VOL. 70 NO. 2 | SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
The fall 2001 staff of The Spectrum reflects on that fateful September day
Despite lawsuit, popular University Heights eateries will cease to exist
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UBSPECTRUM
The Maurice Linguist era starts off on the right foot in Buffalo
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‘It’s nice to be in a routine again:’ Students react to return to in-person classes JACK PORCARI SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR
When Fiona Lombardo walked into the Center for the Arts dance studio last Tuesday afternoon, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Her fellow classmates weren’t on Zoom or six feet away — she was able to experience the intimacy that comes with putting on a show. “I got to go to the dance studio for the first time, we didn’t have to be distant and actually could talk to each other without yelling across a large distance… I would say that was special to me,” the junior theatre performance major said. In response to the influx of students on campus amidst the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, students are required to be fully vaccinated in order to attend classes in person. Additionally, all unvaccinated students are required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing on a weekly basis. Face masks are required in all indoor settings, except while eating and are not required outdoors. Social distancing is largely a thing of the past, though unvaccinated students are encouraged to do so “wherever practical.” The administration has expressed optimism for the weeks to come. “During the first week of classes, many students, faculty and staff expressed their excitement about the start of the fall semester and their appreciation for the health guidelines put in place by the university to keep them safe and reduce risk,” said UB Spokesperson John DellaContrada.
Labor shortage results in long lines, limited dining options Students feel the strain from the closure of two shops, limited hours
While many are excited for campus to reopen, some students are worried for their safety. Christopher Burns, a senior philosophy major, feels conflicted when on campus. “The COVID-19 regulations UB has implemented is spitting into the wind. On campus, it’s packed; I truly see no difference between my first year and this year. My classes weren’t socially distanced; in
ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR ASST. ARTS EDITOR
Despite leaving her dorm 30 minutes before her lecture to get breakfast at 8:30 a.m., freshman biomedical sciences major Dina Dahhan had to settle for a partly frozen Smucker’s Uncrustables sandwich from the vending machine. That’s because the long lines at various eateries in the Atrium would have made her late for class. Dahhan isn’t the only student who has been forced to make unorthodox meal choices this past week. The national labor shortage has made it difficult for Campus Dining and Shops to meet student demand, resulting in the temporary closure of Atrium eateries, Hubies and The Bowl. The long wait times and limited hours are making it difficult for students to use their meal plans — despite the price increase on all student meal plans over the summer. Matthew Malles, a junior business administration major, is one of the students feeling a crunch. “Despite the meal plan cost increasing, there are less available options for students to eat at,” Malles said in an interview with The Spectrum. “The places that are open [are] experiencing far more crowds than before.” CDS attributes the congestion to the national labor shortage, but also to a backSEE DINING PAGE 2
SEE RETURN PAGE 2
Connection returned shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday; problems partly caused by usage volume GRANT ASHLEY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR
Like thousands of other students, Marissa Kasper returned to campus on Monday excited to tackle the fall semester. But Kasper immediately confronted an unforeseen problem: the Wi-Fi across campus was either down or slower than usual, making it rather difficult to access syllabi, UBLearns and other necessary technologies. “I usually take notes on my laptop for some of my classes on Google Docs and put them in certain folders to keep them organized,” Kasper, a junior music performance major, said. “I couldn’t even get on Google to take notes, let alone look at any of my syllabi for my first and second day of classes. I also need to talk to my advisor about getting overridden [placed] into a class but haven’t been able to do that because I can’t even make an appointment.” Kasper suspected her computer was the culprit and thought she would have to file a complaint with UB InformaSEE WI-FI
Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum Students jostled for seating space and hurried to their classes during the first week of school.
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Wilkeson, Academic Center, parts of Spaulding evacuated after dumpster fire in Ellicott Tunnel UPD Officer: No one injured, damage sustained only to the dumpster, fire extinguished GRANT ASHLEY JULIE FREY SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR
NATALIE DOLLER KARA ANDERSON
fact, I had an activity where I locked hands with another student, and obviously the whole class had to as well,” Burns said. “On a positive note, I am happy to be back,” Burns said. “It’s nice to be in a routine again, and just being on campus engages me far more than remote learning. Though I may be slightly irritated, without
Students complain about Wi-Fi connectivity issues
A UB Alert was sent out at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday reporting a dumpster fire in the Ellicott Tunnel near Wilkeson Quadrangle. Wilkeson, the Academic Center and part of Spaulding were evacuated. No one was injured and only the dumpster sustained damage, according to UPD
Lt. K.Will. The fire was extinguished by 5:12 p.m., and students returned to their dorms around 5:20 p.m. While the evacuation was orderly, students were given little direction on where to congregate. Evacuees milled around Wilkeson Quad’s parking lot before paraprofessional staff directed them to stand further from the building. Students taking online classes struggled to pay attention and take notes while sitting on the curb. Approximately 30 students were reprimanded for remaining on Ellicott’s terrace to watch light smoke waft out from the tunnel. Freshman Olivia Kot was in Wilkeson’s lounge when she got a notification that there was a fire.
Julie Frey / The Spectrum Students evacuate Wilkeson Quad due to a dumpster fire in Ellicott Tunnel.
“I was in the lounge doing chemistry homework,” Kot said. “I thought it was a drill. At first our fire alarm in the lounge wasn’t going off. So we were just sitting there until we got an email. That’s when we got up to leave. Then [the fire alarms] started going off.” The commotion woke Kendalyn Lusk, a freshman biotechnology major, from her nap. “I didn’t know what was going on… I still don’t know what’s happening!” Lusk said while waiting to re-enter her Wilkeson dorm room. This is a developing story. Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com Email: julie.frey@ubspectrum.com
NEWS
2 | Wednesday, September 8 2021 DINING FROM PAGE 1
log from the Social Security Administration, which processes paperwork required for international students to work in the U.S. International students make up a large part of CDS’s workforce, so once the paperwork is pushed through, CDS hopes more food services will be available. “Campus Dining and Shops and UB, with the help of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office, have worked to rectify this situation for our students, which will allow them to begin work within our food service operations,” Campus Dining and Shops marketing and communications director Raymond Kohl wrote in an email. “An influx of new employees will help to significantly reduce the wait times and hopefully enable us to reopen dining locations.” According to Kohl, Hubie’s and The Bowl will remain closed indefinitely. Hubie’s is known for its pizza, wings, subs and other American fare, while The Bowl is one of the few places on campus that offers a variety of salads and hot veggie bowls. Other on-campus locations include Tim Hortons, Jamba Juice, Moe’s, Champa Sushi, the Union Marketplace & Eatery and Pistachio’s in the Student Union; North Campus’ Capen Café; and South Campus’ Harriman Cafe. All of these eateries close at 7 p.m. or earlier Monday through Friday, with the exception of Tim Hortons, which closes at 8 p.m. during the week. As long lines continue to disrupt oncampus dining, some students have turned to alternative sources outside of their meal plans, including buying food off campus or at the Commons. For some students,
this means multiple unused meal swipes at the end of the week. In some cases, some have doubled up on meal periods, buying multiple meals at once. “Me and my roommates are freshmen and we haven’t been able to get through our meal swipes at all so far,” Anthony Giorgio Sacchetti, a psychology major, said. “I’ve found myself trying to use two swipes whenever I can at a restaurant just to try and keep up.” Giorgio Sacchetti isn’t the only one trying to put his swipes to use. “Last week I had 10 extra meals that went to waste,” Katie Cowen, a freshman exercise science major, said about her first week on campus. “We got here on Tuesday, and then one of the days we couldn’t get reservations [at the dining hall] and went off campus.” Cowen is referring to another issue possibly driving lines at the Atrium and other eateries — limited access to campus dining halls. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, students must make reservations to eat in popular dining halls like C3. However, with limited spots available, students are often unable to find open slots, leaving dining areas like the Atrium their only source for meals. Rather than travel off campus like Cowen, other students have tried to beat the lines by ordering ahead on the GET app, but even this has had its share of problems. “At Sizzles, I was trying to order [at] around 6 p.m., and it was a pretty small order,” sophomore English education major Alex Novak said. “But I got a message from the GET app saying they were at order capacity and they weren’t taking any
ubspectrum.com
Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum Long lines in the Student Union have left some students frustrated and hungry.
