The Spectrum Vol. 68 No. 40

THE SPECTRUM VOL. 68 NO. 40 | APRIL 1, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950

For our exclusive Q&A with Ronan Farrow, visit ubspectrum. com

The Spectrum’s Endorsement for 2019-20 SA e-board

UBSPECTRUM

The Spectrum endorses Students Reform presidential, vice presidential candidates but doesn’t endorse a treasurer

Softball team rounds the baseS

> SEE PAGE

UB to provide free menstrual products in on-campus bathrooms starting in May The pilot program will provide dispensers in 20 bathrooms across UB campuses TANVEEN VOHRA CO-SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Student Association President Gunnar Haberl announced a pilot program to the SA Senate on Friday that will provide free pads and tampons in 20 bathrooms across all UB campuses in May. SA and the Office of Inclusive Excellence each provided $5,000 for the pilot program, which is a result of a collaboration between SA and a group led by Sharon Nolan-Weiss, director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Title IX co-ordinator.

Menstrual product supply company Aunt Flow will provide the organic menstrual products as well as sustainable cardboard dispensers.

Haberl said he was at a conference last fall when he overheard two men talking about something he didn’t expect to hear two men talking about –– their efforts to provide free menstrual products to students on their campus at SUNY Binghamton.

Haberl recalled how former SA President Leslie Veloz highlighted issues with menstrual product access on campus as well as Spectrum articles reporting on the same. He then spoke to SA Vice President Anyssa Evelyn and Treasurer Tanahiry Escamilla about their experiences and opinions about access to menstrual products on campus.

He reached out to the Associate Vice President of Student Life Barbara Ricotta, and the Director of Student Unions Maria Wallace.

“My goal was really to focus on the SU because SA is located in the SU and all of

“On principle, we think that [menstrual products] should be free the same way that toilet paper and paper towels are,” NolanWeiss said.

She also cited the cost of putting in metal dispensers, which she said could cost anywhere between $500 to $800 per dispenser.

At the same time, Haberl contacted Donacik about his plans. Nolan-Weiss invited him to collaborate with her group.

“It was great. I mean, our plan as a working group would be to put the pilot together and then get feedback from students,” Nolan-Weiss said.

“So that was part of the part COURTESY OF ASIF KHAN | FLICKR Free pads and tampons will soon be available in 20 bathrooms across campus of our plan, but beginning in May. we were actually our clubs are located in Student Union,” able to do this earlier in the process.”

Haberl said.

SA and the Office of Inclusive ExcelHis intention was to “start small” and lence’s financial contributions toward the work his way to other parts of the campus. program allowed it to be implemented ear“What I found throughout my term lier than Nolan-Weiss expected. is that it’s easier to have a small ask and Seven women’s bathrooms in the Stuthen work your way out to a larger ask,” dent Union will have the dispensers in Haberl said. “Because once you can get in, May, but Nolan-Weiss hopes to extend the and then branch out, it’s more realistic for program to the gender-neutral bathrooms people.” on campus to ensure transgender students But Haberl soon found out that Nolanhave access to menstrual products.

Weiss was also working toward the same She expects the funds to carry the pilot goal. program through one year, and said Stu“At a faculty senate meeting, a faculty dent Life would also provide funding if member, Dr. Susan Udin was speaking up the initial $10,000 ran out before the pilot and mentioned that years ago, the univerprogram’s completion. sity had paid dispensers for tampons and Donacik said campus facilities will be pads in the restroom and then took those in charge of coordinating and mounting out and was expressing that [the current the dispensers in bathrooms, as well as resituation] wasn’t meeting the needs of the stocking the products. community,” Nolan-Weiss said.

Depending on the success of the pilot She organized a group consisting of program, Nolan-Weiss said she would Despina Stratigakos, the vice president have a clearer idea of the usage and costs for Inclusive Excellence, Chris Donacik, in order to submit a proposal to the unithe assistant director of Facilities and Lisa versity for funding built into their budget.

McLaughlin, the Delivery+ coordinator Email: Tanveen.Vohra@ubspectrum.com for University Libraries.

Twitter: @TanveenUBSpec.

The group immediately agreed that they did not want to restore the previous coinoperated dispensers, she said.

Student Association e-board party agenda copies SA President’s agenda word-for-word JACKLYN WALTERS CO-SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

One of the three parties running for the Student Association e-board appears to have copied word-for-word at least four different points in its platform from current SA President Gunnar Haberl’s February State of the Student Association address.

The P.R.I.D.E. Party’s original printed platform, which was distributed to The Spectrum on Wednesday, and parts of which are posted on the party’s Instagram, called for protecting sexual harassment policies, implementation of the recreation center, advocating for the Americans with Disabilities Act and growing UB’s food pantry. In Haberl’s address, he highlighted the same issues, many of which are wordfor-word the same. While the party’s platform does add several new ideas including expansion of accessibility and disability awareness, it appears to be largely drawing from Haberl’s initiatives.

e-board knows the work that is ahead of them.

“I hope that whoever is elected from whichever party understands the time and

The party’s vice presidential candidate, Georgia Hulbert –– who said she had a copy of Haberl’s speech while the party worked on its platform –– said she takes “full responsibility” for the “mistakes” made in the agenda.

Hulbert has since edited portions of the document to credit Haberl. Eric Rooney, P.R.I.D.E. Party’s ISABELLA NURT | THE SPECTRUM Members of the P.R.I.D.E. party from left to right:Kendra campaign manager, had Harris, Yousouf Amoledge, Georgia Hulbert. access to Haberl’s speech shortly after Haberl finalized it, according to Haberl. attention to detail that is necessary to build Sophonie Pierre-Michel, SA elections relationships, not only in the Student Asand credentials chair, said platforms are sociation, but across the university in orexpected to be unique, but the party is not der to make real change on this campus,” breaking the SA Election Rules and Regu- Haberl said. lations guidelines with their initiatives.

Hulbert said the party looked into previHaberl said he has not spoken with ous e-boards’ initiatives while formulating any P.R.I.D.E. candidates “directly” re- its platform. garding their initiatives. He said he’s glad “We came up with our own spin on candidates want to carry his initiatives for- things but these are the same projects ward, but hopes everyone running for SA that I’ve been trying to push for years,”

Ronan Farrow emphasizes public service, the ‘inner voice’ during UB Distinguished Speakers Series

SHUBH JAIN | THE SPECTRUM Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow spoke about the power of journalism and diplomacy as part of UB's Distinguished Speaker Series on Thursday night in the Center for the Arts.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist discusses his reporting, authorship in the Center for the Arts BENJAMIN BLANCHET, THOMAS ZAFONTE EDITORIAL STAFF

Ronan Farrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, said the spirit of American diplomacy is in “far from great shape.”

He said people need to rise to create stability and opportunity.

Farrow spoke about the power of journalism and diplomacy to a packed audience in the Center for the Arts on Thursday night. Farrow’s work on Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault scandal earned him international acclaim. Farrow spoke for roughly an hour and a half on topics, ranging from his best-selling book “War on Peace” to his journalistic work on sexual violence. Farrow wrapped up the night with an on-stage Q&A session and book signing.

Cristanne Miller, a SUNY Distinguished Professor, and English professor Edward Butler, introduced Farrow. Farrow came out to applause and thanked the “beautiful Western New York” crowd, or –– as he joked –– “Upstate” (the “very offensive” > SEE RONAN

FARROW | PAGE 4

Hulbert, current SA assistant entertainment director, said. “So instead of going in blindly and not getting educated on it, we talked to previous administration. We want to push for the things that they’ve been working on.”

The party’s platform includes five agendas –– progressive, reform, integrity, diversity and empowerment.

Four of P.R.I.D.E.’s “progressive” initiatives mirror Haberl’s goals from his speech.

The party wants to “Urge New York State and UB administration to protect comprehensive sexual assault and harassment policies that are currently in place.”

Haberl, in his February speech, said he was “urging New York State and the University at Buffalo administration to protect comprehensive sexual assault and harassment policies that currently exist.”

The party included this initiative under both their “progressive” and “reform” agendas.

P.R.I.D.E. also said it wants to “push UB to develop and implement concrete plans to build a Recreational & Wellness Center on North Campus.” > SEE P.R.I.D.E

PLATFORM | PAGE 4

NEWS

2 | Monday, April 1, 2019

Few students attend Student Association candidate forum JACKLYN WALTERS CO-SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

The Student Association held a town hall Thursday for students to ask e-board candidates about their platforms.

Four to five students trickled in at different times.

“I think this is representative of everyone who cares,” Eric Weinman, CLEAR Party’s treasurer candidate, said.

Candidates played music and talked while they waited to see if more students would show up, but no one else did.

SA scheduled the event for 6-8:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater, the same time as journalist Ronan Farrow’s Distin-

guished Speaker address.

Sophonie Pierre-Michel, SA elections and credentials chair, said she was “a little disappointed” with the low turnout, but said she understood there were multiple events that night which students attended.

The town hall followed SA’s club council endorsements, which was on Wednesday night, where candidates presented their

Student Association celebrates People of Color Week TANVEEN VOHRA CO-SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

The Student Association celebrated its first People of Color Week and hosted events running from Monday through Friday.

Events included POC Olympics, PODER’s Kitchen event where members of the club served food in the Student Union lobby, a Black Student Union heritage trip which was ultimately rescheduled, Asian American Student Union’s “Tsunami” event and a POC talent show.

“Even though we are a part of POC Council, which primarily focuses on iden-

tity politics and social issues that we deal with every day, we are still people, we are still students, there’s more to our attendees than just race,” POC Council Coordinator Devin Forde said.

This was the first time SA organized a POC Week and Forde said he had the idea in October, but it took until February to “finally get everything set.”

There were some challenges to the event, according to Forde.

“There were some things, some original ideas, that we had that we couldn’t do,” Forde said. “A lot of people ended up deciding that they didn’t want to be a part of it last minute or certain things just didn’t

UB community holds candlelight vigil for victims of New Zealand shooting Members of student clubs OAS, MSA, PSA and SJP organized the vigil TANVEEN VOHRA CO-SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

UB community members gathered in the Student Union lobby on Thursday evening to show solidarity toward victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.

The shooting, which occurred on March 15, resulted in the deaths of 50 people between the ages of 5 and 77.

Members of the Organization for Arab Students, Muslim Student Association, Pakistani Student Association and Students for Justice in Palestine organized the

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vigil.

Members of the Student Association executive board and their staff also attended the event. The University Police Department provided security for the event.

President of OAS, George Kfouri, said he chose to organize the vigil two weeks after the shooting because most students were away on spring break and he wanted to ensure students had the chance to participate.

He said the members of SA’s executive board “helped rush forms and purchase orders,” to prepare for the event. The clubs decided to hold the vigil in the Student Union because “it is the most heavily trafficked area.”

“Even if people did not come directly for the vigil, they were still in the presence

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go the way that we wanted it to.”

Specifically, the AASU event on Thursday was supposed to feature Asian American entertainers Mike Bow and DANakaDAN. However, Forde said the entertainers’ manager had “not communicated” with them about the event, leaving SA to improvise an alternative event.

“We could no longer bring them due to time constraints. The alternative event, which was the “Tsunami” [party] was a lot more successful than we really thought it would be,” Forde said.

