THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
ubspectrum.com
Carrie Underwood wows Downtown Buffalo
Page
Cognitive scientist Pinker speaks in CFA
Page
Football in spring practice: QB, WR position previews
Page
Friday, March 29, 2013
4 6 8
Volume 62 No. 66
SP I R I T S W E E P S
Spirit Party’s entire ticket defeats Forward, takes SA election SARA DINATALE Senior News Editor
Nick Johns feels like he is sitting “at the top of the world.” The Student Association office exploded in cheers on Thursday night; Johns led the pack of vocal celebrators as the Spirit Party swept the elections for SA’s new executive board. Johns, a sophomore and president-elect, embraced the members of his e-board in a rush of excitement, bursting at the realization his entire party, including delegates, was elected for the 2013-14 academic year. Just over 14 percent of UB’s undergraduate population showed up at the polls, and the referendum vote for SA to continue to seek incorporation passed with an overwhelming majority. Johns and his running mate, Lyle Selsky, received 380 more votes than their competitors, the Forward Party, headed by presiden-
tial candidate Carson Ciggia. Spirit earned 1,460 votes, while Forward trailed behind with 1,080 votes. Siddhant Chhabria of Spirit won the treasurer position by a smaller margin of 153 votes, receiving 1,334, to his Forward competitor Joshua Fromm’s 1,181 votes. “We worked as one united front and we won as one united front,” Selsky said. Johns stood elated and said winning felt “unbelievable” as he struggled to find the words to articulate his exuding joy. Johns wants students to know, even as president, he is going to remain an everyday student. “I’m going to remain one of you,” Johns said. “I’m not going to change my views. I’m not going to change how I operate or how I go about life. It’s just going to be in a much more public spot.” Both Selksy and Johns encouraged students to start coming to them with ideas, even though their inauguration isn’t until May 1.
For Chhabria, the win is a few-days-early 21st birthday present. Chhabria’s candidacy was met with some controversy when Fromm brought up Chhabria’s two-time dismissal as a bookkeeper in SA’s finance department at the debate last week. “It was politics,” Chhabria explained. “It was a game. I came through; I stuck strong … Everybody, whether they were my supporters or Josh’s supporters, no matter what controversies that went on, everything is in the past according to me. It’s just a new start for me from now on.” Christian Andzel, who ran on Forward’s ticket as vice president, said “the establishment won.” He said the “engrained” and “in-bred special interest” won the election. Students chose the “status quo,” he said. A dejected Ciggia, who admitted he had broken down twice before talking to The Spectrum, said he doesn’t “know where to go from here” and is unsure about his
future in SA. He feels “SA is unfortunately corrupt.” “I, at the beginning of the year, had the chance to align myself with [SA President] Travis Nemmer and get Travis Nemmer’s votes,” Ciggia said. “I could have easily been ‘Nick Johns’ because Nick Johns is a poster; Nick Johns is not a leader. I could have been that easily. Travis invited me to be ‘Nick’ but what I did was aligned myself with Justin Neuwirt, because Justin always stands up for what’s right.” Ciggia doesn’t expect much to change within the organization next year and said “people who know people will get jobs.” Johns described the Forward candidates as great leaders who are hardworking and ambitious. He said when filling positions in his term, he will take a “bipartisan standpoint” and see where resumes fit the best. “We want to create unity, not division,” Johns said.
Johns is already at an advantage in achieving “unity,” with all four of his delegate candidates winning spots to represent students in Albany at the SUNY level. Mohammad Alwaihaidy, a junior, Abby LaPlaca, a sophomore, Hayley Ross, a sophomore and Aminat Seriki, a sophomore, will be the 201314 delegates. Chhabria is thrilled with the sweeping victory and anticipates working with all the delegates next semester. “I know I did work with these guys so well, and it’s just going to be so much more effective working with people you started out with,” Chhabria said. Ciggia was disappointed to lose by a few hundred votes, and he feels those votes came from people “scooted into the voter booth.” Ciggia also worries about the future of SA and what is going to happen “down the road.”
“At the end of the day, SA is taking $4 million in student funds and having kids basically say where it goes,” Ciggia said. “For me, from my perspective, it’s actually kind of scary. It’s great we have events and things … [but] I think from the university’s perspective especially, and the economy and being strapped for cash, I feel like maybe SA will be examined in the next few years.” Johns and Selksy, however, are excited for the future and admitted they were going to celebrate the victory by sleeping. “We started from ‘the bottom up,’” Selsky said. Spirit started in SA as freshmen, joining clubs as its base and now the new-elects are sitting proud “at the top,” aiming to make SA “even better.” Additional reporting by Mangaing Editor Rebecca Bratek Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Amidst SA election, tensions persist
Finance committee controversy causes rift between treasurer and senators SAM FERNANDO
Asst. News Editor
Senate Chair Jonathan Grunin thinks Student Association Treasurer Justin Neuwirt should be recalled from his position for “withholding constitutional rights from the various [finance] committee members.” He said Neuwirt is doing a disservice to students. During the high tensions of SA election season, drama extended beyond conflicts among the e-board. Some senators are displeased
with the way Neuwirt handled an alleged recording of a finance committee meeting. The accusations have caused a fissure in the already disjointed SA. Grunin, a member of the finance committee, claims Neuwirt removed Grunin’s proxy, Alana Barricks, from a finance committee meeting on March 22 under the belief she recorded a previous meeting illegally. The recording never existed, according to Grunin and Barricks.
Neuwirt said a member of Black Student Union (BSU) informed him on Wednesday that there wasn’t a recording. Neuwirt didn’t think the information was important. “The fact of the matter is that it affected the finance committee,” Neuwirt said. “Regardless of whether there was a recording or not, BSU had clear knowledge of what was going on. So why does it matter?” Over the past four years, senators have been sending text messages from the finance committee to their friends in respective clubs
regarding their budgets, according to Grunin. “There is nothing against the rules for that,” he said. Forward Party presidential candidate Carson Ciggia, who is on the finance committee, disclosed he believed it was Barricks who recorded the meeting during The Spectrum’s endorsements. Ciggia has since apologized to Barricks for the accusation, stating a member of BSU had also told him there was no recording and the club was using it as a scare tactic.
