Spring 2020 Issue 14

The Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development hosts its first fashion show, See page 9 Thursday, March 12, 2020 | Vol. XCVII, Issue 14 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

‘Never been done before’

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

Men’s basketball star to transfer from BU Sam Sessoms leaves to pursue higher conference opportunity Justin Zion

sports editor

Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms will be transferring from the Binghamton men’s basketball program, a decision he announced on Wednesday afternoon in a statement posted to his personal Twitter and Instagram accounts. Sessoms

did not indicate where he will be transferring to, but said in an interview with Pipe Dream that he hopes to move to a program in a higher conference than the America East (AE).

“I am sorry to inform you all that I will be transferring to a different school,” Sessoms wrote in the statement. “These past two years here have been everything I could [have] imagined coming out of high school. I’ve

see sessoms page 12

sidney slon assistant photo editor Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger spoke alongside James Pitarresi, vice provost for student and faculty development and executive director for the Center for Learning and Teaching, and Brian Rose, vice president for student affairs, at a press conference in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus announcement on Wednesday.

Binghamton University to move online by March 19 David Julien news intern

As the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in New

York state rose above 200 on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that distance learning will be implemented throughout the SUNY and CUNY systems starting March 19.

Online classes will continue for the remainder of the spring semester, according to a tweet from Cuomo.

“CUNY and SUNY, starting March

19, will move to a distance model,” Cuomo said in a press conference.

“Both systems will be doing that.

CUNY will help reduce the density in New York City. SUNY will help reduce the density in downstate New York.”

In a matter of 10 days, New York

see online page 4

sidney slon assistant photo editor Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms announced his transfer from the Binghamton men’s basketball program over social media on Wednesday.

Title IX trainings held Sheck Wes Tercero appeals to discuss murder sentencing for all BU faculty, staff music industry Nicaraguan courts deny appeal to reduce sentence Kimberly Gonzalez pipe dream news

Rapper will join two other speakers for Self-Made event Calendra Scahill

assistant arts & culture editor

Musician Sheck Wes and two other self-made entrepreneurs will visit Binghamton University this Thursday.

On March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Mandela Room, the Self-Made Team and the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) will hosting an event to encourage minorities and millennials to explore real estate investing, venture capital and the music, art and fashion industries.

“Our vision is to design a distinctly entrepreneurial community by emphasizing the intersection of business and culture,” members of the Self-Made Team wrote in an Instagram post. “These initiatives will increase an understanding of cultural diversity.”

The keynote speakers include rapper and songwriter Sheck Wes, real estate investor Ani Sanyal and Amaurys Grullon, co-founder of fashion brand The Bronx Native.

Darren Tun, a junior majoring in cinema and founder of the Cinema Society of Binghamton University, and Aldair Cardoso, ‘19, co-founder of the Self-Made Team, will host the event.

The event is free and open to BU students, however, organizers request that attendees RSVP beforehand.

On Tuesday, a Nicaraguan court dismissed former Binghamton University

student Orlando Tercero’s appeal to reduce his sentence of 30 years in a Nicaraguan prison for the murder of sophomore nursing student Haley Anderson.

The court proceedings were livestreamed from Nicaragua to family and friends of Anderson in the Broome

see appeal page 3

Program educates on interpersonal relationships

Kimberly Gonzalez & Aurielle Sodeur pipe dream news

(HPPS) is providing mandatory Title IX training sessions for all faculty and staff.

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in educational institutions on the basis of sex. The training sessions take place multiple times

Binghamton University’s Health Promotion and Prevention Services

see title ix page 3

University seeks new dean of students Two candidates highlight their plans, goals at Q&A sessions Zirong Chen

pipe dream news

Binghamton University has narrowed the search for a new dean of students down to two candidates.

In December 2019, BU officials began looking to fill the vacancy in the dean of students position, and they are down to their final picks for the spot.

According to the job description posted on Glassdoor.com, the dean of students will advise the vice president for student affairs and have responsibilities such as managing parent relations and leading the Town-Gown Advisory Board, a program that links the University with the local community.

The two letters of intent submitted by the candidates are available for anyone to view on BU’s student affairs website. One of the candidates is Amanda Finch, associate vice president for student development at SUNY Oneonta.

The other applicant is Randall Edouard, assistant vice president for student affairs and interim dean of students at

ARTS & CULTURE

richard jannaccio contributing photographer Amanda Finch currently works as the associate vice president for student development at SUNY Oneonta and is a candidate for BU’s open dean of students position.

BU. For each applicant, the University hosted an open session where faculty and students could ask the candidate questions.

provided by binghamton university Randall Edouard currently works as the assistant vice president for student affairs and interim dean of students at BU. He is one of the two candidates for the dean of students position.

During his Q&A session, Edouard was asked about his past accomplishments and his work on the campus. He talked about his efforts to promote di-

OPINIONS

versity on campus with the formation of the Division of Diversity, Equity and

see dean page 3

SPORTS

Where to find New York bagels near BU,

“Sweet Charity” closes Mainstage spring season,

The Editorial Board responds to the ongoing COVID-19 situation,

Six athletes participate in the ECAC/IC4A Championships in Boston,

Women’s lacrosse takes down Colgate at home,

SEE PAGE 9

SEE PAGE 9

SEE PAGE 5

SEE PAGE 11

SEE PAGE 12

PAGE II Thursday, March 2020 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,12.

2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017

ADDress: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 phone: 607-777-2515 fAx: 607-777-2600

Justice for all

weB: bupipedream.com

SPRING 2020 eDitor-in-Chief* Sasha Hupka editor@bupipedream.com

MAnAging eDitor* Katy Wong manager@bupipedream.com

news eDitor* Jacob Kerr news@bupipedream.com Asst. news eDitors Valerie Puma Leora Schwadron Jeremy Rubino opinions eDitor* Evan Moravansky opinions@bupipedream.com Asst. opinions eDitor Elizabeth Short Arts & Culture eDitor* Gabriela Iacovano arts@bupipedream.com Asst. Arts & Culture eDitors Calendra Scahill Patrick Earns sports eDitor* Justin Zion sports@bupipedream.com Asst. sports eDitors Edward Aaron Samantha Marsh

john atkinson pipe dream photographer Police officers and local community members protest alleged institutional racism within the Binghamton Police Department in Downtown Binghamton Monday afternoon.

photogrAphy eDitor* Ariel Kachuro photo@bupipedream.com Asst. photogrAphy eDitor Sidney Slon fun eDitor* Annabeth Sloan fun@bupipedream.com Asst. fun eDitor

Daniel Eisenhower

Design MAnAger* Kade Estelle design@bupipedream.com Design Assts.

Mikayel Harutyunyan Yingying Chen Copy Desk Chief* Lia Berger copy@bupipedream.com

Asst. Copy Desk Chief Ciara Lavin

DigitAl eDitor* Kimberly Gonzalez digital@bupipedream.com ViDeo eDitor Nate Platzner video@bupipedream.com

Police Watch The following accounts were provided by Investigator Mark Silverio of Binghamton’s New York State University Police.

Traffic stop SATURDAY, March 7, 8:00 a.m.

— Officers traveling northbound on Bunn Hill Road observed a vehicle stopped at a red light with a nonfunctioning brake light on the driver’s side. As the vehicle continued onto Vestal Parkway East, the officers initiated a traffic stop.

