ASL club connects UB’s hearing, Deaf communities Gymnastics club teaches students perseverance THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
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Women’s tennis team looks to rebound this season
wednesday, february 26, 2014
Strong late-season performance could yield coveted triple bye
Courtesy of Ohio University Athletics
The Bulls travel to Ohio to face junior forward Maurice Ndour and the Bobcats on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Ndour had 17 points and five blocks in the Bulls’ last matchup with Ohio.
control over our destiny if we continue to play good games the rest of the way.” The Bobcats are 11-4 at home, while the Bulls are just 5-5 on the road. Buffalo hasn’t lost a game since it fell to Ohio. The Bulls have won seven of their last nine. Buffalo has never had sole possession of first place in the MAC East this late in the season. “There are really five schools competing for a four spot, and it was our goal before the season to be in the top four so that we can advance to Cleveland without having to play,” Hurley said. Akron (17-10, 9-5 MAC), which Buffalo defeated last Wednesday, is also in the mix. Ohio forward Maurice Ndour
Senate passes six amendments in one meeting Current, former SA members have split opinion on changes AMANDA LOW News Editor
In less than one hour, the Student Association Senate unanimously passed six out of seven amendments, tabling the other. The approved amendments: removed the distinction of oncampus and off-campus senators; changed staff appointment procedures; extended the president’s term until the end of the school year; altered election dates and vacancy election policies; officiated university policy in Student-Wide Judiciary (SWJ) rulings; and revised the process of money transfers. The fourth amendment, which specifies the Senate’s powers, was tabled because senators felt it needed more exploration. The Senate, which oversees the financial aspects of SA, helps manage the organization’s approximately $4 million budget. The Senate passed the six amendments unopposed and not much debate occurred within the meeting itself. But Senator Ali Ahmed, who left the meeting just before the votes, and former SA President Travis Nemmer question some of the decisions – namely removing the division of on- and offcampus senators. Ahmed and
Nemmer are also concerned with the proposed changes of the fourth amendment. “To give them 10 minutes to decide on the constitution of the Student Association, which not only affects the current year but all the coming years to come is ridiculous,” Ahmed said. He voiced his concerns regarding the amendments before leaving Sunday evening’s meeting. Nemmer thought the amount of time was indicative of the Senate’s ability to work effectively. “If the Senate is doing their job, they either give it the appropriate attention and vote it up, or if they didn’t like it, they’d ask more questions and vote it down,” Nemmer said. “Time doesn’t factor too much into this.” SA President Sam McMahon said the amendments are “mainly the result” of last year’s SA audit. He said SA’s lawyer advised the association to address “areas of ambiguity” in its constitution to “strengthen the organization moving forward.” Currently, the Senate is comprised of six students who reside off campus and six who reside on campus. Students who live on campus can only vote for on-campus senators and vice SEE SA, PAGE 8
and guard Nick Kellogg had 17 points apiece in the Feb. 15 game. Kellogg is the MAC’s fourth-leading scorer with 15.3 points per game, and he is first in 3-pointers (65). Senior forward Javon McCrea passed Rasaun Young for most points in school history during the Bulls’ last game. McCrea has 1,920 career points, surpassing the 1,908 Young scored from 1993-98. McCrea has scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games, including 31 against Kent State (15-12, 6-8 MAC) Saturday. McCrea leads the MAC with 18.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His 57 percent shooting and 57 blocks each rank third in the conference. Buffalo returns home to host Miami Ohio on Saturday. The
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UB plans to increase Comprehensive Fee over next five years
