The Spectrum Volume 63 Issue 12 by The Spectrum Student Periodical

Students talk Syria, kick off UB’s InFocus series On-campus Starbucks showcases UB alum’s art

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

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Sports editor trains with women’s basketball team

Monday, September 23, 2013

JOHNS’ RESIGNATION IS LATEST IN SERIES OF STUDENT ASSOCIATION CORRUPTION Consistent wrongdoing has raised questions about UB’s student government AARON MANSFIELD Editor in Chief

The Student Association controls $4.1 million of student funds. In the past five years, its leaders have been the source of five major scandals. Last week’s resignation of President Nick Johns – who was accused of a litany of offenses, including harassment, falsifying time sheets and mishandling funds – is the latest in a pattern of impropriety that has been steady since 2008. Let’s rewind: - In the 2012-13 school year, Treasurer Justin Neuwirt accused President Travis Nemmer and his “cronies” of rigging SA’s election to get Johns voted into office. - In 2011-12, Treasurer Sikander Khan attempted to invest $297,000 of student funds in a mobile application from a fraudulent company called “Virtual Academix” that appeared to have connections to known associates of Khan. He was reported to the University Police Department before resigning and leaving Buffalo. SA higher-ups say they have not heard from him since the incident and have no idea where he lives today. - In 2009, President Hassan Farah was impeached after allegedly punching a staffer at an orientation event. - In 2008, Generation Magazine published an indepth exposé revealing some of SA’s frivolous, self-serving spending habits with student funds – including: a nearly $17,000 trip to Toronto, in addition to expensive trips to Boston and Los Angeles; $12,000 salaries for executive board members; and over $10,000 for t-shirts, polos and hooded sweatshirts. Before that article came out, SA’s three e-board members ran unopposed for reelection – only 155 students voted and the election was shortened to two days. SA was accused of intentionally not publicizing the election. Things have changed since 2008, though – the mandatory student activity fee has increased by $15.75, from $79 to $94.75, and SA’s annual budget has increased by $1 million. The Student Association is as powerful as it has ever been. Questions surround SA: What exactly is this organization that controls so much student money, and why does something seem to go wrong every year? Does the structure need to change? What is SA? UB’s SA is the largest student government in the SUNY system. Though there are no aggregated statistics on which student governments in America control the most funds, it’s a safe bet that UB’s SA, which controls a total of $4.1 million and a budget of $3.7 million, is near the top. The University of South Carolina has an enrollment of about 23,000, and its student government controls a budget of $413,000. As for other SUNY schools, Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) budget is about $3.1 million, Binghamton University’s is $2.5 million and Geneseo’s is $1.28 million. Is there sufficient oversight? Mario Ferone, Stony Brook USG’s vice president of communications and public relations, said the university’s vice president must approve the USG’s budget each year and every USG purchase goes through the group’s fiscal agent, who is a university employee. He said there is a faculty-student organization that helps handle all of USG’s finances and, though USG is mostly independent, “it makes sense to have the check from the university.” SEE SA SCANDALS, PAGE 2

March 27, 2008- President Peter Grollitsch and his Progress Party run unopposed and win reelection. Only 155 students vote. April 2008- A Generation article titled “Did You Get Your Slice?” is published, outlining the corrupt practices of Grollitsch’s administration. During its term, the administration approves two student grants – a $1,500 condo in Killington, Vt., for 12 students on the ski team, including Grollitsch, and a grant for the Irish SA, a temporary club with one member, which included a $658 hotel in Boston for St. Patrick’s Day. Five students attend the Boston trip, including SA Treasurer John Martin and SA official and SUNY Delegate Jack Niejadlik.

May 2009 July 20, 2009- SA President Hassan Farah is arrested for allegedly assaulting orientation aide Akash Chakravarty in the Ellicott Complex. Chakravarty’s nose was broken.

Oct. 4, 2009- After a month of petitions circulating calling for Farah’s impeachment, the Student-Wide Judiciary (SWJ) announces its decision to recall Farah based upon investigation. Oct. 23, 2009- VP Ernesto Alvarado defeats Farah – who ran again – by 549 votes to win the reelection.

May 2010 May 2011 Feb. 12, 2012- Treasurer Sikander Khan and Vice President Meghan McMonagle sign a contract for $297,000 with fraudulent company Virtual Academix, which appears to be run by people with whom Khan is associated. Khan had claimed the company would develop a mobile app for SA with five years of maintenance service. March 2012- President JoAnna Datz releases a 100page internal document analyzing the potential purchase. The District Attorney’s office investigates the case. April 20, 2012- Khan resigns following the scandal.

May 2012

March 2013- President Travis Nemmer is accused of rigging SA elections by Treasurer Justin Neuwirt, who says Nemmer is “unethically swaying voters” in the favor of Nick Johns. March 28, 2013- Johns and his party, Spirit, sweep SA elections.

May 2013 Sept. 8, 2013- SA higher-ups accuse Johns of inappropriately accepting gifts, mishandling SA funds, hiring personal friends over more qualified candidates, being absent from important events, falsifying documents, mistreating staff and harassing Chief of Staff Jennifer Merckel. SA staff members collect about 2,000 petition signatures to impeach Johns. Sept. 18, 2013- Johns resigns as president. His presidency lasts less than one academic month.

