The Spectrum Vol. 70 No. 9

VOL. 70 NO. 9 | NOVEMBER 3, 2021

UB grad’s legacy lives on through the Zach Liberatore Foundation

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UB community members donated more than $58,000 to Buffalo mayoral candidates Faculty donated overwhelmingly to Walton, UB Council members overwhelmingly to Brown

total of $25,794.90. contributed $3,500 to Walton’s primary McCluskey says this is the most she has campaign and $7,796 to her general elecever given to a political campaign because tion effort, making him Walton’s third she saw Walton’s run as an opportunity “to largest individual contributor.

“The new Buffalo under Brown is the make the community better for all” and “to revive [our] commitment to meaning- old Buffalo we thought we were leaving ful democracy, debate and public partici- behind, so desperate for investment that any building is better than none,” Dennis pation in decisions.

“For too long, too many Buffalo leaders told The Spectrum in an email. “Only now have played into a tired and insular poli- the motive is not desperation but greed, tics, with the same-old, same-old vision of [and Brown is] getting political donations trickle-down economics and power,” she told The Spectrum in an email. “The university and the City of Buffalo have become pipelines for what could be called socialism for a small group of wealthy developers and associated elite business interests. In both UB and the city, too many major decisions about public funds are made behind closed doors by relatively small, overlapping inner circles with ties to the contractors and firms who benefit from that spending.”

Nightingale did not respond to a separate request for comment.

For his part, Dennis Kelsey Rupe / The Spectrum

from those who don’t want the [zoning] code to apply to them. I’d like to believe Buffalo is better than this.”

Other UB faculty members made smaller contributions to Walton’s campaign.

English professor Rachel Ablow gave $2,920 over the course of five donations.

Physiology professor Susan Udin contrib-

UB discontinues Daily Health Check

First Distinguished Speaker Series lecture canceled

GRANT ASHLEY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

UB community members have donated at least $58,335 to the two major candidates in Tuesday’s Buffalo mayoral race.

Democratic nominee India Walton and write-in candidate Byron Brown both received financial backing from UB community members — but the two candidates sharply diverged on the source of these donations.

Current and former UB faculty members donated almost exclusively to Walton’s campaign. Walton, a 39-year-old socialist who upset Brown in June’s Democratic primary, counts three current and former professors — retired law professor Martha McCluskey, current American and Africana studies professor Carl Nightingale and retired English professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Dennis — as her top three individual donors.

McCluskey and Nightingale, a married couple, donated $5,000 and $5,200 respectively to Walton’s primary campaign. They followed up those initial contributions with $7,797 and $7,797.90 donations to Walton’s general election campaign, for a

University touts nearuniversal vaccine adoption, low on-campus infection rate JUSTIN WEISS MANAGING EDITOR

SEE DONATIONS PAGE 6

India Walton supporters huddle beneath a tent on a recent weekday.

Spectrum spoke to a couple dozen students who say they stopped completing the Daily Health Check at the start of the semester, or even earlier.

Students, faculty and staff should have stopped receiving text message reminders to complete the Daily Health Check on Monday, according to the university. Community members who still receive reminders “may disregard it — no further action is needed.”

Since the summer of 2020, roughly 31,954 people have used the Daily Health Check — amounting to nearly 2.8 million attestations, according to the university.

In its place, officials say they will continue to require face coverings while indoors, proof of vaccination at certain campus events and weekly testing for unvaccinated community members.

Students are urged to “stay home when they feel sick,” even as the Daily Health

Check is phased out.

UB also “strongly encourages” students to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, but has not made it mandatory, like it did with the first round of the vaccine. The CDC expanded the number of people eligible for booster shots to those aged 18+ who live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions or work or live in high-risk settings.

Students who live in university-run housing and received their Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna series at least six months ago are eligible for a booster shot, as a result of their high-risk congregate setting designation.

UB has a rolling 14-day average of 40 estimated total positive COVID-19 cases, as of Nov. 2, according to the SUNY COVID-19 Tracker.

Students, faculty and staff are no longer required to complete the Daily Health Check, the university announced in an online bulletin Friday.

The Daily Health Check was introduced in late summer 2020 as a virtual screening tool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But near-universal vaccine adoption among students — and a low on-campus infection rate — contributed to UB’s decision to phase out the campaign.

“This decision took into account the high vaccination rate at UB among students Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com (99%) and employees (nearly 90%),” Thomas Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the UB Department of Medicine, told The Spectrum. “Further, additional mitigation measures, such as mask usage, make our campus one of the safest venues in Western New York and the state.”

Russo says that after 20 months of the pandemic, students and staff know how to proceed when COVID-19 issues arise. He attributes that knowledge to the university’s messaging through its website and various platforms.

UB spokesperson John DellaContrada says that as of Oct. 29, 80% of regular Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum users were students. But The Students, faculty and staff are no longer required to complete the Daily Health Check, as of Nov. 1.

Winston Duke was scheduled to speak Nov. 4 REILLY MULLEN EDITOR IN CHIEF

JUSTIN WEISS MANAGING EDITOR

Winston Duke’s Distinguished Speaker Series lecture has been canceled “due to a conflict” with the actor’s filming schedule, UB announced Tuesday.

Duke was initially set to kick off the Distinguished Speaker Series on Oct. 14, but his speech was postponed to Nov. 4 due to undisclosed circumstances. On Tuesday, UB announced that his Thursday speech in the Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre won’t happen, and that all tickets will be refunded.

Duke, 34, graduated from UB in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in theatre. The Trinidad and Tobago native has had a storied acting career, starring in films like “Black Panther,” “Us” and “Avengers End Game.”

Refunds will be automatically issued within 30 days to guests who paid with a credit card through the CFA Box Office.

All other guests are asked to email ubcfatickets@buffalo.edu or visit the box office during operating hours to initiate their refund.

Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman will deliver the first DSS speech of the academic year on Nov. 16.

Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com Email: reilly.mullen@ubspectrum.com

NEWS

2 | Wednesday, November 3 2021

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UB grad’s legacy lives on through the Zach Liberatore Foundation The foundation’s breakout event, Zachtoberfest, exceeds its fundraising goal by about $55,000 NATALIE DOLLER ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Zach Liberatore was studying to become a therapist. A sixth-year health and human services major at UB, Liberatore found his passion in counseling fellow students and late-night intramural basketball games in the Alumni Arena basement triple-gym.

But Liberatore was also dealing with his own demons: tormented by compulsive thoughts brought about by OCD, stints at six short-term and six long-term in-patient facilities in Western New York and all over the country and other mental health challenges.

On Sept. 30, 2020, Liberatore overdosed

on Opana. Two days later, he died.

Despite Liberatore’s mental health struggles, he was determined to continue his studies, even securing a spot on the dean’s list despite two separate in-patient visits that semester.

“I always told him he was so, so strong and brave to keep having to leave the program,” Liberatore’s mother, Jennifer, told The Spectrum. “He always felt a little defeated doing that, you know, stopping in the middle of a semester and going away and coming back and starting over, but he did it over and over and over.”

After Zach’s death, Jennifer learned just how much of an impact her son had made on the lives of others. In the months following, she regularly received calls from kids across the country who told her about how helpful Zach was to them when they met at treatment facilities. But amid the flurry of kind messages and sentiments, the thought of starting a foundation in his name was never on Jennifer’s mind.

Julie Frey / The Spectrum A video montage displaying memories of Zach Liberatore.

Now, she sits on the board of the Zach Liberatore Foundation.

“I actually did the eulogy at Zach’s funeral, and one of his closest friends, Sam Palisano, happened to write this beautiful piece about him, describing him perfectly.

And I said, ‘Would you read it,’ and he said, ‘I’d rather not but you could read it,’” Jennifer said. “So I read this excerpt that he wrote in my eulogy, in which he said we should set up a foundation in Zach’s name to help kids who struggle the way he did.

Nothing would make him happier. So actually, when I read his words in my eulogy, it kind of put it out there. Literally like two hours later, people were coming up to us saying, ‘I want to help, I want to help.’”

The Zach Liberatore Foundation works to raise awareness for mental health and empower families of children who struggle with OCD. The foundation aims to continue Zach’s legacy by providing “education, public awareness and support to young adults and families affected by mental health challenges,” according to its website. It is run by Zach’s parents, family members and other community members close to his family and is funded by charitable donations from the community and those raised at their first event, Zachtoberfest Zachotoberfest took place on Oct. 28 at Buffalo RiverWorks and raised approximately $85,000 — nearly three times the initial goal of $30,000. The funds will go to the Child Psychiatry Clinic and OCD program at Oishei Children’s Hospital, where Zach received much of his treatment.

This overwhelming community support made the foundation’s breakout event a major success, the family says. Despite being open to the public, Jennifer says everyone at the event seemed to have a personal connection to Zach or his family.

Jennifer made it a point of greeting all of them personally at the door.

“I [volunteered] to honor Zach’s memory and to help the family. He was such a great kid and they’re such a great family I just wanted to help anyway I could,” Wendy Blackman, an event volunteer said.

The outpouring of support came as a surprise to Jennifer.

“I thought it was gonna be like this little fire hall; pizza, maybe a cash box at the door selling tickets,” Jennifer said. “This kind of spiraled into this huge event and took on a life of its own, but it’s kind of a testament to how loud Zach was.”

This is just the start for the Zach Liberatore Foundation. While there are no other events currently in the works, Jennifer is exploring other avenues to help children and families who are fighting the same battles Zach did to cover their financial costs.

“We know how expensive costs can be, particularly if someone has a higher level of care,” Jennifer said. “And even if insurance covers it, the other costs are huge. I mean for some families, the travel cost for the child and the family to go with [is a lot].”

So despite the irreplaceable, devastating loss of a son, brother, student and friend, the Zach Liberatore Foundation is a glimmer of hope for children struggling with mental health in the Western New York community. Zach’s story is a reminder to the UB community that no matter how insignificant someone may feel, there are always people who will feel the effects of their absence; way more people than they would think.

We encourage students to prioritize their mental health. You are never alone. If you are in crisis, please consider calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255 or UB Counseling Services, at 716-645-2720.

Julie Frey contributed to the reporting.

