The Spectrum Volume 61 Issue 52

Vol. 61 NO. 52

ubspectrum.com

Friday, February 10, 2012

Search for the Next Provost Continues

Hey UB! Wake Up! My final request of UB students MATTHEW PARRINO Editor in Chief

Sorry for the abrupt headline, but I feel like this is my final plea. I know what you’re thinking, ‘What is this guy talking about?’

Qing Zhang /// The Spectrum On Thursday morning, the provost search committee met in Harriman Hall to hear what members of the UB community had to say about the selection process.

by a question-and-answer session with committee officials.

MARK DAVIS Staff Writer This week, the search committee for UB’s next provost held public listening sessions in the Student Union and in Harriman Hall on South Campus.

On Wednesday evening, there was a student listening session held in the Student Union.

And on Thursday morning, Committee Co-Chairs Anne B. Curtis and David Felder hosted the Harriman Hall session.

Students and members of the UB community were presented with an overview of the search and selection process followed

The public listening sessions on Wednesday and Thursday provided the UB community with updates on the search process and outlined the large issues facing the committee.

Curtis began both sessions by explaining the search process and allowing for committee members to introduce themselves.

Committee members in attendance at Thursday morning’s session included Senior Associate Dean of Student and Academic Affairs David Milling and Director of Public Services and Arts and Sciences Libraries Margaret Wells.

Curtis started by describing the role of consultant Ilene Nagel, the head of the higher education practice for Russell Reynolds Associates, a private firm assisting the committee in the search process.

In the fall, Nagel and her team made a list of 350 potential applicants for the provost position. Nagel has now provided approximately 55 names for the search committee to review.

The committee is now in the process of bringing the number of candidates down to 16. The final 16 will also sit down with President Satish K. Tripathi for half-hour interviews. continued on page 2

As Housing Blitz Continues, Problems Remain in Heights Often housing fraternities, sororities, and international students, the houses that sit in the Heights have stood for close to a century. Renters of these homes have previously faced serious issues. Some homes were condemned, or even burned down. Students in the University Heights area commonly deal with plumbing issues, electrical problems, and absentee landlords. Many students are unsafe in these houses, and many believe there should be some serious overhaul of the entire University Heights area.

LISA EPSTEIN Staff Writer Each weekend of the semester, hundreds of UB undergrads board buses that take them over to South Campus and the University Heights neighborhood.

Drinking and trashing the area before getting back on the buses and going back to the dorms is common. And the houses students enter are often more dangerous than they had thought.

While UB’s “housing blitz” continues to investigate student housing in the University Heights, others wonder if the university is taking the right approach toward the neighborhood.

Dan Ryan, director of off-campus student relations, has been working to eradicate the serious issues that students must deal with in what he calls a “housing

blitz.” Last year, Ryan joined forces with the City of Buffalo to crack down on the serious safety issues of the old houses, citing landlords for code violations and requiring them to address problems.

Seventy-five landlords rent properties in the University Heights neighborhood, and they are responsible for hundreds of violations But Ryan hopes these issues can soon be reversed through inspections. Ryan says that a new round of housing blitzes will start in April.

“We just recently met with inspectors from the city, and we did over 200 inspections last semester, so it was quite continued on page 2

Around the World in an Hour SUSHMITA SIRCAR Staff Writer “I remember Ksneiia saying that when she was growing up in Ukraine, she’d sometimes go run in the fields naked,” said Alison Cheu, a sophomore Asian studies major. “Coming from [New York] City, I was flabbergasted to hear those words come out of her mouth.”

Cheu was talking about the conversations she had with many international students as part of the English Language Institute’s (ELI) chat room program, which she participated in last spring. In the past eight years, the program has paired up undergraduate students at UB with international students who are trying to improve their fluency in English. The groups of three – one native speaker and two learners – are organized to have hour-long conversations, and the students often gain an awareness of each other’s lives and cultures in the process.

“On average, we have approximately 17 chat room partners enrolled each semester,” said Kathy Curtis, associate director of ELI. “Chat room partners are the native speakers of English who are UB undergraduates and receive two credits for their involvement. Last semester, we could accommodate approximately 100 chats on a weekly basis.” continued on page 5

Jihong Yoon is an international student who used the ELI chat room program to explore new cultures and improve his fluency in English.

Weather for the Weekend:

dd

Friday: Mostly Cloudy- H: 34, L: 16 Saturday: Snow Shower- H: 20, L: 19 Sunday: Few Snow Showers- H: 23, L: 21

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Yeo Jung Lee /// The Spectrum

Well, I’m the editor of this paper now, but I came from the land of pigskin and slam-dunks. I’m a sports fan at heart and – to borrow a word from Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon – this column is meant to galvanize this university.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or studying really hard) the men’s basketball team is really, really good. The Bulls are 15-6 overall, and have now won seven games in a row. That’s seven in a row in the Mid-American Conference and their four straight road wins in the MAC is a school record.

Do I have your attention yet?

I’ve had the privilege of watching Bulls basketball since my freshman year at UB, and I’ve cherished every minute of it.

I’m a basketball junkie, but it goes deeper than that. There is just something special about the basketball team here. It’s the connection to the fan base and the likeability of all the players and coaches.

Have you ever met Witherspoon? I think he may be the happiest guy walking around this campus. He treats everybody the same and he is the type of guy you can be proud to have as your team’s basketball coach. It doesn’t hurt that he has built a winning culture at UB. The Bulls have won at least 17 games in six of the last eight seasons, and during his tenure the Bulls have won 20 or more games three times.

Anyway, back to this year.

The Bulls were predicted by most experts to finish at the bottom of the MAC East this season. I guess they didn’t know about sophomore forward Javon McCrea.

Judging by attendance numbers by non-students, the Western New York area doesn’t seem to know about him either. Well, if you don’t know let me fill you in on Buffalo’s best-kept secret.

McCrea is a 6-foot-7 basketball player that could probably make it to the NFL as a tight end or linebacker. He has a powerful frame and he knows exactly how to use it to score in the paint.

It’s cool to watch him too because he makes plays that you never expect him to make. He rebounds well and his defense has improved significantly this season.

McCrea is fourth in the MAC in scoring (15.9), fifth in rebounding (7.6), and first in field goal percentage (.583). He’s a strong contender for MAC Player of the Year. His biggest competition may be his own teammate, senior fan favorite Mitchell Watt.

Watt has been magnificent all season. He’s had one of the most memorable senior seasons in school history. He is arguably the best inside defender in the MAC and his presence in the paint has allowed the Bulls to almost completely reinvent their defensive approach. The 2-3 zone was implemented by Witherspoon this season and teams have struggled to figure it out.

I can do this forever. Sophomore guards Jarod Oldham and Auraum Nuriankh are in the midst of breakout seasons. It’s been such a fun progression to watch. Oldham is leading the MAC in assists (6.2), is second in assist to turnover ratio (2.3), and is seventh in the conference in steals (1.6). Nuriankh has been playing outstanding basketball of late. He’s defending and shooting the lights out. His confidence is at a season-high and it’s evident in the way he carries himself on the floor.

What can I even say about senior forward Dave Barnett, or as fans know him “Big Shot Dave.” The guy does everything on the floor even though most of it doesn’t show up on the box score.

His effort is always noticeable and he’s such a fun character off the court.

The bottom line is that this team is extremely fun to watch.

Fans leave Alumni Arena entertained, whether it’s the sharpshooting of senior guard Zach Filzen or the astonishing, highenergy play of senior forward Titus Robinson off the bench.

I challenge you to find a reason not to come out and support this team. More importantly, this team needs you.

This Saturday at 6 p.m. True Blue is attempting to break the student attendance record when the Bulls face off against Western Michigan in search of their eighth straight victory. “Sixth Man” T-shirts will be passed out to the first 1,500 UB students through the doors, and I can’t think of a better message that could be sent.

In Buffalo, we take pride in the type of fans that we are, and by picking UB for college you inadvertently became a part of the most passionate fan base in all of sports. The MAC wouldn’t know how to react or handle it if Buffalo truly got behind this continued on page 2

Opinion * 3 Arts & Life * 7,8 Classifieds / Daily Delights * 9 Sports * 10

ubspectrum.com

Page 2 continued from page 1: As Housing blitz continues, problems remain in heights successful,” Ryan said. “Almost every student has let us in, and that’s just a great benefit, because for years, the inspectors would only be able to write up the problems they saw on the outside.”

Ryan says that during the last round of inspections, only one group of students was ordered by the courts to vacate their home, at 28 Lisbon Ave. “The good news is that there has been a lot of attention focused on it, and there has been some improvement in the conditions of the homes,” Ryan said. “But we’re not to the point where we can confidently say that all the homes where students live are safe enough to live in. So we are really encouraging students to only sign leases for apartments that have a certificate of occupancy. That will show that an inspector has been in there within the last two years and said that everything is fine.”

Meanwhile, Professor Henry Taylor of the Center for Urban Studies thinks the university might have to try a different approach. Taylor is in charge of overhauling the declining Perry neighborhood near downtown Buffalo.

Taylor believes UB needs to actually work with the city to acquire the rental properties, take control over them, and redevelop them. Taylor helped The Ohio State University work with the city of Columbus and private developers to transform all the areas near its campus into renovated, livable areas.

Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law partnered with the Office of Student Affairs to create what they call the Student Housing Legal Clinic, providing free advice and legal representation for students dealing with tenantlandlord issues.

The plan also supports the efforts of a group called the Campus Partners’ Safety Committee, which was put in place to improve the safety of the city’s residents and develop an implementation plan. The plan includes a uniform and improved level of property maintenance.

“I’ve felt for a very very long time that [UB] needed to take a very aggressive stance toward working with others to improve that housing,” Taylor said.

“The little things that they could do, like financing a process by which they make their own evaluation of every housing unit in this area, so that

students could come to some facility on campus and immediately identify properties that were approved by the university to rent in.”

Taylor thinks that by working closely with the city, UB should create a “university zone” where the city could work with UB to patrol all of the rental properties in the area and do rigorous inspections. Taylor also thinks University Police should work more closely with the Buffalo Police Department.

The University Heights district is out of UPD’s jurisdiction, and Lieutenant Dave Urbanek says UPD is rarely called into the city for incidents involving students. Urbanek said that UB will periodically run a joint detail throughout the year merely to assist the city. Though students are still under Buffalo Police-patrolled areas, Ryan urges them to lease with caution.

“I would encourage students, before they sign a rental agreement, to look at the statistics,” Ryan said. “Students living on campus, in a relative meaning, are in a safe environment.

Compared to the students living off campus, our police cannot protect you off campus the way they can on campus. Too many times, students end up victims of a crime.”

The actions of students – unsupervised by absentee landlords – have also contributed to the decline of the University Heights. A blogger, publicly known only as “The Answer Lady,” often posts photos of student housing surrounded by party trash, complaints of neighbors who couldn’t sleep because of noise, and other information related to students’ behavior on the weekends.

She also blogs about the increased crime rates in the neighborhood in recent years.

“The frats/sports houses, along with other assorted wannabes, also function as drinking gangs and speakeasies (illegal bars),” reads a September 2009 post on the blog. “They can be extremely disruptive and destructive to the neighborhood around them.”

The Answer Lady declined a phone interview with The Spectrum.

The Spectrum could not reach Buffalo Police spokesman Mike DeGeorge or University District Common Councilwoman Bonnie Russell.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Friday, February 10, 2012

continued from page 1: search for the next provost continues Curtis, though, acknowledged that many candidates come from the biological sciences.

Before that, each candidate will undergo an hour-long interview; they will be given three questions in advance.

Members of the committee – including its two student representatives, Student Association President JoAnna Datz and UB Council Student Representative Mia Jorgenson – will have an opportunity to ask questions.

“Frankly, it’s turning out that a lot of strong candidates have medical backgrounds, which is an interesting trend in higher education,” Curtis said. “They have to convince everybody that they are ready and able to deal with all the schools in the university. We’re going to be looking for that.”

“Something that we discussed with the search committee on behalf of the students is that we wanted to formulate, for the interview process, a question that is specifically student-oriented,” Datz said during the student listening session.

Ricotta also pointed out that the provost search is more of an internal process compared to the presidential search, which was a SUNY process.

Datz expressed that she wanted to use the student session as a springboard to understand what students care about, so the question can be appropriately crafted.

Curtis stressed the sensitivity involved in contacting and interviewing potential candidates, explaining that great consideration must be given to each applicant’s current job status.

The committee announced at Wednesday night’s session that they established an email account, provostsearch@ buffalo.edu.

“The importance of keeping that initial review confidential is that 10 or more people don’t get to that next step.”

Curtis said at the Harriman Hall session. “There’s no reason that any word should get back to where they work…

It can be damaging to them and their current careers.”

The 16 candidates will then be narrowed down to between three and five. Each finalist will make an on-campus visit to UB, meeting senior leadership and faculty representatives and attending a public forum to take questions from the UB community.

In attendance at Thursday’s Harriman Hall session was Robert Burkard, chair of the department of rehabilitation science, who raised the issues of the school’s budget and maintaining fiscal conservancy.

Barbara Ricotta, associate vice president for student affairs, said at Wednesday’s session that the provost should be someone who can work in a large, diverse institution and still prioritize the humanities and arts as equal to the medical school.

“I think we need somebody that comes from a public university,” Burkard said in the session, stressing the importance of a provost who will understand UB’s budget and the type of debt a school like UB is accumulating.

“We have to figure out a way to run this dinosaur with less space and less resources.”

“It is our responsibility to go out there and find that person…The search firm has gone out there and very actively looked for folks in the humanities and arts and sciences to apply for the position; I can’t sit here and guarantee that the successful candidate is going to be from that area,” Ricotta said.

Additional reporting by Asst. News Editor Sara DiNatale.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

continued from page 1: hey ub! wake up! team. Fear would permeate through every head coach in the league, because the presence of the fan base is that important.

Players have said it, True Blue has said it, and even Witherspoon himself has said how important the student body is to his team on the court. It’s time to accept the challenge, UB. It’s time to show up and scream until you can’t scream anymore.

If you think this is an advertisement for UB athletics, you’re right, it is. Because I think UB basketball is worth your time and the impact you can have is unlike anything else at this school.

So as I finish this letter, as I plead with you one last time, I have just one question left before I leave UB at the end of the year…

On Saturday evening at 6 p.m., will UB there?

I will.

Email: matthew.parrino@ubspectrum.com

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

Lisa Khoury, asst.

Opinion ubspectrum.com

Adult Films, Childish Adults Porn stars are people too

America’s schools have been on a downward slide as of late. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation, our education system fell to an “Average” ranking, with our reading scores being the 14th best in the world.

ARTS EDITORS Nick Pino, senior Vanessa Frith, senior Brian Josephs Elva Aguilar, asst.

Vilona Trachtenberg, asst.

With news like that, everyone knows the importance of pitching in and ensuring our schools get the attention they need, and non-profit groups like Read Across America (RAA) take on an enhanced significance.

LIFE EDITORS Aaron Mansfield, senior Keren Baruch Lyzi White Rachel Kramer, asst.

So when someone comes along to help fight for the cause and get kids motivated about reading, why turn them down?

SPORTS EDITORS Tyler Cady, senior Bryan Feiler Nathaniel Smith PHOTO EDITORS Meg Kinsley, senior Alexa Strudler Satsuki Aoi WEB EDITOR Matthew Parrino James Twigg GRAPHICS DESIGNER Haider Alidina

PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Mark Kurtz CREATIVE DESIGNERS Nicole Manzo Aline Kobayashi ADVERTISING DESIGNER Aline Kobayashi Liam Gangloff, 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 news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address.

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the Undergraduate Mandatory Activity Fee. February 10, 2012 VOLUME 61 NUMBER 52 CIRCULATION: 7,000

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email any submissions to info@ubspectrum.com

The ‘ESPN-ization’ of Today’s News Media

JAMES GIBBONS Special to The Spectrum

It seems as though the current news landscape has shunned away traditional forms of broadcasting information, instead presenting news soaked in punditry and sensationalism in an attempt to entertain. The American Idol and NBA All-Star Game crowd tend to lack interest in learning about what is going on in the world, and this is a problem for those folks whose job it is to generate advertising revenue.

Don’t get me wrong; this past Sunday, I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl, but I do not want to see those same methods of broadcasting used when it comes to informing people of what is going on in the world.

Newsgathering takes work. Some-

Well, a couple of stories centered on adult film star Sasha Grey have cropped up in the past month where it seemed like RAA was turning away support because of Grey’s background.

Of course, as is common in the rumor-mill-style 24/7 Internet news death cycle, some of the finer details got lost in translation. Okay, maybe some extremely important details got completely ignored.

It starts in Compton, Calif. back in November, where a local non-profit group named RAA was having a

guest reader program for the community’s schools. Grey was one such reader.

What didn’t get reported much (if at all) was that this local RAA was not affiliated with the national RAA that is controlled by the National Education Association. Instead, America got on its high horse and went on a witch-hunt.

Someone in the classroom took photos as proof that Grey was reading to the students (an immense travesty indeed), and the news spread like a shockwave.

During the crossfire, the smaller local RAA was damaged beyond repair and shut down.

Fast forward to Monday, a porn production company named Assence Films announced it was planning to donate the proceeds from the latest film to feature Grey to the national Read Across America campaign.

Grey retired from the adult film industry in April, but companies still have the right to buy scenes that she filmed and distribute them. In a public statement, Grey denounced the company for using her name to publicize a film and take attention away from a serious cause.

Sure, it’s not cool for a company to use Grey’s name for free publicity, but why is it that America has a sick fascination with looking down on porn actors and actresses as if they’re not really people?

She wanted to help expose kids to the world of literature and culture, but the public was more content to see a group dedicated to that cause die because they let a person who used to be a porn star read to some kids.

Do people think that she carries an aura that drives kids insane and dooms them to a life of sexual deviancy simply by being around her?

This also led to the climate that allowed her to be exploited by Assence Films. If people actually viewed porn actors and actresses as people and not orgasm demons, whether or not said porn stars give to charity would be irrelevant. We give power to the exploiters by looking down on the exploited.

America needs to get over its idiotic witch-hunt of the porn industry. Sex doesn’t make someone an untouchable, but being judgmental does.

Disaffection Direction Get out of the apathy rut, get involved

At the beginning of fall semester, we reported that UB had changed its financial aid policy in such a way that blatantly screwed us over. On top of that, it became painfully clear that our problems weren’t much of a concern to the school.

There was a greatly negative response on The Spectrum’s website and on Facebook, and a protest was organized.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, around two-thirds of students in America use some sort of financial aid. Considering there are roughly 30,000 students that go to UB, that’s roughly 20,000 people affected.

Somewhere around 60 people attended the protest.

That particular instance isn’t a fluke.

Take for instance the now infamous tattoo columns published late last month. The response on our website was incredible, albeit heavily driven by sources outside campus.

Yet leading up to this, our Senior News Editor Luke Hammill had been working on and publishing a number of articles showing bizarre and alarming transactions that were tantamount to campaign contributions.

times, it’s easier to talk about a situation, make up a story, or just make something a spectacle for no reason.

One way to see this dynamic manifest itself is to watch the coverage of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. There is a boatload of coverage for all the state primary races, the eventual convention for each party, and, of course, the general election.

There are many similarities between how sports and politics are discussed. This is especially true when it comes to the frequency of debates this election season – 19 thus far.

The weekend before the New Hampshire Primary, there were even two debates that were 12 hours apart.

I love watching these debates, but I want them to deal with genuine policy issues.

Let me begin by discussing the opening montage that these debates typically have. Each network creates a three-minute intro to the debate.

When I watch these clips, I can’t help but recall the intros for Monday Night Football or Football Night in America. I understand it is about ratings, but can’t the debate intros be slightly more academic?

Also, Hammill showed how our university president is on the board of a non-profit organization that directly endorsed a political candidate, and joined the board without required SUNY approval.

Our distance from the local community becomes a problem for the area.

None of us have any significant extra incentive to stay here after we are gone. We feel like we’re here to get the degree and get out, that’s it.

Again, we as a student body let loose little more than a whimper.

Why cause problems when we’re just going to leave anyway?

None of this is new. For years our student body has been apathetic and disaffected.

Hopefully the new downtown medical campus will help bring students closer to the community, but it won’t solve the problem of engaging undergrads.

Even when it comes to fun, we hardly get involved. Our attendance at sporting events is embarrassingly low compared to other MAC schools.

It seems like we only care if our teams are undefeated.

It’s not completely our fault.

Our school is built to be isolated.

Anyone living in the dorms need not leave for anything; the place is like a self-contained prison. Even if you live in the on-campus apartments, the farthest you need to travel is to Wegman’s.

If you’re a commuter, it’s hard to get involved in campus life because most of the events happen well after your classes end, and it’s difficult to just sit around waiting all day.

After the opening montage, next comes the brief bit about the rules and then the grand entrance by each candidate. A recent debate in Florida had UB alum Wolf Blitzer call each candidate out to applause. It took 10 minutes.

During another debate, for the first time in TV debate history, candidate Newt Gingrich caused the audience members to jump to their feet and applaud Newt’s snide remark to moderator John King’s opening question regarding Newt’s marriage life.

Gingrich lambasted the CNN host for helping Democrats and siding with “the elite media.”

Newt was being dishonest and is part of the problem of perpetuating the notion that all media is liberal.

He was trying to create a reaction by the audience and was not willing to give an answer to a legitimate question.

The ratings boom created by episodes like Newt’s is quickly changing contemporary news media, whether it is on television, online, in print, or even in the blogosphere. The phenomenon is most visible on television.

When the debates are over, there is the token roundtable discussion

The biggest factor isn’t our physical barriers, but our mental ones. The school has programmed us like borgs into thinking any resistance is futile.

Long gone are the days when administrators feared us, and in are the days where we are so beaten down and ready to leave that we’ll simply accept any garbage the school tries to throw on us.

We need to take back our school. Tell the administration that we won’t be walked over any more and get involved on campus. The only way things will get done is if we do it ourselves.

by the regular political commentators who are supposed to tell you what happened and how to think.

The same thing happens after every televised professional sporting event.

For some reason, political commentators seem to ignore policy discussions and instead discuss the candidates’ personal attacks on one another, audience reactions, or what voters think of a particular candidate.

Watch some political commentary or broadcasts from the Cronkite era.

There is a tone of reservation and objectivity in the speaker’s voice.

Today’s television media is filled with attractive male and female commentators trying to sum up candidates’ positions in a few short words.

The next GOP debate will take place in Arizona on Feb. 22. Tune in and see if you can see the similarities.

With all four remaining candidates showing no signs of dropping out of the race, there will be more debates, controversy and ESPN-ization to come.

Is that a good thing?

James Gibbons is a Student Association oncampus senator.

Email: gibbons7@buffalo.edu

Page 3

The Do’s and Do Not’s in Picking up Girls LYZI WHITE

Life Editor

So you’re at a bar. You see a cutie across the way, and it hits you. You want her, you want to sweet talk her, you want to make her laugh, and maybe you want to makeout with her – or something a little more X-rated.

But whoa there! Slow your roll. Before you saunter over there with your swagger walk, there are some things that you should know, lest you make a fool out of yourself in such a public arena.

There are some simple do’s and do not’s in picking up girls at a bar.

DO: Make sure the girl you’re trying to approach does not have a boyfriend.

It’s an obvious thing, really. When a girl is standing next to another guy, it could just be her friend, or it could be her overprotective, jealous boyfriend who does not appreciate his girlfriend getting hit on right in front of him. You could very well be the person getting hit on in this scenario.

Right in the face.

Or another similar scenario: if the girl says she has a boyfriend but there’s no boy in sight, take the hint. She’s just not into you.

Move on – find a girl that is.

DON’T: Tell a girl that you find her attractive because of a childhood fetish.

Of course, this all depends on circumstance. What I’m referring to is more for those days when people are in costume – Halloween, or maybe if you go to ComiCon. A scenario: you see a girl is dressed as, let’s say, a Pokémon or any animalistic cartoon character. Do not, I repeat, do not ask her: “is it weird I find you incredibly attractive because of a childhood fantasy of mine?”

I’ll answer for her: yes. It’s pretty weird and it’s one of those anti-panty droppers.

DO: Be upfront.

It could be that you’re looking for a casual hookup, and that’s your prerogative. That’s not to say you should go up to a girl and say: “hey, I want to have sex with you and never call you after.” Just don’t pretend like you’re after something you’re not, because you could get a girl’s hopes up just to knock ’em down.

Don’t be a Barney Stinson and pretend you’re searching for that white picket fence and a beautiful wife to share it with.

It could be that the girl you’re trying to impress isn’t looking for anything serious either. But if she is, don’t pretend like you are, too. Move on to another girl that has the same intentions as you.

DON’T: Come on too strong.

Ever seen Superbad? When Jules uses the scratch your back cliché, remember how Seth responds: “funny thing about my back, Jules: is it’s located on my cock.”

Mentioning your private parts in the first 15 minutes of a conversation isn’t smart.

You might be thinking that and it’s possible you can’t get the thought out of your head, but do yourself a favor and don’t prematurely ejaculate the response.

You also don’t want to seem overeager.

Girls want your attention, but they don’t want you to follow them around like a puppy dog all night. Let her know that you have options, but you choose her. Flatter her; don’t smother her.

DO: Be confident.

It’s almost as if girls can smell insecurity; guys probably can too for that matter. It’s easy to be nervous when approaching a stranger in any circumstance, but if you really want to talk to her, exude confidence, charisma, and charm. Those three things go a long way.

DON’T: Pretend you know her from somewhere.

“Hey, are you in my Comm. class?” Come on guys, is that the best you’ve got? They know you aren’t in their class; they know you’re using a line. If you want to start a conversation with a girl, just be honest.

You want to make a good first impression, because at a bar, that’s almost the only thing you’re going to get.

DON’T: Use clichés.

Going up to a girl and saying she has beautiful eyes is just such a common pick up technique. It does not get girls going after the 1,000th time. But if you are going to use this line, make sure you know her eye color. Don’t specify a color, especially at a bar where it’s dark, because you could very well be wrong. “You have the most beautiful green eyes.” Then the girl storms off, maybe throws a drink in your face, because her eyes are brown. There go your chances, genius.

DO: Be yourself.

Be charming, be funny, but most of all, be yourself. Don’t try to put on a front, and don’t say things or do things that you wouldn’t normally do because girls can usually tell when you’re not.

Email: lyzi.white@ubspectrum.com

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Page 4

Friday, February 10, 2012

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Friday, February 10, 2012 Continued from page 10: Seventh Heaven in Mount Pleasant With the Ohio Bobcats (19-5, 7-3 MAC) failing to win Wednesday night, the Bulls now find themselves firmly in second place in the MAC. This year, the top two seeds are able to get a triple-bye into the semifinals of the MAC tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Bulls finish their MAC West portion of the schedule as they come home to face the Western Michigan Broncos (10-14, 5-5 MAC) on Saturday at Alumni Arena in the second game of a double-header. Tipoff for the women’s basketball game is scheduled for 3 p.m, and the men’s game is slated for 6 p.m.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com Continued from page 10: Spring Comes Early The team gets their schedule underway with three consecutive weekend tournaments in Jacksonville, Georgia, and Washington D.C., respectively.

“We’re playing some teams that we should beat, some teams that it’s up in the air, and some teams that on paper should probably beat us,” Teague said. “We play Georgia who was in the World Series last year, and Baylor who was as well, so we have teams on our schedule that we can see where we are.”

That challenge starts this weekend as the Bulls will get an opportunity to play UNC Greensboro, Jacksonville, Virginia Tech and a pair against St. Louis in the Jacksonville tournament over the course of this weekend.

Continued from page 10: Bulls Fall Again, Face Three-Game Losing Skid

Fortunately for the Bulls and Lewandowski they have more than a week off before their next match. With the possibility of a winless season in conference play, Beichner will do everything he can to get his wrestlers prepared for their MAC season finale.

“We will change some of our training habits to get the most out of our guys,” Beichner said. “They’re going to take advantage of this little break for us and I hope we can reset some guys and get out there and have a better effort.”

The Bulls are desperate for a win to gain some confidence back with the MAC Championships only a couple weeks away.

The Bulls hope that will come against Northern Illinois (6-8, 0-4 MAC), as it is the Huskies’ last chance to earn themselves a victory in the MAC as well. That contest will take place in DeKalb, Ill. on Saturday at 1 p.m.

ubspectrum.com

Post-Super Bowl Shuffle

The chats are mandatory for the students taking English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. Students must participate in a minimum of two chats.

“It is embarrassing to talk to my Chinese friends in English,” said Kai Liu, an engineering graduate student who participated in the program through his ESL classes. “Only when speaking to Americans do I speak in English.”

The chat room provides international students an opportunity to adapt to situations both inside and outside of school.

“I have been speaking Chinese for 22 years,” said Feifei Bao, an accounting major. “I was therefore dumbstruck in front of a cashier at Target. Thanks to the chat room, I obtained opportunities to practice English and gain confidence.”

Other students frequent the chat room despite not being required to for any class. Jihong Yoon, a senior business major, has been going to the chat room frequently for the last three semesters. He enjoys the opportunity to talk about various topics and improve his English. He is also enthusiastic about learning about American culture.

“Once, I had a cheerleader as a conversation partner,” Yoon said excitedly.

Students find the program attractive due to the opportunity for cultural exchange it offers. Curtis said

BRYAN FEILER Sports Editor

The game lived up to its hype with the Giants scoring with under a minute left in the game to take the lead, followed by an attempted game-winning hail-mary pass to the end zone by Tom Brady as time expired.

But, the game is over now and one team and city gets to celebrate the win, while the others mourn the loss.

Since Sunday, the Giants have been getting praise, parties, and parades while the Patriots have been getting patronized, pitied, and put-down.

The most praise has been for two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. But backtrack to week 15 when the Giants were 7-7, on the brink of elimination, and everyone was talking about how bad Manning was. Fast-forward to the Super Bowl post-game show and the new question is, “is Eli better than his brother, and is he a Hall of Famer?”

Amazing what winning six games at the right time can do.

On the other hand – or should I say out of the other hands – Wes Welker, who has been a top target for Brady for the past few years, was mentioned in the same sentence as Bill Buckner.

Honestly, he should be. Buckner had a fielding percentage of .989 in 1986, the year he missed the play at first that could have won the World Series for the Red Sox. So he makes 99 out of 100 plays. It was fluke. Welker probably makes that catch 99 times out

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The chat room for this semester began on Monday.

the program improves students’ awareness of different cultures and gives them a global view of differences in people’s lives.

“The main reason that I joined the chat room was because I felt the international community wasn’t approachable,” Cheu said. “Other reasons I had were to get the international students’ perspective about their UB experience and cultural differences.”

Hill Haas, who is 82 years old and audits classes at UB each semester, has participated in the program for the past three years. He has had conversations with students from Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, and Japan, among others. Haas talked about a student from the Ivory Coast who he became particularly close to after their meetings in 2010. Many others also said they continued to keep in touch with some of the people they had talked to through the chat room.

Many of the students involved remember sharing different cultural experiences as a highlight of the program.

Volunteers recalled conversations about different education systems in countries like China, American slang words, and polygamy.

The hour-long chats seem to kindle many students’ curiosity about the world. Past participants of the program have ended up traveling to different countries to teach English, according to Curtis.

“Sometimes, I feel that the program is more for the local students who are curious about international students than the other way around,” Curtis said.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

This year’s Super Bowl featured the Giants against the Patriots in a re-match of Super Bowl XLII. Which means it featured the biggest city rivalry in sports, Boston and New York.

AT

Continued from page 1: Around the world in an hour

A healthy Lewandowski would add some much-needed veteran experience to the young Bulls. The combination of Lewandowski and Smith is an explosive one-two punch. Their combined 195 career victories are something that should intimidate opponents.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

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of 100 but that one time he messed up was when his team needed him the most. Neither player was the sole reason his team’s lost. It’s just they made the biggest mistake at the biggest time.

Later in the week, Giants fans crowded the streets on New York City for the ritual ticker-tape parade while one street in Boston was littered with 8,000 butterfingers with a note attached that said “Thank you Wes Welker-Pawngo [An online pawn company].”

Victor Cruz is known for doing his salsa after every touchdown, something he has probably been doing since Sunday.

However, Rob Gronkowski is known for his signature spike after a touchdown.

Gronk took a page of out Cruz’s book when he was seen dancing on stage, without a shirt on, with the group LMFAO the same night as the Superbowl.

Brady was still on the field sulking and Gronk was already out partying. So much for a sprained ankle.

Even Brady’s supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen gave her expert opinion on the Patriots performance saying “My husband cannot f***ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”

Brandon Jacobs replied, saying that Bundchen should “stay cute and shut up.” As if the Patriots didn’t have enough problems, now they have teammates’ wives chirping at them.

And Brady isn’t even defending his wife after those comments. Jacobs said that Brady should take it as compliment. Brady has yet to respond.

In the last five days the city of New York has been a utopia. People are laughing and dancing in the streets, while the city of Boston has slipped into a drunken comatose, waiting for pitchers and catchers to report.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

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Friday, February 10, 2012

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Hip-Hop’s New Era BRIAN JOSEPHS Arts Editor

My English teacher back in high school was manic, to say the least. The man was notorious among students for his aggressive attitude and his numerous cynical rants about things like existentialism, nihilism, and what bad scholars we were.

I don’t remember any of the concepts he taught in that advanced placement class, but I did pick up two things from the class.

First, that the 85 I earned ensured my acceptance to UB and an obnoxious sense of self-confidence for succeeding in such a rigorous course.

The second lesson was the one I found more interesting. I actually forgot the name of the theory (or if it even had one for that matter), but he said that generally decades of prosperity are almost always followed by periods of regression.

For example, The Roaring Twenties were followed by The Great Depression, while the ’90s economic boom was followed by the recession.

Can this crackpot theory be applied to the arts? I think so. But I’m going to apply it to just hip-hop.

The ’00s, or the aughts, were marked by the decline of lyricism in a genre that was becoming more mainstream. Yes, there were gems like Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele, MF DOOM’s and Madlib’s Madvillainy, and M.I.A’s classic “Paper Planes.”

However, the airwaves were dominated by the mediocrity of Soulja Boy, Lil Jon, and Chingy. Of course, there are far more names that can be put into the same category.

What disoriented hip-hop aficionados like myself the most was that the prior decade (which is often referred to as hip-hop’s golden age) was stacked with classics. The aughts had only a handful of rappers that could be even considered in the same vein of the multitude of ’90s greats.

Sure, there is yet to be the definitive lyricist to emerge in this young decade, but early evidence shows that hip-hop is returning to form.

Kanye West’s masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy symbolically started this.

One of the main criticisms of last year’s hip-hop was that it often sacrificed authenticity in favor of false tales of drugs, money, violence, and sexuality. What made the album so progressive was that it amalgamated most of those aspects into a musical tour-de-force.

Another thing to note about the album is the guest list: Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Pusha T, and Nicki Minaj. The artists’ most recent efforts up to that point (with the exception of an improved Rick Ross) have been subpar, and all of them were criticized for constantly harping on those negative themes.

I don’t know what it was about West’s production, but the guests spit inspired verses throughout the album. Since when did JayZ become so aggravated (“So Appalled”)?

Why does Pusha T sound so cynical and arrogant (“Runaway”)? And when did Rick Ross learn to sculpt such vivid fantasies (“Devil in a New Dress”)?

MBDTF may have cemented a shift in the hip-hop ethos. The genre wasn’t about street wisdom and grit anymore, but about decadence and fantasy. That shift is somewhat similar to the shift from the ’80s’ emphasis on drum-backed braggadocio to the ’90s’ focus on lyricism, jazz rap, and G-Funk.

It’s a distant comparison, but the theme of change is still there.

There are also newcomers that seem to carry that same progression motif. Kendrick Lamar’s music branches away from West’s popular topics, and instead speaks on the apathy and confusion of today’s young generation. A$AP Rocky rides on drug-fueled fantasies, but the Harlem native’s southern influences cause his music to borderline psychedelics.

Nobody knows if these artists are going in the direction hip-hop needs to take. However, Lamar’s Section.80 and A$AP Rocky’s LiveLoveA$AP are both popular with critics.

The fact that the two releases are moderately popular with the public is interesting, as well.

Maybe my English professor wasn’t so crazy after all.

Email: brian.josephs@ubspectrum.com

Arts & Life ubspectrum.com

Page 7

The Brock Connection aware that he has a long way to go in order to reach the artistic level he desires.

BRIAN JOSEPHS Arts Editor Quinton Brock, a freshman undecided major, isn’t your typical rags-toriches sort of rapper. He comes from an affluent background. He doesn’t know what life on the streets is like.

He doesn’t fit the image.

“If someone weighs 400 pounds on The Biggest Loser, they don’t weighin every single day,” Quinton said.

“They weigh in once a week. If you look at yourself in the mirror you’ll never see a change. It’s more about setting small goals.”

But Brock won’t let public perceptions stop him. He seeks to surpass expectations and join the ranks of critically acclaimed artists such as Kanye West, J Dilla, and the RZA.

Quinton’s determination to improve comes from the values taught to him by his father, Carlton Nathaniel Brock Jr. Although Carlton and Quinton lived in an upper-middle class household they still learned the value of hard work while they were growing up.

For Brock, and the numerous creative individuals behind him, shooting for that level isn’t just a dream.

It’s a calling.

“Every single day he just tells me ‘Everything is gone in a second,’” Quinton said. “That sense of urgency he instilled in me as a child… as long as I keep that, I think I’ll be all right.”

Quinton started writing lyrics at the age of 12, but for a while, it looked like he was going to be involved in a more classical form of music. He was being trained in the art of jazz during his time at Williamsville East High School, an institution known for its musical program.

The competition with his older brother, who released his own book, Enhanced, last year, has inspired Carlton to work harder. With Enhanced available at the Barnes and Noble website, Carlton wants to take his work to the next level by touring.

The Amherst native excelled in the program, learning how to play the guitar, upright bass, electric bass, as well as learning how to sing. He also eventually taught himself how to play the piano, drums, and trumpet.

Carlton Brock, a junior English major and Quinton’s brother, believes that his early commitment to music and lyricism will serve him well in the years to come.

“As an artist, that’s just amazing to watch,” Carlton said. “For him to be able to take to rap the way that he has – writing all his own lyrics and making his own beats – is just phenomenal for me to look at.”

Quinton continued to hone his craft by performing jazz pieces at local restaurants and bars until he eventually got a call from an associate to rap over his beats. The jazz player obliged, and by age 17 he fully invested himself in rapping.

After releasing multiple singles and a mixtape under the name Scooter, he decided it was a rip off to pay producers upwards of $300 to make rudimentary tracks using free software.

Quinton admitted that his songs as Scooter were poor in quality, but it took a chance meeting to realize this.

“I was looking for a pair of Beats

by Dr. Dre headphones for my first music video ever,” Quinton said. “I was messaging everybody because I didn’t have them, and my old

Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum

Freshman Quinton Brock is taking small steps to establish himself as music’s next big thing.

standup bass teacher…messaged me and said [producer] Derek Sullivan has ‘Beats.’ So I messaged him and was like ‘Man, can I get a pair of Beats by Dre for this music video I’m doing.’ He’s like, ‘I don’t have Beats, but I make beats.’”

Sullivan, a senior media studies major, has been producing since he’s been 12 years old. The Williamsville East alumnus harbored a deep passion for all forms of music and has worked with industry professionals in the past.

Sullivan saw potential in Scooter’s work, but believed that he wasn’t going to realize it with the poor production he had on prior tracks. He believed that it was time for some changes. “[The music] was really bad,” Sullivan said. “Kids would watch it to laugh. I was like look man ‘You can’t be getting views for people to laugh.’”

Quinton immediately took Sullivan’s criticism to heart. The aspiring artist dropped his stage name, and proceeded to delete all of his previous songs and YouTube videos off the Internet.

Part of the reason for this change was that he wanted to set himself apart from his radio-friendly peers.

Sullivan and Quinton believed that with their potential, they could produce the same material that their influences pioneered. Artists that inspired Quinton – like Madlib and MF DOOM – have never achieved popular status because of their aversion to the popular formula.

However, the duo is inspired by their favorite artists’ willingness to experiment.

“Those guys will never get the credit because they were way ahead of their time,” Sullivan said. “That type of mentality of sampling anything besides [popular] soul or having minute rap songs that’s going to catch on in the next five years. People won’t get it until a [few years] from now…which [is unfortunate].”

