The Spectrum Vol. 70 No. 13

VOL. 70 NO. 13 | FEBRUARY 9, 2022

CDS plans to stock The Elli with health and beauty items

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950

UB dentistry school alum becomes acting director of National Institutes of Health

UBSPECTRUM

Maurice Linguist sparks radical change in his first full offseason as UB head coach

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Journey’s End and the refugee struggle in Buffalo When home is no longer safe, Buffalo becomes a sanctuary MATTHEW SZCZEPANIAK A.J. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITERS

Stranded in South Africa, a Congolese mother of three applied to resettle her family in the U.S. But she made a mistake on her paperwork. Her application was denied.

She was given an ultimatum. She could reapply, which would take months or even years. If successful, both she and her kids would be able to start a new life in the U.S. But nothing was guaranteed.

Her other option? An unthinkable decision. She could go by herself and leave her children behind, or send them on their own.

She chose to send her kids to live with her brother in Buffalo while she stayed behind in the Congo. That decision separated her family but gave her children a chance at a safer and more favorable life. One of her children went on to be a valedictorian in high school, another a salutatorian.

She never found out.

Shortly after their resettlement, she died without her kids by her side.

“It’s a sad story,” said Kathy Spillman, who relayed it. “But there’s not much uplifting about being a refugee.”

Spillman is director of community outreach at Journey’s End, a Buffalo-based nonprofit organization that assists with the relocation of refugees from around the world in the Buffalo area. Journey’s End also assists with legal services, housing, education, employment and entrepre-

Ra Dragon / Unsplash A person holds up a sign welcoming refugees

neurship, according to the organization’s 2020 annual report. Despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic, Journey’s End still assisted in the relocation of 55 refugees to Buffalo in 2020.

Most recently, thousands of Afghan refugees have applied for asylum in the U.S. following the U.S. military’s August withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover. Afghans were even recorded clinging to the outside of

a U.S. military aircraft taking off from Kabul International Airport. At least two fell to their deaths, according to The Guardian.

Some of the lucky few have found their way to Buffalo. Approximately 10,000 refugees have been relocated to the Queen City since 2001, according to the City of Buffalo’s 2016 New Americans Study.

And that number is only increasing.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last Sep-

tember that 335 Afghan refugees would make Buffalo their new home, according to WGRZ. Many would make the trek with the assistance of local nonprofit organizations like Journey’s End. Spillman expects that number to increase this year.

“We do have a fairly established Afghan SEE REFUGEES PAGE 2

Graduate student union petitions President Tripathi for higher minimum stipend, fee elimination Administrators maintain that the union must bargain with the state for their proposed reforms GRANT ASHLEY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

The eight graduate students, carrying homemade signs emblazoned with slogans like “$22K for all” and “No excellence without equity,” ascended the bent staircase to UB President Satish Tripathi’s Capen office. They sat down in the cream-colored armchairs in front of the receptionist’s desk, propped their signs up against the furniture, pulled stacks of exams from their backpacks and then started grading them.

The Graduate Student Employee Union, which represents all graduate students who work for the university as teaching assistants or graduate assistants, staged the Dec. 15 “grade-in” to advocate for a $22,000 minimum stipend and the elimination of broad-based fees — which are paid by most students to finance university services like transportation and athletics — for all graduate employees. The grade-in followed the union’s more heavily attended Dec. 2 demonstration and a petition to Tripathi with over 700 signatures that called for said fee abolition and stipend increase.

UB raised the minimum stipend, effectively the annual minimum salary for graduate workers, for all Ph.D. teaching assistants, research assistants and graduate

assistants to $20,000 in 2019 and eliminated fees for them last June.

But non-doctoral graduate workers and graduate students working outside of their academic department who aren’t subject to the $20,000 stipend baseline and fee exemption “are getting left out” by that “piecemeal” approach, according to Lawrence Mullen, an English Ph.D. student and business agent for GSEU. “About one-third of our member base actually is still paying fees and making less

than $20,000 because none of these decisions have come from the university president,” they said.

But the university has maintained that GSEU is attempting to bargain with them legally, which only the state is authorized to do.

“The GSEU’s petition clearly demands that the president do something that pertains to a mandatory subject of bargaining,” McKenna said in an email to The Spectrum. “GSEU has presented a bargaining

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum Students hold up signs outside President Tripathi’s office last semester.

demand, to raise the base compensation (i.e. stipend) for the GSEU membership, a mandatory subject. It is important to understand that neither UB nor President Tripathi are authorized to bargain regarding mandatory subjects… GSEU negotiations occur at the state level.”

But Mullen maintains that this isn’t the case.

“We are urging the president to do SEE STIPENDS PAGE 7

NEWS

2 | Wednesday, February 9 2022

ubspectrum.com

REFUGEES FROM PAGE 1

community here,” Spillman said. “It’s not as large as some other cities, but this is a desirable place for them to be.”

One refugee, Ahmad Rashid, came to the U.S. at the age of 17 to join that “established Afghan community.”

Rashid’s family endured daily gunfire and explosions in Afghanistan. But they did not seek refuge until Rashid’s father, an interpreter working for the U.S. military, started receiving death threats.

When they were able to leave, they left quickly.

“I hadn’t had time to say goodbye to family members. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my friends in high school,” Rashid said. “I left everything behind.”

Soon after arriving in the U.S., Journey’s End connected Rashid’s family with a caseworker, who helped his family secure housing, learn the public transportation system and re-enter schooling.

“Since day one, when I arrived, I wanted to make a better life for myself and my family,” Rashid said. “So, after a month and a half of living in Buffalo, at 17, I decided to start working at an Indian restaurant… I didn’t know the language [English], but I could speak and communicate with them in Hindi.

“Language was the hardest for me and my family. It took me roughly a year and a half to get a hold of the language and feel comfortable talking to people.”

Journey’s End helped him enroll in GED and English classes that allowed him to overcome the language barrier.

Much of Rashid’s family is still stuck in Afghanistan. He has tried to sponsor them.

“I’m still waiting to hear back from the government,” he said.

Fewer than 1% of refugees who apply for asylum in the U.S. are resettled. Even when asylum-seeking families’ applications are accepted, there are still cases

where not every family member makes it.

“It’s hard to make the case that the U.S. is doing enough if it’s doing less than anyone else,” Jacob Kathman, a professor of Comparative Politics and International Relations and the chair of UB’s political science department, said. “[The U.S.] is the wealthiest country in the world, it’s the most powerful country in the world and it has a lot of room. There’s just a lot of resources that can be put toward aiding large numbers of people in need.”

The U.S. holds 30% of the world’s total wealth, according to Credit Suisse’s Global Wealth Data Book, which is nearly double that of the next wealthiest nation, China, which holds 18%. In addition, the U.S. is the third-largest nation in square miles and has the most powerful military in the world, according to Statista.

“Where that becomes difficult for some policymakers is, well, ‘Until what point [do we help refugees]?’” Kathman said.

“Refugees ostensibly are people to be returned to their country once the political conflict or reason for their initial fleeing the country has been resolved, but I think you would be hard-pressed to find policymakers who believe without a doubt that it is [the] U.S.’s responsibility in all cases to resolve those types of problems.

“It’s probably not on the minds of most policymakers to resolve the problems that create [refugee] movement in the first place, so there can be a lack of political will, I think, when it comes to refugee policy. But if there is a country that has the ability to accommodate large numbers of refugees, it would be the U.S.” Spillman agrees.

“We need to solve the problems that are causing them to flee in the first place,” she said. “There has to be political will to do that.”

Spillman is no stranger to politics. She was raised in Buffalo but traveled the

Julie Ricard / Unsplash A Syrian refugee camp in the outskirts of Athens, Greece. More than 82.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes, according to UNHCR.

world for many years, working in politics and international relations. She came back and began working with Journey’s End in 2015.

“I was in the camps in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, the West Bank and Gaza… it’s a miserable existence being a refugee,” Spillman said. “I mean, that’s how I got interested in the refugee issue in the first place.”

But whether in Buffalo or the Middle East, providing for refugees is challenging.

Journey’s End receives 75% of its funding in grants but still relies on donations to maintain its services. Not to mention the organization needs manpower — everything from general volunteers to “contacts in real estate.”

“It may sound laughable but I’m half serious about it,” Spillman said. “We really need tips on where there’s affordable, decent housing that’s up to code. And we just need volunteers to help set up apartments and to maybe adopt the family for three months, you know, especially with the Afghan evacuation. A lot of them came literally with the clothes on their backs because they had to leave so, so quickly.”

When Rashid arrived in Buffalo, an

apartment was found for his family. They talked over the lease, but not all was made clear.

“I didn’t know what month-to-month was,” he said. “We got settled in the West Side of Buffalo… after seeing the situation I said that I was not going to live here anymore.”

Rashid found a listing in North Buffalo through a real estate agent, but with little credit and few people to vouch for his family, securing a home was difficult.

“It was hard, and my English was not good,” Rashid said. “I just stood in front of her [the real estate agent] and said, ‘Please, rent me this house.’”

Rashid is currently employed as a patient care technician at Roswell Park. He aspires to build clinics in Afghanistan and wants to share the knowledge he has learned from his experiences with others.

“If you see an immigrant [or] a refugee, you can help in any way,” Rashid said.

“Just teaching them and volunteering time or just showing them around, being nice to them, just smiling at them. And it makes a huge difference.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Students are Student Association plans to throw Spring Fest, hasn’t eligible for free revealedperformers rapid tests and SA also plans to hold N95 masks International Fiesta, New initiatives are aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic DAN EASTMAN ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

All on-campus students can now receive four free COVID-19 rapid tests via mail, thanks to a new initiative by the federal government.