Email: natalie.doller@ubspectrum.com

Campus residents, students with underlying conditions eligible for COVID-19 booster shots UB is urging — but not requiring — all eligible students to get a third dose KYLE NGUYEN STAFF WRITER

Students who live on campus, have an underlying health condition, work in a high-risk setting or meet any other of the CDC’s expanded eligibility requirements can get a COVID-19 booster shot, the university announced Oct. 25.

Students must wait two months after having received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine or six months after having received their second dose of a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

New York State classifies dorms and university apartments as high-risk settings, but that definition excludes UB students living off campus. Students living in offcampus housing may still be eligible for a

booster based on other criteria.

UB is recommending — but not requiring — that all eligible students, faculty and staff who qualify receive a booster.

“We are pleased the CDC has expanded the eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots, and we strongly encourage all members of the UB community to get this additional dose as soon as they are eligible,” Michael Cain, the former vice president for health sciences and former dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine, said.

Booster shots are available at South Campus’ Harriman Hall, a state-operated vaccination site. While this location currently only offers the Pfizer booster, the CDC supports mixing and matching initial dosages with COVID-19 booster shots.

UB also offers flu shots at clinics located on the university’s North, South and Downtown campuses. Students can get their flu shot and COVID-19 booster shot on North Campus on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Talbert Hall.

Christopher Palmer / The Spectrum UB is encouraging on-campus students to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, at sites like South Campus’ Harriman Hall.

COVID-19 booster shots are also available in most pharmacies, according to Nancy Nielsen, senior associate dean for health policy at the Jacobs School of Medicine.

Students do not need to make an appointment to receive their shot. A government-issued ID and COVID-19 vaccination card must be presented to receive a booster shot.

University officials and health experts urge campus community members to follow the latest preventative measures and receive the booster shot.

“We’re getting into that stretch, where exams are coming up: midterms and then finals over the next sort of six and seven weeks or so,” Thomas Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the UB Department of Medicine, said. “If you get COVID-19, you’re fatigued, you’ve lost a sense of taste and smell, you’ve got a variety of other symptoms — it’s just better to feel great.”

UB has a 14-day rolling percent positive average of 0.65% for COVID-19 as of Nov. 1 and a 99% student vaccination rate on campus, but health experts reiterate that complete protection against COVID-19 is not guaranteed, with research showing signs of waning efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations over the course of several months.

Russo says that fully vaccinated individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are more vulnerable than other vaccine recipients.

“Not all of our vaccines were equally efficacious,” he said. “There’s a bigger gap in terms of the efficacy of J&J.” In December 2020, both Moderna and Pfizer recorded about 95% efficacy in initial Phase 3 clinical data. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was measured at 72%

overall efficacy, according to FDA data from February.

Students who originally received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would stand to gain the most from getting a booster jab of either of the two mRNA vaccines, Russo says. Antibody counts would increase 35- to 70-fold with Pfizer or Moderna booster shots, while the Johnson & Johnson booster would afford a four-fold increase in antibodies.

“If you got the J&J vaccine, your level of protection for asymptomatic mild disease and even landing in hospital is significantly less than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines,” Russo said. “And so though we’re not mandating them, I would strongly suggest that anyone that got the J&J vaccine should go ahead and consider getting a booster shot.”

The university says it will continue to work with SUNY, the CDC, local and state health departments and in-house health experts to determine if — or when — a mandate might become necessary.

But Russo says that fully vaccinated individuals would need to be just as vulnerable as the unvaccinated before a booster mandate would be considered.

Though he is a self-described “optimist” when it comes to the prospect of returning to normal, Russo says it remains as important as ever to adhere to university guidelines, such as proper mask use indoors and at outdoor gatherings, to keep COVID-19 cases low.

“I’m hoping that next semester is going to look a lot better,” Russo said. “But we’re just not quite through this and this is not the time to let your guard down. This is the time to persevere over the next few weeks.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

OPINION

ubspectrum.com

Wednesday, November 3 2021 | 3

Give us a break UB is the only four-year SUNY without a fall break

JULIE FREY ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

It is Week 10.

I only know that because I went through my calendar and counted it myself. Weeks have begun to blur together. Due dates have replaced the days of the week.

And I am nearing a complete burnout.

I chose UB for a multitude of reasons. I wanted to be near a big city, be surrounded by a diverse student body and challenge myself with more opportunities to grow.

I never expected to feel like UB would choose to steamroll over me and the rest

of its student body.

We have had only one day off — one day off — since classes began on Aug. 30.

It will be three more weeks until we get an extended weekend off for Thanksgiving.

By comparison, students at SUNY Binghamton will have had six days off by the time their Thanksgiving break rolls around.

Binghamton students have off for Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, a two-day fall break and Thanksgiving break.

That’s nine days over the course of the fall semester.

Binghamton’s consideration for Jewish students — giving off for the holiest days in Judaism — goes above and beyond what UB does. UB continues to hold classes during the Jewish holidays and requires its students to make alternative arrangements for their classes on these days. UB has also permanently closed the only kosher eatery on-campus, the New York Deli & Diner, and leaves students who keep kosher with limited grab-n-go options.

The University at Albany and Stony Brook University, SUNY’s other two uni-

versity centers, each have a two-day fall break and three days off before Thanksgiving break for Labor Day. Almost every other SUNY has at least two days off in October. Plattsburgh even has a two day break for Indigenous People’s Day. If every other major institution in the SUNY system can give its students a break, why can’t UB give its students a break too?

Mental health is as urgent and alarming a problem as any on campuses across the U.S. This problem continues to persist at UB. Last semester was brutal after UB chose to cancel spring break and declined to add any mental health days to supplement the additional stress it imposed on community members.That decision destroyed student and faculty morale and academic performance.

Despite students’ pleas to have a mental health day, the university never heeded our cries.

We are still in the midst of a pandemic which has raged on for 20 months. Even though campus has slowly — painfully slowly — come back to life, it isn’t quite what it used to be.

We’re not alone. None of us are.

On the importance of opening up about your personal struggles

SOPHIE MCNALLY STAFF WRITER

Five years ago, as I readied to go to school one morning, I had a major problem.

As I stared at my reflection in the mirror I couldn’t bear to see what was staring back at me.

A girl that was desperately trying, but ultimately failing, to be happy.

I was like a nervous kid who couldn’t meet the school principal’s gaze. Everything just felt off.

My experience with depression was really confusing.

But the awful mix of stigma and silence surrounding it made it significantly worse.

I couldn’t put my finger on what was ailing me, but I felt like my head was in a glass cylinder that kept fogging up.

“Pull yourself together. You’ll be fine,” I quickly said as I rushed out the door that day.

My Dad revved the car as I headed off to school. I spent the day doing the things I’d loved: laughing and socializing with friends, going outside and partaking in my classes.

And yet, there was something missing.

Something was… different.

I suppose I felt like I wasn’t really there.

I was lost in a cloud of emotions that I couldn’t quite understand, and everything I did felt disingenuous. All I could think was: What’s wrong with me?

The words played over and over in my head, but I couldn’t puzzle it out.

I was stuck and numb.

I didn’t get it, and no one around me seemed to be in the same boat (or at least I thought).

Seventeen-year-old me would have been so grateful to have anyone or anything to fully relate to. To have someone tell me, “I get where you’re coming from,” would have made a world of difference.

After countless doctors appointments with nurses who told me “you’re probably just hormonal,” and numerous late-night searches asking why I couldn’t cry, I finally got the help I didn’t fully know I needed in the form of therapy and antidepressants.

It was a huge step forward, but even though I was getting better, I still felt isolated from everyone and everything I knew.

Nobody I knew was like me.

I couldn’t help but think, They weren’t messed up, so why was I? The anti-depressants I was prescribed almost felt dirty, and I used to hide my face when my parents drove me to-andfrom therapy for fear that I’d see someone I knew.

Surely I was weak — No one else struggles like this with their emotions, Sophie.

You need to get a grip.

My friends and family couldn’t have

reacted any better, and their support was phenomenal. But they couldn’t quite relate to me or fully grasp where I was coming from.

They were normal, and I wasn’t.

My depression made me feel like I had an ‘OUTSIDER’ label tattooed all over my body.

What I wouldn’t have given to have heard someone casually talk about how their Fluoxetine was messing with their sleep cycle, or laugh about how their therapist mispronounced ‘catastrophizing’ for the third time in a row.

What I’m trying to say is: I needed to hear that I wasn’t alone.

We all need to hear that we aren’t alone.

Let’s normalize talking about whatever is on our minds.

As painfully cliché as it is, honest and open conversation about depression and mental health would have made a world of difference for my younger self — and would still have an outsized impact on me today.

It’s healthy to just put things out there, and to not have to worry about what anyone else thinks when you do it.

Your sincerity and transparency can change someone else’s feeling about themselves. Even if it’s just that today has been a bad day and you can’t put your finger on why.

Things can get really tough really quickly, so being able to hear someone tell it how it is is unbelievably refreshing.

I understand there is a dangerous culture of trivializing mental illness, and this column by no means aligns itself with that. With shows like Thirteen Reasons Why, and everyday flippant references like

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2021 VOLUME 70 NUMBER 9 CIRCULATION: 3,000

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The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Opinion section 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.

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Reilly Mullen

Students are forced to wait in impossibly long lines at the few dining centers that are even open due to staffing issues. Despite a 99% vaccination rate among students and a 90+% vaccination rate among faculty members, we still have to wear masks indoors while on campus. Students are still adjusting to in-person classes after spending a year and a half at Zoom University, and for some, it is their first time in Buffalo.

And despite tuition remaining steady, we don’t even know if Fall/Spring Fest will take place.

The UB administration can’t pretend students are okay when students have been conversing about their mental health and the need for breaks since last semester.

As a senior at UB, I find it abhorrent that the higher-ups have forgotten some of the most important conversations on campus last semester. Students deserve a break during the semester.

We can’t keep going on like this.

It’s enough already.

Email: julie.frey@ubspectrum.com

“Agh, that was so OCD of me,” massively adding to the problem and undercutting the everyday experiences that people with mental illness go through, mental illness can seem more like a fad than a legitimate problem.