BSU’s heritage trip to the underground railroad also did not go as planned and will be postponed to a later date.

ubspectrum.com platforms to club members. Roughly 400 people attended the endorsement event, which was mandatory for clubs to attend.

SA e-board elections will run April 2-4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Theater.

Email: Jacklyn.Walters@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @JacklynUBSpec.

Kendra Harris, the treasurer for BSU said the event was postponed due to issues with the check BSU used toward the Underground Railroad sites.

“We had planned to have a bus of 42 students attend if they had filled out an RSVP form but the check to pay the UGRR wasn’t ready in time,” Harris said.

Despite the challenges, Forde said the week was a big success.

“Every single event had an amazing turnout, every single event. I really can’t say for one event over the other because each one really had a special place for me,” Forde said.

Email: Tanveen.Vohra@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @TanveenUBSpec

“I personally noticed so many individuals who we were sitting and eating in SU just stop and watch the video,” Kfouri said.

Kfouri said he hopes events like this send a message of support in difficult times.

“We are here for you no matter what OAS is here for you, supporting and praying JACKLYN WALTERS | THE SPECTRUM for both you and everyone Members of the UB community came together to hold a vigil for the victims of the New Zealand shooting involved,” Kfouri said. “If anyone ever needs an open of it,” Kfouri said.

Rula Masoud, president of Students for hand, someone to talk to about this crisis Justice in Palestine, made a video about all or even just a friend, we are always welvictims of the shooting, which was played come everyone with open arms.” during the vigil.

Kfouri believes the video also helped attract the attention of students in the SU who were not attending the vigil.

Jacklyn Walters contributed to this story.

Email: Tanveen.Vohra@ubspectrum.com Twitter @TanveenUBSpec.

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OPINION

ubspectrum.com

THE SPECTRUM Monday, April 1, 2019 Volume 68 Number 40 Circulation: 4,000

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hannah Stein MANAGING EDITOR Brenton J. Blanchet CREATIVE DIRECTORS Caitlyn Di Vita Grace Klak COPY EDITORS Savanna Caldwell Cassi Enderle Lauryn King Cherie Jacobs, Asst.

NEWS EDITORS Tanveen Vohra, Co-Senior Jacklyn Walters, Co-senior FEATURES EDITORS Thomas Zafonte, Senior Isabella Nurt, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS Brian Evans, Senior Samantha Vargas, Asst.

Julianna Tracey, Asst.

SPORTS EDITOR Nathaniel Mendelson, Senior

EDITORIAL EDITOR Benjamin Blanchet MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Shubh Jain, Senior Davila Tarakinikini, Asst.

CARTOONISTS Ardi Digap

PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Ayesha Kazi GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGERS JuYung Hong

ABOUT THE SPECTRUM The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Opinion section 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. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address.

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CORRECTION VOL. 68 68 || NO. NO. 39 39 VOL.

The original original version version of of the the breakdown breakdown The said Jaycee Jaycee Miller Miller is is a a current current SA SA Senator.

Senator. said She was a senator last year.

The original original She was a senator last year. The version also also said said Eric Eric Weinman Weinman helped helped version the fi finance nance committee committee write write the the fi finance nance the handbook. He He assisted assisted the the current current handbook.

SA treasurer while she worked on the SA treasurer while she worked on the finance nance handbook. handbook. The The original original article article fi also omitted Kendra Harris’ involvement also omitted Kendra Harris’ involvement with the the SA SA Senate Senate and and said said that that BSU’s BSU’s with budget is is $35,000. $35,000. Harris Harris is is currently currently an an budget SA Senator and BSU’s budget is $33,000.

SA Senator and BSU’s budget is $33,000.

Monday, April 1, 2019 | 3

The Spectrum endorses Students Reform presidential, vice presidential candidates but doesn’t endorse a treasurer EDITORIAL BOARD

The Spectrum unanimously agrees that Students Reform Party presidential and vice presidential ticket is grounded in practical policy.

We endorse these candidates for SA’s top two positions in the 2019-20 school year.

But we couldn’t agree on this year’s race for SA treasurer.

We support Students Reform candidates Omran Albarazanchi and Daniel Connolly because of their internal focus on SA, from their visions for the student government’s website to their plans for more engagement in SA senate. They’re ambitious and their party’s name is more than an aesthetically pleasing acronymized pull for students to vote for them.

All SA candidates running for e-board came into The Spectrum’s office on Wednesday afternoon and presented their platforms.

Albarazanchi and Connolly came in with calls to change SA from within. They criticized SA’s website as well as its media & marketing team, and laid out plans to overhaul its practices.

Their solutions are feasible, too.

They preach that they will prioritize clubs and they know how clubs work, given their experiences in the SA senate. They want the room reservation system to be “less painful,” according to their platform, and look to bring council constitutions to SA’s website as opposed to print.

The Spectrum also supports the candidates’ goals for club re-

quirements and its “easier-toread” handbooks. A purchase order tracking system for clubs is the definition of internal SA transparency, too. We hope the winning treasurer instills this.

We caution the candidates to reconsider their one-music-fest initiative. Still, we think most of the party’s goals are realistic to instill in a student government.

The other parties focused largely on advocacy, such as environmentalism and diversity initiatives. Both are important, and The Spectrum has covered topics such as the UB Foundation’s fracking investments and decreasing black faculty on campus.

Our calls as students are important and we encourage SA eboard candidates to be advocates for student interests. But we were also looking for candidates who understand their own roles within SA, and have concrete ideas for improving their own office functions and student life.

The P.R.I.D.E. Party, for instance, refused to make “promises.” How can students expect a change if they can’t even get their elected leaders’ word?

