VOL. 70 NO. 16 | MARCH 2, 2022
The unsung heroes of UB’s courts and stadiums
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
UB selects four new campus art projects
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UBSPECTRUM
International Fiesta will return to the CFA on Saturday
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‘Slava Ukraini, heroiam slava!’: UB students rally in solidarity with Ukraine Students, community members turned out Sunday afternoon to show support for Ukraine KYLE NGUYEN ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR
On Sunday, murmurs of grief turned into a rallying cry of defiance as UB community members gathered to express solidarity with Ukraine in the Student Union. Gregory Hawuczyk, a senior pharmaceutical sciences major, stood at the head of the SU lobby as the people around him held cardboard signs reading “I stand with Ukraine,” “Putin #1 Terrorist in the WORLD” and “Russian warship, go f—k yourself.” “Slava Ukraini!” Hawuczyk shouted. “Heroiam slava!” the crowd responded. The words “Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes” have come to symbolize resistance and universal solidarity with Ukrainians affected by Russia’s invasion since it began on Thursday. Hawuczyk is the president of Friends of Ukraine, a student organization representing the Ukrainian community and promoting its culture at UB. In the wake of the unfolding crisis, the organization hosted an event in the SU lobby Sunday afternoon to elevate Ukrainian voices on campus and to gather signatures for petitions and pre-written let-
ters to U.S. government officials. These petitions and letters ask U.S. lawmakers and NATO to take firmer action against Russia, including banning SWIFT, a network that allows banks to transfer money between branches, as well as closing the military airspace over Ukraine. Featured speakers included community organizer Bohdan Cherniawski, club secretary Anastasiya Bigun and UB alum Antonina Bandrivska, who offered updates on the situation overseas as well as personal testimonials. Several attendees spoke with The Spectrum about their loved ones overseas and the anxieties that followed Russia’s invasion. Alex Myrovych and Rhea Mukhtarov share similar sorrows over the invasion, despite hailing from different countries. Myrovych, a freshman pharmacy major, was born in Ukraine but immigrated to the U.S. in 2014. Despite having left Ukraine eight years ago, Myrovych still has strong ties to the country. “All of my family members besides my parents are there currently,” Myrovizh said. “And many of my classmates from my old schools were drafted to the [Russo-]Ukrainian war, which is just shocking.” Mukhtarov, a sophomore computer science major, is an international student from Azerbaijan, another country with a long history of conflicts with its neighbors.
Campus Dining still looking to hire 80 employees to staff One World Café Two café eateries will open to students this month, according to Campus Dining JUSTIN WEISS MANAGING EDITOR
Campus Dining is still looking to hire more than 80 employees to staff One World Café, the three-story, 53,500-sq. ft. international-themed eatery located outside of Capen Hall. On Thursday, CDS will host a job fair from 1-6 p.m. for potential employees. The café opened its doors to students for studying and socializing at the start of the spring semester, but won’t open its food counters until late March, according to the organization. “We’re getting ready to open the brand
new One World Café and we are hiring line managers, line cooks, prep cooks, cashiers and dishwashers,” CDS wrote on its website. Two of the café’s five eateries — Kali Orexi and Tikka Table — are supposed to open in March, according to CDS. The other three eateries — 1846 Grill, Pan Asian and the Noodle Pavilion — will undergo a “phased opening,” probably in the fall, according to Eric Blackledge, executive director of CDS. One World Café is part of UB’s Heart of the Campus initiative and features more than 800 seats, an international-themed dining center, The University Club and a pre-function space for Buffalo Room events. UB says the project will ultimately add 138 new positions to campus.
Moaz Elazzazi / The Spectrum Students painted the bull outside the Student Union blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“We had a war that was going on for 35 years, and it just ended in 2020. So in this situation, I kind of feel the same pain as all the Ukrainian people here,” Mukhtarov said. “Alex is my best friend and I kinda — not only because of him — but I also want to support people that are trying to support Ukraine with this war. So I’m here [at the rally] right now. And I’m supporting them [Ukranians].” Bandrivska provided a testimonial of a friend who remains in Ukraine and witnessed firsthand the first day of attacks. She described the harrowing scenes of
SEE UKRAINE PAGE 2
UB ‘in discussions’ to lift indoor mask mandate Six other greater Buffalo area colleges and universities have lifted their mask requirements DAN EASTMAN ASST. MANAGING EDITOR
Six colleges in the greater Buffalo-Niagara area have relaxed their mask requirements following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision Sunday to lift the statewide K-12 mask mandate and delegate mask decisions to university officials. UB wasn’t one of them. “Because New Yorkers have stepped up, we can confidently remove the statewide mask requirement in our [K-12] schools,” Hochul said. UB announced Monday that its mask mandate will remain in place for the time being, and that a decision to relax its mask requirement would be made in collabora-
Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com
Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum Two of One World Café’s five eateries — Kali Orexi and Tikka Table — are projected to open in late March.
missile strikes descending upon Kyiv. “They’re targeting our hospitals, they’re targeting our kindergartens,” Bandrivska said. “They target everything they can.” Much of her friends and family remain in Ukraine, Bandrivska says, which is a fact that weighs on her mind with each passing day. “I just cannot normally function right now — it’s all I think about,” Bandrivska said. “[I] just keep checking the news,
Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wiki Commons A sign welcomes visitors to Buffalo State College.
tion with SUNY and Erie County leaders. “University leaders are in discussions internally about lifting indoor mask mandates on our campuses,” UB spokesperson Kate McKenna said in an email to The Spectrum. “More information will be provided to the UB community this week.” Buffalo State, Niagara County Community College, Hilbert College, Houghton College, Daemen and Canisius have all recently lifted their mask mandate. Canisius will still require unvaccinated people to wear a mask at all indoor and outdoor on-campus events. Daemen will continue to require masks in classrooms and high-density areas such as hallways and the entrances and exits of classrooms. D’Youville University and Erie County Community College will keep their respective mask mandates in place. Medaille did not respond in time for publication. Email: danielson.eastman@ubspectrum.com