The Spectrum Volume 62 Issue 63

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950

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UB students "step out of their own lives," spend spring break teaching children in the Dominican Republic.

Friday, March 22, 2013

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Volume 62 No. 63

With an absent father and a mother diagnosed with breast cancer, forward Christa Baccas knows what it means to rise up for a team. Baccas was left to not only fulfill her basketball dreams, but help her mother and four siblings throughout her mother’s treatment.

“Christa’s invaluable. She is like our caretaker. She doesn’t care about the points or anything other than our success. She will do whatever she has to do to make sure we are good.

That’s why she’s our captain.”

Home to hardwood, Baccas learns leadership Drawing inspiration from mother’s health struggles, Baccas prospers on court SPECTRUM FILE PhOTOS

OWEN O’BRIEN Staff Writer

At 6-foot-2, Christa Baccas stands above nearly every other women’s basketball player on the court. She is often the last line of defense between her opponent and the basket.

With an absent father and a mother diagnosed with breast cancer, she knows what it means to rise up for a team. Baccas was left to not only fulfill her basketball dreams, but help her mother and four siblings throughout her mother’s treatment.

At age 16, following her mother’s diagnosis, Baccas was called upon to make the switch from the passenger seat next to her mom, AnnMarie Baccas, and her oldest brother, Mario Baccas, and take over the wheel.

These days, Baccas is driving the Bulls in a winning direction.

Baccas, a sophomore forward, is one of two captains on the women’s basketball team. She finished the season first in minutes, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage for the Bulls en route to

being selected to the honorable mention All-Mid-American Conference team. She was also second on the Bulls in steals, third in assists and fifth in scoring. Challenges have been thrown her way, both on and off the court, but she has been able to surpass them all and exceed expectations.

Baccas’ father left when she was only a child, forcing her mother to work 16- to 18-hour shifts as a shipping clerk and at Walmart. When Ann-Marie returned home, she had to fulfill the role of both mother and father to five children.

“She never complained once,” Baccas said. “I have no clue how she did it.”

The family pulled together to help make every day as easy as possible for their mother. The kids would often cook dinner for her so she could relax and have a hot meal ready for the limited time she had before another shift began.

The family members were used to uniting and sacrificing for one another through adversity when they were challenged yet again. This time: a life-threatening diagnosis.

In Baccas’ sophomore year of high school, Ann-Marie was diagnosed with breast cancer, leaving her unable to work for over a year while dealing with treatments.

Following the diagnosis, Baccas knew she had to play a larger role in the family. She was called upon to drive her younger brother to practices and school or take her mother to doctors’ appointments when Mario couldn’t.

Her mother’s strength amidst difficulty was staggering to Baccas.

She never “broke down,” according to Baccas.

Their mother’s diagnosis shook the family, but it provided opportunities to spend more time together – something they rarely experienced before.

“Looking [back] now, I can say the only thing that cancer did to me was make me a much stronger person by giving me a year of unpaid vacation so that I can see my family more often, which resulted in my family becoming closer,” Ann-Marie said. “We would all sit down every night for dinner, which normally happened only around Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas because of my work schedule.”

The all-rounder

Staff Writer

The bus is packed. Students are crammed next to one another in the tight, container-like space.

Some are fortunate and able to rest in the coveted seats while others have to stand for the next three minutes. Still, everyone is uncomfortably close to each other.

There is a low buzz of indistinguishable noises. It’s broken as soon as the bus pulls away from the curb.

“It is three-o-nine in the p.m.

Next stop – Greeeeiner! How’s everybody doing today?” calls Stephen Parker, sitting comfortably behind the Stampede’s wheel.

There is instant recognition.

Some passengers surreptitiously flash a knowing smile. More enthusiastic ones yell out greetings.

They are excited to see the bus driver, who is better known to passengers as “Pastor Parker.” The jolly pastor is well liked for interacting with them on the bus – a gem among the Stampede staff.

Parker speaks into the bus microphone, greets the crowd cheerfully and gives them the word of the day. He encourages everyone to follow him on Twitter and Facebook, which he updates daily with inspirational thoughts for students.

“All righty, folks,” Parker beams.

“Don’t forget to do a random act of kindness. If you do something nice to somebody else, they might in turn do something for you.”

He also makes his mission to brighten up students’ days by playing games on the bus – usually Jeopardy! or Family Feud.

Parker has built up a reputation for himself over the past five years as one of UB students’ favorite bus drivers. Parker is a pastor who started his own church and runs an oncampus Bible study group. Apart from his bus driving duties and ministerial services, Parker takes on three other lesser-known roles: developmental aide, regular family guy and college student.

“I remember Christa would follow me over asking to play, but she would have to wait until the big kids were done, so she would go to the next court and just shoot away all by herself,” Mario said. “As soon as I was done, I would say to her: ‘You ready to lose?’ She would smile from ear to ear, and we would play one-on-one until it was dark.”

That’s when he knew playing ball was her calling.

Off the court is where Mario’s importance to Baccas and the rest of the family truly shined.

“He was important [to keeping the family together],” Baccas said.

“With him around, [Ann-Marie] wouldn’t have to worry about how we would get to our dentist appointments, practices and school.

He was just always there to make us feel comfortable.”

Both mother and daughter have shown resiliency and the ability to handle affliction while making no excuses. The two demand the best out of themselves and are not satisfied with any less.

SEE BACCAS, PAGE 8

Change of pope may cause ‘change in melody’

Stampede bus driver doubles as pastor, developmental aide, college student, father TONG MENG

Mario was first a role model to his sister because of his basketball abilities, but that was far from the only reason. He was a three-sport athlete – baseball, basketball and football – his entire life. However, he stopped playing sports early in high school to help out with his mother.

When Mario played growing up, Baccas was never far behind.

Baccas would always go to Mario’s Catholic Youth Organization games and charge the court during halftime just to shoot around for a few minutes. When she was younger, Mario would even pick her up to help her make the shots until she became able to knock them down on her own.

Whether it was a gym floor or blacktop, Baccas was looking to play with her older brother at every opportunity.

The two had an aunt who lived about 10 minutes away with a basketball park around the corner. Although the siblings are separated by five years, they spent countless hours on those courts together growing up.

UB community reacts to Pope Francis ERIC CORTELLESSA

Staff Writer

Many students look forward to the games and have a genuine interest in answering the questions. Others listen attentively, and a few remain undisturbed. But still students get off the bus with smiles on their faces, according to Benjamin Osenbach, an economic development graduate student.

“I’ve ridden on the UB Stampede several times and have always found it to be quiet because people don’t talk or even make eye contact with each other,” Osenbach said in an email. “When Pastor Parker starts asking his questions for ‘Stampede Feud’ or Jeopardy!, I actually see people teaming up to answer the questions, and it really is just an awesome thing to see.”

Others seem to share Osenbach’s sentiments. Parker has 1,206 followers on his Twitter page, which is covered in grateful tweets from students who have found his bus rides fun and uplifting since he started working in 2007.

SEE PARKER, PAGE 2

A month after a pope resigned for the first time in over 600 years, Jorge Mario Bergoglio took his place. He is the first pope in the history of the Catholic Church to come from South America.

On March 13, as a puff of white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, members of the UB community experienced a diverse array of responses as Catholic cardinals selected a new pope to lead the church during challenging times.

The Argentina native will be called Francis. He chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most revered religious figures in history, noted for his acts of charity and embrace of those living in poverty.

Father Patrick Keleher, director of the Newman Center at UB: Catholic Campus Ministry, expressed a desire for the new pope to “change the melody, but not the words.”

He also stated he was pleased to see the Cardinals pick someone from Latin America and that, at age 76, Pope Francis is both old enough to have the wisdom for the

papacy and young enough to have the ambition to change the trajectory of the church.

“I think he will be less discriminating,” Keleher said. “Let’s hope he’s more welcoming.”

But Jamie Gugino, a junior English and psychology major, doesn’t really see how the pope could “make a significant change with what is going on today in this world.”

Gugino, a native of Buffalo, grew up as a Roman Catholic and attended parochial school but later in life decided she wanted to look elsewhere for religious and spiritual guidance.

“When I was 19 or 20 years old, I tried to study all the religions so that I could pick something,” she said. “I went to Catholic school my whole life, but when I was done, I picked a religion, or tried to. I thought Buddhism and Taoism were probably the closest to what I think.”