When we asked questions to individual P.R.I.D.E. candidates in our office, they often consulted with the rest of their party before their answer. This concerns us. If you can’t memorize your own agenda, how can students believe you’re unified in your “priorities”?

Additionally, we’re confused by their rationale behind mandatory sexual violence training for UB athletes and Inter-Greek Council organizations. Sexual

violence can happen anywhere, even within SA. We hope our student government leaders take sexual violence training seriously throughout campus life, not just on a limited population.

The CLEAR party is ambitious about the environment and we are, too. Sadie Kratt, the CLEAR party’s presidential candidate, said she hopes to advocate at the SUNY SA level for a greener campus. She cited SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

But after a report by online database LittleSis that Johnson was a board member for a coal power company, we question whether SUNY is the best foot to follow on environmental goals. Still, even though we don’t endorse CLEAR, we want to see a few of their initiatives put into place, especially those that put UB and SA first.

Aside from the president and VP candidates, we couldn’t make up our minds on the best SA treasurer candidate.

CLEAR party treasurer candidate Eric Weinman is qualified.

But his platform has some contradictions. He said he helped create the finance handbook but argued it’s too lengthy for students to understand.

Kendra Harris, the P.R.I.D.E. party’s treasurer candidate, is also qualified. She’s treasurer for one of UB’s biggest clubs, the Black Student Union. But we barely got a chance to hear her ideas during our open office Q&A, as the rest of her party often interrupted her answers or cut her short. This

isn’t OK. Jaycee Miller, the Students Reform treasurer candidate, has ideas that could fix SA’s financial policies, like her online-friendly club requirement modules. She has experience with finances on the high school level, but we don’t know how her experience could translate to the role.

We unanimously agreed that the Going Forward, Going Blue party candidate Marina Akaic doesn’t seem ready for the role.

We appreciate her enthusiasm and her willingness to get involved with SA. We think she’s eager to learn, but it’s likely impossible for anyone to just give the SA treasurer role a go with zero experience.

Nonetheless, The Spectrum is proud that more than one party is set to take part in this year’s elections.

We hope it will buck the trend of decreasing student government participation.

But we’re disappointed about the attendance of Thursday’s SA candidate open forum. The Spectrum counted five students there.

CLEAR party treasurer Eric Weinman said he thought the showout was “representative of everyone who cares.”

We hope this isn’t the case come Tuesday, when polls open in the Student Union Theater. We hope students take time to think about who they want in charge of SA and we hope this year’s voter turnout is better than ever before.

Email: opinion@ubspectrum.com

Letter to the editor Lately, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee has found itself in quite a muddle. They’ve failed to pass a resolution to address the non-living stipends of graduate student employees on this campus. Though, I’ve read in The Spectrum that they had time to discuss my last letter to the editor, which was deemed a “pretty gross mischaracterization” of their voting down a resolution for a living wage. It’s always gratifying to hear one is being read, and this creates a nice opportunity for me to explore what’s really gross about this mire: that rather than approve a proposal that would substantially affect the lives of thousands of graduate students the FSEC is quibbling over tone.

In that same meeting, Cemal Basaran was splitting hairs between being “poor” and having a “non-living” stipend. But rather than focus on abstract semantics, let’s do the math on what a nonliving stipend looks like. Momentarily setting aside my merit-based fellowship, my bi-weekly take home after taxes, union dues and medical insurance is $660 which means that for ten months of the

year I make $1320 a month from my stipend. From this $13,200, $7800 goes to my rent (at $650 a month), $1020 to my utilities and $2139 to my mandatory fees. So if I lived solely off my stipend, I would be left with $2,241 a year for food, fuel, clothes, books and other incidental expenses that come along with just simply living. If Basaran believes graduate students are not poor, then I challenge him to cover his expenses with that amount.

And what’s even more disgusting is that I am relatively privileged. My base stipend is $15,500 annually. The lowest stipend on this campus is $9,959. So there are graduate employees who are living on less than two thirds of my stipend. Furthermore, because I’m a domestic student I can (and do) work additional jobs. As of next week, I’ll have four altogether. And while these undeniably detract from my research, if I was an international student I wouldn’t even be able to work them. And what’s really revolting is that those numbers do not take into account the excess fees international students

are forced to pay; for some it’s nearly double what domestic students are charged.

Less I be charged with mischaracterizing my financial situation, I should be clear that I am a Presidential Fellow, but even with three extra jobs and a fellowship, I still don’t bring home the $24,000 the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates as a living wage for Erie County. And I’m from the department that the university likes to brag about and look to as a solution to their nonliving stipend problem.

Perhaps to some, “non-living” stipend sounds a little nicer than a “poor” one. But the reality is that my low socioeconomic status is negatively affecting my life and health. For example, last year I needed to get the HPV vaccine.

My state-subsidized insurance didn’t cover the shot and at $200 for each dose in a series of three, I couldn’t afford it. Even with a second job and a fellowship, I didn’t have the money for this vaccine. Now I’m too old for it to be effective. My non-living wage has literally increased my risk of cervical cancer.

I’m not alone in this. In the UB Financial Hardship Survey, the GSEU found that one of the most common expenses graduate students could not afford was dental work. Our dental insurance is preventative only, which means that any dental work outside of basic cleanings and an annual x-ray must be covered out of very shallow pockets. When the FSEC debates whether or not to include health care costs in their whittling of a living wage, they need to remember that while our healthcare is provided at a lower cost than most employers, it’s not free and for most it’s not sufficient.

Various university officials have insisted that the “total package” for graduate student employees is $38,000. This number certainly strikes the proper tone, but the reality is actually pretty gross.

Graduate student employees do not need an aspirational resolution. We need a living stipend.

MACY MCDONALD UB GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT

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FEATURES

4 | Monday, April 1, 2019 FROM PAGE 1

RONAN FARROW

term) in the New York City world.

