The Spectrum Vol.69 No.17

THE SPECTRUM VOL. 69 NO. 17 | OCTOBER 24, 2019

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

1930s Scotland in the Black Box Theatre Students prepare for this week’s performances of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’

> SEE PAGE 5

UBSPECTRUM

Nyle DiMarco discusses advocacy and Twitter humor in Spectrum interview

Soccer defeats Western Michigan in final home game An overtime win extends the Bulls’ winning streak

Distinguished speaker sits down with editors before Wednesday event

> SEE PAGE 6

> SEE PAGE 8

Activist Nyle DiMarco opens 33rd annual Distinguished Speaker Series DiMarco discusses childhood, activism with Center for the Arts crowd BRITTANY GORNY, LAURYN KING SENIOR NEWS EDITOR, ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

Nyle DiMarco taught the Center for the Arts crowd how to sign “love yourself ” in American Sign Language Wednesday night.

He wanted everyone to embrace who they are and learn to “use their differences to their advantage.”

DiMarco, a deaf activist and the 160th UB Distinguished Speaker, has done just that. He spoke to roughly 1,200 people in the Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre and is the first speaker to give his speech entirely in sign language. The Student Association paid $120,000 for its two student-choice speakers and and UB cashed a $60,000 check from SA on Tuesday, according to its general ledger. > SEE NYLE DIMARCO

vindhyA buruguPAlli / The SpecTrum deaf acTiviST, acTOr and mOdel, nyle dimarcO aT The ub diSTinGuiShed Speaker SerieS On WedneSday niGhT.

Community activists upset with UB over Tonawanda Coke research study Tonawanda activists demand transparency, funding, inclusion BRITTANY GORNY, ALEXANDRA MOYEN NEWS DESK

Local activists are upset with UB for its role in environmental studies on the former Tonawanda Coke plant.

The plant, which manufactured coke –– a fuel made by heating coal or oil –– was convicted in 2013 for violating the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Judge William Skretny ordered Tonawanda Coke to pay $711,000 for a soil study and $11.4 million to conduct an Environmental Health Study researching the plant’s effects on local residents and to open an environmental health education center. The plant gave UB $9.4 million in November 2016 but didn’t pay the remaining $2 million, according to UB spokesperson Cory Nealon. Tonawanda Coke operated for 101 years before shutting down in October 2018 due to bankruptcy.

The researchers of Citizen Science Community Resources began the soil study as a collaboration with UB chemistry professor Joseph Gardella and Fredonia professor Michael Milligan to understand how the Tonawanda Coke plant contaminated the town’s soil.

Jackie James, CSCR’s founder, started researching the plant in 2004 after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2001.

She believed, like other community members, that the air made her sick. The research group James previously ran –– then Toxic Tonawanda, now known as the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York –– conducted an air study the same year, finding high levels of benzene, a known

carcinogen. The group said the plant was responsible.

James has since recruited community members and formed CSCR to conduct more studies on residential areas surrounding the plant.

James said a not-for-profit was needed to handle the soil study’s funds, and members chose the SUNY Research Foundation to take charge. She said the soil study’s first 10 months were “fine,” until UB started to lead it.

Now, CSCR is concerned with UB’s “lack of transparency” with the millions of dollars and soil-testing data. Gardella said UB will present the data once it is finalized.

“We want to see the data,” James said. “None of this money would’ve come about if it weren’t for the 16 years we’ve been fighting for justice.”

A UB Sponsored Programs administrator distributes research funds to the research team and follows “federal and state procedures,” according to Matthew Bonner, a UB principal investigator for the Environmental Health Study. He said all expenditures are approved by UB Sponsored Programs and the team has to “provide rationale for everything” it purchases.

Bonner said his team designed the Environmental Health Study to understand how emissions from Tonawanda Coke and other sources could have influenced diseases within the community and sent out 100,000 questionnaires to adults around the plant in September 2018. Researchers

received about 13% of questionnaires in return.

Bonner says the research team is in an “interactive exchange” with the community.

James disagrees.

James said she’s been interested in coming to advisory committee meetings but hasn’t received a response as to where and when the meetings are.

“I’ve even asked local elected officials and they don’t know anything about it so that’s really concerning to me,” James said.

As part of the court’s orders, UB opened the center in October 2016 to educate the

public on the Environmental Health Study.

But UB has not been involved since July 2018.

James said the center’s operations are now funded on donations.

“Obviously we need help and the community wants this.” James said. “But why does the community have to struggle when UB was given $10 million to do this?”

Bonner said the committee suggested postponing educational activities until it had studies to share. UB said it is working on developing workshops to educate the community about environmental health.

“There may be better, more efficient ways to reach out and connect with these communities than a single site,” Bonner said. “We think we would be able to reach more people that way, rather than having a place just sitting there waiting for people to show up.”

The research team submitted expense reports to the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services in November 2018 and didn’t hear back about any concerns, according to Bonner. The study also has an institutional review board at UB which protects study participants from harm caused by

vindhyA buruguPAlli / The SpecTrum fOrmer TOnaWanda cOke planT.

research.

