The Spectrum Volume 62 Issue 56

Page 1

ubspectrum.com

Volume 62 No. 56

monday, february 25, 2013

The Heights of Fear UB takes hands-off attitude in South Campus neighborhood, students suffer consequences Adrien D’Angelo /// The Spectrum

LISA KHOURY Senior News Editor Architecture student Chen Lin is so scared living in the University Heights she doesn’t go out past dark. She came to UB this year from China and since her arrival, she has heard about students in her South Campus neighborhood being robbed, shot, burglarized and assaulted. “I feel scared,” Lin said. “I never walk on the streets when the sky is dark. In the evening, I’m afraid to go on the street.” Lin didn’t come to Buffalo by accident. For years, UB has actively recruited international students to campus and now those students make up 15 percent of the student body and bring close to $108 million to Western New York. UB ranks among the top 20 U.S. campuses for recruiting international students and is the top international recruiter among public schools. President Satish Tripathi, who was born in India and is the first international-born president in UB’s history, has made it a goal to increase the number of international students on campus. Yet, the university does minimal work to ensure the safety of these students – or any others who choose to live in the cheap houses around South Campus – once they arrive. “We’re not in the protection business,” said Dennis Black, vice president for University Life and Services. Unlike other campuses, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State and nearby Canisius College – where administrators have worked with local police, state legislatures or landlords to protect students living on the outskirts of the university – UB has taken a hands-off attitude in the neighborhood around South Campus known as the University Heights.

Tripathi declined to be interviewed for this article. He referred The Spectrum to Black and other administrators, who insist the university is not responsible for students’ safety and living conditions off campus. Is it?

‘‘

Eighty-two percent of 760 students polled by The Spectrum feel UB should do more to improve living conditions for students in the Heights. Currently, the university forewarns its students by providing online tips for renting off campus. At international student orientation, UB advises students

We’re not in the protection business.

Fred Brace, who has lived in the Heights for over 25 years and serves as the University District Housing Court liaison, thinks so – particularly if the houses are blocks from campus. He thinks UB is irresponsible and negligent for not improving living conditions and safety in the Heights. “UB has to find a way to get UPD [University Police] patrolling those areas where they know students live,” Brace said. “I don’t care how they do it; they have to do it … I mean, UB is allowing their students to rent properties without proper safety guidelines in them and turning their back on their need for safe places to live.”

‘‘

to be careful before renting homes, though many have already signed their leases. Many, if not most, of the 5,500-plus international students who come to UB live in the Heights, said John Wood, senior associate vice provost for international education. That’s because many students – particularly international students – rent houses from abroad before they come to Buffalo. They see them listed by the Sub-Board, Inc. (SBI) Off-Campus Housing Office, which does not investigate, inspect or endorse the condition of the listed houses and some students assume they are university-approved housing options.

From a distance, University Heights looks great. Rent is cheaper than in most parts of the city and students can walk to class, to the bus stop and to bars, restaurants and grocery stores along Main Street. What the ads don’t tell the students or their parents – who, in the case of international students, pay over $9,000 for tuition on top of rent and expenses – is that for the past 30 years, the area has become synonymous with crime and absentee landlordism. The crimes occurring in the Heights are not minor; students are being held up at gunpoint in their homes, burglarized by armed suspects, beaten and traumatized. Housing inspectors have issued over 750 violations to landlords in the Heights in the past two years. Some houses have had over 20 alone. The violations range from disgusting to deadly and include: faulty wiring that can lead to fire, inactive or nonexistent smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, bed bugs, collapsing ceilings, leaking pipes, unstable railings, improper insulation and inadequate plumbing and waste removal. The list goes on.

How much crime is there and what is UB doing to combat it? On UB’s website – a site many prospective students read – it states in the “South Campus Neighborhood” section: “Some of the crime in Heights neighborhood (sic) is related to the abuse of alcohol among young people who reside in or visit it. Some of this behavior leads to so-called nuisance crimes, such as vandalism. More serious incidents include acts of violence, though they are rare.” Continued on page 4

What have other universities done to remedy offcampus crime?

Pages 4, 5

What are the housing violations in the Heights? Page 5 What is UB doing to correct the housing violations?

Page 5

What have other universities done to remedy housing violations? Page 6 What will the future look like with UB’s current efforts?

Page 6


2

Monday, February 25, 2013 ubspectrum.com

Life, Arts & Entertainment Bollywood reigns supreme

Indian Student Association wins International Fiesta ELVA AGUILAR and PETE SHAPIRO Senior Arts Editor and Staff Writer Cultures clashed as a room of raucous applause, name-calls and shout-outs rang inside an almost-packed out Mainstage Theater inside the Center For the Arts. Last Friday, the Indian SA (ISA) took first place at a sold-out International Fiesta with its Bollywood-influenced wedding story. Latin American SA’s dance troupe, Alma Nanichi, and Filipino SA (FASA) rounded out second and third place at the show, which all featured this year’s “Love” theme. The exciting yet fierce competition featured each traditional dance as well as breakbeat hip-hop fusion and panoramic renditions of favored national thematic movements. Indian SA’s show-stopping depiction of love merged traditional elements of the theme with its vibrant music and culture. The performance began with three women, each representing a different facet of dance within the culture, reminiscing about their experiences with marriage at a traditional Indian wedding. ISA came out clad in bright colors and its blend of tradition, pop culture and Indian electronic fusion captivated the audience. The Bollywood theme fit well with its performance because of love’s prevalence in the film genre. The applause following the performance was deafening. According to ISA president Mira Pandya, the group began preparing for last Friday’s show in late November after its Muqabla show. It was after months of consideration, planning and practice ISA’s 39 dancers achieved victory. “The win is attributed to the dedication of the team members. They really put all of their effort into preparing for the show,” Pandya said. “The long hours that everyone puts in as well as during the weekends definitely paid off.”