Farrow opened and said it’s been “an honor … to crack into stories that, thanks to brave sources who risked a lot” and “brave activists,” readers heard the voices of sexual violence survivors who were “silenced for way too long.”

“We are grappling as a culture with our collective failure to create spaces that treat men and women equally and treat everyone with respect and dignity,” Farrow said.

“We’re learning a lot about how powerful people did despicable things and were protected by all of our institutions for so long.”

But Farrow was humble about his recognition. He said he was “a guy doing a job” when not a lot of people thought he was a “success story” before his Pulitzer Prize-winning work.

“I don’t say that for any sympathy, I was luckier than most and had incredible career opportunities. I had done work I was proud of that I won’t take for granted, but the reality was my career was on the rocks,” Farrow said.

“As a result of my tackling of those stories, as doggedly as I did, it fell apart almost completely.”

Farrow said about a year ago, there was a moment where he didn’t have the institutional support of his news organization or

book publisher. When other outlets began to swoop in on the Weinstein “scoop,” he said he questioned whether a year of work with women “would amount to anything.”

He didn’t back down to threats, either.

He published the story but still wasn’t confident in the future, he said. “[With] the world as it was at that time, they concluded ‘it’s not worth it, you’ll tell one story at the expense of so many others,’” Farrow said.

“Even loved ones pointed out ‘Is this really worth it?’”

But there was a much greater risk, he said, that the women he talked to took to expose sexual violence in America. Still, he said he consulated whether he made “the wrong call.”

“But in the moment, you don’t know how important a story is going to be,” Farrow said.

He said you can’t be sure on readers’ reactions to stories. Farrow said he is grateful for people who stare down their “uncertainties” and listen to voices that tell them “to do the right thing.” He also thanked The Spectrum, for instance, for writing stories on the likes of the late UB football player Solomon Jackson and the audience applauded the remark.

Farrow said we need more people who trust their inner voices. He said we see people taking the easy way out, between

FROM PAGE 1

P.R.I.D.E. PLATFORM

The party also included this initiative under both their “progressive” and “reform” agendas.

This is similar to Haberl’s statement that “UB needs to develop and implement concrete plans in the immediate future to build a recreational and wellness center.”

P.R.I.D.E.’s “Accessibility and Disability Rights Awareness” agenda contains many new initiatives. Still, the party’s plan to “Demand SUNY SA and UB administration ensure that all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, particularly, Titles II, III and IV, requiring that all means of transportation, facilities and telecommunications systems be accessible

COURTESY OF P.R.I.D.E. PARTY P.R.I.D.E Party logo

to those with disabilities,” mimics Haberl’s promise.

“The Undergraduate Student Associa-

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politics and how America takes its place in the world.

One of these ways he said, citing his late mentor Richard Holbrooke, is through public service and mentioned isolationism/protectionism are “short-sighted solutions.”

He went on to talk about the power of state diplomats in the 20th century but that diplomacy isn’t “a panacea,” he said.

“But those figures did have undeniable success and staying power in stabilizing the world,” Farrow said. “That history is in stark contrast to the situation we see today.”

Farrow discussed the Trump administration diplomats firings and the “plummeted” amounts of people taking the Foreign Service Officer Test. He said in the absence of experts who can “negotiate our way out of conflict” can create complications.

“As a result, a very different set of relationships is coming to form the bedrock of American foreign policy,” Farrow said.

He said if people are going to have a chance of surmounting our shared obstacles, from climate change to election interference, “we’re going to need strong alliances and careful conversation driven by experts.”

Farrow ended his address to a sea of applause from the Buffalo crowd before his

Q&A session with Miller. Farrow talked about methods to get sources comfortable to open up, the polarized media “landscape” and what it’s like being known for his reporting on sexual violence.

Kris Flaschner, an East Amherst resident, said she regularly attends DSS events and she was enthralled by Farrow’s presentation.

“He’s humble, especially considering what he comes from, and he’s very genuine,” Flaschner said. “He made some comments about the Democrats, he wasn’t afraid to portray the fact that he is genuine and authentic in how he looks at things.

[His call for public service] was motivating and I loved the directives he gave to the UB students in the audience.”

Steve Flaschner, Kris’ husband, said he hasn’t read “War on Peace” and didn’t know much about Farrow before Thursday.

“I think he’s extremely knowledgeable, he’s worked in many different venues and yet he’s striking out on his own,” Flaschner said. “Everything with the Weinstein thing, he brought that to light, and he keeps going. I would seriously think about looking to see his book [on his reporting] and ‘War on Peace.’”

tion will continue to work with SUNY SA and UB administration to ensure that all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, particularly, Titles II, III and IV, requiring that all means of transportation, facilities and telecommunications systems be accessible to those with disabilities,” Haberl said in February.

P.R.I.D.E. outlined its hopes to “grow the on-campus food pantry located in the Student Affairs Office on North Campus to ensure that no UB student goes hungry or leaves school because they cannot afford to eat.”

Haberl said he worked on the same initiative this year “to make sure that no UB student goes hungry, or leaves school because they cannot afford to eat.”

Hulbert acknowledged the similarities between her party’s campaign and Haberl’s initiatives and said she still stands behind the platform.

“We’re not ashamed of the fact that we want to continue and that we have similar wording. I will admit to the oversight that some of them are too word-for-word,” Hulbert said.

SA e-board elections will run from Tuesday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the SU Theater.

Email: benjamin.blanchet@ubspectrum.com and thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @BenjaminUBSpec and @Thomas_Zafonte.

Email: Jacklyn.Walters@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @JacklynUBSpec.

