the Independent Student Publication of the University at Buffalo, Since 1950
The S pectrum ubspectrum.com
Volume 62 No. 53
Monday, February 18, 2013
Married Catholic priest is a sign of changing times Story on page 5
A night inside Buffalo’s new Helium Comedy Club Story on page 4
Dollar Bulls
UB calendar may see big changes in fall 2013
Deciphering who gets what in the athletic department
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, winter break and Jewish holidays potentially affected
BEN TARHAN Sports Editor
C
ollege athletics is big money. Huge money. Even schools like UB, which take on the daunting task of competing with powerhouses like the University of Florida and University of Texas, try to build a brand and turn a profit through athletics. Texas has become one of the most successful college athletics programs in the country with a commitment to every single sport. “Whatever we do, we want to do it well,” said Texas Athletic Director Deloss Dodds in a USA Today article. “Whatever sport we have, we want it totally funded – I mean totally funded. We want it to be the right experience for every youngster on all of our teams. Whether it be travel or housing or whatever it is, we want it to be first class.” While schools with huge operating revenues can afford to fully fund a large number of sports, some smaller schools can afford to fund only a handful. Buffalo falls somewhere between those categories. The Bulls have the money to fully support the biggest teams on campus (i.e. football and basketball) but after that, other teams are awarded money from the school with inconsistency. Teams with more wins don’t necessarily get more money, and teams with more members don’t necessarily get more money, either. Although the Bulls do not have the athletic budget of Florida (in the 2010-11 academic year, Florida’s football team made $72.8 million by itself, while Buffalo’s whole athletic department made $26 million in 2011-12), they are still making a profit. Student fees account for a large fraction of money dispersed amongst Buffalo’s athletic teams. The fees accounted for $7.8 million of the total athletic budget revenue in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years. Buffalo can afford to give the football team first-class accommodations when it
SARA DINATALE Senior News Editor
Art by Jeanette chwan
travels around the country, chartering planes and reserving whole floors in hotels, but teams like volleyball and wrestling are forced to take 12-hour bus rides to Northern Illinois and the schools in Michigan. Buffalo does turn a profit athletically, even if just barely. The margin between the Bulls’ revenue and expenses in the 2011-12 academic year was $2,000 in the black. The most obvious measure of many teams’ success is on-the-field performance. But which teams get financed the most is not dictated by winning percentages. In the 2010-11 and 2011-12 years, the football team received the most direct institutional support ($4.9 million combined) and brought in the most revenue ($10.9 million
combined), despite posting a 5-19 record. Part of football’s larger revenue comes from ticket sales. The large UB Stadium, which can seat approximately 30,000 fans, gives the team the opportunity to sell more tickets than any other team on campus. The men’s swimming and diving team has posted a first- and second-place finish at the Mid-American Conference championship meet in the last two seasons. Its combined operating revenue from 2010-11 and 2011-12 was $723,779.69. That’s a gap of more than $10 million, though the swim team has been a MAC powerhouse in recent seasons and the football team has struggled to win games. Continued on page 2
Mazel tov
UB’s Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage to become official department SHARON KAHN Staff Writer UB’s undergraduate Jewish studies major is scheduled to become a full-fledged department in fall 2013. Five years earlier, the Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage became a multidisciplinary research and academic degreegranting program. Its mission is to foster knowledge, inquiry and scholarly excellence to better understand Judaism. The department will offer various degree options and courses. Dr. Richard Cohen, director of the Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage, was one of the visionaries and creators of the program back in 2008. Eager to return back to his home on the East Coast after teaching Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte for 14 years, he was hired to direct the new program at UB. According to Cohen, the program’s goal is to teach what Judaism is in an academic and scholarly context and to provide a better understanding of Judaism. “This is not just a program for Jews,” Cohen said. “We don’t identify our students by religion. Nobody does that at the university. It is simply to provide a more objective account of Judaism.”
Courtesy of The University at Buffalo / Douglas Levere
In the fall of 2013, the Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage will become a full-fledged department with a mission to foster knowledge, inquiry and scholarly excellence to better understand Judaism. Dr. Richard Cohen (above) helped create the program in 2008.
Christianity was founded on many Jewish principles and the major Christian characters were originally Jewish, according to Cohen. He also said Islam was enormously influenced by Judaism, as Jews appear in the Quran. Marla Segol, undergraduate adviser for the institute and an associate professor in
Inside
UB’s Department of English, feels the program fits into the university’s notion of what liberal arts is and what it’s for. She agrees that students of all different backgrounds and beliefs can benefit from taking any of the courses offered in the program.
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee voted to have class sessions over winter break and hold classes on Labor Day and Jewish holidays. The proposals still have to go to President Tripathi before a final decision is made, and administration will likely set up a group to provide student input, according to Daniel Ovadia, the UB Council student representative. While some students see the benefits, others are upset by the prospects. The executive committee, which “shall act as the representative of the Senate and in an advisory capacity to the President,” is a faction of the Faculty Senate authorized to act between Senate meetings, according to Charter of the Faculty Senate. The committee met on Wednesday, Feb. 13. The Faculty Senate met on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Currently, UB is the only SUNY University Center that does not hold winter intersession classes; University at Albany, University at Binghamton and Stony Brook University have classes over winter break. The benefits of winter sessions were discussed in a January committee meeting. Kara Saunders, university registrar, used Stony Brook as an example, stating 2,200 students taking three-credit courses would yield about $2 million, according to minutes from Jan. 23 provided by Edward Herman, secretary of the Faculty Senate. “Possible course offerings might include intensive language study, distance learning, internships, undergraduate research experiences, field research, and ‘boot camps’ – courses that would enable undergraduates who had difficulty in prerequisite courses during the fall semester to master the subject enabling them to continue in the spring,” according the January minutes. The committee also believes the courses would benefit international students who are already on campus during the winter intersession. Supong Ozukum, a senior geology major and an international student from India, usually spends his winter break “sitting at home and wasting time.” “If they offer classes, I’d like to take them,” Ozukum said. “It would help me get ahead for my graduation. It would help me stay ahead of the game.” Ozukum admits he enjoys having Jewish holidays off, but the committee voted to hold classes on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. “The reasoning is that one religion should not get favorable treatment over others in the academic calendar,” Herman said in an email. “For example, the vote took place on Ash Wednesday, a day when classes were held.” In Herman’s understanding of New York State law, he said professors cannot give exams, set due dates for projects or papers or mandate attendance on a religious holiday, or “interfere with religious observance in any other way harmful to student success.” Cortney Rosen, a senior communication major who is of Jewish faith, isn’t happy with the proposal.
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Opinion 3 Life, Arts & Entertainment 4-6 Classifieds & Daily Delights 7
Sports 8
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