The Spectrum Volume 61 Issue 39

Vol. 61 NO. 39

ubspectrum.com

Monday, December 5, 2011

Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Suspended SA Senate to investigate legality of club’s constitution

Steven Jackson's controversial resignation from the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship has sparked an SA investigation.

LUKE HAMMILL

Senior News Editor

The Student Association suspended the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship until further notice on Friday, and two days later, the SA Senate created an investigative committee to determine whether the club is in violation of the law and university policy by requiring its executive board members to sign a faith-based agreement.

The suspension came after The Spectrum reported that sophomore history and French major Steven Jackson felt pressured to resign as treasurer of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) – a national, student-led, evangelical ministry with a UB chapter – because his homosexuality didn’t sit well with the group’s executive board and staff.

“All peripheral privileges afforded to Student Association clubs are revoked for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship until further notice,” wrote SA Treasurer Sikander Khan in a Friday letter to the IVCF’s executive board.

The SA Senate decided on Sunday afternoon not to lift the suspension after a plea from Jackson himself on behalf of the club. (Jackson is also the speaker of the SA Assembly.) Jackson is still a member of the club, and he attended a club event on Friday night.

SA Senator Travis Nemmer read a prepared statement from Jackson to those assembled in a Knox lecture hall for the meeting, which had unusually high attendance due to the IVCF issue. Many IVCF members were present, as well as numerous other concerned students from

the LGBT community and other groups.

“I believe the article in Friday’s Spectrum was wholly accurate,” Jackson’s statement read. “Had my [sexual] orientation not come up, I do not believe that this would be happening right now...If [the IVCF’s requirement to sign a faith-based agreement] is illegal, I do not blame Intervarsity. I blame the Student Association for failing to properly review club constitutions and inform clubs of their legality.”

Later in his statement, Jackson asked the Senate to lift the suspension.

“I understand that [IVCF] is currently suspended, which means we cannot do events that we were promised space for as an SA club...My plea to the Senate: do not punish the majority, the general membership, for an unfortunate mistake [pressuring me to resign] by a minority, the executive board,” Jackson’s statement read.

The Senate, though, did not lift the suspension, instead choosing to leave that decision to the SA’s executive board, which suspended IVCF in the first place.

As a result, the IVCF will miss a club event scheduled for Tuesday, unless the SA executive board decides to lift the suspension before then, which is unlikely.

Legal or Illegal?

The Senate investigative committee was created Sunday to gather information this week and recommend to the Senate at next week’s meeting (this coming Sunday at 3 p.m., room to be announced) what action it should take toward IVCF.

Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

IVCF’s requiring its executive board members to sign a faith-based agreement could result in the Senate mandating that IVCF abolish the policy, imposing financial sanctions upon IVCF, suspending IVCF further, derecognizing IVCF altogether, or some combination of the above, according to a letter from SA lawyer Joshua Korman to SA President JoAnna Datz.

“SA clubs – even religiously focused clubs – may not deny membership or participation on the basis of a student not professing a belief in a particular faith advocated by that club, and may not require students to sign a statement of commitment to pray and participate in a local church,” Korman’s letter reads.

The committee will consist of Special Interests and Special Hobbies (IVCF’s club council) coordinator Adam Zimnicki, SA Vice President Meghan McMonagle, People of Color coordinator Anabel Casanova, and on-campus senator Daniel Ovadia. Zimnicki will chair the committee, which has the ability to decide to add members. It will likely add someone from the Student-Wide Judiciary.

At Sunday’s meeting, Timothy Stewart of UB’s Campus Ministries Association (CMA), which also recognizes IVCF, expressed interest in involvement in the SA committee’s investigation, as CMA will also have to make decisions regarding IVCF. “The committee is going to attempt to get the most unbiased, factual statements about [IVCF] and the issues brought forth,” Zimnicki said.

To facilitate that, the SA has added to

its Senate webpage (www.sa.buffalo.edu/ legislation) a form that allows for anyone to provide the committee with information or viewpoints pertaining to the investigation.

The committee will have to decide whether IVCF – as a recipient of $6,000 in public funds via the university’s mandatory student activity fee – violated legal and/or university anti-discrimination policy by requiring elected executive board members to sign the faith-based agreement.

Article 7.B.2 of UB’s Student Code of Conduct reads, “Any organization with restrictive membership clauses which discriminates on the basis of race, religion, sex (except as exempted by Federal Regulations), sexual orientation, disability, age, creed, National Origin, or veteran status will not obtain or maintain University registration/recognition.”

But IVCF only requires its executive board members, who are elected by the group at large, to sign the faith-based agreement. IVCF and its defenders maintain that since anyone can become a member, the policy does not also apply to becoming a leader of such an organization.

University officials disagree. In an email, Elizabeth Lidano of Student Affairs responded to the following question: “[IVCF] makes only elected officers sign the agreement. Is that OK, or is that also discriminatory, in the university’s view?”

“It is also discriminatory,” Lidano said.

“There cannot be any type of restrictive membership in a recognized club.”

The Cycle Never Ends

Staff Writer

After three frustrating hours, Joe Malak, a freshman biomedical science major and resident of Governors Complex, took his laundry out of the dryer only to see that his clothing was imprinted with a pattern of dark brown, small hexagons.

Laundry around campus is a growing frustration amongst students living in residence halls across UB.

With over 4,350 loads done each day, according to Residential Building Services Manager Ken Kern, problems are bound to arise.

After discovering he had over $200 worth of damage to his clothing, Malak had to file a negligence form in hopes of being compensated for the damages. But he didn’t have receipts to prove the price of his garments and therefore could not be reimbursed.

“I was angry because I had some expensive pieces of clothing in the machine,” Malak said. “If someone could tell me how to do my laundry better, then I

“[Christian Legal Society v. Martinez] merely holds that a university can require that clubs comply with an “all-comers” policy for members and leaders so long as it consistently and equally enforces that policy. [UB] does not have an all-comers policy for leaders.”

Regardless of the legal interpretation, Lidano’s statement indicates that the university will not allow IVCF to require its leaders to sign the faith-based agreement.

(It’s worth noting that the university might act separately from SA.) When asked what IVCF would do if it were told that it must abolish the policy or lose SA funding, Van Bennekom said he couldn’t comment, as he’d have to discuss the matter with both his fellow executive board members and his national organization.

The IVCF Constitution The Buffalo IVCF’s constitution –

Continued on Page 2

would. But I am just a college kid trying to get his clothes clean using terrible laundry machines.”

Courtesy of Ken Kern - Residential Building Services Manager

Many students, like Malak, are used to having parents do their laundry for them. College is often times the first place students must do their own washing and drying.

Empty your pockets. Machine pumps may be clogged up with small items such as loose change, bobby pins, and other such small objects.

The lack of laundry experience may be the root of the frustration behind the broken machines, according to Phil Tucciarone, a sophomore chemical engineering major and residential advisor in Governors Complex.

He believes that students are to blame for the problems that arise while doing their laundry.

Ladies, the use of lingerie bags is recommended. Loose bra wires will clog the pumps.