By logging onto covidtests.gov, students can request four free at-home tests, which will ship in 7-12 days, according to the government website. Students can order the tests straight to their dorm or apartment complex by entering the address listed on UB’s Campus Living website with the appropriate zip code for their building.

Some students reported that the website didn’t allow them to enter their UB address, but Jessica Kane, assistant director of communications and marketing initiatives for Campus Living, says the addresses should work.

“We have confirmed that student residents can participate in receiving free athome COVID-19 testing through USPS,” Kane said.

If students receive an error when they enter their on-campus address, they should submit a Service Request with USPS, Kane said. Students can indicate on the form if they are experiencing an addressing issue.

They will be asked to indicate whether they live in an apartment, dorm or multibuilding.

In addition to testing kits, local pharmacies and grocery stores that are Federal Pharmacy Partners have begun to offer free N95 masks on a first-come first-serve basis.

Only a select number of locations will be receiving shipments of masks. Each person will be limited to a maximum of three masks, the government says.

Email:danielson.eastman@ubspectrum.com

Spring Gala ALEX FALTER

SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

Last Monday, Student Association President Nicholas Singh announced in an email to the student body that Spring Fest will return for the first time since 2019 on April 30.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Singh wrote in the email. “SPRING FEST IS ON! We are trying not only to do a big outdoor fest but also two smaller shows with different genres.”

But Singh didn’t detail a potential name or genre for a headlining performer, despite the proposed event date being fewer than three months away.

On top of a planned “big outdoor fest,”

Singh also mentioned plans for two smaller-scale shows centered around different musical genres, unlike the unknown headlining genre for Spring Fest.

UB hasn’t thrown a spring or a fall fest since COVID-19 forced a shift to remote learning in March 2020, citing health and safety guidelines. Without specifying a reason, Singh hinted that rules and regulations beyond the SA e-board’s control could hinder plans regarding Spring Fest and other planned events by the SA this semester.

“The Entertainment Department is doing its best to ensure that all of the events above along with others occur this semester; however, this is a fluid situation,” Singh wrote. “As long as all of the current regulations remain in place, it would be an eventful semester. If changes in regulation were to occur, this can affect the planning and execution of these items.”

An annual event, UB’s Spring Fest has hosted a variety of musical legends over the past 20 years, including Mac Miller, The Chainsmokers and Wiz Khalifa.

Other returning events mentioned in the email include International Fiesta, which is slated to take place on March 5; Spring Gala, which is scheduled for May 14; and an unspecified guest speaker with a tentative date of March 12. Singh said in the email his team is “actively trying our best to bring a popular guest speaker to campus” on that day.

Singh made no mention of the Comedy Series, which was previously an annual event.

Assuming these events stick to their scheduled dates, it seems that UB may finally return to the normalcy that students have been craving since the start of the pandemic.

Email:alex.falter@ubspectrum.com

Shubh Jain / The Spectrum Students eagerly await Spring Fest 2019, which featured A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Lil Baby and Kiana Ledé.

ubspectrum.com

OPINION

Wednesday, February 9 2022 | 3

The notorious USA: racism and football The NFL must encourage and incentivize minority hires

KAYLA STERNER ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

In late December, the Miami Dolphins became the first team in NFL history to go from a seven game losing streak to a seven game winning streak in the same season.

Their remarkable turnaround was largely attributed to one man: Brian Flores, their 40-year-old Black head coach, who led the team to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003.

So, following the conclusion of the season, Flores was awarded with a handsome bonus and contract extension, right?

Wrong.

Instead, Flores was swiftly fired. In his place, the team hired a younger, less experienced replacement in Mike McDaniel.

Not only did Flores enjoy success running the Dolphins, he won four Super Bowls as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots. He is clearly qualified to head a team.

And Flores is far from the only Black head coach to have experienced this fate.

The NFL’s hiring and firing process falls on the blurred line that separates equality from the economy.

Soon after his firing, Flores interviewed for the New York Giants’ head coaching vacancy. But he alleges that this was a sham interview, since he had already received a text from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before he interviewed that read, “Got it — I hear from Buffalo and NYG that you are their guy. Hope it works out if you want it to!”

That text was meant for a different Brian: Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who got the job instead.

Flores is now launching a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, the Denver Broncos, the Giants and the Dolphins on the basis of racial discrimination.

Flores is also accusing Miami owner Stephen Ross of offering him a $100,000 bonus for every game he lost.

In the lawsuit, Flores notes he isn’t the only Black person to have experienced potential racial discrimination and racist hiring practices.

Hue Jackson, the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, has expressed full support for Flores. Similar to Flores, Jackson claimed in an interview with SportsCenter that the Browns gave him monetary incentives to lose in 2016 and 2017. Jackson asserts he was forced to act in accordance with Cleveland’s four-year scheme to throw games in order to earn cap space and draft picks, something he was not aware of until after being hired.

Both the Browns and the Dolphins deny these accusations.

Unfortunately, it’s the Rooney Rule — a

policy intended to protect people of color — that is largely to blame for this mess.

This rule typically shields teams from claims of racial bias as long as they interview one person of color.

In 2003, the NFL instituted the Rooney Rule — which was named for late-Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who pushed to implement diversity requirements in the NFL’s hiring practices — which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate whenever a position becomes available.

But it hasn’t worked. In the last 19 years, teams have hired 122 head coaches. Only 17 have been people of color.

And until the Houston Texans hired Lovie Smith on Monday night, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was the sole Black head coach in the league.

During a storied 15-year coaching career, Tomlin has never had a losing season. But, he has been prematurely placed on the hot seat many times in the past.

ESPN sports journalist and commentator Stephen A. Smith asserts this is due to his race, and he goes on to make a solid point: Mike Tomlin probably wouldn’t be a coach in the NFL if he wasn’t hired by the Rooney’s.

Coaches of color do not enjoy the same leniency and lucrativity as white coaches and are more likely to be fired despite a winning season.

The mistreatment of minority coaches in the hiring process is obvious, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Fundamentally, the NFL has a responsibility to further encourage and incentivize the hiring of people of color. The Rooney Rule fails to hold teams accountable, and

has been frankly ineffective at accomplishing its most basic goals.

A vast majority of NFL team owners, general managers and coaches are white.

Between Super Bowl LIII (2019) and LIV (2020), teams hired 31 new head coaches, general managers, offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators, according to Tides. Twenty-four of those positions were granted to white men.

That’s even more stunning when you consider that in 2020, 69.4% of the league’s players were people of color.

By contrast, the NFL has only three — three — Black head coaches heading into 2022.

From January 1963 to February 2020, only 18 different African American men and four Latino men have served as head coaches. A mere five people of color stepped onto the field as head coaches to kick off the 2021 season.

The 2022 hiring picture isn’t looking much different from years’ past. Two Black general managers were hired this offseason in the form of Ryan Poles and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, making seven of the 32 people with decision-making power in the league people of color. Eight of nine head coaching vacancies were filled, only two of them by minorities. Every team owner asserts the importance of minority representation to the media, but their actions do not align with said belief.

If it is so important to you, why don’t you hire them?

The NFL needs to be better.

Let them lead.

me, the times they touched me, the times they cornered me. He quickly interrupted my rant with a phrase that continues to run through my mind: “Do you really consider that oppression? Sounds like pretty bitch privilege to me.”

He spit it out as if it had left a bitter taste in his mouth. I sat there, partially in shock and partially confused about what he meant. How ironic, I thought to myself.

To him, an apparent grizzly bear, my appearance waters down any oppression that I might face. He is wrongly convinced that having a noticeable face is a good thing, but as a woman, standing out to men can single you out. It can put a target on your back.

To this day, I still torture myself with all the things I should have said to him, and on the off chance he reads this, this is what I came up with: I didn’t feel pretty at 12-years-old, my knees covered in blood and my palms caked in concrete pebbles. I was on a walk alone. A group of boys chased me down the road, telling me to lift up my shirt. I immediately regretted begging my dad to let me buy it from Justice the weekend be-

fore, and the shoes I had chosen to wear that day – it turns out twinkle-toe, light-up shoes only slow you down.

I didn’t feel pretty at 14, mascara running down my face. A close friend told me the boy I liked would never ask me out because “white guys just don’t like brown girls.” I can still remember the heartache I felt when she told me I was built more like a stripper, while she was built more like a wife.

I didn’t feel pretty being compared to Mia Khalifa all throughout high school.

Stereotyped and oversexualized, broken down and defeated.

I did everything I could to fulfill society’s standards of “beauty.” My black hair is now dyed red. Braces have closed the gap between my two front teeth. I’ve grown three inches taller since middle school.

Yet none of that matters. None of that will ever matter. Because what I’ve had to learn the hard way is that, as a woman, prettiness will never buy me safety. It could never grant me protection.

I’ll never have “pretty bitch privilege.”

Men simply have the privilege of calling me pretty.

Email: kayla.sterner@ubspectrum.com

Pretty bitch privilege Beauty doesn’t come with safety

KAYLA ESTRADA ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

I’ve never considered myself pretty.

Not in a self-deprecating way, I just am far too familiar with my own face.

I used to spend hours staring in the mirror when I was in middle school, anticipating — praying for — at least one of my features to jump out.

I longed for my hollow brown eyes to suddenly turn blue — at least then they wouldn’t seem so plain against my tan skin. I held my breath and wished for my short black hair to transform into long golden locks, the kind that wouldn’t make me look bald whenever I pulled my hair back. I thought if I concentrated enough I could make my legs longer and my nose

shorter. With enough focus, maybe I could even miraculously fill the gap between my teeth. I’d squeeze my eyes shut and plead that when I opened them I would suddenly look different. More interesting.

