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Monday, April 8, 2019 | Vol. XCV, Issue 19 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
Mayor’ s tax assessment drops by $47,700 Binghamton Mayor Rich David broke no laws, but residents question assessment ethicality Sasha Hupka news editor
Binghamton Mayor Rich David saw his property tax assessment for his personal residence at 45 Court St. drop by $47,700 for 2018. While David broke no laws while obtaining the assessment and followed standard New York state procedures, some constituents question the ethicality of the method he used. The change reduced David’s assessment from $179,000 to $131,300. According to an assessment complaint form filed with the city tax assessor’s office on March 22, the assessment was reduced because of “income and expense.” David said he previously had an Empire Zone exemption, a type of tax credit, for 45 Court St. that expired in 2018. When he saw the new assessment for his property, he had questions regarding whether it was overassessed. According to David, when he initially contacted the assessor’s office and filled out the form, he had already researched the assessment process, and wanted to be as transparent as possible. “Either something is transparent, or it’s not transparent, so what I did is I followed the process that was in place,” David said. “It was established by New York state and it was a legal and transparent process, and I think that any deviation from that, for any elected official, would accomplish the exact opposite. Elected officials must follow established laws and policies and
procedures that everyone else has to follow.” Following the law is important for elected officials, according to Jonathan Krasno, a professor of political science at Binghamton University and a resident of Binghamton. But Krasno noted that appearances also matter for politicians, especially in situations where they could have undue influence. “In politics, perceptions can be more important than reality,” Krasno wrote in an email. “This strikes me as the sort of occasion where a politician might want to make a special effort to show they’re acting with special care and transparency.” Property tax assessments can be reviewed in a variety of ways: there’s the market approach, in which assessors compare a property to similar properties that have recently sold, and there’s the cost approach, in which assessors determine how much it would cost to replace a structure with a similar one using current labor and material prices. But Scott Snyder, tax assessor for the city of Binghamton, said that for David’s tax assessment he used the income approach, which is generally used for commercial and mixed-use commercial buildings such as 45 Court St., a three-story building that sits on approximately 0.03 acres of land. Using the income approach, assessors determine how much income a property will produce if rented, considering operating expenses, insurance and maintenance costs. Snyder said he factored in what David initially paid for the building, how much money he put into the building in renovations and how much income David could generate from renting it.
see assessment page 4 ariel kachuro assistant photography editor Binghamton Mayor Rich David recently saw his property tax assessment decrease by $47,700 for his personal residence at 45 Court St.
VPAA proposes new Students celebrate Holi at BU course retake policy Annual holiday draws more than 350 to Newing College
Change would de-incentivize purposefuly failing classes Hannah Walter pipe dream news
If a Binghamton University student receives an F in a class, they have the opportunity to retake the course and average their failing grade with the grade they received on their second attempt. But soon, that rule might be changing. At the last Student Association Congress meeting, Doug Wehbe, vice president for academic affairs (VPAA) and a senior double-majoring in computer
science and mathematics, proposed a new policy that would allow students to retake classes where they received a C-minus or below and replace it with a new grade that is the average of the first and second attempt. According to Wehbe, the new policy would remove the incentive to intentionally fail a class in order to receive a better grade in the future. With the current course retake policy, a student could purposely fail a course to earn a second attempt at a class in hopes of getting a better grade. For example, if a student were initially set to pass a class
see retake page 4
Kaitlyn Hart
contributing writer
More than 350 Binghamton University students were splattered with various colors for the eighth annual celebration of Holi, a Hindu holiday that welcomes spring, on the Newing College co-rec field on Sunday afternoon. Also known as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi attendees celebrated by throwing more than 300 pounds of colored powder into the air and 1,000 water balloons at each other. The annual event was organized by the Hindu Student Council and Delta Epsilon Psi, a South Asian service
fraternity at BU, and charged $7 per ticket. Students were given white T-shirts to smear powder and water on, as well as samosas and mango lassis — food and drink that are traditionally associated with the festival. All proceeds went toward the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In Hindu legend, Holi is celebrated to commemorate the triumph of good over evil. According to Hindu legend, King Hiranyakashipu, a king of demons, believed himself to be the most powerful of all the gods and demanded they all worship him. His son Prahlada, a worshipper of Vishnu, was subject to harsh torture as a result of not worshipping his father, and Hiranyakashipu conspired with Prahlada’s aunt, Holika, to kill him by leading him into a bonfire. Prahlada was saved by Vishnu,
and Hiranyakashipu and Holika were killed. According to Shivani Tambi, president of the Hindu Student Council and a senior double-majoring in English and economics, Holi has been celebrated for thousands of years in India, and the on-campus event aims to mimic those same traditions. “In South Asia, it’s usually celebrated in the streets of whatever city or village you’re in,” Tambi said. “People usually wear white and go outside onto the streets and throw powder and water at each other. The purpose of it is to celebrate color and the beginning of spring.” The tradition of throwing colored powder and paint comes from the legend of Hindu gods Krishna and
see holi page 4
DIVEST BING calls for transparency Campus group reforms after being inactive for two years Kelly Coyne
pipe dream news
Student members of DIVEST BING, a recently revived campus organization, are calling on Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger for financial transparency of the school’s $152,000,000 endowment. The University’s investments are handled by the Binghamton University Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is not required to disclose investment records or respond to requests made under the
Freedom of Information Act. However, DIVEST BING, a student-run group campaigning for BU’s divestment from fossil fuels and partnerships with unsustainable corporations, is pushing for increased communication on all financial investments of the Foundation, and recently held a protest against Lockheed Martin, an aerospace and defense company. According to Anthony Georgiou, a member of DIVEST BING and a freshman majoring in anthropology, the group’s main focus is to urge the Foundation to clarify what the University invests in. “This group’s mission is to demand
see divest page 3
ARTS & CULTURE
miya carmichael contributing photographer The eighth annual Holi festival took place on the Newing College co-rec field on Sunday afternoon.
OPINIONS
SPORTS
BU Art Museum hosts a discussion with renowned artist Seymour Chwast,
Rainbow Pride Union hosted its 17th annual drag show,’Sex, Drag and Rock ‘n’ Roll,’
Columnist Elizabeth Short condemns BU’s response to the recent shooting in Johnson City,
Men’s lacrosse falls to UMBC,
Softball captures two of three against Stony Brook,
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PAGE II Monday, April 2019 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 8, 3,2, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
Address: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 Phone: 607-777-2515 Fax: 607-777-2600
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Binghamton man admits to Citizens Bank robbery attempt
LOCAL NEWS
High-speed police chase results in car crash On Thursday night, troopers attempted to pull over a car traveling the wrong way on Route 17 near Owego, New York, according to WBNG. The car did not stop, but turned around and started to drive in the correct lanes, then turned off the highway. Authorities say the vehicle then hit another car but continued traveling, and officers stopped pursuing the vehicle to ensure nobody was injured. Later, the same car was seen near Vestal. The vehicle drove over a curb and merged back onto Route 17 before crashing at the corner of Front Street and William Street. Police have not released information on why the driver did not stop. Johnson City man found guilty of two felony rape charges On Wednesday, Adrian Hoyt, 37, who was accused of raping a woman in September in Johnson City and another woman in 2016 in the town of Dickinson, was found guilty in court, according to WBNG. The Broome County Court will sentence him on June 12 for first-degree rape, a class B felony, and thirddegree rape, a class E felony. Hoyt is expected to serve five to 29 years in prison.
Fun Editor* Nate Walker fun@bupipedream.com
On Thursday, Philip Stein, 61, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of a Citizens Bank at 247 Main St., according to WBNG. Authorities say Stein entered the bank on March 7 and handed the teller a note threatening to shoot them if they didn’t turn over cash. No weapon was displayed and no one was injured during the attempt. Stein ran away from the bank before receiving any money and was found in the vicinity of Glenwood Avenue near Foundry Plaza. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7. STATE NEWS
Cuomo approves prosecutorial misconduct commission On March 28, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that would create a special commission to investigate allegations of misconduct against local prosecutors, who are immune to civil lawsuits, according to The New York Times. The commission could sanction prosecutors found to have acted unethically, and remove them from office. According to Cuomo, the commission would be the first of its kind in the country. State prosecutors are challenging the legislation and arguing that it is unconstitutional, and the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York filed a legal action on Monday seeking to block the formation of the commission.
liat katz contributing photographer The Fred Hersch Trio, including pianist, composer, bandleader and theatrical conceptualist Fred Hersch, bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson, perform in the Anderson Center on Thursday.
This Day in History April 8, 1913 The 17th Amendment is ratified, requiring U.S. senators to be elected by popular vote instead of through state legislators.
