Student Association E-Board and BU Council representative candidates share platforms, See page 5 Monday, March 2, 2020 | Vol. XCVII, Issue 12 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
Friends of Max Martinez hold vigil BU senior remembered as ‘ray of light,’ friend Valerie Puma & Jeremy Rubino pipe dream news
The Binghamton University community learned of the death of Max Martinez from a Dateline announcement sent shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29. Just a day later, hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil that was held in Downtown Binghamton in his commemoration. Martinez, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law from New York City, was a member of the Binghamton University Marketing Association. The University has not released information regarding his cause of death. On Sunday, speakers at his vigil talked about Martinez’s passion to make others smile and how special he was. “He was selfless and perfect to his core, and I have never met anyone like him,” one speaker said. “He came into my life at a time when I needed him most, and I’m happy knowing today that I could put
a smile on his face whenever he needed it. Not a moment will go by that I won’t think of you, Max, and I will miss you with every breath I take.” Another speaker said although it is uncertain where Martinez’s life could have led, those mourning him should not feel guilt in his absence. “While it is easy to blame ourselves, I want everyone to know that Max was the type of friend that told you everything about his life — and the last thing anyone should feel is that we could have done more, because I find us all here at this event and everyone here, in some way, was checking up on him,” the speaker said. “As we’ve been speaking among each other the past few days, the recurring theme has been how much we admired him for being able to get up every day and put on that bright smile we all know and love. We haven’t been able to wrap our minds around what motivated him to wake up every morning, but standing here, and looking at everyone, I understand that all of you are the reason.” On Saturday, Zachary
see martinez page 4
gofundme
‘Fish Eye’ explores complexities of love Pre-health classes add new options Play features four-person cast, chronologically scattered scenes Kyle Reina
Chemistry increases introductory courses
staff writer
This weekend, Binghamton University’s theatre department tackled the complexities of relationships with a unique, modern twist. From Feb. 27 to March 1, the theatre department featured “Fish Eye,” a play written by Lucas Kavner and directed by Samantha Goss, a senior double-majoring in theatre and English. The production centers around two lovers, Max and Anna, who go through heartbreak and separate because of their respective career paths. The two lovers meet in New York and eventually fall in love. The couple moves in together and after some time, Anna finds herself drawn to her passion for lucas peterka staff photographer
The student-directed play features four cast members.
see play page 7
Jeremy Wells
pipe dream news
Chemistry 101: Introduction To Chemistry is one of the most commonly taken courses at Binghamton University because of the multitude of requirements it fulfills, whether for a particular major, a general education requirement or as part of the required pre-health curriculum. However, prehealth students will now have another option to fulfill this requirement, with new prehealth-centered introductory
chemistry classes. Currently, general chemistry at BU is comprised of two courses: Chemistry 107: Introduction to Chemistry Principles I and Chemistry 108: Introduction to Chemistry Principles II. The recent change will create a new threeclass sequence: Chemistry 104: General Chemistry I, Chemistry 105: General Chemistry II, and Chemistry 106: General Chemistry Laboratory. Chemistry 104: General Chemistry I and Chemistry 105: General Chemistry II will serve as the lecture portion of the sequence, and Chemistry 106:
see pre-health page 3
BU hosts first Men’s basketball routed by Wildcats ‘3MT’ challenge Bearcats miss out on AE playoffs after 19-point defeat
25 graduate students present their research Jacob T. Kerr news editor
At Binghamton University’s first-ever Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, 25 graduate students presented their current research, ranging from celiac disease to automated services, last week. The 3MT competition originated in 2008 from the University of Queensland in Australia, and was created with the purpose of helping students spread their research in a concise manner. Since then, the competition has spread across
the globe, with more than 900 colleges and universities representing 85 countries now hosting their own events. BU is the last of the SUNY schools to host a 3MT competition. Each student has only three minutes to present what is often a product of years of research. They are limited to only one PowerPoint slide. The preliminary round occurred on Feb. 21, with 25 BU graduate students competing for 10 finalist spots. One of the judges, Gretchen Mahler, associate dean of the graduate school and an associate professor of biomedical engineering, said she was surprised by the diversity of
Justin Zion
sports editor
On Wednesday, the Binghamton men’s basketball team had hope. The team had sealed a come-from-behind, lastminute victory over UMBC, and Maine, its competition for the final America East (AE) playoff spot, had squandered a second-half lead to New Hampshire. But on Saturday, the two teams traded opponents, and the Bearcats’ hopes were squashed. BU fell at New Hampshire 89-70 in its last regular season contest, sealing a last-place finish in the conference and officially eliminating the team from AE playoff contention. The AE is in its third year of excluding the last-place team from the conference
see 3mt page 3
ARTS & CULTURE
see basketball page 12
alex gross staff photographer The men’s basketball team has missed the America East playoffs in two of the last three seasons under head coach Tommy Dempsey.
OPINIONS
SPORTS
Fifth-annual Mac & Cheese Fest sets up cheesy competition,
Goat yoga puts the balance of humans and animals to the test,
Contributing columnist Nicolette Cavallaro stresses the importance of professor evaluations,
Softball drops five out of six games over the weekend,
Women’s basketball finishes fourth in conference following win over UNH,
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Runners participate in 5K to raise funds for local homeless shelter
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The Freeze Out 5K to Help End Homelessness took place at Highland Park in Endwell this Friday, according to WBNG. The event aims to give runners an understanding of how difficult it can be for homeless individuals to be outdoors during the winter. It attracted dozens of runners who came out to support and raise money for the Binghamton Rescue Mission, which provides housing and resources to people who experience homelessness. The path was decorated with glow-in-the-dark accessories, as well as 318 luminaries to portray the number of people across the Southern Tier who may be facing homelessness. After the 5K, runners were invited inside for food and a basket raffle. Organizers of the event say they are making progress toward raising $20,000 for the cause.
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Body of missing 72-year-old woman found in Susquehanna River On Feb. 23 at around 1:30 p.m., a man walking alongside a wooded area next to the Susquehanna River made a call to the Binghamton Police Department after finding a body in the river, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin. After an autopsy was completed, the body was identified as 72-year-old Susan Wayman. Wayman was reported missing in late January and had last been seen on Front Street in Binghamton. No foul play is suspected. STATE NEWS
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New York state’s plastic bag ban goes into effect New York state’s ban on singleuse plastic bags has officially gone into effect, but the state will not start taking action against stores that violate the new policy until April 1. The law, which was passed last April, bars many types of businesses from using thin plastic bags. Single-use paper bags will still be available, but may come with a fee depending on the store. The state plans to enforce the ban
by issuing a warning to first-time offenders, then incrementally increasing the fee charged to stores in violation of the ban for each subsequent violation. The state’s ban exempts bags used for takeout food, plastic bags used for wrapping food and bags used to prepare food. New York sees first confirmed case of coronavirus On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the state’s first case of the coronavirus, according to The Hill. Cuomo said in a statement that the infected patient is a woman in her late 30s and contracted the disease while she was traveling in Iran. The woman is isolated in her home and is not in serious condition. The news comes in the wake of the first confirmed coronavirus death in the United States in Washington state. NATIONAL NEWS
United States witnesses first deaths from coronavirus On Saturday, a 50-year-old man and a 70-year-old man from Washington state, both with underlying health problems, died from coronavirus, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin. Their deaths mark the first two deaths caused by coronavirus in the United States. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence announced the first patient’s death while naming Pence as the head of the new coronavirus task force. Additionally, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency.
alexandra ritsatos staff photographer Mary Korytkowski, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, speaks on her experiences as an endocrinologist on Friday in the Old Champlain atrium.
“I know there will be a temptation to declare victory, but victory, victory for Afghans, will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper … Victory for the United States will only be achieved when Americans and our allies no longer have to fear a terrorist threat from Afghanistan, and we will do whatever it takes to protect our people.” — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he advised caution regarding the signing of the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, a proposed peace deal between the United States and the Taliban aimed at ending U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
Pete Buttigieg ends 2020 presidential campaign Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced on Sunday that his presidential campaign will be suspended, according to CNN. Buttigieg, the first homosexual candidate to win electoral delegates for a major party nomination, made the announcement one day removed from the South Carolina primary where he underperformed. Buttigieg’s exit leaves six candidates sparring for the Democratic nomination, with Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden possessing the most delegates so far in the race.
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New chemistry courses aim to give students flexibility pre-health from page 1 General Chemistry Laboratory will serve as the laboratory portion of the class. Currently, Chemistry 107: Introduction to Chemistry Principles I and Chemistry 108: Introduction to Chemistry Principles II include a lab portion. According to Alexsa Silva, director of instruction and outreach in the chemistry department, there were multiple motivating factors behind the decision to create new pre-health chemistry courses. “Last year our largest course, sequence [Chemistry 107: Introduction to Chemistry Principles I] and [Chemistry 108: Introduction to Chemistry Principles II], had more than 1,000 students enrolled,” Silva wrote in an email. “It became clear to us that, instead of just opening another section, we have to analyze who is taking the class and if they would benefit from a different course altogether.” Christof Grewer, undergraduate program chair and professor of chemistry, said Chemistry 106: General Chemistry Laboratory, the lab portion of the sequence, can be taken either in the spring or fall semester. “It will provide more flexibility for students as to when to take the lab component,” Grewer wrote in an email. “Transfer of credit from other institutions that have two lecture and one lab systems will be much more straightforward.” According to Silva, there will be some differences between the pre-health and non-pre-health chemistry courses, although they will both provide a strong foundation in chemistry for students. “There will be many similarities between the two courses, particularly on their primary learning objectives,” Silva wrote. “Both [Chemistry 104: General Chemistry I] and [Chemistry 107: Introduction to Chemistry Principles I] and [Chemistry 105: General Chemistry II] and [Chemistry 108: Introduction to Chemistry Principles II] will comprehensively cover all topics in general chemistry and will prepare students for their future coursework and careers. Both sequences will have the same final exams. The new sequence, [Chemistry 104: General Chemistry I] and [Chemistry 105: General Chemistry II], will explore how chemical principles relate to biological and medical applications.” Both Grewer and Silva said the desired outcomes for these
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changes are both logistical and academic. “The expected outcome for students is much higher flexibility in terms of course selection, easier transfer of credit from other institutions and largely reduced waiting lists for lab courses,” Grewer wrote. Silva echoed this statement and said the change will focus on benefiting students’ pursuit of careers. “These changes are meant to bring about a more personally enriching environment for students to apply their coursework and knowledge to fields related to their career of interest,” Silva said. However, some pre-health students, like Evelyn DeVoesick, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, have mixed feelings
about the changes. DeVoesick said she thinks one reason for the change is to highlight students’ lab experience while applying for medical schools. “I think there are pros and cons to the changes,” DeVoesick said. “I understand why they made this change and I’m all for smaller class size. I agree that medical schools want to see labs separately. I think it might be difficult for freshmen that are undecided, though, because it can be difficult to switch up classes once you’ve registered.” DeVoesick said she is also concerned that the quality of the pre-health chemistry class may become inferior to that of Chemistry 107: Introduction to Chemistry Principles I and Chemistry 108: Introduction to Chemistry Principles II.