Gugino feels the Catholic Church is not a cohesive enough institution to make a substantial impact on current affairs and the role of the pope is largely irrelevant in the modern world.

SEE POPE, PAGE 2

ubspectrum.com

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Continued from page 1: Pope

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Pope Francis, the newly elected pope of the Catholic Church, gives his blessing to onlookers.

“I think between all the conspiracy theories and things [that] have been going on, that religions are kind of falling apart all over the world,” Gugino said. “I think that people are questioning what is real and what’s going on, and I think that a pope is unnecessary. Just like I think that a president is unnecessary. I don’t think we need someone like that to represent the people. I think that’s kind of stupid.”

Gugino said with all the problems the church is currently facing, including a shortage of priests, a sexual abuse crisis and a growing animosity from those who support abortion rights and same-sex marriage, the new pope will need to lead the church in a new direction.

Christian Andzel, president of UB Students for Life, an anti-abortion club on campus, would like to see Pope Francis proclaim a contemporary vision for the church that leads it in a direction to help the poor and unify the church. He doesn’t think it should stray from conservative values.

“He has shown in the past that he will help the poor,” Andzel said. “I think this is important because those who are conservative are painted as ‘anti-poor,’ and I think if there is a strong clerical message that says: ‘We will help the poor,’ and if we are going to walk the walk, that would be really important and I really want to see that.”

Andzel said the pope’s influence is “insurmountable” and the new pope should instigate an effort of instructing priests to go out in their communities more often, encouraging members of the church to “help out with food drives, housing for the poor and city missions.”

Along with the difficulties of governing the Vatican itself, the new pope will have to decide how he wants to manage his presence in a society where technology is becoming more and more ubiquitous.

His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, embraced the growing trends within a media-saturated culture by activating a Twitter account.

Andzel feels the pope should sustain a public presence but would prefer Pope Francis retain the sacred and mysterious quality of the papacy by being more traditional and abstaining from online social networking services.

“I think the pope needs to be more visible,” Andzel said. “He should be out in public, with the cameras on him, doing good work.”

Keleher said he doesn’t expect the pope to “come out and say it’s all right to have same-sex marriages or abortions,” but he thinks the pope will help the church adopt an attitude of an inclusion.

“I was moved to see that he blessed the feet of those AIDS patients,” Keleher said. “We need that kind of compassion, and it has always been a part of the church doctrines.”

He noted while the pope’s job is “to traditionally be conservative,” Pope Francis will be able to reach his heart out to those who feel marginalized. Keleher wouldn’t be surprised if the pope calls an ecumenical council, a group of bishops who meet and discuss Catholic matters, the way Pope John XXIII did in 1962.

While Gugino finds the pope’s role extraneous to modern society, Andzel and Keleher have hopes he will make important impacts.

In the meantime, Catholics await how Pope Francis will proceed as the leader of a worldwide church.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Friday, March 22, 2013

Continued from page 1: Parker “The bus drivers tend to be friendly people,” said Lisa Lu, a sophomore English major. “It’s just that [Parker] is really friendly, and he riles up the kids for class.”

His popularity among students has earned him praise from Jeffrey Hamill, the general manager at First Transit, the company that runs the UB Stampede.

“I rode on his bus for a while and passengers really enjoyed riding with him for the short time they do, and they look forward to his bus – they wait for his bus,” Hamill said.

In preparation for the games, Parker records Jeopardy! and Family Feud episodes every day. He also takes the time to search for trivia every week.

“That’s part of who I am,” Parker said. “I feel as though if I got the opportunity to give somebody something positive, then I’ll do it.”

In addition to being a bus driver, Parker is an ordained pastor and is involved with ministerial work. Religion has always been part of his life. Both his parents were pastors who headed a strict but loving home.

Parker believes his faith shaped who he is today. Without it, he doesn’t know where he would have ended up.

“I’ve done a lot of stuff that young kids do in the city – hanging with the wrong crowd, [getting] into trouble,” Parker said.

“Never was arrested, which I’m glad for. But I did do a lot of things that were rebellious – staying out late, going to parties that I’m not supposed to be at, drinking and smoking – doing things that I shouldn’t have been doing.”

Parker hit his all-time low.

He then decided to turn his life around.

“I found myself at a place [in my life] where I was upset all the time,” Parker said. “I was angry. I had a real bad temper, [and] it was a total contrast of who I was, the younger me. I was a happy-golucky kid. I like to play around, like to joke and like to have fun.

And I’ve looked at myself and said that’s not who I am. That’s not what I want to be. So I got back into church [and] through that, it made me into a better person.”

Parker is keen on helping students establish a stronger relationship with their faith. He has been holding a Bible study group in the

Alexa Strudler, The Spectrum One of UB’s most popular bus drivers, Stephen Parker, engages his riders in his new game of the week, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Student Union every Sunday upon student request.

“I’ve found that a lot of Christian students at UB are hesitant to share their faith with their friends because they are afraid of being stereotyped as superficial friends wanting to convert everyone,” said Osenbach, who is planning to join Parker’s Bible study group. “I feel like he shows the students of faith at UB that it’s OK to share your faith as long as it’s done in love.”

Parker is also starting a new church, The Sanctuary. The idea to have a non-denominational church, which has a focus on youth, came to him and his wife after he was ordained. They are currently looking for a space to hold regular service.

Parker has been caring for people with developmental disabilities at the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) for almost 13 years.

Tuesday through Saturday, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., Parker oversees the daily activities of his charges in their homes. He ensures they have clean houses, food to eat and ways to attend community activities. In some cases, he also helps them with hygienic tasks.

Parker became a developmental aide because his late younger sister had Down syndrome.

“I loved her tremendously – we had a very close relationship,” Parker said. “Through that relationship, I’ve seen how I would want her to be treated. So I got into that field to try to help individuals in similar situations.”

B EER

Although there are some depressing aspects of the job, like seeing charges pass away, Parker emphasizes the rewards, like hearing a patient tell a joke and make progress toward independence.

“You didn’t even know they [knew] how to tell a joke,” Parker said. “You laugh all day.”

Parker’s son, whom he calls his motivation, has also inspired him – this time to lose weight. Parker started a rigorous regimen of walking and interval training.

Since the beginning of the year, he lost 23 pounds.

Parker’s relentless motivation is evident in his studies. He has five classes left before graduating from Bryant and Stratton College with a degree in paralegal studies. He hopes to pursue further studies at SUNY Buffalo Law School.

“I’ve been on the Dean’s List just about every semester except for one, [and] I thank God that I’m doing so well in school right now,” Parker said.

Although Parker has a hectic schedule, he manages by praying and being organized.

“I pray because it keeps me grounded,” Parker said. “It keeps me from pulling what little hair I’ve got out.”

For now, Parker is grateful for his faith and continues to spread the message of love and kindness to as many students as possible.

He works to bring a smile onto students’ faces and continues to do that with his signature games on the Stampede.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

WING S

Opinion

Friday, March 22, 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.

Sharon Kahn, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS Elva Aguilar, Senior Lisa de la Torre, Asst.

Max Crinnin, Asst.

SPORTS EDITORS Joseph Konze Jr., Senior Jon Gagnon Ben Tarhan Markus McCaine, Asst.

PHOTO EDITORS Alexa Strudler, Senior Adrien D’Angelo Nick Fischetti Satsuki Aoi, Asst.

Aminata Diallo, 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.

March 22, 2013 Volume 62 Number 63 Circulation 7,000 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

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Us, the students

As the price of college increases, the value is decreasing Imagine buying a new book online that you’ve been looking forward to reading for a while and which you’ve been told is incredibly beneficial. After a few weeks of anticipation, you get it in the mail, tear apart the package, open the book and find most of the pages have been torn out.

That’s what college is like. Only it costs several thousand dollars and people say if you don’t finish it, you’ll be doomed for life.

As incoming college freshmen are tearing open their mail in the upcoming weeks to find acceptance letters and welcome packets, they are going to have to face that harsh reality. According to a recent analysis by the Center of Budget Policy and Priorities, universities – specifically state universities – across the country are starting to and continuing to cut courses while simultaneously raising the cost of tuition to avoid paying higher taxes.

Approximately three out of every four students will begin seeing shortened course offerings or combined sessions. That Political Communication or Marxism course you demoed during your college tour that was the icing on the cake to apply? Cut. The professor who has been your mentor

for the last couple years? Gone. You’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.

