CHECK OUT STORIES OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE UB ROTC. pages 6 & 7
The Independent Student Publication of the University at Buffalo
ubspectrum.com
Monday, April 2, 2012
Vol. 61 NO. 70
The High Times of Damon Bodine Former UB student overcomes cancer on his rise in the music industry much of a police presence. You [could have] parties and no one would really care. University Heights was that area of Buffalo were it was kind of like ‘It is what it is.’”
BRIAN JOSEPHS
Arts Editor
Thousands of people pass through Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal Mall every day – a crowd that includes elderly shoppers, high school gang members, and average tourists. A 28-year-old Jamestown, N.Y. native is a frequent member of this crowd.
The former UB student thrived during the chaos, and he developed enough of a business to start his own company, Center Stage Concerts. The company continued to book artists in the basements of University Heights and coffee shops. Bodine said many of those artists would sign to major record deals a few months after they played at one of his shows.
He looks unimpressive at first glance to the typical passerby, as his scrawny physique and focus on his laptop while he’s at the mall’s Starbucks almost perfectly fits the nerd stereotype. The heuristic is only skin-deep, however, as this Starbucks regular’s influence spans over 400 miles.
In 2006, after working with Buffalo Icon – a venue that got shut down in 2007 – Bodine merged his company with After Dark Entertainment. Since becoming the talent promoter for After Dark, Bodine has helped book top-notch acts like rapper A$AP Rocky, rap outfit WuTang Clan, and punk band Taking Back Sunday.
Damon Bodine, a former UB student, thrived in UB’s wild party scene in the mid-’00s to to become one of Buffalo’s premier music promoters. Bodine became a talent buyer and concert promoter for Buffalo’s renowned promotions group, After Dark Entertainment, after years of using his love of music to become a successful promoter. But while he was at the top of his game, Bodine was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma early last year.
However, Bodine slightly regrets not finishing college. “If I had to do it all over again,” Bodine said. “I probably would’ve finished school. But sometimes you just got to roll with the punches. A lot of bands I was booking when I was young just started to take off. I was sort of at the right place at the right time.” The Lump
The promoter had to endure a tedious treatment process. But while some would see cancer as life-altering, Bodine saw it as an important sidestep. He wasn’t about to let the disease come in the way of his lifelong dream of making it big in New York City. The PJ Bottom Era
Courtesy of Valentino T. Shine Jr. Damon Bodine (right) of Jamestown, N.Y. overcame Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in his rise in the music industry.
There wasn’t much to look forward to in Jamestown. Bodine has always been interested in the fast-pace music business and the small town didn’t host such a scene. New York City, one of the fastest moving cities in America, had all the music business opportunities he was looking for. “Since I was a kid, I had a dream of living in New York,” Bodine said. “I just figured that if you want to make something of yourself, you want to be in the place with the most opportunity.” In fact, Bodine was so eager to make something of himself that he started hopping on Greyhound buses to the city at the young age of 13 even if he didn’t have a place
to stay. Bodine said he would sleep on hospital floors and couches just for the sake of meeting people to get him started in the industry. The frequent visits to New York continued throughout his teenage years, as he’d continue to make phone calls and email anyone he could to make his start. While he had some minor success as a promoter during those years, it wasn’t until Bodine started to attend UB that he started making strides. Bodine came to UB as a journalism major, but the concentration quickly became a façade as his college career progressed. Instead, he was more interested in his bur-
geoning career as a promoter. “School kind of went by the wayside,” Bodine said. “I saw UB as an opportunity to be that guy handing out 500 flyers at the lecture hall, meeting a ton of people, and things like that.” Bodine was promoting in an era when UB was gaining notoriety for its party scene. Underage drinking was commonplace in the now-defunct PJ Bottoms, while University Heights was increasingly becoming dangerous due to the lack of UPD presence. “There were no rules,” Bodine said. “There wasn’t so
Last April, Valentino Shine, a member of After Dark Entertainment, reached out to Bodine for some business advice. Bodine was happy to help out, but he also revealed more than what Shine bargained for. “When I met him he told me he most recently got diagnosed with cancer,” Shine said. “It was very interesting since I’ve just met him and he hit me with that heavy news.” A few weeks prior to their rendezvous, Bodine noticed a large lump on his neck. He didn’t think much of it but Rianna Trowell – his girlfriend at the time – feared that it might be something serious, especially given her family’s medical background. To her, the dark “squishy” lump was a cause for worry. “I remember one day in the office, right before he was diagnosed,” said Dennis Ferry, a longtime friend of Bodine’s. “He was like ‘Hey, take a look at this thing continued on page 10
Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, Visits UB
It’s the Climb WESTON SHAPIRO Staff Writer
MARK DAVIS Staff Writer and Managing Editor
As he inserted his trembling foot into a small crevice and poked his fingers into a rigid hole, Alex Barganier climbed. He was frightened, but exhilarated by the rocks in Puerto Rico. Ascending higher and higher with caution, he felt his grip loosen and suddenly the senior economics major was free falling, unaware of where or how he would land.
Students, faculty, and Buffalo residents filled UB’s Center for the Arts on Thursday to hear Mary Robinson – former president of Ireland and former high commissioner of human rights at the U.N. – speak as a guest lecturer for the 25th-annual Distinguished Speaker Series. An expert on human rights and a current councilwoman on numerous international organizations, the 67-year-old former head of state addressed a range of current U.S. and international concerns. From the Arab Spring to the responsibility of industrialized nations in tackling today’s greatest challenges, Robinson provided insight on some of the most pressing issues in world affairs.
Barganier is the Vice President of UB’s Rock Climbing Club, and he shares his passion for the sport with many other students here. He spent his spring break with eight other rock climbers, taking advantage of what Puerto Rico has to offer. Students with any level of skill are accepted into the club, where they can grow as rock climbers and make friends. While some students enjoy the adrenaline rush of climbing without being attached to a rope, others at the beginner level prefer easy courses and the assistance of a belayer, a person who holds the rope and prevents the climber from falling too far.
Robinson was invited on behalf of the Graduate Student Association and introduced by GSA President Grace Mukupa and Professor Claude E. Welch, Jr., a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of political science. Robinson interwove her remarks on foreign policy and current events while highlighting key periods of her life and career. After four years as an undergraduate at Trinity College in Dublin, Robinson came to the U.S. in 1968 to study law at Harvard Univer-
Accidents happen and, according to Barganier, his fall in Puerto Rico was not due to equipment failure but to human error. Satsuki Aoi /// The Spectrum Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson visited UB to talk with students on her experiences.
“I was maybe five feet from the ground when I was finally caught by the rope,” Barganier continued on page 5
INSIDE
continued on page 2
Opinion s 3 News s 4 Life s 6,7 Arts s 10,11 Classifieds & Daily Delights s 13 Sports s 14
Weather for the Week: Monday: Sunny- H: 52, L: 37 Tuesday: Few Showers- H: 54, L: 37 Wednesday: Sunny- H: 51, L: 34
Courtesy of flickr user terren in Virginia Members of UB’s Rock Climbing Club travel across the country to compete and climb both artificial and natural rocks. Though the challenge can get terrifying and nerves sometimes run high, they revel in the adrenaline rush.
SA Announces Spring Fest Performers The Red Bottom Boss comes to Buffalo
ELVA AGUILAR Asst. Arts Editor
urday’s Craig Robinson stand-up performance via a UBTV video.
category of the headlining act. The supporting act category received 17,576.
About a week after rumors broke out, the Student Association finally confirmed that the Teflon Don, “Rack City,” and Ghetto Fab were coming to UB.
According to the survey results given by SA, a total of 18,587 votes were submitted for the category of Spring Fest 2012’s headlining act, a substantial increase from last semester’s 3,000.
SA announced that rappers Rick Ross, Tyga, and Fabolous were coming to Buffalo for this year’s Spring Fest on April 29. The statement was made during Sat-
Like last year’s Fall Fest, the students were given a survey for their choice of artists. SA received 18,587 votes for the
Students didn’t end up with their first choice, however. Rick Ross was the students’ eighth-ranked choice on the survey. A majority of the higher-ranking choices were listed as “not available” on the survey. The number one choice, dance duo LMFAO, was unavailable due to family issues. They earned 1,807 votes.
Similar problems plagued the supporting act section. Acts three through five were unavailable, while the first two – rappers Mac Miller and J. Cole – declined due prior bookings. Fabolous and Tyga were ranked sixth and tenth respectively. Check out Wednesday’s issue of The Spectrum for full coverage of the developments. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
ubspectrum.com
Page 2
Monday, April 2, 2012
continued from page 1: former president of ireland, mary robinson, visits ub sity. She spoke of that year as a “particularly idealistic time” and an experience that helped her establish a greater consciousness of world affairs. “I was very affected by the way law was being taught in that context,” Robinson said. “It was so much more vivid and alive.” That “context” was critical – 1968 saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Kennedy, and increasing dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War. As a woman deeply connected to the international political sphere, Robinson kept her speech close to the issues facing women. In 1990, Robinson was the first female to be elected president of Ireland, and another woman, Mary McAleese, succeeded her in 1997. When Robinson was elected to the Irish Senate – the Seanad Éireann – in 1969, she introduced legislation to legalize family planning. The bill sought to amend an Irish law dating back to 1935 that had made the purchase of contraception illegal. As a young politician sensitive to public criticism, Robinson said she learned a lesson from the weeks that followed. “I became overnight somebody who was denounced from pulpits, by bishops, denounced in editorials in Catholic newspapers, and it shook me,” Robinson said. “Yet I learned probably one of the most important lessons, which is if you really believe in something than you have to have the courage to be unpopular. Nothing later in life affected me the same way.” Robinson spoke to The Spectrum before her speech and referred to the United States’ current debate over contraception as an unwelcome surprise. “It is inconceivable that in the 21st century we don’t understand the importance of the unmet needs of family planning,” Robinson said. “When I heard that story of the Georgetown
graduate student who was called a ‘slut,’ it reminded me of what I was called in 1971 in Ireland.” Robinson was referring to comments made by conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh earlier this month. Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University law student, a slut after she argued in front of Congress in support of affordable birth control. Robinson was also the first head of state to visit Rwanda in 1994 after the country faced one of the worst genocides since World War II. She is credited for having brought greater international press coverage to the issue. From such efforts, Robinson positioned herself for a larger role in human rights advocacy following just one term as president. Leading up to her appointment as high commissioner of human rights for the U.N. in 1997, Robinson was warned that the job came with an understaffed and underfunded office, but she said that such adversity only made the job more desirable. “I’m that contrarian,” Robinson told The Spectrum. “The more difficult it is, the more it seems it’s a job worth doing.” Robinson displayed her battered and dog-eared copy of the Declaration on Human Rights, a document established by the U.N. after World War II, and presented it to the crowd. She says she carries the booklet with her at all times. “‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and human rights,’” Robinson read from Article I of the Declaration. “What does dignity mean in that context,” Robinson asked. “It means that sense of self, that sense of self worth…when young people came out into the square and streets of the Arab world, what did they want? In all else, they wanted dignity.”
