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Thursday , April 25, 2019 | Vol. XCV, Issue 22 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
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Plastic dining containers met with outcry
University to produce affirmative action report Data on diversity, hiring practices to be analyzed by PeopleFluent Laura D’Angelo & Melanie Gulbas pipe dream news
in an email. “We were hopeful that new items may be recycled which would take them out of the waste stream.” Despite this, many students think the plastic containers are a step in the wrong direction, including Jessica Dennehy, a junior majoring in biology. “I think it’s awful, I think they suck — I didn’t realize they would still be giving out plastic containers,” Dennehy said. “I think it’s a bad decision.” Bryan Obregon, a senior majoring in biology, said he sees a potential benefit of the plastic containers, but thinks the move goes against current trends to eliminate single-use plastics.
In an effort to evaluate diversity and hiring practices on campus, Binghamton University will be working on its first comprehensive affirmative action report in 10 years with the help of PeopleFluent, a software support company that uses workforce analytics to report the patterns of diversity within an institution. The report, which was requested by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will outline BU’s strengths in diversity practices as well as its weaknesses and areas of improvement. PeopleFluent will use past employee rosters and evaluate the workforce across New York state to compare it with BU and assess the University’s representation of all demographics. Nicole SirjuJohnson, interim chief diversity officer, wrote in an email that the report is a tool to help institutions in case they are randomly audited by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the entity that conducts federal audits of all federal contractors. According to Sirju-Johnson, the report will aim to reveal how BU’s hiring practices compares with other schools on a national level. “The overall goal of reports received from PeopleFluent is to serve as a guide for our initiatives around diversity hiring and retention in addition to revealing new information we need to be aware of as it relates to compliance goals with the federal government,” Sirju-Johnson wrote. Sirju-Johnson wrote that organizations are usually audited every 10 years, and since BU has not been audited in a decade, it should be prepared. “It is among the primary initiatives I wanted to conduct in coming into the role of interim chief diversity officer,” Sirju-Johnson wrote. “If the campus is to be intentional about [its] diversity, we cannot arbitrarily prescribe change, we need real data to indicate the areas in need of our immediate efforts, specifically as it relates to what the government wants to see of its contractors.”
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theo mason pipe dream photographer Binghamton University dining halls recently switched from eco-friendly paper to-go containers to single-use plastic boxes to offset a rise in meal plan costs due to minimum wage increases planned for next year and rising prices of raw materials.
Students voice concerns that Sodexo’s to-go box change could hurt the environment Jackson Galati
Contributing Writer Over the last several weeks, the eco-friendly paper to-go containers that retail dining establishments used to package food have been replaced with single-use plastic ones. The change, which is an effort by Sodexo and the Student Culinary Council (SCC) to offset a rise in meal plan costs as a result of a minimum wage increase and the rising price of raw materials, has been met with concerns about environmental impact. Noah Tanenbaum, an undeclared freshman, said he would not mind the cost increase if it were for eco-friendly containers. “I know they’re worse and they’re cheaper,
which is obviously the reason they bought them,” Tanenbaum said. “Frankly, I wouldn’t care if I had to pay a little more on my tuition for the eco-friendly containers.” But James Ruoff, resident district manager for Binghamton University Dining Services, wrote in an email that the plastic containers might not be as environmentally damaging as they seem. Before spring break, if a student wanted their meal to-go from the Marketplace or the dining halls, it would be given to them in a paper container touted as being ecofriendly. However, the only way in which these containers would avoid going to a landfill was if they were sent to be composted. “There currently is not a mechanism to compost all these containers on our campus and most end up in the landfill,” Ruoff wrote
Toussaint speaks on progress at annual ‘State of the SA’ Address focuses on this year’s SA E-Board accomplishments Kimberly Gonzalez contributing writer
The Student Association (SA) held their State of the SA address on Monday night to discuss the initiatives that have been implemented over the course of the 201819 academic year and the organization’s future goals. Presented by Jerry Toussaint, president of the SA and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, the address highlighted various projects completed this year by members of the SA Executive Board. Toussaint touted the accomplishments of his own office, which include participating in the search for the new University Police Department chief of police and taking an active role in providing more services to High Hopes Helpline, which recently changed its name to SEEK. “My office has uplifted the voices of students to University administrators on issues such as transparency and parking,” Toussaint said. In the 2018 SA election, Toussaint ran on a platform to improve transparency
between the student body and the SA, off-campus safety and inclusion within the organization. He also pledged to continue space reallocation projects and reclaim the University Union for students, something he has accomplished through the Executive Vice President’s office, and planned renovations to the University Union basement, which will begin this summer. However, his proposed interface for seeking student feedback and connecting with students outside the SA, BU Onward, has not materialized, and recently, there has been controversy regarding transparency from the SA. For the entirety of the fall semester, SA Congress failed to make meeting minutes accessible to students, violating their own management policies, and freshmen and transfer students at BU did not receive SA newsletters until March 1, preventing them from receiving announcements about SA elections and initiatives. Additionally, despite helping SEEK provide more services, the SA continues to see criticism about the lack of mental health resources on campus. According to the address, Courtney Mitchell, vice president for programming and a junior majoring in computer science, contributed to 17 events with four more still to come, including Spring
ARTS & CULTURE
kimberly gonzalez contributing photographer On Monday, Student Association (SA) President Jerry Toussaint spoke at “State of the SA,” aiming to inform students of progress made by the SA Executive Board during the 2018-19 academic year.
Fling, which will be headlined by Playboi Carti. Despite Mitchell’s campaign goal to extend communication between the students and the SA, many students were initially left confused over the cancellation of Fall Concert, featuring rapper 21
Savage, and whether or not they would be reimbursed when the event could not be rescheduled. The address also listed the accomplishments of Andy Jean-Baptiste, vice president for multicultural affairs and
OPINIONS
a senior double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, which highlighted continued attempts at creating Grievance Procedure Guides and an Off
see sa page 5
SPORTS
Go back to ancient Greece with the last Mainstage production of the year,
Celebrate the Tri-Cities Opera’s 70th anniversary with the final show of the season,
The Editorial Board emphasizes the importance of student journalism,
Dan Schaffer breaks BU’s 5K record during standout season,
Women’s lacrosse falls to Canisius,
SEE PAGE 8
SEE PAGE 9
SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGE 11
SEE PAGE 12
PAGE II Thursday, 2019 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 25, 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
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SPRING 2019
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Binghamton Zoo celebrates opening during Easter weekend
CAMPUS NEWS
Student Association Congress elects speaker for 2019-20 Binghamton University’s Student Association (SA) Congress elected Hunter Andrasko, a junior doublemajoring in human development and political science, as Congress speaker for the 2019-20 academic year during a meeting on April 8. Andrasko, who has been a member of SA Congress since his freshman year, pledged to repurpose Congress meetings, invite administrators to meetings more frequently, implement accountability mechanisms and begin regular meetings with committee heads. LOCAL NEWS
Broome County to participate in $86 million opioid program Over the next four years, Broome County will be one of several counties to participate in an $86 million program aimed at preventing opioid deaths, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin. The county is partnering with Columbia University and will receive roughly $2 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to create and implement an evidence-based opioid treatment model. The program aims to reduce opioid deaths by 40 percent.
The Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park celebrated its grand opening with its 10th-annual “Eggstravaganza” on April 20 and 21, according to Fox 40. Thousands of community members attended to participate in activities such as an Easter egg hunt and basket coloring. The zoo will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until May 11, when summer hours will take effect. STATE NEWS
Proposed county ban on flavored e-cigarettes sees protest Vaping advocates rallied at the Albany County Courthouse on Tuesday to protest a proposed county ban on flavored e-cigarettes, according to New York Upstate. The New York State Vapor Association, former smokers and owners of vape shops said vaping helps cigarette smokers quit tobacco and that allowing counties to ban e-cigarette flavors will destroy their effectiveness. Proponents of the ban argue the flavors are attracting teenagers, which encourages an increase in underage users.