This can be hugely harmful and invalidating to anyone suffering from poor mental health, which is why these open conversations are so important.

Seeing or hearing someone you can relate to is always a good thing, and we should all embrace having these honest conversations with ourselves and others, so we can seek the help we need and not feel self-conscious in doing so.

To anyone reading this who thinks they’re the odd one out for having poor mental health — I promise you, you’re not at all.

I really hope this column can show you that anyone can suffer from a mental illness, just like anyone can break their leg or catch a cold.

We need to start openly speaking about what we’re thinking and feeling, because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what goes on in your mind and you have no idea how helpful you could be both to yourself and those around you in just being honest.

No matter what, you aren’t alone in this.

Nobody is.

We encourage students to prioritize their mental health. You are never alone. If you are in crisis, please consider calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255 or UB Counseling Services, at 716-645-2720.

Email: opinion@ubspectrum.com

SPORTS EDITORS Anthony DeCicco, Sr. Hunter Skoczylas, Asst.

MANAGING EDITORS Justin Weiss Dan Eastman, Asst.

MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Sabrina Akter-Nabi, Sr. Sai Krishna Seethala, Sr.

NEWS EDITORS ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Grant Ashley, Sr. Jack Porcari, Sr. Natalie Doller, Asst.

Julie Frey, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS Alex Falter, Sr. Kara Anderson, Asst.

Jenna Quinn, Sr. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Paolo Blanchi, Sr. Jiayi Zhang, Asst.

4 | Wednesday, November 3 2021

FEATURES

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Neurodiverse students hope new grant expands to more majors National Science Foundation grant currently only extends to computer science department JULIE FREY ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

UB received a $293,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to build micro-training courses for computer science faculty last month. But while neurodiverse students in other majors say they support the initiative, some wish the program would extend to them as well. “[The micro-credentialing] is such an awesome program,” Ali LeCroy, a junior political science major who identifies as neurodivergent, said. “While I am glad it’s available to the [computer science] department, I find STEM departments tend to get more resources as a whole. I wish these things could be available to all professors and benefit all students.”

The NSF grant aims to support students studying computer science by teaching faculty in this field how to tailor their lessons toward neurodiverse students. But the twoyear grant is limited to computer science, which has raised questions about why students in other fields don’t have access to the same program. UB’s Office of Accessibility Resources does not keep track of how many neurodivergent students attend the university because it doesn’t “want to group them into a category they may feel uncomfortable identifying with,” Interim Director for Accessibility Resources Kristy Harte told The Spectrum in an email.

It’s also unclear how many neurodiverse students there are nationally.

Neurodiverse students include those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD and other behavioral and learning disabilities.

LeCroy and Neyda Colón-DiMaria, a fourth-year communications major, say they would both like to see this grant expanded to other majors and programs.

“Yes!” LeCroy emphatically said when asked if she supports expanding the program.

“I think all professors should have to go through this training — it could help make classrooms [more] inclusive,” Colón-DiMaria said.

Sam Abramovich, associate professor of learning and instruction and information science in the Graduate School of Education, is the NSF grant’s principal investigator. He says there are plans in place

to expand the neurodiversity training to the rest of the university.

“We view this grant as the first step in research and education design that can support neurodiverse students across the entire university. Some of the long-term goals are to create professional development for all UB faculty and then expand this to other faculty at two-year and four-year institutions. The current grant timeline is two years, and at the end, we hope to have a collection of resources and learning materials that will be open source and available to all for any purpose. We also expect to be applying for future grants to explain and scale this effort to include all types of neurodiversity, as well [as] place even more effort on issues of equity and justice (where the needs of neurodiverse people Reilly Mullen / The Spectrum UB’s Office of Accessibility Resources provides neurodiverse students, among others, with the resources they need to be are often ignored).” successful.

UB’s Office of Accesdividual basis,” Harte said. “Even students DiMaria said. “They gave me tips that may sibility Resources helps these students with their specific needs. with the same disability may not have the be good for a neurotypical student [but] it It provides neurodiverse students, among same accommodations. We take into ac- just made me feel dumb.”

LeCroy expressed similar frustrations others, with the resources they need to be count their doctor’s (and other professionals working with the student) reports but with being a neurodivergent student. She successful. The office also offers resources like extra time on tests, peer note-taking, we place much of our attention listening says she feels that her diagnosis can negasnow removal and facilitating housing for to the student’s past and present academic tively impact her performance in school experience and barriers that they identify. despite the university’s resources. physical handicaps.

“I use Accessibility Resources for my Harte says her office respects students’ By doing so we are responding to that particular student’s experiences and needs.”

ADHD,” LeCroy said. “I would say the identities, but that “neurodiverse” is a Colón-DiMaria says she was recently most difficult part about doing school “broad category.”

“Neurodivergent is a broad category diagnosed with ADHD and identifies as with ADHD for me would be the executhat represents multiple diagnoses,” Harte neurodivergent. She began using Acces- tive dysfunction. My inability to focus said in a statement to The Spectrum. “We sibility Resources to make appropriate does hinder my test-taking skills, so I rerespect the student identity of being neu- accommodations for herself at the begin- ceive extra time for that through [Accesrodivergent but for the purpose of accom- ning of the semester and has been happy sibility Resources], and I get to take my exam in their facility which helps a lot. I modations, we look at the exact diagnosis. with their help so far.

“The people were all very kind and makhave really appreciated getting to use that The diagnosis and the student experience with being neurodivergent in an academic ing the appointment was easy,” Colón- space. However, in terms of my executive setting is the foundation of how we ap- DiMaria said. “I had an hour-long Zoom dysfunction, which arguably causes more call with [the person] who leads the office. problems for me, I don’t really have a proach a student’s request.”

Harte also explained that two students She made it clear the office was there to way to work through that with the supseeking accommodations for the same di- help me succeed and that the resources I port of the school. I don’t know how to agnosis may end up needing different re- can access can change all depending on my express it without it just seeming like I’m needs. But that’s up to me. I just need to let lazy (which is SO not the case, I am an sources. aggressive try hard) but I find that having “All accommodations are done on an in- the office know what I need.

“I was, however, a bit unclear about the papers from Accessibility Resources how to send my profes- makes me feel like my professors will be sors the accommodation more inclined to be understanding of me. memo and did not realize I weirdly have a lot of guilt about using my I had to schedule exams resources, which is something I am workto take in Accessibility ing on. Even though I know that I need Resources until the day I them, I still feel guilty about it.” had an exam and walked Executive function is the ability to acinto the office. They were complish goal-oriented behaviors, accordvery kind and got my ing to a paper on the National Institute of stuff together quickly so Health’s website. Executive dysfunction I was still able to take the occurs when there is a lapse in those beexam.” haviors.

In order to graduate LeCroy has access to these resources, with a degree in commu- but she still wishes they could be as comnication, Colón-DiMaria prehensive as similar programs across must complete a com- campus. puter science course — “Something wild I found out about is either CSE 111 or CSE the resources given to some student-ath115. But she says she felt letes, particularly on our Division 1 teams,” that her computer sci- LeCroy said. “They receive a special coorence professor wasn’t dinator to help them with all their classes equipped for her learning and keep them on track. I think about how style. helpful that would’ve been to me, and the “I’m a communication fact that it is only for student-athletes is major and we had to take frustrating.” a computer science class; An individual familiar with UB Athletics I dropped it confirmed this information. The individwith plans for retaking ual cited Athletics’ academic performance it at community college specialists, whose sole job it is to make because despite reaching sure that athletes are budgeting their time out for help, the profes- well and completing their assignments. sors were not helpful and, honestly, cold,” Colón- Email: julie.frey@ubspectrum.com

Reilly Mullen / The Spectrum The $293,000 grant from the National Science Foundation is currently for computer science faculty only.

ubspectrum.com

ELECTION

Q&A with Mayor Byron Brown Brown seeks re-election as a write-in candidate Tuesday JACK PORCARI SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Byron Brown, the four-term incumbent mayor of Buffalo, is waging a write-in campaign to keep his job, after he was upset by India Walton in May’s Democratic primary.

Brown, 63, previously served as Chair of the New York Democratic Party and as a member of the New York State Senate.

In 2005, he became the first Black mayor in the history of the Queen City.

Brown spoke to The Spectrum over the phone last week to discuss the election and his experience interacting with UB administrators:

Q: What have your interactions been like with UB over the course of your tenure and what partnership has the city of Buffalo had with UB? A: I’ve had a lot of interaction with UB during my tenure as mayor. I’ve partnered with [the] college in a variety of different ways. We have partnered on the building of the third campus of the university in downtown Buffalo. The city has been supportive in a variety of different ways with permits, and other support that the city would give to development such as the medical school in downtown Buffalo.

This has been a great development and the city has been very supportive of the medical campus. The university has also been a very important piece of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. I attend a lot of events on the campus: basketball games, the annual State of the University address that the president does and today for example, I came to address the football team. So I’ve had a lot of interactions with the college over the years and with some of the professors.

Q: What is UB’s role in this city and what responsibility does UB have as community partners?

A: I think UB is an important academic center. It is important to educate the young people in the city, the region and beyond. I would certainly like to see more young people from Buffalo enrolled in the university. I would like to see more young people from Buffalo head to various professional schools in the university: the School of Management, the medical school, the dental school and the School of Law. I would like to see more African American students and other students of color in the professional schools of the university, including architecture — certainly something that I have pushed. I think the university is very important to the economy of Buffalo and Erie County and the university is an important institutional leader in the development of culture, the development of business in our community and also the development of jobs.

A: I think to a degree it is a fair assessment. This is a national spotlight race and I think folks who carry the banner of socialist or democratic socialists have attacked the Democrats, effective Democrats, people who have long been active in communities across the country, who have done good things in those communities and have unnecessarily attacked people that they should be supporting and working with. I think the extremes in this country are not good and that goes beyond parties. So I think the far left is not good for our country and I think the far right is not good for our country. The whole concept of socialism in my particular race, you have a person that has no relevant experience for this job that The Buffalo News in an editorial just this past weekend said is dangerously inexperienced. The Buffalo Criterion in an editorial this past weekend said that my opponent is the most unqualified person to ever seek high office in the City of Buffalo. It seems like socialists, democratic socialists, are not really concerned about qualifications or accomplishments, or track record, they are concerned about purity tests. And if you don’t call yourself a Democratic socialist, or a progressive, it doesn’t matter how progressive you’ve been, or how much you’ve accomplished, you are subject to attack by those who hold that philosophy.