CSCR asked UB to release the data from the soil study, fund the center, release its budget to the Department of Justice or a third party and to involve CSCR in the research. > SEE TONAWANDA COKE | PAGE 2

NEWS

2 | Thursday, October 24, 2019 FROM PAGE 1

NYLE DIMARCO

DiMarco, who won “America’s Next Top Model” in 2015 and Season 22 of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2016, appeared on the shows “Switched at Birth” and “Station 19.” He says he didn’t expect this to be his career trajectory, since he got his degrees in education and math from Gallaudet University and aspired to be a math teacher.

DiMarco grew up in a deaf family and his parents, grandparents and great grandparents are all deaf. He realizes not everyone grew up like him and he was “privileged” to grow up in a family which embraced deaf culture and ASL. “Never once did I ever wish I could hear, or that I was any different,” DiMarco said. “I cherish [and] embody my identity as a deaf person.”

DiMarco discussed attending a deaf elementary school where he was required to wear hearing aids and carry “chunky” FM systems. He wanted to get rid of them because he “didn’t understand them.”

When he moved to Texas, he went to a different deaf school where he remembers how “incredible” it was that all his teachers were deaf and all his peers could sign.

“It was a great challenge for me, for the first time I was really challenged in the classroom,” DiMarco said. “I realized that’s what it should have looked like all along, this is where I can grow, thrive and just be a normal boy.”

He wanted to go to public school to see what it was like, but he remembers being known as “deaf boy” and switched a year later, realizing he “thrives” in the deaf community.

DiMarco said most deaf children aren’t as lucky to grow up in a deaf family and don’t have access to deaf schools, as only 2% of deaf children have access to education in sign language, something audience members were surprised by.

Kayla Kalbfell, a graduate student in occupational therapy, knew about the 2% before the event but was still surprised.

“I thought that was crazy because I don’t know how anyone could grow up without any form of communication, whether it’s

Open House

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sign language or spoken language or anything like that,” Kalbfell said. “I felt like [he emphasized] early intervention and just making sure that every child has access to communicate and be who they are and really develop their personality.”

DiMarco’s foundation is now working to better the lives of 466 million people around the world with hearing loss and to pass legislation to ensure ASL is accessible to deaf children. Nine states have passed legislation, according to DiMarco, but he hopes that will increase to all 50.

In addition to increasing access to sign language, DiMarco hopes to raise awareness for deaf culture, something he said not many hearing people realize exists.

DiMarco discussed his struggles on “Dancing with the Stars,” primarily with having a hearing partner. His partner, Peta Murgatroyd, was hesitant to work with him, cancelling their first rehearsal and teaching him at a slower pace with-

out music. At one point, Murgatroyd got club speakers to help DiMarco hear and feel the beat, which ultimately set them back.

“Why are you still trying to fix a problem that’s not broken? You’re not going to make me hear during this competition and I wouldn’t want to anyway.”

His confidence has only grown since then, as he compared insecurity in his deafness to insecurity at a job interview, a topic that resonated with senior speech and hearing major Katharin McKnight.

“He really took pride in who he was, that he was born deaf and that that didn’t come with any limitations for him,” McKnight said.

Throughout the speech, DiMarco emphasized self-confidence and embracing differences.

“Everything in my life happened just by being myself and loving my vitality,” DiMarco said. “I fought for my dreams in a roundabout way and lived off that, because our paths aren’t always a straight line.”

FROM PAGE 1

“We’re already trying to heal and get over this situation with Tonawanda Coke and now we have to deal with this situation with UB,” James said. “We’re tired of this, but we’re not going to give up. We want to be able to move forward and heal.”

TONAWANDA COKE

“[The] Department of Justice wrote a letter to the president of UB saying that

by Nov. [22] they have to hand over or submit financials and they have to reply to our lawyer’s letter,” James said. “So that’s a small win, but we’re going in the right direction.”

CSCR is not ruling out working with UB again.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

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OPINION

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Hypocritical feminism How modern feminism is toxic to its purpose

AMAL ELHELW STAFF WRITER

Today, we are at the peak of the women’s equality movement.

More women are in political office than ever before and women’s rights are a constant conversation.

It’s no secret women are on the rise and these successes are due to strong women defying the odds, both big and small.

While many identify as feminists, meaning they fight for equality of the sexes, some indulge in remarks, ways of being and ideologies, which counter their selfproclaimed “feminist” status. Many of these people don’t realize it, but a lot of what they put into the world is hypocritical to what they believe is a part of their core beliefs as feminists.

As a society, we like to think that the days of statements like, “women belong in the kitchen” are over. And while the majority of us buried those statements long ago, there are still plenty of people who haven’t, even in the most modern of western countries like the U.S. The phrase “wife me up” is the most obvious. Yet, somehow not obvious enough.

This phrase is commonly used when a woman makes an Instagram-worthy meal.

It’s meant to infer that since she can cook, she must be marriage material.

But saying this completely gives in to gender roles, misogyny and sexism.

Another area where self-proclaimed feminists should support each other –– but support often falls short –– is among victims of sexual harassment and assault.

When it comes to sexual harassment victims, self-proclaimed feminists will often say, “she can come forward when she is ready.”

That is completely valid and appropriate, and victims should come forward whenever they feel comfortable. But telling your story often doesn’t serve the same purpose 20 years down the road. As feminists, we should stand together and encourage victims to come forward sooner rather than later. If we foster a supportive community, we could change the course

of assault cases to come.