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ARTS &FEATURES ENTERTAINMENT Monday, April 1, 2019 | 5 Kersten aims to spark a discussion re- with my body and with my memory and ‘Jewish Geographies’ combines culture with artistic image

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erature. He says that he finds promise in

Ethnic and political gallery opens on April 11 BRIAN EVANS SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

For curator Benjamin Kersten, Jewish culture presents an intriguing landscape for thought. It brought him to envision broad ideas for “Jewish Geographies,” a collection of artistic works ranging from video work, spoken-word, poetry and more.

“Jewish Geographies” pushes the idea that space is “central to understanding Jewish life and cultural expression.”, according to a press release. The exhibit opens on April 11 and runs through May 25 in UB’s Lower Art Gallery.

Kersten, a visual studies graduate student, focuses most of his work on modern and contemporary Jewish art and lit-

the dichotomy between space as it applies to the political and cultural ramification of Jewish culture.

“I think it’s an effective way to think about politics because to me, space is always political in nature,” Kersten said.

“Especially because it helps [define] how people live according to social hierarchies or race or gender.”

Kersten pointed out that some works extend even further than space, touching on topics like gender and sexuality.

Combining different mediums to tell a story of Jewish space wasn’t what Kersten set out to do. Instead, the artists featured in “Jewish Geographies” react to the given theme in their own way.

Artists in the exhibit include Shasha Dothan, who has exhibited work in galleries like the Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art and the Blum & Poe Gallery.

garding Jewishness and looks to expand some attributes and monikers associated with the culture.

“It requires addressing issues of the nation state, but I’m not only concerned with Israel,” Kersten said. “These are issues that are and multi-faceted and ones that I’m trying to convey fully” Robert Sniderman, a poet and consultant for the Jewish History Museum in Arizona, sees his work for “Jewish Geographies” as largely personal. His work in the exhibition is a presentation of artifacts collected over the six-month period. He was inspired by the Weissensee Cemetery in Germany, which is the largest Jewish cemetery in Germany. Located in northeastern Berlin, Sniderman said he intertwined his work with self reflection and exploration.

“I spent six months studying the space

my political confusion and suffering,” Sniderman said. “I would think about history, myself and Israel-Palestine that I wanted to figure out in relation to the cemetery.”

Kersten said he is excited about presenting work which attendees have the opportunity to interact with.

“I think a lot of [artists] are picking media that do correspond to what their main focus is,” Kersten said. “I wouldn’t say that one medium is more effective than the other, but I’m particularly excited about some of the work that requires more of an installation process. When you set up a space for your artwork in the gallery rather than just hanging a piece on the wall, it makes the idea of space so central in the way the viewer experiences the work.”

Email:Brian.Evans@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @BrianEvansSpec

UB students and faculty talk about the prevalence of eating disorders in the dance community BRITTANY GORNY STAFF WRITER

Note: This article contains sensitive content about eating disorders which may be triggering.

Christiana Sylvia, UB dance alum ‘17, developed anorexia nervosa in high school and it followed her through college.

Five years later, she said recovery is still prevalent in her everyday life.

“Dancers, like athletes, are expected to have a certain physique. That is understandable,” Sylvia said.

But she said the environment she danced in was “toxic” for her disorder.

Dancers are at a three times higher risk of developing an eating disorder than

other athletes, according to Health Reference Center Academic. Some dancers at UB said it can be hard to be comfortable with their bodies when spending up to eight hours in front of a mirror each day.

But dancers often don’t identify they have a problem or reach out for help, according to Anne Burnidge, director of graduate dance studies and associate chair of theatre and dance.

Sylvia called her cry for help a “silent suicide.”

“Beneath my bubbly personality, I was extremely unhappy,” Sylvia said. “I was stressed. I was anxious. I took my self-hatred out on my body. I isolated myself from everyone who tried to help me.”

Sylvia said she wasn’t aware of the dam-

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COURTESY OF JIM BUSH UB dancers strike a pose. UB students and faculty discussed the dangers of eating disorders in the dance community.

age the disorder did to her body until her spine sustained a double fracture due to malnourishment and excessive dance training, she said.

She said dance is like a “magnifying glass” that dancers put their bodies in front of to be assessed and criticized. Sylvia recalled faculty telling dancers to watch their weight and to maintain the size at which they were recruited.

“No dancers were named, but as someone with a warped perception of body image, I immediately feared that was addressed to me,” Sylvia said.

Sylvia said people in positions of power should be mindful of how their words come across and that topics like weight should be addressed “discreetly.”

“There is life beyond your body,” Sylvia said. “The world doesn’t give a damn whether you’re an A cup or a size 12. Life is measured by so much more than the shell you wear.”

Amanda Edwards, assistant director of counseling, said dance creates “an atmosphere where dancers are exposed to high levels of criticism and feedback.”

“The dance environment values perfection, precision, individualism and appearance,” Edwards said. “Comments from dance teachers, parents or peers can push someone to resort to extreme forms of appearance regulation.”

Edwards said it is important for dancers to remember that dance is “only one part” of their “multifaceted identity.”

Janice Cochran, dietitian and nutritionist, said she has seen dancers in Health Promotions struggling with their health.

She said societal expectations can leave people feeling like “they’re expected to look a certain way.”

“We all are incredibly diverse,” Cochran said. “We live in a world with body diversity [and] size diversity. To have an expectation of uniformity or looking like ‘person X’ when there’s A through Z, is difficult.”

Kennedy Jordan, a junior dance major at UB, said eating disorders are a “hard topic to talk about and they shouldn’t be.”

Jordan said she witnessed dancers suffering from eating disorders at UB and while growing up. She said talking to someone with an eating disorder can be a “sticky situation” as it requires high sensitivity and can be emotional for those affected.