Q: What is your message to younger voters, like UB students, who find that India Walton’s message of socialism resonates with them?

A: Well, I think they have to really very closely listen to what she’s saying, because she says a lot with authority that doesn’t really add up to much of anything. Then they need to look at the background and track record of candidates. Ms. Walton talks about her being a nurse, but when you look at media reports, it appears that every nursing job she’s had she’s either been terminated from or resigned from.

And there were questions about her performance in those jobs. She called herself a successful not-for-profit executive and the goal of the organization that she led was to build 40 affordable homes. During her whole time in that organization she did not build a single house. Two houses were built by Habitat for Humanity, which she is trying to take credit for, but she didn’t build them. That is not success. That’s actually a failure. So she has said what she wants to do for the rest of the city, what she did for the Fruit Belt, which was absolutely zero. So I think young people need a look at that. On the other hand, during my time as mayor, there’s been over $8 billion of development. Over 12,000 new jobs were created. Many of the new jobs that have been created during my work — we

have young people working in those jobs.

We focused on bringing new industries, expanding industries, training people, for the jobs of the future in this community quite successfully, and have managed the city through periods of crisis very successfully. I think young people who are concerned about their futures should be more attracted to my message of success, getting things done and creative ideas for the future that will create more employment opportunities, more home ownership opportunities for young people who are in college and about to graduate from college, and those who have recently graduated from college. The promise of a brighter future rests with my message and does not rest with Ms. Walton’s message.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the Democratic Party going forward?

A: It’s almost like this whole democratic socialist movement in the Democratic Party is almost like the Tea Party movement that happened several years ago in the Republican Party. The Tea Party took the Republican Party into far right extremes that were damaging for the party and didn’t help that party grow. And as a result, the Tea Party has pretty much all but died out. I think, the Democratic socialists you know, who have championed defunding [the] police and other bad ideas that don’t resonate with the mainstream in the party and in the country, will see themselves beginning to lose elections. I think at some point, some of that philosophy, if people want to be successful, if people want to bring real change to communities and to our nation, those bad ideas will dry up and go away.

Q: In addition to support from moderates and Democrats, you have also received financial and public support from Republicans and bigbusiness types — not typical of a left-leaning politician. What do you say to people who are concerned about that?

A: I don’t think people should be concerned about it at all. I have a 15 and a half year track record as mayor. Before that, I was a member of the New York State Senate and before that I was a member of the city council [Buffalo Common Council]. I think people know that I treat all members of the community with respect and dignity and am supportive of the active participation of all members of the community.

So I think business people in Buffalo and Erie County, developers in Buffalo and Erie County supporting my candidacy as people who have built things and created job opportunities that are fueling progress in our city and region, they should be able

Q: Is UB fulfilling its role as a community partner?

A: All entities have to constantly evaluate what they’re doing. So as mayor, I’m constantly evaluating my work and performance, constantly evaluating the delivery of services that the City of Buffalo offers, always trying to improve the quality of our delivery of services and the provision of city programs, and I think the university also needs to always look at continuous improvement and how it can get better. I think that’s important for every organization to look inwardly at how it can get better and do better for its constituencies.

Q: This race is being talked about across the U.S. as indicative of the current state of the Democratic Party. Would you say that’s a fair assessment? How do you feel about the increased attention?

Buffalo Tees / Wiki Commons Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is running for his fifth term on Tuesday.

Wednesday, November 3 2021 | 5

to have a say in the future of this community and what they think is best for the community. On the other hand, a lot of Ms. Walton’s support comes from people in New York City, people in other cities across the country, people who have a far left leaning philosophy, who know nothing about this community, nothing about what has been accomplished in this community and care more about ideology than they care about the growth and development of the City of Buffalo. So I would take my support from rank and file members of this community, from business people in this community and developers in this community, as opposed to the support that Ms. Walton is getting from many people that don’t live in Buffalo that don’t live in Western New York, that really don’t have any stake or concern about our community. I will also say that this is a general election, and people of all party backgrounds, who are registered voters, are eligible to participate in the election.

And it seems like people are saying in very large numbers that they prefer my candidacy to Ms. Walton’s candidacy. They think I’m better for the future of the city than Miss Walton and regardless of their party affiliation, whether they’re Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, independents or voters who are unaffiliated, they seem more attracted to my candidacy than they are to Miss Walton’s.

Q: Buffalo’s bronze-level Climate Smart Community designation will expire in 2024. How would a Brown administration ensure that this designation remains intact for future funding and development in combating climate change?

A: The Brown administration did the work and implemented the programs to get the bronze designation. We are not satisfied with staying at the bronze level so we don’t expect our designation to expire in 2024. We are working to have our designation increase, and that is what my administration is working toward right now.

A: For every student that is concerned about their future, in the City of Buffalo or their potential future in the county or region, I ask them for their support and vote in the Nov. 2 general election for mayor. This election is about the future of our community and it is a clear choice between proven success, experienced management and ideas for the future, versus someone who The Buffalo News has described as dangerously inexperienced with no relevant qualifications for this position, whose background narrative, in large part, is false.

Email: jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com

ELECTION

6 | Wednesday, November 3 2021 DONATIONS FROM PAGE 1

uted $2,275 through six donations. Former political science professor Stephen Halpern donated $500 and made a $1,600 non-monetary contribution. And Sam Magavern, an adjunct professor with the UB School of Law, gave $4,000 over the course of five donations.

Magavern declined to comment because of his position as a senior policy fellow with the Partnership for the Public Good, a Buffalo-based “community-based think tank.” Udin also declined to comment because of her position in a local non-profit.

Ablow and Halpern did not respond to requests for comment.

campaigns and PACs between 2006 and 2018. Another council member, Michael Cropp, has never donated to Brown but gave $7,750 to the 43x79 PAC, a Buffalobased pro-business group, between 2013 and 2018. 43x79 contributed $13,100 to Brown’s campaign this election cycle, making it his single biggest donor.

Nobody on the UB council donated to Walton’s campaign.

The Council’s office acknowledged a request for comment, but no members of the council immediately responded to that request.

“People know that I treat all members of the community with respect and dignity and am supportive of the active participa-

preciating the status quo. Or it might be [because] some of those folks are involved in the business community.”

UB administrators do not appear to have donated much this election cycle. Jean Wactawski-Wende, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions, contributed $250 to Democratic nominee Austin Tylec’s campaign for mayor of North Tonawanda. Rodney Grabowski, vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement, gave $500 to Erie County sheriff candidate Karen Healy-Case.

Healy-Case dropped out of the race and endorsed Democratic nominee Kimberly Beaty, even though she earned the Conservative Party nomination, according to

ubspectrum.com race on Dec. 13, 2020, Walton raised $922,684.38. Brown raised $1,677,198.67 during the same period.

“It’s unusual around here, given that we haven’t really seen a super serious challenge for mayor in 16 years,” Neiheisel said.

In accordance with SUNY policy, the university did not support any candidate for any local or state race, DellaContrada said.

But that doesn’t mean that the outcome of the mayoral election won’t affect UB “in some small measure,” Neiheisel said.

“There’s probably things I can’t even predict how it might [be] changed [by the race],” he said. “That’s my inclination, but in terms of the specifics of how it matters, I’m going to come up short.”

Either way, the university is prepared to work with the next mayor.

“Regardless of the outcome of the election, the university will continue working with the City of Buffalo and its leadership on issues of mutual importance to the wellbeing of the city, the region and the university,” DellaContrada said. “Building and maintaining a collaborative relationship with the City of Buffalo has been a priority for UB since its founding 175 years ago.”

Jack Porcari contributed to the reporting.

Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com

Kelsey Rupe / The Spectrum Buffalo residents encourage people to vote on Election Day.

UB employees are allowed to contribute to political movements but “cannot use state resources and time for partisan political purposes,” UB spokesperson John DellaContrada said in an email.

The Spectrum couldn’t identify any instances where a UB faculty member donated to Brown’s campaign.

“I don’t know why and how people at UB are donating,” Brown said in an interview with The Spectrum last week. “I have been a professor, as well. I’m teaching students [at Buffalo State College], mostly at the master’s level, in state budgeting, political science and public policy. And I am a professor of practice, meaning that I have a theoretical background, but I also have a practical background in actually working in these arenas …So why professors would not be drawn to somebody of that background and would be drawn to somebody with no theoretical background in governing and governance and [who] has no relevant experience in government is somewhat curious.”

But members of the UB Council — who are appointed by the governor and act as “the primary oversight and advisory body to the University at Buffalo and its president and senior officers,” according to its website — did donate to Brown’s campaign.

Jeremy Jacobs, president of global hospitality company Delaware North, owner of the Boston Bruins and the Council’s chairman, donated $5,000 to Brown’s campaign shortly before Primary Day. Jacobs has been contributing to Brown’s campaigns since at least 2006 and gave $1,000 in 2017.

Jacobs’ son, Jeremy Jacobs, Jr., also gave $5,000 to Brown’s campaign this year.

Jonathan Dandes, corporate vice president at Rich Products Corp. and a UB Council member, gave Brown’s campaign $4,950 over the course of seven donations this year. Dandes also contributed $1,500 in 2020.

UB Council members Scott Friedman, René Jones and Christopher Koch have all donated thousands of dollars to Brown’s previous campaigns but did not contribute this election cycle. Koch, the CEO of New Era Cap Company, gave $1,000 to Brown under the address of his company’s flagship store in Buffalo. Koch has used that address to give $62,600 to various

tion of all members of the community,” Brown said. “Businesspeople in Buffalo and Erie County, developers in Buffalo and Erie County are supporting my candidacy as people who have built things and created job opportunities that are fueling progress in our city and region. They should be able to have a say in the future of this community.”

Jacob Neiheisel, a professor of political science, says he doesn’t know for sure why individual faculty and council members donated to one candidate over another, but his “gut reaction” tells him that the sharp contrast in the groups’ donation patterns follows national trends.

