Spring 2023 Issue 32-33

The budget for food safety nets will soon be reduced to preCOVID-19 levels.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal initiative that provides food assistance to low or no-income individuals and families. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), according to their website, gave emergency allotments to SNAP users “to help address temporary food needs during the pandemic.”

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 is set to roll back these emergency allotments, affecting 1.6 million households in New York state.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office website issued a post on their WatchBlog about the effect the pandemic had on food insecurity. In it, the office outlined issues caused by COVID-19 as determining factors in the exacerbation of food insecurity in the United States.

“This number may have grown for certain populations during the pandemic as more Americans experienced job loss or reduced incomes as a result of COVID-19’s economic impacts,” they wrote.

“COVID-19 disrupted the U.S. food supply chain and contributed to an already existing national hunger crisis.”

Broome County in particular experiences high rates of food insecurity compared to the rest of the New York state, according to Feeding America. On Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap,” Broome County was listed as having a food insecurity rate of 13.8 percent, as opposed to the New York state average of 9.6 percent. The data also showed that 76 percent of Broome County residents in 2020 were eligible for SNAP.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act appropriates funds to federal agencies for the 2023 fiscal year. This bill, while providing funding to the defense budget, disaster relief and improving health care, cut the nationwide increase of SNAP benefits established during the pandemic.

According to Forbes, prior to the pandemic in 2020, inflation was at 1.2 percent — and it had climbed to around 8.1 percent in 2022.

Rising inflation and supply chain issues have also had negative impacts on food banks. In an interview with WBNG, Les Aylesworth, director of Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) in Binghamton, explained the difficulties inflation has posed to his food bank.

“Ever since supply chain issues and inflation, it has made getting food that much more difficult for every organization,” Aylesworth

said. “We have been traveling farther more often to make sure that the food that gets in the building behind me is stocked and ready for folks.”

In order to mitigate this decrease in SNAP benefits, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has

Glass Bonds exhibition emphasizes glass art

bonds — bonds between people, bonds between atoms and bonds between glass.

The Binghamton University Art Museum’s new exhibition explores

Check

out page 10 for Harvey Stenger’s Super Bowl picks

SNAP budget to decrease amid rising inflation

“Bonds…Glass Bonds” includes around 70 glass objects and a video projection, encouraging visitors to make connections between the objects, each other and the world around them. Themes such as “commemoration,”

“decolonization” and “seeing the universe” group the objects together to tell their stories. At the same time, panels about scientific topics such as atomic structure, reflection of light and iridescence delve into the atomic bonds between glass.

proposed an emergency assistance supplement for households participating in SNAP, which “will result in New York state’s economy receiving roughly $232 million in federal funding,” as stated on ny.gov. The web page also states that these

households should see their SNAP increases posted in late March, when the government allotments will be redirected.

Women’s basketball defeats Retrievers 80-70

Weltz registers doubledouble, Traeger grabs 18 rebounds. Bowman scores 21, Wanzer drops 18.

Michael Carbone assistant sports editor

On Wednesday night, the Binghamton women’s basketball team hosted UMBC for the teams’ second and final America East (AE) regular season meeting of the year. In their first matchup, the Retrievers bested the Bearcats 73-69 in a contest that came down to the final minute of play. This game saw a similarly close outcome, but BU pulled away late and came out on top, securing the win 80-70.

“The key was our stops that we got,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “[UMBC] did get a lot of points in the paint, but when you’re going twos inside to our threes, that’s hard to stop.”

UMBC (9-12, 6-4 AE) put points on the board first as it quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead over BU (12-11, 5-5 AE). Despite trailing, senior guard Denai Bowman dropped in two straight Bearcat buckets to remain close. The visitors, however, did not lose any steam as they pulled away 13-6 shortly after.

Bowman’s first-quarter flurry continued as the senior added

four more points in the period. The hosts ended the frame on a 13-2 run and entered the second with a 19-15 advantage.

“A few games I felt like I wasn’t being that aggressive, so I talk to myself before every game and have a go-getter mindset,” Bowman said. “It’s been paying off the last two [games].”

The Retrievers began the second period putting a halt to Binghamton’s first-quarter run as the teams put in back-andforth scores. Although UMBC applied pressure, the hosts remained ahead due in part to redshirt freshman guard Jadyn Weltz who scored four straight points. This, however, did not last as the Retrievers added 10 unanswered points and took a 32-27 lead with a minute left in the half. The Bearcats did not back down, despite relinquishing their lead, as they scored two straight baskets and entered the break trailing 32-31.

“When we’re drawing up a play, we can go to any person,” Bowman said. “The defense has to stay on their toes because they don’t know who’s coming.”

The BU Art Museum welcomes a new exhibition that centers around the concept of bonds and their relationship to people and the world around them.

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

From the Pipe Dream Executive Board

A er experimenting with a return to regular printing last semester, Pipe Dream has settled on once a week as our new printing frequency, with limited printing around breaks.

ough a departure from our previous twice-a-week print schedule, we believe this new model will allow for an increased digital focus, while still serving those who value our printed content.

Pipe Dream will continue to carefully evaluate readership and nances over the coming years to inform our decisions. Like many student papers across the country, Pipe Dream is adapting in the face of changes in ad revenue and readership habits.

Check the stands every Tuesday to read our paper. Questions? Contact editor@bupipedream.com

e Pipe Dream Executive Board

SHADES Hot Chocolate Date

Emergency SNAP allotments to end in February

In terms of students facing food insecurity due to the changes in SNAP, The Food Pantry at Binghamton University is an available option for students seeking access to nutritious food.

Matthew Pangburn, a Food Pantry supervisor and senior double-majoring in political science and history, described the pantry’s ability to help fill some of these needs.

“While we do not know the SNAP status of the

students that utilize the pantry, any effort to decrease the level of support for those who are food insecure will result in increased trouble having access to stable, nutritious and adequate food,” Pangburn wrote in

an email. “The Food Pantry is always prepared for any increase in users, and we hope that students who are in need of assistance will use our service.”

Kat Santos, a freshman majoring in integrative

neuroscience, noted her observations about the rising inflation rate in Binghamton.

“It’s just very crazy to me to think that when I go to the cheapest grocery store nowadays, just a carton of 18 eggs costs me $7.19,”

Santos said. “Even when ordering food, simple meals like mozzarella sticks cost $11.79. Every time I go out I have to cut down on a lot of the things because I simply can’t afford to spend money on things.”

$37.5 million donation funds new scholarships

expenses for those who show exceptional skills in their field.