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“I think the voters decided in the last election. They spoke and they elected not only the most diverse but the most bold freshman class that we have seen in a long time — people who are bold enough to hold this president accountable and not make decisions based on politics, but on putting country first. I don’t ever want to look back — and I think a lot of my colleagues feel the same way — to say that we didn’t do everything in our power to stop this lawless president from jeopardizing our democracy.” — Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s caution on impeachment and the prospect of trying to oust President Donald Trump, according to The New York Times.
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Thursday, April 25
Friday, April 26
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rose coschignano pipe dream photographer Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS) holds a sustainability workshop, informing students on ways to implement eco-friendly practices into their daily routines.
This Day in History April 25, 2015 Mostly sunny 66° — 50°
Rain 61° — 27°
Saturday, April 27
design Assts. Khaled Pendleton Gaoming Lyu
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal, killing approximately 9,000 people and wounding roughly 22,000. A series of aftershocks also hits the region following the initial earthquake, creating a humanitarian crisis.
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Mostly sunny 51° — 39°
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The following accounts were provided by Investigator Robert Meddleton of Binghamton’s New York State University Police.
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Racist email FRIDAY, April 12, 2:31 p.m. — A professor of Asian American studies contacted UPD to report harassment. The professor, who was recently interviewed by the Associated Press regarding a Chinese eatery in New York City, said they received an email from an unknown sender with the subject line, “stop appropriating white culture you Chinese piece of s***.” According to the professor, the Associated Press article had sparked a debate surrounding cultural appropriation, which could be connected to the email. The professor has not received any emails since reporting the first message.
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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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Police Watch
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Punch, not blood SATURDAY, April 13, 2:06 a.m. — Officers responded to Marcy Hall of Mountainview College after receiving a report of an intoxicated female. The female’s suitemate said her friend, a 20-year-old student, was possibly throwing up a red substance that appeared to be blood. Officers contacted Harpur’s Ferry and determined that the intoxicated female had been drinking punch, which made her vomit appear red. Harpur’s Ferry evaluated the female, but did not transport her to a hospital. Laser danger Laser danger SATURDAY, April 13, 8:43 p.m. — Officers responded to Marcy Hall of Mountainview College after two 18-yearold females contacted UPD about a strange light. Upon arriving at the scene, the officers met with the females, who said a green laser had appeared on the ceiling. The females said they thought the light could indicate
Christine DeRosa Pipe Dream News
a gun was being pointed in their direction, so they ducked down. Officers searched the surrounding area, but did not find the source of the light. They instructed the females to contact UPD if they saw the green laser again. He sees you when you’re showering MONDAY, April 15, 12:20 a.m. — Officers responded to Oneida Hall of College-inthe-Woods after receiving a report from a 19-year-old male, who said he was taking a shower in the fourth-floor bathroom of the building on the previous night when he saw a hand holding a cellphone enter the shower stall from above. The male said when he looked up, the person removed their hand. The male immediately left the shower and looked around the bathroom, but did not see anyone. According to the male, the person he saw was a male with dark hair and blue Adidas sneakers. The case remains under investigation. Way over the speed limit FRIDAY, April 19, 10:32 p.m. — An officer on patrol observed a blue Lexus traveling at 51 mph in a 25 mph speed zone on Vestal Parkway East. Upon performing a traffic stop and approaching the vehicle, the officer noticed the scent of marijuana. When the officer questioned the occupants, two 19-year-old males and a 17-year-old male, about the smell, they admitted to smoking it in the vehicle. The officer searched the vehicle, but no remaining marijuana was found. The driver was given a speeding ticket.
bupipedream.com | April 25, 2019
NEWS
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College Libertarians, Republicans to host ‘Liberty Weekend’ Event to feature political speakers on campus Sheila Krische
contributing writer
Binghamton University’s College Libertarians and College Republicans will be hosting their first Liberty Weekend, an event where guest speakers are set to discuss topics including education and constitutional rights, from April 27 to 28 on campus. John Restuccia, vice president of College Libertarians and a sophomore majoring in political science, wrote in an email that the two groups decided to come together for the event to ensure it appealed to students with a variety of political views. “We organized the event by contacting other clubs and other campus organizations similar to ours,” Restuccia wrote. “I want attendees to gain a deeper understanding on liberty by hearing professionals who have a deep understanding of the topic.” This year’s speakers include Larry Sharpe, the Libertarian candidate in New York state’s 2018 gubernatorial election, Giovanni Scaringi, a Binghamton city councilman and Jim Rosenbeck, chair of the Libertarian Party of New York. Students will have the opportunity to listen to speakers’ presentations and ask questions on a variety of political issues. Michael Vasquez, a political commentator, wrote in an email that he was pleased when he got a call asking him to speak at the event. “I have been a political commentator for more than a decade and an active vocal advocate for constitutional rights for almost as long,” Vasquez wrote. “It’s critical for the public to be aware of what is happening with our government and the consequences of the actions of elected officials that are supposed to be representing constituents.” Vasquez’s focus will be on the new red flag law, a gun violence
jacob hanna pipe dream photographer Larry Sharpe, former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, will be speaking at College Libertarians’ and College Republicans’ first Liberty Weekend on Saturday, April 27. Sharpe visited Binghamton to hold a rally last year.
prevention law that allows authorities to pursue a court order that could prohibit someone from purchasing or carrying a firearm for up to a year. To understand the implications of this law, Vasquez plans on covering a wide range of topics, including how the law will impact the Second Amendment. “We have to look at how it affects
other aspects of our lives, laws and freedoms,” Vasquez wrote. “Thus, I will also speak about the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and 15th Amendments. I’m sure the issues of suicide and child separation will come up as well. Far too often we are sold on a law having simple and singular impact when the reality is far more all-encompassing and
disruptive.” From a speaker’s perspective, Vasquez said he wants students to know it is their life being discussed. “These issues will affect you, and your children, whether you are active or passive about government,” Vasquez wrote. “Considering the long-term implications on issues and subjects
all the featured speakers will be addressing, I hope students will take the opportunity to become better informed with a more diverse understanding. I believe that the students involved in this event, and others like it to come, will be the leaders of the future, finding the solutions we hope for and need in our society and nation.”
Nicole Metrick, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said she is interested in going to the event and hearing new political views. “I did not know these organizations were hosting such a big event this weekend, but I would be really interested in attending and hearing from these government leaders,” Metrick said.
Sodexo moves to plastic to offset wage hike, rising costs containers from page 1 “I like that they are transparent,” Obregon said. “However, I don’t like them because I know they’re trying to get rid of plastic bags and plastic straws, so it’s annoying.” Zach Pinto, chair of community outreach for the SCC and a junior double-majoring in mathematics and economics, said he recognizes students want environmentally friendly options, but they also want better containers than the paper ones. “The plastic ones are technically worse for the environment,” Pinto said. “But even if we were to switch back to the paper ones, let’s say next
$185.00 $210
semester, it’s not really solving the root of the problem, which is being sustainable and actually recycling things, because most of them do not get recycled.” The SCC is proposing the University move to the OZZI system, which consists of vending machines that dispense reusable plastic to-go containers. With this system, each student is given a token to use in the machine. Once they put the token in, a container comes out. The student can then return the used container to get their token back or keep the container and wash it themselves. YuHan Bae, co-president of the SCC and a sophomore majoring in systems science
and industrial engineering, said he feels the opposition against plastic containers will help push the SCC toward getting the OZZI system for BU. According to Bae, the OZZI system has been talked about by the SCC and Sodexo for at least three years, and he hopes they can speed up its implementation. “Switching to the plastic containers was not a quick decision, we’ve been discussing this even last semester going into this semester,” Bae said. “It was a very conscious decision within our e-board and with the administrators, but we see this as an opportunity for us. We take one step back and one leap forward.”
