THE SPECTRUM VOL. 68 NO. 36 | MARCH 7, 2019
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
UBSPECTRUM
Buffalo Bhangra Where cultural preservation and cardio go hand in hand
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Caribbean SA put Spotlight on culture and concerns around campus
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UB’s International Council prepares for Hazardous waste ‘International Fiesta 2019: Human Nature’ containers found on The event will take place at the Center South Campus for the Arts, where 15 clubs in total parClub members discuss ticipate in the grandiose event. Eight of UB removes, relocates Saturday’s competition them are international organizations like containers from BiomediIndian SA, Malaysian SA and Latin American SA. The evening is centered around cal Education Building folJULIANNA TRACEY the dance competition, but this year brings lowing Spectrum report ASST. ARTS EDITOR some change. Dhiral Patel, vice president of Indian International Fiesta has always been a way for UB students to display cultural SA, discussed the difficulty of adapting the club’s performance to the theme and pride. The annual dance competition, which the challenges associated with organizing will be held on Saturday, presents a variety of performances rooted in different cultures. Student Association clubs have put a semester of work into this year’s presentation of International Fiesta 2019: Human Nature, which will celebrate COURTESY OF UB INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL cultural differences International Fiesta will take place in the Center for the Arts on Saturday of clubs ranging night, with 15 clubs participating in the “Human Nature” dance competition. from Korean SA to > SEE FIESTA | PAGE 6 Buffalo Bhangra.
Student Association gives International Council clubs roughly $136,740
BENJAMIN BLANCHET, THOMAS ZAFONTE EDITORIALSTAFF
The Spectrum found four hazardous waste containers on South Campus, three months after a state audit report criticized the university for its hazardous waste storage. The containers were in the Biomedical Education Building in areas accessible to students and the public late Friday afternoon. The containers were still there at 9:30 a.m. on Monday. The audit report, in December, called UB’s materials “vulnerable to mismanagement at the very least.” The containers, one filled with liquid and three empty, were labeled “corrosive” and sat on the first and fourth floors near UB’s anatomical gift and animal research
Former UB student Hannah Christensen scheduled to appear in court Friday morning
DAVILA TARAKINIKINI | THE SPECTRUM
The Spectrum found hazardous waste containers on the first floor of the Biomedical Education Building.
labs on South Campus. The Spectrum did not find UB-generated hazardous waste labels or general trash disposal labels on the four containers, despite UB’s “eight golden rules” on waste accumulation in its hazardous waste guidebook. A New York State Department of Health employee, who declined to provide a name for fear of being fired, called the storage situation “concerning.” “There should be periodic inspections by whomever oversees health and safety on campus,” the DOH employee said. “I come out of a university environment and this did not follow label requirements or storage requirements.” Two of the empty, blue and barrel-like containers had a label from Buffalo Industrial Chemicals, Inc. They stood on the top floor and emitted an odor strong enough > SEE HAZARDOUS | PAGE 5
World-renowned UB professor Robert Genco dies Wednesday morning
Features Desk JACKLYN WALTERS CO-SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
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The overall budget for Student Association International Council clubs since Aug. 1 is roughly $136,740, including budget and revenue adjustments, according to the SA General Ledger. The money makes up 30.7 percent of the Student Association’s $4.2 million budget. The African SA, Caribbean SA, Filipino
Former UB student Hannah Christensen is scheduled to appear before Justice Christopher Burns at Erie County Supreme Court at 9:30 a.m. for her arraignment on Friday. Christensen is being charged with one count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class “E” felony, and one count of Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. Christensen allegedly hit Renuka Ramanadhan with her car on Nov. 1, 2018 in front of Hadley Village and fled the scene without calling the police. Christensen was a sophomore biological sciences student at the time. Ramanadhan suffered a fractured pelvis and skull as well as a traumatic brain injury. Christensen pleaded not guilty at her Dec. 3 arraignment. Erie County Court released her on her own recognizance. If Christensen is convicted, she faces a maximum of four years in prison. Christensen is no longer a student at UB, according to UB officials. Christensen did not respond in time for print.
American SA, Latin American SA and Organization of Arab Students make up over 70 percent of the overall budget. International Council clubs will participate in International Fiesta Saturday at the Center for the Arts at 7 p.m.
Email: jacklyn.walters@ubspectrum.com
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Longtime UB Distinguished Professor Dr. Robert Genco died Wednesday morning in Foster Hall, according to UB officials.
HANNAH STEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Longtime UB Distinguished Professor Dr. Robert Genco died Wednesday morning in Foster Hall during a meeting with colleagues, according to UB officials. “Dr. Genco was a world-renowned scholar, educator, mentor, innovator and entrepreneur who was exceptionally committed to our university throughout his long and distinguished career,” UB President Satish Tripathi said in a statement. University Police and Emergency Services arrived at Foster Hall at 9:07 a.m. on Wednesday and performed CPR on Genco, but were unable to revive him, UB spokesperson John DellaContrada said. DellaContrada did not know the cause of death, as of Wednesday night. > SEE DR. GENCO | PAGE 4