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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 academic breaks. The content on the Opinions page with bylines represent the views of those authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board. The content of advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board. We reserve the right to reject ads for any reason. All letters submitted for publication must include the author's name, year and major. Please limit letters to the editor to 400 words and guest columns to 750 words. Pipe Dream reserves the right to edit submissions, and does not guarantee publication. All submissions become property of Pipe Dream. Guest column submissions may be emailed to the opinions editor at opinions@ bupipedream.com, and all letters to the editor may be sent to editor@bupipedream.com. © Pipe Dream 2019
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The following accounts were provided by Investigator Mark Silverio of Binghamton’s New York State University Police.
off his bag, rolled up his sleeves and said, “This is about to get real bad.” Officers were able to calm him down and gave him $2 for his bus fare.
Pack it away TUESDAY, April 2, 8:24 p.m. — Officers responded to Windham Hall of Mountainview College after receiving reports from Residential Life employees that residents of a room may have been smoking marijuana. Officers made their way to the dorm and the suspect, an 18-year-old male, gave permission for them to search his room. Upon entering the room, officers noticed a smoke detector was covered with a sock, which constitutes a fire hazard. Officers also found an ashtray with marijuana in it, a bag of marijuana, a grinder, a glass bong and vapor cartridges containing concentrated cannabis. A green directional sign that belonged in the Tillman Lobby of the University Union was also found. All of the items found were seized, and the male was arrested and charged with larceny and possession of marijuana. He will appear in Vestal Town Court.
Blame it on the wind WEDNESDAY, April 3, 6:16 p.m. — Officers responded to Parking Lot A after a male called to complain that his car had been damaged. The male, a 44-year-old Binghamton University employee, said he had noticed a massive scratch down the passenger side of his vehicle, and thought someone had hit his car. Officers took his information and, upon reviewing video footage from the area, noticed an unknown female opened the driver’s side door of her vehicle into the male’s car. It appeared that the wind blew it open quickly, and that the damage was not caused intentionally. The suspect drove away, but the camera could not get her license plate.
Good cop WEDNESDAY, April 3, 4:34 p.m. — Officers responded to the University Union bus stop to speak with a man riding a Broome County Transit bus. The 48-yearold male, who was unaffiliated with the University, was refusing to pay or get off the bus. When officers arrived and asked the man to leave the bus, he became increasingly angry and told officers that he forgot his wallet with his ID and money. According to the male, the first bus driver allowed him to ride for free, but the second bus driver would not let him ride without payment. While speaking with officers, the male took
horsegirls:destabilizing
COMIC CLUB
A place For Everything Comics! everyone is welcome! comicclub@binghamtonsa.org
SA CHARTERED
Phone scam THURSDAY, April 4, 1:30 p.m. — A 22-year-old female reported she was the victim of a fraud. The female, an international student, said she received a phone call from an unknown male identifying himself as a police officer named “Jay Martin.” He said that there was something wrong with her student visa and that she would be arrested and sent directly to jail. He had basic information about the female, including her name, where she went to school and her GPA. He told the victim the only way she could avoid being arrested was to stay at home for two days and not go outside while her visa got approved. He instructed her to purchase $1,500 in gift cards, go to customs at Greater Binghamton Airport, fill out a form and send the gift cards with the completed form to an address he would provide. The victim was on the phone for about an hour before she realized it was a scam.
bupipedream.com | April 8, 2019
NEWS
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DIVEST BING talks fiscal transparency of endowment divest from page 1 nothing less than absolute transparency in regard to the Binghamton Foundation’s use of the annual endowment of Binghamton University,” Georgiou wrote in an email. The group initially formed in 2013 after news arose that the Foundation leased 600 acres of land to companies for hydraulic fracking in 2008, and was part of Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS). Eventually, it went dormant. Ava Glasser, president of IDEAS and a senior majoring in environmental studies, wrote in an email that the group disbanded after it failed to attract new members and saw little progress. “The group went inactive mostly due to our small size and the roadblocks we met,” Glasser wrote. “After a meeting with President Stenger in which he insisted that Binghamton was already divested from direct holdings in fossil fuel companies, he did not show us evidence of this.” The group is now a larger coalition of more than 40 students from multiple
kojo senoo pipe dream photographer DIVEST BING is urging Binghamton University to become more financially transparent and divest from fossil fuels and partnerships with unsustainable corporations.
environment-related student organizations, including IDEAS. Isabel Jordan, co-founder of DIVEST BING and a freshman majoring in philosophy, politics and law, wrote in an email that she was inspired to reactivate the group after creating a series of environmentally based workshops in February.
“A group of friends and I developed a series of workshops entitled ‘It’s Already Here,’ which aimed to imagine a historical, critical, urgent and applicable understanding of the climate crisis,” Jordan wrote. “Subsequent student power meetings explored how to translate those conversations
into action and resulted in the resurrection of Divest Bing.” Jordan wrote that the group has expanded its previous focus to fit a variety of issues the group hopes to target, including human rights violations. “While the previous iteration of Divest Bing focused solely on fossil fuels, we recognize that the
U.S. Department of Defense is the world’s largest polluter, that war affects land and ecosystems and that the global destruction of cultures and livelihoods erases traditional sustainable practices,” Jordan wrote. Last week, about 20 members of DIVEST BING protested an oncampus job recruitment event
hosted by Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer. Members argued that engineering students should not be pursued by companies involved in wars overseas that are detrimental to people and their environment. “Undergraduate students looking for solid jobs shouldn’t be targeted by war profiteers; their talents should not be appropriated in order to more effectively kill,” Jordan wrote. Dheiva Moorthy, cofounder of DIVEST BING and a freshman double-majoring in environmental studies and sociology, wrote in an email that the group is hoping to expand further to educate students on topics including environmental campus reform and ecofeminism. Additionally, she wrote that the group plans to continue fighting for transparency of the foundation’s financial records to ensure proof of the University’s divestment from fossil fuels. “We firmly believe in studentled direct action to achieve progressive goals — divestment of Binghamton’s resources in questionable and problematic industries is one of these goals,” Moorthy wrote.
BU to introduce new degree Debate team finds success Masters of human rights to launch in fall 2019 Jeremy Wells
contributing writer
Beginning in fall 2019, Binghamton University will be offering a Master of Science in human rights, marking the first human rights master’s program offered by a school in the SUNY system. Suzy Lee, program director for the human rights graduate degree and an assistant professor of human development, wrote in an email that the degree was created to match societal needs. “Development on the program began approximately 3 years ago,” Lee wrote. “That larger project was a response to a perceived need, both at a national, international and local level, for this kind of training — given the types of challenges our world now faces.” According to Lee, the program is intended to prepare students to work in a wide variety of fields related to social justice. “Our program is best suited for students who are passionate about social justice, who want to contribute to the social and political transformation occurring in the modern world,
to help solve the many challenges humanity now faces,” Lee wrote. “We are expecting our students to become leaders in human rights-related organizations, from local community-based organizations all the way to major international NGOs.” Lee wrote that the new human rights degree will work within the existing human development program, putting an emphasis on social justice. “Human development was a natural home for a graduate program in human rights,” Lee wrote. “HDEV is an interdisciplinary, ‘applied’ social science field, where questions of social justice, human rights and social transformation are central.” The new program will be admitting students on a rolling basis. Students accepted to the program will be required to take nine courses, including human rights and community action classes, and will be required to complete a cumulative capstone project. The program will not consist of specific concentrations. The University also has several other centers dedicated to human rights, including the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP), which deals with similar issues in the capacity
of preventing genocides and other mass atrocity abuses, and the Human Rights Institute, which offers lectures, internships and research opportunities. While the new human rights degree, I-GMAP and the Human Rights Institute (HRI) do have some overlap in regard to the content they cover, such as preventing human rights abuses across the world, the programs are not directly connected, according to Alexandra Moore, co-director of the Human Rights Institute and a professor of English at BU. “There is no direct connection between I-GMAP and the [master’s], although of course students interested in issues of genocide and mass atrocity prevention may very well want to pursue it,” Moore wrote in an email. Although the graduate program is new, Lee said University faculty are already active in areas related to human rights, laying the groundwork for the program’s development. “Our faculty regularly teach, publish and engage in activism on key human rights issues such as racial inequality, education access, refugee and immigrants’ rights, gendered violence, access to health, social movements and economic inequality,” Lee wrote.