Officers determined that the driver, a 34-year-old male, had a suspended license. The driver called a friend to drive the car from the scene and was issued a ticket for driving with a suspended license and not having a functioning brake light. The driver is due to appear in Vestal Town Court.

Suspended registration SATURDAY, March 7, 4:00 p.m.

— An officer on patrol observed a vehicle on East Drive that, after running the plates through the

newsrooM teChnology MAnAger* Michelle Tan tech@bupipedream.com

Business AssistAnt Samantha Agnoli businessassistant@bupipedream.

DistriBution MAnAger Preston Hill distribution@bupipedream.com

Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel.

Positions seated on the executive board are denoted by an asterisk.

Pipe Dream is published Mondays and Thursdays while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters, except during finals weeks and academic breaks.

The content on the Opinions page with bylines represent the views of those authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board.

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All letters submitted for publication must include the author's name, year and major. Please limit letters to the editor to 400 words and guest columns to 750 words. Pipe Dream reserves the right to edit submissions, and does not guarantee publication. All submissions become property of Pipe Dream. Guest column submissions may be emailed to the opinions editor at opinions@ bupipedream.com, and all letters to the editor may be sent to editor@bupipedream.com. © Pipe Dream 2019

stabilizing:nothingatm

coronavirus:destabilizing

That’s a lotta damage SATURDAY, March 7, 4:15 p.m. — Officers in a parked car observed a vehicle pass them at a speed above the posted speed limit. A traffic stop was initiated, and the vehicle was stopped in Parking Lot Q. An officer spoke with the driver, a 20-yearold male, and detected the odor of

Pipe Line LOCAL NEWS

Business MAnAger* Maryam Soomro business@bupipedream.com

patrol car’s computer, came back as suspended due to an insurance lapse in February 2020. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and spoke with the driver, a 35-yearold male. The driver confirmed he had let his insurance lapse for about two weeks in February and has not paid the DMV fee, leading to his registration being suspended. The officer called the driver’s insurance company to determine whether the driver had insurance, but ultimately had to issue a ticket for operating a vehicle with a suspended registration. The vehicle’s plates were confiscated and the car was towed from the scene. The driver is due to appear in Vestal Town Court.

Binghamton City Hall to undergo green roof project After receiving a $1.6 million award from Environmental Facilities Corporation’s (EFC) Green Innovation Grant Program (GIGP), the city of Binghamton plans to build 22,500 square feet of vegetation on the roof of City Hall, as well as eight stormwater planters. The total project will cost approximately $2.1 million and is projected to save 325,000 gallons of rain runoff from entering the sewer system and local rivers. City Council Chambers will be closed for two months because of the construction.

STATE NEWS

State allows transgender minors to change sex designation on birth certificates On March 10, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced minors can now change their sex designation on their birth certificate to reflect their gender iden-

tity, according to a press release from the Office of the New York Attorney General. The change is a result of a lawsuit filed on behalf of a transgender minor who wanted to change the sex on their birth certificate from female to male. Before the ruling, a person had to be 18 years of age in order to change their birth certificate and provide a notarized affidavit from a medical practitioner.

NATIONAL NEWS

Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Wednesday for various sex crimes, according to The New York Times. Weinstein was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape on Feb. 25, three years after news of his sexual assaults were made public. Weinstein’s downfall is largely attributed to the beginning of the #MeToo movement, a movement against sexual assault and harassment and the imposition of silence on victims.

Hamza Khan Pipe Dream News

marijuana in the vehicle. The driver said he smoked marijuana earlier in the day, but was not currently high. The vehicle was searched and the officers recovered 124 grams

of marijuana, a bottle of liquor from under the driver’s seat and two fraudulent driver’s licenses from the driver’s wallet. The liquor, marijuana and IDs were brought

to the UPD station for destruction and the driver was issued a ticket for speeding and for possession of marijuana. The driver is due to appear in Vestal Town Court.

bupipedream.com | March 12, 2020

NEWS

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jo myers pipe dream illustrator

Anderson’s family thanks Nicaraguan justice system appeal from page 1 County District Attorney’s grand jury room. The appeal was based on claims that Tercero was mentally unstable. His defense argued that a lack of proper evidence was put forward by the prosecution.

The appeal was denied after the prosecution cited laws specific to femicide, a term referencing criminalized violence against women in Nicaraguan law.

Tercero was found guilty of femicide on Nov. 1, 2019 for the murder of Anderson at his 23 Oak

St. residence in March 2018, and received the maximum sentence possible in Nicaragua. During Tercero’s trial, Anderson’s friends described Tercero as having “aggressive tendencies” and becoming “obsessive” following their breakup.

After the court denied the appeal, Karen and Gordon Anderson, Anderson’s parents, spoke to the Nicaraguan court and thanked them for their work.

“Thank you very much for not granting the appeal,” Karen Anderson said. “I have not seen any

remorse from [Tercero]. I’ve only seen regret that he is not going to be able to lessen his sentence. Unfortunately, I don’t even think 30 years is enough, but I appreciate all the work you have done to convict [Tercero] to the fullest extent of the law.”

After Tercero’s appeal was denied on Tuesday, he was given 10 days to appeal again. As the court proceedings ended, Tercero was hugged and kissed on his cheek by his mother.

Karen Anderson also spoke to Tercero directly through the

livestream.

“I hope that you can get the help that you need to be a better human being in 30 years when you do get to leave prison,” she said.

Tercero’s trial and appeal took place in Managua, Nicaragua after Nicaraguan officials denied requests from the United States to extradite him. Because Tercero, 23, has dual-citizenship in the United States and Nicaragua, Nicaraguan officials are not required to send him back to the United States, where he faces a

second-degree murder charge, and he remains in the country in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, a Nicaraguan prison more commonly referred to as “El Chipote.” Still, Gordon Anderson said he believes justice has been served for his daughter in Nicaragua.

“I thank the Nicaraguan court system,” he said. “I was a little uneasy when it first came about, not having control of the situation here in the United States, but as the trial progressed, I quickly felt assured that the right thing would be done and I think a re-

markable job was done.”

He said he would like his daughter to be remembered for her positive influence and attitude.

“She was a compassionate person who had a zest for life,” Gordon Anderson said. “She lived to spread joy and love. She offered help to those who needed it. Wherever she went, a smile followed. Her actions were contagious. I would like her to be remembered [in the way] that she did the next right thing.”

Despite guidelines, not all staff receive annual Title IX training title ix from page 1 a week and contain a PowerPoint on the laws and policies regarding Title IX. It also instructs faculty on how to take information and report complaints, according to Kent Schull, chair of the history department and an associate professor of history. He wrote in an email that he finds the training useful because of the amount of information it has.

“The training is very legalistic, but important to know and be regularly refreshed on it so that I can be in compliance,” Schull wrote.

Andrew Baker, BU’s Title IX

coordinator and interim affirmative action officer, wrote that Title IX training is imperative for giving staff the proper tools to deal with student Title IX complaints.

“Trainings like this are important because they provide attendees with knowledge and tools to help them respond to student disclosures,” Baker wrote in an email. “An essential element of this training is that attendees are walked through a series of steps that they should follow when a student discloses an incident to them. This ex-

pands the number of persons on campus capable of responding and assisting students in need.”

