The Spectrum Volume 61 Issue 21 by The Spectrum Student Periodical

Vol. 61 NO. 21

ubspectrum.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

WANTED: Landlords on Lisbon AKARI IBURI Senior Life Editor

For two weeks, UB political science students Bill Pike, Jeremy Ferris and Mike Frodyma lived without running water. They kept a plastic tub of water next to the sink and used it for washing dishes, flushing toilets, and scrubbing the floors. “We had to flush our toilets somehow,” said Frodyma, a sophomore political science major.

“They were just walking around and looking around like, ‘Oh wow, this looks pretty awful,’” Pike said.

On April 27, The Spectrum printed a report showing that within an eight-block radius of The University Heights, 75 landlords rent properties with hundreds of violations. Lisbon Avenue is one of the streets included in the report. The Spectrum began investigating last year after four houses rented by UB students in the Heights caught fire within eight months. All of the residences that caught fire had faulty wiring or natural gas problems, according to Off Campus Student Relations.

‘Emergency Powers Council’ Can ‘Circumvent’ SA Senate SARA DINATALE Asst. News Editor In the summer, three students have the power to make decisions on behalf of the entire UB undergraduate population. They make up the Student Association’s Emergency Powers Council. The Emergency Powers Council (EPC) exists as an extension of the SA Senate, able to convene in its place. It consists of the SA president, vice president, treasurer, chairman of the SA Senate, and speaker of the SA Assembly. It takes three EPC members to call a meeting in the summer and four to call one during the school year.

The EPC was originally conceived to function during the summer, when many of the SA senators are not in Buffalo, according to Gibbons. But an EPC meeting can be called “whenever any member of the [EPC] deems such a meeting necessary,” according to SA’s constitution. SA Treasurer Sikander Khan believes the EPC is a “practical solution to getting things done when people are not around [in the summer],” but he acknowledges that the use of the council has been “abused in the past.”

“I’ve talked to many students, and they don’t like how SA has the power to go into these EPC meetings and circumvent the legislative process,” Gibbons said.

The EPC had one meeting each year in 2006, 2008 and 2009. These all took place in the summer recess when there is no standing Senate. In 2007, the EPC didn’t meet at all. However, in the 2010-11 school year, seven EPC meetings were held. Three of them took place in a time frame in which the Senate could have or did meet. These numbers were determined based on EPC meeting minutes obtained from SA by The Spectrum.

The EPC can enact legislation and approve budgetary line transfers and appointments.

“I know last year…they approved all of the SA staff bonuses during the holiday season,” Gibbons said. “They

SA Senator James Gibbons, a senior political science major, is concerned that the EPC may hold too much power.

On Saturday, Oct. 8, Daniel Ryan, UB’s director of off campus student relations, and a group of house inspectors, knocked on the students’ rusty Lisbon Avenue door. They condemned the house almost immediately.

This was not a science experiment. The students were the victims of the kind of absentee landlord that plagues the University Heights and makes the area around South Campus among the worst in Buffalo to live, according to home inspectors.

Students living at 28 Lisbon Ave. were forced to leave their house after the deplorable living conditions resulted in the house being condemned. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

begun to crack down on violations and have started doing housing blitzes, in which they do surprise inspections.

Since April, housing inspectors, in conjunction with the university, have

Walls were caved in with holes stretching over a foot in diameter. Insulation spewed out of the ceiling and walls, floors were unfinished, toilets were rusty and the place smelled of must and mildew. The next day, the students and their grey and white cat Marmel were homeless. Ryan arranged a hotel for the first night and then the group found its new home on Heath St. Ryan says that students should be more proactive when dealing with unlivable circumstances. But Pike and his roommates said that until the water stopped, they didn’t really mind the living conditions because they hadn’t paid rent in three months.

Continued on Page 4

On Chris Collins, the UB Foundation, and Truth LUKE HAMMILL Senior News Editor If you’ve been following The Spectrum lately, you know that last week, I reported on an apparent illegal $2,560 political contribution from the UB Foundation (UBF) to Erie County Executive Chris Collins’s reelection campaign. UB officials described the donation as an “honest mistake,” and the day after our initial story was published, a Collins official said the money was returned. The payment was made by The Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE, the “business arm of UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences”), which uses the UB Foundation as its accountant (hence the UB Foundation’s name on the check), according to TCIE Executive Director Tim Leyh. Leyh said that when he bought tickets for his staff to attend breakfast and dinner events honoring Chris Collins, he didn’t realize it would be viewed as a political contribution. He also said the TCIE raises its own revenue by providing business services to local organizations, and to “develop clients,” the TCIE staff engages in networking activities at local community events – the Collins events being examples. (Both Leyh and university spokesman John Della Contrada refused to provide the names and dates of the Collins events and declined to say exactly who attended them. Personally, I’d also like to know how you’d pay $2,560 for breakfast and dinner

Continued on Page 4

Being a Queen Isn’t a Drag KEREN BARUCH Asst. Life Editor Dante Williams and Tony Coby stare into the mirror: the reflections staring back at them are of a 6-foot-tall black man and a bald Jewish man. They both know that in about two hours the reflections looking back at them will be of beautiful and voluptuous women. Using dark shades to create new cheekbones and tiny colored pencils to draw eyebrows, the pair uses TV makeup to transform from men to drag queens. Williams and Coby, now transformed into their drag personas of Monica St. James and Penny Tration, are now ready to entertain. In contrast to what many people believe about being a drag queen, it is in fact a lot of work. Beneath the colorful and funky exterior is an outrageous and difficult theatrical art form. These women are professional drag queens at The Cabaret, Tration’s drag queen show bar in Cincinnati, which is one of only four venues in the country that hold drag shows four nights a week. St. James and Tration grew up in a ‘drag area,’ according to St. James. Although they never expected to enter the drag career, life experiences paved their way to becoming queens, and that road took them to The Cabaret. “When I was 7 or 8 years old I always waited up until my family fell asleep [before I dressed up as

Continued on Page 8

Professional drag queens Monica St. James & Penny Tration prepare themselves for their transformations.

Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

Bad Weather Doesn’t Stop Buffalo Occupiers LUKE HAMMILL Senior News Editor The Occupy Buffalo movement’s chant couldn’t have been any more appropriate on Saturday. “Through rain, through snow, Oc-cu-py, Buf-fa-lo!” shouted over 100 people gathered in Downtown Buffalo’s Niagara Square on a brutal day of weather – wind, hail, rain, and cold – as drivers honked their horns in support on their way past. “Occupy Buffalo” is Buffalo’s arm of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which began in New York City’s Zuccotti Park on Sept. 17. Both movements are still going strong. “The weather’s been the only obstacle, really,” said Robert Albini, 31, of Amherst, an Occupy Buffalo organizer who has been living in Niagara Square for over a week now.

Occupy Buffalo is all-inclusive; the movement does not endorse any one political or economic ideology. There are no official leaders, and there are no official demands as of yet. Many pundits have criticized the protesters for being unfocused. “It’s not about making demands yet,” Albini said. “There’s so many issues that if we just attack one issue specifically, it could be satisfied, and then we lose momentum. Right now, it’s more of an organizing process; we’re just trying to get everybody on the same page to find out what everybody’s issues are, and then we’re going to go from there.” To do that, Buffalo occupiers hold “General Assembly” meetings each Saturday at noon in Niagara Square. The meetings adhere to a “consensus-driven” decision-making process – an ultra-democratic, anyone-can-speak method that requires everyone to agree on a “proposal” before it is passed. If a proposal is “blocked” by even one person, it fails. The meetings also have a unifying code of conduct.