After heading to nationals, team reflects on progress Sheila Krische
contributing writer
Binghamton University’s nationally ranked speech and debate team appeared for the first time in the elimination rounds at the National Debate Tournament (NDT) on Monday, March 25, an accomplishment that coach Joseph Leeson-Schatz said represents how far the team has come. This year, James Allan, a senior double-majoring in political science and history, and Jefferey Yan, a senior doublemajoring in economics and English, advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NDT, where they lost on a 3-2 decision to Wake Forest University. Additionally, Leeson-Schatz received the Ziegelmueller Award at this year’s NDT, an award given to a coach who can achieve success while making academic contributions in their field of study. The team was originally founded when BU was known as Harpur College, and received its first award in 1964. With low participation in the late 1960s, the team re-emerged in the
1980s as a Student Association organization. Leeson-Schatz, the University’s director of speech and debate and a professor of English, was a member during his undergraduate years at BU, and said he has been present as the team has received more funding and opportunities. “At that time, there was a small budget and no real faculty support, and when we traveled, we slept on floors,” Leeson-Schatz said. “With each move, the team received more support, and with every increase in support, we gained new levels of success.” While attending graduate school at BU, one of LeesonSchatz’s professors, Robert Micklus, currently an associate professor of English, offered him an assistantship to coach the speech and debate team. By moving to the University’s Scholars Program, the team was able to expand its funding. Later, the team would move to the English department and is now housed under the Center for Learning and Teaching. Although the team has seen increases in funding and support, it has remained around the same size, with 20 to 40 members each year. Leeson-Schatz said members
now perform more research themselves and the leadership effort of team members has grown. Currently, the team brings 10 to 20 competitors to each tournament, but where the team competes has changed, with members traveling longer distances and participating in larger-scale tournaments. “While we still remain a small debate school comparative to the national average, we have grown into a regional powerhouse that is no longer seen exclusively as the underdog on the national circuit,” Leeson-Schatz said. “We have become the bearcat.” The team has consistently qualified for the NDT through district tournaments over recent years, competing with the same teams as athletics teams verse in the America East conference. Leeson-Schatz said he was honored to receive the Ziegelmueller Award at this year’s NDT. “Sometimes I get caught up in the day-to-day administrative duties of coaching and teaching and forget about how many people I’ve worked with over my 19 years coaching at Binghamton,” Leeson-Schatz said. “Then, seeing some of the nomination letters from alumni, it really left me speechless.”
Sustainable Communities talk highlights homelessness Local coalition discusses area housing issues Stephen Anku
contributing writer
The state of homelessness in Binghamton, where approximately one dozen individuals spend the coldest nights without shelter, according to representatives from the Southern Tier Homeless Coalition (STHC), was addressed at a talk held in the Couper Administration Building on Thursday afternoon. The talk, hosted by the Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence in Sustainable Communities, invited Rebecca Rathmell, coordinator for the STHC, to discuss her organization’s operations to combat homelessness in the area. As the designated Continuum of Care, a local planning committee the government uses to coordinate and allocate its anti-homelessness funding, the STHC, a collaborative nonprofit organization with a mission to provide solutions for homelessness in New York’s Southern Tier, is specifically responsible for organizing and working with member agencies
to aid affected communities. According to Rathmell, more than 1,500 individuals accessed emergency shelter last year in Broome County, and the coalition had observed a 100 percent or higher utilization rate of its support resources at multiple levels, an increase from previous years. Although creating emergency shelter is where the STHC’s mission begins, Rathmell said their end goal is to transition homeless families and individuals into permanent housing. “More than anything else, homelessness is a housing issue,” Rathmell said. “The only thing that is going to solve homelessness is housing.” Rathmell said the STHC is currently working to improve the accessibility of its programs by collecting and analyzing data on their effectiveness, particularly concerning equal access across racial lines. “We are seeing that there could be some disparity in movement to some of the more permanent supportive housing programs,” Rathmell said. “I think what we’re anticipating is probably that access to the most crisis aspects of local projects — emergency shelter will be relatively comparable across the racial spectrum, but we are
sasha hupka news editor Rebecca Rathmell discusses the state of homelessness in Binghamton at a TAE in Sustainable Communities talk on Thursday.
seeing that there could be some disparity in movement to some of the more permanent supportive housing programs.” While housing is considered affordable if payments come out to less than a third of monthly income, on average, extremely low-income households can spend up to 92 percent of their monthly income just to pay rent, according to Rathmell. Government programs, such as
Section 8, attempt to subsidize housing for these low-income households, but with funding limitations, there are often waitlists with long wait times. When prospective tenants are accepted, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have permanent housing. Rathmell said many landlords may refuse to rent to them if they know they are assisted by such a program, a practice that has only been
recently declared illegal with an amendment to the New York State Human Rights Law during 2019 budget negotiations. “An estimated third of apartments that are locally subsidized by the department of social services indicate some kind of home health hazard,” Rathmell said. “The Department of Social Services is not mandated in any of its directives to determine the habitability of the apartments
they subsidize.” In Binghamton, housing is also complicated by a large student population. Rathmell said that while the supply of premium student housing in the area has already reached its demand, new development seems to continue to target this sector of the market, despite the need for new affordable housing. Binghamton University’s latest efforts include renovating areas of Johnson City around their new Health Sciences Campus, which opened last fall. Homelessness is not a new issue for Benjamin Levine, a senior majoring in geography, who has previously worked with the coalition to collect population data on the local homeless community. Levine said the talk helped illustrate the problem and its connection to the University, but he still has questions on what is known about those on the precipice of homelessness — not yet on the streets, but close to being there. “We were going around to known and suspected locations that those rough sleeping would reside,” Levine said. “I was going to ask if there had been any studies regarding childcare or if the coalition does anything regarding near homelessness.”
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NEWS
bupipedream.com | April 8, 2019
Binghamton mayor sees tax assessment reduce by $47,700 assessment from page 1 A deed of sale for the property from September 2006 shows that David paid $100,000 for the building and the land it sits on. David later applied for building permits and put roughly $95,000 toward renovations on the second and third floors of the building. Although David only rents the first floor of the building and uses the second and third floors as his residence, Snyder said his assessment considered the income David could potentially receive for all three floors if he rented them out. A similarly sized, three-story property located on the same block as David’s residence, 29 Court St., is currently assessed at $140,000. Shortly after David’s assessment was reduced, Tarik Abdelazim, 45, a resident of Binghamton and a former Democratic mayoral candidate running against David in 2017, discussed the reduction in a post published on Binghamton Bridge, a local news blog that works to “amplify local progressive activities,” according to the website. In his post, Abdelazim wrote that David had failed to use official channels to get his assessment reduced, because he had not filled out Real Property Form 524. After the tentative tax assessment roll in Binghamton is released each year on May 1, the city tax assessor cannot change property assessments for the
current year. But David filed his assessment complaint in March, before the tentative roll was released. This constitutes a period in which Snyder could legally make reassessments to properties, since New York tax assessors are required to assess all real property at a uniform percentage of market value each year, according to New York Real Property Tax Law Sections 301 and 305. Therefore, David was not legally required to file a formal grievance, or fill out Real Property Form 524 and appear before Binghamton’s Board of Assessment Review (BAR). The board handles contested tax assessment cases and consists of five members who are appointed by the mayor to five-year terms and confirmed by the City Council. “I was conscious of the fact that obviously I’m the mayor, and I just think that elected officials should be held to a higher standard,” David said. “But I also think they should be treated fairly, and no more or less fairly than the average person. That was what the process was. I made sure I followed exactly what the state of New York said I should do, and I think any deviation from that is a very slippery slope.” According to Snyder, the law is designed to ensure that tax assessors can make changes to tax assessments before the tentative tax assessment roll is released, so when they submit the tentative roll, they can defend those assessments to the BAR.
According to Snyder, his office assesses property valuations from March to May, and all owners have the opportunity to request that he review their assessments during that period. “You have to understand, if I have to defend these in a court, or to a small claims officer, or to a Board of Assessment Review, I don’t have a leg to stand on,” Snyder said. “This is what I do for everybody’s.” In his blog post, Abdelazim also wrote he was concerned about Snyder’s involvement in the assessment reduction, as Binghamton tax assessors are appointed by the mayor to sixyear terms. Snyder was initially appointed as city tax assessor in 2008, to fill a vacated term, by former Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan, and was appointed again by Ryan in 2013. He is up for reappointment in September. Considering Snyder’s impending reappointment, Krasno wrote that David could have considered filing a grievance and appearing in front of the BAR — even though he wasn’t legally required to do so — which would have required him to publicly submit documentation in support of the reduction. “I have no idea about the specifics of this situation and I’m sure it’s all above board,” Krasno wrote. “As I understand it, there is sort of a private part of the process, where a taxpayer communicates with the Assessments Office, and a public part of the process,
a grievance is filed. Given the optics, I’m a little surprised that everyone didn’t decide that the mayor would be best served by filing a grievance about the taxes on his building so everyone could see that this was going on.” But David said he went to Snyder in an effort to follow the same procedures any other resident would while seeking a reassessment, and didn’t consider appearing before the BAR because he never intended to challenge the assessment once Snyder finalized it. “What this was, was just me inquiring and asking questions and asking for a review; it was never my intention one way or another to challenge it,” David said. “And I thought that these were individuals that I had appointed already, as opposed to someone in Scott’s position — I did not appoint him. I thought that all the checks and balances were in place and I made sure that I knew what the process was in advance.” Snyder said David could have gone before the BAR, but was not legally obligated to. According to Snyder, the assessment reduction was transparent. “This was handled with full transparency, knowing how the assessment calendar and procedures are done,” Snyder said. He also said his office operates autonomously from the mayor. “My office is apolitical,” Snyder said. “My office is autonomous
from the mayor’s office or supervisor’s office, and that sixyear term is meant as a shield to allow us to do our functions without having to worry about a two- or four-year term appointee saying, ‘You’re done.’ We are protected from political influence or revenge.” It is not the first time David has seen criticism from residents concerned with the ethicality and transparency of his actions while in office. In October 2018, he came under fire after accepting an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas from a local businessman, which some constituents claimed violated Binghamton’s Code of Ethics. In a public statement, David wrote that he had a longstanding friendship with the businessman, and that the trip was not related to his position as mayor. During the 2017 mayoral election, he faced criticism when a Pipe Dream investigation revealed his campaign had changed headlines on more than 20 news articles from local media outlets before posting them on his official Facebook page. Later, in a statement, David wrote his campaign “could and should have done better communicating our message” over social media without changing the headlines. David also recently transferred ownership of 45 Court St. from one of his incorporated investment companies to his name, to bring it into compliance with the New York State School Tax Relief Program, or STAR
exemption, which he has received since 2014. In addition to 45 Court St., David owns five other properties within city limits, including three vacant lots along Washington Street in Downtown Binghamton and two commercial buildings on Clinton Street. The properties were each purchased under one of two different investment companies David has incorporated: Confluence Clinton St., LLC and Confluence Enterprises II, Inc. David has not purchased any additional commercial properties while serving as mayor, adhering to a pledge he made during a March 2017 interview with the Press & Sun-Bulletin. Krasno wrote that he understands why David would want his property reassessed, as Binghamton has not had a municipal-wide reassessment since 1993. Still, he wrote that it’s also understandable why a tax reduction can be seen differently when elected officials are involved. “Pretty much everyone is unhappy with their property taxes all the time,” Krasno wrote. “That can especially be true in a place like Binghamton which hasn’t had a reassessment in decades even as property values have changed. Lots of Binghamton residents, myself included, have used the legal mechanisms to have their taxes adjusted. When the mayor does it, however, there can be obvious questions about how the process works for the boss.”