For years I practiced this sacred tradition in the sanctuary of my bright yellow bathroom.

And for years I was convinced that everyone saw exactly what I did — a plain face with nothing notable to mention. I genuinely believed that my physical appearance didn’t stand out to anyone.

Until about three weeks ago.

On that fateful day, a guy from one of my literature classes invited me to his apartment to work on our final essay for the semester. After not even half an hour of talking with him, he attempted to impress me with misogynistic jokes. He referred to women as “you females,” and rambled for an hour about a comedian who compared the “inevitability” of workplace harassment to grizzly bears hunting salmon.

As the apparent salmon in this analogy, I became alarmed.

I immediately objected.

I described the times lonely men followed me home, the times they harassed

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2021 VOLUME 70 NUMBER 13 CIRCULATION: 3,000

Do you have an interest in journalism, graphic design, photography, social media, advertising, cartoons or copy editing? The Spectrum is always looking for enthusiastic students who want to be part of our team. Join our 45-time award winning independent student newspaper for hands-on, realworld experience in your field.

Anyone interested in joining The Spectrum’s editorial staff can email Reilly Mullen at: eic@ubspectrum.com.

Anyone interested in joining The Spectrum’s professional staff or advertising team can email Alek Ogadzhanov at: aio@ubspectrum.com.

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 MANAGING EDITORS Justin Weiss Dan Eastman, Asst.

NEWS/FEATURES EDITORS Grant Ashley, Sr. Jack Porcari, Sr. Julie Frey, Sr. Kayla Estrada, Asst.

Kyle Nguyen, Asst.

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

Email: kayla.estrada@ubspectrum.com

SPORTS EDITORS Anthony DeCicco, Sr. Sophie McNally, Asst.

Kayla Sterner, Asst.

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

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

COPY EDITOR Andrew Lauricella

4 | Wednesday, February 9 2022

OPINION

ubspectrum.com

The agony of defeat Losing is just one painful step on the road to winning

JUSTIN WEISS MANAGING EDITOR

SOPHIE MCNALLY ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Screaming, crying and throwing up.

Those cathartically emotional reactions were on full display in the waning moments of the Bills’ stunning 42-36 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round two weeks ago, when Buffalo squandered a three point lead with just 13 seconds to go to knock themselves out of the playoffs.

The city of shirtless superfans and broken folding tables was forced to belt its trademarked ‘Shout’ song — but instead of shouting for their players, they were shouting at them.

We too have sung that song. Neither of us are lifelong Bills fans. Neither of us were born in the Queen City. But both of us have experienced the pain and agony that a demoralizing loss can bring. More often than not, it feels as if sport takes away more than it gives back.

Watching the Bills fall to the Chiefs two weeks ago reminded us of all the sores and discomforts sports have brought us over the years.

Just like that Sunday night, we’ve both held our head in our hands as our TVs

glistened with streamers and fireworks, unrecognizable to our home colors.

We’ve both felt the nerves and excitement of the crowd fall at our feet and wither into the silent footsteps that lead us to cold cars and empty rooms, when we can’t help but ask ourselves, Why does everyone else seem to win?

But sports do that. Sports always do that.

Sports convince us that our teams are going to win it all this year, even though we say that every year. Sports bring us the highest highs — David Tyree making a miraculous helmet catch, Endy Chavez leaping high over the fence to bring back a home run, Ryan Pulock making an extraordinary diving save at the buzzer — just to follow them up with the lowest lows.

Sports teach us that no matter how many remotes we throw at our TVs, no matter how many players we yell at to shoot the puck, no matter how much money and time we invest in our fandom — our enthusiasm and knowledge won’t be enough.

It will never be enough.

But sports teach us so much more than just winning and losing.

It also teaches us that we can find beauty in the darkest moments — yes, even after a loss.

That beauty was almost touchable in 2012, as the stellar Scotsman Andy Murray broke down in a blur of emotion when his first Grand Slam win (that he had worked so tirelessly for) was so quickly snatched away from him. “I’m going to try this — it isn’t going to be easy,” Murray said in his post-match speech, through clenched teeth and tear-filled eyes, while the whole of London lit up with cheers and forehead kisses for their newborn tennis phenom-

enon.

That beauty was again on full display in 2019, when a hobbled Dominic Smith came back from a two month stint on the disabled list to hit a walk-off three-run homer in the final game of the season.

The New York Mets had been long eliminated from the playoffs, but that day, the only thing that mattered was the magic that happened on the diamond.

That beauty was palpable too when England fans flooded social media with warmth and support for 19-year-old midfielder Bukayo Saka, who faced swarms of racial abuse and slurs because of his missed penalty which cost England the UEFA Euro 2020 final against Italy.

And that beauty was apparent in the stunned silence that followed the New York Islanders’ 1-0 loss in Game 7 of the 2021 NHL Conference Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sitting on our couch, disbelief tattooed to our faces — there are few experiences that are more deflating and bewildering.

Heck, there are few experiences that are more beautiful.

But these moments don’t exist in a vacuum. They enable us to feel with our whole heart when our team finally does capture a title, especially after years of struggles and failures.

It’s the feeling when, at 7-years-old, we watch a dozen grown men fall to their knees in tears, as their beloved football team beats the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. Never mind that we watched the game on a 22” TV in the basement of a Brooklyn apartment, or that we were more concerned about the commercials than what happened between them.

Never mind that it would take us a few

more years to capture the same joy as our father and his friends. The point remains the same: that feeling of shared euphoria is unlike any other in the world. It completes us as people.

It’s in our friends’ hugs, which tell us that no, we aren’t dreaming. It’s in the breaks in our voice, which puts to shame the idea that sports are hyper-masculine and we can’t betray emotion. It’s in the tears that fall from our face, no matter how hard we try to suppress them.

As Fredrik Backman wrote in “Beartown:” “Never trust people who don’t have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason.”

Sports, for so many of us, is something that we can invest our whole selves into.

Whether we’re competing, or rooting for our team, it’s all or nothing.

Heart, mind and soul.

Communities are built off of the back of sports. Buffalo bleeds blue and red, and the people here won’t let us forget it.

Sports bring people of all ages and backgrounds together under one common cause. It doesn’t matter what our personal or political belief systems are, or what job we have, or what community we live in. All it comes down to is people uplifting each other in the name of a love they all share.

So when it comes to missed plays and fumbled balls, it can be a really painful experience. When something our community has fully invested itself into falters, it’s a gut-wrenching feeling.

But it’s also a necessary feeling.

Losing is just one painful step on the road to winning.

Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com Email: sophie.mcnally@ubspectrum.com

You are not crazy Mental health is more than anxiety attacks and bouts of depression

KARA ANDERSON SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

I couldn’t sleep.

There was a spider in my head.

It was crawling around in my ear canal, making its way deeper and deeper into my body, impossible to get out no matter how many times I painfully jabbed at it with my pointer finger. It was taunting me, tickling the sensitive skin with its spindly, jittery legs. It was hiding just out of reach, nestled in the innermost part of my skull.

Or, at least that’s what my brain told me.

For nearly two years, I have become well acquainted with sleeptime disturbances — from hallucinations of ants crawling in my bed as I fall asleep, to insomnia that keeps me up until the sun peeks over the horizon, to nightmares that turn a healthy eight hours into an abridged three.

However, this time was different. I had grown accustomed to the hallucinations of bugs in my bed — it happens often enough that I’m fairly good at grounding myself back to reality. But the spider in my ear wasn’t a diversion from reality like

those ants because, in that moment, the spider was my reality.

It wasn’t until at least an hour after I first imagined the spider, when the paranoia had fled my veins, when my body laid tense and achy and terribly tired, that I realized what had just happened — how reality had collapsed around me. And how I realized I couldn’t trust my perception of reality.

I was terrified. Completely and utterly terrified.

Mental illness isn’t something I’m unfamiliar with. I’ve dealt with bouts of anxiety and depression since I was 13. For the past year I’ve been going to therapy, hoping to get the sometimes-debilitating ailments under control, to learn to live with them (somewhat) peacefully. Nearly all of my family members are treated for anxiety or another malady. It’s a normal part of life for me.

This wasn’t.

When the immediacy of the fear began to ebb away and flow back like a receding tsunami, unaffected by the damage it had caused, a new feeling crept in.

Shame.

There was a deep sense of embarrassment — of failure, even — as I spoke with my therapist about the spider incident. As I had to parse through this horrifying experience, hearing words spill out of his mouth in the sounds of delusions, psych evaluation and eventually, more kindly, cognitive distortion, extra support.

At 20 years old I had to call my mom, who lives three hours away, to set up an

action plan if — no, when — something like this happens again — to have someone anchor me back to reality, one different from the reality my brain has created.

I needed her to be ready, whether at 3 a.m. or 10 p.m., to answer my calls, to tell me that I am wrong, that there is no spider.

That there never was any spider.

I felt as though I had failed as an adult, to need this kind of support. I felt as if I was too old, too smart, too experienced with mental illness to need this.

Worse, I felt crazy.

There’s no good way to put it. There wasn’t as I cried on the phone to my mom, scared to the absolute core that my bearings on reality were giving way. That the truth of the world was crumbling around me, never to be remade.

I felt isolated.

I’ve always had a support system I could relate to. When I spoke to friends and family about not being able to go to the grocery store because a swell of tension would grip my heart at the thought, or, when I took 30 minute showers, just laying in the tub and not even bathing because that was more effort than my body could produce, someone could always relate.

I didn’t know anyone who could relate to this.

I didn’t know anyone who would want to talk about this.

Mental illness has always been awash in taboo, a clingy and darkening word that turns an essential health problem into a malignant and vile creature.

