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The Spectrum h t t p : / / w w w . u b s p e c t r u m . c o m
Friday, April 2, 2010
Volume 59 Issue 69
An independent student publication of the University at Buffalo
Students voice concerns about Spring Fest By CAITLIN TREMBLAY Campus Editor
SA President Ernesto Alvarado and his entertainment team have been working for months to plan this year’s Spring Fest. However, despite their best efforts, many UB students remain unimpressed with the line up and have taken to Facebook groups to voice their qualms. Anthony Consiglio, a junior computer science major, started the Facebook group in an effort to get students’ voices heard. “We want good bands,” Consiglio
said. “We want our money going to something we can enjoy.” Alvarado points out that students are always asked for their input on who should come to Spring and Fall Fests and that planning an event of this caliber is not as simple as many may think. “We poll students and listen to their input,” Alvarado said. “But more often than not, we get ridiculous requests like Michael Jackson or Tupac. Clearly, that’s not going to happen.” The SA contacted a plethora of artists suggested by students for this year’s concert, including
The Deadweather, Radiohead, Green Day, Lady Gaga, The Gorillaz, O.A.R., The Goo Goo Dolls, Incubus, Weezer and Girl Talk. Alvarado also stressed that it takes four to five months to plan an event as big as Spring Fest and that it’s often hard to find talent that can fit into the requirements that SA has to work with. Alumni Arena gives the SA three dates that it can hold an event. This year, it was given March 20, the day of Wale; April 3, which it decided against as many students go home for Easter; and April 17, the date set for Spring Fest.
“Spring Fest is on a tough day this year. It’s the same date as Coachella, which made getting talent a little tricky,” Alvarado said. Coachella is a three-day music festival in Indio, Calif., which boasts headliners like Jay-Z, Muse and Them Crooked Vultures this year. “Coachella caused some see FEST page 4 Rob Schulz/ The Spectrum Right: Some students feel
that SA is throwing their money away with what they see as a failed Spring Fest line-up.
LET’S GET ASTROPHYSICAL Tyson explains life and the universe
By MATT MOSHER Managing Editor
Clinton Hodnett / The Spectrum
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of Nova on PBS, gave an energetic lecture at UB as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series.
The 23rd annual Disting uished Speakers Series continued Wednesday, featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, whose accolades in astrophysics include demoting Pluto from being a planet, running the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and hosting NOVA scienceNOW. Tyson started his speech by ascertaining that his PowerPoint slides were working and said most people use these lectures to promote a new book. “This is no exception,” he said, putting a slide up of his most recent works. He then stated he needed to empty his pockets and as he was getting comfortable, the famed astrophysicist also took off his shoes. He launched into his presentation by explaining the vast amount of stars in the universe and that our star, the sun, is just one tiny grain of sand on an entire beach. Tyson explained the way
scientists describe such large numbers – using scientific notation as their method. Starting with one, Tyson kept multiplying each number by 1,000. “Drug dealers are not unfamiliar with 1,000, also known as kilos,” Tyson said. As he worked his way up to a billion he showed that McDonald’s has claimed to sell over 99 billion hamburgers. To put it in relative terms, he explained, the amount sold could wrap around the earth 52 times, with enough left over to stack up to the moon.
City Editor
In light of the monetary devastations caused by the recent SUNY budget cuts, the Senate hopes to bridge the financial gap for many college students by passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) on Tuesday. With the passage of this act, $68 billion will be redirected from private loan companies back to those students who are in need of financial aid, making this the largest federal contribution to college affordability in U.S. history. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, D-NY, held a key
Inside: Arts and Life ........... 5 Classifieds ............. 11 Opinion .................. 3 Sports .................. 12 This Weekend ........ 5
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter role in this legislation as chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, being that it is the last stop for key legislation before the act goes to the floor of the house, according to a press release.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, thanks to a legislative device called reconciliation, is being combined as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 that was passed last week. “The student aid reforms in this bill have been overshadowed by health care reform, but are important in their own right,” Slaughter said. “This marks a new era for students across Western New York and reaffirms our commitment to higher education. It also guarantees that our future workforce is well educated.” This student loan act included in the new health
“In astrophysics, we tell it like it is,” Tyson said. “When we find spots on the sun, we call them sunspots. If we find a big red star, we call it a Red Giant. You know what we call the rings around Saturn? Saturn’s rings. We speak so we can understand it.” Tyson continued by talking about the origins of life, breaking down the elements found in the far reaches of the universe to the same elements within our own bodies. see LECTURE page 4
A ride with the man who killed Pluto By MATT MOSHER Managing Editor
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the lead men responsible for declassifying Pluto as our solar system’s ninth planet. Tyson is also perhaps the most famous living astrophysicist. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, host of NOVA scienceNOW and a graduate of Harvard, University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University. He was also People
Student aid bill signed into law By JENNIFER GOOD
As he continued to count up he reached the number one sextillion, which is a one followed by 21 zeros. “This number is ten times larger than all sounds or words ever uttered by all humans who have ever lived,” Tyson said. “It is this number that is the amount of stars in the observable universe.” Tyson went on to say that astrophysicists do not try to make the terms they use complicated and joked about other fields that use big and fancy words.
Magazine’s “sexiest astrophysicist”. The resulting debate of knocking out pluto stirred up protestors, hate mail and left a permanent mark on Tyson’s career. I was invited to an informal question and answer session prior to his presentation at Alumni Arena. I spent nearly an hour and a half with the distinguished scientist and we talked about TV, Buffalo, his love for pens and, of course, science. see TYSON page 2
Students rally to restore SUNY budget By JEFF PELZEK Staff Writer
Students gathered in Founders Plaza with their signs on Wednesday, some of which read, “No Tuition Hikes: 0 percent;” “UB 2012: The End of Public Education is Near,” and “Student Debt Bails Out Wall Street.” But the rally was not like the violent UB protest of 1970, the one for which the school has gained national notoriety. Instead, it was an air of confident personal vindication in the students’ peaceful assembly that got everyone’s attention, as the protestors
see AID page 7
BARENAKED TALENT All In Good Time would be worth $1,000,000, if you had it. See Page 5
see BUDGET page 8
Evangeline Goh/ The Spectrum
Students rallied outside of Capen Hall on Wednesday in protest of the budget cuts to SUNY and UB.
BASEBALL’S BACK The Spectrum previews the upcoming MLB season. See Page 12
Weather: Fri: 76o high / 54o low Sat: 79o high / 49o low Sun: 65o high / 44o low
The Spectrum
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April 2, 2010
Not afraid to label himself as a geek, nerd or dweeb TYSON from page 1 Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the lead men responsible for declassifying Pluto as our solar system’s ninth planet. Yet, Tyson is perhaps the most famous living astrophysicist. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, host of NOVA scienceNOW and a graduate of Harvard, University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University. He was also People Magazine’s “sexiest astrophysicist”. The resulting debate stirred up protestors, hate mail and left a permanent mark on Tyson’s career. I was invited to an informal question and answer session and prior to his presentation at Alumni Arena. I spent nearly an hour and a half with the distinguished scientist as we talked about TV, Buffalo, his love for pens and of course science. The guest list to the Q&A included children from local grade schools and members of UB’s physics clubs. Basically, I was surrounded by brainiacs of all ages and I felt quite out of place. The 6-foot-2-inch scientist strolled into 145A Student Union to a round of applause. His style was quite casual, matching the atmosphere of the room. Tyson’s dark jeans matched his charcoal gray sport coat, which he wore over a beige vest and collared shirt that had the first few buttons undone. The first question came from a fifth grader: “Why is Pluto no longer a planet?” Tyson explained that nothing about Pluto has changed, saying the planet is that what it always has been. But what scientists have learned has changed. With bigger and better telescopes, scientists have discovered many similar objects like Pluto, which resulted in a new classification for “dwarf planets.” “Pluto is much happier now,”
T yson said. “It’s the f irst in a class of new objects.” He followed with a story of the time he appeared on The Today Show and Al Roker said comparing Pluto to other planets would be like comparing a regular size car to a Mini-Cooper. But, according to Tyson, this was far off. “The realistic comparison [of Pluto to Earth] would be to compare the size of a matchbox car to a regular car,” Tyson said. After a few more questions regarding Pluto, a young girl wondered why every star doesn’t have a name. Tyson said about two-thirds of visible stars have names and said it’s difficult to name every star. He explained that when a telescope is used, that even more stars become visible. With even bigger telescopes, stars are so abundant that it is impossible to name them all. “There aren’t enough names in the history of Earth to name all the stars,” Tyson said. He added that many names of stars have Arabic names because the first people to actively name them were people in the deserts of the Middle East. He went on to explain how the first cultures to discover something in science typically name things accordingly, which is why constellations have Roman names and why recently discovered heavy elements on the periodic table have American names. After the session ended, I spotted Bill Regan, the director of special events. He had gotten me in this conference and I was relying on him to set up the next steps. A car ride was in order. I’d be accompanying the pair, along with a few others, on Tyson’s trip back to the Center for the Arts. The vehicle was a university-owned Dodge Caravan. A few of us piled in like we were off to soccer practice and I was ready to fire away a few questions to Tyson, who took shotgun
in the van. As we were getting situated, I asked Tyson if he was more of a Star Wars or Star Trek fan when he was younger. “Star Trek, for sure,” Tyson said. “It was on TV and was all about space and exploring new frontiers.” He knew at a young age he wanted to focus his life and career on matters beyond Earth. “I couldn’t believe people wanted to do anything else, like be lawyers or accountants. This stuff is cool stuff,” he said after talking about his inspirations to study the heavens. One of many reasons came from visits to the Hayden Planetarium in Tyson’s hometown of New York City. The planetarium resides in the Museum of Natural History, the same setting for Night at the Museum. I asked where his favorite place in the world was to stargaze. “Inside a planetarium,” he said very quickly. “It gives you the best night sky. The only other thing better is getting way into the countryside. A good way to analyze if a place is good for looking at stars is by checking your cell phone service. If it’s really bad, then [observing] will be good.” As the mini-van pulled onto Putnam Way and we headed to Alumni Arena for a sound check, I asked Tyson which one of his many talk show appearances were his favorite. “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was my biggest achievement,” Tyson said. “It’s rare that he has a scientist on as a guest … it was a great opportunity to talk about breakthroughs in the space frontier.” The two-minute ride was over already and we walked into an empty Alumni Arena. Tyson was led up to the stage. Nobody stopped me from following. Tyson came prepared, setting up his own Macbook, leaving the A/V team to stand around. “Do you need a VGA adapter for that?” a technician asked.