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NEWS
bupipedream.com | April 25, 2019
BU to conduct first affirmative action report in 10 years report from page 1 Anne Bailey, a professor of history at BU, said she believes it is crucial for the public to have a clear understanding of the history behind affirmative action to recognize why it is still currently needed in many higher education schools. “What was missing, as far as I was concerned, was not enough on the history of affirmative action,” Bailey said. ”And, as a historian, I think that really matters, because you can’t really talk about where we are now or where we are going unless you understand what the reason for affirmative action was, what the purpose was, why it started in the first place, the circumstances and if those circumstances are still pertinent.” Affirmative action was coined by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in an attempt to address issues of equity and access for people in underrepresented groups in the United States, according to Bailey. While the initiative focused specifically on the black population during the time, it was still meant to apply to any underrepresented
ethnic groups who lacked equal access to educational or employment opportunities. Bailey said although many opponents of affirmative action wrongly accuse the practice of hiring unqualified candidates for certain positions, it is really meant to give opportunities to the qualified people in underrepresented groups. “You’re not going to level the playing field so quickly,” Bailey said. “That would be miraculous. So the need for affirmative action is there. I’m glad that Binghamton is doing this report.” Harry Bittker, BU Council student representative and a senior majoring in political science, wrote in an email that he felt collecting data is crucial in making accurate evaluations about BU’s diversity practices in enrollment and employment. “I think having data behind your decisions is critical in any context, and diversity is no different,” Bittker wrote. “I’m looking forward to seeing the insights that the report reveals about the university and our opportunities to grow as a diverse and representative institution.”
annabeth sloan editorial artist
Faculty, administrators see resurgence of email scam Phishing scam relies on impersonation emails Gillian Kenah
assistant news editor
In a recent Binghamton University Dateline announcement, BU officials and Binghamton’s New York State University Police Department (UPD) addressed the reappearance of phishing scams in faculty and administrator emails, warning University employees to avoid falling into the trap. The messages, under email addresses such as user.
binghamton.edu@gmail.com, impersonate managers and deans who ask a colleague to purchase a gift card with the promise of reimbursement. However, after the individuals send pictures of the purchased gift card to stores such as iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, they are not compensated, according to the Dateline announcement. According to Andrew Weisskopf, director of security operations and chief information security officer at BU, faculty members should take care with messages they are unsure of and forward them to security@ binghamton.edu to assess the
validity of the email. They can also reach out to the person who the email is impersonating and verify the content with them. “Faculty and administrators need to pay careful attention and examine the entirety of the email address before replying,” Weisskopf wrote in an email. “They can also benefit by taking the conversation outside of email if they have any concerns about impersonation.” Nearly identical fraudulent messages have also hit other universities across the country, including the University at Albany, Harvard University, Appalachian State University,
University of Houston and University of Iowa, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. In previous years, the University has seen several surges of phishing scams. In May 2014, accounts claiming to be BU email addresses asked students and faculty for their usernames, passwords and birthdates, according to the University Information Technology Services (ITS) website. Additionally, students have historically received messages of fake job offers. However, the BU ITS website says that scam emails often have misspellings and grammatical
errors, an indicator to students that the message is fraudulent. Terrence Deak, a professor of psychology at BU, wrote in an email that, though fraudulent messages pose security threats, they are typically easy to spot. “From my perspective, I get hundreds of phishing scams by email every week and they are a nuisance, but generally easy to avoid,” Deak wrote. “Nevertheless, I do regard these as a serious threat to privacy and security, particularly as my own kids age into more advanced computing.” Nevertheless, several faculty members have been tricked into purchasing the gift cards
and sending photos of them to scammers. UPD has received several reports of fraud. According to the Dateline statement, the scam has been successful largely because of the similarities in email addresses between real administrators and scammers. “For any communication requesting personal information or financial transactions, verify the legitimacy of the sender in as many ways possible,” the statement read. “At first glance this can look like a real BMail address, but it’s actually a standard generic GMail address.” Aaron Mok contributed reporting to this article.
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bupipedream.com | April 25, 2019
NEWS
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VINES aims to create two-acre garden on Tudor Street Group leases flood-prone land to develop garden Kaitlyn Hart
contributing writer
On Tudor Street in Downtown Binghamton, a garden is starting to take shape. The garden belongs to an organization known as Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments (VINES), which is using damaged property to build a community garden that will help feed people in the Binghamton area. Severe flooding of the Susquehanna River in 2006 and 2011 rendered some private properties and houses on Tudor Street damaged. The city of Binghamton, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), offered buyouts to homeowners, enabling them to sell their houses at market rate and offering them assistance to move elsewhere. Because of flooding concerns, FEMA mandated that no structures could be built on the properties in the future. This left the land available for VINES to lease it from the city of Binghamton and expand their pre-existing garden on the same street. According to a news release on the city of Binghamton’s official website, VINES overtook 13 properties in the immediate area.
VINES also received a $100,000 grant in 2017 from New York state to help expand their operations. Without the expansion, the property consists of less than one acre of land that features a hoop greenhouse, which is constructed from semicircular metal bands, a plastic covering and several garden plots, where residents can pay to rent a garden bed to grow fresh vegetables. With the expansion, the property will grow to two acres, and according to Amelia LoDolce, executive director of VINES, the organization plans on using the new land to increase their crop supply. “We will build another hoop house adjacent to the existing one on another property that we’ve been using since 2010 and that was not part of the FEMA project, which means we will be able to build on it,” LoDolce said. “We’ll expand our perennial food forest and build new perennial food gardens around the property, but the majority of the site will be used for growing crops.” LoDolce also said VINES wants the land to be a fun and beautiful place for residents of the greater Binghamton area to visit. “We’ll be exploring opportunities to incorporate public art and interactive features,” LoDolce said. “We’ll also be reserving some space for community members to help design so we can make it functional and attractive for the
christine derosa staff photographer Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments (VINES) is working to transform damaged property on Tudor Street in Downtown Binghamton into a flourishing community garden.
immediate neighbors.” In a 2017 press conference about VINES’ expansion, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo spoke on VINES’ involvement with the community. “VINES has been dedicated to improving neighborhoods through urban farming and its
community gardens, enriching the lives of many residents,” Lupardo said. “Agriculture is a key component of ongoing economic development efforts across the region and VINES is doing its part by introducing local foods to new customers and inspiring a new generation to consider this
industry as a career path.” Along with growing and providing fresh food, LoDolce said she believes the gardens can benefit urban communities and its residents in other ways. “Urban agriculture can help to make fresh food more available in city neighborhoods
while beautifying empty lots,” LoDolce said. “We also use our urban farm to host our summer youth employment program, Grow Binghamton, which gives teenagers the opportunity to learn about growing food and build important job and life skills while earning a paycheck.”
SA President talks fulfilled promises during 2018-19 year sa from page 1 Campus Cultural Food Network, two goals that Baptiste prioritized throughout his campaign. According to the address, Doug Wehbe, vice president for academic affairs and a senior majoring in computer science, fulfilled his campaign promise of
fashioning more opportunities for Harpur College students to receive high-demand technical skills with the introduction of three Harpur Crash Courses by working with the Harpur Dean’s Office and Harpur Edge. Kevin Darrell, vice president for finance and a senior double-majoring in accounting and mathematics, also fulfilled his
promise to prioritize the issues within his office through the use of guides in which presidents and treasurers can learn how to fill out forms correctly for vouchers and approvals. Imaane Carolina, an SA Congress representative for College-in-the-Woods and a sophomore majoring in
systems science and industrial engineering, said she’s been happy with the communication in the SA throughout the year. “They have updated us every week on what they were doing so we have seen them and have gotten updated on what they’re doing and how they’re doing it while they were asking us for any
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advice on which direction they could go in,” Carolina said. “I think that’s something that really stood out to me — that they really brought out the things that they actually accomplished and they involved everyone in it.” Abigail Stark, an SA Congress representative for College-in-theWoods and a freshman doublemajoring in psychology and Spanish, said she felt the address lacked information. “I think that they could have included more information,” Stark said. “I think they were trying to keep it brief for the sake of the length of this meeting but for people who aren’t part of the SA, if they were just to come to see the State of the SA address,
I don’t think that they would know exactly what it is that we do. But other than that, in terms of efficiency, I think it was a fine presentation.” As for the SA’s success over the past academic year, Carolina said she felt the initiatives they tackled were ones that future administrations should follow. “I think the executive board for the 2018 to the 2019 year did a very great job and they really pushed a lot of initiatives that really mattered to students,” Carolina said. “I hope that for more years to come, others can be able to follow in their footsteps and keep pushing initiatives that they made this year to implement into the SA.”
