Pipe Dream’s Student Association endorsements, See page 5
Monday, March 16, 2020 | Vol. XCVII, Issue 15 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS As Binghamton University and schools across the SUNY system prepare to move to online classes on Thursday, March 19, we here at Pipe Dream have been discussing the best way to continue to serve our community and provide students, faculty and staff with accurate, up-to-date information. Through the end of this week, we will continue with our usual print schedule, producing an issue on Thursday, March 19 and Monday, March 23. After that, Pipe Dream will transition to printing once per week on Mondays through the beginning of spring break. This schedule will allow us to continue to serve those who remain on campus and in the Binghamton area while accommodating interruptions to scheduled events and our print advertising revenue. Throughout the week, we will continue to update our website, bupipedream.com, with breaking news and coronavirus coverage. During spring break, our editors will work to determine whether printing Pipe Dream for the remainder of the semester is a viable option. No matter what, we will still be producing content and updating our website and social media channels. We will keep readers posted as we make decisions in the coming weeks. Right now, many in the University community are understandably worried. In times of crisis, access to reliable information is more crucial than ever, and we pledge to continue reporting on our community, even in the darkest of times. As BU continues to navigate the transition to distance learning, we hope our readers stay safe and healthy.
jo myers pipe dream illustrator
As COVID-19 spreads, Asian students at BU see racism Asian students report experiencing racism, xenophobia on and off campus Sasha Hupka editor-in-chief
Last week, Brittney Ye opened up a Google form to track responses for her sorority’s semesterly Philanthropic Juice Pong Tournament. She was met with a racist submission from someone
who listed their name as “ching chong ma,” their organization as “ling long,” their Venmo username as “coronavirus” and called Ye and her sorority sisters “fat c****s.”
Ye, philanthropy chair for Kappa Phi Lambda and a sophomore majoring in biology, wrote in a message
see racism page 3
Sasha Hupka, Editor-in-Chief
Katy Wong, Managing Editor
Tips for SA forum to discuss BU chooses Zoom for slowing advising left empty online class transition spread of COVID-19 ‘SA Let’s Talk: Harpur Academic Advising’ sees no attendees Mark Kotowixz
contributing writer
Students had the opportunity to raise their concerns surrounding Harpur Advising during the “SA Let’s Talk: Harpur
Staff Reports
pipe dream news
According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 is a new strain of the coronavirus family that causes mild to severe respiratory illnesses that may result in death in those with underlying conditions. Typical indicators of COVID-19 infection include coughing, fever, shortness of breath, pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Here are some tips to protect yourself from the pandemic: — Engage in frequent handwashing with either soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleanser. — Avoid making contact with your eyes, nose and mouth. — Practice social distancing and avoid crowded spaces, including bars and parties. — Practice proper hygiene by using tissues and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. If you need to cough or sneeze, do so in your elbow or a tissue. — If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, seek medical care immediately by calling the health facility before you go and following their instructions. — Continue to inform yourself on the outbreak and follow your health care provider’s advice. For more information on COVID-19, you can visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.
Academic Advising” forum on Thursday, but not a single one showed up. On March 12, the Student Association’s (SA) presentation and public forum saw empty chairs. The event aimed to allow students to discuss problems and concerns with the advising center. “Let’s Talk” is a series of regularly held
see advising page 3
Platform features include video, audio conferencing Valerie Puma
assistant news editor
After Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York state was declaring a state of emergency on March
12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, he required that SUNY and CUNY schools transition entirely to an online format by Thursday, March 19. In light of the announcement, Binghamton University chose to use Zoom Video Communications to connect students with their instructors and classmates
see zoom page 4
New mentoring program pairs students, alumni ‘Mentor Match’ structured on ‘career clusters,’ not majors jackson Galati news intern
Each spring, thousands of graduating students prepare for life after college. Through Binghamton University’s new Mentor Match program, students now have the opportunity to navigate those postgraduate times with the help of BU alumni. Mentor Match launched in February 2020 and is a program offered by the BU Alumni Association and the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development. The program aims to connect students with alumni to foster a personal relationship in which students can learn directly from someone in the workforce, according the Mentor Match website. Steve Seepersaud, advancement communications manager for BU communications and marketing, said he sees unique potential in Mentor Match to benefit both students and alumni. “Although the Alumni Association, Fleishman Center and campus part-
ARTS & CULTURE
ners provide a wide variety of events at which students can network with alumni, many students would like to develop sustained and meaningful connections,” Seepersaud wrote in an email. “Through Mentor Match, students can form relationships with alumni mentors who can help to prepare them for a successful future, navigate their careers and, perhaps, explore new career paths. In addition to meeting the students’ need for mentoring, Mentor Match engages alumni as volunteers in a fulfilling way.” The new program evolved out of BU’s distance mentoring program, which launched in fall 2018. The original program was divided into three separate tracks for the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the School of Management and Harpur College through the Harpur Edge office. This meant students could only connect with alumni from their respective schools under the previous structure. With Mentor Match, users are categorized by “career clusters,” which is the new model used by the Center to show “majors don’t dictate career paths,” according to their website.
provided by binghamton university Mentor Match is an online platform that pairs students with alumni mentors from various backgrounds and industries to provide career-building experiences.
There are seven career clusters — arts and communication; business and entrepreneurship; education and human services; engineering and information technology; government, policy and law; science and health care and exploring. Seepersaud said the goal of the new mentoring program is to further the idea of less structured career paths. “We rebranded and changed the program so it can be more inclusive,” Seepersaud wrote. “A challenge of the program’s previous iteration was that students from different schools were limited to which alumni they could connect with. We know a student’s
OPINIONS
career choice is not limited to their school or major, and we want them to have an opportunity to explore career paths that might differ from their academic studies and open their eyes to new opportunities.” For the month of March, Mentor Match is having a “Match Madness” campaign to increase its users — around 1,000 at the beginning of the month. According to Seepersaud, the campaign has been going well so far. “It has been very successful,” Seepersaud wrote. “And we’ve attracted more than 600 new mentors and about 200 new mentees, and we see [these numbers] continuing to grow.”
SPORTS
The African Student Organization hosts its annual fashion show,
Brush up on New York state’s regional cuisine,
Columnist David Hatami criticizes the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,
America East cancels all athletics for remainder of the spring semester,
franchises to compensate their workers for
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Sports editor Justin Zion urges sports lost hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic,