The Spectrum Volume 61 Issue 74

Vol. 61 NO. 74

ubspectrum.com

Friday, April 13, 2012

UB Appoints Zukoski as New Provost

The App That Never Was SARA DINATALE Asst. News Editor

NATHANIEL SMITH Sports Editor

On March 26 SA Treasurer Sikander Khan met with me to discuss his plans to unroll “SA Mobile & Cloud Services,” an app from the company Virtual Academix. The Spectrum has since launched an investigation into this company, uncovering less than promising business practices of what appears to be a fraudulent company.

After an international search starting in September, UB has found its new provost. Charles F. Zukoski will help implement the university’s academic vision with President Satish K. Tripathi.

Zukoski was appointed on Friday, April 6 to fill the spot vacated by Tripathi when he became president. He will start as provost during the summer semester.

The Spectrum chose not to publish any of Khan’s description of the SA app initially because from the start it was apparent that things involving this company were sketchy.

Zukoski was a professor in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champlain. In his 17 years at Illinois, he held a number of positions on the administrative front.

Following The Spectrum publishing its investigative piece, students started inquiring, “So, what was this app supposed to do anyway?”

From 2002 to 2008, he served as the vice chancellor for research, a position at which he oversaw the creation of the Office of International Research, which helps foster relationships between the university and other institutions in Singapore, India, and Cyprus.

He also oversaw the establishment of three multidisciplinary institutes, including the Energy Biosciences Institute, which is a 10-year collaboration between the University of Illinois, the University of California-Berkley, and British Petroleum.

In addition, Zukoski served as chairman of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) of the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) from 2006 to 2012. At SERC, he played a significant role in the development of technology-sensitive industries in Singapore through many different partnerships.

His experience on the international front is highly Courtesy of UB Reporter relevant to a school that has a strong international presence; UB is at the top among public universities in terms of international enrollment, according to Tripathi.

That had a big role in the selection of Zukoski, Tripathi said.

Zukoski’s former colleagues praised the effort and attitude that he brought to the department at the University of Illinois.

“I have worked closely with him, and he’s a wonderful human being,” said K. Kay Moran, assistant to the head of Illinois’ department of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “He’s very energetic, he has a way with people, and he’s open to new ideas. He has been an icon to this university for as long as I can remember.”

Zukoski was selected from a group of 60 people, and he was one of three candidates to make campus visits as finalists. The attributes his staff saw at the University of Illinois carried through in his meeting with the provost selection committee at the campus’ open forum.

“He had a tremendous amount of energy, and he was engaging,” said Professor Anne Curtis, co-chair of UB’s provost search committee. “He had a lot of interest. He truly seemed to be interested with Buffalo and the University at Buffalo in taking on a challenge like this.”

Public forums were held during the candidates’ visits to the campus as a way to further involve the student body and faculty in the search for a high-ranking university official. “[In the] public sessions…[the candidates] were able to make comments and also take questions from the audience,” Curtis said. “It went very well. Certainly it was open. We asked for input and got a wide range of input, and it was all taken into consideration, and put into our report to President Tripathi.” continued on page 2

Inside

Opinion 3

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I sat with Khan for nearly two hours at that March meeting. He explained multiple aspects of this supposed web and mobile application to me – and to be honest, if it was real, it would be pretty cool.

Courtesy of Douglas Levere

Law School Dean Makau W. Mutua is facing a civil rights lawsuit filed by former UB Law Professor Jeffrey Malkan.

Law School Dean Mutua

Faces Civil Suit MARK DAVIS Staff Writer

On March 23, former UB Law Professor Jeffrey Malkan filed a civil rights lawsuit against Law School Dean Makau W. Mutua in the federal District Court of Buffalo. The suit alleges that two months after Mutua became dean in 2008, he illegally fired Malkan by violating Malkan’s right to due process under the 14th Amendment and barring Malkan access to a mandatory faculty review procedure.

Malkan, former director of the law school’s Legal Research and Writing program (LRW), alleges that Mutua failed to follow non-discretionary faculty review procedures required under Malkan’s contract with the school.

The lawsuit also names the current vice dean for legal skills, Charles P. Ewing, who allegedly worked in conspiracy with Mutua to block Malkan’s access to a mandatory faculty grievance process, thus allowing Ewing to become director of the LRW soon after Malkan was fired.

Malkan was fired from the law school because Mutua planned on eliminating the LRW program from the school’s curriculum, a position Malkan had maintained since 2000, the lawsuit alleges. In a letter to Malkan informing him of his termination, Mutua said the new Skills Program (created after the LRW’s termination and awarded Ewing) was an appropriate and legal substitution.

“The termination of the Research and Writing Program and its replacement by the Skills program meet the requirements of this rule,” Mutua wrote in the letter, obtained by The Spectrum.

After reviewing the published SA report, and being a part of The Spectrum’s further investigation, it’s clear to me that this company wouldn’t have been capable of supplying the university with all the features Khan so gleefully shared in our meeting.

However, when I look past the multiple red flags that surround Virtual Academix, there lies what I think is a really good idea – one that would benefit the entire student body.

Malkan also alleges that Mutua did not allow the faculty to vote on the decision to fire him, a requirement stated in Malkan’s contract, which violated due process. Malkan maintains that there were no legal grounds for his termination and says he is bewildered by Mutua’s actions.

Below are some of the features as Khan explained to me:

“There’s nothing I can really speculate on… I had made recommendations for upgrades with the legal writing program…[including] upgrading the status of the instructors, improve the curriculum, add a third semester…These were all things that were evolutionary changes that were in the works,” Malkan said. “But I can’t say that anyone ever said anything of my job performance, much less my teaching performance. That’s why I wanted to meet with him. I wanted to find out: ‘So what’s the problem? Let’s talk about it.’ And he refused to meet with me.”

Khan citied this feature as the product’s biggest expenditure. It’s a recognition technology that, with students’ permission, could be used to identify students by scanning them through an Android or iPhone. It could also be used to identify buildings and positions on campus in order to navigate. This service would be the only one solely available on smartphones; the rest of the features would be accessible on a computer’s web-browser.

Mutua became interim dean in January 2008. He did not respond to The Spectrum’s requests for an interview.

Malkan claims that even if the school had eliminated the LRW program, his dismissal would remain illegal.

“Even if they changed the program, they did not eliminate my job. There was someone still teaching the same exact course as me,” Malkan said. “My contract said that regardless of any changes to the legal writing program, I would still be a clinical professor and I could teach other courses.”

UB Law Professor Martha T. McCluskey said Malkan’s dismissal and the administration’s unwillingness to settle his case have contributed mistrust among the faculty. continued on page 2

Augmented Reality

Senate Connect All senate meetings would be made public for students to view via a live webcast. Undergrads would be able to ask questions directly to their senators through a chat-like feature and see budget adjustments. Senators also have the option to be their own virtual proxy; if they can’t make meetings, they can attend virtually. continued on page 7

SA Treasurer and Vice President Present Application to Senate REBECCA BRATEK News Editor Student Association Treasurer Sikander Khan and Vice President Meghan McMonagle did not need the Senate’s approval to sign the contract for $300,000 with Virtual Academix, but they sought it anyway.

Constitutionally, Khan did not have to seek Senate’s approval before or after signing the contract because the Senate does not have to approve every expenditure he makes.

The Senate may “approve or disapprove all budgetary line transfers with Student Association which are proposed following the finalization of the budget,” according to the SA constitution.

Simply, the Senate only has to approve money moved within SA’s accounts, not money being spent

to outside vendors.

“All money spent by the Student Association generally has to be approved by the Senate in budget adjustments,” said a senator that signed Khan’s and McMonagle’s document who wished to remain anonymous. “Any time there is a [sum of] money that is a substantial amount, which the $300,000 would have been, people would generally want an explanation as opposed to why the Japanese Club spent $20 at Wegman’s – no one really cares [about that]. So he was trying to get the Senate to approve money being spent and needed the approval of certain lines to be created.

Khan and McMonagle signed the contract with Virtual Academix on March 13, just days before the March 22 meeting when $300,000 was moved yet again within SA’s budget – the money was moved from a “Projects” line to the new “Long Term Projects Capital Equipment” line without any stipula-

Life 5 | Arts 8-10 | Classifieds&Daily Delights 13 | Sports 14

tions or guidelines regarding how the money could be spent.

Khan and McMonagle started approaching senators with a presentation about the mobile application – SA Mobile & Cloud Services – at the end of spring break, according to the same anonymous senator.

The senator was approached multiple times about the application up until SA President JoAnna Datz released the details of SA’s internal investigation on April 5.

“He presented the app with a PowerPoint and insisted on showing me other evidence of how great this application will be,” the senator said. “He talked down about other people and their opinions and about how people are just out to get him. I believe he swore on the Quran that [Virtual Academix] was a [legitimate institution].” continued on page 2

ubspectrum.com

Page 2

Friday, April 13, 2012

continued from page 1: law school dean mutua faces civil suit “I understand that in part the administration argued that the program for which [Malkan] worked was terminated, but this argument seems dubious,” McCluskey said in an email. “The legal writing program in which he worked was replaced with a program with a different title, but without that much substantive difference.”