It will be given to 15 incoming graduate students and will also be used to develop the School of the Arts.

Binghamton University has received an anonymous $37.5 million donation that will be used toward two new scholarship programs.

The new scholarships were announced during BU President Harvey Stenger’s 2023 State of the University Address. According to Stenger, of the money endowed, $25 million will be used to establish a scholarship to support 100 undergraduate students annually. The remaining $12.5 million will be used to support the Graduate Students of the Arts (GSA) scholarship for students getting a master’s degree in fine arts. The undergraduate scholarship program is meant to support 100 incoming students annually, as long as they stay within the required GPA threshold, according to BingUNews. Twenty of these students will receive up to $10,000 in funding annually, which can be renewed for three years. Five first-year students will have their full cost of tuition, room and board covered — which can also be renewed for up to three years. The GSA scholarship will cover two full years of tuition

During his address, Stenger described the problems associated with the cost of attending BU.

“Tuition, room, board for in-state students is about $30,000 — even more for outof-state students,” Stenger said. “It’s a lot of money. So we’ve been working really hard through our campaign to make sure that we tell our [alumni] that this is our highest priority. We tell our [alumni] we need to make BU accessible. The exceptional and accessible.”

According to BingUNews, representatives from the admissions office and office of financial aid will select the undergraduate recipients of the scholarships. Students chosen would have to maintain a minimum GPA threshold and show strong academic credentials coming into BU. If the selected student fails to maintain their GPA, a different student in their year will be offered the scholarship instead. As for the GSA scholarships, faculty from BU’s new School of the Arts will select recipients. If the designated student does not meet the expectation for their educational program, another student in the same year will

be offered the scholarship instead.

Rebecca Benner, associate vice president for the Advancement and Campaign director, explained the selection process for the scholarship recipients.

“The undergraduate scholarships will enable us to recruit the best and brightest regardless of their ability to pay, while the [GSA] Scholarships will assist with recruiting talented students, so they can pursue their

passion for the arts without the expense of graduate tuition,” Benner wrote in an email. “An investment like this inspires others to join a winning cause.”

Current students on campus expressed mixed sentiment toward the new endowment.

Aaron Wong, a sophomore majoring in biology, commented on the selection process for students.

“It’s great that students are getting this opportunity,”

Wong said. “But what percentage of students who get this scholarship actually need it? It’s unfair for students who didn’t come from better schools with more opportunities, who won’t have the same academic opportunities. The richer kids can afford tutors and advising while poorer students might not be able to focus solely on their education. But it will be the privileged students who have the merit to get these scholarships.”

Deepanshi Gaur, a sophomore majoring in computer science expressed her belief that these new scholarship programs will attract academically rigorous students.

“When prospect students learn about the scholarships, the ones with the highest marks are more likely to apply,” Gaur said. “This means a new wave of academically rigorous students will be applying to BU, which brings up the school’s prestige.”

Newly elected sheriff announces community plan

loads for those still working there. Akshar also aims to grow connections between the sheriff’s office and local organizations. Akshar shared that his intention is to make it easier for conflicts within the community to be addressed by his office smoothly.

Broome County Sheriff

Fred Akshar recently presented his new Community FIRST Plan.

Akshar introduced his plan to the Binghamton Rotary Club on Jan. 24, according to NewsChannel 34, which involves focusing staffing problems within the office of the corrections division as well as department transparency. The corrections division is now down 39 members, which has lead to increased work

Akshar broke his plan into five sections — Fiscal Responsibility, Integrated Community Policing, Responsible Reentry, Safety and Security and Transparency. Akshar explained that the people deserve a sheriff who will utilize the budget wisely and efficiently, as well as invest in long-term programs that will better the community over time. Akshar also wrote about his plan to prevent

future offenses by those who have previously been incarcerated by addressing issues such as substance disorder through a Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) program and mental health diagnosis and treatment.

Akshar also highlighted what he sees as a need for transparency between law enforcement and the Broome County community.

“Without transparency, it is utterly impossible for law enforcement to build the necessary trust to properly serve and protect the community,” Akshar wrote in an email. “Additionally, due to the number of recent deaths at the Broome County Correctional Facility, I would

demand a review of the current medical contract at the Broome County Correctional Facility and would be receptive to making appropriate changes. Broome County families deserve common sense and common decency from their law enforcement administration, not more of the same status quo policies and management.”

Akshar explained that he is committed to the creation of a four-member Community Response Team. Their purpose will be to use the integrated community policing model to respond to community conflicts or surges of crime wherever they are presented. Real-time data and input directly from the community

will be utilized by this team.

Akshar also highlighted some of the organizations he intends to work closer with in order to build stronger community involvement.

“In my previous role as state senator, I was fortunate to have developed strong working relationships with several local community organizations, and I plan to continue to partner with organizations like the Addiction Center of Broome County, the Broome County Council of Churches, the [Young Women Christian Association], [Southern Tier Aids Program] and local Veterans groups along with countless community leaders and average citizens to help build a stronger, better community together,” Akshar said.

During his time as state senator, he was able to meet with different groups throughout Broome County, Akshar explained, and he found that a main issue being reported was members not being able to visit their incarcerated loved ones. Akshar said these issues pertaining to Public Safety and the Correctional Facility were what inspired the new objective.

Akshar expressed hope for the effects that his plan will have on the community.

“The end goal of this plan is a stronger, safer community for every family and resident of Broome County and stronger relationships between our entire team at the Broome County Sheriff’s Office and those we are sworn to protect

and serve,” Akshar said.

Akshar wrote that he is committed to this plan and is hopeful for its impact around Broome County, specifically in dealing with incarcerated individuals and their contact with their families.

Celia Holden, a policy intern for the Roosevelt Institute and a freshman double-majoring in economics and political science, expressed her thoughts on Akshar’s new plan.

“I think this plan will be a force of positive change for Broome County because Akshar is committing to bridge the gap between elected officials and devoted community members with strong visions for their future,” Holden wrote. “I would like to see a more outlined plan and more collaboration from Akshar in the future, but I do appreciate that he is publicly committing to immersing himself in the community he is serving.”

Jacqueline Brandel, the public relations director for the Roosevelt Institute and a junior majoring in political science, said she hoped the plan is implemented properly.

“I hope that the transparency of the police is put first. I, as a lot of Binghamton residents are, [am] extremely weary of the police department here,” Brandel said. “I would absolutely love to see Akshar work with [Justice and Unity in the Southern Tier], which is a community abolitionist organization.”

david barshay photo contributor

The undergraduate scholarship program will support 100 incoming students annually, while the Graduate Students of the Arts scholarship will support 15 incoming graduate students.

Contributing

Contributing Writer Ella Connors

Decker provides free medical kits for students

The $150 kits are covered by a sponsorship program.

Students at Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing can now receive medical kits for free.

The Assessment Kit Sponsorship program, launched in 2018, provides donor-funded kits to qualified students in the Decker School of Nursing. An assessment kit, which costs $150 and is required by all nursing students in Decker College, contains a stethoscope, a diagnostic penlight and bandage scissors along with other items, according to BingUNews.

Students enrolled in the traditional four-year program at Decker School of Nursing are required to have a kit by the beginning of the fall semester of their junior year. Students in the Baccalaureate Accelerated Track (BAT) program, a 12-month program for those already holding a bachelor’s degree, must have a kit at

the beginning of their yearlong program, which starts in the summer.

There is no formal application process for the program according to Sara Wozniak, senior assistant dean of enrollment and academic success at the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Each student is automatically considered for a sponsored kit based on financial need. Should the student not enroll, the kit goes to the next student on a list provided to BU’s Office of Financial Aid.

Recipients then pick up their kit before classes begin in order to be prepared for clinical rotations and patient simulations. For the 2022-23 academic year, 33 kits were awarded to students.

“This opportunity gives alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Decker [School of Nursing] a way to see their support transparently,” Wozniak wrote in an email.

“Recipients of a sponsored kit write a thank you note to their donor unless it is anonymous, and we host a reception so they can meet one another in person.

Ideally, they establish a connection that continues beyond the celebration.”

According to Decker School of Nursing’s website, students are responsible for multiple fees outside of tuition — including $300 for uniforms, $220 for clinical learning support and $20 for background checks. This is in addition to discretionary fees which include vaccinations, textbooks and mandatory health insurance. For the fall semester, juniors pay $2,946.50 in these fees, with seniors paying $3,628.50 and BAT students paying $3,833.50.

Wozniak explained what led to the program’s creation.

“A brainstorming session in 2014 sparked the idea when I was mveeting with alumni and development offices,” Wozniak wrote. “It was inspired by a medical school that promoted a similar program where alumni purchased stethoscopes for incoming medical students. Our program officially launched in the fall/winter of 2018.”

Jelaine Evangelista, a recipient of a sponsored kit

and a senior majoring in nursing, said the program alleviates some of the financial stress of nursing school.

“Nursing school comes with many expenses, and it’s very comforting knowing that the Decker School of Nursing faculty have made numerous efforts to put their nursing students first and ensure that we succeed in the program,” Evangelista

said. “Every year, the Decker [School of Nursing] faculty contacts [BU] alumni to provide donations to help purchase the assessment kits consisting of a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and many other necessary supplies that are essential for the clinic.”

Francheska Gomez ‘22, a first-year graduate student pursuing a BAT in nursing, is also a recipient of a

sponsored kit. Gomez said she feels the program will benefit nursing students.

“I think this program makes nursing school more affordable, and I’m glad it exists,” Gomez said. “I believe it positively affects the student population since it levels out the playing field for those who are unable to purchase kits on their own regardless of the circumstances.”

aleXa valadez desiGn assistant

Each mandatory kit costs $150 and contains medical items including a stethoscope, diagnostic penlight and bandage scissors.

Contributing Writer Vassili GonZales

70 different glass objects featured at BUAM

The exhibition is cocurated by Marvin Bolt, curator emeritus at the Corning Museum of Glass and research fellow at Technische Universität Berlin, Gökhan Ersan, associate professor of art and design and Pam Smart, associate professor of art history. The BU Art Museum also received support from IBM Endicott, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Material and Visual Worlds Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence, the Binghamton Fund for the Museum and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Bolt spoke about the inspiration for the exhibition as an interdisciplinary project.

“The inspiration for it is really to look at materiality in a different way,” Bolt said. “So looking at the

science, the chemistry, physics of it, but also the humanities of it. And what kind of interesting stories can we tell. As a unifying theme, we chose this pyramidal tetrahedral structure — which is the building block of glass — and then we’ve also morphed objects onto it so that we use the same icon to talk about how people are connected to each other.”

Ersan elaborated on the materiality of the exhibition and its personal resonance.

“The ‘Bonds… Glass Bonds’ exhibition, first and foremost, is a manifestation of my personal desire to deepen my knowledge in a particular area of material culture and the very fulfilling collaborations with material scientists and historians,” Ersan wrote. “Simultaneously, it was an opportunity to

rethink how objects could tell stories in an exhibition space. I was able to explore how graphic design might help audiences peel back the historic, scientific and design intellectual layers of objects in the least intrusive way possible to explore the subject in a deeper manner.”

The exhibition originally arose from a collaboration between Bolt, Smart and Ersan, involving Ersan’s graphic design class and Smart’s “Materials Matter” course.

“So as part of the collaboration that [Ersan] and I did for his graphic design class, we actually had a student exhibition at the downstairs of the [BU Art Museum],” Bolt said. “And that went over so well that Diane Butler, who’s the director of the museum, said, ‘Well, maybe we should do one in the upstairs.’ So that’s sort

of the genesis of why I got involved in this.”

“Bonds…Glass Bonds” not only highlights the collaborations between students and faculty, but the BU Art Museum’s connection with the Binghamton area. The exhibition is part of the Greater Binghamton Area Glass Blowout — a partnership between the BU Art Museum, Roberson Museum and Science Center and the Vestal Museum. Museumgoers can obtain a glass item if they visit all three glassoriented exhibitions.

Jessica Petrylak, communications assistant and art preparatory at the BU Art Museum, spoke about the exhibition’s connection to the community.

“I think it’s just cool that the whole [exhibition] is kind of embodying connection through glass,

and then at a larger scale, we’re connecting with the community, with other museums in this kind of bond-esque way,” Petrylak said.

Ramona Gore, a videography intern at the Art Museum and a junior double-majoring in cinema and history, conveyed the dedication and energy of those who created “Bonds…Glass Bonds.”

“I think what interests me most about this [exhibition] is how enthusiastic the workers are,” Gore said. “They’re putting their whole being into this [exhibition].”

“Bonds…Glass Bonds” captures the intersection of science and art, urging viewers to interpret these glass objects in ways that resonate with them. Bolt described the purpose of the exhibition as an opportunity for people to interact with the art.

“One of the underlying motivations [for this exhibition] is that objects have stories that they can tell, but they can’t tell them on their own,” Bolt said. “You really need a reader, an interpreter.”