“Now, who do you think you’re talking to here?” Tyson replied jokingly, pulling the device out of his black bag. Tyson is not afraid to label himself as a geek, nerd or dweeb. During the Q&A, a student wearing a physicsrelated shirt asked a question. Tyson started by complimenting the shirt and saying, “It might not get you a lot of girls, but you wear it proudly.” The black NASA bag he pulled the adapter from was home to pocket after pocket, some which had more zippers within them. The bag was as endless as a black hole. “I couldn’t even begin to tell you what I have in there,” Tyson said. When testing the equipment, a sneak-peek into the entertaining night to come was evident in Tyson’s behavior. He commands the stage and was not afraid to make a sudden outburst or to express the importance of something through exaggerated hand or body motions. This was just practice. During the microphone check, he made clear that the sound technicians should not adjust the microphone while he was speaking. “I really like to get loud for effect, I can tell if you’re adjusting it and I will just have to talk even louder. Then I’ll lose my voice,” Tyson said to a technician whose walkie-talkie came in clearly with someone on the other end saying, “We need to tweak it a little.” Tyson heard this, then spoke directly into the mic: “Tweaking is good, I like tweaking, testing, testing, one, two, three.” As he was leaving the stage, he turned and saw the big golden bull set behind the podium and asked if it had a name as he tapped its head. “It’s Victor,” I told him. “Victor?” he replied. “Yeah, Victor E. Bull.” He started laughing. “That’s pretty good.” We walked off the stage, down a few
dark steps, then past an area filled with expensive gadgetry – dials, meters, buttons, boxes I couldn’t name and laptops, all controlling the sound, video, PowerPoint, Lighting and everything else that was scheduled to happen that night. These technicians and this equipment are the unseen and underrated backbone to every one of these events. They’re hard at work, testing everything to the point of perfection, assuring all will run flawlessly. Back into the van, we were down to three now. I wondered if he had the chance to get some chicken wings while in Buffalo. He had. For lunch he stopped at Lake Effect Diner and ordered chili, then realized he couldn’t leave Buffalo without trying the one food the city is so popular for. “It’s really a compliment to Buffalo to be known for something so good,” Tyson said. We pulled up to the back doors of the Center For the Arts. Tyson said I could join him while he signed some books. We talked about the impact technology and computers have had on astronomy over time. I asked him about the Large Hadron Collider. But what really caught my attention was his collection of pens. The man loves fountain pens. In fact, he collects them, especially pens with cosmic themes. And the things are heavy, too, with as much density as a white dwarf – making the average Papermate feel like a speck of cosmic dust. “To keep me writing, I will buy a new pen after every new book contract,” Tyson said. “I just can’t justify buying a pen without it … these [pens] range from $300 to $2,000.” He moved the sledgehammer of a pen like it was weightless and signed the last book. Our time had concluded, he was off to a reception upstairs and I was left to think about what a diverse character the man who killed Pluto is.
E-mail: matt.mosher@ubspectrum.com
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The Spectrum
April 2, 2010
O P I N I ON
Editorial Board Editor in Chief Stephen Marth Managing Editors Jennifer Lombardo Matt Mosher David Sanchirico Editorial Editor Jacob Shillman Campus Editors Caitlin Tremblay Brendon Bochacki, asst. Amanda Woods, asst. City Editors Jennifer Good Chelsie Hinckley, asst. Lauren Nostro, asst. Arts Editors Christopher DiMatteo, senior Eric Hilliker Jameson Butler, asst. Vanessa Frith, asst. James Twigg, asst. Life Editors Adrian Finch, senior Shane Fallon Rachel Lamb Jessica Brant, asst. Jessica DiGennaro, asst. Sports Editors Andrew Wiktor, senior Matt Parrino Joe Paterno Luke Hammill, asst. Christy Suhr, asst. Photo Editors Katie Carlett, senior Samantha Hicks Clinton Hodnett Rob Schulz, asst. Copy Editors Forrest John Crawford Meghan Farrell Laura Neese Graphics Designer Rafael Kobayashi
Professional Staff Business Manager Debbie Smith Administrative Assistant Helene Polley Advertising Manager David Vogt Advertising Designer Christopher Lonzi Web Editor Andrew Muraco Creative Directors Christopher Caporlingua Adam Cole, asst. Daniel Tcharnyi, asst.
The views expressed — both written and graphic — in the Feedback, Opinion, and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or spectrum-editorial@buffalo.edu. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style or length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it clearly as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number and e-mail address.
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APRIL 2, 2010 VOLUME 59 NUMBER 69 CIRCULATION: 10,000 The Spectrum is represented for national advertising by 360 Youth. The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100. Telephone: (716) 645-2468. Fax: (716) 645-2766. Copyright 2010 Buffalo, N.Y. The Spectrum is printed by Buffalo Newspress PO Box 648, Buffalo, NY 14240-0648.
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Endorsement for UB Council Joshua Boston wins endorsement from The Spectrum The last thing any UB student wants to talk about, much less read about, is another election process. But this one is kind of a big deal. No, it isn’t for a Student Association position, but rather a job that exerts a tremendous influence on the inner workings of this university. Many students are unaware of what the UB Council actually does. The UB Council acts as the primary oversight and advisory body to the president and senior officers here at UB. The body is charged with reviewing all major plans and activities of the university in areas from academics to buildings and grounds. The Council has some major pull. Joshua Boston is the best candidate to represent the student population on the Council. Boston has served and excelled in every leadership position he has attained here at UB. As for his credentials, he has served as an editor for both The Spectrum and Visions Magazine in addition to being the chairperson for SA’s Election and Credentials committee. For full disclosure, Boston did work as a managing editor at the The Spectrum. That link may discourage
some from viewing the endorsement as unbiased, but it is not the case. Many of the editors currently on staff have not worked with Boston, as he hasn’t been at the paper for two years. Nonetheless, we feel that he is the right guy for the job. Boston’s campaign is not filled with an agenda ,but rather a promise to the student body to advocate for them. The decisions by this council significantly influences student lives with every choice it makes. These are uncertain times for UB. UB2020 has been delayed yet again. The incoming freshman class of 2014 will be one of the largest and highest scoring classes ever to enroll at UB. Anyone paying attention to recent events has seen the school’s budget cut, tuition raised, facility cuts and new building projects delayed. There is no one better to represent the needs of the student body on this Council than a recent graduate like Boston. Again this endorsement only serves as a recommendation to the student body. Students should go and learn about these candidates and make an informed choice. Voting for the council will occur April 6th to April 8th at http://student-affairs.buffalo.edu/vote.
My Turn
Future is depending on UB Over the past few years as a student at the Univer- will mandate that before a student enters a SUNY sity at Buffalo, I have observed and provided input to institution they will be aware of any future tuition the university’s leaders while they were forming the fluctuations during the years they will attend their foundation of what is known as the UB 2020 plan. school of choice, allowing for easier financial planThis summer the UB 2020 plan was delivered a blow ning and decision making for students and their when its surrounding legislation stalled in the state families. legislature. However, this summer UB and its plan The UB 2020 Act has faced criticism from the gained a great ally in Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. public and internally from the leaders of organized Last week in the Buffalo News, Chancellor Zim- labor. As the son of a UUP worker and a student pher introduced the readers to her plan for changing studying business, I understand the importance of the structure of the SUNY system through the Public organized labor within American society. But for the Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation leaders of such organizations to stand in opposiAct. This act provides UB and SUNY institutions tion of a plan to improve both the university and around the state with the power and flexibility the local economy without providing mutually to grow and create large economic impact amicable solutions is wholly irresponsible. within their community with no additional The Public Higher Education Empowerment cost to the New York State taxpayer. and Innovation Act along with the UB 2020 This legislation mirrors the UB plan will directly create thousands 2020 Act with its goals of eliminating of jobs within the Buffalo-Niagara John Martin unnecessary bureaucracy and allowing community, and while ambitious they SUNY institutions to operate with greater UB Council Student Representative are both worthwhile endeavors. Times independence. This act enables UB and other of struggle, similar to the ones our area finds SUNY institutions to create partnerships with pri- itself in today, have often been faced and overcome vate business within their communities, and gives with ambitious plans similar to the ones laid out SUNY campuses greater control of assets and long by our University leaders. It took the courage and term planning through rational and differential hard work of past generations to see these plans tuition plans. through, attributes I believe the future of the UniFor students, this Act means that the days where versity at Buffalo, and its surrounding community our tuition is increased merely to fill gaps in the is depending on. New York State Budget will be over. This act ensures that all of our tuition and fees paid will be spent on our campuses. In addition, the rational tuition plan E-mail: jjmartin@buffalo.edu
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That time of the year again Class registration a continuing problem To the editor, It seems to be that time of year again. The time to start registering for classes, and figuring out the next courses you need in order to successfully graduate. Everyone gets busy figuring out a “hypothetical” schedule that will suit them the best. The problem is, it will never actually become a reality. For the past two semesters, I have gotten up at 6:30 a.m., which for any college student these days is a tough task. I have patiently waited at my laptop half awake, waiting for the exact minute to turn to 7 a.m., in hopes of beating out other students to get the classes I need. Well to my luck, each time, I can not get online to register for the life of me. Last semester the registration window gave the excuse “Too many servers are connected.” Now this year it gave the excuse of “technical difficulties.” I virtually watch myself get closed out of classes in a matter of SECONDS! It’s like a feeding frenzy. I try to call on the phone using the BIRD system... its excuse was “your call cannot be connected at this time.” So this semester, after trying for an extended
period of time and constantly getting rejected by both systems. I got closed out of ALL my classes. Now I ask you, in a school of over 25,000 kids, what’s wrong with this picture? Why am I “fighting” to get into the classes I need? First off, they need a better more efficient way to register people, because I am sick of the constant excuses about how I can’t register because too many people are using the site. Well of course there are a lot of people using the site, to ATTEMPT to actually register. And secondly, if they can’t do that, then AT LEAST add more classes to take. We clearly have the space, given the size of our campus that seems to be getting bigger by the minute. I just don’t see how there is a continuing problem with registering for classes. Sincerely, Alexandra M. Bendik Sophomore social sciences interdisciplinary major ambendik@buffalo.edu
Aborting personal ideologies Sacha Baron Cohen joked about abortion on “Da Ali G Show” back in 2003. He beat boxed an abortion remix, laughed at a virgin who practiced abstinence, asked a priest if he wore condoms during sex and compared trying out abortion with sampling the flame-broiled Whopper at Burger King. Hilarity aside, abortion is no joking matter. Growing up, we’re taught to stick up for what we believe in. At what point, however, should societal norms supersede one’s personal ideologies? If you posed that question to Scott Roeder, he would tell you, “never”. On May 31, 2009, Roeder shot and killed physician George Tiller at a church in Wichita, Kan. during a Sunday morning service. Although this is clearly Andrew Wiktor a reprehensible crime, Senior Sports Editor Roeder saw it as a noble act. “The entire motive was the defense of the unborn,” Roeder said. Tiller, who was the medical director at the Women’s Health Care clinic in Wichita, was no stranger to controversy. He was one of the few physicians in America to perform late-term abortions and was the subject of much scrutiny throughout the years that he was in practice. In fact, in 1993, anti-abortion activist Shelley Shannon shot Tiller five times, resulting in wounds in each arm, in an attempt to take his life. Irony aside – because yes, a pro-life advocate attempting murder is quite backwards – there is a serious issue here: people take their personal beliefs way too far. This isn’t the first incident of its kind. Anti-abortion violence against physicians has been fairly common in America ever since the Supreme Court made its Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973. During a protest in 1993, Michael Griffin murdered Dr. David Gunn and is currently serving a life sentence in Florida. A year later, Reverend Paul Jennings Hill was put to death after he shot Dr. John Britton and his clinic escort, James Barrett, to death. A little more recently, and a lot closer to home, Dr. Barnett Slepian was killed in his home in Amherst, N.Y. by James Koop in 1998. And the worst part about all of these cases is that see WIKTOR page 4
The death of discourse In Monday’s issue of The Spectrum, pro-Palestine activist Ilan Pappe was quoted as saying, “I don’t think you can support the state of Israel and be a decent person.” This came as a shock to me. I always thought being a decent person was based on your character and your actions, but if you take Pappe’s word for it, all that counts is whether you agree with him. Of course, divisive quotes like this shouldn’t be much of a surprise. I don’t John Hugar know if you’ve noticed, Staff Reporter but the political discourse in this country has been a bit lacking lately. For evidence of this, all you had to do was turn to CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News to watch coverage of the health care debates. The argument was split into two camps: either you supported health care and you were a socialist, or you were against it and you were just another right-wing nut job. That’s the state of political discourse in America right now. Either you agree with me and you’re righteous, or you are against me and you’re evil. There doesn’t seem to be much of a middle ground. Granted, this isn’t an entirely new development. It’s how issues have been divided for decades. Abortion is a fine example of this. If you’re pro-choice, you’re called a “baby killer,” and if you’re anti-abortion, you’re accused of being sexist and wanting the government to control women’s bodies. Neither side of the abortion debate understands the other, nor do they want to. It’s more fun to just lob insults at each other. The debate over gay marriage isn’t much better. Anyone who opposes it publicly is automatically called a bigot and worse. Just ask Carrie Prejean, who faced vicious attacks from Perez Hilton for stating an opinion the opposite of his own. On the other side, the religious right continues see HUGAR page 4
The Spectrum
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April 2, 2010
Some problems with lineup FEST from page 1 scheduling conflicts this year, “ said Dima George, SA entertainment director. “We contacted a whole list of acts suggested by students, but most were unavailable or out of our budget range.” Consiglio thinks that budget shouldn’t be an issue. “SA has millions of dollars. Can’t they just pool all the entertainment
money together to get one big act that students are excited about, instead of three or four terrible ones?” Consiglio said. According to the SA budget, which can be found online, talent for this year’s Spring Fest has already totaled $160,500. Headliner Three Days Grace got $$75,000 of it. “SA spent a lot of money on acts that not many students want to see,” Consiglio said. “But that’s not even
the biggest issue. Why are they so secretive about the decision-making process?” Consliglio said he’s tried to contact SA numerous times about the budget and Spring Fest information, but wasn’t met with much welcome or help. “They were really rude to me,” Consiglio said. “I went in asking for the budget because I was told via e-mail that I could have it, but when I showed up, they wouldn’t give it to me.” Alvarado does not know why Consiglio was treated as such and wants students to know that they can come to the SA office to voice any concerns
they may have regarding anything on campus. “Things haven’t been smooth for Spring Fest this year, but students are always welcome to come in,” Alvarado said. There have been some problems with the lineup. Flogging Molly was supposed to perform but had to pull out for unspecified reasons. “It’s been tough to get acts this year, especially with the budget cuts and they way things are fiscally,” George said. Alvarado points out that UB is fortunate to be able to put on a fest at all, as money is tight everywhere these days.