Barricks, a BSU member, said she was unaware and not part of the plan. She also said Ciggia’s apology seemed half-genuine. BSU – the club with the largest budget at UB – was discussed at the allegedly recorded meeting. Grunin said Neuwirt was seeking to reduce the budget of BSU solely because it had too much money. Barricks said she tried to provide the committee with as much information as she could about the club during the meeting. Regardless of how the information was released, BSU
found out about the contents of the finance committee meeting. Forward delegate candidate Robin Murray left his ticket, and BSU withdrew its support from Forward. Murray didn’t respond to interview requests. Neuwirt said he didn’t want to accuse anyone of recording the meeting because he lacked sufficient evidence. Neuwirt said multiple people confirmed the person recording and he acted accordingly. SEE CONTROVERSY, PAGE 2
ubspectrum.com
2
Friday, March 29, 2013
Continued from page 1: Controversy Grunin and other senators claim Neuwirt violated the SA Constitution, but Neuwirt said he was acting in the best interest of SA and believes he didn’t break any explicit rules. At a finance committee meeting on March 18, Barricks was a proxy for senator and SA president-elect Nick Johns. Neuwirt said finance committee meetings shouldn’t have any conflicts of interest. He said if he was an active member in a club, he would excuse himself from the meeting. He added certain members have come in with their own political interests. Joshua Anbar, a senator and the SISH coordinator on the finance committee, felt once a committee member was accused of recording the meeting, it had to be taken seriously to uphold the integrity of the finance committee. “If it did instill confidence in the institution of the finance committee, then at the end of the day, I could see it as a necessary action,” said Robert Golightly, senator and sports coordinator on the finance committee. After the initial finance committee meeting, Grunin asked Barricks to proxy for him at the next meeting. Barricks said Grunin informed her he had heard she might be kicked out of the meeting but sent her anyway. This wasn’t the first time Neuwirt took issue with Grunin’s proxy. Just before spring break, senator Michael Calliste was a proxy for Grunin at a finance committee meeting. Grunin said Neuwirt didn’t approve and called Calliste “politically motivated and biased,” something Grunin and Calliste deny. At the beginning of the next finance meeting, March 22, Neuwirt called for the dismissal of Barricks. Barricks left without arguing to avoid any confrontation. Neuwirt, who noticed the members in the room were apprehensive from his decision, made a motion to appeal his decision to dismiss Barricks. He said only one person raised a hand. Barricks found out from “asking around” that she was dismissed for allegedly recording the previous meeting. In a Facebook message sent at 3:47 a.m. Saturday, Barricks asked Neuwirt to explain why she was kicked out. The Spectrum received copies of the conversation from Barricks.
SPECTRUM FILE PHOTO
SA Treasurer Justin Neuwirt accused a member of the finance committee of recording a meeting without permission. His decision to kick Alana Barricks out of the next finance committee meeting has caused controversy in an already separated SA e-board.
Neuwirt responded to the message later that morning, saying it wasn’t an attack on her. Instead, he was trying to “protect the integrity of the committee and consequently the budget of the Student Association.” He said he couldn’t prove anything. He also said she might believe he didn’t have the right to act the way he did, which he said “admittedly, that may be the case.” He also wrote in the message that he received physical threats from members of a club in his office and they said they had direct knowledge of conversations from the meeting. Neuwirt said they admitted to hearing the recordings. Senators later confirmed the club in question was BSU.
“I shouldn’t have to watch my back on campus when walking with people I care about because my job as treasurer and my direct interested (sic) of what is best for the Student Association,” Neuwirt wrote in the Facebook message. He said the committee should not be used as a “bargaining chip,” in the message. “But again, I have no proof of anything so I will apologize for my actions that may have offended you.” Neuwirt wrote in the message. “I was just acting on what I thought was best for the organization.” Neuwirt told The Spectrum the rules are vague and allow for interpretation and for that reason, he apologized to the individual and allowed
the member to come back to future meetings. Barricks responded to the Facebook message saying, “I understand why did what you did even if I don’t agree with it.” It isn’t against the rules to record a finance meeting unless the committee is in executive session, according to Grunin. Vice President Adam Zimnicki agrees, but he noted a member must inform the rest of the committee they’re being recorded. Grunin believes Neuwirt should be suspended for multiple transgressions, including the dismissal of Barricks. Neuwirt said Grunin made a statement that he will try to recall Neuwirt from his position as treasur-
er, possibly at the next Senate meeting. Grunin didn’t wish to comment on the notion. The next Senate meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Student Union room 145E. Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Opinion
Friday, March 29, 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 29, 2013 Volume 62 Number 66 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
3
The rose-colored masses Facebook equality pictures effectively spread awareness You might have noticed your Facebook friends list is growing rather red. This week, the Supreme Court began its deliberations on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and on California’s Proposition 8 in what is shaping up to not only be the case of the year but also one of the most important decisions of our lifetime. For the next few months, the highest court in the land will be determining if Sec. 3 of DOMA – which states “the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife” – is unconstitutional. It will also hear arguments to the constitutional challenge on Prop 8, which originally permitted same-sex marriages before being overturned. The decision may be months away, but the impatient and ambitious are already showing their support through social media. One by one, Facebook and Twitter users are changing their profile pictures to a pink equal sign with a red background. The logo comes from the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for LGBTQ people, as a way to promote the issue and show support for the movement. The picture has been shared hundreds of thousands of times, led to equally supportive parodies (such as beer cans, bat symbols and bacon) and garnered attention worldwide. But with the ambush of red comes the unhealthy amount of cynicism – and not just those who are opponents of the civil rights movement. There are plenty of people who are just vehemently against seeing the logo go so mainstream because that’s all that’s being done. Stop. Just stop. There are enough jokes being made about Congress getting on Facebook to tally up all the profile pictures to last the next few months of indecisiveness. There is enough cynicism to drive a lifetime of hate. What is needed is a movement, and as small as it may seem, the equality pictures are just the beginning of what could be something major in this country. For every supporter of HRC’s red campaign, there is someone who complains it is the lazy way to get people’s attention. The argument is the most minute, insignificant step you could ever do to show your support and to crusade for the issue. What possible worth could changing
ART BY JEANETTE CHWAN
your profile picture have when there are people down in Washington, D.C., dressed in red and rainbow, holding signs and yelling chants? What else are these people who have replaced their faces with equal signs doing? People are making this campaign into something it was never supposed to be. It’s meant to show support and catch attention, and it has done that. Contrary to the belief of many, online activism is not lazy; it’s just another outlet and another medium through which to help raise awareness and to accomplish the goal at hand. Internet movements and social media have notoriously gotten people excited about what people are fighting for.
From online petitions to trending tweets, we have created this medium as a sounding board and a catalyst for great change. Whether you’re marching to city hall or wearing colored ribbons, it’s all support. It’s all showing you’re part of some community. People are worried this is all eventually is going to blow over, that these people are going to change their pictures and push for change while change is trending, then change their profile logos back to party pictures and vacation memories as they find themselves saying, “Oh yeah, I forgot that was happening.”