more orders.” According to UB’s dining website, Sizzles is open until 10:30 p.m, Monday through Friday. The GET app, which allows students to order food ahead from on-campus eateries, is one of two online platforms students can take advantage of for their meal plans. UB also supports Nutrislice, which only allows for making reservations at a dining hall, a function also supported by the GET app. Some students say learning how to use the two apps has been a challenge. During their first week, some were not aware that they needed to manually switch from dining dollars to meal swipes when making reservations in the Nutrislice app. “We had no idea the difference between
our dining dollars and our meal swipes,” Cowen said. “I used my dining dollars all the time. I’m already down $50.” CDS says it feels students are adequately prepared to navigate the GET and Nutrislice apps. “In rolling out the new Nutrislice app, email, social media, on-site signage were utilized as well as having support staff available on site to walk students through the download and how to make reservations during the opening week.” Kohl said. “With no in-person orientation sessions again this year, the GET app was included in the online session of orientation and in the student check-list of things to do before arriving on campus.” Strained dining services from the labor shortage are not unique to UB. Campuses across the nation are having trouble recruiting new employees. Student newspapers The Breeze and Vidette also reported limited on-campus dining services because of labor shortages at James Madison University and Illinois State University, respectively. While many are feeling underserved, others have been understanding of the nationwide dynamics at play. Despite eating PB&J for breakfast, Dahhan expressed understanding of the problems CDS is facing. “I understand it’s not their fault,” Dahhan said. “But it’s definitely less convenient.” Email: natalie.doller@ubspectrum.com Email: kara.anderson@ubspectrum.com
Natalie Doller / The Spectrum Closed shops and reduced service hours have led to long lines around campus, especially in the Ellicott Food Court, where freshmen have meal swipes they need to use.
UB has the highest vaccination rate in the SUNY system University reports that 99% of students are fully vaccinated JUSTIN WEISS MANAGING EDITOR
UB has reported a 99% student vaccination rate for COVID-19 — the highest rate in the SUNY system, according to administrators. Roughly 28,500 students — including all 6,800 students living in on-campus residence halls and apartments — have submitted proof of full vaccination, UB says. That outpaces the rate of all other state schools. “It’s been great to see the enthusiasm from students this week,” UB Vice President for Student Life Brian Hamluk said. “They are energized to be on campus, and we’re just as excited to see all the activity on campus again. I want to thank all of our students for their compliance with the university’s health and safety guidelines this week. They are taking this seriously and are doing their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19.” UB has been encouraging students to get vaccinated since the beginning of the year and implemented its vaccine mandate for anyone attending in-person classes or living on campus on Aug. 23, when the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech regiment. Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com
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any doubt, I am happy to be back.” UB’s vaccine mandate has been very successful on both the faculty and student side. “We’re thankful for students’ tremendous efforts to comply with UB’s health requirements, especially their commitment to getting vaccinated, which has produced a 99% vaccination rate—the highest rate in SUNY,” DellaContrada said. While UB requires students to comply with COVID-19 regulations, it has created a website for reporting noncompliance. “If faculty or staff, or any university
official witnesses violations of university health and safety guidelines, they have the authority to report noncompliance. Anyone can report noncompliance through UB’s reporting website for compliance concerns,” UB Spokesperson Kate McKenna said. Consequences for noncompliance range from a required class taught by Health Promotion to housing contract termination. During the 2020-21 school year, COVID-19 noncompliance resulted in 10 suspensions and 1,415 “other noncompliance related sanctions,” according to DellaContrada. But students like senior electrical en-
Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum The Academic Spine bustled with students, faculty and staff during the first week of classes.
gineering major Andrew Lauricella are just happy to catch a glimpse of the UB they’ve come to know and love. “It was amazing to be able to cheer for the football teams in the stands with so many of my peers,” Lauricella said. “Being able to interact and learn face to face has been so refreshing for me, and I think many other students feel the same way. The atmosphere at the game was so energetic and you could tell students were excited to be able to attend in-person and had missed being able to do that.” Email: jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com
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OPINION
Wednesday, September 8 2021 | 3
Please don’t call me ‘Oreo’ On being the token “Black friend,” when you don’t feel Black
REILLY MULLEN EDITOR IN CHIEF
I don’t look like my family. My caramel skin and dark, curly hair stand out in family photos next to my blonde-haired, blue-eyed cousins. No, I’m not adopted. I’m mixed race, living with my white father in a rural western New York town. I was never uncomfortable with my race as a kid. In fact, I didn’t know that I was different until I was well into elementary school, and my realization then had less to do with the politics of being one of the only non-white kids in town, and more to do with how my kinky-curly hair would
knot more easily than my friends’ smooth, blond locks during our recess beauty shop sessions. But, as we age, we inevitably segregate ourselves into cliques and friend groups based on shared interests. There are the athletes, the bookworms and the stoners. But there’s also a group you might remember seeing in your high school cafeteria: the “racially other” group. As of 2021, the school district I grew up in is 2% Black, 89% white and 2% mixed race, according to Public School Review. And these Black and mixed kids often stuck together. They created their own clique, capitalizing on their shared experiences. Most of them either transferred into the district during high school, or were bussed in from the city as part of the Rochester Urban-Suburban Program. They shared similar socio-economic backgrounds, familial structures and spoke African-American Vernacular English, a dialect spoken in many of their homes. But I was different. I am a legacy of Hilton, NY. The Mullen family has lived here for hundreds of years. I even live around the corner from the house my dad grew up in. But until roughly 20 years ago, that family tree was stark white.
