Vol. 61 NO. 19
ubspectrum.com
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tripathi Outlines Future Tuition Hikes
NY Official Website: UB Foundation Donated to Chris Collins 2010 political contribution listed at over $2,500
Addresses concerned faculty at Faculty Senate meeting ERIN MAYNARD Staff Writer It’s not just the students at UB who feel disenfranchised. Many of the faculty members do, too. Students have been up in arms since the beginning of the semester, concerned about tuition hikes, canceled classes, and a general feeling that the administration isn’t listening to them. On Wednesday, university students participated in a SUNY- and CUNY-wide walk-out/teach-in to protest what they see as a lack of a democratic process on campus. Hard times have also fallen on the faculty, though. “[In the nursing school] there’s no new faculty; we’re all at teaching capacity. We’ve got lousy schedules – I feel like a student again. I thought I’d stay here for 30 years, but what has this job become?” said Mary Adams Carey, associate professor at the School of Nursing. Both University President Satish K. Tripathi and Interim Provost Harvey G. Stenger Jr. spoke to members of the Faculty Senate at their first meeting of the school year on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the Center for Tomorrow. They tried to explain the university’s vision and allay fears about the school’s financial situation. Tripathi spoke at length about the passage of NYSUNY 2020 being an integral part of the school’s financial stability. The legislation allows the university to raise tuition rates 5 to 10 percent per year. Stenger estimated that starting in the 2012 academic year, changes wrought by the legislation will bring in an additional $19 million each year, at least: $19 million in 2012-13, $38 million in 2013-14, and $57 million in 2014-15. However, for this current year, the university is still operating with a deficit, and it had to make approximately a 2 percent cut across the board. In a speech on Sept. 23, Tripathi outlined his two priorities for the university: to get the best students (and give them the best education) and to get the best faculty (and retain them). Extra money would make those goals easier for UB to accomplish. Some of it will come from the increase in tuition. But Tripathi is working diligently to secure funding from outside sources as well. He has embarked
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This spread sheet was taken from the New York State website and highlights the donation made to the Collins’ Campaign.
LUKE HAMMILL Senior News Editor Important Note: At press time, The Spectrum received an additional statement from Ed Schneider, executive director of the UB Foundation (UBF), via email. The statement, received almost 30 hours after The Spectrum initially contacted UBF, is UBF’s explanation of what happened in 2010. The Spectrum had no opportunity to verify the accuracy or falsehood of anything in the statement. With that in mind – and given that, even after receiving the statement, The Spectrum stands by everything article below – the article runs as is, and Schneider’s statement, in its entirety, is printed at the end. Stay with The Spectrum; a follow-up will run on Friday. New York State’s official website shows that the UB Foundation broke federal law in 2010, when it contributed $2,560 to Erie County Executive Chris Collins’ re-election campaign. Formally the University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc., the Foundation (herein referred to as UBF) is a university-associated private corporation that manages gifts to UB. There are also “affiliate corporations” such as UB Foundation Activities, Inc. (UBFA), which handles UBF’s financial management and gift expenditures, according to ubfoundation. buffalo.edu. Collins, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Mark Poloncarz in November’s election. The latest polls show the candidates locked in a neck-and-neck race. UBF contributions to the Collins campaign (formally named “Collins For Our Future”) are illegal because UBF and UBFA are tax-exempt, not-for-profit organizations under §501(c)(3) of the United States tax code, which requires such organizations not to “participate in, or intervene in…any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” NY.gov indicates that UBFA made two separate payments to the Collins camp: $2,500 on March 13, 2010 and $60 on June 30, 2010.
Buffalo Blows Out Bowling Green
UBF Executive Director Edward Schneider said he first heard this news when The Spectrum left a voicemail at his office on Monday afternoon. He added that hundreds of thousands of payments go through UBF, so he can’t be aware of every one of them. Schneider said UBF would take appropriate action if he finds that the contributions did, in fact, get made. “The facts are the facts,” Schneider said. “Whatever happened in 2010 happened in 2010, so we’ve got to review what happened and then take the corrective action that’s necessary. One of the corrective actions, if [the contribution] did happen, is to ask for the money back, because…there seems to be some impropriety for such a payment.” In addition to handling gifts to the university, UBF (either itself or via UBFA or another affiliate) receives revenue from the Center for the Arts and from UB’s “continuing education” courses, according to IRS 990 tax forms available at GuideStar.org, a website that “gather[s] and publicize[s] information about nonprofit organizations.” Continuing education courses are professional development workshops and training programs. “I don’t know what to make of it,” said SUNY Distinguished Professor Bruce Jackson, a faculty member in UB’s English department, in an email. “It seems bizarre to me: they’re not fools over there; they’re business people. They know those contribution records are public. “If the Foundation actually made that kind of contribution, then somebody’s got a lot of explaining to do and the Foundation should be nailed for the misapplication of funds,” Jackson continued. “If the Foundation didn’t make the contribution, then other people may be deliberately stoking up a phony issue – and they’ve got the explaining to do. “It may be just what it seems to be, but I’ve never heard of them doing anything like that before, and the second contribution [of $60] is such a weird number that I can’t help but think there is more – or less – to this than we know now.”