There has been a constant comparison to STOP KONY 2012 for that reason. Last year, a short film titled Kony 2012 went viral, reaching over half of young adult Americans and even more people worldwide. The reaction spawned an intense, short-lived and controversial movement seeking to make Joseph Kony, an African militia leader and indicted war criminal, globally known. But there’s a tangible, noticeable difference. This is an issue that is so American and so central to everyone around us. It’s something we’re focused on and something that needs focus. The picture change might not be enough for some people, but it’s enough to remind others now how important this all is, how many people it affects, how many people care and how long this fight has lasted and will continue to last. Everything in our generation is based off this kind of communication: digital, direct and few characters. Even if someone doesn’t watch the news on a daily (weekly, monthly, ever) basis, they are still going to see the picture popping up all over the place and wonder what this is and why they’re seeing it everywhere. They see each and every share and supporter, and it becomes a force. If you see it, then the mission is accomplished. That’s all that was meant from this movement – for the supporters to show off their support in the hopes of spreading awareness. Maybe you’re apathetic enough or you’re not in a situation where you can become the fullout soapbox activist, and that’s fine. You’re still getting people to notice. You’re still taking the initiative to stand and say, “My name is so-andso, and I support marriage equality.” So while it may be ridiculous to some that we even have to rely on social media for awareness and activism or they think that people are only jumping on board to be part of a trend, it’s not something that you can just scroll past and ignore. It is everywhere, bright and red underneath your eyes. You may not see it as doing much, but if it reminds LGBTQ people that between all the anger and hate there are thousands upon thousands of people who support them, then that should be enough. Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
Six weeks and a heartbeat
North Dakota abortion bill breathes life into abortion conversation With the power of one signature, the abortion argument has reared its ugly head once again. Rewind back to the campaigning stages of Election 2012 where the discussion kept making frequent appearances, much to the candidates’ chagrin. Since then, the conversation has been simmering on low, but that doesn’t mean advocates haven’t been busy over the last few months. Now it’s progressed to a full boil. North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple signed the country’s toughest abortion policy into law this week, forcing the topic back into the national discussion. The bill, which is scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1, bans all abortions once a heartbeat is detected – approximately six weeks into the pregnancy. In addition, the measure would also make North Dakota the first state to ban abortions based on genetic defects and require a doctor who performs abortions to be a physician with hospital-admitting privileges. The topic of abortion is already messy and touchy for people on both sides without throwing in the word “heartbeat.” If nothing else, it’s amazing rhetoric on behalf of the state’s lawmakers. Think of all that is triggered when someone is discussing someone with a heartbeat. You think of your cousins, your siblings; you don’t think of a fetus. Heartbeat is a word that comes with emotion. If this was not a discussion of that one specific facet, would the sympathy change? Would fewer people be
affected if a heartbeat wasn’t the issue? This new law has not only awoken the abortion conversation but also prodded it with a stick and irritated it. Within minutes of the bill passing, donations began pouring into clinics to help prove that the new laws are unconstitutional and violate the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case. With this new attempt to change the previous decision – or as Dalrymple says, to test its limits – the issue could very well make a return to the Supreme Court. You can’t have the pro-choice versus anti-abortion argument, however, without talking about what it means to women. North Dakota’s measures are fueled in part by an attempt to close down the state’s abortion clinics – or rather, clinic. There is one abortion clinic in North Dakota: the Red River Women’s Clinic, which not only operates as a pro-choice clinic, but also provides access to birth control, STD testing, pregnancy tests and annual exams. Shutting down Red River shuts down all of that. Additionally, if abortions are banned after the fetal heartbeat, how long does that give a women to figure out if she’s pregnant or not? Following a missed period, it would – if she’s lucky – give her about two weeks at the most. It’s interesting to look at the law as an outsider because, as current residents of New York, we will probably not have to deal with anything
similar, especially considering the group representing Red River is based in our state. But there are five other states in the nation currently discussing a “heartbeat bill” to similar North Dakota’s. Arkansas also passed legislation on the topic a few weeks ago, banning abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy (10 weeks after fertilization). There are multiple other states that ban abortions after 20 weeks based on the theory that fetuses can feel pain after this time (something that is not accepted in mainstream medicine). Each law is influenced by one simple question: When does life begin? It’s a question that plagues us as a country; it’s a question no one has a definitive answer to without bringing in emotions or religion. Whatever North Dakota’s new bill and the challenges to it bring, the discussion on abortion, women’s rights and right to life is only going to get stronger. As for any kind of general consensus, the agreements are few and far between. But there are a few things we should definitely be able to see eye to eye with – the main one being there is no such thing as “pro-abortion.” The term “pro-choice” doesn’t mean “I’m going to have an abortion;” it means “I’m able to make the choice to have an abortion or to not have an abortion.” It doesn’t open the doors to promiscuity. It doesn’t mean there will be lines around the block to Planned Parenthood. It is embarrassing, scary and painful and
it affects the person who chooses to go through with it more than you can tell. Do we feel if you’re not a woman you should have as strong of a stance on the subject? No. Do we feel you should have a child if you’re not going to be able to take care of it after birth? No. But this is not a conversation that is about to die. In fact, it’s only going to get hotter. We can only hope there is consistency from lawmakers in what they tell people are their reasons for telling people what they can and cannot do. Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
Friday, March 29, 2013 ubspectrum.com
4
Life, Arts & Entertainment
The Audience was “Blown Away” Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hayes perform at First Niagara Center for 20,000 fans smoke bellowing behind her and artificial wind blowing her hair. The set up made Underwood look invincible. Fans screamed the emotional lyrics along with her, creating a reverberating effect throughout the stadium. Before she left the stage, she signed a 7-year-old girl’s cowboy hat and blew a kiss to her audience. The performance left the members of the audience smiling and even converted an old-time country music fan to “Team Underwood.” Renee’s husband, Torrey Sowden, 52, is an old-school country music fan. But after sitting through the concert with his wife, he has a newfound appreciation for the entertainment value of new-school country music. “Normally, [country music singers] just get on stage, sit and then play songs, but with Carrie Underwood, it’s a whole theatrical thing,” he said. “It was beautiful and awesome.” Underwood will also be performing at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Canada on March 29.
RACHEL KRAMER
Senior Life Editor
There was a dress code in Buffalo on Tuesday night: Cowboy boots, white lace dresses, cowboy hats resting on top of bouncy, curly hair and lots of denim. Carrie Underwood performed with special guest star Hunter Hayes at the First Niagara Center on last Tuesday to a crowd of around 20,000 country music fans on her Blown Away Tour. Hayes started the show on a low note by informing the audience he had a sore throat and would need its help to sing his chart topping hits. That wasn’t a problem for the audience, as he started his set with “Somebody’s Heartbreak” and held the microphone out to the masses. The audience let out a resounding cheer as Hayes sat down at the piano and played the first few notes of “Wanted,” his current hit single. The voices of thousands of fans came together in unison and sang the chart-topping hit’s chorus as Hayes played along. Hayes concluded his set with a twang as he sang “Storm Warning,” and despite the issues he had, Hayes gave the song his all and thanked the fans “for being too good to him.” If anything, at the end of his short set, the fans had more of a sore throat than Hayes. “I won’t be able to talk for a day,” said Holly Loveless, a junior at Utica College, who attended the concert with her boyfriend. The country music fan waited anxiously, along with the rest of the stadium, for 45 minutes until Carrie Underwood started her performance. It has been 10 months since Underwood’s latest album, Blown Away, was released in May 2012 and fans couldn’t wait to hear her sing their favorite songs. When the lights went out, Underwood enthusiasts screamed as three movable screens appeared on stage. The screens showed the six-time Grammy winner strutting through desolate farmland and then running from a tornado accompanied by her five-person band. Another screen rose from the floor with the projection of a door, and Underwood boldly entered singing “Good Girl” in a shiny royal purple gown that showed off her long legs. Underwood and her fans clapped and sang along to her 2010 single from Play On, “Undo It,” her 2007 single “Wasted” and two of her new songs – “I Told You So” and “Two Black Cadillacs” – without a break before a welcoming “How’s it going Buffalo?” from Underwood. Her rendition of “Two Black Cadillacs” maintained the exuberance as wind blew up from the stage floor, giving the American Idol winner an aura of confidence and control over the audience that would last for the duration of the performance.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
The Student Association has ANNOUNCED
Courtesy of Elizabeth Rosalyn, Flickr
Carrie Underwood, along with special guest Hunter Hayes, performed in the First Niagara Center on Tuesday to a crowd of over 20,000 fans as a part of her Blown Away Tour.