“Canisius had to cancel their spring festival due to money constraints,” Alvarado said. “We’re lucky we were able to bring a festival to students this year, especially one that we’ve worked so hard on.” Spring seems to be the time for music festivals, with Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and others preparing to hit the stage, so scheduling remains a big issue for rock acts this time of year. To remedy this, SA is planning for Fall Fest to be a rock act next year and to bring hip-hop in the spring. E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Choose your battles wisely WIKTOR from page 3 none of the murderers felt remorse after their crime. In their eyes, they were doing society a favor. Much of the anti-abortion violence stems from traditional religious views and there are even groups that openly support such vehement acts. Army of God is a Christian American terrorist organization that promotes violence to prevent abortions. They have vandalized, bombed and set fire to hundreds of clinics while trying to get their point across. There is some sort of my-religionis-the-right-religion hubris that has plagued the human race throughout history. People are raised with specific beliefs, but worst of all, they are also taught to stand up for what is “right.” The problem, however, is that sometimes there is no “right.” I view religion more as a societal
faculty & student
being a student or faculty saves you 10%* at
invention to get people to behave a certain way and less as the definitive truth about the world, but there are some extremely pious people whose faith blinds them. Of course I am religiously tolerant and don’t blame people for finding sanctity in the Bible, Torah and Qur’an (to name only a few), but strong ideologies – oftentimes religious ones – can be very dangerous. To be honest, I don’t see the difference between anti-abortion violence and the atrocities of September 11, the Mumbai attacks and even the countless cruelties that the Ku Klux Klan has committed. In all of these cases, personal views clouded people’s ability to act rationally. I’m not implying that we need to be a secular nation, but we do need to think before we act, even when we’re positive that we’re right. Personal ideologies can be extremely
dangerous, especially when they lead to violent actions. Some feel that Roeder’s rage was justified because abortion is morally wrong. In fact, while in jail, Roeder received encouraging letters from people across the nation expressing their support for his actions. Pro-life and pro-choice aside, isn’t it scary when people can justify murder? A well-known physician was shot in the head during a church service in front of his family because he performed perfectly legal medical procedures. It is definitely important to stand up for your beliefs, but it is more important to choose your battles wisely. Don’t let the my-religion-isthe-right-religion hubris get the best of you, because we’ve seen where that can lead us. E-mail: andrew.wiktor@ubspectrum.com
We need not hate each other HUGAR from page 3 to sling arrows at the homosexual community by calling them sinners and sodomites. There’s actually a Web site called godhatesfags.com. If that doesn’t show how divisive this issue is, I don’t know what does. This problem had been stirring for a while in America, but the volcano of divisive politics didn’t truly erupt until Obama became president. Of course, it’s not his fault. He’s tried mightily to create bipartisanship, but to no avail. We’re far too aggressive to listen lately. The rise of the Tea Party movement was the first indication that things were getting out of hand.
faculty-
Droves of right-wing protestors appeared, calling the president everything from a communist to Hitler to the anti-Christ – all because he wanted to pass a universal health care bill. This is a little extreme, to say the least. Unfor t unately, t he libera l response wasn’t any better. On Countdown with Keith Olbermann, comedian Janeane Garofalo stated that the Tea Party protesters were there because they hated the idea of a black president. This was a nasty blanket statement, to say the least. In Garofalo’s world, Obama is too magical to criticize, so if you don’t like him, you probably just hate black people.
It’s really shameful the way both sides have been attacking each other lately. The days of intelligent political discussion and agreeing to disagree have gone right out the window. But we need not hate each other just because we hold opposing views. As Dave Mason once sang, “There ain’t no good guys, there ain’t no bad guys. There’s only you and me and we just disagree.” If America can adopt an attitude like that, there’s no telling how much progress we can make. If not, we may be stuck in the political gutter for decades to come. E-mail: jhugar@buffalo.edu
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LECTURE from page 1 To illustrate this he first displayed a slide on the screen of some of the
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He then showed a chart of the most common elements within the human body – an exact match. “This is what I offer you,” Tyson said. He was displaying a picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and requested that the room be completely darkened. At first glance the picture looked like thousands of stars, but Tyson explained that only three of the dots actually were. The image on screen showed thousands of galaxies, from just one section of the universe, each containing hundreds of billions of their own stars. “The ingredients of the universe are traceable to us. The ingredients to us are traceable to the universe. We are in this universe. The universe is in us,” he said. The crowd was completely silent, and he paused for a moment. “The number one thing we should all know about the universe – we are stardust.” E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
The Spectrum
April 2, 2010
5
AR T S & LI F E A good time indeed By JOHN HUGAR
Barenaked Ladies
Staff Reporter
Jennifer Good City Editor
Memory I can smile at the old days. Really, I can. They weren’t always so perfect, nor are they all clear in my head anymore, but looking at where I am in life today, I think I came out okay. I was restricted from a lot of simple things growing up, causing my mother and I to butt heads often. She liked to control, and control she did. I had a better chance at winning the lottery than getting the O.K. for a sleepover, and trying to sneak sugar into my diet was harder than getting a bomb past White House security. Think I’m exaggerating? Have you ever had your mother show up at lunchtime in sixth grade to catch and yell at you in front of your entire class for buying ice cream instead of milk? I have. Still, though, for the most part I was happy. I danced, played soccer, climbed trees … I was pretty average, I guess. Every Tuesday, my mom would go to golf league and my big sister and I would have adventures with good old dad. On Thursdays, it was dad’s golf night and the girls would go out to dinner together. Every other weeknight, my sister and I had our extracurricular activities. Cute little suburban family, right? Well, let’s just say sometimes there’s more than meets the eye. I was blessed and while I wasn’t spoiled, for the most part I always had what I needed materialistically and there was always (healthy) food in my refrigerator, as well as Bud Light. As I got older, my dad started to go out most weeknights and my mother, who had her own in-home graphic designing business, began spending more and more time locked in her office and shutting out her former best friends. It never really fazed me, though. I didn’t know any differently and deemed it totally normal. By high school, this pattern had become set in stone and my parents never spoke, only yelled. My mom’s controlling only got worse, as did our fighting. I never understood it and my sister avoided it altogether, leaving me feeling much less than unconditionally loved. It caused some traumatizing situations that I still, to this day, cannot forgive my mother for. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college, during a phone call with my sister, that my eyes were opened. My mom and I weren’t speaking due to another unreasonable explosion that I didn’t understand the reason for, and while venting, my sister stopped me and blurted out words I’ll never forget. “You know mom’s an alcoholic, right?” she said. It caught me off guard, but it was like a light bulb. How could I have not realized this? Of course she was. And suddenly a weight was lifted from me. I no longer thought so many things were my fault. Since then, I can’t say things have really gotten better with my mother’s disease. This past summer she was diagnosed with cancer, which also caused her some sort of mental disorder that she refuses to acknowledge. She’s meaner and crazier than ever, randomly calling the police on her own family
For the Barenaked Ladies, the last few years have been transitional, to say the least. In 2008, they experimented with children’s music on the critically acclaimed album Snack Time. It could’ve given the band a wide new audience, but that plan was halted quickly when front man Steven Page was arrested for allegedly possessing cocaine. Six months afterward, Page split from the group. They were truly in a state of disarray. Luckily, the wacky Canadian rockers have come out on top with their wonderful new album, All in Good Time, their first since the departure of Page. The exfront man is replaced on vocal duties by guitarist Ed Robertson, who is more than up to the task.
All in Good Time
Raisin’ Mar. 30
A-
Not only is Robertson a worthy successor to Page, but he actually bests the original singer in key categories. Specifically, his vocals add a more serious tone to the songs, whereas Page preferred to be lighthearted and goofy. Robertson’s weightier style of
By ERIC HILLIKER Arts Editor
A surefire way to bring on the wrath of the gods is making a film about them that is so terrible, it’s insulting. Clash of the Titans is the remake of the 1981 cult classic of the same name. Instead of the endearing and cheesy stop motion effects, a multi-million dollar CGI budget and 3D effects have taken its place. This can’t help the final product, though. The film is a combination of bad acting, terrible writing and uninspired directing. It looks pretty, though. The film centers around the world of ancient Greece and the pantheon of the gods. Man has had enough of the reign of the gods and has decided to no longer worship them. Many of the gods want Zeus (Liam Neeson, The Wildest Dream) to wipe out the human race, but the king of the gods still loves mankind and hopes for them to change their minds. Enter Hades (Ralph Fiennes, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang), who has concocted a convoluted plan to get the mortals to worship them again. Stuck in the middle of all of this is the hero, Perseus (Sam Worthington, Avatar). After Hades kills his family, he sets on a path of vengeance against the gods.