OWEN O’BRIEN The men’s basketball team, which has sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference East, is in unchartered territory. On Wednesday, the Bulls look to achieve another rare feat: defeat Ohio. Buffalo travels to Ohio (19-8, 9-5 MAC) on Wednesday before hosting Miami Ohio (10-15, 6-8 MAC) on Saturday. The Bulls’ performance in these two games will determine their seed in the MAC Tournament. The top two teams receive a triple bye all the way to the semifinals. UB is currently No. 3 overall in the MAC, behind West foes Toledo (23-4, 11-3 MAC) and Western Michigan (18-8, 11-3 MAC). When the Bulls last played Ohio, they held the lead for over 22 minutes, but a late offensive collapse resulted in their lone loss at Alumni Arena this season. Buffalo hit three of its final 11 shots and lost 73-70. The Bulls have lost their previous seven contests against the Bobcats and haven’t defeated them since Jan. 22, 2011. In this stretch, which included an intense 2012 MAC semifinal game, Ohio has cemented itself as one of the team’s biggest rivals. Ohio will secure the tiebreaker over UB with a victory Wednesday. This is a pivotal game for both squads as they chase top seeds in the tournament. “We’ve put ourselves in a very good position being in first place [in the East],” said head coach Bobby Hurley. “We have
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Volume 63 No. 54
With crucial tourney seeding on the line, Bulls hit the road Sports Editor
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Bulls defeated the RedHawks, 75-62, at Millett Hall Feb. 12. McCrea led all scorers with 25 points on 12-of-14 shooting, and Buffalo shot 49 percent as a team. The RedHawks have won just one game since Feb. 1. Will Felder leads Miami Ohio with 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Miami Ohio’s Quinten Rollins is tied for first in the MAC in steals per game (2.2), and Will Sullivan has been the conference’s most efficient shooter (44 percent) from beyond the arc. Wednesday’s contest is set for 7 p.m. at Ohio’s Convocation Center, and Saturday’s game tips at noon at Alumni Arena.
SAM FERNANDO
Senior News Editor
UB is planning to increase the Comprehensive Fee by 3 percent each year until the 2018-2019 academic year. The Comprehensive Fee, which was implemented in 1998, allocates money toward different university services and programs. Every year, full-time undergraduate students pay $2,141 for the Comprehensive Fee, which includes the Athletic Fee ($509), Campus Life Fee ($211.50), College Fee ($25), Health Fee ($297), Technology Fee ($728.50), Transcript Fee ($10) and Transportation Fee ($360). After five years, the fee for undergraduates will collectively be $2,433.50. Provost Charles Zukoski and Vice President of University Life and Services Dennis Black informed the student body of the increase in an email Feb. 15. The university accumulated $48,721,000 from the fee for the 2014-15 academic year, according to UB’s Office of Student Accounts webpage. The amount will increase to roughly $56,480,992 by 2018-19. Graduate students’ Comprehensive Fee – which does not include the Athletic Fee and the Transportation Fee – will go up from $1,632 to $1,923.50, according to UB Reporter. “The proposed increase would support state-mandated increases in salaries and fringe benefits for employees, increased techSEE fee, PAGE 2
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A legacy of genius, fame – and controversy UB professors react with enthusiasm to pending release of Robert Frost letters TRESS KLASSEN
Copy Chief
Robert Frost’s name has long conjured the instant evocation of snowy woods and roads less traveled. At UB, with the Victor E. Reichert Robert Frost Collection touting audio recordings, photographs and an original handwritten draft, the poet’s image deepens beyond the words of his works. The Special Collections library in Capen Hall holds the artifacts. Harvard University Press has added another layer to Frost’s multifaceted biography with the release of a collection of Frost’s selected letters. “I think it’s wonderful news,” said popular English professor Robert Daly in an email. Daly, who will give the inaugural Victor E. Reichert Robert Frost lecture later this spring, noted, “[The collection is] splendidly done and gives us a better view of how complex and learned Frost was.” The book, which is a staggering 848 pages, is the first of a multi-volume collection that provides readers with an in-depth exploration of Frost’s personal life and daily experiences.
Courtesy of Poetry Collection
Robert Frost stands in Ripton, Vt., during the 1950s. The photographer is unknown, but this image is included in UB’s Robert Frost collection of audio recordings, photographs and handwritten materials.
This collection is sure to complicate the already divisive conversations that have swirled around academic circles since Frost’s death in 1963. A literary giant in the world of American literature whose poetry was beloved by the public during his lifetime, Frost became immersed in controversy in later years. A slew of unflattering biographies led to his characterization
as a “monster of egotism” and a “mean-spirited megalomaniac.” Nonetheless, Frost’s presence remains a hallmark of classrooms nationwide as students explore his poetry. Rebecca Wasmer, a junior computer engineering major, has fond memories of her experience reading Frost as a high school student. SEE frost, PAGE 2