Burnidge said UB’s dance department doesn’t have formal classes educating dancers on eating disorders. Jordan said professors often take time to mention the importance of eating enough in class or before shows.

The department provides resources

such as connecting dancers with the counseling center and support groups on campus, according to Burnidge. Burnidge said she wished UB devoted as many resources to educating dancers about health as it does for other athletes.

“If we had the health and wellness programs like Athletics has, there would be a lot more resources for dancers who are struggling,” Burnidge said.

Athletics has their own psychology consultant who works to support them with mental health, mental health toughness training and career development.

Edwards said Counseling Services has a “supportive and collaborative” relationship with the dance department and educates dance faculty on how to help emotionally-distressed students.

“Every year we present programing to the dance students on body image, eating concerns, stress management and selfcare,” Edwards said.

Counseling Services offers a comprehensive “Eating Disorder Treatment” that is available to all students. All treatment recommendations are person-centered and they provide things like medical management, nutritional counseling, case management, individual and group therapy.

Sylvia said the department discusses the warning signs of eating disorders at the “surface level,” but fails to address the emotional strain of dance in eating disorder development.

Burnidge said the department talks to classes about UB’s resources and provides general information, but isn’t as proactive as it would like to be.

“Most dancers come as adults, so there’s not much intervention we can do if the dancer doesn’t want help,” Burnidge said.

“In the past, if a dancer has reached out for help or identified they have a problem, we’ve been able to put them in touch with the right people to support them.”

Jordan stressed the importance of health in dancing.

“It’s important for dancers to be aware of eating disorders because dance is an athletic art, we are working our bodies all the time,” Jordan said.

Sylvia said dance is a demanding art form and is unlike other disciplines.

“Dance isn’t a mathematical equation or a grammatical error,” Sylvia said. “There is no final answer. There is no end to the pursuit of perfection. Some artists live for this challenge while others die for it.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

6 | Monday, April 1, 2019

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SPORTS

8 | Monday, April 1, 2019

OPINION

Goodbye, Nate

Softball team rounds the bases

Conference success shows improvement from last season NATHANIEL MENDELSON SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

NATHANIEL MENDELSON SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

We all knew Nate Oats wasn’t going to stay at UB forever. He brought Buffalo men’s basketball to new heights in the four years he was head coach. But did he have to leave the way that he did?

He has multiple MAC championships, multiple NCAA tournament appearances and wins, and he produced two of the greatest players in school history.

Still, it wasn’t enough.

Oats wanted more. He wanted national championships, he wanted money, he wanted a school that would give him everything he wanted.

He wanted Alabama.

“I was a high school math teacher six years ago, so it’s not all about the money for us,” Oats told reporters after his introductory press conference at Alabama.

“Obviously the money doesn’t hurt. But I’d like to play for national championships.

We can get to the Final Four here.”

Really Nate, it’s not about the money?

You wouldn’t be able to go to a Final Four here or win a national championship?

Nate, you signed a five-year extension less than two weeks before leaving. It would’ve made you the highest paid public employee in New York at $837,000 per season. Now you’re going to earn $2.462 million, receive use of two cars through a local dealership, a country club membership and Alabama is covering all moving expenses. But it’s not about the money.

Oats walked onto the UB campus last Wednesday like he didn’t know he was leaving. He took a private jet with his family to Tuscaloosa that afternoon and was introduced as the head coach on Thursday.

The news of Oats’ departure broke on Twitter around 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Oats’ players were informed by the athletic department in a meeting at the same time, according to The Buffalo News. Not by their former coach.

Oats has repeatedly spoken about his support for the city and how people don’t understand how great it is. Earlier in March, he was on the Jim Rome Show and spoke about how he’s never had a problem recruiting here.

So then why couldn’t you win that championship here? If you have no issues recruiting here, then why can’t we build a national championship team? You were about to bring in one of, if not the best recruiting class in history.

Buffalo has already lost two recruits and assistant coach Bryan Hodgson.

Hodgson would stay at UB only if he became the head coach, otherwise the WNY native was on the same plane to Alabama. Initially, he was in the running but pictures posted on Sunday of him in Alabama gear with Oats on a recruiting trip indicate otherwise.

Fans and donors like Tunney Murchie wanted Hodgson to stay because he could “save” the recruiting class and continue our success. I say let him leave.

Buffalo needs a new coach and an escape from the Oats years. No more bluecollar shirts, no more hard-hat award, just basketball with no gimmicks attached.

For the first time in his position, athletic director Mark Alnutt will have to make a tough decision. If the coach hired by UB is unable to keep a similar level of success to Oats, then UB Athletics is back in the same position it was six years ago.

Goodbye, Nate. Thank you for making my time covering UB hoops a wild ride and making my undergrad years a little more exciting, but I’ll still be rooting for UB if our teams play.

Email: nathaniel.mendelson@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @NateMendelson

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Mike Ruechel is in his second season at UB and first as head coach. As an assistant last year, he helped increase the Bulls win total by seven and revolutionize their offense.

Buffalo (5-22-1, 2-2-1 Mid-American Conference) struggled more through its non-conference schedule this season but played tougher competition. Positive results early in MAC play could lead Buffalo to the playoffs for the first time in over four years.

The Bulls started conference play this week going 2-2-1 after Saturday’s game against Central Michigan (12-17-1, 3-2-1 MAC) ended due to rain. Buffalo powered its way to victory with the long ball and was finally able to take advantage of the shorter distance to the fence at Nan Harvey Field.

“I’m very pleased,” Ruechel said. “Our goal is to come out and compete and when you compete things can happen. We had some big situations where we came through with a big hit, big defensive plays and that’s what our goal is. To get into those spots and then take advantage of it and I thought we did that all weekend.”

