VOL. 69 NO. 28 | FEBRUARY 3, 2020
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
Letter from SA President Yousouf Amolegbe
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Student Association president indefinitely suspended for alleged conflict-of-interest violations SA president says Board of Directors suspended him for affiliation with DJs, says board ‘colluded’ ALEXANDRA MOYEN, JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA SENIOR NEWS EDITORS
sented a report of the investigation to the BOD on Dec. 6, during its final meeting of the fall semester. The board authorized the investigation on Nov. 20. Amolegbe said he completed all of the board’s recommendations following the investigation, and said he will fight the suspension but is still deciding what actions he will take. Now, Georgia Hulbert, SA vice president, and Kendra Harris, SA treasurer,
will take over some presidential responsibilities, however, due to SA bylaws, other responsibilities can only be completed by the president. SA’s BOD did not tell The Spectrum the specific bylaws RAGO’s investigation found Amolegbe guilty of violating. Amolegbe said RAGO –– a five-person committee consisting of BOD members
SEE PRESIDENT The Student Association’s Board of DiPAGE 2 rectors voted to suspend SA President Yousouf Amolegbe on Friday. The vote came after SA’s Rules, Administration and Government Oversight Committee (RAGO) found Amolegbe guilty of nine SA policy violations, including alleged conflict-of-interest violations concerning his role as co-CEO of entertainment company RAGE Boyz, according to Amolegbe. Twelve BOD members voted to suspend Amolegbe, one voted against suspension and four abstained after roughly 40 minutes of deliberation, according to Hayden Gise, BOD chairperson. The shubh Jain | The SpecTrum Spectrum was not present for yousouf aMolegBe (Center) after Winning the sa eleCtion last year. aMolegBe has Been indefinitely susPended By the vote. RAGO initially pre- the Board of direCtors friday night.
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Friday crash leaves five students injured, two critically injured, as of Saturday Amherst Police Department investigating crash BRENTON J. BLANCHET, JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Five students were injured, two critically injured, as of Saturday morning following a Friday night car collision on Sheridan Drive near Sweet Home Road, according to Amherst Police. A 20-year-old student from Centereach, NY was driving a 2012 Chevrolet when the vehicle and an Amherst Police vehicle collided shortly before midnight, according to the Amherst Police. UB spokesperson Cory Nealon says Amherst Police is investigating the collision. “A representative from the university is at Erie County Medical Center, where the five students were taken for treatment,” Nealon wrote in an email statement. “UB officials are in contact with the students’ families, and are providing whatever assistance is needed.” The Spectrum could not reach an ECMC SEE CRASH PAGE 2
Future of Asian Studies Program uncertain following director’s resignation Students, faculty fear ASP will dissolve with one full-time faculty member, College of Arts and Sciences to evaluate program’s structure, enrollment JACKLYN WALTERS MANAGING EDITOR
Students and faculty are concerned for the future of UB’s Asian Studies Program following Walter Hakala’s Dec. 10 resignation as director. Many said they feel College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robin Schulze is to blame. On Dec. 10, Hakala, an associate professor in the English department, submitted his letter of resignation to Schulze, citing a lack of staff and the administration’s failure “to recognize the importance of the program” as main factors for stepping down. Now, students and faculty worry the program will dissipate as it has only one full-time faculty member. Schulze wrote in an email that CAS is committed to the program and the opportunities it provides students. She said the college is evaluating how to enhance student interest in ASP, as well as its enrollment, structure and faculty engagement. The program filled 312 of 316 class seats last semester (in the past, it offered only 100 seats). Still, fewer than 30 students major in Asian Studies at UB annually, according to Schulze. In 2018, faculty from the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill conducted an external review of the program and said they were “impressed” by the program and considered ASP “vibrant.” Hakala said
many Fulbright scholars have taken Asian Studies courses and Mark Nathan, cochair of the Asian Studies Advisory Council, said a large number of Fulbright scholars not only took ASP courses but were Hakala’s students. But in November, Caroline Funk left her position as Hakala’s assistant to become associate director of UB’s Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, and the role has remained unfilled since. Hakala said he hopes the program can return to its previous state in order to survive. “We could be so much more,” Hakala said. “There’s so much potential here. Our
students know it, external reviewers know it, the faculty know it. What I just am so confused about is why doesn’t the dean understand it.” Schulze said CAS will assess the program’s structure following Hakala’s resignation. “We are always open to what can be improved upon to strengthen the experience of our students,” Schulze wrote. “With the change in the director position and staff, we will be evaluating the organizational structure that will best serve our students and are taking a look at how to enhance the quality of the courses and how to best support the program moving forward.”
Courtesy of Jonathan bessette (left to right standing) Walter hakala, aleXander Covert, eriC niBloCk. (left to right sitting) Jonathan Bessette, kayleigh haMernik, david tallents While on a January 2019 researCh triP in india.