I N S I D E

Hundreds of people gathered in the harsh weather conditions to protest and “occupy” Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

Weather for the Week: Monday: Partly Cloudy/Wind- H: 60, L: 46 Tuesday: Showers- H: 55, L: 49 Wednesday: Rain- H: 53, L: 43

But as winter inches closer, the movement grows larger. It has now spread worldwide; similar protests have organized in over 1,000 cities and over 78 countries. The occupiers are largely unified by their

“We are the 99 percent” slogan and a desire to put an end to what they see as excessive corporate greed and corporate influence on politics.

Continued on Page 8

News * 2 Opinion * 3 Life * 5 Arts * 7 Classifieds / Daily Delights * 9 Sports * 10

News Page 2

ubspectrum.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

Daycares, Pro-Life Groups Help UB Students With Children LISA KHOURY Staff Writer

and she only chose classes in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. as a result.

While some undergrads are thinking about beer pong, others are thinking about the nutritional value of formula.

“Next semester, [my husband and I are] allowed to leave the kids [at the UBCCC] Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so we can take classes whenever during the day that we need to,” Starr said. “That will really be helpful, and that’s just an amazing benefit, and I don’t know how many schools have [that option]. I don’t think there’s anything more useful than childcare to a student parent.”

Cheryl Calire, director of pro-life activities at the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center in Buffalo, said the average age of girls who are pregnant and going to her center for help is in the early 20s.

advertise with the spectrum call 716.645.2152

HOTS

SERVING LATE NIGHT

UNIVERSITY HOTS

3225 MAIN STREET (204-2372)

WE ACCEPT CAMPUS CASH CHECK US OUT @ WWW.UNIVERSITYHOTS.COM ONE FREE COLLEGE PLATE “ROCHESTER STYLE” WITH PURCHASE OF ANOTHER PLATE OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE AND TWO DRINKS Offer Expires 11/30/11

. Till 9PM

Mon - Thurs

“Some days I ask myself, ‘How long am I going to be able to do this for?’” said Suzanne Starr, a 28-year-old junior history major and a mother of two. “When am I going to have to drop out and just get a job?” Starr is not alone in worrying about balancing school and having children, according to Calire. “I have found that it’s actually [in] the college age that this is becoming problematic,” Calire said. “A woman might be really set on her career path and she goes to college; maybe it’s her first time away from home or it’s her first time having no rules or regulations. Maybe it happens with someone she just met or someone she’s been with for a while, [but] sometimes she finds herself pregnant and doesn’t know what to do.” A UB student who came to the university this year from another country went to the Outreach Center when she found out she was pregnant. She weighed out her options with the help of the center, and she decided to keep the baby. The student asked to remain anonymous. “We absolutely encourage girls to stay in school,” Calire said. “Sometimes, they feel they have to give up all of these things because of [pregnancy], and we try to show them they can get the support they need to continue their education.” Balancing education with parenting is a challenge, and UB has opened a daycare on each campus to acknowledge the struggles. Starr is one of the six undergraduate students who currently enroll their children at the UB Childcare Center (UBCCC) on North Campus. Starr’s daily schedule revolves around her kids. She based her school schedule around others babysitting for her,

The UBCCC is both a daycare and a preschool for children six weeks to 5 years of age. The caretakers have mandatory degrees and are accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children. They’re also trained to care for and respect children of diverse ethnicities. The UBCCC gives precedence to UB families, and offers a 10 percent discount to UB parents. Additionally, it offers a federal block grant for undergraduate students with an income of $40,000 or lower. This grant allows students with low incomes to pay approximately $15 per week. The grant is no longer offered to graduate students. Sarah Lasher, a third-year law student and a mother of three, enrolls two of her children at the UBCCC on North Campus, but she is forced to take out loans to pay for the childcare. “I don’t think graduate students are any less in need,” Lasher said. “Maybe even more so because tuition is even higher.” Despite not receiving any financial help, Lasher sees the center as a fantastic program that cares about her family. Additionally, the Vice Dean of Student Affairs of the UB Law School allowed her to graduate in five years instead of three, even though the law school does not offer a part-time program. “I talked to the vice dean at the law school, [and] I freaked out,” Lasher said. “I was [confused as to] how can I take all these classes and still have time for my family, especially if you’re due during a semester. You can still go just talk to your teachers, talk to your professors, talk to your advisor, [and] talk to the administrative staff. People have done it before, and they do it every semester, so stay in school. It’s

Sarah Lasher, a third-year law student and a mother of three, balances going to school and raising a family with the help of UB’s Childcare Center. Troi Williams /// The Spectrum

scary, but it works out. People are on your side.”

various agencies in Buffalo for parents to get free prenatal and postnatal care.

Lasher says that the daycare center is another major factor that allows her to balance school with parenting. For instance, it allows her to go to the nursing room at the North Campus site to breast feed her child in between classes.

The club connects students to doctors involved in the pro-life movement, according to Buttitta. It provides services, such as sonograms and other prenatal care, to students who don’t have sufficient health insurance. If students cannot afford an adoption, the club can connect them with lawyers who can take them through the process for free.

The center is not just for mothers. Pat Logan, director of the UBCCC, says there have been a couple single student fathers that enroll their children in the program. Young fathers in the community are reaching out to both UB and the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center for help. The UB Students for Life, a club that provides free connections to agencies around Buffalo for young parents, and the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center were able to throw a baby shower at UB for an 18-year-old boy. He was separated from his girlfriend and needed baby caretaking tools in his own home. The UB Students for Life became a recognized club last May. Sara Buttitta, a senior business administration major and president and founder of the club, established connections with

The club hasn’t had any students come for help yet, but it is there for any student who needs the help, according to Buttitta. “We’re willing to keep it completely confidential, and even if people aren’t sure and want to explore their options,” Buttitta said. “[If] they haven’t made up their mind yet, it’s worth it for them to know what their options are. Any connection they need, we have for them. If they want to keep their baby, we have the ability to do that.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Letʼs Team Up

“Our tournament was an overall success and I can’t thank CV enough for everything” - Shane Chu UB School of Business

716.833.3700

www.CVBUffalo.com

Opinion ubspectrum.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF Matthew Parrino SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR James Twigg MANAGING EDITOR Edward Benoit EDITORIAL EDITOR James Bowe NEWS EDITORS Luke Hammill, senior Rebecca Bratek Sara DiNatale, asst. ARTS EDITORS Jameson Butler, senior Vanessa Frith Nicolas Pino LIFE EDITORS Akari Iburi, senior Steven Wrobel Veronica Ritter Keren Baruch, asst. SPORTS EDITORS Aaron Mansfield, senior Brian Josephs Scott Resnick, asst. Andreius Coleman, asst. PHOTO EDITORS Meg Kinsley, senior Troi Williams Nyeri Moulterie Alexa Strudler Satsuki Aoi COPY EDITOR Edward Benoit CARTOONIST Patrick Boyle WEB EDITOR Matthew Parrino James Twigg

PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Andrew Angeles CREATIVE DESIGNERS Nicole Manzo Aline Kobayashi ADVERTISING DESIGNER Aline Kobayashi 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. October 17, 2011 VOLUME 61 NUMBER 21 CIRCULATION: 7,000 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 Telephone: (716) 645-2468 Fax: (716) 645-2766 Copyright 2011 Buffalo, N.Y. The Spectrum is printed by The Buffalo News 1 News Plaza Buffalo, N.Y. 14240

Too Big to Care Citibank arrests customers out of fear

Citibank has sent out its resounding public service announcement on closing your accounts with them: “Screw you, we run this joint.”

weren’t taken seriously, managers say they called 911 and were told to close the branch so that the police could remove the protesters.