Besides the overused argument on the importance of having a bachelor’s degree (because let’s be honest: with each day and each turneddown job, that argument is getting more and more unbelievable), we have to ask what’s left for us? Universities, businesses and society in general place such heavy weight on the degree that it’s usually impossible to not go to school, but not only do college students keep hearing horror stories about life outside the collegiate walls standing in the streets with a useless degree, we also have to get past all the blockades.

Instill some confidence in us.

Somebody. Anybody.

The ridiculousness of higher education is increasingly becoming a trend with every dropped class, increased tuition bill and expansion plan. And more so than ever, we’re paying heavy costs for that ridiculousness.

In the last year alone, the cost of a four-year public degree has risen just over 4 percent on tuition alone (don’t forget room and board, books and all the additional nonsense fees). Yet states are spending on average around

$2,500 less per student than they did five years ago. That includes major cuts on research from both state and federal sources – a 13 percent decrease over the last two decades.

Every now and then, students get a small sliver of hope with news that the economy is improving or other markets are showing signs of recovery. Recent government funding issues – such as the fiscal cliff and sequestration – that have an effect on higher education haven’t done much to keep the faith alive, especially as Congress is currently voting this week on yet another short-term funding measure. And even as other parts of the economy are getting better, there are few signs indicating states will reverse some of the college cuts.

Higher education is the only product that can get away with raising the sticker value while decreasing the quality of the product, and it shouldn’t. It’s so much of a problem that some schools are offering three-year degrees and more schools are coming up with four-year guaranteed degrees just so students don’t have to pay more than they bargained for. These alternative and the “normal” degrees have the highest value put on them for importance and worthwhile schools that should be fo-

cused on and utilized more, such as trade schools, are usually looked at as a last resort.

UB should take interest in this. If students are going to feel like they’re wasting their time or not getting their money’s worth and if the state continues to show they don’t care so much, then students are going to pay the extra money to go to a private school or they’re not going to worry about it at all, even if they’re especially gifted but lack the resources. A recent analysis from Harvard shows only 34 percent of high-achieving high school seniors in the bottom income bracket attended any of the country’s 238 most selective colleges and universities because they don’t feel like they can afford to pay it or even pay back the loans eventually.

When you’re only doing the thing you’ve been told to do your entire life by everyone who crosses your path – teachers, classmates, family and future employers alike – it’s not exactly reassuring when your only option as a student is to sit around and hope things will get better as you sign over your checks. What do we have to do to get those hopes answered?

University’s Efforts to Address Problems in University Heights

purchase, renovate and operate houses there.

Since we live in a time of finite resources and almost infinite needs, there are questions which seem reasonable for The Spectrum editorial staff to ponder. For example, would students who do not live in the Heights support investing millions of dollars there in lieu of hiring more academic advisers and professors, upgrading classrooms, laboratories and computer equipment, etc.? Would students who live in the Heights be willing to forego cheap housing (e.g. $150 rent per month) and, instead, pay more for housing operated by the university? Since the answer to these questions is uncertain, allow me to suggest other ways that The Spectrum can help students who live in the Heights: Expose the deceptive advertising practices of landlords in the Heights (e.g. the use of UB’s name and campus photo that give incoming students the impression that the rental business or property is connected to – or even owned by – the university).

Inform students about safer housing options that do not cost more.

Publish articles about students who do not have cars yet have found reasonably priced housing outside the Heights. (Unfortunately, students often choose unsafe housing and neighborhoods because they are unaware of better options.)

Help educate students about street and house safety, tenants’ rights and landlords’ responsibilities and so on.

There are many experts at UB who can provide invaluable information about signs of electrical problems in your home, tips to protect yourself on the street, etc. Publishing those tips would be a great service to the campus community. (I will be glad to direct you to those experts.)

Give good landlords some publicity, thus helping students find good ones and avoid bad ones. Publish articles about students who are happy with their landlords so other students will know who they are.

Ensure that The Spectrum does not inadvertently contribute to the problem by advertising substandard properties and those owned by problem landlords in The Spectrum’s classified ad section.

Advocate for more responsible advertising of off-campus housing properties by the student-run Off-Campus Housing Office. If the OCHO receives a credible complaint about a landlord or property, advocate that it withdraw the ad, investigate the complaint and not repost the ad until the property is cleared by housing inspectors. Advocate that it furthermore obtain a list of properties owned by problem landlords and refuse to advertise any of those properties. (Too many students find their substandard housing on the OCHO website.)

Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com

Letter to the Editor Editor’s note: On Feb. 7, Lisa Khoury asked Ellen Dussourd the following in an email: “How many international students live in the University Heights or what percent live in the Heights?” Dussourd responded on the same day: “I have no way of knowing how many of our students or what percentage of our students live in University Heights.”

In Dussourd’s Letter to the Editor, she wrote, “Most international students live in the Heights.” Khoury wrote: “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.”

Dussourd suggested Khoury talk to Wood, who couldn’t provide a number of students living in the Heights, either. On an interview on Feb. 11, Wood said: “I would guess that there is a large number living in the University Heights, only because of the cost. And our international students are very cost sensitive … it is not surprising to us that you’ll have more students gravitating to that area where the rents are lower and perhaps more opportunity for them to share the houses and have more tenants in one place than perhaps is allowable in some of the newer places, like on Sweet Home where it’s more strictly controlled.”

The numbers in Dussourd’s letter are of those who register their homes and do not include any international students who haven’t registered their homes in the Heights.

Khoury also wrote “many, if not most” of international students live in the Heights because Sub-Board, Inc. (SBI) general service manager Lorenzo Guzman said most of the international students he deals with move to the Heights. Khoury also met several international student residents in the Heights who said many live there.

Dussourd said in her letter: “It is not correct that we recommend that incoming international students live in the Heights.” Nowhere in Khoury’s article does it mention UB recommending the Heights as a recommended area to live.

Dussourd also wrote in her letter: “Third, it is not correct that international students find out about off-campus housing concerns only at International Student Orientation. We send all incoming students an e-newsletter with detailed advice and tips about choosing off-campus housing during the summer before their arrival in Buffalo.”

Khoury wrote in her article: “Currently, the university forewarns its students by providing online tips for renting off campus. At international student orientation, UB advises students to be careful before renting homes, though many have already signed their leases.”

Dear Spectrum editor, Congratulations to Lisa Khoury for her well-researched, well-written Feb. 25, 2013 article on the University Heights. She is to be commended for her passion, conviction and activism regarding this issue. There are some inaccuracies in her reporting, however, so I am writing to clarify a few points, particularly with respect to international students, whom my office serves. In addition, coverage of the University’s significant efforts to address problems in University Heights has been incomplete so I am writing in that regard as well.

First, it is not correct that most international students live in the Heights.

Based on information provided by UB’s Campus Living and students’ zip codes in UB’s InfoSource system, we estimate that 17 percent of UB’s enrolled international students live offcampus near UB’s South Campus (zip codes 14214, 14215, 14216). We further estimate that 19 percent of enrolled international students live in University housing, 20 percent in West Amherst, 10 percent in Amherst, 7 percent in Williamsville, 4 percent in Tonawanda or North Tonawanda and the rest elsewhere in Buffalo and its suburbs.

Second, it is not correct that we recommend that incoming international students live in the Heights. Neither our office nor the International Admissions office recommends specific places for students to live. The International Admissions office sends incoming international students information about on-campus housing and a brochure developed by our office about the pros and cons about living on and off campus, but it does not make any housing recommendations.

Third, it is not correct that international students find out about off-campus housing concerns only at International Student Orientation. We send all incoming students an e-newsletter with detailed advice and tips about choosing off-campus housing during the summer before their arrival in Buffalo. The same information is also available on our website.

As you may know, our office organizes a one-week International Student Orientation program each August and a four-day orientation program each January. One important focus of our orientation program is safety and housing. All students attend a mandatory University Police Session, which is offered by University Police and includes content tailored to international students. All students are strongly encouraged to attend a session on “Protecting Yourself: Scams, Fires and Landlords,” which includes a presentation by our office and a second one, titled “Fire Safe Living,” presented by UB’s Environment, Health and Safety office. Both of these sessions are offered twice during each orientation program to facilitate maximum attendance. Thanks to SBI Legal Assistance, which offers special hours during our orientation program, newly arrived international students can also receive legal advice before signing offcampus housing leases.