The UB Department of Music
and the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music present:
The Slee Sinfonietta with Daniel Bassin, conductor Tuesday, April 3, 2012 7:30 PM, Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall Featuring the music of UB graduate composers, past and present.
Tickets/Information (716) 645-2921 or www.slee.buffalo.edu
Asked in her interview with The Spectrum about U.S. cuts to UNESCO, Robinson warned of America’s shifting role with humanitarian efforts, and she suggested a change in the attitude the nation brings to diplomacy. “The U.S. is going to have to change course in a multi-polar world,” Robinson said. “When it was a unipolar power structure, the U.S. could have this exceptionalism. But I think it’s going to have to rethink that, and it’s your generation that are going to have to really think about it in order for the U.S. to continue to have a significant influence in the area of human rights.” Robinson used the opportunity of speaking at the university to address the importance of young people becoming politically engaged. GSA President Grace Mukupa said that Robinson’s belief in student participation regarding world affairs made Robinson an easy choice for graduate students’ choice speaker. “Given our large international population on campus, many of us have witnessed and experienced firsthand violations of human rights,” Mukupa said. “Who better to serve as our guide than a woman who has dedicated her life standing up for the voiceless, the disenfranchised, the poor and the hungry, the victims of violence and war?”
Police Blotter According to University Police reports March 20: 12:44 a.m. – A student reported that her MacBook Air Laptop was stolen while on vacation in Florida. The theft occurred in the Fort Lauderdale airport, and she gave the University Police the serial number for the laptop. March 21: 2:59 p.m. – A student said his iPod was stolen out of the Ellicott Food Court around noon on March 20. 6:40 p.m. – A student reported a strong odor of marijuana coming from somewhere around the Goodyear Fitness Center. Patrol checked the area, but did not find anything. 11:50 p.m. – A student’s car was hit and damaged in the Furnas Lot between 7:30 p.m. and 11:40 p.m. March 22: 11:18 a.m. – A faculty member reported cash stolen from his or her accounting office in Parker Hall. March 24:
Kathleen Carty, a second-year master’s student in comparative literature, connected with Robinson’s idea of a global village.
3:35 a.m. – University Police referred a UB student to the Student-Wide Judiciary after finding him smoking marijuana at the Main/Bailey bus stop.
“I thought it was incredibly inspirational,” Carty said of Robinson’s speech. “The most important thing I took away from tonight was how vital it is that we become citizens of the world.”
4:44 a.m. – A male student was found lying on the grass and unconscious at Crosby Quad. The student got up and ran around in Crosby Hall. Patrol reported that he did not need medical attention and released him with SWJ paperwork for an alcohol violation.
Additional reporting by Managing Editor Edward Benoit Email: news@ubspectrum.com
7:08 a.m. – Patrol told a student to gather his belongings, and then observed an airsoft gun and a nitrous oxide container. Patrol reported there might be some controlled substances in his apartment, and the student signed a consent form to allow patrol to search it. Patrol found illegal substances, and sent the student to the Amherst Police Department. Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Gin Gin Restaurant 3381 Sheridan Dr Buffalo, NY 14226
Bubble Tea Smoothies Green Tea Black Tea Chinese Rice Dishes Chinese Noodle Porridge & much more Monday: 4:30pm-11:00pm (716) 836-2600 (716) 836-2614
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Opinion Page 3
Monday, April 2, 2012 www.ubspectrum.com
Corporate Taxes Need Reform Congress must act, but probably won’t Yesterday was a historic day for the U.S. Oddly enough, we didn’t even do anything to make it happen.
administrations. Even when the anti-tax Republican Party had an iron hold on the federal government, the rate wasn’t changed.
Japan was, for a long time, emperor of global corporate tax rates with a levy of 39.5 percent when all local, regional, and federal taxes are taken into account. The United States was a close second with 39.2 percent.
Probably because even with a majority of the government under Republican control, reforming the entire corporate tax code is not an easy prospect.
That is until yesterday, when Japan’s rate dropped to a curiously specific 38.01 percent, making us the number one developed nation for corporate taxes.
Back in February, before our crowning as tax kings, Obama suggested a reform to the corporate tax structure by reducing the rate to 28 percent, but on top of that he also wanted to close the loopholes that some massive corporations like GE use to minimize their tax rates to notoriously low levels.
U-S-A! U-S-A! Oh wait, that’s bad. How did we get here? Who do we blame for our obscene tax rate? According to Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, it’s President Obama or the evil Democrats’ fault. Both seem like a great targets – after all they’re for progressive tax rates so obviously they would want to have prohibitively high taxes on corporations. Of course, unless you have the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, it’s not that simple. In fact, our corporate tax rate has been stagnant for over 20 years, through the Clinton and Bush
Republicans, not letting Obama ever get the upper hand, want a 25 percent rate in stead and want the breaks to stay in place for big companies. Of course, they don’t want it to sound that way, so they divert attention away from the fact that these loopholes cripple the tax code and instead suggest that loopholes essentially tax increases. And that’s what the core of the debate is really about: who can win the battle for rhetorical supremacy, not who can do the best by the country. Since 2000, 30 developed countries have reduced their corporate tax rate, and now the global average is 25 percent.
Of course, liberals will point to companies like GE and suggest that they already barely pay any taxes and shouldn’t get any breaks. The current system, however, is the worst kind imaginable for responsible companies. A corporation that pays the normal rate without trying to wiggle out of paying anything is penalized while big companies that can afford to weasel out of taxes get rewarded. We’d like to remain optimistic. It’s easy to hope that the government will do what it needs to do to get the job done, but we all know it’s unlikely. Republicans will continue to pretend that having companies like Verizon pay higher than a 2.7 percent tax rate is an unforgiveable tax hike, and Democrats will act like every corporation is a demonic presence that will never act with morals. It’s the core rule of the federal government right now: everything is broken from top to bottom and nobody wants to fix it; everyone just wants to look like the guy who tried to fix it. Hopefully our prophecy doesn’t come true. One of these days the playing field may be level and fair for everyone, not a free for all.
Cartoon of the Day:
It’s All Right to Be Wrong EDWARD BENOIT Managing Editor
You might have noticed, but I’m a pretty opinionated guy. And, because I have the luxury of having a soapbox via my (very, very, very, very modestly paying) job, I get to be pretty vocal about those opinions. But, along with all those opinions and columns and jabs at the hyper-hypocritical Christian Right, comes something I think is lacking in a lot of very vocally opinionated people: I’m open to the possibility that I’m wrong. You probably don’t believe that. And if you don’t, well, I suppose you don’t have to. But entertaining the possibility that I may in fact be totally incorrect in my assertions is the basis of my whole worldview. And this is because, at one point or another, I’ve been completely wrong about most things, political and otherwise. This next sentence may shock you: I used to be a Republican. No, really. Not one of those gay-hatin’ gun-totin’ innocent-black-kid-shootin’ Republicans, at least, but I was a pretty hard-line east coast Republican up until, like, the beginning of my sophomore year here. I used to think that it was a good thing big businesses were minimally overseen by the government, because whatever was in the best interests of big business was clearly in the best interests of everyone else. I used to think that tax plans were way more important than people’s rights. I used to think that Republican tax plans actually worked.
Lotto Is For Suckers
But sometimes it’s fun to be a sucker People lined up out the door Friday in mass numbers to pay a completely optional tax. On top of that, they’re paying this money out after all their normal tax dollars have been taken out of their checks and salaries. What kind of insane group of people would happily run to pay something they normally despise?
Now the lottery has moved into a new niche. Some suggest that it’s a tax on stupidity and not understanding math. After all, the numbers really don’t lie. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are around one in 175,711,536.
Lotto players are just that group, and their story is one that digs deep into American history.
To put it in simpler terms, if you were to buy five tickets a week it would take on average over 600,000 years to win. An individual player will probably be dead after the first hundred or so.
Building on an English government tradition of using lotteries to entice people into coughing up their cash, our founding fathers used them to support our burgeoning nation.
The amount of money spent just for this Friday’s drawing was an obscene $1.46 billion, and it’s a sad idea to think about what that money could have been used for had it been given away to charity.
In fact, much of George Washington’s early success can be traced back to the raffles that offered up such fabulous prizes as silver coins, dinnerware, and even slaves. America probably wouldn’t have had the money to fight the British Empire had it not been for the lotto.
Yet what we all should remember is that this is simple entertainment, and should be treated just like any other form of entertainment.
Those times can’t be perfectly compared to now, however, because in those days the idea of using taxes to fund public works was not exactly popular.
Nobody complains about how much people spend on going to the movies or a candy bar, but when people want to entertain themselves with a cheap thrill of possibly winning more money than feasibly spendable, it’s suddenly a problem. And if you think movies at least have artistic
April 2, 2012 | VOLUME 61 NUMBER 70 | CIRCULATION: 7,000
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.