“The machines are very different from home dryers where you could just turn it on high for an hour and let it go,” Tucciarone said. “People are also just asses in college. If someone breaks a machine, [his or her] first inclination is not to fix the problem; it’s to get out of there. It’s just [students] not respecting the environment they live in and taking it for granted.”

RACHEL KRAMER

Korman’s letter indicates that the decision applies. IVCF’s national organization does not. IVCF outreach coordinator Quinten Hall-Lochmann Van Bennekom provided his national organization’s stance on the matter via email:

Tips for Proper Washing Machine Operation

UB students are frustrated over the campus’ many laundry issues

UB students are frustrated with the faulty laundry facilities and the lack of respect that occurs in the dorm laundry rooms.

Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

Whether or not IVCF broke the law will depend, among other things, upon interpretations of Christian Legal Society v.

Martinez, a 2010 Supreme Court decision that upheld UC Hastings College of the Law’s “all-comers” policy, which barred all university-funded groups from blocking membership or participation based on a student’s status or beliefs. (And “participation” likely includes running for an elected position and holding that position.)

Only fill washers about halfway. Overfilling the washing machines will not cause clothes to wash properly, nor provide proper draining of the water used by the machine.

Use HE (High Efficiency) soap. The front load washers are energy efficient and ecologically friendly. They utilize less water and as such the use of HE soap is required.

But many students, like Zach Korman, a freshman undecided major, have experiences with doing laundry before coming to college and still encounter issues.

Do not use 3-in-1 washer/dryer sheets.

These have been known to break down and cause additional clogging issues for both washers and dryers.

“At the time [I was doing laundry] only two out of four machines worked [in the Spaulding Quad, building one],” Korman said. “I ended up putting my clothes in a broken machine twice, because they smelled after the first round. When I went to dry them, I ended up with brown burnt stains on one of my favorite t-shirts.”

Do not use more soap than is required.

Overfilling the soap dispenser will cause excessive “sudsing,” and may not provide proper rinse.

Kern has been the services manager for 10 years and said he doesn’t know how a dryer would be able to burn clothing. They all have a safety feature that prevents the inside from getting too hot.

Wait for the “cycle complete” indicator light to turn off before attempting to open the door. Even though the machine is not spinning, the cycle is not complete until it returns to proper temperature. Opening the door early will cause the door and/or lock to break.

Continued on Page 2

Former CAS Dean Steps in as Interim Provost

REBECCA BRATEK and NATALIE LICATA

Following the departure of Harvey Stenger, Dr. Bruce McCombe has agreed to fill the position of interim provost.

said. “There are problems you can solve in the lab or on the computer, but being an administrator at that level, you deal with a bunch of problems. I never knew what was going to happen when I came to work.

If you view that it is your job to help solve problems, then it is really rewarding.”

For an estimated six months, McCombe will be taking on the responsibilities of the interim provost, such as setting goals for and overseeing all academic activity at the university.

McCombe was born in the small town of Sanford, Maine and attended Bowdoin College before going on to earn his Ph.D in solid-state physics from Brown University in 1966.

“There’s always a learning process when you walk into a new job,” McCombe said. “You need to work yourself into whatever kinds of projects are going on.”

After obtaining his doctorate, McCombe went on to accept a position at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. There, he occupied various positions until he became the superintendent of the Electronics Technology Division in 1979. He spent two years in this position before accepting a professorship at UB.

News Editor and Staff Writer

Administrative positions are nothing new to McCombe. Since his arrival to UB in 1982, he has served the university not only as an associate professor of physics, but also as dean of the Graduate School, and most recently, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

“If you’re a physicist, you solve problems,” McCombe

McCombe is an internationally known scholar, and he focuses his research in basic physics, applications of semiconductor nanostructures, and spin effects in semiconductors. He has authored and co-authored more than 220 articles as a fellow of the American

Physical Society.

McCombe also likes to play basketball to get away from the science world, despite his growing age.

Apart from serving as dean of the Graduate School and dean of CAS, McCombe has served as associate chair and chair of the physics department, co-director of the Center for Electronic and Electro-Optic Materials, and vice provost for graduate education, among other positions.

After five years in CAS, McCombe stepped down on July 1, 2011. The college teaches about 80 percent of all credit hours of all freshmen and deals with twothirds of all undergraduate students; CAS is unavoidable at this university, according to McCombe.

Over the course of seven years, CAS hired over 300 faculty members – including younger faculty members and many more women – to add to the strength and diversity of the college’s faculty, according to McCombe. He attributes this success to UB2020.

I N S I D E “It was a very good vision for the university,” Mc-

Continued on Page 2

Weather for the Week:

d

Monday: Rain- H: 44, L: 33 Tuesday: AM Rain/Snow/Showers- H: 35, L: 30 Wednesday: Partly Cloudy- H: 37, L: 30

Bruce McCombe, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will replace Harvey Stenger as interim provost.

Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum

Opinion * 3 Arts * 4 & 5 Classifieds / Daily Delights * 7 Sports * 8

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Page 2 Continued from Page 1: Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Suspended

amended and restated on Sept. 16, 2011 – states that a “nominating committee,” appointed by the executive board, is responsible for both “receiv[ing] nominations from any member of the chapter” and “making their own nominations” for executive board positions.

The nominees are then elected by majority vote of the club’s general membership.

But before the vote, the nominating committee “shall be responsible to see that all nominees subscribe to InterVarsity’s Basis of Faith and Purpose as set forth in Article II,” which itself reads, in part: “The Basis of Faith for this organization is as follows...The unique divine inspiration, entire trustworthiness and authority of the Bible.”

It is a disagreement over that clause – which would require all executive board members to believe in the “entire trustworthiness and authority” of lines like Leviticus 18:22 (“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination”) – that

ultimately led to Jackson’s resignation as treasurer.

Once an IVCF member is elected to an executive board position, he/she must sign a “leadership agreement,” which reads, “I have prayerfully considered this leadership position in my InterVarsity Chapter and am eager to accept it. I am also aware that it will only be possible to be faithful in the responsibilities that come with this role through dependence on the Lord’s help and grace.

“Given that my chapter is a part of the larger InterVarsity family, I affirm with my signature below that I have read the InterVarsityUSA Purpose Statement and Basis of Faith, and am able to embrace these,” the leadership agreement continues. The next page of the agreement contains the same line about the “entire trustworthiness and authority of the Bible.”

Though the IVCF constitution appears to allow any member of the chapter to nominate any club member for an executive board position (by giving that person’s

name to the nominating committee), Van Bennekom said that it doesn’t work that way.

“It is not open running,” Van Bennekom said. “There is a nomination committee selected each year that finds good leaders and then puts it to the group for a vote. It is not open elections.”

Van Bennekom confirmed that it is not possible for any member to become nominated by simply expressing interest in running for the executive board; instead, the nominating committee must select him/her.

Article III of the IVCF’s constitution states, “Membership and participation in this organization is open to all students and faculty members.”

Jackson: Out as Treasurer, Still In Club At Sunday’s SA Senate meeting, IVCF Vice President Leslie Varughese said that IVCF members knew Jackson was gay before electing him treasurer.

“We were well aware of Steven’s sexual orientation before we even elected the [executive] board,” Varughese said. “We knew everything about it, and we still chose him and felt he was right for the job. However, it did not come down to that – it was more on Biblical beliefs, and he no longer felt that he believed in the same things we believed, and that’s what differed. It had nothing to do with sexual orientation.”

