The Spectrum Volume 62 Issue 65

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

ubspectrum.com

Presidential candidate questions SA incorporation

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Bobby Hurley named new men’s basketball coach

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Following Quinn’s extension, football starts spring practice

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

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14 Page

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Volume 62 No. 65

SA President Travis Nemmer campaigns in the Student Union during the 2012 SA elections. His Reason Party ticket narrowly defeated the United Party by 47 votes. He is being accused of having his hand in this year’s election. meg Kinsley, The Spectrum

Spectrum exit poll shows early Spirit lead ‘Spirited’ voters look ‘Forward’ to election results LISA KHOURY

Senior News Editor

President Nemmer responds to assertions of foul play SA leader addresses treasurer’s concerns over election procedure AARON MANSFIELD Editor in Chief

Following allegations that he has attempted to sway the Student Association election, President Travis Nemmer said he could never be a puppet master. That requires way too much coordination, he said. He couldn’t tie his shoes until fourth grade. Voting booths opened in the Student Union Theater Tuesday and will remain open through Thursday. On Monday, The Spectrum published an article entitled “Accusations of injustice shroud SA election,” in which Treasurer Justin Neuwirt stated his belief that Nemmer had been unethically influencing the election for next year’s executive board. Nemmer responded

to Neuwirt’s claims in the Monday article, but he spoke on the topic in greater detail in a meeting with The Spectrum on Tuesday. “Public service announcement: It’s a student election,” said Nemmer, who referenced heavy controversy among SA members following the story’s publishing. “Everyone needs to calm down. Neither of us are using our powers to sway the election, if for no other reason than [Neuwirt] has a job after this and I’m going to law school, and we both have much better things to do with our time than try to rig an election.” Nemmer said he had a meeting with Neuwirt Monday and they found it funny that while many SA members were up in arms over the apparent division between the president and treasurer, Nemmer and

Neuwirt are still on friendly terms. “The relationship between me and Justin has certainly not gone downhill,” Nemmer said. “At the end of the day, this is just business.” Neuwirt said he and Nemmer still get along fine and are not best friends, but they aren’t on the eboard to be best friends. “I expected everybody to hate me as the whistleblower of all of this,” Neuwirt said. “A lot of the stuff that was published is the truth. Obviously, people are going to deny it.” Nemmer reiterated his belief that his proxying for the Senate, People of Color (POC) and Assembly is not unethical. He said when Neuwirt was running for SUNY delegate in 2011, then-VP Shervin Stoney proxied and broke a tie to

endorse Neuwirt. Nemmer said when he endorsed candidates for POC and went into the hall to call Anna Sheng, for whom he proxied, to get her decision, he called on speakerphone with Elections and Credentials (E&C) Chair Raphew Fahm and E&C member Theresa Cervantes present. Nemmer also said assertions that the E&C committee has ties to Spirit presidential candidate Nick Johns are “completely, irrevocably and objectively false,” and explained that, for example, E&C member Judy Mai ran alongside Neuwirt on the 2012 United Party ticket and he believes she has no link to Johns. SEE NEMMER, PAGE 5

On Tuesday, voting began for the Student Association election. Undergraduates flooded the polls to choose between the Spirit and Forward parties. The Spectrum polled 204 students, and the majority of them voted for Spirit’s e-board. Fifty-seven percent of undergraduates polled voted for Spirit’s presidential candidate Nick Johns and vice presidential candidate Lyle Selsky; 43 percent voted for Forward’s presidential candidate Carson Ciggia and vice presidential candidate Christian Andzel. Out of the 204 students, 198 said they voted for a treasurer – 57 percent for Spirit’s Siddhant Chhabria and 43 percent for Forward’s Joshua Fromm. Candidates and campaigners of Spirit and Forward stood in the Student Union all day Tuesday, dressed in red and green – respectively – giving flyers to passersby, urging them to vote and directing them to the polls in the Student Union Theatre.