Many students said they feel a disconnect between the program and Schulze’s office, which they say is causing ASP to “deteriorate.” “I don’t think we should dilute the issue here. [Schulze] has consistently refused every proposal [Hakala] has presented to her and there is no reason for her to do something like that,” Netra Mittal, a sophomore economics major, said. “This is a very profitable program. Clearly students find value in it. … This is something that students everywhere want.” ASP administrators said they feel a disconnect with CAS as well. Before her resignation, Funk prepared a list of her responsibilities for her potential replacement, which Hakala says the Dean’s office “didn’t believe.” “They couldn’t comprehend how much she was working on,” Hakala said. CAS found a candidate for a part-time assistant role, but Hakala worries the duties exceed a part-time position. But the program’s struggles started before Schulze’s appointment as dean. Kristin Stapleton, history professor and former ASP director, said running the program was “really great” for roughly six years. She said the program began regressing when the 2008 financial crisis hit and in 2011 when the new CAS Dean, Bruce Pitman, started “whittling away support.” Students and faculty now agree the program needs more faculty to survive. Stapleton helped create a plan to turn the program into a department which could have helped with this, she said, but the plan was never put into action. She feels the plan would have changed the program’s trajectory. “If there had been an Asian Studies DeSEE ASIAN STUDIES PAGE 2
2 | Monday, February 3 2020 PRESIDENT FROM PAGE 1
Jaycee Miller, Janiece Rosado, Zach Graham, Jacob Kobler and Eric Weinman –– investigated conflict-of-interest violations, including arranging a performance from DJ Mike West, co-CEO of RAGE Boyz, at Spring Fest 2019 when Amolegbe was SA event manager. SA booked West for $300 for the 2019 Afro-Caribbean Fall Fest but did not invite West to Spring Fest 2019; instead he appeared as a guest. Amolegbe said RAGO also cited him for “failing” to disclose RAGE Boyz as a conflict of interest, dealing with a booking agent which they claimed was associated with RAGE Boyz, “failing” to disclose DJ Wire as a RAGE Boyz “affiliate” and arranging a collaboration between SA and RAGE Boyz; where SA would have paid rapper Fivio Foreign $9,500 to perform at SA’s 2019 Trap Fest and at a RAGE Boyz event after. Amolegbe said he cancelled the event after recognizing it would be a conflict. “Everything they claimed was conflict of interest, I was pretty open about and I never tried to hide anything. I was pretty honest about everything that I did,” Amolegbe said. “They found me guilty of conflict of interest on so many things that were not accurate.” Gise said the BOD suspended Amolegbe to protect SA. “The reason that we needed to suspend [Amolegbe] is because he could cause more potential harm to the organization by staying,” Gise said. “It’s not that we are worried about [Amolegbe] in terms of the law.” Amolegbe denies all conflict-of-interest charges. He says SA hired West before his presidency and SA members knew of West’s association with Amolegbe. He says his CEO position at RAGE Boyz does not conflict with his SA position, and said the booking agent RAGO found to be associated with RAGE Boyz is not. Amolegbe also says RAGE Boyz is not affiliated with DJ Wire, who is “just a vendor” the company books. DJ Wire is an on-air personality for Power 93.7 WBLK and has been hired by SA for events since at least 2015, four
NEWS years before Amolegbe was elected as SA president, according to SA requisitions. “It’s very bogus that if you say because DJ Wire plays at my event, you’re saying he’s an affiliate,” Amolegbe said. “You might as well tell me that I have to list Wegmans and Amazon because RAGE Boyz buys the same things from Amazon as SA does. … They said DJ Mike West is also known to be a business partner of mine, which I decided to tell them. It was very public and everybody knew and even for the Fall Fest where he performed, I refrained myself from signing his [purchase order].” Amolegbe said he was “blindsided” by the suspension and believes the BOD “colluded” against him for personal reasons, as he was asked to leave the room during the vote. Amolegbe said he wasn’t given “due process” because discussing the investigation wasn’t on the BOD’s Friday agenda, but was included by one of the board members later on. “I can’t just come into a meeting thinking I’m going to pass a couple of resolutions and a budget adjustment and next thing you know, I’m at a suspension hearing,” Amolegbe said. “That makes no sense.” Amolegbe said if he knew the board was going to suspend him, he would’ve had his lawyer present. Gise said the BOD did not need to include the discussion on its agenda because members can add items at “any time” with a majority vote. A member motioned to consider the topic and enter discussion and the motion passed, according to Gise. According to the SA bylaws, Amolegbe can be reinstated with a 2/3 majority board vote. Now, Harris and Hulbert have to carry out all presidential tasks in addition to their roles, although some tasks cannot be completed by anyone other than the president such as hiring and firing staff, calling an executive committee meeting and sitting on university boards. Nobody involved in SA will be able to complete these responsibilities until the bylaws are amended. Hulbert wrote in an email that she and Harris will be able to approve contracts, SA and club expenditures and supervise
office staff. Hulbert voted for Amolegbe’s suspension, but said it should not disrupt SA operations. “While the outcome of Friday night was unfortunate, I am confident in our Student Association professional and student staff to continue all operations as usual,” Hulbert wrote. “As for myself, I will be working around the clock to ensure that students see as little disruption as possible and will continue executing our campaign agenda.” Hulbert declined to comment on why she voted for Amolegbe’s suspension. Harris voted against Amolegbe’s suspension, and wrote in an email that she feels an “immense” pressure to “overextend” herself in order to fulfill both roles, especially since the spring semester is typically the busiest for the treasurer. She said if the BOD wanted to suspend Amolegbe, it should have been when RAGO presented its report at the Dec. 6 meeting. “I believe it would have been in the best interest of the Student Association and the student body at large to suspend the president during a period that would not hinder the functions, programming and advocacy of the Student Association,” Harris wrote. “To suspend the president at the beginning of the semester does more harm than it does good for the organization as a whole.” Harris said the board asked Amolegbe questions which were “invasive” and “unrelated” to his violations. Harris also said errors “took place leading up to and surrounding the suspension,” and that during the questioning period, board members directed testimonies of “hearsay” toward Amolegbe while he wasn’t in the room to defend himself, which she believes further influenced the board’s decision. “I find it unethical that there was no discussion period surrounding the call for suspension, essentially stifling the voices of directors and their right to deliberation,” Harris wrote. “All in all, I believe the moments, questions and statements leading up to the suspension were incredibly biased and unethical and saturated in loose parliamentary procedure.” Email: news@ubspectrum.com
ubspectrum.com CRASH FROM PAGE 1