as the Samurai and peasant characters fought for the hand of the princess. Color, emotion and imagery characterized the Samurai as the ‘bad guy’ and as the peasant-protagonist was cut down, the curtain fell to shouts and jeers from the audience. Malaysia SA’s colorful blend of cultural themes held a strong theatrical presence. The performance held three themes, each representing the various cultures in Malaysia – Chinese, Malay and Indian. The dance showed disrupted harmony in the country and ended in a battle scene where four statuesque Malaysia heroes defeated invaders, where they concluded with a victory shout that resonated through the CFA. Saung Budaya, which stole the show last year, exhibited an absolutely incredible glassware and plate dance act, representing the Indonesian culture’s ability to control danger and overcome obstacles. Live music accompanied the professional New York City dance group, played on delicate glass percussion inJoyce Adiges /// The Spectrum struments with body clapping adding to the Last weekend, the Indian Student Association won the annual International Fiesta held in the CFA beat, all with bright blues oranges and reds Mainstage Theater. The ISA, along with the other competitors, performed for a sold-out crowd. in the mesmerizing musical act. The dancers handled delicate porcelain plates and bowls, Latin American SA (LASA) told the fi- a month or two, practice [and see] where they aligning them into a circle, dancing on the ery love story of a couple, accented by mul- are and [see] how much they really love the plates. tiple other pairs around them throughout the culture was the icing on the cake.” Senior math major Nick Carey felt the performance. The music featured contempoLast year’s winners, FASA, hit the stage use of the porcelain plates and bowls helped rary bachata, merengue, tango and salsa as with over 40 dancers strong for its tale of add suspense to the performance and walked the male protagonist fought to keep his love tragic love. Its piece was the Filipino version away content from International Fiesta. alive and avoided temptation. The bachata of “Stomp,” with spear tapping and high “I really thought a plate was going to segment, which highlighted the couple’s love, energy, ending on a clock tower note in the proved to be the most sensual as the main setting as the main actor and actress stepped break,” Carey said. “I feel like I got a decent couple intimately posed alone and inches into a picture frame for a last embrace as the amount of culture tonight.” away from each other before temptation curtain fell. With this year’s fiesta at a close, it will be reared its ugly head. interesting to see what both the International Japanese SA (JSA), the first group to LASA president Ricardo Ventura con- perform, graced the Mainstage theatre with Council will premiere as next year’s theme siders this year’s Fiesta a success, especially its depiction of love between the princess and what each SA club will do to top this after not placing in 2012. He hopes the ac- and the Samurai. The story behind JSA’s year’s performances. complishment helps more students learn dance showed love and heartbreak in an imabout Latin American culture. perial Japanese style, beginning with tradi“A lot of our dancers [come from non- tional costume, string and drum music and Email: arts@ubspectrum.com Latin] ethnicities,” Ventura said. “To see fan dancing. As the routine progressed, a them come in and learn to dance … and after fusion of Japanese electro-mash up played,

SEO Marketing Position! • • • •

Must have strong Microsoft Excel skills Must have strong organizational skills Experience with Google Adwords PPC management Strong working knowledge of Google Panda algorithms and how to optimize and prepare content accordingly • Understanding and application of Social Media’s role in organic search • Understanding of blog “Authorship” and it’s relevance in organic search • Strong written communication skills are a plus

We offer a competitive benefits package to our full-time employees: • • • • •

Medical and Dental Short and Long Term Disability Life Insurance 401K - Company Match Paid Time Off Salary Commensurate To Experience

Come See Us At The UB CareerFest Tuesday 2/26/13 or send resumes to: kpish@altitudemarketingny.com


Opinion

Monday, February 25, 2013 ubspectrum.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief Aaron Mansfield Senior Managing Editor Brian Josephs Managing Editor Rebecca Bratek Editorial Editor Ashley Steves News EDItors Sara DiNatale, Co-Senior Lisa Khoury, Co-Senior Sam Fernando, Asst. Rachel Raimondi, Asst. LIFE EDITORS Rachel Kramer, Senior Lyzi White Lisa Epstein, Asst. ARTS EDITORS Elva Aguilar, Senior Lisa de la Torre, Asst. Nathaniel Smith, Asst. Max Crinnin, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS Joseph Konze Jr., Senior Jon Gagnon Ben Tarhan Markus McCaine, Asst. PHOTO EDITORS Alexa Strudler, Senior Satsuki Aoi Adrien D’Angelo Nick Fischetti, Asst. CARTOONIST Jeanette Chwan PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Mark Kurtz CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brian Keschinger Haider Alidina, Asst. ADVERTISING DESIGNER Joseph Ramaglia Ryan Christopher, Asst. Haley Sunkes, Asst.

My life sentence TAYLOR BRUNDAGE Staff Writer A lot of people have nightmares. You wake up relieved it was just a dream, take a deep breath and then forget about it. But my nightmares and my entire life changed forever last year. March 28 at 1:30 a.m., to be exact. The night I got robbed at gunpoint in my living room. See, this wasn’t your typical robbery. These guys didn’t come bashing down my door wearing ski masks screaming at me. They waltzed casually into my South Campus house on Winspear Avenue. I have to admit, I wasn’t very alarmed when they did. Everyone was always coming in and out of my house for one reason or another. I didn’t mind it. I used to consider everyone I met a friend. It was an actual friend, Kirsten Fine, who sat next to me on the couch that night while we did our homework. The funny thing is, before the guys came in, we were telling each other how happy we were with our lives. Then the door opened. They stood before us clad in all black. One was sporting a DeBeer lacrosse bag. I happened to be a fan of the sport, so I was intrigued. “What’s up, guys? You play lacrosse?” I asked them. “Yeah,” they muttered while pacing around a bit. “Oh yeah, me too! I’m pretty good actually,” I bragged playfully. “Not as good as me,” one of them said while locking his eyes into mine. “I’m all-county.” They both smiled. Something didn’t seem right at this point. Looking back, I should have realized these guys weren’t exactly coming from lacrosse practice.

The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion, and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. The Spectrum is provided free in part by the Undergraduate Mandatory Activity Fee. The Spectrum is represented for national advertising by both Alloy Media and Marketing, and MediaMate. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum visit www.ubspectrum.com/ads or call us directly. The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100

They came in looking for my roommate; they kept bringing up her name. She wasn’t home. I didn’t know how to help them besides trying to call her. While the phone was still in my hand, I watched the larger of the two men unzip the lacrosse bag and pull out the gun. Now, when I say gun, I don’t mean a paintball gun. I don’t mean a handgun, either. I mean a semi-automatic rifle with a green scope laser. I heard the click-click that until that moment was just a Call of Duty sound effect to me. As my phone hit the floor, I could see nothing – nothing except a blinding green light and the menacing smile standing behind it. Looking back, I didn’t have time to make peace with any higher power. I didn’t have time to make a case for saving my own life. All I could do was watch the man’s finger caress the trigger. I watched him move and point the gun at Kirsten. I saw the fear in her eyes and she saw mine. Before we could speak, they grabbed $15 and a little bit of pot that was lying on our disheveled living room table. They said “thanks” before sprinting away from my house. Something inside me couldn’t let that be the end. Through all the confusion, I called 911. The police came almost immediately. Kirsten and I worked like investigators that night, stalking through Facebook and making phone calls to see if we could somehow come up with a face and a name. And we did. Because of our quick thinking, the police found their address and moved in on them. They found the rifle stashed outside and arrested the men who were hiding in their bedrooms with suitcases packed. So the nightmare ends there, right? Far from it. That night, my life was turned upside down and I will never be the same. Between pointing out the criminals, standing before a jury and the actual trial itself, there were so many odds and ends that had to be sealed. My parents didn’t want

