The Spectrum, Volume 60, Issue 34

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The independent student publication of the University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York www. ubspectrum .com

WEEKEND EDITION November   19, 2010 Volume   60     Issue   34

Four Loko of The Apocalypse Bell Tolls for the “Blackout in a Can” DAVE JOHNSON Staff Writer

Courtesy of Kyle James

Students and lawmakers are both going loco over Four Loko. The caffeinated alcoholic beverage is one of many that will be banned or reformatted according to state government regulations.

Save The Statler

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Student Leaders Meet to Discuss Presidential Search

BRITTANY CESAR Staff Writer

The Statler has been nominated by Preservation Buffalo Niagara to the list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Places. There has been a lot of attention concerning the recent bid made by Mark Croce and his business partner James Eagan of the Statler City LLC to take ownership of the Statler Towers, which has been in a state of financial limbo for the last 26 years. The Statler Towers is an abandoned, 77-year-old, 800,000-square-foot, art-deco-style building in Niagara Square. Its history has made it a monument in downtown Buffalo. Croce and Eagan have already announced their desire to invest in the building, which was originally an illustrious hotel at a time when Buffalo was at its economic peak. Croce and Eagan are now waiting to receive government aid to begin repairing the Statler Towers’ lower floors and start restoring the building from the ground up. The project will require at least $5.2 million just to stabilize the structure. Croce and Eagan are waiting for financial help from the city, which would include waiving unpaid property taxes, to start administering the renovation. “The building is in a state of disrepair,” Croce said. “We certainly don’t want to demolish this historic building. We’re going to install a long term plan to stabilize [the] iconic [Statler Towers], identify safety concerns to be dealt with, and start renovating, so [that] we can, someday soon, make it open for the public.” Croce, a local developer, restaurateur, and businessman, currently owns restaurants, nightclubs, and other properties throughout the city, including the Buffalo Chophouse, Darcy McGee’s, and Laughlin’s. Croce considers his business a “labor of love” because of the significant amount of energy he invests in keeping Buffalo’s historic restoration alive. The Statler Towers was built out of a vision of Ellsworth Milton Statler, a shrewd businessman and hotel chain owner. Statler had built several temporary hotels in the early 1900s, including one for Buffalo’s World Fair, the PanAmerican Exposition, in 1901. His endeavors yielded a small profit and provided keen business skills, inspiring

Students and lawmakers alike have been going loco for Four Loko, although for different reasons. “We are going to go crazy to protect our children from going crazy over Four Loko,” said New York Councilman James Sanders Jr. about the latest malt beverage mania sweeping the nation. Four Loko, following in the line of Sparks, Tilt and Bud Extra, is next in the hit list of caffeinated alcoholic beverages to be banned or reformatted according to state government regulations. Earlier this week, New York State Governor David Paterson and State Liquor Authority Commissioner Dennis Rosen announced an agreement with Phusion Products LLC, the manufacturer of Four Loko, to halt shipments to New York, effective Friday. Phusion agreed to eventually change the recipe of the beverage to remove the caffeine and other additives deemed harmful in combination with alcohol in order to meet government standards. Days after Four Loko was banned, a report issued by the Food and Drug Administration stated that beverages that are high in alcohol content and contain caffeine and other additives present a “public health concern.” Some analysts also suspect that a full ban on these types of beverages seems imminent. Four Loko, along with several of its competitors (including Joose, a flavored malt beverage with caffeine,

ANDREW WIKTOR Editor in Chief

Courtesy of flickr user amerune

The abandoned Statler Towers in Downtown Buffalo has gained the attention of Buffalo businessmen Mark Croce and James Eagan, who plan to renovate and restore the historic downtown landmark.

him to build his first permanent hotels that offered clean, comfortable and moderately-priced rooms to the standard traveler. His hotels were the first to provide running water, a private bathroom in every room, and Statler-brand stationary for each guest. Statler’s success inspired a chain of Statler hotels with the same intent of overnight luxury for the average traveler in other growing cities, including Los Angeles and Dallas. Buffalo’s Statler Towers was built in 1923 as one of E.W. Statler’s first permanent hotels, and it was then called the Buffalo Hotel Statler. It was the second hotel that he built in Buffalo after he sold his first hotel in the 1920s, and it was later re-named Hotel Buffalo. When the Hilton hotel chain bought the building in 1954, only part of it still housed the hotel rooms, as the rest of the structure had been converted into offices. It was later re-named the Statler Towers in 1984, when the hotel rooms were closed down and only three public

Weather: friday: 46°/ 34° sunny  |  saturday: 42°/ 28° sunny  |  sunday: 47°/ 41° sunny

The beginning of the semester is long gone but has not been forgotten. President John B. Simpson announced his retirement on the first day of classes and will officially be out of office come Jan. 15, leaving the university on a quest for a new leader. The search for UB’s 15th president is well underway, and Wednesday evening student leaders met with Vice Provost Scott Weber to weigh in on what they expect from their future leader. Members from the Graduate Student Association, Residence Halls, Athletics, and Greek Life were among some of the attendees. Weber headed the meeting, which was broken down into two sections: the first topic of discussion was the selection process, which was followed by an open forum consisting of questions and comments. Many of the groups in attendance were concerned with their constituencies but were collectively interested in selecting a president capable of addressing an array of issues, one of which is UB 2020. The meeting was put together by Undergraduate Student Association President Nischal Vasant, who is also the student representative on the search committee. He called the forum to hear about student concerns and to gain a general idea about what his peers are looking for in a university leader. Weber made it clear that he was present for the students and emphasized how much he respects student opinion. He also explained the selection process, talking about the level of expertise found on the selection committee, mentioning the hiring of search consultant Ilene Nagel, and highlighting the importance of the position profile, which is a detailed list of qualifications the committee will be looking for in its candidates. It was also explained that much of the search will remain confidential in order to ensure that the correct candidate is chosen for the position. Although there is no timetable on when the search will be completed, Weber remarked that the committee plans to work swiftly and diligently. The search committee is not responsible for appointing the new president but instead is in place to present a suggestion to SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, who has the ultimate say. Vasant urges students to come forward with any thoughts they may want to share regarding the search for UB’s 15th president. The entire search committee is dedicated to finding the best possible leader for the university and encourages both questions and comments. Stay with The Spectrum for continuous coverage on the search for our next president.

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Inside:

E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com opinion — 3

arts & life — 5

classifieds — 7

sports — 8


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