OPINIONS Thursday, April 25, 2019
#savestudentnewsrooms
jo myers editorial artist
O
n April 25, more than 100 student publications are set to publish editorials about the difficulty of maintaining independence and the struggles that come with it. Organized by the University of Florida’s student newspaper The Alligator, Save Student Newsrooms is a day of action meant to highlight the challenges that continue to plague student publications around the nation. Recently, the University of North Alabama fired a student adviser after the publication of a story criticizing the administration — and it’s not
a singular occurrence. Student publications at Baylor University, Colorado State University and the University of South Carolina have all disintegrated following articles that discussed issues at their schools. The disappearance of these publications is frightening, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the circumstances, good and bad, that surround Pipe Dream’s existence. We also want to make clear that we stand in solidarity with all student newspapers at colleges and universities across the country. The Editorial Board is no stranger to the hardships that so many student publications are prone to, but we’d first like to recognize the fortunate circumstances that allow us to continue giving a platform to
student voices and reporting on local events to BU’s campus. To start, student newspapers have an imperative job: informing their campus communities and serving as a check on the administration. As a completely student-run, independently funded publication, we are free to criticize actions — or the lack thereof — taken by the University and conduct investigations that administrators probably wouldn’t be too happy about. We are able to amplify student voices, both by having only student writers and by covering student-led events and demonstrations. Pipe Dream was often the first on the ground during major campus moments in the past couple of years, with local news outlets often following our coverage to come up with
their stories. Pipe Dream has been very fortunate to have been able to maintain our twice-weekly publication, with consistent advertisers providing us with a steady stream of revenue to sustain the paper. We are lucky to make enough money to provide stipends to our staff members. We recognize, however, the ways in which Pipe Dream falls short. Due to the decline of print publications, maintaining scheduled, twice-weekly print issues is no easy task, and with last year’s closing of our local printing press, it’s gotten harder. For a while, we were unsure about the future of Pipe Dream and had to go on a search for a new printing press. The printer we now use is four hours away, which puts greater pressure on
staff to meet deadlines, on the press to print in a timely manner and on the delivery drivers who come all this way. As a result, our newspaper has been delivered late on multiple occasions, leaving our staff scrambling to quickly distribute the day’s paper. It has also been a challenge transitioning from advertising primarily in print to pursuing online modes of advertisement. Aside from logistical issues, a big roadblock for student journalism at BU is the fact that there is no journalism major. Besides a handful of rhetoric courses, students who wish to pursue journalism have few options to do so outside of joining a campus publication. Somebody interested in studying journalism could create their own major through BU’s individualized major
program, but this is still lacking in resources, and if you approach the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development about journalism career advice, they don’t have many resources to offer. All in all, it’s tough to keep a newspaper going, and even harder to start one. The numerous cases of student-run publications falling to their school’s administrations is a reason to remind ourselves why we do what we do, and how fortunate we are to do it. Independent, student-run publications are essential to preserving and promoting the voices of all students everywhere, and in solidarity with all the college newspapers around the nation, we’ll continue to fight for the freedom to publish in the best interests of the students we strive to represent.
Views expressed in the opinion pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial, above. The Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor and Arts & Culture Editor.
Recognizing the rebranding of socialism Mainstream conceptions of socialism oppose its true meaning Liliana Terepka Guest Columnist
Moneyed interests and powerful think tanks are literally rebranding what constitutes socialism. Bernie Sanders is the only contemporary politician who previously could have been considered a socialist, but that was decades ago. He used to ‘stan’ Eugene Debs, a radical leader and theorist of the early American socialist movement, but he now suggests that the welfare states of Scandinavia are the best model for how we could possibly be organized. That wording is important — we are being organized, rather than organizing ourselves. Consider the Green New Deal, the reformist guideline introduced by Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The vague wording of the guideline suggests the goals of the Green New Deal, but does not propose a single policy, nor does it explicitly ban the usage of markets in achieving these goals. This means that a policy set revealed under these guidelines could very easily be the same kind of corporate subsidization that got us here in the first place, just with a green coat of paint over it. The guidelines also do not adequately address the massive amounts of consumer marketing waste, the industrial waste caused by multiple companies competing for customers and the more basic question of whether the economy should even be run by businesses anymore. Even its definition of “green” is up for debate, since many allegedly “green” technologies still depend heavily
on the production of plastics and the mining of conflict minerals, meaning fossil fuels and colonialist practices will remain in the picture indefinitely. This is all besides the fact that the original New Deal was an explicitly anti-socialist set of policies, crafted to appease the increasingly militant working class. Keynesianism, the model of capitalism the New Deal championed, was developed by John Maynard Keynes specifically to save capitalism and stabilize it for decades to come. The benefits resolved many of the issues that were immediately plaguing white workers at the time, reducing their recruitment to radical organizations. This was, of course, in addition to the ongoing violent repression of socialists and civil rights
leaders demanding more radical changes. My broad definition of socialism is “an economy managed democratically by the working class.” There’s a lot of wiggle room in that definition — so much so that anarchists and Maoists both fall under it, but not enough to say that socialism is “when the government does stuff instead of corporations.” In fact, liberalism is incompatible with all strains of socialism; even the labor parties of today’s Europe trace their roots back to union activists who genuinely believed they could institute socialism through liberal democracy. Like Sanders, these parties have abandoned that goal and most have become neoliberal mainstays. If we want to save ourselves and the planet, if we want to
combat atrocities like those at the southern border, if we want an economy that isn’t dependent on child labor in the Congo and dropping bombs on Yemen, we can’t be fooled into believing that these politicians — any politicians — are socialists. Capitalism cannot function, even in the impermanent pipe dreams the Sanders-aligned offer, without exploiting and murdering people around the world. We have to build socialism from the ground up, creating and sustaining alternatives parallel to and separate from the institutions that dominate our daily lives. That means providing immediate aid to each other, running those programs using radical forms of direct democracy, defending ourselves from attacks by the state, the wealthy and the far-right and
creating working models of communal organization for other communities to see and adapt for themselves. Any option through Congress will still result in the slow genocide of the world’s poorest people and the ecocide of billions of species as the planet continues to warm, the ocean continues to acidify, the soil continues to be excessively farmed and we continue to dump billions of tons of waste into the environment. We are being held hostage in a car accelerating toward the wall that is our extinction. Are we going to listen to the people who drove us here in the first place, or are we finally going to grab the wheel for ourselves and turn this thing around? — Liliana Terepka is a senior majoring in sociology.