me in Buffalo. My family was petrified and so was I. But I think what hurt the most was the fact that many people who I had once considered my closest friends, people I would die for, just couldn’t understand – or didn’t want to. I had to move midway through the semester, which, surprisingly, I was able to continue after going home for so long to deal with the trauma. After my move, there were a lot of people I lost touch with and a lot of things I was forced to change about my life. And I’m glad I did. Now I’m stronger and better than ever before. I know how to decipher between people who really care about me and people who don’t give a sh*t what happens. I make the right choices. Occasionally, I have this nightmare that the guys are coming back for their revenge and it always ends with the pulling of a trigger pointed at me. I wake up shaking, crying and sweating, unable to sleep again. I hear the sound of a banging door or a firework and it sends me spiraling into this horrible place and I can’t stop reliving the moments when I thought my life would end before I got to see the age of 21. If I could offer any advice, it would be to know the people you associate yourself with. Though it might be the more difficult thing to do, realize that you could be put in danger even indirectly by the choices you make. Sometimes, it takes a loaded gun pointed at your head for you to get it. I do think my nightmares will end on March 12 – the day the prison doors will shut behind these criminals – and I get the closure I’ve been seeking for a full year now. They’ll be serving five to 25 years each. But because of the trauma they’ve caused me, I’ll be serving a life sentence. Email: taylorbr@buffalo.edu

For UB to go north, it needs to fix South AARON MANSFIELD Editor in Chief

February 25, 2013 Volume 62 Number 56 Circulation 7,000

3

I knew what was happening the second I turned around. The man who was about to rob me stood 20 yards away. It was midnight. I was returning from work. I had just closed the garage door of my University Heights home. I saw him stampeding up my driveway when I turned around. He was small. Probably about 5-foot-5. Skinny, too. At 6-foot-3, nearly 200 pounds, I wouldn’t have blinked at the challenge under normal circumstances. But he had a gun. A bandana covered his face and a hoodie masked his head. I remember contemplating my two distinct choices: hop a fence and try to outrun him or walk right up and see what happened. I kept walking. He loaded the gun. Chk-chk. He pushed it into my stomach. I remember the poke and the questions on my mind: 1. Will he actually shoot me if I don’t empty my pockets? 2. What would it feel like to get shot in the stomach? I wasn’t interested in exploring the answers, so I obliged when he screamed in my face, demanding “give me everything!” He knew my wallet wasn’t everything – no tricking this guy – so he kept shouting and I eventually gave him my keys, too. He continued his demands, but he wasn’t getting the paycheck in my hand. I was 17 and had worked hard all week for it. Thankfully, he didn’t notice. He sped away and I called the Buffalo Police. They showed up about 15 minutes later and told me there was nothing they could do. About a month later, the department called me in to the station and asked me to identify the robber from a picture list of 20 or so men. I couldn’t find him.

Check out the next editorial coming Wednesday

More than a test score

Reform the broken standardized testing system

That 2008 episode marked one of seven times my family was robbed that year. I was the only one held up at gunpoint. The other incidents happened in house and car break-ins at our Lisbon Avenue home. Robberies in the Heights have gone down since 2008, from 73 back then to 60 in 2012. But crime totals – adding homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and vehicle theft numbers – are exactly the same. There were 523 crimes in 2008 and 523 in 2012. Students these days probably think it’s always been that way in that neighborhood. It hasn’t. I grew up in University Heights, and it has completely disintegrated over the past decade. The kids you see getting arrested on TV and in the news today are the kids I played basketball with in my backyard. Think of your childhood buddies who are probably off at college. I find mine in the police blotter. It’s a sign of what’s going on in that part of town. Good kids are becoming criminals to survive in the mad city. Shortly after my driveway showdown, one of my childhood friends vowed: “I can find out who did it. We can get him.” I told him not to. I lived in constant fear. Every time I walked to and from the Metro stop to travel between home and my high school, I felt like there was a target on my back. I didn’t go out after dark. We had bars on all our windows. Criminals still found a way to break in. One ravaged our house while my sister was asleep. I now live off North Campus, but copious other students aren’t as lucky. The administration claims living on South is a choice. For many, it isn’t. Do you think every student can afford the astronomical cost of living in Amherst? Or, if you tell them to live off campus in Cheektowaga or Tonawanda, do you think they all drive and can afford a car?

UB is raising tuition every year. Like me, a solid percentage of students pay for their full education with zero parental contribution. As the cost of attendance goes up, the amount of money students can spend on rent goes down. This is a preposterous situation. The UB community shouldn’t be facing this dilemma in the first place. South Campus is just as much a part of UB as North, and it’s more a part of UB’s history. South shouldn’t be a taboo area. Wonder why Buffalo is such an economically depressed city? It’s because the area doesn’t have one major cash hub. Steel factories are gone. Like Indianapolis has fixed its crime problems by adding the NCAA headquarters, Buffalo needs a stimulant, and for now, Western New York has banked upon UB to be that major cash crop. Want UB 2020 to flourish? Want to continue building the athletic department? Frankly, who cares about any of those achievements if a large part of the school is a terror-ridden, crime-infested disaster area? I can tell you who doesn’t care: students. You think they are going to promote school spirit if they feel their lives are in danger the second they step off campus? Why would they help you if you are clearly neglecting them? I don’t live in fear any more. Students living in the Heights still do. They don’t feel secure walking up the street. If UB really wanted to fix this burgeoning problem, with all the money in its budget, it could. As flawed as the Buffalo Police Department is, the University Heights conundrum should fall at the feet of UB’s administration. Look at the polls The Spectrum conducted this week. Students are making a statement: They know exactly what’s happening. It’s time for UB to turn it around. Email: aaron.mansfield@ubspectrum.com