KEY:

Peter Grollitsch (Spring ’07 - ’09) Hassan Farah (Spring ’09 - 10/4/09) Ernesto Alvarado (10/4/09 - Spring ’10) Nischal Vasant (Spring ’10 - ’11) Joanna Datz (Spring ’11 - ’12) Travis Nemmer (Spring ’12 - ’13) Nick Johns (Spring ’13 - 9/18/13)

Page

Volume 63 No. 12

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Monday, September 23, 2013

Continued from page 1: SA Scandals UB Spokesman John Della Contrada said UB has practiced the same SUNY-mandated procedure for the past 40 years. But given SA’s recent history, some say that isn’t enough. Peter Schreck, who wrote the 2008 Generation article, believes more oversight is necessary at UB. “I think there probably is some antiquated organization that looks over them, but I think [SA officials] know the system, they know all the rules, they know the bureaucracy and the way things are set up, and they know how to overcome it,” Schreck said. 2012-13 SA President Travis Nemmer said Student Activities Associate/Student Government Liason Mike Lewis reviews SA’s budget and every one of the organization’s purchases, but Schreck said that isn’t enough to stop SA’s higher-ups from making expensive, selfish purchases. “The people within the SA are extremely smart,” Schreck said. “They know how the system works. They know who sees that money. And ultimately, they’re in charge of how it’s spent.” Stephen Marth, The Spectrum’s editor in chief from 2009-10, echoed Schreck’s thoughts – that SA is not monitored thoroughly enough. “Obviously there is a check-andbalance system in SA, but you really don’t have the oversight that you should,” Marth said. Ernesto Alvarado was the SA president for the remainder of the 2009-10 year after Hassan Farah was impeached. He said SA’s autonomy is good because it can put together solid events to benefit the student body like the Distinguished Speakers Series, but it is bad because when immoral people get into office, they can take advantage of their power. “It’s not that SA is bad,” Alvarado said. “I think it’s just the people that come into office.” He also said the mechanisms are there for SA to have stronger internal oversight – such as the SA Assembly and SA Senate – but that students are not actively involved enough in either process and are generally too apathetic in holding their leaders accountable. Stephanie Sciandra was The Spec trum’s editor in chief from 2008-09. “There’s so little oversight for the whole system that I don’t even know if you publish some article and all the students said, ‘yeah, we want some oversight here,’ I don’t even know where it would come from be-

cause the student government is like a cesspool up there,” Sciandra said. “All the same people are in these political positions, on the assembly, on the senate; their problem is that they don’t bring in any independent students.” A potential solution? Some have suggested the pattern will not desist until UB claims more oversight in SA, but others say that is unfeasible. UB is not interested in getting involved. SA’s website says it is “for the students, by the student [sic],” and Vice President for University Life and Services Dennis Black believes it should stay that way. Black issued this statement to The Spectrum: “The SA system is designed to give students control, to the greatest degree possible, over their money and their activities. UB’s administrative oversight is limited by SUNY policy to review of budgets and expenditures to ensure compliance with statewide guidelines on approved categories of expenditures. Students can impact their own government through engagement: voting on student fees, participating in leadership elections, running for office or representative positions, joining clubs and organizations, attending meetings and events, and speaking out on issues and concerns. It’s their government; it’s up to students to make it work.” Black says it is the students’ government and it is up to them to make it work, but others have argued that they have lost this privilege with their mistakes in recent years. Alvarado is torn on the issue. “A lot of the great things that SA has are because of its autonomy from the administration at UB,” he said. “But then, a lot of the bad things that come out of SA, the things like the scandals, they come out because of that autonomy.” Amanda Jonas was a SUNY Delegate – an elected SA position – from 2009-11. “You’re putting people who are 19, 20 years old in charge of a multimillion-dollar budget who are kids, and they make bad decisions just like normal college kids do,” Jonas said. “I think most of the time, they’re on an ego trip because you feel like a local celebrity at UB as part of student government. First, you get an inflated ego, and then you forget yourself because I don’t think you’re prepared

for all the responsibility and how much all your actions are going to be judged.” The three elected executive board members (president, vice president and treasurer) control SA’s massive budget, which is accrued through each undergraduate’s $94.75 per semester mandatory student activity fee. Marth said SA’s higher-ups are simply in charge of too much money. “Honestly, I do think there should be some sort of board or council that works in conjunction with the e-board for SA,” he said. “Not to necessarily oversee them, but just a council entirely made up of adults who know what it means to handle millions of dollars and teach and almost mentor the e-board so they learn the ways of how to do business correctly.” Are the e-board members trained? Nemmer said his financial training involved “sitting down with the finance people at every opportunity” and staying in communication with Treasurer Justin Neuwirt. “As far as I’m aware, you do not receive any formal training,” Jonas, the former delegate, said. “But the training is at the SA orientation, and I have heard that in years past, certain SA staff just turned it into a personal booze fest.” So, is that sufficient training to prepare executive board members to handle that much student money? “Three million dollars is a lot of money, and when you’re putting college students in charge of that much money, that’s not to say there’s always going to be mistakes, but there’s inexperience and there’s going to be blunders and bad mistakes and poor precedents set,” said 2010-11 Spec trum Editor in Chief Andrew Wiktor. “When you come into an office that has a history of corruption and misuse of funds, it’s kind of hard to be that person to maybe break the cycle.” Nemmer, however, said it is essential for students to maintain their degree of autonomy – because, as he put it, “if students have a problem with the Student Association, they have a problem with democracy” – and that none of the scandals in the past five years could have been prevented with more university oversight.