Soon after he left UB three years ago, Malkan was in line for a position at the Charlotte School of Law in North Carolina. Because of rules set by the Association of American Law Schools, the school was obligated to ask for UB’s permission to recruit Malkan. Mutua blocked Malkan from the job by denying the school’s request.

Malkan, who currently lives on Long Island, has been unemployed since leaving UB in 2008.

“Many faculty have concerns that the administration gave short shrift to contractual rights, as well as basic decent treatment of [Malkan] and to the process by which his contract was terminated… this firing contributed to fear and low morale among other faculty,” McClus-

key said.

UB spokesman John Della Contrada declined to comment on the issue, beyond the following: “The university’s position is that [the UB Law School’s] actions were lawful and appropriate,” Della Contrada said upon The Spectrum’s request for an interview. “We are not going to discuss the details of pending litigation.”

Malkan has already filed two other lawsuits against UB. One appeared before the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) in April 2010. Another was filed in the New York Court of Claims alleging breach of contract. The latter was filed on behalf of the United University Professions union (UUP) and the New York State United Teachers organization (NYSUT).

Malkan said the litigation before PERB, which is expected to announce a ruling on May 1, claims that Mutua acted out of “anti-union animus” and violated due process requirements in retaliation for the efforts of Tara Singer-Blumberg, the UUP’s labor relations specialist at UB,

was terminating his contract.

Millis.

Malkan says that in 2008 he went to Singer-Blumberg, who promised she could do two things to help him: one, she could ask Mutua for a “name clearing message” – an official letter assuring all UB faculty that Malkan was not being fired over any type of scandal; two, she could try to arrange a meeting with Mutua to discuss the details of the legal writing program.

“I think it’s important that, with regard to a public law school, we ask not simply whether or not the administration legally can get away with a particular action,” McCluskey said. “Instead a law school should be a model of treating people with high ethical standards and professionalism. We try to encourage integrity in our students: our administration sends students the message that as professionals they should resolve uncertainty against their self-interest.”

Malkan also said the law school faculty called a meeting to vote “no-confidence” in Mutua being the dean back in November 2010. The faculty was apparently upset, believing that Mutua had been forced on them as the new dean of the Law School.

Singer-Blumberg went to Reed to try and secure these two requests for Malkan. Reed approached James R. Newton, the vice dean for administration at the Law School, who, according to Malkan, was unsuccessful.

Malkan says both Mutua and the school have failed to make any indication that they will settle out of court for any of the lawsuits. Malkan is suing for approximately $1.3 million in breach of contract damages.

Singer-Blumberg then tried to reach above Newton’s decision and approached Nostaja, who went directly to Mutua with both requests but was subsequently denied.

Upon arriving at UB, Mutua sought specific faculty changes that Malkan referred to as a “hit list.” Along with Malkan, Mutua fired the director of the Baldy Center, Lynn Mather; the director of the law school information technology department, Alexander Dzadur; and, according to Malkan, forced the resignation of the director of the law library, Jim

Jeff Reed, the UB director of employee relations, and Scott Nostaja, the former UB vice president of human resources.

A few months later, Malkan received official word from Mutua that the dean

continued from page 1: sa treasurer and vice president present application to senate The senator added that Khan and McMonagle never approached the Senate as a whole, rather, only approached senators individually. For the meetings to be legitimate constitutionally, they must be open to all students and documented, according to the senator. By meeting with senators individually, Khan and McMonagle did neither.

Khan approached On-Campus Senator Daniel Ovadia on March 28. Ovadia noted that even though he was presented with the PowerPoint and presentation, he was not asked to sign any documents.

He added that he would not have signed any documents if Khan provided the opportunity.

“I think he approached most of the senators, I know there were specifically some of the senators he did not approach,” Ovadia said. “In fact, my understanding is that not only did he not approach them, but also in the document that he asked them to sign, he didn’t even include their names.”

McMonagle approached On-Campus Senator Kittie Pizzutelli on March 27 with the PowerPoint presentation about Virtual Academix, but McMonagle did not offer any documents to be signed,

according to Pizzutelli who had prior knowledge of the documents the pair was offering. She never signed any document.

“Sikander asked me months ago to sign a document supporting a proposal he wrote up,” Pizzutelli said in an email.

“He included all on- and off-campus senators names with a blank space for a signature except Sara McCreary and Louis Siegel.”

Pizzutelli couldn’t comment on why Khan and McMonagle hand-picked some senators and left out others when looking for support from the Senate. OnCampus Senator Louis Siegel knew he wasn’t included in the list but still isn’t sure why he was left out.

“The only remote bit of knowledge I had about this was when I received a text from another senator telling me not to sign anything,” Siegel said in an email. “One thought I had though is that I was the only senator really pushing for the $300,000 not to [move to] to a [new] line and to leave it where it was. Had they approached me about it, I would have been extremely upset since they told Senate that they moved it in to a line to show people we had it and had

no plans of spending it any time soon.”

Ovadia said that the document Khan and McMonagle presented to various senators wouldn’t have made a difference in the validity or legitimacy of the contract or mobile application deal.

“My understanding is that [this document] wouldn’t have made a difference,” Ovadia said. “Sikander even told me he didn’t need that document, so I don’t know what its relevance was [or] if it was just to show strength and support behind his project.”

Ovadia and Pizzutelli – who were both approached with the presentation after the March 22 meeting – weren’t sure if any senators had knowledge of the mobile application or contract before the Senate meeting. If there were any senators aware, Ovadia said they did not act as if they knew about the contract or the application.

When Khan was asked if he had any plans for the $300,000 moved at the meeting, he stated, “I have a purpose for the money; every treasurer has a purpose for [their] money.” He continued to list possible projects for the money, including a mention to the mobile application.

“He certainly didn’t lead us to believe that a contract had been signed,” Ovadia said. “Based on that, it seemed like ‘we have ideas, we could do this, [and] we could do that.’ He made it seem like anything was still on the table. I think that we asked him a very clear question at the meeting, and we certainly didn’t get a clear response.”

Ovadia also raised concern about the amount of proxies present at the March 22 meeting. On-Campus Senator James Gibbons was one senator that Khan approached before the meeting. Khan asked if he could pick the person who would take Gibbons’ place. Sikander asked Ayyaz Tufail, president of the Muslim Student Association and the Reason Party’s treasurer candidate who lost this year’s election, to fill in for Gibbons.

“Sikander asked me if I needed a proxy, I knew I was busy and said sure,” Gibbons said in an email. “He said the individual was interested in senate next year.

I also asked if Sikander was ‘planning something’ and he said no. If I knew what was going to happen, I obviously would not have let him pick the proxy.”

“They never wanted [Mutua] to be the dean…[UB President and former Provost Satish K.] Tripathi and [former UB President John B.] Simpson came over and told the faculty that they better get in line and shut up,” Malkan said. “There’s a lot of unhappiness with the way Mutua was chosen and basically imposed on the faculty. The faculty have voiced their disapproval, but Tripathi and Simpson were very firm that they better learn to live with him.”

When asked what type of response or support he has received from former colleagues, Malkan said they haven’t been very helpful and that they’re “looking the other way.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

continued from page 1: ub appoints zukoski as new procvost Tripathi decided that Zukoski is the one to best help lead the president’s visions for the university.

“Charles Zukoski is a stellar addition to our senior leadership team and to our academic community as a whole,” Tripathi said in a press release following the announcement.

“A first-rate provost needs to shine as an administrator, as a scholar, as a community leader, as a colleague, and as an intellectual visionary. Charles excels in all these facets. He has a tremendous creative energy, a richly informed worldview, and a genuine passion for public higher education.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

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Friday, April 13, 2012 www.ubspectrum.com

Page 3

Opinion

Step Down, Sikander Khan SA must cure its disease of corruption, starting with Khan

SA Treasurer Sikander Khan is a liar and an embarrassment.

It’s time for him to leave office. He refuses to answer publicly for how he nearly dumped $300,000 of our money on a scam company. He has yet to tell us about how he is affiliated with associates of Virtual Academix.

Khan must either resign or be removed from his position.

He’s proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that the current administration is incompetent as a group. He’s a walking symbol of our broken Student Association.

When Khan went in front of SA on March 22, he hid the fact that he had already signed a contract for hundreds of thousands of dollars and tried to quash attempts to prevent him from spending the money. At this time he was still pretending like a mobile app was an idea but that nothing was “concrete.” He plainly lied to SA senators.

Khan even said the resolution that would have made it more difficult for him to spend the $300,000 was against SUNY regulations. He said the fact that the resolution required contracts over $20,000 to get two more bids to ensure fair market price violated regulations because all contracts require that procedure.

Knowing the regulations, Khan still

Construction Blues NIKITA SIDANA Staff Writer

it can be one long walk.

I wonder what it’s like for students who live on the floors below me who can see nothing but the construction and the workers. I wonder if the construction workers can look into their rooms.