But Jackson said it was not that simple.

Jackson said that though IVCF members might well have known that he had engaged in homosexuality to some extent before they elected him, he was dating a female when he ran for treasurer.

“They were under the impression that I was straight because I was dating a female at the time,” Jackson said. “[I think] they were under the impression that I had ‘changed.’”

Jackson wants to make clear that he defines himself as gay, but he hasn’t “closed

Monday, December 5, 2011 [him]self completely off” to other modes of sexuality.

And he said that at the time that he was elected treasurer, IVCF members hadn’t known that he defined himself as gay. Once they found out, he said, the events leading to his resignation were set into motion.

Though he is no longer the treasurer, Jackson still attends IVCF functions and has been warmly received by the group, as both IVCF members and Jackson’s statement acknowledged at Sunday’s meeting.

“Steven is still an active member of our group,” Van Bennekom said at the meeting. “[His resignation] was a decision that was made...We talked about it for over twoand-a-half hours. It was a group discussion. At the end of it, he chose to step down.

He never brought to us the fact that he felt pressured to step down. I wish he had. I wish he was here to defend himself for that because we would have addressed that issue immediately. We do not want that.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Continued from Page 1: Former CAS Dean Steps in as Interim Provost

Combe said. “It’s not dead, it’s still there. What got accomplished was a lot of very good faculty hires. That was very rewarding to me – to be able to work and really help provide ways of hiring more people and bringing the best possible people in here that we could.”

As of July 1, 2011, Dr. Bruce Pitman was named the new dean of CAS. McCombe had nothing but words of praise toward his colleague.

“He really knows the university and understands that job extremely well,” McCombe said. “He is very well motivated about what he does.”

Recently, McCombe has met with Harvey Stenger to get up to speed on his new position.

When questioned about why Stenger’s office was unable to arrange an interview with The Spectrum last week, McCombe responded that he never known his colleague to act in such a manner.

“I don’t know exactly what happened there,” McCombe said. “Harvey is an outgoing person. He is not the sort of person that would ignore

[students]. He is very studentoriented. He’s been teaching as a dean every single year that he’s been here. He’s very much engaged. It doesn’t sound like him. I know him.”

Currently McCombe is on sabbatical, but was chosen singlehandedly by President Satish K. Tripathi to replace Stenger. The two men have a very good relationship filled with mutual respect, according to McCombe. “[Tripathi] and I are very different people,” McCombe said.

“I tend to be very loud and brash. I say things that are on my mind. He is a very careful person. He always thinks before he speaks. We get along, or he wouldn’t have asked me to take the job. I will do my best to move his vision of the university forward in the next six months. There is so much change [at UB]. Everywhere you turn there is somebody new.”

The university’s search for its next provost will be concluded by the summer of 2012.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Continued from Page 1: The Cycle Never Ends

“If a student’s clothes get ruined, they should file a claim right away [either via phone or online] because it’s not the student’s fault,” Kern said. “We would be liable for it and we would try to get them reimbursed right away.”

Each residence hall and apartment complex is equipped with their own laundry rooms. This adds up to a total of 290 washing machines and 296 dryers across UB’s campuses.

With hundreds of machines running daily, technical difficulties are expected to occur. In the month of September, there were 131 damages reported. Considering the number of loads done everyday, this is a low percentage, according to Kern.

Money to repair most damaged machines comes out of the Common Area Damage budget. The only instances in which a student can be charged is when the damage is identifiably his or her fault, which according to Kern, rarely happens.

Students shouldn’t be discouraged to file a work order in fear of being charged a maintenance fee. “[Students] are nickeled and dimed enough around this place as it is,” Kern said. “We don’t want to add to it, so when we see something wrong, we look at it and decide if it’s worth billing back to the students. Often times it’s not.”

When one student fails to report a broken machine, it can affect all the others who try to do their laundry afterwards. It only takes about 24 hours for a machine to be fixed.

Due to a failure to report a broken machine, it once took Christine Barry, a freshman biological science major, 18 hours to finish her laundry.

After noticing two out of the six dryers in the Roosevelt Hall of Governors Complex were already broken, Barry tried to dry her clothes and towels in the other machines. Two hours later, nothing was dry.

Barry was forced to bring her wet load of laundry up four flights of stairs and hang the items around her dorm room to let them dry.

“Since it was the weekend, the office was closed and I couldn’t even call in the broken machines,” Barry said.

The faulty machines aren’t the only cause of frustration amongst the students. The ratio of students to available machines and the lack of respect for other’s laundry are also reoccurring issues.

Troy Fazio, a freshman biomedical science major, has experienced students taking his clothes out of the machines before they were washed in order to start their own load.

He tried to correct the situation in the Governors Complex laundry rooms by putting up signs that said, ‘Attention! In case you didn’t know, when you open the dryer while someone else’s clothes are in there, you MUST push the knob in to

restart the machine!’ The next day these signs were nowhere to be found.

“Somewhere along the line, it feels that other students didn’t learn courtesy for those around them,” Fazio said. “If there were more efficient machines, they wouldn’t need to learn.”

However, this doesn’t seem to be the case on South Campus, where most students only remove other’s laundry if it is fully dry. Students have more respect for the machines and others, according to Naha Bhagirath, a freshman biological science major and resident in Goodyear Hall.

“The machines do break, but work orders are put in and the issue gets fixed. The next day…the machine will be working fine,” Bhagirath said. “I think we get things done faster, and people are more concerned about getting it fixed [in Goodyear Hall]. The only consistent issue we have is…sometimes [machines] flood so you have to move [your clothing] to a second machine.”

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Out of the $6,345 that the average student pays each year to live in the dorms, there is no amount that directly benefits laundry facilities.

Students believe that the only way to solve these reoccurring problems is to get new machines. However, most of the machines currently in use are only 4 years old.

Despite student beliefs, they have made a significant difference. The amount of repairs has lessened, and from September to November of this year the number of work orders has decreased by 36 percent.

With the university working to alleviate student’s laundry concerns, they encourage students to pay attention to the posted laundry room guidelines and promptly report when there is a problem.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

Opinion Monday, December 5, 2011 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF Matthew Parrino SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR James Twigg MANAGING EDITOR Edward Benoit EDITORIAL EDITOR James Bowe NEWS EDITORS Luke Hammill, senior Rebecca Bratek Sara DiNatale, asst.

Lisa Khoury, asst.

ARTS EDITORS Jameson Butler, senior Vanessa Frith Nicolas Pino LIFE EDITORS Akari Iburi, senior Steven Wrobel Veronica Ritter Keren Baruch, asst.

SPORTS EDITORS Aaron Mansfield, senior Brian Josephs Scott Resnick, asst.

Andreius Coleman, asst.

PHOTO EDITORS Meg Kinsley, senior Alexa Strudler Satsuki Aoi Troi Williams, asst.

Nyeri Moulterie, asst.

CARTOONIST Patrick Boyle WEB EDITOR Matthew Parrino James Twigg

PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Andrew Angeles CREATIVE DESIGNERS Nicole Manzo Aline Kobayashi ADVERTISING DESIGNER Aline Kobayashi The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion, and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address.