Coutrtesy of Raisin’
Despite the absence of former front man Steven Page, the Barenaked Ladies latest album All In Good Time is a solid addition to their legacy.
singing fits this album nicely. It is by far the most serious record the band has ever made. Where previous albums featured novelty numbers like “One Week”, or “If I Had $1,000,000”, this album mainly presents emotional, reflective pop. This new direction is felt
UNGODLY
Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures
Perseus (Sam Worthington, Avatar) faces off against the gods in the grotesque remake of Clash of the Titans.
immediately on opener “You Run Away,” a memorable number about someone who is emotionally distant. This track makes it clear that the boys who gave us “One Week” have grown up quite a bit. see LADIES page 10
The hero joins up with a group of cannon fodder to go save a kingdom or something. By the end, all the plot points intertwine into one of the worst climaxes ever. The story and the writing are downright terrible. It is an inane and confusing story, and although it has potential, it seems to just push the movie toward each action scene. Hades’s “brilliant” plan is disgustingly transparent, but the characters are written as idiots and not able to comprehend it. Character work and development is horrible and nearly nonexistent. Perseus is written as little more than a thug. The men he joins up with are nothing more than bodies to be killed off, and as monsters slaughter them, the audience won’t be able to remember their names or care for them. The so-called love interest, Io (Gemma Arterton, St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s God), is only a walking plot device. Dialogue does not rise above the usual bigbudget blockbuster level. Characters’ lines are trite and forced, and the film is filled with unfunny one-liners that are nothing short of embarrassing. Worthington strikes out yet again. He brings his boring tough act out of Pandora and the robotic American wasteland and into the world of myth. Worthington’s character see TITANS page 6
WEEKEND IN BUFFALO Who: James Twigg What: Outside activities When: All weekend Where: Outside Why: Because the cruel and bitter winter has finally gone into recession and I plan on enjoying every second that I possibly can of this nice weather.
Who: Eric Hilliker What: Easter When: Sunday Where: Everywhere – especially your local house of God. Why: Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for creating a day filled with candy and a giant anthropomorphic rabbit that delivers it.
Who: Chris Di Matteo What: Buffalo Bandits game When:Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Where: HSBC Arena Why: They went from a 2-6 record to 6-6, and are in the race for the playoffs. Plus, it is a reason to party.
see GOOD page 7
Standing up By VANESSA FRITH Asst. Arts Editor Courtesy of Envy On The Coast
Long Island natives Envy on the Coast impress with their second full length album, LOWCOUNTRY.
The coast is always greener By MATT WEBER Staff Reporter
Long Island has produced some of the most well-known alternative rock bands of the last decade. Brand New’s Your Favorite Weapon in 2001 and Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends in 2002 were arguably the catalysts that kick-started the pop rock genre.
As the bands have grown and progressed, they have shifted away from what originally defined them. But the sound that Brand New and TBS coined at the turn of the millennium is long from dead. New bands have risen in attempt to revive the sound that influenced them all years ago. Long Island-born band Envy on the Coast is just one of those groups. The band released their second album, LOWCOUNTRY, on March 30th, nearly two and a half years after their debut album, Lucy Gray. Ryan Hunter, EOTC’s lead singer, admits he is greatly influenced by Adam Lazzara of see LOW page 6
From somewhere behind the scenes of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Rory Albanese is juggling his role of executive producer and writer, churning out jokes but never standing in the limelight. Things have started to change for the four-time Emmy winner. Albanese recently landed a half hour special with Comedy Central Presents, due to air Friday at 11 p.m. Coming out from behind the curtain, Albanese is taking on the world of standup once more. With past tours such as “Red, White and Screwed” in 2006, Bonnaroo 2009, and UB last year, Albanese isn’t a stranger to this role. “I get to write and tell jokes; it’s pretty awesome. I can’t even believe still that that’s a job…I always wanted to do this,” Albanese said. “I don’t know what I’d do if this wasn’t an option…sometimes see JOKES page 7
Courtesy of Brad Barket
Rory Albanese means business when it comes to comedy.
The Spectrum
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April 2, 2010
Fans will enjoy the album LOW from page 5 TBS, but actually sounds more like a mix between Craig Owens of Chiodos, and Head Automatica’s Daryl Palumbo. Traces of similarity aside, EOTC still brings a fresh sound to rock and adds a sprinkle of political undertones to its latest album. A shining example of EOTC’s profound political lyricism can be seen in the album’s fourth track, “Puritan Dirt Song.” It is not surprising that
the song had more of a country tone to it, but what is shocking is that the band pulled it off fairly well. Another welcomed surprise the album has for fans is, “Like I Do,” which is a bit slower than the rest of the album. It’s not easy for a band that relies on quick riffs and upbeat tempos to bring it down to a ballad speed, but it really held its own. The single off the album, “Great American T-shirt Racket,” sounds most like the song that longstanding
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fans would expect to hear from Envy. Hunter’s vocals shine over great guitar and drum tracks, and the song is a great nucleus for the rest of the CD. Fans of the band will really enjoy the album, and despite the pre-conceived notions some may hold towards the L.I. scene, those who haven’t heard the band but love the genre should give LOWCOUNTRY a whirl. E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
ROWING from page 12 Eight Boat finished fourth with a time of 7:16.0. The Bulls finished behind Notre Dame, Indiana and Purdue, but were within 10 seconds of all three teams. The Novice Eight boat finished in third-place with a time of 8:07.2. The Bulls were only two seconds behind Indiana, who came in second-place. Wieler knows that there’s room for improvement. “I feel that the Varsity Eight Boat can, and will, do better in races down the road,” Wieler said. “They are capable of much more. The whole team can improve and one thing we’re going to work on is
maintaining our speed for the whole race.” The Bulls will be back in the water for a meet at Cornell where they will compete against Gonzaga and Syracuse, in addition to No. 10 nationally-ranked Michigan State and the nation’s top ranked team, Yale. The meet will mark the first time that Buffalo will ever race against a top-ranked crew. “This will be the toughest racing that we have ever had at Buffalo,” Wieler said. “We are looking for one thing: to be competitive.” Races are set to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday in Ithaca. E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Neeson is slightly nicer Clash of the Titans
TITANS from page 5 is dull and it’s hard to get attached to him or his plight. He becomes laughable trying to force out emotional lines through his gritted teeth while his Australian accents comes and goes. Fiennes, as the god of the underworld, fares slightly better than Worthington, but not by much. Fiennes can be entertaining at times but most of his screen time he is a bore to watch. The highlight of the group is undoubtedly Neeson. The actor ha s some unca nny ability where, no matter how terrible the movie, he is able to pull off a decent performance – see Star Wars: Episode I. The only real problem with Neeson is that he is basically Ra’s Al Ghul from Batman Begins, only slightly nicer. The land of ancient Greece is filled with English, American, Australian,
D
Scottish, Russian and possibly Italian accents. Nobody told the actors what a Greek accent sounds like or how to keep a consistent one. Along with the poor performances the directing does not fare well either. Director Louis Leterrier does an abysmal job at capturing the action of Clash of the Titans. Many of the action scenes are nearly incomprehensible to look at, with the camera uncontrollably jumping around. Combine that with the 3D and it leaves the audience with a massive headache. The CGI is great to look at, but in this film, it is simply a crutch for the rest of the problems. Clash of the Titans is nothing more than a terrible film wrapped up in a nice package. E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
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Hurry! Bring your student ID to an AT&T store today and mention FAN # 78733 www.att.com/wireless/ubstudents Available at AT&T: 1760 Niagra Falls Blvd, Tonowanda, NY 14150 *Actual service discount applies only to the Monthly Service Charge of eligible plans and varies monthly depending on your employer’s aggregate volume of qualified charges. See your AT&T representative for complete details. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Limited-time offer. May require a 2 year agreement on a qualified plan. Other conditions and restrictions apply. See contract and rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live and have a mailing address within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Equipment price and availability may vary by market and may not be available from independent retailers. Purchase of additional equipment, services or features may be required. Not all features available on all devices or in all areas. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $20 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $175. Some agents impose additional fees. Unlimited voice services: Unlimited voice services are provided solely for live dialog between two individuals. No additional discounts are available with unlimited plan. Off-net Usage: If your voice or messaging service usage (including unlimited services) during any two consecutive months or data service usage (including unlimited services) during any month on other carrier networks (“off-net usage”) exceeds your off-net usage allowance, AT&T may, at its option, terminate your service, deny your continued use of other carriers’ coverage, or change your plan to one imposing usage charges for off-net usage. Your off-net usage allowance is equal to the lesser of 750 minutes or 40% of the Anytime Minutes, the lesser of 24 MB or 20% of the MB included with your plan, or the lesser of 3000 messages or 50% of the messages included with your plan. AT&T will provide notice that it intends to take any of the above actions, and you may terminate the agreement. Monthly discount: Available to qualified employees of companies and/or government agencies and qualified students and employees of colleges/universities with a qualified business agreement (“Business Agreement”). Service discount subject to corresponding Business Agreement and may be interrupted and/or discontinued without notice to you. Service discount applies only to the monthly service charge of qualified plans and not to any other charges. A minimum number of employees, minimum monthly service charge for qualified plans, additional AT&T services or other requirements may apply for discount eligibility. Discounts may not be combined. Offer subject to change. Additional conditions and restrictions apply. If you have a question about available discounts and/or your eligibility, you can contact your company’s telecommunications manager. ©2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion®, SureType®, SurePress™ and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world.
The Spectrum
April 2, 2010
Look to stay perfect at home TENNIS from page 12 six straight points to clinch the victory for Buffalo. The five other singles matches went off without a hitch for Buffalo. Competing out of the No. 5 slot, Hove blanked the Bonnies’ Juan Garcia, 6-0, 6-0. Alex Kalinin retired Luis Guevara, 6-3, 6-2, while Starakiewicz needed three sets to defeat Valdenegro, 6-0,4-6, 6-1, in his first match at the No. 1 slot. Kolomyts and Tibil each won their matches in straight sets over their opponents as well.