“The construction is right outside my window,” said Ranwala Arachchige, a sophomore economics major. “The construction is my view and I can feel the walls vibrating all the time.”

It’s a Monday morning and it’s 43 degrees outside. My bed is warm and cozy. I don’t have class till 5 p.m. and I plan on sleeping in until 1. Life is great, right?

Not for long.

The drilling, welding, and banging begins bright and early. There goes the 8 a.m. alarm I didn’t set and didn’t need. The new Red Jacket dining hall is being built, loudly and brashly, in building five at Ellicott Complex.

Arachichige also has to walk outside to get to Richmond Dining Center for her brunch and dinner.

“During the summer, walking outside is fine,” Arachchige said. “But when it’s cold, I would rather stay in and not walk to Richmond, but I don’t really have a choice.”

The construction also impacts students who prefer to study in their rooms.

Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every week, the construction workers strive to ruin my sleep and build a dining hall that I won’t be using.

“Since I have late classes, I can’t sleep in later because of the drilling,” said Kimberly Yu, a senior business major. “I can’t hear my lecture videos with all the noise outside either.”

Some days the construction is bearable. However, there are days where the pillow on my head is not enough to block the noise.

Finals week is coming up. How will I hold onto my sanity with the all the noise outside my window?

The construction noises are like a crying baby on a long flight. There is no escape and nothing you can do to make it stop. When I call my folks back in Dubai, they can hear it through the phone.

Since the construction began, I don’t have a laundry room in my building. I have to walk to building six, through a dingy, covered walkway made of thin wood, metal rods, and plastic wrap holding it all together – that wrap is supposed to shield me from Buffalo’s psychotic weather.

When the weather is playing mind games with me, I prefer to use a different laundry room. I walk through a maze, climb two flights of stairs with my heavy laundry bag in my hand, and get to the laundry room in building three. It’s my workout for the day.

Occasionally, I have had to take cold showers because there was no hot water in the building, but at least we were notified beforehand.

Moreover, the entrance from the parking lot to building five is not accessible at times during the construction. I feel bad for the students who have to carry their luggage or heavy bags to get into Red Jacket, especially when it’s snowing or raining because

didn’t present two other bids until 17 days after he and SA Vice President Meghan McMonagle signed the contract with Virtual Academix. Khan can’t claim ignorance on this.

Clearly, had he taken these other bids prior to throwing cash at a scam he would have easily noticed that $300,000 was an absurd amount to pay for the services to be rendered. According to his own words, that means he broke SUNY guidelines.

Blatant disregard of regulations that he understood shows a rare measure of arrogance. Past administrations have had scandals, but to laugh in the face of the entire student body by hiding in his ivory tower while the uproar grows louder is one of the most embarrassing moments in the SA’s history.

UB students are also calling for Khan’s head. On our website, a poll indicates that over 80 percent of responders think he should resign his post.

It takes nothing short of hubris for him to continue serving his term as treasurer, but if this scandal has made anything apparent, it’s that Khan is defined by his hubris.

He thinks he’s invincible.

If nothing is done about this, he will come out unscathed. We can see from his actions that he has no intent on resigning, and the next course of action isn’t moving any smoother.

The SA constitution has a well-defined procedure for forcing a member of the executive branch out of office. There are numerous causes for recall, but Article IX Section 9.01, Subsection A of the constitution states a recall is in order if an official “intentionally materially violated…any State University of New York policy concerning student activity fees…”

SUNY rules for spending student ac-

tivity fees indicate “all purchases shall strive to obtain the best value for goods and services by utilizing a system of bidding and quotes.”

Under these provisions, the SA Assembly had the ability and a proper reason to begin the process of a recall when it met on Wednesday. According to the SA constitution, it can initiate a recall by gathering a petition with signatures of three-fifths of the Assembly.

With the information that’s out there, we’d expect the Assembly to take swift action.

Instead, they literally got nothing done.

SA Senator James Gibbons publicly demanded the Assembly initiate Khan’s recall. Gibbons wanted to get the process started, but at the time was apparently unaware that the recall must begin in the Assembly first.

Most of the Assembly’s time on Wednesday was spent bickering about how many signatures would be needed to recall and asking questions about the scandal.

Khan almost flushed $300,000 down the toilet, and one of our major governing bodies can’t be bothered to read a single article.

Even after learning about what happened, the Assembly couldn’t be moved to initiate Khan’s recall. Instead, they decided to make a resolution stating that they strongly disapprove of Khan’s actions.

Nothing teaches someone a lesson like a strongly worded letter. That’ll certainly show him.

Yet the Assembly couldn’t muster enough ability to even get that pitiful excuse for action done. Apparently, the members were too hungry to continue and decided that reconvening next Wednesday would be better.

MANAGING EDITOR Edward Benoit EDITORIAL EDITOR James Bowe

We also need to demand that the SA change its rules to prevent this from ever happening again. The fact that Khan could go out tomorrow and do this again if he wanted is a horrifying sign that the post of Treasurer holds too much power.

If not, then why are we paying this student activity fee? We don’t want to pay for the upkeep on a system that is so easily corruptible. If nothing changes then it will be extremely hard to convince us that an increase in the student activity fee would ever be reasonable.

SA is at a crossroads. It can either continue being a broken shell of its former self, or it can make a change right now.

Get rid of Khan right away. He’s at the corrupt core of the current incarnation of SA. We can take this into our own hands.

Most of the bureaucratic garbage can be circumvented with a petition signed by the same number of students that voted in the last SA election. That means 2,680 students would have to sign.

Although it sounds optimistic, we as students have the power and the ability to hold Khan accountable for what he’s done. We have the power to tell this administration and every future elected official to go through SA ever again that we are not his or her money pot to spend on pure waste.

We can send the message that we are not playthings to be stepped on once the semester is over. We can show SA that it isn’t just spending some money, it answers directly to the students they represent.

I pay $3,114 per semester for a double room with an automatic 8 a.m. alarm that I don’t want or need, drilling noises all day and night, and a long, cold hike to do my laundry.

For enduring all the loud and sleepless mornings, the students of Red Jacket buildings five and six were compensated 50 dining dollars from Campus Dining and Shops and Campus Living.

I appreciate the gesture, but $50 is not worth the trouble Red Jacket students go through. It’s unfair for Red Jacket students to have to pay the same amount as all the other students who live in different buildings in Ellicott but don’t have to deal with the constant drilling noises.

This dining hall better be worth it.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR James Twigg

Almost every aspect of our Student Government is either dysfunctional or completely broken. The treasurer has nearly free rein to make horrible money choices like this, and when he gets caught doing something stupid the normal routes are either apathetic or ineffective.

Some students like to study in their rooms, but due to the noise outside they are forced to study in the library.

During finals week, getting a computer in the library is almost as hard as getting a good parking spot. As a result, students want to study in their rooms, but at Red Jacket, with all the noise, it’s impossible.

April 13, 2012 | VOLUME 61 NUMBER 74 | CIRCULATION: 7,000

EDITOR IN CHIEF Matthew Parrino

The Assembly took an empty gesture and made it even more worthless.

NEWS EDITORS Luke Hammill, senior Rebecca Bratek Sara DiNatale, asst.

Lisa Khoury, asst.

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

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

Vilona Trachtenberg, 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.

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.

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Friday, April 13, 2012

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Life

Friday, April 13, 2012 ubspectrum.com

UBeautiful

Tips To Enjoy Your Weekend RACHEL KRAMER Asst. Life Editor

MEGAN DRESSEL Staff Writer

If you have nothing to do, nothing to drink, or nothing to look forward to this weekend, don’t worry. Here are a few ideas to spice up your days off.

She ducks into the bathroom between classes for a moment alone. It’s been a rough week – two exams, 30 hours at work, a paper to write, and to top it all off, a breakup. She’s exhausted and stressed, and can’t even begin to imagine how she must look. She turns to face the mirror expecting dark circles and messy hair, only to find a pink post-it note with a message:

What to Drink: If you are tired of the same old vodka mixed with Gatorade, can of beer, or quick shots, here is a classy drink recipe to try to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Nutella Shot Recipe

“Smile, it looks great on you.”

Need: 1 cup of ice

A slim, curved line crawls across her face.

1/2 cup of milk 2 tbs Nutella 1 shot Baileys

This is the goal of Operation Beautiful. It is a nationwide campaign that attempts to end “negative talk” by writing short, inspirational messages on post-it notes, and leaving them in unexpected places. This movement is being brought to UB in the form of a capstone project.

1 shot vanilla vodka How to: Put all ingredients into a blender Blend Pour

The capstone project is the final group project for the Leadership House program. Leadership House is a living-learning community for freshmen that provides leadership, academic, and social experiences.

Georine Pierre is a freshman architecture major and a proud member of the Leadership house.

“I interpret a living and learning community as a place where you can grow as an individual,” Pierre said. “[You grow] through different experiences, people, and life lessons. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me as a freshman to be involved with the UB community, and a great way to gain access to friends, leadership opportunities, and connections.”