4

Monday, February 25, 2013 ubspectrum.com

News Continued from page 1: The Height of Fear

In fact, violent crimes happen quite often in the Heights – twice as often as in the neighborhood around North Campus. Last year, police logged over 500 major crimes, which include homicides, assaults, rapes, larcenies, robberies, burglaries and vehicle thefts in the Heights. And since 2007, rape in the Heights has increased by 50 percent, assaults by 16.6 percent, robberies by 9 percent and larcenies by 7 percent, according to Buffalo Police crime statistics. By contrast, American Live Wire ranked Amherst, the city surrounding North Campus, the third-safest city in the United States in 2013. Although University Police protects student safety on South Campus, the minute students set foot off Main Street and into the Heights – even by one block – campus police no longer have jurisdiction, according to UPD Lieutenant Mark Gates. Instead, it becomes the job of the Buffalo Police. University Police can only intercede if Buffalo Police asks for help or if a UPD officer witnesses a crime, according to Gates. UPD Chief Gerald Schoenle said BPD calls for help three to four times a month. Students who live in the area insist they don’t feel comfortable in their neighborhood. Fifty-four percent of 787 students polled by The Spectrum said they feel unsafe when they’re in the Heights. Some residents admittedly like the autonomy of knowing no one is checking on them – not parents or police. Fraternities – some legal, some illegal – have houses in the Heights and there is an abundant party scene. Still, for some students, dangerous living conditions are significantly affecting their university experience. “Living in the Heights has affected my experience at UB negatively,” said *Taylor Brundage, a senior English major. “While living there, I struggled to get my work and life, in general, under control.” On March 28 at 1:30 a.m., Brundage was sitting in her living room on Winspear Avenue doing homework when two young men – also Heights residents – broke into her house looking for her roommate and pointed a loaded rifle at her and her friend. Afterward, she could no longer sleep and became so scared her doctors diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder. She left UB for a month and saw a counselor in her Rockland County hometown.

The two screen shots above display the crimes around North and South Campus on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 12:44 a.m. The top photo, on North Campus, shows zero crimes. The bottom photo, in an area of the University Heights, displays 34 crime incidents including at least two assaults, seven thefts, two robberies and one burglary.

On Nov. 10, in three separate crimes, UB student Mitchell Staunch and his friend were mugged and beaten, another student was held at knifepoint and three female students were assaulted. Staunch, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said a man approached him on the street, asked him to empty his pockets and punched him in the jaw when he refused. He hit his head on the pavement and was knocked unconscious. While he was out, his attackers picked his pockets and stole his cell phone, $42 in cash, his debit card, ATM card, UB ID and driver’s license. “I was really angry because they took a lot of money and stuff,” Staunch said. “I hated the world. I hated some people after that and I was really surprised that it happened because it never happened to me before. And

there was no reason because I didn’t do anything to them.” Six days later, a freshman engineering major (who asked to remain anonymous) was walking to a bus stop on Winspear with two friends in the early morning when a man pulled out a gun and asked for money. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Bryan Bergstol, a junior communication major, and his four UB student roommates left their West Northrup home for the holidays. When they returned Sunday, they found every door of their house smashed in and many of their valuables gone. Black, whose office oversees both student residences and public safety, said there was nothing UB could do for Bergstol or his roommates.

“I’m sure there were, on that same day, 200,000 robberies across New York State and 2 million across the country,” Black said. “That’s not something I’m proud of, but the fact is, that happens.” The burglary at Bergstol’s home, however, wasn’t simply one of 200,000 in New York State. The same house, when occupied by different tenants, was broken into over Thanksgiving break in 2011. Burglars surmise where students live, said Dan Ryan, director of Off-Campus Student Relations. And they target their homes when they are away on school breaks, like Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. BPD does not increase its patrols of the Heights during those breaks and campus police does not patrol at all. The only recent action taken to warn students about holiday break-ins occurred in Dec. 2012, when Ryan sent an email to students living in the Heights and told them to lock their homes and valuables. Three Heights homes were burglarized over that winter break. On Jan. 18, a 20-year-old was shot in the lower leg in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight on Minnesota Avenue. BPD upped its Main Street patrols on the weekends two years ago, but E-District Chief Kimberly Beaty, whose district includes the Heights, refused to tell The Spectrum why. Despite the increased patrols, in the past two years, there has been a 44 percent increase in assaults, 21 percent increase in vehicle theft, 13 percent increase in robberies and 3 percent increase in larcenies in the Heights. Community members don’t understand why campus police doesn’t step in to help.

What have other universities done to remedy off-campus crime? Rosline Righetti has lived in the same house on Merrimac Street for 57 years. In the past five years, she’s become so tired of crime that she has installed eight cameras around her home. “I feel bad for the kids here,” Righetti said. “They come to school and they’re being subjected to the robberies and the rapes.” She said she’s seen cars broken into, tires slashed and air conditioners in windows broken to get into homes. Continued on page 5


ubspectrum.com

Monday, February 25, 2013

5

Continued from page 4: The Height of Fear

For Righetti, the answer is simple: Give UPD jurisdiction in the Heights. That is not something UB has tried, Black said. The university has never pushed for its campus police to have jurisdiction to protect students off campus. Ohio State did. On Sept. 19, Ohio State University and the City of Columbus agreed on joint jurisdiction that gives campus police the right to patrol in the inner city of Columbus, where many students live. In the first two months the plan was implemented, violent crime dropped 5 percent from the past 10 years, said OSU Undergraduate Student Government President Taylor Stepp. Stepp made increased campus police presence his focal point when elected president in April. His true focus is on violent crimes, he said. “I was not comfortable being in a situation where we were OK with any students getting mugged off campus or held at gunpoint or robbed,” Stepp said. “So our job isn’t done until we can make that armed assault number zero at Ohio State.” Could UB do something like this?” Not according to Black. “Ohio is Ohio; Buffalo is Buffalo,” Black said. “I don’t know if there’s a comparison … The answer is that it would take legislation in order for that to happen. That’s not something that UB and Buffalo alone can deal with. That deals with what the power of different police officers are in the State of New York and that’s, quite frankly, beyond us.” In Ohio, university President E. Gordon Gee worked with state legislation to invest in the safety of students off campus, Stepp said. Stepp said he “cannot even imagine the university leadership team stating they do not have a vested interest in students’ safety.” “I oftentimes see students and my constituents as people that really need a helping hand because, a lot of times, these students are renting for the first time off campus, and there needs to be accountability for people who try to take advantage of them because that’s simply what it is,” Stepp said. In warm-weather months, BPD and UPD have agreed to share a joint bike patrol on Main Street to increase police presence. Since 2010, during the first few weeks of the academic year and on Halloween weekend, BPD and UPD typically share jurisdiction in the Heights. But that’s the only time.

Though one of the homes was condemned, Rosen said no one takes responsibility for the landlords who are taking advantage of students in the Heights. She particularly pointed out that many landlords don’t live in Buffalo. “A landlord in the house that was condemned was holding some company in Brooklyn,” Rosen said. “These people aren’t even there. There’s no accountability. There’s no real people.” Ferris has been robbed of approximately $1,000 worth of valuables in the Heights during his time at UB, Rosen said. The latest robbery happened in November, when he visited the Heights and got robbed of his iPhone at knifepoint.

What is UB doing to correct the housing violations?