Alvarado said that the oversight mechanisms already in place have worked – as shown by the impeachment of Farah, resignation of Johns and blocking of Khan’s mobile application purchase before the money was transferred. Perks of being in power SA’s website states the organization’s goal is “to provide a better university experience of all undergraduate students,” but some have questioned whether the experience benefits all students or just those at the top of SA. Johns received criticism for accepting a charter flight and sideline ticket to Ohio State for UB’s football season opener. Jonas said SA higherups are treated like celebrities at Buffalo clubs. Nemmer said he thinks the elected SA officials deserve their stipends (the e-board members receive $12,000 apiece for the academic year) because they put in 40-hour weeks and are subject to heavy criticism, but it’s easy to get carried away with the perks of the job. “There are some presidents who take things way too far,” Nemmer said. Schreck said the higher-ups in SA take advantage of the average student. “I feel like it only works for the people who are in charge, the people who are running it, and everybody else kind of watches the show,” Schreck said. Schreck wrote the Generation article detailing SA’s self-serving spending habits. He and two other reporters studied SA’s general ledger and discovered that many of the organization’s expenditures, like a trip President Peter Grollitsch took with the ski club to Vermont, seemed to be unnecessary purchases solely to benefit the executive board members. “They kept getting their hands on more and more money, and children kept spending it on themselves,” Schreck said. “That’s why we started looking into it.” Marth said the power gets to SA officials’ heads, and the benefits of the job don’t help. “You just have people who think they’re in their own world and think they have more power than they do, and in the grand scheme of things, you just run a student organization on campus,” Marth said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Poor voter turnout Some have said the biggest issue with SA is the lack of participation in elections. Only 14 percent of the undergraduate student body voted in March’s election. “When I ran, I ran with a party that actually had definitive plans to make a difference on campus, but sometimes it just turns into a popularity contest where people are elected based on how many friends they have and not on their ability to manage money,” Jonas said. Schreck said the corruption within SA is due to poor turnout to elections. “Nobody votes, and as a result, the people who win are the people inside SA,” Schreck said. “I just think until there’s a substantial portion of the student population that knows what the Student Association really does, I don’t think they can claim to have responsibility over those students. And I don’t think they can take $100 in fee money and do whatever they want with it – thinking they have the go-ahead from the student body when really they don’t.” Alvarado, who was voted into office in SA’s most recent reelection, said the next election process will be pivotal in determining how much students care. “If students are tired of the scandals and of this impeachment process, one, they need to hold their people accountable,” Alvarado said. “And two, they need to really be careful about who they elect. Ultimately, the people that elected Nick Johns or elected Hassan Farah, they voted for them. Maybe the student body should be more active in the student assembly, in the senate and in electing these people.” Next step SA’s reelection will take place in October (the dates will be announced this week), and several frontrunners have emerged, including Senior Office Manager Sam McMahon and SUNY Delegate Mohammad Alwahaidy. Whoever is elected will take on the momentous task of salvaging this year. It is unclear, however, if the Student Association can be saved, in its current structure, from future scandal. Email: news@ubspectrum.com

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EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF Aaron Mansfield MANAGING EDITORS Lisa Khoury Sara DiNatale OPINION EDITOR Eric Cortellessa

OPINION

CRUSHED SPIRITS SA needs to find its soul; students need to get involved

NEWS EDITORS Sam Fernando, Senior Joe Konze Jr. LIFE EDITORS Keren Baruch, Senior Sharon Kahn, Senior Alyssa McClure, Asst. ARTS EDITORS Max Crinnin, Senior Rachel Kramer, Asst. Felicia Hunt, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS Jon Gagnon, Senior Ben Tarhan, Senior Owen O’Brien PHOTO EDITORS Aline Kobayashi, Senior Juan David Pinzon, Asst. Daniele Gershon, Asst. CARTOONIST Jeanette Chwan CREATIVE DIRECTORS Brian Keschinger Haider Alidina, Asst. PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Emma Callinan Drew Gaczewski, Asst. Chris Mirandi, Asst. ADVERTISING DESIGNER Haley Sunkes Haley Chapman, Asst. Ashlee Foster, Asst.