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A Caffeinated Campus SOPHIE TRUTER Staff Writer Each year, Americans spend 40 billion dollars on coffee, and drink an average of 3.1 cups a day, according to the National Coffee Association. Students at UB prove to be no different. It is almost impossible to miss a Tim Hortons’ coffee cup or a Starbucks’ latte on campus. It seems like someone is always clenching their hands around a cup of extra hot, skim milk, double shot, French vanilla milky goodness. Coffee and caffeine are engrained in UB’s campus culture. Whether students drink it for a shot of energy or enjoy a slow sip whilst scribbling over their notebooks, they enjoy their caffeine kick.
A week after enduring a double-overtime battle, the men's soccer team cruises past BGSU to stay perfect in MAC play. Hongsuk Choi /// The Spectrum
TYLER CADY Staff Writer Many fans expected some sort of hangover after the men’s soccer team shocked Northern Illinois last week. Despite the expectation, it was the doubters who were let down. Behind an offensive explosion in the second half, the Bulls (7-5-1, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) demolished Bowling Green (7-4-1, 1-1 MAC) 5-0 on hot a Sunday afternoon at UB Stadium. The shutout was the team’s most dominant performance since a 6-0 victory over Florida Atlantic in the MAC Tournament in 2008. Buffalo sent a barrage of shots on the Falcons goal in a 13-minute span. The Bulls netted four goals in the waning moments of the match, taking the game from a 1-0 nail biter to a 5-0 blowout.
“It just started clicking,” said junior forward Joey Merlo. “Everyone’s eyes just started lighting up. We saw one goal, two goals, and [players] started pushing up. All of a sudden, everyone wants a goal.” Merlo was a key contributor to the change in momentum. He scored off a pass from junior forward Maksym Kowal in the 72nd minute. That gave the Bulls a 2-0 advantage. Merlo then got his name back in the scoring column in the 85th minute, capping off the scoring spree by putting home a pass from senior forward Andy Tiedt. Senior defenseman Nate Woods scored off of a corner kick in the 80th minute, with an assist from sophomore midfielder Richard Craven. Moments later, freshman midfielder Vinny DiVirgilio scored in front of the net on a pass from Tiedt. DiVirgilio’s goal made it 4-0 in favor of the Bulls. The Bulls started the match quite differently
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Weather for the Week: Wednesday: Showers - H: 63, L: 53 Thursday: Cloudy - H: 63, L: 55 Friday: Showers/Wind - H: 60, L: 48
Out of 100 UB students polled, 73 percent said they drink coffee for a boost in energy. Additionally, 27 percent said they drink coffee for a social experience. Janice Cochran, coordinator of nutrition and physical activity at UB Wellness Education Services, emphasizes that students need to realize the negative health ramifications of consuming too much coffee. Caffeine is known to prolong stress. As a stimulant, coffee heightens the activities of the nervous system, which can lead to extended sensations of stress and anxiety. “Stress is the number one academic impediment for students, how we manage stress can either exacerbate it or help us get by,” Cochran said. “[Coffee] is a drug, it is a stimulant.” Students are busy juggling the demands of studying for classes, working, and maintaining social lives. These all make it harder for them to find the time to actually sit down and enjoy slow sips from their coffee mug.
UB’s coffee culture is alive, as students can’t get enough cups o’ joe. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum
Daniel Desiderio, a junior history major, describes the coffee culture on campus as, “a drink purchased in order to keep students’ eyes open in class.” Many students feel forced to stay awake all night in order to succeed in school. “I think the work load plays a huge role on people’s sleep schedules,” Desiderio said. “They’re up all night and drink coffee to stay awake all day.” When students begin to use coffee as a substitute for food, other health issues begin to arise, according to Cochran. “What’s often an issue [for students] is they may use coffee or other caffeine substances as a means of energy,” Cochran said. “They think, ‘I’m going to get some energy, I’m going to perk up,’ when their energy intake is food. That’s what needs to be addressed. Are they eating regularly? Are they eating a balance of nutri-
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