Quinton recently released singles “Bros,” “1992,” and “Terror Games,” all of which are from his upcoming album, Presence of God. The songs abandon the repetitive keys and rhythms for a more mature production style. Quinton is pleased about the outcome of these tracks, but is

But Carlton remembers a time when Quinton pushed him to succeed.

“My book was still not out yet [when Quinton released his first music video],” Carlton said. “We were messing around and rapping in my room at my mom’s house. I said something, and he turns around and says ‘That is why your book’s not out yet.’ It was cold, but it was cool. It’s inspiration.”

However, Quinton thinks that his key to success is the creative team he has around him. The aspiring rapper has known a majority of his creative team for years, and they’ve all stayed in touch despite venturing into different arts directions. This team includes film producer James Davis (who makes Quinton’s music videos), writer Taylor Allen, a junior history education major, and DJ Fred Frandina-Brown.

Quinton believes that the fact that he has such talent around him is more than just a coincidence. He thinks that the collective of talent is together for a reason – to make quality art.

“You can just feel a greater calling upon everybody’s lives than just mediocrity,” Quinton said.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Students Think Ahead: Retirement Saving 101 WESTON SHAPIRO Staff Writer Most students are focused on grades, partying, and Facebook; their minds are far from AARP, Medicaid, and dentures.

Retirement is nowhere near the forefront of their minds, but grabbing the reins today and taking control of their financial future can prove to be a very smart decision in the long run, according to financial expert Skip Bower.

“In fact, the unfortunate part about retirement planning is that many people don’t get into it until their ’50s, sometimes their late ’50s, when it is really too late to build up any substantial savings fund,” said Bower, a 40-year Wall Street veteran and retired financial advisor for UBS financial services. “My recommendation to all my clients has always been from the day that you start work, you maximize the amount of money that you contribute [to your retirement fund].”

Bower, who now owns his own private financial advisement firm, has carved out a niche as an expert in equity investing and financial planning for individuals and their estates. Bower said retirement can be a daunting dose of reality for someone of any age. It can be difficult to plan as a function of our fears of getting old.

“I’ve thought about [retirement], and my dad

keeps reminding me about it because he thinks it’s important,” said Daniel Kestenbaum, a senior business major. “Unfortunately right now, more money is going out than is coming in.”

This allows a person to deposit up to $5,000 per year into an account before paying taxes. Upon retirement, that money can be withdrawn and taxed as regular income.

Kestenbaum is not the only student at UB who isn’t focused on his retirement plan. Maxwell Weberman, a senior English major, said he isn’t worried about what he will do 50 years down the road.

On the contrary, one could use a Roth IRA and deposit up to $5,000 per year using his or her post-tax income, or income after they have paid their taxes. Upon reaching the age of 59.5, that money then becomes available to them tax and penalty free, according to irs.gov.

Students around campus have similar issues; they are not making enough money to balance paying for food, partying, school costs, and other needs and wants. Some students work while in school – making minimum wage working jobs on or off campus – but this doesn’t seem to cover the cost of being a college student.

“I do [have a budget],” said Adam Poskanzer, a senior biology major. “I use mint.com. It’s a website that tracks all of your purchases via electronic tender.”

Mint.com is a free and secure website that allows users to set up any budget they would like and helps them keep it. Members like Poskanzer can track all spending and find where they can save money.

In turn, that money can then be saved or used to open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

“The Roth IRA probably in the long run is going to be a better bet,” Bower said. “When you are young, you’re not making a whole lot of money, so you’re not in a very high tax bracket. The benefit of the regular tax deductible IRA is not going to be very significant.”

Those who have part-time jobs can take the money from their already-taxed paycheck and deposit a small percentage of it into a Roth IRA through a broker of their choice, like the popular online brokerage etrade.com.

“It’s very important to start [saving] as early as you possibly can,” Bower said. “I always maximized my retirement contributions, and I’m enjoying the fruits of that now.”

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

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Page 8

Hopefully Not the Final Fantasy

Behind the Wall

JAMES TWIGG Senior Managing Editor

Satsuki Aoi /// The Spectrum

Language to Cover a Wall displays concrete poetry, a form which relies on words to form a

The poetry of the 21st century isn’t limited to just the page or the screen.

LTCAW is a visual poetry exhibition that is currently on display at the UB Art Gallery. A crafty blend of concrete and digital poetry finds a new canvass to place verse – a canvas that offers limitless possibilities.

Concrete poetry – a picture form with words – allows the reader/viewer to grasp a new poetic meaning. Often not addressed in the classroom, this gallery serves to showcase a medium that deserves exposure.

The curatorial team for LTCAW consists of David Gray chair of poetry and letters Steve McCaffery, adjunct professor of English Karen Mac Cormack, and Curator of the UB Poetry Collection Michael Basinski.

“The curatorial team shares the idea that poetry appears everywhere, not solely on a printed page or computer screen,” Mac Cormack said. “Each new technology through the centuries provokes new ways and materials for language/art to be created and experienced.”

Utilizing mediums as diverse as typewriter texts and flat screen TVs, the gallery achieves its goal by encouraging interaction with words other than static reading.

Prop, a piece consisting of a large 15-foot stick resting against a 50-inch plasma screen, exemplifies the way in which the poetic world has fused its way into the 21st century. Curated by Loss Pequeño Glazier, a professor of the UB Department of Media Study, the piece seems meaningless until the viewer glances at the video playing on

Developer: Square Enix Publisher: Square Enix

picture.

STEPHANIE O’BRYAN Staff Writer

the screen. The video simulates the stick drawing words in sand, perfectly synced up with the tip of the stick that rests on the screen.

These pieces of work interested some viewers, while others felt that the experimental works were incomplete.

Release Date: Jan. 31

“Sometimes I feel like modern art isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” said Lauren Camp, a senior psychology major.

Square Enix has released the sequel to its 2010 hit with Final Fantasy XIII-2.

From the get-go, it’s clear that the developers heard the complaints about the original, Final Fantasy XIII, from gamers the world over and have produced a follow-up that not only lives up to its predecessor, but also surpasses it in many ways.

However, Mac Cormack said that the artists and curators intended for the show to create mixed response.

“As curators, we wanted to present a range of work that provides the opportunity to explore the rich history of concrete and visual poetry and their developments in the making,” Mac Cormack said.

The exhibit was designed to connect with every viewer that looks at it. An immense variety of styles were used to generate the pieces and there is a piece for every viewer that enters, whether they are interested in sound, stage, sculpture, photography, or pop art. There are even poems placed on global post cards to interest travelers and tourists.

Mac Cormack and the other curators hope and believe that attendees will find joy in the exhibit’s diversity.

“Every viewer will get something different from the works in LTCAW,” Mac Cormack said. “Hopefully viewers will leave the exhibition with the realization that poetry is multidimensional – just as life is.”

This exhibit is on display at the UB Art Gallery in the CFA until Feb. 18.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Friday, February 10, 2012

Grade: B+ Nature says Lightning never strikes twice, but Final Fantasy XIII-2 says otherwise.

The game centers on Serah, sister of protagonist Lightning from XIII, and picks up three years after the events of the original. Serah has been having dreams of Lightning fighting at a mysterious place known as Valhalla and has begun to question what is real. Shortly after waking from one such dream, a meteorite crashes near her home and delivers Noel Kreiss to her. Noel explains that he is from the future and was sent to Serah by her sister. Together, they must travel through time in an attempt to save the past.

It’s a captivating story that should be sufficient to keep fans of XIII intrigued until the credits roll, but it does pale a bit in comparison to the original. But even if players do not find themselves completely fascinated by the plot, there are still the gorgeous Final Fantasy cutscenes that are rendered beautifully enough to distract players from whatever the characters are saying and the updated gameplay that unquestionably beats out that of XIII’s.

If you counted yourself among the hordes of raving gamers baying for blood after judging XIII as “too linear,” than XIII-2 might just be your saving

Courtesy of Square Enix With a revamped battle system and more open world environments Final Fantasy XIII-2 surpasses the original.

grace. Square Enix has opened up the worlds of Gran Pulse and Cocoon in the sequel and given players some much-needed room to breath and battle Proto-behemoths.

The hallway-esque style that marked most of XIII has been replaced with more open-world environments that place the traditional exploration and discovery emphasis of former Final Fantasy games back at the forefront.

