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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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