We must respond to climate change with urgency Many developing nations are already feeling the effects Elizabeth Short Columnist
This Monday was Earth Day, and in the 49 years we’ve been celebrating the holiday, the basic message of those celebrating has stayed the same: Save the planet. However, with increasing evidence of global warming, almost everything surrounding that message has changed. On Earth Day in 2016, 175 nations signed the Paris Agreement to combat climate
change. Those nations agreed to make active efforts to work toward lessening the global temperature increase and help underdeveloped countries work toward sustainability. To date, 184 countries have signed it. In 2018, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report covering the dangerous consequences of global temperatures rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. With all this information, I can’t understand why so many still choose to deny the effects of climate change. The biology student in me is desperate to shout about how it’s not about
the literal weather warming up, that it’s about long-term weather patterns, ocean levels, circulation patterns and longterm temperature increase, but I won’t. Instead, if you’re stuck looking at climate change through an “it won’t cause problems until after I’m gone” lens, let me remind you that we are feeling its effects now, and the most vulnerable nations are the ones facing the brunt of the impact. According to the IPCC’s report, “The most affected people live in low and middle income countries, some of which have experienced a decline in food security … ” These increases
could lead to soils in areas closest to the equator running the risk of drying out. That could lead to starvation and famine for entire populations. About 75 percent of those individuals living in poverty rely on farming and agriculture as a source of food. Tropical climates, which are where many of the poorest nations are located, are also most likely to face more extreme variation in their climates — yet another poor sign for crops. The island nation of Kiribati had to go as far as to attempt to purchase land in order to relocate nearly half its population in the event the main island on which they live is submerged. With an average
elevation below six feet, there will be a whole nation of refugees forced to find a new home. The worst part is that these countries are not the ones contributing to climate issues. More developed and wealthy countries are those that have produced the most carbon dioxide emissions. Those countries with higher emissions will be the least affected should temperatures continue to rise. Concerned? Me too. But there are ways you can help! Reduce your plastic waste and use reusable materials daily. Buy local vegetables (or grow your own), and if you can’t go entirely vegetarian (don’t worry, I can’t
either), try it once or twice a week! Research renewable energy options near you and divest your money from fossil fuels. Know what companies you’re buying from and their green policies. Most importantly, vote and contact your representatives. Under the current administration, the United States is attempting to formally pull out of the Paris Agreement in 2020. As the country with the largest carbon dioxide emissions, we need to be the leaders in a green future, not ones creating issues for others to face alone. — Elizabeth Short is a sophomore double-majoring in English and biology.
The last Mainstage production of the spring semester, “The Burial at Thebes,” will take place over the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May at the Watters Theater.
isaiah king contributing photographer
‘The Burial at Thebes’ to close spring Mainstage season The play is an adaptation of Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’ Lakhsmi Chatterjee Arts & culture intern
Starting on April 26, students can brush up on their ancient Greek fables with the Binghamton University Theatre Department’s Mainstage production of “The Burial at Thebes.” Written by Irish playwright Seamus Heaney in 2004, the play is an adaptation of the Sophocles play “Antigone” that features modern themes of political unrest and patriotism. Elizabeth Mozer, an associate professor of theatre
at BU and director of the play, said although the play is based on a classic Greek story, it portrays problems that citizens under any form of government, especially women, may face. “This is about a young woman speaking truth to power and standing up for what she believes in at all costs,” Mozer said. “She is courageous and what she does is risky. [It shows] the mistakes of people seizing power and not letting other people give wise counsel and the problems with that. We get to see ourselves in each character and we get to see what it’s like when someone is willing to stand up for what they believe in.”
“The Burial at Thebes” follows Antigone, daughter of the fallen king Oedipus of Thebes. After a war, her brother, Polyneices, is killed and her uncle, Creon, takes over as the new king of Thebes, where he orders that Polyneices will not be buried because he is a traitor. Despite this, Antigone decides to bury her brother. The play shows why Antigone decides to go against the order and the consequences both she and Creon face because of Creon’s law. Kyanna Lebron, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, will play Antigone in her first Mainstage production. She said the play emphasizes the importance of family and self-
confidence. “Antigone is seen as a tough character, but she has a softness that cares for others,” Lebron said. “This play shows off the family and the passion that [she has] for burying her brother. There’s a message of standing up for what’s right and following your beliefs. Even though there are a lot of tragic events that happen, it just emphasizes the message.” Creon is played by Connor Brannigan, a freshman doublemajoring in theatre and English. He said no character in the show is completely evil, but the decisions they make have dire consequences. “The hardest part about playing
Creon wasn’t the intensity, but the sensitivity and the pain that he goes through,” he said. “Those are hard things to experience and inhabit. The play is very alive and human. It’s a story that’s been told and retold many, many times and there’s a reason for that — it’s because people see themselves in the characters.” While the play takes place in fifth-century Greece, Mozer said the play also parallels our current political situation by exploring themes like patriotism and faith in leadership. “Our current government situation has some similarities, especially between Creon and Trump,” Mozer said. “Creon even
says ‘fake truths’ in the play, which is similar to how Trump says ‘fake news.’ He has his own idea and because he won’t listen to any one else’s advice, those who are on his side and have his best interests in mind, terrible things happen.” “The Burial at Thebes” will be opening its doors at 8 p.m. this Friday at the Watters Theater in the Anderson Center. For opening night, student admission will be discounted to $5 — a deal that is only available at the Anderson Center box office. Performances will take place again on April 27 and May 3 at 8 p.m. and on April 28 and May 5 at 2 p.m. Student tickets will be $10.
‘Carnivale’ to show fall styles in Binghamton Adrina Dietra will show her recent collection, ‘Brujas!’ Makoto Toyoda
contributing writer
If you couldn’t make it to this year’s New York Fashion Week in February, look no further than the Bundy Museum of History and Art to catch up. This Saturday, designer Adrina Dietra will bring her fall 2019 collection to Binghamton in an encore presentation featuring music, fashion and lively performance. The show, titled “Carnivale,” will feature a showing of Dietra’s collection of intimate apparel, “Bruja!” which premiered at the Harold Pratt House in New York City’s Upper East Side during New York Fashion Week this past February. The event is a collaboration with emerging photographer Alexis Tauterouff, who often collaborates with Dietra on photoshoots. In addition to the fashion show, there will be live performances by fire spinners, contortionists and dancers as well as a minibar
and a raffle basket containing more than $50 worth of apothecary goods from thE. Apothecary, Dietra’s skin and health scrub collection. Dietra said the event would bring the experience of New York Fashion Week to Binghamton. “[This event will be a] collective of curiosities and performances bring[ing] the show back for anyone that wasn’t able to go down and attend [New York Fashion Week],” Dietra said. Dietra has hosted pop-up shops and runway shows in the area before, including a mourning attire-themed show at the Bundy Museum last October. For this event, her team has expanded to include 10 models, four performers, a photographer and a sound technician. As she prepares to open her first store in Ithaca, New York, Dietra is working to be the change in her industry and bring fashion to the Binghamton area. “There’s not too many shows or things of this nature that happen in Binghamton to begin with,” she said. “It would be a really good experience to bring
something new.” Through “Carnivale,” Dietra said she will also be able to give back to her community in a tangible way. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Bundy Museum, and another 10 percent will go to Truth Pharm, a local nonprofit organization working to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding substance abuse. Dietra said that she feels especially compelled by the mission of Truth Pharm, as she has witnessed the struggle of substance abuse with people in her own life. “Both of these establishments … [are] centered to my heart,” she said. “I think to be able to support [these organizations], especially when they are supporting our town, it’s really great to come out and help [out], for even just that reason.” This event will be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 27 the Bundy Museum Annex Theatre at 129 Main Street, which is located behind the museum. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and tickets will be $10 during the presale and $15 at the door.
christine derosa staff photographer Fashion designer Adrina Dietra will bring her fall collection to the Bundy Museum’s Annex Theatre this Saturday, April 27.
anastasia figuera staff photographer The Second Chance Prom, hosted by Binghamton University’s Rainbow Pride Union, will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in University Union on Friday.
