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Monday, April 30, 2018 | Vol. XCIII, Issue 24 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
BU Council seeks new student delegate
Students stay silent to protest intolerance
Four candidates run for student representative
Q Center holds 'Day of Silence' demonstration on campus
Gillian Kenah
Allison Detzel
The Binghamton University Council is seeking a new student representative for the 2018-19 academic year. The BU Council, which consists of nine unpaid members appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and one student representative elected by the University’s student body, helps supervise University operations. The other members of the BU Council include Kathryn Grant Madigan, the chair of the council, University President Harvey Stenger and Provost Donald Nieman. According to Madigan, the student representative influences the big decisions made within the University. “The student representative serves as the advocate and ‘voice’ of the BU students to ensure that the students’ interests and concerns are not only brought to the attention of the president and senior leadership but serving as a vital resource for the BU leadership, thereby influencing the planning and policy making throughout the academic year, at the highest levels of governance,” Madigan wrote in an email. “It is about
Students dressed in all black remained silent on Friday afternoon as they lined the walls and held signs in an attempt to bring attention to the violence, harassment and discrimination that the LGBTQ community faces on a daily basis. The Day of Silence is a national student-led event developed by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, originating from a 1996 protest at the University of Virginia. Participants take a vow of silence for the day to exemplify the silencing of LGBTQ voices and bring awareness to the infrequently discussed challenges that the LGBTQ community faces, such as employment and housing discrimination, homelessness and high rates of abuse and suicide. The protest was organized by Binghamton University’s Q Center and lasted from noon to 4 p.m. Kelly Clark, director of the Q Center, said the structure of the event was changed to better fit a college environment. “Some of our students may remember Day of Silence from middle or high school,” Clark wrote in an email. “Translating the day to college is a bit trickier, as we recognize that students may genuinely not be able to be silent for the day, [for example], in classes or work [or] internship environments, so [our protest] will be done a little differently.” Instead of taking a vow of silence for the entire day, student volunteers signed up for 30-minute shifts of silence. Nadiya Al-Noor, the graduate assistant for programming and events at the Q Center and a second-year graduate student studying student affairs administration and public administration, said she believes it to be a more effective approach than the traditional Day of Silence. “In my experience, I’ve always hated the Day of Silence,” Al-Noor said. “The purpose of the Day of Silence is to make people think and be aware of these things that are happening, but if you’re silent and don’t do anything else with that, it doesn’t really help. So we decided to say: ‘What’s a way to use silence to scream a message?’ So I thought, a protest where we can’t be missed, where people who go through a public place are going to
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Pipe Dream News
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NYSEG grants BU third award since 2014 University receives $400K for Smart Energy Building Jacob Kerr
Pipe Dream News
Binghamton University was presented with a $400,000 grant from the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG) this past Thursday. The award — the third in the past four years from the corporation — brings NYSEG’s total contributions to the University to $1.2 million. NYSEG’s award is part of a program that puts money into the Binghamton community’s effort for cleaner energy. The grant was presented by Carl Taylor, ‘98, president and CEO of NYSEG, at a news conference on Thursday in the Smart Energy Building at the Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC). There, Taylor and BU President Harvey Stenger spoke about how the grant will help the Smart Energy Building and the University community. Awards like this one, according to Taylor, will help fund new research at the University, which will bring in new technology and businesses to campus
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ABOVE: Kevin Paredes Photography Editor, BELOW: Pipe Dream Archives Multiple employees at Jazzman’s Library Tower Cafe spoke to Pipe Dream about the sexual harassment allegations against employees Jimmy Alvarez and William Gonzalez.