The landscapes are vast and booming with bounty, as are the time periods.

As you progress you’ll unlock different time periods you can jump to throughout the game, all without the use of Doc Brown’s DeLorean or the Tardis. Some are new, some are reminiscent of XIII, and some throw you hundreds of years into the future of the game’s universe. It’s captivating to see one area green and sprawling with life at one point in time become brown, withered, and dead at another.

The main story alone won’t be enough to unlock all of the times. In order to do so you’ll need to take on a generous helping of side quests, but it’s worth it. Every time period is as beautifully rendered as players have come to expect from a Final Fantasy game and rife with new beasties to battle, and you’ll definitely want to fight all the monsters you can.

Where in XIII players had the option to swap out different characters to customize the party to their liking, XIII-2 takes a different approach.

This time around players’ parties will always be made up of Serah and Noel plus one monster. There are dozens of monsters available to players, each with their own class and level progression. They’re a nice addition to the gameplay and the sheer amount of monsters help keep battling fresh, but they’re not able to fill the void left by the absence of summons.

The battle system in XIII-2 should be familiar to anyone who played the original, albeit with a few tweaks.

Paradigm shifts are much quicker and changing up your tactics on the fly has become a lot smoother. As a result, Square Enix was able to make the process feel like a more polished and refined version of XIII’s without sacrificing any of the frenetic action.

While the game may stagger a bit here or there – particularly in regards to plot – the improved battle system and increase in open world environments are more than enough to make up for the lulls. All encompassed, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a solid sequel that should be enough to satiate most gamers’ JRPG appetites.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Noise Around Campus

The 54th Grammy Awards are this Sunday, and as the nominees prepare their acceptance speeches, The Spectrum wants to know who you think should win Album of the Year.

Kayla Hardesty, junior communication major – Adele 21 “She’s so young, she’s our age and the album is so good and soulful [that] you forget she’s so young and experienced so much.”

Stephen Machicote, senior psychology major – Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Noor Jariri, sophomore mechanical engineering – Rihanna Loud “Because she’s hot.”

“He’s a brand new artist, I’ve heard the whole album and liked the whole thing and of all the artists he’s my favorite.”

Katia Vieira, senior math/ economics major – Adele 21 “She can actually sing and the others are more electronic and play with mix boards and stuff like that. That’s not how music should be run. It should be more actual singing like it was back in the old days.”

TUESDAYS

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Friday, February 10, 2012

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Daily Delights

SPONSORED BY Villas on Rensch

HOROSCOPES

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

Crossword of the Day STEVEN WROBEL Life Editor It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a…weather balloon.

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

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

FRIDay, FEBRUARY 10 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- You may find yourself the center of attention today, and not all of it will make you feel good. Some criticism will surely come your way.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Now is the time for you to contact others who may be able to offer you a way out of a situation that is unhealthy and unnecessary.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You can put yourself on the fast track in some way, but you must be sure to warn others that things will be heating up quickly.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You are waiting to hear from someone in authority before you make any decisions affecting your immediate future.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Now is no time to hold back; say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done, and go where you need to go to maximize results.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- The options you are considering may not address all concerns you have at this time. More information may be forthcoming.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You must be sure that the options you are facing TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You may surprise those around you by doing what today are realistic and will not affect you are least expected to do -- but recent your reputation adversely in any way. behavior should have given you away.

Lyons was the project manager of the

Edited by Timothy E. Parker February 10, 2012 club’s High-Altitude Weather Balloon

CHILL FACTOR By Gary Cooper Project (HAWB). The project’s goal ACROSS

45 Midge or punkie was to send a weather balloon into

46 Crime center?

Type weapontemperature in a Gibson film the1sky toof measure and title

47 Food item served in a basket 7 Red-coated cheeseIn addition, the atmospheric pressure.

49 Murder mystery poison 11 Chimney team wanted tooutput capture pictures and

51 Behold amorously video footage are to document the trip and 14 "Where you?" response, sometimes

measure the atmospheric boundary

54 Dijon thirst-quencher 15 Little suckers

layers.

56 Greek peak 16 Presidential term limit number

57 What "sure and steady" yields 17 Cone on the plains

62 Bunk bed 18 Wayside taverns “This project is one of the most chal-

63 Turner of Hollywood lenging yetexpert rewarding feats of my 19 Maze

undergraduate career,” Lyons said.

64 See 37-Across 20 Dawdle

“The lessons I have learned [the] 68 Word with "nouveau" or "deco" 23 One of Chekhov's threeand sisters

success of this project have given me

69 Soldier's assignment 26 Had something an inspiration no course offered at this

70 Pay no mind to 27 Hard downpour university could ever provide.”

71 Bread or booze type 28 Sharply sarcastic, as wit

72 White, in chess 31 Puerto ___

The of the balloon last

73 Tattered 34launching Cooperation roadblock Saturday, Oct. 22, was the culmina35 Southeast Asian nation tion of many hours of planning. The DOWN 37 "The Executioner's Song" groupauthor had to(with not only raise the funds 64-Across)

1 On, as a kerosene lamp to 41 take on forever, this project, but it also had Take seemingly

2 Houston-to-Raleigh dir. to develop the means by which to 44 Respiratory disorder 3 Not just "a" perform all the desirable functions.

UB-SEDS procured $1,100 in funding from sponsorships from local companies and from Sub Board I Inc.

“The idea for this came about in either October or November of last year, when we saw a video of a father-andson team that sent an iPhone aboard a balloon and recovered it, becom-

4 Quintet plus two

5 Length times width

6 Vichyssoise veggie

7 "Silas Marner" author George

8 Many a campaign fundraiser

9 Teen affliction

10 Military meal

11 Entrance courts

12 Eastern guru 13Place to stay on vacation

21 ___ the run (dine hastily)

22 Village of yore

23 Last Greek letter 24 Bits of business-card art 25 Old four-pence coin 29 Mission in San Antonio

30 Twangy, as a voice

32 Dental filling

33 ___ Mesa, Calif.

36 Succumb to gravity 38 Homer hero of '61 39 Some are fatty 40 Site of Hercules' first labor 42 Heaved, as a football 43 Acquire, as debts 48 Chairman Brezhnev 50 Snooping (around) 51 "Sesame Street" grouch 52 "Mine eyes have seen the ___ ..."

53 Lenya of "The Threepenny Opera" 55 Marble 58 Addition word 59 Punjabi queen 60 Eastern potentate 61 Tale spanning centuries 65 Ship's record 66 Before, once 67 Snow White's sister Rose ___

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- You may not understand just what is meant by a message received through uncommon channels today. An investigation is in order.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You may have to do a little sleuthing on your own today in order to pinpoint just exactly what was done, and when, and why.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Once you get the ball rolling today you can bet that others will come to your aid.

One or two supporters will make all the difference.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You may have to get the assistance of many people far from your own home base today before you can right a very simple wrong.

Sudoku

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Sports ubspectrum.com

Page 10

Friday, February 10, 2012

Seventh Heaven in Mount Pleasant

Scouting Western Michigan

Bulls hang on for historic road win

NATHANIEL SMITH Sports Editor

“[Auraum] had tremendous energy,” Witherspoon said. “He took care of the basketball and gave us a huge lift.

For a sophomore to be able to do that on the road is big.”

Not one player on the men’s basketball team has won in Mount Pleasant, Mich., and that was enough motivation for the squad coming into Wednesday’s game.

But the game wasn’t won without a fight.

It wasn’t the prettiest display of basketball, and the Bulls (15-6, 8-2 MidAmerican Conference) got all they can handle from a desperate Central Michigan (7-16, 2-8 MAC) team, but they were able to squeak by the Chippewas 66-62 at McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas were able to erase two double-digit deficits despite being manhandled by the Bulls on the boards by a 48-27 margin, and only shooting 32 percent from the field in the game.

A huge problem for the Bulls was their atrocious free throw shooting. They started off 1-for-10 from the charity stripe, and eventually finished 10-for-23, compared to the Chippewas converting 18 out of 23 free throws.

This marks the seventh straight win for the Bulls, after starting the MAC portion of the schedule 1-2. It was also the fourth straight road victory, setting a program record. “[Winning four straight road conference games] is very difficult,” said head coach Reggie Witherspoon.

“That’s hard to do. To be able to win one road game in the MAC is hard enough, but to string them together is very tough.”