As a society, we’ve taken steps to des-

tigmatize this notion. I’m grateful for this — it’s given me the ability and confidence to share my experience with anxiety and depression and learn about others’ experiences.

However, there still exists so much stigma around other kinds of mental illness (and severe mental illness) that doesvn’t come in this nice tidy box of familiarity and popular conscience.

When you begin to experience these less “acceptable” illnesses, the psychological distress of the illness is hard enough on its own. Adding the societal notions that come with it makes it even harder to deal with.

That’s why I’m writing this column, despite the fear it drills in the marrow of my bones. I am still terrified, still rattled from this experience that happened in November. I want to cry from the fear as I type.

But I’m not going to keep this experience holed up somewhere, so that it is only mine, so that no one else can relate.

I’m writing this column for any reader who has ever experienced something that shook them to the core, and because of it, felt completely alone, even if they were surrounded by love. That’s how I felt.

This is for anyone scared they’re going crazy. For anyone scared they are crazy.

For anyone scared that society will find out they’re crazy.

Mental illness is scary. Petrifying, even.

But you are not alone.

You are not crazy.

Email: kara.anderson@ubspectrum.com

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Wednesday, February 9 2022 | 5

One World Café opens its doors to students Study area opened last week, dining area to follow in March

that’s why we’re here — that’s what it’s all about.”

Hanah Jones, a freshman exercise science major, says the new space JACK PORCARI has a cleaner, less conSENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR gested feel.

“I watched them build Three years ago, then-Vice Provost for it last semester, but Academic Affairs Graham Hammill en- knowing that it’s here visioned One World Café as “much more now, I think I like it a lot than a place to eat.” Last Monday, UB more than studying in opened the newly-constructed café to stu- any other room,” Jones dents — with exactly that goal in mind. said. “It’s not too loud.

When students arrived on campus for It’s not too quiet. And the the start of the spring semester, they were room is very vibey.” greeted by ample seating space and ocChristopher Kakis, a casional food tasting events. But the ca- sophomore aerospace fé’s five eateries won’t open until at least engineering major, says March, when the multicultural dining cen- the café “provides more ter will undergo a “soft opening,” accord- options” and will likely ing to the university. That means students “reduce congestion in have been using the space for other rea- the SU [Student Union].”

Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum sons this week: namely, for studying and SU eateries have been SSai tudents had varied opinions about One World Café bold architecture. socializing. marked by long lines and “From the first couple of days we early closures since last tered and torn in Talbert [Hall],” Kakis because of the shift. opened it it has been very, very well re- semester, as the result of a nationwide hir- said. “Some classrooms aren’t so nice so “I didn’t feel like they made the changes ceived,” Eric Blackledge, executive direc- ing shortage and supply chain issues.

I wonder if that was the best approach.” they were making accessible to students,” tor of Campus Dining & Shops, told The Kakis also wonders about the effect UB plans on handing out 300-500 free Kirsten Mcgraw, a sophomore chemical Spectrum in an email. “At 7 a.m. on that the construction has had on neighboring food samples every Tuesday, beginning at and biological engineering major, said. “I Monday when it opened there were stu- buildings.

2 p.m. These events, called “Tasting Tues- actually was just coming here [One World dents here already just hanging out. I’m “It’s a nice renovation, it looks new, but days,” will grant students the ability to try Café] to find Norton Hall. It took me a glad to see they are enjoying it because there’s a bunch of classrooms that are tat- menu items and direct culinary questions while.”

But not everyone had a positive first imdirectly to the chefs.

“Touring Thursdays” will allow pression of the new café. Some students, students who are interested to take a like sophomore English major Alex Nostep inside the café. Every Thursday, vak, felt the launch was underwhelming.

“They made it seem like it was gonna be Campus Dining & Shops will run two tours — one at 1:45 p.m. and one at 2 really cool and I pictured something more p.m. — that will showcase the back of vibrant and colorful, but it’s plain like the the house and the café’s “composting library,” he said. “It’s modern, but a little operations.” The 30-minute tours will too modern — put a big mural or painting commence at the fireplace. Reserva- somewhere.”

A number of students told The Spectrum tions are not required.

Dasia Cervi, a third-year English that the café will give them a much-needed major, says the fireplace adds a calm- central location to eat and do work. UB is calling the building the “front door” of ing element to the new facility.

“It’s pretty cool in here, it looks like the campus.

“It has been great seeing so much enit would be from a movie,” Cervi said. ergy and activity in One World during the “The fireplace is a nice touch.”

One World Café features hard and opening week of campus,” Brian Hamluk, soft seating areas, 250 charging out- vice president for Student Life, said. “As lets, open-light study spaces and more. the semester moves on and we fully settle But the cosmetic changes haven’t been in, I am certain that satisfaction will only Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum without confusion; students have de- grow.”

Students used One World Café as a study spot during the first week of classes. scribed having trouble finding rooms Email: jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com

C D S p la n s t o s t o c k T h e E lli w it h h e a lt h a n d b e a u t y it e m s Campus CVS closed in January, leaving a void for students without personal transportation JULIE FREY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Campus Dining and Shops says it is trying to stock The Elli with additional health and beauty items, now that the campus CVS has closed and some students — particularly those without a car — no longer have easy access to these essentials.

CDS’ greatest challenge in building up a supply of these essentials is finding suppliers for the wide range and large quantity of products needed to stock The Elli, according to CDS director of marketing and communications Raymond Kohl . Kohl cited students’ buying power as the key indicator for how CDS will continue to adapt to their needs.

“A lot of these chain stores will order 500 pallets of a product but we only need one,” Kohl said in a Zoom interview with The Spectrum.

The CVS on campus closed in January, which caused an outcry among students, many of whom expressed concern that they would lose easy access to health, household and school supplies.

Josias Pichardo, a sophomore business major, says he relied on CVS in past semesters and missed the store on the first day of classes.

“I wanted to go to CVS to get some notebooks for the first day of classes because that’s where I usually get my notebooks,” Pichardo said. “They sell notebooks at The Elli but they were already

Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum A sign nestled in CVS’ doorway displays the store’s fate.

sold out. I remembered that [CVS] was closed and ended up going to the [UPS] store next door and they only had two notebooks and I just used those.”

The Elli did not have notebooks in stock as of Monday. CDS plans to amp up its stock of medicinal products in the coming weeks. Currently, The Elli sells Flonase, Tums, aspirin, pregnancy tests, deodorant, dental care, razors, and other personal care and health items.

However, products at The Elli also carry a much heftier price tag than their counterparts at nearby retailers.

A 24-capsule bottle of Tylenol PM costs

$9.39 at The Elli, while it costs $5.29 at Wegmans.

“We always look to keep the prices at our convenience stores as low as possible,” Kohl said. “The difficulty lies in the fact that we just don’t have the buying power on those items as larger corporations do when buying in volume, but we try to be as competitively priced as we can.”

CDS is not only navigating how to offer more products at on-campus locations, but is struggling to meet students’ dining needs across campus with several students citing long lines and the reintroduction of 10-minute periods between classes as a

barrier to getting food.

“Everything is just packed and crowded.

I tried to order Sizzles online this morning and couldn’t do it so I had to come here and wait in line,” Pichardo said. “I would like to order Moe’s but if I order Moe’s then I have to [spend] 45 minutes waiting in line and it’s not worth it.”

Isha Gawande, a sophomore pharmacology and toxicology major, says the food ordering process has been particularly challenging this semester.

“Now that they’ve reduced the time between classes from 20 minutes to 10, you have to really plan it out, when you’re going to get food every day [because of wait lines],” Gawande said.

CDS has partially reopened South Campus’ Main Street Dining Center for continuous buffet dining three times a week.

It previously only served non-buffet-style single meals. South Campus’ Whispers Café has also reopened from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays.

On North Campus, dining options have continued to dwindle. The Bowl, located in Ellicott Complex, and smaller cafés around campus — Seasons in the CFA, Mrs. Rich’s Café in NSC, Baldy Walkway Café and Whispers’ in the Silverman library — have still not reopened.

“I usually hang out at the Silverman Library and on the third floor,” Sebastian Richel, a sophomore computer science major said. “There’s a café that hasn’t been opened one time, it would be kinda nice to grab a bagel or something.”

Email: julie.frey@ubspectrum.com

6 | Wednesday, February 9 2022

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UB dentistry school alum becomes acting director of National Institute of Health Lawrence Tabak reflects on his time at UB and his more than 20-year career with the NIH GRANT ASHLEY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Dr. Lawrence Tabak spent the most shocking day of his 21-year tenure at the National Institutes of Health containing an airborne, potentially deadly virus: Smallpox.

Vials of the eradicated virus had been discovered in an abandoned building on the NIH’s Bethesda, MD campus in 2014, violating an international treaty and making national headlines. Forensic tests determined that the samples were relatively “benign,” and the vials were destroyed.

Despite the happy ending, Tabak still remembers the incident vividly.

“It’s the last thing that you’d expect to find,” he said in a Zoom interview with The Spectrum. “It was hermetically sealed, so no one was ever in any danger. But when you first make a finding like that, your mind runs a little wild.”

Eight years later, Tabak, who earned his Ph.D. in oral biology and an advanced certificate in endodontics from UB’s School of Dental Medicine, now finds himself dealing with a new virus — this time, as the acting director of one of the nation’s largest federal agencies. He was named acting director of the NIH, the federal agency responsible for biomedical and public health research, late last December following the departure of long-time director Francis Collins.

He described taking on the new position during the Omicron wave of the pandemic as “very challenging,” as he is responsible for everything from keeping the NIH’s Clinical Center operational to coordinating the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Department of Health and Human Services — mostly from behind a computer screen. A typical workday for Tabak involves nine to 12 virtual meetings with the NIH team members, HHS staff and occasionally White House staffers.

