THE SPECTRUM VOL. 69 NO. 11 | OCTOBER 3, 2019
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
A light at the end of the tunnel:
iMacs with Adobe Creative Cloud now available to students
ChrisTine hanraTTY | The SpecTrum Sophomore forwArd JeenAThAn williAmS goeS for A lAyup during The men’S BASkeTBAll prAcTice on mondAy.
Men’s basketball prepares for 2019-20 season with first official practices this week MYAH GONZALEZ STAFF WRITER
The 2019-20 men’s basketball season is underway, as the Bulls stepped on the court for their first official practice Sunday. The defending conference champions
are adjusting to a new roster and new dynamic after losing a few key players last season. But with four new faces and the guidance of both a new head coach and veteran players, they’re hopeful for another successful year. The Bulls won the Mid-American Conference Championship for the second time and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament the second year in a row, finishing with a 32-4 record. The end of the season marked the graduation of five seniors –– Montell McRae, Jeremy Harris, CJ Massinburg, Dontay Caruthers
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and Nick Perkins –– who were all powerhouses for UB and were a huge loss to the roster. But the Bulls’ biggest change this year doesn’t wear a jersey. Jim Whitesell has moved into the head coaching position for the Bulls following previous head coach Nate Oats’ move to Alabama. Whitesell isn’t new to the program though and has spent the last four years as the associate head coach. Players say they’re excited to have a familiar face around as they enter this new chapter of UB’s basketball program. “Coach Whitesell has been with me my whole career here, so it’s not too much of a change and I feel great going into this season,” senior guard Davonta Jordan said. Whitesell shares his players’ excitement. “Working with these guys is awesome so I’m very appreciative and grateful,” Whitesell said at Monday’s practice. “It’s a great challenge.” Whitesell has previous experience as head coach at Loyola University Chicago, where he spent seven seasons, followed by assistant coaching positions at St. John’s and St. Louis before he joined the Bulls’ coaching staff in 2015. UB has also added some new talent to its roster that Whitesell hopes can help defend the team’s conference title. > SEE BULLS | PAGE 8
Retired professor to receive Legends Award Saturday James Pappas earns award for 50 years of community service at UB and beyond BRITTANY GORNY SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Few people leave an impact on their community significant enough to be called a legend. Retired professor James Pappas has earned this title, and the Buffalo community wants to recognize the work he’s done. On Friday, Pappas will accept the Legends Award at the 47th Annual Black Achievers Awards Dinner, honoring his contributions to Western New York. Herbert Bellamy, Jr., president and CEO of Black Achievers Inc., recognized Pappas’ efforts to pave a way for black youth in the community and his mentoring of young artists. The award isn’t arbitrary; it comes after Pappas’ 50 years of teaching at UB and decades of community service in Buffalo. Pappas, who retired from UB in January, was the chair of the Black Studies department –– now a program encompassed in the Transnational Studies department –– from 1977-90. Born in Syracuse in 1937, Pappas lived through the civil rights movement and saw protests and segregation firsthand, which he says began his “social consciousness.” He later moved to Buffalo to pursue his bachelor’s degree in fine arts (‘67) at UB, and then worked as a juvenile parole officer, where he was exposed to
more disadvantages minorities face. He went on to pursue his Master of Fine Arts (‘74) at UB. In the late 1960s, Pappas wanted his passion for art to elicit social change, and he co-founded the Langston Hughes Center for the Visual and Performing Arts with artists Allie Anderson, Wilhelmina Godfrey and Clarence Scott. Pappas attributes his interest in art to his aunt and uncle –– both musicians –– who he lived with in Cleveland for much of his childhood. “[They] were responsible for opening up my mind to the world,” Pappas said. “I
Four women speak truths through UB Art Gallery
UB student Anthony Vargas’ journey to student advocacy
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‘The Bulls are back in town’
UBSPECTRUM
was under the musical influence of them and it really broadened my horizons about life in general.” Soon enough, his interests in the arts and civil rights merged. As a UB undergraduate, Pappas wrote a thesis on how he could use art to elicit social change. Pappas went on to do just this, teaching social justice through art at UB and creating an institution for visual and performing arts, a concept he suggested in his thesis. Pappas’ passion for social justice showed through his lectures, and during his time at UB, he started a class called Blacks in Films, which students can still take today. The course studies the role of black actors in media, from Hollywood stars to inde> SEE PAPPAS| PAGE 2
gordon mYers | The SpecTrum reTired profeSSor And legendS AwArd winner JAmeS pApAS poSeS ouTSide The STudenT union.