Alexa Strudler /// the spectrum

Jordan Little found his new Heights home was infested with bed bugs in late August. His landlord hired an exterminator who exterminated the house improperly – Little’s roommate was bit shortly after. As a result, Little slept on his friend’s couch for most of the fall semester.

Bonnie Russell, the University District Common Council member, is baffled by the university’s hands-off attitude. “I just think that more police involvement in an area where there’s police available, the better off the community is,” she said. “If you have campus police nearby, I think it helps benefit everybody who lives there.”

What are the housing violations? In the 2010-11 academic year, four houses rented by UB students in the Heights caught fire due to faulty wiring or natural gas problems. Last semester, Lin and her fellow international student roommates had to evacuate their house when an inspector realized carbon monoxide, an odorless poisonous gas, was leaking into their apartment. In September, four students left their Englewood Avenue home for four days when inspectors found faulty electric wiring, which could have caused electrocution or a fire. On Oct. 13, inspectors found hardened raw sewage in Zhen Pan and Seng Gao’s Merrimac home. The second-year electrical engineering graduate students were unaware that debris surrounding an open pipe in their basement floor was the result of neglected plumbing issues. Jordan Little, a senior psychology major, spent most of his fall semester sleeping on his friend’s couch. His Merrimac home was infested with bed bugs, something his landlord – whom he only knew as “Victor” – never mentioned.

In the past two years, inspectors have found at least 34 inactive or missing carbon monoxide detectors and 37 inactive or missing smoke detectors in Heights homes. These cases – which The Spectrum counted in the Office of Permits and Inspections – are only a sampling of the violations found, as they only include the cases that closed. Cases still pending or in court were not counted. On North Campus, Amherst building inspector Joe Freeze said he hardly gets any property maintenance complaints from students in off-campus houses and apartments. In the fall of 2011, political science majors Bill Pike, Jeremy Ferris and Mike Frodyma lived without heat or running water for more than two weeks before housing inspec-

‘‘

In 2011, UB tried to help students living in the Heights by initiating housing blitzes designed to check if homes in the Heights are up to code. To do this, Off-Campus Student Services Director Dan Ryan teams up with Buffalo building inspectors and checks homes for a few weekends each semester. If inspectors find violations, they cite landlords, ask them to fix the problems and, if necessary, send them to court. Since Operation Student Safety began about two years ago, Ryan said he and the city inspectors have inspected over 600 apartments, some on second visits. His sense is the inspections are helping decrease housing violations and raising awareness to absentee landlordism in the Heights. Neighbors, too, praise the program and Ryan says it is viewed as a model by other colleges. But – as Brace points out – Ryan is just one man and he can only do so much. And what he has, Brace says, is “a job for Jesus.”

It was just disgusting disrepair. Disgusting. Filthy. Horrible.

tors condemned their Lisbon Avenue house and forced them out. Now, Ferris, a senior, lives on North Campus. He lived in three houses in the Heights over two years. The first had no gas, the second no water. “His name was Scott; we’ve never met him,” Ferris said about his second landlord. “We couldn’t get in touch with him, ever. Then, the year before, I had a landlord claim we had $11,000 worth of damage in the house … I feel like the landlords will do anything to get money out of us.” Donna Rosen, Ferris’ mother, begged her son to move out of the Heights for two years. But it cost him only $180 to $200 per month – just over a third of his current rent on North Campus. “I cannot tell you,” Rosen said about the homes she witnessed her son live in. “Loose wires, leaking pipes, windows that just have … nails over them, doors nailed shut, going out to the exterior, it was just disgusting disrepair. Disgusting. Filthy. Horrible.”

‘‘

Even Ryan admits the results are ambiguous. “What we’re finding is that when we’ve gone back to these places, for the most part, improvements have been made,” Ryan said at a University Heights Collaborative meeting on Feb. 12. “Having said that, we’re also finding some where they haven’t vacated the premises or where they haven’t repaired the electrical.” Professor Henry Taylor, the director of UB’s Center for Urban Studies, which is located on South Campus, thinks the Heights’ problem is larger than just Ryan’s office can handle. Taylor has worked for UB as a neighborhood and community developer since 1987. He ranks UB’s efforts in the Heights as a “one out of 10” in university involvement. Taylor insists UB needs to do more than just enforce housing codes in order to better the Heights. He said the university must invest in the Heights’ housing stock and businesses, like the University of Pennsylvania did Continued on page 6

716-877-7111 Pick-Ups offered from the airport!

DOWNLOAD THE

APP

STUDENT BROAD-BASED FEES CONSULTATION PROCESS Monday 2/18 - Friday 3/1 BE INFORMED Visit Online For:

- Student notice/letter - Proposed increases - Annual budget reports - Services provided - FAQs - Waivers - Contacts

GET INVOLVED

Share Your Feedback: - MyUB MyOpinion survey - facebook.com/whatsupub - Talk to your student government reps - Email: src@buffalo.edu

studentaccounts.buffalo.edu/broadbasedfees


ubspectrum.com

6

Monday, February 25, 2013

Continued from page 5: The Height of Fear to help develop its adjacent Philadelphia neighborhood. “[UB] never really developed the type of innovative programs that it should have and could have in order to change conditions inside of the neighborhoods and community,” Taylor said. “It never made that commitment. And so, as a result of that, as we predicted a long time ago, the problems continued to get worse.”

What have other universities done to remedy housing violations? Canisius, about a 10-minute drive from South Campus, has similar off-campus housing issues as UB, but was worried enough about its students to take action and purchase homes. Over 17 years ago, the college bought about 21 off-campus houses to rent to students. It stopped buying and renting houses eight years ago to focus on new residence halls on campus. To make up for that, Associate Director of Residence Life Al Pilato periodically meets with and frequently communicates with about 25 landlords who own homes around campus. He works with the landlords to make sure both students and the neighborhood are being taken care of properly. When a student has a problem with a landlord or vice versa, Pilato contacts the person directly. “It used to be closer like to what you know at UB,” Pilato said. “The quality of life in the neighborhood was actually poor. Garbage everywhere, lack of courtesy, but it’s really changed quite a bit. The behavior issues we have that involve the police have dropped dramatically just because of this involvement with the landlords.” The University of Pennsylvania, which similarly had the troubled area of West Philadelphia along its borders, has partnered with three businesses since the mid-1990s to invest in 1,350 units in multi-family houses in University City, its off-campus neighborhood where roughly 10,000 students live, said Ed Datz, real estate and operations director at UPenn. The university also invested in the neighborhood’s retail, grocery and hotel space. UPenn has spent approximately $185.7 million, he said. UB has spent about $150,000 in the Heights, according to UB Spokesman John Della Contrada. That’s 0.08 percent of what UPenn has spent. The UB money went for: security cameras, Operation Student Safety, increased UB police patrols on peak weekends like Halloween, Operation Doorhanger (a community safety program in which UB students distribute “doorhangers” printed with safety reminders and tips on how to be a good neighbor) and Student Safety Fairs, Della Contrada said.