Our office’s focus on safety and housing does not end when International Student Orientation is over.

Once per semester, we send students a special safety e-newsletter, which includes tips from Buffalo and University Police about how to be safe on and off campus. In our weekly e-newsletters, we also include tips about home and street safety. Last spring, we organized UB Safe Day, which included exhibits and presentations on “How to Be Safe on the Street & in Your Home” and “Housing Problems: What to Look for & When to Call the Erie Country Department of Health.”

Exhibitors included the Erie County Department of Health and UB’s Counseling Services; Environment, Health and Safety; Off-Campus Student Services; SBI Health Education; SBI Legal Assistance; Student Health Services; University Police and Wellness Education Services.

Since our office has had concerns about street safety and substandard housing conditions in the Heights for a long time, we have sincerely appreciated the university’s efforts to improve the Heights. The establishment of the Off-Campus Student Services office in Sept. 2008 and the commencement of “housing blitzes” in April 2011 were particularly welcome. According to information provided by Dan Ryan, director of Off-Campus Student Services, half-day housing blitzes are conducted 6-7 times per semester on Saturdays, when students are available to let inspectors into their homes. Sixhundred fifty properties on Cusker, Englewood, Heath, Highgate, Lisbon, Merrimac, Minnesota, Northrup, Tyler, Winspear and West Winspear have been inspected so far. If housing code violations are found, the landlords are cited and, if necessary, taken to court.

A second round of inspections has taken place on some of the streets.

We particularly welcome these housing blitzes since some landlords use intimidation (e.g. threat of deportation or legal problems) to silence our students about their substandard housing.

We appreciate the efforts of Jane Fischer, director of SBI Health Education, in expanding the hours of the Safety Shuttle to 4 a.m. in 2009 and, in 2011, adding an additional stop at Parker Hall. The Safety Shuttle, which transports students to or from South Campus within a 1.5-mile radius (with some key apartment complex additions) is a service appreciated by many international students.

We appreciate the efforts of UB’s Parking and Transportation Services, which implemented the Grover Cleveland and Maynard Stampede stop prior to the Fall 2011 semester. Maria Wallace, director of Parking and Transportation Services, negotiated with First Transit, UB’s transportation provider, NFTA and the NYSDOT to establish the new Stampede stop. This stop provides additional housing options for students without cars, thus enabling them to move out of the Heights.

Last, we appreciate the efforts of University Police, which started joint patrols in 2009 with the Buffalo Police along Main Street on Thursday through Saturday nights. The patrols run during the first several weeks of the fall semester and start up again toward the end of the spring semester.

The university has also purchased security cameras, which have been installed on Main Street at the corners of Englewood and LaSalle Avenues, and traffic signal or streetlight poles at the corners of Winspear and Parkridge, Main and Custer, and Englewood and Eley.

Response to The Spectrum’s Suggestions I wanted to respond to the Spectrum’s suggestions as well. The Spectrum is looking to the university administration to solve the problems in University Heights. In fact, it is insisting – even demanding – that the university assume responsibility for police protection in the Heights, and purchase and renovate houses there for student occupancy. Let’s put aside for the moment the question of whether the university can legally assume responsibility for police protection in the Heights or whether it can afford to

Thank you for sparking a spirited discussion of this important issue.

Ellen Dussourd Director, International Student and Scholar Services

4

Friday, March 22, 2013 ubspectrum.com

Life SERVING

Bacon bikinis

CENTRAL AMERICA UB students travel to Dominican Republic to teach children

MEG LEACH

Staff Writer

Courtesy of Andrew Wilsey During spring break, sophomore pharmacy major Andrew Wilsey (above) was one of 34 UB students to travel to the Dominican Republic as part of UB’s Intercultural & Diversity Center alternative break.

BETHANY WALTON Staff Writer

Abby LaPlaca remembers sitting in the Dominican Republic heat, reading Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go! to a little girl who barely knew English.

Tears formed in LaPlaca’s eyes when the same little girl started to read with her, and then, read to her.

LaPlaca, a sophomore Spanish major, was one of 34 students who travelled to Dominican Republic as a part of UB’s Alternative Break Program. Offered by UB’s Center for Student Leadership & Community Engagement (CSLCE), the program offers weeklong trips to international and national destinations, each one centered on a specific service goal.

According to Terri Budek, assistant director of Student Life and UB’s Intercultural & Diversity Center, this year’s trip to the Dominican Republic was centered on education.

The Alternative Spring Break trip was designed to “introduce students to a new culture and offer a unique volunteer experience,” Budek said.

This was the second year the program went to the Monte Cristi province in the Dominican Republic.

UB students worked in collaboration with Outreach 60, an established volunteer organization with strong footholds in Nicaragua and Dominican Republic, according to outreach.org.

The organization allowed college students – including UB students – to use its headquarters stationed in Monte Cristi as shelter for long-term volunteering. Outreach360 also provided daily meals.

Participants spent the week teaching English to children in the community, Budek said. While Outreach volunteers assisted students teaching, sophomore pharmacy major Andrew Wilsey, was surprised at the hands-off approach of the veteran volunteers.

“I was a little taken back because I thought that we would be helping someone [teach], but we were actually the teachers,” Wilsey said. “One of the commandments for us to follow was: You are Outreach360. We weren’t supposed to think that the outreach volunteers had more of a priority over us or that they were the real teachers.”

According to LaPlaca, students had to walk three miles to the learning camps, where children would begin pouring in at 9 a.m. The age of the children attending the camps ranged from 5 to 12 years old.

Some children who didn’t fit into the age requirement tried to sneak into the camp, LaPlaca said. Volun-

teers always let them in.

For Anokhi Patel, a sophomore biology major, the greatest part of teaching was the children’s enthusiasm to learn. She said she could see the eagerness on their faces.

The children showed massive improvements near the end of the week, according to Wilsey. Instead of simply repeating words they heard from the students, the children were able to speak English words without knowing the spelling or someone saying it first. He believes the children’s energy and drive to learn contributed to their improvement more than anything else. He believes it will continue to do so in the children’s future.

A normal day started with a camp circle of songs. The volunteers would break up into stations – arts and crafts, vocabulary, literacy, recreation and conversations – and then the children were divided into groups that depended on age and gender, according to Wilsey. Props, books, games and repetition drills were used to motivate the children and to help make learning English easier.

In the Dominican Republic, parents usually prefer their child work with them by going to the farm and bringing in money. It’s the kids who

choose to come to school, Wilsey said. Some walk up to 10 miles to get an education.

“Just think about when you went to high school,” Wilsey said. “There was never, ‘Can I go to school?’ It was always, ‘Can I please stay in?’ or something like that. It was just amazing to see how driven these kids are at 5, 6 and 7 years old.”

Like many students who went on the trip, LaPlaca enjoyed the teaching experience and wants to pursue it as a career. She dreams of teaching English as a second language to children all over the world.

According to LaPlaca, going to the Dominican Republic to help teach children English has only motivated her more to work toward fulfilling her goal. She believes all students benefit from volunteering abroad.

“I really think this is something everyone should do,” LaPlaca said.

“You really just need to know what it is to serve and to experience a different culture and a different mentality; everyone needs to take a step out of their own life for a little bit.”

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

In the desire to fit into the beauty constraints put forth by our media culture, I’ve started a diet to get “beach body ready” for summer. It’s been working. I’ve lost 10 pounds and I’m feeling better than ever. Let me tell you what I ate yesterday: Breakfast: two strips of bacon, two eggs fried in the rendered bacon fat.

Lunch: grilled chicken with fried peppers and onions with guacamole and sour cream.

Dinner: Bacon cheeseburger with chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onions, no bun.

Awesome, right?

The diet is called the ketogenic diet, and is basically Atkins on steroids.

Now, Atkins is a diet buzzword that was a big craze about 15 years ago that everyone made fun of. Because, really, what kind of diet allows you to eat a pound of bacon and not an apple?

The logic behind the ketogenic diet is not with what is healthy and what is not. The logic is in the science of what our bodies do with sugar.

Blood sugar is a pretty cool thing.

Our bodies essentially milk sugar from the foods we eat and use the cardiovascular highway in our body to move it to all the cells. This makes it the most efficient biological machine you could imagine. Thinking of blood sugar as a taco truck is the best way to explain how your body works.