“When you start making a class pre-health it can sometimes get dulled down,” DeVoesick said. “For example, the pre-health biochemistry class is considered easier than the standard biochemistry class. I believe that if you’re a pre-health student you should be held to a higher standard.” Sonali Patel, a sophomore double-majoring in biology and business administration, said she is also ambivalent about the changes. “I liked how [Chemistry 107: Introduction to Chemistry Principles I] and [Chemistry 108: Introduction to Chemistry Principles II] was structured when I took it and given the option, I don’t think I would’ve taken pre-health introductory chemistry,” Patel said. “I think
that this could be a good change if the pre-health chemistry classes actually focus on chemistry as it relates to medicine.” According to Grewer, the new Chemistry 104: General
Chemistry I, Chemistry 105: General Chemistry II and Chemistry 106: General Chemistry Laboratory sequence will be offered for the first time in summer 2020.
BU joins hundreds of campuses around the world in hosting ‘3MT’ 3mt from page 1 topics. “I really loved all of the presentations,” Mahler said. “I am in a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) field and I thought I might be biased toward the STEM presentations, but I thought it was so interesting to hear about other types of work that are happening on campus. It was really hard to be a judge.” According to Ellen Tilden, one of the event organizers and assistant director for academic and graduate student affairs, of the 25 competitors, 16 were international students who represented Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, India, Iran, Jordan, Peru, Switzerland and Turkey. In October 2019, Tilden was tasked with increasing professional development for graduate students at BU and she said hosting this competition was a great way to do so. “For us in the graduate school, this is an opportunity to not only help prepare our graduate students for the next chapter of their professional lives, but to better showcase the exciting and promising research being conducted across campus and disciplines,” Tilden said.
“Since [BU] is a notable research university, the 3MT competition seemed like a natural next step for us.” The 10 finalists of BU’s 3MT competition are competing in the next round of the event on Wednesday at Old Union Hall from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The winner of this next round will be awarded $500 and will represent BU at the 2020 Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) annual meeting in Quebec City, Quebec. Tilden said the graduate school plans to sponsor and host the event every spring semester before the annual NAGS meeting. One of the finalists, Erika Diaz, a second-year graduate student studying biomedical engineering, presented her research on how food additives can weaken the human gut and worsen celiac disease. Diaz said the competition enabled her to fully express her passion for her research topic. “I am a very passionate person by nature, often too passionate, to the point where I might seem a bit insane when talking about my research,” Diaz said. “I saw the 3MT competition as a wonderful opportunity to allow myself to both feel and show the passion I
hold so dear to its full extent.” Smaraki Mohanty, a thirdyear Ph.D. student studying management, presented her research on how emotions, specifically anger and empathy, can affect people’s preferences for automated services such as Amazon Go and self-checkout aisles at grocery stores. Mohanty said the competition connected BU students across many disciplines who may not have known about each others’ research without it. “Sometimes when we are in the field of research, we tend to stay in our cocoon and hardly get the opportunity to know the different kinds of research going around in the other departments of the school,” Mohanty said. “Hence, it was also fascinating to know about the work of other student researchers at [BU].” Diaz also highlighted the work of her fellow competitors and said presenting alongside them pushed her to better her research. “It was mind-blowing to be presented with the high-caliber research being conducted at BU; we should definitely make a more significant effort to voice out these fantastic endeavors,” Diaz said. “Additionally, the
mental exercise of reducing the research problem to its very fundamentals, disregarding complicated immunological mechanisms, has been crucial for me to gain a much deeper understanding of my topic. It has been impressive the amount of research I have accomplished in these past few weeks and can better explain my experimental results because of that required simplification.” Other winners of Wednesday’s final round will also be rewarded. The second-place winner will receive $400, the third-place winner will receive $300 and one competitor will be named the People’s Choice winner by the audience and awarded $150. Looking forward to the event, Diaz said she just wants to make an impact on the audience members. “If I manage to attract attention to my research from people who don’t necessarily get excited about statistics or the methodology, or who think laboratory work is mindnumbingly boring, I will be greatly satisfied,” Diaz said. “I hope there are some people with that mindset in the audience. Maybe I get to change their minds, just a little bit.”
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A student swipes her Binghamton University ID card to use her meal plan and purchase food in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4).
bupipedream.com | March 2, 2020
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Students see minor changes in meal plan budgeting BU Dining Services gauges food pricing each semester Maja Clasen
contributing writer
While on-campus students are required to use a meal plan, not all students are aware of the ways their money is used. Meal plan expenses include Dining Dollars that can be used to purchase food and a membership fee. On-campus students, except those who live in Susquehanna Community and Hillside Community, must choose between six different meal plans, ranging from a total cost of $2,890 per semester for Plan A, to $2,186 for Plan F. The built-in membership fee stays the same at $1,709 across the six meal plans, with only the amount
of Dining Dollars changing. The off-campus student plans include the commuter plan, at $340 a semester, with $140 going toward the off-campus membership fee. The default and most common plan for on-campus students is Plan C, costing a total of $2,619 per semester with $910 being allocated as Dining Dollars that can be spent at the three operating student dining halls, College-inthe-Woods Dining Hall, Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center and Appalachian Collegiate Center, as well as retail dining locations such as Jazzman’s and Marketplace vendors. The $910 is intended to last students a whole semester, but to help students manage their meal plans, there is a University budgeting card, which is posted online and tells students what
amount of money they should have left on their meal plan each week. The budgeting card estimates students spend about $60 per a normal school week, with 15 weeks in a typical semester. John Enright, general manager of resident dining at BU, said BU Dining Services (BUDS) decided on this allotted amount after calculating the average amount spent by students in previous years. He noted roughly 51 percent of students decide to add money to Plan C. While the way Dining Dollars are spent and how long they last across the semester varies on an individual basis, the membership fee incorporated in the plan is the same for everyone. The membership fee portion of Plan C is $1,709 and accounts for 65.2 percent of the total price. It
is allocated toward “labor, supplies, maintenance, utilities and paper,” according to the BUDS website. Sarah Ludwig, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she is content with her meal plan. “Despite the slightly rising costs of the plan, I haven’t had an issue with it in any of my semesters yet,” Ludwig said. “I might this semester just because I’ve been eating at the Marketplace a little bit more, but typically it’s been fine.” The total price of Plan C has increased by 1.5 percent over the last year. As part of the membership fee goes toward labor costs, Enright said the increase correlates with an increased cost of labor and increasing operational costs. He said despite the closing of the Hinman Dining Hall, the
operational costs of the remaining three dining halls are still slightly growing each year. While the allocation of the membership fee goes toward numerous purposes, it explicitly does not go toward is a stealing fee. While many students believe that there is a so-called “stealing fee” built into the meal plan, meant to offset the costs of students taking food and silverware items from dining halls, Enright said no such fee actually exists as part of Plan C, or any other meal plan at BU. “[BUDS] has no portion of the student meal plan costs going toward this effort,” Enright wrote in an email. “I have been on campus for over 20 years and we have never had a theft fee as part of the meal plan. This has been a myth as long as I’ve been on campus.”
One factor students such as such as Sydney Mendolia, a sophomore majoring in chemistry, consider when using the meal plan is that certain food items cost much more than others, depending on their raw ingredient costs. Enright said the prices of most items are set below a standard retail rate, with BUDS evaluating and establishing new selling prices for items four times a semester, which can result in either increases or decreases of prices. Nevertheless, Mendolia said this pricing policy affects the foods she chooses. “For the dining halls I feel like the fruit and the salads are so expensive and it shouldn’t be that way because I can get five pieces of fruit for $2 or a bag of french fries for 60 cents, it just doesn’t make sense,” Mendolia said.
Hundreds of BU students remember Martinez at vigil martinez from page 1 Rigano, a friend of Martinez and a first-year graduate student studying business administration, started a GoFundMe page to raise the money needed to cover funeral expenses and any other costs
the Martinez family might come across. “Yesterday we lost the greatest soul any of us have ever known,” Rigano wrote in the GoFundMe description. “Max was the definition of an incredible person; he had the ability to make light of every
situation and was the happiest, most go-lucky person who never failed to bring positive energy. His personality, smile and laugh were infectious. Anyone who ever spent more than 30 seconds with Max felt a deep bond of friendship and love for him.” With an initial goal of
$15,000, the fundraiser had more than 1,000 donors within the first 24 hours, raising over $48,000 by Sunday evening. “There is no one who could brighten your day or do something to make you laugh better than Max,” Rigano wrote. “He was beloved by everyone. It
was impossible to go anywhere with Max without everyone in the room trying to talk to him. Max brought an energy that I can confidently say, for everyone, is something that cannot be duplicated.” Students in need of counseling services or support
can contact the University Counseling Center at 607777-2772 and the Office of the Dean of Students at 607777-2804. Faculty and staff in need of support can contact the Employee Assistance Program any time of day at 1-800-822-0244.
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STUDENT ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS On March 17, Binghamton University students will vote in six different races to elect the Student Association (SA) E-Board members for the 2020-21 academic year. Undergraduate and graduate students will also vote to elect a student representative for the BU Council. Pipe Dream is committed to informing the University community on elections, candidates and their platforms. This infographic introduces each candidate through a series of questions asking about their personal interests, candidate platforms and issues they wish to solve. All information about each position’s responsibilities was provided by Ross Mesnick, chair of the SA Elections and Judiciary Committee and a sophomore majoring in business administration.
PRESIDENT
The president serves as chief executive officer of the SA and Off Campus College Transport (OCCT), and sits on the board of directors for Harpur’s Ferry. They are the primary advocate for the student body to Binghamton University administrators, and are responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of the organization as a whole, including training all personnel and managing any other projects that do not fall under the other offices’ responsibilities. Khaleel James is a junior doublemajoring in economics and human development. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I am 20 years old and I was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. I serve as the vice president for multicultural affairs (VPMA) for the Student Association (SA) as well as a resident assistant in Mountainview College. I believe mentoring is the way to change the future for those who are marginalized. Though mentoring is a passion for me, I also believe in investing in the youth personally and have started my own scholarship called the Khaleel James For the Youth Scholarship at my previous high school, Jamaica High School.”