Now here is a tangible attempt to take matters into their own hands, and they’re met with heavy-handed resistance by the bank.

Around 30 customers entered a Citibank branch in New York City at the same time to protest as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

They say one person was actually there to close an account, and they were accommodated.

This was obviously a waste of time for the NYPD, as the protesters were not only peaceful, but if the bank seriously wanted the protesters out of the branch, it would not have held them within the bank when they wanted to leave.

Protesters say that they were trying to close accounts held with Citibank to show their anger over bad business practices that led to the massive subprime mortgage crisis and corporate greed after the 2008 government bailout. The act seems to be inspired by the “Move Your Money” project, a nonprofit campaign to remove money from large, so called “too big to fail,” banks to smaller local credit unions. Citibank has a diametrically opposite take on what was going on. They say, in a statement released eight hours after the incident occurred, that the protesters were not there to close their accounts at all. They claim that the protestors were nothing but hooligans there to be “disruptive.” According to the statement, bank managers asked the protesters to leave repeatedly. When the threats

EDWARD BENOIT Managing Editor

Now that the NFL has morphed into a pass-happy aerial circus, an even greater amount of importance and reverence (if that were even possible) has been heaped upon the quarterback position. You need a great quarterback to win in the NFL, so the logic goes, and the greatest quarterbacks win it all. Recent history, it seems, only confirms this logic: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning all boast a super bowl ring, and demigod quarterback Tom Brady has three. It’s gotten to the point where pigskin-tossing greatness is seen as a product of owning championship hardware, not the other way round. Whenever the inevitable “greatest quarterback” conversation gets going, super bowl rings are the trump card. “Sure, Marino had the stats, but Montana has the rings.” This line of thinking manifests on every level of sports banter, and can be seen among both NFL.com writers (Pat Kirwan comes to mind) and

A stroke of citizen journalism exposes Citibank’s claim to the sun and turning it to ash. Footage of the incident was posted to YouTube, and tells a very different story. The protesters are calmly waiting and talking to friends outside the bank through glass. They are being held within the bank and not being allowed to leave. Most damning is the footage of a woman who left the building and was talking to people outside when she was pushed back into the building and arrested while holding up her Citibank checkbook saying “I’m a customer.” Banks are starting to take notice of how serious people are when they say they’re angry with them. Pundits and commentators since the inception of Occupy Wall Street have been saying that protesters need a defined goal and a course of action, including this editorial board.

No, Citibank was trying to send a message to the OWS movement: we have the money and we have the power. Power will slip away from them the more they push back, however. They’re telling the world that they’re afraid of what’s going on, that they’re terrified that this notion of closing your accounts at major banks to show your discontent will catch on. They’re scared because it will work. They like being “too big to fail,” and as long as they have your money, they will continue to be gluttonous behemoths. Follow the lead. Take your money out of the massive banks that drove our economy into the dirt and put it in a local credit union. Invest in your community, not in corporate failure.

Drag Queens of Diamonds Coming out week showcases all walks of life If you were walking through the Student Union on Wednesday, you probably noticed something was slightly different than normal. Last week was National Coming Out Week, an event to recognize the struggles and hardships the LBGTQ community has endured. UB LGBTA hosts its own LBGTQ bazaar every year during Coming Out week. In its own unique way, the club raises awareness through bake sales, information tables, and word of mouth. Parts of the festivities include drag shows. Nobody will ever argue that the shows aren’t interesting. It’s not every day you see a guy calling himself “Penny Tration” dance around onstage lip syncing an Adele song dressed like a woman and wearing full makeup. Drag shows are common around the nation’s college campuses. Even some religious schools host them. Santa Clara University, a Jesuit campus, hosts one every year and it always causes a stir. The University’s 2010 event caused a stir among Catholics, saying it “normalizes deviancy.”

email any submissions to info@ubspectrum.com

Giving Credit Where It’s Due

Page 3

casual fans. And while I won’t debate that great quarterbacks win championships – it’s an evidently true statement – going around the other way and using championships (or, more broadly speaking, playoff success) as a means to gauge quarterback greatness is not only problematic and logically fuzzy, it’s just plain wrong. Winning in the NFL – especially come playoff time – takes a lot more than just good quarterback play. The running game, offensive line play, special teams, and especially the defense are all imperative, especially in the NFL’s cold, outdoor playoff environments. Conflating quarterbacking greatness with playoff success – or, indeed, even regular season success – totally disregards the importance of these other phases of the game. Case in point: Steelers quarterback and alleged rapist Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger, as I’m sure any football fans reading are aware, is invariably included in the “best current quarterbacks” discussion. Sure, he’s not nearly as accurate as someone like Brees or Brady. And sure, he forces passes into coverage, holds onto the ball way too long (something that’d get him killed if he weren’t the size of a linebacker), doesn’t put up massive numbers, and doesn’t actually play like an elite quarterback. There’s one reason he’s included in that “best quarterback” conversation, though:

In recent years, UB has had its fair share of religious resistance to the drag shows. A very small group of protesters show up sometimes to spread their special brand of silliness based on vague warnings about “lying with another man” from the Bible. Last year, two drag queens even came out of the SU and directly confronted the protestors, and the crowd of onlookers fought with them. You can tell there are people who are a little uncomfortable with this being presented in a public forum. They walk by and give a glance to the show and are visibly put off. Some people aren’t necessarily bothered by the fact that it’s a LBGTQ rally, but the fact that it’s somewhat sexual content being shown in a public area. If that’s you, then we have something to tell you. Get over it. LBGTQ people go through life uncomfortably. They’re bullied, treated unfairly, and have whole groups dedicated to their oppression. Transgender people especially have a hard time as they feel as if they’re trapped inside a body that doesn’t agree with the way they feel.

he’s got two super bowl rings. Actually, the Steelers defense – which ranked fourth in the league in 2005 (Ben’s first ring), first in the league in 2008 (second ring), and second last year (could-have-been third ring) – won two super bowl rings. This isn’t to say that Roethlisberger had nothing to do with those wins – the Steelers’ fantastic defense just had more to do with them. Roethlisberger isn’t a great quarterback so much as he is an above-average quarterback with a great defense to keep the game manageable. Playoff “chokers,” on the other hand, suffer from the reverse of this phenomenon. The one and only knock on Peyton Manning, despite all his statistical brilliance, has been that he “just doesn’t win in the playoffs.” As though that were entirely his fault, right? During last season’s playoffs, both Manning’s Colts and Roethlisberger’s Steelers played the New York Jets – Manning during the Wild Card Round and Big Ben during the AFC Championship game. Manning’s performance: a 95.7 quarterback rating and a loss. Roethlisberger’s performance: a 35.5 quarterback rating (including two interceptions) and a win. Wow, it’s almost as if something other