Now, if there is one taco truck in a city, everyone is happy, no one eats too many tacos and everyone is pleasant and does not have taco-induced stomachaches. This one-tacotruck city is the state of your body if you eat a limited amount of carbs –

around 100g a day.

However, the USDA wants people to eat a tremendous amount of carbs – 300g a day. To get this many carbs, the fleet of taco trucks needs to be amplified. Think of a town with 50 taco trucks. Soon, tacos are all that anyone eats. Everyone is fat and sick because they are eating so many tacos.

The people in the houses who are sick are your body – they are your cells.

This is the state of your body when you eat cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner. You become saturated with carbs and you feel bloated, tired, and worst of all, you get addicted.

I didn’t select the ketogenic diet because it’s a fad diet. It’s so far rooted in a science I hadn’t heard of until I got involved with online fitness communities. I elected to take this path because I realized I had a problem with carbs. I was addicted to them and they weren’t rewarding me for my dedication.

I wanted to break the addiction.

I started really considering my health. Why do we wake up in the morning and spike our blood sugar with sweetened cereal? Why is that normal?

It wasn’t 10,000 years ago. And that is why we are locked in the obesity epidemic. That is why so many people are looking for a change and are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

UB’s own Mulchand S. Patel, Ph.D., released a paper about how in children as young as newborns can get into this addiction when fed high carb foods. That addiction will predispose them for many diseases, such as obesity, later in life.

Changing my diet so wildly has given me a bit of a transitioning period. It’s called ‘keto flu’ and it’s essentially carb withdrawal. You feel kind of sluggish and kind of out of it for a few days while your body realizes there are no more carbs to power it. After that, I now feel energized, and I don’t get that sluggish, bloated feeling or ‘carbo comas.’ I actually feel my body is working the way it should.

And if I happen to lose a few pounds, you won’t hear me complaining.

Email: meganlea@buffalo.edu

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ubspectrum.com

Friday, March 22, 2013

5

Fight the power UB group seeks to spread Pan-African knowledge via annual symposium RONNIE SIMMONS II Staff Writer

Students from varying backgrounds and cultures are coming together to discuss struggle, oppression, politics, racism and injustice. They do not only want to voice their opinions, but they hope to change the way society thinks about black rights.

The Annual Black Power Symposium will discuss issues that relate to the history and struggles of people of African descent according to William Richardson, the lead organizer and graduate adviser of Fight the Power UB. The symposium is an academic forum for professors and students to share their research regarding the advancement of black rights domestically and nationally.

A discussion about how these lessons can be applied to organize events in the community to generate change will follow the event, Richardson said. The festivities will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Student Union 330.

Fight the Power (FTP) is a PanAfrican student organization.

Its goal is to unite African people worldwide and organize them to fight for self-sustainability and equality alongside the other oppressed peoples of the world, according to Richardson.

He says this event is aimed at anyone who wants to open his or her mind and to influence critical thinking in the attendees.

“Critical thought and questioning the world around you will not only help you in your political life but life in general,” Richardson said. “A man or woman who doesn’t question the world around them is a victim in the making.”

The Black Power Symposium began as a small, last-minute project created in Richardson’s African Diaspora class taught by Dr. Antoinette Pressley-Sanon, an assistant professor in transnational studies.

This year they want to make it a larger event with a more diverse audi-

Courtesy of Fight the Power Fight the Power, the Pan-African student organization at UB, is hosting its second-annual Black Power Symposium. This event is open to all students who don’t only want to discuss the racial issues in today’s society, but want to do something about them.

ence because events like this do not happen on campus often, according to Richardson.

The members of FTP try to not only discuss injustice in their meetings but also get up and do something about it.

“Most student club meetings bring up some issue and everyone

gives their views and pontificates about this or that,” Richardson said.

“No solution or learning happens in those meetings. We push people to not only encounter these issues but to challenge them to ask themselves: ‘What can we do about this?’ You always leave FTP meetings learning something new and wanting to

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do something positive or, dare I say, revolutionary.”

Richardson believes events like this are necessary because there is a lack of analysis of African people’s history. He feels the history is “derided and often ignored not only by mainstream American society but also by our own people.”

“The struggles that our ancestors went through warrant more attention not only because they matter but because we can learn a lot from them,” Richardson said.

He is excited about the wide range of topics this year’s event will cover, including black identity politics and systemic oppression, a comparative analysis of the U.S. slavocracy and police institution and a sneak preview of the documentary film, Invisible Racism.

The Black Power Symposium is a large-scale version of what Fight the Power does every week in their “Liberation Circle” discussions, according to Richardson. Each week the club sits down to discuss an issue, its history, the current status and what the members could do about it. Then they go do it.

“There are not many spaces where we can discuss the history of African people,” Richardson said.

“Or start talking about how we can tackle the issues that African people and other people of color face today.”

The Black Power Symposium is crucial for FTP to meet its goals because Richardson thinks events like this are what encourage people toward taking action.

Richardson believes Fight the Power has a duty to make people aware of the conditions of society, but what they do with that knowledge is their own choice.

“Our generation has a mission to fulfill and FTP’s job is to wake our peers up to that mission,” Richardson said. “Whether we fulfill it or betray it, it’s up to each individual’s choice to avoid the forces that seek to harm them or challenge those forces head on.”

This summer, Fight the Power plans on expanding its impact on inner-city Buffalo and eventually generation wide.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

6

Friday, March 22, 2013 ubspectrum.com

Arts & Entertainment

Franco sinks, witches soar Oz the Great and Powerful tells a new side to the beloved story of Oz KIERA MEDVED

Staff Writer

Film: Oz the Great and Powerful Release Date: March 8 Studio: Roth Films Grade: BThere’s no place like home, and Oz the Great and Powerful will have fans of classic American cinema tapping their shoes together by the time the end credits run, begging for a return to the original The Wizard of Oz. In his latest film, director Sam Raimi (Drag Me to Hell) imagines a prequel to the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. In Oz the Great and Powerful, Oscar Diggs (James Franco, Lovelace) is an unscrupulous circus magician who gets transported from dusty Kansas to the magical Land of Oz. Oscar, “Oz,” thinks he’s won it big when the inhabitants of Oz believe he is the prophetic savior – until he meets a few powerful witches.

Franco’s performance as Oscar Diggs is disappointing and lacking. Although he is charming, as his character in the movie is meant to be, his acting skills are lackluster.

It’s a mystery how he is repetitively given leading roles.

However, the performances of Rachel Weisz (The Bourne Legacy) as Evanora and Mila Kunis (Family Guy) as Theodora make up for Franco’s sub-par portrayal of Oz. Both actresses give incredible depth to the story as the witches of Oz, who later become prevalent to Dorothy’s story in The Wizard of Oz. Oz the Great and Powerful succeeds in its stunning visual effects, as well. The Land of Oz is portrayed as an Eden of richly textured plants and people. Although advancements in technology have been made since 1939, Oz the Great & Powerful stays true to the original design of Oz, especially the architecture of the Emerald City.

Any true fan of the classic The Wizard of Oz film will be pleased to see that creative, cinematic choices were made in order to keep the watermark of Victor Fleming’s

original creation visible.

Raimi, much like Alfred Hitchcock, leaves a visible signature on his films. Obvious directorial choices, such as filming scenes from the perspective of inanimate objects, active camera movement, and of course, his fascination with having characters humorously hit one another, are noted and appreciated in this film.

However, certain creative liberties, like the design of the flying monkeys, should have

been altered. The snarling baboons were a bit over the top and these primates were particularly terrifying to say the least – not to say that anyone was tempted to cuddle the 1939 film’s flying monkeys.

Danny Elfman (Silver Linings Playbook) once again creates a beautiful soundtrack and score to compliment a visually astounding film. Elfman delivers the moment the opening credits begin.

For the witches and wizards:

For the competitive comics:

For the cynical theater buff:

For the hardcore moshers:

What: Harry Potter Movie Trivia Where: Pan-American Grill & Brewery, 391 Washington St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14203 When: Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m.

What: Buffalo ComedySportz Where: Buffalo ComedySportz Arena, Snyder Square – Lower Level, 4476 Main St. Amherst, N.Y. 14226 When: Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m.

What: Cannibal! The Musical Where: Buffalo East Theater, 1410 Main St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14209 When: Through March 30, 8 p.m.