2. What is your platform? “I would like to create and provide more opportunities for students to work with the Binghamton community. I feel that the students of Binghamton University just need greater exposure to those opportunities. Encouraging and enabling students to collaborate in new innovative ways, in hopes of reducing the stress students feel when it comes to their events. Helping student organizations prepare to transition their next [e-board] more fluidly. Providing a student organization guidebook that students can access via the SA website. This should help students get answers to the questions they have at any time.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position? “I want to be SA president because our community needs guidance. To me, that is why people turn to the SA — whether that be as an organization or as an individual. Administrators turn to the SA because they want to
better understand the severity of their student trials and tribulations. Staff and faculty consult the SA on student needs so they can create the best programs possible. The community members of Binghamton ask the SA to be an ally and engage its students in the local area.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “Giving current projects a chance at longevity and expansion of student feedback capabilities regarding mental health resources on campus. For example, the inclusion of more students, particularly those representing the multicultural community, on mental health-oriented committees. A continuation of SA President Emma Ross’ sexual assault education campaign and the collaborative “Know Your Resources” campaign to spread awareness of resources pertaining to sexual health and sexual assault. Negotiating with administrators to partially subsidize costs for gonorrhea and chlamydia tests at Decker Student Health Services Center.”
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT The executive vice president is the chief operations officer for the SA. They assist organizations with all non-financial aspects of the SA, including chartering new clubs and approving constitutions. Maggie Koekkoek is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I spend most of my time at Binghamton University in the [Student Association (SA)] office, where I am currently a receptionist, head minute taker and chief of staff to the president. I am also heavily involved in the Hinman Production Company (HPC) as the treasurer and a previous music director. In the future, I hope to continue my schooling in biomedical engineering and ultimately have a career in academia and research in the
field of tissue engineering.” 2. What is your platform? “As the executive vice president (EVP), my three main goals will be restructuring our mandatory leadership conferences, enhancing communication from and accessibility to the EVP office and placing an emphasis on effective transitioning for newly elected leaders of our student organizations.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position? “I have been working for the [SA] since my freshman year. I was also the president of Newing College and am currently the treasurer of [HPC], two SA-chartered organizations. Through these experiences, I have learned a
lot about the way that SA organizations run and have come to admire the leadership of our students on campus, as well as grow a passion for my work in the SA. I feel that I have a lot of relevant experience to give as the EVP and a good understanding of the support that our student organizations need.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “I think the most pressing issue that pertains to the [EVP]’s office is the lack of communication between the [SA] itself and the SA organizations. The SA has a lot of policies and procedures, so I think that it is important to put an emphasis on adequately training and supporting student leaders to be successful in running their clubs within the infrastructure of the [SA]. I believe that the points outlined in my platform will take large steps in addressing this issue.”
VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE The vice president for finance is the chief financial officer of the SA and Off Campus College Transport (OCCT). They are responsible for training and certifying all club treasurers, setting policies that club treasurers need to follow and developing the SA’s budget, aside from club allocations. Jacob Eckhaus is a junior double-majoring in accounting and business administration. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “When I’m not in class, you can usually find me in the [Student Association (SA)] office. I currently work in the vice president [for] finance (VPF)’s office as both [a general] assistant as well as the head adviser. I also take minutes for [Student] Congress and the Internal Affairs Committee. In addition to the SA, I’m very active within Hillel, where I help to plan our major events, and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, where I spent the past year serving as treasurer. In the future, I plan to continue into the finance world, hopefully ending up at a firm in New York City.”
2. What is your platform? “Expand the scope and scale of the adviser program by transitioning the adviser program from being oriented to helping groups prepare for [the Financial Committee] to more of a truly advisory role, allowing advisers to work with groups year-round to ensure financial success. Increase outreach, primarily through the adviser program. Increase the amount of outreach done by the VPF office to develop stronger relationships with chartered organizations and fortify communication channels. More support for chartered organizations by working with the other members of the [e-board] to provide more support for our chartered organizations across the board, specifically focusing on the financial aspects.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position?
“Having been involved in both the SA itself as well as SA organizations, I have been lucky enough to see the value that the SA has on our campus from both sides. Through my work both last year on the Financial Committee of [Student] Congress in addition to my work this year in the VPF office, I believe I have a vast understanding of the intricacies of what it means to be the VPF and how I can best serve our students and our organizations.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “The most pertinent issue to the [SA] currently is the gap in communication between the SA and chartered organizations. The most significant manifestation of this issue as it pertains to the VPF office is the potential mishaps arising from simple misunderstandings, which could easily be prevented with better access to the VPF office. I believe that by expanding the adviser program, most of these issues can be mitigated.”
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS The vice president for academic affairs is responsible for planning academic programming for the student body and advocating for academic needs to Binghamton University administrators. Joshua Dorfman is a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I am currently the [Student Association (SA)] executive vice president’s (EVP) office coordinator and B-Engaged adviser and administrator. I run the office’s day-to-day operations. As the B-Engaged administrator, I approve all SA-chartered events that occur on campus and assist with any issues organizations have with the platform, like appearing in B-Line. Additionally, I am on the Education Committee of Chabad, one of the largest campus organizations. Chabad provides learning opportunities for hundreds of students on a semester basis. The committee plans, creates and facilitates many of the education-based events at Chabad. I am also a spinning instructor at Campus Recreation.”
2. What is your platform? “My platform stands on five significant pillars: mental health, physical well-being, student advising, learning workshops and auxiliary academic resources. In terms of mental health, I view this as priority number one for the vice president [for] academic affairs’ (VPAA) office. Mental health resources and availability need to be improved for all students on campus. The resources need to take many forms, from professionals to awareness, to spaces where students can go to feel secure on campus. I believe that physical well-being stands next to mental health as a priority. Health awareness needs to improve on campus, from nutritional availability to fitness opportunities. If students are healthy, they will feel better and perform better in class.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position? “I decided to run for the SA [E-Board] after I started to work in the office of the EVP. I saw all the good things that the SA provides for the students of
Binghamton University, and I wanted to help more within the organization. Before I started to work at the SA, I didn’t know what the SA did and my peers shared the same sentiment. I want to make the SA more open to students by reaching out using various education programs. The SA can be a force for good and I want to use it to better our amazing, diverse student community.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “Advising for students needs to improve on campus. There need to be more advisers. I want to offer advising opportunities through the office of the VPAA. Learning workshops will give students an opportunity to learn other skills that are not traditionally taught on campus. Not everyone comes from the same background, and this will give students the opportunities to learn necessary life skills. Lastly, auxiliary resources, from printing availability and ease of use, to school supplies and the price of textbooks, to professor communications, can all use improvement. The VPAA office will focus on providing improved and new types of guidance to students.”
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bupipedream.com | March 2, 2020
VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMMING The vice president for programming oversees the SA Programming Board. They are responsible for organizing Spring Fling, Fall Concert and other activities on campus, bringing in speakers and other events for the student body.
Sophia Cavalluzzi is a junior majoring in English. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I’ve been part of the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB) since my freshman year. I am currently also an intern in the Binghamton University Office of Media and Public Relations. I love to write, watch YouTube and travel. I hope to attend graduate school for public relations and eventually work at an entertainment public relations firm.”
2. What is your platform? “My platform begins with communication, and stems into growth and success. As vice president for programming (VPP), I want campus to know that I am accessible and their feedback will be taken into consideration. With increased communication will come increased growth and engagement of the programming board. I will make it a priority to make the student body more aware of the SAPB and what they do. This growth will help bring success to events the SAPB will hold, as well as maintain the success the larger events already have.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position? “I decided to run for VPP because the SAPB is where I found my niche and
passion. I’ve grown with the board and have seen what it takes to keep the programming on campus running. I’ve learned a lot about what needs to be done as VPP, but have also had chances to learn about what needs to change in order to better the SAPB and campus programming as a whole. I am confident I have the experience within the board to improve it.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “The number one issue I want to focus on is the lack of communication with campus. I know that much of the student body feels as though their feedback is not listened to in terms of the type of events that take place on campus. I aim to change this and make sure the student body knows that not only am I listening, but I am actively taking their feedback into consideration and making changes based on the criticism I receive.”
VICE PRESIDENT FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS The vice president for multicultural affairs keeps in close contact with the SA’s cultural organizations, provides them with support and serves as their primary advocate within the SA and to Binghamton University administrators.
David Hatami is a sophomore majoring in political science. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I’ve been quite involved on campus since my freshman year because I think it’s always important to give back to a community that you gain so much from. I’ve been a [Student Association (SA)] congressional representative for two years now, representing College-in-the-Woods as a freshman and Dickinson Community now. For both years I’ve sat on the Internal Affairs Committee, where I’ve helped review constitutions and approve new clubs. I’ve also been involved with Model [United Nations], Muslim Student Association (MSA), Asian Student Union, College Democrats and Pipe Dream, where I write for the Opinions section. In my free time, I like to ski, play chess and find new music.”
Michael Messina is a junior doublemajoring in physics and political science. He is a write-in candidate for vice president for multicultural affairs 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I am president of the Asian Student Union (ASU), professional chair for the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and a podcast host for Asian Outlook Media. I love the Asian American community here at Binghamton University, but also love reaching out to other cultural communities and organizations! I hope to continue pursuing social justice through legislation after my time at BU. When I am not working at these goals, I am writing films, training martial arts and listening to hip-hop music.”
2. What is your platform? “We need to make Binghamton University a place where everyone, regardless of race, religion or sexual identity, can feel comfortable. As [vice president for multicultural affairs], I first would like to forge a strong, positive relationship between the student body and administration; paving the way for a cultural sensitivity training program for faculty and [Binghamton’s New York State University Police], so that students no longer feel as alienated as they may do on campus. Beyond this, I hope to increase funding for campus mental health resources, expand the halal station and other on-campus cultural food sites, encourage greater collaboration between cultural organizations and bring about greater general student cultural awareness.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position? “With recent campus incidents in mind, it’s become evident that competent campus leadership is needed more than ever before. I’m running because
2. What is your platform? “As VPMA, I look to address the grievances that many students of color have had with administration, acting as a liaison willing to advocate and press for the interests of these students. I would also look to reconcile the restrictive nature of the food policy currently harming the abilities of many student organizations to properly share their culture. If we band together, I am certain a consensus can be made to ameliorate these regulations. Too many times I have heard dissatisfied friends speak about mental health resources. We need to create a reliable, long-term resource for students suffering from these health issues. Finally, in solidarity, groups rise. Programming encouraging substantial, long-term bonds across cultural communities would help elevate not only these communities, but this campus as a whole.” 3. Why did you decide to run for an SA E-Board position?