We also wouldn’t expect men to keep their stories in the dark. We would expect them to come forward right away in the same circumstance.

What kind of example does it set to fight for “equality” but hold men and women to different standards?

This concept also shows its face when we give women special treatment –– think about how often we expect men to let women go first, even pay for dates and drinks.

This is called benevolent sexism –– behaviors that seem positive but actually perpetuate stereotypes against women.

This happens daily, as we see society pushing for women to appear strong and powerful but simultaneously coddling and protecting them. This does not create any new branches for improvement, but blurs the line between positive and stereotyped perceptions of women.

This is not to say that chivalry is dead. It is to say that chivalry should go both ways.

We also want job fields to be more diverse, especially when it comes to STEM fields.

Thus, many schools have created special STEM programs — just for girls. This indirectly implies that women need special treatment to be included, to feel needed,

SARA HOLLAND STAFF WRITER

I still remember the first Major League Baseball game I went to.

I was eight years old and the Nats were playing the Phillies. I can’t remember if they won or not, but one thing I know for

sure is since that day, I have loved watching baseball.

I’ve witnessed some really bad Nationals teams over the years. It’s been tough to be a Nats fan to say the least, but here I am watching them get the chance to compete for a World Series title.

It’s finally happening.

The last time a World Series game took place in Washington D.C. was in 1933.

Eighty-six years later, the Nats deserve this more than ever, and I couldn’t be more proud to stand by my city, my team.

I haven’t seen D.C. this hyped since 2018 when the Washington Capitals had their legendary Stanley Cup run. It was the first time I saw a championship in D.C. The Caps broke the D.C. sports “curse” and since 2018, the Washington Mystics won the WNBA Finals and the Nats made the World Series.

It’s a great time to be a D.C. sports fan.

This Nats team is different from those

Letter to the editor: The Young Democratic Socialists of America at UB have chosen to demonstrate on Friday because the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has made it clear that they feel no guilt about association with and promotion of war profiteers.

The SEAS displays with pride on its website its partnership with Lockheed Martin, a company which manufactures Hellfire missiles and rocket artillery systems for use by the Israeli military in war criminal operations which caused thousands of ci-

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vilian casualties through recklessness and outright cruelty. The fact that the 40 Yemeni children killed in 2018 when the air force of Saudi Arabia decided their school bus was a worthy target in their criminal war in Yemen were killed with a laser guided bomb supplied by Lockheed Martin clearly does not bother the SEAS. The school equally sees no shame in advertising that they accept the blood money of the Northrop Grumman Corporation, which rakes in billions from their lucrative arms deals with the US military and

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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to feel smart.

And if girls make it out of those programs into others that aren’t specifically for women, they often end up in settings with overpowering, misogynistic men who will inevitably be waiting for them to mess up. This transition from exclusive, female environments can leave women not knowing how to handle workplace sexism.

These all-girl STEM programs set girls up for failure.

While some might say “Don’t train the women, fix the men,” I believe everyone needs to make an effort in this fight.

By definition, feminism is the fight for equality.

In what we see and practice every day, feminism lifts women up because society has pushed them down for far too long.

It exists as a celebration, liberation and constant reminder of the past.

And while I’m here for feminism and equality, I don’t believe we need an extra step. We don’t need the “Females are the Future” T-shirts, the National Women’s Days or the general commotion surrounding the movement.

I believe we should hold ourselves to higher standards, focusing on humans and not genders. And the shift from male dominance to equality won’t come from marketing, it will come from action.

Feminism would be stronger without all of the unnecessary branding, because it shows women don’t need praise, we need change.

Email: opinion@ubspectrum.com

The Washington Nationals deserve the title Why you should root for the Washington Nationals in the World Series

Thursday, October 24, 2019 | 3

in the past, though, and I can feel it. The team is stacked with talent, from Mr. Clutch Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick, they’re more than capable of creating stellar offense for the Nats.

The big question is how productive they’ll be up against Houston’s best pitchers. We’ll have to see.

If you’ve been watching the Nats this season, you know about their home-run celebrations and love of dancing.

From dancing in the dugout after homeruns to getting all of Nats Park to participate in the “baby shark” dance, everyone in D.C. is all in on this team.

And if you haven’t seen the reaction to Gerardo Parra’s walk-up song at Nats Park, I recommend you do. You won’t regret it.

The Nats are surely the underdogs going into this series but that doesn’t mean one thing to me. the totalitarian Saudi monarchy. Nor does the SEAS seem bothered by the massive contributions of these two companies to lobbying groups which promote conflict and American imperialism abroad so as to ensure a continued market for their war profiteering.

The SEAS has amply demonstrated their own feelings on the subject. This leaves conscientious students with a choice: either protest, or surrender. Surrender to UB promoting war criminals. Surrender to war profiteers using our campus as a recruiting ground. Surrender to imperialism.

We choose to protest.

There are those who will complain that

From what I’ve seen so far, the underdog role has worked pretty well for the Nats this year.

They pulled off an unbelievable win in the wildcard game in the eighth inning, then beat the 106-win Dodgers to advance to the NLCS and then they swept the Cardinals to advance to the World Series for the first time in 86 years.