“It’s not a secret in surveys of faculty nationwide that they tend to be more liberal than the population at large,” Neiheisel said. “That does not terribly surprise me that they would donate to the more expressly liberal candidate in the race. ...Council [members] are responsible for the strategic direction of the university, in large part, and so I tend to think of them as wanting the status quo — or at least ap-

WBFO. The Spectrum could not identify any UB administrators who donated to either Brown or Walton’s campaigns.

“Under SUNY policy, the decision to donate to a political candidate is a personal one for all UB employees, including the president and provost,” DellaContrada said. “It would not be appropriate for officers of the university to discuss publicly their personal reasons for choosing to support candidates or not.”

While he says it could be attributed to “any number of things,” Neiheisel suspects “fear of reprisal” may be preventing administrators from weighing in financially.

“Either way, there’s some risk involved,” Neiheisel said. “If you need the goodwill of the city, you need good working relationships with people in the [mayoral] administration. That could become difficult if you’re on the losing side [of the race].”

But despite administrators not contributing financially, the race has still drawn in millions of dollars. Since entering the

Kelsey Rupe / The Spectrum India Walton and Byron Brown were the two major candidates in Tuesday’s Buffalo mayoral election.

ubspectrum.com

ELECTION

Wednesday, November 3 2021 | 7

UB alum shares a new vision for City Hall Ben Carlisle wages a write-in campaign for mayor of Buffalo JACK PORCARI SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

When Ben Carlisle came to the Queen City in 2003, he didn’t plan on staying very long.

In fact, the then 22-year-old undergrad relocated solely to finish his bachelors degree and attend the UB School of Law. Nineteen years later, Carlisle was a writein candidate in the most competitive mayoral election the city had seen in nearly two decades.

“I made that decision [to consider running for mayor] right after the June primary and within a month I decided to run,” Carlisle said in an interview with The Spectrum. “I’ve never done anything like this in my life — it was very much a spur-of-themoment decision.”

Although he always thought about running for political office, Carlisle says he never envisioned himself running for mayor of Buffalo. For him, the decision was an unlikely plan brought about by a desire to give Buffalonians “more than two options.”

“I am running for mayor of Buffalo because I firmly believe voters should not have to choose between socialism and the status quo,” Carlisle wrote in a campaign flyer. “Buffalo desperately needs a change in leadership. And only Byron Brown could make socialism seem like a rational alternative to years of corruption and incompetence. I refuse to accept the false choice of four more years of Byron Brown or a four year experiment of socialism and defunding the police.”

Carlisle says he saw Walton’s upset defeat of Brown in the Democratic primary as an “excellent opportunity” to enter the race. He resigned his job as a lawyer on October 1 to fully focus on his campaign.

Carlisle’s purpose for entering the race echoed that of fellow write-in candidate Jaz Miles, a former Assembly candidate.

“To restore the republic, we are getting so far away from what our country is meant to be and is really destroying our individuality and taking away our rights,” Miles told The Spectrum. “So when the race happened earlier this year and India Walton was able to defeat Byron Brown in

the primary, I thought it’d be an excellent opportunity for an everyday person, someone of we the people, to get involved in politics, which is the way it’s supposed to be to begin with.”

Carlisle calls party politics “rigid” and says they often compromise the interests of the people. Well before launching his mayoral bid, Carlisle began paving his own way and in the process, learned the importance of hard work.

“We didn’t have a ton of money as a kid, we moved around a bunch,” Carlisle said. “My parents were in the ministry and my dad was always a principal at small little Christian schools all over the country. My mom was always a teacher in those schools.”

As a nine-year-old, Carlisle delivered newspapers at 5:30 a.m. every morning. As a 14-year-old, he picked watermelons and cantaloupes for less than $5/hour in the blistering summer heat.

“I was never shy to just go out there and find a new solution and work hard in order to better my situation,” Carlisle said.

Soon, these new solutions translated into a full-fledged campaign. But Carlisle says he will never forget why his pin Courtesy of Ben Carlisle eventually landed on Buffalo.

Ben Carlisle resigned from his job as a lawyer to fully focus on his campaign.

“I think being a UB grad is were unable to participate in the mayoral should be forced to take an experimenwhen I first fell in love with Buffalo,” he said. “As my attachment to election because they weren’t registered to tal vaccine as a condition of obtaining an Buffalo grew stronger and stronger, it was vote in the City of Buffalo, Carlisle says education,” he said. Roughly 99% of stualways initially through my connection to the race will undoubtedly impact campus dents are currently fully vaccinated.

Students will also be impacted by where UB which is what brought me here, so it life.

“They [students] have to know that it af- the next Bills stadium will be built. After has a very fond place in my heart.” fects them,” he said. witnessing the success of UB’s football Carlisle describes his time at UB as a Vaccine and mask mandates is one area and basketball teams in recent years, Car“typical” college experience characterized by city commutes and juggling what little that may change under a new adminis- lisle believes a downtown stadium would time he had to attend class, do homework tration. Incumbent Mayor Byron Brown attract more students and give a vibrant and participate in Mock Trial, when he had has not implemented a vaccine passport experience in the city. The Bills’ lease on a free moment. Carlisle says his instruc- system, while Democratic nominee India Highmark Stadium is set to expire in July tors, like Judge Thomas Franczyk, showed Walton has embraced the idea. Carlisle re- 2023.

“The better Buffalo does, I think, the him the connection between the class- cently stood in solidarity with Moog workers as they walked out in protest of CObetter UB does,” Carlisle said. room and the city, which became a staple VID-19 mandates. of his education.

“I don’t think y’all as students at UB Email: jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com Although the majority of UB students

Courtesy of Ben Carlisle Although he always thought about running for political office, Ben Carlisle says he never envisioned himself running for the mayor of Buffalo.

8 | Wednesday, November 3 2021

SPORTS

ubspectrum.com

‘Compete for one another’: Swimming and diving looks to capture second consecutive MAC title Head coach Andy Bashor emphasizes focusing on the fundamentals HUNTER SKOCZYLAS SPORTS EDITOR

After capturing its first-ever Mid-American Conference Championship and dethroning seven-time champion Akron last season, UB swimming and diving (1-0, 1-0 MAC) is hungry to win its second consecutive title in 2021-22.

The Bulls began the 2021-22 season with a comfortable win over Toledo (0-2, 0-1 MAC) Saturday, as they extended their winning streak to 10. The team picked up right where it left off last season, but it’s going to take internal motivation to sustain success throughout the season, head coach Andy Bashor told The Spectrum in an interview.

“You know, that’s gotta be on them,” Bashor said. “I can be the greatest motivator but if I have to motivate them each and every day, we’re in trouble. My job is to support them and give the best training environment as possible but they’ve got to come ready to go. They do that and they love being around each other as a team and competing for one another.”

The team welcomed eight freshmen but lost six veterans — Brittney Beetcher, Isobel Holcomb, Jenna Krull, Journi Northrop, Nicole Roitenberg and Olivia Sapio — to graduation. Bashor says recruiting was a challenge because of the strict COVID-19 protocols — but he emphasized the importance of replacing the large graduated class.

“The recruitment process was really different because out of eight girls, we were only able to meet one of them in person because she came on a recruiting trip before the virus hit,” Bashor said. “We tried our best to give the best picture of UB possible but it was through Zoom, so you’re limited. But, like any year, freshmen are important and with graduating a large class last season, it’s important we recruited the amount we did to fill those empty

Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum Head coach Andy Bashor talks to members of the swimming and diving team during a recent meet against Cornell.

roles and they really are making an immediate impact in practices.”

The virus not only affected the recruitment process but also the season schedule.

There were two cancellations last season, leaving the team and coaching staff unsure of what to expect on a weekly basis. This season, Bashor imagines a little more stability.

“The biggest difference this year is that we can actually plan things out,” Bashor said. “Last year, we never knew what to expect. You just never knew if someone was going to be positive after each test and we’d have to shut down for two weeks. We had our first scrimmage Saturday [Oct. 23] and we didn’t have our first one till December last season, so it’s a step in the right direction and we can go in with that confidence this year.”

Last year’s championship win was much

Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum Members of the swimming and diving team pose for a photo during a recent meet against Cornell.

like David meeting Goliath. Akron had won the MAC Championship seven years in a row and was poised to capture it for an eighth consecutive season.

But the Bulls had other plans.

During the final day of competition last April, the Bulls found themselves up by just three points heading into the final event, the 400-meter freestyle relay. With all eyes on them, Jillian Lawton, Elinor Duley, Jenna Krull and Toni Naccarella brought home the gold and the first conference championship in program history.

Bashor said the obvious feeling was excitement but words couldn’t replace the emotions his team evoked.

“Gratefulness and excitement were flowing through the team but I remember the last day during warmups, just prepping the girls,” Bashor said. “I was checking in with everybody and making sure we’re all

in the right mindset to get up and race like I know they could and then to see them celebrating, crying, and smiling was just one of those moments as a coach. We talked about creating memories and they created a memory that they’re never going to forget.”

The Bulls will head to Athens, OH to face the Ohio Bobcats (1-1, 1-0 MAC) Saturday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. in hopes of increasing their regular season win streak.

Followed by nearly a month-long break, the Bulls will then travel to Akron, OH for the annual Zippy Invite from Dec. 3 to Dec. 5 where they will meet the same team they dethroned just one season ago to take home the championship.

Email: hunter.skoczylas@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @HunterSkoczylas

FEATURES

ubspectrum.com

Wednesday, November 3 2021 | 9

Classes

Classes to consider ahead of Spring 2022 course registration SPECTRUM STAFF

The semester is almost over, which means spring enrollment is underway.

Luckily, the staff of The Spectrum has compiled a list of some of the best classes at UB:

ENG 398

Ethics in Journalism

Bruce Andriatch isn’t your typical lecturer; he’s a seasoned journalist and the assistant managing editor of The Buffalo News. For the past 35 years, Andriatch has enjoyed a front-row seat to some of the biggest issues facing our region. Never one to shy away from a tough ethical decision, Andriatch teaches his students how to think like a reporter. His lessons are more than just theoretical; they are guided by decades of experience. Andriatch challenges his students to debate real-world problems and view everything through the lens of an ethicist. He’s beloved for his soothing personality and unparalleled care for all those who step foot in his classroom.

those who have lost interest in in-person learning. I could barely edit photos before taking the class, but now I’m confident in my ability to create presentable advertisements or marketing designs as I hunt for a job.