For many faculty and staff, such as Schull, training sessions are provided on a yearly basis. But Sangmoon Kim, a senior counselor at the University Counseling Center (UCC), said his latest training was two years ago. Kim said as a mental health counselor he is very familiar with Title IX regardless of the training, but said he thinks UCC staff are only required to be trained every other year.

According to Baker, all em-

ployees are supposed to be provided training every single year with the University Center for Training and Development.

Linda Salomons, parent, family and events coordinator for Parent and Family Programs, said the training is offered to student organization members in addition to faculty and staff every year, either in person or online.

“We do online training every year,” Salomons said. “It includes everything you really need to know about definitions, about how to respond, how to

assist students, report, what’s confidential and what’s private — those kinds of things.”

According to Salomons, the training includes definitions of Title IX, different ways one can assist students in their approach, updates of new policies, details on obligation in reporting and the concept of victim blaming.

“I think it’s really good for all of us to be aware of how we can assist and what steps we can take as a bystander and those kinds of things,” Salomons wrote.

Baker wrote that the Title IX office can be flexible when providing personal trainings.

“In addition to that training, departments and divisions periodically request trainings such as these for some or all of their employees based on their own schedules and desires,” Baker wrote. “Individuals and offices seeking training on topics such as Title IX, interpersonal violence prevention and bystander intervention can contact myself, Doris Cheung in the [Office of the Dean of Students] or Dara [Raboy-Picciano] in [HPPS].”

BU seeks community opinions on dean of students search dean from page 1 Inclusion (DEI), his interactions with students and parents and his success in establishing and maintaining the Town-Gown Advisory Board for three years.

Edouard also said he plans to continue to tackle issues such as mental health resources on campus if he is selected as the new dean of students.

“The biggest challenges I anticipate have to do with students,” Edouard said. “Some of them are very high. Mental health is a huge challenge for all of education throughout our country. Financial need is also a big challenge going forward because the price of education is only going up.”

Additionally, Edouard said he would focus on utilizing new

technology to provide additional learning options for students.

“Now the biggest one is the increasing change in technology and its impact on learning,” Edouard said. “Twenty-five years ago, when I was a student, we took in information a lot different than students take in now. Where do we meet them in the middle?

How do we best suit the new student that is coming in terms of

their learning approach?”

Finch wrote in her letter of intent about her qualifications and work in higher education, writing that student success is her main focus. As associate vice president for student development at SUNY Oneonta, she wrote about her advocacy for students and her involvement with new student orientations and admission events.

Finch also has experience directly supervising departments, such as the Division of Student Development, Health & Wellness Center and Counseling Center.

She wrote that she has a history of helping students and wishes to bring that to BU. “I have an established record of actively engaging students in their learning and personal development through mentoring,

training, programming, leadership development and individual intervention,” Lynch wrote.

“Throughout my career in higher education I have been motivated by the opportunity to identify evolving trends in the field and reinvent what I’m doing and how I’m accomplishing my goals. It would be an honor to be able to take this next step in my career at Binghamton University.”

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NEWS

bupipedream.com | March 12, 2020

BU classes to go online, campus facilities will remain open online from page 1 state jumped from having just one confirmed case of the illness on March 1 to 216 as of Wednesday evening — which is more confirmed cases than any other state aside from Washington. As a result of growing concern among students and administrators alike, a string of other colleges and universities have also chosen to move toward an online format to combat COVID-19, including Harvard University and Cornell University.

Despite fears surrounding the outbreak and how it will affect Binghamton University going forward, BU President Harvey Stenger said he believes the University will prevail through the challenge.

“My job is to make sure that we do the best we can right here and focus on the continuity of the University,” Stenger said. “Our goal is to make our students successful.

This is going to be a challenge because moving all of our classes to an online format has never been done before and so there is some risk involved with that, but I believe that we will succeed.”

Cuomo’s decision comes in the wake of BU’s semiannual Faculty Senate meeting, held on March 10. At the meeting, faculty members and administrators discussed a myriad of issues, but primarily focused on the University’s course of action regarding COVID-19.

Faculty members voted to pass a motion concerning the University’s contingency plan, which would require classes to move online if a case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the BU community.

These plans, however, were superseded by Cuomo’s announcement on Wednesday.

In response to Cuomo’s announcement, Stenger held a press conference where he detailed the University’s new plan. Going forward, all classes will go online by Thursday, March 19, but the campus, including dormitories and dining halls, will remain open.

lucas peterka staff photographer On Tuesday, Binghamton University’s Faculty Senate convened for its semiannual meeting, where administrators discussed their plans to prevent the coronavirus from potentially spreading on campus.

“The operations of the campus are going to be fully staffed, our staff is still expected to report to work as normal,” Stenger said.

“There could be some exceptions for staff with existing health conditions or other reasons why they might not be coming … We’ll take those case by case and develop a strategy for them to go through work.”

Laboratory classes will also be taught remotely, although deans can choose to make certain exceptions. Internships, clinical work and work-study programs will continue, but students will have the option to forego these opportunities in favor of returning

home for the semester.

All events, including seminars and conferences, that are scheduled on or after March 19 will be canceled or moved to an online format. Athletic competitions and performances will continue, however, spectators will not be allowed to attend. It is unclear whether the America East conference will cancel games going forward. A final decision on 2020 commencement ceremonies will be announced by April 17.

In a press release, the Student Association (SA) Executive Board wrote that all SA-chartered group events will be suspended on March 19.

James Pitarresi, vice provost for student and faculty development and executive director for the Center for Learning and Teaching, said he believes the University is well prepared for the changes and transition.

“One of the things that’s really worked to our advantage is that we had a plan,” Pitarresi said.

“That plan was in place, we were in the early stages of executing that plan and part of the plan was communicating with faculty and various people, the support staff to support the transition online and then we went out and had communication with them.”

Pitarresi added that many

departments have been forwardthinking regarding future plans to ensure students have a successful semester.

“We worked with different groups — I’ve been meeting with groups that teach laboratory classes, foreign language classes, the English department, a variety of different departments,” Pitarresi said. “What’s amazed me is how collaborative and creative the faculty have been — really trying to come up with ways to, given the situation, how we can really craft high-quality learning experiences and assessments so that the students really have an outstanding experience.”

Despite the challenges posed by moving classes online, Stenger said he sees the situation as a semester that will bring the campus together.

“This is a different kind of situation,” Stenger said. “There’s bad things that can happen on campus and sometimes you spend time just cleaning up after the bad things — this is different. This is a challenge for us. This is something that I think everybody will work together on. There’s no sides against each other. This is how can we make [BU] successful in something that we didn’t create, but something that we now have to deal with.”

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OPINIONS Thursday, March 12, 2020

EDITORIAL: A RESPONSE TO RECENT EVENTS REGARDING THE CORONAVIRUS The Editorial Board applauds University administrators for their transparency thus far, but recognizes there will be challenges ahead On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an order for all SUNY and CUNY schools to transition to distance learning by March 19.

Although there are no confirmed coronavirus cases in Broome County, Binghamton University has been proactive in its response to the virus should a case appear in the county or on campus. Classes will continue until March 19, although most events scheduled after that date will be canceled, and the status of commencement will be determined by April 17.