Line the rim with Nutella for extra flavor Enjoy!

Courtesy of partyrehabbrecipes.com Nyeri Moulterie /// The Spectrum Operation Beautiful has come to Buffalo: a mission to remind college students just how beautiful they are, and keep their self-confidence high through college’s toils.

The program consists of 30 students, who had to apply to the program. Students also have to take two required classes – one in the fall and one in the spring.

The fall course is Dynamics of Leadership, which teaches leadership

theory. The second class, taken in the spring, is the Leadership Intern course, where students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned during the previous semester. The goal of the capstone project is simple: “make your world a better place.”

Continued on page 7

Page 5

Drinking Game to Play: Hanging around the dorm or apartment and need something to do besides play kings or beer pong? Try this new game to make things interesting.

Flip, Sip, Strip!

Need: A coin Alcohol How to Play:

Sit in a circle with as many people as you want. The first player takes the coin and flips it. While the coin is in the air, the player calls heads or tails. If he or she makes the right call, the player passes the coin to the right. If the call is wrong, the player has two choices: Sip or Strip. He or she could either take a shot or take off a piece of clothing.

Doesn’t seem too bad, but the catch is you can’t make the same choice twice in a row.

Throwback Song to Listen to: Hot in Herre by Nelly Don’t act like you don’t know all the words to this 2002 hit single. It’s perfect for when you are drunk enough to pretend you deserve a spot on the next season of American Idol. If you aren’t in the singing mood, it still serves the purpose of giving you a chance to show off your old school dance moves.

Don’t do this: “A group of friends and I were celebrating my friend’s birthday. Before we started drinking in the dorms, we went to Olive Garden. At some point, I got so drunk I couldn’t walk. My friend put me to bed in my dorm room, but for some reason I sat up. I had no control of my body anymore, so I started lolling my head. My friends heard a crash and I fell like a pile of rocks onto my dorm room floor. They put me back up onto my bed but I sat up and proceeded to vomit Olive Garden all over my floor.

Not just a small puke, but like a projectile mass of vomit everywhere. My friend who was celebrating his birthday had to spend the rest of the night cleaning it up. He told me there were chunks of pasta and sausage he could still see.”

– Anonymous female junior Do you have a worse embarrassing drunk tale? Submit your horror story to features@ubspectrum.com for a chance to see it in The Spectrum.

Page 6

ubspectrum.com

Friday, April 13, 2012

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Friday, April 13, 2012

Continued from page 5: UBeautiful Jude Butch is the leadership programming coordinator in the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement, and also the professor for these mandatory classes. He explains that the “your” in the capstone goal is crucial.

run into a couple of obstacles in the process of planning this event – one being that it is a rule at UB that anything posted in the halls has to be on a bulletin board. This was one of the easier obstacles. The biggest has been the issue of gender.

“If I said to you: ‘go out and make the world a better place,’ that’s a very daunting task,” Butch said. “But if I say, ‘go out and make your world a better place,’ you can now think [on the scale of] residence halls, on campus, in the Buffalo community. It takes a very macro type of thought and brings it closer to home.”

“Operation Beautiful is directed toward women,” Butch said. “But the positive messages that young men will take away are just as important.

Just as much as women are told what to look like in college, men are getting the exact same messages, and in some instances a little bit more harshly. I think that men struggle with that image just as much as women do. I think [Operation Beautiful] can appeal to both sexes, and make an impact on the individual level [at UB].”

This is where Operation Beautiful comes in. Society uses the media to misrepresent women, according to Kailey Mahar, a freshman electrical engineering major, and this misrepresentation can have serious effects on how women view themselves. Mahar is the student who originally suggested the idea – the group hopes to battle self-esteem issues that media creates.

On Monday, April 16, and Tuesday, April 17, approximately 2,000 post-its with positive messages will be placed in various places around campus.

There will also be a table in the Union for the event, which the group has decided to call UBeautiful: Operation Beautiful at UB. The table will have more information about how to get involved, as well as an area where students can write their own inspirational messages on post-its.

“One thing we really want is a pay it forward effect,” Mahar said. “If students see the post-it notes, we want them to check out the website. If you see a post-it note you really love, peel it off and take it with you, make a few of your own, and get involved too.”

This is not the only capstone project that is being done. One group is doing a “Promote the Vote” campaign and offering voter registration; another has planned a trip to Buffalo Reuse; one group is raising money to purchase teddy bears for a local children’s hospital. All of these projects are aiming to make a difference in the Buffalo community.

The group has decided to not only place messages on places like bathroom mirrors, but also in the lecture halls, in the form of quarter sheets and posters for everyone to see.

Whether male or female, the group is hoping that these messages will make students feel good about themselves.

For every 10 people that see a post-it, the goal is to make at least one person smile. Another goal is for the movement to spread and for post-its that the group didn’t make to be seen around campus.

“As college students, we are always under so much pressure to succeed,” Pierre said. “How many times do we get the recognition that we deserve?

How many times do we receive compliments about ourselves? We want students to be aware that it is okay to think highly of themselves. We all want to be beautiful in our own skin.

And that’s what we want for everyone – to feel beautiful physically, emotionally, and mentally.”

Page 7

continued from page 1: the app that never was Student Exchange It is basically an accredited UB Craigslist – a place for students to find beds, roommates, and textbooks.

Students would be able to trade whatever they desire on a website more trustworthy than Craigslist because it would be run through SA. Faculty Feedback It is a runoff of Ratemyprofessor. com designed specifically for UB professors. Every single UB professor, teaching assistant, and faculty assistant would have a profile complete with a photo. There would be a biography of these faculty members that would be authenticated by SA staff.

Students would also be able to comment and rate on each profile.

Professor Connect There would be a library of interviews with professors and administrators. UBtv would interview these professionals. There would be access and insight to the president or the admissions committee to help prospective grad students.

Note Share This would be like the website notehall.com but would be different in the sense that it would be authenticated

by SA. Students can share, sell and buy notes. SA would monitor the content so students wouldn’t post content prohibited by certain professors.

Jobster Currently students have to go to multiple websites to see job posting

opportunities. It would list all oncampus jobs available – like in SA, Campus Dining & Shops etc. There would also be a section to advertise off-campus jobs.

Student Voice This forum would be for students to air concerns, and promote SA’s efforts for transparency and advocacy.

Once a student opens up “ticket” or posts about issues, it would to be reviewed by each member of the eboard. E-board members would be required to state how they addressed the situation, and the ticket would still exist until the problems were resolved.

Webchat Feature This would primarily serve UB’s large commuter population. It would be like Skype, but allow multiple people to conference without being charged. Students would be able to share documents and notes within the chat’s feature.

SA Certification Tool The e-board of each club would be posted within this section. Their profiles, pictures, and work done during their administration would be preserved online. They would each be given a certificate with their position, and link they can give to prospective employers that will show everything that individual accomplished in their term.

According to the report done by Marc Rosenblitt for the SA, the cost of the of the Virtual Acadmix app is “well outside ‘Fair Market Value.’” So per-

haps the $300,000 price tag is a little excessive. But subtract the scandal from this whole situation, and there is an idea with merit.

As undergrads, we all have to pay $94.75 each semester in the mandatory activity fee. However, the majority of students are not benefiting from SA services.

Most students don’t go to Fall Fest or Spring Fest, and that’s where most student money is going. This $300,000 is sitting, unused, from a larger “Cash & Investment” line. It’s a rollover from unused student money of years past. It should be spent on students, not continuing to collect within an investment line.

It’s unfortunate that Khan’s blunder has most likely tainted an idea (when completely separate from this sketchball company) holds promise.

Examining this situation beyond what appears to be the sham of a company, Khan never asked the students if an app is what they want. So I’m taking this moment to ask students directly: what do you want your money to be spent on?

The good that can come from this entire situation is that for the first time, I have noticed students become at least somewhat less apathetic than what I have observed all year.

Care about your dollars and where they are going. Maybe an app isn’t the answer, but students should have a say in what is – but you have to care in order to make that voice heard.

Email: sara.dinatale@ubspectrum.com

Keep an eye open – soon everyone will see those brightly colored little squares with beautiful messages.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com

The Operation Beautiful group has

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Page 8

Arts

Friday, April 13, 2012 ubspectrum.com

Buffalo’s Annual Gaming Gauntlet A Preview of UBCON XXIII

NICOLAS PINO Senior Arts Editor

Between the full-scale medieval battle, countless sorcerers and superheroes, and inevitable zombie uprising, campus may not be the safest place this weekend.

Entitled “Mis-Judgement Day,” UB’s 23rd annual UBCON begins this Friday, bringing its witchcraft, warlords, and role-players together in every Buffalo gamers’ Mecca over the weekend.

Boasting community-engaging events like Zombie Action Role Play, StarCraft II tournaments, and a panel consisting of ’90s anime icons Eric Vale and Monica Rial – voice-acting Dragon Ball Z’s Trunks and Bulma respectively – this year’s event is charging up to be the best one yet.