Eighth annual Holi features colors, water balloons holi from page 1 Radha. Krishna, whose skin is tinted blue as a result of being poisoned as a child, was unsure if Radha, the goddess of love and beauty, would ever love him. His mother suggested he approach
her and color her face with red paint to woo her. Radha fell in love with him, and thus the tradition of smearing paint and colored powder on loved ones and family was born. Pranjal Patel, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics
and law, said although she was celebrating the holiday away from home, she was excited to share the tradition with friends. “Back home, at my local temple, we always celebrated it with family,” Patel said. “But now it’s fun because it’s with
my friends.” For Alisha Sharma, a freshman majoring in biology, the celebration at BU was lively and fun. “It’s so nice being on this big open field with all this color and powder,” Sharma said.
“At home, we do it on a much smaller scale.” Others were celebrating the holiday for the first time. Valerie Pascuzzi, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, was not raised in the Hindu faith or Indian culture but was excited
to try something new. “I thought it was really fun,” Pascuzzi said. “It was my first time here. Last year I saw my suitemate come back from it and she looked like she had a lot of fun so I wanted to try it out this year.”
Course policy could change retake from page 1 with a C-minus, intentionally failed the course and received an A on the second try, they could receive a B-minus, the average of the two grades. Wehbe said he believes the new policy’s approach to course retakes would not affect students who received a C-plus or better in the course, but would be more fair to students who earned a C-minus or D. “Averaging this artificial F and seeing if that would have been better on their second attempt can make a student who got a D on their first attempt go from a 1.0 to, say, a 2.0 if they get an A on their second attempt,” Wehbe said. “Whereas right now, the A on their second attempt would not count toward their GPA.” Course-retake policies have been proposed multiple times by previous VPAAs, but they never were implemented because of fears that changing the retake policy could lead to grade inflation and further strain administrative resources. The policies called for a uniform, University-wide system, as well as a complete replacement of the
original grade. There were also concerns that the previous proposals made retaking courses too desirable for students, and could lead to a difference between the grades of students with the financial ability to retake courses and those who could not afford to do so. Wehbe said his proposal aims to alleviate those fears. “There’s already financial disparity between students who can afford to retake courses and students who can’t, but previous proposals that made course retake too desirable would have absolutely exacerbated the gap between the GPAs,” Wehbe said. “We’re trying to be mindful that not all students can afford to retake courses.” As with the current policy, both grades would still appear on the student’s official transcript. The VPAA’s office plans to start the policy through Harpur College, and Wehbe said he expects it to eventually be offered to the other schools, although it is not currently intended to become a University-wide policy. After the proposal is finalized, it will be submitted to the Harpur College Council’s Educational Policy and Priorities
Committee. The committee will decide if they want to put it on the Harpur College Council’s agenda, where it could be voted on. Jon Lavis, a senior majoring in business administration, said he supports the change. According to Lavis, the proposed policy seemed more reasonable than the current method. “What you did in the past still matters, what you do now still matters, so an average makes a lot of sense to me,” Lavis said. But others feel differently. Lowell Klipstein, a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering, said while this is a step in the right direction, it would still be better if the retake grade fully replaced the original one. “I think the new retake policy is more beneficial to students, because it does take away the intention for students to just say, ‘Okay, I’ll fail this class and take it again and get a better grade,’” Klipstein said. “But, I do think there should be a policy where you are able to retake that course and get a new grade, because it shows you didn’t fail the course and you’re trying again.”
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miya carmichael contributing photographer Students attend class for CHEM 108: Intro to Chem Principles II, taught by Professor Christof Grewer, in Lecture Hall 14. The proposed course-retake policy aims to remove the incentive for students to fail a course intentionally to receive a higher average grade.
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RPU hosts 17th annual drag show Performers included both students and locals Haley Applebaum contributing writer
Binghamton University’s Rainbow Pride Union (RPU) hosted its 17th annual drag show, “Sex, Drag and Rock ‘n’ Roll,” in Chamber Hall on Friday night. The event showcased performances from Bing Stand-Up, Masti and student and professional drag queens. Proceeds from tickets, sold for $7 at the door, went to Identity Youth Center in Binghamton. RPU, the stage crew and host Katrina, a local drag queen, worked hard to put together a fun night for the audience. The stage was decorated with posters of famous rock bands and guitars from Guitar Hero. The stage crew put on dramatic light effects, and Katrina’s witty and risqué humor between performances was a comedy routine in itself. Students were able to sign up to compete in this year’s drag show for prizes, and professional drag queens were invited to perform as guests. This year’s three competitors each had their moment to dance to their song of choice as their peers cheered on in the audience. Colin Moran, a junior majoring in psychology known onstage as Haley Comet, won first place by audience vote. He expressed his surprise over the award for his freestyle strategy. “I can’t say that I expected to [win],” he said. “I forgot half of what I was going to do, so I kind of improvised, and it worked out, I guess.” Moran said he had been interested in drag for two years prior to his first-ever performance. Inspired by Ariana Grande, he created a pop-star look to coordinate his performance to Grande’s song, “Greedy.” Moran said he did not let nerves distract him from dancing for the audience and offered advice for people interested in drag. “This is a great place to start,” he said. “You gotta just do stuff that makes you happy.” Over the years, RPU has collected many contacts of professional drag queens from the area, many of which are usual performers at The Cave in Downtown Binghamton. The show’s guests featured Paris LuRux, Sydney Gorgeous and Josephine Dream. Each had a unique flavor that excited the crowd, but kept with the rock ‘n’ roll theme, dazzling with leather boots and black eyeliner. The trio agreed that drag is an artistic process. LuRux explained that although there are many elements that go into creating a routine, picking a song comes first. “Picking a song can really determine what moves you want to do, what you want to wear and what hair you want to wear, so choosing a song is definitely the root of what goes into your routine,” LuRux said. Gorgeous agreed, revealing that she has a whole list of songs on her laptop that she goes through weekly in order to manifest the image she will present in a show. “I’ll sit on Monday if I’m performing that week and listen to a bunch of songs and see what I’m feeling,” she said. “Once I pick my song, I’ll determine what kind of makeup I’m going to wear and what kind of outfit I’m going to wear, so makeup and outfit come after song choice.” Dream offered a relatable metaphor to explain the process of drag. “Just try to have fun,” she said. “It’s a learning process. You’re not gonna get it on your first try … It’s just eyeliner. You can take a wipe, boom, do it again.”
liat katz contributing photographer American artist Seymour Chwast discussed his artwork at the BU Art Museum alongside author Steven Heller.
Seymour Chwast speaks at BU The artist’s work will be on display until May 18 Gabby Iacovano
Assistant arts & Culture editor
rose coschignano pipe dream photographer Rainbow Pride Union hosted its 17th annual drag show, ’Sex, Drag and Rock ‘n’ Roll.’