Buffalo was miraculous in securing it’s only win against Central Michigan this weekend. Senior pitcher Ally Power held

the Chippewas to just one hit through five innings, but the Bulls would only be up 1-0.

Central Michigan scored 5 runs over the sixth and seventh innings, leaving Buffalo down 4 runs in the bottom of the seventh.

UB fought back from the deficit.

Freshman center fielder Alexis Matheney blasted a three-run home run and sophomore left fielder Anna Aguon followed with a solo shot of her own to tie.

Junior second basemen Jenelle Martinez finished off the Chippewas with a solo shot of her own. Buffalo went back-toback-to-back and won their home opening game 6-5.

Ruechel has changed the swing mechanics of his players. The Bulls doubled their home run total from 2017 when he became a coach in 2018.

“We try to stay in games where we’re always within reach,” Ruechel said. “We have the ability to strike with a double or home run because it’s tough to put three, four hits together. We try to get one, two and then the big hit and it really paid off for us.”

Ruechel estimates that the size of the parks they played in during non-conference took away 10-to-12 home runs from the team.

Buffalo lost the second game of its Friday double-header 3-2. Junior pitcher Lace Smith gave up eight hits and three runs in a complete game.

The Bulls were within reach the majority of the game and led until the top of the fifth inning. Buffalo couldn’t bring junior utility player Gabby Keller home after

she hit a pinch-hit double in the bottom of the inning. It was their last chance of the game.

Power took to the mound for the final game of the series and pitched another gem. She went 5.2 innings, giving up four hits and just one earned run. Ruechel said her performances this weekend were the best she’s had this year.

The Bulls jumped out to an early lead again but stumbled in the later innings.

Aguon opened up the scoring with her second home run of the series, taking Samantha Howell deep in the bottom of the first.

The Bulls led 2-0 until the sixth where Central Michigan tied it. The Chippewas scored in the seventh to take a 3-2 lead as Buffalo came down to its final outs again.

Matheney saved the Bulls with a home run to left center to tie the game. Buffalo had its chances late but was unable to convert. The game would have gone to extra innings but was called due to rain, resulting in a tie.

“You got to have a few people step up,” Reuchel said. “Matheney stepped up in the game and yesterday. Even when we’re down five we have people who can get on so they can come up with their bats. So that’s going to be the key for us is getting those other people to step in and get the big hits at the right time.”

The Bulls won’t return home until April 10. They play next on Tuesday, April 2 at Akron in a doubleheader.

Email: nathaniel.mendelson@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @NateMendelson

NATHANIEL MENDELSON | THE SPECTRUM Sophomore third baseman Alicia Peters looks back at a pitch.

Peters finished the weekend with two hits as Buffalo went 1-1-1 in the series against Central Michigan.

Cierra Dillard’s new biggest fan, Trinidad Jame$ Prominent Atlanta rapper notices star senior’s performance NATHANIEL MENDELSON SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

There’s new competition to be Cierra Dillard’s biggest fan. The star women’s basketball player’s mom, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and rapper Trinidad Jame$ are now all competing.

Jame$, notable for his 2012 hit “All Gold Everything,” tweeted his support for Dillard after her performance against UConn in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Dillard led the Bulls in the tournament after they received an automatic bid for winning the Mid-American Conference tournament. Dillard, the MVP of the tournament, has been one of the top scorers in the nation and is expected to be the first player from Buffalo to be drafted into the WNBA. Dillard suffered an injury during her final collegiate game but continued to play. Dillard, while limping up and down the court, led Buffalo on a comeback attempt that fell just short against one of the top teams in the nation, UConn.

Jame$ saw Dillard’s “mamba” mentality and shared his thought to his 361,000 followers.

“Shoutout Cierra Dillard from @ buffalo University,” Jame$ wrote on Twitter. “She was busting ass till injury.

UConn had no answer.”

Even with the celebrity endorsement, The Bulls lost 84-72 and their season came to an end in Storrs, Connecticut.

With another five minutes, Legette-Jack speculated that Buffalo could have pulled off the upset.

Dillard finished the game with 29 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals despite her injury.

She only missed two minutes of playing time.

Dillard’s scoring was the COURTESY OF TWITTER most points UConn has Trinidad Jame$’ tweet while watching Cierra Dillard play against allowed to an opposing UConn. Jame$ sent two tweets about Dillard and wants her to player all season. keep playing like the champion she is.

“Ms. Dillard has that Mamba blood,” Jame$ Dillard is just over a week away from wrote over Twitter direct messages. “No the WNBA draft on April 10. fear. Not phased by pain because winning Still, Dillard doesn’t try to be a scorer and the moment is the only thing she is on the court but was the fastest player focused on. It was a pleasure to see her in program history to reach 1,000 career attack the Huskies that way. Coach Geno points, doing so in just 53 games. Dillard [Auriemma] and the Huskies are an iron also set the single season scoring record fortress of incredible women. I know a of 856, the most for men’s and women’s lot of other women are intimidated by basketball. Dillard is fifth place on the allthem and their nostalgia. Cierra played as time scoring list with 1,422 points. if she didn’t care. That deserves a trophy Jame$ may not be headed for the in its own right.”

WNBA, but the Atlanta native had advice The UConn women’s basketball team for the future star. has made the NCAA tournament every “Ms. Dillard gotta keep her mentality year since 1989 and has made the final and also hit the gym in the offseason with four every season since 2008. UConn the same energy,” Jame$ wrote. “Keep won four-straight championships from that Same Energy. Be the winner she was 2013-16. born to be.”

Jame$ said he is not a UConn fan but admitted that it was the “only good game” Email: nathaniel.mendelson@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @NateMendelson on after the Duke men’s basketball team beat Baylor in the NCAA tournament.

Jame$ said that was when he found “a gem” of a player, Dillard.