College campuses across the country have been moving classes online or, in the case of Harvard University, decided to evict students from their campuses, giving them only a few days to gather their belongings and arrange their means of traveling home. This decision has been especially hard on low-income and international students, who may not have the luxury of moving out upon such short notice. BU’s campus will thankfully remain open should students wish to stay, which may prove safer than sending students home.

The University will not be reimbursing room and board fees for those who decide to leave, however, because the residential halls and dining halls will continue to operate regardless of

how many students choose to go home. Similarly, although labs have the option of continuing in person with an exemption from a dean, students are still expected to contribute lab fees even if they are not using lab facilities. It’s a complicated and unexpected situation, but it’s also a clear case of students paying for a service they’re simply not going to receive, which can be just as hard on low-income students as it would be if BU closed its campus.

The uncertainty surrounding commencement is just as troubling, since many students have financial considerations that could very well be jeopardized until a final decision is made. Many soonto-be graduates are currently purchasing their cap and gowns, while their families have already made reservations at hotels. For as long as commencement’s cancellation remains a possibility, the burden of paying for one of the most special days in an undergraduate’s life hangs in the balance.

The Editorial Board applauds the University for its transparency thus far, and encourages the administration to continue being honest with its students. Many are understandably panicked, but this panic can easily erode the community that thrives at BU. The potential arrival of the coronavirus has caused rumors to rapidly spread across campus, and these rumors

have fast evolved into misinformation. Students should be careful to evaluate where information regarding the coronavirus is coming from and avoid spreading rumors that haven’t been confirmed by official sources.

Additionally, students should remain united against hate. Some have used coronavirus fears as an excuse to spit racist slurs at Asian students and groups, both on campus and off campus. There is no excuse for this behavior, especially when cooperation and care for those around us is essential to surpassing the pandemic.

This is a difficult time for everyone, but this is a moment for the University community to come together, even if not in the most literal sense. The University appears to be informing the public as fast as it can. Professors have largely been very understanding of their students’ well-being and have loosened their attendance policies. Students should also do their part by washing their hands and using hand sanitizer often, avoiding large gatherings, staying home when sick, limiting social interactions and remaining calm.

Our community has faced many different struggles in the past, and we’ve made it through together time and time again. Although the coronavirus presents us with a new set of challenges, it too will come to pass.

stephanie chin pipe dream illustrator

Views expressed in the opinion pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial, above. The Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, News Editor, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor and Arts & Culture Editor.

Democracy is more than just the presidential election To achieve true democracy, we must recognize that our current systems are deeply in need of reform Seth Gully Columnist

The Democratic primary has been at the center of the American political climate lately. With Super Tuesday behind us and many more primaries to go, the focus on elections will surely increase. But, is this what democracy should be about? I argue no. The way in which we think about and interact with the American experiment of democracy is, I believe, critically flawed.

The media, to no one’s surprise, plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of democracy. I would argue, however, that it has been pushing unimportant, horse-race politics while avoiding the real issues. Taking the current Democratic primary as an example, the media focuses on who is up by one or two points in swing states instead of talking about what actual policies each candidate supports. It goes after sensational stories like demonizing and generalizing Bernie Sanders’ supporters as angry white men online as opposed to actually asking why Sanders has such strong support from young people.

One shouldn’t be surprised that commentators bash anti-establishment actors and protect big

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money interests like the pharmaceutical industry, military industrial complex and multinational corporations. In the commercial break, one can watch nonstop ads paid for by those very interests the media is supposed to be gatekeeping.

I’d like to shift focus to our current conception about what democracy is in the American sense. A particularly important example can be found in the “Trump phenomenon.” A majority of the country disapproves of President Donald Trump, something I’m sure many liberals would agree with. However, many people think the problem begins and ends with the current administration. This is my contention.

Trump is a symptom of true anger, fueled by distrust in our political institutions, rising health care, college costs and stagnant wages, among other things. It’s no wonder people jumped on the bandwagon to try anything other than another status quo neoliberal like Hillary Clinton in 2016.

We need to recognize there are concrete and major problems with American democracy that require systemic change rather than a mere change in administration.

Another misconception often had about democracy is how to visualize it. Many see voting once every four years as proper democracy, and yet there are still those who don’t exercise

their right to vote. Democracy is much more than simply that.

Calling representatives, engaging in protests and actions and not asking for, but demanding change is how we should think of democracy. Furthermore, if the system doesn’t enact policy that the American people want, how can we call it democratic?

An overwhelming majority of the country supports raising the minimum wage, singlepayer health care, tuition-free college, legalizing marijuana and increased gun control. If the constituents want these policies, but the system consolidates power into an oligarchy that enacts none of these policies, and often the direct opposite, how can one call this a democracy?

The last misconception of democracy I’d like to discuss is the way many of us see the political spectrum. Most Americans think of a line with liberal at one end and conservative at the other, with the Democratic and Republican parties either side of the center, more or less.

I believe that this reduction of such complex ideas misses all nuances in politics and shifts what would be the center far to the right. Instead, we should focus what we think of “left” and “right” around the idea of economic systems — various forms of socialism on the left and various forms of capitalism on the right. In addition, we should reflect on how conser-

Guest Column A full-length column that argues a particular point of view Can be a response to previously-printed columns 500-650 words in length Accompanied by a headshot portrait (taken by our photography staff)

vative our current understanding of politics is. Bernie Sanders’ ideology, social democracy, is seen as “far left,” “socialist” or “communist” by media outlets and a significant portion of the country, when in actuality, Sanders is someone whom I would deem “center-right.”

Why? He believes in the fundamentals of capitalism, markets and private ownership in a well-regulated welfare state.

That is not a different economic system in the slightest. It’s a variation of capitalism. That is a very different understanding of what is politically “left” or “right” from what we currently believe it to be.

Now, I’ve talked a lot about the issues of American democracy, but what do we do about it? I believe we should embrace a broader definition of democracy, both political and economic. We must overhaul our political system, doing away with draconian undemocratic systems. The Senate is one example. Since every state gets two senators, no matter how large or small, we now live in a situation where 50 percent of our senators are elected by only 16 percent of the total population. That means, even in cases where 60, 70 or 80 percent of the country wants a policy, it can still be stopped by a small minority controlling grossly disproportionate power. This is not democratic and is contrary to the idea of “one person, one

vote.”

Another reform that could be done is the abolition of the Electoral College. To say the candidate who won fewer votes wins, which is what the Electoral College has the power to do, is to deny the autonomy of the voters. If a conservative, with whom I would have gross disagreements about policy, wins the popular vote, who am I to deny the will of the people?

I’d ask for the same standard to be applied when two of the past five elections were undemocratically denied by the Electoral College. Despite the will of the people being evident in the number of votes, the Electoral College has the power to do this simply because smaller states were awarded more votes per capita than larger states.

Another reform could include the removal of as much money in politics as possible. Through reforms such as public financing, one can take out the influence of big money interests that buy politicians through independent expenditures and campaign donations to super political action committees (PAC) that can accept unlimited sums of money and then advocate for a certain candidate over another. As long as big money interests can buy the political system, no systemic change can occur.