The Spectrum is provided free in part by the Undergraduate Mandatory Activity Fee. December 5, 2011 VOLUME 61 NUMBER 39 CIRCULATION: 7,000 The Spectrum is represented for national advertising by both Alloy Media and Marketing, and MediaMate.

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The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100 Telephone: (716) 645-2468 Fax: (716) 645-2766 Copyright 2011 Buffalo, N.Y. The Spectrum is printed by The Buffalo News 1 News Plaza Buffalo, N.Y. 14240

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Saving the Middle Class Republicans want to make it rain for millionaires

Christmas time is here, and the U.S. is filled with yuletide spirit. People have survived the animalistic mobs for Black Friday deals on crap to give as gifts. Considering the weakness of the economy, giving the gifts may be a little easier next year, if Congress acts.

Central to President Obama’s plan to stimulate job growth that he announced in September is a cut to payroll taxes. The proposal would effectively half the current rate, from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent, and extend those cuts to employers.

In essence it’s a very simple plan, and to the tax-cut insatiable Republicans, it should be a no-brainer.

How the bill would be balanced, however, has become a large point of contention. Obama’s plan would pay for the payroll tax cut by a 3.25 percent surtax on income over $1 million.

Two Democrats and all but one of the GOP senators joined together to kill this measure in the Senate.

The same old horn began to blow that conservatives have been putting their lips to for years: increasing taxes on the wealthy is penalizing the job creators of our economy.

Republicans offered an alternative that reads like a primer on how to craft a law to perfectly fail at creating employment. Instead of halving the current rate, they want to keep the current 2 percent payroll tax cut, and pay for it by freezing government workers’ pay through 2015, and cutting federal jobs.

It seems like the GOP is so virulently allergic to tax cuts to the rich that it will actually cut jobs and maintain the status quo in order to create jobs.

What’s most infuriating is the Republican ideology that only the super rich of this nation are the ones who create jobs. They have this bizarre belief that giving more and more money to millionaires will somehow please a powerful pagan god of jobs, who will bless the land with gainful employment.

The truth is that relieving the middle class is a much more effective method of stimulus and job creation.

Working class people need to spend their extra money more so than someone who makes millions.

They purchase more with a tax break, and that increased spending is what allows businesses to produce more and hire more people to handle

the increased business. Extending the payroll tax to employers also creates an incentive to hire by making it cheaper to hire.

Tea Party Republicans are now showing just how ugly their faces are when you remove the “grassroots movement” mask.

Middle class America has been drowning in debt, working hard to avoid foreclosure, and when a measure to offer real relief and effective job creation comes, Republicans want to protect the interests of the hyper rich.

Our economy has been brought to its knees because of the actions of a select few. No longer can we afford to distribute wealth to the top hoping that a couple bucks will “trickle down” to the millions upon millions of Americans who need it most.

Congress must pass the payroll tax cut, and pay for it the only reasonable way.

IVCF must end discriminatory practice

Almost all of Christ’s teachings can be summed up in one simple phrase.

Love thy neighbor as thyself.

Recently, it seems as if that tenant has been pushed back for an archaic rule from the third book of the Bible, Leviticus. Laws and punishments laid down in the text include not being able to shave or cut your hair, wear clothing made of multiple fabrics, and barring the blind from worshipping at an altar.

Yet, one of the numerous laws laid down seems to have stood the test of time, and is still getting people bent out of shape – in particular, the one that sentences gays to death.

Hardly a warm and fuzzy sentiment for any group that wants to be accepting.

This exact dilemma is what faced the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at UB, when it discovered that its club treasurer, sophomore history and French major Steven Jackson, was gay.

Jackson was pressured by IVCF staff and executive board members to resign after he refused to sign a “basis of faith,” a statement that affirms particular Christian beliefs, which is mandated by the club’s constitution.

was an entirely mutual decision, but Jackson says he felt pressured to resign. They made his time uncomfortable enough to make him want to leave.

Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, other than the fact that it’s deplorable to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation. A big problem arises when you factor in a Supreme Court ruling, Christian Legal Society v.

Martinez that doesn’t allow clubs that receive public money to bar students from participating because of his or her status or beliefs.

While the opponents contend that he isn’t being barred from participating in the club, it’s quite clear that by pressuring him and all but forcing him to resign that they’re barring Jackson from participating fully in the club.

It boils down to a simple problem.

Our Student Activity fee is being spent on a group that actively discriminates against people who don’t follow its beliefs exactly to the letter.

The flimsy defense IVCF has offered is that they didn’t pressure Jackson to resign because he’s gay, but because he disagrees with the Bible’s assertion that homosexuality is a sin.

that it is immoral and wrong. The essence of the Christian Legal Society ruling isn’t that the club can’t discriminate against gays, but that it can’t bar inclusion based on homosexual behavior as well.

Many may be wondering how Jackson became treasurer of IVCF in the first place, if his views clashed with the leadership enough to get him to resign. He came out after being elected, but that really doesn’t matter. It’s forcing the executive board to sign a statement that affirms a particular belief that is at odds.

Some have commented on The Spectrum website that this is just an instance of us blowing things out of proportion, that we’re making a story out of nothing. To us, however, taking our money and giving it to a group that discriminates and may be doing so illegally is most certainly worth noting.

We are not calling all Christians hate-mongers. We are calling those that tell gays that they’re committing an evil by falling in love with and being attracted to men from birth unreasonable.

IVCF must remove its “basis of faith” requirement. If not, then it should not be funded by our money.

Being gay, however, does most likely mean that you disagree with the fact

LETTER to THE EDITOR Dear Editor, I'm a first year freshmen here at UB and I have been reading The Spectrum since starting. I do have to say that the latest issue was bothersome.

I do have some understanding in Journalism in a since that I was very involved with it in my high school. The problem I found with the issue was that fact that there were two articles regarding the faults of the Christian church.

Now, I firmly believe that the IVCF should not have done what they did. My upset comes from the fact

that another article just after discussed how many churches do not deserve tax breaks, but most do and the IRS does not get involved because they want to keep separate church and state.

I believe that in some cases churches have not done right with their money, but this is not true overall. With the headline being what is is there should have been more diversity within the paper itself.

All people have faults, and because churches are run by people they sometimes do things they should not. Often times people

Super Slim Me KEREN BARUCH Asst. Life Editor

Not to mention the fact that it’s completely ludicrous to say that cutting federal jobs will create jobs.

The Bible as a Shield

email any submissions to info@ubspectrum.com IVCF wants to make it seem like it

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hold religious people to a higher standard than themselves because they have a doctrine, but religious people are no better or worse than the rest.

I am not saying that those involved in The Spectrum believe they are better than Christians, I am just trying to make you aware that this could reflect badly. On a better note, I have rather enjoyed reading your paper.

The Spectrum does not edit Letter’s to the Editor for content.

Lauren laurenry@buffalo.edu

Movies like Super Size Me promote healthy eating and attempt to steer America away from the fat nation that it is slowly becoming. However, there is no longer a need to produce movies against obesity.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has made sure that 99.9 percent of the purely X-chromosomal persons in this country never allow anything above five calories to enter their bodies.