ARTS EDITORS Nick Pino, senior Vanessa Frith, senior Brian Josephs Elva Aguilar, asst. Vilona Trachtenberg, asst. LIFE EDITORS Aaron Mansfield, senior Keren Baruch Lyzi White Rachel Kramer, asst. 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 DIRECTORS Nicole Manzo Aline Kobayashi ADVERTISING DESIGNER Aline Kobayashi Liam Gangloff, asst.
value, I have two words for you: Michael Bay. Of course, it’s not smart to spend your money every day on the lotto. Many of us have witnessed the old lady buying $50 worth of scratch-off tickets hoping to score that big money, or the hard working factory worker who spends a wad of cash earned by blood and sweat on a fistful of lotto tickets. It’s important to remember that the excitement of that win comes on their backs. In the end, it’s those people that end up making lotteries a success for governments. We should also take a step back and ask why the state would even engage in this and still think it has the moral high ground to uphold a ban on gambling. Maybe New York is quietly telling us that it won’t legalize gambling because it wants people to gamble on the lotteries. Whatever you think, how you have fun is your business. If you get a rush out of watching those balls pop up thinking of how much cool junk you would buy and how your debt would be gone if you could just win, that’s your prerogative. Just know that, with 99.9999999 percent certainty, you’re not going to win the jackpot.
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. The Spectrum is provided free in part by the Undergraduate Mandatory Activity Fee. The Spectrum is represented for national advertising by both Alloy Media and Marketing, and MediaMate. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum visit www.ubspectrum.com/ads or call us directly. The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100
And, perhaps most tellingly, I used to buy into the whole “global warming is a lie” lie. Despite recognizing that science is true because it’s demonstrable and testable and works and we lay people know it works because its concepts are used to make things we use every day (listening, creationists?), I ignored the science used to support climate change while taking stock in the “science” used to claim otherwise. I used to think those claiming global warming was happening had “an agenda” while ignoring the fact that those “scientists” who claimed global warming wasn’t happening were banked by big oil. I used to think that those who “believed” in global warming did so at the behest of some liberal ideology that was hell bent on destroying business while ignoring the distinct possibility that big business was hell bent on obfuscating the truth to preserve its own short-term interests. This is, of course, extremely embarrassing in retrospect, especially given that I knew all the basic facts then. Fact: Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Fact: There is far more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than there was a comparatively short time ago due to the burning of fossil fuels. Fact: The earth is getting demonstrably warmer. Hell, a third grader could connect those dots, provided that third grader wasn’t ideologically invested in not connecting them. In short, I was wrong, and I’m glad I realized I was. When confronted with arguments and facts and connected dots that really challenged what I was ideologically invested in believing, I modified my opinion instead of ignoring the facts. Because, ultimately, opinions should be subservient to facts, not the other way round. We should be interested in what’s true, not in confirming whatever we happen to believe is true whether or not it actually is. We should accept the fact we might be wrong. Because, at the end of the day, what the do we know? If you’re reading this, you’re likely an undergraduate at a mid-tier state school. You don’t know anything, and neither do I. And we humans, because of our simian brains, won’t be able to ever even conceive of, let alone understand, a lot of concepts. We, as a species, don’t intuitively understand probability (as the recent lotto craze demonstrates), can’t control our irrational emotions, and, for the most part, can’t do moderately difficult math in our heads. (And, yet, there are member of our species who justify their hatred for others because they just know what the will of the omnipotent creator of the universe is.) We’re all almost certainly wrong about a ton of stuff. And if we’re ever going to mature, both as a species and as individuals, we’d better learn to cope with this fact. It’s all right to be wrong. Being wrong is a chance to learn. Being wrong reminds you of all there is that you have yet to understand. Being wrong is great. Of course, I could be wrong about that. Email: eabenoit@buffalo.edu
Correction A quote in “UB Makes the “Reasonable” Choice” in Friday’s issue read: “I’m starving,” Nemmer said. “I want some food – something Hillel.” It should’ve read: “I’m starving,” Nemmer said. “I want some food – something Halal.”
News
Page 4
Monday, April 2, 2012 ubspectrum.com
International Dining Center Coming to Ellicott it is literally a crossroads when you’re trying to decide which station you will eat at.”
SUSHMITA SIRCAR Staff Writer
The dining area will be divided into different food stations, each with its own distinct menu selections. There will be a Deli Station; a Vegetarian Station; the Brazilian Churrascaria, which will have “meats over a rotisserie”; a Wokery for “authentic Chinese cuisine”; a Pho Station, offering “traditional Vietnamese dishes”; an Italian station; and the American Comfort zone, which will have “many American fare items,” according to the CDS website.
UB Campus Dining and Shops (CDS) will be bringing international flavor to campus with the newly named Crossroads Culinary Center. The project is estimated to cost more than $9 million, according to Raymond Kohl, marketing manager of UB Campus Dining and Shops. Construction for the new dining center started last summer. “It’s the same location [as the former Red Jacket Dining Center], and it’s a build-out,” Kohl said. “Construction began last May, once the semester was over. A date [for opening] hasn’t been set yet, and we’re waiting on final dates from the construction company.”
C3 is an all-you-can-eat-style dining hall, and the center will set a new standard for sustainability in dining at UB, according to the press release. The kitchen will feature energy-efficiency equipment, and all food scraps (pre and post-consumer) will be composted on-site. The cooking oil used in food production will be recycled locally into biodiesel fuel.
The new dining center will seat approximately 650 guests at a time, and CDS expects to serve 1,800 to 2,000 guests each day, according to Kohl.
Ruggeri said she has had a great experience with the dining options and dining halls on campus, and she still enjoys the options even though she does not live on campus.
UB is currently constructing a new dining center in Red Jacket in Ellicott Complex.
major, who won a meal plan for the Fall 2012 semester in return. In addition, she will be the first guest to enter the dining center when it opens, and a plaque will be placed inside acknowledging her contribution.
CDS held a naming contest on Facebook for the new dining center. In keeping with the international marketplace theme, it chose the name “Crossroads Culinary Center” from the 300 contest entries received. The Student Advisory Board chose the name on behalf of CDS.
“I chose the name Crossroads to represent the new dining center because I thought it embraced what a dining center is,” Ruggeri said in a press release. “When students go to dine, often they eat with their friends, but they also cross paths with many of [the] other people they know.”
Crossroads Culinary Center, or C3 for short, will mimic an international marketplace. The dining hall will be located in Ellicott, and it is expected to open in early Fall 2012. The winning entry came from Ariel Ruggeri, a senior marketing
Solyi Lee /// The Spectrum
The Facebook page for the contest also included conceptual drawings for the new dining center. C3 is designed around the theme of an international marketplace. It will bring together a variety of different cuisines, providing students with a more extensive range of dining options. “After viewing the dining center plans, I thought [of] Crossroads because [there] are so many different stations you can eat at,” Ruggeri said in the press release. “In a way,
“The Marché-style kitchen area offers diners a wide selection of entrees from various stations in an all-you-care-to eat format,” Kohl said. “C3 will be an entirely new experience for guests than previous dining centers here at UB.” Additional Reporting by News Editor Rebecca Bratek Email: news@ubspectrum.com
NEWS BRIEFS: Thailand Bombings Leave 11 Dead
A Game of Odds Awards 3 Americans over $600 Million
UB Student Rapes a 14-Year-Old
Car bombs that were set off in Yala, Thailand made for some of the deadliest attacks the nation has seen in years.
Friday’s “mega-millions” lottery craze left three Americans megarich.
A UB student was arrested for sexually attacking two teenage girls on Thursday.
The attacks began with explosives planted into a parked pickup truck on Saturday in the early afternoon, destroying the surrounding area – including restaurants and shops – in a busy part of Yala City. Approximately 20 minutes later, a second bomb exploded, resulting in the majority of the casualties. Eleven people were killed, and 110 were wounded.
Lottery-ticket holders in Maryland, Kansas, and Illinois will share $646 million, the largest jackpot in U.S. history. The winners had all six-winning numbers on their tickets: 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, and “megaball” 23. Each ticket, before taxes, is estimated to be worth over $213 million.
Benjamin Fox-Ando, a 20-year-old computer science major, was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl as well as committing sexual misconduct against a 15-year-old girl in the last several months. Amherst Police arrested him.
The attacks are suspected to be from Muslim insurgents. Thailand’s Islamist insurgency began in January 2004, and since then 5,000 citizens have been killed in three of its provinces – Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala. Since 2004, attacks have varied from small-scale bombings to drive-by shootings, which typically have targeted soldiers, police, or authority figures. Suspected insurgents have also staged larger attacks like this one in commercial areas. Yala City is a main commercial hub in southern Thailand. It is believed that the Muslim insurgents, who feel discriminated against by the central government of the mostly-Buddhist country, are fighting for an independent state.
Maryland’s winning lottery ticket was sold in Baltimore County at a 7-11 store. In Maryland, lottery winners have the option to remain anonymous, and so far this winner is unidentified. Similarly, Kansas’s winner, who bought the ticket in the northeast part of the state, is unidentified. The retail store in which it was purchased is allowed to stay anonymous, too. The lottery-winner of Illinois purchased the ticket in the small town of Red Bud, and the numbers were purchased from a quickpick.
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Detective Lt. Joseph A. LaCorte of Amherst Police said the department learned of the attacks “from an adult who came forward,” according to The Buffalo News. Fox-Ando was released from court on Thursday on his own recognizance, and is to return in mid-April.
The other 158 players who picked all five of the five winning numbers will receive $250,000.
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Monday, April 2, 2012
Page 5
continued from page 1: it’s the climb said. “I fell 15 to 20 feet and the person belaying me did everything they were supposed to do. If someone’s about to take a big fall, what a lot of people who are belaying you will do is jump a little to soften your fall. But the person who was belaying me was a bit lighter than me so I pulled him up into the air and we just equalized out.” With teamwork, the group helped to get both Barganier and his belayer safely to the ground.
ing club, emailed them, and they took me in and everyone was so nice to me.”
the waves were hitting us. Some of us couldn’t even get up.”