> SEE PAGE 5
UB extends full Ph.D. stipend funding for additional year
College of Arts and Sciences committees to discuss future recruitment practices within next two weeks BRITTANY GORNY, ALEXANDRA MOYEN NEWS DESK
Interim Provost A. Scott Weber announced on Wednesday he will provide bridge-funding to all UB colleges, fully covering the Ph.D. stipend increase for 2020-21 and covering 50% for 2021-22. For the original Ph.D. Excellence Initiative, a UB initiative announced on Aug. 26 which increased the Ph.D. stipend floor to $20,000, UB planned to provide bridgefunding fully covering the increased stipends for 2019-20, 50% for 2020-21 and 25% for 2021-22. The College of Arts and Sciences then paused recruitment for funded Ph.D. students in 23 of its 29 departments on Sept. 19. After CAS faculty voiced concerns about the way the decision was made, CAS Dean Robin Schulze, along with chairs from across CAS departments, compiled a resolution asking Weber for additional funding for the stipends on Sept. 27. “Expanded bridge-funding will support Ph.D. stipends while providing a more flexible window to ensure decanal units move forward with academic-focused evaluations of their programs and with strategies they seek to improve Ph.D. program excellence,” Weber wrote in an email. Schulze wrote the increase in bridgefunding will provide CAS with the necessary “flexibility” to recruit more Ph.D. students for fall 2020 “while pursuing the objectives of the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative.” Schulze said the committees will provide departments with concrete information about the number of funded Ph.D. students they can enroll in fall 2020 beyond the Schomburg and Presidential candidates within the next two weeks. “We need the input of as many people as possible to answer the difficult questions these vital conversations will undoubtedly generate, as well as to design processes and plan for the implementation of the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative,” Schulze wrote in an email. Vice Provost of Educational Affairs Graham Hammill said Ph.D. students will have “long-term benefits” through the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative. In October, 1,016 Ph.D. students will receive the stipend raise to $20,000, making UB one of the top-five public Association of American Universities. Kenneth Dauber, English professor and member of the Faculty Senate, said CAS faculty is still “very angry.” “The CAS faculty remains extremely unhappy,” Dauber said. “There have been people saying they have no confidence in > SEE PH.D.| PAGE 2
2 | Thursday, October 3, 2019 FROM PAGE 1
PAPPAS
pendent filmmakers. “Students would tell me I spoiled their enjoyment of watching movies,” Pappas said. “Because now they have to look at the psychological aspects and do a complete investigation of the film itself from an African-American perspective.” Pappas has seen the effects of stereotypes throughout his life. And the arts taught him to view the world “deeper than the surface” and observe things as they are, he says. “Everyone looks at you strange anyhow, because you are an artist, and they don’t know exactly where you’re coming from,” Pappas said. “So I play that game with them, because there are so many stereotypes –– [not only] about being an artist –– and people live off those stereotypes because it’s ingrained in our culture.” Pappas showed his students, through film, that you can’t judge people based on their stereotypes. “I taught that insidiously in class, because a lot of the films were based on stereotypes,” Pappas said. “So [it taught] the notion that film is a powerful weapon for change itself for what they see and envision and bring to their own experiences.”
NEWS But Pappas began teaching through art before he even finished his master’s degree. In 1969, Pappas, with Anderson, Godfrey and Scott, created the Langston Hughes Center for Visual and Performing Arts, named after the legendary black artist and poet. His hope: to teach kids to express their creativity through dance, drawing, painting, weaving and ceramics. “It was way ahead of everything going on at the time, in terms of retrospective idea of self-expression among young people, because they weren’t getting it in school,” Pappas said. He left the center in 1975 to focus on teaching at UB, but the center lasted roughly 40 years before the program dissipated in 2015. Pappas said he faced challenges throughout his time as Black Studies department chair, as there were “a number of push backs from the university” which “kept the program from progressing.” “I looked at them as a challenge to overcome as opposed to getting emotional about it,” Pappas said. Pappas said the department had to “fight for every little crumb” to become part of the academic structure. He said the social sciences departments were, at first,
against accepting the department into UB curriculum, as they didn’t see it as a “legitimate academic program.” “We had to show what we were doing was significant,” Pappas said. “We were fighting with university administration to get something as simple as space.” Cecil Foster, chair of the Transnational Studies department, has known Pappas for nine years, but joined the UB faculty six years ago. He worked alongside Pappas and “followed in his footsteps,” becoming chair of the department in January. “[Pappas] would remind us that AAS was founded as a community outreach, a need to create black spaces at the university,” Foster said. “He would recall those early days when scholars, artists, musicians, political activists, everybody would meet at UB under the auspices of the Black Studies program, and how excited those days were, how much Blackness had a notable presence at UB.” The department now has a home on the 10th floor of Clemens Hall. “I refused to accept anything less,” Pappas said. “If there’s any kind of progress that was made, I helped to save the space and get new hires to bring faculty members to teach courses.”