I grew up in farm country in quite possibly the first interracial household the area had ever seen. But to many residents’ curiosity, my Black mother was unexpectedly intelligent. She served in the U.S. Army for four years and received masters degrees in both English and creative writing from Brockport College. And, as many people would tell you, she “talks white.” The notion that I “act white” has haunted me my entire life, as if to say wearing sundresses, reading as a hobby and playing tennis are racially determined characteristics. Growing up in a predominantly white town with two well-educated parents taught me the importance of being respectful, kind and carrying myself intelligently, traits that are often incorrectly associated with whiteness. But regardless of how eloquently I spoke or how high I held my head, my dark skin was always the first thing my peers saw. I was always the “Black friend.” I have very vivid memories beginning in elementary school of classmates calling me names like “Oreo,” “Panda” or “Halfrican.” None of them intentionally being racist, but trying to rationalize the concept of being mixed for their own comfort. So I accepted it. I let them call me names. I let them make
Texas’ abortion law is dangerous not only for women, but for society Policy derived from feelings, not facts, typically doesn’t end well
JACK PORCARI SENIOR NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR
Wednesday marked the start of a new, dark era for women’s rights in The Lone Star State. Women in Texas effectively lost their right to seek an abortion, guaranteed to them by Roe v. Wade, with a new law that took effect on Wednesday. That law — which has left millions outraged — limits abortion to a six-week window after conception and empowers any private citizen to seek $10,000 in damages from medical providers or anyone who helps perform this procedure. Besides the obvious consequence of inviting bystanders to profit off of women’s
personal choices, this law will have devastating consequences for people who give birth everywhere. The first and most egregious violation of basic human dignity under this law is the requirement that an abortion be completed before a heartbeat is detected, or at about six weeks after conception. This is an unreasonable amount of time for any woman to know they are pregnant, let alone get an abortion. Texas had more than 55,000 abortions performed in 2020; more than 46,000 of those occurred at or before eight weeks of pregnancy. People across the country were swift to lambast the new law for encouraging harassment and vigilantism, not to mention its blatant violation of human rights. This law effectively turns citizens into bounty hunters, as it depends on individuals — many of whom may not be related to the person obtaining an abortion — to enforce it. This is where things can get scary. What happens when everyday people go broke because of these cruel legal charades? What happens when legitimate doctors, who have debt to pay, owe $10,000 in damages to their neighbors who sued them? Crucially: How can we ensure that this law will not enable the courts to become a
political weapon and a tool for oppression in Texas and beyond? With a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, we are teetering on the brink of disaster. Equally problematic is that the law does not make exceptions for rape and incest. That is cruel and barbaric and is remarkably dangerous. And even when women are able to schedule an abortion, they still have to answer invasive questions about their own bodies. These range from the odd to outright nonsensical: “[What is] the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child based on the best medical judgment of the attending physician,” women and providers will be asked. One question asks for the exact date of the patient’s last menstrual cycle; another asks how many abortions they have had in the past. The obvious intention of this bill is not only to intimidate and humiliate women, but to cast shame upon them for wishing to obtain an abortion. A woman’s fundamental rights to have autonomy over their own body should not be something to play mind games over. It should be a respected priority.
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The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Opinion section of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum: VISIT: www.ubspectrum.com/advertising EMAIL US: spectrum@buffalo.edu The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 VOLUME 70 NUMBER 2 CIRCULATION: 3,000
Black jokes to me. I smiled and nodded at every attempt they made to understand my “culture.” But my culture wasn’t any different than theirs. It was the Hilton Apple Festival and the town’s fireman’s carnival. My culture was sleepovers in the hay-loft of my uncle’s cattle farm and screaming “bow down to cow town” at the annual homecoming football game. I wasn’t any different than the kids I grew up with, I just looked a little different. I began taking a stance against this unintentionally racist behavior in high school. I sat on advisory councils where I guided the school administration on how to integrate POC students into school activities. I corrected people when they called me slurs like “mulatto,” even if they didn’t know that it was a slur at the time. I attended conferences to discuss racial relations in schools. I dedicated myself to changing the culture of my town. I know the kids from my town were probably confused by and uncomfortable with such an exotic and foreign idea as loving someone outside their own race, but there’s no excuse for being racist. Don’t call me “Oreo.”
Reilly Mullen
SPORTS EDITORS Anthony DeCicco, Sr. Hunter Skoczylas
MANAGING EDITORS Justin Weiss Dan Eastman, Asst.
MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Sabrina Akter-Nabi, Sr. Sai Krishna Seethala, Sr.
NEWS EDITORS ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Grant Ashley, Sr. Jack Porcari, Sr. Natalie Doller, Asst. Julie Frey, Asst.
ARTS EDITORS Alex Falter, Sr. Kara Anderson, Asst.
Jenna Quinn, Sr. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Paolo Blanchi, Sr.
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NEWS
ubspectrum.com
Aly Raisman, Nikole Hannah-Jones headline 2021-22 Distinguished Speakers Series Series will return to the CFA Mainstage Theatre beginning Oct. 13 JUSTIN WEISS MANAGING EDITOR
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will headline UB’s 2021-22 Distinguished Speakers Series, the university announced Thursday. The series, which makes its in-person return for the first time since before the pandemic, will also feature actor and UB alumnus Winston Duke and conservationist Jeff Corwin. The Center for the Arts’ Mainstage Theatre, which seats 1,500, will play host to all the talks, which will each begin at 7 p.m. “One of our university’s most popular traditions, the Distinguished Speakers
Series, holds special significance for us as we celebrate UB’s 175th anniversary,” UB President Satish Tripathi said in a statement. Students are eligible for free or discounted tickets to all speaker events, while supplies last, UB says. Students can access ticket information prior to each lecture. Other members of the UB and Buffalo community can purchase tickets to individual lectures or the entire series. Duke will kick off the series with a talk on Wednesday, Oct. 13. An alumnus of UB’s Theatre and Dance department, Duke played M’Baku in the movie “Black Panther,” the third highest-grossing film of all time. He also acted in Jordan Peele’s “Us” and in the Netflix crime drama “Spencer Confidential.” Raisman will take the stage next on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The former team captain of
Fernando Frazão / Agência Brasil The former team captain of the gold-medal winning 2012 and 2016 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics teams, Aly Raisman is the third most decorated American gymnast in history.
WI-FI FROM PAGE 1
tion Technology. Hundreds of other students beat her to the punch. UBIT received 328 complaints of WiFi connectivity issues on North Campus the first four days of school, 300 of which were filed last Monday and Tuesday. “While the increased traffic was a factor, the wireless network is more than adequate for the volume of people connecting at UB,” according to a statement from UBIT. “It appears the volume exacerbated other issues [which] may have now been identified and corrected. UBIT is monitoring closely to confirm this is the case.”
The university’s networks haven’t seen this much traffic since UB transitioned to online learning in March 2020. Wi-Fi connection returned for most students shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday, although it remains unclear whether the problem is solved for good. Some students continued to experience connectivity issues over the following week. According to UBIT staff members, parts of the Academic Spine and certain halls in the Ellicott Complex appeared to be most affected, but the department couldn’t “definitively say” whether any parts of North Campus remained unaffected. The Spectrum received reports of problems in Greiner Hall, Flint Village, South Lake Village and
the gold-medal winning 2012 and 2016 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics teams, Raisman is the third-most decorated American gymnast in history. Raisman has spoken extensively about self-care and positive body image. Hannah-Jones will headline the first talk of the spring semester on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Recognized as a MacArthur Genius and a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, Hannah-Jones is the creator of the New York Times’ “1619 Project,” which highlights the legacy of slavery. She has written extensively about school resegregation, racial injustice and housing policy. Corwin will take the stage for the final talk of the year, on April 5. Originally scheduled for April 2020, Corwin will use his credentials as a celebrated TV host to tell the story of conservation and environmentalism. Corwin has hosted televi-
sion series on ABC, NBC, Travel Channel, Food Network, Disney Channel and Discovery. The 2021-22 series will mark a return to an in-person format, after the 2020-21 series was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s series was presented via Zoom and featured Tony Award-winning actor Leslie Odom Jr., Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Collors and actress Tabitha Brown. “With the return of our series to an in-person format, we are delighted to welcome to campus an eminent cadre of influential thought leaders — including a UB alumnus — who promise to engage us in candid, provocative conversations about some of the most compelling issues facing our society,” Tripathi said. Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com
Alice Vergueiro / Abraji Recognized as a MacArthur Genius and a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones is the creator of the New York Times’ “1619 Project,” which highlights the legacy of slavery.