When the weather does thaw out, the club goes to competitions throughout the U.S. and Canada. While they’ve traveled to Alabama, Puerto Rico, New Jersey and Kentucky, the members spend most of their time in the Northeast. This week the club is travelling to Albany.
Del Villar likes that climbing challenges her and provides an outlet from schoolwork and everyday life.
Whether the members are contending in hardcore competitions or just climbing for some fun and exercise, they agree that the sport breeds passion.
While the members of the club leave certain outdoor courses with wild memories, they also find time to strengthen their techniques in calmer, indoor facilities. In the winter, the club can be found practicing technique indoors while it prepares for the outdoor climbs that the nice weather brings.
Del Villar remembers immediately falling in love with the sport. She was one of the eight climbers that accompanied Barganier to Puerto Rico. After hiking through a rainforest for about 15 minutes, Del Villar spotted what she had been searching for.
“We spend most of our time at the Niagara Climbing Center,” said Taylor Del Villar, a sophomore media studies major and one of the newest members of the club. “It’s indoors and it’s only like 10 minutes from school. I just started two months ago, so I kind of just saw the rock climb-
“It was awesome,” Del Villar said. “We went bouldering on the beach, which is just free climbing without ropes. You don’t go very high, and
Something as dangerous as rock climbing requires a lot of safety and caution. By always taking the necessary precautions, the club is able to keep its members out of the hospital; the same way the members came together to make sure Barganier had a safe landing. Though it seems there is no place the members of the club will not travel to, budget limitations do eventually come into play. “I’ve heard fantastic stories about Joshua Tree in California,” said Nick Marucci, a senior mechanical engineer and President of the Rock Climbing Club. “There’s also a place in Switzerland that has these giant boulders among the hills that I would love to climb.”
While Marucci attends competitions and he takes full advantage of them. After going to Canada to compete, he did not leave empty-handed. “I went and participated in the Summer Sweatfest in Ontario and I actually ended up winning the series after about six or seven competitions,” Marucci said. “I love it because there’s always a challenge no matter what.” The difficulties of the routes along the rock faces are rated on the V-scale, with zero being the easiest and 16 being the most difficult. Since very few people in the world can climb a 16, there is no lack of challenges to test skill, strength, and perseverance. Email: features@ubspectrum.com
Facebook Contest So you have a Facebook account, right? You have a bunch of friends, right? Good! Because that's all you need to play the week-long Spectrum Facebook contest. Here's the deal. You go out and have everyone you know like The Spectrum's page on Facebook . After he or she likes the page, have them make a post on our wall with your name written out. At the end of the week, we will tabulate how many people you got to like our page and comment on our wall, and the person with the most tallies will win $50 GIFTCARD AND A FREE T-SHIRT!
It's that easy. This is also only the beginning. We plan on having more contests and better prizes as we move toward next year. In the meantime, start thinking about where you want your $50 to go toward. TEXTBOOKSBUFFALO.COM is the official sponsor of the Contest and will be featured on the Sports Page of the paper all month long. Be sure to check them out on their website. The contest starts officially today - March 30 and will end on Thursday, April 5. So get to work everyone and good luck!
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Life
Monday, April 2, 2012 ubspectrum.com
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army
For the typical ROTC student, the day starts promptly at 5 a.m. and doesn’t slow down until 11 p.m.
Where Leaders Are Made: UB ROTC MAX CRINNIN and LISA DE LA TORRE Staff Writers Behind the tired eyes of an ROTC cadet at 6 a.m. is the will to fight through pain and fatigue, the motivation to test what’s inside, and the desire to serve something beyond oneself. Any cadet on campus can explain what UB’s ROTC program is all about: becoming a leader. It’s about a duty to each other and their country. ROTC stands for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. UB’s Army ROTC is coordinated in conjunction with Canisius College, the program’s host school. Students enrolled in the program – or cadets – are instructed by Army Master Sergeants through several levels of training which include work in the classroom, physical training, and other forms of preparation for active duty. The program requires young cadets to step out of their comfort zones and into roles of leadership before potentially taking on the most difficult – yet satisfying – experience of their lives. It is a program designed to professionally train cadets for active military service as officers in the United States Army. An officer is expected to hold many responsibilities and guide other soldiers through combat. Responsibility can range from disciplining a fellow soldier – who might be much older than the officer but of a lower rank – to ensuring the safety on an 18-year-old soldier in foreign combat. Above all, an officer’s duty is to take care of his or her soldiers. While some join the program for elective credit, many choose to sign a contract with the Army that sets a course for further service in the military. A small taste of what the program is about is all some cadets need before they know the Army
is a perfect fit. Melissa McKernon is the Cadet Battalion Commander this semester for ROTC. She is at the top of the chain of command for cadets. McKernon is classified as a senior in the program, but she studies at UB as a graduate student preparing to finish her Master’s degree in history. ROTC has become a source of great pride and accomplishment for her. “My senior year of college was drawing to a close and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next,” McKernon said. “I didn’t feel like I had contributed to something greater than myself yet. I noticed what ROTC allowed people, like my older brother, to do and saw the opportunity to exercise my full potential.” As the Cadet Battalion Commander she takes on an immense leadership role while trying to balance a friendly relationship with her cadets. She has attended training at Fort Knox in an environment where drill sergeants create high stress situations, as well as a national assessment for ROTC leaders before earning her current rank in the program. McKernon is responsible for office work and frequent correspondence with instructors (in addition to the usual weekly class and monthly lab that all cadets attend). On occasion, she also leads class. Her favorite part of ROTC has been meeting unique young people with a united goal, who all happen to come from very different backgrounds. “There’s no prescribed personality that you need to have in order to be in ROTC,” McKernon said. “You can be a really intense workout person, very shy, very extroverted, and also have a range of interests. You don’t need to fit a particular bill;
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army ROTC students take on grueling early-morning workouts while most college students are sleeping, but they wouldn’t change it for the world. The intense physical demands teach the cadets the importance of determination and character.
you just need to show up and try your best to meet the Army standard.” Cadets face challenges as members of ROTC. With early-morning training and classes, the work can be difficult to manage with a college student’s full schedule. Often, cadets sacrifice a social life in order to successfully complete the program. As the Army focuses on downsizing, cadets need to present themselves as elite candidates for officer training. They need to show that they have ascended to the pinnacle of physical, academic, and professional standards. In order to meet this standard, they look to their experienced superior officers to instruct them as soldiers and guide them as future leaders. All instructors in the ROTC program are veterans of foreign wars. As heroes of the U.S., they understand what it takes to push cadets and help them reach their full potential before they are sent to overseas combat. “Anybody that gets deployed to a foreign war is a role model,” McKernon said. “They’ve put themselves in danger and that’s an experience I respect, but even outside of that I see our instructors as my future. They have grown through being Army officers and they balance family, career, and everything else. Now they walk us through how to deal with very intense and difficult situations in preparation for becoming an officer.” Master Sergeant (MSG) Gene B. Bass has been a senior instructor for ROTC since May of 2009.
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army Many students in the ROTC program have a chance of being deployed after they graduate, but they won’t shy away from the challenge. They’re proud to defend their country, and they’re honing their skills and getting prepared here in Buffalo.
Bass served 23 and a half years in the Army and took three tours of combat duty between Iraq and Afghanistan. He has held every leadership position that an enlisted soldier can have: Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant, and Sergeant Major. At the end of this year he is
planning to retire. “As an ROTC instructor I am a teacher, coach, and mentor to the young men and women who aspire to become the future of Army leadership,” Bass said. “The ROTC department is passing on the torch so to speak to the next generation of Army leaders, so it is a very important job. Our country depends on us to prepare them for service.” The class that Bass instructs this semester is a second-year ROTC course entitled “Self and Team Development.” In this class, students continue what they have learned from their first year courses about progressing as individuals and then incorporate the fundamentals of teamwork and cohesion as a unit. ROTC courses are designed for cadets to think “outside the box” for the purpose of handling not only military assignments, but challenges in life as well. Coursework includes time and stress management, personal goal setting, problem solving, working as a team, and basic military skills like map reading, land navigation, and first aid. For Bass, working with the cadets is the best part of the job. “They bring out the best in each other and in me,” Bass said. “I love knowing that there are young people in this country that still believe in what America stands for – the principles that our forefathers founded this country on. Freedom is not free. Men and women of the Armed Forces have sacrificed a lot to keep our freedom and these cadets have expressed the desire to do the same.” In learning to become officers, cadets develop a very close bond with their instructors. Because they are so close with the cadets, instructors do not demand rigid formalities with Military Customs and Courtesies, but they do demand respect. continued on page 7
ubspectrum.com
Monday, April 2, 2012
One Day in the ROTC
continued from page 6: Where leaders are made: ub rotc Cadets are expected to address instructors with “sir” or “ma’am,” and what others might respond to with ‘yeah’ or ‘nope’ is always ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for cadets. When cadets get too comfortable with their superiors, they are corrected – sometimes loudly. Due to the closeness of this relationship and the great deal of time spent with cadets, ROTC instructors are able to become part of a student’s life in a way that professors normally don’t experience with their students. “You will find that ROTC instructors tend to be very invested in the overall development of a person, whereas professors may not,” McKernon said. “ROTC instructors see you so often in high stress situations. They’ve seen you express a full range of emotions and handle a full range of responsibilities. They have the privilege of seeing so much more of you and understanding your life, which is an insight that most professors would never have.” McKernon is looking forward to the next step of her Army career. She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her instructors. Cadets who finish ROTC are not required to go to basic training and can immediately become commissioned officers at the rank of Second Lieutenant (2LT) after graduation. Contracting with the Army through ROTC normally requires an eightyear obligation to either the active or reserve component of the U.S. Army. After graduation, McKernon will have time to prepare herself before traveling to San Antonio, Texas, for a Basic Officers Leadership Course (BOLC) in the fall. She sees the down time as her last summer vacation for the next six years. In Texas, she will train to become a medical services officer and wait for further assignment. The prospect of an active combat tour is very real to McKernon and she feels prepared to handle that responsibility if she is ordered to serve overseas. “When I decided to join ROTC we were still in Iraq and we’re still in Afghanistan now,” McKernon said. “I was basing my decision off of the example of people I knew who had gone through ROTC and had also been deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. The idea of being deployed makes me nervous, because I’ve heard of the things that go on over there. My responsibility is to bring people home safely from that, but I don’t shrink from it. That’s a responsibility I’ve taken on and agreed to do because the Army needs me to do it.”