What: The Devil Wears Prada featuring As I Lay Dying Where: Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. Buffalo, N.Y. 14203 When: Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m.

Think you’re a real fan of the Harry Potter series? Test your knowledge this Sunday at the Pan-American Grill & Brewery with the S. Thomas Group. The S. Thomas Group organizes local nightlife and entertainment events in the Buffalo area, including Harry Potter trivia, Seinfeld trivia and table tennis tournaments. This particular trivia night will focus its questions on the first and fourth installments of the Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Bring your wands and drink your Butterbeer responsibly!

Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures James Franco’s performance turned out to be one of Oz the Great and Powerful ’s biggest flaws.

The first week back from spring break can be gloomy, especially for those returning from sun and sand to snowflakes and space heaters. If you’re in need of a pickme-up this weekend, Buffalo ComedySportz’s “act-letes” will do their best to have you laughing – especially because their own success depends on it. Buffalo ComedySportz blends competition with comedy, providing a show similar to the famous improv television series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, where the comics compete against each other for the most points and the most laughs. It’s only $10 to attend, so grab some friends, head over to the Arena and be prepared to think comically – you may even be called on to help out with the show.

The name Trey Parker resonates. He’s the co-creator for Comedy Central’s South Park and Broadway sensation The Book of Mormon, but before all that, he created Cannibal!

The Musical. The 1993 black comedy independent film was written, directed, produced, coscored and starred Trey Parker who, at the time, studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Today, the Theatre Jugend Company is taking the hit film and bringing it to Buffalo. Drew McCabe, a co-founder of Theatre Jugend, told The Buffalo News he was interested in Cannibal since he was in college himself, and it was the first musical he aspired to direct. So take a trip downtown and treat yourself to a night of the mind behind South Park before the show existed. Respect that authoritah.

Although James Franco may have not been the Wizard audiences were hoping for, Oz the Great and Powerful is a solid watch even if it doesn’t reach the level of greatness the original does.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Prepare for Town Ballroom to explode.

Metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada will be making a stop at Town Ballroom tonight with As I Lay Dying as well as bands For Today and The Chariot. The full metalcore lineup is sure to keep audiences moshing and moving, so get there early if you want a good spot. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door and the show is open to all ages.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

ubspectrum.com

Friday, March 22, 2013

7

Nothing Was The Same and that’s OK Drake’s success reveals hip-hop’s irony

Editor’s note: This article is a satire piece.

It is not to be taken literally. ‘Carson’ is a pen name.

Dear Carson, I was really sick over spring break, which left me alone in my room while my friends were all on vacation someplace warm. I was on my computer for the whole week, and besides the obvious porn sesh before bed every night, I read some blogs, tweeted a bunch and Netflix’d my way through eight seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. The worst part was seeing the photos from everyone’s vacation go up on Facebook. I saw countless body shots, beach volleyball and babes –my newsfeed was basically a Girls Gone Wild photo gallery. After hours and hours online, I realized that I was missing out on epic times with my friends, but I realized something else: Facebook is boring. I feel like checking it all the time is just a bad habit rather than an important social exercise. I didn’t understand it until all I did for a week was creep and ‘like’ photos of people who were actually out doing fun stuff. Twitter seems kind of lame, too … Who cares what you and I or anyone else can say in fewer than 140 characters? Maybe I’ve just overloaded my system, but I’m wondering what your take on social media is.

Sincerely, Home Alone

Dear Home Alone, I won’t even say what you’re expecting me to say … Facebook isn’t mainstream. At this point, it is so uncool to have a Facebook that it’s actually not mainstream at all. Hipsters will come back to it soon enough when they realize no one has it anymore, but for now, the ‘Book is in a terribly awkward between-phase of cool and uncool that leaves no good reason to have one. Who wants to be exposed 24/7 for the entire world to see?

Facebook is a source of constant haunting from the past where ‘future employers’ and probably your parents (the last demographic to get in on anything created by the youth before it officially dies) can access photos of that time you did bumps of coke while you were in line to go see Fantasia 2000 or the time you licked a subway window for a sip of some homeless guy’s 40 oz. If you don’t have that kind of dirt for people to go digging in, then your Facebook is boring and you probably just whack it to photos of your sister’s best friends and cry a lot (I think this is kind of where you fall in). There’s endless debate and philosophical inquiry as to why Facebook, Twitter, etc., will be the last dagger that finishes off meaningful, human social interaction, but let’s just acknowledge that your “realization” shows there’s hope for us kiddos after all. You may not care what people think about your past, and you may not realize that you’re boring, but what social media boils down to is just a fake source of fun.

This isn’t to create some false sense of rosetinted “better times” in the past where people got along better and did more fun stuff, but social media lacks any spark of creativity and coolness that we should all want from our relationships with the world … that is unless, of course, you use Instagram –totally swag, totally acceptable, totally chill.

BRIAN JOSEPHS

Senior Managing Editor

Drake is a hip-hop artist who’s won the Grammy for Best Rap Album (Take Care), released two platinum-selling albums and earned multiple Billboard-charting singles.

He grew up acting on a popular teen drama.

He also sings and is apparently a very emotional guy.

People don’t like that, and the “that” refers to one of the aforementioned attributes or some odd combination of them.

Hip-hop diehards loathe the fact that someone so anti-hip-hop is suddenly at the center of the genre. The hands of hundreds of music bloggers quiver when a Drake track is released. He’s the type of hip-hop artist music fans point to as an example of how they “listen to all types of music” despite not being able to name one non-hook lyric.

Drake isn’t just a marketable character, either. The man is actually pretty talented; of course, you’d have to be if you’re going to say emotional early morning phone calls to your ex-girlfriend are a reasonable thing (“Marvin’s Room”).

His downfall is how he’s in a genre that glorifies the struggle. If the hundreds of online memes didn’t clue you in, Drake was pretty well off before his rap stardom. Some feature profiles revealed he did go through a few trials, but a lot of people would agree times couldn’t have been that hard if you’re starring in a famed Canadian drama.

And it’s absurd Drake should be criticized for that. Hip-hop has been sculpted from an urban landscape, so it ought to at least fall under the common wisdom of urban prophets and teachers: The point is to get out of the hood.

How many times has the rags-to-riches story been told? How many times have we heard artists balancing street consciousness with a growing self-awareness? These are stories that have been told multiple times in the genre’s decades’ long existence. Sometimes they’re inspiring, and sometimes it feels like they aren’t even worth telling.

It’s a discredit to the genre to constantly base a rapper’s credibility off his experience with the struggle. It’s been a long journey to get mainstream to accept hip-hop’s complicated ethos – which has been doused with crack narratives and misogyny in its rise to claim a piece of the American dream. Why limit hip-hop when there’s so much to gain now that it’s a widely accepted art form?

It’s weird “hardcore” fans continue to complain about empty rags-to-chains stories when some of their mindsets are the ones supporting them. If the struggle is necessary to gain cred in the genre, it forces the artist construe this false personality that translates into weak musical output. A prime example of this is “Can’t Touch This” MC Hammer gangster transformation in 1994’s The Funky Headhunter, which was a change just as bad as the album’s title. The mid-00s are filled with examples, also.

Hip-hop – like music itself – is constantly changing, and it’s evident with the rise of the Beast Coast rap movement and the Kendrick Lamar-headed Black Hippy collective. Drake is one of the symbols of the changing times.

Perhaps the strangest aspect of Drake’s popularity is how his best songs – except “Marvin’s Room” – portrays a perceived struggle: “Headlines,” “5AM in Toronto,” “Started From The Bottom.”

Here’s the thing: a great number of us deemphasize the irony because of just how good these tracks sound. The strange thing about hip-hop is how its fans value this sense of realness – whatever that may mean these days – more than any other genre.

Songs like “5AM in Toronto” resonate from fans at the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to those nerds who write music columns for hours on end. Perhaps that’s enough.

Email: brian.josephs@ubspectrum.com

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ubspectrum.com

8

Continued from page 1: Baccas Baccas was able to bring what she learned in her home to the courts of Buffalo. The women’s basketball program needed the same things her family did – multiple leaders and a “me-second” attitude.

“Christa’s invaluable,” said women’s basketball head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. “She is like our caretaker. She doesn’t care about the points or anything other than our success. She will do whatever she has to do to make sure we are good. That’s why she’s our captain.”

Her presence alone on the court is vital to Legette-Jack’s game plan.