representative for an update on the students’ conditions Sunday morning. UB has not released the names of the students involved in the crash. Andrew Lauricella, a sophomore electrical engineering major, and Connor Bittlingmaier, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, witnessed the collision Friday night after their friend’s car broke down in a nearby McDonald’s parking lot. Lauricella wrote that he looked at the road after hearing a siren turn on and saw two police cruisers drive toward an intersection. He said he looked down for a “moment” before he heard a loud noise and looked back up to see one of cruisers and another car had collided. The crash occurred about five to seven seconds after the cruisers turned on their sirens, according to Lauricella. Lauricella wrote that the students’ car had a green light at the time, while the police cruisers had a red light. “It did not appear that the cruisers slowed down at the red light, which resulted in the severity of the crash. … I would imagine the [cruisers] were traveling at about 60 miles per hour,” Lauricella said. Bittlingmaier also wrote the police cruisers had a red light when they entered the intersection and the UB students had a green light. Bittlingmaier said the cruiser collided with the passenger side of the students’ car. After the crash, the police cruiser that wasn’t involved in the collision pulled to the side and the officer inside went to assist those involved in the crash “immediately,” according to Lauricella. The officer checked on the other police cruiser before checking on the students’ car, according to Bittlingmaier. Two ambulances, along with police cars and a fire truck, arrived roughly one minute after the crash, according to Lauricella. Bittlingmaier said the emergency services arrived “within two minutes.” Bittlingmaier wrote that it took approximately 20 minutes for emergency services to get the students out of the car. Amherst Police cannot confirm the witnesses’ accounts. This is a developing story. Email: news@ubspectrum.com
ASIAN STUDIES FROM PAGE 1
their major. “A lot of students that do come here and try and finish up their courses they ask, ‘What more can we do? What more can we take? Where’s the next step?’ And a lot of times the answer is there is no next step,” Jonathan Bessette, a senior mechanical engineering major, said. “You can’t do that here. You have to go somewhere else.” But students say the program is important, and many take Asian Studies courses to feel more connected with their culture. Mittal is an international student and has taken Asian Studies courses each semester. She said the courses help connect her with others who understand her “cultural roots.” “When you’re an international student, you kind of grapple with a sense of identity when you come to the U.S.,” Mittal said. “It’s really different and you kind of hold
your cultural roots in some way. And so in that way, [Asian Studies has] been helpful because I’ve known people who sort of understand where I come from.” Lulin Cao, a junior Asian Studies major, is an international student from China. She said ASP has helped her connect her interests with her experiences. “I’m primarily interested in sociology and anthropology. But every course’s main focus in those fields in the U.S. are America and Western countries. But I wanted to do something more related to my own country and to Asia.” Schulze said CAS’ evaluation will seek ways to increase student enrollment in Asian Studies courses and said “over the last four years, fewer than 30 students majored in Asian Studies annually.” “We look forward to sharing more with our students about the support for the
partment, there would have been a group of people who were completely committed to it. … And then, even more important, is that departments can create hiring priorities for new faculty hires and we were never able to do that,” Stapleton said. “So trying to keep a program together when you have no influence on the makeup of the faculty at UB, is difficult.” With only one full-time faculty member left, Amanda Kennell, ASP struggles to find professors to teach courses. Hakala said CAS rejected two new Asian Studies courses because ASP has no permanent faculty to teach them. Schulze said because ASP is a program rather than a department, it “must draw on the breadth of disciplines and the range of faculty with expertise in this area to deliver instruction.” “The Asian Studies Program is a multidisciplinary program built on the diverse research strengths of the more than 40 affiliated faculty members in the College and from academic units across the university,” Schulze wrote. “We plan to engage the faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and across UB to continue offering a truly interdisciplinary Asian Studies Program.” Students in various disciplines are worried about the program’s future, but Asian Studies majors are hit hardest by the program’s deficits. Some feel the program doesn’t offer enough diverse Asian Studies courses and some are left to take courses at other colleges and even in other counCourtesy of Rebecca Dingle tries to fulfill requirements for Presenters and organizers of 2019 Rustgi Undergraduate Conference on South Asia
Asian Studies Program in the coming months,” Schulze wrote. But without Hakala, students and faculty fear for the program’s future. Nathan worries not only for ASP, but that Hakala’s passion for Asian Studies will lead him away from UB entirely. “I’ve actually never seen another faculty [member] who devotes as much to mentoring undergraduate students as [Hakala] does,” Nathan said. “He’s serious when he says that he loves this. … My big fear is that we will lose [him] to some rival institution. He is a very respected, highly regarded scholar in his field, and really sought after and people are going to come looking for him if he [were to] decide, based on this, that his pastures would be greener elsewhere where people cared about what it is that he does and what he’s passionate about.” Hakala said “this place runs on passion, not on money.” And in his resignation letter, he wrote “It has been an honor to lead this program. I will miss it terribly.” “I was told by my colleagues [to] get rid of a line that I had in there about how this is the best job I’ve ever had because it makes me look too emotional about this,” Hakala said. “But I am. I’m in mourning for maybe losing my association with this thing that I love more than anything on campus and that I believe in more than anything on campus.” Students saw this passion, they say it drew them to the program; Mittal worries students may lose interest without it. “[Hakala] was kind of what drew us to this [program] to begin with,” Mittal said. “Like all of us here are here because of him. And now that he’s gone, I don’t really know who’s going to be that sort of force that gets people into it.” Email: Jacklyn.Walters@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @JacklynAWalters
OPINION
ubspectrum.com
Monday, February 3 2020 | 3
A letter from SA President Yousouf Amolegbe: This letter has not been edited for grammar. My fellow students, We’ve been failed by our own. Today I am writing to you all in great disappointment as I’ve been unjustly suspended indefinitely as the President of the University at Buffalo Student Association Inc. I would like to take this opportunity to explain and inform you of this unjust action. On November 22nd, I attended an SA Board of Directors meeting, where I learned I was being investigated for several alleged conflicts of interests. All of these alleged conflicts of interests involved my personal ventures as an event promoter, which they alleged conflicted with my role and responsibilities as your President. Over the course of the next few weeks, multiple meetings were held with several SA employees, SA Officers and myself. Finally, I met with the Rules and Government Oversight Committee for close to four hours to accurately and honestly discuss their concerns regarding potential conflicts of interests. The Committee put forward a final report, and although I strongly disagreed with their finds, I followed each of their recommendations. Upon returning from winter recess, on January 31st, I attended the SA Board of