the CFA. UBIT said it hasn’t received any complaints regarding Wi-Fi connectivity issues from students at the university’s South and Downtown campuses. The lack of Wi-Fi was especially evident in the Silverman Library, where dozens of students all experienced problems at once. “There were several people standing in line in an attempt to get help from the UBIT services, [and] multiple people resorting to hotspots for internet access,” Monica Cortes, a sophomore aerospace and mechanical engineering major and Silverman library employee, said. “Less people came to the library [on] the second day of network issues.” Cortes noted that she and fellow library
staff also dealt with connectivity issues at various points during the first half of the week. Emily Bianchi, a sophomore graphic design major and secretary of UB’s LGBTA Club, was “trying to communicate with the other e-board members about future meetings,” but could only get a “very slow” connection on her phone from UB Connect, a network designed to get students connected to the university’s eduroam network. As a result, “none of [my] messages were sending,” Bianchi said. Many of the university’s clubs are trying to organize their first in-person meetings since the beginning of the pandemic. Failing Wi-Fi hit students in completely online courses, which make up about 17% of the university course catalog, the hardest. Hannah Krull, a sophomore majoring in sociology and global gender studies, was 20 minutes late to her statistics class because she couldn’t connect to the Zoom meeting. “I spent the entire time trying to connect with little success,” Krull said. “I missed the introduction to the class and part of the syllabus review.” Daysia Augustin, a sophomore neuroscience major, had similar problems attending her organic chemistry class over Zoom. “I had to rush to figure out how to connect to a hotspot instead of just using the Wi-Fi that is supposed to be provided for us,” Augustin said. “Thankfully, most of my classes were just reviewing the syllabus for the day so I don’t feel like I missed any actual course content for future classes.” Augustin also said she was “glad that the issue has been resolved,” but noted that it was still “just a little slow.” Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com
Chris Palmer / The Spectrum UBIT received 328 complaints of Wi-Fi connectivity issues on North Campus from Thursday to Tuesday.
FEATURES
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Wednesday, September 8 2021 | 5
Spectrum recommends Hikes, pumpkin patches and eateries worth frequenting this semester SPECTRUM STAFF
For thousands of upperclassmen, the first week of school represented a return to normalcy following three COVID19-filled semesters. But for UB’s freshman and sophomore classes, the start of the semester marked the first time many had ever stepped foot on campus. As the days get shorter and the calendar flips to autumn, here are some suggestions from The Spectrum staff about how to make the most of the fall semester:
Best class to take
As a longtime rap fan, freshman year was an exhilarating time thanks to the course Hip-Hop and Social Issues. It wasn’t what any of the students thought it would be; rather than employing a predictable curriculum, professor Mopelolade Ogunbowale teaches about mainstays like Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z and rap from every continent. Ogunbowale imparts the power and history of rap music, both as a beautiful form of cultural expression and a tool to give a voice to the voiceless.
Best place to grab a bite in Buffalo
If Anthony Bourdain taught viewers anything, it’s that the best restaurants aren’t always the most expensive steakhouses or the made-for-TV joints. Sometimes, it’s the small spots that are the cheapest and most delicious. Enter La Divina, a small Mexican restaurant on Delaware Avenue. While its classic chicken, beef and tacos are all delicious, it’s the shop’s special menu that gets people. Customers can enrich their meal with some adventurous options, including tripa (gut), lengua (beef tongue), pescado (grilled tilapia) and even ribeye steak. Even birria fans can find their favorite beef broth here for only $3.75! Boasting delicious quesadillas and savory tacos, La Divina is the place to go for any self-respecting foodie.
ALEX FALTER
Best way to find headspace
Dealing with the overwhelming number of students and trying to prioritize mental health are some of the many things freshmen deal with as they enter UB. Now a
senior, it’s important to reflect on lessons learned. Personally, the easiest way to attain success is to get organized in classes as early as possible. College throws so many curve balls that at minimum students can plan for classes even when they can’t plan for anything else. Equally important is finding time away from classes and friends to mentally reset and be alone. Being removed from the people and places who may be contributing to one’s stress can drastically improve one’s headspace. Lastly, students should remember to give themselves the grace to feel down, make mistakes and seek help when needed. Students are only human. JULIE FREY
Best place to find quiet
Baird Point, or “the ruins,” as some prefer to call it, is the best spot to find some quiet at UB. To get there, simply walk toward Lake LaSalle behind the CFA — students can’t miss the tall stone columns. It’s the perfect spot for reading, doing homework, listening to music and enjoying the sun. Its proximity to the wa-
Best professor at UB
Basketball at Alumni Arena’s triple gym is the best on-campus activity at UB. Students of all skill levels are able to dribble, pass and shoot at a D1 facility. Featuring an enjoyable vibe, the gym is a great place for friends to get together for intramurals or a casual shootaround.
Best Buffalo activity
After visiting Downtown Buffalo, Canalside and Niagara Falls, students should convince their friends with cars to make the hour-long trip south to the Griffis Sculpture Park. Located in northern Cattaraugus County, the 450-acre park features 250 metal statues, all sculpted by local artist Larry Griffis Jr. Visitors can pose for photos with metal butterfly wings, climb atop metal castles and enjoy the scenery from the back of a praying mantis sculpture. Students should go sooner rather than later; the fall foliage makes this semester the best time of year to visit.
Best hidden spot Victoria Evans / The Spectrum Located in the Commons, La Rosa is a “classic example of Western New York pizza joint.”
Best place to grab a bite on campus
Matthew Romanyk / The Spectrum Professor Mopelolade Ogunbowale teaches students to “fully understand the power and history of rap.”
Now that students are back on campus, the age-old problem of finding the perfect bathroom to do one’s business is once again a priority (because let’s face it — a six-stall restroom in the Student Union isn’t ideal). Enter the best hidden spot on campus: the basement of O’Brian Hall. Here, in the same place that future lawyers toil over exams and lecture notes, the holy grail of campus bathrooms resides: a single stall toilet. Located just around the corner from the elevators, this bathroom is guaranteed to give users that extra bit of privacy they can’t find anywhere else. The fluorescent lights, large number of mirrors and yes, only one toilet, greet visitors to a serene bathroom experience. After taking advantage of this little gem, visitors will vow never to use the stalls near Moe’s again. KARA ANDERSON
Best hiking spot
The Queen City may be flat, but the towns surrounding it — especially to the south and the east — aren’t. Located a little more than an hour away, in Gowanda, Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area is a fun, challenging spot featuring a beautiful canyon and incredible rock formations. Check out the moderate, 2.0-mile Valentine Flats Trail, or spend the day in the gorges, where students can waddle through the water and soak up the fresh air.
NATALIE DOLLER
Best place to grab a bite in the Commons
Ever since dating a boy as a freshman who worked in the kitchen of La Rosa, the pizza place has become a personal favorite. A classic example of a Western New York pizza joint, La Rosa serves pizza by-the-slice, but also offers appetizers like chicken tenders, pasta and garlic knots. As a Rochester native, the WNY slice has become all-too-familiar: a doughy, possibly undercooked square — and western New Yorkers do love their square cut pizza — with a thick layer of cheese covering a thin glaze of marinara. La Rosa’s slices — thinner with more sauce and cut in a triangle — are closer to a traditional New York style slice. Nestled in the Commons between Kung Fu Tea and the Korean Express, it’s a quick walk from the Student Union when the Moe’s line extends out the door.