HUNTER SKOCZYLAS

PSC 347

Logic of Political Violence

Maybe this is just the nerdy political science major in me speaking, but this class was my favorite because it attempted to explain one of the least rational aspects of the human experience — violence. Given the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Syria’s use of chemical weapons on citizens and countless genocides spanning the globe, the answer to the riddle of violence seems unsolvable. But if you want a better understanding of why defective militaries, terrorist groups and even governments inflict violence upon fellow human beings,

JUSTIN WEISS

ENG 387 (GGS 335/AMS 335) Women Writers

Women Writers is one of those classes that sticks with you long after the semester has ended. Taking students through various authors, from Virginia Woolf to Zora Neale Hurston to Audre Lorde, the class offers tremendous insight into the writings of women from different cultures, races, classes, sexualities and time periods. What the course does best, though, is create an environment for rich, emotional discussion. With themes ranging from motherhood to the importance of the kitchen in creating communities, the texts encourage students to evaluate their own experiences against what they have read. It’s a class that promotes literature as a way to connect to oneself and as a way to connect readings in the contemporary world. If nothing else, the course creates a desire for the same introspection and community that the authors either write about or desire.

KARA ANDERSON

Christopher Palmer / The Spectrum

NATALIE DOLLER

EVS 310

Ecological Methods

A class where you catch butterflies, take beautiful photos of the fall foliage and go kayaking on Lake LaSalle may seem like a far-fetched fantasy, but it’s reality in EVS 310: Ecological Methods. Ecological

methods is a lab course meant to be taken concurrently or after EVS 309: Ecology.

Nick Henshue, who is known for his sarcastic personality and his infectious love of outdoor education, teaches this course, which covers all the ecological methods.

Catching butterflies teaches you how to identify milkweed, a plant where monarchs lay their eggs, and the importance of citizen science. Taking pictures of tree canopies is a catalyst for learning how to use different programs, including a statistical programming language, to calculate the canopy’s coverage percentage and understand tree density in a given area. Professor Henshue’s course seamlessly combines hands-on experiences with classroom learning and will make your semester the most fun and informative one yet.

JULIE FREY

HIS 370

Modern Korean History

If you have even the vaguest interest in history, you should definitely give Mark Nathan’s course a try. HIS 370 explores a history that’s massively overlooked and topics that ushered in the current world order of polarization and duality of state that define the Korean Peninsula today.

Nathan is a fantastic teacher who really cares about what you have to say, and is genuinely interested in your progress both inside and outside of the classroom. The content tackled in this class is really eyeopening and provides a rare glimpse into the different culture, society and way of life found in the Korean nation from the end of the Chosŏn dynasty (in 1910) to modern day North and South Korea. I think everyone should take the time to learn about Japan’s colonial rule in Korea, and the ethical problems that stemmed from this, which are still pertinent in political and social discourses today. Anyone looking to learn about a new part of the world or engage with a different culture and history outside of the Western framework we know so well would be well-suited to take this course.

SOPHIE MCNALLY

ENG 350 SEM

PSC 334

Introduction to Writing Poetry and Fiction

Model European Union

Model European Union isn’t only one of the nerdiest classes in the course catalog; it’s also one of the most enjoyable.

Students select an EU member nation to represent and then work together (and against each other) to develop a solution to a real-world problem facing the EU. The one-credit course only meets once a week, so it shouldn’t add much to your workload — the hardest thing you’ll do is write a short policy proposal. While the seminar is offered in the fall, students who have taken the class will have the opportunity to partake in an EU simulation in either Belgium or New York City with students from other universities over winter break. If you like throwing shade at your classmates while outlining a defense policy, you’ll love Model EU.

If you have a passion for creative writing and want to pursue it as a career, then this class is the perfect place to start. This introductory course will not only help beginning writers explore the craft of fiction and poetry, but it will also introduce them to various fundamental techniques, vocabulary and diverse readings. Stephen McCaffery, a Canadian Poet born in Sheffield, England, goes the extra mile for his students. Professor Mccaffery explains all the different techniques and makes writing papers a clear and enjoyable experience. If you ever find yourself craving a creative writing course, this is the class to start in!

CHRISTOPHER NG

GEO 481

GRANT ASHLEY

COM447

then PSC 347 is where you’ll find it. As the name suggests, the topics are heavy, so be prepared to have conversations about genocide and amputations on a random Tuesday afternoon. Despite the somber content, the class offers an important window into the harsh and violent realities we are often isolated from in the U.S. There is a lesson for everyone, from the zealous political science student to the biology major just trying to fulfil a pathway. And if you have the pleasure of taking this course with Dr. Kathman, you can enjoy the visual aids he carefully crafts in MS Paint.

Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum

Communication Graphics

If you’re a communication major and want to take a class that will truly help you in the real world after graduation, Communication Graphics, or COM447, is the course for you. The class is exactly what it sounds like — a tutorial on graphic communication and different graphic design skills. The workload isn’t bad and is easy to plan around because the syllabus is mapped out perfectly, leaving you comfortable every step of the way. The assignments are interesting and teach you various methods of graphic design, from advertisements to motion graphics to Photoshop. The course is offered in the fall and spring semesters and currently meets remotely, for

Geographic Information Systems

GEO 481 provides a basic introduction to Geographic Information Systems, its applications and its uses. This course is designed for students who are interested in spatial analysis and mapping various data. Although the class mostly features geography majors, the lack of prerequisites makes it an enticing option for all students, regardless of major. The fourcredit course includes a lab that is taught once a week, in Ellicott’s Wilkeson Quad.

Students will learn multiple topics, from the basics of GIS to data analysis to GIS applications that are used in the private sector. It’s a great introduction for any interested student.

DAN EASTMAN

Wayne Penales / The Spectrum

10 | Wednesday, November 3 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ubspectrum.com

Open studios, open minds CFA opens all doors for the return of Art in the Open

rom the basement to the ceiling, the CFA teems with art.

Bustling visitors are greeted by a wonderland of uninhibited creativity — from live jazz music to macabre ghost photography to student-produced films on weathermen.

Projects are in development, dances are being rehearsed — it’s a decidedly unfinished view of art in progress.

This look into UB’s own evolving world of craftsmanship is the result of Art in the Open, a free event which took place on Oct. 28 that opens studios, classrooms and stages to the public. The event, which was held for the first time in 2019, aims to showcase the current — and often incomplete — work of artists in mediums ranging from chainmail sculpture to choir singing.

In visiting a space that blurs the lines between polished exhibits and the authentic art-making process, visitors and artists alike found Art in the Open promoted a more personal engagement with art than typically allowed in formal settings, like museums.

Jonathan Golove, director of Open!

Strings Ensemble and the Music Department chair, says that performing amid a crowd, without the usual stage, helped foster an environment most suitable to enjoying music.

“It brings it back to what for many of us is the ideal condition of playing music, which is in your living room with a few people listening,” Golove told The Spectrum. “It has that again, instead of the formality of a concert hall. It has that intimate, among friends quality and that’s a kind of ideal for music.”

Golove is not alone in his feeling that Art in the Open creates an optimal space for engaging with art.

Nicole Chochrek, a graduate fine arts

KARA ANDERSON ASST. ARTS EDITOR PAOLO BLANCHI CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Paolo Blanchi / The Spectrum (above) Nicole Chochrek and some of her work created with microplastics in her studio. (right) Tayron Lopez in his studio, where his stream of consciousness lives as doodles.

student, says the event provided an opportunity to present her studio and creative process, something that is typically more private, to the public.

“It’s always really wonderful to be able to share and get feedback,” Chochrek said.

“Just to see how people connect with the work [was really cool] because a lot of the time we make it in closed doors.”

The artists may have benefited from the open dialogue, but visitors also found that the ability to step into an artist’s workspace augmented their experience with the work at hand.

“It’s really cool because you’re not only seeing the work displayed on the walls, as it should be, but you’re seeing it within its field of creation, which is really interesting,” Cassandra Cristimilios, a junior studio art major, said. “And that’s something that’s super unlike any other experience.”

As visitors engaged with art in its place of creation, some artists felt that the informality and intimacy of the experience made their work more accessible to the general public.

“It demystifies what art is,” Joan Nobile, a media study adjunct instructor and MFA candidate, said. “I think that helps people go, ‘You know, art is a sort of mysterious thing, but I can’t understand it,’ to, ‘Oh, this is actually pretty cool.’”

In deconstructing the mystery behind art, Art in the Open also gave visitors and artists a chance to experience the behindthe-scenes technological work that goes into the performing arts.

“Usually I’m just onstage and I’m dancing and focused on that,” Kelsey Wegman, the student assistant to Emerging

Paolo Blanchi / The Spectrum Robert George experimenting with spirit photography in his studio.

Choreographers Showcase’s director and a senior dance major, said. “I don’t get to really watch how it all builds, so I think it’s cool that outsiders can also do the same thing and see like, ‘Oh wow, that’s how the lighting kind of gets up!’”

As the barriers between audience and performance dissolved, artists also expressed that Art in the Open helped bring together the various disciplines found in the CFA. Although unable to explore the event beyond the Mainstage Theatre, where ECS held their dance rehearsal, Wegman still felt the presence of the arts coming together as music from the atrium trickled into the auditorium.

“We’d hear clapping and we’d make jokes, hearing different things going on,” Wegman said. “Like, if it was a serious part of the dance and all of a sudden there’s this loud singing in the background.”

In bringing together all types of artists, some participants felt that Art in the Open was the ideal art exhibit. “[Art in the Open] is kind of the maximum point of that where there’s something really going on everywhere,” Golove said. “It is chock full of that. It wouldn’t be like that everyday, but that’s the kind of model.”

For many people, Art in the Open represented the first opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes peek into the art world in person since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In hosting such a large-scale and public event, some expressed feelings of anxiety.