And speaking of big money: consider the absence of demo-

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cratic values in the American businesses that decide how we live. Imagine the government told you what clothes to wear, what you could say, when to do an action, how to do it, what would be done with what you produced and what you got in return for your work. We would call this political system a dystopian nightmare — an Orwellian denial of the most basic liberties and rights we take for granted. Yet when a CEO or board of directors tells us the very same things, we call it a job. We say that’s the “real world,” and to go against it is to be “radical.” What I am getting at is a fundamental contradiction between great disdain for political totalitarianism and in the next breath, acceptance of a totalitarian workplace.

Democracy is something the vast majority of Americans may claim to support, but when we actually look at our economic and political system, how much do we actually live up to it? Surely, we can do better through broad overhauls of our entire political process. And when it comes to the economy, I believe George Orwell said it best in “1984”: “Doublethink” means “the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”

Seth Gully is a sophomore triple-majoring in philosophy, politics and law, economics and French.

Voices A free-form piece that shares your unique story or experience Less formally structured than a column, meant to share an experience in a meaningful way, not necessarily to argue a point Varying lengths Optionally accompanied by a headshot portrait (taken by our photography staff)

F UN

Thursday, March 2020 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,12, 2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017

I said “fuck”

Highway to the

Annabeth Sloan

Irish this was alcohol

Tara Regan

Daniel Eisenhower

Sudoku

By The Mepham Group

Level: 1 2 3 4 Solution to last issue's puzzle

© 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

Release Date: Thursday, March 12, 2020

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle I didn’t make fun of The Rat this time

Harvey and bearcats

Sarah Teper

Spencer Lubell

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Soft end of the Mohs scale 5 Old Toyota models 10 Order to go 14 Squiggly lines in the funnies, maybe 15 Hot day refuge 16 “Him __?”: love triangle ultimatum 17 First anniversary gift for a zookeeper?

19 Like eyes “you can’t hide,” in an Eagles song 20 Ring loudly 21 It can spice things up 23 Prescription specs 26 2000 Gere title role 28 Gere, for one 29 Super Mario Galaxy consoles 30 Japanese ice cream flavor 32 “It’s __ good” 33 Livid 34 Lots and lots 37 Race in place 38 10th anniversary gift for a musician?

40 Wire-concealing garment, perhaps 41 Least encumbered 43 Musical work 44 “A lie that makes us realize truth,” per Picasso 45 Adds insult to injury 47 Hair gel squirt 48 Bow ties, e.g.

50 The Spartans of the NCAA 51 “Well, I’ll be!”

52 Totally jazzed 54 Like many 45 records 56 Jordanian queen dowager 57 50th anniversary gift for a fast-food worker?

62 Stop discussing 63 Hail 64 Passion 65 __ pool

66 __ pool 67 Biblical spot DOWN 1 Cover 2 Nicole’s “Cold Mountain” role 3 Hack 4 Brunch choice 5 “¿Cómo __?”

6 Kids 7 “Macbeth” role 8 “Swan Lake” princess 9 Blood fluids 10 Comforted 11 15th anniversary gift for a golfer?

12 Palermo pal 13 Barbershop part 18 In medias __ 22 Relay sticks 23 Middle-earth figure 24 Gulf ship 25 25th anniversary gift for a chef?

27 Fiery candies 30 South side?

31 Like a shutout 33 “I’m not gonna sugarcoat this” 35 Screen legend Flynn

36 Failed to act 39 Long-outlawed smoking establishment 42 Greek Muse of music 46 Oil, for many 47 Look-up aid 48 Herbal Essences maker, for short 49 64-Across, at La Scala

51 Serengeti herbivore 53 Fleece-lined footwear brand 55 Not duped by 58 Two-time Emmywinning actress __ Grant 59 OMG part 60 67-Across outcast 61 Number of Canadian provinces

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Michael Paleos ©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

03/12/20

03/12/20

Keep an eye out for new TikTok musicians on the rise Pipe Dream’s picks include Leo Reilly, Llusion Isabella Cavallo

contributing writer

By now, we are all very aware that TikTok is shaping the music industry. If a song goes viral on TikTok, chances are its streams on other platforms will skyrocket shortly after. This aspect of TikTok is great news for musicians, especially aspiring ones. If you scroll through the “for you” page, you’re bound to come across someone singing their rendition of a song or promoting their own new music. Many of these singers, like Shawn Mendes, who launched his career on Vine, started from nothing and are using the app to get their music out there. Some of these musicians started off with virtually no following or fan base, and TikTok is allowing them to promote their music, release songs on Spotify and jumpstart their careers. Here are a few of them.

You may not recognize any of them yet, but before you know it, they’ll be the music industry’s next social media success story.

Thomas Headon (@thomasheadon) Thomas Headon strategically used TikTok to push his songs to go viral. Not viral in the sense of “Old Town Road,” but enough for him to slowly earn followers begging him to release his songs.

Headon simply sings his selfwritten songs, strums a guitar or plays an audio of his song in the background and sits on his bed in his plain bedroom. He promoted his song “Grace” for months on the app. Over time, he slowly but surely gained fans who waited eagerly for it to be released on Spotify. Quickly after it dropped,

Headon released his next two singles, “Clean Me Up” and “Car Window.” Headon’s songs would be something you’d hear on the “Lorem” playlist on Spotify — lofi and indie pop. Headon posted to YouTube before he created his account on TikTok, but the app is what gained him dedicated fans and a following over the past few months.

Leo Reilly (@loveleo.o) Leo Reilly’s TikTok account is filled with all different types of content, and scrolling through his videos you’ll quickly realize the “Freddy Mercury lookalike” has the coolest handmade earrings and the coolest new song out at the moment. Reilly amassed 754,800 followers on the platform, and began to promote his song, “BOYFREN,” before he released it. With the help of his followers, the song instantly went viral on the app. His single is another song you’d find on the “Lorem” playlist on Spotify, consisting of an intriguing whistle tune and an anti-pop melody.

He is quickly earning fame with more than 19 million streams on his Spotify (LoveLeo) and many Instagram followers. His latest single, “ROSIE,” dropped on March 6, so prepare yourself to hear it all over the app.

Llusion (@llusionmusic) Before TikTok, Llusion only had 99 YouTube subscribers and was struggling to gain a following. Now, he boasts 1.9 million followers on TikTok and nearly 800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with up to 9 million streams on a song. Listen to one of his songs, and if you’ve been on TikTok before, you’ll probably recognize it without even realizing it. He may not be a singer, but his account creates many of the viral sounds people use in their videos. Reading any of his

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Instagram captions, he is always thanking his TikTok followers for their support and for changing his life for the better this year.

If your favorite study playlists include lo-fi and hip-hop music, then you might enjoy the songs Llusion creates, as they’re mostly soft, chill lo-fi beats.

Katelyn Lapid (@lynlapid) Katelyn Lapid is not on Spotify yet, but she could turn out to be the next Billie Eilish. Lapid uses her TikTok account to sing soft, angelic covers with her ukulele or piano. She only has around 7,500 subscribers on YouTube and nearly 8,000 Instagram followers, so her TikTok account with 327,100 followers is impressive. She posts additional covers on SoundCloud, but has not yet released any original songs.

When she does, though, expect them to be the type of songs you listen to while watching a sunset, because her voice is too beautiful for any other setting.

Dylan Davidson (@hidyland) Posting videos of himself belting along to ballads in the car and inviting his fans into the process of writing a song with his guitar and Logic Pro X software, Davidson has attracted 954,900 followers on TikTok over the past year, beginning by posting humorous content. He slowly began posting more and more music videos, and has gained many fans because of his strong and soothing voice.