Drag shows might show a risqué aspect of LBGTQ culture, but the fact of the matter is that the LBGTQ community is oppressed based solely on their sexuality, and you can’t effectively raise awareness about a particular view on sexuality without a little bit of titillation. While this may in some way offend or make you uncomfortable, there are a few simple solutions. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to look. Nobody is telling you that you have to watch the show, if you want to run to Moe’s to grab a burrito just ignore it. If you’re feeling a little unsettled, you can just let it go and enjoy the show for what it is: a whacky performance. We can understand why something as different as shattering gender roles makes people feel uncomfortable, but the point of Coming Out Week is not only to publicize LBGTQ rights, but also to show people that they’re accepted no matter who they are. That means even accepting things that don’t fit our view of normal, no matter how bizarre we may view it.

than quarterback play impacted the outcome of the games, or something. (Like, say, the Steelers’ defense, or Jim Caldwell’s awful coaching.) And while we’re on the subject of Manning, can we please dispel the myth that Brady is unequivocally better because of his three rings? Both quarterbacks, to this point in their careers, have played 19 postseason games. Over these comparable careers, Manning has a higher completion percentage (63.1 to 62.2), more yards (5,389 to 4,407), a higher yards-per-attempt average (7.5 to 6.5), and a higher quarterback rating (88.4 to 85.7). The only statistical category in which Brady excels is the win column, and we can (mostly) chalk that up to a historically excellent Patriots’ D and Belichick’s coaching.

Hatred for Halloween VERONICA RITTER Life Editor It’s that time of year again. The temperature has begun to chill, leaves are transitioning from vibrant green to crisp orange and yellows, and pumpkins surround the entrances to most supermarkets. September came and went and October has made its way back again. I love this time of year and what comes with it, the gorgeous landscapes, apple and pumpkin picking, and being that much closer to the actual holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. But these earlier characteristics I mention aren’t what most college students affiliate with this time of the year. Unfortunately, in today’s society, Halloween has become the highlight of October. Now, only two weeks away, those students that haven’t spent a year deciding which Jersey Shore character to impersonate or how they’re going to change up the classic schoolgirl or playboy bunny outfit may be going into panic mode. Trying to figure out what to be while spending as little money and as few materials as possible takes serious time and deep thought. Not to mention, a certain level of creativity. Sure, it’s easy to run into one of the many Halloween stores that begin popping up months in advance and find something slutty to wear, or purchase the comical penis uniform. But that can become pricey and repetitive. For college students, money is better saved for the important things such as alcohol and condoms. And today, originality has become the newest criteria in determining what makes the best costume, and that can’t be bought. To me, Halloween is an endless, obnoxious cycle. It can be fun and cute when you’re little and go trick-or-treating with your parents. As you grow up, it turns into a time of rebellion: alcohol is introduced, shaving cream fights occur, houses are covered in toilet paper, and your friends are egged. Then, you graduate to the next level. Maximize the amount of alcohol and drugs and minimizing the amount of clothing. Eventually as an adult, you will come full circle and return to trickor-treating, except this time you’re the one testing out the candy. I personally would like to skip out on the middle part all together. I’m tired of seeing both insecure girls and girls that know better dress up in almost nothing in an attempt to get a guy’s attention, or just for the excuse of it. And it’s even more pathetic seeing guys trying to get a girl to come home with them. Especially when it comes to putting something in a girl’s drink, which I’ve seen done before. I’m boycotting Halloween this year. I’ve purposefully made other plans that place me in Florida and, as a result, will not be forced by my friends to partake in this year’s activities. And I couldn’t be happier. I’m not worried about missing out because I don’t see what the hype is all about in the first place. I may be biased because I’ve grown up Christian, and Halloween was not the same unofficial holiday to me that society knows so well. Nonetheless, I don’t care. Halloween is a stupid reason for students to capitalize on a normal Thursday or Saturday night of drinking and partying. At some point, everyone needs to come to terms that Halloween is a made up event that over the course of time has misled students to believe that that for one night of the year it’s OK to make a complete and total ass out of oneself. Maybe I’ve just come to terms with this concept a little earlier than most. And I’m OK with that. Email: veronica.ritter@ubspectrum.com

Even the best sports writers overlook this, though: ultimately, it’s only the wins people remember, and it’s (erroneously) the quarterback that gets all the credit for said wins. “Sure, Manning had the stats, but Brady has the rings.” Well, though we may forget it, there are other players that touch the field beside the quarterbacks, and its time they got their due.

Email:eabenoit@buffalo.edu

VISIT US AT

ubspectrum.com

Page 4

Monday, October 17, 2011

Continued from Page 1: On Chris Collins, the UB Foundation and Truth

Continued from Page 1: WANTED: Landlords on Lisbon

at a Chris Collins event without realizing you’re making a political contribution.)

“For over a year, we’ve been asking students to call us if there’s a problem so we could get an inspector in,” Ryan said. “But going door-to-door is a much more effective way to get to them.”

That is one set of facts. There is also another. I didn’t feel comfortable including the facts in Friday’s story, but am writing this column to share them with you now. That $2,560 payment is not the only connection between the TCIE, the UB Foundation, and Collins. In 2008, TCIE sold a business management strategy called Lean Six Sigma to the Collins administration. Artvoice reported on Thursday that from 2008 to 2010, the county paid $449,250.10 to TCIE (via the UB Foundation) for its services and listed the UB Foundation as a vendor. Used to help Collins fulfill his campaign promise – to “run county government like a business” – Lean Six Sigma was implemented into the county government by TCIE, according to a November 2009 TCIE report entitled “Efficient Government Through Lean Six Sigma: A White Paper,” a document that reads in some places like an advertisement for Collins and his political platform. While TCIE was working with Erie County, current Interim Provost Harvey Stenger, then the dean of the TCIE-overseeing School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, served on the county’s “Lean Six Sigma Advisory Committee.” And TCIE’s Al Hammonds directed the county’s Six Sigma program after Collins recruited him to leave UB in 2008 and become deputy county executive. Now, Hammonds is back at TCIE as assistant director of outreach. Additionally, Paul Harder, a member of the UB Foundation’s board of directors, is Collins’ 2011 finance chairman. The Collins campaign’s official website (CollinsForOurFuture.com) reads, “Under Paul’s leadership, Collins For Our Future has already amassed over $1.6 million for this reelection campaign.” These are all facts. I did not include them in Friday’s story because I lacked a clear, tangible connection between those facts and the facts surrounding the $2,560 donation. To me, though, the two sets of facts seem to have a lot to do with each

other. And I’m not alone. “The problem of the Collins campaign donation raises larger questions about how to avoid conflicts of interest or confusion in mission when a public university, or a UBF entity, takes on the role of a "business service" provider, especially when that ‘business’ might appear tied to electoral politics,” said UB Professor of Law Martha McCluskey in an email. “Collins’ central campaign message has been that he is ‘running county government like a business,’ and Collins promotes his leadership in implementing TCIE’s Lean Six Sigma product as major evidence of his success in achieving that goal. “TCIE’s newsletter and website include what arguably looks like Collins’ promotional material on the cost-savings resulting from Lean Six Sigma apparently without noting contrary views questioning these results,” McCluskey continued. “This context could seem to run a risk of blurring the lines between promoting TCIE’s ‘product’ and promoting the politician.” In my own mind, the lines are very blurry, indeed. I cannot tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that TCIE’s and the UB Foundation’s prior involvement with Collins had anything to do with the $2,560 donation – err, “honest mistake.” But I also cannot tell you that it didn’t. Leyh and Della Contrada have refused to comment on the matter any further than the statements with which I’ve already been provided. Stenger was unavailable for comment on Thursday. Hammonds did not return a phone call. Maybe the donation was just an honest mistake. Maybe I am making a big deal out of nothing, and maybe I shouldn’t be connecting the dots so liberally. But TCIE and the UB Foundation seem to have long, friendly histories with the Chris Collins administration, and nobody at UB wants to say much about it now that the “mistake” has been uncovered. My phone number at The Spectrum is 716-645-8565, and my email address is below. I’d love to get the story straight, if anybody can help me out.