I know I’ll be a strong, effective and reliable representative for cultural organizations on campus and for students as a whole. As a Muslim, I believe that many underrepresented groups on campus are in need of greater resources and attention such as the [MSA] — I will bring the change that these organizations need. I hope to continue the hard work Khaleel James has put into this office — to be as good of a resource that he’s been.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “A big issue for first-generation immigrants is that their cultures and upbringings fail to stress the importance of mental health. This is a problem which I have experienced not only myself but that I have seen in my friends as well. I see it as imperative to coerce the University into increasing funding for mental health resources on campus, such as the University Counseling Center. However, I would like to make mental health resources especially accessible to marginalized communities on campus, through initiatives in creating new health resources and spreading mental health information.”
“I have been a member of the multicultural community here at BU since freshman year. As an adoptee, I felt disconnected from my roots, yet found family and purpose in the multicultural community. I am looking to help advance the family that has given me so much. I have a vision for how this community could grow and how to further empower marginalized voices. Rest assured, I will continue to pursue these goals, VPMA or not.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “There is a disconnect between administration and many students of color on this campus. Many feel they cannot effectively communicate with administration. Meanwhile, ideological differences continue to spark conflict between students. We need a VPMA willing to take a firm stance on dispelling the unreasonable and clarifying the meaning of free speech. Additionally, mental health resources cannot be stressed enough. The availability of sustainable counselors is to be at the forefront of the SA’s agenda.”
BU COUNCIL STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE The BU Council student representative serves as the only student member of the BU Council, Binghamton University’s highest governing body and President Harvey Stenger’s main advisory board. They work closely with the SA and Graduate Student Organization e-boards and are the only student representative elected by the full undergraduate and graduate student bodies. They are tasked with advocating for student issues to Binghamton University administrators. Dante Turnbull is a junior doublemajoring in history and philosophy. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I really enjoy listening to music, mostly rap, classical rock and classical piano music. I used to play basketball when I was younger and I now play club rugby here at Binghamton University. I plan on going to law school; however, I want to join the Peace Corps before I do that.” 2. What is your platform?
Willa Scolari is a sophomore majoring in psychology. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself — any clubs, hobbies or major plans for the future? “I am a very positive, social person who wants to make the environment I am in a better place. I am very active, ranging from dancing and playing sports to skiing and surfing. I am a contributor to the Pipe Dream Opinions section and teach Zumba classes at the East Gym. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, reading, playing guitar and being in nature.” 2. What is your platform?
“As BU Council representative, I am running on a platform that promotes student representation with the goal of BU becoming more inclusive and representative of its minority populations. I also plan on trying to foster better political discourse on campus, one that values free speech as well as students’ rights to protest. With the upcoming 2020 elections, I want everyone’s voices to be heard, appreciated and taken seriously by the administration. Similarly to my predecessor, I plan on increasing transparency between students and the administration in hopes of creating a campus culture where students are not subject to, but a part of, its governing bodies.” 3. Why did you decide to run for the BU Council Representative position?
voices to be represented on the BU Council. Considering that 70 percent of the student population is undergraduate students, I think an undergraduate student would be better suited to adequately represent the student body.” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “One of the main issues I plan on tackling is the accessibility of mental health services on campus. I think that there are a few areas where it can be improved to make it easier for students seeking help, especially in regard to BU’s Psychological Clinic. I also want to address how to improve the relationship that exists between [Binghamton’s New York State University Police] and students in order to ensure a safe space for students to properly protest.”
“For the three years I have been on this campus, I have seen it become a more and more diverse space. Right now I think that it is important for those
“Communication, advocacy and inclusivity. Focusing on these three major points, I believe Binghamton University will improve and be a better campus. I plan to strengthen and have a clearer line of communication between the student body and the administration with policies, decisions and issues. I will advocate for students’ needs and inquiries while also incorporating and emphasizing ways to include all students at [BU] — giving them the campus and education they deserve.” 3. Why did you decide to run for the BU Council Representative position? “Being a spring admission transfer student and finishing up my third semester at [BU], through my own unique experiences I’ve already witnessed many pressing issues that are not getting enough attention. Being a regular student that is active in clubs, spends hours at Glenn G. Bartle Library, who gets out of breath from walking up the steep hill from the gym and having a healthy circle of various friends, I’ve discussed multiple issues from one end
of the spectrum to the other. And I would use this opportunity to show that I can empathize and advocate for the student body at [BU].” 4. What issues will you prioritize if you are elected? “A major issue that continuously needs to be worked on is strengthening and having more mental health resources available and accessible to students. Another is the disparity between career and advising resources for [the] Watson School of Engineering [and Applied Sciences] and the School of Management versus Harpur College students, where many Harpur College students feel as though their advising lacks compared to other schools. As a Harpur College student myself, I would like to include this issue as something to be resolved and prioritized. Lastly, I would like to find ways to maximize and improve transportation on campus, whether it’s looking into more parking and adding more transportation on weekends.”
Festival attendees melt over mac and cheese creations Vendors present dishes at annual Mac & Cheese Fest Sam Lillianthal
contributing writer
Why have one type of mac and cheese when you can try 24? On Feb. 27, the annual Mac & Cheese Fest took place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Downtown Binghamton Holiday Inn on Hawley Street. This year marked a special celebration for the organizers of the Mac & Cheese Fest, as it was its fifth anniversary. The event was initially conceived in 2016 as a fundraiser for the Binghamton Philharmonic and has continued ever since. This year, the Binghamton Philharmonic changed the way it ran the show by bringing in an event planner, Elisabeth Faughnan, ‘12. “[My role is] looking at the way people enter an event, the way that the restaurants are greeted … making sure everybody all around has a really good experience from start to finish,” Faughnan said. The layout had voting ballots in the lobby, and two of the hotel’s convention rooms had tables set up by the restaurants. The tables were all given their own space, and the layout of the event prevented
lauren cruz contributing photographer Community members and students gathered at the Downtown Binghamton Holiday Inn for Mac & Cheese Fest 2020.
long lines from becoming an issue. Buying a $25 ticket entitled an attendee to samples from all the restaurants and alcoholic beverages from the five breweries present. Madison Haynes, 17, of Vestal, has attended the last three festivals and said she thinks the organizers put on the best rendition of the festival yet, focusing on efficiency.
“The rooms aren’t as crowded, and it’s definitely more regulated than last year,” Haynes said. “They have a better control on how it’s flowing.” Bringing in a new event organizer seemed to pay off, and Faughnan said she was very happy with how it went. “We’ll be doing this again next
year, and hopefully I’ll be on board for it,” she said. A key part of the Mac & Cheese Fest is the awards given out at the end. This year brought a new award called the Winner’s Circle, where the only restaurants eligible to compete were winners of awards from past years. The fourcheese penne mac and cheese from
Food Fusion Bar & Grill won the Judges’ Choice award. The rest of the awards were voted on by the attendees. The Classic Mac award also went to Food Fusion Bar & Grill. One of the biggest awards voted on was The Big Cheese award, which went to Social on State’s Mediterranean mac and cheese. Contributions to the event were diverse
and went beyond a typical mac and cheese dish, including a dish with leeks, scallions and Japanese cherry blossoms from Kampai Japanese Steakhouse. Food & Fire BBQ-Taphouse had buffalo sauce, shrimp and sour cream with their entry. The Colonial had a “Big Mac” mac and cheese that included hamburger meat and mayonnaise. The large variety of mac and cheese was accompanied by a large variety of people, with children, adults, high schoolers, Binghamton University students and BU alumni enjoying the festival. BU’s Cheese Club was there volunteering for the event. Andrea Carey, interim executive director of the Binghamton Philharmonic, emphasized the value of the attendees’ diversity. “What we really wanted to do was come up with an event that would be intergenerational, and really would appeal to all facets of the community,” Carey said. Hailey Freilich, a sophomore majoring in political science, is a dedicated fan of mac and cheese. She ate all 24 samples there, and noted her excitement for the event as well as her hope that the festival continues to stick around. “Mac & Cheese Fest is the highlight of every year so far,” Freilich said. “It should be a holiday.”
BNL sketch show returns Local goat yoga comes to to Hinman Commons regional farmers market Skits focus on college students, pop culture
TRYOGA co-sponsors event as fundraiser
Mithila Farin
Melanie Gulbas
This weekend, Hinman Production Company (HPC) showcased its eighth Binghamton Night Live (BNL), “BNL 8: Based on a True Story,” and lit up the audience with cleverly relatable skits. HPC hosts BNL each semester, echoing the popular Saturday Night Live. This semester’s show was written by eight student writers and directed by Thomas Morzello, a first-year graduate student studying public administration, and Sean Velazquez, a senior majoring in anthropology who has previously acted in four BNLs. The show began as the directors sprinted back and forth across the stage, setting the atmosphere and hyping the audience for the high-energy acts to come. Michelle Rinaldi, a senior majoring in biology who came to her first BNL this weekend, said the skits resonated with aspects of current pop culture and conquered the great struggle of modern comedy by maintaining relatability with the audience. “I didn’t expect it to have so many references to Binghamton [University],” Rinaldi said. “I like that I can relate to some of the comedy that’s happening.” Such references included a skit about a student from Rhode Island having an alien sister speaking an extraterrestrial lan-
When people think of yoga, they don’t often associate it with baby goats, but the Broome County Regional Farmers Market and TRYOGA teamed up this weekend for a special event with some furry friends. Around 90 students and community members experienced yoga with a “twist” on Saturday, as 14 goats jumped and ran around during the hour-long yoga session. The event served as a fundraiser to help sustain market operations year-round for the Broome County Regional Farmers Market. The goats were all under three months old and the youngest was just one week old. They were provided through farms, including the family-owned Our Five Acre Homestead in Berkshire, and the farms had members and youth help handle the animals during the event. Molly McManus, events coordinator for the Broome County Regional Farmers Market and a Binghamton resident, said this is the farmers market’s fourthannual goat yoga class. She said they may hold another goat yoga session this year, but it all depends on when the crop of baby goats will be born. McManus said it’s important that the goats are young since young goats are more playful. Goats over three months old
arts & culture intern
staff writer
michael golann contributing photographer Binghamton Night Live (BNL) is an annual campus sketch show modeled after Saturday Night Live.