With similar sounds to Ruel, a few of Davidson’s songs have been released on Spotify throughout the past few months. His latest release, “Know Me Better,” has already surpassed 180,000 streams on Spotify. Davidson continues to use TikTok to promote his music and increasingly gains followers because of his entertaining “Let’s Make A Song” videos. If you need a chilled-out, sad pop song to lis-

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Thomas Headon is one of many aspiring artists who have used TikTok as a platform.

ten to, Davidson is your guy.

Maia (@mxmtoon) Lastly, everyone’s soon-to-be new favorite singer: Maia, who goes by “mxmtoon” on every platform. Maia is different from the others on this list since she already had a small following before her TikTok account blew up, but her sudden increase in streams and fans is thanks to

her popular account on the app.

She has 1.5 million followers at the moment, and everyone who’s been on the app has probably heard “prom dress” and its remixes. Her popularity allowed her to partner with TikTok, giving her ads for every user to see.

Maia is already blowing up, and her songs can also be found on the “Lorem” playlist on Spotify.

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Maia, a bisexual woman, uses her new platform to speak about LGBTQ rights. She is on the rise in the music industry, and TikTok allows her to keep promoting and pushing her music while also creating strong bonds with her fans. If you enjoy lo-fi, folk-pop and indie-pop music, give one of her newest songs, “fever dream,” a listen.

bupipedream.com | March 12, 2020

ARTS & CULTURE

9

Fleishman Center hosts gender-inclusive fashion show Event focuses on interview-ready outfits Mithila Farin

arts & culture intern

As the mid-semester grind hits, the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development showcased “The Runway to Career Success Fashion Show”

on Monday to help students ease into looking for jobs and internships.

Hosted by the Center’s student staff, “The Runway to Career Success Fashion Show” was the first event of its kind on campus, featuring a fashion show, a photo shoot for LinkedIn profile pictures and networking opportunities. The Center emphasized gender inclusivity

throughout the show, which was co-sponsored by the Q Center, along with Residential Life and the Student Association (SA).

It also featured collaborations from the Binghamton University Business Fashion Society and Dickinson Community Players (DCP). The event took place in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4) Multipurpose Room, where the audience gath-

ered on the sides of a red carpet lined with fairy lights while students shared their various outfits for conferences, interviews and networking.

Ifrah Hassan, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said they found the runway outfits helpful for understanding what employers mean when they set a dress code.

“I never knew the difference

“The Runway to Career Success Fashion Show” featured a red carpet, a photo shoot for LinkedIn profile pictures and networking opportunities.

between business casual and business professional,” Hassan said. “I’m going to be doing interviews in the future, so that really helped me.”

Kristiana Deur, a senior peer consultant for the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development and a sophomore majoring in psychology, was part of the programming team that put on the event. She said to

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promote it, runway models were given the opportunity to wear anything they were comfortable in and wanted to showcase.

“On the projectors [behind the red carpet], we had their names and their pronouns because we really wanted to emphasize that this was an inclusive show,” Deur said. “So based on religion, sexual orientation, whatever it may be, everybody had their chance to see what they would need to wear in a professional setting.”

This emphasis extended into the networking portion of the event as well, where attendees had the opportunity to speak with peers and career consultants from the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development.

“We also had professional development resources available for students on a variety of topics, including resources specifically for young professionals who identify as LGBTQ,” said Lexie Avery, assistant director of early engagement and exploration for the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development.

Gabriel Osei, a model for the event and a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, said he used the runway as an opportunity to bring creativity and personality to his business professional outfit by adding pins on his lapels. One of them was a heartshaped crocheted pin featuring the flag of Ghana.

“People often think that when you go to an interview, you wear black and white, but with this event, you got to see so much more,” Osei said. “You got to see the spectrum of what people wear, like sweaters, scarves, grandad collars, no collars. It gives you hope that you don’t always have to have the best suit, you can always switch it up.”

Get a taste of home with Binghamton’s best bagel shops A guide to the Triple Cities’ tastiest bakeries Caroline Doherty

contributing writer

If you ask any student from the New York City area, chances are they pride themselves on their neighborhood’s bagels. Bagels, which historically came from Jewish communities in Poland and were originally made of yeast wheat dough, finally made their way to New York City in the 1800s

as a result of Eastern European Jewish migration. You’ll often hear that the New York City water is what makes the bagels so delicious. Is this rumor really true?

Possibly. However, there are plenty of options in the Binghamton area that could compete with the delicacies of New York and its surrounding suburbs. If you’re missing a taste of home, try these bagel spots.

Best Bagels In Town The name is “Best Bagels In Town” for a reason. The store, located on 1435 Upper Front St., has

a wide variety of bagels and sandwiches. Try the new and improved strawberry bagels with cream cheese for something unique. Or the sausage, egg and cheese on an everything bagel if you’re in the mood for something savory.

Best Bagels offers a friendly and welcoming sit-down environment that will make you come back for more.

The Bagel Factory The Bagel Factory is a Binghamton classic located on 9 Glenwood Ave. — just a short walk or drive for any students living on

the West Side. The Bagel Factory offers over 20 different flavors of bagels and nearly 15 flavors of cream cheese. Try the Nova lox with cream cheese — you won’t regret it. Want something light?

Have a cinnamon raisin bagel with lite plain cream cheese. The Bagel Factory is a perfect place to gather with your friends for a Saturday morning breakfast.

Nezuntoz Want a break from dining hall food? Nezuntoz is a perfect solution, located on 50 Pennsylvania Ave. on Binghamton’s Southside.

Nezuntoz is just a short drive away, making it a perfect place to visit off campus. The Huevos con Queso bagel sandwich is amazing and a perfect cure for a hangover.

Or try one of the 16 unique flavors of bagels: the sun-dried tomato bagel with veggie cream cheese is delicious. A tasty bagel from Nezuntoz will fill you right up in preparation for your busy day. The restaurant itself has plenty of seating, outlets and beautiful murals with bright lighting, making it the perfect place to study alone or in a group.

Einstein Bros. Bagels Einstein’s Bros. Bagels is an oncampus favorite that offers a wide assortment of bagels, sandwiches, coffee and other drinks. It’s the perfect place to get something quick to eat before you rush off to class. You can’t go wrong with the classic plain bagel with the Garden Veggie Shmear. If you’re in the mood for something substantial, try the Farmhouse breakfast sandwich or the eggs, bacon, smoked ham and cheddar cheese on a cheesy hash brown bagel — it won’t leave anything to be desired.

Mainstage spring season to close with ‘Sweet Charity’ Show to explore a dancer’s quest for love Lauren Cruz

contributing writer

While the midpoint of the semester may be a sour time for many, this year’s Mainstage spring musical aims to sweeten up midterms week.

Based on a script by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, “Sweet Charity” tells the story of a young New York City dancer named Charity Valentine and her attempts to find love. Despite her generous heart and desire to see the best in everyone around her, her kindness is taken advantage of, and she spends the length of the musical in a series of comedic disappointments and betrayals.

Tiffany Ricciardi, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience and a member of the run crew for the production, said casting choices help add to the experience of the play.

“I know a lot of the actors and actresses personally and their roles fit them so well that it makes it so easy to forget their actual identity,” Ricciardi said.