Page 7
LISA DE LA TORRE and MAX CRINNIN Staff Writers Junior Mitchell Roy-Raia appears calm and stressfree as he sits outside the Student Union, basking in the bold sun. Passersby would probably never guess that just a few hours before, he was engaged in some of the most intense physical training one could imagine. Roy-Raia is a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corp., or the ROTC program. Peaceful moments like this are rare, but are a welcome reprieve from his hectic schedule. His Day Begins at 5 a.m. Roy-Raia opens his eyes at the sound of his alarm and sluggishly peels away from his bed. He’s used to early mornings by now, having gone through basic training in addition to his time in the ROTC. These are, however, the moments of his day where he wishes he could fast forward to the weekend. After packing his belongings, he embarks on the 3.3-mile drive in his beat-up truck to Canisius College, where he and his peers have daily physical training. His whole body aches as he does sprints, push-ups, sit-ups, and suicides with a sandbag on his back. Those exercises eliminate the sleepiness. These strenuous workouts are intended to keep the ROTC members fit and active, in addition to helping them gain the energy to continue with their busy days. If he isn’t at PT, Roy-Raia and his peers are doing ‘Ruck Marches.’ At the instruction of his superiors, he will pack his Ruck Pack – the Army’s fully equipped backpack – with tools and items that weigh almost 60 pounds. Pack in tow, he meets his platoon around 5:40 a.m., and they march together in unison for miles. For Roy-Raia, these are some of the best bonding moments. As he and his friends march, they proudly sing Army cadences, proudly living the moments that most only get to see in movies. Balancing Act Energized from his morning workout, Roy-Raia returns to North Campus with schoolwork on his mind. As an English major, his passion is writing. At basic training, the other guys passed his work around as reading material. As he travels from his Fiction Workshop to Contemporary Lit, he constantly receives texts from the underclassmen in the ROTC program. In addition
Courtesy of Mitchell Vincent Roy- Raia UB students that participate in the Army ROTC program are forced to balance their studies with a frantic schedule, minimal rest, and abundant struggle.
to the normal student’s worries of assignments and deadlines, Roy-Raia’s mind is occupied by the concerns and problems of his cadets. He’s their leader – their role model. It is a juggling act that keeps his mind occupied all day – balancing his scholastic responsibilities with the responsibilities that come with a leadership position in the ROTC. He is in charge of keeping tabs on the younger members and reporting the information to the seniors and eventually to the program’s teachers (known as the ‘Cadre’). His class, the junior class, is quite possibly the busiest – the younger members are still learning, and the older ones act as guides to the juniors. His balancing act doesn’t end with ROTC work, however. As his day winds down, his mind will often turn to his friends. The hardest part of joining the ROTC program for him was the drastic change in his social life. Days he used to spend playing video games and hanging out with friends have been practically eliminated during the week. His friends from outside the program are supportive, though, and as he chats with them in the dorms or over a meal on campus, he is thankful to still have those friendships.
It’s about 10:30 p.m. and Roy-Raia has finally returned to his room, body and mind wholly exhausted from the day’s events. He makes it a point to stay out of his room for as long as possible, because when he finally gets to his abode, he wants it to be a place for simple relaxation – an escape from the outside world. When Roy-Raia is finally ready to call it a night, he brushes his teeth and sets out his clothes for the next morning, mentally prepared for the next challenge. Some students groan at the thought of six hours of sleep, but he is thrilled if he can get to bed by 11 p.m. and wake up at 5 a.m. When he is well rested, he will adventurously take down whatever is next. As Roy-Raia sighs and sprawls out, he is thankful to be resting once again, savoring every moment of inactivity. He knows sometimes things feel frenzied and it would probably be nice to have a bit more time to himself, but at the end of the day, when he looks back at all of the things he has accomplished in the past 24 hours, he is satisfied. He attributes his success to the ROTC program and anxiously anticipates thriving in the future. He’ll be prepared for just about anything.
Otherwise, he says, he would burn out. Until Tomorrow…
Email: features@ubspectrum.com
McKernon has an older brother who attended Fordham University and completed ROTC before going on to tour in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Her younger brother is currently in ROTC at Fordham. “My mother has a few more gray hairs as a result of it, but she’s very proud of us. We’ve all had our own reasons to join, but we share the privilege of serving our country,” McKernon said. Whatever their reasons for joining, Army ROTC cadets form a unit on this campus dedicated to a standard of excellence. An Army standard. Email: features@ubspectrum.com
UB students that participate in the Army ROTC program are forced to balance their studies with a frantic schedule, minimal rest, and abundant struggle.
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Monday, April 2, 2012
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ubspectrum.com
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sports Sidelines: Winning at Western The women’s tennis team accomplished a rare feat on Saturday: beating Western Michigan. The Broncos (10-7, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) had never lost to Buffalo (6-8, 2-2 MAC) on their home court, but that changed in decisive fashion as the Bulls dominated their way to a 5-2 victory. The win was redemption for Buffalo after its close 4-3 loss to Bowling Green (6-6, 2-1 MAC) on Friday. The teams split the six singles matches, but Buffalo was shut out in doubles play, prompting head coach Kathy Twist to shake up the doubles lineup heading into Saturday. The move proved to be beneficial, and Buffalo hopes the momentum will carry over into a contest with one of the MAC’s top teams. The Bulls now head to Akron (17-2, 3-1 MAC) for a match Saturday at 1 p.m. Holy Toledo The men’s tennis team has been preparing for the MAC season since the fall. This weekend it proved to be ready. Buffalo (6-7, 1-0 MAC) won its first MAC match on Saturday, beating Toledo (14-8, 0-1 MAC), 6-1. The win marks its fifth straight victory after going 1-7 to start the season. The Bulls continued to start their matches off on a positive note by winning at doubles – they took two out of three to clinch the doubles point. Although freshman Damien David and junior Vusa Hove lost at first doubles, they both were able to win their singles matches. Hove moves to 8-1 in the second singles spot.
The Bulls will have two home matches this weekend. On Friday they welcome Western Michigan (11-9, 1-1 MAC) for their second MAC match and Sunday they host Binghamton in a non-conference matchup.
I Have Hype-ophobia JAKE KNOTT Staff Writer
Bulls Break Record It’s only the second event of the outdoor season for the men and women’s track and field teams, but some of the athletes are already in midseason form. The Bulls had both their teams place second at the Toledo Collegiate Challenge at Toledo, Ohio on Saturday. The men fell just short to Central Michigan in team scoring by 11 points, while the women lost to Toledo by a smaller margin of eight. The women’s side highlighted the day, as the Bulls took home four events, with one victory coming in record fashion. The 4x100 team of junior Jamiee McClary, senior Anna Holmes, junior Brooklynn Ventura and sophomore Crystal Graham won their race with a time of 46.21 seconds, which is three-tenths of a second lower than the mark they set last year. The men came home with two individual victories – senior John Inzina and junior Brian Archie being the winners. Inzina won in the distance category as he finished first in the 5,000-meter race. Archie out-leapt the competition, as he won in the long jump with a jump of 7.08 meters. The teams will break up for their next events, as the top men and women’s players head to the Florida Relays on April 6-7. The rest of the squads will participate in the Rochester Invitational on Saturday. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Hunger Games, Hunger Games, Hunger Games, Hunger Games, Hunger Games. Over the past few months, these two words have tenaciously overflowed from the chatterboxes of Suzanne Collins’ loyal fans, who were tediously waiting to see the film adaptation of Collins’ best-selling novel, The Hunger Games. Admittedly, I was also excited to see the film – not wet-my-shorts excited – but excited enough to purchase my tickets for the midnight screening three weeks in advance. The public hype of The Hunger Games spread like a virus in a way that I could have never predicted. According to the-numbers.com, The Hunger Games profited the third-highest opening weekend gross of all-time: over $152.5 million – an amount only bested by last year’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and 2008’s The Dark Knight. In discovering these towering figures, what I found myself thinking about isn’t $152.5 million just a wee too much money for only one film to make, especially within the span of three days? Believe me, I think the film turned out well. The combined effort of Jennifer Lawrence’s hardnosed performance and director Gary Ross’ enticing filmmaking made for an unquestionably entertaining time at the movies. But I don’t foresee The Hunger Games being one of those classics that will live on famously through the ages, like the Harry Potter saga or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. According to boxofficemojo.com, The Hunger Games, as of March 31, ranks as the 109th highest grossing film in the U.S. box office with over $208 million. Because of some divine intervention, this solitary film has made more money in the U.S. box office in one week than most films have earned throughout their entire theatrical release.