ubspectrum.com Pappas has dedicated most of his life to instructing others, but his award-winning contributions to the community are only a result of his own artistry. His art is displayed in 50 exhibits across the world, including Paris, Germany, Koh Phangan, the Bahamas and places around the U.S., including Albright Knox Art Gallery here in Buffalo. And even when Pappas wants to keep his art to himself, it doesn’t last. He recalls a painting he once really loved and swore he would’ve never sold, but when Buffalo’s Albright Knox offered to buy it, he changed his mind. “At least it’s here in Buffalo,” Pappas said. Bellamy says Pappas –– after all of his contributions to the Buffalo community and the years he spent paving the way for young artists–– earned the recognition he will receive on Saturday. “He’s one of the ones who helped so many people who think they got there by themselves, but they didn’t, someone else started the groundwork,” Bellamy said. “He’s an inspiration to all of us. He does things to make better for his community.” Email: brittany.gorny@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @BrittanyGorny
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PH.D.
the dean, no confidence in [top administrators] and they see this top research university extraordinarily compromised.” Weber said the “long-term investments” of the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative will be discussed at a meeting on Oct. 8. “I believe absolutely that we need to support our Ph.D. students better and recommit to the ideal that they are co-investigators vital to the university’s success as a research institution,” Schulze wrote in an email. “I am confident that with all faculty engaged, we will enhance both current and future students’ experiences at UB and help our students achieve successful outcomes.” Email: news@ubspectrum.com
The Spectrum Archives A. Scott Weber, then-Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, at a tuition planning meeting in 2015.
iMacs with Adobe Creative Cloud now available to students
STAFF WRITER
and the things they do with the right tools never ceases to amaze.” Leo Romero*, a senior media studies major, uses Adobe for various school projects. “Adobe is a great tool for being creative,” Romero said. “I want to work in the film industry and using Adobe gives me a headstart. It’s cool the whole campus has
UB Information Technology installed 42 new iMacs with Adobe Creative Cloud in the Lockwood Cybrary and on the third floor of the Oscar Silverman Library at the beginning of the semester. Adobe Creative Cloud offers 19 programs including Premiere, After Effects, Animate, Illustrator and more for students to create various media forms. UBIT added the iMacs equipped with the software in response to a student survey which found almost a third of students use Apple computers. Students can use the software on any of the 20 iMacs in the Lockwood Cybrary or 22 iMacs on the third floor of the Oscar Silverman Library. Adobe Creative Cloud usually costs $52.99 a month, but UB students can now access the software at UB for no extra cost, since it’s already incorporated into their technology fee. UBIT Vice President and Chief Information Officer J. Brice Bible said the new software will not increase students’ technology fee and that student leadership discussed the topic with UBIT last year. Bible said he believes access to the Creative Cloud is crucial to students’ learning. “UB students just live creative lives,” Bible said. “They are incredibly creative,
Chris Yang | The Spectrum UB Student using Adobe Premiere in the new iMac station at Silverman library.
UB Information Technology makes Adobe Creative Cloud available in Silverman and Lockwood Libraries AMAL ELHELW
access to it now.” UBIT’s goal is to provide students with the tools they need to “succeed and achieve” in all of their pursuits, and Bible said Creative Cloud does exactly that. “It benefits students from a career perspective to have an opportunity to get comfortable with these tools, while they’re developing the other skills that will help
them grow and flourish later in life,” Bible said. *Leo Romero is a contributing photographer at The Spectrum Email: news@ubspectrum.com.
OPINION
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Thursday, October 3, 2019 | 3
Why do we give Kanye West so much leeway with album releases? Being a fan of the most infamous rapper of the century is tiring and frankly frustrating
ALEX WHETHAM STAFF WRITER
I woke up on Friday expecting “Jesus is King” to be available on Spotify. Instead, I woke up to various music publications announcing Kanye West’s failure to release on time. This should have been a depressing surprise, but unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Kanye has left fans waiting on his projects. “Jesus is King” joins the ranks with albums like “Good Ass Job,” “Yahndi,” “Cruel Winter,” “Turbo Grafx 16,” that collab record with Drake and more that Kanye either announced once and never again, or announced and delayed “until further notice.” I can’t think of a single other musician in recent music history that has been able to announce so many projects and just
never make good on them. And Kanye does this all while keeping the spotlight on himself, with the announcements plastering the front pages of music blogs everywhere. Combine this inconsistency with the extremely rough decade that he’s had, and his career should be over. But he remains at the forefront of American culture nonetheless. Why doesn’t this hurt Kanye’s reputation? Why does he get coverage and apologies from fans and critics alike despite all of this? From a strictly musical standpoint, the controversy surrounding Kanye’s 2016 record “The Life of Pablo” was the first real warning of problems to come. It almost joined the list of albums above. First it was called “So Help Me God,” then “Swish,” then “Waves” and finally “The Life of Pablo.” From there, Kanye announced the album would have ten songs and come out on Feb. 12, 2016. It didn’t come out until Feb. 14 and had 19 tracks. It didn’t stop there. People complained about the mixing, Kanye posted his infamous –– and now deleted –– “imma fix wolves” tweet and on March 31, Kanye released the album again with minor changes to almost every song. On June 14, 2016, Kanye added the track “Saint Pablo” to the record and the album was finally complete. In the history of modern music, the road to “The Life of Pablo” was unlike
March of the Bulls sonThekicksregularoff sea-is My expectations for the upcoming men’s basketball season
ZACH MCADOO STAFF WRITER
The unofficial start of the UB Bulls basketball season and an exhibition against Daemen is only three weeks away. A quick glance at this season’s schedule (posted earlier this month) shows Buffalo didn’t schedule any top-tier teams like it did last year and there aren’t many tough teams on the schedule either. If not for winning the MAC last season, the Bulls would be cosidered an at-large. This season, unless they win every game, it’s highly unlikely they’ll have this opportunity again. It’s MAC or bust. Last year, the Bulls played away against No. 13-ranked West Virginia, Syracuse in the Carrier Dome and home against Marquette which earned a five seed last year for the NCAA tournament. But only one of the teams they play this year, St. Bonaventure, made the NCAA tournament last season.