RPU to host queer-inclusive ‘Second Chance Prom’ Event aims to encourage LGBTQ+ expression Patrick Earns
contributing writer
This Friday, students will dance, eat and take pictures at Rainbow Pride Union’s (RPU) annual Queer Prom, an event aimed at encouraging students in the queer community to redefine the traditional prom experience. RPU is an organization dedicated to fostering a safe community where queer students can meet one another, become educated about issues that LGBTQ students and community members face and develop a greater sense of queer pride. Along with weekly meetings, RPU hosts special events like drag shows, HIV testing sessions and queer speed-friending events. Jacqueline Carey, special events coordinator for RPU and a junior majoring in psychology, said the organization is focused on making a space for queer students to express themselves. “I think a lot of what we do is more individually focused, having individual people feel comfortable,” Carey said. “One of our main principles is this is a safe space, and whatever happens
in this room stays in this room.” RPU’s upcoming Queer Prom is also referred to as Second Chance Prom, a nod to the need for a more accepting environment than many traditional high schools offer. While recent years have brought a greater acceptance of the queer community, discrimination continues to play a large role in the lives and experiences of LGBTQ individuals, particularly during high school. Some queer students may not have felt safe or comfortable expressing their gender identity at their high school proms, or they may have faced pressure from school officials to not attend with their date of choice. RPU offers a chance for them to attend a prom — complete with music, free food and a photo booth — without fear of retribution. Carey said this emphasizes the historical value of enabling queer students to have the prom experience that they were denied as high school students, either by social pressures or by direct discrimination. “It’s mostly a nod to when it was even less likely for people in our community to go to their own school’s prom, because of fear of retaliation,” she said. “It’s called Second Chance because it’s giving you the prom that you wanted and you deserved in high
school that you couldn’t go to because you were afraid.” Last year, Queer Prom was scheduled on the Day of Silence, a nationwide day of protest in which participants take a vow of silence to spread awareness about the harassment and bullying that LGBTQ students face in their daily lives. The event was referred to as the “Night of Noise,” allowing an opportunity for participants in the protest to break their silence in unison in a celebration of queer identity. Because of a scheduling issue, this year’s Queer Prom will be a stand-alone event. According to Carey, the event is more than just a dance — it’s an opportunity for queer students to rewrite their history and experience prom without reservation, to be themselves surrounded by a community that accepts them for who they truly are. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s a really great way to meet students in the LGBTQ community, especially if you’re new and you haven’t really gone out there,” Carey said. “It’s a lowstress environment and it’s just always fun to get dressed up and be you.” Queer Prom will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in University Union Room 209, and will be free to attend.
bupipedream.com | April 25, 2019
ARTS & CULTURE
9
Tri-Cities Opera celebrates 70 years of community Company involves BU students, alumni in shows Gabriela Iacovano
assistant arts & culture editor
This weekend, Tri-Cities Opera’s (TCO) production of “H.M.S Pinafore” will close out its 2018-19 opera season, which marks the company’s 70th anniversary. For seven decades, TCO has made opera accessible to new audiences and aspiring performers through its presence in both the local community and Binghamton University’s music department. One of the oldest opera companies in the nation, TCO was founded in 1949 by conductor Peyton Hibbitt and singer Carmen Savoca, who was an adjunct professor of 20 years and co-director of the Master of Music in Opera program at BU. Savoca and Hibbitt were succeeded by Duane Skrabalak, a Johnson City native who participated in the company for 44 years in various roles. Upon Skrabalak’s passing in 2014, current Artistic Director Susan Ashbaker took the helm. Ashbaker said she remembers Hibbitt’s and Savoca’s involvement with the local community and commitment to expressive, engaging opera. “They were always about good singing and they were always about integrating singing into the text so everybody had something to say,” she said. “Opera is storytelling at its very best, and I hold those truths to be important as I march forward with [TCO].” TCO puts on three or four fullscale productions per season in Binghamton, playing at both the Broome County Forum Theatre on Washington Street and the TCO Center on Clinton Street. In addition to producing shows, the company runs an artist training program for opera singers and a business that rents sets, costumes, instruments and sheet music to other performance groups.
Before becoming TCO’s director of community engagement in 2017, Binghamton community member Andréa Gregori was a resident artist with the company from 1994 to 1998. After going to college in Philadelphia, she moved to Binghamton to audition for the chance to train under Hibbitt and Savoca. Gregori said TCO’s residency program is uniquely rigorous, adhering to traditional practices in vocal training. “The work that I did in my time at TCO was some of the most challenging and rewarding work that I ever did,” she said. “They forced us to give 110 percent all the time, and that kind of training doesn’t really exist anymore. I’m glad I had that foundation to help me toughen my hide and get me ready for all the additional challenges I was about to face.” The company takes measures to engage a variety of audiences, supplying projected English subtitles at foreign-language shows, bringing contemporary American operas to the stage and hosting free opera previews, which are meant to clarify the storylines of the shows before they premiere. TCO also reaches new audiences through informal performances like the “Opera and Beer!” and “Cabaret on Court” events hosted at Garage Taco Bar and Dos Rios Cantina. Gregori said these performances offer a less expensive and more engaging experience for opera newcomers, nurturing interest through intimate performances in a familiar setting. “A lot of patrons find that so appealing — it gives them the chance to experience these singers up close and personal like they wouldn’t be able to in an opera house,” she said. The company exposes younger audiences to opera through local events, career expos and their touring educational program Opera-Go-Round, which has
The Tri-Cities Opera, one of the oldest opera companies in the nation, is celebrating its 70th season.
brought live performances to schools throughout New York and Pennsylvania for 44 years, reaching as many as 20,000 students annually. Gregori said connection with youth through arts education is a top priority for the company. “One of the things that’s important to us is always finding ways to reach the younger generations,” she said. “Unfortunately, our audience is aging, so we’re always looking for ways to reverse that trend.” TCO also maintains strong connections with the BU community. Student tickets to shows are half price and the
company frequently recruits BU students and alumni to sing in shows or join the company full time as resident artists. Gina Moscato, ‘18, a soprano resident artist who graduated from BU with a master’s degree in vocal performance, said she was drawn to BU for graduate school because of the TCO connection. “BU has had this connection with TCO for many years, and it’s one of very few programs in America that combines a university with a real regional opera company, so it’s really unique,” she said. “It’s really amazing to be able to walk out of my master’s and have a job
singing because it’s so incredibly hard to get hired, especially right out of school.” Evan Nelson, a second-year graduate student studying vocal performance, agreed that the presence of TCO has eased his transition into professional opera. “It’s nice because now I know these people who are currently working in the industry who I can reach out to,” he said. “It’s been really good to get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a professional singer.” Ashbaker said TCO has prioritized education from its inception, maintaining a symbiosis with BU that draws
provided by tri-cities opera
out-of-state talent to the company while providing students a platform for growth. Seven decades after TCO’s founding, she said student engagement is as integral to the company as ever. “[Hibbit and Savoca] created this alliance and the alliance had shifted over time to be whatever was needed from the university and TCO … that’s always been one of the hallmarks of the master’s in music program,” she said. “We always have roles that young artists can participate in, so that mission is still upheld.” H.M.S Pinafore will debut at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Broome County Forum Theatre.