Bands compete to open Spring Fling The Groovy Boys won over the crowd and judges Makoto Toyoda
contributing writer
As the weather gets warmer and the harsh Binghamton winter seems to finally fade away, students look forward to the biggest event on campus every school year: Spring Fling. On Saturday, April 6, students from on and off campus flocked to the University Union Undergrounds for the annual Battle of the Bands, an event run by the Student Association Programming Board. Battle of the Bands allows student bands to showcase their talent in hopes of winning the first or second place prizes: opening the Main Stage or Student Stage during the Spring Fling festival. Bands competed by playing two to three of their own original tracks or covers of their favorite songs. This year, a mix of old and new faces left their mark as Ayche, itsENJ, Riverside, Big Tasty, Cadence, natural born kissers, The Landshark Committee, Puppets For Hire, Slag and The Groovy Boys took the stage. Although the competition was limited to group performers, the night gave the audience a look into the bustling Binghamton University band scene, encompassing a variety of genres that are sure to have a little something for everyone. The event attracted a vast number of students regardless of their musical interest or background, the Undergrounds at one point almost reaching maximum capacity. Sam Beck, a freshman doublemajoring in economics and philosophy, expressed enthusiasm for the event. “I thought it would be an
isaiah king-cruz contributing photographer Ten different student bands performed at SAPB’s annual Battle of the Bands to compete for a spot at Spring Fling.
enlightening cultural experience, [and] a de facto time machine back to the ’70s,” he said. While some groups performed hard-rock songs, other groups, such as Cadence, covered popular songs like “Still Into You” by Paramore. Beck expressed that Slag, a doom-metal band, was his favorite. “I thought [their performance] was raw, tasteful and a tour de force,” he said. Over the course of three hours, students got to experience a miniconcert of sorts. The energy was upbeat, friendly and energetic, most people standing up to dance or mouth the words to their favorite
songs. Many performers directly engaged with their audience, dancing along onstage or even stepping down from the platform to sing among the crowd. After all the bands performed, attendees were invited to vote for their favorite acts with their phones, their choices considered alongside the opinions of three judges. As the clock neared midnight, band members from every group surrounded the platform and waited to hear the final results. After much anticipation, The Groovy Boys, who performed a cover of “Burnin’ Up” by the Jonas Brothers among other songs, were announced to open for the Spring Fling headliner. Natural
born kissers was chosen to open for the Student Stage, this year being their last as a band at BU. Ben Palmateer, lead vocalist of The Groovy Boys and a junior double-majoring in political science and music, revealed the amount of hard work and practice it took for his group to perform at Battle of the Bands. Considering over 100 potential songs to cover, the band eventually decided on choosing one that would be appreciated and recognized by many. “The Jonas Brothers are back right now,” Palmateer said. “They have a new single that’s really catchy and we just thought that kind of grabs at people’s nostalgia, which I think people really appreciate. [The] song [Burnin’ Up] is really fun to play. I didn’t expect that — I just thought we were going to do a cheesy cover and it turns out that’s actually a pretty well-written song.” Palmateer also emphasized the importance of stage presence and audience reception. “We could have played more originals, and we could have played covers that we like more, but at the end of the day, I think it’s about how people receive you,” he said. Overall, Battle of the Bands was a high-energy and jam-packed annual event that was enjoyed by many. Palmateer, a veteran in the BU music scene, reflected positively on this year’s battle. “It’s a great event, especially this year because there’s a lot of bands that are doing it that I’ve never heard of before — [some] I think actually might be new entirely,” he said. “There’s a pretty solid band scene in Binghamton, but I always think it’s great to have more people doing it. Everyone’s really talented so it’s great to have that.”
Thursday evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Binghamton University Art Museum hosted a talk by art director, critic and author Steven Heller and graphic designer Seymour Chwast, whose work is currently being shown in “Seymour Chwast: Works of War.” A native New Yorker, Chwast became popular in the ’50s and ’60s for his design work on posters, books, advertisements, product packages and more. His distinctly colorful and eclectic art often employs visual puns and humor. At age 87, the artist is as prolific as ever and his BU exhibition solely features work from the past decade. Curator Blazo Kovacevic, art director of the BU Art Museum and an associate professor of art and design, said he chose Chwast with the aim of continuing a new wave of graphic designers being shown at the museum. Two years ago, the museum brought in the work of Milton Glaser, one of Chwast’s co-founders at Push Pin Studios in New York City. “It was working with the mission of synthesizing everything in a really creative way other than labeling: This is art, this fine art, this is commercial art, this is illustration and all of these labels that you can attach to something that was done creatively,” Kovacevic said. “We are on a mission to show that you don’t need to be constrained to any discipline.” The Chwast exhibition, which has been running since April 4 and will run until May 18, features illustrations of soldiers and battlefields in the artist’s signature style. Chwast has a long history of creating anti-war art beginning with 1957’s “A Book of Battles,” a collection of battle illustrations alongside anti-war quotations. Heller and Chwast also worked together in 1984 to compile another anti-war book, “Art Against War: 400 Years of Protest in Art.” After quipping that their usual conversations over lunch were about who ordered the better sandwich, Chwast and Heller discussed everything from Chwast’s choices in subject matter to his sources of inspiration. Chwast said that his paintings, many of which feature patterns of jumbled bodies, machines and cartoonish bursts of fire, are meant to subvert viewers’ expectations. “With the patterns here, the
idea is they sort of look like bedspreads or wallpapers, but then when you get up close you find that they’re burning airplanes or parachutes being blown up, so you’re sort of taken aback,” he said. The collection also features several large portraits of soldiers in uniform. When asked about these, Chwast said that he approaches his imaginary subjects with empathy. “Some of them may be unhappy, some of them grim, some of them love the idea of going to war,” he said. “I feel sorry for them. They’ve been encouraged by the general public that it’ll be wonderful and they’re doing it for their country, but every side in every war is doing it for their own country, so why bother?” After the talk, Chwast took questions from the audience. Before the crowd dispersed, an easel was brought to the front of the room, and Heller invited guests to yell out a shape and watch Chwast transform the shape into a simple illustration. He quickly converted a triangle into a turtle, an octagon into Donald Trump and a heart into a whimsical, hog-nosed creature. Kovacevic said he hopes the event will inspire people to not only appreciate drawing, but maybe pick up a pencil themselves. “Another mission here is to teach as many people as possible, regardless of their backgrounds, concentrations, direction or career goals, to draw because I think it enriches the experience of the world,” he said. Bashel Lubarsky, a junior majoring in fine arts, said Chwast’s principles will likely impact the way she approaches her own art as both a painter and designer. “He was saying that he’s a painter with a designer’s mind, and that really struck me,” she said. “I’m probably going to remember that for the rest of my life. I can paint, but just think about it in the way a designer would.” Two related events, thematically tied to the subjects of protest art and human rights, will be held in the museum this week. On Thursday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m., the Binghamton University Chamber Singers and Treble Chorus will perform “Choral Commentary: A Program on Themes of Peace and Justice.” The following two days, Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, the University’s Human Rights Institute will hold a conference titled “Technologies of Human Rights Representation: A SUNY Conversation in the Disciplines.” Both events will be free and open to the public.
OPINIONS Monday, April 8, 2019
Politicians should not make excuses for their defeats Accusing opponents of conspiracies is an ineffective political tactic Aaron Bondar Columnist
Last month, for a few brief moments, the American political commentariat was engaged in debate and discussion around the comments made by freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. In response to a tweet by The Intercept reporter Glenn Greenwald, Omar had suggested that American politicians supported Israel because they were being paid to toe that line — it’s “all about the Benjamins,” she wrote. Omar later apologized for this remark. The discussion and debate that followed the congresswoman’s remarks were mostly about antiSemitism — did Omar engage in anti-Semitic tropes? Was she aware of these stereotypes? And among her supporters, the inevitable refrain rang out — well, we should be able to talk about money’s insidious influence on our politics, shouldn’t we? And aren’t accusations of anti-Semitism by a Republican party dealing with its own internal race-related scandals laughably hypocritical? These questions have been dealt with elsewhere, and I won’t deal with them here. Rather, I would like to place Omar’s comments in the larger context of U.S. politics — a political system that has become consumed by accusations of conspiracy, by suspicion and cynicism. When it comes to our important political and cultural debates, Americans have become used to thinking of the opposition as in thrall to some insidious force that is pulling the strings. If only these forces were neutralized, we
phil pasquini shutterstock
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar faced controversy over her comments implying that money influences American politicians to support Israel. would win our political victories, they think. They are confident that their views are generally supported by “real” Americans, and that it is only through manipulation from outside the democratic process that they taste defeat. Why can’t we come to a compromise on guns? That’s easy — it’s the NRA’s money. Who would ever protest the president? They’re probably
paid off by George Soros. And Israel? Well, you know the drill. But these appeals are the refuge of the rhetorically weak. The fact is this: Israel has historically enjoyed the support of the United States because Americans hold favorable views of Israel. Their representatives reflect this. This isn’t sinister; this is democracy. Welcome to it.