You have to remember this team was 19-31 in May. They were awful and almost everyone in D.C. was ready to give up on them. Now, as of Thursday morning, they are two wins away from a World Series title.

It won’t be easy. The Astros are a good team and almost everyone has their bets placed on Houston to win.

But, after many years of heartbreak, here’s to hoping that the baseball gods can hear my prayers and give this Nationals team the win they deserve.

Email: opinion@ubspectrum.com

these partnerships offer good jobs and lucrative careers. To them we pose a simple question: how much civilian blood is too much for a six-figure salary? What war crime will it take before you can’t find an excuse? How much blood is too much before you refuse to accept blood money?

If you wish to protest our university’s partnerships with war profiteers, please join us in the Student Union Lobby at 12:45PM this Friday.

Calvin Camodeca-Schmitz on behalf of the UB Young Democratic Socialists of America Central Committee

4 | Thursday, October 24, 2019

FEATURES

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Halloween on Hertel What to expect from ‘The Crawling Dead’ bar crawl Saturday JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA FEATURES DESK EDITOR

On Saturday, hundreds of drunk adults wearing Halloween costumes will get lost on their way from Del Denby Tavern to Gramma Mora’s, and you could be one of them.

Step Out Buffalo is holding its third-annual The Crawling Dead: Halloween Bar Crawl from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. The Halloween-themed bar crawl features deals at 17 bars and restaurants, spanning 1.4 miles of Hertel Avenue. Ticket holders have access to a shuttle bus running up and down Hertel “all night long” and the tickets, which are $10 for pre-sale and $15 at the door, include free entry to all participating venues. The bar crawl features more than 60 exclusive deals spread throughout the 17 venues and a free slice of pizza from Bob and John’s La Hacienda.

Ticket holders are expected to check in at Step Out Buffalo’s headquarters, which is located outside of Mac’s on Hertel, so they can pick up the wristbands.

The 17 participating bars and restaurants are: Bar Della Citta, Belsito, Burning Buffalo, The Colonie Lounge, Deep South Taco, Del Denby Tavern, Gecko’s, Gramma Mora’s, Joey’s Place, JP’s Checkers, La Pizza, Mac’s on Hertel, Mo’s Place, The Public House of Buffalo, The Sidebar, The Sterling and Wine on Hertel.

Ticket holders will have exclusive access to Halloween-themed specials, according to Elise Phillips, Step Out Buffalo’s events producer. These specials include the RumChata pumpkin pie shots from Del Denby’s Tavern, frozen hard caramel

Chef’s opens new to-go location in Amherst SAMANTHA VARGAS SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

apple cider from Deep South Taco, brain juice shots from Mac’s on Hertel and black vodka cocktail from Mo’s Place.

Elise Phillips said one of the most exciting deals that comes with a ticket is the free slice of pizza from Bob and John’s La Hacienda.

Jake Frosolone, a sophomore English

Jamison Phillips, the owner of JP’s Checkers, was not working during the bar crawl last year but attended the event for fun. He remembers attendees dressed as cheetahs and cats.

“There were a ton of people here and just about everyone was wearing costumes,” Jamison Phillips said.

There are other Halloween-themed bar crawls on Saturday aside from The Crawling Dead. Gilian Gitlin, a graduate student in the occupational therapy department, decided to attend the Halloween Boo’zin Bar Crawl downtown because she prefers the bars on Chippewa to the bars on Hertel.

“The scene of the bars downtown is more my style, like the dancing and the music,” Gitlin said.

Still, many plan to attend the event on Hertel. On Facebook, the event page for the bar crawl indicates that over 2,000 people have marked that they’re “interested” and 358 have marked that they’re “going.”

About 2,500 people attended last year’s The Crawling Dead, according to Elise Phillips.

The weather looks promising on Saturday and Elise Phillips said the event will be successful regardless.

“Halloween only comes once a year and people want to come out and celebrate rain or shine,” Elise Phillips said.

Email: julian.grmela@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @GrmelaJulian

Alexander Brown / The Spectrum Step Out Buffalo is holding its third-annual The Crawling Dead: Halloween Bar Crawl on Saturday. Mac’s on Hertel is one of the 17 participating venues.

major, is looking forward to the free slice of pizza.

“La Hacienda –– that’s definitely a really nice Italian restaurant,” Frosolne said. “I think it’s pretty nifty that they’re involved in the bar crawl.”

The event features a costume contest at 10 p.m. at Mac’s on Hertel. The winner earns a Coleman Portable Grill. Last year, the winners of the costume contest dressed as matching toy soldiers.

And the crawl is for more than just good deals. Step Out Buffalo will donate 10% of the bar crawl’s proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

day at 5483 Sheridan Dr. in the Williamsville Place Plaza. The restaurant received “thousands” of orders on its opening day, prompting the owners to temporarily shut down service on their app, according to co-owner Lou Billittier. “[The reception] is amazing, it’s overwhelming. We can’t keep up” Lou Billittier said. “We expected to be extremely busy, but never to this magnitude. It was physically impossible to fill all those orders [on the first day].”

The new location offers a smaller menu than the original restaurant, but still includes appetizers and sandwich options.