Directors meeting. At that meeting, I was blindsided. A Board Member simply motioned to review old business and the Committee recommendations were brought back to the table. Although I followed all of the Committee’s recommendations, claims were again made regarding my personal ventures. These spurious claims included me ‘having my positions on both SA and RAGE Boyz in my Instagram bio’ or ‘putting together a charity event titled: Black Excellence Ball which was aimed at celebrating Black History Month and empowering Black leaders. The Board Members then subjectively claimed that I didn’t take seriously their request for me to meet with our counsel for a debriefing on our conflict of interest policy and update my conflict of interest form. The board then moved to suspend me on very false and inappropriate grounds. I strongly disagree with these inappropriate actions of the Board. During the course of the January 31st meeting, multiple Board Members called for recesses where they and SA Vice President Georgia Hulbert went outside the room to deliberate and collude on their plans to remove me from office. Furthermore, the motion was made without providing me any
notice. I was denied the opportunity to prepare or obtain legal counsel. This was simply a sneaky and diabolic approach at unjustly formulating a coup against me to satisfy some of the directors, coordinators and the vice president’s parochial benefits. This is an absolutely unjust, unfair and very great disappointment to not just myself, but the entire UB undergraduate student body. If this suspension stands, you will be left without a leader, without a supporter, without an advocate and most importantly without a voice. Multiple SA obligations will be hurt by this sanction; No hiring or removals can be done without the President, which means our media and marketing team can’t get their new photographers and videographers and all the Chief of Staff interviews have to be cancelled. SA is unable to make multiple By-Law amendments that bring us into compliance with NYS Not-For-Profit laws, no notice may be provided to our audit committee that our by-laws and state laws requires us to have. Our seat on the SUNY SA essentially becomes vacant, as no one else is instituted with the power in our By-Laws to delegate individuals to represent UB on a system-wide level. As President, I’ve dedicated myself
to the will and livelihood of our students. I’ve helped build SA right from the ground throughout the fiscal transitions and fought for the revival of many of the services SBI provided, fought hard for the different minority groups on our campus and for the need of representation through our faculty and staff (An initiative that was only pushed by myself and Treasurer Harris, to which Vice President Hulbert willingly neglected herself from), expanded multiple programming on our campus, expanded the fall fest concert series to become an event students finally appreciate, advocated for many clubs on the board in helping them grant supplemental funding, supporting individual students in times when they’re in distress and needed someone to talk to and instituted a mental health taskforce. Not a single individual on the board is required half the responsibilities the Student Associations puts on myself and Treasurer Harris and no one can confidently claim that we don’t do our jobs to the best of our ability. With that all being said, I want to reassure you all that I’ll be fighting this decision to the full extent of the law and I will not allow for this injustice to prevail. The students need a leader, the students need a voice. Yours Sincerely, Yousouf Amolegbe
Out with the fur, in with the scales Fish are much better pets than your whiskered pals
JUSTIN WOODMANCY STAFF WRITER
Fish are superior to cats and dogs in every way. I know you might disagree –– let me tell you why you’re wrong. Don’t you hate it when you come home to find your goldfish puked on the rug again? And isn’t it especially irksome when your betta fish’s incessant barking at 4 a.m. keeps you awake? Of course not. Because only cats and dogs do these awful things. In addition to soiling your floors and ruining your sleeping schedule, your furry friends inflict allergic reactions, break items around the house and rack up one heck of a bill throughout their lengthy lifetimes. Meanwhile, your aquatic angels rest peacefully and harmlessly in their aquarium. Fish, unlike their furry counterparts, don’t adhere to the rigid rules and restrictions of the mammal world. Fishkeeping yields a plethora of op-
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tions, sure to suit anyone’s preferences. You can choose from vibrant saltwater fish or earthy freshwater fish, pond fish or tropical fish, aggressive fish or community fish, the list goes on. With dogs, you essentially have the option for a brown one or a slightly larger and less brown one. With cats? Do you want one with fur or without fur? Seems a bit boring to me. I’m a man with taste who appreciates interesting options and possibilities, so obviously I prefer fish. But if you’re content with being simple and dull, then go ahead and stick with your mammals. Aquatic animals are also just better to look at in every way, too. With options like a mandarinfish, a discus, a lionfish, an ornate polypterus or a black ghost knife, that can all be kept in anyone’s home, it’s impossible to see why people would choose other options. Not to mention, feasting your eyes on your aquarium’s beauty doesn’t only provide countless hours of enjoyment, but it also benefits your health. Observing fish’s eloquent and alien-like motion through water is proven to help reduce stress and anxiety. This is why doctor’s offices often feature large aquariums. At any rate though, watching fish is sure to be more pleasurable and healthier than watching your cat lick its genitals for 12 minutes. Owning a dog or a cat is stressful, and no one needs to add more stress to their already busy life. You’ve got to remember to feed them, walk them, take them outside so they don’t poop on your floor, change their litter boxes, groom them, play with them and even make arrangements
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for someone to take care of them if you plan to leave your house for more than 24 hours. Sure, with fish there are similar, but still less taxing, responsibilities to avoid neglecting your pet. You’ll have to populate the aquarium with plants, rocks and other decor, for both form and function, as well as perform routine water changes. But the latter chore takes mere minutes to complete, and decorating –– or aquascaping, as hobbyists call it –– is one of the best parts of fishkeeping. You’re able to create an entire world of your own, shaping it and maintaining it like a zen garden inhabited by all of the fish of your choosing. It is a wonderful feeling. Fish are also inexpensive in comparison to the massive money pit that is cat or dog ownership. Yes, there is the sunk cost of purchasing the tank, tank stand, lighting, filtration, decor, food, water treatments and of course the fish. But if you opt for a modest setup of a 30-gallon aquarium, you’ll spend, at most, $350 or $400. After that initial investment though, it can cost just $150 a year to keep your fish happy and healthy, according to Geico Living. That’s just $12.50 a month, a bargain. So, what does it cost to own a cat or a dog? Well, you’d better open up your wallet for that. And you’d better open it up nice and wide, too. If you buy from a respected breeder, the average puppy will run you $300-1,500, depending on how posh you want your fluffy friend to be. Annually, that dog will suck over $1,000 from you, according to Geico Living.