Jazzman's employees suspended amid harassment claims Jillian Forstadt
Assistant News Editor
Two Jazzman’s Library Tower Cafe employees, Jimmy Alvarez and William Gonzalez, were suspended on April 16 after numerous sexual harassment allegations were made against them, according to four people who work at the cafe. The allegations led to an investigation into the behavior of Alvarez, a supervisor, and Gonzalez, a barista, which began shortly after the death of BU senior Haley Anderson, who worked at Jazzman’s. Four employees said Anderson frequently complained that Gonzalez’s comments and messages made her uncomfortable, but she never officially reported the harassment. Anderson refused to attend shifts that Gonzalez also worked, according to one employee. In the weeks following Anderson’s death, nine female employees brought their own complaints to Binghamton University Dining Services’ (BUDS) human resources department, one employee said. Four employees said Anderson’s death served as a catalyst for the women to come forward. “This started with women banding together and saying ‘Enough is enough,’ but a lot of the male staff members have stepped forward as well and come out and said that they have not only witnessed this happening — they’ve heard about it,” a female employee said.
A petition in defense of Alvarez and Gonzalez was published on Change.org on Wednesday and stated that the two were suspended and in danger of losing their employment after being accused of “offering complimentary food and beverages to members of the community.” Though the four Jazzman’s employees who spoke with Pipe Dream said this was not the reason Alvarez and Gonzalez were suspended, the petition has garnered more than 2,300 signatures as of Thursday evening. A GoFundMe fundraiser has raised $1,800 to support Alvarez and Gonzalez, who have been suspended without pay, according to the crowdfunding page. Four employees said many of the women working at the cafe chose evening shifts to avoid interacting with Alvarez and Gonzalez, who typically worked in the morning. Most staff members knew about the harassment, according to the employees who spoke with Pipe Dream. One employee said Gonzalez
was known to touch female workers and ask them suggestive questions. Gonzalez and Alvarez could not be reached for comment. Three employees said Randy Kellar, human resources manager for BUDS, began interviewing employees at the cafe in the week after spring break. One employee praised the human resources office for its conduct during the investigations, which are ongoing. Jim Ruoff, resident district manager for BUDS, said he can offer little information at this time. “All parties involved will remain on leave,” Ruoff said. “After the investigation is concluded, we will determine the best course of action to take. I appreciate everybody’s thoughts and concerns.” One employee said he has worked at Jazzman’s for three years and wanted to dispel the misinformation about the men’s suspensions which had been published as part of the petition. He said the petition, while well-intentioned, was ultimately misguided. Another employee, who said she has seen many other employees complain about the behavior of both men during her time at Jazzman’s, said the popularity of the petition has jeopardized over a months’ worth of effort. “This whole disinformation campaign is really threatening all of the hard-won peace that everyone had fought for,” the employee said.
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'Poetry Matters' talks social justice, politics Democracy Matters co-hosts poetry night at The Belmar Yuri Lee
Assistant News Editor
According to Winter Clark, president of Democracy Matters and a senior double-majoring in philosophy and the individualized major program, one of the event’s goals was to give marginalized individuals a chance to speak. “People are free to share poems and whatever else they feel comfortable doing, but there is a broad theme of social justice so we’re hoping to uplift the voices of some marginalized folks tonight and to have this as a space where that could happen,” Clark said. Wu, future public relations chair for Democracy Matters and a junior doublemajoring in history and philosophy, politics and law, said he chose to perform Jacob Hanna Staff Photographer at the event because he likes poetry and Winter Clark, president of Democracy Matters and a senior double-majoring in philosophy
Larry Wu faced a small crowd of 20 people in the dim backroom of The Belmar Pub and Grill before spitting out, “Man, I ain’t got no time for no politics,” as part of his performance for “Poetry Matters” on Friday night. The event, the result of a collaboration between Democracy Matters, Binghamton University’s Slam Poetry Club and the Southern Tier chapter of Citizen Action of New York, aimed to use poetry as a way to discuss fair elections and the individualized major program, spoke at “Poetry Matters” on Friday night at The Belmar Pub and Grill. and social justice.
ARTS & CULTURE
OPINIONS
Binghamton natives talk film on podcast,
BFA students showcase artwork Downtown,
Contributing columnist Theodora Catrina discusses the effects of competitive college admissions,
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Golf competes at the Big Sky Championships,
Softball defeats Maine in a three-game series,
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