Medical school attempts to recover from setbacks Obama’s words received differently by UB community THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
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Volume 63 No. 2
COURTESY OF UB ATHLETICS
SWIPE ‘N’ RIDE New policy requires UB ID to use buses RACHEL KRAMER
Asst. Arts Editor
On Monday, UB students were pelted by rain as they fumbled to retrieve their UB IDs, surprised by a new university policy requiring them to scan their cards in order to step onto the blue buses. Transportation and Services implemented a “Swipe ‘n’ Ride” system on all 21 of the UB Stampede buses on the first day of classes as a way to collect data about the people riding the buses and make the Stampede a safer mode of transportation, according to university officials. The new procedure for riding the Stampede buses – and not UB Shuttles – requires each passenger to swipe his or her UB ID card to ride. When The Spectrum inquired about the cost of the imitative, UB Spokesman John Della Contrada stated, “There are no additional costs to the university for the system,” in an email. A 5-by-7-inch touch screen is adjacent to the machine, which will flash green or red. Green signifies the card is valid and red means it is not. If a passenger does not have a UB ID, he or she will be required to present some form of identification associated with UB, such as a ticket for an on-campus game or concert. Some people on campus, like bus driver Jessie Brooks, are having problems with the new system. On Monday, Brooks, who has been a Stampede driver since 1998, was driving a bus with a broken swipe system. She said the power light was on, but the screen was black. She spoke to maintenance and they told her to record the number of people who boarded the bus by hand on a clipboard and
Johns’ journey SA president learns independence, work ethic from tumultuous childhood SAM FERNANDO
Senior News Editor
Juan D. Pinzon, The Spectrum
A new Swipe ‘n’ Ride system implemented on all of the UB Stampede buses has forced some students to wait in long lines to ride the bus, and some have voiced their frustration.
not to worry about the computer. The next day, over 400 cards on her bus showed up red, but she let the people on the bus anyway because “if I didn’t, I’d have an empty bus,” she said. After departing from the bus stop, she made an announcement to her passengers telling them if their card showed up red, to get it checked out at the UB Card office, located in the Student Union. When Talia Schwartz, a sophomore psychology major, boarded the bus Tuesday afternoon, she was surprised to be asked to swipe her UB ID. “I felt so bad because I was holding up the line as I searched through my stuff like an idiot,” Schwartz said. “This system is going to slow down the process of getting onto the bus, which is already slow. People ride the bus as a faster way to get to class. If you plan on just making it in time for class and you have to wait for everyone to swipe their cards, you’re going to be late.”
Drivers are allowed to make exceptions for students who have lost their card as long as the “person genuinely appears to not be able to locate it on their person” or if their damaged card won’t swipe properly, according to the UB Transportation website. Chris Austin, assistant director of UB Parking and Transportation Services, believes these “technological hiccups” are because Swipe ‘n’ Ride is still in its “soft launch period.” For the next five weeks, bus drivers are instructed to be lenient toward students who don’t have their UB card or who are denied by the system. He also believes this opening week is an education and announcement period to inform students that they need their ID in order to board the bus and to fix most of the “hiccups.” He said, by the end of September, students should be used to presenting their UB cards in order to ride the Stampede. SEE BUSES, PAGE 7
Last semester, Nick Johns said, “I get my hands dirty” – something he believed differentiated him from anyone else yearning for the job of Student Association president. Two days before the SA election, Johns trekked into The Spectrum office in a black t-shirt and track pants caked in mud – the complete opposite attire of his opponents and even his running mates. It wasn’t the typical uniform for someone trying to convince the editorial board why they should endorse him. “I’m ready to get down in the trenches and figure out what needs to be done,” he said that day. “I’m not going to sit on a pedestal; I’m trying to live the college life.” Four months later, he believes he is sticking to his promise. Since his first day as SA president, Johns, a junior business and political science major, has “hit the ground running,” according to his assistant Marissa Malone. Others in his office echo that sentiment and praise the enthusiasm he brings to his job. But they say it is his work ethic and meticulous nature that separates him from the rest of the student body. “He doesn’t mind diving into something head first, making sure it gets done,” said Lyle Selsky, SA vice president. “He has a very hands-on approach. Nick likes to be involved in every little thing that happens in the office.” Johns said his childhood played a big role with this attribute. He was born in Seoul, South Korea, and when he was 6 months old, a Rochester family adopted him. When he was 12, his parents divorced.
Juan D. Pinzon, The Spectrum
SA President Nick Johns “gets his hands dirty” serving students food at Tuesday’s Back-to-School Barbecue. He credits his work ethic and determination to his parents, as well as the obstacles he overcame in his childhood.
“My parents’ divorce showed me that life will throw things at you that you can never expect, and that your adaptation to changing circumstances while maintaining yourself defines who you are,” Johns said. Because he was young when they divorced, he was forced to be independent, something he was already used to at that age. His parents would work long hours, so his grandma would often take care of him and his sister, who is two and a half years younger than him. By his teenage years, he was used to taking care of himself and his sister. SEE NICK JOHNS, PAGE 7