VOL. 69 NO. 34 | FEBRUARY 24, 2020
Lance Leipold agrees to contract extension through 2024 PAGE 2
UBSPECTRUM
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
Students express pride in black culture at Goodyear Hall poetry slam
Double trouble: Freshmen softball pitchers embrace their opportunities
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UB PharmD on probation Students need more hospital hours or program could lose accreditation ALEXANDRA MOYEN REILLY MULLEN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR ASST. NEWS EDITOR
UB’s PharmD program was put on probation on Feb. 6 for not offering students sufficient experiential learning opportunities to meet national standards. The Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education determined that PharmD, UB’s clinical pharmacy program, did not offer enough chances for students to work in hospitals and on medical rotations. Some students did not get enough hours, while others did not get high-impact experiences in a hospital or pharmacy. ACPE accreditation assures the quality of PharmD programs. If the school lost its accreditation, some employers may not accept UB degrees obtained while the school is unaccredited. The program currently has 502 students. The Spectrum reached out to roughly 40 pharmacy students for comments, only one spoke on the record. Two refused to give their name, one refused to comment, two referred responses to the dean and the rest did not respond in time for publication. Pharmacy school Dean James O’Donnell said the school is correcting the error and
that UB was in compliance with 23 of 25 ACPE standards. He declined to comment on the deficiencies in the experiential learning opportunities or to say how the errors in scheduling occurred. PharmD will remain on probation until ACPE approves the changes in the program, according to Rebecca Brierley, Assistant Dean of External Affairs. Last week, O’Donnell emailed students and said the department will fix its program to comply with the requirements. O’Donnell insisted the “issues are being addressed and the UB PharmD program
remains compliant with all other ACPE accreditation standards.” He did not say how many rotations needed to be added or how many students are affected. He also would not say who put the program in place or why no one at UB recognized that the rotations were not compliant with ACPE standards. In an email, he called it “a personnel” issue. O’Donnell said the pharmacy school’s Office of Experiential Education has “a new leadership team” and is taking “steps” to restructure its curriculum “to ensure UB meets ACPE’s standards for all cur-
Puzzling Pathways: Students concerned with UB general education topics
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
BenJAmIn BlAnCheT | The SpecTrum the ub pharmacy building on south campus.
Mechanical smackdown Engineering students compete, UB American Society for Mechanical Engineers wins annual Bot Wars in Student Union REILLY MULLEN ASST. NEWS EDITOR
UB hosts an annual fight club. But it isn’t an underground ring pitting students against each other for Dining Dollar prizes. It’s engineering students battling with
handmade, remote-controlled robots. The Student Union turned into a battlefield Friday as UB Engineers Week came to a close with the annual Bot Wars –– a competition between engineering clubs where student-built machines battle. Sixteen teams entered this year’s competition, some with multiple bots. Students must build their robots in accordance with certain specifications including a 50-lbs weight limit and 24-volt power limit. Students can reuse bots up to four years in a row. During this year’s showdown, the UB American Society for Mechanical Engineers took both first and second place,
rent and future students,” O’Donnell said. He stressed that the school remains accredited and “can continue to grant all degrees and admit incoming students.” Current students “will graduate, can sit for board examinations and take all licensure examinations,” he said. ACPE reviewed PharmD in October 2019. The Spectrum does not know if the school was aware of the deficiencies before the review or what the timeline is for UB to fix the problems. Eddy Pudim, a junior PharmD and Master in Public Health program candidate said he is not worried about the probation. “Honestly it didn’t really phase me at all,” Pudim said. “I heard some other pharmacy schools in New York had the same issue during their previous accreditations, and as long as they made the necessary changes there was nothing to worry about.” Hampton University recently lost its accreditation due to poor educational outcomes and lack of progression in February. The university received an eight-year accreditation in 2015 but was put on probation in 2017. The school is appealing the decision to remove its accreditation and will be placed back on probation until a decision is made. A letter was sent to students saying that the degrees earned until 2023 will still be considered earned at an accredited institution.
with bots named Doorstop and Ankle Biter, respectively. Battlebots always draws a crowd and this year was no exception with roughly 70 students gathering around the stage during each round to watch. The five-hour event was also streamed on the SU TVs for spectators to get a better view. Jon Sitter, UBASME vice president and junior aerospace engineering major, was excited to see all the bots that entered the competition and was pleased with his team’s performance. “I am very happy with how the competition went this year,” Sitter said. “[There were] lots of cool designs and the most bots I have seen entered into this compe-
tition. I look forward to next year to see what the engineering clubs come up with.” Each robot has a different tactic for how it attacks the enemy. Matthew Aungst, a senior geographic information science major, won the competition last year and said a robot’s weight is important for its performance. “We are able to push all the other bots,” Aungst said. “Our tactic is that we’re a wedge, so we want to push the other robot into the wall and maintain control of the center of the ring.” Senior aerospace engineering major Adib Ahmed’s team’s tactic was more violent. He said he’s less worried about maSEE ROBOTS PAGE 4
mATThew romAnYK | The SpecTrum industrial and systems engineering maJor Josh hulburt (leFt) and mechanical engineering maJor troy kilian (right) make repairs to their robot aFter Winning in the arena during the previous round.