And while Omar contends that she loses these battles because the opposition can’t quite refuse a check, the reality is that as Israeli and American politics have changed, and as the geopolitical context in the Middle East has changed, we’ve seen the relationship with Israel come under scrutiny and criticism, and this has been welcomed
by Israel’s detractors. So what gives? Did the financiers drop the ball? Did someone forget to cut a check? On the contrary — the shift is due to changing political contexts. Israel is no longer a fledgling nation threatened on all sides by despots, but a regional power; Israel’s internal politics have shifted rightward or, at the very least, have become defined
by complacency and status quo bias. Americans have responded to these changes by altering their views. In other words, our politicians have responded to a change in attitudes among their constituents, and those constituents have elected people like Omar. These appeals to conspiracy are not just mistaken, they’re bad politics. Of course money has a corrosive effect on our politics, and, of course, wealth has always been a tool to exert influence, but in our current political climate, voters’ attitudes and organization exert much more power than these arguments would suggest. If you miss this fundamental fact, then you will be ineffective as a political force and unable to do anything substantive about the issues you care about. Everyone’s entitled to their misreading of the political realities. As I’ve shown, Omar is hardly the first politician to accuse the opposition of being beholden to monied interests, and she certainly won’t be the last. But is it too much to ask in our caustic political environment — filled with entrepreneurs of division and inflamed, dangerous passions — that our representatives choose their words more carefully, or approach their conclusions with humility, caution and skepticism? I hope that it isn’t, and that these types of arguments will soon fade from the discourse. I do understand, however, the impulse to appeal to conspiracy to explain our defeats. It’s a comforting thought because the reality is much more frightening — that to win in America, you’ll have to do some convincing. Aaron Bondar is a senior double-majoring in political science and economics.
Students of color deserve to feel heard by their university Some students feel unsafe due to BU’s delayed response to the murder of a Muslim man Elizabeth Short Columnist
Many Binghamton University students are outraged as a result of the University’s response, or lack thereof, to the shooting of local restaurant owner Shakeel Khan. Khan was shot at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. The suspect, wearing dark clothing and a mask, shot Khan multiple times as Khan closed his Johnson City restaurant, Halal Bites. The shooter has yet to be caught.
While police have yet to declare the incident as a hate crime, the University had yet to officially acknowledge the incident at all when it first occurred. A B-Line news announcement was sent out on April 5, nearly a week following the actual incident. In the six days it took the University to make a statement about the incident, student organizations on campus came together twice to compile a letter to University President Harvey Stenger, listing grievances with the University. The statement released by the University addressed the tragedy and that the University recognized the concerns of BU students in regard to safety. It
also stated that B-Alerts are often not utilized when a “crime does not occur on or near University property” and that the University must decide whether to release a crime advisory warning. Well, B-Alerts have been used for “outside incidents” before. On Sept. 16, 2018, the University sent out a B-Alert regarding shots fired in Johnson City, telling students to avoid the area. There was a follow-up saying the area was cleared. Even still, Halal Bites is close to BU’s new Pharmacy School and central to many offcampus residences. Considering the time between the crime and an official release of a statement, I could not begin
to fathom why the statement had been delayed. When the statement finally arrived, it didn’t feel like enough. If students who were concerned were able to gather and come up with a cohesive plan of action, why wasn’t the administration able to? I spoke with Dheiva Moorthy, president of Decol A and a freshman double-majoring in environmental studies and sociology. Decol A is one of the many student organizations who met to send a letter to Stenger. Moorthy stated that she had even called the dean of students this Friday to confirm the administration received the letter and to request to meet to
address their concerns. She was told Stenger is unavailable for the next two weeks. The responsibility to make sure students feel protected should fall on those paid to run this institution, not those attending. “It’s turned into hand-holding, where cultural organizations are helping the University do their job,” Moorthy stated. Not to mention, the statement released by the administration barely covered the concerns of the 40 student organizations that signed the letter to Stenger. Although the shooting hasn’t been officially deemed a hate crime, it also hasn’t been ruled out. Also, the killer has yet to be
apprehended. That’s a pretty fair reason for students to feel unsafe. You can’t use students of color and students of assorted religions simply to boost your diversity statistics and simultaneously ignore their legitimate concerns. Asian students make up 14 percent of the population here, but these students aren’t just statistics on a webpage. Moorthy put it best: “The way this has mobilized so quickly speaks to the pain of students of color.” Every single student deserves the feeling of safety and comfort from those responsible for it. Elizabeth Short is a sophomore double-majoring in biology and English.
The Electoral College must be abolished The outdated system doesn’t accurately reflect the desires of voters Seth Gully Contributing Columnist
Recently, Jeff Merkley (DOR) announced legislation that would amend the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College system as we know it, and in turn would change presidential elections to be decided by the popular vote. Various senators, including presidential candidates such as Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have all expressed sympathy for this proposal. I believe this is not only a good idea, but a necessary change that must be done to guarantee a fair
electoral process. The Electoral College is an outlier in the modern world and needs to be abolished for the United States to catch up to the rest of the modern world in electoral politics, among other changes. To begin, let’s discuss practicality. When the system was founded, the system made relatively good sense: How could any government keep track of and validate a presidential election in the 1780s? It made sense that perhaps representatives would vote for the president due to this major obstacle of logistically administering an election. But we don’t live in 1780 anymore. We can keep track of the popular vote and don’t need to rely on an outdated system where electors choose our president. Some may argue that so long
as electors follow the popular vote in their respective states, all should work out since then the votes should be distributed, roughly, by population. But there is a major assumption in this argument: Electors are given to states proportionally. In other words, for every, say, 200,000 people, a state receives an electoral vote. However, this is not how electors are distributed. It is true that larger states have more votes than smaller states, but it is not proportional. Take the example of Wyoming and California. They have three and 55 votes, respectively. However, when you look at how many votes they have per capita — or, in other words, how many people are represented by an elector — it is about 192,000 and 720,000, respectively. That means for
every 3.75 people in California, they have the same power as one person in Wyoming in the Electoral College. If one were to take the ratio of people to electoral votes of Wyoming and apply that ratio to California’s population, the state would not receive 55 votes, but a whopping 205 electoral votes. Does that seem fair? Does that seem like one person, one vote? I say no. This system is unfair to states such as New York, California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately and unfairly penalized, whereas states such as Wyoming, North Dakota and Alaska have their voices overamplified for their size. For this reason, the system is undemocratic. Voters in Wyoming have 3.75 times the power as one
person in California. If we would say it’s unfair for one person to vote three times the number of votes in an election, why do we not say it’s unfair for one person to have three times the voting power of another in an election? This system isn’t hypothetical; it has real-world effects. Even though Democratic presidential candidates have won four out of the five past elections by popular vote, Democrats have only won the presidency two out of those five times. This has real-world tangible effects. Although Al Gore only won the popular vote by a few hundred thousand, Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes, they both lost in the Electoral College. What will it take for us to question the legitimacy of this institution? Must a candidate win the popular vote by 5 million,
10 million, 20 million votes before we question why this system exists? The Electoral College is an archaic system that must be abolished. It has failed us multiple times and allowed presidential candidates to win the White House despite the fact they did not receive more votes. If this were happening in Iran or Venezuela, we would call for regime change due to the illegitimacy of their elections. But when it’s our own nation, we rationalize. Democracy requires one person, one vote to function. The Electoral College is standing in the way and these are, for certain, mutually exclusive options. Seth Gully is a freshman triple-majoring in philosophy, politics and law, economics and French.
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My Mein reason to live
Nate Walker
ACROSS 1 “We burger as good as we pancake” chain 5 Ring-shaped reef 10 www code 14 The “M” of MSG 15 Greek played by Anthony Quinn 16 Badly damaged Asian sea 17 *Wall-hidden sliding portal 19 Food truck snack 20 Prepared (oneself), as for a difficult task 21 Planned with little detail 23 Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsor 25 Pedaled in a triathlon 26 Trowel wielder 29 Remove the rind from 32 Letter-routing abbr. 33 “The Bathers” painter 35 Suppositions 38 Feb. follower 39 *Serve, as stew 40 Old Prizm maker 41 Sports drink suffix 42 Wedding venues 43 Back in the day 44 Writer Hemingway 46 Like craft shows 47 Sean who played a hobbit 49 Reef explorer’s gear 52 Split, as the loot 55 Oyster season, so they say 59 “Would __ to you?” 60 Together, and a hint to both parts of the answers to starred clues 62 Above 63 Gladden 64 “My treat” 65 Wood cutters 66 Meal with matzo 67 “Downton Abbey” employee
DOWN 1 Rascals 2 Laugh-a-minute 3 __ and for all 4 Critters hunted in a 2016 mobile app 5 Ancient Mexican 6 Hot spiced drink 7 “__ y Plata”: Montana motto 8 Wall St. deals 9 Small songbird 10 McDaniel of “Gone With the Wind” 11 *Fixture on a ceiling rail 12 Papier-__ 13 Frank __ Wright 18 Panache 22 Movie critic Roger 24 Broad-brimmed beach bonnets 26 Cry from a crib 27 Just barely 28 *Google Maps option 30 American-born Jordanian queen 31 Name of 12 popes
33 Really anger 34 Appraisal amts. 36 Professional charges 37 PlayStation maker 39 “__ Boy”: Irish song 43 Narrow window 45 Mississippi and Missouri 46 “It’s __!”: nursery cry
47 Pablo’s parting 48 Thriller writer Daniel 50 Minos’ kingdom 51 “Raw” pigment 53 Applications 54 Heap 56 Singer Turner 57 Port on many TVs 58 Start of a flower 61 Family man
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Gary Larson ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/08/19 03/12/19
04/08/19 03/12/19
APRIL 8-13
Student Poster Presentations 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, UU-Mandela Room
SIGNATURE EVENTS How I Write: David Sloan Wilson 4-5:30 p.m. April 8, SL-212 The Writing Initiative’s How I Write series presents David Sloan Wilson, SUNY distinguished professor of biology and anthropology and president of the Evolution Institute, on the occasion of the publication of his new book, “This View of Life.” Ignite Binghamton University 4-6 p.m. April 9, UU-Undergrounds Five-minute research talks by graduate students and postdocs.