Bolt went on to explain how the exhibition encourages audiences to act as interpreters.

“So what we’ve done is we’ve grouped objects together in a certain way, but we’re encouraging people to try to group them in new ways,” Bolt said. “In ways that they would find interesting and powerful, or something from their experience.”

Visitors can see “Bonds…Glass Bonds” on display in the Main Gallery of the BU Art Museum from Feb. 2 to May 13.

FJU creates environment for Fujianese students

The club’s first year involves hosting educational events.

The Fujianese Union (FJU) is one of the newest cultural organizations to pop up at Binghamton University. In the short time its existed, the club has already carved out its own unique community among the University’s many Asian cultural clubs, kick-starting the semester with a strong turnout for their general interest meeting (GIM).

It’s hard to believe that only a year ago, the idea of a Fujianese student club was nothing more than a joke between friends. Tiffany Wang, president of the FJU and a junior majoring in chemistry, said the idea for the club first came to her during the spring of her sophomore year.

“I had classes with a couple of my friends, and I found out that we were all [Fujianese],’’ Wang said.

Wang said she and her friends had this realization while all in a car together, prompting one of them to joke that they should start a Fujianese club.

“But I considered it,” Wang said. “I thought it was a good idea.”

From there, the club slowly began to come together.

“Basically we just told everyone that we knew was [Fujianese] to tell their friends who were [Fujianese] to see if they were interested in a club like this,” Wang said.

Through the power of word of mouth, a group of potential members was gathered, and in a Zoom call in the middle of the night, they held the club’s first unofficial meeting. The meeting after that, the members began discussing E-Board positions.

Although now close, many of the E-Board members were initially strangers to each other. Bing Zhou, FJU’s social chair and a junior majoring in economics, expanded on this notion.

“It just makes it where it’s like there are other Fujianese people here, but I just haven’t met them,” Zhou said. “But it’s really nice that we could all come together and meet more Fujianese people.”

Once the E-Board was formed, the next task at hand was to expand the fledgling organization’s outreach. After starting with Instagram, they moved on to newer platforms like Discord. Still, spreading knowledge of the FJU to the student body has been one of the club’s biggest challenges since not many people are aware of the club, according to Wang. The FJU is now provisionally chartered, which its members hope will amplify its outreach. Additionally, the club is hoping to expand to WeeChat to attract international Fujianese students.

For students who are already involved, the FJU aims to create a welcoming community, a goal that is clearly evoked in their official slogan — “FJU, we are here for you!” Crystal Lin, FJU publicity chair and a junior double-majoring in

economics and geography, discussed how one of the club’s main goals is to build a strong relationship with the general body.

“We’re pretty new but that also makes people more open to us because they don’t really know anything about us,” Lin said. “I think over the course of a year we want to actually get to know the general body instead of having them just be a population that just shows up.”

According to Vivian Li, FJU’s co-event coordinator

and a junior majoring in business administration, the FJU’s efforts to interact with their members have already resulted in a strong bond forming.

“Out of the events we’ve been having last semester and even the semester before, I feel like we do have people that regularly show up to all our events,” Li said. “So I do feel like we’re pretty close with our [general] body in terms of how we know certain people who come in, and we’ll know them by name and we’ll be like, ‘How’ve you

been?’”

Through unifying BU’s scattered Fujianese demographic, the FJU has created a space where people from the same culture with a diverse set of experiences can come together to connect. An especially enriching aspect for both the club’s founders and its general body has been their educational events. Not only are the presentations informative, but they also foster an open-minded conversation between attendees, according to the FJU, as everyone shares their

own personal knowledge and practices.

In only a short time, the FJU has built an environment that not only welcomes Fujianese students to find peers from the same background but also invites anyone interested in Fujianese culture in general. It’s a club that exemplifies how unifying culture can be, and its power to foster a deep connection. The kind that turns strangers into friends, friends into a family and a family into a community.

The FJU is creating a welcoming community for Fujianese students to learn about and embrace their culture.

Måneskin’s new album ‘RUSH!’ electrifies

The first song on the album, “OWN MY MIND,” fits into the rock style that defines Måneskin’s sound and sets the stage for the rest of the album, but lives in the shadows due to the more exciting song that follows.

On Jan. 20, the worldfamous band Måneskin released their third studio album, “RUSH!”

After getting second on “X Factor Italia” in 2017 and winning the Eurovision contest in 2021, Måneskin became a worldwide phenomenon. Måneskin rose to fame in the United States with their 2021 song, “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE” and their 2022 cover, “Beggin,” which entered the U.S. top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This year, Måneskin is GRAMMY nominated for Best New Artist. The Italian band is made up of drummer Ethan Torchio, vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis and guitarist Thomas Raggi.

“RUSH!” is mostly sung in English, unlike their previous two albums which were primarily in Italian. While some fans may yearn for more Italian-language content, the band did not disappoint with their latest album. Måneskin uses their album to break boundaries and make a commentary on their newfound Hollywood fame.

“GOSSIP,” featuring Tom Morello, connects directly with the Hollywood theme, and ups the energy of the album to a new high.

The song describes Hollywood as a circus where people lie and cover their acts. “Welcome to the city of lies / Where everything’s got a price / It’s gonna be your new favorite place / You can be a movie star / And get everything you want / Just put some plastic on your face,” sings David.

While the band does not connect as much to their Italian roots in “RUSH!,“ songs like “GOSSIP” show Måneskin’s effort to maintain their authenticity through openly commenting on the Hollywood fame experience. Another wonderful track is “TIMEZONE,” the band’s second-best song on this album following “GOSSIP.” The song has contrasting dynamics, beginning with peaceful guitar playing and melodic lines.

“TIMEZONE” is a narrative about the love story of two people being kept apart by distance and different time

zones. The narrator claims his dreams and fame don’t matter in comparison to the distance.

A song that is repetitive in nature is “BLA BLA BLA,” with its simplistic bass line that fits into the sleaze-rock genre, a combination of heavy metal and hard rock, preparing listeners for the most visceral song in the album, “BABY SAID.”

“BABY SAID” has an exciting rhythm and is meant to turn heads. It crosses boundaries of intimacy explored by past rock artists,

with slow verses followed by a fast chorus. It is likely to be a crowd favorite, but the stark changes in pace make it less danceable compared to “GASOLINE.” “GASOLINE” has a fist-bump rhythm and a repetitive speech-like melody, as David sings “we won’t take it standing still / Watch us dance / We’re gonna dance on gasoline.”