Watching these Angels strut down the runway in luxurious bras and underwear causes girls of all ages to become incredibly self-conscious about their weight and height.

While the audience isn’t busy drooling over the models’ bodies in awe, it is busy calculating calories and creating work out plans for the next six months.

Don’t try to deny it – if you were a victim of the show and watched it with your friends, every commercial break consisted of you talking about how much you wish your boobs were the size of Lily Aldridge’s and your thighs didn’t jiggle when you walked.

The average weight for a female that is 5-foot-10 is 150 lbs. These models fall a full 40 lbs. beneath the average weight, according to www.healthdiscovery.net.

Kate Moss once said that nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels. But is that really the truth?

I always liked to think that junk food makes the world go round. I’ve never seen someone unhappy while digging his or her hands into a bag of Doritos or sneaking a piece of cookie dough before putting the tray into the oven.

I’m starting to doubt my life’s theories.

After this year’s show, Facebook statuses such as ‘I will NEVER eat again’ and ‘dieting until I make my way to becoming a VS model’ were popping up on my news feed. I came to a realization that our society is shifting from one eating disorder to another.

Girls that used to beg for Burger King and McDonald’s are now vomiting in toilets and eating steamed broccoli for all three meals of the day. We’re supposed to hate brussel sprouts and love cake.

That’s how our generation was raised.

So why are we letting these super models get under our skin?

“The girls are so beautiful [and] it definitely makes me feel crappy,” said Stefanie Benison, junior health and human services major. “I don’t understand why I can’t look like that, the girls make it seem like everyone should look [that way].”

The models’ bodies weren’t the only aspect of the show that led girls to change their statuses to emotional and angry statements. When Adam Levine took Anne Vyalitsyna’s hand as she sashayed down the catwalk and kissed her on the cheek, all of our egos went down at least five notches. Cool, we get it – you’re skinny and in love, but at least we can have dessert.

I’m not sure if the world remembers that these girls get paid thousands of dollars each month to look this way, according to www.jobbite.com.

Being so thin is one of the most difficult jobs and the Angels have personal trainers and dieticians that work with them every day to make sure that nothing ruins their physical appearance.

After an hour of sulking in misery about the fact that I will never rid of my cellulite, I realized something. I’d rather have some junk in my trunk and be happy, than cut food out of my life and give everyone the ability to count the bones in my body.

Email: keren.baruch@ubspectrum.com

Arts

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ubspectrum.com

Monday, December 5, 2011

What are you thinking? CFA Awarded Grant For Performers

Tweet it!

Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

DAN WHITNEY Staff Writer When many students think of the Center for the Arts, located on UB’s North Campus, the aspect that most likely comes to mind is the numerous performers and speakers that perform over the course of the academic year.

What they don’t realize is that the CFA does much more for the community of Buffalo than meets the eye.

The Arts in Healthcare Initiative, which was founded in September 2008 due to a $287,000 local grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation, is the perfect example of this. The AIHI is a program that contributes to Roswell Park Cancer Institute as well as Women and Children’s Hospitals.

According to Dave Wedekindt, Director of Marketing at the CFA, the AIHI “brings hands-on arts activities to patients, families, and staff on a year-round basis.” The goals of the program include “opportunities to optimize wellness and reduce stress through creative expression and diversion” and to “enhance the hospital experience for patients.”

Recently, the CFA was the recipient of a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), a sum

that will be used by the AIHI to bring two different performers to the hospitals as a part of the program.

The performing artists will each spend two weeks working for the program and include Doug Varone & Dancers, who will be here March 2012, and cellist Stephen Katz, who will take part in the fall of 2012, most likely in September. The award was the first of its kind the CFA has received after applying unsuccessfully three previous times.

“I think this was the best project concept that we’ve approached them with for support…we may have had to educate the NEA panelists a little more about us before we could start to receive awards with, hopefully, more regularity,” said Rob Falgiano, Assistant Director of the CFA. Falgiano went into more detail about what each performer will be doing.

Varone developed “Blind Eye Choreography.”

“Which involves the use of descriptive language, and often times dream imagery, to help create dance,” Falgiano said “The experience helped Varone discover a new way of working creatively that will translate well to the hospitals since some of the patients

will not be particularly mobile or energetic.”

Stephen Katz, on the other hand, wants to “capture audio – from and with patients/family/staff; of himself performing in rooms/units; and of people in the environment. Katz plans a musical response to the sounds as they exist: people, ambient noise, and machines all have pitch, tonal, harmonic, and rhythmic qualities to explore,” according to Falgiano.

Both performers will be filming and recording their interactions throughout their stay, creating pieces that will be presented in front of an audience. Mr. Falgiano anticipates “the inclusion of approximately 50 patients, family, staff in the hospitals portion of the project, plus audiences between 800-1200 for the culminating performances. The emphasis will be on repeat, quality interactions with patients, as opposed to raw numbers served.”

Falgiano also stated that the entire $30,000 grant will be used for these two performers in order to pay their required fees as well as to provide local housing and ground transportation during their time in the area.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

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’Tis the Season – My Picks for the Top 10 iOS Games NICOLAS PINO Arts Editor In the world of big-budget titles, multi-million dollar franchises and the $60 walletslimming releases, there’s still room for the little guys. Fortunately, since the typical college campus has more tech than most third-world countries, some of the best experiences in gaming are at your fingertips, literally. Here’s my list of the top 10 iOS games you need to play: Words With Friends: For those with the magical mind of a bibliophile and a mean hypercompetitive streak, Words With Friends is the best Scrabbleclone this side of a Hasbro lawsuit. With the ability to both serve as a social networking ploy and a way to gain superior bragging rights, this Zynga developed title is the clear, undisputed king of the word manufacturing realm.

Angry Birds: No iOS list would be complete without mentioning the winged rats with a chip on their shoulders. Since most don’t need any explanation, I’ll keep it brief: the pigs have wronged the feathered furies and it’s up to you to launch your avian allies into the pig’s stalwart fortifications. Angry Birds is a steal for 99 cents and is an absolute essential for any proud owner of (the potentially overpriced) iDevices.

Fruit Ninja: Since the Feudal Age of Japan has come and gone this 99 cent iOS gem is the closest many of us will probably get to the profession of throwing stars and shurikens. Players slice and dice their way through various agricultural commodities in an attempt to achieve the highest score – and messiest room – possible. Even though Fruit Ninja is a few apples short of a harvest in the plot department, pure visceral enjoyment derived from mincing fruit more than makes up for the brown spots.

Infinity Blade II: Half roleplaying, half action-adventure, this iOS sequel manages to complete many gamers’ 8-bit dreams for a Punch-Out styled brawler. Players swipe, swing

and strike their screens in an attempt to liberate the heads off their digitalized on-screen demons. From its intuitive swipe and swing gameplay to its absolutely stunning 3-D world, Infinity Blade represents the beginning of the next generation of mobile gaming.

Rage HD: From the people who brought us to hell and back in Doom, the talented team at id released a watered-down version of their killer-app for iOS- and while its difficult aiming system may cause a small temper tantrum, its $2.99 price tag will not. Rage unfortunately lacks the control of its console cousin, placing players “on-rails” from one destination to the next, only leaving a mutant corpse pile in their wake.

