Men’s basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon fired.
Full story, Page 30 Staff reaction, Pages 24, 25 Reggie through the years in photos, Pages 18, 19
ubspectrum.com
HOUSING ISSUE, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013
Volume 62 No. 62
HOME IS WHERE YOU MAKE IT Eddie Montesdeoca became homeless when he lost his RA position. He spent several nights sleeping on the couches in Capen. Over those three months, he was forced to adjust his finances, appetite and outlook on life to suit his new situation. Photo by
Satsuki aoi, THE SPECTRUM
Courtesy of Matt Schaff
Kendrick Lamar - fresh off his critically lauded album, good kid, m.A.A.d city - is headlining this year's Spring Fest on April 14.
Vibes and hip-hop for Spring Fest Spring Fest lineup confirmed ELVA AGUILAR
Senior Arts Editor
After a short period of speculation, the Student Association has confirmed two headliners for Spring Fest 2013. Rapper Kendrick Lamar and electro-house musician/DJ Steve Aoki will perform at the annual event on April 14 at Baird Point as part of the Karmaloop presents Campus Verge tour. Aoki was a highly requested act for this year’s concert and the coincidence that he would be touring along with Lamar was beneficial, according to Cory Riskin, talent coordinator for SA. The usual Spring Fest talent budget ranges from $150,000-$200,000, according to SA Entertainment Coordinator Marc Rosenblitt, and because Aoki and Lamar are touring together, SA remains well below its talent budget and plans to use the remaining money to book supporting artists. Despite rumors that post-R&B group Bad Rabbits and alternative rock band 5 & A Dime would be joining Lamar and Aoki, the supporting acts for Spring Fest have not been announced. Spring Fest 2012, which featured rappers Rick Ross, Fabolous, New Boyz and Tyga, attracted an audience of approximately 5,000 – almost the maximum capacity for Alumni Arena. Last semester’s Fall Fest brought 7,100 people to Baird Point for rappers French Montana, Childish Gambino and J. Cole, according to SA Communication Director Ned Semoff. Despite the influx of rap acts in the past two fests, the student reaction to the partial lineup has been positive. Rosenblitt believes the balance in music genres between Lamar, Aoki and Bob Dylan within the threeweek period at UB will keep the community content. “Normally we get negative feedback by somebody at some point by now and I have yet to get one email saying, ‘Hey, we’re not happy about this,’” Rosenblitt said. “I think we’re finally making as many people happy as we possibly can at once.” Junior nursing major Clayrys Tavarez is one of many students excited for Lamar and believes students put off by the lineup should attend for the positive atmosphere and festivities. SEE spring fest, PAGE 5
Fired RA spends three months crashing around Capen, Student Union and dorm floors
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SAM FERNANDO
Asst. News Editor
I was pretty much a man without a house.
For three months last spring, Eddie Montesdeoca was homeless. His friends’ floors were his bed. Alumni Arena’s showers were his bathroom. The Commons was his kitchen. North Campus was his living room. He proved it’s possible to live on campus without actually living on campus. After being fired from his position as a resident advisor (RA) in Wilkeson Hall, he was left roomless. Montesdeoca, a junior political science major, spent the rest of the semester without a home in Buffalo. He was forced to adjust his finances, appetite and outlook on life to suit his new situation.
“It put everything into perspective now,” Montesdeoca said. “I mean, I was f**king homeless. Having a crappy schedule or having to wake up for an early class or not getting into a class you wanted – all that means nothing. [My experience] now makes me happy for what I have.” Montesdeoca found himself sleeping in Capen Hall and the Student Union (SU), eating one meal a day but steadily increasing his GPA. He admits not doing his job properly and said UB had “every right” to fire him. The university gave him the option to stay in his dorm and pay the full semester’s price of the room or move out. He couldn’t afford it, so he packed his bags. Montesdeoca had two weeks to move out of his room – plenty of time to pack but not enough
to find a place to live, he said. Because of his financial situation, he chose to rotate between several friends’ apartments, sleeping on their couches and floors. “I was pretty much a man without a house,” Montesdeoca said. “When I woke up, I would have no idea where I was staying that night.” He didn’t immediately let his friends know what was going on. Instead, he would find new excuses to tell them. “I never really wanted to explain the story of being homeless to my friends because it’s really embarrassing,” Montesdeoca said. “I would ask a friend if I could crash on the floor because I was really tired and didn’t want to go back to my dorm. They would usually say ‘yes.’” SEE HOMELESS RA, PAGE 5
Young residents ‘count down the days’ to move out of the Heights Students complain about housing and crime; landlord gives his perspective LISA KHOURY
Senior News Editor
Daniel Brody was sitting on his toilet when a liquid from the upstairs bathroom began leaking on his head. He hopes it was just water. It took his landlord about a week to fix the leak, he said. Landlord issues are just one of the problems students experience in the University Heights. Many want out.
20-30%
of issues brought to Shonn from the Heights are regarding security deposits and leases. Others include repair problems and code violations landlords promise to fix.
In 2012, 26 percent of issues brought to Sub-Board, Inc., were landlord and tenant issues. Daniel Shonn, an SBI legal assistance attorney, said 60 percent of all issues students bring to him are from
Inside
those who live in the Heights. Brody’s landlord, who asked to remain anonymous and refused to tell The Spectrum how many homes he owns, said a lot of his tenants’ problems stem from students misunderstanding and miscommunicating with their landlords. He said Brody and his seven roommates don’t treat their West Northrup home with respect. Still, parents are worried about their kids who live in the Heights – not just in the houses but also with the area’s frequent burglaries and crime. Brody’s physical housing issues and his landlord’s perspective Brody, a junior business major, and his seven housemates said their landlord promised renovations like installing a security system and a new dishwasher and never followed through. They said they frequently call or text him with complaints about leaking pipes and inconsistent electricity, and he takes at least a week to respond. They said they are all moving out of their three-story home after this semester because of him. SEE Heights issues, PAGE 4
photos by Nick Fischetti, The Spectrum
Dylan Jaloza (left), a sophomore accounting major, stands next to a washing machine that his landlord recently bought and said is new. It has neon green graffiti on the side. Jaloza's landlord's handy man removed mold on the ceiling by cutting a hole (bottom). He won't fill it until winter is over. Jaloza's third-floor West Northrup apartment frequently has low water pressure, and he couldn't shower on Monday morning (top).
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