Page 9
The consistent increase in ticket prices is unquestionably a factor. Thewrap.com states that the national average ticket price increased over $2 the past decade – that is from $5.65 in 2001 to $7.93 last year. IMAX theaters are among the culprits of these rising prices, because their famous behemoth-sized screens are constantly taken advantage of by Hollywood executives nowadays. But more than any other factor, what really sweeps in the box-office dough is all of the hype surrounding the film. The more hype produced during pre-production, the more cash flow a film is given. And certain films that are based off best-selling novels do not require relentless advertising to sell their product. The Hunger Games is a visual retelling of a popular young adult novel, which mainly targeted just that – young adults. Hollywood executives know that films geared toward the high school adolescent population are almost always guaranteed big bucks, because that type of film is considered “in” by teenagers. I almost feel in my gut that some Hollywood filmmakers purposely choose to produce movies that are guaranteed to be a success with the younger generations – whether the finished product is a masterpiece or wretched garbage – because they simply want a paycheck. Project X is the latest example of a horrendous film that was obviously made for teenagers, and made– reported by boxoffice.com – over $73 million in box offices worldwide. Hollywood is smart about money, and the more “in” a film is, the more theaters are willing to screen it. Boxofficemojo.com also reveals that The Tree of Life’s widest release at any time was 237 theaters. The Dark Knight, at one point, was screening in 4,366 theaters. It’s like David against ten Goliaths. The Shawshank Redemption is currently the number one rated film on imdb.com, having a rating of 9.2/10 stars. This is proof that great films can also receive serious hype by the public. The other day on Facebook, I read a comment posted by a friend that stated, “There is no film superior to The Shawshank Redemption.” He drank too much of the hype Kool-Aid. Please, do yourself a favor and ignore the hype for once. Go against it. Spend some time viewing great films that linger under the radar. Check out the film Shame, and you’ll understand what I mean.
Email: jacobkno@buffalo.edu
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Page 10
Arts
Monday, April 2, 2012 ubspectrum.com
Take Your Panties Off! RACHEL KRAMER Asst. Life Editor
VILONA TRACHTENBERG Asst. Arts Editor
Craig Robinson walked on to Alumni Arena’s stage sporting a black Snoopy T-shirt and a backpack. The innocent attire added to the hilarity of him singing, “Take your panties off” 32 different times during his performance.
Thrashing bodies, trembling arms punching the stale air, flickering strobe lights, and enduring music took over the atmosphere, creating a trance-like spell throughout the venue.
Last Saturday, Student Association hosted its 11th annual comedy series, and for the second year in a row, the series featured a member from the hit television show, The Office.
Cursive, along with openers Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits, performed for a sold out crowd at Mohawk Place last Friday night, to the excitement of the audience.
This time, it was Craig Robinson, Darryl Philbin on The Office, who was given the opportunity to share his comedic talents behind the keyboard with the student body at UB.
Cursive entered the stage in full force, ready to measure up to the audience’s roaring applause, and wasted no time immediately beginning their set.
“I was in Texas 11 years ago and this waitress at a restaurant [in a] poker club had these legs that just would not stop,” Robinson said. “My mind just kept going and I thought, ‘Just take your panties off.’ And that’s how it started.” Robinson’s infatuation with panties wasn’t the only thing that highlighted his performance. He started his stand-up with an instrumental rendition of childhood favorite “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Robinson shocked the audience into laughter when he broke his silent and calm demeanor during the second verse by tricking those in attendance into clapping their hands rather than stomping their feet. Robinson spent most of the show sitting behind his keyboard playing a soundtrack to his comedy sketch. He has been playing piano for as long as he could remember. “Probably since before birth,” Robinson said. “My mom is a musician and plays music so it’s in my blood. Literally, while I was in her womb she was playing and singing to me. I grew up with it all around me, and I love it.” Robinson’s main focus for the night was on love and sexual attraction. He sensually sung about marriage, sex, being in relationships, drugs, and, of course, panties. “I thought he was hilarious,” said Scott Will, a freshman electrical engineering major. “I think he was classy, and he wasn’t just up there making a fool of himself.” Other students disagreed, claiming Robinson’s jokes were targeted for a much older audience, causing disappointment for some. “I’ve seen good comedy shows that were based on music before,” said Max Blaise, a freshman mechanical engineering major. “The opening act did it and he was funny. [Robinson] just played songs
A Cursive Spell
They began their set promoting their new album, I Am Gemini, and wasted no time playing the first track, “The House Alive.” Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum Funnyman Craig Robinson sang about topics that ranged from childhood to panties in his Saturday night stand-up.
we knew and it wasn’t that funny. He kept failing at getting the audience to sing along. [It] wasn’t even a funny show. When he stood up I thought good, he’s going to get to the jokes part, but actually he just kept singing.” Robinson says his difficulties adjusting to fit into the college scene are associated with the generation gap. The comedian believes that his material is universal enough to do so. “College kids are younger, so you got to try to see how you can relate to them,” Robinson said. “I got to try to rely on my experience in colleges…to try to figure out what they want…Luckily my stuff is kind of universal.” Robinson thought the show went well this weekend. He said that his favorite moments were his interaction with the audience during the question and answer portion of the night. Getting hugs onstage from a female student and making fun of fraternity members sitting in the audience’s front row were the best parts of the night for the comedian. Robinson is currently working on a new movie called The Apocalypse with actors Seth Rogen (For a Good Time, Call…) and James Franco (Cherry). Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
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Frontman Tim Kasher looked intensely and wide-eyed into the audience, stroking his hand against his cheek and throat, as if he were revealing deep secrets to the audience. As the most endearing member of the band, the concertgoers immediately responded to the music and his lyrical story, with bodies whipping and singing to every word. “My favorite part of the show was just the atmosphere of the entire thing,” said Tom Goergen, 25, of Buffalo. “The crowd gets really into shows that they know about. Cursive’s been here multiple times so there’s continuity between the crowd and the band…I want that to continuously happen for multiple concerts and bands.” Cursive continued its set with “Big Bang” off of Happy Hollow, proving that they were going to perform a mix of their songs to please each generation of Cursive fans. The band’s set went from songs with hard, pulsating riffs and beats, to slow and forceful quiet songs, proving their transcendence of genres as well. The audience punched the air on dynamic beats as if it was a part of the added instrumentation, and Patrick Newbery added minor chord intensity with his overpowering trumpet playing. Throughout Cursive’s set, fans in the center of the crowd produced an almost pit-like atmosphere ignited by Kasher’s strength in performance, and a contagious domino effect of pushing bodies outward until the majority of the attendees followed suit. After a 90-minute set, Cursive closed the show with an encore “Art Is Hard.”
SPACES GOING FAST • TAKE A TOUR TO DAY
Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum Cursive performed to a sold out crowd at Mohawk Place this past Friday night alongside opening bands Conduits and Cymbals Eat Guitars
“I think they’re one of the few bands that are just talented musicians all around,” said Lauren Ciarpelli, 23 of Buffalo. “Not one person shines above the other, it’s really equal. Tim’s voice is super strange but works for what they’re doing, and their guitar playing is phenomenal…and the bass playing isn’t just playing along with drummer, it’s got its own thing going…I really respect them as musicians above being a great band.” Opening for Cursive was five-piece outfit Conduits, from Cursive’s hometown of Omaha, Neb., and the bands even shared member Patrick Newbery, who played synth and keys for both bands. Conduits immediately asserted their place in Mohawk’s tightly packed venue, with the audience crowding in front of them, as if they were headlining. Conduits’ music consisted of a mix of slow rock combined with rhythmically dynamic maracas and tom-toms rising to importance during their set, juxtaposing the lead into the flowing synthesized music. Cymbals Eat Guitars, a four-piece experimental outfit from New York City, featured frontman Joseph D’Agostino’s melodic voice layered over dominant drum beats. D’Agostino’s soft vocals perfectly aligned with the synthesizer, the interlude into a heavily percussive set, adding to the strength in the band’s sound with the echo he created through the use of wham guitar. The performances of the evening left audience members wanting more underground bands to come to Buffalo and prove that nonmainstream bands are talented and popular. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Have some interest in Journalism? Love to write? THE SPECTRUM, University at Buffalo’s student-run newspaper, is looking for staff writers for next semester (Fall 2012). If you’re interested and are looking for a great learning experience, please send a writing sample to aaron.mansfield@ubspectrum.com.
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ubspectrum.com
Monday, April 2, 2012
Page 11
Fantastic Film, Fantastic Fanfare John Paul White sings.
ABBY NIEKAMP Staff Writer The Hunger Games is quickly becoming the newest craze in pop culture; it’s only natural that the music used to set the tone of its scenes gets similar attention. With well-known artists like Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Kid Cudi, and Miranda Lambert, the soundtrack The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond delivers all the emotion of the film.
Courtesy of Republic
Artist: Various Artists Album: The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond Label: Universal Republic Records Release Date: March 20
One such song is “Kingdom Come” by The Civil Wars. In the movie, Katniss endures numerous hardships that could cause her to want to run away, including the contestant selection for the games. “Kingdom Come” describes just this. “Run, run, run away/buy yourself another day/a cold wind’s whispering secrets in your ear/so low only you can hear,” The Civil Wars duo Joy Williams and
With somber melodies and lyrics of pain, all that’s needed to make the soundtrack brilliant is the emotion of passionate artists. That’s exactly what singers like country stars Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift bring to the album. Lambert sings “Run Daddy Run” which relates to Katniss’ need for her deceased father. Lambert’s talent of bringing passion to her music translates well in this song that touches on the sadness of the film’s main character. Swift recorded two songs for the soundtrack of The Hunger Games. “Safe and Sound” featuring The Civil Wars, is a slower, more solemn track, while “Eyes Open” is fast paced with touching lyrics.