Renee Sowden, 52, has been following Underwood since she was on the hit show on Fox, and she loved every bit of the performance. “To see her now, in person, is so cool. All of her songs are beautiful; I can’t even pick a favorite,” Sowden said. After a quick wardrobe change, Underwood brought the energy in the room down to a low buzz as she mentioned the $1 donation to Red Cross that came with every ticket purchase. Underwood expressed that, as a star, she “might as well help others, because that’s what we were put on this planet to do: to help each other out.” Underwood continued the heartwarming spirit by introducing her
next couple of songs as tracks that have meant the most to her throughout her musical career: CMT award-winning song “Temporary Home” and 2005 hit single “Jesus Take the Wheel.” The spell Underwood put over the audience was chilling as she sang “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Although many spectators took a seat, they participated by swaying their arms in the air in support of the emotional star. For Loveless, the song held almost as meaning as it did to Underwood. “[Jesus Take the Wheel] was my favorite song she performed,” Loveless said. “It’s a family and religious thing, but it really meant a lot
to me that she sang that one.” Underwood underwent another quick outfit change after performing another song, reemerging with jean shorts, a t-shirt and a long frayed vest, singing “Get Out of This Town.” She and three band members then walked to a wooden fenced-off area in the front of the stage, where it slowly rose off the stage and floated into the audience. The songstress ran through a few other songs – including the Grammy award-winning “Before He Cheats” – before closing out the show with her emotional hit single, “Blown Away.” It was a dramatic conclusion, complete with a video of a tornado ripping through a home behind her, real paper flying around the stage, a funnel of
the supporting acts for Spring Fest.
Check out the coverage at the new ubspectrum.com.
ubspectrum.com
Friday, March 29, 2013
5
Adjusting to Passover RONNIE SIMMONS II Staff Writer
Courtesy of Catholic at University at Buffalo
The Newman Center on Elmwood Avenue is offering students a place to observe and celebrate Easter this Sunday if they can't travel home due to class or work schedules.
Celebrating Easter on campus ALYSSA MCCLURE
Staff Writer
Kristin Waldby, a freshman communication and sociology major, won’t get to go home to Syracuse to be with her family for Easter. But she’s making the best of her situation. “My mom is coming to visit the weekend after [Easter] so we can observe and celebrate even if it’s a week late,” Waldby said. “It won’t be the same, but it’ll be nice to see her.” She usually celebrates Easter with her family by dying eggs, getting Easter baskets of candy and having a ham dinner. In the past couple of years, they have also celebrated by going to mass on Easter Sunday. Here at UB, Waldby plans on buying marshmallow Peeps from CVS to celebrate on her own. Many students, like Waldby, are unable to travel home for the Easter weekend. UB does not cancel classes for Good Friday and holds classes the next Monday, making it difficult to allot time for travel. For this reason, Andrea Losinno, a freshman psychology major, originally thought she wouldn’t be able to go home to Seaford, Long Island, for Easter. Her developmental psychology professor scheduled an exam the Monday after Easter, making it difficult for her to spend the day with her family and return to UB in time. Her mom really wanted
her home for the holiday, though, so she’s flying home for one day to celebrate. Losinno usually spends the weekend preparing the Polish food her family eats for dinner on Easter Sunday and goes to church with her immediate family on Easter morning. She spends the day either at her home or her aunt’s house in New Jersey and has been doing so for as long as she can remember. She considers herself lucky to be going home, even for only a short time. “[Celebrating with my family] is one of those things where I feel as though I would be completely lost if I did not follow the same tradition I’ve been following for so many years,” Losinno said. There are opportunities on and around campus to celebrate Easter and the days leading up to it for those students who are unable to go home. The celebration of Easter Sunday actually begins the Thursday before – deemed Holy Thursday – and continues through Good Friday and Holy Saturday. There are services at the Catholic Newman Center on North Campus. On Holy Thursday, there will be a washing of feet and Mass at 7 p.m. Good Friday will feature a “solemn service” at 3 p.m., while the Holy Saturday Mass will be held at 8 p.m. On Easter Sunday, Mass will be held at sunrise outside at 6:59 a.m., followed with a breakfast at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
PM
Christoph-Mathias Mueller, conductor CHABRIER Suite Pastoral GEOFFREY GORDON Flute Concerto (WORLD PREMIERE)
RACHMANINOFF
Classics Series
Symphony No.3
UB@
“[My friend] wanted to know what it was like freshman year,” Pieri said. “He has come to my house ever since. It’s gotten to the point where he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m coming over to your house for Passover, right?’” Pieri leads his Seder, which begins with a retelling of the Jewish exodus. His mother cooks certain foods that are representative of the Egyptian bondage. “We eat parsley dipped in salt water to remind us of the tears of the slaves,” Pieri said. “We eat something called the bitter herbs to remind us how bitter of times these used to be.” Pieri is grateful to be able to get a home-cooked meal for Passover without being constantly tempted by bread everywhere on campus. When on campus, he eats in the Hillel Lounge, located on the second floor of The Commons. They provide kosher-for-Passover food and matzah to students during the duration of the holiday, according to Pieri. However, Pieri wishes Campus Dining and Shops would do a little more for Jewish students. He recalls Passover during his freshman year. “When I lived in the dorms, they had pretty much matzah and a bowl of parsley… for us. What are you going to do with that?” Pieri said. NY Deli and Diner, the kosher deli on campus, is closed during Passover because their owners are observing the holiday themselves, according to Pieri. Pieri hopes in the future during Passover the campus facilities include a matzah option. Pieri said there are no consequences for breaking Passover guidelines except “people giving you dirty looks.” “Nowadays, if you don’t keep kosher for Passover, I mean it’s your choice but… still respect others for their opinions, for their decisions.” Pieri said. Email: features@ubspectrum.com
SEE EASTER, PAGE 6
Rachmaninoff 3 Sat. Apr. 6, 8 Carol Wincenc, flute