Best thing to do on campus
GRANT ASHLEY
HUNTER SKOCZYLAS
Favorite place to eat seems like a stretch, since the normal litmus test for on-campus dining ranges from inedible to tolerable. But the best food on campus can be found in the Student Union at Bravo Pasta at Pistachio’s, where students’ carbfilled dreams come true. The wait may be long, but the personalized pasta dishes and breadsticks are worth it when students are craving a meal two times the size of their head. Ordering ahead on the GET app will save students time, but remember: those order slots fill up quickly. It’s hard to go wrong with penne pasta with chicken, spinach and vodka sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese.
JACK PORCARI
ANTHONY DECICCO
ALEX FALTER
As a graduating senior, the list of terrific (and terrible) professors is long and winding. But Charles Anzalone, an adjunct who teaches ENG 212, or “How To Write Like a Journalist,” takes the cake for the best professor at UB. He pushes students outside their comfort zones, takes the time to ask how their days are going and even plays music and occasionally showcases his singing skills. It’s hard not to be drawn to someone who genuinely cares about his students’ success.
ter also makes this destination a nice escape from the noise of a campus routine. Perhaps the best part about this place is that it’s a short walk to the Student Union and the Commons, but far enough to be a peaceful escape.
JUSTIN WEISS
The Spectrum Archives Students can choose from a “selection of hundreds of pumpkins” at The Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence.
Best fall activity
The Buffalo metropolitan area is littered with farms offering all kinds of fall-themed entertainment. The Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence is home to the Pumpkin Palace, where patrons can choose from a selection of hundreds of pumpkins which are sold at 50 cents per pound. Smith’s Orchard and Cider Mill in Lockport allows patrons to pick their own apples for $1 per pound, and offers an assortment of refreshments like fresh pressed apple cider ($6 a gallon) and apple cider infused donuts. REILLY MULLEN
REILLY MULLEN
Alexis Heng / The Spectrum Baird Point is the perfect spot for “reading, doing homework, listening to music and enjoying the sun.”
6 | Wednesday, September 8 2021
FEATURES
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Twenty years later The fall 2001 staff of The Spectrum reflects on that fateful September day JUSTIN WEISS | MANAGING EDITOR
Elizabeth Fox-Solomon was sitting in the orthodontist’s chair when the world as she knew it changed forever. On Sept. 11, 2001, Fox-Solomon awoke in the early hours of the morning to eat breakfast and send her roommate off for a flight to England. After leaving The Original Pancake House on Main Street in Williamsville sometime in the early morning, she went down the road to the orthodontist, where she had an appointment scheduled for a braces adjustment. While she was laid out in a chair, the secretary came running into the room. “Oh my God, a plane just hit the Twin Towers in New York,” the secretary cried. At first, Fox-Solomon believed it was an accident, the result of a malfunctioning Cessna or murky conditions. But, when United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower 17 minutes later, Fox-Solomon, just like the rest of the world, came to understand that it was no accident. The U.S. was at war. And her life would never be the same. At that very moment, Fox-Solomon was one of the millions of Americans trying to gather information about what would become the deadliest terror attack ever on U.S. soil, a series of four coordinated attacks by the militant Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda that would leave 2,996 people dead, more than 6,000 people injured and people from coast-to-coast reeling. As the people around her shuffled inand-out of the orthodontist’s office, FoxSolomon knew where she needed to be: at 132 Student Union, the home of The Spectrum office, where she had recently become the managing editor. “I remember just sitting in the chair and the first thing I thought was, I need to get back to the Spectrum office,” Fox-Solomon said in a Zoom interview last week. “That’s a crazy thing to think, but I knew I wanted to be with my friends and I knew there would be massive implications for everyone. “I just thought, ‘I need to get back to the Spectrum office so we can respond. I need to learn what’s going on so we can report on this. We have an issue tomorrow.’” Fox-Solomon jumped out of the chair, raced out of the office and arrived in the Student Union, where, for the next 18 hours, she and the rest of her staff furi-
The Spectrum Archives The Sept. 12, 2001 edition of The Spectrum featured a number of stories about the previous day’s attacks.
ously tried to make sense of the incomprehensible.
‘It felt really pedestrian’
Fall 2001 was primed to be a formative semester for Kevin Purdy. After bouncing around from one major to the next and making the leap from writer to associate editor at The Spectrum, Purdy was promoted to the newspaper’s feature editor, where he not only had writ-
ing responsibilities, but was also tasked with teaching his students about the inverted pyramid and other journalistic writing techniques. His semester was centered around the newspaper, to the “unfortunate exclusion of my schoolwork,” Purdy said in an interview. It became his career, the thing he consumed himself with when he wasn’t in class or hanging out with his friends. Like every other burgeoning reporter,
Anthony Fomin / Unsplash On Sept. 11, 2001, a series of four coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda left 2,996 people dead. The 9/11 reflecting pools in New York remember the deceased.
Purdy wanted to make a big splash. A front-page story with his byline in the Sept. 10 issue of The Spectrum highlighted the Student Association’s ambitious attempt to secure former President Bill Clinton as a distinguished speaker. In fact, much of the newspaper’s coverage prior to the late summer tragedy centered around the Student Association. Zealous reporters looked to highlight the SA’s “out-of-control spending,” as Purdy put it. Reporters dissected the SA ledger line-by-line, looking for superfluous items like pricey birthday cakes and needless dance parties. Purdy recalls questioning the Taekwondo Club for spending “a lavish amount” on a pizza party. That was part of a Spectrum narrative, largely grounded in fact, that the organization was spending too much on unnecessary things. Fox-Solomon recalls a feud The Spectrum had with The Generation, UB’s now-defunct magazine that provided the campus community with an “alternative student voice,” according to its Issuu page. The rival publications would write snide comments about each other. Once, The Generation published a story joking that the Fall Fest headliner would be Fox-Solomon, and that nobody would be in attendance (3 Doors Down, Everclear, Mya and Outkast all performed at fall fest that year). “It was really just silly stuff like that,” Fox-Solomon said. The Spectrum was also engaged in a series of reports focusing on new housing developments, from Hadley and Flint Villages to buildings going up on Skinner Road — things that at the time of publication felt significant, but in the wake of the tragedies felt irrelevant. “College can be a little bit of a bubble,” Fox-Solomon said. “What we were focused on seems really inconsequential in retrospect. Things that once 9/11 happened felt really pedestrian and inconsequential compared to the issues facing the world.” The Spectrum has always filled a watchdog role on campus, but sometimes, in the wake of something so monumental, that status comes into question. “I don’t want to say it’s petty, because it was important,” Fox-Solomon said
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FEATURES
Wednesday, September 8 2021 | 7
Partha Narasimhan / Unsplash The 9/11 Memorial in Jersey City, NJ commemorates the thousands of people who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
about the newspaper’s coverage prior to the events of 9/11. “It was about how we spent our money and resources, which was fulfilling The Spectrum’s role as a watchdog. It was certainly important. But it [9/11] put things in perspective once the world changed.”