Sunday marked Buffalo’s first win over St. Bonaventure since the 2006 campaign. The Bulls look to keep their undefeated home record intact as they host defending MAC champion, Western Michigan, on Saturday at 3 p.m. “We have never beaten Western Michigan in [the] history of our program. This is obviously something we are looking forward [to],” Nickell said. “We have them at home and [look forward] to see what’s going to happen.” E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
He is a bad character PARRINO from page 12 have always been a huge fan of McNabb. Dating back to his days at Syracuse, I watched and followed his career and always hoped he would get a ring. But all that admiration was flushed down the toilet with one action. At this point, I hope the Bills don’t make a deal for him because I don’t think it’s a fluke that he never won a ring. He is a bad character guy and I should have realized that when guys in his own locker room were siding
‘Affordable’ AID from page 1 care bill intends to make considerable improvements to the federal student loan program. “We’re going to cut out the middleman, giving an extra $68 billion directly to the students who need it most. We’re using that money to expand Pell Grants and loan forgiveness for public service, and to make sure that payments are affordable for borrowers,” Slaughter said. According to the Congressional Budget Office, by completely cutting out private banks that are currently making a profit from the federal loan system, SAFRA will save $68 billion, allowing that money to be reinvested to the federal aid system. Additionally, Pell Grants will gain an investment of $40 billion, helping to cover the increased demand for these grants that occurred during the recession. These grant amounts will be indexed to inflation. In accordance with SAFR A, making payments on student loans will also become significantly more affordable for new borrowers and public servants, including nurses, those in military services and teachers. New borrowers who remain in good financial standing throughout their entire loan process will have their remaining balance forgiven after 20 years. These new borrowers will also be able to max the payments they make at 10 percent of their discretionary income. The loan forgiveness entitled to public servants includes eligibility for debt forgiveness after 10 years. This legislation will invest billions of dollars into community colleges, Historical Black Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions. Furthermore, as promised by Obama’s campaign and presidential agenda, SAFRA will make the completion of FAFSA forms much simpler, hopefully encouraging an increase in the number of aid applications filed. Thousands of college students in Western New York will see substantial perks in the passing of SAFRA, according to Slaughter. E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
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with Terrell Owens back when the two had their falling out. A huge part of this stems from my realization that the Buffalo Bills will never be competitive again. No one wants to come here as a free agent and now players are vetoing trades that would send them here. If we can’t get good players, we can’t compete - it’s as simple as that. So congratulations, Donovan, you don’t have to come to Buffalo. I hope it was worth a fan and your reputation.
7
Albanese retaliates with words ALBANESE from page 5 I’m on my way to work and I see a guy with a jackhammer wrecking the concrete on the street and I’m like, ‘That’s pretty cool. He gets to destroy things all day,’ but I don’t know, I didn’t really have a backup plan.” Instead of taking on physical destruction, Albanese retaliates with words. Anyone who feels that Americans are unrefined and undeserving, Albanese will give you a different idea. From defending our country in drunken arguments at a London McDonald’s to enforcing regional stereotypes, the comedian pays homage to his home country — outsourced Indian phone operators be forewarned. Growing up on Long Island – a place so many make the butt of jokes – Albanese had to develop a defense mechanism. It surfaced in his natural comedic nature. “It was just this impulse where you’re in a room full of people and it’s quiet, like in school…and the teacher says something and there’s that moment where you know if you say something in that moment everyone is going to laugh and you know the
consequences…but you would rather get everyone to laugh and suffer the consequences,” Albanese said. With impulses like that, it was no surprise that Albanese grew up to write for Jon Stewart, one of the funniest men in America. Yet he reminds us that even The Daily Show isn’t just all fun and games: it poses its own problems. They may not look at themselves as a news source, but many college kids do. “It’s really about figuring out what are we trying to say and what’s the point of saying it, because it’s not just about playing a sound bite and making a silly face…It’s a pretty short amount of news if you break down the amount of time that we’re on the show that we’re devoting to a headline or a story, you’re not necessarily getting the full scope of what’s going on in the world,” Albanese said. “I always tell people to use it as a launching point to do your own research. I understand the impulse. When I was in college, I got most of my news from Dave Letterman’s monologue.” However, when Albanese is doing stand up, he is on his own. “Standup is bombing. You go out and you tell a joke and people don’t like it so you go, ‘Ok, well, I’ll try another,’
and sometimes you know it’s a bad joke and sometimes it’s a good joke and you told it poorly and sometimes… the crowd doesn’t like what you’re saying but it’s usually worth trying a couple of times… you’re alone out there and you’re coming up with something you think is funny and you don’t get to run it past a master comedian like Jon Stewart,” Albanese said. Despite the uncertainty that comes with standup, it’s a refreshing change and a chance to work on new material. “The special has inspired me / required me to put a little more attention on my jokes and writing some new material because I don’t want to go out next year... I want to be able to do another one in the future, so I want to be able to have another 30 minutes of stuff that hasn’t been taped,” Albanese said. Those extra 30 minutes of jokes are going to come in handy. In addition to Comedy Central Presents, Albanese is currently working on a script deal for Paramount with John Oliver as well as heading out on tour this summer and fall. Catch him before he heads back behind the camera again. E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
E-mail: matthew.parrino@ubspectrum.com
Some will never understand GOOD from page 5
bonds they have, knowing that I have never and will never have that with my own mother. I guess you could call it jealousy, but I do try and see the good in my situation. I’m learning so many things from it that I think most people will, sadly, never understand. I have grown an emotional strength that I feel not many people can possess without going through situations similar to mine. Sympathy is the last thing I want. I want people to relate and realize these things are not the end of the world. As I always say, every single one of us has his or her issue. It’s so very important to consider that every day whenever you start to judge someone else.
with made-up scenarios, causing scenes in public and self-destroying to disturbing levels. An addict cannot recover until he or she is ready. My mother is not ready and I’m afraid she won’t be around long enough to get to that point. It’s horrifying to have to stop loving your mother, but it is simply unhealthy to have anyone like her in my life. I’m trying to start my life and she’s only holding me back. She has blatantly chosen alcohol over being in my family’s life. She will not see me graduate, she will not be at my wedding and she will not meet her grandchildren. That is her choice. It stings me to hear my friends talk about all the adoring things their mothers do for and with them. Spectrum 1/4watching (H) March 2010:Layout 1:06 PM Page 1 I tear up the loving 1 3/21/10 E-mail: jennifer.good@ubspectrum.com
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Yankees will repeat
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MLB from page 12 playoff run and many more Jimmy Rollins commercials. -Hammill
Teams to Flop
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Education That Makes a Difference
American League Boston Red Sox: Everyone is back on the “Baastin” bandwagon after the team seemingly bolstered its rotation in the off-season by adding John Lackey of the Anaheim Angels. While pitching may win championships, you do need some semblance of a line-up to compete. Don’t get me wrong here, the Red Sox could be “wicked good,” but I don’t feel they did enough to combat the Yankees in the division. The Boston rotation is filled with guys that are familiar with the disabled list. Josh Beckett is the key for Boston to make it back to a World Series. If he returns to the dominating force he once was, opposing batters beware. He won 17 games last year and struck out 199 batters, but got knocked around by the Angels in the first round of the playoffs. The Sox hope that by adding Lackey, who also couldn’t beat the Yankees in October, the combo will be enough to take out the hated Bronx Bombers. I don’t see it happening. -Parrino National League New York Mets: No hometown favoritism here: the Mets are just that bad. We all know how the last two seasons panned out, but I love bringing it up anyway. Injuries and late season collapses have plagued the squad from Queens and even a brand-new-multimillion dollar stadium won’t help
College of Education • Academic Complex Niagara University, NY 14109 • 716.286.8336 NCATE Accredited since 1984
Attention All Students! Make sure your voice is heard! Vote in the
University Council Student Representative Election Tues. April 6th-Thurs. April 8th For Candidate information and
To Vote Visit:
www.student-affairs. buffalo.edu/vote/ The UB Council serves as the primary oversight and advisory body to the University at Buffalo and its president and senior officers. The council consists of ten members, nine who are appointed to seven-year terms by the governor of the State of New York, and one student member who is elected to an annual term by the university's students.
the blue and orange. Jose Reyes has already struggled with injuries this season, and although he looks like he may start the first game, it’s only a matter of time until someone else goes down. Even with Carlos Beltran out, fans swear that this is their year. I can’t deny that the team’s offense can do damage, but that’s only if they stay healthy. And as the past few seasons have shown, that’s a big ‘if’. -Wiktor
Predictions American League Cy Young AW: Felix Hernandez. He went 19-5 last year with a 2.49 ERA and he’s only 23. This Venezuelan has dirty stuff and will make batters looks silly all season long. MP: C.C. Sabathia. He won 19 games a season ago and as he get more comfortable in the big apple I fully expect him to improve on that total. The Yankees got better in the outfield defensively and will provide a more solid backing for the pitching staff. MVP AW: Mark Teixeira. He was the heart and soul of the World Champs just a season ago and has found his home in New York. MP: A-Rod The Bronx Bomber will return to icon status this year and continue where he left off last season when his team won the World Series. His numbers will look more like they have in past MVP years and his contributions will help the Yankees win the AL East.
National League Cy Young AW: Roy Halladay. He was a powerhouse on a struggling team last year, so just imagine the damage he’ll do when all of his games will matter. Expect another stellar year. MP: Roy Halladay. I think this award was won the day the Phillies executed the trade to bring the best pitcher in baseball to the Phillies. He gives the club the closest thing to a guaranteed victory every five days as there is in the league. MVP AW: Ryan Howard. Coming off of a season where he hit 45 homers and drove in 141 RBIs, the lefty is looking to show the league he’s as dominant as he was when he won the NL MVP in 2006. The middle of the Phillies’ lineup is lethal and Howard is its driving force. MP: Albert Pujols. Look for Pujols to lead the league in home runs this season as he adds another 50 or so to his total. Albert is one of those players that can single handedly put a team on his back late in the season. World Series AW: Yankees over Cardinals in six games. MP: Yankees over Rockies in seven games.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
‘Wonderful turnout’ RALLY from page 1 stood shoulder-to-shoulder to actively defend a cause for which they needed no self-convincing. Students gathered to protest state budget cuts and the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA), which would give the SUNY administration blanket authority to raise tuition, without having to consult New York State legislature. The Graduate Student Employees Union (CWA Local 1104) and UB Students Against Sweatshops spearheaded the rally, as advocates of United University Professions and the Civil Service Employees Union joined them below the administrative offices of Capen Hall. “We are opposed to PHEEIA, as it would allow SUNY to increase tuition and open its campuses to private, profit-driven interests,” said Christopher Buckman, a graduate philosophy major at UB and chief steward of GSEU. “State schools are intended to be accessible and affordable, and this privatization of funding would eliminate the entire point of state education by putting the responsibility of funding on students and their families.” From April 2008 to today, UB has seen a state tax funding loss of $40 million, according to the GSEU. The school’s worry is that PHEEIA will allow the state to further reduce funding for SUNY, and that the steady increases in tuition proposed are at risk of not covering university operational costs, but instead are making up for the state budgetary gap. They fear that tuition increases will bail the state out of debt on the backs of student loans, as private interests in the SUNY administration will contract jobs off campus to non-union labor, so that they can pay less for outsourced service. “Out of everybody at UB, the administration is the only group that seems to think that PHEEIA is a good idea,” said Mia Jorgensen, a graduate anthropology major at UB and the business agent for the GSEU.