guage, mocking views on outof-state students. The show also included a skit about a wizard working in the Pods section of Glenn G. Bartle Library, complete with a gray beard and wizard hat, convincing a student to think like a printer, feel like a printer and be like a printer in an effort to finally be able to print out an assignment. Other skits drew on various pop culture themes. A fight scene in Walmart between a YouTube influencer and Logan Paul was completed with a cameo from JoJo Siwa. Another skit featured an intense fight arising from the struggle of assembling an IKEA desk, repurposing lines from the recent Netflix film “Marriage Story.” With each coming semester, BNL leans more heavily on its actors’ musical talents, and this
rendition was no different, as various acts involved singing. “We got very ambitious in the writers’ room and talked about what it would be like having a musical theatre-type skit, full of choreography and all of that mess, and it came together,” Velazquez said. “There’s one skit that’s just one big song — that’s been new and challenging and a ton of fun.” HPC member Philip Rossillo, a senior double-majoring in political science and history, said the show was a success. “This was one of the biggest audition seasons for BNL,” Rossillo said. “I’m happy to see that more people are getting involved with HPC.” Editor’s note: Copy Desk Chief Lia Berger was a writer for this year’s BNL and did not contribute to the content of this article.
are much larger and could be dangerous, as they are known to be jumpy. Terry Ross, owner of TRYOGA and a Binghamton resident, said he was asked by Victoria Giarratano, executive director at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, four years ago if he would lead the first goat yoga session. “Watching all the people and students having fun and everyone smiling is the best part,” Ross said. “It’s great for people of all ages and we even had a 9-year-old.” McManus said the day is enjoyable for not only those who signed up, but also the workers. “Just watching the goats interact with people and jump around is amazing,” she said. Emma Lammers, a senior double-majoring in philosophy, politics and law and English,
said although the goats added a layer of excitement, the event remained organized. “Those in charge did a really good job of educating all involved on how to treat the young goats with care, so everyone had a good time and the animals were safe and happy as well,” Lammers said. “It led to a really fun event that I would definitely return to.” Maggie Lerner, a senior majoring in mathematics, said although yoga is an expensive hobby, she enjoys it and couldn’t pass up on the event, especially since it was a fundraiser. “This was a new experience because I’ve never done yoga with goats, but they make it more exciting,” Lerner said. “It was more chaotic than I expected, but in the best way since it was super fun and a great time.”
haley han pipe dream illustrator
‘Fish Eye’ explores complexities of long distance love play from page 1 film as a career. As a result, she applies to the University of Southern California and winds up moving to the West Coast, leaving Max in New York. Their resulting longdistance relationship weakens their bond, and they both wind up cheating with other people, before Anna eventually tells Max she does not need him anymore and that they were only a block of time in each other’s lives. The play tells the story of Max and Anna’s relationship in an unorthodox manner — the scenes of the story are out of order and are
chronologically scattered, which Goss said she was her intent in choosing this play. “When I was looking for a show that I wanted to direct for my thesis, I wanted to do something a little different and I found this play,” she said. “There’s not a lot of print things about it, I could only find one actual article and it was from the original production of it. I couldn’t find anything else, but it was really cool because the play was out of order and there was these snapshots of life, which is kind of how I thought about it — that someone had all these photographs they dropped and picked up ran-
domly.” To prepare for the unusual scene structure, the cast and crew worked on getting a grasp on the chronological order of the production before practicing the full play as written. Amelia Pena, the actor who plays Anna and a junior double-majoring in theatre and business administration, said preparing for “Fish Eye” posed unique challenges. “It was really difficult, we did different rehearsals where we would do the whole thing in chronological order at the beginning of the rehearsal process,” she said. “That was to get the flow in our brains,
but it was hard going from one moment to the next moment that are either way in the past or way in the future. Knowing the chronological script was really helpful.” In addition to Max and Anna, the characters Jay and Avery were a part of the production and played unusual roles throughout the play. “When I started with the script, [the characters] weren’t all on a set throughout the show,” Goss said. “That wasn’t what the playwright wrote, the directions were completely different from that. I wanted to do something different and cool — we came up with the idea of having Max and Avery who don’t know
each other, and they never have a scene together or anything like that. They are manipulating the situation, trying to remind these two that they can’t get back together because of all these other things that have happened in the past, and so they’re trying to remind them the whole show why they shouldn’t get back together. [Jay and Avery] can go their own separate ways, and I thought it was really cool, playing around with having them on there. They weren’t a part of each scene, but how they could manipulate it and make scenes start, it was a lot of fun.” With Jay and Avery constantly
stepping in and out of scenes, Goss created a hectic and fast-paced atmosphere that captured the struggles of relationships. She said the play’s portrayal of love and relationships can connect with college students who often deal with difficult career choices. “I think it can relate to everybody that deals with a lot of longdistance relationships, relationships from the past, friendships and that boundary between friendship and relationship,” Goss said. “There’s a lot of common themes that I think a lot of people can relate to, especially [those in] college, as all the actors are in their early 20s.”
OPINIONS Monday, March 2,2, 2020 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
Western media sensationalizes foreign diseases while ignoring domestic ones The coronavirus’ constant media coverage is proof we trivialize often-deadlier diseases Joseph Vernice Contributing Columnist
Every few years there seems to be a new disease that is going to bring about the end of civilization. In the early 2000s, it was the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus. Several years after that panic, I remember my mom telling me to stay away from anyone who looked sick when I was in fourth grade during the swine flu pandemic. High school marked the global frenzy after the Ebola virus appeared. The newest of these disease outbreaks is COVID-19, or the “coronavirus,” that has been filling headlines since the outbreak began. There has been an endless stream of updates, reports and breaking news headlines constantly updating us on what is going on in China, the death toll and how many people are believed to be infected. Despite this constant attention by the media, the death toll for coronavirus has reached just over 3,000 people at this point, most of those victims being the old or otherwise immunocompromised. While the coronavirus may be the newest in a long line of deadly diseases that have caught the public eye, it is by far not the most lethal. That title goes to a disease that kills 12,000 to 61,000 people per year in the
United States alone, and around half a million throughout the whole world: influenza. In terms of raw lethality, no modern disease can match the flu. Why, then, does the media plaster so much attention on newer diseases like the coronavirus? I believe this is because the general population has become desensitized to the flu, as we’re used to hearing about it, so it doesn’t prompt the same reactions hearing about a “mysterious” new disease from China does. This is dangerous because it can cause people to misconstrue the level of danger that these diseases pose to their health. The constant reporting on the coronavirus may make it seem like a much greater risk than it actually is, especially to someone living in the United States. In contrast, the relatively lack of reporting on the flu may make it seem like a less deadly disease in comparison. Recently, the United States declared the coronavirus outbreak a “public health emergency.” This news prompted a steep decline in the stock market. According to Forbes, “This week alone, the Dow Jones industrial average fell a total of 14 percent, the S&P 500 by 13 percent and the Nasdaq Composite by 12.3 percent.” Despite this, Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said it is unlikely that the virus would prompt a “full-fledged economic crisis.” This drop in the stock
market is very similar to what happened during other notable outbreaks of disease, like SARS and Ebola, which knocked S&P 500 down between 6 and 13 percent. Both SARS and Ebola had minimal impact on everyday life for most Americans, aside from media-induced hysteria, and I believe the case is the same with the coronavirus. Seasonal influenza comes with its own economic harm too, costing the United States more than $87 billion every year. Last year, only about 49 percent of people in the United States got a flu shot. At the moment, less than one hundred Americans have been infected with coronavirus, while millions have already been infected with the flu. If the media focused as much attention on the flu as they did on the coronavirus, perhaps it would prompt more people to get their flu shots. This, in turn, could lead to greater herd immunity and fewer deaths overall. Of course, the coronavirus is a threat, especially in places where there are a lot of people already infected with the disease. The risk of contracting it, however, is much lower than that of the flu, especially for people living in the United States. So, stop worrying about the coronavirus and get your flu shot. Joseph Vernice is a sophomore majoring in English.
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Universities need to take student surveys more seriously Professors who receive tenure for their research are often ineffective in the classroom Nicolette Cavallaro Contributing Columnist
Every April and November, students across the Binghamton University community switch between tabs of BU Brain, RateMyProfessors.com and College Scheduler, frantically picking professors for their nextsemester classes. In the days that follow, you’re likely to hear someone saying, “he has a 1.5/5, but I have to take his class to graduate,” at least once in every conversation. In the next few weeks, not only will the stress of
finals overwhelm you, but so will the daunting concept of trying to pass a required class when the professor specializes in research — not teaching. In colleges across the country, researchers are hired and then forced to become professors in order to receive lab time. This leads to undergraduate students dealing with subpar teaching and inattentive professors. Qualities influential professors tend to possess are attentiveness, resourcefulness and respectfulness. When they are just there to research, they are distracted, inflexible in their pedagogy or just unable to engage their listeners. For a university that claims to care about their
students’ learning more than anything else, it seems strange they would not remove professors whose behaviors aren’t conducive to that. There are multiple studies that support the concept that professors who prioritize research over teaching lead to a decrease in learning because of their lack of educational experience. One such study found that students who take classes with seasoned professors tend to have a deeper understanding of the curricular content and perform better in the classes that follow. In other words, having a decent professor in an entry-level class can save your grade when you are a senior. Also, educators who tend to have low
expectations for their students, like the professor who brags about never giving a final grade higher than a B, tend to have lowerachieving students and a lowerquality learning experience. Along with this, the topic of tenure plays a huge factor when it comes to a professor’s ability to teach. Tenure, or a category of academic appointment in which a professor becomes virtually untouchable by their university, is considered indefinite. These professors are often the elite researchers who don’t concern themselves with basic education skills. Research suggests that tenured professors are usually considered underperforming when it comes to inspiring
students and preparing them for higher-level classes. In other words, the professors the University cannot remove are usually the ones doing the worst jobs. In a perfect world, we can stop giving tenure to professors who are only active in research and start giving it to professors who make a positive impact on students’ lives through teaching. So what do student-professor surveys have to do with this? Well, if a professor is repeatedly rated poorly by students, the University should take the time to actually evaluate these claims. Since these claims are based on feedback from their students’ learning experience, they give insight into what is really going on inside
Lecture Hall. When a professor is rated poorly, instead of letting them teach thousands of students, the reviewers should take an indepth look at professors’ teaching methods. If deemed ineffective, professors should be mandated to either take an education course or shadow a higher-rated professor in order to improve. Although this may seem extreme, students’ education is worth a little more time spent on professors learning how to teach properly. Maybe if BU took student evaluations of their professors more seriously, we would truly be the public Ivy. Nicolette Cavallaro is a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience.