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Aquarius: Have you ever seen a paper plate planet? Have you held one in your hand? Pisces: Falling asleep to music is kinda like skydiving. Aries: To control time, one must purchase all the world’s clocks. Taurus: A house in quicksand will never have an attic. Gemini: Has anyone ever tried to be on fire? Cancer: Flags should have more lavender on them. Leo: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Ha. Virgo: If you’re stuck in a hurricane does the rain make you wet or does the wind keep you dry? Libra: Guess what!?!! I just braided Alertness together with Harmony and Charm. Scorpio: If you talk too loud, can people hear you? Sagittarius: The trees never hug. Sudoku
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bupipedream.com | April 25, 2019
SPORTS
11
Bearcats defeat Hartford Track and field standout for first victory of 2019 breaks 5K school record Licata tallies eight points on BU’s Senior Day
Dan Schaffer continues strong spring season
Kyle Reina
Samantha Marsh
The Binghamton University men’s lacrosse team secured its first win of the season on Saturday, snapping an 11-game losing streak to the delight of the Senior Day crowd in Vestal, New York. The Bearcats (1-11, 1-4 America East) defeated Hartford in a 15-12 finish, rupturing a three-game win streak for the Hawks (4-10, 2-3 AE). Senior midfielder Joe Licata led the Bearcats with an outpouring of offensive production, tallying a game-high five goals for his fifth hat trick of the season. Although Binghamton’s defense was not able to stifle the Hartford offense, which had scored 40 goals in its previous three matches, the Bearcats beat the Hawks at their own brand of lacrosse, especially in the second half, in which they netted 12 of their 15 goals. Redshirt junior goalie Kevin Carbone was key in slowing Hartford, as he stopped 19 of 31 shots on goal. The Bearcats were consistently able to get open looks on dodges from offensive leaders such as Licata, sophomore attack William Talbott-Shere and freshman midfielder Kevin Winkoff, but failed to convert with nearmisses early on. Hawks freshman goalie Cam Logan was also a key hindrance to the Bearcats’ offense, as he saved 15 of 30 shots that were put on net. His 6-foot5-inch frame made it difficult for Binghamton scorers to convert on their open looks. “We were finally able to not get deterred when things were not going our way,” said BU head coach Kevin McKeown. “We had the 8-7 lead and we were going
Coming off of an injury this winter, redshirt sophomore distance runner Dan Schaffer shocked himself when he broke the 5,000-meter school record by 8.86 seconds at the Bucknell Outdoor Invitational on April 14. “I’m very happy with the time [that] weekend,” Schaffer said. “I wasn’t expecting to run a race that fast.” Schaffer broke the record time of 14:20.61 set by Ethan Hausamann, ‘17, with his 14:11.75 finish. Despite starting out in the back of the pack, Schaffer was able to work his way up to fifth place out of 81 competitors, running his last lap in 62 seconds. He describes his running style as silent, as he focuses heavily on keeping pace. “I was mainly thinking about keeping my cadence and my stride rate,” Schaffer said. “There were a few moments during the race where I really started to get fatigued. It started to get painful, but I just focused on keeping my legs moving.” But Schaffer wants to push himself further — his main goal is to run a regional-qualifying time in the 5,000. The top 48 runners in the eastern half will advance to the meet, and his time is currently ranked at 45. “I’ll have a couple more opportunities to run the 5K, and hopefully I can shave a few more seconds off and solidify that position,” Schaffer said. Schaffer’s performance at Bucknell earned him the America East Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award on April 17. This is the second time this year that he has earned
pipe dream sports
christine derosa staff photographer Senior midfielder Joe Licata scored five goals and recorded three assists after being honored before Binghamton’s Senior Day victory.
back and forth there as we traded goals with them. We did not let them go on a run — we responded really well when they popped one in and I was impressed with how we stuck with it.” The Bearcats began to cash in on outside shots during the second half, igniting the offense. They took their first lead of the game near the end of the third on a Licata dodge from behind the goal. The third quarter was pivotal for Binghamton, as the team was able to keep the Hawks to just five shots in the entire period, one of which found the back of the net. Meanwhile, the Bearcats’ offense came alive with 19 shots, nine of which were on goal, and were able to convert five in the period. “We had a lot of young guys step up,” McKeown said. “Two freshmen with hat tricks, Kevin Winkoff and [freshman midfielder] Andrew Arce, so it was great to see those guys take the next step as well, and we’re looking forward to another opportunity to get another America East win.” The two opponents were neck and neck in almost every category, including saves, turnovers, clears and ground balls. The gamechanging factor was Binghamton’s
efficiency throughout the second half that led to those 12 goals. The Bearcats were 3-of-13 of shots on goal in the first, but were 12-of-17 of shots on goal in the second half. Hartford’s offense was spearheaded by junior midfielder Owen Trepeta and senior attack Dylan Jinks. Jinks registered his sixth hat trick with three goals and three assists, while Trepeta registered four goals to lead the Hawks in scoring. Although the Bearcats have been eliminated from postseason contention in the America East, the team can still end on a high note by closing out the season on a two-game winning streak. The team faces UMass Lowell in its final game of the year, a team that is still fighting for a postseason berth and is bound to give the Bearcats a tough challenge. “It feels great to get a win, and there’s still a lot of things we have to learn on the film,” McKeown said. “We have an opportunity to get a team next week that defeated us last year.” The season finale against the River Hawks is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26 at Cushing Field Complex in Lowell, Massachusetts.
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provided by matt goyden Redshirt sophomore distance runner Dan Schaffer shattered BU’s 5K record and looks to qualify for the NCAA East Regional Meet.
the accolade. Before Schaffer was a recordbreaking distance runner, he was a soccer player. He began playing soccer when he was three years old and said he always saw himself as a soccer player until his freshman year on varsity track. “The guys who ran track on the cross country team convinced me to switch to cross country [from soccer] that fall,” Schaffer said. “It’s been history ever since then.” Schaffer stills keeps in contact with his high school teammates from nearby Maine-Endwell, as
they run their mileage together over the summer. “[Running together] is a big help,” Schaffer said. “The more people we have running together, the more we can push each other.” Before Schaffer gets ready for summer training, however, he will be preparing for the rest of the season, in the hopes of breaking 14 minutes in the 5,000. “I’m very optimistic for the rest of the season and excited to see what I can do once I get a few more weeks of training under me,” he said.
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BU downs Hartford SEE PAGE 11
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Women’s lacrosse edged by Canisius in final minutes Binghamton falls in last nonconference game Clare Mahoney
pipe dream sports
The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team was in it until the end against Canisius on Wednesday night at Buffalo’s Demske Sports Complex, but BU (2-14, 2-4 America East) ultimately fell by a score of 9-10 to the Golden Griffins (3-14, 2-6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). After tumbling to a 5-1 deficit in the first half, the Bearcats came back swinging, registering the first three goals of the second half. Despite coming close several times, Binghamton failed to tie it up, and the Griffins took a 10-6 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining. BU’s late-game, three-goal run was not enough to close the gap, and the squad’s last nonconference game ended in narrow defeat. “That’s certainly something we’ve been harping on and highlighting as a positive of this team all season,” said BU head coach Stephanie Allen. “They fight [until] the end, and in the future we just need to focus on those early possessions and passes so we don’t have to end up having to make up for deficits later.” Several BU players exhibited that determination, culminating in flurries of comeback goals as the squad clawed back within equalizing range four separate times in the second half. Graduate student attack Emily Yoo registered her first hat trick of the season, raising her season goal total from
sidney slon pipe dream photographer Sophomore attack Paige Volkmann scored two goals in in the second half of Binghamton’s nonconference defeat by Canisius.