Alexa Strudler /// the spectrum

This fall, Off-Campus Student Services continued its two-year journey of “housing blitzes” to check for code violations each Saturday in the Heights. On Oct. 13, Charles Didio, a city building inspector, found remnants of a raw sewage backup in a student’s basement at 49 Merrimac St.

At UPenn, the administration’s goal was to buy houses and make them clean, safe and well serviced so students would have decent places to live, according to Datz. The effect, he said, spread throughout the neighborhood. “Penn’s example brought in other landlord investors who have developed multi-family properties and offer improved housing options to students and others who live in West Philadelphia,” Datz said. “Street vibrancy in the neighborhood has increased due to a variety of retail options that did not exist in the past, and these, along with public safety enhancements, have improved the overall safety in University City.” Taylor is waiting for UB to make that commitment. “University of Pennsylvania spent money with the businesses of the neighborhoods, bought properties and developed them into apartments, worked with the police to make it a safer neighborhood and community,” Taylor said. “So they worked on multiple fronts, not just on one front. And they played a leadership role. They didn’t just sit back and tell the community what to do.”

Spend a bright summer in Buffalo Get ahead in your studies, work with a favorite professor in a smaller setting, or take appropriate classes to get back on track with a four-year graduation plan. Choose from a huge schedule of on-campus and online credit-bearing courses at UBThisSummer.

Registration begins March 4th!

Find a course or two that’s right for you at

www.ubthissummer.buffalo.edu.

What will the future look like with UB’s current efforts? SBI general service manager Lorenzo Guzman sits in his office, looking at the list of 71 Heights homes in the beginning of the spring semester that are up for rent on UB’s studentrun housing office website. Of them, only one has a certificate of occupancy, which outlines the building’s proper use and proves it is habitable. Ryan has asked SBI not to list properties that don’t have certificates. If Guzman abided by this request, he explains, he would have almost no listings in the Heights. In four years, one landlord has provided Guzman with a certificate of occupancy. Guzman says there is one landlord named Wang who is so bad, Sub Board will no longer list his homes. Yet, as Guzman is talking to a Spectrum reporter, Wang’s name appears on the list under an alias, a tactic he often uses, Guzman said. Guzman takes him off the list but can’t guarantee he won’t try again or that a student might see Wang’s property before Sub Board removes it. SBI Legal Assistance gives legal advice to many students with landlord issues. Daniel Shonn, an SBI legal assistance attorney, said 60

percent of all issues brought to him are from students in the Heights. Shonn said international students regularly sign leases overseas and often end up unhappy or with complaints. A large percent never get their security deposits back before they go home, he said. Like Taylor, Shonn doesn’t believe UB has taken the necessary steps to eradicate issues completely in the Heights, like absentee landlordism. “UB has made promises to invest in the University Heights a number of times,” Shonn said. “Almost every president has made some promise about trying to improve the quality of life in the University Heights. And I don’t know if anyone has ever done it. I think Dan Ryan has at least the best handle on what’s going on, but what we don’t seem to be able to do [like other colleges] is go out, buy a lot of housing, fix it up, manage it.” So long as the university continues to insist living in the Heights is a choice, students may have to choose a life of fear. Email: news@ubspectrum.com

*Taylor Brundage is a Spectrum staff writer


Classifieds

Monday, February 25, 2013 ubspectrum.com

WANTED HELPHELP WANTED MARKETING POSITIONS AVAILABLE. Lasertron Family Entertainment Center is currently hiring for an introductory level marketing position. Candidates should have some knowledge of Adobe’s Creative Suite including Photoshop & Illustrator. Some incoming phone sales will be necessary. Email your resume to llaclair@lasertron.us. Lasertron, 5101 North Bailey Avenue Amherst, NY. PART-TIME & MANAGER POSITIONS AVAILABLE. Lasertron Family Entertainment Center is currently hiring for GoKart operators and general customer service . Working at a fast, detail-oriented pace and having excellent customer skills is a must. Starting at approximately $11/hr. must be available nights and weekends. Management-in-training positions are also available. Stop in and complete an application at Lasertron, 5101 North Bailey Avenue, Amherst, NY. ApartmentFOR forRENT Rent APARTMENT 4,5,6 & 8 BEDROOM remodeled apartment houses. 32 apartments to choose from. University Buffalo Main Street Campus- off Englewood. Beginning June 2013: UB South Campus for $300/ bed plus utilities. Washers & dryers included. Contact BRADENGEL37@gmail. com or Shawn at 716-984-

7813 Check out our website www.BUFAPT.com. EVERYTHING YOU NEED for the 2013 academic year. Great 1 to 8 bedroom houses & apartments. Near South Campus. Off-street parking, laundry, dishwashers & much more! Please call: Andy to schedule a showing. 716-3084881. MERRIMAC 3&4 BEDROOM. Updated kitchen, bath, dishwasher, laundry & off-street parking. $295 per person. Available June 1st. 716308-5215. 1 TO 8 BEDROOM HOUSES AND APARTMENTS at UB South: dozens in prime locations on Winspear, Northrup, Englewood, Merrimac, Highgate, and more! Most have large bedrooms, hardwood floors, offstreet parking, laundry. Local, responsible landlord with maintenance staff. Call, text, or email Jeremy Dunn, (585) 261-6609. LISBON/BAILEY 2-3 BDRM, furnished, carpeting, appliances & parking. $240/ p+, dryan91660@aol.com, 716-440-5133. BEAUTIFUL TOTALLY UPDATED APARTMENT. Sleeps up to 4. Newer appliances including stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, large microwave & coin operated washer and dryer. Rent includes Fios high speed internet and cable tv. Plenty of off-street parking; must see.

1yr lease begins 6/1/13. $1,100 per month includes water. Contact AJ, 510-3527. House rent HOUSE FORfor RENT 1,3,4,5,6,7 & 8 BEDROOM homes and apartments available now. To view go to www.daveburnette.net or call Dave at 716-445-2514. EVERYTHING YOU NEED for the 2013 academic year. Great 1 to 8 bedroom houses & apartments. Near South Campus. Off-street parking, laundry, dishwashers & much more! Please call: Andy to schedule a showing. 716-3084881. 1 TO 8 BEDROOM HOUSES AND APARTMENTS at UB South: dozens in prime locations on Winspear, Northrup, Englewood, Merrimac, Highgate, and more! Most have large bedrooms, hardwood floors, offstreet parking, laundry. Local, responsible landlord with maintenance staff. Call, text, or email Jeremy Dunn, (585) 261-6609. LARGE DUPLEX HOUSE at 197 Minnesota Ave. With two 3-Bdrm apartments. Four blocks from University of Buffalo South Campus. Laundry, garage, water and appliances included. 1 yr lease. Contact: Craig Van Tine, vantinec@gmail.com/703-8565068.