Amy B. Heimberger / Wiki Commons Lawrence Tabak (left) and Amy Heimberger (middle) pose for a photo in 2007.

“It sometimes does feel like one long Zoom call,” he said.

Tabak’s appointment follows a long career in higher education, research and public service. After graduating from Columbia University in 1977 with a D.D.S., Tabak enrolled in a program at UB designed for dentists pursuing a Ph.D. After earning a degree in oral biology, Tabak joined the department as a tenure-track faculty member while pursuing an advanced certificate in endodontics.

“I would flip back and forth between roles,” he said. “I would be giving lectures to the same people who I was taking the training with and wearing one hat, and

then I would be taking an exam an hour later with the same students wearing the other hat.”

Following the completion of his advanced certificate program, Tabak left his colleagues at UB in 1986 to become a faculty member at the University of Rochester, where he eventually became the senior associate dean for research. “[Moving to Rochester] just gave me the opportunity to learn how to do many more things, research-wise,” he said. “I went from being a little fish in a lake to a little minnow in an ocean. It was scary, but it was a good way of continuing to learn.”

Tabak left the University of Rochester in 2000 after being offered a job in the NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

He was promoted to principal deputy director in 2010.

Tabak’s former colleagues at the dental school weren’t surprised to learn he’d ascended to the top job at the NIH. “I can’t say I was really surprised,” Dr. Rosemary Dziak, a professor of oral biology who worked with Tabak when he was a Ph.D. student, said.

“He has been working his way up, first through the NIDCR [National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research], and then, through the various deputy levels [at the NIH]… We saw the path that he was taking.”

Tabak attributes his success in part to his time as a doctoral student at UB, where he worked alongside diligent classmates — some of whom became lifelong friends — and some of the most prominent researchers in dentistry at the time, especially Courtesy of the National Institutes of Health Lawrence Tabak, the acting director of the National Institutes of Health, graduated from UB with a Ph.D. and a certificate his mentor, Dr. Mike of proficiency in endodontics.

Levine.

“All of my classmates in graduate school went on to have incredibly successful careers,” he said. “We had an amazing cohort, and we all, in a very friendly way, pushed each other to excel.”

But even among that group of notable students, Tabak stood out to dental school faculty.

“He was always talking about his research,” Dziak said. “He was a very pleasant person, but it was his high level of energy about research that I remember most.”

Tabak created a similar research environment — vigorous but fun — as a professor at UB and later at the University of Rochester, according to Dr. Brian O’Connell, dean of health sciences at the University of Dublin and a former student of Tabak’s.

“He was a lot of fun to work with and very caring, gave loads of time, was extremely patient,” O’Connell said. “But he expected a lot. He expected people to work hard, but I think we [his students] got an awful lot out of it.”

Tabak’s generosity with his time extended outside of the lab too. When O’Connell needs career or scientific advice, he still calls Tabak. And after O’Connell and his wife had a baby, Tabak volunteered to babysit for them.

“I think he was the first babysitter we had,” O’Connell said. “He let me and my wife go out to dinner, and he stayed in and watched our baby. It was our first time getting out of the house. He was that kind of guy who would just do anything.”

O’Connell, who worked for NIH for six years and departed shortly before Tabak’s arrival, says he “may have stayed” had he known Tabak would be joining the agency.

But Tabak’s days at the NIH appear numbered. He has no plans to become the permanent director of the NIH. “Typically the individual at the head of the NIH is a world leader, both scientifically as well as in their ability to communicate science and lead a very large organization,” he said. “And while I am absolutely privileged to be doing this, I am very, very confident that the president will find somebody far better than I am to serve in the permanent position.”

After he helps on-board the next director, Tabak hopes to return to his laboratory full-time and continue studying glycoproteins, the focus of much of his previous research.

Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com

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Wednesday, February 9 2022 | 7

Cybersecurity Bootcamp launches this week The workforce development program is the latest edition to a lineup of cybersecurity curricula JACK PORCARI SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Roughly 80 people are participating in UB’s inaugural Cybersecurity Bootcamp, a 400-hour course designed to equip learners with the job-ready skills they need to navigate a rapidly-changing workplace.

Led by the Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE), the new program is taught by experts within the cybersecurity field. The bootcamp “addresses one of the biggest challenges facing the Greater Buffalo Area’s workforce,” UB spokesperson Cory Nealon told The Spectrum.

“The rapid development of new technology coupled with the increasing shift to remote work is causing the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals to increase exponentially,” Kemper Lewis, dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said. “The University at Buffalo is pleased to offer this leading-edge program that will prepare participants for the abundance of opportunities that await them in the cybersecurity sector.”

The program offers students career development resources, like LinkedIn profile optimization, interview practice and job placement assistance. TCIE is also offering preparation for certification exams such as CompTIA Network+, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and LPI Linux Essentials.

In addition, the course is supposed to enable students to gain fluency in a variety of areas, including cloud security, Python for security, Microsoft security and more.

Hands-on work is a major component of STIPENDS FROM PAGE 1

something,” they said. “I’m not demanding anything. I’m not bargaining. I’m not negotiating. None of that language is in the petition, so we would like to still meet with the president. And they’ve just continued to push back and say, ‘Nope, you are trying to negotiate. You’re trying to bargain. We won’t meet with you.’”

GSEU leaders plan to advocate for a living wage during their contract negotiations with the state, but they won’t have the opportunity to do so until their current contract expires in July 2023, which “doesn’t provide immediate financial support for graduate workers,” according to Mullen.

“We have members who are still making $12,000 to $13,000 a year and paying fees, so their stipends are coming out, net, to $10,000 to $11,000 before taxes come out,” they said. “So if they were raised to $22,000, I mean, that would be life-changing.”

All full-time fully funded Ph.D. students receive a tuition scholarship, and “many” of those students receive stipends larger than $20,000, McKenna said.

“In addition to UB’s full-time fully funded Ph.D. students, UB also provides opportunities to graduate students who are successfully placed as teaching assistants and graduate assistants throughout their graduate careers,” she said. “These graduate students are provided a stipend, health insurance and other benefits that recognize their UB service and commitment to

Ari Goldstein / Unsplash The inaugural Cybersecurity Bootcamp, led by the Center for Industrial Effectiveness, is hosting roughly 80 students in its 400-hour course.

the course, with “virtual cyber labs and real-world simulations on relevant topics such as cyber infrastructure and technologies, ethical hacking and data loss prevention” being taught by instructors.

The course is designed to serve professionals in Western New York who are “unemployed, underemployed or changing careers,” Nealon told The Spectrum.

Cybersecurity, or computer security, entails protecting virtual resources like data, networks and devices from cyber attacks and cyber crime. For students, this could

include digital transcript records, passwords and other private information.

As the pandemic forces employers to convert physical assets into digital ones, businesses will need to be able to navigate the changing landscape, Lewis says.

UB doesn’t offer a major in cybersecurity, But it does offer an advanced certificate in cybersecurity, a cybersecurity minor and graduate programs. The advanced certificate allows students to tailor their 15-credit education to their interests through a “managerial track” or a “tech-

their education.”

But GSEU leaders have argued that that isn’t enough support.

“Many of us are in a grossly vulnerable position with regard to yearly income,” the union’s petition to Tripathi says. “According to the Economic Policy Institute, the cost of living in Erie County is nowhere near $20,000 per year. For a one personhousehold, the cost of living is $35,000 per year, which is a $15,000+ gap.”

They further contend that the university can afford to increase stipends and waive fees for graduate workers given the $37.8 million in construction costs UB paid for the new One World Café and the nearly $300 million increase in net assets owned by the UB Foundation, the university’s private endowment, as referenced in a GSEU press release from Nov. 30.

McKenna disputes the assertion that the university has poorly spent funds.

“UB is strongly committed to exercising prudent management of its limited university resources to promote resilience, maintain appropriate reserves and operate effectively and efficiently,” McKenna said.

After spending “the entirety of January” trying “to receive COVID-19 guidelines from the university” and “subsequent clarification on those guidelines,” GSEU is “planning on continuing to push for the total elimination of broad-based fees and [the implementation of] a higher stipend baseline during the spring semester,” Mullen said.

Nikole Hannah-Jones to kick off Distinguished Speakers Series this semester

Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize winning reporter behind the “The 1619 Project” JULIE FREY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series will resume on Feb. 16 at the Center for the Arts with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who will serve as the keynote speaker of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration.

Hannah-Jones is best known for her work as the creator of “The 1619 Project,” which highlights the interconnectedness of enslaved Africans with modern institutions. The project is named after the

nical track.” The 23-credit cybersecurity minor expands upon this curriculum with more electives in topics from software and hardware security to computer systems administration.

UB’s move to launch a program focused specifically on cybersecurity comes at a time when the job market in Western New York requires more knowledge in this sector, according to experts.

Email: jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com

year that enslaved Africans were brought to the U.S. “The 1619 Project” highlights Black creators’ work in mediums of art and essays to reconstruct the narrative of Black history. Hannah-Jones’ work with the project earned her a Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Hannah-Jones is an investigative reporter for the New York Times Magazine, where she focuses primarily on issues of racism and racial discrimination in housing. She has won a Peabody and two George Polk awards, as well as the National Magazine Award three times.

Jeff Corwin, a renowned conservationist and environmental journalist, will be the final Distinguished Speaker for the 202122 series. He will come to UB on April 5.

Email: julie.frey@ubspectrum.com

Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum Students sit in the hallway of the president’s office in Capen Hall.