When Aaron Pieri enters Putnam’s this week, he has no options for a meal other than an egg and cheese omelet. Because of this, Pieri has purposely modified the way he walks around campus to avoid the temptation of campus food. He needs to make sure he keeps kosher. Pieri, a junior political science major – along with many Jewish students on campus – has been observing Passover, which runs from March 25 until April 2. Passover is a holiday in which Jewish people celebrate their exodus from Egyptian slavery in biblical times. According to Pieri, to commemorate their ancestors forced exodus from Egypt before their bread was able to rise, modern Jews eat unleavened bread for eight days. This is known as keeping kosher for Passover. Keeping kosher means not eating foods with yeast, corn syrup, oats or rye. Traditionally, this means observers can’t eat any type of bread, corn or rice. Kosher for Passover food – also known as “chametz” – is usually blessed by a rabbi, according to myjewishlearning.com. For the time being, Pieri must avoid pizza, burgers and sandwiches on campus, and instead, he must choose items like matzah. Matzah is made from dough without flour or yeast and is similar to a flat cracker, Pieri said. He does not mind the brief adjustment. “I do it for the meaning of it,” Pieri said. “The fact that we were slaves in Egypt and now we are free. It’s a wonderful thing to remember and the matzah helps us remember it.” Rachel Bernzweig, a freshman legal studies major, feels guilty for not keeping kosher during Passover, she said as she finished her afternoon Tim Horton’s bagel. Bernzweig “would not have a choice” but to follow the guidelines of Passover if she was home. But away at school, she is missing
the support of her parents for the first time. Heading home for the holiday is difficult for Bernzweig, especially with its timing this year. She lives eight hours away on Long Island. For her, spending Passover on UB’s campus is a far cry from making matzah pizza with her family, which is a yearly tradition. Bernzweig is just one of many Jewish students at UB who were not able to be home for Seder. Seder, according to chabad.org, is a ritual feast that occurs on the first night and marks the beginning of Passover. During Seder, the Jewish community recounts “the Jewish people’s descent into Egypt and recall their suffering and persecution.” However, many Jewish students found an alternative for these festivities by flocking to the Chabad House of Buffalo, located minutes from UB’s North Campus. The Chabad House is a Jewish Student Center, founded in 1971 “to serve the religious, educational, and social needs of the large Jewish population at the University of Buffalo,” according to its website. Alexandra Caspi, a sophomore accounting major, is spending her first Passover in Buffalo. Caspi was used to singing songs in Hebrew with her close-knit family during Seder but found a family away from home on Monday night. She was able to sing with fellow students at the Chabad House. Sarah Brodsky, a sophomore undecided major and another Seder attendee, was prepared for the relaxation and ease of her Seders at home, but was surprised to find 50 to 100 students gathered at the Chabad House on Monday night. Brodsky may not be able to replicate the comfort of her family Seders, but she has found people to celebrate with while in Buffalo. Pieri, a Buffalo native, gets to spend his Passover at his own home yearly. He believes there is nothing like spending it with your family and friends. Pieri even incorporates one of his non-Jewish friends into the holiday.
BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Mozart Requiem
THE SYMPHONY KLEINHANS MUSIC HALL
Sat. Apr. 20, 8PM Sat
JoAnn Falletta, conductor Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Sari Gruber, soprano Stacey Rishoi, mezzo-soprano Jonathan Boyd, tenor Darren Stokes, bass
Classics Series
Concert Sponsor
$10.00 TICKETS EXCLUSIVELY FOR UB STUDENTS
FREE TRANSPORTATION FROM UB STUDENT UNION LEAVES AT 7:15PM
CALL(716)885-5000
Barbara L. Oliver, Graduate Gemologist - GIA
5820 Main Street, Suite 311 Personal Jewelry Consultations & Custom Jewelery Design Caldwell Building Williamsville, New York 14221 p 716.204.1297 f 716.204.2260 jeweler@barbaraoliverandco.com 5820 Main Street, Suite 311 Caldwell Building Williamsville, New York 14221
716.204.1297
jeweler@barbaraoliverandco.com
www.BarbaraOliverandCo.com
ubspectrum.com
6
Friday, March 29, 2013
Cognitive scientist Pinker lectures as fifth Distinguished Speaker REBECCA BRATEK Managing Editor
Humans are inherently good and inherently violent, and how we act just depends on if the better angel has the upper hand, according to Steven Pinker. Humans have a “better angel” and a “worse angel” within them, and each has a tendency to control human actions – namely the choice to commit acts of peace or acts of violence, he said. And, right now, the better angels are prevailing. This 21st-century society is living in the most peaceful period of man’s existence, according to Pinker. “We’re living in, by historical standards, in an unusually peaceful time,” he explained in an interview with The Spectrum Wednesday night. “Rates of death and war are lower than they ever were. Rates of death and homicide, state-sponsored violence – like capital punishment – all of those are down compared to past decades and centuries and the question is: Why?” Pinker – an experimental psychologist and cognitive scientist who primarily explores territories of language, the mind and human nature – has attempted to answer that question through data analysis in his newest book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, discussed the numbers behind his belief that we, as a society, are living in the most peaceful era in human history during his lecture as UB’s fifth Distinguished Speaker of the 2012-13 season. His lecture, accompanied by a myriad of PowerPoint slides with expansive graphs and charts, explored what Pinker called “six major historical declines of violence.” “I had come across a number of data sets that suggested that the world had gotten more peaceful and most people think it’s the other way around,” he said. “That itself is a problem and an interesting topic in psychology: Why are people’s assessments of risk out of whack with reality? “But I had known rates of violence had gone down since the Middle Ages; I had known that rates of violence in tribal nonstate hunting and gathering societies was much higher than in modern states.” Pinker, who had studied language and the way the mind works before branching into studies of violence, had compiled a blog post full of observations on how rates of violence had seemed to go down over time. He had done so in response to a question asked to 100 scientists: What are you optimistic about? Once more scientists began to confirm his assertions with more data, Pinker knew he had to write a book. One of the major reasons society has moved toward a span of peace: The creation of central governments and states, which, according to Pinker, took humans out of a state of anarchy. “There’s always the capability of violence and the reason it’s gone down is that our ancestors have tried to figure out ways to reduce it,” he said. “It’s kind of like maintaining a house – your roof doesn’t leak, but you still have to replace the roof every few years. If a leak does develop, you have to fix it right away. You can’t let the foundation rot.”
Alexa Strudler, The Spectrum
Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker sat down with The Spectrum before speaking as Wednesday night’s fifth Distinguished Speaker. He discussed why society is facing a decline in violence and an unusually peaceful era in history.