Cut The Rope: This “I Want Candy” iOS-incarnate places players in direct control of the small, green “Om-Nom’s” sugar intake. From intermediate gravity puzzles to the moderately intense, reflex-testing timing aspects, Cut The Rope puts a cute protagonist at the epicenter for a very large dentist bill. Fun, fast, frenetic, Cut The Rope may just rob you of a dollar to pay for its serious glucose addiction. But that’s OK with me.

Sword & Poker 2: Ever want to live out those dreams of playing on Poker: After Dark but are just too caught up living in the wintry wastes of Skyrim? Sword & Poker 2 attempts to unite both camps, and for its $3.99 pricetag, accomplishes its goals. Players must align the cards of fate to deal damage, having higher hands let loose a tenacious fury on all those who would oppose their four-suited onslaught.

Amazing Breaker: Who knew the destruction of icy structures could be so intensely satisfying? Using a multitude of destructive apparatus, players must completely obliterate the frozen H20 and all that it holds dear. While its intuitive gameplay is simple to learn, the tougher stages require pinpoint precision and expertise in the game’s multitude of explosive ordinances. Blow stuff up this holiday season with this .99-

‘Talk’ Speaks to Audience Poor Theater presented the interdisciplinary and experimental performance of Talk to Me last weekend at the Katharine Cornell Theater.

Nyeri Moulterie /// The Spectrum Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum

cent winter treat.

Plants vs. Zombies: While Walking Dead shambles into AMC’s primetime Sunday slot, players of Popcap’s other tremendous titles (Peggle, Bejeweled, and Zuma’s Revenge to name a few) won’t be surprised to see that this iconic killer-app takes a spot as a must play for those unacquainted to its world of hilarious horrors and oddly ecstatic foliage. With a plethora of flora to unlock and sacrifice for the sake of home-defense, Popcap’s shining star continues to hold a prominent place in the iOS sky.

Home Run Battle 3D: Ferocious fast-balls, sneaky sliders and notorious knuckle-balls speed across the plate and it’s up to the player to put these out of control pitches back in their place – the grandstands. With addicting online play and some serious social networking integration, Home Run Battle 3D turns even the last place pick in gym class into this generation’s Barry Bonds all with the timely tap of an iOS screen.

Containing everything from armament Armageddons to the ravaging of the malevolent porky overlords, at least this holiday list won’t set you back more than that $60 rehashing of last year’s Game of the Year wannabe (Call of Duty I’m looking in your direction…) Here’s hoping you keep those thumbs warm this holiday season!

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

VANESSA FRITH Arts Editor As lights come up upon the darkened stage, voices whisper out of the dim surroundings, their pleading words echoing through the audience.

“Talk to me,” they beg in ever more urgent tones, their voices layered over the sound of falling rain.

Thus begins the emotionally powerful journey portrayed by the cast of Talk to Me. With a sparsely set stage, the play plumbs the depths of a couple in a crumbling relationship plagued by addiction and silence.

An adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ 1953 oneact play, Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen, Talk to Me was created under the direction and mentoring of Associate Professor Maria Horne.

Performed in the Katherine Cornell Theater this past weekend, this culmination of a semesterlong project creates an interdisciplinary and experimental performance that speaks to social undercurrents still prominent today.

“I chose this play because it talks about a relevant issue today, the issue of addiction, and how it affects relationships and because it addresses love and communication…and the lack of ability people have to communicate even when they want to,” Horne said.

Originally a struggle performed by only a man and a woman, Horne’s reimagining takes each character and multiplies them by three. The Man is performed by Tyler Brown, Elijah Coleman, and Oleg Faynshteyn while the Woman draws from the talents of Lawanda Hopkins, Genevieve Lerner, and Molly Leshner.

“They are all very different actors: they look different, they sound different. We highlighted the differences while we found small ways to make them the same person,” said Marley Mandelaro, poet in residence.

ing to Mandelaro, the characters, as portrayed by Williams, were expressing very little. The added poetry seeks to draw the emotional reasoning out of the characters and pull down their defenses.

Talk to Me draws from several different art disciplines in order to portray the characters’ inner and outer struggles from multiple points of view.

Dance, video, spoken word poetry, music, and acting all combine into a great performance that manages to fully detail the emotional disorder of its characters.

“It is important to experiment in theater and incorporate as many different disciplines as we can,” Horne said. “The objective is to explore the themes of the play through multiple points of view, not only through acting…but though multiple art forms as if in a concert of the arts where each art represents itself but works together.”

As characters struggle with the push and pull of their relationship, dance, choreographed by Elijah Coleman, displays turmoil in ways that words alone cannot. The actor’s movements create a sense of unity that flawlessly connects them even as their characters experience a disconnect.

A project of the International Artistic and Cultural Exchange Program Creative Research Lab, Talk to Me has a good reason for its sparse setting – the scenery needs to fit in one suitcase when the show hits the road. Scheduled to perform in Montreal this coming April, the 16th International Next Wave Festival hopefully won’t be the last stop for this talented cast.

“There is the educational opportunity of performing for people who don’t understand us and who don’t necessarily like Americans,” Mandelaro said. “Perhaps if we make a play about…universal topics, we can bridge that gap.”

Created with an international audience in mind, there are scattered lines of foreign dialect through out the performance, but it remains to be seen if the play can transcend the language boundary and manage to convey its well developed, highly thought out, and extremely well performed message.

Presented by Poor Theater, Talk to Me gives students an opportunity to engage in all aspects of theater, from choreography and design to the creative research process and poetry.

Mandelaro and Jeremy Dadel add well over 1,000 words of original poetry to Williams’ text. Accord-

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

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Monday, December 5, 2011

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Monday, December 5, 2011

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Page 7

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Daily Delights

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Visit ubspectrum.com/games for our online game of the week Also see the crossword and Sudoku answers from last issue

Crossword of the Day STEVEN WROBEL Life Editor

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a…weather balloon.

While many students spend their weekends partying, studying, and hanging out with their friends, one club at UB spent its weekend studying the outer realms of Earth’s atmosphere.

UB Students for the Exploration and Development Space (UB-SEDS) is a club that sets its ambitions skyward to generate interest and activism in the community for any and all space-related topics, according to Sean Lyons, a senior aerospace engineering major.

FRIDay,DECEMBER 2 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You may find yourself running late at some point during the day -- and try as you might, you'll find no one to blame but yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You'll have more support than expected -- and some people may actually step up and give you hands-on assistance when you most need it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Records may point to a different truth than you had anticipated; you may want to investigate further, to find the cause.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Once you tend to certain business you'll be able to forget it -- very likely forever. It's not something that should stay with you.

Lyons was the project manager of the club’s High-Altitude Weather Balloon Project (HAWB). The project’s goal was to send a weather balloon into Edited by Timothy E. Parker December 5, 2011 the sky to measure and IT By Harper Dantley AS temperature LUCK WOULD HAVE atmospheric pressure. In addition, the ACROSS team wanted to capture pictures and 46 Type of fruit that's high in vitamin C

1 Fiber-___ cable video footage to document the trip and 49 Like charged particles

6 Fairy-tale figure measure the atmospheric boundary

50 Hunter with a long belt

11 Tub-safety item layers.

51 ___ up (confessed) 14 Sao ___, Brazil

53 Make up one's mind

15 Golden crafter “This project calf is one of the most

chal- 56 It brings good luck?