September 23, 2013 Volume 63 Number 12 Circulation 7,000 ART BY AMBER SLITER

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 MediaMate. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at (716) 645-2152. The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100

We would like to thank Nick Johns for finally choosing to resign. But that is the only thing that we, and the students, have to thank him for. The period of uncertainty regarding his future in SA has ended, and we are now in the process of revival. And with that, a whole new kind of uncertainty arises. With the promise of a fresh start, a consideration of the historical context that has preceded this latest scandal would do more than just behoove the student body – it may alter the common attitude of indifference that pervades this university. As it should. In the words of Edmund Burke: “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Certainly, no one affiliated with our university wants to see another $300,000 scandal. Certainly, no one wants to see someone as under qualified and irresponsible as Nick Johns threaten to destroy the integrity of our student government. In his letters addressing the student body sent to The Spectrum in the midst of the recent impeachment proceedings, Johns seemed to be perplexingly disconnected from what has really been going on. “I know I could have definitely beat all of these charges based on my strong evidence to refute these claims,” Johns wrote. “I also know that a prolonged conflict would create fundamentally irreparable fractures in the structure of the SA.” The need to end this fiasco for the sake of allowing SA to restore itself to normalcy is obviously true. But what we don’t seem to understand is that if Johns had such “strong evidence” to “beat all of these claims,” why didn’t he present any of it to us when we gave him a chance? When we had our interview with him, he barely defended himself. His most common response to our questions was a simple, “No comment.” Moreover, he has never really taken responsibility for his actions. “I still fully deny all of the opposition’s claims against me,” he wrote, “as their claims are unsubstantiated and evidence circumstantial.” We don’t understand – he did accept an expense-paid trip and sideline ticket to Ohio State (clearly a violation of the rules in the SA handbook);

he did mishandle funds and lose SA money in a contract deal with the athletic department; he did remove the definition of harassment from the SA handbook. He did all of these things. Period. We have the proof. How can he deny “all” of the claims? These claims are not circumstantial; they are concrete. And he could not have beaten them. It seems that the real reason he resigned was his impeachment was imminent, and his prospect of prevailing was slim. Johns’ letters to the student body are a complete joke, a reflection of his consistently criticized personality traits – self-indulgent, pompous, full of pride, motivated by disillusionment and shear hubris. And the way he thanks his assistant, Marissa Malone: “Your faith in me has kept me going and has directly restored my faith in the fundamental goodness of humanity.” Talk about delusions of grandeur… Beyond Johns’ behavioral problems, it is more appropriate, and perhaps more justified, to analyze the nature of his (short-lived) abomination of a presidency. From the very beginning, all signs indicated that he was neither ready nor qualified for the job. He was too young, lacked experience and demonstrated a maturity level unfit for a position of such responsibility. Really, who shows up for what is essentially a job interview – The Spectrum ’s endorsements – in a flag football uniform? Nonetheless, he was whom the students elected and he had his chance to prove us wrong. But he didn’t. And one thing we want to call to the students’ attention is that in the last three years, the student body has voted against our endorsements. We are SA’s watchdog. The Spec trum covers the student government throughout the year and we learn about the candidates more than anyone else. We try to increase awareness and keep the student body informed, but because the past five years in SA have been a disaster, it is time for a change. It is time for students to pay attention to our endorsements. Students need to assert their power and make a difference in the outcome of the next election. They need

to determine SA’s destiny, not allow SA insiders with their own agendas to do so. Any outsider following this latest scandal would probably wonder more than anything, how did this Johns guy even get elected? We have been asking ourselves the same question. Well, the answer is that not enough of the students participate in the election process. Only 14 percent voted last March, and that minority is comprised of mostly students who are involved with SA. They are all part of loyalties and coalitions. And it will take an outside voice to catapult the transformations the organization needs to make. A common complaint during the last election was that students felt like they could vote for Carson Ciggia or the other guy. Nobody outside of SA really knew anything about Johns; and Ciggia came off as a bit over-thetop. Well intentioned and earnest, but seemingly overly enthusiastic – and he chose a polarizing and divisive figure as his running mate. There was no perfect candidate, but what’s done is done. And now, it does the most good for us to look ahead. SA is noted for its autonomy. The students who get elected to run it are in a remarkably empowering position. But with all the scandals in SA’s recent history, it seems fair to opine that it is time for some structural changes. SA, by design, is an organization run for the students, by the students. It should stay that way. But there should be more oversight. It should establish a committee with some faculty advisers, community business leaders and elected officials. The students elected to the SA e-board clearly need some adult guidance. It doesn’t make much sense to take a student who can’t legally drink and hand him $4.1 million. More faculty involvement, without sacrificing the autonomous nature of SA, would make more students comfortable when they pay $94.75 each semester. And frankly, when there has been such a consistent pattern of impropriety, the SA e-board has lost the privilege of operating completely on its own. We need a group of responsible adults that can help the students help themselves.