But the decrease in violence hasn’t led a decrease – or even increase – in public fear; Pinker claims that emotion can’t be measured, per se. “I’m not sure that we’re more afraid than we used to be,” he said. “Terrorist attacks actually are responsible for a tiny fraction of violent deaths … But terrorist acts are almost guaranteed to attract attention; in fact, the whole point of terrorism is to attract the attention of the media. And I think that the media should present more violent news items in the context of overall statistics – how many have there been that year on a per capita basis compared to other years.” The spread of technology – namely cameras, television and the Internet – has brought scenes of violence directly to the public. The Vietnam War is widely said to be the first war brought into people’s living rooms, according to Pinker. As a result, America saw its first strong anti-war movement because people were seeing death and carnage instead of just reading about it, he said. Even though violence is at an all-time low, Pinker said because the populace is much more literate and educated than in earlier times, he doesn’t see the slope spiking back up. “We don’t burn heretics at the stake because we are sophisticated enough to know heretics are not going to lure people into damnation in hell; people probably don’t take the concept of hell that literally,” he explained. “We don’t sacrifice people to placate angry gods because we know that isn’t going to bring better weather. That’s not going to cure disease. That’s not going to make the crops bear fruit. If we want crops to bear fruit, we use fertilizer. If we want to cure disease, we use antibiotics.” Pinker noted that violence in modern society has led to government and individual efforts to reduce future incidents. After 9/11, the government strengthened the Department of Homeland Security and tightened airport restrictions. The Brady Bill was signed into law after James Brady was shot during an attempted Ronald Regan assassination. Recently, gun control measures have been pursued in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
“Our efforts at improving the human condition have succeeded,” Pinker said. “We haven’t reached a utopia, but things are better than they used to be. We should just keep whittling down the numbers; we should try to reduce it to half of what it is now and then reduce it to half again and just keep nibbling away at it. That’s our best hope.” Pinker believes there is no answer to the question, “Are people basically good or violent?” and we have impulses in both directions – the outcome of the impulse just depends on historical circumstances. Comedian Steve Martin will visit Alumni Arena as the sixth and final Distinguished Speaker on April 27. Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Continued from page 6: Easter “All [services] will be touching and inspiring,” said Father Pat Keleher of the Catholic Newman Center on North Campus. “There seems to be something for everyone.” St. Joseph’s University Church, located on South Campus, also has an extensive number of services available for students. Morning Prayer will be held at 9 a.m. and Mass at 7 p.m. on Holy Thursday. Good Friday’s Morning Prayer will be at 9 a.m. and Stations of the Cross will take place at noon. Stations of the Cross is a series of reflections and prayers inspired by the events leading up to the death of Jesus. There will be music for the Passion – the final hours of Jesus’ life – at 1 p.m., solemn liturgy at 2 p.m., and Taize prayer with the distribution of Communion at 7 p.m. Taize prayer is repetitive prayer adapted to music and specific passages from the Bible that originates from the Taize monk community of France. Holy Saturday will feature a Morning Prayer at 9 a.m., a blessing of Easter baskets at 1 p.m., and the solemn Easter Vigil at 8 p.m. On Easter Sunday, Mass with organ and brass will start at 8:30 a.m.; Mass with choir, organ and brass will commence 10 a.m.; and family Mass with a contemporary ensemble will occur at 11:30 a.m. In addition, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) will be partnering with Campus Ambassadors and BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) to host a Good Friday service on Friday night at 7:34 p.m. in Student Union 210. Email: features@ubspectrum.com
Friday, March 29, 2013 ubspectrum.com
HELP HELP WANTED WANTED
APARTMENT APARTMENTFOR FORRENT RENT
WE “MUSTACHE YOU” to be a mentor to a kid, adult, vet or elder! Just be your awesomeself & volunteer at least 1-hr/ wk for at least 1-yr. Call Karen at Compeer to get started. 716883-331.
4,5,6 & 8 BEDROOM remodeled apartment houses. 14 of 33 apartments remain. University Buffalo Main Street Campus- off Englewood. Beginning June 2013: UB South Campus for $300/ bed plus utilities. Washers & dryers included. Contact BRADENGEL37@gmail. com or Shawn at 716-984-7813 Check out our website www. BUFAPT.com.
COLLEGE PRO IS NOW HIRING PAINTERS all across the state to work outdoors w/ other students. Earn $3K – 5K. Advancement opportunities + internships. 1-888-277-9787 or www. collegepro.com. PART-TIME & MANAGER POSITIONS AVAILABLE. Lasertron Family Entertainment Center is currently hiring for Go-Kart operators and general customer service. Working at a fast, detail-oriented pace and having excellent customer skills is a must. Starting at approximately $11/hr, must be available nights and weekends. Management-in-training positions are also available. Stop in and complete an application at Lasertron, 5101 North Baily Avenue, Amherst, NY. BERT’S BIKES AND FITNESS IS HIRING part-time and full-time sales associates. Come work in a fun and healthy retail environment. Apply online at Bertsbikes.com or in person at 1550 Niagara Falls Blvd. in Tonawanda, 716-837-4882.
TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE SAME OLD DUMP??? Our nicest apartments rent now! Newly remodeled 1-4 person apartments on W.Winspear, Englewood, Tyler, Heath & Merrimac. Amenities include O/S parking, whirlpool baths, w/w carpeting, new ss appliances, & free laundry. Live the Sweethome life on South! Visit www.ubrents.com or call: 716-775-7057. MERRIMAC 3 & 4 BEDROOM. Updated kitchen, bath, dishwasher, laundry & off-street parking. $295 per person. Available June 1st. 716308-5215. 1 TO 8 BEDROOM HOUSES AND APARTMENTS at UB South: dozens in prime locations on Winspear, Northrup, Englewood, Merrimac, Highgate, and more! Most have large bedrooms, hardwood floors, offstreet parking, laundry. Local, responsible landlord with
Classifieds
maintenance staff. Call, text, or email Jeremy Dunn, (585) 2616609.
LISBON/BAILEY: 2-3 BDRM, furnished, carpeting, appliances & parking. $240/p+, dryan91660@aol.com, 716440-5133. HOUSE FORFOR RENT HOUSE RENT EGGERT ROAD FULLY FURNISHED 3-BDRM. Washer/Dryer, finished basement, off-street parking, driveway & all kitchen appliances. $1200 water included. Call/text 917-5194195. SPACIOUS 4-BDRM 144 ENGLEWOOD. WELL MAINTAINED. Washer/ dryer, dishwasher, off-street parking. Updated electric & heat. Safety inspected & approved by Department Inspection Services City of Buffalo. $1160.00 716-8770097. TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE SAME OLD DUMP??? Our nicest homes rent now! Newly remodeled 3-8 person homes on W. Winspear, Englewood, Tyler, Heath & Merrimac. Amenities include O/S parking, whirlpool bathtubs, w/w carpeting, new ss appliances, free laundry, snow removal & Valet garbage! Live the Sweethome life on South! Visit www.ubrents.com or call: 716-775-7057.
7
SOUTH CAMPUS NEW on the market! 4,5 & 6 Master BDRMS, 2-Baths, stove, fridge, washer/dryer/dishwasher & offstreet parking. Available June 1st. Call 716-570-6062.
starts at $450.00/mo including all utilities and internet. 630-300-4228. Immediate occupancy.