Alice Vergueiro / Wiki Commons Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks to an audience in 2018. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist will speak at the Center for the Arts on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

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8 | Wednesday, February 9 2022

Read a book, play a card game or strike a yoga pose with these fun and easy suggestions

ubspectrum.com

indoor activities

SPECTRUM STAFF

Whether because of falling COVID-19 particles or snowflakes, students in the Queen City are forced to spend a lot of time indoors — especially in 2022.

Luckily, the staff of The Spectrum has compiled a list of fun and easy activities to do while you’re stuck in your dorm room or apartment complex. Channel your inner Picasso, challenge your friends to competitive activities or read an award-winning novel — the Buffalo weather and current pandemic situation will give you plenty of time to master indoor crafts:

Do your work…with purpose

When you spend an abundance of time indoors because of the Queen City weather, you may find yourself asking: “How can I decrease my anxiety and pass some time in the process?”. I come to you with a simple solution: Do your work.

For school or otherwise, the thought of work piling up is indeed daunting. Simply starting a task gives me the peace of mind to keep pushing through the daily grind with positivity. I find that if you frame your to-do list as tiny chunks, keeping a level state of mind becomes easier. All you have to do is listen to your instincts and bit by bit, you can finish anything you set your mind to.

Yoga

Bored, lonely or just sick of your life inside? Well, today is the day to take your inner zen back into your own hands. Just 10 minutes of yoga will make you feel completely refreshed all over again, and give you a new lease of life on that involuntary isolation you’ve found yourself in. An undeniable plus is that there’s an absolute ton of quick and easy online walkthroughs, and also ones that completely uplift you like the infamous “Yoga With Adriene” featuring her gorgeous Blue Heeler dog, Benji.

JACK PORCARI

Card games Kayla Sterner / The Spectrum “We Are All The Same” by Spectrum editor Kayla Sterner.

SOPHIE MCNALLY

Painting

Painting is a great way to express yourself and let your mind roam free. Not only does art allow you to have fun, but it allows you to reduce your stress levels at the same time. With just a paint brush, a canvas and your favorite colors, you can manifest your vision into life. Whether you’re a Picasso, a Warhol, or you have no idea who those people are, turn on your best beats and let the creativity take control of you.

KARA ANDERSON

Chores

KAYLA STERNER

Get creative with some friends

Alright, I know this sounds obvious, but hear me out. Use your lightest roommate as a barbell and see who can do the most squats. Follow a Bob Ross tutorial with MS Paint. Play hide and seek in your dorm building or apartment complex. Write a Bmovie and then film it on your phone. Play card games in the elevator. Throw a fake wedding. The only limits are your imagination and pride.

Kike Vega / Unsplash A woman does yoga.

GRANT ASHLEY

Read

Snowy days in Buffalo were made for cracking open that book your bestfriend’s-sister’s-mom got you for your birthday two years ago. Reading is the best form of escapism and is the most effective way of passing the time. Instead of being in cold and miserable Buffalo, you could be out vacationing in Hawaii while trying not to fall in love with someone you hate or trying to preserve yourself and your career with the woman you love in 1970s Hollywood. Reading a book is the best way to laugh, cry and pass the time when you have nowhere else to be. I recommend “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Whether you’re by yourself, with your roommate, or in a larger group, card games are the perfect way to pass the time indoors. One of the beauties of card games is that there are so many that can fit any mood. If you want something fast paced with a bit of a competitive edge, try Spit, a two-player game that is sure to get the adrenaline pumping. Or, if you’re with a group of friends and want something with a bit more strategy, options like poker and pitch offer a lengthier play, and can often be spiced up with a bit of friendly betting.

And, of course, if you’re by yourself, solitaire is always an entertaining choice.

Being trapped indoors under gray skies and shorter days is a surefire way to sap the zest out of your daily life. And while chores are by no means the most charming of indoor activities, they do present an unsung opportunity to inject some intent into your day while brightening up your surroundings. Pop your clothes into the laundry. Declutter your workspace. Put a jam on as you vacuum. It can be difficult to stay motivated during the dreariest parts of the season, and knocking out those chores can be a great way to navigate the ambling Buffalo thaw by keeping your mind sharp and optimistic for when the winds of spring open up those doors again.

KYLE NGUYEN

Journal

Jack Hamilton / Unsplash Card games are an enjoyable activity when stuck indoors.

As a busy college student I write… a lot.

So, I often find that journaling is the last thing I want to do to unwind on my days off. But journaling isn’t just a regular English paper, meant to fill a class requirement.

Instead, recreational writing is a great way to reflect on your day, process what’s been on your mind and even reignite the passion you might’ve had for writing, before whirlwinds of assignments and due dates became your top priority. Put down your phone, pick up your favorite pen and start spending more time with yourself and your inner thoughts.

KAYLA ESTRADA

JULIE FREY

Crocheting

Puzzles

I used to fidget a lot. What I now know is ADHD used to send electric shocks through my bones, causing my knees to constantly bounce and my fingers to absentmindedly knot themselves together.

I’ve tried all the coping mechanisms: fidget toys, pop-it pads and everything else my brain could conjure up. But nothing ever stuck. Until I took up crocheting. With a ball of yarn and hook in hand, I could sit still for hours weaving the fibers back and forth, creating patterns and knits. Crocheting keeps my hands busy and my head clear.

Full disclosure: I am really bad at puzzles. Like, really bad at them. But I love doing them nonetheless. They keep my mind sharp. I usually do them in a relaxed setting, often with friends. It’s challenging, engaging and always rewarding. There’s nothing like the struggle of pigeonholing the tabs and blanks — did you know that’s what they’re called? — into each other, and then, after a few hours, watching the pieces come together to form a dog, or a house, or a baseball. It’s awesome.

JUSTIN WEISS

REILLY MULLEN Reilly Mullen / The Spectrum Puzzles are a relaxing reprieve from the daily grind.

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Wednesday, February 9 2022 | 9

Students must receive a booster shot to be considered ‘fully vaccinated’ against COVID-19 UB requires eligible unvaccinated students to undergo weekly surveillance testing KYLE NGUYEN ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

UB no longer considers students who have not provided documentation of a COVID-19 booster shot to be “fully vaccinated,” the university announced before the semester. Those with “regular oncampus contact” are required to undergo weekly surveillance testing, according to campus guidelines.

UB says it will continue to enforce the university’s COVID-19 booster requirements, announcing revised health and safety guidelines for the semester last Monday.

In accordance with SUNY’s updated surveillance testing policy, UB now defines “fully vaccinated” as having received two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and a booster dose, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a booster dose.

Students who are not considered fully vaccinated under the updated criteria are required to register for weekly surveillance testing until they receive the booster. This includes students with medical or religious exemptions. No appointment is necessary and testing is free of charge. Students looking to get their booster can head to a clinic on pre-determined days.

On-campus testing and vaccine sites can be found on North Campus, in 11 Talbert Hall, on South Campus, in 100 Allen Hall

and at 2211 Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in the Downtown Campus.

Thomas Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the UB Department of Medicine, is asking the campus community to remain vigilant and to comply with university COVID-19 guidelines as the spring semester gets underway.

“The first several weeks coming back, we need to be really careful,” Russo said.

“This is not the moment to drop our guard or become lackadaisical. And as we know, the best way to protect yourself is getting that booster shot.””

UB’s booster requirements are in line with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide mandate from late December, which requires all SUNY and CUNY students to get their booster vaccine upon becoming eligible.

“We need to ensure students in New York are able to stay in school and learn in person throughout the spring semester,” Gov. Hochul said in her announcement.

“Students deserve to have a safe and highquality in-person college experience.”

Following the state’s directive, UB announced “spring start-up” plans that required returning students to get tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arrival and to submit booster documentation by Jan. 31 or within one week of booster eligibility.

As of Feb. 2, UB is reporting approximately 24,000 students are verified booster recipients, with another 1,800 eligible students yet to submit documentation.

In addition to mandatory surveillance testing, UB has punitive measures in place for noncompliance with the university’s

booster mandate. Students who fail to meet their booster deadline are set to be de-registered from their in-person classes.

The university has also outlined expectations for compliance with revised public health guidelines this semester.

UB’s mask mandate will remain in effect throughout all indoor facilities and outdoor events with over 100 people, regardless of vaccination status. Guidelines also require complete coverage over the nose and mouth for proper mask wear. Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is also required for everyone ages five and older to attend public events at Alumni Arena and at the Center for the Arts and Slee Hall.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate and quarantine either at home or on-campus in designated residence halls: Clement Hall or the Flickinger

Court Apartments. Students are also responsible for contacting their professors to make up coursework.

Those noncompliant with public health directives in public spaces on campus will be asked to comply by university officials and staff. Continued noncompliance will result in forcible removal by UPD, according to the university.

While Russo echoed a cautionary stance on the importance of adhering to COVID-19 guidelines early on in the semester, he remains optimistic that a lower burden of disease by late February or early March in the region could pave a way to normalcy in campus life.

“I’m hoping,” Russo said. “I think it’s going to be the closest to normal we’ve seen since this pandemic began.”

Email: kyle.nguyen@ubspectrum.com

Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum Students walk through the Natural Sciences Complex during the first week of classes.

Coaching changes, historic recruiting class mark wild football offseason

Following a disappointing 4-8 season that saw the Bulls miss out on a postseason bowl game for the first time in four seasons, second-year head coach Maurice Linguist felt it was time for a rebuild in the Queen City.

At least 20 Bulls — including quarterback Kyle Vantrease and tight end Tyler Stephens — have entered the transfer portal since the season ended in November.

In response, Linguist has already inked 14 recruits to letters of intent and has hauled in 10 transfers, some of whom made the move from Power Five programs like Notre Dame, Florida, Arizona and Rutgers.