“Anytime you shoot about the same from the free throw line as from the field, you’re either going to be shooting really well or you shot pretty poorly from the free throw line,” Witherspoon said. “It was very difficult to watch [from the bench].”

Leading the way for the Bulls was sophomore forward Javon McCrea.

Central Michigan had a very difficult time containing the 6-foot-7 beast, as he posted 16 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.

He was one of four players scoring in double digits, as senior forward Mitchell Watt recovered from a rare single-digit scoring performance last Saturday, finishing with 15 points.

Senior guard Zach Filzen was able to utilize the 3-ball effectively after struggling in the previous contest,

Olivier Mbaigoto led the scoring charge for Central Michigan, scoring 18 points. Three other players also scored in double figures, as Austin McBroom, Derek Jackson, and Austin Keel all finished with 11.

Courtesy of Central Michigan Athletics

Mitchell Watt (21) with one of his three blocks in Wednesday’s win over Central Michigan. The team has won seven straight.

scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Bulls also got a big lift from sophomore Auraum Nuiriankh, who scored 11 points, with most of those baskets coming from three.

“Defensively I thought we were OK,” Witherspoon said, “But we didn’t have the energy that we really needed to close things out, and they hit some shots. I think with the pace of the game we didn’t have any rhythm.”

Continued on page 5

Bulls Fall Again, Face Spring Comes Early Three-Game Losing Skid JONATHAN GAGNON Staff Writer The struggling wrestling team went into Ypsilanti, Michigan Wednesday in search of its first victory in the Mid-American Conference, and it left still searching.

The Bulls (5-14, 0-4 MAC) were introduced to a tough environment, as Eastern Michigan (14-6, 3-2 MAC) hosted its last dual meet match of the season on Senior Night. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the momentum from the pregame festivities carried over onto the mat for the Eagles, giving them a colossal 31-7 victory, and the Bulls their third straight loss.

A 9-0 start by the Eagles did not deter the Bulls early, as senior Kevin Smith and freshman Blake Roulo would earn back-to-back wins to get the Bulls back in the match. They would trail just 9-7 after the first four matches.

Smith was able to get back on track – having lost last Friday at Kent State – turning in his usual strong performance. Wednesday’s match would mark his 119th career victory, which places him in a tie for second place on the Bulls’ all-time career wins list.

Smith has created a standard that head coach Jim Beichner wants his whole team to emulate.

“He’s an example on and off the mat,” Beichner said. “He sets a pretty high bar for people and I certainly would

love it if many people would follow him, he’s very much appreciated.”

The bar set by Smith would prove to be tough to reach as the Bulls would go on to lose their final six matches of the evening.

Excluding senior leader Smith, the Bulls are an extremely young team.

They wrestled six freshmen against the Eagles.

To add to the disappointment of Wednesday night’s defeat was the absence of junior Mark Lewandowski (29-6). This would be Lewandowski’s second straight missed match due to a knee injury.

“It’s causing him a lot of pain and discomfort, as people know when you get knee injuries they take time to heal,” Beichner said. “This one here is taking time and just not going away, but we will do what’s right for him and his knee. It’s going to take some time and patience.”

Continued on page 5

Courtesy of Paul Hokanson

The softball team is preparing for its upcoming season, which starts on Friday.

TYLER CADY Senior Sports Editor Even though it may feel like UB is still waiting out winter in Buffalo, the spring season is about to get underway.

The softball team will head to Florida for its opening games this weekend.

The team is coming off a disappointing 12-35 campaign in 2011, but the 2012 Bulls are more confident heading into the season.

“We probably have the best-compiled team since I’ve been here, talent wise,” said head coach Jennifer Teague. “I think we’re going to be offensively driven this year. We’ve got a lot of different players that can play a lot of different positions, so if they’re hitting they’re probably going to be in the lineup.”

Buffalo, with only 16 players on the roster, will look to be a very versatile team this season, using a number of possible lineup options to get the most out of the squad.

“We’re small in numbers, but deep in every position,” Teague said. “We’ve been able to have competitions for positions this year, so it’s been pleasant to have.”

Solyi Lee /// The Spectrum

Kevin Smith [pictured above] is now tied for second in career wins at Buffalo with 119.

All-Time Record: 10-7 Western Michigan Last Meeting: 79-68 Buffalo (Jan. 25, 2011, Kalamazoo, MI) Two Broncos to watch: C-Matt Steinbrock: The 6-foot-9 sophomore leads the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game. Steinbrock is a big body bruiser in the lane, and the Broncos love to feed him down low. He can also pound the glass hauling in 6.6 rebounds per game. The center is also remarkably efficient, shooting at just below 60 percent from the field on the year.

G-Demetrius Ward: Known for being more of a penetrator than a shooter, the 6-foot-3 Ward can get into the lane very easy despite his stature.

He can also rebound well pulling down 5.2 boards per game. His 3.3 assists lead the team as well.

The Bulls will win if... They can control the paint on offense and defense. The team is currently ranked third in the nation in rebounding, and senior forwards Mitchell Watt and Titus Robinson, as well as sophomore forward Javon McCrea have been nothing but dominant in the paint.

Their play down low has led to a number of 3-point opportunities on the outside and the Bulls have taken advantage, knocking down three after three during their current sevengame win streak.

The Broncos will win if... They can hold the Bulls to under 60 points. The Bulls only two losses of 2012 have come when they were held below that mark. Buffalo wants to play up-tempo more so than in past seasons, so a defensive battle is what has given them trouble. Western Michigan will also have to battle the Alumni Arena crowd. Buffalo is 33-8 in the past three seasons at home, and True Blue’s attempt at breaking the attendance record is sure to have the place rocking.

TYLER CADY Senior Sports Editor

Promising freshman Jake Waste (20-8) has wrestled tremendously this season, but even he was not able to turn things around for the Bulls, losing by decision 4-1.

“They wrestled better than us, there’s really no other explanation for it,” Beichner said. “It’s been a long season and yesterday it showed. It showed pretty heavily.”

Current Record: 10-13 (4-5 MidAmerican Conference)

Among those 16 players are three newcomers: freshmen infielders Nora McGuire and Alexis Curtiss, as well as outfielder Karly Nevez. With the limited number of players on the

team, Buffalo may rely heavily on the newest Bulls.

“Two of them are definitely going to start for us,” Teague said. “Nevez is going to start in the outfield, and she’ll probably be our leadoff hitter.

She’s quick and she knows how to place the ball well. And Alexis [Curtis] could be one of the best players to come through here.”

The team returns 13 players to compliment the young players on the roster. Headlined by three seniors, utility player Kristin Waldron, and pitchers Holly Luciano and Haylee Land.

Waldron started all 47 of the team’s games last season, and led it in a number of offensive categories. Her .313 average, and .400 slugging percentage were both team highs.

“My goals are set pretty high this year,” Waldron said. “I want to push .350 [batting average] this season. I also want to be the best leader I can be, and be a good captain. I really want to push my teammates, and make our way to the MAC Championship.”

Waldron and the rest of her teammates will have the MAC title in mind when they get their season underway on Friday. It’ll take a strong performance in conference play to get there as the team missed out on the conference tournament last year after going 7-13 in MAC play.

Continued on page 5

Buffalo is on the kind of run fans of any of Buffalo’s teams haven’t seen in a long while. The team is playing some great basketball in every facet right now, and I expect that to continue Saturday night. Sure, Western Michigan just gave first-place Akron all they could handle, but Buffalo will be playing in a raucous environment that’s sure to get the team fired up.

Buffalo-73 Western Michigan-59 BRYAN FEILER Sports Editor The Bulls will go a perfect 6-0 against the MAC West. They have too many weapons and will smother the Western Michigan big men. The Bulls will expose the Broncos defense and get a lot of looks from three. The Broncos have allowed almost 100 more 3-point attempts than they have taken.

Western Michigan-64 Buffalo-73 NATHANIEL SMITH Sports Editor The Bulls are on one of their best stretches in a long time, and they are simply smothering teams defensively.

The key to beating Western Michigan is a good shooting performance from beyond the arc. The Broncos have trouble defending the three, and Buffalo has no problem draining them at home. Western Michigan has played well at Alumni Arena over the years, but I expect that to stop on Saturday.

Western Michigan-65 Buffalo-71