Daily Delights SUDOKU

7

Room Rent ROOM FORfor RENT FANTASTIC LOCATION across the street from UB South at Main & N.F. Blvd. Rent for completely furnished room starts at $450.00/mo including all utilities and internet. 630-300-4228. Immediate occupancy. Roommate Wanted ROOMMATE WANTED AMHERST-SOUTH CAMPUS/UNIVERSITY PLAZA side of main. Looking for 1 serious male roommate. Excellent condition, furnished, private-bedroom, big closet, laundry, dishwasher + parking available. 4 minute walk to campus. $315.00 + share of utilities. 716-400-9663, if no answer 716-400-9661. SERVICES Services BUFFALO DRIVINGSCHOOLS. COM Learn to drive with our warrantee driving instruction package. NYS 5hr course, points& insurance reduction class in our classroom or on-line. Call for free shuttle service to our classroom from north& south campus. 716834-4300. CITY A1 DRIVINGSCHOOL.COM Beginners & brush-up driving lessons. 5hr class $30.00 716875-4662. Unclassified UNCLASSIFIED PREGNANT NEED HELP? Call 716-694-8623.

SPONSORED BY

Villas on Rensch

Crossword of the Day

HOROSCOPES

Monday, February 25, 2013 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK

ACROSS

50 Blade handles 52 Alone at the prom 55 Grip for a goblet

1 "Yippee!"

56 Not straight up

6 Components

58 Eat into

11 Brazil's ___ Paulo

60 Trident-shaped Greek letter

14 Blow one's top

61 With "show," get better

15 Certain board material

66 Little green man

18 FedEx alternative

57 Chief in a burnoose

16 Unusual

67 Bar orders for the calorieconscious

22 Hobbles

59 "Take a number" site

23 Chef's seasoning

62 H.S. support group

24 Melange

63 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 (Abbr.) 64 Word before maiden names

17 With "show," demonstrate 68 Chambermaid's charge skill 69 Employ pupils? 19 Szyslak behind the bar

Edited by Timothy E. Parker February 25, 2013 ON WITH THE SHOW By Rob Lee

20 Kind of common stock

70 Swap

25 What a "Star Trek" tricorder might "show"

21 Princeton supporters

71 Cay

27 Like eight-tracks

23 It may wind up in a yard 26 Accident on ice 28 Buenos ___

DOWN

65 It may be used with a plunger

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -Jumping to conclusions today can very likely put you in hot water -- or find you, at the very least, in an extremely awkward position. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You are feeling quite passionate about a great many things, and even a loved one is going to notice the difference. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- For one who usually approaches things in a rational, albeit sometimes heated fashion, you may prove surprisingly erratic today. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You're very close to scoring that victory you've been so keen on lately -- but one particular challenge has you doubting your approach.

CANCER (June 21July 22) -- You'll find yourself at the center of the action during much of the day -unless you make the decision to back away and give another the reins. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You will be able, confident and self-sufficient today. What you do as a result, however, may hinge upon some random circumstances. VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) -- You'll want things to feel comfortable and "homey" today, especially if you find yourself far from home. It's the little things that count. LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 22) -- A smile makes all the difference, especially when you are dealing with someone for whom authority and status are important assets.

31 Black wildebeests 34 Twist-off thingy 35 Fairy tale baddie

29 Oater actor Wallach

1 Parliamentary vote

36 Looks nastily

30 Do some henpecking

2 Artist Jean

37 Formicary dweller

32 City east of Phoenix

3 Primitive shelter

33 Fix, as an election

4 Make one's views known

39 "___ circumstances beyond our control ..."

34 High heating-cost periods

5 NFL Hall-of-Famer Graham

41 "The Grapes of Wrath" migrant

38 Slave's state

6 Accelerator, for one

42 A group working together

40 Dark solar area

7 Cherokee or Sioux, e.g.

44 Like some parking spots

43 Most sovereign

8 Arbiter with a whistle

46 Square and cube, e.g.

45 Barely achieve (with "out")

9 Hurried pace

47 Big inconvenience

51 Like proverbial milk 46 Word with "string" or "horn" 10 A neighbor of Jordan 11 What to "show" Aretha Franklin 53 Cropped up 48 "Before" to poets of old 54 .edu alternative 12 Has a crush on 49 Spy org. 55 Final Four matches 13 "Potemkin" mutiny site

Now leasing for Fall 2013

716.932.7900

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Teamwork is the key today -- but it may take you longer than expected to find that one person who rounds out your team just so. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- The fruits of your labors can prove quite enjoyable -- if you have time to enjoy them. You may have to move on right away. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -Take care of a situation that is, right now, private. Delay, and it is likely to become a public situation before you know it! AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- The nicer you are to those around you today the more you will gain -in ways that you have perhaps never before imagined.


8

Sports

Monday, February 25, 2013 ubspectrum.com

Barricading the Bobcats Bulls post record defensive performance, best Ohio OWEN O’BRIEN Staff Writer

Nick Fischetti///The Spectrum

Junior forward Javon McCrea dunks home two of his 15 points. He added 11 rebounds, but the Bulls could not come back to defeat Manhattan, falling 65-64 in Alumni Arena on Saturday.

Bracket busted Bulls turn ball over 24 times, lose BracketBuster game to Manhattan BEN TARHAN Sports Editor On Saturday afternoon, the men’s basketball team hit as many field goals as, twice as many 3-pointers as and six fewer free throws than their opponent. They played well enough to win in every phase of the game, except one: turnovers. The Bulls (11-16, 6-6 MidAmerican Conference) turned the ball over 24 times against Manhattan (11-16, 8-8 Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference), including 18 times in the first half as they fell 65-64 in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBuster game. “We didn’t think they were a pretty good basketball club, so we probably came out not as focused as we should have been,” said junior forward Javon McCrea. “I mean, we turned the ball over 18 times in the first half and we were still up three, so we probably thought it was just too easy. When we came out in the second half, we took it off a little bit, and they came out really tough and kind of fought back. I have to give them credit.” The Bulls outplayed the Jaspers for most of the game, outshooting them 55 percent to 42 percent from the field. Senior guard Tony Watson continued his recent hot streak and finished the game with 24 points and three rebounds – his thirdstraight game with 20 points or more. Also contributing to the offensive attack was McCrea and freshman guard Jarryn Skeete, who both finished the game with doubledoubles. McCrea added 15 points and 11 rebounds – his ninth doubledouble of the season – while Skeete was the third-leading scorer, finishing the game with 11 points and 10 assists. However, both McCrea and Skeete turned the ball over a game-