“IF NOT FOR YOU” is another great song in the album and shows the group’s range of song styles. The track has a lullaby sound and fittingly ties back to the theme

of love heard at the start of the record in “TIMEZONE,” with a style resembling Lana Del Rey’s music.

“LA FINE” is a fast-paced song that ties the beginning themes to the end of the album, and is one of the better Italian songs released in the album. The song comments on judgment, fame and wealth in society, as the song’s narrator’s new life is not what they imagined. David sings “Ho girato il mondo, ho visto gente / No, non è come lo immaginavo,” or “I’ve traveled around the

world, I’ve seen people / No, it’s not like I imagined it.”

The album ends with three of their previously released singles “MAMMAMIA,” “SUPERMODEL” and “THE LONELIEST.” These three songs have the most listens in the album and are the most memorable songs in the album, followed by “GOSSIP,” “TIMEZONE,” “BABY SAID” and “IF NOT FOR YOU.”

Groundhog Day: A 1980s Bill Murray classic

same day, the true themes of “Groundhog Day” begin to reveal themselves — those of self-discovery and enjoyment of life as it is.

The beginning of the spring semester is a turbulent time. Students have taken a much-needed break, but the festivities of the fall and early winter are no longer around to distract from Binghamton’s icy weather or the schoolwork that is already

picking up. As we move closer toward springtime, however, we remember those holidays that bring the hope of a new beginning. I am speaking, of course, of Groundhog Day. A day of hope for warmer days or comfortable time indoors, depending on Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction, this holiday brings about the perfect opportunity to spend some time with friends and get festive again during the cold winter months. There is no better way to celebrate such an important holiday than to get

into a celebratory mood, get together with some friends and watch Bill Murray’s groundbreaking 1993 film, “Groundhog Day.”

This whimsical movie follows the cynical and rude — yet superbly named — Phil Connors, played by Murray, as he relives the same day over and over and over — Feb. 2, 1993. Accompanied by his work colleagues, Rita — played by Andie MacDowell — and Larry — played by Chris Elliot — this quick-witted weatherman reluctantly takes his annual trip from

Pittsburgh to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in order to report on Punxsutawney Phil’s seasonal forecast. Connors could never have been able to predict, however, that he would end up stuck on the same day. The minute changes that are made throughout Connors’ first repeat of Groundhog Day instantly change the path he leads throughout those 24 hours. Greater changes lead him on all kinds of wild adventures as each day repeats. As he begins to come to terms with the fact that he is living a loop of the

The unique plot and intense character development present throughout “Groundhog Day” sets this film apart from other comedies. Connors is not the only character within this film that adapts to fit his situation. Each character becomes at least slightly more open to different perspectives and learns to understand each other. While this film is meant to be a romantic comedy, featuring a budding romance beginning over and over again, it does not center the romantic portion so much that the rest of the plot is forgotten. Rather than being a romantic movie with some jokes, “Groundhog Day” is a sarcastic and snarky movie with well-developed relationships that are uncovered more and more as the film progresses. The real focus of this movie is not so much the story of courtship — but the progression of relationships that began somewhat hostile because each party did not understand the other. As Connors becomes more genuine and learns that his dry humor and dedication to doing great things can be used for good, not just to put others down, his workplace acquaintanceships turn into real friendships.

Once stripped of all of its

witty banter and cynical takes on life, “Groundhog Day” is truly a movie about having a positive outlook. It does not focus on the stress of Connor’s life or the job that brought him to Punxsutawney for the celebration to begin with. The major focus of this movie is the way that day after day, Connors takes the time to get to know the people around him, even if the next morning they will have forgotten all about it. He stops pretending to be someone he is not and instead forms connections with the townsfolk that he once despised simply because he did not know them. Connors discovers his passion for helping others and being within a community, and the hope and newness that comes about within him by the end of the movie is not unlike the hope for spring during a long and hard winter.

Overall, “Groundhog Day” is a moving film that is perfect for celebrating the most anticipated holiday of the coming month. This incredible movie is just as culturally relevant now as it was when it was released 30 years ago, so if you’re looking for a movie that will make you laugh, cry and think about life from a whole new perspective, definitely give this film a watch. Perhaps you could ask yourself if you had eternity to relive the same day, what would you do with all of your extra time? How do you make the most of every day now?

manesKin album revieW photo sourced From Rolling Stone

Måneskin is an Italian band that gained fame after getting second on “X Factor Italia” in 2017, and winning the Eurovision song contest in 2021.

photo sourced From modern art museum oF Fort Worth

Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell star in the 90s classic “Groundhog Day.”

The new record documents the Hollywood experience.

Lorena Maggiore arts & culture contributor

The film forces Bill Murray’s character to develop a positive outlook on life.

Victoria Stargiotti arts & culture contributor

Depictions of drug addiction ignore systemic causes

Shows like “euphoria” misrepresent addiction as a personal flaw.

Julie Ha Opinions Columnist

One of my responsibilities as an older sister is the drug talk. While I’ve taken it upon myself to pass down a voice of reason, there is a noticeable discrepancy in my experience with drug education and my personal reality — both from being a part of Gen Z and having gone to an elitist high school abundant with academic pressure — that hinders my ability to articulate the reality of drug use and addiction.

Growing up, a walk across 125th St. in East Harlem, an area historically saturated with opioids, and sights of locals halfasleep on the sidewalks would be accompanied with harmful rhetoric, such as, “This is what happens when you do drugs,” or “This is why you shouldn’t do drugs.” Not to mention, candid and unwarranted photos

depicting Lindsay Lohan’s “rise and fall” were consistently plastered on the front pages of magazines I skimmed through in supermarkets. The truth is, though, I knew more drug addicts in high school than I could physically count, as all sorts of substances served as a means to grapple with academic pressure. Although the problem at hand was beyond the scope of study-drug abuse, my peers’ seemingly successful social and academic life and most importantly, appearances hardly measured up to the warnings issued by both my parents and the tabloids.

In light of this discrepancy, “Euphoria,”  a show illustrating the inner lives of several teens, has not been devoid of criticism pertaining to the unrealistic portrayal and romanticization of drug use. Specifically, critics fear that the show’s depictions of drug use would promote unhealthy coping mechanisms among an impressionable audience. However, while

critics simultaneously claim that clips from “Euphoria” falsely diagnose addiction as glamorous and that their intention is to end addiction, the “harsh reality” — images of half-asleep addicts and celebrities after benders — is neither realistic nor productive to their goal either.