NPR’s Richard Harris on the Need for Rigor in Research 7 p.m. April 10, AM-189 (Admissions Building) Richard Harris, a science writer who has been reporting on NPR’s flagship news programs for more than 30 years, will give a talk inspired by his most recent book, titled “Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions.”
Art of Science Opening Reception 4-6 p.m. April 11, Center of Excellence Atrium An exhibit of entries from Binghamton University’s third-annual Art of Science competition. Light refreshments will be served. Technologies of Human Rights Representation 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. April 12 and 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 13, Art Museum This SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines event will examine the moral parameters of human rights research, literary and historical dimensions of human rights, and the role of quantitative and technological methods of research.
Full schedule online: go.binghamton.edu/researchdays
Questions? Contact Rachel Coker at rcoker@binghamton.edu
Sponsored by Academic Affairs, Center for Civic Engagement, College of Community and Public Affairs, Decker School of Nursing, Division of Research, The Graduate School, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, McNair Scholars Program, Undergraduate Research Center
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Pipe Dream Bearcast FOR INTERVIEWS AND ANALYSIS
Monday, April 8, 2019
Softball nabs two of three matches against Stony Brook Gibson records two wins in complete games Ryan Giglio
pipe dream sports
With a chance to climb back to the .500 mark in conference play, the Binghamton softball team traveled to Stony Brook this weekend to play a three-game series at University Field. The Bearcats (14-16, 3-3 America East) achieved that mark, winning two of the three games behind dominant pitching from junior Rayn Gibson. “Rayn was at her best this weekend,” said BU head coach Michelle Johnston. “She was super focused and composed. The team felt that and was confident behind her.” Gibson took control of the first game for Binghamton, leading the Bearcats to a 6-3 victory over the Seawolves (16-12, 3-3 AE). She went the distance and notched eight strikeouts while surrendering only one walk and eight hits. Only two of the three runs Gibson allowed were earned due to an error by sophomore third baseman Sarah Benn in the bottom of the seventh. The error let junior outfielder Alina Lance of Stony Brook reach base and later score on a double by classmate
pitcher Melissa Rahrich. Though Rahrich was successful at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, the pitcher was less effective from the mound. She earned the loss for Stony Brook, tossing 4.2 innings and giving up four runs (three earned), three hits and two walks while striking out five. It took a few innings for Binghamton’s offense to warm up in the game, as the team only plated one unearned run in the first four innings, but BU began to produce offensively later in the game. An RBI double from sophomore infielder Makayla Alvarez and a two-run homer off the bat of junior catcher Sara Herskowitz gave the Bearcats a 4-0 lead in the fifth. Herskowitz now leads the team with 21 RBIs. BU stretched its advantage the next inning with RBI singles from freshman second baseman Marissa Braito and junior outfielder Stephanie Ragusa. The nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader featured much less offense from both sides, with Stony Brook claiming the 3-2 win by scoring all three of its runs in the third inning. The Seawolves were led by a complete-game performance from freshman pitcher Shelbi Denman (6-2). Denman gave up two runs on six hits while punching out six
rose coschignano pipe dream photographer Junior catcher Sara Herskowitz hit her fifth home run of the season in Binghamton’s three-game series against Stony Brook.
Bearcat batters. Binghamton scored in the second when Herskowitz reached home on Benn’s single and in the sixth when Alvarez smacked her third home run in the team’s past three games. Alvarez now leads the team with six long balls.
BU’s comeback hopes began in the seventh when Benn recorded her second hit of the game, but ended when sophomore outfielder Lauren Martinez hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Sophomore pitcher Chelsea Howard (2-3) surrendered three runs on seven hits in three
innings, earning the loss. Gibson (7-7) returned to the mound on Sunday and continued to stymie the Seawolves’ offense, throwing a four-hit shutout. Gibson and her 10 strikeouts led the Bearcats to a 1-0 victory. This marks her second career complete-
game shutout and the third time she’s recorded 10 or more punchouts. Her weekend totals include two wins, two complete games and 18 strikeouts against a team that led the AE in batting average (.311) entering the weekend. With the 10 strikeouts on Sunday, Gibson now has 233 in her career, which is good enough for sole possession of ninth place in Binghamton’s program history ranks. She overtakes Kristen Emerling, who recorded 221 strikeouts from 2009-12, down to 10th. The other half of the pitching duel, Rahrich, pitched almost as well as Gibson, but not well enough. Rahrich (7-9) also went the distance while striking out 10. The only blemish on her day was Alvarez’s RBI single that brought home Braito. Offense was so scarce on Sunday that the first hit of the game didn’t come until the fourth inning, when SBU junior outfielder Jourdin Hering doubled off Gibson. Benn collected Binghamton’s first hit an inning later. Next up for Binghamton is a doubleheader against Albany on Wednesday, April 10. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
Baseball picks up a pair in nonconference play Binghamton tops Niagara, CCSU Yaakov Spivack
pipe dream sports
tyler gorman staff photographer Senior defender Lauren Cristodero scored her first career goal against UMass Lowell in BU’s first victory of the season.
Women’s lacrosse defeats River Hawks for first win Biancardi posts hat trick to co-lead BU in goals Marianne Bohn & Edward Aaron pipe dream sports
Midway through the second half, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team was holding a comfortable, four-goal lead over UMass Lowell. Senior defender Lauren Cristodero took a pass from junior goalie Taylor Passuello and charged down the field, passing all of her River Hawk counterparts and scoring her first career goal. The rarity of a defender scoring was one of several thrilling moments for Binghamton, as the team walked off its field Saturday afternoon with a victory. The Bearcats (1-12, 1-3 America East) earned their first win of the season in a 13-7 triumph over the River Hawks (3-10, 0-4 AE). “It feels really great to finally get that feeling of coming off the field victorious after a lot of hard work has been put in,” said BU head coach Stephanie Allen. “I think this just gives us momentum heading into the rest of April.” Perhaps the only goal as exciting as Cristodero’s was the first goal of the game, scored by sophomore midfielder Kelly Quinn. Just minutes into the game, Quinn picked up a ground ball near midfield, took hits, dodged defenders and scored
while going to the ground, giving the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. This set the tone for the game, as the 1-0 margin soon became a 5-0 advantage in the first quarter of the game. Following Quinn’s goal, BU’s four unanswered goals came from senior attack Olivia Batista, junior midfielder Amelia Biancardi and sophomore midfielder Alyssa Sanchez. “Incredibly proud of the offense,” Allen said. “We had nine different scorers out there today, three freshmen got on the board. The chemistry out there was really apparent.” After the River Hawks were held scoreless for the first 17 minutes of the game, senior attack Paige MacEachern countered the BU start with back-to-back goals. MacEachern was one of the few bright spots on the day for the River Hawks, scoring four goals in the game. UMass Lowell was able to score the final two goals of the first half and the first two of the second half, cutting Binghamton’s lead to two. After this point, the Bearcats took over, allowing just one goal for the remainder of the game. After scoring once in the first half, Biancardi scored BU’s first two goals of the second half, recording her third hat trick of the season. Biancardi continued her breakout season and is currently tied as BU’s leading scorer. Passuello was a force for the
Bearcats, as she has been all season. Recording eight saves in the game, Passuello ranks second in the AE in saves per game and fourth in save percentage. All season, the Bearcats have struggled on draw controls, but the team was able to improve greatly in this area on Saturday. BU had the advantage, winning 16 as opposed to the six taken by UMass Lowell. “One of the biggest things was our draw control today,” Allen said. “It was not our strongest area in the previous three games, but some things we capitalized on today were draw controls and extra possessions for our team.” Next up for BU is a home game against Hartford. The Hawks (1-13, 0-4 AE) are in just their second year of Division I play, and have won just two games in two years, with none coming against conference opponents. The matchup should provide a strong opportunity for Binghamton to build more confidence as it looks to make a push late in the season. “I think we need to continue to keep the ball rolling and never settle,” Allen said. “We have to improve each game and take something away from it, continuing to soar on the strengths out there as well as during practice.” First draw against Hartford is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
Following the cancellation of Friday’s game, the Binghamton baseball team participated in two games at home, one against Niagara and one against Central Connecticut State. Both games featured some of the best weather we have seen in Binghamton as of late, and some great ball play. On Saturday, the Bearcats (1212, 3-2 America East) hosted the Niagara Purple Eagles. BU dominated, winning by a final score of 16-4. On Sunday, BU took on the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut (12-10, 4-3 Northeast Conference), earning itself a narrow victory, 3-2. “We tried to treat it like just another weekend of conference games,” said BU head coach Tim Sinicki. “So, we put on our lineups that we thought would give us our best chance to win … I thought we put together a really good plan and our guys really executed to get both wins.” Saturday’s game saw a strong performance from BU from start to finish. The Bearcats did not allow a single run for the first two innings and rallied for seven of their own. While the Purple Eagles (6-20, 2-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) were able to score a run during the third inning, Binghamton scored one as well and then added four more in the fourth. By the time the top of the fifth came around, the Bearcats had a 12-1 advantage.