“For this year’s UBCON, we actually have 14 guests. Last year, I believe we only had about six guests…and we’re expanding our artist gallery as well,” Miller said.

Miller, a junior communication major and this year’s UBCON event coordinator, meticulously planned this year’s event to try and satisfy the school’s diverse range of gaming tastes. On Monday, the web site – ubcon.org – provided a list of over 160 events to attend, with more being added all the way up until the event begins.

“We have a lot [of events] for different people [who may be] interested in RPGing, interested in more online stuff, [and] the viewing room will be open,” Miller said. “Some old guests, some new guests, something for everyone.”

While role-playing and collectible-card games are old helms for most dungeon delvers, North America’s largest NERF war is not – the event is exclusive to the Buffalo crowd. Starting at 11 p.m. and going well into the night, teams of over 40 plastic-clad combatants go head-to-head in games of capture the flag and the traditional team death match, leaving Student Union hallways covered in foam-flung artillery.

For foam-wielding warriors looking for more of a “hands-on” approach to combat, look no further than the Live Action Role-Playing world of Dagorhir. Contestants form clans to compete in mock combat with padded weaponry, pitting player against player with UB’s Student Union Activity Field lending itself as the group’s (hopefully barely) blood-spattered battlefield. “[LARPing] gives me a chance to be somebody else. To be a master fighter or something crazy like that,” said Alexander Joel Vanderpoel, a junior economics major. “LARPing gives me a chance to just do whatever I want. Same reason people play video games.”

Fans coming unequipped for the event’s activities can always find what they’re looking for in SU 145, a room solely dedicated to the sale of everything players will need to get their games going throughout the 72-hour Con. Besides sporting every gaming accessory from card, miniature, and the latest board games, SU 145 briefly becomes a manga-lover’s dream, providing an extensive library of titles found nowhere else in the Buffalo area.

“We’re expecting about 1,000 attendees this year,” Miller said. “Last year we had about 850, but I’ve been planning the event since May of last year so this is 11 months in the works.”

Off-campus attendees have, in the past, found refuge in Capen, Baldy, the Student Union, and anywhere else on campus in order to catch a few hours of sleep in between the festivities.

“Sleeping on campus through [UBCON] allowed me to experience the entire programming of the event,” said Charles Nassor, a senior biology major and UBCON 2009 attendee. “There are events that go on even late at night (i.e. the rave, anime screenings, and NERF war). I would suggest to anyone asking to sleep on campus if you want to experience the event in its entirety. One of the best decisions of my life.”

UBCON XXIII runs Friday through Sunday and costs $20 pre-sale through the SA web site, or $10 per day at the door.

Spectrum File Photo Hundreds in the gaming community come together this weekend for SARPA’s 23rd annual UBCON.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

The Best of the Best in 2012: Movies (So Far) Talk about a comeback. 2012 started off with a movie lineup so pathetic it felt like a crime walking into the theater. For the majority of January, movie theaters struck ill with films like The Devil Inside, Contraband, Joyful Noise, Underworld: Awakening, and the overhyped Red Tails. It has since been the complete opposite. Almost week for week, a decent film has been released to help wash away the plague set in January. The Spectrum has compiled a list of the best films to release this year.

Jeff Who Lives At Home This independent film is an innocent, loveable surprise. Directed by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (Cyrus), the audience meets unaccomplished, 30-year-old Jeff (Jason Segal, The Muppets) who, as the title suggests, is still living at home with his mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon, The Miraculous Year). The film revolves a single day in the life of Jeff, who stumbles on ludicrous adventure after ludicrous adventure. Also in the mix is Jeff’s older brother Pat (Ed Helms, The Hangover Part II), who disregards all of his

younger sibling’s thoughts and ambitions. What makes the film work is its dependency on the performances of Segal and Helms, who both deliver compelling yet hilarious characters. But what is most refreshing in this film is that it’s a believable comedy set on relatable characters, instead of being a simple slapdash comedy that depends on toilet humor to squeeze out laughs from viewers.

The Hunger Games The film was a little overhyped, yes. But that does not diminish the fact that this is a sound example of filmmaking. Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) strode away from his previous genres – directing a dark-comedy in Pleasantville and a horse racing story in Seabiscuit – and has filmed a more mainstream action flick. Twelve lowerclass districts must tribute two teenagers each for a battle to the death, with the only survivor victorious. While the film had a lackluster first act, Ross managed to pull together a worthwhile second and third act filled with sharp tension and brilliant craftsmanship. Lead actress Jennifer

Lawrence (X-Men: First Class) continues to nail every role she plays, and will certainly become a more popular star because of this franchise.

Haywire Is there anything that Steven Soderbergh can’t do? Here is an example of a film with a plot so old and rusty that it was probably conceived by Shakespeare. But director Soderbergh (Contagion) crafts his film in such a way that the audience forgets the generic plotline and – lo and behold – actually gets involved with the characters. This is hard to come by in some films nowadays. Agent Mallory Cane (Gina Carano, Blood and Bone) is accused of espionage and is hunted by her ex-boyfriend, Agent Kenneth (Ewan McGregor, Beginners). Carano has the conviction and patience to be an action star – she plays a special ops agent so well the audience cannot be convinced otherwise. If the reboot of Tomb Raider ever actually happens, Carano’s name better be at the top of the casting list.

Chronicle This is the best found-footage film to date. It will probably be the study guide for the filmmakers of last year’s Paranormal Activity 3. High school outcast Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan, In Treatment) is befriended by class president nominee Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan, Red Tails). Steve is everything that Andrew isn’t: social, handsome, slick. Soon, Andrew and Steve, along with Andrew’s cousin, Matt Garetty (Alex Russell, Almost Kings), lurk into an underground passageway, fall unconscious, and wake up the next day with telekinesis. No in-depth explanation is given for their new powers, and that is part of why the film works. The film pushes aside explanation and delves deep into the true natures of the main characters. The cinematography used throughout the adventure is astounding – as Andrew’s inner demons are awakened, the film focuses on him long enough to increase the tension.

This is how found-footage films should be made.

Continued on page 10

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Friday, April 13, 2012

Page 9

Media Professor Provides UB with a New Form of Art BRIAN JOSEPHS and ABBY NIEKAMP Arts Editor and Staff Writer Most artists use paintbrushes, clay, or pencils to create their work. Teri Rueb, a UB Media Studies professor, uses sound.

Since 1996, Rueb has been creating innovative works of art called sound walks, pieces that use GPS and mobile phone devices to create an audio experience for those who pass by a designated site.

Currently on a teaching sabbatical to work on her latest project, No Place with Names, Rueb is residing at the Santa Fe Art Institute to work with local residents within the area where she aims to examine the concept of wilderness through a cross-cultural narrative.

The project features a shift in focus from her recent work.

“No Places with Names marks a new turn in my work in which I have become specifically focused on non-Western, non-Euro-centric perceptions of landscape and landscape experience,” Rueb said.

This isn’t the first time Rueb has embarked on such a project. Berlin, Boston, British Columbia, and trails near the Wadden Sea are all sites that can claim her signature work.

Traveling the globe for her work has inspired Rueb.

“I wanted to bring audiences back into dialogue with the everyday built and natural environment, to draw the eye away from the screen and direct it toward one’s immediate surroundings, and to engage a kinesthetic awareness of the body in space, moving,” Rueb said.

The Elsewhere: Anderswo Project, created in 2009, is her most well known piece. It is centered in the Oldenburg Botanical Garden and by a bike path around Neuenkirchen. Rueb said these interactive sound installations play samples from songs, TV shows, radio, and films and combine the sound with specific locations to create an experience connecting place with time.

“In the botanical garden…a visitor would wander through the gardens and in each different micro-climate they would encounter this patchwork of sounds that, like the gardens themselves, functions like a pastiche of place and time,” Rueb said. “In Neuenkirchen visitors would ride bicycles through the countryside, encountering similar sounds, but in this case they are placed throughout the entire landscape of the village, such that its contemporary built structures…become almost like a stage set to the sound, blurring the mundane and the fantastic.”

Rueb has remained committed to UB despite her artistic endeavor. She plans to continue educating her students about media art forms through her recently founded research center named Open Air Institute. With this institute, learning is based off of in-the-field experiences mixing media and technology with the environment.

The UB professor is planning to lead a summer course entitled On the Road: Media Geographies

Courtesy of Teri Reub

Rueb has taken a teaching sabbatical to work on her latest project, No Places with Names, in Santa Fe.

(DMS 418/518) when she returns from her sabbatical. The course focuses on the author Henry David Thoreau and locations found in his writing. Students will use mobile phones as well as the Internet, sound, and video technologies to create movies as they travel to locations which include Montreal, Cape Cod, and Quebec.

Rueb’s students have been supportive of her artistic endeavors and lauded her commitment to education.

The Eye of the Halestorm “I was down and out/ got up I said ‘Hey love I’ve had enough,’” Hale screams.