57.3% of students polled voted for Spirit presidential and vice presidential candidates Nick Johns and Lyle Selsky

57.0% of students polled voted for Spirit treasurer candidate Siddhant Chhabria

SEE EXIT POLLS, PAGE 5

Hookah: The legal high RACHEL KRAMER

Senior Life Editor

As *Joseph inhaled, the explosive and sporadic life cycle of the bubble could be seen through the murky glass bowl. For 10 seconds, the living room was quiet except for the rumbling and clicking noise coming from the water pipe from which Joseph was inhaling, as he filled his lungs with smoke. When his lungs couldn’t take any more, he put down the skinny black tube to which his mouth had been glued and exhaled. A puffy white cloud left his mouth, ending with some impressive, apple-scented smoke rings. Joseph looked like the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland as he sunk into his couch like a king. The night had only just begun. Unlike some UB students, Joseph is smoking a legal plant – tobacco. Joseph has been smoking hookah for four years. For him, it’s not only a relaxing way to end the week – it’s a part of his Lebanese culture. Shisha, as it’s referred to in many Middle Eastern cultures, is a popular way to relax with friends and family. Recently, the trend of smoking hookah has crept into the American culture and many smokers don’t know how dangerous it is. Hookah is tobacco smoked out of a water pipe. Usually, the tobacco is flavored to give it a more appealing taste, according to Joseph. Flavors range from lemon mint – Joseph’s favorite – to any combination of fruit.

In order to “make the perfect hookah,” one needs a vase, centerpiece, a hose, a bowl, hookah tobacco, aluminum foil, a thumbtack, tongs, coal and an ashtray, according to Joseph. Joseph starts the systematic ritual by filling the colored glass base with cold water from the sink. He attaches the centerpiece and makes sure it’s sealed tightly. This enables the smoke to be filtered, which causes the clacking bubble noise. Next, he starts to pack the hookah tobacco into the bowl. He starts out by dusting the tobacco around the edges and then the center – similar to the way a kid would decorate his ice cream with sprinkles. The bowl is packed to perfection when Joseph can smoothly run his finger across the top and not brush off any tobacco. He then wraps the whole bowl in aluminum foil – shiny side up – the way his mom might wrap up a container of leftovers after a family dinner. Except, unlike his mom’s leftovers, he uses the thumbtack to poke holes in the shiny metal. This will enable the tobacco to come out of the bowl smoothly. Joseph stacks it all up: base, hose, bowl and ashtray. The tower is crowned with a piece of burning florescent orange charcoal. After inhaling the tobacco from the water pipe, Joseph is overcome with a smooth laziness and a smile forms on his face. He considers himself unique among his friends, as he prefers the mellow feel he gets from smoking

hookah to the energized feel he gets from drinking alcohol. “[Hookah] is so relaxing; everyone is just chilling out and talking and having fun,” he said. “When you drink [alcohol], it’s still fun, but it could lead to craziness. That never happens with hookah. You know how you watch a movie and there are people doing it, it’s actually the same thing. And it’s not illegal.” Just like alcohol, water pipe smoking has legal restrictions. Because it contains high amounts of tobacco, similar to cigarettes, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use. Eighteen percent of students at UB have smoked tobacco from a water pipe, or smoked hookah, according to the National Collegiate Health Survey conducted in 2010. Sonia Eid, the manager of Mezza, a restaurant and hookah lounge on Elmwood Avenue, checks patrons’ photo identification before selling hookah to them for $20. They take the age restrictions seriously, Eid said. She believes the age restriction is the only way hookah is similar to smoking cigarettes. She said hookah is an art form while cigarettes are just an addiction. “You have to take your time,” Eid said. “[Hookah] is something you do once in a while.” Eid and Joseph share the belief that hookah is not harmful. They couldn’t be more wrong. SEE THE LEGAL HIGH PAGE 5

Joseph has been smoking hookah for four years, despite research touting the dangers of hookah smoke. The pastime, which he considers an art form, is a big part of his Lebanese heritage and Joseph often smokes with family and friends as part of a relaxing social activity. Joe malak, The Spectrum


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