“They can obviously see that it will grant them a lot of political clout, but what’s in it for everybody else?” “It is all part of this big UB2020 public relations machine that the administration is forcing on UB,” Buckman said. “If you are somehow against UB2020, then you are invariably labeled some kind of nonprogressive traitor.” “The SUNY system is often regarded as an Ivy League of public education, and all of that history will vanish with the privatization of public university,” said Monazir Khan, a graduate sociology major from SUNY Binghamton. “Privatized research schools like Michigan State and University of Pittsburgh are important facilities, but SUNY must still exist in the realm of public education, because that is all that many New Yorkers can afford.” According to the GSEU, Gov. Patterson’s proposed $152 million budget cut, $16 million of which will come from UB’s budget, will prompt SUNY hiring freezes for faculty and staff and higher graduate student fees. At the same time, it would create larger, more impersonal classes for undergraduates, whose seminar classes are already being picked off of the course catalog. “UB only gets 22 percent funding from the state even now,” Khan said. “So any budget cut or privatized tuition control would thrust us further in the direction of becoming an expensive private research institution.” Protestors urged fellow students to contact legislators, the local and state congressmen and assemblymen for whom they vote, to pressure them to vote down both the budget and the Innovation Act. Additional future moves by the GSEU include planned visits to Buffalo government offices, and mass letters and “e-mail blasts” to local Senators. “This is only the picnic… and it was a wonderful turnout,” Khan said. “But we’ll be back on the phone with local and state legislation tomorrow.” E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
The Spectrum
April 2, 2010
9
Climbing the ladder to success Stacee Johnston Staff Writer
Let’s get controversial Let’s talk politics… or not. Controversial topics are tempting discussion topics, but you need to be hyper-aware when handling touchy material. The easiest way to begin a quarrel is to spill your opinion on the recently passed health care law to someone who shares the opposite stance. There are good points and bad points to this new law – I believe everyone can agree to that – but after this agreement comes a heavy surplus of devoted opinion that revolves around two basic estimations: good or bad. Those for the “good” stand in their corner across from those that believe it to be “bad” – and if your opinions are different, chaos may ensue. Work is a wonderful place to not speak your mind and to not voice controversial opinions – advice that I wish would have been given to me before I decided to discuss the new health care law with my co-worker. Of course, we were on different sides, and the conversation soon became vicious. Words were chosen un-thoughtfully, on both ends, and tempers were flaring while feelings were hurt. Not to mention the fact that we were at work, and were forced to stand next to each other for the following four hours. see JOHNSTON page 10
By STEVE NEILANS Staff Reporter
On Wednesday, Marc Adler, vice president of Client Services for local marketing company Flynn & Friends, Inc. and an adjunct instructor at the University at Buffalo, held a group discussion featuring a panel of alumni. The panel spoke of their paths after graduation on the career track in marketing. Some obtained their start in an already established business, while others began their own. Nick Bowe now manages a Target store in Buffalo and believes that it is essential to work for a company that offers opportunities for advancement through the organization’s corporate ladder. “You don’t want to look for an organization that’s flat [where] there’s no upward mobility,” Bowe said. Bowe explains that his career at Target gives him a chance for frequent promotion, and provides him the opportunity to learn essential skills for success. However, not all marketing careers offer the opportunity to advance through the organization, Bowe explains. Seth Meyerowitz, founder of UBEInc., also advised those in attendance to find a career that offers potential growth, but to remain aware of the pitfalls that accompany corporate work. “I found that my ideas were being pushed down. I had to report to the person above me when the president’s office was right next to me,” Meyerowitz said.
Asst. Life Editor
Staff Writer
Lock it up Remember before Facebook, Twitter, Formspring and blogging, when people had these things made of paper where they wrote about their feelings? And then after they wrote in them, they hid these paper things that they used to call journals or diaries, and then no one else ever had to hear about or see them? Well, I miss those days. I never had a journal per se, although every now and then I would pull out a diary someone had bought me and scribble down something pathetic, emotional or sappy, and then hurriedly put the diary back in its hiding place, relieved that I had gotten whatever it was off my chest. I feel that this was a rather harmless habit, since I was able to express what I was feeling, no matter how trivial or embarrassing, without forcing anyone else to know about it. Gone are those days. Gone are the days where if you were having a bad day, you kept it to yourself or your immediate circle of friends. The new outlet appears to be a sort of cyber therapy – like group therapy, except none of us are actually willing to participate. I don’t exactly remember what the first Facebook looked like, since it has undergone more facelifts than Heidi Montag. But I do remember when statuses were all formatted see JONAS page 10
JoAnnah Thompson/ The Spectrum
A panel of local experts in marketing gathered to discuss their various experiences in the workforce with UB students.
job position don’t jump out in that person’s resume, it gets passed over,” VanDeWater said. “It’s that fast.” Brittany Frey, another panel speaker, stressed the importance of keeping one’s Facebook profile G-rated. She explains that even if a candidate has all of the qualifications for the position, their risqué profile may take them out of the running for the job. “For God’s sake, make your profile private, if anything,” Frey said. Facebook is a good tool for networking, but only if it is used in the correct manner, Frey explains. The candidate’s evaluation doesn’t end after an interview. Businesses consistently check Facebook pages to see whether or not their future employee will be spending their weekday nights helping the company, or getting crazy at the Steer. “Don’t put [things] on Facebook that you don’t want people to see. Even 10 years from now … it’s going
to be up there,” Meyerowitz said. Facebook is not the only option for networking. Every encounter and opportunity can be an addition to one’s growing network. “Get involved – you can get involved in so many things to build your network,” Bowe said. The panel speakers also emphasized the significance of communication skills, like writing and public speaking, as crucial to one’s success on the journey to the perfect career. Most notably, the speakers encouraged those seeking a career to use passion as their guide. “If you find something that you enjoy enough, don’t worry about how much you get paid,” Meyerowitz said. “It’s a great thing to find something that you want to do.”
E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
Spring into green By JESSICA BRANT
Amanda Jonas
Meyerowitz is now the Chief Executive Officer of his own company, and finds joy in reporting only to himself. Jen VanDeWater, a UB alumna, also has experience in the corporate world and advises future employees to maintain strong personal character. “It’s 25 percent what you do, and 75 percent showing up,” VanDeWater said. “Even if you may not know all the details of how to do something, coming to the table with that confidence is so important…it’s 75 percent of the battle.” Professionalism and self-assurance are contagious, and future employers value those qualities, VanDeWater explains. “A leader is a leader, and [companies] can really see that,” Bowe said. Companies are gradually changing their focus from an applicant’s grade point average to the candidate’s leadership qualities. However as a leader, admitting weaknesses can be just as valuable, Meyerowitz explains. “If you know what you’re doing, make it known [that you are capable]. If you don’t know, don’t pretend that you do … unless you can pull it off,” Meyerowitz said. Before applying for a job, the candidate needs to update their resume and make their online identity presentable. “When I get a resume and am reviewing a candidate, I will probably spend about three seconds looking at that resume. If the key words that I’m looking for in the
As spring has finally sprung, so has a brighter hue of green. Environmentally conscious students, staff and businesses united in the Student Union on Thursday as part of the Environmental Student Association’s first Sustainability Bazaar. Twenty-five eco-friendly businesses in Western New York came to participate at the event to inform students about the green possibilities in life. Liz Alnutt, a junior biological science major and an intern for the Environmental SA, was in charge of coordinating the Sustainability Bazaar, which took a semester of planning to complete. By informing students about what they can do to help the environment, Alnutt is confident that the carbon footprint can be significantly reduced. “[The Env iron ment a l SA] wants UB to be more sustainable, meaning that we need to use
resources that can be used again in 50 years,” Alnutt said. A huge variety of businesses and organizations were represented, from wilderness preservation, like the Association for Wild Animal Rehabilitation and Education, to public transportation, such as Buffalo Care Share. “The main reason that we’re doing this is two-fold: one is for helping UB students and the other is for the people of Buffalo and their environmental needs,” said Chris Llop, director of Environmental SA. Llop hopes that by garnering more student interest, both the administration and students will be better able to work in tandem and bigger strides can be made in the green movement. “It’s one thing [for students] to push the administration to [go green], but if students aren’t [doing it themselves], then it’s kind of hypocritical,” Llop said. “We want to teach [students] that they have the ability to make simple choices that will make things better.” Students were shown that what they choose to eat could make an
FROM THE DR AWING ROOM The Diary of a Young Girl
The Merchant of Venice
by Anne Frank
by William Shakespeare
Written over a two-year period when the teenage author was hiding in an attic from Nazi persecution, Anne Frank’s diary has been embraced as a classic since its first publication. Wise beyond its years, it is also a document of world history, a single voice speaking for the millions who were silenced during the Holocaust.
Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, is frequently viewed as an inhuman monster. Arguably, a pound of flesh is a pretty intense request, but maybe he wouldn’t be so mean if people would stop sippin’ on their Haterade.
-Shane Fallon, Life Editor
-Rachel Lamb, Life Editor
Katie Carlett/ The Spectrum
Interested students and faculty gathered in the SU to learn how to best protect the environment at the first Sustainability Bazaar.
impact on the environment. Organic coffee was provided by CVS and a make-your-own granola station was set up for hungry passersby. Students also had the chance to learn about the critters that call wilderness their home. Owls, insects and reptiles were all in attendance and handlers were more than eager to talk about their injured pals. Judy Fisher, a distributor for Shaklee, an eco-conscious cleaning product company, was excited by the turnout of the event. “I always thought that college kids had no interest in [going] green at all,” Fisher said. “But kids are actually reading the information and learning. This is a great event. I’ll come back every year for as long as they have [the bazaar].” Marcy McMahon, a sophomore psychology major, believes that immersing students in a culture of green on campus with events like the Sustainability Bazaar will allow the movement to become more of a permanent reality. “When you’re constantly bombarded with [the green movement], you start to think it’s normal,” McMahon said. Tierney McMahon, a freshman
psychology major, has always tried to do her part in helping to save the environment. “I always try reusing things, like [not] buying new notebooks every semester,” McMahon said. Environmental SA is satisfied with the growing support that it has received in the past few months and is happy that several clubs have reached out, wanting to collaborate with the organization. One of the organization’s goals is to make going green easier. The latest project Environmental SA is working on is an electronic recycling drive where students can bring in their old cell phones, computers and other devices to be recycled. Alnutt believes that it is the responsibility of younger people to get involved now so that the earth will be a safer place for others in the future. “We’re a campus of 30,000 students – pretty soon, we’re going to be making the decisions that older people are making for us, so it’s important to be informed,” Alnutt said. E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
The Spectrum
10
Better at being serious LADIES from page 5 Indeed, this is a somewhat dark album, as many of the songs appear to be about the departure of Page. Numbers like “Another Heartbreak” and “I Have Learned” seem to be about the pain his departure caused the group and how they have grown since he left.
This album could’ve been awkward, or even disastrous, but the Barenaked Ladies are better at being serious than was expected. This is a mature, intelligent record from a band that suffered a lot of losses and came out smelling like roses. It just might be their best yet. E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
April 2, 2010
Everyone has an opinion on abortion JOHNSTON from page 9
For instance, the topic of abortion involves opinions that can be emotionally charged. Everyone has an opinion on abortion and no matter how devout in your beliefs, there is someone that zealously believes the exact opposite. Some people may have had abortions, while others may have almost been aborted. Be sympathetic to others’ opinions and attempt to understand their point of view. Otherwise, you will just be barking your opinion at someone who in retaliation will be just as stubborn as you – just like I am and
Along with politics, religion is also a topic that should not be discussed with those who you are not close to. Religion is a very touchy subject that is rooted in deep among its followers. It can be easy to insult important pieces of someone’s sensibilities because of a misplaced comment. If you do want to debate on a particular subject with someone, know beforehand if they will be open to the topic you’re discussing, or if they’ll be offended by it.
have been. The smartest option is to objectively listen to an opposing voice. Listen to the validity of their points and remember them. Arguments are made stronger by addressing potential counterpoints. So discuss health care, religion, abortions, evolution, the right to bear arms, etc. if you’d like – but know that you might be opening a messy bag that you can’t seal back up. E-mail: staceejo@buffalo.edu
Facebook is not made for emotional rants JONAS from page 9 something like: “Amanda Jonas is…” and then you would usually add something trivial like “going for ice cream” or “doing homework.” I also remember the days when you wrote on someone’s wall to invite him or her to hang out, or wish a happy birthday. That was when Facebook was friendlier, less obnoxious and less of a confessional.