More than anything else, we implore the student body to take ownership of the upcoming election. It is essential for the future of SA that we do not elect another Nick Johns. And this is about more than just the money. This is our leadership – who we choose to represent us. The president of SA is our student liaison to the university administration, the Buffalo community and the general public. When Johns participated in an interview with BuzzFeed, a national news aggregate, he made political comments on behalf of all of us. This was outside the boundaries of his job description and highly inappropriate. His tasteless action reflected poorly upon all of us. It is imperative we do not let that happen again. Elections have consequences. In a previous editorial, “A better face for the SA,” we said Johns had done nothing to improve student life. He sent us back a letter with a laundry list of initiatives he stated were designed to better the experiences of UB students, most of which, however, others had already set in motion – before he was even elected. For instance, the first improvement Johns takes credit for is: “We have drafted Bylaws for our new corporation and with administration’s approval; these bylaws will better protect our organization from lawsuits for years to come.” Actually, that was the work of 201213 SA President Travis Nemmer. We’d like to go on, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll just give that one example. Knowing what we do about Johns now, how would each student feel knowing he or she paid SA almost $200 for the year and told Johns he could do with it what he wants? Because that is pretty much what students agreed to do in March. Had we collectively been paying attention, those unassociated with SA might have thought twice before standing idle and letting someone they didn’t know take their money. As we head to the polls next month, let’s not repeat the same mistake. Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com

Monday, September 23, 2013 ubspectrum.com

FEATURES

STUDENTS TALK SYRIA Dr. Othman Shibley kicks off UB’s InFocus series

Courtesy of Chris Bragdon

Dr. Othman Shibley, an associate professor in the UB Dental School’s Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, gave the first of many speeches as part of UB’s new student program “InFocus” on Friday. Students discussed the conflict in Syria.

JOE KONZE JR News Editor

On March 6, 2011, 15 boys between ages of 10 and 15 were on their way home from school when they found a partially collapsed wall in the southern city of Deraa, Syria. The boys decided to paint the words “As-Shaab/ Yoreed/ Eskaat elnizam!” on the wall, which translates to “The people want to topple the regime!” It was a popular saying they saw on television news reports from Cairo and Tunis. Soon after, the children were arrested under the control of General Atef Najeeb, a cousin of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assaad. Their fingernails were pulled. They were beaten and bloodied. Their faces were burned. Their mistreatment led to the outrage from the community. Dr. Othman Shibley, an associate professor in the UB Dental School’s Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, agrees with experts who be-

lieve this was a leading cause of the Syrian uprising. In a lecture on Friday to about 40 students and faculty, Shibley gave the first of many speeches as part of UB’s new student program “InFocus,” which centers on student-oriented dialogues on popular topics in the news. The first discussion was about the Syrian conflict. “The first thing [I want is] students to be educated,” Shibley said. “I want them to go as a student and do their research and understand. And to stand on the right side of the history.” On Aug. 21, it was reported that the Syrian government released sarin gas in the city of Ghouta – an agricultural belt around the capital of Damascus – killing 1,400 people, including 426 children, according to Secretary of State John Kerry. This sparked a national and international debate of whether the United States should seek military action against the Syrian government. It also led to a lively conversation among those in the room.

“If you listen to just the mainstream media outlets every night, they will tell you, ‘Oh, the Syrian opposition, they’re all extremists, it’s all Al-Qaeda.’ They’ll tell you it’s the dictator versus the terrorist,” said Robert Roninaro, a junior biological sciences major. “And to hear someone else say, ‘There are extremists, but it’s not the majority of the opposition’ – it’s refreshing to get a more personal point of view.” Shibley went on to describe the situation in numbers. Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war, there have been 125,000 casualties – 50 percent of which are women and children. Although a solution to the international problem has not yet been decided, understanding the crisis in Syria is important, Shibley said. “The cultural climate in Syria and the Middle East is so diversified and misunderstood and I feel that gets overlooked,” said Phil Tucciarone, a senior chemical engineering major. “And that’s where you get these larger differences where there are ex-

tremist factions with the opposition. That’s why it’s almost a civil war as opposed to a revolution.” The InFocus program is part of Transcending Borders UB, a program that aims to bring together U.S. and international students and will feature topical news each month. Program organizer Chris Bragdon, an international student adviser and coordinator for Student Engagement and International Student and Scholar Services, hopes the program will allow UB to “integrate international students of domestic sorts.” “This is exactly the type of debate that I wanted,” Bragdon said. “You had very strong opinions but it wasn’t just opinion ‘A’ or opinion ‘B,’ each opinion had [its own] opinions and [Shibley] was helping to facilitate that.” October’s InFocus topic will be Gender Roles. A date has not been set. Email: news@ubspectrum.com

“The first thing [I want is] students to be educated. I want them to go as a student and do their research and understand. And to stand on the right side of the history.”

Monday, September 23, 2013 ubspectrum.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

On-campus Starbucks showcases UB alum’s art RACHEL KRAMER

Asst. Arts Editor

Amidst the oversized pictures of coffee grinds, white flowers and steaming cups plastered on the walls of Starbucks hangs two printmaking pieces by UB alum Teke Cocina. Cocina graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in visual studies with a concentration in print media. Although his senior thesis has already been graded and put away, two pieces hang in Starbucks to be admired by fellow students, professors and patrons of the coffee shop. The two prints were pulled from a collection of 48 and are inspired by a deck of tarot cards. Tarot cards are similar to a deck of cards numbered one to 10 but with different signs, wands, swords, cups and circles and include a king, queen, knight and page. Tarot cards are “used for divination or as a symbol-system for personal growth and development” and are an inspiration for many artists, according to tarot-decks.com. Cocina held this inspiration in mind for a few years, waiting until he had the time and resources to create something beautiful. His senior thesis project was the perfect opportunity. “I think tarot cards are so interesting because they are something people used to take seriously but don’t as much anymore,” Cocina said. “It’s something that requires the participant to put themselves fully into it because you have to invest in it to get something out of it. It acts as a mirror to their self.” Cocina heard over the summer that the on-campus Starbucks