high five times. The Jaspers scored 11 points off turnovers and their bench outscored the Bulls’ bench 36-6. They started the second half on a 16-2 run, taking the lead for good less than three minutes into the half. Despite falling behind by as many as nine points, the Bulls were able to make it a dramatic finish. Buffalo’s defense held Manhattan without a field goal for the final 4:35. “They were on the line a lot,” said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. “Defensively we got a few stops. We didn’t get enough obviously. We did OK defensively.” `With just under a minute left, the Bulls came down the floor and Watson got an open look behind the arc and hit his seventh three of the game to pull the Bulls within one. The Jaspers didn’t score on their next possession, giving the Bulls 11 seconds to attempt to gain the lead. Watson began to take the shot from three-point range but tried to draw a foul and lost the ball. Skeete chucked up a last-second prayer, but the attempt was unsuccessful. “All the blame’s on me,” Watson said. “I’m the senior leader. I should have stepped up and made a play.It was a bad play by myself. I should have been attacking the basket. I should have been passing to the guy who took the shot or taking the shot myself.” The Bulls have not fared well in close games this season, going 3-7 in games decided by five points or fewer, including Saturday’s loss. Buffalo has four remaining games, all in conference, as they prepare for the MAC tournament. The Bulls begin their final push to the tournament at Kent State on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

When the women’s basketball team hosted Ohio in January, it resulted in Buffalo’s largest victory in over three years and its best rebounding performance since 2004. Head coach Felisha LegetteJack didn’t want the team’s first matchup to allow for a letdown in the second affair. The Bulls (9-17, 7-6 MidAmerican Conference) avoided the trap, as they defeated the Bobcats (6-19, 1-12 MAC), 56-35, on Saturday afternoon in Alumni Arena. “We talk about many things other than basketball [during pregame],” Legette-Jack said. “We talked about you never know when it will be your time to shine, so you have to always be ready. If we talked about this as a trap game it could get us nervous.” Buffalo allowed 35 points, the fewest since Dec. 6, 2006. “Our goal is always to hold a team to under 59 points, but when we went into the locker room after holding them to 15, we changed our goals,” Legette-Jack said. “We wanted to hold them to under 40 points.” Buffalo allowed 15 points in the opening half, its second fewest all season. The Bulls’ defense held the Bobcats to 17.9 percent shooting in the half and 24.1 percent for the game, including 2 of 17 – 11.8 percent – from behind the arc. Ohio’s leading scorer, guard Kiyanna Black, was held scoreless by the Buffalo defense and missed all of her seven shots and recording only one point. The Bulls are the only team that has held the Bobcats to under 40 points. Buffalo’s frontcourt dominated the paint, scoring 24 points and outrebounding Ohio 43-36. “I like the fact that the game started with the inside-out,” Legette-Jack said. “We put [Rachel] Sharkey on the block and that really opened up chances to score.”

Nick Fischetti///The Spectrum

Christa Baccas (above) and the Bulls rolled past Ohio 56-35 in conference play on Saturday and held the Bobcats to just 24 percent shooting from the floor.

The Bulls’ offense was equally as effective as the defense. Buffalo moved the ball well and it showed – the team had 19 assists on 22 field goals, led by senior guard Nicki Hopkins (six assists) and junior forward Cherridy Thornton (five). Sophomore guard Sloane Walton came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 14 points while hitting four 3-pointers. “We started putting a lot of different people in and trying other combinations,” Legette-Jack said. “The kids are getting better with the more play time and it takes time for everyone to get into the rhythm. We played very unselfishly today.”

Buffalo shot 40.7 percent from the field and hit nine threes en route to its victory. Sophomore forward Christa Baccas recorded six points and grabbed 12 rebounds. She anchored the Bulls’ defense as well, seizing four of Buffalo’s nine steals and swatting away two shots. The Bulls will travel to Bowling Green (17-8, 8-4 MAC) on Thursday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Need college hockey? Join the club JOE KONZE JR Senior Sports Editor The men’s club hockey team is not one you will see playing in the Frozen Four, nor will you see any of the players making ESPN’s Top Ten plays anytime soon. The names Matthew Ganci, Craig Meaney and Ben “Nitro” Lantz may never register in the NCAA hockey record books. But if you watched the fans who packed the stands of the Northtown Center on Saturday and Sunday to watch the Bulls hoist the NECHL Playoff championship trophy, you saw the impact these players have on UB. The team’s following is astonishing. There was constant pounding on the glass whenever a favorite player or friend came near the home stands. The famous “goal dance” was frequently on display in the stands. Both factors were part of the family-like atmosphere. I have always wondered why UB didn’t have a hockey team. It seemed ridiculous that a university

in one of the biggest hockey towns had not funded a program since 1988. It’s been commonly talked about in the Buffalo community: the future of a hockey program at the UB. Former UB athletic director and current UConn AD Warde Manuel had considered adding a Division I program, but the cost of ice time, equipment, scholarships and conference realignment seemed to be the biggest concerns. Multiple rumors circulated that Jeremy Jacobs, owner of the Boston Bruins and UB alum, could be linked to funding the program. Jacobs has held multiple positions of power, including director, of the UB Foundation. His company, Delaware North Companies, is stationed in Buffalo. He donated $10 million to the university in 2008, but that was for the research of clinical collaboration on the causes, treatment and prevention of heart and vascular diseases. Amongst all the madness and buzz, the men’s club ice hockey team kept its composure. Though the squad struggled a bit last season, this season, the Bulls ranked No. 21 in the country and No. 2 in the Northeast Collegiate

Hockey League (NECHL) in the regular season, ultimately outlasting Niagara in the championship game. The Bulls finished with a record of 26-4 overall and had two players, Ganci and senior Chris Covel, score 20 or more goals. The impressive season brought me to a consensus: While we wait for a benefactor to jump on board and help fund a Division I program, or we make cuts to the athletic budget in favor of the sport, or UB never funds a program, I am quite all right with the club team that we have. A club team of athletes who share my passion and love for hockey makes it a heck of a lot easier to root for them. After every game, win or lose, fans are able to meet the team. For now, I will be in full support of the club team and everything it has done for hockey fans who hope this season has a ripple effect that transforms into something big. Email: joseph.konze@ubspectrum.com

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Three track and field athletes won MAC Championships over the weekend. Ch ec k out th e

st o ry at u bspectrum.com.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.