Email: luke.hammill@ubspectrum.com

The UB Music Department Presents... th

Meridian Arts Ensemble 25 Anniversary Concert Meridian commissions and brass ensemble works from the Baroque and Renaissance

Friday, October 21 at 7:30pm Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall

Frodyma had been living in the house since February and said it had been passed down through members of his fraternity for the past three years. He requested the name of the fraternity remain off the record. “We’ve always done a pretty good job maintaining it throughout the years for it to last this long,” Frodyma said. “Most fraternities don’t stay in a house for more than one year so you can imagine what they look like when they’re done.” For the three young men, the house held sentimental value. It was the same house that Pike pledged in during his freshman year and a place that Ferris described as the “hang out spot for all of our friends.” No Landlord, No Money, No Service The original water shut off date was Aug. 3. Pipes officially ran dry on Sept. 29. “I got home from class and Mike told me, ‘Hey, did you hear the water got shut off?’ and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Pike said. The three roommates were expecting the day to come sooner or later. In early August, they received a bill from the water department for $1900, according to Frodyma. The landlord, Elijah Slack, who lives in Washington, D.C., is responsible for paying the water bills, the students said. The annual payment for a two-and a-half-story home in Buffalo is approximately $200, according to the Buffalo Water Authority. The $1900 suggests years of neglect. “At that point I said we need to do something about this because the water’s not something we pay – the tenants can’t pay the water bill,” Pike said. Frodyma made phone calls several times a week to the landlord and property manager, but did not get a response, according to Pike. The students had also stopped paying their monthly rent of $265 in July. “I’ve never even met the landlord,” Pike said. “When the [Buffalo News] newspaper article said the name Elijah [Slack], that’s the ﬁrst time I’ve ever heard that name.”

“When we were moving in there, we kind of knew what we were getting in for,” Ferris said. “But not to the extent that it actually happened.” Ferris moved in at the end of August. His mother, Donna Rosen, A UB alumna, who lives on Long Island is appalled. “It makes me feel sick to my stomach; it is absolutely incredible that [Jeremy] was without water for two weeks,” Rosen said. “But I have to say, it’s also incredible he never called me and told me – I’m a lawyer.” What Is Being Done? Pike thinks that he and his roommates would still be living on Lisbon if not for housing blitz. “The real problems with [this house] were the heat and the water,” Pike said. “It wasn’t an unlivable condition. If we had heat and water we’d be fine like, when it’s cleaned up it’s not a bad looking place at all…If we had heat and water we’d still be living here.” Rosen is glad her son is in a better living situation. “It’s absolutely disgusting that these houses are allowed to operate,” Rosen said. “I’m so grateful that the school is doing something to make sure that these kids are not being taken advantage of.” Ryan is trying to encourage students to be more savvy about renting off campus and is encouraging any students who suspect they are living with violations to report them. “If you choose to live off campus, then you’re making a choice,” Ryan said. “Unfortunately, [for] a lot of students… it may be the first time that they’ve ever made a decision like that, on where to live. And so many of them may not be aware of what it is that they should be looking for before they sign a lease.” Pike, Frodyma, Marmel and Farris, along with two new roommates, quickly found a new offcampus home on Heath St. All agree is better than Lisbon. “The whole condemnation was a blessing in disguise,” Ferris said. “Now we have a nice house and a cheaper house. It’s got carpeting, no flies, [and] water.”

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

The students said they knew the house was a mess, but that they didn’t mind. They didn’t consider the violations dangerous and they never expected they would be forced out.

Tickets/information/residency events: (716) 645-2921 or www.slee.buffalo.edu

UB’s InstItUte For AcAdemIc And ProFessIonAl WrItIng

The power of an MBA. The passion of Healthcare.

For Students in Graduate and Professional Studies Programs Professional Editing Service Theses, dissertations, personal and professional documents Tutoring Service One-on-one assistance: writing, speaking, and oral presentations

Writing a Research Paper, Dissertation, and Scholarly Publication • Oct. 5 – Nov. 2 • Nov. 7 – Dec. 5 • Jan. 3, 5, 10, & 12 Writing for Nonnative Speakers of English* • Oct. 20 – Nov. 17 • Jan. 2, 4, 9, 11

Courses: 5 weeks, 1 evening a week • 6:00-8:30 p.m. • All courses on campus • *Also available online • $225 per course •

Revising and Editing Your Writing* • Nov. 8 – Dec. 6 Technical Writing* • Nov. 2 – Dec. 7 Grant Writing* • Oct. 6 – Nov. 3 Polishing Your Grant Proposal* • Oct. 10 – Nov. 7

Academic Writing* • Oct. 4 – Nov. 1 • Nov. 8 – Dec. 6 Writing a Literature Review* • Oct. 3 – Oct. 31

THE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT MBA IN HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT

UNION GRADUATE COLLEGE

An MBA in Healthcare Management from Union Graduate College prepares you for the rigors of business and the service of healthcare. As one of only 28 programs in the country to offer dual AACSB and CAHME accreditation, ours is a degree that takes your career further. To learn how you can prepare for an effective and rewarding career in healthcare, visit uniongraduatecollege.edu/powerandpassion For additional information, or to schedule a visit, contact: Erin Callahan Wheeler, Director of Student Recruitment at 518.631.9850 or email at: wheelere@uniongraduatecollege.edu

Union Graduate College U 80 Nott Terrace U Schenectady, NY 12308

Interviewing: Writing and Speaking Skills • Oct. 31 – Nov. 8 Public Speaking and Oral Presentation • Nov. 8 – Dec. 6

Contact: Patricia Mull pamull@buffalo.edu 716.829.3387 Course Registration: www.mfc.buffalo.edu Institute for Academic and Professional Writing

Life

Monday, October 17, 2011

ubspectrum.com

Let There Be Light! “The way Lynne’s process works is she gives me time to create, then [she] adds things to it to improve it,” said Chelsea Bath, junior theater major. “I have learned to just not take the first idea I have but more of what else could I do to make this better. She challenges me to take my, at times, not so creative mind, and push the envelope a tad, and expand my view on where you can do research and what counts as research. And how you can take anything and turn it into a design or a concept.”

Page 5

What are you thinking?

Tweet it!

@ubspectrum

Koscielniak’s students have nothing but praise for the professor, who spends hours with them developing their original ideas into brilliant masterpieces. She tries to push all of her students to reach their potential by helping them think outside of the box. This is a trait of hers that her students really admire.