Morgan Immoor, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, plays the promiscuous Suzanne.

Immoor, a member of the Binghamton University Dance Team, said the cast’s diversity also led to a more cohesive production.

“My favorite part of working with the cast is putting together everyone’s varying backgrounds to create a special meaning to this show, “ Immoor said.

Emphasizing the show’s comedic value, David Wynen, the director and choreographer of the show and an assistant professor of theatre, said he feels the student body would be well served to attend a showing.

“It is really an integrated song and dance show based on the work of [Bob] Fosse,” Wynen said. “The audience will go through the ups and downs of the show, but love the journey and the incredible comic script of Neil Simon. “ Immoor added that the themes inherent in the production, such as self-worth, are relatable to any young person, despite the story’s distance from the present day. “’Sweet Charity’ brings us all back in time to a world much different than today, however, with similar person-to-person problems we face every day,” Immoor said. “We’re emerged into Charity’s life as we follow her struggle to find her self-value. “ Students can attend performances in the Watters Theater located in the Anderson Center on March 13, 14, 20 and 21 at 8:00 p.m., and a matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on March 22. Dates may be subject to change because of the ongoing coronavirus situation.

“Sweet Charity” tells the story of a young New York City dancer and her quest to find love.

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10

SPORTS

bupipedream.com | March 12, 2020

Vermont set for AE men’s title game against Hartford Stony Brook to play Maine in women’s championship Justin Zion

sports editor

After over two months of competitive conference play, the America East (AE) season is almost at an end. On both the men’s and women’s sides, the conference championship games are set, contests that will determine which men’s team and which women’s team will earn the AE’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.

On the men’s side, Vermont advanced to the AE championship game for the fifth straight year after a semifinals home win over UMBC. As the AE regular season title holders, the Catamounts (26-7, 14-2 AE) will host the championship game, which will be played on Saturday, March 14 on their home court. Vermont was the preseason favorite to win the AE title this year, and is viewed as a heavy favorite to emerge victorious in the championship game.

The Catamounts will be led in the championship game by the 2019-20 AE Player of the Year, senior forward Anthony Lamb. Lamb led the team in both scoring and rebounding this season, with 16.7 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game.

He also led the team in blocks.

Alongside Lamb, junior guard Stef Smith also averaged double figures in scoring this season and led the team in assists.

Vermont’s opponent in the championship game will be Hartford, the three seed, who won on the road at secondranked Stony Brook in the semifinals to advance to its first AE championship game since 2008. Although the Hawks (1815, 9-7 AE) lost to Vermont twice this season and will be the clear underdogs in the contest on Saturday, the team is not feeling any additional pressure.

“We’re going to be the loosest team in America,” said Hartford head coach John Gallagher in an interview on ESPN+. “We’re going to be smiling, no pressure on us, the loosest team in America on Saturday.”

In order to have a chance at winning, Hartford will need strong performances from its top players, graduate student forward Malik Ellison and freshman guard Moses Flowers.

Despite missing 10 games this season, Ellison leads the Hawks in scoring by a large margin, while Flowers averages 10.4 points per game this season and made the AE All-Rookie Team.

On the women’s side, topseeded Stony Brook will host two-seeded Maine in the conference championship game on Friday. Stony Brook (28-3, 14-2 AE) had far and away the best record in the AE, both in conference play and overall. The Seawolves led the conference in both total defense and average scoring margin, and at one point in its season amassed a 22-game winning streak.

Junior forward India Pagan and graduate student guard Kaela Hilaire were SBU’s leaders in scoring this season, with 13.4 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Pagan collected 6.0 rebounds per game on average, while Hilaire dished out nearly five assists per game, by far the leader of her team.

Though Stony Brook went on a 22-game winning streak in the middle of the season, the team that put that winning streak to an end was Maine (18-14, 12-4 AE). After enduring a rocky nonconference schedule when their star player, senior guard Blanca Millan, tore her ACL, the Black Bears rebounded in conference play, winning their last 10 AE contests including the tournament.

“They’re an offensive powerhouse,” said Stony Brook head coach Caroline McCombs, the 2019-20 AE Coach of the

Year, in an interview on ESPN+.

“Their players can score, they shoot a lot of [3-pointers].

They’re very, very good and they’ve gotten so much better throughout the season, so it’s going to be a great matchup for us.”

In Millan’s absence, four

players averaged double digits in scoring, led by freshman guard Anne Simon, the 2019-20 AE Rookie of the Year, with 13.0 points per game. Maine led the AE in both field goal percentage and assists this season, but finished last in rebounding, a category Stony Brook finished

first in this year. Given that disparity, an important factor in the game will be whether Maine can knock down its shots, because it might not get many second chances against Stony Brook’s defense.

The women’s conference championship game is scheduled

to begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 13 from Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook, New York. The men’s conference championship game will be played the next day at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 14 from Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont.

provided by brian jenkins Vermont senior forward Anthony Lamb, the 2019-20 America East Player of the Year, led his team in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game.

bupipedream.com | March 12, 2020

SPORTS

11

Track and field compete at ECAC/IC4A Championships Binghamton ends indoor season in Boston Joe Tonetti

sports intern

With the outdoor season scheduled to start in the coming weeks, the Binghamton men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up their indoor competition at the ECAC/IC4A championships. While only six athletes competed in Boston over the weekend, senior Matt Baker stood out, delivering the best performance of the meet as well as his all-time best in the triple jump with a distance of 50-08 3/4.

“It feels really good,” Baker said. “It’s actually been a goal since I started track and field in high school. For it to finally come together, it’s one of my biggest accomplishments, only because I’ve been working at it for about seven years or so.”

Baker’s performance shattered his own school record, which previously stood at 4911 1/4. As the only athlete in Binghamton program history to clear 50 feet in the triple jump, Baker ended his season with the second-best performance in the America East Conference this year, bested only by Albany sophomore Robert Blue, who edged out Baker by just over three inches to claim the top spot for the indoor standings.

However, Blue trailed behind Baker at last weekend’s meet, as the Bearcat placed second overall.

“I’m definitely going to try and go as far as possible,” Baker said. “I know there’s a lot more in the tank, so I’m not gonna sell myself short by being content with 50. You can always jump further.”

Senior Jack Fitzgerald also took silver at Boston, tying first-place Albany freshman Louis Gordon’s jump of 6-10 3/4. Between Fitzgerald, Gordon

Senior Matt Baker broke the Binghamton triple jump school record for the third time after jumping 50-08 3/4 at the ECAC/IC4A meet over the weekend.

and Connecticut junior Daniel Claxton, who won the meet back in 2019, the decision for first place came down to a jump-off, as none of the three athletes managed to clear 7-00.5, giving Gordon the 10 points.

Senior Troy Zanger was the last of the Bearcats to finish within the top three over the weekend. Totaling 5,073 points in the heptathlon, Zanger finished second, beating out

last year’s winning score by 33.

Baker, Fitzgerald and Zanger combined to earn 24 points for Binghamton. Sophomore Jake Restivo added another two points to the total, taking seventh in the long jump with a performance of 22-04 1/2. The men’s team finished in 10th out of 37 teams.

Connecticut won the meet with 127.50 points.

“We don’t ever feel content or happy with our performances,”

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Baker said. “There’s always hunger for more.”