For one, images of the “harsh reality” frame addiction as a personal flaw — a deficit in the moral character and willpower of users — when empirically that is not the case. The prescription opioid epidemic is a prominent example. It stemmed from a mid-1980s study that shifted cultural attitudes about opioids to consider them a low-risk, non-addictive cure for pain and about pain itself as a condition that necessitated treatment.

Marketing for prescription opioids as a “miracle drug” would continue well into the 21st century as doctors in West Virginia and Kentucky, specifically, became the target of

sales pitches for newer and less addictive opioid products. As of now, one in four participants in long-term prescription opioid therapy have become addicted.

If the epidemic has taught us one thing, it’s that despite the claims of for-profit studies, opioids are indeed addictive. Addiction often operates outside the scope of personal willpower, taking root in patients who most likely had no intention of participating in the epidemic. Now, doctors ask patients about their family and personal history with addiction, sexual abuse and psychological issues when prescribing opioids, all of which new research proves can exacerbate one’s susceptibility to addiction.

Here’s where “Euphoria” gets addiction right — the show supplements addiction with narratives surrounding the mental health crisis. In other words, personal issues are only at fault in so much as they underscore broader systemic issues that have also empirically

fueled drug addiction in certain communities. The crack epidemic, for example, that resulted from the war on drugs in the 1980s and 1990s and primarily influenced predominantly Black communities in urban areas, was cyclically fueled by systemic issues, such as racism and mass incarceration, which failed to get crack off the streets, and, consequently, a lack of holistic treatments, such as mental health and addiction counseling.

The intention of amplifying media representations of addiction with “harsher” depictions and dubbing them as reality to ultimately end addiction may be noble, but these images ultimately diverge from the evidence and history of drug addiction as systematic by placing the burden of sheer willpower onto those who are struggling. While the “harsh reality” may ease anxiety among “Euphoria” critics, for example, doing so is only

counterproductive to both the efforts of humanizing the stigma and, as the war on drugs has shown, centering treatment as the locus of addiction discourse.

When it comes to “Euphoria’s” casual images of drug use and the tabloids’ exploitative photographs of Lindsay Lohan, simply put, these images are really two sides of the same coin, and we cannot replace Hollywood misrepresentation with another distorted and subliminal form of it, as representation and education are inextricably linked within the addiction discourse. While the media must do its part in neither sensationalizing nor dehumanizing addiction, we must also do ours by recognizing our own prejudices within drug education.

Julie Ha is a sophomore double-majoring in English and comparative literature.

with ChatGPT

Teachers can use ChatGPT to teach about technology and develop curriculum.

Samantha Rigante Opinions Columnist

The development of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chat system created by OpenAI researchers, has been one of the most widely discussed topics in recent news and media. Released in November of 2022, ChatGPT is able to mimic many different types of writing, which is, in many cases, nearly impossible to distinguish from writing completed by students or other humans. Its purported use, according to OpenAI, is to interact with users in a “dialogue format,” which “makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests.”

The problem is that, while ChatGPT is improving in scholarly activities and writing (passing law exams at the University of Minnesota and business exams at the

University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, it poses a significant risk to the legitimacy and originality of assignments that students may complete. Students’ ability to use ChatGPT in order to cheat on both multiple choice and written exams has driven concern among many professors and teachers throughout all levels of the educational system, forcing educators to rethink and decide whether to begin working with ChatGPT or attempt to get around it.

So, what solutions are possible to the distinctively 21st century issue of AI within the education system? Despite the draconian responses that some have proposed, such as New York City’s banning of ChatGPT on school computers, the answer may lie somewhere else. Professors should be rethinking their assessments and perhaps attempting to work in tandem with new developments in AI, as their availability will only become more prominent. For

example, a high school English teacher in Oregon, Cherie Shields, allowed students to use ChatGPT to help them produce an essay outline of different texts. Afterward, she had them manually write their essays by hand. In order to make sure that students are not plagiarizing, teachers can utilize a system known as GPTZero, which identifies writing completed by AI programs, including ChatGPT.

By using classic education techniques, such as requiring handwritten essays, and applying available modern technology, educators may be able to approach this issue. This method teaches students effective ways to use the technology available to them in a supervised setting while also allowing them the opportunity to garner inspiration and creatively write their own essays afterward. As Ms. Shields says, “The process … had not only deepened students’ understanding of the stories. It had also taught them about

interacting with A.I. models, and how to coax a helpful response out of one.”

Teachers can also use ChatGPT to their advantage. Since COVID-19, there has been a widely reported shortage of professionals within the academic field, and many are tired and overworked. Teachers and professors can treat ChatGPT as a subject of study in classrooms and use it to create creative lesson plans. Simply inputting “Create an eighth grade lesson plan about the Civil War” into ChatGPT creates an interesting, detailed lesson plan highlighting the most important aspects and morals of the Civil War. ChatGPT could also be beneficial in creating personalized learning tools for teachers to give to students, such as study guides or quizzes, offering individualized learning while helping teachers with assignments and activities.

Other ways in which ChatGPT could be effectively utilized include having students

assess its responses and recognize their flaws. Educating students on how to use systems like ChatGPT and their potential dangers is an effective way to utilize such systems and teach students that using them is not always helpful. Especially since many professions may begin to implement different sorts of AI programs, educating students on both their harm and usefulness may be valuable to them once they enter the workforce. Jobs in many different fields — including data analytics, software engineering and even sales — are beginning to utilize AI programs as a way to maximize profits.

The initial reaction by some may be to outright ban software like ChatGPT in academic settings or severely limit students’ ability to access it. However, decisions such as these appear rash and overall unhelpful. Banning the software within schools would be ineffective as it’s possible students could still use it

outside of school or university premises. Additionally, intensively watching students — for example, requiring them to only write papers in class or having them explain every edit they make, as some professors are doing — to ensure they are not cheating is an overstep of instructors’ authority in academic settings and an inefficient use of time that could be spent learning.

Learning how to engage with and operate new technology is never an easy feat, and the simplest solution to the overwhelming issue of AI within education may simply be to rewrite academic honesty codes and ban the usage of any such systems. However, AI and programs such as ChatGPT are here to stay, and it would be to professors’, students’ and teachers’ best advantage to learn how to work with it instead of against.

Samantha Rigante is a freshman majoring in philosophy, politics and law.