On defense, even if her teammates are in the wrong place, she provides them comfort in knowing she will be behind them for backup – just as Mario did for Baccas and she did for her youngest brother.

Ann-Marie’s cancer is currently in remission and she has been able to work and travel again. After struggling to attend games in Baccas’ freshman year at UB, she attended two last season and, this season, she made it to an estimated six. Ann-Marie has often called

in to work, made the six-hour drive from their home in Hillburn, N.Y., to attend a game and then returned home for work the next day.

“Words cannot explain how rewarding it is to me to able to see my daughter play in person and the success she is having, win or lose,” she said. “This young lady wanted to quit basketball because I got sick. Looking back now, I thank God that she didn’t. I am very proud of her accomplishment on and off the court.”

Now, Baccas said she doesn’t worry about her mother’s health.

“I don’t try to worry too much about her and her cancer because I know she is strong and I know she will keep fighting,” Baccas said.

“But just to have her here now and her knowing that I play for her and for her cure is a good feeling.”

With Baccas as a focal point of the Bulls’ future, they look to build a championship-caliber team with her providing stability in the middle.

“There is no cap on her ability,” said Legette-Jack, whose team went 12-20 (8-8 MAC) in her first year as head coach.

“I look at a young lady on the court right now,” Legette-Jack said, directing her attention to assistant coach and former player Kourtney Brown, UB’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker.

“I sense that if [Baccas] does her thing, she could be equally as good as Kourtney. If she does that, oh man, we are in a good situation.”

No matter where Baccas ends up in her career, Ann-Marie is never far from her thoughts when she is on the court.

“My mom is my role model,” Baccas said. “When I play, I play for her every game. She is my motivation. I tell her every day, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”

The women’s basketball team may owe its future to Ann-Marie Baccas.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Continued from page 10: Tragedies One thing athletes know how to do is show respect to the fallen. Say what you want about many of their enormous egos, but when tragedy strikes, they pull together and honor the lives of their friends or families the best way they know how – performing and entertaining.

Brett Favre said it best following his 399-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 41-7 victory on Monday Night Football – a day after his father’s death.

“I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play,” Favre said to ESPN.com. “I love him so much,

and I love this game. It’s meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight.”

Motivation is a funny thing.

Some get it from music, reading or “haters,” but when you play for a person or a cure, it brings out a performance that just leaves people saying, ‘Wow.’ Email: owenobri@buffalo.edu

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Continued from page 10: Women’s Recap After splitting the last six games of the season, the Bulls hosted and emerged victorious in their first game of the MAC Tournament. They defeated Northern Illinois and earned a trip to Cleveland.

The Bulls pulled off an 82-70 upset victory in the second round of play over Miami Ohio (19-12, 10-6 MAC), led by Loesing’s 24 points. With the win, they earned the opportunity to play the No. 3 seeded Akron Zips and a chance to avenge two regular season losses.

Buffalo was behind by 12 points at halftime, but the Bulls responded from a punch and provided a counter of their own like they had all season. They began the half on a 25-11 run to take the lead. They held the lead for much of the second half – leading by as many as four – but following a four-point

play by Akron, the Bulls’ advantage vanished and they never reclaimed the lead.

The Bulls lost 83-79. Following a last-place finish in 2011-12, Buffalo found itself five points away from advancing to the MAC semifinals – an accomplishment few expected.

“We are just starting; we can’t get too high with what happened [in the MAC Tournament] because we have room to grow,” LegetteJack said.

Although Thornton was only eligible for the final 22 games of the Bulls’ season due to transfer rules, her impact was felt immediately as she finished second on the Bulls in points per game. Sophomore guard Sloane Walton was the top shooter from behind the arc for Buffalo, draining 43 threepoint field goals while shooting 36 percent.

Next year’s team looks poised to make a deep run. Although the Bulls lose their senior captain Nicki Hopkins, the rest of the young roster is expected to return.

Gregory, who is currently rehabbing her injury, should be able to return at some point in the season.

Her abilities will add to a team that has already gained valuable experience in big games this season.

With the scoring of Gregory, Loesing and Thornton, and the all-around play from Baccas, the Bulls will likely no longer play the role of the spoiler; they look to be a feared team.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

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Crossword of the Day

HOROSCOPES Friday, March 22, 2013 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK

ACROSS 1 Like most encyclicals 6 Clam and onion, for two 10 Waive the admission fee 14 Old manuscript markings 15 Reed instrument 16 Nabisco moneymaker 17 Alpha Cygni 18 Lawyer's reading 19 Spot for potted herbs 20 Some parts for a fearless robot?

23 Thespian Wallach 25 It's slippery when wet 26 Way with strays?

27 Wine taster's pride 29 Far from form-fitting 32 Chemically nonreactive 33 Back of the neck 34 Prime meridian std.

37 Digestive fortitude?

41 Female sib 42 Sugar source 43 Ballerinas find it supportive 44 Eastern nannies 46 ___ de corps 47 Anchor line's hole 50 Geneva-based workers grp.

51 "___ Little Teapot" 52 Handy weapon?

57 "Puss in Boots" beast 58 Foreign currency 59 Act on a sudden itching for a hitching 62 Kennel Club reject 63 Try not to be taken by surprise 64 Plant with aromatic leaves 65 Porgy's love 66 Misfortunes 67 Follow an event

DOWN 1 Cacao container 2 Mount Rushmore moniker 3 Broke 4 On the protected side 5 Operatic texts 6 Bounty holder?

7 Venerated Nile bird 8 Casual shirt 9 ___-help book 10 Expensive 11 Bracket-braced window 12 Chaotic brawl 13 Stereotypical parrot name 21 Boomerang shape 22 Become droopy

23 Cinematic spectacles 24 "The Pineapple Island" 28 Miro, Miro on the wall?

29 Marriage announcement 30 Notre Dame niche 31 Grasp 33 Genesis builder 34 Posts for privates 35 Theatrical backdrop 36 Eighth Greek letter 38 "His Master's Voice" co.

39 Out-of-date 40 Where you may be given some latitude?

44 Balance-sheet pluses 45 "Affirmative" 46 Canadian creature 47 Thermonuclear explosive 48 Make a case 49 ___ and all (as is) 50 Computer screenful 53 French soldier's cap 54 Legally invalid

55 River through Russia 56 Zest for life 60 The Nittany Lions' sch.

61 It takes in the sights

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- The goals you set today will prove even more important tomorrow than they are right now. Give yourself time to get used to certain realities.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -You're going to want to focus on the details today, as they make all the difference -- especially when persuasion is the name of the game.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- An unusual strategy can serve you well today, though you may want to employ extra care when you're doing something you're not used to doing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -You're getting a bit stuck in old ways of thinking about certain key issues.

What is needed now is a new and youthful approach.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) -- You're in no mood to listen to the experts today, but you do need one or two key pieces of information that only they can provide.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) -- You'll be surprised by an offer that comes your way from an unusual source.

What you're after may not be possible just yet.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 22) -- Patience is required today on all fronts -- especially where children and young people are involved. You can learn something from a role model.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You may not know anyone who can do what needs to be done, so let the search begin. By day's end, you'll be closer to a permanent fix.

FALL SPACES ARE

GOING FAST RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You believe that you do, indeed, get what you pay for -which is why you're willing to pay quite a bit for what you really need.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You've been trying to do things a certain way lately -but it's not "your" way. Instead of imitating another, try an original approach.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Once you get a look at the object of your desire, you're not likely to be satisfied with anything else.

Is that what you want?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -You must strive to remember names and faces today, and quick recall will be essential when you are put to the test.

10

Sports

Friday, March 22, 2013 ubspectrum.com

Playing for a higher cause

OWEN O’BRIEN Staff Writer

Alexa Strudler, The Spectrum Javon McCrea (above) throws down a monster jam in a loss to Kent State at home this season. The Bulls finished the season 14-20 overall with a 7-9 record in the conference. Despite injuries, the Bulls were able to advance to the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament, falling to Kent State 70-68.

THE FINAL YEAR OF AN ERA Men’s basketball 2012-13 recap JON GAGNON

Sports Editor

The men’s basketball team entered this season a year removed from one of the best seasons the program has ever produced.

The Bulls played much of this season with new players earning a significant increase in minutes, including a true freshman with the reins at point guard, and failed to reach the aspirations of last year’s success. The result was the firing of the team’s 14-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon.