Do you have an interest in journalism, graphic design, photography, social media, advertising, cartoons or copy English editing? TheProfessor Spectrum Rachel is always Ablow did not speak at the who looking for enthusiastic students meeting referenced wantCAS to be part of our team. Join our in the Monday article titled 45-time award winning independent “College of Artsforand Sciences student newspaper hands-on, realfaculty discusses funded world experience in your field. Ph. D. recruitment pause with dean.” Anyone interested in joining The Monday’s page staff 2 story Spectrum’s editorial can email should have been Brenton J. Blanchet at: titled “UB community doesn’t think eic@ubspectrum.com. president’s removal is likely,” as community Anyone interested inmembers joining The referenced removal,staff not or Spectrum’s professional impeachment. advertising team can email Helene Polley at: hapolley@buffalo.edu.
home on Nov. 8 against Dartmouth, which hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 1959. Dartmouth also hasn’t had a winning season since I was born (1998-99) and the Big Green are coming off an 11-20 season with a 2-12 Ivy League mark. Game over before it starts. The Toronto trip takes them to another Ivy League on Nov. 16. Harvard s last season went 19-12 with a 10-4 record in the Ivy League, good enough to put them in the NIT tournament. Althouhj the Crimsons are knoen better for their academics than their athletics, they closer mirror the Bulls abilities than Dartmouth so we should expect a closer score. The Bulls go to Charleston for the Charleston Classic on Nov. 21, only knowing their first opponent, the UCONN Huskies who went from winning the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2014 to going 16-17 last season. Bulls should win a close one. The remaining Charleston Classic field is Missouri State, Miami, Xavier, Florida, Saint Joesph’s and Towson. Flordia being the toughest matchup, who’s expected to be a two seed for the NCAA tournament. If the Bulls play Miami, Florida or Xavier, I believe they’ll lose. As for Missouri State, St. Joe’s and Towson, the Bulls should be able to handle all three. On Nov. 30, the Bulls return home to play William & Mary, which is coming off a 14-17 season, with one big win last year (St. Joe’s). The Bulls then travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, which went 9-23 and winless (0-18) in the SEC last season. The
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any other. Kanye had been an infamous controversy stirrer in the music scene for over a decade, but until that album, it had never crossed over into his music past the lyrics. It’s hard to say if this was a good idea or even an intentional one. On one hand, the “finished” version of “The Life of Pablo” is miles better than the version that was released on Valentine’s Day. On the other hand, it may be the reason why we face the constant frustration today that is Kanye’s inconsistent and frequent album non-releases. For the most part, the general public gave the ordeal a pass. It was new, it was innovative and it was funny to see the name of the record change so many times. But it was also frustrating, set a dangerous precedent in the era of streaming and signalled to Kanye that his music-releasing methods can be fluid from that time forward. With that logic though, I shouldn’t be surprised that “Jesus is King” isn’t out. So why am I? I attribute this to the confidence his five-week string of releases –– May 25June 22, 2018 –– instilled in me. To provide a quick refresher, Kanye announced via Twitter that five new records (by himself and other artists) were going to be produced by him and would come out every Friday for those five weeks in a row. To everyone’s surprise, he delivered. Now, the reception of these albums were mixed depending on who you ask, and
Kanye didn’t get most of them out exactly at midnight, but they all came out at some point on the day they were supposed to. Separating the massive controversies he had during this time, this was the most success Kanye had with a release schedule since 2013. “Yandhi” failing to release should have been the real warning sign, but even that had a bootleg release, showing it was real even if it was scrapped. With “Jesus is King,” all we have to go off of is a promise from Kim K. and a screenshot on Kanye’s website. As of 8 p.m., Oct. 2, the site still has the picture of the tracklist and release date, but Kanye himself has been completely silent. If the album never releases, I don’t think that Kanye’s reputation will be damaged at all, but for me, this is the last straw. We would never give this type of leeway to any other artists, especially one with such a controversial list of gripes to go along with them. It’s been tiring to be a Kanye West fan for a long time now and now that he’s extended these idiosyncrasies to his release schedule, it has become absolutely agonizing and frankly unacceptable. It is already difficult to pay attention to Kanye, but now that there isn’t even music to back it up, it’s hard to justify his place in the music industry anymore.