DIVEST BING should refocus their protest methodology While well-intentioned, the group mischaracterizes the foundations of their campaign Spencer Haynes Guest Columnist
In recent weeks, a campus group known as DIVEST BING has held protests, including one in which the group was opposing BAE Systems at the Feb. 12 men’s basketball game. The goal of this protest was to inform the public about deaths related to BAE Systems’ products and to hold the company accountable for these deaths. Unfortunately, the group’s anger was misdirected. Although BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin do profit from weapons production, it is the government’s demand for and use of these weapons that actually kills people. Therefore, if DIVEST BING did successfully litigate a company like Lockheed
Martin, the government would still demand these products from another contractor, and the company’s approximately 105,000 employees would lose their jobs. This brings me to my second concern: intimidating protests staged at Lockheed Martin info sessions. These protests are again misguided, as they blame Lockheed Martin for hiring students. In reality, Binghamton University engineering students are the ones seeking these jobs by going to the info session. DIVEST BING’s only viable solution should be to educate classmates on Lockheed Martin’s weapons and their uses. If these students agree, they will refuse job offers from the company. If the incentive of higher pay causes them to take the job, that is their right, and this incentive exists whether a student is rich or poor. The most effective solution to the issues DIVEST BING presents is
electing politicians who refrain from using military force and advocating for the reduction of military spending. This would prevent unnecessary attacks and casualties, reduce the amount of weapons demanded and therefore free up tax money for humanitarian work and services, directly benefiting the American people. DIVEST BING has another mission: transparency in the BU Foundation, the organization that manages charitable contributions to the University. Unfortunately, DIVEST BING’s campaign has been riddled with misinformation, which has harmed the credibility of its message. For example, one of their banners asks, “Where is Our Money?” despite the fact that none of their student tuition goes into the BU Foundation. All $1.7 billion of 2018’s tuition goes to the SUNY system, a system which cannot
allocate these funds to the BU Foundation. According to the BU Foundation’s consolidated financial statements, the BU Foundation receives most of their money from donors, student loan debt — which is student debt, not money — and returns from investments. Additionally, the BU Foundation is legally required to be a separate entity from the University. For these reasons, DIVEST BING does not have a right to demand transparency within the foundation because it is not their money at stake. DIVEST BING has also failed to do adequate research into University investments. For example, they appear to claim that University investments could potentially be involved with illicit industries. However, the BU Foundation’s consolidated financial statements show that at least $42 million of the BU Foundation’s investments are unlikely to be involved in
large illicit industries. These are capital assets owned by the BU Foundation, or alternative investments that are focused on private companies unlikely to be involved with fossil fuels and other such industries. The industries that DIVEST BING points to tend to involve large, publicly traded businesses, not smaller private enterprises like those the BU Foundation invests in. With all this being said, I still support transparency within the BU Foundation, and I would like to share my approach to achieving this goal. Firstly, I recommend working with both donors and the BU Foundation instead of using demands and intimidation. This could be achieved through a stakeholder meeting where student needs, like improving mental health services, are expressed directly to the foundation and donors. This would encourage donors to
restrict their funds to a specific purpose and lower the amount of unrestricted funds available for investment in the first place. Secondly, I would challenge students to reflect on their own investment in fossil fuels. Most students rely on them heavily for transportation, heating and electricity while forgetting that these habits contribute to industry profits and pollution. In fact, if every student at BU drove an average car in the area for an average number of miles per year, we would spend over $30 million on gasoline alone, which is likely greater than the BU Foundation’s investment in the industry. By taking these steps, DIVEST BING and the University community could create greater transparency while fostering a spirit of cooperation instead of resentment. Spencer Haynes is a senior majoring in accounting.
F UN
Monday, March 2,2, 2020 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
I promise this is wholesome content
Dawn of depression
Annabeth Sloan
Part three
Daniel Eisenhower
Sudoku
Daniel Eisenhower
By The Mepham Group
Level: 1 2 3 4 Solution to last issue's puzzle
Major key alert
Sarah Teper
© 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
Release Date: Monday, March 2, 2020
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
Constants of life
Horoscopes
Ted Lam
The Cosmos
ACROSS 1 Photographer Adams 6 “Happy Motoring” company 10 Cuba, por ejemplo 14 2000s first lady Bush 15 Matty of baseball 16 Twice-monthly tide 17 Crème de la crème 19 Kvetch like a fish? 20 West of “My Little Chickadee” 21 Mr. Peanut prop 22 Dental hygienist’s gizmo 24 Essen’s river 26 Russian space station for 15 years 27 Hurry-scurry 28 “__ Yankees” 30 Spar without a partner 33 Rascal 35 “Honor Thy Father” author Gay 36 Hawaiian porch 37 Ab __: from day one 38 Uses a sieve 42 Apply, as a brake 44 Flynn of “Captain Blood” 45 Extremely lame, in modern slang 48 Hunky-__: fine 49 Toronto’s prov. 50 Dada co-founder 51 Either H in H2O 53 Home of the NHL’s Senators 55 A head 57 “Aladdin” monkey 60 Old phone feature 61 Business manager skilled at reducing expenses 64 Shortest-named Great Lake 65 Sci-fi’s Jabba the __ 66 Mars has two 67 Aloha State bird 68 Jazz and Disco periods
69 Popular pie, and what the ends of 17-, 30-, 45- and 61-Across have in common DOWN 1 Grad 2 Auto parts giant 3 Clark Kent, really 4 “... __ he drove out of sight”: Moore 5 Tree that rhymes with a month 6 Deserve 7 Pivot around 8 “Help!”-ful soap pad brand 9 Not in the house 10 Ancient Andean 11 Aquanaut’s base 12 Texas city in a cowboy song 13 Estimated: Abbr. 18 Wheels, so to speak 23 Game stick with a netted pocket 25 Expose 26 Sam who owned Cheers 28 ISP alternative 29 Fed. law known
as Obamacare 30 Clog 31 “Wreaked” state 32 Creepy sort 34 Tool for two lumberjacks 39 Completely, alphabetically speaking 40 A.L.’s Blue Jays 41 Scheming 43 Pain in a canal 45 Made of oak, say
46 Complete 47 Reach, as a goal 51 NC State’s conf. 52 Dull sound 54 On the safe side, at sea 55 Spanish “this” 56 Lawyers: Abbr. 58 Mercedes-__ 59 Big Dipper bear 62 Lord’s Prayer start 63 You, in French
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Paul Coulter ©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/02/20
03/02/20
10
SPORTS
bupipedream.com | March 2, 2020
Mallory Prelewicz wins second straight AE indoor title Junior talks pole vaulting on Pipe Dream’s Bearcast Justin Zion
sports editor
At the America East (AE) Indoor Track and Field Championships last week, the women’s track and field team placed seventh. Several Bearcats shined individually, with six BU athletes winning individual AE titles. One of them, junior Mallory Prelewicz, won an individual title in the women’s pole vault. Prelewicz joined Pipe Dream’s Bearcast to discuss her title, the track teams and her pole vaulting career. “I was happy,” Prelewicz said of her performance. “I had not been having a very good season before then, so it felt good just to come in and feel good, honestly. I was very confident, and I just felt athletic when I was pole vaulting, which was really nice. My height wasn’t the best I’ve ever had; I was really close to a [personal record] and didn’t get it, so it was a little bit of a disappointment, but I did what I had to do to score points for my team and that’s all that matters.” Prelewicz won her pole vaulting title this year with a height of 1111 3/4, falling fewer than six inches short of her personal record. The title marks her second consecutive pole vaulting title at the AE Indoor Championships, becoming the first BU women’s pole vaulter to ever accomplish that feat. She also won the pole vaulting title at the
AE Outdoor Championships last season. The competition in the women’s pole vault across the conference has been very strong this season. Given that she was the defending title holder in both the indoor and outdoor events, Prelewicz said she felt a little pressure going into her performance, and that she tried not to let it affect her. “My coach was like, ‘knock it off,’” Prelewicz said. “I shouldn’t let that dictate how I do and add pressure to the pressure that I already put on myself, but I think I rose to the occasion. I think it eventually helped me come out of my rut and do better.” Prelewicz first got into pole vaulting in high school, but she participated in athletics long before that, spending much of her childhood doing gymnastics at her father’s gymnastics academy. When some of her older teammates in gymnastics received pole vaulting scholarships to a Division I program at the end of high school, Prelewicz thought she could do the same thing. When she entered high school, she joined her school’s track and field team, following her former teammates’ journey to becoming a Division I pole vaulter. Though she acclimated well to the sport with time, Prelewicz did not get the hang of pole vaulting right away despite her background in gymnastics. She said the techniques and motions of pole vaulting are unique, giving those
provided by america east conference Junior Mallory Prelewicz has been the America East’s top indoor pole vaulter for the past two years, taking her first title in 2019 and retaining it this season.
who get into it it a tough time at the start. “It’s hard for everyone to learn,” Prelewicz said. “It’s very awkward and it’s very technical, so learning those skills takes a while. No one’s great at it the first time they pick up a pole. It takes a while to build those skills and build those motions because it’s very different from almost anything
else.” Track and field is mostly an individual sport, but the team dynamic is very strong on the BU track and field teams. Prelewicz enjoys the bonding experiences that traveling with the team provides, and said the athletes are always in attendance at their teammates’ events to encourage them and cheer them on.
“You can’t underestimate the team dynamic,” Prelewicz said. “You’re competing for yourself, but you’re also competing for your team, and you need that support. [At the conference meet] we were all up and cheering, running from event to event depending if they were going on at the same time, just there to support. You can’t underestimate the feeling
of knowing that your teammate is there, cheering for you, watching you and supporting you.” Prelewicz will compete next at the upcoming ECAC/IC4A Championships, where she hopes to set a new personal record in the pole vault. The meet will take place from March 7 to 8, beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 7 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Women’s lacrosse steamrolled by Marist in 17-7 loss Sanchez, Masera score multiple goals for Bearcats David Julien
pipe dream sports
miya carmichael pipe dream photographer Junior midfielder Alyssa Sanchez netted three of Binghamton’s seven goals in its road loss to the Red Foxes.