‘We had to get a paper out’
Every Tuesday at 8 a.m., Purdy made the trek to the basement of Clemens Hall, where he attended a three-hour English class on the poetry of John Milton. ENG 315: Milton was held in a windowless room and was “just brutal,” Purdy said. He was stuck in the class because he didn’t have priority registration for his courses, so in an era before widespread cell phone access and Facebook, Purdy descended to the basement for three hours of communication-less class. That would prove crucial in the way he understood the events of that day. As he emerged from the tunnel, his eyes still adjusting to the bright lights and his mind still scrambled from three hours of discussion about the work of a poet who had died more than 300 years earlier, Purdy was confronted by a chaotic scene: hundreds of students were crowded around small TVs, apparently watching something massive go down. “I remember tons of people looking at two TVs in the corner, and I couldn’t even tell what was happening,” Purdy said. “All I saw was smoke.” Like Fox-Solomon, Purdy instinctively “booked it over” to the Spectrum office, where he joined the rest of the staff in watching the events unfold on a small, wheeled TV. Purdy was still confused, as the result of his previous class: “I had just spent three hours thinking about an author who died hundreds of years ago,” Purdy said. “I was way behind most people.” As Purdy and the rest of the staff began to make a little sense of the situation, they began delegating responsibilities. After all, there was a newspaper to print the next day, and Purdy, Fox-Solomon, editor-inchief Emily Dalton Smith and the rest of the staff had a responsibility to fill it. But it wasn’t just an unfilled paper that motivated the staff to turn in a paper that day. Printing a paper gave the reporters a sense of purpose, a “feeling that we were in control of something,” as Purdy would later recall. The Sept. 12, 2001 issue of The Spectrum — the publication’s first since the terror attacks the day before — features two front-page stories: one from Geraldine Baum and Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times about the Tuesday attacks, and the
other from campus news editor Sara Paulson about UB administrators — including Greiner Hall namesake and former UB President William R. Greiner — responding to students in need. The Los Angeles Times story represents one of the only times in the publication’s history that the work of a non-Spectrum staffer graced the cover of the newspaper. The front-page photo shows a fire at the impact zone of the World Trade Center’s South Tower and a ball of smoke rising from the top of the North Tower. Purdy recalls tension in the copy editing room, where staffers debated whether or not to enlarge the photo, which Purdy says looked like “pixelated mud.” “We had just worked 18 hours on the paper, and the photo looked terrible,” Purdy said. “The photo went way beyond resolution. It sounds inconsequential [the debate over the photo], but that’s what happens to your brain after an event like that, even if it’s unimportant.” Fox-Solomon wrote a story on the third page about the response of spiritual leaders and organizations. She quoted a rabbi, a minister and members of the Muslim Student Association as they responded to the unfoalding attacks. She tried to capture the mood especially among Muslim students, who in later months would find themselves targeted due to their religion. Fox-Solomon, now a civil rights attorney and the chief of staff to chair Charlotte Burrows of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, wanted to shine a light on the struggles these students faced. “We were all experiencing a horrific tragedy, and they were experiencing a horrific tragedy plus the hate, bias and fear that happens when people associate a horrific event with a group of people,” FoxSolomon said. Purdy wrote a story on the seventh page about Crisis Services of Buffalo, and the life-saving work they were doing to help the victims’ families cope with the tragedy. He also spoke to the Western New York chapter of the American Red Cross, which was inundated with calls from “people who desperately wanted to help any way they could,” he wrote in the story. Arts editor Matt Mumau interviewed students for an article about the attacks; beat reporter Jamie Perna wrote about students organizing a dorm vigil; and contributing editor Stefanie Alaimo covered how UB’s Counseling Center responded to the violence. The editors also chose to print stories from The Washington Post and even ran former President George W. Bush’s complete speech following the tragedy:
“A great people has been moved to defend a great nation,” Bush said, previewing the War on Terror that was to come. “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings (in addition to the World Trade Center, terrorists flew planes into the Pentagon and a field just north of Shanksville, PA), but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” In an editorial, the staff of The Spectrum implored students to do good: “When words can’t express the magnificence of horror, positive actions are what we must give to help.” In a sign of just how hastily the newspaper was assembled, the editors ran stories about the SA kicking off monthly bar parties and concerned community members calling into WBFO to complain about housing developments at Clement and Goodyear Hall. For a generation of student reporters whose biggest news story was the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, the Sept. 11 attacks represented something far larger than themselves, but The Spectrum staff did what they always did: they produced a paper.
‘What are we supposed to do now?’
If the Spectrum before 9/11 was marked by stories about lavish pizza parties and housing conflicts, the publication became a source of news about the tragedy in the months following the attacks. It was all anyone on campus wanted to talk about, Fox-Solomon said. Walk to Starbucks, traverse the Student Union or return to the dorms, and there was a student, waiting to speak about the latest
developments. “You could see it in their eyes,” Purdy said. Everyone was processing the tragedy differently. Some, like Purdy and FoxSolomon, buried themselves in their work: “What can I do when the world is falling apart?” Fox-Solomon remembers asking herself at the time. “It gave me a mission, a sense of purpose.” UB is six hours away from New York by car, but many students were still affected nonetheless. Some lost family and friends; others came from areas affected by the carnage and debris. Eleven UB alumni perished in the attacks that day. In the wake of the tragedy, everything was different in the Spectrum office. “Even if there was physical space for stories about the pizza parties, there wasn’t emotional space,” Purdy said. Purdy and Fox-Solomon, who are now married and living in Washington, D.C., both say that the issues were very changed. The world before — easy entry into Canada for UB students, painless access to commercial flights, a trained obliviousness to massive acts of terrorism — no longer existed. In its place is something that still exists to this day, a feeling that safety is temporary and the world can change with a blink of the eye. “These types of events remind you that every day is not a given,” Fox-Solomon said. “You can wake up tomorrow and be told that you lost someone. People lost family members. We lost first responders. Making every day count and trying to make the world a tiny bit better, as cliché as it sounds, is so important.” Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com
The Spectrum Archives Located at 132 Student Union, The Spectrum office housed more than two dozen student journalists on Sept. 11, 2001.
8 | Wednesday, September 8 2021
FEATURES
Week 1: Completed
Sabrina Akter-Nabi / The Spectrum
Jenna Quinn / The Spectrum
Sai Krishna-Seethala / The Spectrum
Alex Brown / The Spectrum
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, September 8 2021 | 9
Kanye West gives fans his best album since ‘Life of Pablo’ with ‘Donda’ After numerous delays and promises, Kanye delivers ALEX FALTER SENIOR ARTS EDITOR
Album: Donda Artist: Kanye West Label: Def Jam and GOOD Music Release Date: Aug. 29 Rating: 8.7/10 Kanye West has been on a fascinating run as of late. After announcing his 10th album, “Donda,” over a year ago, West spent the past two months performing the new tracks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with the sets becoming progressively zanier and the many songs/features being changed each time. Now, West has finally released “Donda” for the whole world to hear. From the album’s opening track, West’s otherworldly creative choices take the forefront once again, with “Donda Chant” containing nothing more than the repeated word, “Donda.” Named after his late mother, “Donda” represents somewhat of a creative turning point for West. After completely revamping his musical style for the heavily religious “Jesus is King,” Kanye blends his faith-based music with something out of his 2016 masterpiece, “Life of Pablo.” Still containing the positivity and love for God found in “Jesus is King,” “Donda” brings back the signature Kanye aggression that helped make him famous while refusing to shed his newfound relationship with God. After its weirder-than-usual introduction, the album establishes itself on sophomore track, “Jail.” Rapping alongside a beat that would make any American rock fan squeal, Ye happily raps “Guess who’s goin’ to jail tonight?” in an expression of comfortability after a decade as public enemy number one. But the real surprise comes in the track’s latter half, with former collaborator Jay-Z spitting an exceptional verse that all but confirms the two have ended their years-long feud. Jay Z: “Hova and Yeezus, like Moses and Jesus / You are not in control of my thesis / You already know what I think ‘bout think pieces / Before you ask, he al-
ready told you who he think he is / Don’t try to jail my thoughts and think pre-cents / I can’t be controlled with programs and presets.” Like his other projects before, West handles the majority of the album’s production, and it shows. What makes the beats so special here is how seamlessly they blend Ye’s aforementioned styles. While many beats would never find their way into a church choir, many of these songs are sung in such a way that suggests they
you give me shock, then you gotta electric.” One of the most fascinating components of the album is its lack of expletives. Most likely in an effort to pay respect to religion and his God, Ye makes sure the 27 track project doesn’t contain a single uncensored curse word. But, unlike “Jesus is King,” this album still maintains the quintessential Kanye energy fans know and love, as opposed to the entire switch up from his style that was “Jesus is King.”