Commodores lost their final 20 games last season and still haven’t won this year. Vandy is looking to rebound under a new coach. Buffalo will likely win this machup. The Bulls then move to Chicago to visit Depaul for a nationally-televised game on FS1. The Blue Demons come off their best season (19-17) under head coach Dave Leitao and ended up CBI runners up. This is the Bulls’ toughest matchup in my opinion. The Bulls end the non-conference schedule with four home games starting with Army on Dec. 14, which ended the last three seasons with 13 wins. Buffalo controls them. The Bulls then go on a three-game Big 4 stand. Canisius comes to Alumni on Dec. 18. Their previous 15-17 mark wasn’t good enough to earn them a bid in any postseason tournament last year and it should be the same this year. Buffalo wins by double digits. Niagara visits three days later. Niagara’s new head coach, Patrick Beilein, won’t help, as Buffalo should win. The Bulls’ final game is against St. Bonaventure, the closest match in terms of talent. The Bonnies are one season removed from their last NCAA tournament bid and last year they put together an 1816 record, going 12-6 in the A-10. The last time the Bonnies came to Alumni, they beat the Bulls, hopefully not again this time. Buffalo will probably go 13-5 in the MAC this year and I still expect them to be hoisting the MAC Championship in Cleveland at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 14, 2020.
Letter to the editor:
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Email: opinion@ubspectrum.com
In a recent article regarding the potential impeachment of President Trump, the headline suggested that the “UB community doesn’t think presidential impeachment is likely.” I expected Political Science Associate Professor Jacob Neiheisel to clarify the impeachment process by indicating that impeachment occurs in the House of Representatives as the first step in a larger process. Once a president is impeached, a trial is then held in the Senate where a two-thirds majority vote is required for removal of the president from office. Personally, I believe impeachment (that is, step one) is likely. Removal (step two) unlikely. Perhaps if this distinction were made when eliciting UB community opinion, the article would have more accurately reflected what impeachment means as outlined in the United States Constitution and provided more insight into how the UB community feels about the matter. Carol Tutzauer Staff University at Buffalo This letter remains in the shape it was sent in and has not been altered. The article, “UB community doesn’t think president’s removal is likely” has been edited online to reflect corrections made in this letter.
FEATURES
4 | Thursday, October 3, 2019
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‘A light at the end of the tunnel’ Change subhead to “Anthony Vargas’ journey to student advocacy” SAMANTHA VARGAS SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR
At just 17 years old, Anthony Vargas didn’t know who was watching when he spoke in front of the United Nations on the International Day of Peace in 2014. His speech was internationally televised. He may have even been in the same room as President Barack Obama. He wasn’t sure. What he did know was he shared the stage with renowned scientist Jane Goodall, along with 11 other students, as he spoke about his passion: an anti-bullying program that –– four years later –– is now in the process of being implemented into New York State law. It was a lot of pressure for a 17 year old. But Vargas, a senior sociology and
Courtesy of Anthony Vargas Vargas sits with advocates from Jane Goodall’s Roots
or
criminology major at UB, has never seen age as a barrier, after taking his bullying experiences at age 11 and transforming them into a career in advocacy. When he transferred schools to evade his schoolyard tormentors, Vargas began a cam-
paign to implement peer-to-peer mentoring programs throughout NewYork City’s school districts. Vargas, now president of the Latin American Student Association, amassed over 1,500 signatures on his online petition and brought his resolution to the New York City council. Now he plans on using his passion for helping others as a starting point for his rising political career. Vargas wants to be the first Hispanic police commissioner for the NYPD and eventually run for state senate. “[Reaching this goal] would mean that the hard work that my mother and my family have put out had paid off. Especially all the long nights and the days that my family has worked two jobs to sustain us,” Vargas said. Vargas, a first-generation U.S. citizen whose mother came from the Dominican Republic, was first bullied in middle school. His mother suffered from severe injuries in a car accident which left her on crutches two years later. As Vargas’ mother dropped
Shoots
program at the
United Nations Headquarters.