Coming off its first win of the season earlier in the week, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team fell to the Marist Red Foxes on Saturday. The Bearcats (1-4) were defeated by the Red Foxes (14) in a 17-7 loss in Poughkeepsie, New York. Junior attack Paige Volkmann netted an early goal to give the Bearcats the first lead of the game. Marist quickly responded with a goal of its own, but sophomore attack Emily Masera was able to add another one to help reestablish the Bearcats’ early lead. However, the Red Foxes were quick to put their foot on the gas. “I think we were up against a really strong goalkeeper, but [we] just didn’t have the patience on our shots and didn’t take the time to place,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen. “I think we lacked confidence out there and grit. It’s something we continue
to work on every day, but we need to emulate in practice more so that we can step out and have that in place on game day regardless of the opponent.” Starting at the 23:06 mark of the first half, the Red Foxes scored six unanswered goals to take a 7-2 lead. The Bearcats were briefly able to put an end to the onslaught with two goals: the first scored by junior midfielder Alyssa Sanchez and the second scored by Masera. However, the Red Foxes responded with five more unanswered goals to end the half with a score line of 12-4. The Bearcats started the second half with a goal from senior midfielder Alissa Franze, and Sanchez scored an additional two goals to give herself a hat trick, but the Bearcats were facing an uphill battle and failed to convert most of their shot attempts into goals. The Red Foxes secured the final four goals of the contest to put an end to the competition and walk away with the victory. “I think [Sanchez] did a really good job and played a lot of minutes,” Allen said. “She’s somebody that doesn’t seem to
get tired out there and continues to fight. For an entire 60 minutes, both on the draw controls and her shots out there, she worked incredibly hard.” While the Bearcats had around the same amount of shots and shots on goal as Marist, they were largely unable to convert them into the goals necessary to get back into the contest. With the season still in its early stage, there are several areas where the Bearcats can improve during the several nonconference games remaining before conference play. “I think we continue to work hard on the ground ball battle and draw controls, and we need to stay at 50 percent on those or better than our opponents,” Allen said. “I think this was a game that we were able to have the highest number of shots that we’ve had so far but again we need to make sure that we’re converting on those. Those are things we’re looking to dial in on going forward.” Next up for the Bearcats is a home game against Niagara on Tuesday, March 3. Opening draw control is set for 3 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
Men’s tennis falls to Western Michigan, Northern Illinois Nath, Pena earn doubles win against Huskies Aidan Higgins
pipe dream sports
Coming off a shutout loss against Tulsa last Sunday, the Binghamton men’s tennis team was looking to bounce back with a pair of home matches over the weekend. However, the Bearcats (4-8, 0-2 MAC) fell in both matches, first against Western Michigan on Friday, and then Northern Illinois on Sunday. On Friday, Binghamton was unable to capture a team point against a well-rounded Western Michigan (11-5, 1-0 MAC) team. Senior Kushaan Nath was shutout by WMU sophomore Peter Kuszynski, 6-0, 6-0. On the next court, Binghamton junior Alejandro Pena lost without much of a fight against WMU senior Kennosuke Nouchi, 6-2, 6-2. Although freshman Michael Pawlowicz put up a strong effort against his opponent, taking the first set to seven games, he would end up losing the set and the match to WMU senior Jannik Opitz, 7-5, 6-4. Similarly,
BU freshman Dan Pergel battled hard in his match against WMU freshman Rodrigo Crespo, winning the first set 6-3. He dropped the next two sets 7-6, 10-2 in a closely contested match. “It’s hard when you’re playing a solid team like that and have two courts that kind of go away quickly and aren’t able to get a total hold on the match,” said Binghamton head coach Nick Zieziula. “The weird part about tennis is that there are individual courts, but the momentum of the courts feed off of each other. Of the first four matches that go out, [Pawlowicz] and [Friedman] were battling hard, but you see the scoreboards going quickly on [Pena] and [Nath]’s court. It makes it easier for those guys [Pawlowicz and Friedman] to play. I think the momentum of being able to get some easy points is something we can’t let happen.” On Sunday, Binghamton lost 5-2 against Northern Illinois (64, 1-0 MAC), with two victories coming from a default singles win and a doubles win from Bearcat pair Nath and Pena, defeating Northern Illinois sophomore Mikko Malinen and
junior Victor Spolidorio, 6-2. Akin to Friday’s matchup against WMU, the Bearcats were unable to make headway in the singles matchups. Nath lost his singles matchup against NIU sophomore David Pata 6-1, 6-2. Pena lost in a similar fashion to Malinen 6-2, 6-1. However, Pawlowicz, Pergel and sophomore Dylan Friedman tried to claw back points in singles. Pawlowicz took his match up to three sets but lost 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 to NIU senior Bor Schweiger Muzar. Friedman also won the first set in his singles match but would go on to lose to NIU senior Shao-Yu Yu in three tightly played sets, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4. Lastly, Pergel stretched the first set to seven games in his match against NIU junior Victor Spolidorio but would lose the set and ultimately the match, 7-6, 6-3. “In singles, we had two matches that just went away quickly, and [Nath] and [Pena] have to do a better job of getting a toe hold in that match to hang around a little bit,” Zieziula said. “But credit to [Pawlowicz], [Friedman] and [Pergel]. There are some things we gotta work on that we take away from those matches tactically for each one
of the three of them. But they put themselves in positions to win. The fight from those three guys, in particular, was great and
they’re going to learn from those matches.” The Bearcats return to action this Friday, March 6 against
Monmouth. The match will begin at 7 p.m. at the Little Silver Tennis Club in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
provided by bu athletics Senior Kushaan Nath was part of a winning duo in a doubles match in Binghamton’s 5-2 loss against Northern Illinois last Sunday.
bupipedream.com | March 2, 2020
SPORTS
11
Softball plays six games at Auburn event BU earns first win of 2020 against Georgia Southern Edward Aaron
assistant sports editor
In its second weekend of play, the Binghamton softball team picked up its first win of the season. Competing in six games at the Tiger Invitational on the campus of Auburn University, Binghamton (110) fell twice to Auburn and No. 18 Minnesota and split its two games against Georgia Southern. “I think we obviously saw some really good competition this weekend,” said Binghamton head coach Michelle Johnston. “Overall, I was happy with how we progressed offensively and on the mound. We made quite a few mistakes defensively and just playing the caliber of teams that we did you can’t do that against those kind of teams and give them extra opportunities.” On Friday, the Bearcats were defeated by Georgia Southern and
Minnesota, losing 8-2 to the Eagles (11-9) and 11-0 to the Golden Gophers (12-7). Binghamton’s lone win of the weekend was on Saturday, with a narrow comeback victory over Georgia Southern. With the team trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning, senior infielder Kassidy Seary launched a home run to tie the game and send it into extra innings. In the top of the eighth, senior outfielder Stephanie Ragusa hit a lead-off triple and then scored on a wild pitch. “Georgia Southern’s a good team, we got to see what I think is their number-one pitcher, so that definitely was a good win for us,” Johnston said. With a 2-1 lead, senior pitcher Rayn Gibson secured the final three outs of the game, finishing a complete game with seven strikeouts. “She was really focused throughout that entire game,” Johnston said. “Overall, she pitched very well this weekend, and again if we don’t make a couple of mistakes
here and there, I think we’re in those games a lot closer than what the score shows.” Gibson pitched in two other games over the weekend. She, along with the rest of the Bearcats’ staff, was challenged with facing hitters from power conference opponents. “I think it’s great for them to see that kind of lineup early,” Johnston said. “[Junior pitcher] Chelsea [Howard] did a really good job this weekend too as far as staying focused throughout her innings. She threw more than what she normally does in a weekend and I thought she did a really good job staying focused with probably being tired as well.” In the night cap on Saturday against the host team, Auburn, the Tigers (14-8) jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first inning. Howard came into the game after two outs and allowed just one run throughout the rest of the game, which finished as a 10-2 defeat. After losing to Minnesota on Sunday morning, the Bearcats regrouped with a strong outing
in a loss to Auburn. The team jumped out to a 5-1 lead behind strong pitching by Gibson and home runs from Seary and senior designated player Rozlyn Price before surrendering 10 runs in the final five innings of the 11-6 loss. The game was most notable for the improvements on offense for Binghamton. After scoring just six runs in the first five games of the season, the team matched that total in one game against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference. “They’re getting more confident with every game that they play,” Johnston said. “Some of our hitters that did really well for us last year, we’re kinda still waiting for them to come on the way that they have in the past, but I think our confidence is getting there.” As the nonconference season rolls on, Binghamton is set to travel to Virginia on Friday for five games in the Hampton & Norfolk State Tournament. First pitch against Drexel in the first game is set for 2 p.m. on March 6 at NSU Softball Field in Norfolk, Virginia.
pipe dream archives Senior pitcher Rayn Gibson tossed a complete game in Binghamton University’s sole win of the weekend against Georgia Southern, striking out seven.
BEARCAT BRIEFS WOMEN’S TENNIS Joe Tonetti
Sports Intern
Picking up its fourth and fifth wins of the season, the Binghamton women’s tennis team defeated Morgan State and Bucknell over the weekend, winning 5-2 over the Bears and taking a 6-1 victory over the Bisons. After losing their first five matches of the season, the Bearcats (5-9) have entered the middle of the season with a run of good form, winning four of their last six games. Morgan State (2-6) opened the doubles matches with a 6-3 win over junior Michelle Eisenberg and senior Samara Eisenberg, but dropped their lead after sophomore Regina Furer and junior Ashley Granieri won 6-2. Freshman duo Kyra Bergmann and Jamie Lau took the Bears into a tiebreaker, sealing a clutch victory over Morgan State freshmen Anabel Torrente and Stefania Moysiadi to give Binghamton its point in the doubles campaign. Furer and Granieri continued their run of good play, with each sweeping her individual singles match. Furer won 6-3, 6-1 over Morgan State sophomore Averiana Mitchell and Granieri swept her opponent 6-1, 6-0. Two more wins from the Eisenberg sisters brought the Binghamton total to five points, while the Bears could only muster two wins in singles. Returning to play on Sunday, the Bearcats beat Bucknell (6-3) in a 6-1 result. The Eisenberg sisters started out the match with a 6-4 loss in doubles play, but in similar fashion to their matches against Morgan State, the duos of Furer and Granieri, along with Bergmann and Lau, picked up 7-5 and 6-0 victories, respectively, to win BU the doubles point. The Bison only managed one win in the singles tournament, as Bucknell senior Paige Leavy beat Furer 6-4, 6-4. Apart from that matchup, Binghamton won every other singles match, taking their season record to 5-9 with three more road matches in Buffalo coming up. The Bearcats will meet Northern Illinois, Wright State and Buffalo this weekend. The first match against the Huskies (10-5) is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, March 6 in Buffalo, New York.