James Lesinski D.D.S. Gentle Dentistry Near the North Campus
691-4470
I am so sick of people using Facebook as an outlet for every emotion that they have ever felt in their entire lives. Yeah, I am guilty of an “FML” status and maybe I will occasionally post something sentimental. But I am talking about the big time offenders, the people we all know who use Facebook as a means of pouring out their souls to hundreds of people who really don’t care. I am friends with this one girl who graduated a year after I did from my high school. Every day, my newsfeed is ravaged by countless statuses about how she has no friends, is always screwed over by boys and how she is never going to meet a boy who truly sees how great she is. I wish I could tell her to take that Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love” crap and stick it where the sun don’t shine. My friend and I will sometimes look at her wall-to-walls with
various people where she, in a public forum open to all her Facebook friends, complains about every facet of her life in grave detail – names, dates and painful paragraphs. This girl is not alone. I also judge people who throw significant others under the bus with pointed statuses, people who participate in those idiotic surveys like, “Who was the last person you cuddled?” (no one cares), and people who write sappy crap on each other’s walls: “My dear sweet noble knight, how I love thee! Sincerely, lowly maiden.” (That was an actual wall post that made me want to vomit.) If you have a lot of feelings, that’s great – just keep them to yourself. Tell your mom or instant message your best friend, because the rest of us, honestly, couldn’t care less. Plain and simple. E-mail: asjonas@buffalo.edu
www.gentledentistwny.com
P O L I C E B LOT T E R 3/20 – A person was sent to Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital from the Biomedical Research Building for a possible stroke. 3/23 – A plate from a vehicle was taken from the Governors C Lot. 3/23 – A person was sent to Buffalo General Hospital from the Child Care Center for illness. 3/23 – A person was sent to the Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital from Capen Undergraduate Library for dizziness. 3/23 – An unattended wallet with cash was taken from a Student Union lavatory. 3/23 – An unattended cell phone was taken from a jacket in a Student Union lavatory. 3/23 – An unattended purse with credit cards was stolen from Capen Undergraduate Library. Some of the contents were recovered. 3/23 – Someone painted graffiti in the stairwell of the eighth floor of Goodyear Hall. 3/23 – A door was damaged in a burglary attempt in the Acheson Annex. Nothing was taken. 3/24 – Clayton N. Brett was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana in a vehicle on Maple Road. 3/24 – Shlomi Ben Amar was arrested and charged with harassment at Wilkeson Quadrangle. 3/24 – An unattended wallet with a UB card was taken from the Student Union. 3/24 – An unattended camera was taken from a bag in the Student Union. 3/24 – A person was trespassing in Hayes Hall. 3/24 – A vehicle was struck in a hit-and-run accident at the Richmond B Lot. 3/24 – A UB card was taken and used at Red Jacket Quadrangle. 3/24 – A vehicle was keyed at South Lake Lot. 3/25 – Political pamphlets were taken from Knox Hall. 3/25 – A vehicle was struck in a hit-and-run accident in Sherman Lot. 3/25 – A vehicle was struck by another vehicle in a hit-and-run accident at Sherman Lot. 3/25 – A vehicle was entered into at the Jarvis B Lot and a laptop was taken. 3/26 – Gordon W. Chapman was arrested and charged with a felony of driving with a .12 BAC on the Millersport Highway.
3/26 – A person was sent to the Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital from Red Jacket Quadrangle for neck pain. 3/26 – Anthony March was arrested and charged with shoplifting at CVS. 3/26 – An unattended UB card was taken from a Goodyear room. 3/26 – A laptop was taken from an open room in Clinton Hall. 3/26 – Someone attempted to steal a laptop at Lockwood Library. 3/27 – Birthday candles at Fargo Quadrangle caused a fire alarm. 3/26 – A person damaged a mattress and bedding at Goodyear Hall. 3/26 – A person damaged a mattress and bedding at Goodyear Hall. 3/27 – Samantha Michelle Kasten was arrested and charged with theft of services on Frontier Road. 3/27 – An unattended cell phone was stolen from a common area on the third floor of Roosevelt Hall. 3/27 – An unattended notebook was stolen from the third floor of Capen Undergraduate Library. 3/27 – An unattended laptop and iPod were stolen from a room in Wilkeson Quadrangle. 3/27 – An unresponsive subject was sent to Erie County Medical Center from Flint Village. 3/28 – A UB card and key were stolen from an open room in Clinton Hall. 3/28 – A person discharged a fire extinguisher at Fargo Quadrangle. 3/28 – A lamppost was knocked over in a hit-and-run accident on the grounds of Michael Hall. 3/28 – An unattended wallet with credit cards was stolen from Lockwood. Some of the contents were recovered. 3/28 – Graffiti slogans were painted at a stairway in Capen Hall. 3/29 – A person was sent from Baldy Hall to the Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital for a panic attack. 3/29 – An unattended laptop was taken from Lockwood Library. 3/29 – An unattended wallet with credit cards was taken from the Health Sciences Library. 3/30 - A hall director reported a female who had suicidal thoughts.
The Spectrum
April 2, 2010
CLAS S I F I E DS HELP WANTED SPRING-SUMMER JOB Openings. LASERTRON Entertainment Center is currently hiring for Go-Kart operators, servers, referees & general customer service. Candidates should be available this spring, summer & possibly beyond. Working at a fast, detail oriented pace & having excellent customer service skills is a must. Starting at approximately $10.25/hr, must be available nights & weekends. Stop in & complete an application at LASERTRON, 5101 North Bailey Avenue, Amherst, NY. $15 PER HOUR; part-time landscaping; cleaning; painting etc. For UB area rental properties May to Sept; Request application from Ron1812@aol.com. RonYoung.com. EXOTIC DANCERS: unique opportunity full and part-time. Work at a professional upscale club and earn big $$$$. 18+ call today and start earning tomorrow, 716-681-2280. LIFEGUARDS NEEDED for Sturbridge Village Apts. May 31 thru season. Must be CPR/ AED certified. Please call 688-2757 to apply. ATTENTION YOUNG WOMEN ages 18-19 years! The University at Buffalo Research Institute is looking for young women ages 18-19 to volunteer for a study of teen alcohol use and social behavior. Earn up to $50 for a n s we r i n g q u e s t i o n n a i re s and participating in an interview. Confidential. Please call 887-3344 for more information.
APARTMENT FOR RENT 1,3,4,5,6,7 & 8 BEDROOM homes available. Go to daveburnette.net or call Dave @ 716-445-2514. SEARCHING FOR A new home? www.luxuryaptswny.com/ub. DARTMOUTH/ 2, 3 bedroom -***Great condition!*** Free laundry, all new kitchen/ bathroom, steel appliances, dishwasher, whirlpool tub, wellinsulated, off-street parking, June 1/ yr lease, #432-9052.
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2-BDRM APPLIANCES, carpet, $495+ walking distance to South Campus. 884-7900. H E AT H & M I N N E S O TA . Totally renovated 3-4 large bedrooms, 1.5 baths & o f f- s t re e t p a r k i n g . A p p l i ances included, stove, refrigerator, washer & dryer. Available June 1st, 716-570-6062. M E R R I M AC 3 , 4 , 6 , 8 b e d room updated kitchen, bath, dishwasher & laundry. $270 per person. Available June 1st, 716-308-5215. 4 - B D R M . G R E AT l a y o u t , large rooms, hardwood floors, parking, laundry & security system, $250/ person + security, 716-578-5296. 4-BDRM. GREAT layout, large rooms, hardwood floors, laundry & security system, $265/ person + security, 716-830-3226. 1, 2 & 3 BEDROOM apartments. Walking distance UB South Campus. Tom – 716-570-4776. 4 B E D R O O M , WA L K t o south campus/ bus. Large rooms, new carpet, appliances, laundry, security, parking. June 1st (716) 568-1600. 3 B E D R O O M , WA L K t o south campus/ bus, appliances, laundry, security, parking, June 1st, (716) 568-1600. MAIN @ UNIVERSITY, 1 bdrm, $500 includes parking & all utilities, available May; RonYoung. com, 833-6322. ENGLEWOOD 7-BDRM 2 story apartment, 2 baths, living room, dining room, kitchen, wall-towall rugs, dishwasher & laundry, 716-688-6497.
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CLASSIFIED ads may be placed at The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union, Amherst Campus. Office hours are from 9:00 - 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Deadlines are Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 12:00 for display and 2:00 p.m. for classifieds for the next edition. Weekly rates are $10.00 for the first ten words and 75¢ for each additional word. All ads must be paid in advance. The ad must be placed in person or send a legible copy of the ad with a check or money order for full payment. No ads will be taken over the phone. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit any copy. No refunds will be given on classified ads. Please make sure copy is legible. The Spectrum does not assume responsibility for any errors except to reproduce any ad (or equivalent), free of charge, that is rendered valueless due to typographical errors. Please call 645-2152 for any additional information.
E N G L E WO O D 6 - B D R M , 2 story apartment, 2 baths, carpeting, living room, dining room, spiral stair case & kitchen with 2 refrigerators & dishwasher, 716-688-6497. ENGLEWOOD 4-BDRM, bath, kitchen with dishwasher, carpeting, living room & dining room, 716-688-6497. LISBON NEAR MAIN, large well-kept 3-bdrm upper & lower with all appliances, including dishwasher, laundry & o/s parking, WDMSC, available June 1st, $750 includes water & garbage, 716-864-4696. 3 & 4 BEDROOMS. Newly renovated near UB South & North, 510-5517, 884-1727. BAILEY NEAR UB South Campus. 1-bdrm all utilities included. Available Now! $500. Call 716-835-9000. 9 OF 32 REMODELED APARTMENTS to choose from: 3,4,5,8 bedroom apartments located at University Buffalo Main Street Campus – off Englewood beginning June ’10. $250 to $275 per bedroom plus utilities. Washer & dryers included. Contact brad@ bufapt.com, 301-785-3773 or Shawn 716-984-7813. Check out our web site: www.bufapt.com. 4 & 5 BDRM, 3 BATH @ A l exa n d e r E s t a t e s Swe e t Home Road North Campus, J u n e 1 s t , 7 1 6 - 6 8 8 -2 5 2 6 , www.wyseproperties.com. CLEAN SPACIOUS 3/ 4 bdrm duplex, 1 mile from N. Campus. Newer appliances including dishwasher, microwave, washer/ dryer & plenty of off-street parking. Rent includes cable; high speed Internet, water & garbage. $1000/ month 1 yr. lease. Begins 6/1/10. Call Tony 510-3527.