Lynne Koscielniak an associate professor of theater and dance grabs her students attention and introduces them to new ways of seeing theater production. Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum

RACHEL KRAMER Staff Writer Lynne Koscielniak dreams of one day illuminating the blank canvas of Niagara Falls with choreographed lights; in the meantime, she inspires students with her energy and her insight. Koscielniak, an associate professor of theater and dance, is constantly looking to the future when it comes to research and the next big thing in light design technology. In her opinion, public lighting art is going to have a bright future. “I’m interested in evolving my lighting artistry into public art and experimenting with projecting technology,” Koscielniak said. “I’m interested in the projection and lighting on mist. I’m very interested in the emergence of public art and the theatrical arts and lighting, and I would love to light Niagara Falls.” It’s not just about beautifying water for Koscielniak – she hopes to merge the cultures of America and Canada and encompass the similarities that emerge at Niagara Falls, on the border of both countries. “There are young designers coming out of Montréal and I would like to establish a dialogue between American and Canadian artists and writers and poets and where we might take a traditional play and support it visually, or take a poem and supporting it with visuals, but in more of a public forum,” Koscielniak said. “There wouldn’t be a physical screen, just the landmark as a canvas. The idea of this moving nature and motion on top of motion would be an interesting artistic experiment.”

Koscielniak has been teaching students at UB in the areas of lighting, set design, costumes, props, and sound for nearly a decade. By embarking on these grand projects, she hopes to enable students who get the chance to help her gain experience in the fields of design and theater. She believes that it’s her job here to encourage students to become better than she will ever be able to become. “She has taught me how to take an image and develop it into an idea, an entire concept that drives my design into a fully developed production,” said Caitlin McLead, senior fine arts and theatre design major. “Because of her I now know how to develop my thoughts into narratives that will reach others.” Working with students in this way is what earned Koscielniak the UB Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. The award was instituted last spring, and was given to five recipients, including Koscielniak. “It’s really an honor to be recognized by the students as someone who is instrumental to their careers and our collective interests,” Koscielniak said. “I feel, collectively speaking, [that] students and educators are moving forward to advance the art form, and I hope to always be able to give them opportunities here.” Koscielniak earned this award by allowing her students to explore the creative aspects of UB. This year, her students are taking on activities such as designing costumes for dance companies and creating lighting and theater production design sets. Some of her students’ work has been showcased at major festivals, such as the Kennedy Center American College theater festival in Washington D.C.

“She really cares because she isn’t just teaching, she lives it…she always talks about how it’s art and it means something,” said Sarah Kost, a junior design major. “Without her, I probably would be in a corner always panicking and crying about everything. She’s not there to listen to you cry, she just says, ‘no, so what are you going to do?’” Even as the students graduate from UB, their connection with the award-winning professor doesn’t end. Koscielniak tries her hardest to work with alumni to help her current students get real world experience. Connections are also made through these projects when Koscielniak takes her advanced students to national and international conferences to present their research such as the Prague Quadrennial of Stage Design. Traditionally, light designers are normally the last piece of the production puzzle and only have a few days to set up their equipment. Koscielniak is currently investigating new technologies to use in light design. The program, called ESP Vision, would be able to simulate lighting sets and would allow light designers to get a better grasp on the production set-up earlier. Koscielniak takes her more advanced students with her to the conferences where she presents her ideas. Her students are able to stand next to her and copresent, which gives them different types of experience in the new technologies being discovered. “I think it’s really important that [students] do see what’s going on nationally and internationally,” Koscielniak said. “There are always unique problems relating to engineering, materiality and my current passion is about how to harness technology to further my role as a collaborator in the theater arts.” Email: features@ubspectrum.com

Mon-Thurs (11am-9:45pm) Fri & Sat (til 10:45) Call In Dine In Take Out Catering Lunch Specials Patties

ubspectrum.com

Page 6

Monday, October 17, 2011

l e a s i n g c e n t e r : u b c o m m o n s , s u i t e 11 6

2-story townhomes

with

pr ivate

outdoor

space

scan >like

great location to campus + 4 bed & 4 bath townhomes + quartz stone countertops leather-style sectional sofa + stainless steel appliances + hardwood-style floors

apply online @ villasonrensch.com 716 . 6 8 9.9 6 0 0 amenities subject to change | renderings subject to change

Arts ubspectrum.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

Page 7

A Suiting Finale

It’s a CGI Thing

Scientists take on a shape-changing alien in The Thing.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

JAKE KNOTT Staff Writer

this easily could have been accomplished with one, precise death.

Film: The Thing Release Date: Oct. 14 Studio: Universal Pictures Grade: BThe Thing is divided into two separate movies: the first section contains a monstrous alien slaughtering all the film’s pointless characters (who receive maybe one close-up prior to their revolting execution); the second half – the far superior one – keeps the viewer delighted and engrossed with its intense thrills. If only the doomed principle characters were worth caring about. In the bitter landscape of Antarctica, Norwegian scientists discover an alien trapped in a block of ice. This creature is highly valuable to the future of science, or so says Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen, Season of the Witch). He eventually recruits paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) in hopes of acquiring a tissue sample for proper analysis. Obviously, things can’t go that easy. Early on, the beast breaks through its glacial prison and immediately jeopardizes everyone’s life. The intriguing thing about the titular “thing” is that it replicates the appearance of its prey (though only after the unfortunate Nordic scientist is eaten and digested). The characters, then, never know who is human and who is a “thing.” From here, the film becomes vague. Many unnecessary – and choppily filmed – death scenes take place. Ideally, the audience is supposed to grab a sense of how hazardous the alien is. However,

After the senseless butchering, the remaining few are left standing in a room together, pointing fingers everywhere but at themselves. This scene is captivating in the original 1982 The Thing, and is identically intense in this film. A group of colleagues – who earlier were drinking and celebrating together – now find themselves nearly torching one another in self-defense. If only more of the film contained this amount of energy. Character development is nonexistent. Only after a character’s skull is crushed does the audience discover his or her name. It’s even difficult to care about the heroine Kate, as little is explained about her other than her job description. An upgrade from the original tale is the appearance of the alien, which is rendered in convincing CGI effects instead of the clunky and ponderous animatronics that brought the ’80s monster to life. As one victim is devoured, it’s almost tough to stare at the screen. Watching the monster fuse together with someone is like watching insect intercourse gone wrong. This reboot is a fun ride, and lovers of the original movie will certainly enjoy this installment, although probably not to the same extent, as it’s impossible to fill Kurt Russell’s shoes. Better editing and more elaborate scenes would have been an improvement – along with more characterization, of course – but as it stands the film is solid. A bit of advice, don’t bring a date: they may never forgive you.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Polar Bear Club had a triumphant conclusion to its tour Saturday night.