him off at school, his peers mocked him and called his mother “handicapped.” He didn’t have anyone to turn to for help. Vargas lived in Washington Heights in Brooklyn, where he says bullying was the least of anybody’s concerns. His neighbors
were used to “shootings and stabbings.” He knew that he didn’t want to continue on the cycle like his peers, many of whom turned to a life of crime after high school. “Sometimes I’d come out of my house and there’d be crime scene tape right in front of my apartment building,” Vargas said. “There’d be blood on the ground, and detectives.” Vargas, after seeing the crime in his neighborhood, joined the New York Police Department’s Explorers program at 14 years old. He worked directly with the NYPD and acted as Courtesy of Anthony Vargas a mentor and advocate Anthony Vargas joined the Marines in 2016. for children as he rose “When I joined [LASA], it was literally through the ranks of the program, soon like my home away from home,” Vargas becoming a three-star chief. said. “This year I decided to run for the His service inspired him to further help e-board to advocate for the changes LASA his country needs and advocate for the Latin AmeriHe joined the U.S. Marine Corps in can community. I’ll literally die with my 2016, wanting to give back to others and last breath fighting for people and for protect his family and friends. what’s right.” He recently volunteered with the Naval Vargas considers his “afro-latinx idenmilitia as a part of Operation Lake On- tity” important. His passion for advocacy tario to prevent flooding in the Rochester extends beyond grade-school bullying, as area. The Marine Corps has not deployed he dealt with discrimination on UB’s camhim, but as a member of the reserves, he pus. He recalls an incident his freshman could be at any time. year where two white students called him At age 17, Vargas became a national a “homeless s--c.” youth councilman on Roots and Shoots, This only pushed Vargas to foster an Goodall’s global youth empowerment pro- inclusive community within LASA. The gram. He joined the council board with a club, comprised of a diverse group of platform on student advocacy and anti- students interested in Latin American culbullying practices, and was soon invited to ture, exists as a platform to educate others speak at the UN about his own experienc- about different ethnicities and cultures. es and his work with the program, which Ming Chen Deng, a sophomore business was globally televised. administration major, is the vice president He called the experience unreal. of LASA and works closely with Vargas. “It just goes to show you that no matter “Anthony is a person I have a lot of rewhat you go through there’s always a light spect for, and not just because he’s a Maat the end of the tunnel, or multiple lights rine, but because he’s a leader,” Deng said. along the way,” Vargas said. “I would like to point out that Anthony Vargas brought his ambition to Buffalo doesn’t play around. When there is work for college, despite a “rough” transition to be done, he gets it done.” from city life. He discovered LASA as a Deng has seen positive changes in LASA freshman and has been a member his en- since Vargas took charge, including strict tire time at UB. He chose to run for the office hours for the e-board, to show that e-board after dancing onstage at Interna- the club is always there for its members. tional Fiesta in 2018. TJ Long, a sophomore accounting major, met Vargas while working alongside him as a resident advisor in Clement Hall and says Vargas takes his leadership roles seriously, whether at the UN or UB. “He genuinely cares about making others feel comfortable and tries to incorporate all his coworkers and residents into as many activities and conversations as possible,” Long said. “He always goes the extra mile without being told to and is always willing to let people pick his brain about what his plans are.” Vargas’ experiences have pushed him into a leadership role, and perhaps they’re pushing him to the biggest one in the nation. Soon enough, Vargas hopes to be president of the United States. “I heard a quote once that said, ‘Everyone has a voice. Some people are just not heard,’ and I thought it was completely true,” Vargas said. “I feel like that’s something I try to do in every aspect of my life –– whether I’m an RA or a member of LASA or a bullying advocate –– It’s not about giving them a voice because they have one. It’s about letting them be heard.” Email: Samantha.Vargas@UBSpectrum.com Twitter: @SamMarieVargas
Christine Hanratty | The Spectrum Anthony Vargas smiles in front of the Student Union.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Thursday, October 3, 2019 | 5
Four women speak their truths through UB Art Gallery based on a very specific theme in terms of what the content of the work is talking about, [as] opposed to saying to a group of women, ‘You can talk about whatever is important to you,’” Borgstrom said. “So, giving them that opportunity, giving them AMAL ELHELW that forum, was really the impetus behind STAFF WRITER this show.” Women were not allowed into art school Borgstrom said she wanted to give until the late 1800s. women the opportunity to have a voice, And once women were allowed in, they saying they aren’t always heard through weren’t allowed to draw the human figure media and culture. She believes students –– considered the best practice to learn need to see artwork which highlights that observation drawing at the time –– since it in “Unspeakable.” was considered “improper” for women to “They need to investigate for themdraw a naked model. selves where they think equality stands Almost 200 years later, UB’s Depart- currently in this country and for me to enment of Art created an exhibit to amplify counter students who think that feminism the voices of women artists. is dead or that it’s not important, tells me “Unspeakable,” an exhibit curated by that this kind of exhibition is necessary,” Skylar Borgstrom, is available for viewing Borgstrom said. in the Center for the Arts Lower Art GalArtists Katherine Gaudy, Daesha Devón lery until Nov. 8. The exhibit highlights Harris, Sarah Maple and Kaitlin Mason are four female artists from around the world all in different points in their careers, but and portrays topics that “make people now share the gallery, which “speaks difuncomfortable” with their photography, ferent truths” to each of them. sculptures and drawings. On average, only Daesha Devón Harris, a ‘17 visual art 30% of artists represented in commercial alum, created a photographic art element U.S. galleries are women, according to Hy- titled “Crossing Jordan.” The photos perallergic. describe the physical and psychological UB’s art department asked Borgstrom, “crossing” that many women encounter, ‘16 studio art alum, to create a project fo- whether it be metaphorically crossing incused on women, as Borgstrom researches ner struggles or physically crossing borthe feminist movement in the U.S. Curat- ders. ing this project “made sense” for her. Borgstrom said Harris’ work explores “I think a lot of times shows get curated “agency” and what that means to a person of color in America. Sarah Maple is an artist from Sussex, England and displays art in “Unspeakable” that directly calls out treatment of women artists. The photographic piece depicts a male artAndrew Palmer | The Spectrum Artwork by Sarah Maple at UB’s ‘Unspeakable’ exhibit in the Center for the Arts ist fully clothed and
‘Unspeakable’ exhibit available for viewing at Center for the Arts until Nov. 8
Andrew Palmer | The Spectrum Artwork by Katherine Gaudy at UB’s ’Unspeakable’ exhibit in the Center for the Arts.
