21 minutes. According to Cimino, the increase in playing time has grown alongside the freshman’s confidence on the floor. “[Carly] Boland is a great player,” Cimino said. “It’s a confidence issue for her. The more she plays, the better she’s going to get and the more comfortable she’s going to be.”

According to Cimino, Boland

struggled early on adjusting to college basketball’s increased rate of play.

“The pace of this game has hurt her a little bit getting started, but I think the more she plays, the more comfortable she’s going to be, and she’s going to be a great player for us,” Cimino said.

Cimino’s belief in Boland’s abilities has been a key aspect of Boland’s development. “[The increased playing time] gives me a lot confidence,” Boland said. “It feels good to have coach [Cimino] trust me and that she knows I can trust myself when it comes to handling the ball on the floor.”

Boland played varsity for four years at Shenendehowa High School, where she was named firstteam all-state by the New York State Sportswriters Association, averaged 19.3 points per game during her senior season and propelled her

team to an appearance in the state championship game.

In the Bearcats’ conferenceopening win over UMBC, she drained four 3-pointers and scored a career-high 16 points. While she has excelled from beyond the arc, Boland still wants to improve her game.

“One of my goals is to get to the hoop more efficiently and score in different ways other than shooting threes,” Boland said.

As the Bearcats head into the postseason, they will need to rely on clutch performers like Boland in close matchups. “[Coming through in key moments] feels pretty good, not only because it helps us score points to get the win,” she said. “It increases my confidence to take shots like that in the regular season but also in the postseason, and I can trust myself when it comes to crunch time.”

KAI MOON

Moon plays key role in Bearcats' starting lineup Michael Steinberg Contributing Writer

Raquel Panitz/Staff Photographer

From the age of three, freshman guard Kai Moon knew she was different. When other kids took shots at the basketball hoop looming high above them, their balls may have barely touched the rim. Most of them probably didn’t even make it that far. Except hers — Moon was one of the few players in her age group who could make shots.

“My parents, from there, realized if this is something I liked to do, I could be good at it,” Moon said.

Early in her career, she struggled to find a team for girls her age. Instead, Moon joined the boys’ teams so she could play competitive basketball.

According to Moon, her father played a big role in teaching her

the discipline needed to improve.

“I remember countless nights after he’d get home from work,” Moon said. “We’d go to the [YMCA] and he would force me to do shooting, mechanics, dribbling. Sometimes I’d get frustrated and I’d want to leave or I’d cry. From there, he just kind of showed me work ethic.”

Those early moments got Moon hooked on basketball. She studied and re-watched videos of Michael Jordan. She kept a close eye on the NBA, knowing every player and following every game.

During her senior year at Nequa Valley High School in her home state of Illinois, Moon averaged a team-best 14.7 points and ended her career with 1,279 total points. She decided to play at Binghamton after hearing BU head coach Linda Cimino’s vision of how she would fit into

the program. The transition from high school to college play is difficult for any player, and despite her natural talent, Moon didn’t escape some growing pains.

“Sometimes the only people that are going to have confidence in you is maybe you and maybe your coaches,” Moon said. “You have to earn everything that’s given to you at this level.”

The BU coaching staff certainly has confidence in Moon, who has started all 29 of the Bearcats’ games this season.

The rookie has played a key role in BU’s 13 wins, averaging 8.4 points per contest.

A goal of Moon’s moving forward is to help her team to execute for the duration of games.

“We played maybe a good half, maybe a good three quarters,

maybe even a good 3 1/2 quarters, but a lot of times we can’t put it together for a full forty and that’s where we’ve lost games,” Moon said.

Moon is third on the team and eighth in the conference in minutes played per game, spending an average of 33.5 minutes on the floor.

“It’s an honor and a privilege that my coaches trust me to be on the court not only at the beginning of games, but at the end when the game’s on the line,” Moon said.

KRISTIN ROSS Rebecca Kiss/Pipe Dream Photographer

Senior embraces roles on and off the court for Binghamton Christopher Parsons Pipe Dream Sports

Emily Earl/Staff Photographer

Kristin Ross, a senior forward on the women’s basketball team, sat in a courtside seat at the Event Center. She had just finished a midday practice and was being grilled about her best memory as a Bearcat. She chuckled for a second, but quickly settled on a particular moment.

“At [one of] our in-season practices, Payton Husson, who’s 6-foot-4, was shooting and [5foot-6] Kai Moon blocked her,” Ross said. “She just started screaming — that was the moment where I was like, ‘This season’s going to be great. Win or lose, these are the kids I want to play with.’”

In her junior season, Ross played in all 31 games and started 29 of them. But when the 2016-17 season tipped off, she was out of the starting lineup

saw a decrease in her playing time. Despite the change in role, one aspect of Ross’ game never changed: her commitment to being a supportive teammate.

“I remember taking [freshman forward Karlee Krchnavi], who was starting at the four, aside this summer,” Ross said. “[I told her], ‘Whatever you need from me in order for us to be successful, that’s what I want to do — I want to win.’”

As the season progressed, though, she found her way back onto the court, getting the start in 14 of BU’s 28 games. Ross is one of just three seniors on the roster, and one of just two who witnessed the program transition under head coach Linda Cimino, who took the helm in the spring of her freshman year.

“The recruiting classes that coach Cimino is bringing in are big reason why we’re doing so well,” Ross said. “She has

absolutely changed the culture around here.”

According to Ross, Cimino has created an environment where each player understands her job.

“I’m not scoring 20 points a game, like Imani [Watkins],” Ross said. “I look at my role as being a calming presence on the court. I’m the person that’s a steady hand.”

With one game remaining in the regular season, BU has compiled a 13-15 record and sits in fifth in the America East — a massive improvement from the squad that went 5-25 during Ross’ rookie season. “[Success] isn’t going to come right away, but if you don’t give up, good things will come,” Ross said. “As I’ve seen.”

On the floor, Ross is something of a shepherd, keeping her teammates focused on the ultimate goal: winning.

Her ability to lead, though, follows her off the court, and people have taken note. Recently, Ross was selected to speak at the upcoming Women’s Athletic Luncheon, an annual event held to recognize the importance women’s contributions to athletics. “[It’s a] huge honor,” Ross said. “I found out a week and a half ago and I wrote the speech in three days — I was really excited,” Ross said.

She plans to talk about the opportunities that she has been exposed to thanks to her involvement in Binghamton athletics.

“Being from Maine, I’d never even heard of Binghamton,” Ross said. “[But] this university has helped me grow in so many ways different ways, not just on the court, not just in academics, but just as a person in general.”