JAMESON BUTLER Senior Arts Editor Downtown Saturday night, 300 eager kids crammed into a small, dimly lit, dive bar to got a chance to see the future of punk music. Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, flannel, and dark brim glasses were in abundance as Polar Bear Club ended their six-week tour at Mohawk Place Saturday night. The sold out crowd had waited a long time for this concert, and when Polar Bear Club took the stage, it was well worth the wait. After technical difficulties forced a delayed start to the show, the anticipation for PBC seeped through the pours of every person in the crowd. As the band opened with “Eat Dinner, Bury the Dog and Run,” the excitement came to the forefront. While the audience was stagnant during the openers, the crowd proceeded to cram into the front half of the venue in effort to get that much closer to PBC as they screamed every word back at the band. PBC clearly took the advice of The Gaslight Anthem, as its stage show is both energetic and engaging. Lead vocalist Jimmy Stadt was moving and leaping as the crowd took his every lyric to heart. The band fed off the crowd’s energy, leading to each member getting even more into the show. Anybody in the crowd saw why PBC sold out a venue that does not sell out often. As the band tore through their 12 song set list, the crowd let its passion shine. During most of the set, Stadt was almost inaudible because the crowd was that much louder than his amplified voice.

James Twigg /// The Spectrum

The set, however, did hit a couple snags. The cord to Stadt’s microphone gave out, and needed to be replaced. While microphone malfunctions certainly aren’t out of the ordinary, the second delay was. Contrary to the positivity that PBC promotes in their music, a fight broke out in the pit, causing the band to stop mid-song to stop it. After security escorted the two fighters out, both the band and the crowd picked up right where they left off. A few songs later, PBC officially banned moshing at its shows because it runs contrary to the band’s positive message. (Jumping, screaming, and getting rowdy is still acceptable, though.) As the band finished its set, the crowd left everything on the dance floor. Most of the crowd left dripping in sweat and unable to speak after all the screaming. The crowd might have been there for PBC, but the opening acts did their best to entertain the anxious crowd. Fireworks, which had been direct support for most of the tour, was not at the final date. Because of this, Balance and Composure became the direct support, and its abstract sound was a nice change of pace from the rest of the bands on the bill. Rochester natives Such Gold did a good job providing a fun set, but Pentimento was the opener that blew the crowd away. Born and raised in Buffalo, Pentimento had the hometown crowd on its side, and the band had the crowd dancing and involved. As the crowd filed out of Mohawk Place, one thing was apparent: Polar Bear Club’s friends truly are living saints.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Pino’s Picks

Buffalo Comicon came and went, and in its wake fans were left with memories of good times, good people and of course, good comics. Here are some of the biggest highlights of this year’s event.

Courtesy of DC Comics

Best Costume: Mollie McDermott and Andrea Langer showed up dressed as DC’s most iconic women.

Best Table: Local arts collective X-Strike Studios came out armed to the Con with many of their pop culture parody products.

Best Fan Art: Former Buffalo State student turned professional, D.P. Morris showed much of his limited edition, comicinspired artwork.

Best Comic: A 52-way tie as DC’s historic relaunch served as the ideal center point of Queen City’s comic collection.

Best Vendor: Confectionary artisans, Oh Pour L’amour Du Chocolat, came to the con prepared to serve the sweet teeth of many. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

Choreographers:

Teal Darkenwald Jeanne Fornarola Joyce Lichtenberger Kerry Ring Jon Lehrer Tara Madsen Robbins Hee Ra Yoo Keith Thompson

OCTOBER 19-23, 2011 UB Center for the Arts-Drama Theatre

Wednesday-Saturday 7:30pm Sunday 2:00pm Tickets Center Box Office (M-F, 10-6) & Ticketmaster.com Info: 716-645-2787 Charge: 1-800-745-3000 We Accept Campus Cash

In Concert 2011 The 37th Season

ubspectrum.com

Page 8

Monday, October 17, 2011

Continued from Page 1: ‘Emergency Powers Council’ Can ‘Circumvent’ SA Senate

Continued from Page 1: Being a Queen Isn’t a Drag

approved that during an EPC meeting when there was a Senate meeting a couple of days before. That really bothered me.”

a girl],” St. James said. “My mother always tells this story of her finding her sheets with holes in them because I would make dresses out of them.”

Khan is aware of the negative connotation the EPC holds because executive boards have given themselves bonuses in the past. The current eboard has agreed not to utilize the EPC in such a manner. “We didn’t want to look like we did something that was not approved by the majority of the students,” Khan said. Still, Gibbons wants to make a fundamental change to the EPC. He thinks “it’s a shame” when an EPC meeting is called while school is in session. “One of my goals is to perhaps change the constitution so that while school is in session, you need unanimous decision to call the meeting [rather than a quorum of three or four people],” Gibbons said. SA senator and School of Management junior Katherine Pizzutelli views the EPC as an “absolute necessity” to SA. She served as acting Senate chair for two weeks, and she participated in one EPC meeting on Sept. 21, which lasted nine minutes.

that can be too long of a time span to wait when a decision needs to be made. “If the SA Executive Board were to delay this said decision…there would be negative consequences for SA,” Pizzutelli said in an email. “This negative impact could include ‘a loss, diminution in value, or loss of opportunity, financial or otherwise, for the Student Association,’ [as stated in the SA Constitution].” Still, Gibbons believes the meetings can be easily misused. He feels the EPC has “a lot of power” and can “avoid passing potentially unpopular things in Senate or Assembly meetings.” But there is a clear contrast of opinions within the Senate. “EPC is not a sneaky meeting held behind the back of the Senate or Assembly,” Pizzutelli said. “I really trust [SA President] JoAnna [Datz], [Vice President] Meghan [McMonagle], Sikander, [Senate Chairman] Darwinson [Valdez], and [Assembly Speaker] Steven Jackson, and I am confident that they will continue to keep up with their checks and balances.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Continued from Page 1: Bad Weather Doesn’t Stop Buffalo Occupiers

Anyone can speak (just sign up on the list, or “stack”) during General Assembly, and to make sure everyone can hear, speakers use the “people’s mic” – the speaker says five or six words, and the rest of the crowd repeats them, so those on the outside of the circle can understand. Between the crowd only hearing five words at a time and the ever-present threat of a block, things move slowly. But when proposals are passed, they have the group’s unanimous support, and everyone understands what has transpired. Area politicians have shown support for the movement. Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant spoke to the crowd at the Oct. 8 meeting and was also there on Saturday; Eric Jones, chair of the Western New York Green Party, was at both meetings as well. “This movement, that has formed really organically, falls in line with pretty much everything I believe in,” Jones said. “It’s a movement of people who are frustrated with the status quo, people who are ready for a government that actually

St. James has friends with children that do not understand the drag career, however, and that is sometimes difficult. “That’s a part of being a homosexual or being gay – that children often think that every homosexual man is a pedophile,” St. James said. “We have to break down barriers to let kids know that this is not a bad thing, what you grow up to be is what you grow up to be. No one is holding a gun to your head saying ‘you’re gonna be gay.’” Not everyone initially understands what a drag show encompasses. “Of course you have the haters and even people in the gay community who are like, ‘oh these queens are dressing up,’” St. James said. “But they’re the first ones to stand up and tip you with a dollar.” Tration doesn’t allow the offensive comments to bother her.

Senators need a minimum of five days before a meeting is called, and, according to Pizzutelli,

Occupiers know an array of hand signals that indicate to the speaker whether the crowd agrees, disagrees, wants to move on, wishes the speech stayed on point, or requires clarification. (For example, a triangle symbol, referred to as “point of process,” means “keep the speech relevant to the current discussion.”)