Daniele Gershon, The Spectrum

UB alum Teke Cocina stands in front of his two pieces of art that are hanging in the Starbucks in the Commons on UB’s North Campus.

manager was interested in hanging students’ art from his favorite professor, Jeff Sherven, a print media technician, who is a regular at the coffee shop. Sherven mentioned it in passing and Cocina took the initiative to pick his pieces and get them framed. Cocina spoke to his friends and professors to decide which two of the 48 prints he was going to leave behind as his legacy in the coffee shop. His friends decided the bat in the baseball uniform ready to hit a homerun and the mystical African antelope holding a lantern were the two that could be on display without the rest of the collection and still be understood. “They are interesting and I’ve never really seen anything like that,” said Nora O’Malley, a sophomore accounting ma-

jor, who was doing homework in front of the prints. “I wouldn’t understand what they mean unless someone told me. But they definitely make you think.” Cocina said he isn’t the type of artist who has a set vision for what the observer should think when viewing his work. “Once I give it up, it’s in the world and they can decide how they feel,” he said. “If I had a choice, I’d want them to see it’s about identity and masking identity. My art is mostly focused on changing who you are so people can see you different ways.” Abby Romano, a senior biochemistry major, was doing her work at the table in front of the prints last week. “I think they fit in Starbucks because they are artsy,” she said. Romano and O’Malley both

agree that Starbucks should continue to support student artists by hanging their work in the store. Cocina hopes to gain exposure by having his work on the Starbucks’ walls, but he thinks of it as more of an honor than a way to jumpstart his career. To forward his career in the printmaking world, he is taking a gap year to apply to graduate schools around the country and Canada. The Rochester native wants to leave the Buffalo area and go to graduate school in Texas, Minnesota or Ontario to continue his study of printmaking. When he was an underclassman, he hoped to attend graduate school at UB, but he said he was told the Department of Visual Studies graduate program

won’t accept students who attended UB as undergrads because it want students to gain a wide variety of experience. He added it’s not a hard rule. “At first, I was upset,” Cocina said. “But I realized I have learned everything I can possibly learn from the professors here. It’s time for me to move on and learn from someone else.” Cocina is working at Gap and as a lab monitor at UB to save money for graduate school. It’s been a month into the school year, and he is already bored. He wishes he were still in school. Cocina attended UB because he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to keep his options open and be able to go into other programs if he wanted. But he always knew he wanted to be involved with the arts. Both of his parents were artists in the past and encouraged him throughout high school to continue making and exploring art. While at UB, Cocina fell in love with printmaking. “I like the repetition of the processes and I like that it’s not painting or drawing, but elements of both,” he said. “I fell in love with the faculty and environment of the studios.” In the future, Cocina hopes to continue with printmaking by working in or owning a print studio. His art will be displayed in Starbucks for at least a year, and Cocina encourages people to view and interpret his work. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

A transitional chapter

And lots of garlic

Besson’s The Family is his newest exercise in excess ERIC CORTELLESSA

Insidious: Chapter 2 serves as a mediocre gateway to a third chapter

Opinion Editor

Film: The Family Release Date: Sept. 13 Studio: EuropaCorp Grade: D Luc Besson’s The Family is an extravagant jest about a family of four who relocates to Normandy, France, while hiding in the Witness Protection Program. In the first scene, we get an image of a seemingly normal family vacation – a father, a mother, a daughter and son, and their German shepherd – travelling in an SUV at the end of a long road trip. They arrive at the house they are planning to stay at, and once the family vacates the car and everyone begins to settle into their new quarters, Giovanni Maznoni (Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook) dumps a dead body out of the trunk. It quickly becomes evident that this is no vacation; this is a cyclical routine they go through every few months or so. They are a mafia family and are constantly on the move. This is life as usual for the Maznoni’s. Besson (The Lady), who made his way with Leon: The Profession al, seems misplaced in a decadent work of farce. Often criticized for being the most Hollywood-ized of modern French directors, he has now descended too far into an inherent state of

Courtesy of EuropaCorp

unreality. The screenplay is written by Besson and Michael Caleo (Iron side), and is based on the novel Malavita (Badfellas in English) by Tonino Benacquista. Besson makes it an opportunity to play with the conventions of American gangster films. It is fast paced and modernized, accompanied by a nostalgic score that evokes its past influences – think of what it might look like to merge the styles of Sergio Leone and Martin Scorsese with the vacuous sensibility of Guy Ritchie. Watching this film unfold is what comes when talent works without direction; the disappointment comes from the sense of movement without purpose. The film is overcharged without any payoffs – it’s an empty ride. Besson’s joke of exaggeration