The Bulls concluded the regular season losing four of five games, but their lone win may have been the most influential in school history. They snapped Akron’s nation-leading 18-game win streak and earned the school’s first-ever win against a top 25 ranked team.

They took some of that momentum into the Mid-American Conference Tournament, reeling off two consecutive wins against Central Michigan and Ball State, respectively, propelling them to the quarterfinals as the No. 8 seed.

The Bulls had a chance to earn revenge against Kent State – a team they had been defeated by twice in

the regular season – but fell 70-68 in a thriller as they were ousted from the tournament.

“We weren’t that far away from the upper portion of the conference,” said head coach Reggie Witherspoon, who has since been fired, in the post-game press conference.

“Even with the inexperience and injury, for the most part, almost all of them got a lot better. That’s why this one hurts.”

Buffalo finished the season at 1420 and 7-9 in the MAC. Not much more could have been expected from a team that had four starters who have either never suited up in a Bulls uniform or only saw the floor sparingly in previous seasons.

It began to go downhill when junior guard Jarod Oldham went down with a season-ending wrist injury 11 games in. The injury resulted in the insertion of true freshman Jarryn Skeete into the starting lineup to run the offense. Skeete played admirably in the conference games, scoring in double digits in more than half of the MAC games.

The highlight of the season came where everyone expected, as junior forward Javon McCrea resurged himself as one of the best players in the conference. He finished in third

place for MAC Player of the Year while averaging 18 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season, including a career-high 33 points in a loss against Kent State on Jan. 16.

“I’ve got one more season left, so we are going to have to go all out next year,” McCrea said. “Hopefully we will win a [MAC Championship].”

His counterpart in the paint, sophomore transfer Will Regan, was the surprising boost for the team.

In his first season as a Bull, Regan finished as the team’s third-leading scorer with 11.1 points per game and put an exclamation point on the season with a 36-point performance in the team’s only win in the MAC Tournament.

The team’s only senior to play significant minutes, guard Tony Watson, had a breakout season after suffering demoralizing injuries the past two years. Watson had a stretch late in the season in which he scored 24 points or more in three consecutive games and earned MAC Player of the Week honors. He capped off his career as a Bull scoring 23 points in the team’s loss to Kent State in the MAC Tournament.

Next season’s outlook for the Bulls looks promising – with Wat-

son being the only key contributor to leave the rotation – as they will be returning nearly every starter, though they will undoubtedly have to find someone to replace Watson’s outside shooting.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that matured over the year,” Watson said.

“They know what they have to do.

Me and Richie [Sebuharara] were leaders this year, as well as Javon McCrea and Jarod Oldham. Those guys are going to be back next year and they are going to make a better Buffalo team.”

Whoever ends up being the coach will be lucky enough to coach McCrea through his senior season, and his and Regan’s chemistry should only improve during the offseason.

It’s hard to predict where the minutes will go at point guard between Skeete and Oldham and the coach will certainly have some tough decisions as to where to divide the minutes.

Bulls fans likely feel confident about their chances in the MAC, as Akron and Ohio – two teams that have dominated the conference – will each be losing their best players.

The question remains now: Who will replace Witherspoon?

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

New faces, new attitude, new results Women’s basketball finishes 2012-13 season looking sharp OWEN O’BRIEN Staff Writer

Nick Fischetti, The Spectrum Mackenzie Loesing (35) takes a shot in the Bulls’ loss to Gannon. After a 9-22 overall record and 4-12 in conference record last season, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack implemented a system of toughness and determination into a young, inexperienced women’s basketball team. The change resulted in six more wins for the Bulls this season, including a trip to the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals, in which they fell 83-79 but were moments away from an upset over No. 3 Akron.

“It’s another step toward what we are trying to build here at Buffalo,” Legette-Jack said. “At the beginning of the year, we knew we were going to lose a couple of games because we were trying to a foundation of what we stand for, which is character first, academics second and basketball third. It wasn’t until the middle to the end of the non-conference schedule [that we found it].”

Loesing and Baccas emerged as prominent names within the conference.

Loesing led the Bulls in scoring this season, averaging 11.6 points per game and 13.8 per game in MAC play, second among all freshmen. She proved to be a two-way player, leading the team with 66 steals.

Baccas led the team and finished in the top 10 in the MAC in field goal percentage, rebounds and blocks (where she finished first).

She also ranked second on the team in steals, third in assists and fifth in scoring.

Junior Margeaux Gupilan controlled the offense at point guard and her frontcourt mates, sophomore Kristen Sharkey and junior transfer Cherridy Thornton, proved perfectly capable of providing the offense lost when Gregory went down.

Nobody knew what to expect from the women’s basketball team this season. The squad had a new head coach, only one senior and a Mid-American Conference record below .500 in seven of its last nine seasons.

The Bulls (12-20, 8-8 MAC) did not let the negative preseason press stand in their way. Even while suffering injuries to key players along the way, the new culture brought in by head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was one of enthusiasm and fight. Freshman guard Mackenzie Loesing and sophomore forward Christa Baccas had huge seasons for the Bulls, earning honorable mention All-MAC honors, and Loesing was a part of the All-Freshman squad.

The team struggled with a difficult non-conference schedule, starting the season just 2-12, but bounced back with victories in its first three MAC contests, including a 73-36 rout over Ohio in its second conference game. Following the three-game win streak, the Bulls suffered a devastating injury as they lost their leading scorer, freshman forward Rachael Gregory, for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

SEE WOMEN’S RECAP, PAGE 8

After speaking to women’s basketball forward Christa Baccas, I sat back and thought to myself: ‘How can athletes do this?’

How can anyone deal with such trying and emotional moments off the field and perform to their highest capabilities in a game? Sometimes, athletes perform beyond what we thought possible.

As Baccas was preparing for high school games, she dreamed of playing collegiate basketball. She knew in the back of her head that her mother was battling cancer and holding the family together.

One thing we never predict is when our last day will be – or the last for a loved one. Everyone reacts differently to such painful moments, but almost inexplicably to me, there are many stories of athletes who’ve triumphed shortly after these tragic stages.

Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith’s younger brother – whom he helped raise – died in a motorcycle accident less than 24 hours before he was set to take the field against the Patriots on national television.

Smith admitted he was unsure if he would play and nobody knew until a few hours before kickoff. He decided to play and, boy, did he perform. The wide receiver caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens’ one-point victory.

I can’t imagine leaving my house hours after hearing my brother had passed away, let alone play in a game.

Some tragic events affect more than just one person, even an entire pro sports community.

“ChuckStrong” took the sports community by storm when the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach, Chuck Pagano, was diagnosed with leukemia. The team – which recorded only two wins the season before – went on to win 11 games and advance to postseason play. You couldn’t have found a Colts fan to predict a postseason berth before this season. However, players rallied behind their coach, even shaved their heads in the process – to resemble Pagano’s bald head after treatments of chemotherapy – to put together one of the most unexpected seasons in NFL history.

Just like Baccas, the Colts found motivation from such a scary moment. The stories go beyond the gridiron.

In Aug. 2003, Barry Bonds’ father passed away. After a week away from baseball, Bonds returned and hit a home run in his first game back. Say what you will about him as a cheater, but you can’t get mental strength from a needle.

“The emotions just went through me,” Bonds said to ESPN.com. “I felt lightheaded and couldn’t stop my heart rate from racing. After the home run, I couldn’t breathe. I tried to stay in there as long as I could. That’s never happened to me.”

Tragic moments bring people together. Sometimes, they can solidify a country or city.

Sept. 21, 2001. Ten days after the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history, the first sporting event was held in New York City. The New York Mets faced off against their long-time rival, the Atlanta Braves. This was unlike any game the two had played.

New Yorkers and those from Atlanta had the same enemy this night and he was far from the stadium. However, the game provided relief.

The stadium was quiet after the Braves took a one-run lead in the eighth inning. Mike Piazza erased that with one swing of the bat. He drove a ball deep over the left-centerfield wall to give the Mets the final lead of the game. As Piazza rounded the bases, New Yorkers forgot about the horrid events that had occurred 10 days prior.

These stories just go to show the true strength of professional and amateur athletes and how they can bring a family, or even a country, together.

Strength is not measured in the size of one’s biceps; it’s how you handle adversity.

SEE TRAGEDIES, PAGE 8