four to seven. “I was really excited for [Yoo] and, in her performance today, she read the defense really well and took some well-placed shots when we were in a position where we had to start making up those deficits,” Allen said. Junior midfielder Amelia Biancardi led the team in scoring
attempts with eight shots and converted twice. Sophomore attack Paige Volkmann also scored a pair, while senior midfielders Olivia Batista and Rebecca Golderman netted one apiece. On the defensive end, junior goalie Taylor Passuello kept the Bearcats in the match with 10 saves in the face of a powerful Griffin offense. Canisius’
senior goalie Ellen Newton put forth a standout performance on her team’s Senior Day, racking up 15 saves. There is significant familiarity between the Binghamton and Canisius coaching staffs, as Canisius head coach Allison Daley served as Binghamton’s assistant coach from 2013-16. Former Binghamton
standout attack Brianne Arthur, ‘18, serves as a graduate assistant coach for the Golden Griffins. The Canisius defeat marks the team’s final nonconference game and penultimate match of the season, as the Bearcats were eliminated from the playoffs on Friday in a tough 20-4 loss to No. 17 Stony Brook. The team struggled
with turnovers, ground balls and a sluggish first-half offense, which has been a recurring theme for Binghamton this year. Biancardi was the only Bearcat to find the back of the net in the opening half, with Batista and sophomore midfielder Kelly Quinn rounding out BU’s scorers in the second half. Late in the game, despite the score, Quinn, a native of Setauket, New York, was able to score a satisfying goal late in her homecoming to Long Island. The squad committed 16 turnovers to Stony Brook’s seven, while registering just eight shots to the Seawolves’ 37. They also fell short on draw controls, 16-9 and ground balls, 16-10. The Bearcats have struggled with possession and generating sufficient, penetrating offense throughout the season. In tandem, these issues have allowed BU to display its tenacity, but is often not enough to overcome early deficits and maintain leads. These shortcomings allowed Canisius to edge the Bearcats out of a tight match and allowed Stony Brook to end their playoff hopes. “In the final game and moving forward, we need to work on stringing two complete passes together,” Allen said. “It’s the little things, the ground balls and the turnovers, that add up over the course of the game, but mainly we need to focus on solid possession and passing.” The team will face the University of Vermont in its final game of the season. First draw is set for noon on Saturday, April 27 from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
Softball drops pair of Binghamton places second games to Syracuse, Albany at Navy Intercollegiate Bearcats score two runs across two matchups
Rodriguez earns first in individual competition
Lance Kim
Justin Zion
After being dominated by Syracuse on Tuesday afternoon, suffering a 14-0 defeat at home, the Binghamton softball team fell again on Wednesday against America East (AE) rival Albany. The Orange (20-25, 8-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) were able to capitalize on costly errors by the Bearcats (15-26, 4-11 AE) to establish an early lead, while the second-place Great Danes (22-11, 10-1 AE) rode a third-inning rally to power past the Bearcats. “We just remind them when they’ve played well and the things that have happened when we’re able to play together,” said BU head coach Michelle Johnston. “It seems like in the games where we haven’t played well it’s one big inning. We always have that inning where it’s either a walk or a mistake. Early on this season, it really felt like they went out and were playing for each other and trusting each other. We gotta get back to that — this is the time they gotta find that and be able to work for each other and pick each other up after a mistake.” Against the Orange, junior pitcher Rozlyn Price (3-7) pitched into the third frame, giving up two earned runs. Syracuse sophomore pitcher Miranda Hearn (2-6) threw a complete-game, five-inning shutout. Syracuse began the first inning with a single by sophomore second baseman Gabby Teran, but a throwing error to second base allowed Teran to take three bases. The following hitter for Syracuse, senior utility player Alicia Hansen, lined a triple to center, which brought the Orange an early run. A sacrifice fly doubled the lead to 2-0 before the Bearcats got a chance to respond. Errors continued to damage Binghamton, as a misplayed sacrifice bunt put runners on the
Entering the final two holes of the Navy Intercollegiate, junior Ryan Rodriguez of the Binghamton University golf team was within striking distance of first place. Rodriguez ended the first round in sole possession of the top spot on the leaderboard, but a strong performance from freshman Kyle Underwood of LIU Brooklyn on day two left Rodriguez on the outside looking in. Unfazed, Rodriguez sank a birdie putt on the par-three 17th and followed that up with a par on 18 to force a three-way tie for first place through two rounds. On the ensuing playoff hole, Rodriguez again made par, outscoring his two opponents and clinching his first career tournament victory. “He’s worked hard on his game to get all aspects of his game working,” said BU head coach Bernie Herceg. “His first round he played really,
contributing writer
assistant sports editor
isaiah king-cruz contributing photographer Freshman infielder Marissa Braito recorded an RBI in the top of the third inning in a 5-2 loss against University at Albany.
corners at the top of the third. Senior pitcher Makenzie Goluba surrendered back-to-back home runs in relief. Syracuse sophomore infielder Neli Casares-Maher hit her first of two three-run home runs, plating three unearned runs. Another solo homer gave Syracuse a 7-0 advantage by the midpoint of the third inning, and an error in the fourth allowed Syracuse to put the game out of reach as the Orange drove home another five runs, including Casares-Maher’s second three-run home run. The game ended early because of the mercy rule, with Syracuse winning 14-0. Binghamton’s next contest was against the Albany Great Danes on Wednesday. The Great Danes defeated the Bearcats, 5-2, led by senior pitcher Celeste Verdolivo. Verdolivo (15-3) tossed seven innings, surrendering two runs and bringing Albany within 1.5 games of conference leader UMass Lowell. Despite RBIs from junior catcher Sara Herskowitz and freshman infielder Marissa Braito, the Bearcats were unable to emerge victorious. Although the team lost to Syracuse, nonconference games have no effect on the seeding for the AE Tournament in just a couple of weeks. After falling in a closer game to Albany, Johnston seems to think her team can return to form before the playoffs with only three
games remaining. “I think we’re just trying to get back to playing loose,” Johnston said. “I think, for whatever reason, they’ve been putting a lot of pressure on themselves both individually and as a team. They need to play loose and not put the extra pressure on themselves. We want to come together and play better offensively, defensively and on the mound. We gotta put it together and play our best game. I think we’ll be fine — we just gotta get back to playing the way we’re capable.” The team finishes out the season with a three-game series against Maine over the weekend. The Black Bears (10-25, 2-9 AE) pose a threat to the Bearcats, as Maine is fighting for a playoff spot with six games to play — three more games than Binghamton. In the conference, the seventh seed does not make the postseason. “It’s gonna come down to the series with Maine,” Johnston said. “Nothing will be locked in unless we win. We’re more than capable to compete with anyone in our conference. We gotta make sure we play our best.” The Bearcats begin their pivotal final series of the season against Maine on Saturday, April 27. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
really solid. He struck the ball well [and] putted really good. Overall, just a great performance from him.” The par three earned in the playoff hole capped a remarkable two-round performance by Rodriguez that featured six birdies and only nine bogeys. He didn’t have a single hole where he dropped more than one shot. Rodriguez’s even first round of 71 tied the lowest 18-hole score of the entire tournament, buoying his overall, two-round score of three above par. The Bearcats as a whole had a successful weekend, finishing in second place on the team leaderboard, their highest finish since winning the Matthews Auto Invitational in October. Two other Bearcats joined Rodriguez in the top 20; sophomore Nacho Glagovsky finished the tournament three shots off the lead with a score of six over par, tying for 11th, and classmate D.J. Griffiths tied for 18th with a total score of plus-eight. “It was a good tournament for us,” Herceg said. “The guys played pretty consistent, pretty solid. Coming down the stretch
provided by the binghamton golf program Junior Ryan Rodriguez captured the individual title at the Navy Golf Intercollegiate, highlighting Binghamton’s second-place finish at the event.
we had a chance to win it, and if things would have gone our way, we could have, but it was a good performance.” “Consistent” is an apt word to describe the overall team performance of BU, as the team shot 297 in each of its two rounds. The first round was slightly more erratic than the second, with many more bogeys from the five Bearcat golfers, but also more birdies to make up for it. Led by Rodriguez’s even round, the Bearcats ended the first day at 13 above par and tied for second place as a team. The second day featured much steadier golf from Binghamton. St. Joe’s, previously in first, dropped off to fourth with a final round of 308, but Binghamton couldn’t jump into the lead, as the eventual winner, Lafayette, just edged the Bearcats out by three shots. The team matched its day-one performance to finish at 26 above par in its secondplace performance. The Navy Intercollegiate was Binghamton’s final invitational before the conference championship in Nevada, and the Bearcats couldn’t have asked for a better showing heading into the last event of the season. The performance in Annapolis, Maryland can only boost the team’s confidence in its abilities, but, according to Herceg, it only confirms what the team already knew. “We feel we have a strong enough team to be very competitive [this] week,” Herceg said. “It helps us solidify that we’re in the right direction. The guys’ games are coming together … Our expectations were always to finish strong.” The golf team’s season concludes this weekend at the Big Sky Conference in Boulder City, Nevada. The threeround championship begins tomorrow and wraps up on Sunday, April 28.