a female artist seemingly nude with fake breasts. Her work emphasizes the idea of female artists being considered “second class” and “claiming control” over their work and selves. “She’s reclaiming her identity as a Muslim and female artist in a world that likes to pigeon hole us or use these things as derogotory,” Mark Snyder, art resource manager and gallery director, said. Kaitlin Mason, an emerging artist from Toronto, Ontario, drew women’s underwear for the exhibit, which is on the exhibit banner. Mason’s piece makes gallery viewers do a double take. While most think they are photos, they are actually colored-pencil drawings on wood, which Snyder describes as “staggering.” “Women are quite underrepresented within galleries, so to have the opportunity to exhibit an entire series of work with other women artists is really amazing,” Mason said. Mason hopes her drawings leave an impact on viewers by showing them what’s possible with the simplest of materials. The artist says she chose to draw female intimates to “explore the details of every-
day garments” to emphasize the alluring idea of what is seen and what is hidden. “Self-empowerment often starts from within,” Mason said. “This series acts as a reminder for self-care, to do something, no matter how small.” Katherine Gaudy, a ‘16 art history alum, takes a physical approach to artwork. For her photographic series, Gaudy created sets that appeared to be out of a painting and photographed herself on set, appearing to be in the art. In another work, she shows a film of her dragging a 3D, double-ended arrow into Lake Erie as the tide pushes it away. She says the video represents the constant back-and-forth struggle of how society treats women and how art society treats female artists, showing the “different iterations of struggle.” Snyder said he appreciates the variety of artists in the exhibit and believes the work in the gallery is meant to make viewers “walk away thinking.” “We’re trying to expose the students to a greater wealth of experience,” Snyder said. “Here, they have the opportunity to see living, functioning artists from around the globe from all different mediums.” Email: news@ubspectrum.com
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FROM PAGE 1
BULLS
Freshman guard Savion Gallion, a 6’4” player who spent last season at Mt. Zion Prep in Maryland, is one of the team’s new additions. He was an under-the-radar recruit and committed to UB in May. Gallion averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game last season. As another new addition to the team, freshman center David Skogman is one of the tallest on the roster this year, standing at 6’10”. He comes from Waukesha West High School in Wisconsin, where he averaged 18.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game last season Sophomore 6’7” forward Josh Mballa is from France where he was the No. 6 recruit. Mballa spent last season playing with the Texas Tech program and transferred to UB this season with the hopes of getting more time on the court. He was injured for the better part of last season, averaging just .8 points per game with his lack of playing time. He scored 13 total points last season in 58 total minutes. Freshman forward Laquill Hardnett, a 6’8” player, transferred from Cincinnati where he redshirted his freshman year, also made the move to Buffalo for this season. In his senior year at Perry Hall
Christine Hanratty | The Spectrum Guards Ronaldo Segu and Davonta Jordan
go head-to-head during men’s basketball practice
Monday.