SOFTBALL
BU competes at Auburn SEE PAGE 11
Monday, March 2, 2020
Men’s basketball finishes last, will miss AE playoffs basketball from page 1 tournament, and for the second time in that three-year span, Binghamton (10-19, 4-12 AE) will be the team left out. The Bearcats’ elimination was sealed by the combination of their loss and Maine’s lopsided home win over UMBC (14-16, 7-8 AE). Had BU won, it still would have been alive. Though the Bearcats began the game against New Hampshire (15-13, 8-7 AE) strongly, it did not last past the middle of the first half, when the Wildcats put their foot to the gas pedal. New Hampshire displayed an unyielding, balanced offense that was able to score both down low and from range. On the day, New Hampshire scored 38 points in the paint while hitting 12-of-26 3-pointers. BU had no answer for this in the first half, nor could it muster its own offense to keep pace, allowing UNH to ride a 24-4 run over the final eight-and-a-half minutes to a 40-22 halftime lead. “They played really, really well,” said Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey. “They’re playing great basketball right now. They’re sharing the ball, and they have a lot of guys that are playing well. It’s a very hot team that we ran into today, and
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms scored a game-high 38 points despite the Bearcats losing 89-70 to UNH over the weekend.
it’s disappointing to come up here and lose. I just think we ran into a buzz saw in that first half against a team that’s playing really good basketball.” In the second half, sophomore guard Sam Sessoms stepped up for Binghamton, pouring on the points to try and bring his team
back into the game. He went on to finish with a game-high 38 points, 30 of which came in the second half. Unfortunately for BU, none of his teammates provided him any meaningful help offensively. Excluding Sessoms, the Bearcats shot a combined 9-for-30 from the floor in the game. No BU player
except Sessoms scored more than eight points, and only 18 of the team’s second-half points came from a player other than the sophomore guard. On the other side of the ball, New Hampshire did not relent offensively, scoring 49 secondhalf points. The offensive potency
ariel kachuro photo editor
kept the lead at its large margin, despite Sessoms picking up BU’s offense in the half. Even though the Bearcats only lost by 19, the UNH lead was as large as 31 points. The Wildcats were led in the game by junior guard Sean Sutherlin, who scored 20, and three other Wildcat players reached double
figures. New Hampshire shot 54 percent from the floor in the game, and hit 46.2 percent of its shots from downtown. “When you get down like that, there’s not a lot of room for error,” Dempsey said. “You gotta almost play a perfect half, and I thought we fought extremely hard. You’re trying to claw back and then one little run from them gives them the separation, and the hole was just too deep. I thought we competed for all 40 minutes, but the better team won the game today.” Though missing out on the AE playoffs is a crushing blow to the team, Dempsey hopes that the young freshmen on his team, such as forward George Tinsley and guards Brenton Mills, Dan Petcash and Hakon Hjalmarsson, will continue to grow in the offseason and form a strong core around Sessoms, who will be entering his junior year. “It’s hard to not be in the tournament, for sure,” Dempsey said. “It’s disappointing, embarrassing, for that matter, but the reality of it is we’re not in it. We have to regroup; we’ll regroup this week, and we do have a lot of young pieces, and certainly we have one of the best players around, so we’ll be back, but it’s disappointing to not be playing.”
Women’s basketball downs UNH in regular-season finale Bearcats will face Wildcats again in AE quarterfinal Samantha Marsh
assistant sports editor
After clinching a home quarterfinal with a win over UMBC last Wednesday, the Binghamton women’s basketball team ended its regular season on a high note, narrowly defeating New Hampshire 66-64 on Senior Day.
Prior to the game, the team’s three seniors, guards Kai Moon, Carly Boland and Karlee Krchnavi, were honored and accompanied by their families on the court. The trio now has a combined 2,696 points and 1,373 rebounds during
alex gross staff photographer Senior guard Carly Boland contributed 11 points on Senior Day as the Bearcats were victorious in their regular-season finale.
their careers. Moon, an Illinois native, said it is difficult for her family to come to the games. “This was really special for me,” Moon said. “My sister got to see me play, and she hasn’t seen me play since freshman year, and I doubt she remembers that game. My grandparents got to see me play for the first time. I felt all the love they were giving me, and I wanted to play well, not only for them, but for their families and for the rest of the team.” The Bearcats (21-8, 10-6 America East) led for almost the entire game, but were down in the early stages of the first period. “Our adrenaline was going, and they were really overaggressive, so I think we kind of had to settle into the game,” Moon said. “I didn’t expect that but I wasn’t surprised [and] we found our rhythm and focus.” A jumper made by Moon in the first quarter put the Bearcats up by two, and they didn’t lose the lead again until a layup made by UNH freshman guard Brooke Kane in the fourth put the Wildcats up by
one. The teams battled back and forth, but a jumper by freshman guard Denai Bowman helped seal the game for BU. “[Bowman] doesn’t play like a freshman,” Moon said. “I think that’s something that’s rare to find. I think she’s really gotten a lot better as the season progressed. To be confident enough to take shots that are big at the end of games definitely helps this team out a lot.” Moon led the team with 17 points, and there were three other Bearcats in double digits for scoring: Boland, Bowman and junior forward Olivia Ramil. Boland had 11 points and six rebounds, Bowman had 13 points and Olivia Ramil had 14 points and seven rebounds. Olivia Ramil and her sister, sophomore forward Annie Ramil, were the early scorers for BU, combining for 16 points in the first half and 20 overall. “I am proud of our team,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “It was a tough game. New Hampshire brought it. They played a lot better since we last saw
them. Nobody is going to lay down in this league.” For UNH, redshirt senior forward Ashley Storey led the charge with a game-high 25 points, while junior forward Maggie Ahearn had a gamehigh 10 rebounds. Junior guard Amanda Torres also added 17 points. Storey and Torres were responsible for more than half of the team’s points. The win against UNH marked the 21st win of the season for Binghamton, the highest number of wins in a season for the Bearcats in their Division I history. The Bearcats won both games in the series against UNH, but the battle isn’t over yet. BU will have to take on New Hampshire once more in the quarterfinals of the AE tournament. UNH ended regularseason conference play in fifth place, while the Bearcats ended it in fourth, earning them home court advantage. The quarterfinal matchup will take place on Wednesday, March 4. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.
Baseball defeats Longwood twice in three-game series Babalis, Kopcza post solid pitching performances Daniel Metz
pipe dream sports
Competing in a three-game series on the road against Longwood University over the weekend, the Binghamton baseball team came out victorious in two games. The two wins came on Friday and Sunday, and were the Bearcats’ first of the season. “We’re all happy of course to win the series, but we have a ways to go and work to do to be the team we want to be,” said Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki. Binghamton (2-7) out-hit Longwood (3-9) 13-7 in Friday’s game, securing a 10-8 victory. BU’s hitting attack was sparked by redshirt senior infielder Alex Baratta, who went 4-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs. Baratta opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, added a sacrifice fly in the second, a two-run single in the third and
a two-out, RBI single in the seventh to give the Bearcats a 10-2 lead. The Bearcats started off hot, scoring one run in the first inning, three in the second and five in the third, giving them an early 9-0 lead over the Lancers. However, they were only able to score one run in the final six innings, allowing the Lancers to mount a comeback. The Lancers scored two runs in the sixth, four in the eighth and two in the ninth before the Bearcats closed out the game after a ground out from junior first baseman Tyler Mahone. Sophomore outfielder Cullan Wadsworth was a main contributor to the Lancers’ comeback effort, as he batted 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Sophomore infielder Hunter Gilliam was a main piece as well, as he hit three of the Lancers’ six total RBIs. Binghamton’s ace sophomore starting pitcher Thomas Babalis struck out a career-high nine batters and went 6.0 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits. The victory improved Babalis’ record to 1-1 on the
season. The Bearcats struggled in the second game of the series, as they were only able to score in one of the nine innings. Longwood scored six runs in the first three innings and one in the seventh, defeating the Bearcats 7-2. The Lancers out-hit the Bearcats 10-7 and Gilliam was again a main contributor for the Lancers, going 3-for-3 from the plate and scoring one RBI. He has a batting average .319 on the year thus far. In the sixth inning, junior catcher Sam Freedman put Binghamton on the board with a two-run homer in a DH role. The inning started with senior third baseman Justin Drpich hitting a single and ended with junior outfielder Andrew Eng grounding out to second base. Binghamton was held to one hit for the remainder of the game. Freshman pitcher Douglas Goodwin had the best outing of the day out of the three Binghamton pitchers, giving up zero hits and runs in 3.1 innings pitched. He hasn’t allowed a
run in his first three collegiate outings (three hits in 8.0 IP). Binghamton won the weekend series in the rubber game, scoring five runs in the first three innings and holding Longwood scoreless in eight innings, all behind the efforts of junior pitcher Josh Kopcza and freshman pitcher Dominic Buonadonna, resulting in an 11-4 victory. The Bearcats put together 15 hits in a group effort, as six players on the team had at least two hits. Junior shortstop Jake Evans led the team in hits with three, which is also his season high. Freshman outfielder Tommy Reifler went 2-for-4 and led the team in RBIs with three. He’s started his collegiate career batting 4-for-11. Sophomore first baseman Kevin Gsell hit his first home run of the season to lead off the eighth, giving him one RBI among two hits on the day. Senior catcher TJ Wegmann, sophomore infielder Cavan Tully and Drpich all had two hits each. Kopcza only gave up five total hits in 6.0 innings. He gave up
zero walks, and used his only two strikeouts to close out the fifth with two men on base. After sophomore pitcher Dom Dirado gave up four runs in the seventh, Buonadonna entered and ended the inning with a groundout with the bases loaded.
Binghamton is looking to win another three-game series next weekend against the Virginia Military Institute. The first pitch in the opener is set for Friday, March 6 at 3 p.m. from Gray Minor Stadium in Lexington, Virginia.
rose coschignano pipe dream photographer Redshirt senior infielder Alex Baratta went 4-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs against Longwood University in the Bearcats’ first game of the series.