Niagara was unable to score again until the top of the ninth, at which point it recorded three runs to try and put itself in a position to come out on top. This, however, was just not enough to overcome the deficit, and the Bearcats ended the day with a lopsided victory, 16-4. Sophomore designated hitter Andrew Eng ended the game with five RBIs for the team, which he drove in on three hits, including his first home run of the season. “It was a good matchup for [Eng],” Sinicki said. “He drove the ball specifically twice, one on the double to right center and then with the home run, so I gave him a chance … and he took advantage of that opportunity, which is all you can ask of your guys.” Senior pitcher Nick Gallagher allowed just four hits and one run in five innings, striking out four batters. Gallagher was relieved by freshman pitcher Thomas Babalis, who kept the Purple Eagles to one hit in his three innings at the mound. “He’s been our number-one starter for a few years now,” Sinicki said of Gallagher’s performance. “And he went out and handled the game like you’d expect your number one to. He took advantage of the early lead that we gave him, and he just kept coming at them and didn’t really give them an opportunity to put anything together.” Sunday’s game against the Blue Devils featured less offensive action than was seen on Saturday, with five runs scored by both teams combined. A scoreless streak was snapped
by BU with a single from freshman infielder Zachary Taylor, whose hit allowed redshirt junior infielder Alex Baratta to make it home in the fourth. The Bearcats earned another run in the fifth and one more during the seventh via a single from sophomore outfielder Shane Marshall, which led to a run scored by sophomore infielder Jake Evans. Central Connecticut, with just one run earned in the fourth and fifth inning, proved unable to keep up. “It’s nice to see us be able to win in kind of a blowout yesterday, and then in a tight game today,” Sinicki said. “I like the fact that we got the lead and we held the lead. They tried to mount a comeback on a couple of different occasions, but I thought our pitchers did a good job [of holding the lead].” Junior pitcher Ben Anderson enjoyed the attention of MLB scouts in attendance on Sunday, striking out eight to raise his total strikeouts of the season to 57. “We’re kind of used to it right now, especially with Ben at the mound,” Sinicki said on the scouts’ presence. “We’ve had scouts pretty much at every game that he’s pitched … we ignore who’s in the stands and why they’re there and just ask our guys to go out and be who they are.” Binghamton will return to the diamond on Tuesday when they travel to take on Cornell in a one-game slate. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. from David F. Hoy Field in Ithaca, New York.
isaiah king-cruz contributing photographer Junior catcher Sara Herskowitz hit her fifth home run of the season in BU’s series against Stony Brook.
bupipedream.com | April 8, 2019
SPORTS
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Track and field compete at the Colonial Relays in VA Chigatayeva shatters BU’s steeplechase record David Julien
contributing writer
The rain in Williamsburg, Virginia was not enough to slow down freshman Aziza Chigatayeva, who has likely solidified her spot in the NCAA East Regional after her impressive performance at this weekend’s Colonial Relays. This meet, which was hosted by the College of William & Mary, marked Chigatayeva’s first time competing in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, and she did not disappoint. Overall, the Bearcat women finished 10th out of 38 teams in the competition, while the BU men’s team finished in 16th place. Chigatayeva, a freshman hailing from Brooklyn, finished first out of 34 entries, clocking a time of 10:26 to not only take first prize, but to also smash the previous school record by over 20 seconds. Her time currently ranks No. 13 overall in the East Region. The top 48 performances at the end of the season will earn a spot in the NCAA East Regional, which will be this May in Jacksonville, Florida. “She had a fantastic race,” said BU head coach Mike Thompson. “Her time will probably qualify her for the NCAA [East Regional].
ed moran contributing photographer Freshman Aziza Chigatayeva took the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Colonial Relays and likely solidified a spot in the NCAA East Regional Meet.
It was a fantastic performance.” While Chigatayeva had the most notable performance of
the event for BU, several other Binghamton athletes found success. On the women’s side,
junior Elly Scherer secured a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of
14.22. Graduate student Brooke Bonney finished third in the hammer throw (165-0). Junior
Emily Mackay also broke a school record in her 1,500-meter run performance, which nabbed her a fourth-place finish in the event. Her time of 4:31.25 broke Alexis Hatcher’s 2015 record time of 4:33.11. “I thought we had a solid performance,” Thompson said. “We had a few very good performances and a lot of decent performances.” On the men’s side, junior Matt Baker placed second in the men’s triple jump (48-4). Fellow junior Greg Matzelle finished third in the men’s 100-meter dash (10.77). As the outdoor season continues, Thompson knows there is plenty of room for improvement on the team despite the success that the team found in this event and throughout the indoor season. “We can improve everywhere,” Thompson said. “We’re training hard, and everyone is tired and sore, but we’re putting in the hard work now so people can back off a little bit at the end of the season so that people can be at their best for championship season.” The Bearcats will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Bucknell University for the Bucknell Outdoor Classic, a two-day event. The meet will take place Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Men’s lacrosse struggles offensively against Retrievers Binghamton’s season skid reaches nine matches Samantha Marsh pipe dream sports
After two scoreless games for senior midfielder Joe Licata, the co-captain of the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team put his name back on the score sheet with his fourth hat trick of the season in Saturday’s game against UMBC. Despite Licata’s hat trick, however, the Bearcats were unable to capture a win, falling 13-6 to UMBC (3-6, 1-2 America East). The game began with a bang for UMBC, as six different Retrievers netted goals before Binghamton (0-9, 0-3 AE) scored its first of the contest. Two of the goals in that 6-0 stretch, scored by freshman midfielder Brandon Galloway and senior midfielder Josh Jordan, were tallied six seconds apart within the final 15 seconds of the first quarter. The Bearcats struggled mightily from the onset on both sides of the ball. “We started a little bit flat,” said BU head coach Kevin McKeown. “We just didn’t come out ready to go.” Binghamton didn’t register a goal until the second quarter, when Binghamton finally found the back of the net. The first BU score was netted by Licata at the 10:51 mark. Sophomore attack William Talbott-Shere
and junior midfielder Jon Perotto added to Binghamton’s tally shortly after, supporting a small run and pulling the Bearcats back into contention in the game. “I think that [Perotto] let the game come to him a little more,” McKeown said. “We also moved him to attack, which helped with his goals.” The Bearcats were attempting to keep up their run shortly thereafter, but when Licata fired off a shot, the ball bounced off the post and into the possession of UMBC. From there, UMBC’s junior attack Ryan Frawley was able to net his 23rd goal of the season to end the second period. It was the third goal of the game that BU gave up in the final minute of the quarter. The third frame sparked a glimmer of hope for the Bearcats when Licata scored an early goal, but the Retrievers immediately fired back, and UMBC’s senior midfielder Gunnar Schimoler got his first goal of the season. Frawley found the back of the net again for UMBC, but senior attack Griffin Konen answered Frawley’s goal with one of his own. Konen has scored in every game for the Bearcats this season after coming off of last season with just one goal. UMBC posted one more score before the third period ended, putting the Retrievers up 10-5. Licata began the fourth period the way he began the third — with a goal. But, for
Senior midfielder Joe Licata recorded his fourth hat trick of the season as Binghamton fell to UMBC.
the Bearcats, this was their last of the game. The Retrievers put up three more goals before the end of the match and solidified their victory. Binghamton was outdone by UMBC in every statistical category, including shots, caused turnovers, faceoffs and
ground balls. The Retrievers outshot the Bearcats 34-24, with BU sophomore goalie Robert Martin coming up with 10 saves. UMBC players Frawley, Jordan and junior attack Brett McIntyre, sit in the AE top five for goals scored, while Binghamton’s top scorer, Licata, does not sit in the
top 10. With this defeat, the team continues its winless season, but McKeown remains optimistic. “Conference is more wide open this year,” McKeown said. “Every team has had a loss, so I don’t think that all hope is lost for us.”
christine derosa staff photographer
The Bearcats will spend the week preparing to play a home game against the University of Vermont, who are 3-1 in conference play. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
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