The feline figures don’t improve much, either. A purebred kitten will run you $300-1,200. Again, that price difference is depending on how much better you want your cat to be than your neighbor’s. Geico Living states that you’ll drop an annual $900 on your cat from food, medical bills, kenneling, toys and whatever else you may need. Roughly $15,000 for an animal that will inevitably cough up a hairball on your bed. What a waste. Finally, to address the elephant in the room, cats and dogs die. After being a member of the family for many years, one day your pet will die and everyone will be an emotional mess. Now, I am not implying that fish are immortal. That would be silly. Fish die too, but that experience is quite different. Maybe you’ll shed a tear or two while you flush Bubbles the goldfish down the toilet, but that’s it. No moping for months. No paying for a costly cremation. And no emotionally scarred children abruptly confronted with the idea of death. With a fish, you can go pick up another tiger barb or two for $3 a pop and the world keeps on spinning. It is about time fish and aquariums get the respect and adoration they deserve from the pet fandom. For too long they have been outshined by the gleam of funny cat videos and boop-snootin’ pups. But the feline and canine reign of terror is over. So just accept the fact that fish are better pets than cats and dogs, and be on the correct side of history and give in to our glorious gilled overlords. Email: Opinion@UBSpectrum.com
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FEATURES
4 | Monday, February 3 2020
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Behind-the-scenes with John Fiege: DMS professor and filmmaker advocates for the environment VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI SENIOR MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
John Fiege has been pepper sprayed by police and has watched environmental activists chain themselves to the bottom of a truck. But Fiege isn’t an activist. He’s an award-winning filmmaker. His documentaries –– which he creates to educate the public about social and environmental struggles –– focus on climate change, environmental injustice and culture, and highlight his passion for environmental conservation. They’ve been screened at international film festivals, including Sundance, SXSW and Cannes, and have brought home prizes. But they don’t always pay the bills and selling and marketing them can be wearing. Fiege says a decade of working commercial projects to fund his independent documentaries left him drained and frustrated. “It was a hard balance and one of the reasons I’m here in Buffalo is I got really exhausted by that,” he said. Fiege, 44, joined UB’s Department of Media Study as a professor last semester after working part time at the University of Texas between 2003 and 2017. He enjoys the first-hand impact he has on students and likes to use his films as teaching tools. He also offers hands-on experience and incentives by using his classes to recruit students for his projects. He encourages students to watch and analyze a lot of films as a tool to develop a direction for their own work and says he teaches his students the way he films. “John is exactly what the media study department needed,” said Glenn Kicman, a senior media study major. “… He’s very knowledgeable and most importantly very approachable. He makes every class feel
like a master class.” Both in and outside of the classroom, Fiege is warm, down-to-earth and open to sharing his experiences and knowledge. He dresses casually, in a sweatshirt and a denim jacket and his office has ideas for scenes written on index cards stuck to the wall. It’s also filled with equipment and computers equipped to edit his expansive library of footage. With his own work, Fiege finds his stories in people. He is observant, empathetic and looks for moments of struggle and change. “I start a project with an interest in a broad idea. But once I find that character who can carry the film, then I kind of let go a little bit in terms of what I’m intending for the film. And at that point, I’m just telling the story, no matter what happens.” Fiege’s producer Christopher Lucas says working on social documentary is a “labor of love;” a labor Fiege is able to provide. “From the time I first met [Fiege], I saw he had a unique combination of skills and talents and I was really pleased to get to work with him, to learn from him and help him achieve his work and dedication to his subject,” Lucas said. His interests in environmental issues and art came to him at different points in his life. Fiege loved art and film as a child, and made films in high school as a hobby. But, as a young adult during the Cold War, he didn’t think a career in the arts was an option. “Everything was about science, [and] ‘We need to beat the Soviets,’” Fiege said. “I feel like the culture was telling me science was legitimate and the humanities and arts aren’t really necessary.” A seventh-grade trip to a bird reserve, where he found out about the decline in bird population due to pesticides, sparked Fiege’s interest in environmental issues. He later decided to study science, earning
Vindhya Burugupalli | The Spectrum DMS professor and filmmaker John Fiege in his office in the Center for the Arts.
a bachelor’s in geology at Carleton College in Minnesota and a master’s in environmental history and cultural geography from Penn State. But his “pressing need to communicate with a broader audience around these [environmental] issues,” led him to pursue filmmaking. “The problem isn’t science, we figured out the science,” Fiege said. “The problem is figuring out how to communicate the weight of this problem to a larger audience.” So, he went back to school at the University of Texas, Austin to pursue a master’s in film in 2004. While he was in film school, his short film “Bebe” won a Kodak Award and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He went on to win Best North American Documentary in the Global Visions Film Festival and a special jury prize at the Dallas International Film Festival in 2014, among others. But he says his exposure to the films at Cannes inspired him. He realized the capacity of social documentaries to be “a vibrant art form” and strives to emulate that. Working in the film industry hasn’t been easy after college, though. The industry, he said, is tainted by celebrity culture, money and business. Romantic comedies, action and horror films and even porn bring in money. Films about the environment usually do not. “Things about problems in the world are not what people are often looking to see,” he said. “The industry creates what the audience wants, and doesn’t care about social issues.” Fiege’s 2014 film, “Above All Else,” focuses on the controversy and activism surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline by TransCanada, which was built to transport Alberta tar from Canada into Texas.