U.S.’ lack of criticism of the Bolivian coup is hypocritical

With the memory of Jan. 6 fresh in the minds of Democratic lawmakers, loyalists of Jair Bolsonaro — the former president of Brazil — received immediate condemnation by the Western media after a pathetic attempt at seizing power in Brazil. Though it was closer to Woodstock ‘99 than posing any serious threat to seizing control over Brazilian institutions — with one palace employee even claiming “the whole place stank of urine and beer” — it is still important to call out the Brazilian fascists who stormed the capital. We should just make sure we don’t forget to mention what happened in Bolivia. There are many apparent

similarities between major coup attempts in Bolivia and Brazil. In both cases, a democratic election result was contested on the grounds of fraud that was ultimately disproven, and a Christian fundamentalist tried to seize power. There is one key difference, however — in Bolivia, it worked.

In 2019, Evo Morales was re-elected as Bolivia’s president, defeating Carlos Mesa by a large enough margin to avoid a runoff.

Allegations of voter fraud followed the results, irresponsibly questioning the legitimacy of the Bolivian democratic process. Morales, the nation’s first Indigenous president, is a socialist and founder of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) political party, and rose to prominence as a warrior for the Bolivian coca farmers, or cocaleros. He challenged outside influence in political and economic

processes, and confronted the long-neglected racism that plagued Bolivia. Populist and Indigenous activism being transformed into a political apparatus was seen as both a threat to foreign influence in Bolivia and its domestic political economy.

When fraud allegations gained traction, the Bolivian police and military did what the ruling class desperately wanted — they forced Morales to resign, allowing right-winger Jeanine Añez to assume the presidency. Had Morales not been a socialist and instead been an ally to the neoliberal economic agenda, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine an otherwise passive response.

Instead, the Organization of American States (OAS) claimed there was voter fraud present, and there was also very little condemnation of the coup from the West. In fact, the opposite is true — American media outlets

such as the New York Times and Washington Post repeatedly spread the flawed OAS findings despite groups like the Center for Economic and Policy Research pointing out its many discrepancies.

A white, Christian, rightwing politician assuming the presidency was a sigh of relief to the international capitalist class, which saw Añez as an end to the intersectional socialism on display in Bolivia. With the Bolivian right not being outwardly riotous and lawless, like in Brazil or the United States, there was no hesitancy to back up the undemocratic attack on Bolivia’s left-wing government by Añez. She made a point of declaring Bolivia a Christian country after Morales introduced secularism. In the end, socialist Luis Arce and the MAS party regained control of the presidency in 2020, and Añez was imprisoned

for her role in the coup. The story would have had a much grimmer ending if not for the resiliency of the Bolivian people.

Besides Morales’ socialist politics, another reason for the sparse criticism of the Bolivian coup was the natural resources that could be made available by a United States-friendly government. Bolivia sits on the largest lithium reserves in the world, which the United States business class was well aware of. Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter after the insurrection, writing, “We will coup whoever we want. Deal with it!” Surely it was no coincidence that Tesla vehicles rely on lithium batteries and that United States control over Bolivian lithium mines would result in a drop in global lithium prices. Not giving enough attention to the crisis of democracy in Bolivia revealed the widespread lack of principles in the

political and media sectors. Coups rely on under-coverage in Western media because most people in Western liberal democracies would not view such anti-democratic behavior as acceptable. The United States has a long history of bipartisan support for proxy wars and insurrections across Latin America, so it is no surprise to see corporate media enable the Bolivian right-wing. The difference now, however, is the obsessive coverage in the aftermath of Jan. 6. The media is no longer minimizing coverage of coup attempts but is instead selecting which ones should be discussed. Until prominent liberals end their silence on Bolivia, they have no authority to lecture anyone about what a threat to democracy looks like.

Nathan Sommer is a sophomore majoring in history.

Teachers should work

The lack of coverage of the Bolivian coup in the US highlights media bias.

Nathan Sommer Opinions Columnist

Peter Proscia

Pipe

Pipe

Pipe

Track and field competes at non-scoring meets

The Binghamton men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in a pair of meets over the weekend. The Bearcats came out of both the Cornell/Kane Invitational and the Penn State/Sykes & Sabock Challenge with several individual winners and new personal bests on the day.

“Everyone did really well today,” said Binghamton head coach Mike Thompson. “But [junior Penelope Paldino] was probably the highlight — she had a huge PR on the hurdles. [There were] some other small performances, but it was kind of a low-key meet though, so just kind of a tune-up for the conference in a couple of weeks.”

Paldino’s new personal best of 9.08 on the 60-meter hurdles was good enough to see her finish sixth in the event. Also at Cornell, a quartet of Bearcats was able to take gold, with the singular winner on the men’s side being junior Brandon Love, getting his second consecutive victory in the pole vault event with a height of 14-08.00 feet. For the women, senior Mallorie Turner took the triple jump with a leap of 36-05.50 feet,

along with freshman Alyssa Armitage and sophomore Lucciana Robertson — who won the pole vault and high jump, respectively. Armitage earned a height of 11-01.75, while Robertson jumped 5-06.00 feet.

At Penn State, the winning persisted for the BU women’s team in particular — once again. In the 4x400 relay, graduate student Stephanie Cassens, senior Sophia Morone, freshman Angie Mesa-Espinosa and sophomore Hillary Abankwa combined for a winning effort. The quartet clocked in a time of 3:50.06. For the men, the sole Binghamton winner was senior Mark Scanlon, who posted a time of 1:21.30 in the 600 meter event.

“I thought the quartermile women ran really well,” Thompson said. “The [4x400] ran well, and they also had some good individual performances. [Cassens] in the 600, [Abankwa] in the 400.”

A standout performer for the Bearcats was junior Jenna Chan, who broke her own record in the 60-meter hurdle event twice during the meet. After grabbing a time of 8.54 in the trials — breaking her previous record of 8.55 — Chan stepped in the finals to clock in a time of 8.51, a new school and personal record.

“It was great,” Thompson said. “[Chan’s] been running consistently well all year, and with consistency comes the personal best performances. And that’s exactly what she did.”

After next weekend’s Valentine Invitational, the Binghamton men’s and

women’s track and field teams will head to the longawaited America East (AE) Conference Championships. Chan and Cassens were among five BU students to receive individual honors in last year’s championships, helping their team to a third-place finish of 10 participants.

“What I hope to see is everybody have great performances like [Paldino] did and [Cassens] and [Chan],” Thompson said.

provided by darl zehr

couple of weeks they’ve been given time to sharpen up to where they can be.” The Valentine Invitational is next up for BU, starting on Friday, Feb. 10. First event is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Boston, Massachusetts.

Wrestling loses dual meet to Princeton at home

competed hard,” said Binghamton head coach Kyle Borshoff. “It was a disappointing dual meet for us. I think that we were passive, even the matches that we won.”