The Strange Case Of… progresses into emotional ballads like “Beautiful With Me,” and “In Your Room.” The piano segments in these songs promote a different sound for the band but interlock with the message of self-acceptance woven into the lyrics and Hale’s flexible vocal cords.

Courtesy of Atlantic

Artist: Halestorm Album: The Strange Case Of… Release Date: April 10 Label: Atlantic Records Grade: AFELICIA HUNT Staff Writer Pennsylvanian metal quartet Halestorm has unleashed their sophomore effort, The Strange Case Of…, to the world after the success of their 2009 self-titled debut. The 12-track disc flaunts the band’s ability to travel through the spectrum of rock music and even push past the genre.

The Strange Case Of… is an ode to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as it capitalizes on lead singer Elizabeth “Lzzy” Hale’s ability to feature a gritty powerhouse voice on one track while switching to a more vulnerable sound on others.

A vocal count in and guitar intro open the album on “Love Bites [So Do I],” a track that showcases Hale’s ability to challenge the male dominated metal scene with hard-hitting growls and vengeful lyrics.

In “Rock Show,” the band uses cymbals to cascade over guitar riffs, igniting memories for those with pasts as concert junkies. Listeners will relive the adrenaline of crowd surfing and belting out their favorite lyrics in the front row throughout this track.

While the album progresses smoothly, “American Boys” fails to impress with its country twang. The song grows on listeners, however – it conjures images of riding country roads on a motorcycle with a lover and watching a boy walk past in his Levi jeans.

The closing track, “Here’s to Us,” has been featured on Glee with heavy editing. The original features explicit lyrics, which add to the power of the song.

“Here's to us/Here's to love/All the times that we f***ed up,” Hale sings.

The careful addition of ballads to the album is a tribute to Halestorm’s growth. Passionate lyrics and instrumentals prove that Halestorm’s creative well has not run dry and their mark in the metal scene won’t quickly fade. When the final note ends, new fans and veterans alike will find themselves hitting play once again.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

“Teri (Rueb) is a fantastic artist and an extremely generous instructor…Teri helps students navigate the process of research, writing, and creating so that one mode of thinking informs the other – your research becomes lead by your artistic practice, and you make better work,” said Jessica Thompson, a former student of Rueb’s and MFA in Media Studies.

Rueb will return as a full-time professor in the fall semester.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

The Best of the Best in 2012:

Music (So Far)

Last year had plenty of hits while it was only a few months old. The Weeknd became an R&B sensation with the March release of House of Balloons, Nicki Minaj released summer-anthem “Super Bass,” and Adele’s 21 took the world by storm. It feels like this year might be following the same trend, as music lovers have already been treated to some quality releases. Here are The Spectrum’s picks for top albums and songs from the first quarter of 2012.

him spitting braggadocio, but the way he shoots the bull is what sets this album apart from this year’s other releases.

Sometimes he’s venomous and violent (“Raymond 1969”), while at other times he’s anthemic (“Hands on the Wheel” with A$AP Rocky). Schoolboy Q also shines when he decides to drop his hardened front with the listener, like when he laments on the betrayal of one of his closest friends (“My Homie”).

Albums: The Shins – Port of Morrow Chromatics – Kill for Love Nostalgia is supposed to evoke feelings of warmth and pleasure, not discomfort and dread. Chromatics ignore that convention with Kill for Love, an engrossing malaiseladen epic that may very well be their masterpiece.

Kill for Love’s mesmerizing layers caused by the brooding synths, the effects-driven guitar, and singer Ruth Radelet’s worldweary vocals make time seem meaningless.

Listeners will be gripped by the pristine production before it all comes crashing down in glorious fashion in the 14-minute epic “No Escape.”

Schoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions Schoolboy Q is not as good as Black Hippy group mate Kendrick Lamar, and Habits & Contradictions is not as solid as Lamar’s Section.80. A huge portion of the album has

The Shins aren’t the most progressive band out there, but what they do, they do right.

Port of Morrow has almost the same indie pop focus as their earlier records, but the familiar formula still works even though frontman James Mercer has been doing it for more than a decade. In fact, this may be The Shins’ best work to date. The album constantly switches melody and still finds some way to remain catchy. The instrumentals combined with Mercer’s signature songwriting ability make Port of Morrow worth the five-year wait.

Odd Future – The OF Tape Vol. 2 After a year of numerous solo releases, wild TV performances and the eventual return of their long lost brother, Earl Sweatshirt, Californian rap collective OF has undoubtedly had an amazing year. They dived into 2012 with their collaborative effort, The OF Tape Vol. 2, and continue to raise the bar for themselves as a group. Unexpected synths Continued on page 10

ubspectrum.com

Page 10

The Best of the Best in 2012: Games (So Far) With 2011 quickly becoming a fleeting memory in gamers’ minds, there’s plenty to look forward to in the coming quarters. From Blizzard’s return to role-playing glory with Diablo III and Ubisoft introducing an American assassin in early October, there’s plenty of hype to go around. While it’s too early to talk about Game of the Year, here’s a few controller-bound contenders that’s taken our systems by storm the last three months: Street Fighter x Tekken Seamlessly blending different dimensions is a difficult feat, but the fighting stick pros over at Capcom have mastered the sacred art. Applauded for its ability to break the genre’s mold, the game brought solace to both fight clubs and did so in a way that only a Yoshinori Ono game could. From gem-induced rampages to online royal rumbles, Capcom put serious pressure for its King of the Ring competitor Namco to deliver on its end of this fighting feud.

Mass Effect 3 Commander Shepard returns to put an end to the Reaper threat and woo some extraterrestrial babes Shatner style in Mass Effect 3. Despite mixed reactions about the ending from fans, there’s no denying that the first 95 percent of the game is a worthy successor to the series and one of the best games of 2012 thus far. Besides, BioWare has already announced a new/extended ending via free DLC. SSX While Western New York’s been slightly subpar in its snowfall this year, Buffalo boarders got to carve up

the slopes in EA’s fifth canon installment of the popular winter wonder.

Nostalgic, frenetic, and completely insane, the game showed aging gamers that SSX hasn’t hung up its coat yet, and while it didn’t quite live up to all the hype, it delivered enough heartpounding, white-knuckled action to tide fans over for another few years.

Plus, what better way to ring in spring is there than one more run down the game’s decidedly deadly mountainsides to a Run-DMC remix?

Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning After retiring from the realm of realworld sports, former Major League Baseball player Curt Schilling has found serious success in electronic entertainment with his attempt to dethrone the 2011 over-indulgent roleplaying ruler, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While Amalur didn’t entirely remove Bethesda’s crowning jewel from consoles for long, 38 Studios’ Todd Macfarlane and R.A. Salvatore produced title brought a new brand of open-world exploration to a stagnant market. For its innovative IP and ability to entrance the offline audience, Schilling’s Kingdom of Amalur is hopefully just the first in a long line of a Role-Playing renaissance.

Friday, April 13, 2012

The 2012 Playlist Wondering what the best music has been since the start of the new year?

Check out some of our top picks.

Japandroids – “The House That Heaven Built” Odd Future – “Oldie” Usher – “Climax” Daniel Rossen – “Saint Nothing” fun. – “We Are Young (featuring Janelle Monae)” Schoolboy Q – “Hands on the Wheel (featuring A$AP Rocky)” Chromatics – “Kill for Love” Train – “Drive By” Frank Ocean – “White” Rick Ross – “Stay Schemin’ (featuring Drake, French Montana)”

Continued from page 9: The Best of the Best in 2012: Music (So Far) and orchestral sounds lined tracks like “Ya Know” and “Analog 2” continuing OF’s trend of unorthodox rap. The highlight of the album is grand finale “Oldie,” which features a two-minute verse from Earl Sweatshirt, who was missing in action for most of OF’s time in the spotlight. fun. – Some Nights

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Tweet it! @UBSpectrum

From beginning to end, this album provides illustrious instrumentals and motivational lyrics to sustain it. The use of bold orchestral sections layered over lead singer Nate Ruess’ high-pitched voice truly provides an enjoyable listening experience. Each song provides a differing style, with a culmination of songs for listeners to turn to for lyrical inspiration, as well as the typical catchy indie pop album. The operatic, theatric, and dramatic instrumental and lyrical elements on this album makes it truly memorable and “fun.”

IN GROOVESHARK AS 2012 PLAYLIST

Continued from page 8: The Best of the Best in 2012: Movies (So Far)

Final Fantasy XIII-2

The Grey

When Final Fantasy XIII first hit the market, fans welcomed it with mixed reactions. Even though the game received mostly good reviews, the Internet became enraged, claiming the latest FF was too much like a “series of tubes.” It seems as though Square Enix was listening, though, because Final Fantasy XIII-2 made the world more open and tweaked the gameplay – XIII-2 not only looks like a dream, but handles like one too.

Now this is a movie. This film serves as a tribute to past survival-horrors like Jaws and Alien. Director Joe Carnahan (The A-Team) finally proves his worth, unlike in his mediocre action works like Smoking Aces. When a plane crashes in Alaska, only seven survivors remain to fight for their lives.