“Eyes Open” describes the cruelty of the bloody competition that is the premise of The Hunger Games. It speaks to the common themes of loss of innocence that dominate the film. “The tricky thing is/yesterday we were just children/ playing soldiers/ just pretending/ dreaming dreams with happy endings/in backyards, winning battles with wooden swords/ but now we’ve stepped into a cruel world/where everybody stands and keeps score,” Swift sings. This soundtrack evokes all the pain and emotion that is seen in The Hunger Games. The intriguing lyrics are brilliantly sung with all the fervor that the story deserves. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Grade: A
In The Cage STEPH O’BRYAN Staff Writer Music aficionados gathered for the music of famous avant-garde composer John Cage – an icon whose most famous work, “4’33,” consists of the audience’s rumbling stomachs, rustling programs, and a loud sneeze. Cage’s work was performed at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center on Wednesday night. The UB Contemporary Ensemble performed “4’33,” along with many of Cage’s early works, and this performance was the first in a three-part concert series celebrating Cage’s 100th birthday. The 55-minute performance was conducted by UB assistant professor of music, Tom Kolor, and featured the first eight famous works of Cage’s catalog. The 10-man ensemble consisted of UB graduates and faculty members, but a majority of the concert had either a single musician or a portion of the group performing. The entire ensemble didn’t play together until the
final piece. According to Kolor, this is how Cage would’ve wanted his music to be performed. He abided by a non-standard use of musical instruments, meaning he never specified which instruments his compositions should be played on. Cage also omitted dynamics from his works. He left it up to the performer to decide how to play it and what instrument to use. Kolor also asked the audience to not applaud after the end of any of the pieces in order to add cohesiveness to the performance. “We went chronologically through Cage’s first published works, so we did not know if the music would have a nice dramatic flow until the dress rehearsal,” Kolor said. The concert covered Cage’s works up until 1952, when he composed his most famous work, “4’33.” This piece presents the epitome of Cagean thought, and consists of the musicians not playing a single note for 4 minutes and 33 seconds.
Candace Weng /// The Spectrum The UB Contemporary Ensemble, made up of current UB students, alumni and faculty paid homage to legendary composer John Cage at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center last Wednesday in their three-part concert series.
“Cage’s whole premise was [that] there is no such thing as true silence,” Kolor said. “His idea [consisted of getting] as much enjoyment out of opening your window, hearing cars go by, or a dog barking, as you can listening to a Beethoven sonata. It’s the
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same, it’s sound.”
Cage became fascinated with Zen Buddhism and believed that if people simply wake up to what is around them, the world then becomes more vibrant and beautiful.
Several audience members were confused during this part of the show. The program noted the whole ensemble would play together for the final piece, but no one was playing. All that could be heard were random sounds in the crowd. continued on page 12
ubspectrum.com
Page 12
Monday, April 2, 2012
continued from page 11: in the cage
continued from page 11: The high times of damon bodine
“I was trying so hard to be quiet, even the tiniest noise was amplified in the room,” said Liz Kivela, a junior business major.
on my neck.’ I didn’t really think anything of it, and when I got that news it was pretty shocking.”
The instruments used in the performance were also intriguing. Two percussionists, Liz Holland and Michelle Purdy, played a two-voiced canon with solo accompaniment by Kolor. They played on xylophones and other mallet instruments, but also used bamboo rods to create a type of woodblock pitch. Later in the show, Kolor performed a solo piece titled “Suite for Toy Piano,” where he played on a baby-sized piano. Most members of the audience did not even see the piano until Kolor kneeled down to play it. Two other percussionists, Jason Bauers and Robert Fullex, both music performance graduate students, also played a piece with Kolor. They have been playing in and out of the Contemporary Ensemble throughout their years at UB. “This is our seventh year playing for this concert,” Bauers said. “Tom just asked us to play this piece and we put it together in about a month.” Kolor explained that he never really has to worry about the musicians in this group. The group is loosely formed, but each musician’s skills allow them to adapt to the avant-garde nature of Cage’s work. The ensemble’s next performance will take place April 19 at Villa Maria College. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Bodine hasn’t visited the hospital in years, but he made an exception last February after Trowell’s constant urging. It was then confirmed – Bodine had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The news came at an inconvenient time. Bodine was planning to accomplish his lifelong dream of moving to New York City. He’d also been hoping to set up another section of After Dark when he moved. The numerous treatments frustrated Bodine, but friends said he stayed positive throughout his treatment at ECMC in Buffalo. That same confidence helped calm the fears of his loved ones. “He’s such a confident person in so many ways, and from being around him you get used to his cockiness or this ‘I got this’ attitude,” Trowell said. “So it was kind of refreshing to have him be so positive about everything, or for him to be confident that he could get through everything…I think that helped both of us.” Doctors warned Bodine of the side effects, like nausea, that came with chemotherapy
treatment. However, Trowell says Bodine responded well throughout the process and didn’t start losing hair until late in the treatment. Bodine even stayed active with After Dark Entertainment events during his treatment, inspiring his associates. “After seeing what a person with cancer can do and how much they can accomplish, [I felt that] as long as he was full-bodily abled, I could do anything as well,” Shine said. “The whole time he told me once he beat cancer he would move to New York.” Bodine did just that. He moved to the city just a few days after he was cleared of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in August. The life-threatening experience only made him more motivated to accomplish his goals. “I knew that after I was clear that I was going to work a million times harder and make some serious waves happen in my career,” Bodine said. “I was really motivated to show people around me that with a positive mindset you can make something happen.” The Move and Philanthropy
Bodine had frequented New York City during his teenage years, but this time he had connections. When he moved to his current home in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Bodine already had an idea of what direction to take. The new Brooklynite started working as an independent A & R representative a year and a half ago, according to Bodine. While he was managing pop band, Cute Is What We Aim For, Bodine met the owner of Fearless Records, Robert Becker. The meeting turned out to be fruitful, because Bodine found that Fearless Records was looking for an east coast A & R scout. He applied and got his current position. Bodine believes his new position is not only a fresh start for him, but it also serves as another way to get the spotlight on Buffalo artists. He’s attempting to do so by keeping in touch with his friends at After Dark, as Bodine frequently makes trips to Buffalo to make sure things are running smoothly at the company. Ferry is supportive of Bodine’s decision to move and he’s still working to maintain his relationship with his longtime associate.
“It’s an amazing city with a lot of energy which is perfect for the Final Four,” Watt said. “Just being there around all the excitement [was great]. Being a basketball fan just adds to it."
Bodine’s big strides in the city haven’t made him forget about his life-threatening experiences a year prior. He decided to take part in humanitarian activities, and frequently volunteers at food banks and clothing drives. Most notably, Bodine ran in the annual New York City Half Marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Bodine and other representatives raised approximately $736,537 for research on the diseases. Whether it is humanitarian work or promotion, Bodine’s bout with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma continues to motivate him. “When you go through something that’s really life changing like cancer, you’re just so motivated after that to do things that you never that you could,” Bodine said. It’s that same motivation that keeps that scrawny male at Starbuck’s dedicated. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
“It’s different. Damon is a very big part of
Continued from page 14: Sweet Like Candy With the game finishing up on Friday, Watt was then able to enjoy the city of New Orleans during the Final Four for the next two days as a reward for being named to the all-star team. He also attended both of Saturday night’s Final Four games as a spectator before flying back to Buffalo.
the booking that goes on here,” Ferry said. “I think it only really became a challenge of communication and making sure we stayed in touch.”
The respite ends there though, as the senior gets right back to work preparing for his biggest audition ever. He will participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament April 1114 in New Hampshire, where he’ll get even more of an opportunity to show his skills to representatives of the 30 NBA teams.
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Portsmouth is widely considered to be one of the most premier NBA draft camps. Over the last decade 101 participants from the P.I.T. have gone on to play in the NBA. Email:: sports@ubspectrum.com
Continued from page 14: Spring Football Report: Offensive Line “That’s one thing we talk about every day when we get into the meeting room,” Ozkan said. “That’s something we were very proud of last year but this is a whole new year and we are looking forward to breaking that record again.”
Quinn has been the offensive line coach at different schools for over 20 years. His experience with the O-line has helped the group grow because he is able to make slight adjustments that can have huge, positive effects on the line.
The relationship between the running back and the offensive line is just as important as the chemistry among the line itself.
“It’s amazing to have that kind of experience coming [in],” Ozkan said. “Coach Quinn with the knowledge that he has, we can just feed off of him. When he talks to us, anything he says it just sticks to us like glue.”
Carlson expressed how important trust is between Oliver and the line. The whole group needs to be in sync if the running back can use the space the line creates for him. The camaraderie is important because no one wants to let any of the other players down. “Bo has inspired them,” Quinn said. “Bo is a hard working guy and he expects everybody to give 100 percent everyday. Bo’s not a big talker but his actions speak louder than his words. He’s just a tremendous competitor and I think those guys recognize that. They say ‘geeze I better get after it or he’s gonna run me over before he runs over a defensive guy.’”
Because of Quinn’s experience with offensive lines in the past, he is often tougher on them than other players on the team and Whinery knows that he needs to be. “Oh yeah, I’d say so because he wants us to be the leaders on this team,” Whinery said. “The start of the team is with the offensive and defensive linemen. He definitely comes to us for leadership, and also just to get the offense rolling.”
The one potential problem could be that Whinery is working through an injury. He has been participating in drills with the coaches, but is not yet ready for live situations. Quinn said that he will be ready in time for fall camp. The Bulls big question mark this season will be who takes over for Chazz Anderson at the quarterback position. But, Andre Davis made it clear that whoever takes will be well protected. “I don’t really care who the quarterback is,” Andre Davis said. “I know I’ll do whatever I can to protect him, do my job for [the team].”
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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Monday, April 2, 2012 ubspectrum.com
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Crossword of the Day
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MONDay, APRIL 2 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You may have to sacrifice one or two of your own pet projects today in favor of one that is more important to a greater number of people.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Now is not the time to be telling others what to do. Rather, you can learn a great deal by watching them do things their own way.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You may be facing one or two of your own de- CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) --
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) --
Someone is waiting for you to come through, and you are nearing the finish line ahead of schedule. Today you may have cause to celebrate.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You can illuminate certain key issues by exploring them in new and creative ways. You don't have to embrace traditional methods.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You
may have to step aside temporarily today as someone else steps forward and tries to put your methods into practice himself.
mons before the day is out. What someone says to you early in the morning spawns dark thoughts.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) --
The time has come for you to acknowledge the need for a little rest. You'll benefit from the lesson someone close to you learns.
Questions of faith may arise today as you face a situation that seems to contradict much in which you claim to believe.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- You don't want things to devolve into a confusing AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- You
free-for-all today; keep the reins in your hand, and exert a steady influence.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You'll
seem to know just what is required by a certain tricky situation today, and others will come to you requesting that you get involved.
may not think that you can get it all done, but by day's end you'll have completed a certain task -- and done more than that, too.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You can
race through your responsibilities today without giving them short shrift. Something quite intriguing is calling to you.