1 TO 8 BEDROOM HOUSES AND APARTMENTS at UB South: dozens in prime locations on Winspear, Northrup, Englewood, Merrimac, Highgate, and more! Most have large bedrooms, hardwood floors, offstreet parking, laundry. Local, responsible landlord with maintenance staff. Call, text, or email Jeremy Dunn, (585) 2616609.
AMHERST-SOUTH CAMPUS/UNIVERSITY PLAZA side of main. Looking for 1 serious male roommate. Excellent condition, furnished, private-bedroom, big closet, laundry, dishwasher + parking available. 4 minute walk to campus. $315.00 + share of utilities. 716-400-9663, if no answer 716-400-9661.
NORTH CAMPUS 4-BDRM DUPLEX. Newer appliances, dishwasher & washer/dryer. High speed internet, cable & water included. Plenty of offstreet parking. 1 yr. lease 6/1/13 $1,100 Call AJ 716-510-3527.
BUFFALO DRIVINGSCHOOLS. COM Learn to drive with our warrantee driving instruction package. NYS 5hr course, points& insurance reduction class in our classroom or on-line. Call for free shuttle service to our classroom from north& south campus. 716-8344300.
LARGE NEWLY RENOVATED DUPLEX HOUSE 197 Minnesota Ave. with two 3-BDRM apartments. Four blocks from UB South Campus. Laundry, garbage, water & parking. 1 yr lease. $325 per room. Contact Craig, vantinec@gmail.com/ 703856-5068. Facebook.com/ HIPDevelopment ROOM FORFOR RENT ROOM RENT FANTASTIC LOCATION across the street from UB South at Main & N.F. Blvd. Rent for completely furnished room
ROOMMATE WANTED ROOMMATE WANTED
SERVICES SERVICES
CITY A1 DRIVINGSCHOOL.COM Beginners & brush-up driving lessons. 5hr class $30.00 716875-4662. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PREGNANT NEED HELP? Call 716-694-8623.
716-877-7111 Pick-Ups offered from the airport!
DOWNLOAD THE
Daily Delights SUDOKU
APP
SPONSORED BY:
buffalostudenthousing.com
Crossword of the Day
HOROSCOPES Friday, March 29, 2013 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK
ACROSS 1 Big bunch 5 Tibetan holy men 10 Hide-working tools 14 Melange 15 Academy, in Arles 16 Accomplish flawlessly 17 Detox candidate 18 Homebound student, often 19 It's a thought 20 Like a snap decision 23 Curly-leafed, mustard family members 24 Change location 25 Ample amount 28 Ticked states 30 Angel costume accessory 31 Kind of down 33 Afternoon snooze 36 Very quickly 40 "The Ipcress File" author Deighton 41 Projecting window design 42 On the high side, as a guess 43 Bit for Miss Muffet 44 Superlatively scant 46 Tijuana cash 49 Sacred song 51 On very short notice 57 Continental currency
58 Spokes 59 "Reader's Digest" cofounder Wallace 60 Hebrew month 61 April 1 baby, e.g. 62 Climber's impediment 63 Colorful amphibian 64 Dough raiser 65 Pinings
DOWN 1 Females with pig tails? 2 Cut out, as coupons 3 Aboriginal Japanese 4 Opening necessity? 5 Didn't hold back 6 Less than 90 degrees 7 Emperors in the closet? 8 On the protected side 9 Appear 10 Hostile attitude 11 A bird that walks in water 12 Claims upon property 13 Election Day list 21 Cereal grass 22 "La Boheme," e.g. 25 Baseball Hall of Famer Rizzuto 26 Olympic swimmer's path 27 Flair
Edited by Timothy E. Parker March 29, 2013 NOW'S THE TIME By Jill Pepper
28 Person on a pedestal 29 Zebra on the court, briefly 31 Wife of Geraint, in Arthurian lore 32 Likable prez? 33 Upper part of a glacier 34 Affirmative votes 35 Chic or cheeky 37 Adult nit 38 Abbr. on a clothing sale item, sometimes 39 State of being regular or common 43 Accomplice 44 "Little Red Book" follower 45 Santa staffer 46 Song of tribute 47 Exercise by Chopin 48 Backbreaker, in a proverb 49 Lecture-hall platforms 50 Bond and Bourne, for two 52 Heavy horsecart 53 "Still mooing," at a steakhouse 54 Add to the payroll 55 Ladd or Thicke 56 Auto plates
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Don't be fooled by the seemingly easy pace today; there is much to be done, and much of it has taken on increased importance right now. TAURUS (April 20May 20) -- You may find that you are unable to do precisely what you have said you will do today -but it's not entirely your fault. The odds are long. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You could give yourself a little more support, rather than depending on others for the kind of lift you require at this time. CANCER (June 21July 22) -- You may be wracking your brain trying to remember names and faces -- but you'll receive a timely reminder when things get dicey.
LEO (July 23Aug. 22) -- Progress is likely to pick up throughout the day, as your efficiency and productivity increase. You may have to answer to an authority figure. VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) -- The answers to tricky questions may take you by surprise. In turn, what you do with the information will surprise your critics. LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 22) -- You are likely to receive assistance from a friend or loved one at the moment in which you need it most. SCORPIO (Oct. 23Nov. 21) -- You must resist the temptation to return to the scene of the crime. In fact, you'll want to be as far away as possible!
FALL SPACES ARE
GOING FAST RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -You'll receive instruction from someone who knows much more than you do about a certain topic. Listen up! CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You may not see things progressing according to plan. Subtle changes in your approach can rectify the situation. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Someone who does things very differently from you will have more to say today -- and your reaction will be seen as most significant. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -You'll fall into something quite creative almost by accident -- but you can surely make the most of this situation's potential.
8
Sports
Friday, March 29, 2013 ubspectrum.com
YEAR OF THE QUARTERBACK Signal-caller bond leads to friendly competition JOE KONZE JR, OWEN O’BRIEN and TOM DINKI Senior Sports Editor and Staff Writers Although the football team does not have an on-campus indoor facility to give refuge from the rough Buffalo winter, the quarterbacks spent the offseason together training and taking advantage of the Buffalo Bills’ indoor field house. They met up with receivers and running backs, forming the groundwork of the offense for the upcoming season. The preparations continued off the field for these quarterbacks, who watch film together, attend meetings and talk about what they saw on tape and between the lines. Even outside of football, the group is spending time together, including spontaneous trips to Red Robin or weekly bowling. “We are together with the team the whole time,” said sophomore quarterback Tony Daniel. “We are all competitive guys, but we know only one guy takes snaps at a time. We are all in the film room, making each other better, asking questions, talking to each other and telling each other what we see and they see so we are making each other better, and we know that one guy plays. We know that’s just the way it is.” While being there for one another, they also understand the biggest problem about the position – it’s a solo act. This season, the Bulls will have four quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Soon-to-be senior Alex Zordich began last season as the starting quarterback, but sophomore Joe Licata took over the reins of the Buffalo offense eight games in and made the most of his opportunity, steering the Bulls to a 3-1 finish. “The best way to learn as a quarterback is through experience and I was lucky enough to start the last four games,” Licata said. “I got some playing time earlier in the season and that experience is going to really help me moving forward.” Licata finished the season with a 52.8 completion percentage, totaling
Nick Fischetti, The Spectrum
Sophomore Joe Licata (above) is one of four quarterbacks competing for the starting job next season. In 2012, Licata took over with four games left in the season and led the football team to a 3-1 record and the program's first three-game winning streak in the Jeff Quinn era.