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becomes both homage and parody, and it feels more gimmicky than anything else. For 112 minutes, insensible violence engulfs the viewer. Giovanni uses a baseball bat and sledgehammer on a plumber who tries to rip him off; his wife, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer, People Like Us), blows up a grocery store that doesn’t have peanut butter; his daughter, Belle (Dianna Agron, Glee), pummels a creep with a tennis racket; and his son, Warren (John D’Leo, Wanderlust), is something of criminal-in-training at his new school, and on several occasions is overtaken by bursts of bonecrushing brutality. It is a work of exploitation, a celebration of sadism, a movie of gratuitous bloodshed. SEE THE FAMILY, PAGE 6

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FELICIA HUNT

Asst. Arts Editor

Film: Insidious: Chapter 2 Release Date: Sept. 13 Studio: IM Global Grade: BDebuting a horror film on Friday the 13th is a risky move. Hailed by horror fans as a holiday, Friday the 13th is associated with Jason Voorhees, and competing with that classic horror series is close to impossible. The second installment of 2011’s Insidious held its own with an impressive $41 million debut – over $20 million more than the original’s debut. Movie theaters all over Buffalo were selling out of tickets on opening night. Insidious: Chapter 2 continues the story of the Lambert family from the original film. Patrick Wilson, of this summer’s blockbuster horror film The Conjuring, reprises his role as Josh Lambert. He is the father who was haunted in his youth and is now watching his son Dalton (Ty Simpkins, Iron Man 3) experience the same thing. The film starts with a flashback to Josh’s youth when he vis-

ited “the further” with his astronomical projection abilities. His mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey, Insidious) and a medium named Elise (Lin Shaye, Cra zy Kind of Love) agreed to make Josh forget he had these abilities. The film then jumps to present day, where Josh is a suspect in Elise’s death. The investigator doesn’t believe a ghost or a spirit from a dark world committed the crime. The eerie occurrences don’t stop haunting the Lambert family when they move to Lorraine’s and they’re forced to deal with “the further” once more. Director James Wan (The Con juring) knew he had to make the second chapter bigger and better after the success of his past two films. Wan stepped up by continuing the story with a more intriguing plot. In the first Insidious, the main story seemed scattered. The second chapter is the better of the two with more advanced camera techniques that made the audience jump and scream. Some suspenseful moments were predictable – as most horror films are – but the tactics worked and still scared viewers. SEE INSIDIOUS, PAGE 6

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Monday, September 23, 2013

Continued from page 5: The Family The blonde presence of Pfeiffer alongside an inscrutable male criminal cannot help but prompt consideration of Bonnie and Clyde – a film that paved the way for movies like The Godfather and Mean Streets. Arthur Penn’s 1967 film introduced a new level of violence to the American cinema and changed its trajectory – protagonists could now be loveable bad guys. But there was something else central to its importance. The filmmakers chose to make Clyde impotent. After he and Bonnie meet, they attempt to have sex. When he’s unable to and abruptly tells her, “I ain’t much of a lover boy,” a transition ensues. In the very next scene, he teaches her how to use a gun. They then embark on their notoriously vicious expedition. Bonnie and Clyde became violent because they needed a replacement

for the sexual release. Besson’s film, with all its homage to past works of violent indifference, fails to grasp a central irony. The Family is meant to be a comedy with all its brutal playfulness, but it fails to marshal any type of vital response. The violence is so widespread – so indiscriminately delivered and repetitive – that it empties itself of meaning. It makes you realize that this is the problem with much of today’s commercial cinema: action with no impact. One thing to notice is the misuse of De Niro’s presence. Giovanni is a Mafioso-turned-informant, a rat, with suppressed rage. He’s inarticulate yet aspiring to be a writer. But Besson makes him not suppressed enough. Scorsese knew the power of De Niro was the way he could

Continued from page 5: Insidious Insidious: Chapter 2 has brought in an impressive amount of revenue thus far, but the film is not horror genius in the slightest. Wan’s The Conjuring was far more entertaining and contained more planned-out scare tactics. The actor performances were the focal point throughout the film. Wilson’s experience in The Conjur ing has molded him into a perfect horror film actor. His behavior was creepy and threatening at the right times in the film, especially when he showed no concern over the ongoing presence of ghosts. Shaye also put on a notable performance. She put herself into her character fully and became a medium. Renai Lam-

embody that sense of having a force deep inside him that could explode any minute. It was the threat, the possibility of explosion that he could carry for an entire film. And when he did finally burst, we felt a visceral, gut reaction. Pfeiffer plays a ditsy Brooklyn housewife, sloppy and without scruples. She casually admits to having lost her virginity in a cathedral, and her confession to one of the French priests manages to get her ostracized from the local church – she’s beyond absolution. Though she’s thoughtful enough to make a nice home-cooked Italian meal for the FBI agents guarding her family – “roasted peppers with olive oil and a lot of garlic.” Besson makes the daughter the angelic, ethereal figure – the blonde garbed in white. One of the most

engaging threads of the whole film is when she presumes herself a tragic victim after she’s rejected by the young Frenchman she thought was the light of her life. Her moments of dismay become a satire of the pre-packaged drama that comes out of Hollywood teenybopper movies. She also can go from being an innocent virgin to an American-girl badass. She batters lustful French schoolboys, who take flirtation too far. Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) graces the screen as FBI Agent Stansfield, who oversees the Moznani family’s most recent relocation. He provides one of the few enjoyable performances in the film. Vincent Pastore (Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn) is a delight because he reminds us that it wasn’t long ago he was in The So pranos.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Continued from page 8: Practice

bert (Rose Byrne, The Turning) developed, as well, into a mother who was going to protect her children no matter what. Her inner strength was showcased often and provided a strong woman figure in the film. The Insidious series is nothing like Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween but it is a staple in today’s popular culture. The film ended with an obvious introduction to a third chapter in the future. Let’s hope they don’t bring that Darth Maul looking demon back – he wasn’t terrifying at all.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