16 ____ Lilly and Company lenging yet rewarding feats of my 58 Home under the midnight sun 17 "Captain Blood" star Flynn undergraduate career,” Lyons said.

60 Small digit

18 Itlessons bringsIbad luck?

“The have learned and

[the] 61 Opposite of "'tis" 20 Oneofofthis theproject Bobbsey twins success have given me 62 Loop at the end of a rope

Sneaker ties an21 inspiration no course offered

at this 63 Tilde's shape, loosely 23 Related to the kidneys university could ever provide.”

64 Like bars in old films

24 Opposite of comedy

65 Injured in the bullring

26 launching Get hot under theballoon collar last The of the

27 It brings luck?

Saturday, Oct.good 22, was the culmina DOWN

31 of Hole for hours an anchor cable The tion many of planning.

1 Sign on a store's door

32 Defeat group had toresoundingly not only raise the

funds 2 Beginning for "legal" 33 Trendy to take on this project, but it also had 3 Rejections

Bone in the arm by which to to36 develop the means

4 UN body dealing with workers' rights

37 Attach a string functions. perform all with the desirable

5 Assemble for binding 39 Undeserving of$1,100 a padded cell UB-SEDS procured in funding 6 Mower owner's buy 40 Negative responses from sponsorships from local compa- 7 What a scarf covers 41 and Biting comment nies from Sub Board I Inc.

8 "... ___ it Memorex?"

42 "___ minute, Mr. Postman..."

9 Gretchen of "Finding Graceland" 43 Itidea brings bad came luck? about in either “The for this

10 Pray October or November of last year, when we saw a video of a father-andson team that sent an iPhone aboard a balloon and recovered it, becoming a temporary media sensation on many newscasts and newspapers,” said Andrew Dianetti, president of UB-SEDS and a junior aerospace

11 Should have said

12 Deity of Islam 13 Book spine info

19 Oracle

22 "___ making myself clear?"

25 Civil rights pioneer Parks

26 Blow out of the water 27 Steer clear of

28 Angel's topper

29 Aquatic bird similar to a loon 30 Michigan's ____ Locks 33 Ash blond, e.g.

34 Enthralled by 35 Lute-shaped fruit 37 New Mexico artists' colony 38 Annoy 39 Dress along the Ganges 41 Blonds' counterparts (Var.) 42 Twisty, as a road 43 Sis' counterparts

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You don't want to be premature in your assessment of a difficult situation -- or of the people you think are its cause. Remain open.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You'll be more interested in what lies ahead of you than usual today -- perhaps because a message received early piques your curiosity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Are you ready and willing to make adjustments as they become necessary? The more flexible you are, the more successful you can be.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- A disagreement must not be allowed to fester. Do what you can to put this difference of opinion behind you quickly and permanently.

44 A ripe old age 45 Curly's smacker 46 Small Pacific salmon 47 Golf clubs 48 Foursome for a Ford 51 Akron's home 52 Bookworm, in slang 54 What people often do for pictures 55 Word with "steel" or "pigeon" 57 America's Uncle 59 Baby's word

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- What you interpret as a threat is not really that serious -- perhaps it's just a friendly warning. In any event, you should consider it seriously.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- It will be up to you to draw the line when it comes to the behavior of those under your charge.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Are you putting yourself at risk merely because you are bored? Take care that you're not sacrificing the significant for the trivial.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You may be tired of doing things the same old way -- but these are methods you've developed carefully and that remain effective.

Sudoku

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Sports Page 8

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Booze and Basketball

Monday, December 5, 2011

Bonnies Bounce Bulls in Emotional Big Four Matchup AARON MANSFIELD Senior Sports Editor

AARON MANSFIELD Chants of “Let’s go Bona” were met by the UB stuSenior Sports Editor dent section’s chorus of “What’s a Bonnie?” Taunts were exchanged as two of the best local teams in recent memory went blow-for-blow in a nail-biting, emotional thriller.

By the end of the game, St. Bonaventure’s traveling fans were bellowing: “This is our house.”

Saturday night was an emotional one.

Editor in Chief Matthew Parrino and I were high on excitement as we sat and watched the starting lineups for the men’s basketball game against St. Bonaventure. The lights were low and the capacity crowd was boisterous. Right before the tip, Parrino said: “I’ve got chills.” I think everyone in that arena could relate.

Buffalo lost on Saturday, but it was one hell of a game. If you missed this one, I’ve got to say you missed a game that was spine-tingling, thrilling, and any other creative adjective that’s synonymous with “awesome.”

Two superb teams played and one incredible crowd watched. St. Bona brought along some seriously annoying fans. They chanted things like “you are chunky” at the cheerleaders and “this is our house” at the UB student section.

I must admit I smiled a little when True Blue got UB to belt the “ASSSSSHOLE” chant in response.

So yeah, after an abundance of chants, chest pounds, and stimulating basketball, Buffalo came out on the losing end.

I was depressed the rest of the evening; I couldn’t get the game out of my head.

While everyone was having a great time at SA Gala, I was drowning my sorrows.

The matchup ran through my mind over and over as I went over scenarios.

What if Reggie hadn’t taken Filzen out for those few minutes in the second half? They needed his scoring. What if the Bulls found a way to feed their best player in the post?

McCrea was working feverishly for position and he needs touches if this team is going to win. What if the squad got decent point guard play? Watson and Oldham have been formidable this year, but they were virtual anomalies on Saturday.

Senior guard Zach Filzen and sophomore forward Javon McCrea did their best to silence the Bonnies faithful, but St. Bonaventure (3-3) trampled Buffalo (4-2) in the second half and won a back-and-forth Big Four matchup 66-60.

Seemingly everybody in Western New York – or at least all those not at the Sabres game – came to Alumni Arena on Saturday night. The Buffalo student section was rocking and so was St. Bonaventure’s as the Bonnies brought along approximately 500 fans.

St. Bona went on a 15-0 run in the second half to create some separation and overcome a 31-29 halftime deficit.

Filzen was absolutely unconscious, knocking down shots from all over the court and finishing with 26 points. Unfortunately for the sharpshooter and McCrea (15 points), the rest of their team (specifically the point guards) didn’t show up.

Filzen, McCrea, and senior forward Mitchell Watt – who struggled to consistently knock down jump shots and shot just 4-for-12 –combined for 51 of their team’s 60 points.

Sophomore guard Jarod Oldham and junior guard Tony Watson – who have split time at the point– have both looked good at different points this year.

Oldham looked sharp at the season’s start and Watson performed well in the Bulls’ past two games.

However, neither player brought his A game on Saturday. Oldham finished with three points and seven turnovers; Watson had two points and two turnovers on 0-of-5 shooting from the floor.

The Bulls’ biggest challenge was stopping Bonnies star Andrew Nicholson. All the publicity entering the weekend matchup surrounded the St. Bonaventure forward, who is expected to compete for a spot on the All-America team and was named to the Naismith Award Watch List.