Amongst them is the hunter Ottway (Liam Neeson, Wrath of the Titans), who assumes command and attempts to lead the others to improbable safety against a pack of wolves. The film successfully evokes deathly suspense for nearly its entire runtime. The wolves are rarely ever seen. They could attack the characters at any time. The horror is created by this mounting suspense, rather than frantic moments that make the audience jump in shock. This film should be considered for a best picture nomination.

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Page 12

Continued from page 14: Welcome Back Baldock issuing a walk.

“I thought Mike had real good stuff today and he pitched ahead and stayed ahead,” Torgalski said. “He was around the strike zone; it was great to see him pitch well because he has struggled lately.”

Burke was able to mix up a lot of pitches to accommodate his fastball despite the cold and wet conditions, which allowed the defense to make easy plays behind him.

“I was feeling really good,” Burke said. “I always throw a lot of off-speed [pitches to] get guys to chase, and roll over on the ball.”

The Bulls also capitalized on the sloppy play of Canisius catcher Brooklyn Foster. In the bottom of the third, Murphy tested Foster’s arm and beat out an offline throw to second.

On the next pitch, Murphy got another great jump reaching third safely on another bad throw by Foster.

“We work on reading balls in the dirt and if a guy is not handling it well we are always looking to take advantage of it,” Torgalski said. “We want all the [players] to be aggressive and take advantage of those situations.”

Buffalo took advantage of the nine runs scored in the first two innings, and kept Canisius offense at bay all afternoon for an easy victory.

After Tuesday’s strong performance, the Bulls will look to put a winning streak together as they host Akron (13-15, 6-3 MAC) this weekend in a three-game set. The first game of the series will be played on Friday, with the first pitch coming at 3 p.m.

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Continued from page 14: NHL Playoffs Preview the second worst record among playoff teams over its last 10 games, and New Jersey won six straight to end the season. The two split the season series but Florida has the most overtime losses (18) in the league and is just four games over .500, while the Devils are 14 over.

Phoenix does have a 3-1 series lead in the regular season and both teams have just one regulation loss in their last 10 games. But Chicago still has the players that won it a cup in 2010. The Blackhawks also welcome back Jonathan Toews to the lineup after missing 22 games with concussion like symptoms.

The player that can make or break his team by himself: Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov – He is the most important player on any team in the playoffs. Even though they sent Mike Richards and Jeff Carter away, signing Bryzgalov made them a contender. They brought in Jaromír Jágr, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn to replace them but what they needed was a goalie after horrific goaltending in the last two playoffs. I said if they signed one more scorer they would be the outright favorite to win the cup. However, they didn’t. So if Bryzgalov plays “Humangus Big” the Flyers can make a deep run into the playoffs.

Predictions: The two best teams in hockey right now are the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins. Both have proven they can play without their big stars and still win. The Penguins are a playoff team without Sidney Crosby. With him they made up about 10 points in the standings and almost took over first place in the East from the Rangers, who have held it since December. The Canucks have done the same, as they finished the season 8-1, all without the help of last year’s scoring champion Daniel Sedin.

The teams have four of the top 10 players in the league between Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Sedins. To compliment their star-studded players they each have four complete lines and the most important position in playoff hockey, goaltending. Both Roberto Luongo and Marc-André Fleury have led their teams to the finals at least once.

Luongo was shaky last year but his experience should help get rid of his jitters.

I’m going to say Penguins over Canucks in six games with Malkin being named the playoff MVP for the second time in his career.

Teague hopes this kind of performance carries over as the Bulls will jump back into conference play this weekend.

“What I am looking for moving forward is just consistency,” Teague said.

“We need to keep [improving on] our defense, offense, and pitching like we did on Wednesday and continue to up our game in all of those areas. But consistency is the key this upcoming weekend.”

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Continued from page 14: Pay the Players!

Of course, detractors will tell you that these players make too much money anyway, and don’t need the extra cash. They will also say that you shouldn’t have to get paid to represent your country.

Let’s quickly dismiss the first point. So what if LeBron James makes about $13 million on his NBA contract? His deal with the Miami Heat has nothing to do with him playing for Team USA. They are two different entities – let’s treat it as such.

Now let’s tackle the issue of national pride and playing for your country. It is important to represent your country, and paying players to do that diminishes it in some way.

But guess what? It’s not 1988.

When FIBA and the Olympic committee allowed pros to play on the Olympic level, it changed the scope of the game. Companies like McDonald’s and Nike made money off of the original Dream Team because they realized the marketing potential these NBA players have on the international level.

Email: bryan.feiler@ubspectrum.com

Continued from page 14: Ward Hits For Cycle, Bulls Defeat Canisius coaching staff has continued to work with her on making critical adjustments and she was definitely effective in the win.”

Friday, April 13, 2012

The second game of the double-header against the Golden Griffins was cancelled and rescheduled due to inclement weather.

The Bulls hit the road this weekend for crucial conference matchups as the team looks for its second MAC win of the season. Buffalo will face Northern Illinois (16-21, 4-4 MAC) in a double-header on Friday and then face Western Michigan (18-14, 4-2 MAC) in a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

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Holding on to this childish dream of players playing for free is a joke, as other people make money off of their labor.

The same argument exists in college sports, where the exploitation is far worse. (But that’s another argument for another time.) It’s 2012, and in today’s sports world, Team USA is more of a brand, and a marketing venture than anything else.

I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s a business, and to think that these players should risk injury to partake in a business venture, especially if they aren’t getting paid for it, is ludicrous.

Maybe the companies that sponsor the team can pay the players.

A portion of the merchandising dollars for the apparel can be used as payment.

Perhaps because of image concerns, Wade has backed off from his recent comments, saying that pride motivates him more than any dollar amount. But the fact still remains – the business world views this as a marketing opportunity, so why can’t the players?

Email: nathaniel.smith@ubspectrum.com

Continued from page 14: For the Love of the Game Wade usually comes off as a pretty smart guy, so I’m actually shocked he would say something so stupid.

Here’s the thing, D-Wade: the American people don’t want to hear you complain that you feel you need to be compensated in order to represent us – in what most people view as an honor – on the world stage.

The man had a $230,000 McLaren sports car airlifted onto a hotel patio for his 30th birthday party on Jan. 17. I know people are always hungry for more money – but he’s clearly not hurting for it.

The Olympics are the pinnacle event in most sports – swimmers, gymnasts, and a host of others work their whole lives just for the two-week span of events.

If you think it’s a chore to participate, than maybe you shouldn’t be going.

If you don’t understand how important the event is, Dwayne, then don’t go – and maybe you should ask the friendly cashier at Home Depot how important it is for them.

Email: tyler.cady@ubspectrum.com

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Also see the crossword and Sudoku answers from last issue.

Crossword of the Day

ACROSS

1 City in Tuscany 6 Weapon in 1940s headlines

11 Hangman line

14 Take apart, nautically

15 Hindu "Mr." (Var.)

16 Humpback's kin

17 KISS

20 Winslet of "Titanic"

21 Gray of face

22 ___ fro

23 The Manning with the most Super Bowl wins

24 Alternatives to pumpernickels

25 Repeat from memory

26 One of Bing Crosby's labels

28 Arrival-board word

29 "Ben-Hur" author Wallace

30 "Low," to "high"

34 "Cash" add-on

35 KISS

37 Summa ___ laude

38 Raises

39 Bon __ (witty remark) Edited by Timothy E. Parker April 13, 2012

40 Consumer Reports lacks them THREE KISSES By Jill Pepper

Sudoku

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41 "10 ___ or less" (checkout line sign)

45 Hardly well-behaved

47 Edit menu choice

50 Use a machete

51 Traffic tie-up

52 "Come here often?" e.g.

53 Apology from an Indian seamstress?

54 KISS

57 First lady

58 Disposable stuff

59 "Lather, ___, repeat"

60 Acted as guide

61 Deity with goat's feet

62 Pear and apple, e.g.

DOWN 1 Used a straw 2 Use ones lungs 3 Titillating 4 "Have a ___ day!"

5 Something to give it?

6 Badmouth 7 Ancient Roman gathering places 8 "... love, honor and ___" 9 "Because I said so" sayer 10 Baby slipper 11 Attacked violently 12 Go back in 13 Basement problem 18 ___ an egg (flop) 19 "1001 Nights" bird 24 "Atlas Shrugged" author 25 Afro-Cuban dance 27 Cool as a cucumber 28 "Coach" actor Jerry Van ___ 31 Adrian Monk's wife on "Monk" 32 "Clumsy me!"

33 Big ATM maker 34 "Meet Me ___ Louis" 35 Extremely offended 36 Bone-dry 37 Be in cahoots 39 Clam's cousin 40 Permits 42 "Seinfeld" lady 43 Exuding gloom 44 Backbones 46 Banquet dispenser 47 Grant's bill 48 Derive by reasoning 49 Alumni newsletter word 52 Worst place in the standings 53 Affect emotionally 55 "Airplane Flying Handbook" org.