But once the team and LegetteJack took a specific interest in making me succeed, I knew I couldn’t quit. I was not the only one on the court struggling to complete the drill and this is when Legette-Jack brought out the best of everybody in the Triple Gym. Through her words, she made me want to take my body to points I didn’t think were possible. And I don’t even play for her. After the seventh and eighth champion, my heart was pounding, sweat was dripping off my face and all I wanted to do was turn to someone and ask, “How many more do we have?” The team began practice with jump ropes as the opening warm up. The girls on the team were able to go on one foot and do crossovers,

so I tried to replicate them. I never got past three. After this was ladder drills. We went in and out of ladders laid out on the ground, doing different coordination, speed and balance drills, followed by some stretching. Then the “fun” started. A mixture of sprints, back pedals, karaokes and defensive-shuffle drills. We went full court for a few minutes, but the minutes felt like hours. I turned to our senior photo editor, Aline Kobayashi, and asked her what time it was. She told me the time. Honestly, I don’t even remember what she said because I was so tired. But I remember thinking, “Good, I’m almost done.” I wasn’t almost done. The champion drills were set to

This was my

first job

At the end of this film, one is likely to feel nothing – no emotional attachment to the characters, no concern over what the film has to say. Despite its seasoned director and impressive cast, its overwhelming inanity defuses any possibility of enjoyment. One thing Besson and other filmmakers need to get is that the cinema is sensuous in its nature and, since its early days, violent depiction has been a key ingredient as to why it’s a source of pleasure for the masses. But when violence is ubiquitous, it’s less significant. If it’s everything, then it’s nothing. When it becomes fused in our automatic expectations, its usage loses power.

promotions ago

– Helena Johnson Director

Grow your own way. My first job was as an associate in our tax practice. During the first few years, PwC supported me when I went back to school to get my MBA. When I decided to start my family, PwC was supportive in allowing me to have a flexible work schedule. Now I am a director in the Banking and Capital Markets practice. As my life and career goals have changed, the firm has allowed me to grow my career, my own way. pwc.com/campus

© 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the United States member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. We are proud to be an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.

begin and my legs began to fade. The experience gave me a whole new level of respect for the women’s basketball team. During the champion drills, players would run out and put their hands on their teammates’ backs to help them, even when they had completed their turns and could rest on the side. If this doesn’t scream “team,” nothing does. To my relief, there was one thing left – four minutes of planks and wall sits. I was exhausted, but relieved. Then, they started talking about practice at 3 p.m. I just thought, “How on earth will these girls be recuperated enough to play actual basketball in six hours?” I encourage every reporter out there, regardless of the media outlet, to try this experience. There is no better way to understand the identity of a team than to experience it. From a guy who thought he was in good shape, you will find out there’s nothing more humbling. There is no doubt any of these girls could run me out of the gym any day, from the star to the last player on the bench. Legette-Jack wrapped up my day perfectly: “Owen, you are more than welcome to come back whenever you want, but I don’t think you’d be able to play for this team.” No arguments here. Email: owen.obrien@ubspectrum.com

Continued from page 8: Volleyball The duo of senior middle blocker Carissa McKenna and sophomore outside hitter Tahleia Bishop was too much for the Hawks. The pair accounted for 24 kills – McKenna with 13 and Bishop with 11. Senior setter Dani Reinert fueled the team with a season-high 35 assists. The final match of the Blue and White Classic was a showdown between two undefeated teams. The Bulls and Buckeyes came into the match as two of eight undefeated squads in the country. From start to finish, the Bulls were no match for the nationally ranked Buckeyes, as they lost in three straight sets. “We’ve been winning matches defensively,” Kress said. “We would go at teams and match their intensity, but tonight we didn’t and were outdug 42 to 23.” The Bulls couldn’t match up with Ohio State’s players, and Kress said it didn’t help that junior outside hitter Liz Scott was absent for the second straight week. “We were limited with what we could do on the block on the right side,” Kress said. “We went up against one of the best outside hitters in the country.” Kress was referring to Ohio State’s Kaitlyn Leary, who was named tournament MVP after a match-high 17 kills against the Bulls. Buffalo’s Fritsche saw nothing new from Leary, as the two played high school volleyball together at Padua Franciscan High School in Ohio. Fritsche and McKenna were named to the all-tournament team. The Bulls now enter Mid-American Conference play, but the competition won’t get any easier. Their first opponent will be another nationally ranked team. They’ll face No. 24 Ohio (10-2) in Alumni Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Monday, September 23, 2013 ubspectrum.com

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