Only two Bearcats took the field for the women. Junior Mallory Prelewicz tied her season’s best performance of 11-11 3/4, finishing seventh to earn Binghamton’s only two points of the meet. Sophomore Madison Krochina faced difficult competition in the weight throw, finishing 22nd overall with a throw of 52-06. Binghamton

tied Monmouth in 39th out of 42 teams.

The ECAC/IC4A Championships were a lastchance opportunity for some of the Bearcats to improve upon their season’s times. However, athletes such as redshirt junior Dan Schaffer and senior Emily Mackay did not compete in preparation for the upcoming outdoor season.

“There were only six of

provided by matt goyden

us that went, so it was pretty individual,” Baker said. “We didn’t really worry about how we placed. [The] ECAC/IC4A is a nopressure meet after conferences that people tend to do pretty well at because pressure at conference isn’t really there.”

Binghamton will open its outdoor season at the Lafayette 8-Way Meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 28 in Easton, Pennsylvania.

TRACK AND FIELD

BU ends indoor season SEE PAGE 11

Thursday, March 12, 2020

‘A TOUGH DECISION’ Sam Sessoms to transfer from Binghamton University

sidney slon assistant photo editor

Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms ranked first in the America East Conference in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 points per game.

sessoms from page 1 made great relationships with people and I will miss you all.”

Sessoms said he made the decision to transfer after the 2019-20 men’s basketball season concluded. He said his teammates and coaches were informed of his decision on Monday, two days before he released his statement.

“It was after the season when me and my family sat down,” Sessoms said. “After the winter break we had, me and my family sat down and we decided it was best for me [to transfer].”

Sessoms’ decision comes on the heels of the Bearcats not qualifying for the AE tournament for the second time in three years.

The team finished last in the conference, only winning four of its conference games and 10 games overall.

Men’s basketball head coach Tommy Dempsey and Director

of Athletics Patrick Elliott declined to comment on Sessoms’ announcement.

In his social media statement, Sessoms thanked his teammates and his coaches for his two years at Binghamton, and wrote that he felt he needed to make the decision that would best benefit his basketball career.

“This decision came down to me wanting to push myself to become the best basketball player I can be,” Sessoms wrote. “I will miss everyone and am thankful for the two years.”

In his interview with Pipe Dream, Sessoms said the decision to transfer was a hard one, but one that will help him improve his basketball capabilities.

“It was a tough decision,” Sessoms said. “I’ve got a great relationship with the coaches and my teammates here, but the decision ultimately came down to me wanting to become the best

basketball player I can be, and I felt like I was capable of playing at a higher level by being pushed in a different place.”

Sessoms was considered the centerpiece of a young, up-andcoming Binghamton program led by Dempsey. The Philadelphia native was recruited by Dempsey to Binghamton from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He set a school record in scoring during his fouryear high school career. He also was named Team MVP three times and was selected to the first team all-state as a senior.

Upon arriving at BU, Sessoms immediately made an impact on the team. He was named AE Rookie of the Year during his freshman season, ranking third in the conference with 17.8 points per game last year. This year, Sessoms led the America East in scoring with 19.4 points per game, and he was named to the

AE Second Team All-Conference.

Early in the season against Boston University, Sessoms broke the BU school record in points per game, scoring 40.

Though Sessoms does not yet know where he wants to transfer to, he indicated that he wants to leave the mid-majors and play at a higher level of competition.

“I’m trying to go to a higher basketball conference,” Sessoms said. “I want to be playing against really talented dudes, going against some of the best players in the country on a daily basis … It will make me have to be better.”

The athletics department has yet to publicly announce the transfer. Despite this, Sessoms said he wanted the Binghamton community to hear about the transfer from himself.

“I like Binghamton, so I wanted to at least tell the fans and the community my piece,” Sessoms said.

Sessoms’ two seasons as a Bearcat in review 2018-19 America East Rookie of the Year 2019-20 All-America East Second Team Points Per Game

Total Points

1,151 Assists Per Game

18.6 Career FG%

4.1 Total 3-Pointers

43.2 Career 3-Point FG%

134

34.0

Women’s lacrosse downs Colgate for second straight win Volkmann, Morchower score four goals in victory Samantha Marsh

assistant sports editor

Coming off a win against Quinnipiac, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team carried that momentum into Wednesday’s game against Colgate and had its highestscoring game of the season, downing the Raiders (3-4) 12-8 at home.

“We’ve been making sure in practice that we’re producing those number of goals or goal expectations throughout the course of our seven versus seven play, and it’s carried over into the last two games,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen.

“This is our standard now.”

The Bearcats (3-5) led for almost the entire game, except for a period early in the first half.

Colgate came within two goals of Binghamton in the second half, but the Bearcats staved off the

Raiders before they could take the lead.

A goal scored by Colgate freshman midfielder Cara O’Reilly with just under nine minutes left cut the score to 10-8 in favor of the Bearcats. During this time, the Raiders could have tied up the score, but junior attack Paige Volkmann scored an important goal to put BU up by three with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining. Sophomore attack Sidra Morchower secured the game with a free position goal with three minutes left, distancing Binghamton from its competition.

Offensively, Volkmann and Morchower were the leaders for BU, netting four goals apiece.

Volkmann also had two assists, one ground ball and one caused turnover. She is now fifth in the America East in goals with 18.

“We put a lot of pressure on our attackers to shoot more in competitions, to come up with more production from them,” Allen said. “Our midfielders have carried a lot of the load in the

beginning part of the season. The last couple of days our attackers have answered the bell. Just those two in particular have really created opportunities for themselves.”

Senior attack Olivia Batista was also a force for the team, scoring twice in the game.

Batista now has scored five in the last two games. However, she left the field in the second half of the game because of an apparent injury.

Other goal scorers for BU were senior midfielders Amelia Biancardi and Alissa Franze, who each had a goal apiece.

On the other side of the field, senior goalie Taylor Passuello had 10 saves.

“We talked a lot about the defensive stops, especially in the second half,” Allen said. “Our defensive unit started to buckle down, and [Passuello] was a big part of that. Our whole defensive unit was following the game plan and really pushed their foot down on the gas and didn’t let up.”

In total, the Bearcats had

15 caused turnovers while Colgate had just six. Defensively, freshman defender Paige Alletzhauser and senior defender Alexa Franze led the charge with two caused turnovers each.

Alletzhauser also had three ground balls.

“We talked about playing to our strengths, not letting up or playing safe in any moment,” Allen said. “We’ve had 15 caused turnovers in the last two games.

I think that really speaks to the level of play and effort that we see from our girls, especially from half to half.”

Last year, BU narrowly lost to Colgate 7-6, so the Bearcats were able to avenge themselves on their home turf. This is the first game of the season that the team has won at home.

“We’re finally protecting our home turf,” Allen said. “It’s good to see them come up with that win here at home.”

The next game for the Bearcats is uncertain, as they were supposed to take on Harvard on Saturday, but the Ivy League

lucas peterka staff photographer Junior attack Paige Volkmann netted four goals and two assists in the Bearcats’ highest-scoring performance of the season thus far.

has canceled all of its spring sports because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. With the game now canceled, BU will not take on another competitor

until its America East opener on Saturday, March 21. First draw control against Hartford is set for 2 p.m. from Al-Marzook Field in West Hartford, Connecticut.