High School in Maryland, he averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game. Every new face on the team comes in
with hopes of filling some very big shoes. “We’ll be a little different than last year. You can’t just clone those guys, they were special players.” Whitesell says of last year’s seniors. “I think [the players] just have to be t h e m s e l ve s, we’ll look at what each guy’s strength is and improve their weaknesses.” The team’s veterans know they have to be leaders for the younger players, and are excited to embrace their new roles. “I’m just a Christine Hanratty | The Spectrum Junior center Brock Bertram takes on a defender during men’s basketball practice Monday as head coach Jim Whitesell looks on. natural-born
leader,” Jordan said. “I just feel like I have to step up to the plate and lead my team to whatever it is we have in store for us.” Jordan already showed his leadership last season as a huge contributor in earning the MAC Championship. He averaged 7.4 points per game and led the team in steals (1.5 per game) and assists (3.6 per game). Junior guard Jayvon Graves was another big player for the Bulls last season. He was the fourth leader for the team in points per game (9.7) and averaged 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, and is ready to take on his leadership role. “Whatever I can do to score or help anybody else on the team score, that’s what I’ll do,” Graves said. The Bulls will begin their season and their run for another championship on Nov. 8 against Dartmouth at home.
terceptions. The Bobcats’ defense allowed 26.7 points per game, ranking No. 87 in Division I-A. In November, they held Bulls quarterback Tyree Jackson to just nine completions and 116 passing yards.
119 in Division I-A. The Bulls will look to take advantage of their especially porous run defense, which ranks toward the bottom of the NCAA. Solich, 75, is the oldest and one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the Group of Five. Since taking the Ohio job in 2005, he has only had two losing seasons. That record is in danger in 2019.
Get to Know an Opponent: Ohio The Bulls take on the Bobcats in Buffalo Saturday JUSTIN WEISS STAFF WRITER
Following a dispiriting 34-20 loss to Miami(OH) (2-3), UB football (2-3) will return to UB Stadium to take on Ohio University (1-3) for their homecoming game Saturday. In their final non-conference game, the Bobcats were stymied by Louisiana-Lafayette, 45-25. Ohio enters conference play with a 1-3 record, after dropping contests to Pittsburgh, Marshall and Louisiana-Lafayette. The 2019 Mid-American Conference Football Media Preseason Poll projected the Bobcats to finish first in the East Division, so they are a capable opponent for the Bulls. Over the first five weeks of the season, the Bulls have yet to figure out what type of football team they are, marking their early season with inconsistency. Buffalo is 2-3 following wins over Robert Morris and Temple and losses to Penn State, Liberty and Miami (OH). Here’s what to expect when the Bulls take on the Bobcats Saturday afternoon:
COACH: Frank Solich, 165-97, 15th season at Ohio
LOOKING BACK
The Bobcats challenged the Bulls for the top spot in the MAC East last season, as they finished with a 9-4 record and a 27-0 win over San Diego State in the DXL Frisco Bowl. HustleBelt named quarterback Nathan
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Rourke the best player in the Mid-American Conference in August. He completed 59.9% of his passes for 2,434 yards, 23 LOOKING FORWARD touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Most imThe Bobcats went 1-3 in non-conferpressively, he rushed for 860 yards and 15 ence play, with their lone win coming touchdowns on 134 carries. Over the past against Rhode Island in week one. BOTTOM LINE two seasons, he is No. 1 among all FBS Rourke has amassed 1,044 yards and With a week-five loss to Miami (OH), signal-callers in rushing scores. eight total touchdowns in four games. the Bulls will have to be nearly flawless the On Nov. 14, 2018, Rourke amassed 286 He has developed a rapport with redshirt rest of the way to have a chance of making yards and four total touchdowns in a 52-17 freshman wide receiver Shane Hooks, who the MAC Championship Game. On Satwin over Buffalo. The Bobcats controlled totaled 157 yards and two touchdowns. urday, they will need to capitalize on their the whole contest, handing the Bulls their Meanwhile, the rushing game has felt the home crowd and curb Nathan Rourke to only conference loss of the 2018 cam- loss of Ouellette to graduation. beat the Bobcats. Expect running backs paign. On the defensive side of the ball, Hagan Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks to run The 2018 Bobcats averaged 285.5 yards continues to lead the way with 39 total wild on the Bobcats’ defense — especially per game on the ground, ranking No. 9 tackles. Cole Baker, who is a senior de- after quarterback Matt Myers completed in Division I-A. Running back A.J. Ouel- fensive tackle, has 14 total tackles and a just 25% of his passes for 59 yards and lette led the way with 1,306 yards and 12 team-leading 2.5 sacks. The Bobcats have two interceptions last Saturday. touchdowns on 213 attempts, but he was allowed 464 yards per game, ranking No. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com surrounded by an impressive supporting cast: running back Maleek Irons, who rushed for 831 yards and eight scores, and guards Joe Lowery and Joe Anderson, who were named AllMAC selections. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Evan Croutch was named second-team AllMAC after recording 90 total tackles, 5.5 sacks and two interceptions. He was complemented by safety Javon Hagan, who was named firstteam All-MAC after posting 78 total ourtesy of Sarah Cutshall | The Pitt News tackles and two in- CJunior cornerback Jamal Hudson attempts to tackle Pittsburgh running back Vincent Davis during the Bobcats’ 20-10 loss to the Panthers last month.