He was inspired to pursue the project after over 1,000 protesters were arrested outside the White House for protesting the pipeline’s construction. Fiege lived in Texas at the time, and said the pipeline was the “biggest environmental issue in the country.” To film the documentary, Fiege followed activists who often broke the law. He has filmed protestors who chained themselves to the bottom of a truck, tree sat and tree hugged. He focused the story on David Daniel, who was losing his land to the pipeline. Fiege had to consult with lawyers and “skirt around the law to” make sure he wouldn’t get arrested or have his footage seized. Fiege is currently working on “Raising Aniya,” a film which explores the issues of environmental justice, environmental racism and the impacts of oil in the Gulf Coast. Aniya, a dancer displaced from the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey, encountered the effects of climate change and environmental injustice and Fiege decided to use dance and poetry to showcase her experience. Adam Rome, professor of Environment and Sustainability at UB, was Fiege’s graduate advisor at Penn State. Rome served as an adviser on his film “Above All Else,” and is now working on “Raising Aniya.” “He immerses you in the lives of people facing hardship. You feel the heat, and you hear the wind moving through the trees. Though John never preaches, his films put you in the frontlines of social and environmental struggle,” Rome said. Fiege has begun to expand his repertoire with photography and art installations, hoping that the medium makes just as much of an impact as his documentaries. “I’m hoping to create a bigger footprint with my work through media,” Fiege said. Email: vindhya.burugupalli@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @moonhorizon__
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Monday, February 3 2020 | 5
Destroyer’s ‘Have We Met’ is confident, yet awkward synthpop The band’s 12th studio album is heavily flawed despite shining moments and consistent sound ALEX WHETHAM SENIOR ARTS EDITOR
Album: “Have We Met” Artist: Destroyer Label: Merge Release Date: Jan. 31 Rating: 6/10 It feels like an eternity since Destroyer released its sophisti-pop masterpiece “Kaputt”. The soft, crooning and poetic stylings of the album were seemingly at odds with the rest of the music scene; a time when LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” was dominating the pop charts and groups like the Black Keys and Bon Iver were just bursting onto the alternative music scene. Since then, Destroyer’s introspective approach to music has only become more reminiscent of the mainstream, which saw itself becoming more downtrodden, anxious, slow and influenced by the digital production of the 1980s. Destroyer, which is masterminded by singer Dan Bejar, seemed to have a chance to solidify itself in the mainstream with “Have We Met,” but that isn’t the case. From a production standpoint, the album is characterized by highly-digital sounds. There are no real drums to be found and other than Bejar’s vocals and the occasional guitar or bass, the record is completely dominated by retro-sounding drum machines and synthesizers. More than anything else, “Have We Met” is a full-blown synthpop record. This choice is easily the strongest positive of the album. The consistent sound allows the album to have a defined mood and more often than not, the instrumentals are catchy. They don’t seem to outright steal from the ‘80s, as it sounds more modern than the old songs it’s clearly in-
spired by, but the influence of the era is undeniable. The album often sounds like modernized renditions of mid-80s David Bowie and Tears For Fears. Bejar’s distinctive higher-register voice is an acquired taste, but his constant confident presence and witty delivery on nearly every song here further cements the strong mood that the group is trying to establish. At points these aspects combine to make legitimately catchy songs, too. The best example of that is on opener “Crimson Tide,” where Bejar croons vaguely lovelorn lines like “I know when to hold ‘em, and I know when to leave, I know where to go, I know how to breathe” over a driving beat, a crisp bassline and distant pianos. This, along with similar highlight “It Just Doesn’t Happen” sounds like music made directly for Urban Outfitters (in a good way). Another highlight, “The Man in Black’s Blues” is the most ‘80s-worshipping cut on the record and sounds straight out of a John Hughes film. The entire song is legitimately catchy and it showcases this album’s potential at its strongest. Unfortunately, the album is deeply flawed. Bejar, while completely settled into this role of ‘80s-indebted, lovesick and witty crooner, doesn’t completely nail his role on several tracks. It is obvious that he wants to come across as charming on a great deal of these songs, –– just look at the album cover trying to scream “sultry” –– but sometimes he just comes across as unsuccessfully attempting to be the next Bowie. Most of the lines on the album are delivered in a hushed register and manage to sound high-pitched and low-pitched simultaneously. It’s intriguing and certainly distinctive, but sometimes the nearly-spoken-word quality and Bejar’s jagged delivery comes off as totally awkward. This also results in him not being able to carry the more bland cuts on here. “The Television Music Supervisor” meanders without a point for its four-minute runtime while he repeats lines like “Click-
Courtesy of Merge Records. Destroyer - “Have We Met”
ety click click, The music makes a musical sound.” There are also a number of songs like “University Hill” that are too similar to other, superior cuts like the aforementioned “Crimson Tide.” By the time closer “foolssong” rolls around, the group seems to have emptied its reserve of ideas for its new synthpop sound. It is one of the more relaxing cuts, but showcases everything good and bad about “Have We Met.” The outro of the song, with the repeated vocal melody of “It ain’t easy being a baby like you, it ain’t easy being a baby like me” is one of the stickiest on the entire album. The strange dissonant chorus and synth effects that follow are also strange, somewhat horrifying but also bold and interesting. But the first three minutes of the
song are a rhythm-less slog that leave the listener just waiting for the second half to come. It is hard to imagine Destroyer making another album like this, and that is both a good and bad thing. As it is, “Have We Met” is an intriguing, sometimes catchy but deeply flawed work that could become something great with another attempt. At this point though, it may just be fruitful for Bejar and the rest of the group to do what they normally do and explore a new sound next time around. Email: Alex.Whetham@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @Alexo774
‘The Naked Magicians’ can charm audiences with or without clothes Duo of Australian magicians performed more than just card tricks at Shea’s ANASTASIA WILDS ASST. ARTS EDITOR
In most magic shows, magicians will make something seemingly disappear. While that “something” usually doesn’t include their own clothing, two Australian magicians have created a world-renowned show that features magic without pants. Since 2014, best “mates” Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne have been performing the “naughty” magic show known as “The Naked Magicians.” The atypical show has traveled to more than 250 cities around the world, appeared on various TV shows and has frequent residencies in Las Vegas. On Saturday, the duo performed twice at Shea’s 710 and gave audience members a “first time” they will never forget. From young adults to seniors, audience members agreed they were most interested to see how “naked” the show would be. But when the show finally started, Tyler and Wayne emerged fully clothed. The two magicians went on to explain that instead of beginning the show naked, they would make the audience “work for it” and that they should “treat it like a first date.” As the show progressed, Tyler and Wayne slowly lost all their clothes. First the suit jackets came off, then the shirts, pants and finally the underwear. The only things that kept their penises hidden were the magicians’ hats placed on top of them. People who stepped into the theater were greeted by colorful lights illuminating
Even though “The Naked Magicians” the miscellaneous items scattered across [audience members] never have to go out the stage, including a small box hanging by on stage, and if [they] do, someone else were only in Buffalo for one day, they left a cord in the air and a blowup doll. [does],’” Trzyzewski said, “[Instead], I was a lasting impression on the audience. “It was a really awesome show,” TrzyzeAlthough the magicians remained fully the first person.” clothed during the first several tricks, they One audience member, Christine Heim, wski said. “I thought it was hysterical and still went along with the “naughty” theme came to see ‘The Naked Magicians’ with I’m glad I came.” There was no way for audience members of the show. The first trick of the night in- her friends to try something new and see volved audience members tossing around two famous TV personalities in real life to prepare for the “rodeo” of the magic show, but Tyler recommended to “strap a large penis-shaped balloon. The people and for a good laugh. who received the balloon helped create a “I’m expecting to laugh so hard that I in” and “leave your morals at the door.” “It’s like an orgy of magic, comedy and porno title that later appeared on a sheet pee my pants,” Heim said. “If that doesn’t of paper locked in the hanging box on happen, it’s okay, but I’m hoping it’s gonna nudity,” Tyler said. stage (which had not been touched since be so funny that I’m gonna be like wanting anastasia.wilds@ubspectrum.com before the show started). to go to the bathroom because I am laugh- Email: Twitter: @AnastasiaWilds During the second trick, Jessica Trzyze- ing so hard.” wski was the first of many audience memAfter an hour and a half of dirty jokes bers to be called on stage to assist the ma- and luring magic, Tyler and Wayne ended gicians. Trzyzewski picked a random card the show with one final “climax” and said from a list of “Free Pass” celebrities –– goodbye to Buffalo. celebrities who couples agree the other is allowed to have sex with. While Tyler cut out a piece of paper into the same face as the random celebrity she picked, Trzyzewski had to keep her hand grasped around his butt. After the show, Trzyzewski was still surprised she was chosen. “It was like an adrenaline rush because I kept saying the whole Courtesy of Shea’s 710 Theatre. time like ‘I hope Two Australian magicians, Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne, star in the world-renowned magic show, ‘The Naked Magicians.’
