WINNER OF THIS WEEK’ S FACEBOOK CONTEST!!!
Check our Facebook page to see how you can win a $50 gift card and a free t-shirt! Vol. 61 NO. 33
ubspectrum.com
Monday, November 14, 2011
Hot Water Problems at Grenier Hall Begin to Evaporate SARAH AKERS Staff Writer As the semester moves forward and Greiner Hall still lacks hot water, residents have run out of patience. Complaints have piled up, and the university is finally responding. The biggest problem for the students living in Greiner has been its unreliable hot water. Residents claim it takes between 10 to 30 minutes for the water to warm up, and even at its hottest temperature, the water is only mildly warm. “If you’re really lucky you’ll get a hot shower, which is unbelievable,” said Gabe Miller, a sophomore communication major and Greiner resident. Recently, residents have noticed an increase in response to the issue. Maintenance men and officials have been in Greiner trying to check for the solution from inside the building, hoping to fix the problem non-invasively, which would mean a quicker fix for the residents. “There appeared to be two janitors and two higher level men,” said Ben Tarhan, a sophomore engineering major and Greiner resident, in an email. “They brought thermometers and measured the temperature on both my showerhead and the sink. They opened up a panel in my ceiling and looked at some pipes. After a couple of minutes they agreed that the water didn’t get hot – it topped off at about 85 degrees. They said contractors
with the contractors to get the water back to normal, and as they work to find the real problem, the hot water seems to have become even more sporadic.
would be coming by to take a look.” The university is now working with LP Ciminelli, D.V. Brown, and Cannon Design – the construction, plumbing, and engineering contractors – to fix the problems. Andrea Costantino, the interim director of Campus Living – along with the Campus Living office – has outlined an extensive plan in order to check any source of cold water entering the hot water system. She hopes the plan will remedy the problem as soon as they come to a definitive answer as to what’s causing the hot water to malfunction.
The apparent fix, reported by Miller and other residents – who wish to remain anonymous – was only temporary. Over the last few weeks, there have been days where the hot water seems to be up to par, which only frustrates the residents more when their next shower is cold. The engineers have gone over the design plans for the building and have not found an obvious answer for the inadequate hot water. The plumbing contractor has done non-invasive spot checks for cross connections – a condition where cold water enters the hot water system. The university has installed backflow prevention devices in the washing machines to ensure that cold water from the machines cannot enter the hot water system, according to an email from Costantino.
“I’ve talked with my assistant hall director numerous times, and he told me they were fixing [the problem],” Miller said. “It seemed like they had for a few days, but today it was incredibly cold again. Campus Living and other university officials have begun to address the hot water They led me to believe Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum complaints in Greiner Hall. Should these non-invasive they fixed the problem, system checks fail to yield but clearly did not. If any serious result, there are plans for they had, I would have had a hot shower University officials are working hard in-depth solutions. this morning.
Bulls Pluck Peacocks in Opener New-look Bulls find their way despite comeback bid MATTHEW PARRINO Editor in Chief Everything was going right for the men’s basketball team on Friday night. The team was up by as many as 18 points in the second half, had a raucous student section screaming from tipoff until the final buzzer, and seemed poised to win in dominating fashion. The Bulls (1-0) did pull out a victory against St. Peter’s, 72-65 at Alumni Arena, but things got interesting in the final minutes. The Peacocks trailed big most of the game, but managed to get within four points twice in the final minute. The Bulls, however, were able to hold them off to secure the win. The adrenaline of the Bulls as a team got to be more than it is capable of handling at this point in the season, according to head coach Reggie Witherspoon. “I think we got in a rush for the lead to get bigger,” Witherspoon said. “We switched defenses a lot more than normal and we didn’t rebound the ball well enough defensively.” Mitchell Watt electrified the crowd and led the Bulls to victory in their Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum home opener.