UB has also made significant changes on the coaching front, as former Texas A&M defensive assistant Brandon Bailey has replaced Joe Cauthen as defensive coordinator and veteran assistant Greg Knox will serve as UB’s running backs coach.

From new staff hires to talent turnover, here’s a look at UB’s eventful offseason:

coach for the Aggies.

Bailey doesn’t have any prior experience in defensive play-calling, but the young coach has the opportunity to step into an enhanced role on Linguist’s defensive staff.

The offensive staff has also experienced turnover, as veteran SEC assistant Greg Knox will coach UB’s running backs in 2022.

Knox has enjoyed an illustrious career as an assistant. He has over 30 years of coaching experience (including 25 in the SEC) under his belt. With stops at Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Florida, Knox has coached in 15 bowl games in his career.

Like Bailey, Knox coached with Linguist for one season in the SEC. Linguist (safeties) and Knox (running backs) were both assistants at Mississippi State in 2016.

Other notable offseason staff changes include: Wide receivers coach Dallas Baker has accepted the same position at Baylor.

Tight ends coach Ron Whitcomb added recruiting coordinator to his title.

Andy McCollum was elevated from defensive quality control coach to senior defensive analyst/chief of staff.

Former UB tight end Jake Molinich was hired as a strength and conditioning intern.

Coaching changes

Bulls on the move

Maurice Linguist sparks radical change in his first full offseason as UB head coach ANTHONY DECICCO SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

The Bulls’ defense struggled to put it together last season, allowing 29.9 points per game and 416.3 yards per contest.

Cauthen stepped down as the team’s defensive coordinator and accepted the same position at Stephen F. Austin.

Bailey, who spent the past three seasons as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M, will step in as UB’s new defensive play-caller in 2022. Prior to joining the Texas A&M coaching staff, Bailey spent two seasons as a graduate assistant with Tulane and coached defensive backs for one season at Division II Arkansas-Monticello.

Bailey has ties to Linguist, as the two worked together at Texas A&M in 2019, where Linguist served as defensive backs

More than a dozen Bulls announced their move to the transfer portal immediately after the season ended, and many more followed suit.

Back to Buffalo

While an eye-opening number of Bulls entered the portal after the season, some decided to return to UB. Junior running back Dylan McDuffie, who entered the transfer portal in December 2021, elected to return to UB after rushing for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. The 2021 third team SEE OFFSEASON PAGE 12

Paolo Blanchi / The Spectrum An updated list of notable UB football players who have entered the transfer portal and have either found a new school or are still in the portal, according to 247Sports.com.

10 | Wednesday, February 9 2022

GALLERY

Week 1 in photos

Sabrina Akter-Nabi / The Spectrum

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum

Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum

Sabrina Akter-Nabi / The Spectrum

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum

Sabrina Akter-Nabi / The Spectrum

Sabrina Akter-Nabi / The Spectrum

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, February 9 2022 | 11

2 Chainz experiments, disappoints with ‘Dope Don’t Sell Itself’ After a decade of hits, Chainz finally misses ALEX FALTER SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

Album: “Dope Don’t Sell Itself ” Artists: 2 Chainz Label: Def Jam, Gamebread, T.R.U. Release Date: Feb. 4 Rating: 5.4/10 If there is one word to associate with rapper 2 Chainz, it’s consistency. Over the past decade, the Georgia artist has built a name for himself as one of the most versatile rappers in the industry. Sadly, his latest effort, “Dope Don’t Sell Itself,” is one of his most lackluster projects to date, despite his admirable decision to delve into less familiar territory.

That “admirable delve” is easily the album’s high point, as Chainz blatantly demonstrates a desire for experimentation on the album’s opening track, “Bet it Back.”

Across a retro beat reminiscent of the video game “Undertale,” this song showcases Chainz as confident as ever: “Off the rapping game, I bought three mansions / You n****s ain’t agin’ well– you like Steve Francis.” But even with lyrics miles better than the general standard of the genre today, lines like this feel decidedly shallow compared to what Chainz himself typically releases in his discography.

Thankfully, Chainz enlists the talent of young rappers like Lil Baby, who, as per usual, delivers a show-stealing verse on

“Kingpen Ghostwriter.” Despite a generic beat and forgettable lyrics from Chainz, Baby successfully reminds listeners of his status as the best rapper alive, displaying his trademark cocky style: “I don’t gotta tell ‘em, they know what I’m sayin’ / Five mil’ in blue, let ‘em know I ain’t playin’ / Back of the ‘Bach getting head when I lay there / You wanna f**k with a n***a, just say that / McLaren fast, it belong on a racetrack / None of that bullsh*t, you know I ain’t play that / I had a cleanup crew come through and spray that” Speaking of young talent, Chainz also enlists “The Box” artist Roddy Rich on “Outstanding,” and Moneybagg Yo and Beatking on “Pop Music.” While neither artist offers anything particularly special, they both display excellent improvement in their writing, giving an exciting look into what their future projects may sound like.

Without question, the album’s star is none other than its producers, who give an exciting variety of beats for Chainz to play with.

No beat better exemplifies this than what might be the album’s best song, “Neighbors Know My Name.” Equipped with production from Chainz himself, Nolan Presley and FKi 1st, this track sounds like a night out on the town, complete with an excellent intro from Shawna. Chainz delivers on one of the project’s shortest songs as he provides the clever lyricism fans have come to expect: “Whatever necessary, got more heart than February / Maybach so big, it came with an office, where the secretary?”

fuseboxradio / Wiki Commons College Park, GA native 2 Chainz performs onstage in

Later in the album, fans receive another excellent feature courtesy of Atlanta native Sleepy Rose on “Lost Kings,” where Chainz, Rose and Chicago rapper Lil Durk rap about life on the streets and their desire to rise above it.

[Sleepy Rose] “And I’m like, how the hell a n***a supposed to breathe? / If all they do is kill off all the kings / Every other night, a different murder scene / Every other night, a different murder scene / And I got a full vision / Tryna see my son grown up, and I can’t shoot different

May 2014.

/ Had a nightmare about me killin’, it was too vicious” It would be silly to say 2 Chainz has “fallen off.” Hank Aaron didn’t have a perfect batting average, and Muhammad Ali was far from undefeated. As proven by many smaller pieces, “Dope Don’t Sell Itself ” once again showcases the many details which make 2 Chainz great, but the final product is, sadly, less than the sum of its parts.

Email: alex.falter@ubspectrum.com

Cry, dance and ponder ‘the road ahead’ Mitski’s sixth studio album expertly captures the duality of human existence KARA ANDERSON SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

Album: “Laurel Hell” Artist: Mitski Label: Dead Oceans Release Date: Feb. 4 Rating: 9.8/10 With a distinctly newfound confidence and maturity, “Laurel Hell,” the sixth studio album of Japanese-American singersongwriter, Mitski, debuted as a kind of swan song for the artist she has been and for the artist she has become. It is a simultaneous obituary and crystal ball, standing in constant juxtaposition between past and future, self and other, laid against upbeat sounds and sober lyrics.

At a run time of a mere 32 minutes and 31 seconds, “Laurel Hell” establishes itself as one of Mitski’s strongest and most cohesive projects yet in just 11 songs.

“Laurel Hell” begins with the track, “Valentine, Texas,” an opening that exquisitely captures the ongoing themes of loss, growth and acceptance which tie the album together.

With the lyrics, “Who will I be tonight?/ Who will I become tonight?” Mitski continues on a tradition of using her artistry to explore and expose her personal identity, particularly in relation to her career.

In addition to setting up what’s to come, “Valentine, Texas,” grounds Mitski to her previous works, including the opening track from her third studio album, “Bury Me at Makeout Creek,” titled “Texas Reznikoff.”

“Valentine, Texas,” then stands at the precipice of Mitski’s meandering youth and the newfound clarity of later adulthood.

“Working for the Knife,” the second track, proceeds as a starkly mature and cynical meditation on the process of growing older and finally accepting situations beyond one’s control. Originally released as the lead single from “Laurel Hell,” “Working for the Knife” explores the constantness of the pressures that come with turning passion into profit.

In the fourth verse of the song, Mitksi

sings: However, despite the deceptively joyand confident attitude toward physical and “I used to think I’d be done by 20/ Now emotional intimacy. Mitski’s lyrics deliver ful sound, the song is ultimately a verbal at 29, the road ahead appears the same/ in greater complexity as she sings: closure for the loss of a relationship, with Though maybe at 30, I’ll see a way to “Open up your heart/ Like the gates Mitski repeatedly singing, all too happily, change/ That I’m living for the knife.” of Hell/ You stay soft, get beaten/ Only “That’s where you loved me.”

Mitski is no stranger to contemplating natural to harden up/ You stay soft, get Overall, “Laurel Hell” stands out among her career in music and her introspective eaten/ Only natural to harden up.”

Mitski’s previous albums as having a solid take on maturity.