6 | Monday, February 3 2020
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Three’s company: Jeremiah Fraites talks “III,” first time in Buffalo The Lumineers’ cofounder speaks about songwriting, addiction and album-based film ahead of first Buffalo show LAURYN KING ASST. MANAGING EDITOR
The Lumineers are making their firstever stop in Buffalo for “III, The World Tour” with Mt. Joy and J.S. Ondara, and will take the stage at KeyBank Center on Feb. 26. “III,” the band’s third album, reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after its September release. The album consists of three sections, each representing a different member of a family struggling with addiction. Jeremiah Fraites, drummer and cofounder of The Lumineers, talked to The Spectrum ahead of the show about his brother’s addiction, the importance of sadness in art and the upcoming tour. The interview, lightly edited for style and length, follows below: The Spectrum: This is your second arena tour, are the feelings leading up to it different than for the “Cleopatra World Tour?” Jeremiah Fraites: Yeah, I think I’m more excited. I know I’m more excited. I think the second album had its own set of strangeness because [with] the first album we saw a lot of success on an international scale and that was really great, but it was also kind of strange to deal with in a lot of ways. ... I’m really excited for this thirdalbum tour cycle. These are some of the biggest shows that we’re playing in the U.S. That’s where we’re from so that’s obviously really cool that we get to do that and get to experience that. I also think that this is our best album that we’ve ever written. A lot of bands and artists probably think their most recent work is, that’s always the case, but I honestly think that this is our best album that we’ve ever written. I think there’s so much depth to it ... I think that it feels so much like something that is, I don’t want to use the word unique, but it’s something that me and the singer have been writing for 15 years now. And there’s something about it taking that long ... taking 12-13 years for us to finally sound like ourselves if that makes sense. I think that’s something really cool and this was just a really fun album
to make and write ... We’re super excited to go back out there. TS: Are there any songs you feel like you’ve grown out of since they were released? F: I think certain songs off the first album, it’s funny … it’s an interesting concept, like if songs like “Ho Hey” or songs like “Flowers In Your Hair” or, I don’t know, “Big Parade” or “Stubborn Love,” these are all songs off the first album you would probably do now just because you’re older. That also doesn’t say that you would make them better, I mean you’d probably make them worse. It’s just an interesting thing, the third album to me feels so much different than the first album, and then the second one probably lies in between the two. … Sometimes it’s like we’re covering someone else’s songs at shows. I still love [“Ho Hey”] and to be honest, I love all the songs and I don’t mind playing any of them … So I don’t think we grew out of it but it’s just interesting how that feels sometimes and then the new songs on the third album, these are definitely our songs, these are new and obviously playing new stuff is always very exciting. You just hope that the crowd agrees. TS: “III” is broken into three parts, each with a different perspective on addiction, something you have close experience with. Is there one part or one song that means the most to you right now? F: That’s a good question. They all mean a lot to me right now. I think it’s interesting because I think “Salt and the Sea” means the most to me right now, personally, because it actually has nothing to do with addiction or drugs or alcohol, but it’s probably the [song I’m] most proud of. The Lumineers’ last song on the album, “Salt and the Sea” and it’s actually really cool because there’s like a theme or a motif in that song where it sounds like there’s this delayed piano. And it’s actually the first creative idea I ever wrote on the computer, and it was really cool to use my first-ever creative piano original idea on the last song of the album. Coincidentally, I just looked it up today and I was looking for old files to my computer and it was from Christmas Eve 2004. So the idea is about 16 years old, give or take, which is kind of crazy. But in terms of hitting more specifically your question, I think there’s a certain line, it’s in “Leader of the Landslide” ... certain things get conveyed where it just
Adam Elmaaroufi “I chose to be a finance major because I wanted something not as hard as STEM but something more employable than liberal arts. I always knew I was going to do finance or accounting. But the biggest challenge for me is business calc.”
means a lot to me. I lost my brother to a drug addiction, he was 19 and he died about 19 years ago. And I think there’s a lot of lyrics on “Leader of the Landslide” that really paint a picture that even though Wes wrote all those lyrics — he was dealing with someone in his family going through alcoholism — it just really does connect with me, every night we play that song. It feels like a heavy, sad song but I think that’s actually really good and we’ve gotten comments from people that “the album is so sad” or “these songs are so sad” and I’m like, “Be honest, what music or art changes your life for the better that’s super happy and super sugary?” … So these things that are sad in our lives actually improve it. I think at first, I was worried about a bit of backlash or responses like, “Oh, this is a sad album,” but then I was kind of like, “F--k that.” I mean, all the music and all the art that’s truly inspired me and improved my life, ironically, came from a sadness or came from a heavy place. TS: The music videos for the album were made into a film. What’s it like watching the film and its culmination of all those feelings and experiences? F: That was pretty intense. That was cool, though, the film itself got into the Toronto International Film Festival and that’s a really big deal and that was really cool. ... It’s just crazy for it to be thought of as a film and appreciated as a film because it very much was like that and it was a heavy experience but it was beautiful to watch them all together. We
watched a lot of the edits in the privacy of our own home with a private link with the password or whatever, but actually being in a room with a bunch of strangers watching it certainly gave it a new gravity, a new heaviness, a new meaning and a new significance and it was really beautiful to watch all that. TS: I looked around and couldn’t find any past Buffalo shows for you. Is this really your first time here? F: Yeah, I was going to say I think it might be. I know that we’ve played a couple of shows in the area, I don’t remember every show and New York is big, but it might actually be the first bona fide show in Buffalo which I think is really cool. Unfortunately, maybe for people in Buffalo, New York City takes all the bands and then maybe people don’t go up to Buffalo so I’m really excited that we get to go up there because I’m from New Jersey and I think … there’s so much to see other than New York City. New York City is great obviously, but New York State is so beautiful. TS: Are you going to do anything special to celebrate? F: Well, I don’t know, we’re going to play the show and hopefully it’ll be good, and I’ll be out with my wife and young son so I don’t know if I’ll celebrate but the show will be the celebration if that’s a good answer. Email: lauryn.king@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @LaurynSKing
Courtesy of big hassle JereMiah fraites, Co-founder and druMMer of the luMineers, sPoke to THE SPECTRUM feB. 26 shoW at keyBank Center.