Although St. James avoided dressing up in front of her family as a child, she knows now that everyone close to her approves of her career choice. She has a 16-year-old nephew that has seen her in drag, and has even dressed in drag himself.

works for the people instead of against them, and our current government, at almost every level, is one that no longer represents the 99 percent.” The “99 percent” idea is apparent in the many walks of life that are present at the Occupy Buffalo movement: black and white, young and old, crew-cuts and the dreadlocked hair of Matt Richardson, 33, of Tonawanda, who started the group’s Facebook page (which has quickly amassed over 5,300 followers). “I’ve seen everybody who was supporting Occupy Wall Street, and people were starting Facebook [pages] in every city, and I noticed that [Buffalo] didn’t have a Facebook,” Richardson said. “So I said, ‘Hey man, I can’t stand by, we have to at least do something.’ Within a couple of days, we had hundreds of hits, and it just grew from there.” Occupiers have held a continuous presence in Niagara Square since Oct. 8, showing solidarity with the movements around the rest of the globe, and they don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. “This is the hope and change that everybody voted for in the last election,” Albini said. “I feel more hopeful now, about this, than I ever have about anything else. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

“People came to see us, it’s not like we forced them,” Tration said. “They purposely walked into the room; they’re here for a reason. I don’t get uncomfortable; I’m not afraid of what they’re going to say. We’ve been doing this long enough that we know how to handle pretty much anybody, and we’re also not wilting flowers, we’re not standing in a corner. And if someone is potentially offensive, we have the ability to quadruple their offensiveness and hush them.” Tration originally dressed up in female clothing as a joke. Her friends were holding a fundraiser and they thought it would make them money to dress up a little boy in girl’s clothing. “It was great,” Tration said. “How awful is it to have all your friends screaming and throwing money at you? When you’re standing in front of a screaming crowd of people, it’s kind of hard to resist that.” Tration did not plan on entering drag as a business, but she stresses that life sometimes gets in the way of a first blueprint, and that it is crucial to figure something out. “I’ve been a project manager my whole life and I got laid off,” Tration said. “I had to do something to pay the rent. I had already kind of done [drag], so it could be easy to transition it into something more, but I never thought I would do it for a living. I never thought this was it. But life doesn’t really care what plans you make, because something always happens. I mean two planes ran into a building and I lost my job.” Although she knows that plans often fall off track, Tration has a plan for her future. She currently owns a wig company, where she spends most of her days, before she transforms into drag at night. She is married and hopes to turn her shop into a sustainable family business.

[ a

WORLD

OPPORTUNITY

]

Although Tration is married, she doesn’t plan on having children. “To [be a drag queen] you have to be a little selfish,” Tration said. “But the thing that I have discovered about me is that I am too selfish to be willing to give up what little bit that I do have for someone else. Because when you have a child your life becomes that child. You are responsible for someone else’s life. This person can do nothing without you.” On the other hand, St. James doesn’t spend time thinking about new careers for her future – rather she believes in the importance of living in the moment. “I think I’ve got to live for now because you never know what tomorrow holds,” St. James said. “You just don’t know. But as far as the future, I’m going to be doing drag until I’m wheeled out on stage.”

Your Transfer Choice • Transfer up to 90 credits

Being a drag queen is more than just dressing up and applying makeup, according to Tration. It is years of learning and working hard to become known. Both Tration and St. James worked for free for three years before finally making their names known and receiving paying jobs in the drag scene. “You work your ass off working for free and hope that the tips are enough to offset the expenses,”

Tration said. “I worked three years for free. You have to work at least three before you get recognized, because no one’s going to pay. If you just walk into a place and say, ‘I’m ready to do a show,’ they’re like, ‘oh great.’ No one can afford to take a risk on you that isn’t worth it.” Makeup brushes cost up to $200; custom clothing must be created because men’s bodies are crafted differently from women’s. Wigs are a must, and shoes that are not off the rack aren’t cheap. “It’s truly expensive looking this cheap,” St. James said. But no matter how much makeup is applied or how fabulous the fashion is on these queens, it is difficult for men to truly feel like women. “People are coming either for their 400th drag show or they’ve never seen drag before in their life, so you have to think what kind of experience you want to give them,” St. James said. “You don’t want them to go home all bitter thinking ‘ugh that was kind of stupid.’” There is never a dull night at The Cabaret. Tration uses her comedic MC skills, and portrays Monica as a ‘classy, sultry, and R&B ebony goddess,’ to please the crowds. “If you’re not offending people you’re probably not funny, and my purpose is to be funny every night,” Tration said. Because drag queens are in full costume, there is a sense of anonymity on stage. It is this feeling that helps Tration make offensive jokes and call out members of the audience on stage. “There’s certainly a lot of freedom to being in [a costume],” Tration said. “Like you know on Halloween when you’re wearing a mask you have a little bit more freedom to act a little more provocative than if you had to be responsible for your behavior walking down the street.” Neither Tration nor St. James finished their college careers because they felt as if being in school tied them down from figuring out exactly what they wanted to do. “I actually often think that no one should go to school right away,” Tration said. “Because you need time to figure yourself out. Take a moment to say, ‘what is it that I want?’ There is no rush. You have 80 years to figure this out and you probably won’t even have it figured out then. The only timeline that there is, is the one that you put on it.” The crowd that The Cabaret attracts is primarily, but not exclusively, adult gays. In addition, they get a lot of bachelorette parties, and a lot of artistic folks due to the club’s urban setting. “But I always think that the people that we attract to drag shows [need] something to get away from late at night,” St. James said. “You know that’s the beauty of adult entertainment because you never know what you’re going to hear.” Tration and St. James feel as if they never get to see their regulars on a ‘mediocre’ night. People either go to the bar when they’re at their lowest points because they need the atmosphere as an escape from reality, or at their highest points because they’re in a good mood and want to celebrate. The queens then must be on their absolute A-game and help their customers enjoy their getaway. “We had a woman in the club on Saturday night – she had both of her breasts removed and she was recovering from cancer,” Tration said. “I went up to her and just said, ‘congratulations, you’re not dead, let’s have a drink,’ we’re not here to wallow in self pity – part of our job is to allow you a bit of respite from that,” Tration said. The most common reaction from strangers is laughter – because people feel uncomfortable and attempt to hide that awkward feeling behind laughter. The second is taking a picture. People that mock drag queens or look down upon the career just haven’t had the chance to walk a mile in their heels and see how hard and legitimate the show business actually is, according to Tration. People don’t see past the comical exterior and into the theatrical interior of the queens. “The key is understanding that we don’t do anything different from anyone else,” Tration said. “The only difference is that we’re fun-looking four nights out of the week.”

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

• Transfer scholarships available • 15 :1 student/faculty ratio

EXPLORE

major options

Daemen offers more than 40 majors, including: Accounting Animation Art Arts Administration Athletic Training Biochemistry Biology Business Administration Education English

French Graphic Design Health Care Studies History History & Government Mathematics Natural Sciences Nursing Paralegal Physical Therapy

Physician Assistant Political Science Pre-Med Psychology Religious Studies Social Work Spanish Sport Management Sustainability and more!

MEET

alumni

DISCUSS FREE event, refreshments and prizes!

Learn more about UB’s academic options. Meet UB alumni & area professionals.

Make your reservation today!

7l6.839.8225

careers

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Student Union Lobby & Social

Open House –Saturday, October 22 daemen.edu/admissions

ACR Hall