The menu includes a variety of traditional

Courtesy of Stephanie Dubin Winners of last year’s costume contest

wore matching toy soldier costumes.

pasta dishes like ravioli, fettuccini alfredo and new takes on Italian cuisine like spaghetti parm and a boneless cacciatore.

The food is served in microwavable to-go containers.

Chef ’s first opened in 1923 as a traditional Italian restaurant. The current co-owners, Lou and MaryBeth Billitier, took over the restaurant from their father and previously expanded the restaurant with catering options and their own food truck.

“Nowadays everyone’s running in five different directions, so we thought it would be a new concept, rather than typical fast food,” MaryBeth Billitier said.

The co-owners say the restaurant’s inspiration came after their food truck was damaged by a fire at the Taste of Orchard Park festival last year. The truck had “sig-

Chef ’s Restaurant regularly sold over 200 pounds of mozzarella cheese daily last year.

Now, at its new location off North Campus, Chef ’s is looking to double that.

Chef ’s Itallian restaurant opened a second location in Amherst, Chef ’s On the Go, which functions as a to-go style restaurant with limited seating and a drive-thru, requiring customers to call in or order on the Chef ’s app. Students are looking forward to getting their signature spaghetti parm on the go, and those who can’t make the four-mile drive from North Campus can order through DoorDash for a small delivery fee.

The spaghetti parm has become a local cuisine staple alongside Buffalo wings and beef on weck. It’s the restaurant’s best-seller, drawing in celebrity appearances from Jerry Springer, Keanu Reeves and Luke Bryan.

The meal consists of a traditional linguine and tomato sauce plate, topped with a large helping of butter and “about four or five ounces of cheese.” Then the food is broiled until the layer of cheese is golden brown.

The new location offi- Andrew Palmer / The Spectrum hef’s On the Go is an Italian food restaurant that opened for business last Thursday. Customers can grab their favorite cially opened last Thurs- C Italian specials located at 5483 Sheridan Drive in Amherst.

nificant damage” and hasn’t run in over a year, so they created the restaurant to mimic the accessibility of a food truck, according to Lou Balittier.

“We didn’t know what to do after [the food truck fire], and then we thought, ‘what if we do a food truck with no wheels,’” Lou Billitier said. “It’s basically the same concept. It’s grab-and-go convenience.”

And student’s can’t wait to take advantage of their new system.

Roni Berger, a senior finance major, always orders spaghetti parm when she goes to Chef ’s.

“I love the spaghetti parm because of their homemade sauce. They perfect the [recipe] every time, and I always go home with a jar of their sauce,” Berger said. “ I always feel welcomed when I am there.”

Samantha.Vargas@UBSpectrum.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Dance transcends beyond the stage Zodiaque Dance Company’s fall show uses film, set pieces and red petals along with its choreography ANASTASIA WILDS ASST. ARTS EDITOR

Zodiaque Dance Company doesn’t always have to be on stage to entice its crowds.

During this weekend’s performances, Zodiaque won over audiences with “As Within, So Without,” a pre-recorded, onstage visual display.

From Oct. 17 to 20, UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance presented the Zodiaque Dance Company’s fall performance at the Drama Theatre at the CFA. The student dance group, led by artistic director Kerry Ring and with help from choreographers and international guest artists, asked the question “What is Dance?” as the performers explored multiple styles like ballet, tap and contemporary.

This show was the first time Zodiaque incorporated a short film as one of their pieces in its 46 seasons. During the film, the dancers switched between all white and all black outfits as they danced in dif-

ferent indoor and outdoor locations. The footage felt like a documentary of events rather than a pre-planned film.

“The Fourth Agreement,” a piece in the second act, proved to be a highlight. It began with the audio of a Charlie Chaplin speech from “The Great Dictator.” The title of the piece comes from the book “The Four Agreements” that focuses on how to become your best self in four steps. During the piece, the dancers stand in the middle of a spotlight on stage as red flower petals fall from above.

Junior dance major Homeria Lubin, one of the dancers in “The Fourth Agreement,” said she had fun with the piece.

“There’s a lot of energy in it. It’s kind of dark, and there’s a really strong meaning behind it,” Lubin said. “The piece is about being your best all the time and how you can do that really.”

Kelsey Wegman, a sophomore dance major, also performed in “The Fourth Agreement.” She was in the first act as well in the piece titled “Kyrie Eleison,” and she liked dancing in the two thematically different pieces. While all the other pieces only had the dancers on stage and nothing else, “Kyrie Eleison” used wooden benches as part of the choreography.

“I was in two pieces that were like polar

Jahanvi Chopra / The Spectrum Zodiaque Dancers performing “Capo-Sal-Soeira” at CFA on Oct. 17.

opposites. So, I was able to showcase different aspects of my dancing,” Wegman said.

“Transparent/See,” choreographed by LA Dance Company, Entity Contemporary Dance, proved to be a second-act highlight. During the piece, Zodiaque removed the curtains and backdrop so the audience could see the backstage area.

This allowed the stage to appear like a factory and showcased dancers as workers in the factory.

“I think it was a big highlight for us.

They were so awesome with their choreography and awesome as people,” Savannah Sigmon, a senior dance major, said.