“It’s been tough not just for me, but for everybody,” Nobile said. “You’re going from this very scary feeling of, ‘I don’t want to be near people,’ to all of a sudden opening up the entire atrium to not just everyone here, but the public as well.”

Despite this trepidation in returning to

normalcy, many of the event’s participants expressed a prevailing sense of appreciation for experiencing art in person again.

For some artists who opened their studios to the public, this return to an in-person event gave them the opportunity to rethink their perception of their own art based on feedback and commentary from visitors.

“Being able to have conversations like this places a kind of normalcy,” Tayron Lopez, a graduate fine arts student, said.

“It allows me to get away from myself. It brings fulfillment and affirmation to [my art].”

For others, the mere premise of having in-person visitors again encouraged them to see their studio less as a place of work and more as a place of creation.

“It’s weird, in order to make [my studio] feel like a home that’s worth presenting, it becomes something that I actually want to spend time in,” Robert George, a graduate fine arts student, said regarding the setup of his studio.

As artists navigated the return to public events, some said that Art in the Open served as a reminder that art is still best experienced in person.

“You can see the passion and the hard work or when somebody is dancing, you see their entire body and this fluid, wonderful movement,” Nobile said. “Or when you look at a painting and you can pay attention to the textures and the strokes used and the emotion felt in the painting.

You get all of this wonderful plethora of expression and creativity and emotion and thought and it’s just so fantastic to see. I think Art in the Open is a wonderful venue for that and it’s as good for the public as it is for the artists themselves.”

Email: kara.anderson@ubspectrum.com Email: paul.blanchi@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @paulblanchi21

ubspectrum.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, November 3 2021 | 11

‘LIVE.LOVE.A$AP’ is the same creative masterpiece it was a decade ago Now made much more accessible, the album celebrated its anniversary on Sunday ALEX FALTER SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

“God damn, how real is this?”

These are the first words on the debut mixtape of Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky, who was clearly excited about his entrance into the rap industry.

That was 10 years ago, on October 31, 2011. A decade later, “LIVE.LOVE. A$AP.,” is still one of the most innovative rap projects of all time, both sonically and lyrically.

Released at a time when rap was beginning to stretch outside the box, Rocky pulled influences from all around the genre, including former friend-turned-enemy SpaceGhostPurrp, late mentor A$AP Yams and Houston pioneers UGK. The opening track “Palace” instantly establishes the style that made Rocky the icon he is today. The track is complete with confidence-boosting production from Clams Casino as Rocky delivers the devil-may-care attitude that lets him float effortlessly across any beat.

This is far from Casino’s only contribution on the album, as he also produced calm-yet-cunning anthems like “Bass” and “Wassup.” Casino’s (and arguably Rocky’s) peak moment comes in the form of “Demons,” an emotionally honest look into the mind of one of hip-hop’s most creative people: “Demons posted all around me, I can’t beat ‘em all alone / Thinking ‘bout you, thinking ‘bout you, add it to your thoughts

/ These evil thoughts, they starting to drown me / Lord, don’t leave me all alone.”

This rare glimpse into Rocky’s mind acts as the ultimate example of the project’s versatility. While pouring his heart out on “Demons,” Rocky acts as a “pretty mothaf---ka” on “Peso” and a fashionista on “Trilla,” which is assisted by fellow A$AP Mob members A$AP NAST, A$AP Illz and A$AP Twelvyy.

Among the endless variety scattered through the tape, Rocky shines on an early collaboration with longtime friend ScHoolboy Q, where the two rap some of their best verses before trading bars in the third verse: [A$AP Rocky] “I ain’t set tripping, I just happen / To know who click-clacking, you mismatching / F--k swagging, you been jacking / F--k fly, I am fashion / Tryna cop that Benz wagon, my b---h drive it, my friends crash it / N---as threat with the chit-chatting / See a n---a don’t s--t happen / I’m finna blow on that Bin Laden / So talk money, pig latin.”

Even Rocky’s more romantic side gets a chance to evoke itself, as he raps a sultry ballad with A$AP Ferg on “Kissin’ Pink,” where a dream-inducing beat from Beautiful Lou transcends listeners into a deep state of relaxation: “Wait a minute, cause ain’t s--t changed, just a different day / This the kind pain I just couldn’t take away / Something like Wayne cause you couldn’t feel your face / Is you in it for the feeling or the taste?”

One of the album’s most prolific guest appearances is easily A$AP Ty Beats, who produces “Peso” and “Purple Swag: Chapter 2.”

“Peso” stands out as the tape’s proverbial cream of the crop. Originally leaked on-

line and subsequently making its way onto the radio, “Peso” is one of Rocky’s defining tracks, where he presents his swagger in all its glory. Complete with one of Ty Beats’ most trippily produced sounds, Rocky calmly creates a casual song — one sure to get stuck in a listener’s head.

Rocky finds himself at his phonkiest when rapping alongside SpaceGhostPurrp and Chace Infinite on “Keep It G.” Produced by SGP himself, the blues and bass heavy beat evokes the feeling of anime “Cowboy Bebop,” painting the portrait of a man who prefers to let his world morph him into something different: [SpaceghostPurrp] “Stay true to the game / F--k them lames / Keep it mother---in’ G / Like a mothaf---in’ G told me / Stay true to yourself / Everyday, lowmotherf---in’-key / Cause at the end of the day / F--k what you say, n---a I’ma G.” With the tape released on major streaming services for the first time last Friday,

Rocky now has his original sound accessible for a whole new generation. While “Kissin Pink” and “Demons” are disappointingly not included and “Purple Swag: Chapter 2” was swapped for the original “Purple Swag,” Rocky’s “LIVE.LOVE. A$AP” is just as good as it was a decade ago, making it a must-listen for all of fans of hip-hop, regardless of their familiarity with Rocky.

Best of all, Rocky provides fans with a bonus track at the end titled “Sandman.”

Produced by Casino, this track acts as one of the rapper’s best in years, providing a savory bar that brings his entire career full circle while also paving the way for an exciting future project: “Girl, I’m not supposed to be here, still / Rap careers last three years still / I’m a G here, that’s OG times three / Triple OG, still just shows I’ma be here still.”

Email: alex.falter@ubspectrum.com

Chad Cooper / Wiki Commons New York rapper A$AP Rocky performs onstage in 2013.

‘Blue Bannisters’ fails to deliver a cohesive and fresh narrative of Americana Lana Del Rey stumbles in tackling modern culture in her eighth studio album KARA ANDERSON ASST. ARTS EDITOR

Album: Blue Bannisters Artist: Lana Del Rey Label: Interscope Records & Polydor Re-

cords

Release Date: Oct. 22 Rating: 6.8/10

Lana Del Rey, an icon of Americana and melancholy, is known for her successful fusion of genres, themes and motifs in dreamy and dreary deliveries.

But the New York artist’s eighth studio album, “Blue Bannisters,” veers from the singer’s typical songwriting and aesthetic producing acumen into a confused and varied conglomeration of old and new styles.

The highlight of “Blue Bannisters” is without a doubt Del Rey’s ninth track, “Dealer,” featuring Miles Kane.

With a mellow and inviting beat laid against Kane’s satisfyingly drawn out and weary voice, “Dealer” creates an intensely intimate and bluesy 4 ½ minutes, evocative of a smoke-filled jazz lounge.

Most striking, however, is Del Rey’s bursting and strangled cry when she vocalizes the lyric, “I don’t wanna live,” with a heart-wrenching gasp.

Del Rey powerfully expresses the crushing sentiment, which stands in aching contrast to her typical passive and mumbled delivery.

Her desire not to live feels old and stifled, a trapped feral creature finally clawing its way back into material existence in a mere four words.

Other high points of the album include the fourth track, “Interlude - The Trio,” and the sixth track, “If You Lie Down With Me.” “Interlude - The Trio,” a one-minute instrumentalist piece, burrows energy into the listener’s bones with its blend of trap beats and “The Trio” score from the spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

Lana Del Rey / Wiki Commons Lana Del Rey performs during her show at Super Bock Super Rock Festival 2019 in Meco, Sesimbra (Portugal).

It’s hip-hop at high noon, and the duel is between Del Rey’s earlier rap influences and her more focused devotion to the western U.S. Furthering this call back to previous eras, Del Rey includes “If You Lie Down with Me,” a song written back in 2013.

The song brings the perfect dose of nostalgia to the album, in its elegantly crafted imagery and sultry, sullen lull, particularly in its chorus: “Dance me all around the room / Spin me like a ballerina, super high / Dance me all around the moon / Light me up like the Fourth of July.”

“If You Lie Down with Me” is hurtfully delicate and necessarily wistful.

Where “Blue Bannisters” suffers is in its overall repetitiveness, use of awkward and superficial lyrics and sometimes trite delivery of Americana.

In multiple tracks, Del Rey attempts to comment on contemporary issues, including COVID-19 and the infiltration of technology in everyday life.

Rather than handle these topics with finesse, Del Rey’s lyricism appears clunky, overstated and even comical.

In “Sweet Carolina,” the 15th and final track of the album, it’s hard to suppress a giggle as Del Rey sings, “You name your babe Lilac Heaven / After your iPhone 11 / ‘Crypto forever,’ screams your stupid boyfriend / F--k you, Kevin.”

The tone is not only startlingly juxtaposed against the soft trilling notes of the song, but of the entire album.

It’s difficult to remain in the ethos that “Blue Bannisters” has built thus far, which speaks of suicidal sentiments and the pitfalls of love, when confronted with rather elementary takes on the internet and online culture.

That’s not to mention the shoehorned and slightly jarring insertion of COVID-19 references throughout the album.

In the eighth track, “Violets for Ros-

es,” Del Rey sings, “The girls are runnin’ ‘round in summer dresses / With their masks off and it makes me so happy.” In the fifth song, “Black Bathing Suit,” she croons, “Grenadine quarantine, I like you a lot” / It’s LA, ‘Hey’ on Zoom, Target parking lot.”

Instead of contextualizing the album based on current times, Del Rey’s pandemic references serve to isolate “Blue Bannisters” from its otherwise emotional universality.

But worst of all is Del Rey’s approach to racial justice movements.