He lived up to the hype.

The superstar has struggled with a cold and he was contained in the early going, but the 6-foot-9

I can’t believe what’s going on right now.

In case you didn’t know, nobody goes to the football games (not that they had much reason to this year) and nobody went to men’s basketball games last year until the end of the season when the squad was contending for a conference title. We’re in the first week of December and fans are coming out in multitudes. People Bullieve and it’s been great to see.

If you look at things in perspective, this loss really isn’t that huge of a deal. It’s a non-conference defeat to a desperate team with an All-America candidate.

Andrew Nicholson and Bona needed this win more than Buffalo. The Bulls are still 4-2 and their next game (against Niagara) is very winnable.

They’ll be just fine. They’re still going to compete for the MAC championship.

This one just cut me deep. I hate covering games that I care about because that challenges my journalistic objectivity, but it looks like I’m going to be doing that for the rest of the year.

If you haven’t seen the team yet, come check out a game. Buffalo is back home on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Me? I’ll be there all year, watching, reporting, secretly cheering. Here’s to hoping that in March I’ll be staring at the Bulls’ spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket rather than the bottom of a bottle.

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standout emerged as the game progressed and finished with 23 points (on 8-for-9 shooting) and eight rebounds. He iced the game with two clutch free throws.

“It was a must-win,” Nicholson said. “It was a game on the road against a good team in their arena…my teammates found me at the right time.”

McCrea held his own in the post, fronting Nicholson and denying him the ball. Buffalo’s buff forward won the matchup in the first half – he even looked unstoppable at times – but the Bulls couldn’t get him the ball with frequency in the second half. The sophomore wasn’t overwhelmed in-game, but he silently fumed afterward.

“I have no impressions [of Nicholson],” McCrea said. “They won. We lost.”

St. Bonaventure had shot 33 percent from threepoint range entering the matchup. The Bonnies went cold in the first half in Buffalo, shooting 0-for-4 from downtown, but they warmed up from long range in the second half and the rest of their game followed suit, outscoring Buffalo 37-29 in the final period.

The Bulls struggled in the game’s waning moments, as Filzen was smothered by the Bonnies’ D – it seemed he was the only player capable of knocking

Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum

down a jumper.

The veteran has been hot of late, putting up 24 against Dayton (5-2) and 19 against Canisius (1-4), and shooting a combined 10-of-21 from long range in those games. He surpassed those totals with a jaw-dropping performance that left fans asking: “Does this guy miss?”

The Bulls entered on cloud nine; the Bonnies entered with a chip on their shoulder. Buffalo had won consecutive games by an average of 32 points.

St. Bonaventure had lost two straight games, including a devastating 58-52 loss to Arkansas State (3-4) on Thursday night.

Nerves were high early in the game. The Bulls missed two thunderous dunks and it was evident that both teams were jittery in front of a noisy crowd of 3,882. Buffalo played from behind for the majority of the first half, but strong late-half play resulted in the Bulls’ lead at the break.

The Bulls – who beat Canisius earlier this season – will look to finish with a winning record in Big Four play when they take on Niagara (3-4) on Dec. 7 at the “Taps” Gallagher Center.

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TRUE BLUE AT THE GAME

I know I’m not a part of the team and my position with the paper just makes me a glorified fan-boy, but I’ve bought into our men’s basketball team, and from the looks of the environment on Saturday night, so has the rest of Buffalo.

I love seeing True Blue go wild. I love how local fans are showing up to support a school they usually don’t support – let’s be real, this is a professional sports city and UB athletics always take the backseat in Buffalo. But man, I would’ve loved it if I could’ve heard the “I believe that we have won” chant on Saturday.

Andrew Nicholson (44) scored 23 points en route to St. Bonaventure’s 66-60 victory over the Bulls.

Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum

Smith Places Highest for Buffalo at Nittany Lion Open BRIAN JOSEPHS Sports Editor

The wrestling team lost key members that may have derailed its success this season.

But despite the team’s current tribulations, senior Kevin Smith is steadily emerging as one of Buffalo’s elite.

Smith earned the Bulls’ (0-5) highest finish of their day at the Nittany Lion Open – a meet that featured 570 wrestlers from around the nation. Smith – Buffalo’s 141-lb. wrestler – finished second place. The Bulls had three other wrestlers who also placed in the tournament: senior John-Martin Cannon, junior Chris Conti, and junior Mark Lewandowski.

Smith, who ranks 19th in the nation, was too much for his opponents to handle as he rolled his way into the finals. He shutout Columbia University’s Ryan Porte (5-0), defeated Joe Rendina (7-3), and dominated Maryland’s Louis Mascola (8-2). After he took out Army’s Casey Smith (4-1), Smith earned a pass straight to the finals after his next opponent, Conti, was a medical forfeit for the match.

Smith’s streak came to an end at the finals. Virginia Tech’s Zach Neibert defeated the senior 7-3 to deny him of the championship crown in the weight class.

Smith was disappointed that he couldn’t finish at the top, but head coach Jim Beichner feels that the senior has a lot to be proud of.

“Kevin Smith wasn’t thrilled,” Beichner said. “He came down to win the whole event, but despite that he did a great job. He gave a ton of effort. I think he is better than a few of these wrestlers and I think that he should have won, but he can take this result and use it for motivation for the next few matches.”

Cannon returned to competition after sitting out Buffalo’s last few meets because of his intention to redshirt the season. The 174-lb. wrestler dominated his matches at the UB Open, and he looked like he was going to do the same at Penn State as he beat two of his opponents by pin fall and technical fall.

But the senior had his winning streak cut short by No. 2 Ed Ruth of Penn State. Ruth

downed Cannon 11-3 on his way to taking the title for the weight class. The redshirt senior finished the meet in third place after beating The Citadel's Turtogtokh Luvsandorj in his next match, 7-3.

Cannon was impressive despite his one loss, and Beichner believes the senior is still a work in progress.

“He is a guy that is always improving and doing all the right things,” Beichner said.

Buffalo traveled to Penn State to compete in the Nittany Lion Open against some of the best in the nation.

Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum

Lewandowski had a tougher day than his teammates, wrestling seven matches in the 165-lb weight class. Fatigue wasn’t a factor for the junior as he recorded four technical falls and a pin.

But Lewandowski slipped up in the quarterfinals, losing against Virginia Tech’s Peter Yates, 12-3.

The Depew, N.Y. native came right back after the defeat, beating his next two opponents by technical fall and pinning Columbia's Eren Civan in the first round to finish in fifth place.

Conti suffered his lone loss of the day when he faced Maryland’s Frank Goodwin after he declared his medical forfeit.

Conti finished the meet in fourth place Beichner was satisfied about with team’s performance.

However, the Bulls will face No. 19 Central Michigan (6-2, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) next in their conference opener, and Beichner is aware that Buffalo is still at a disadvantage.

ner said. “But it’s going to be tough [against Central Michigan] because of all the injuries. We won’t quite have a full team going out there but regardless we will go down there against Central and find a way to win.”

“There’s a lot of guys that should walk out feeling good about themselves,” Beich-

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Buffalo’s match against the Chippewas is scheduled for this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Alumni Arena.

Additional reporting by Nathaniel Smith