1,045 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He seemed to form a strong connection with senior receiver Alex Neutz as well, with the two hooking up for touchdowns in four of the final five games. Licata’s play from last year does not mean that he will not have to compete for the starting job this spring. Zordich returns for his senior season, looking to regain his starting po-
sition. Daniel and redshirt freshman Collin Michael are in the hunt to start as well. Zordich and Licata bring the most experience to the field and are the front-runners to take the first snap against Ohio State, but they have vastly different styles of play. Licata will stand in the pocket and fire the ball to all parts of the field, while Zordich relies on his feet to ex-
tend plays. This is a familiar situation for head coach Jeff Quinn; he had two capable quarterbacks with contrasting skill sets at Cincinnati in Tony Pike and Zach Collaros. “I think what you are always looking for is continuity with your system and having that guy that can manage it,” Quinn said. “I’m never ruling out ways to win and score points and help
this football team succeed.” Last season, Zordich had 501 yards on the ground to go with his 1,254 passing. When a play broke down, he would scramble around the backfield, giving receivers time to get open or finding a lane to run through. However, he struggled in his four conference games before the switch to Licata – throwing more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three) in his four Mid-American Conference starts. “I’ve always said experience is the most important thing – game experience especially. There’s nothing like game speed,” Zordich said. “So it was good to get a bunch of games under my belt. We didn’t produce like we wanted to but we’re working [hard] and really looking forward to this year.” Michael, who spent last season running the scout team, has an impressive resume. He possesses size and arm strength. According to scout.com, he was the 41st best quarterback in the country out of high school, throwing for 3,230 yards and 42 touchdowns while rushing for 14 touchdowns in his high school career in Lexington, Ohio. “[Spring practices] are key,” Michael said. “It’s all we can go on. Everybody’s got a clean slate. You’ve got to come out every day and prove yourself and make your teammates respect you.” Daniel, the final competitor for the starting job, saw minimal action last season. However, he was able to showcase his strong arm and speed as he fumbled a bad snap on a field goal against Miami Ohio last season and hit senior tight end Alex Dennison for a 10-yard gain. This play helped lead to a Bulls victory that jumpstarted a three-game winning streak at the end of the season. The coaching staff will spend the next five months deciding who will take the field and line up under center as the Bulls open their season on Aug. 31 against Ohio State at the Horseshoe. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
The ‘routes’ to victory
Neutz , Lee headline deep receiving core in spring practice JON GAGNON
Sports Editor
It’s no secret that the strength of the football team is its ground-andpound running game led by arguably the best running back in the MidAmerican Conference, soon-to-be senior Branden Oliver. Oliver played in just seven games last season and averaged 117.3 yards. In an offense that continues to expand its capabilities outside of the running game, Oliver is just one component in an offense that is attempting to become a forerunner in the MAC this season. “We want to be the No. 1 offense in the MAC, and we’re starting there,” said senior wide receiver Fred Lee. “I think we’ve got a great chance. We’ve got a lot of guys who stepped in last year who showed they could play when myself, [senior Alex Neutz] and [Oliver] were out. Now we’re all back with the other guys who stepped in. So when I think you put all of that together, our offense will be blowing people out of the water.” As Lee noted, the receiving core is deep this year and is returning every player from last year’s squad. Marcus McGill, Cordero Dixon, Devon
Nick Fischetti, The Spectrum
Alex Neutz (above) sits at 19 touchdowns and is just nine shy of tying Naaman Roosevelt’s all-time school record of 28 touchdowns. He and Fred Lee headline a receiving core with a lot of depth.
Hughes and Rudy Johnson are all expected to make an impact at the deeper ends of the rotation. There is also first-class talent at the top of the group – starting with Neutz. Alex Neutz, Senior With the injury to Oliver, Neutz was the team’s most consistent threat
on offense. In 11 games, he caught 65 balls for 1,015 yards and 11 touchdowns (all to lead the team). Despite missing one game to injury, Neutz garnered about 33 percent of the team’s total catches last year. “He’s a tremendously athletic player,” said head coach Jeff Quinn. “He’s got great concentration and great judgment of the ball in the air. I’ve
SHAWN “JAY-Z” CARTER, WILL SMITH & JADA PINKETT SMITH PRESENT
TONYTM AWARD WINNING MUSICAL
always said Neutz makes the catches he should, because he’s got tremendous ability. He’s been blessed.” Quinn thinks the depth surrounding the team’s No. 1 receiver will give Neutz opportunities to be even more effective. After Neutz’s dominant junior season, he now sits at 19 touchdowns and is just nine shy of tying Naaman Roosevelt’s all-time school record of 28 touchdowns. As Neutz enters his senior season, the individual accolades aren’t important to him. He wants a MAC Championship. “The stats were great last year; that was fun, but when it comes down to it, it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t go to a bowl game and win a MAC Championship,” he said. “So that’s all I care about this year.” Fred Lee, Senior With Neutz accounting for 42 percent of the team’s receiving yards last season, the Bulls struggled to find a consistent No. 2 target. This year, that player looks to be Lee. “I think he’s going to have huge impact,” Neutz said. “You saw at the end of year he came out strong. He had a great game against UMass and he played a great game against [Bowling Green], so those are the two
games leading into this year. I think he’s going to have a great year.” Lee’s influence didn’t come until late in the season last year, after he missed six of the first seven games with a broken hand. Despite that, he finished as the team’s second-leading receiver, catching 17 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown. “Fred’s a big-time player when it comes to having a physical presence out there and I like his overall mindset,” Quinn said. “He’s a very successful person in his own right and I think it comes out in the way the rest of the guys respond to his leadership.” Lee was hesitant to claim himself as the No. 2 guy, again harping on the team’s ability to produce multiple playmakers this season. “We’re not really focusing on who’s going to be the No. 2 guy,” Lee said. “We’re focusing on having five or six or seven guys who can get out there and play and it will spread the ball around and let numbers take care of themselves.” Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
“STUDENT TICKET $20” STARRING DESTINY’S CHILD
MICHELLE WILLIAMS
APRIL 5 – 6
TICKETS: 1-800-745-3000, Shea’s Ticket Office, Doris Records, www.ticketmaster.com. www.felaonbroadway.com
Group discount 15+ call 829-1154 Shows, dates, times, prices, artists subject to change.
www.sheas.org