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The Spectrum
12
April 2, 2010
SP O R T S Bulls row to three second-place finishes By JACOB LAURENTI Matthew Parrino Sports Editor
No bills for McNabb in Buffalo It has been a while since something has come up in the world of sports that really made me upset. I guess I have just become accustomed to the modern day athlete and nothing really surprises me anymore. People hold out for more money, go to jail, cheat on their wife and so on and so forth. After a while, you just get used to it and the intense anger you once felt about a certain action becomes less and less present as each new story breaks, year after year, month after month and week after week. With that said, something struck me this morning as I was reading a few articles on the possibility of a trade that would bring Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Buffalo Bills – I have lost all respect for McNabb. According to severa l sources, McNabb will refuse to sign an extension with the Bills but will be more than happy to sign on the dotted line with the St. Louis Rams. Are you kidding me Donovan? Maybe you haven’t noticed, but at no time in your career have you been a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady. You don’t get to dictate where you play. Now I know that McNabb can’t overrule a trade, but if he says he won’t sign an extension, the Bills are not going to pursue the trade. I don’t want to hear the argument that, as a veteran, McNabb should have some control over where he finishes his career either. If you’re traded, you go play for whatever team is paying you the ridiculous sum of around $11 million you’ll earn next season without comment. First off, you’re not worth that amount of money in the first place and for you to assume that you are above being traded at age 33 is comical. All you have to do is close your mouth, play for a year in Buffalo and then decide where to sign because that is your choice. Maybe you’d realize that playing for the most passionate fan base in the NFL, who will treasure you as their guy behind center, would be something you’d want to do to finish your career. You aren’t the top 10 quarterback you once were and I don’t know who misinformed you, but the Rams are the laughing stock of the league. I can’t even fathom the amount of interceptions you will throw in that backfield. You think you never had anyone to throw to in Philadelphia? Wait until you get to St. Louis. The real shame here, and what hit me the hardest, is that I see PARRINO page 7
Staff Writer
Rainy weather could not slow the rowing team on Sunday as the squad started its season off strong against formidable competition. The Bulls finished in second-place after a day of races at the Indiana Invitational against Indiana, Eastern Michigan, Notre Dame and Purdue. “It was our first race of the year and we had a lot of second-place finishes in fiveteam fields,” said head coach Rudy Wieler. “It was a good start to the season, but we could get faster in all of these races.” Buffalo earned a first-place victory in the Second Varsity Four race with a time of 8:34.5, finishing ahead of Notre Dame by seven seconds. The boat, made up of senior coxswain Britt Marshall,
Spectrum File Photo
Junior Ashley Hanhurst has helped the rowing team garner three votes in the national rankings.
junior Megan Bayley, sophomore Dakota Smith, as well as freshmen Sarah Gallagher and Francisca Strange, finished 16 seconds ahead of third-place Purdue and 32 seconds ahead of Indiana. The Bulls also earned three second-place finishes on the day. The Second Varsity Eight
Boat, led by sophomore coxswain Kate Evely, finished with a time of 7:21.4, just seven-tenths of a second behind the first-place Fighting Irish. Alongside Evely were seniors Kate Garofalo, Francisca Nwoke, Sam Masucci, Kelsey Tretter, juniors Sasha Bailey and Lindsay DiCosimo, and
sophomores A lexa nd ra Condon and Jacklyn Postulka. The Varsity Four Boat earned a second-place finish after finishing with a time of 8:22.6, 16 seconds behind a superior Notre Dame team. Indiana, Purdue, and Eastern Michigan rounded out the five-team race respectively. The Novice Four Boat recorded the final secondplace finish of the day for Buffalo. Once again, the Bulls came up short against Notre Dame, clocking a time of 9:07.9. The boat, made up of senior Kolina Dacko, Suvita Visqanathan and freshmen rowers Megan Klyczek, Ariana Blake, Samantha Shojaie, finished seven seconds behind Notre Dame’s B boat. The Bulls did, however, defeat the Fighting Irish’s top boat that finished third. In a tight race, the Varsity see ROWING page 6
MLB Preview
Will the Yankees repeat? By ANDREW WIKTOR, MATT PARRINO and LUKE HAMMILL
postseason. He’ll receive plenty of help from Rich Harden on the mound and Vladimir Guerrero in the outfield and at the plate. One word for the Rangers this season: dangerous. -Wiktor
Senior Sports Editor, Sports Editor and Asst. Sports Editor
Although we are fighting off 40-degree weather, Spring Training has basically come and gone. Bats have been swung, pitches have been thrown, rotations have been set and injuries have been recorded. And as April 4 approaches, teams are ready to take the diamond for another 162-game season. The Sports editors at The Spectrum have compiled a brief list of teams to watch and ones that will flop and have set in stone their predictions. Enjoy.
Teams to Watch American League Texas Rangers: Coke scandals aside, the Rangers are the real deal. They missed the playoffs last year, but the Rangers have a young core of talented players and made a serious push at the end of last season. Although the AL West has been dominated by the Los Angeles Angels for the past five years, the 2010 playoff
Courtesy of Keith Allison
Shortstop Derek Jeter will try to lead the New York Yankees to a second straight World Series victory in 2010.
spot will be home to the Rangers. Scott Feldman is their No. 1 pitcher and went 17-8 last season. Look for him to have a breakout 20-win campaign and lead the Rangers’ rotation to a trip to the
The season of firsts By ANDREW BELLAFLORES Staff Writer
Spectrum File Photo
Sophomore Alex Kalinin and the men’s tennis team defeated St. Bonaventure, 7-0.
The men’s tennis team continued its winning ways at the Miller Tennis Center, blanking St. Bonaventure for its fourth-straight victory to keep its undefeated home campaign alive. After an exhausting comeback victory against Toledo on Saturday, the Bulls (8-4, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) faced off head-to-head with the Bonnies (6-6) on Sunday afternoon. Noticing the team’s fatigue from the day before, Buffalo’s coaching staff stepped up to give its athletes a bit of a spark. “From having such an exciting match the day before against Toledo, there was a good chance we were going to come out flat,” said head coach Lee Nickell. “It was vital to make sure that the coaching staff was loud and manufactured some energy to prevent this from happening. Luckily our guys came through and had great energy.” The Bulls started off the match on the right foot and didn’t look back. Buffalo
National League Philadelphia Phillies: It’s the easy choice, but it’s also the right one. Look for the Phillies to repeat as National League champions. Their lineup is absolutely loaded from top to bottom and they are also one of the MLB’s best defensive teams. Philadelphia’s three, four, and five hitters, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth, respectively, all have slugging percentages over .500 at their batting positions. Though they lost lefthanded pitcher Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners, they acquired six-time AllStar Roy Halladay, who dominated as a Toronto Blue Jay last season. Their lone question mark remains Brad Lidge, who should be making his yearly decision about whether to play brilliantly or horribly any day now. Expect another deep see MLB page 8
took the early command by declaring the doubles points in less than an hour of play. Buffalo’s first doubles duo of senior Kirill Kolomyts and junior Marcelo Mazzetto cruised to an 8-1 victory against the Bonnies’ Christ Post and Diego Valdenegro. The Bulls’ No. 3 doubles team of freshman Vusa Hove and junior Mitch Zenaty also picked up a victory in doubles competition over St. Bonaventure’s Oscar Yanez and Luis Guevara, 8-4. Sophomore Wojciech Starakiewicz and freshman George Tibil found themselves in a back-and-forth matchup against Enric Larregola and Mikhail Sudakov, but prevailed to clinch the doubles point with an 8-5 decision. Buffalo continued to overwhelm the Bonnies in singles play, winning all six matches on the afternoon Playing out of the No. 2 singles spot, Mazzetto clinched the victory for Buffalo with a 6-2, 7-6(4) victory over Larregola. Mazzetto made quick work of Larregola in the first set before Larregola came alive in the second set. Down 4-1 in the tiebreaker, Mazzetto rallied back to take see TENNIS page 7
SIDELINES Baseball team defeats Niagara Wednesday afternoon, the baseball team defeated Big Four rival Niagara, 8-6, at Amherst Audubon Field. Junior reliever Jeff Thompson recorded his first career win on the mound after striking out two batters in two innings of relief work. Senior outfielder Charlie Karstedt led the Bulls, going 3-for-4 from the plate with a leadoff home run to deep center field in the second inning. The Bulls’ offense got to work right away as senior first baseman Rob Lawler scored in the first inning off of a Niagara fielding error. In the second inning, senior outfielder Adam Skonieczki followed Karstedt’s homer with a solo shot of his own, increasing Buffalo’s lead to 3-0. Buffalo extended its lead to five after scoring in four consecutive innings starting in the fourth. Although Niagara rallied in the top of the ninth, the deficit was too large to overcome. This weekend, Buffalo (11-10, 1-2 MAC) travels to Northern Illinois University for a conference weekend series. The first pitch is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m.
Two Bulls throwers receive MAC honors After a record-breaking weekend at the Raleigh Relays, Bulls track and field throwers Casey Garbaty and Becky O’Brien were named the Mid-American Conference outdoor field athletes of the week. Garbaty, who is ranked 27th nationally in the javelin after the first report of the outdoor season, won the men’s javelin at the Raleigh Relays with a school-record throw of 224-6 (68.43m). Garbaty’s throw was a vast improvement over his top mark from last season (63.93m) and was more than 10 feet better than the second-place finisher. It is the seventh-best throw in the nation so far in 2010. In the women’s discus, O’Brien shattered Sarah Vance’s 2007 school record by more than five feet with a throw of 166-3 (50.67m). She also bettered the Raleigh competition by more than 11 feet. Like Garbaty, O’Brien’s throw stands at seventh place so far in the 2010 outdoor season. O’Brien also finished second in the shot put at North Carolina State, tossing for a personal best 51-1.75 (15.59m). The Bulls return to action this weekend at the Florida Relays.
Rowing receives votes in National Coaches Poll Buffalo rowing received a boost of confidence this week when the program picked up three votes in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/US Rowing national poll. The Bulls received votes for the second straight week after coming off a weekend when they faced No. 20 nationally ranked Notre Dame and Indiana, who also received votes. “It is exciting that our program is being recognized amongst the best in the nation,” said head coach Rudy Wieler in a press release. ‘We have been improving each and every day and we deliberately made this extremely difficult schedule that will benefit our team as we take the next step.” This year the poll is based on the combined results of the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four boats. In the past, the poll was based solely on the efforts of just the Varsity Eight boat. The Bulls face another big test this weekend when they will race against the No. 1 crew in the country, Yale. They will also share the water at Cornell with No. 7 Michigan State, Syracuse and Gonzaga – both of whom received national votes as well.
Upcoming Events Friday Track & Field at Florida Relays, noon Softball at Western Michigan (DH), 1 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs. Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m. Rowing at Cornell vs. Syracuse and Yale, 3 p.m. Baseball at Northern Illinois, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Rowing at Cornell vs. Michigan State and Gonzaga, 8:20 a.m. Track & Field at Florida Relays, 11:30 a.m. Women’s Tennis vs. Toledo, 1 p.m. Baseball at Northern Illinois, 2 p.m. Softball at Northern Illinois, 3 p.m. Men’s Tennis vs. Western Michigan, 3 p.m. Sunday Baseball at Northern Illinois, 2 p.m. Softball at Northern Illinois, 2 p.m. Men’s Tennis vs. Binghamton, 3:30 p.m.