Jason Persse / Wiki Commons Kanye West performs at The Museum of Modern Art’s annual Party in the Garden benefit in May 2011.
could easily find a home in listeners’ local place of worship, while still invoking energetic anthems that will be screamed in unison by thousands of fans at West’s next live show. On “Off the Grid,” Kanye employs young talents Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign, who effectively bring their own styles to the table. While Carti retains the emoesque style that made headlines on his previous album, “Whole Lotta Red,” Fivio Foreign delivers a long verse respecting Kanye’s religious motif while providing the headbanging rhymes that NYC-drill rappers are known for. Fivio Foreign: “Just to get the top, then they gotta respect it / If you got a voice, then you gotta project it / If you got a wrong, then you gotta correct it / If you got a name, then you gotta protect it / If
“Ok Ok” is one of Ye’s best verses across the album, as Kanye raps with Fivio Foreign, Rooga and the always colorful Lil Yachty in an emphatic verse about the value of hard work and the large number of untrustworthy people in their lives. Kanye West: “Okay, now they got me, wanna rap again / Heal the wound and then you stab me in my back again / You the type to play the joke and try to hide your hand / Not the type to come around and try to play your friend /You the type to cut the grass and snake your bestest man / I’m the type to close the deal and cut my ---- in.” As always, Kanye is at his best when he is introspective, which he showcases on “Jesus Lord,” a song about the sadder moments in his life: fake friends, drug addiction and the loss of his mother. Easily
one of the most somber tracks on the album, Kanye’s dark discovery into his own mind delivers as one of Ye’s most heartfelt verses in years: “It’s just drugs, it ain’t no hugs, it ain’t no love there / You been down so much you don’t even know what’s upstairs / Suicidal thoughts got you wonderin’ what’s up there / And while I introduce the party, you say it’s up there / Too many pills, so much potions, so much pain, too many emotions / And everything that you do good, it just go unnoticed.” Despite acting as a return to form for the Grammy-winning rapper, the album’s greatest fallback is its length. There isn’t much wrong with the quality itself, but many of the songs feel bloated on the instrumental side, with songs like the excellently rapped “God Breathed” containing quiet outros that span over a minute. These poignant moments had lots of potential for greater artistic growth, but are instead overshadowed as excess fat that could have been trimmed for a tighter project. Additionally, Kanye ends the album with a handful of “Part 2” songs that act as remixes to earlier tracks on the album. While it’s great to hear the added features, it would have been nice if Ye could have used these on the original versions or even entirely new songs, as these remixes just feel like excess. One of the album’s greatest strengths comes in the form of personnel, with Kanye enlisting everyone from Ariana Grande, Marilyn Manson, Playboi Carti, The LOX and even Buffalo natives Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn. While others would easily fumble such a mixed bag of artists, Ye blends everyone together seamlessly, creating one of his largest scale projects and further cementing his artistry as one of hip-hop’s best and brightest minds. While fans can never be sure when his next release will be — in no small part due to his penchant for delays — Kanye gave listeners what was easily his best album in years: an encyclopedia of musical ideas, complete with every type of artist, beat and lyrical subject. Donda West would be proud. Email: alex.falter@ubspectrum.com
The Steer and Lake Effect Diner close their doors Despite lawsuit, popular University Heights eateries will cease to exist DAN EASTMAN JULIE FREY ASST. MANAGING EDITOR ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR
In mid-August, two beloved restaurants in Buffalo’s University Heights neighborhood closed their doors for the foreseeable future. On Aug. 16, Lake Effect Diner turned off its lights after serving the UB community for 19 years. The next day, The Steer Restaurant and Saloon followed, after 28 years in business. The two restaurants were located on Main St., just a few short blocks from UB’s South Campus and were heavily frequented by UB students over the years. Owner Tucker Curtin told WGRZ Buffalo that the closures are a result of worker shortages and supply chain issues. Curtain told Buffalo Business First in an interview that the stress of being understaffed and overworked was quickly reaching a breaking point. “It becomes a breakdown in the product we deliver, and we don’t want to be shooting for mediocrity when we’ve had such a good, long run and such a good reputation,” Curtain said. “I’d rather leave on a high note.” But just two days after The Steer closed its doors, Erin Campbell Curtin, Tucker’s spouse and restaurant collaborator, posted on Instagram that she had not been consulted on the decision to close and is committed to keeping the restaurants open. “The Steer Restaurant and Lake Effect
Diner are family businesses which Tucker and I have run along with our children since 1993,” Campbell Curtin said. “I was not consulted on the sudden closing of both restaurants. I am committed to keeping the restaurants open. With our dedicated staff, I look forward to welcoming our loyal patrons back soon. Stay tuned!” It is unclear if the two locations will reopen, but the Instagram post was met with support from the community and UB students. On Aug. 20 the Buffalo News reported that Campbell Curtin filed a court challenge against Tucker Curtin’s closing of the restaurants; Tucker later said his wife was not a partner in the corporation. The Spectrum reached out to Tucker for comment, but as of the time of publication, he had not responded. Ciara Burke, a graduate economics student, says she is saddened by the closure. Burke once met actress and comedian Tina Fey while eating there. “I’ve had a lot of fun memories there over the years. When I was a freshman I went there to get dessert with a new friend, and it was the first time I took a bus to South Campus,” Burke said. “Sophomore year I went there for my birthday dinner because I was on crutches, and I ended up meeting Tina Fey. When I was a junior and everything seemed a bit depressing, I had brunch with my friends between online classes and shared lots of laughs. It’s honestly pretty sad I won’t be able to make more fun memories there during my final year at UB.” In April 2020, 199 Delaware Avenue Inc., Tucker’s corporation, received $129,000 in paycheck protection program
Sabrina Akter-Nabi / The Spectrum Located in the University Heights neighborhood, The Steer Restaurant & Saloon has long been a favorite of UB students.