On Saturday evening, the Binghamton wrestling team hosted Princeton in an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) dual meet after a senior day celebration, which recognized six senior Bearcats. Three BU wrestlers picked up victories, and despite competing early on in the dual, the hosts failed to keep up and were soundly defeated by the Tigers 28-10.

“I don’t think we

Although Binghamton (4-11, 3-4 EIWA) went down 4-0 early after dropping the initial 125-pound bout, the team picked up traction in the second bout of the day.

Redshirt senior Anthony Sobotker battled in the 133-pound weight class, and the Bearcat secured an 11-3 major decision over his Princeton (3-9, 1-3 EIWA) opponent. During the bout, Sobotker maintained control of his opponent

and scored a reversal. This allowed BU to tie the score up at 4-4 heading into the next bout.

“We’ve got to work on the stuff we got beat on tonight,” Borshoff said. “Sobotker getting back on the mat, putting the guy on his back was nice to see.”

Although the Bearcats dropped the following 141-pound bout, this made way for graduate student Michael Zarif to earn Binghamton’s second win of the day at 149 pounds. Although Zarif managed an early takedown to put himself in the lead, the bout would come down to the wire. However, the graduate

student pulled through, earning the victory 7-6 and knotting up the score again at seven points apiece. “We were letting Princeton’s guys control the pace,” Borshoff said. “We’re gonna have to do better from an effort standpoint as we close out the year.”

Despite going back-andforth at the start of the dual, BU dropped the next three bouts after Zarif’s victory, including a loss by pin in the 165-pound match. This three-bout skid caused the Bearcats to fall behind 19-7 in the meet. Binghamton found itself down 12 points with only three bouts remaining, needing multiple

major decisions or pinfalls to make a comeback. However, the Bearcats failed to recover from the deficit.

“Overall, I think that we competed very hard in our past few matches, and we didn’t compete hard tonight,” Borshoff said. “That’s why the score ended up the way it did.”

Despite trailing, BU managed one more victory during the meet. Redshirt junior Jacob Nolan picked up the Bearcats’ final win of the day in the 184-pound matchup. The redshirt junior managed a six-point move to secure an 8-3 decision and added three points to the team’s total. After Nolan’s

victory, BU would lose both the 197-pound bout by fall, and the 285-pound bout by decision as it dropped the dual meet to Princeton 2810.

“[Nolan] got a nice win,” Borshoff said. “I just want to see us compete hard … We have to wrestle hard. We can’t be losing close matches, and we can’t be losing close matches when we’re out there.”

Binghamton will return to action against Cornell on Friday, Feb. 10. First bout is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hilton High School in Hilton, New York.

Sophomore Jenna Chan broke her own school record in the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.51 at the Sykes & Sabock Challenge.

provided by alayna harbaugh

Redshirt junior Jacob Nolan won his 184-pound bout with an 8-3 decision in BU’s 28-10 loss against Princeton on Saturday.

Chan breaks school record in 60 hurdles.

Aidan Jennings assistant sports editor

Sobotker, Zarif, Nolan pick up victories in 28-10 defeat.

Johnny Yang sports intern

Super Bowl LVII predictions

Brian Rose, BU Vice President for Student Affairs

Chiefs 30, Eagles 24.

“The terrible officiating in the AFC championship made it clear that the NFL wants to promote Patrick Mahomes. Expect a bad call to propel the Chiefs to the win.”

Stephen Ortiz, Executive Director of University Scholars

Chiefs 34, Eagles 33

“There are four Florida Gators on the Chiefs — three on the Eagles.”

Donald Nieman, BU Professor of History, former Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Chiefs 27, Eagles 24.

“The Eagles may be better, but the Chiefs are scrappy and find ways to win. Besides, my mother-in-law is a huge Chiefs fan, and she assures me they’ll win!”

Megan Heiman, Deputy Mayor and former Pipe Dream

Sports Editor (‘12-’13)

Chiefs 27, Eagles 20.

“Mayor Kraham has good takes on city government, bad takes on football. Kansas City and MVP Mahomes all the way.”

Women’s basketball outlasts UMBC at home

basketball from page 1

BU kicked off the third quarter scoring with a quick three-pointer from redshirt freshman guard Ella Wanzer and extended its second-period run to 7-0. Soon after, Wanzer drilled two consecutive three-pointers, allowing Binghamton to take a 44-40 advantage. Despite pulling away to a seven-point lead in the period, the Bearcats could not keep the Retrievers out of reach. UMBC closed out the penultimate quarter on a 9-3 run as BU led 52-51 heading into the final stretch of play.

“It’s easy to shoot when you have people that are putting up 12 assists,” Wanzer said. “I wouldn’t be able to make threes without the way [Weltz] passes and the way [Bowman] passes … Shooting goes on and off, so I have to make sure to just keep it on.”

Despite BU gaining momentum to start the quarter, UMBC did not allow the hosts to gain a larger advantage as the game was knotted at 60 with just five minutes left to play. The visitors jumped out to a fourpoint lead that was quickly diminished after Wanzer drilled consecutive shots from beyond the arc. With the game knotted up at 68 with just two minutes remaining, Weltz hit a three-pointer for BU to take the late advantage. This spark allowed the

Bearcats to close out the contest over the Retrievers 80-70.

“I would say that fourth quarter of 28 points was pretty impressive,” Shapiro Ord said. “The second half, we really brought it. [Defensive stops] propelled our offense, and we were able to get the buckets that we did because of our defense.”

Binghamton’s 80 points marked the team’s highest total this year. Bowman led the scoring charge with 21 points, followed by Wanzer — who scored 18 thanks to five 3-pointers. In addition, senior guard Clare Traeger grabbed 18 rebounds. Weltz also showed out as well, earning herself a 10-point double-double with 12 assists, a careerbest and the highest total by a BU player since 2015.

“[Weltz] is just a gritty kid, and she’s trying to do everything she can to help this team and put her teammates in situations to be successful with her assists,” Shapiro Ord said.

“She works really hard. She came up with 10 points, 12 assists — a double-double that’s pretty good.”

The Bearcats will close out their two-game home-stand against New Hampshire on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.

Harvey Stenger, Binghamton University President Eagles 24, Chiefs 23.

“I lived near Philly for about 25 years and got to like them, especially when Andy Reid was their coach. So they are sort of my hometown team.”

Jared Kraham, Binghamton Mayor Eagles 27, Chiefs 24

“Philadelphia is a healthier and more complete team. The Eagles’ run-heavy offense will wear down Kansas City by the second half, denying Reid’s revenge against the franchise that fired him.”