Alexander Brown / The Spectrum Zodiaque dancers prefwrming to the piece “Kyrie Eleison”

“It’s such an honor to showcase their work on the stage.”

Hannah Mackey, a senior BFA in Theatre Design and Technology and lighting designer had to meet with all the choreographers to discuss their pieces and create a design for each piece. While this production was challenging for Mackey, she says it was also a great creative and learning experience.

“The hardest part of this production is learning where to place cues, where different looks will happen and how I can

1930s Scotland in the Black Box Theatre Students prepare for this week’s performances of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ ANASTASIA WILDS ASST. ARTS EDITOR

You may have heard a few Scottish accents if you passed by the Black Box Theatre this week.

But they weren’t all real.

From Wednesday to Sunday, UB’s Theatre and Dance department is performing “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in the Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre, and students have been preparing since the beginning of the semester for the production. Based on Muriel Spark’s 1961 book of the same name, the play focuses on Jean Brodie, an unorthodox teacher who romanticizes fascism at an all-girls school in 1930s Scotland. During the play, she tries to mold her students’ beliefs, chooses between two love interests and avoids being forced out of the school by faculty who dislike her strange teaching methods.

Emily Carello, a junior theater performance major who plays one of Miss Brodie’s students named Sandy, says preparing for the play has been a learning experience for her. During the six years that the play goes through, Sandy grows from being an 11 year old to a 17 year old and develops into an opposing character to Miss Brodie.

“We had to learn to do a Scottish accent, which was challenging but [also] really exciting. It’s nice to be able to add that to your resume, especially as an actor,” Carello said.

Despite being in a small space in the theatre, Carello described the show as “very refined, cultured and elevated” and mentioned that there are roughly 27 set changes.

Mateo Gonzalez, a sophomore theatre performance major, plays the role of the strict and religious teacher Gordon Lowther, who is one of Brodie’s love interests. Gonzalez says Lowther is an innocent character who contrasts with one

Andrew Palmer / The Spectrum Actors and actresses rehearse their part in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on Monday. The rehearsal is in preparation for the opening show in the CFA Black Box Theater on Wednesday.

of the play’s main themes, a loss of innocence.

“This show has to do with the development of consciousness and an outlook. [It includes] little kids growing up from not knowing what things are and [then] maturing into realizing what they are and losing their innocence,” Gonzalez said.

Louie Visone, a senior theatre performance major who plays another of Brodie’s love interests Teddy Lloyd, agreed that loss of innocence is a prominent theme in the play. Visone says the audience will see how Miss Brodie changes the students.

“On one hand, they do have this ‘Dead Poets Society’ thing going on between Jean Brodie bringing up these kids,” Visone said. “On the other hand, you get to witness the innocence disappearing from these kids as they grow up and learn about the main thing that takes away innocence which is going to be sex and maturity.”

Senior theater design major Jake Nowak is the props designer for the show and helped to create the world on stage.

Nowak worked closely with both the set and costume departments to determine what props he needed to work on for the production. He calls the set “very mini-

malistic” and said he worked on a lot of hand props while the set designer focused on furniture.

“So like the tea set was mine, but she had the tea cart. She had the table, but I had the chess set that sat on the table,” Nowak said.

Vincent O’Neill, co-founder of the Irish Classical Theatre and director of the play,

Thursday, October 24, 2019 | 5 work with the choreographer to make these visions for their pieces come to life,” Mackey said. “Each dance piece is extremely unique and therefore allowed me to be creative with my designs, presenting fun challenges and learning moments throughout the process.”

Jakob Strzelec, a first-year graduate student in Athletic Training, originally came to support a friend in the production but said he enjoyed the unique experience.

“It was a lot different than I was expecting, but it was like a good different,” Strzelec said. “The different styles of dance [stood out to me]. I wasn’t expecting a lot of it to happen all at once.”

Lubin hopes that the audience enjoyed the show with all the different dances that were used. After opening night, she was happy with how the show turned out.

“Everyone had a lot of positive energy, and we really fed off each other,” Lubin said. “It was just so much fun to dance with everyone that I’m around all the time.”

Caroline Sheehan, a senior dance major, wants Zodiaque to continue to bring in dance companies from other parts of the world and have a variety of styles in future performances.

“I think this particular season was really special because it was so versatile,” Sheehan said. “We had the tap and the contemporary and the ballet. So I think going forward in the future, I hope the company keeps bringing in strong influences.”

Email: anastasia.wilds@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @AnastasiaWilds

wanted both the set and the props to be minimal so that the crew did not have to worry about moving too many objects during all the show’s transitions.

Senior Emily Bassett plays the role of Miss Mackay, who is the headmistress at the school and also the foil to Miss Brodie.

“While Brodie is about the arts and history and all those things, Mackay is very much straightforward in math and science,” Bassett said, “She and Brodie go head to head a lot, and Mackay’s raison d’etre, her mission in life, is to get Brodie fired. She hates her with a passion.”

Bassett says that this play is significant because people in positions of power, especially teachers, have a strong influence on the younger generation. Bassett also sees the necessity to perform more scripts with strong women characters and those written and performed by strong women. “[The play] isn’t afraid to make [the characters] villains at times. It doesn’t have that purity complex,” Bassett said. “Each character is a fully blown character. So it’s really valuable in terms of opportunities and things within the theatre world.”