There’s a kind of humorous coyness in foundation of identity and confident unIn the song “Drunk Walk Home,” also which Mitski plays on the sexual allusion derstanding of the world around the artist. from, “Bury Me at Makeout Creek,” Mits- in these lyrics. Yet, at the same time she’s Though the worldview in “Laurel Hell” ki opens with, “I will retire to the Salton able to comment on the pain that comes is often one of abrasive realness that teeSea/ At the age of 23.” with vulnerability in relationships. ters on detrimental pessimism, the honThen, in “My Body’s Made of Crushed Track nine, “Should’ve Been Me,” per- esty and assuredness of Mitski keeps the Little Stars,” from her fourth studio al- haps stands out as the most stylistically piece from becoming a melodrama. bum, “Puberty 2,” Mitski sings: unique song on the album. Verging on With lyrics that expose the rich com“I work better under a deadline/ I work theatrical, “Should’ve Been Me” produces plexities of Mitski’s introspection and better under a deadline/ I pick an age a sensory overload, hurrying to the end of contemplation coupled with an adventurwhen I’m gonna disappear/Until then I the album. It’s a strangely addicting batch ous meshing of genres from 80s synthcan try again/ Until then I can try again.” of controlled chaos. pop to modern indie sounds, “Laurel Understanding Mitski’s fantasy of putClosing out “Laurel Hell” comes “That’s Hell” hails itself as a delightfully intriguing ting an end to her professional music Our Lamp” with an oversaturated positiv- masterpiece. career, one that values her work not for ity reminiscent of the end credits scene in Email:kara.anderson@ubspectrum.com artistry but for monetary means, serves to a campy rom-com. accentuate the tiredness that is “Working for the Knife.”

It’s a bleak perspective, but it’s honesty and groundedness causes the sentiment to carry deep into the listener, right in the depths of the chest as a knife of its own.

Operating in tandem with the fourth song, “Everyone,” “Working for the Knife,” turns the album near voyeuristic. It raises an ethical dilemma: what does it mean to consume the art of others when the industry has consumed the artist themself ?

It’s not an easy question to answer, nor does Mitksi give a digestible response in her portrayal of stardom and the music industry’s effects on herself.

Moving away from this slow and pensive quality, comes “Laurel Hell’s” surprisingly upbeat third track, “Stay Soft.”

With an opening rife with synths fitted for a hit 80s movie, “Stay Soft” is almost mocking in its nostalgically delicious beat.

Though on the surface, avid Lee / Wiki Commons “Stay Soft” presents a sexy D Mitski performs onstage in October 2018. Her newest album, “Laurel Hell,” came out last week.

SPORTS

12 | Wednesday, February 9 2022

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SECURES FOURTH STRAIGHT IN WESTERN MICHIGAN DEFEAT Last week in UB Athletics

WOMEN’S TENNIS SWEEPS INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, BUCKNELL OVER THE WEEKEND The UB women’s tennis team (6-0) dominated Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2-1), 6-1 at the Miller Tennis Center in Williamsville on Saturday. The following day, Buffalo remained victorious, defeating Bucknell University (2-1), 5-2 to earn a six-game win streak.

First and second doubles wins allowed the Bulls to secure a point and clutch an early advantage. First double team seniors Pia Schwarz and Nikoleta AntoniouKarademitrou started off hot with a 6-4 win. Second doubles team junior Azra Deniz Comlek and senior Hsin-Yun Shih achieved their win after shutting out the Hawks 6-0.

IUP secured their sole win at third singles after Schwarz won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles and Shih dominated 6-2, 6-1 at second singles. The Bulls went on to win at four and five to continue their superior streak thanks to a win by junior Ambre Amat 6-2, 6-2 and sophomore Mariana Carvajal Torres 6-3, 6-0.

The visitors forfeited the third doubles and sixth singles matches. Buffalo won four of the five matches they participated in.

Continuing its’ hot streak, UB left the Miller Tennis Center triumphant once again Sunday afternoon after advancing over Bucknell.

Bucknell started off sharp, grabbing all three doubles matches, but Buffalo responded quickly by seizing five of the six singles matches. Torres’ conquest of 6-3, 6-4 propelled UB onto the board.

Amat prevailed in her opening match in a tiebreaker to win 7-6, 6-3. Buffalo concluded the match after junior Lolina Schietekat Sedas hung on to sixth singles 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Schwarz won her match 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.

The Bulls will hit their home court again this Friday to match up against Siena at 1 p.m. and St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m.

KAYLA STERNER ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Women’s basketball (15-7, 9-3 MAC) secured their fourth straight win, 64-71, against the Western Michigan Broncos (12-8, 6-5 MAC) on Monday night at Alumni Arena.

It was a slow start for UB with WMU’s sophomore guard Lauren Ross scoring six first quarter points, leaving UB with a 6-2 lag. Despite this, UB led the scoreboard for the rest of the match with a 35-25 score at the half and final 71-64 score, maintaining solid defensive-offensive balance throughout the game.

Freshman guard Georgia Woolley came in hot with 21 points and six rebounds.

Other game leaders included junior guard Dyaisha Fair and redshirt fifth year Summer Hemphill, who scored 18 and 14 points respectively.

Hemphill’s 14 points and 13 rebounds gave her her second career double-double, whilst defensively she equalled her career-high five steals.

This impressive performance leaves Hemphill at 994 career rebounds – another step forward to her aim to be the second player in program history with 1000 career points and 1000 career rebounds.

Junior guard Dominique Camp set out to impress, just missing a career tripledouble with eight points, (a career-high) nine rebounds and seven assists.

Defensively, UB turned 16 steals into 23 fastbreak points but struggled overall, only limiting WMU to 41.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.

The Bulls will return to action against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (5-13, 2-9 MAC) for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Alumni Arena tomorrow.

SOPHIE MCNALLY ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

WRESTLING DEFEATS NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOR SIXTH-STRAIGHT MAC DUAL VICTORY UB wrestling (11-5, 6-1 MAC) defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies (5-9, 1-4 MAC), 17-15, Saturday at Alumni Arena.

The come-from-behind victory marked the Bulls’ sixth Mid-American Conference dual win of the season, which set a program record. Despite facing a 15-11 deficit with just two bouts to go, redshirt sophomore Sam Mitchell (7-2 victory in the 197 lb. match) and redshirt senior Toby Cahill (5-2 victory 285 lb. match) each pulled out wins to give UB the two-point comeback victory.

Graduate student Derek Spann earned a 17-2 technical fall in the 133 lb. bout, redshirt senior Ben Freeman won a 3-2 decision in the 141 lb. match and redshirt junior Michael Petite took the 157 lb. match with a 7-4 victory.

The Bulls will travel to Mt. Pleasant, MI to take on the Central Michigan Chippewas (11-2, 6-0 MAC) — No. 21 in the National Wrestling Association Coaches poll — Sunday, Feb. 13 at McGuirk Arena.

ANTHONY DECICCO SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

the high school and junior college ranks, Linguist is accumulating loads of talent in an attempt to build his own program and make up for the players lost in the portal.

Transfer portal additions

Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum UB head coach Maurice Linguist gestures toward his players during an October game against Western Michigan.

OFFSEASON FROM PAGE 9

All-MAC selection started the final six games of the season after he beat out senior Kevin Marks Jr. for the starting job.

Junior offensive tackle Gabe Wallace also withdrew his name from the portal.

Wallace started all 12 games for the Bulls in 2021 after seeing action as a reserve lineman during his first two seasons at UB. Freshman running back Mike Washington will return to UB after entering the transfer portal. The Utica, NY native appeared in three games and rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries. Washington found the end zone one time last season in a Week 9 matchup against Bowling Green.

Historic recruiting class

Linguist — a well-respected recruiter at his previous coaching stops — has wasted no time in recruiting talent.

The Bulls have inked 14 high school, junior college and prep school recruits and currently have the second-ranked recruiting class in the MAC, according to 247Sports.com. Including transfers, the Bulls have the MAC’s top overall recruiting class for 2022.

Highlights of Linguist’s first UB recruiting class include 6-foot-3, 185 lb. athlete Devin Grant and junior college cornerback Jayden Oliver. Grant — the second-

While UB lost a considerable amount of talent to the transfer portal, the Bulls were also able to use the portal as a tool during the offseason.

Linguist has rounded up 10 transfers, six of whom come from Power Five programs.

UB was able to get commitments from safety Jahmin Muse (Boston College), wide receiver Justin Marshall (Louisville), cornerback Caleb Oxford (Notre Dame) and quarterback Cole Snyder (Rutgers).

Former Arizona wide receiver Jalen “Boobie” Curry isn’t immediately eligible to play for the Bulls, but he was a major pull for Linguist’s staff. A four-star recruit coming out of St. Pius X High School in Houston, Curry caught 21 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns in three starts last season for the Wildcats.

Linguist was able to get another four-

highest ranked UB recruit in history and the nephew of former Bills safety Dean Marlowe — and Oliver — the fifth-highest ranked recruit in school history — represent two huge hauls for Linguist and his staff.

In addition to Grant and Oliver, wide receiver Tre Higgins, safety Tavian Mayo, running back Jackson Paradis and defensive linemen Jaylon Bass and Ja’mor Coard are all ranked as top 20 recruits in UB history.

Of the 14 recruits Linguist has added, not one is below a three-star ranking.

Linguist’s 2022 recruiting class has a higher ranking than any class during Lance Leipold’s tenure and currently stands at No. 66 in the nation, according to 247Sports. com.

Through both Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum

Offensive guard Bence Polgar (74) celebrates after a UB touchdown

star transfer to Buffalo in cornerback Elijah Blades. Considered the top junior college cornerback prospect in the country in 2018, Blades was originally recruited by Linguist in 2018 when he coached at Texas A&M. Blades eventually transferred to Florida, where he was dismissed from the team in 2021 for an undisclosed reason.

In an unexpected turn of events, Linguist and Blades reunited in Buffalo.

Other 2022 transfers include former San Diego State offensive lineman Desmond Bessent, former UConn offensive lineman Sidney Walker, former Dartmouth tight end Robbie Mangas and Virginia Military Institute offensive lineman Nick Hartnett.

By bringing in a great deal of talent through traditional high school recruiting, the junior college ranks and the transfer portal, Linguist has positioned the 2022 Bulls for greater success.

With many of last year’s stars on the move and new coaches on the staff, UB’s program has changed radically over the past three months.

Email: anthony.decicco@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @DeCicco42 on Twitter

last season.