The Bulls were outrebounded in the game 41-38, and of their 38 boards, only 22 were on the defensive end. St. Peter’s scored 21 second chance points in the game – 15 of those points coming in the second half. The play of senior forward Mitchell Watt and sophomore forward Javon McCrea was one of the differences in the game. McCrea made his first career start, and the combination of the two big men gave the Peacocks defense fits all game long. St. Peter’s started in man defense, but quickly moved to a zone to guard against one-on-one’s in the post. Both McCrea and Watt seemed to score at will when guarded by only one Peacocks defender. Watt – who finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and four blocks – likes playing with McCrea and thinks the pair will give defenses problems this season. “Both of us enjoy giving the ball up and both of us have – I would say – pretty high basketball IQs, so we work off of each other really well,” Watt said. “Obviously Javon attracts a lot of attention and I like less attention on me on the court so I can kind of sneak behind the
defense. Plus he’s a great passer.” McCrea was brilliant and that isn’t a surprise for Bulls fans. The first team All-MAC selection finished with 18 points to lead the Bulls. He also grabbed six rebounds and had four assists. Along with McCrea, sophomore point guard Jarod Oldham made his first start, and though he may have played a bit too fast at times, his eight points, six assists and five steals really helped the Bulls pull out the win. “[Starting for the first time] was a lot of pressure,” Oldham said. “But after the game got started I kind of got a feel for the game and forgot about the whole ‘starting’ thing. After that I tried to make easy passes and keep the game simple as possible. Coach is on me a lot about that because when the adrenaline gets going, I kind of get going too. I’m working on my poise and things like that.” Witherspoon was concerned with the point guard position because junior guard Tony Watson is still recovering from injury and wasn’t available to play. He worried Oldham would have difficulties playing a lot of minutes. “I thought [Jarod] did a good job,”
Continued on page 2
The contractors will disable the mixing valve that currently regulates the hot water temperature. The mixing valve mixes 140-degree water with 110-degree water. If needed, the university will disengage this and send 120-degree water directly into the piping that runs to shower heads throughout the building, according to the same email. “Should these steps not work out there are other, even more invasive steps we will take,” Costantino said. “These may require one or more longer system shut downs to search for a piping cross connection wing by wing, floor by floor, pipe section by pipe section.” The university has assured students and parents that they are taking the issue of inadequate hot water very seriously. The response from Campus Living, and the contractors, seems to have finally gotten serious. Despite complains that the search for solutions has been extremely delayed, Costantino reassures the student body that they “are doing everything they can think of.” “I can understand that Greiner is a new building, and will have a few kinks here and there, but the fact that there’s no hot water is just unacceptable,” Miller said. “I’ve asked other people living in Greiner and it’s pretty unanimous.” Email: news@ubspectrum.com
WRITE FOR THE SPECTRUM!!! Are you a writer? Do you have something to say? The Spectrum is looking for writers, graphic designers and photographers.
Email eic@ubspectrum.com to get more information and you could see your name on the front page next semester!
From Alumni Arena to Central Park Fires, Floods, Bombs and Break-ins
How a UB alumna began her life of fitness during college LAUREN NOSTRO Special to The Spectrum
NEW YORK, N.Y.—As a UB sophomore, Colleen Kirk applied for a job as an aerobic instructor at Alumni Area. That position was filled, but there was a slot for a “spinning” instructor. Kirk had never been in a spinning class, let alone taught one, yet she talked her way into the job and taught classes for five years, including two after she graduated in 2007. Although the 27-year-old now has a full-time job as a copywriter for Fisher Price in East Aurora, she continues to teach spinning classes because it helps make her stronger and build endurance for what has now become her passion: running. This past Sunday, she took that passion to New York City to run the 26.2 miles of the ING New York City Marathon, finishing in 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 35 seconds. Her husband and
family joined the 2 million cheering spectators who lined the streets through all five boroughs to watch the 45,000 runners. The marathon was a “26-mile block party” for Kirk, who was disappointed that she never wrote her name on her shirt because people could only cheer for “the girl in the orange.” “It was all so different – every borough felt so different,” Kirk said. “The Bronx was really fast and had a lot of hip hop DJs out. In Brooklyn, it had the most diverse of the music. In Manhattan, there was an African band playing, a choir outside of a church – I felt like I saw every ethnicity.” She also had her iPod mini in tow – a gift from her sister before the marathon, packed with playlist after playlist. She likes “angry music” when she’s running – Eminem, Linkin Park, all the “nasty, horrible songs” to keep her going. “Sometimes [the cheering] got monotonous,” Kirk said. “I wanted to be in my own head and listen to the music.”
UB alumna Colleen Kirk ran the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 6. She ran 26.2 miles in little over 4 hours’ time. Courtesy of Dave Tomasso
Weather for the Week: Monday: PM Rain- H: 60, L: 44 Tuesday: Partly Cloudy- H: 55, L: 44 Wednesday: Partly Cloudy- H: 47, L: 33
UB’s all hazard emergency plan has campus covered
REBECCA BRATEK and ERIN MAYNARD News Editor and Staff Writer College students don’t spend their days thinking about serious fires, chemical spills, or bomb threats on campus. Students don’t think that their campus can be the next Virginia Tech. Most students are focused on daily activities and balancing a heavy workload. “When I’m at school, I think about what I have to do later,” said Lisa Epstein, a freshman English major. “I think about the homework load I have each night and how long it will take to do each thing.” While students are focusing on their college experiences, UB has the All Hazard Plan Emergency Policy Group to think about what is mostly ignored. The Policy Group consists of senior administration officers whose job is to design and maintain an everevolving plan that keeps students safe, no matter what sort of emergency there might be on campus. The students have seen one example of the All Hazard Plan in effect this semester with the evacuation at Clemens Hall after a fire was reported. Older students may remember back to February 2010 when an alleged gunman was reported in Lockwood library. Continued on page 2
I N S I D E
Continued on page 2
UB’s All Hazard Plan Emergency Policy Group thinks about disasters that can happen on campus before they arise. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum
Opinion * 3 Arts & Life * 4,5 Classifieds / Daily Delights * 7 Sports * 8