loans to fight back against the COVID-19 pandemic. Lake Effect Diner is notable around Buffalo for previously being featured in Season 7, Episode 13 of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives hosted by Guy Fieri. In the episode, Fieri reviewed the diner’s in-house smoked bacon and ham and the made-from-scratch red-eye gravy. Tucker Curtain previously sued Lake Effect Artisan Ice Cream in 2019, claiming that the creamery had infringed on the diner’s trademark and caused confu-
sion among customers who thought the two were related. Under the initial lawsuit, Curtain had asked the creamery to rename itself and sought damages for the period of time the two businesses shared a similar name. Both businesses agreed to drop the suit. While he said it pained him to do so, Curtain told the Buffalo News, “The Steer and Lake Effect diner are closed, and have no intention of reopening.” Email: danielson.eastman@ubspectrum.com Email: julie.frey@ubspectrum.com
10 | Wednesday, September 8 2021
SPORTS
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UB runs over Wagner 69-7 in Maurice Linguist’s head coaching debut The Maurice Linguist era starts off on the right foot in Buffalo ANTHONY DECICCO KAYLA STERNER SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR STAFF WRITER
UB had everything to lose and little to gain going into Thursday night’s season opener against FCS opponent Wagner. A massive 48.5-point favorite heading into the contest, the reigning Camellia Bowl champions were expected to dominate the Seahawks in Maurice Linguist’s first game as head coach. The anticipation was reminiscent of former UB head coach Lance Leipold’s first game in the Queen City, a 51-14 victory over FCS foe Albany in 2015. UB started the Maurice Linguist era in a similar fashion. The Bulls dominated Wagner in all three facets of the game, beating the Seahawks 69-7 in front of a raucous student section — and a recorded 13,063 people — Thursday night. “I’m really proud of the attitude and effort that our guys played with and the connection and confidence they took on the field,” Linguist said after the game. “It’s a testament to the players and the coaching staff just preparing every single day. I told the team early on this week, this game is definitely not about any one individual, certainly not me, it’s about the players that play the game, it’s about the coaches giving the players the tools that they need to succeed.” Senior quarterback Kyle Vantrease led a balanced offensive attack with 231 yards on 15-for-19 passing and one touchdown. Fifth-year senior receiver Jovany Ruiz caught Vantrease’s only touchdown and hauled in three catches for 76 yards. Senior wide receiver Quian Williams — who transferred from Eastern Michigan this
Alexander Brown / The Spectrum Tight end Jake Molinich (41) and head coach Maurice Linguist (right) lead the Bulls out of the tunnel on Thursday night.
offseason — made a strong first impression, catching five passes for a team-best 97 yards. “Our receiving corps did a great job tonight, making plays, going up and making catches, running after the catch. They put in the work this offseason so they deserve everything that they’re getting,” Vantrease said. “But everything they are doing wouldn’t be possible without the offensive line and the running backs protecting and setting us up for success.” The ground game that made UB so successful last season was also on display against Wagner, with two running backs (senior Kevin Marks Jr. and junior Dylan McDuffie) finding pay dirt twice. Junior
running backs Ron Cook Jr. (94 yards) and Tajay Ahmed (42 yards) both scored touchdowns while senior tight end Jake Molinich punched in a one-yard score from the fullback position. On the other side of the ball, fifth-year senior Taylor Riggins — who was sidelined for the entire 2020 season with an undisclosed injury — made his presence felt with a team-high in sacks (two) and total tackles (six). Senior linebacker James Patterson tallied five tackles while sophomore defensive tackles Daishon Folsom and George Wolo each recorded one sack. The Bulls’ defense held Wagner to only 92 total yards, allowing just 13 rushing yards.
“The defensive line did a great job of just attacking the quarterback,” Linguist said. “Our linebackers flowed on the second level and the secondary covered all night so [we] definitely had a lot of great things going on that side of the ball and it was good to see.” While Thursday’s game featured Linguist’s head coaching debut, it also marked the return of fans. UB Stadium hosted fans for the first time in 640 days, and the rambunctious “True Blue” student section showed up to create the “intimidating atmosphere” Linguist mentioned during his pre-game press conference Tuesday. “Our student section, our ‘True Blue’ section, they shined through,” Linguist said. “They did a great job at [creating an] intimidating atmosphere. And the challenge is now to change their best, we need more students, we need every student to bring another student with them. We’re really excited to get people back in the stands and back in the normal swing of things.” Despite the Bulls’ large margin of victory, Linguist insists tonight’s game is only the beginning of better things to come for UB. He knows transforming the program will be a process, and that doesn’t bother him one bit. “Things that we laid out in terms of our initial vision, we saw a lot of those things tonight,” Linguist said. “But we’re certainly far from any kind of finished product or anything like that. We’re going to continue to work, put our heads down and see how good we can get.” The Bulls will travel to Memorial Stadium to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. Email: anthony.decicco@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @DeCicco42
Jaret Patterson,Tyree Jackson make NFL 53-man rosters Former UB stars join Khalil Mack, Steven Means and Malcolm Koonce in the pros HUNTER SKOCZYLAS JUSTIN WEISS SPORTS EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR
Final roster cuts sometimes mark the end of a player’s professional journey. But for former UB star running back Jaret Patterson and former UB star quarterback Tyree Jackson, Tuesday marked the next step in their unusual path to the pros. Patterson was added to the Washington Football Team’s 53-man roster Tuesday following the release of running back Peyton Barber, which left Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and Patterson as the only active running backs on the roster. Washington was impressed by Patter-
son’s display of elusiveness and agility during the preseason. In three games, the diminutive runner had 28 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. He was also featured in the passing game, something he rarely contributed to at Buffalo. “I thought it was solid,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said after Patterson’s performance against the Bengals Aug. 20. “I really did. He’s an explosive, dynamic young back. We gave him some opportunities early on with the first bunch, and he did a nice job with that. And then when the second bunch was in there, 2s on 2s, I really thought he showed his ability.” Jackson made the Philadelphia Eagles’ 53-man roster despite suffering a back injury that will keep him sidelined for 8-10 weeks. He was placed on the team’s injured reserve, but could return in the middle of the regular season. The 6-foot-7 Jackson starred at quarterback at UB, but with a 34.5” vertical and
Jack Li / The Spectrum Quarterback-turned-tight end Tyree Jackson made the Philadelphia Eagles’ 53-man roster.
a 4.59 40-yard dash time, he decided to make the switch to tight end at the professional level. “He’s come a long way,” Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert said of Jackson. “Even from OTAs (organized team activities) to now, he’s improved tremendously. He’s been impressive blocking and his routes have been good. He’s a huge target. He’s got long arms and he’s had great hands all camp. That transition is tough going from quarterback to tight end. There’s a lot to learn but it seems like he’s learning it very fast and he’s doing a great job.” Patterson, a Glendale, MD native, had a historic 2020 season with the Bulls, as he led the nation in rushing yards per game, at 178 across six games. He also tied an FBS record with 409 rushing yards and found the end zone eight times in a 70-41 win over Kent State. Patterson has drawn praise from Ron Rivera and his teammates, who have la-
beled him as “electric.” Although Gibson and McKissic will likely handle the major roles in the backfield, Patterson’s NFL dream has begun and he now has a chance to make an immediate impact on special teams as a kick returner or a gunner. Patterson and the Washington Football Team will travel to Buffalo on Sept. 26 for a Week 3 matchup against the Bills at Highmark Stadium. Jackson won’t travel to the Queen City in 2021, but he will face former UB star linebacker Steven Means and the Falcons on Sept. 12 and former UB star edge rusher Malcolm Koonce and the Raiders on Oct. 24. Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack is UB’s most decorated alumnus, and will be competing for a Super Bowl with the Bears this season. Email: hunter.skoczylas@ubspectrum.com, Twitter: @HunterSkoczylas Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com
Alexander Brown / The Spectrum Former UB star running back Jaret Patterson was named to the Washington Football Team’s 53man roster.