Bassett, who prepares for the role while speaking off stage in a Scottish accent, says she hopes students can enjoy the show –– Scottish accent intact.

Email: anastasia.wilds@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @AnastasiaWilds

NEWS

6 | Thursday, October 24, 2019

ubspectrum.com

our differences as an advantage if we

learn to love ourselves first.

Nyle DiMarco discusses S: So through your foundation, you advocacy and Twitter humoradvocate for deaf children to learn sign language before they’re five. in Spectrum interview Why are you such a huge advocate

Distinguished speaker sits down with editors before Wednesday event BRITTANY GORNY, LAURYN KING SENIOR NEWS EDITOR, ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

Nyle DiMarco can see the differences between himself and his deaf family members who didn’t have the same access to language and education he had as a child.

Now, he’s working to make sure children today have these opportunities.

DiMarco, a deaf activist, actor, collaborator for the ASL App and winner of “America’s Next Top Model” and “Dancing With the Stars,” met with Spectrum editors before his sold-out speech at the Center for the Arts on Wednesday.

DiMarco, the first speaker of this year’s

33rd annual Distinguished Speakers Series, discussed milestones, his foundation and the intricacies of his Twitter humor.

for this and what’s the importance of parents with deaf children learning sign language?

The Spectrum: So you’re our first distinguished speaker, giving a speech entirely in sign language. How important is that to you? And how do you hope it impacts our community?

D: I’ve been a huge advocate for this.

My parents are deaf and so are my grandparents. They didn’t have access to the same language that I did growing up, so their lives were very much defined within the confines of the box. My life was very different and I can see such a large difference between us and I think that every deaf child out there should have the exact same opportunities that I’ve had: access to language, to education, to communication, to all of that. It’s important to mention I want to teach about this topic, because the big picture is really to make sure that the child has access to a language before the age of five. Reason being, after the age of five, [the] critical Language Acquisition period in the mind closes and not only does it deprive children of language but also causes brain damage in that fiveyear time frame.

DiMarco: Well, thank you. I’m thrilled to be able to present to the audience tonight, and certainly to the students [in] Buffalo. I’m really excited about teaching them about deaf culture, teaching them about what the lives of deaf people look like and how we’re able to function as much as any other human person in the world and hopefully, inspire them to love who they are and their own identity no matter what that is. My speech typically includes talks about our lives and how we can kind of coalesce our identities and use

S: You’ve mentioned that sign language helped you open up with your sexual fluidity. What is it about sign language that empowered you to express yourself ?

D: So sign language is not only my first language, but by far my most comfortable language. In that way, I’m more comfortable expressing who I am, my feelings, my thoughts, my emotions, all the things that are intrinsic to being human. There’s so many people out there without language, who don’t have a full language to be able to express themselves, certainly not emotionally. I don’t think that it’s really possible to truly fully love who you are without having a lan-

vindhyA buruguPAlli / The SpecTrum nyle dimarcO SpeakS WiTh SpecTrum ediTOrS On WedneSday eveninG.

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guage. I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to define who I am.

S: So we noticed how active and popular you are on Twitter. You incorporate a lot of humor into your tweets, and what ways do you like to incorporate your humor into your advocacy?

D: It’s funny because in the beginning a lot of people would take my jokes incredibly seriously. They would assume that deaf or disabled people were not able to be funny. I’ve kind of been making a mockery of myself and things around me [and] I’m like, ‘Don’t be concerned, it’s okay to laugh.’ That happens again and again, but I’m kind of big on being funny about things. I’m rarely serious and I think that’s really just a big part of who I am.

Oftentimes, people [see] me as “that” person, and that’s not just who I am, I am a lot more than that.

S: So I saw in one of your interviews you called The Bachelor your guilty pleasure, but you don’t want to go on it because it would be awkward to have an interpreter in the room all the time.

What’s dating like for you?

D: Before I became a celebrity, I mostly dated some hearing girls. But after becoming a celebrity, 99% of my time now is in the hearing world and sitting, dating, even hearing people is definitely a weird experience. It’s like I speak another language or they speak another language –– we don’t share one. So if I want to develop a relationship, we often have to teach sign language at the same time that we’re trying to develop a love connection [and] I don’t think that’s ideal. It’s important that somebody should know my language first and then we’re able to move on to communicate.

Alexandra Moyen contributed reporting to this article.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

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SPORTS

8 | Thursday, October 24, 2019

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Get to know an opponent: Central Michigan The Bulls return home to take on the Chippewas JUSTIN WEISS STAFF WRITER

Coming off a 21-0 victory over Akron, the Bulls return home to Amherst to take on Central Michigan Saturday.

The Chippewas are 5-3 following a 3820 victory over Bowling Green.

When the Chippewas hired former Florida head coach Jim McElwain last winter, fans expected 2019 to be a transition year for the program. But Central Michigan exceeded those expectations, and needs only one more win to qualify for postseason play.

Central Michigan went 2-2 in non-conference play, with losses to Wisconsin and Miami-FL, and wins over Albany and New Mexico State. The Chippewas were projected to finish last in the West Division, according to the 2019 Mid-American Conference Football Media Preseason Poll.