Sabrina Turek “I feel like I’m not officially an adult but I’m no longer a teenager. I can’t use the excuse ‘I am not responsible’ and get away with it now that I’m 20. People have higher standards over me and I have to do more ‘adult things.’ I’m also older than [most] of my friends and when I turn 21, I would have to wait for them to turn 21 as well to go have fun with them in clubs and bars. Turning 20 is a little scary.”
ahead of their
Dennis Tai “I didn’t like programming at all. My first major was [computer science] and as I was taking my classes, I realized that I hated programming more and more. But, I took one class about algorithms and I loved it. I then switched to mathematics as my major because of this class. I love the theoretical side of math, seeing numbers become applied in real life. Although I’m still not sure what I’m going to do in the future with my major –– maybe I’ll go to graduate school or become an actuary. I’m not very certain about [my future] but I have a few things in mind.”
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SPORTS
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Men’s basketball falls to Bowling Green 78-77 Bulls lose a close regularseason game in ‘rematch’ of MAC championship ANTHONY DECICCO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
UB has struggled in close games this season. Friday’s contest against Bowling Green proved no different. The men’s basketball team (14-8) fell to conference leader Bowling Green (17-5)
despite strong performances from Falcon junior Justin Turner and senior Dylan Frye. The Bulls couldn’t contain them as they combined for 40 points, shooting for a combined 44% from the field. UB got off to a strong start in the first half, shooting 46% from the field and 43% from the three-point range. Sophomore forward Jeenathan Williams and junior guard Jayvon Graves were both getting to the hoop with ease in the first half, scoring 10 and 8 points, respectively.
The Bulls were doing more than just playing offense in the first half, too. They showcased their interior defense, racking up 8 blocks as a team early on. Coming off the bench, sophomore forward Josh Mballa wreaked havoc on the inside, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the first half alone. UB lived up to its transition-offense reputation throughout the first by scoring 12 points in transition. Sophomore guard Ronaldo Segu capped off the first half with a three
as time expired, which put the Bulls up 11. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the second half didn’t bring the same results as the first. UB turned the ball over multiple times throughout the first four minutes of the half, giving up the lead they worked so hard to earn. “The only thing I’m disappointed with is the first four minutes of the second half,” head coach Jim Whitesell said after the game. “We didn’t come out there with the ball movement or the defensive intensity.” A lack of defensive intensity in the second allowed Bowling Green’s Justin Turner to score 15 points in the second half alone. “Turner’s second half just was outstanding,” Whitesell said. “There’s a reason he’s an excellent player, he makes some big time baskets.” UB shot 29% from the free-throw line in the second half, another key part of the loss. The game was a tale of two halves with the Bulls looking like a completely different team in the second. The score swung back and forth between the two teams within the last 10 minutes of the half, having the raucous crowd of 5,332 on the edge of their seats. Bowling Green shot well from the free-throw line through the entirety of the fourth quarter, something the Bulls couldn’t replicate. With seven seconds left, Bowling Green fouled Graves, who only made one of two free throws. UB got the ball back with a play drawn up for the junior, who slipped and couldn’t get a clean shot off at the buzzer. “We’ve got to keep working, I think we can get a lot better,” Whitesell said. “I see a lot of positive things with our team and we’re just gonna keep working at it.” “We’re right there, we’re knocking on the door. We have to keep improving.” Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Thomas Atehortua | The Spectrum Junior center Brock Bertram goes for a layup.
Looking ahead: Football in the future Bulls to play Ohio State, others in coming seasons JUSTIN WEISS SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
to take on the Terps. Also on the docket: a 2023 trip to Camp Randall Stadium to take on Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin, a 2024 match against SEC contender Missouri, and a 2025 battle with Minnesota. The football team is borrowing a page from Nate Oats’ playbook. The former
head basketball coach deliberately scheduled tough opponents so his team would gain valuable experience and be prepared for postseason play — something Lance Leipold and his staff are likely doing here. The Bulls quietly continue to add more opponents to their future non-conference slate. Currently, they play four non-con-
Last September, UB football entered Beaver Stadium as a 31-point underdog to the then No. 15 Nittany Lions. The Bulls didn’t let that deter them: for 30 minutes, they were the better team. At the half, they led Penn State 10-7. For a fleeting moment, it seemed the Bulls were on the verge of an upset, until the Lions stormed back and handily defeated the Queen City team. It was a poignant reminder that the Bulls aren’t far off from competing with some of the better programs in the country. Now, over the next few years, they will have multiple opportunities to do so. Next season, the Bulls have their most difficult road nonconference schedule in years: on Sept. 5, they kick off their season against Kansas State; on Sept. 19, they travel to Columbus to take on third-ranked Ohio State; and on Oct. 24, they will battle with the Military Academy in West Point. They will also take on Saint Francis University at home on Sept. 12. In 2021, the Bulls will travel to Lincoln to take on University of Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. In 2022, they’ll head to Capital Alexander Brown | The Spectrum One Field at Maryland Stadium The Bulls coming out of the tunnel for their game against Temple.
ference teams per season, with their nonconference schedule figured out through the 2023 season. Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @Jwmlb1