Sudoku
Edited by Timothy E. Parker April 2, 2012 SKY HIGH By Mark Hooper
ACROSS
1 2010 Oscar co-host with Steve 5 "Don't panic!" 11 "No ___!" (Roberto Duran quote) 14 Pro ___ (in proportion) 15 A Muse 16 Adder's cousin 17 Avian mimic 19 Pioneer in quadraphonic records 20 Calligrapher's liquid 21 Repeated 23 Valued possession 26 "Messenger" compound 27 "Good Night" girl of song 28 Promise to marry 30 Ten-percenters 31 Aussie coin critter 32 Electrical worker 35 Jet parked on a hill? 40 Full of malice 41 He had a "sting like a bee" 43 Stays in the auction 46 Yo-Yo Ma, e.g. 49 G-8 nation 50 Jemison the astronaut 52 Some door locks 53 Sudden arrival of fall weather
55 Banquet dispenser 56 Batting average fattener 57 Deliriously happy 62 Peyton Manning's brother 63 Set ablaze 64 Amend a draft, e.g. 65 Short time, for short 66 ___ out (ended gradually) 67 "Horse Fair" painter Bonheur DOWN 1 Administrative branch 2 "7 Faces of Dr. ___" 3 "Yadda, yadda, yadda," briefly 4 Less powdery 5 Place for a mattress 6 Work unit, in physics 7 Log home 8 Santa ___ racetrack 9 Old Italian money 10 Secular part song 11 Weasel relative 12 Trip up a mountain 13 Bidding card game 18 Enthusiastic about 22 Sporting grounds
55 Previously owned, as a vehicle 23 Mary Todd's husband, casually 58 Had some chow 24 CBer's vehicle, often 59 Words with a ring to them? 25 "Star Trek" phaser option 60 Opposite of 'tain't 26 Cologne's river 61 When the pilot is due in, for short 29 Ninnies 30 Bountiful 33 Boxing official 34 Draw out 36 Pediatrician's patient 37 Nobility title 38 Buffed object 39 "… or ___!" 42 Word with a mistaken apostrophe, often 43 Troves of treasure 44 Star at Cannes 45 $60 Monopoly buy 47 Constellation with the star Vega 48 More long and thin 50 ___ cum laude 51 Fruit-pest genus 54 At hand, in verse
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Sweet Like Candy
Mitchell Watt shines in Reese’s All-Star Game
Monday, April 2, 2012
Tebow the Outcast TYLER CADY Senior Sports Editor
TYLER CADY Senior Sports Editor The men’s basketball team may not have participated in the Final Four last weekend, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well represented in New Orleans.
Tim Tebow: The polarizing athlete who is liked for his moral fiber, but disliked for the amount of attention that he gets from national pundits.
Senior forward Mitchell Watt helped get the weekend’s festivities underway on Friday, when he participated in the annual Reese’s All-Star Game, reserved for the nation’s best seniors. His 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting helped the East team win 103-99.
The New York Jets: The loudmouth franchise disliked by everyone outside the fan base for declarations of success without accomplishment. The two of them together: A miserable match that’s destined for failure.
For Watt it was his chance to show NBA scouts how he stacks up against some of the best players that college basketball has to offer. Marquette’s Jae Crowder may have stolen the show with his 25-point outburst, but Watt certainly made his presence felt.
I’m going to throw it out there right now: I’m a huge fan of Tim Tebow. I love everything the guy stands for. His personality, his success, and his toughness are things that I think all athletes should have. But I’m not naïve enough to think that he’s the savior for a team in need of a quarterback.
“They were all good players,” Watt said. “They put their egos aside for a little bit and we had a couple good days of practice and went out there and played together for the most part. It was just cool to have so many different personalities from so many different schools on two teams, competing for one night for a little bit of fun.”
When Peyton Manning signed with Denver, Tebow immediately became expendable for the Broncos, and the Jets are clearly not happy with Mark Sanchez quarterbacking the offense – but in this case one man’s trash isn’t another man’s treasure.
Perhaps the number one skill that the senior showcased was his versatility, as he showed his 3-point prowess by sinking his only attempt from behind the arc. Watt also proved his ability to be a competent passing big with three assists and showcased his perimeter defense with a pair of steals.
The Jets organization is not a place for Tebow not to succeed. Listening to Rex Ryan talk will prove to anyone that Tebow doesn’t necessarily fit in with Ryan’s style.
Watt also got back to his roots as an interior presence in the game as well, allowing those who tuned into TruTV to understand why he’s garnered the moniker “Mitchell Swatt” during his time with the Bulls. Watt swatted away three shots over the course of the game. “I think I did pretty well,” Watt said. “I did a couple of different things, had a couple steals, had some blocks, got a few rebounds. I think overall I had pretty good showing down there. Probably would have liked to rebound the ball a little better than I did but I went out there with a lot of energy and had some fun.”
More than anything, bringing in Tebow is a publicity stunt, and the Jets’ brass said as much. Prior to the trade, general manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted that the Jets were interested in improving their locker room image. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum Senior forward Mitchell Watt dropped 11 points in the Reese’s College All-Star Game.
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2012 Football Schedule Announced Buffalo announced its schedule for the upcoming football season last Thursday. The schedule features a trio of teams from BCS conferences and a nationally televised contest. Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum The offensive line helped junior running back Branden Oliver break the Bulls single-season rushing record last season and return five players with starting experience.
Spring Football Report: Offensive Line The offensive line returns five players with starting experience after an improved season BRYAN FEILER Sports Editor
One season into head coach Jeff Quinn’s tenure, he started a mission: to get bigger, stronger, and better in the trenches. One season later, as junior running back Branden Oliver broke the Bulls’ single-season rushing record with 1,395 yards, it became clear that significant progress had been made. Now the squad wants more. Buffalo will have six players competing for the five offensive line slots. Seniors Gokhan Ozkan and Graham Whinery along with sophomore Andre Davis started all 12 games for the Bulls last season and will return this year. Junior Jasen Carlson started four games and sophomore Dillion Guy started six as well. That group adds Delaware State transfer, redshirt sophomore Trevor Sales, to the mix. Behind the group of returning players, the Bulls averaged almost 70 total yards more than they did in the 2010 campaign.
The biggest gain was on the ground, with over 40 more rushing yards per game than two seasons ago. “I really didn’t like the way they competed in 2010, that was not what I expected out of that group,” Quinn said. “When you think about good football teams you’ve gotta have a good group of offensive linemen that are working together, training together, care about one another, and understand the responsibilities that each of them have in terms of making it one cohesive group.”
Quinn said. “They’ve been in games, they’ve played in live game situations, they’ve played through adverse situations, being able to communicate, adjust to different situations, and different defenses that we face.” Oliver is excited that the team only lost one regular offensive lineman going into this season. He knows how important it is to have a line in front him that works as hard as he does if he wants to continue his success. Oliver makes sure to show the group how appreciative he is of their work – usually in the form of chicken wings.
The amount of experience coming back this year will help the widely inexperienced offense. The line has already proved that it is capable of giving Oliver the time he needs to make plays.
“It’s always great having a bond with your offensive line,” Oliver said. “They do the dirty work for you, they’re the reason you break records and things like that. So I always treat them when I got the money.”
Quinn expressed how important game situation experience is for linemen. When in the trenches, the linemen need to be thinking as one unit.
The stats for the offensive line are often overlooked. Many people look at the success of the offense as a whole. The offensive line was an integral part of Oliver’s record-breaking performance and looks to those accomplishments to judge its results on the field.
“That experience is so invaluable when you think about it,”
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Buffalo’s non-conference schedule will consist of Georgia and Connecticut on the road, as well as Pittsburgh and Morgan State at UB Stadium. Buffalo will also take the national spotlight in a mid-week game during week three. ESPNU will be televising the Kent State game from Buffalo on either Sept. 19 or 20. The conference schedule shakes out with Buffalo’s three games against the MidAmerican Conference West division coming against Toledo, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois. The MAC East will also have a replacement team as Temple leaves for the Big East, and UMass joins the conference. Sept. 1 at Georgia Sept. 8 Morgan State Sept. 19/20 Kent State Sept. 29 at Connecticut Oct. 6 at Ohio Oct. 13 at Northern Illinois Oct. 20 Pittsburgh Oct. 27 Toledo Nov. 3 Miami (OH) Nov. 10 Western Michigan Nov. 17 at Massachusetts Nov. 23 at Bowling Green
Huh? You just traded for a player to improve what people think of you? Before Tebow landed in New York, the team was already a circus. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie was calling out Sanchez, then said they didn’t need Tebow, and in the process Rex Ryan declared himself Super Bowl champions for next season. Ok that last one didn’t happen but I’m sure it will – like it does every year – and it just goes to show that Tebow won’t fit. Tebow is humble, almost too much sometimes; he never talks about his personal accomplishments. All the Jets do is talk about the accomplishments that have yet to achieve. For fans of both, this move is possibly the worstcase scenario. Tebow fans most likely despise the over-the-top, loudmouth Jets. The team is constantly talking and stirring controversy. Look no further than their head coach. He’s the king of controversy and all he does is stir the pot. For Jet fans, the last guy they want to see on their field is overly politically correct Tim Tebow. Jets fans hate Tebow. To them, he’s talked about far too much for someone with lackluster skills. He’s not someone who fits in with the Jets persona, and the mantra of the team isn’t exactly Tebow’s style. This is where the dilemma lies. Do Tebow fans embrace the gang green mentality and root for their guy on the team they probably dislike? Or do the Jet fans embrace their new, humble QB? Personally I’ve decided to root against Tim Tebow. No matter how much I like the guy, I can never see myself pulling for that irritating jerk Rex Ryan. Email: tyler.cady@ubspectrum.com