Buffalo is 3-4 entering the Central Michigan game. The Bulls defeated Robert Morris, Temple and Akron, and lost to Penn State, Liberty, Miami (OH) and Ohio.

Here’s what to expect when the Bulls take on the Chippewas Saturday afternoon:

COACH: Jim McElwain, 49-31, first sea-

son at Central Michigan

LOOKING BACK The Chippewas had one of the most unique — and unproductive — offensive arrangements in college football last season.

Central Michigan averaged 254.7 yards per game in 2018, ranking No. 128 in Division I-A. On the ground, the team had the 14th fewest yards per game in college football.

They were even less productive through the air.

Quarterback Tommy Lazzaro completed just 48.2% of his passes for 711 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He had a little more success running the ball, ranking second on the team with 381 yards on 97 carries.

Tight end Tony Poljan was one of five non-quarterbacks to take snaps under center last season — he completed 51.7% of his passes for 625 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions. Central Michigan had one running back and two wide re-

ceivers attempt passes in 2018.

The Chippewas were shut out on offense in the 2018 MAC Postseason Awards.

Things were different on defense, where they led the way with four First-Team selections.

Linebacker Malik Fountain was named first-team All-MAC after recording 155 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. He is considered a fringe NFL Draft prospect, and HustleBelt named him the 19th best player in the conference prior to the 2018 season.

Mike Danna, a weak-side defensive end, anchored a highly effective pass rush. He had 66 total tackles and a team-leading 9.5 sacks. He joined defensive backs Sean Bunting and Xavier Crawford on the 2018 First-Team All-MAC squad.

The Chippewas’ defense allowed 27.3 points per game, ranking No. 7 in the MAC. On Oct. 6, 2018, they held Bulls quarterback Tyree Jackson to just 10 completions and one touchdown in a 3424 loss in Mount Pleasant. Bulls running back Kevin Marks ran wild that night, finishing with 167 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.

The 2018 Chippewas finished with a 1-11 record, leading to the fourth-year head coach John Bonamego losing his job.

LOOKING FORWARD Courtesy of Isaac Richey, Central Michigan Life.

Through five games, quarterback Da-

Courtesy of Isaac Richey, Central Michigan Life.

Central Michigan defensive backs Da’Quaun Jamison (6) and Demarcus Governor (26).

vid Moore has completed 57.3% of his passes for 1143 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. After transferring from Memphis as a junior, Moore has earned the trust of McElwain, who named him the starter prior to Week One. The NCAA suspended Moore on Oct. 8. In the interim, the Chippewas have gone with senior Quinten Dormady, who has completed 62.4% of his passes for 750 yards and six touchdowns.

Central Michigan had nine players named to the Athlon Sports MAC Football 2019 All-Conference Team, including Sean Adesanya, who has six sacks and 21 tackles this season. The Chippewas are 5-3 and within striking distance of the MAC West crown.

McElwain will likely receive consideration for MAC Coach of the Year.

BOTTOM LINE Central Michigan and Buffalo are both contending for MAC division titles, setting the stage for an important battle at UB Stadium. The Bulls are looking to build on a commanding victory over Akron, which included Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks combining for 159 yards rushing and one touchdown. Meanwhile, the Chippewas are looking to win their fourth straight.

Saturday afternoon’s game should help clarify both teams’ fates.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

SoccerdefeatsWesternMichiganinfinalhomegame An overtime win extends the Bulls’ streak SARA HOLLAND STAFF WRITER

The UB women’s soccer team (8-6-1) has extended its win streak to four straight after an overtime win against Western

Michigan (6-8-1) Sunday.

The Bulls are coming off a successful week as they shut out Ohio University 2-0 last Sunday and Northern Illinois 5-0 on Friday night. There are only three games remaining for the Bulls this season.

The Bulls have been victorious twice in their last three games against the Broncos, and came out strong and controlled Sun-

Vindhya Burugupalli / The Spectrum Senior middle Kara Daly looks to pass during game on Sunday.

day’s game from the start.

They dominated offensively, putting up 23 shots compared to Western Michigan’s 7 attempts. But Western Michigan gained the lead late in the first half with a goal by Morgan Otteson.

After a well-fought first half, the Bulls were not able to convert. Western Michigan was able to keep a 1-0 lead for much

of the game until Buffalo’s Taylor Caridi scored her first career goal late in the second half to force the game to overtime.

The sophomore forward’s goal made her the Bulls’ fourteenth player to score a goal this season, the most in the MAC. Once again, the Bulls came out strong and looked to waste no time in overtime.

A quick goal by junior midfielder Kaitlyn Walsh secured the win for Buffalo.

The Bulls came out with intensity from the start, and much of that was due to their desire to keep their win streak alive.

“I’m really proud of the players, they never got down and always believed,” head coach Shawn Burke said.

This is the Bulls’ last home game of the regular season, but they look to carry their momentum on the road.

“I think it just gives our team a lot of confidence going forward,” Walsh said. “And I think that just pushes us harder to keep going to want to keep our streak.”

The Bulls will finish their season on the road with three straight away games. They play Central Michigan on Oct. 24, Eastern Michigan on Oct. 27 and finish up the season playing Akron on Oct. 31.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com