In the opening track, “Text Book,” Del Rey sings, “And there we were, screamin’ ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the crowd.”

Del Rey, who has been criticized for her rhetoric surrounding women of color in the music industry, opts to use the Black Lives Matter movement for aesthetic — rather than as a tool for awareness or benefit.

The choice is questionable at best, and downright inexcusable at worst.

With these missteps in framing “Blue Bannisters” in the context of 2021 America, comes the third track of the album, “Arcadia.”

This song, which in some instances is an apostrophe to the West and the U.S. itself, feels less like a heartfelt homage to the artist and her geographical home, and more like a pseudo-propaganda ad for California tourism.

It’s a love note with all the right structure and all the wrong content.

Overall, “Blue Bannisters,” does not excel as one of Del Rey’s better releases.

However, issues in the album are partially ameliorated by the few gems Del Rey has managed to produce.

These scarce lyrical gold nuggets are sure to cement themselves in Del Rey’s popular canon while the rest of the album fades into blurry memory.

Email: kara.anderson@ubspectrum.com

12 | Wednesday, November 3 2021

SPORTS

Women’s soccer beats Central Michigan 2-1 in double overtime to advance to MAC semifinals

Payton Robertson scores game-winning goal in 105th minute HUNTER SKOCZYLAS SPORTS EDITOR

Women’s soccer (13-3-3, 6-2-3 MAC) eliminated Central Michigan (9-8-1, 6-4-1 MAC), 2-1, Sunday on a wild game-winning double-overtime goal at the 105-minute mark in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The game started off as a physical affair, but UB accepted the challenge and applied pressure early on. Graduate midfielder Marcy Barberic had an early opportunity, but sailed her shot above the crossbar.

At the nine-minute mark, graduate forward Gianna Yurchak was fouled in CMU’s box. Barberic converted the ensuing penalty kick, as UB jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. The Chippewas had an identical opportunity two minutes later when senior defender Tess Ford was called for a foul, but senior goalkeeper Emily Kelly made the impressive stop to preserve the lead.

Costly mistakes inside the box hurt the Bulls when Yurchak was called for a handball at the 16-minute mark, resulting in a penalty kick conversion by CMU senior midfielder Samantha Kaye-Toral, who tied

the game at one.

After an action-packed first half, neither side was presented with many opportunities to take the lead, thanks to strong defensive play and back-and-forth possessions. Neither side found the net at the end of regulation, resulting in overtime.

After 105 minutes of game time and 12 corner kicks, the Bulls finally capitalized when senior defender Abbey Callaghan crossed the ball into CMU’s box, where she found junior midfielder Payton Robertson, who headed it in the top right corner of the net, sealing the 2-1 victory.

UB outshot CMU 15 to 9 while Kelly made two saves compared to CMU’s sophomore goalkeeper Allison LaPoint’s five.

The Bulls held a clear advantage in corner kicks, recording 12 compared to the Chippewas’ one.

With the win, the Bulls advance to the Mid-American Conference semifinals, where they will take on the defending MAC Champions and top-seeded Bowling Green Falcons (9-6-3, 8-2-1 MAC), the same team they beat 1-0 nearly two weeks ago. The game will take place on Thursday at 4 p.m. in Bowling Green, OH. Email: hunter.skoczylas@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @HunterSkoczylas

ubspectrum.com

UB makes its mark on NBA G-League training camp rosters Four former UB men’s basketball players are seeking roster spots SOPHIE MCNALLY STAFF WRITER

UB should be well-represented in the NBA G-League this season, as four former men’s basketball players look to land a spot on a professional roster.

Former UB stars Jayvon Graves, Montell McRae, Antwain Johnson and Lamonte Bearden are all fighting for a spot in the developmental league this season.

Graves signed with the Austin Spurs, the G-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs, last week. He ranks eighth in program history with 1,436 points and earned NABC honor roll in 2021. The Malvern, OH native won two MAC Championships and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament over his four years at UB. Graves averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 2020-21 and now looks to make his mark in Austin.

McRae was selected in the first round of the G-League Draft by the Cleveland Charge, the minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. McRae, who averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in

two seasons with the Bulls, won two MAC Championships and competed in two NCAA Tournaments. He most recently played for the Sudbury Five of the National Basketball League of Canada.

Johnson signed with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s minor league affiliate. Johnson played his first two seasons of college basketball with Middle Tennessee State and was forced to sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA Transfer rules. He then played his final year of college basketball with the Bulls in 2019-20. Johnson last played for Batumi of the Georgian Super League, where he averaged 16.1 points per game.

Bearden was part of two MAC Championship teams in 2014-15 and 2015-16 before transferring to Western Kentucky in the summer of 2016. Bearden was picked in the third round of the G-League draft by the Texas Legends, the G-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 18 points, 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game in his last season with Duzce of the Basketball Super League in Turkey.

This past summer, McRae, Johnson and Bearden were all members of the Blue Collar U team that made it to the final four of the The Basketball Tournament.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Brandon Keim / The Spectrum Women’s soccer defeated Central Michigan on a wild game-winning double-overtime goal in the 105th minute.

Alexander Brown / The Spectrum Jayvon Graves hangs onto the rim after a dunk during a game last season.

The Bulls’ MAC Championship hopes now hang by a thread

pray and hope he is going to be healthy and OK. Whatever my team needs me to do, I’ll do it.”

UB allowed six sacks during Saturday’s matchup. Prior to Saturday, the Bulls had only allowed four all season. Vantrease was injured on a sack with 1:32 left in the first half and did not return to the game. Myers entered in relief for Vantrease and was sacked four times. The Bulls had only allowed nine sacks during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, but have already given up 10 this season.

UB’s first touchdown of the day was a handoff to freshman running back Mike Washington, who scored his first career touchdown on a 14-yard trot in the second quarter.

The Falcons responded 30 seconds later, when McDonald connected on a 64-yard touchdown with Broden.

McDuffie helped spark the Bulls’ ground game. After multiple strong performances, McDuffie once again proved his ability to fill in for senior running back Kevin Marks Jr., who was sidelined with an injury. The Buffalo native rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Both the carry total and rushing yards were career highs for McDuffie. He has now scored a touchdown in six of his last seven games and rushed for 100 yards in three consecutive contests.

“The offensive line blocked their butt off, the tight ends blocked their butt off, it was really just running behind their blocks and doing my part,” McDuffie said.

The Bulls capitalized on an unsportsmanlike conduct call at the start of the second half against Bowling Green when McDuffie scored a touchdown. During Buffalo’s 16-play scoring drive, BGSU was called for two unsportsmanlike conduct

UB falls to Bowling Green, 56-44, for third MAC loss KAYLA STERNER BRENDEN WOLD STAFF WRITERS

After a dominant win over Akron last week (2-6, 1-3 MAC), UB football (45, 2-3 MAC) lost a hard-fought battle to Bowling Green (3-6, 1-4 MAC), 56-44, at UB Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Saturday marked Bowling Green’s first Mid-American Conference victory in nearly two years.

UB hasn’t given up 56 points or more since Oct. 7, 2017, when it lost to Western Michigan, 71-68, in seven overtimes.

The loss is crushing to the Bulls’ MAC Championship hopes, but they may still receive the opportunity to play in a bowl game if they win two of their last three games.

“We still got a chance to do something special, go to a bowl game,” junior running back Dylan McDuffie said. “We’re going to take the 24-hour rule, take a couple of days off and then [go] back to work.”

The Bulls once again got off to a slow start and found themselves down 18 points at the half.

“My job is to find answers and solve problems. I’m going to stay in the problem solving business,” head coach Maurice Linguist said after the game. “One of them is being able to just start fast in the beginning of the game, to not put ourselves in a hole.”

The UB defense didn’t show the same rigidity it did last week against Akron, as bad angles and missed tackles allowed the Falcons to march down the field for seven touchdowns.

UB’s defense struggled to keep up with an eruptive Bowling Green offense, as it fell behind 14-0 after the first 15 minutes of play. A missed tackle by fifth-year safety E.J Brown gave the Falcons their first touchdown of the day. Not only did Brown miss the tackle, but he was also penalized for targeting and disqualified from the game.

A fake field goal by Bowling Green on fourth down allowed the Falcons to reset the downs. Later in the drive, redshirt freshman wide receiver Jhaylin Embry scored a one-yard rushing touchdown.

Bowling Green senior quarterback Matt McDonald was electric for the Falcons. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 263 yards and four passing touchdowns.

Junior tight end Chistian Sims and sophomore wide receiver Tyrone Broden combined for nine catches, 213 yards and four scores, marking the first time Bowling Green has had two receivers record 100 receiving yards in a game since 2015.

Junior kicker Alex McNulty drilled a 50-yard field goal in the second quarter to put the Bulls on the board. Minutes later, junior safety Jordan Anderson intercepted senior quarterback Kyle Vantrease and the Falcons went on a three-play scoring drive to extend their lead to 21-3.

Junior quarterback Matt Myers helped spark the Bulls’ offense in the second half after Vantrease was sidelined with an injury. While he only attempted 10 passes, Myers used his legs to help keep Bulls’ drives alive, notably rushing for two touchdowns to go along with his 12 rushing yards.

“It felt good to be back in a game setting,” said Myers, who began the 2019 season as the starting quarterback before suffering a lower body injury. “It’s unfortunate that [Vantrease] went down. We

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum Linebackers James Patterson (8) and Kadofi Wright (2) and cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram (9) stand on the field during a recent game.

penalties, including one that resulted in Bowling Green head coach Scott Loeffler being ejected from the game.

Despite a valiant effort, UB was never able to take the lead. The teams combined for a total of seven touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The game was ultimately put out of reach when McDonald controversially ran for a 47-yard touchdown in the final minute.

Saturday’s matchup was a high-scoring affair, with the two teams combining for 100 points and over 1,000 yards of total offense.

“Giving up that amount of points and yards is not going to put us in a position that we need coming down the stretch,” Linguist said. “We’ll put it all on film, we’ll see where the errors and issues are, then we’ll make the corrections.”

The Bulls will seek redemption against Miami (OH) (4-5, 3-2 MAC) at Yager Stadium next Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN2.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com