56 Old component of some TVs

FriDay, APRIL 13 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Inspiration may be lacking, but you can still do a good job and be proud of the fact that you did not give in to any kind of malaise.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Your thoughts are likely to be taken up by a situation you only accidently came upon during your daily routine. Why is it such a concern?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You may be picking up where someone else left off -- but you can surely bring your own unique ideas to the process.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21 The difference between what is possible and what is impossible may be as simple as timing -- or being accessible to a stroke of luck.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You can avoid all kinds of negativity today -- but what is more difficult is avoiding being negative yourself.

Practice saying positive things!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Trust is an issue today as you become engaged in something that requires you to work closely with someone you know only a little.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You can take on more today only if you first dispense with one or two responsibilities that another can take care of for you. Know your limits.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You may have a chance to show just how ready you are to do certain things that others are not willing to do yet.

You'll be leading the way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Money matters cannot be ignored today -- though things may not be quite as bad as you had at first supposed.

Pressure is easing slightly.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You will be just daring and cheeky enough today to cross a line in the sand drawn by someone else. Make sure the challenge is all in fun!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) It's a good day to throw yourself into something without a lot of preparation or forethought. The stars will be smiling upon you!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Your view of the future may be obscured somewhat today as your attention is drawn to a situation in which a loved one becomes immersed.

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ubspectrum.com

Page 14

Friday, April 13, 2012

Welcome Back Baldock

Bulls end nine-game skid with the return of junior first baseman.

JOE KONZE JR Staff Writer

spectrum file photo

Watt Makes his Presence Felt TYLER CADY Senior Sports Editor Mitchell Watt has spent the 2011-12 season turning heads in nearly every venue he’s played in.

The senior forward hopes to do the same to NBA scouts this week in Portsmouth, Va. Watt is participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week, which is an invite-only event put on annually to showcase the talent of some of the best players in the country.

In his first contest on Wednseday night, Watt played a team high 33 minutes and racked up an impressive stat line of 11 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 1 assist.

Watt’s team, the Norfolk Sports Club, fell to Portsmouth Sports Club 88-76 in the Tournament’s opener.

Portsmouth Sports Club was highlighted by Florida guard Erving Walker, but was led by 27 points from Kevin Murphey of Tennesee Tech.

Watt’s next game will take place on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

The baseball team has been struggling, but got the boost it needed as junior first baseman Alex Baldock hit an RBI single in his first at-bat after missing 22 games with a wrist injury.

The Bulls (8-19, 1-7 Mid-American Conference) put up a five-run first inning against Canisus (17-18) on Tuesday en route to 13-4 win. The win snaps Buffalo’s nine-game losing streak.

Baldock took advantage of his first game back by plating the Bulls’ first run of the game.

“The hand still bothers him a little bit,” said head coach Ron Torgalski. “[However,] the last couple times in batting practice he’s looked good, he said it felt good so I wanted to get him in before this weekend.”

The excitement of Baldock’s return would power the offense, as his single would start a streak of four consecutive hits and an error to finish off the big inning.

“It’s what we’ve been talking about,” Torgalski said. “It’s just coming out and being aggressive.

They left some balls up and we took advantage of it. It was positive to jump on them and score runs early.”

Junior catcher Tom Murphy has been struggling lately and Torgalski moved from No. 3 in the batting order to No. 4, switching places with senior right fielder Dan Scahill. Murphy responded with two hits and a pair of RBI’s.

Solyi Lee /// The Spectrum The baseball team snapped its nine game losing streak on Tuesday with an offensive explosion.

“[Murphy] is a great hitter, and he’s struggled the past couple of weekends,” Torgalski said.

“He’s continued to improve; it was good to see him hit the ball hard.”

After getting out of a jam after allowing one run in the first inning, sophomore starting pitcher Michael Burke threw six scoreless inning while only allowing one hit over that time. Burke also had great control as he struck out seven without Continued on page 12

Ward Hits For Cycle, Bulls Defeat Canisius total of 16 hits including five players with multiple hits. Freshmen catcher Alexis Curtiss, sophomore shortstop Tori Pettine and senior designated hitter Kristin Waldron each had two hits for the Bulls while freshmen left fielder Karly Nevez added a career-best three hits.

BRAD PARKER Staff Reporter The softball team lost its last 10 games and needed a player to step up to end the skid. That player was junior third baseman Alyssa Ward.

Ward hit for the cycle on Tuesday to propel Buffalo (9-20, 1-6 MidAmerican Conference) to a 10-4 win over Canisius (9-22) by going 4-for-5 from the plate tallying six RBIs. Ward’s four hits for the day made her the third player in team history to record four hits in one game. Her two-run homer was her third of the season and provided a 7-2 advantage for the Bulls entering the seventh and final inning of play.

NHL Playoffs

Preview BRYAN FEILER Sports Editor

The flowers are blooming and April showers are upon us. That means it’s the best time of the year: playoff hockey time. There was already drama on the first night. So here is a preview for the remainder of the playoffs.

Best first round matchup: No. 4 Penguins and No. 5 Flyers – The Keystone State rivalry is sure to be a series full of scoring, fighting and drama. In the last meeting of the regular season, Flyers’ head coach Peter Laviolette was standing on the boards screaming at the Penguins coaching staff because the game got out of hand. The Pens’ were sent out and a line brawl ensued. The series did not take long to provide some dramatics, as the Flyers overcame a 3-0 first period deficit to win 4-3 in overtime in game one. I will take Penguins in six games in this one.

Upset alerts: No. 6 New Jersery over No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Chicago over No. 3 Phoenix – Not sure if they can really be called upsets because both lower seeds have more points in these matchups. But both three seeds are vulnerable. Florida has Continued on page 12

“Alyssa and I didn’t even know she hit for the cycle until after the game,” said head coach Jennifer

“Obviously it was good to get a win finally,” Teague said. “Our pitching, defense, and confidence finally came together – something this team can do all the time.”

Qing Zhang /// The Spectrum Buffalo centerfielder Holly Luciano takes a cut during Wednesday’s game

at Canisius. A cycle by Alyssa Ward helped the Bulls win 10-2.

Teague. “She has been hitting the ball really well and has been continuing to make adjustments when needed. It was even more impressive in the manner that she did it by hitting a triple first then got her double, followed by a home run,

and lastly a single.”

The 10-run effort was the Bulls’ second highest scoring performance on the season as the team received stellar hitting all around the batting order. Buffalo racked up a

Sophomore pitcher Tori Speckman came up big for the Bulls, as she gathered her seventh win of the season. Speckman pitched the entire game and only allowed two runs while striking out eight batters and walking only three.

“Tori Speckman threw a great game for us,” Teague said. “The Continued on page 12

For the Love of the Game TYLER CADY Senior Sports Editor

The “Dream Team” at the 2012 Olympics will be called the “Green Team” if Dwayne Wade has anything to say about it.

On Wednesday, Wade stated that he thinks athletes should be monetarily compensated for their participation in the Olympic games.

The Olympics are widely made up of amateur athletes who have to make due, improvise, and work odd or part time jobs in order to finance their training and participation in the games.

For 16 years, Home Depot employed athletes part-time with flexible scheduling to give them the opportunity to train. The program ended in 2010 because of what the company cites as “economic issues,” but in that time it managed to employ over 600 American athletes who won 145 medals.

Pay the Players!

NATHANIEL SMITH Sports Editor

I’m sure none of those 600-plus athletes want to hear Dwayne Wade – who will make nearly $16 million this year prior to endorsements – complain about needing to be paid to compete on behalf of his country.

Yes this is America, home of the opportunist, but the Olympics aren’t the place to finance a new beach house Dwayne.

I actually have no problem with him wishing he was paid – I mean he gets paid $1 million for every six basketball games he plays under the current structure of his NBA contract. Like it or not, this is his job, and he is performing the same duties pro bono during the Olympics.

My problem is that he said it.

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When I heard the comments made

by NBA stars Dwayne Wade and Ray Allen that the Olympic players need to be paid for their services, I was shocked.

I was shocked that they aren’t paid already.

The fact of the matter is that these guys need to be paid something for their services. The physical toll that these players go through and the chance for injury is cause enough for them to be compensated for their labor.

Let’s look at this in terms of the players on a physical scale. Most of these guys that are Olympians play long seasons. With the normal 82game schedule and playoffs, these players will play around 100 games a year. Most players go home right after their seasons for two months to relax, because the six to seven

months of basketball can be taxing on a body.

In an Olympic year, however, after the season is over in June, players only get about a week off, and then immediately get ready for Olympic training. The Olympics last about a month, and the gold medal game is slated for Aug. 12 this year, which means players only have about a month to get ready for training camp.

Now that type of stress may not bother a guy like Kevin Durant or Dwight Howard, guys who have little to worry about in terms of heath or age. But what about a guy like Allen, who is well past the twilight of his career? Or Kobe Bryant, who not only has tons of miles on his NBA odometer, but is also recovering from various injuries? What if something happens to him at the Olympics? You think Laker fans and the front office will be happy?

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