UBSPECTRUM
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
VOL. 69 NO. 24 | NOVEMBER 18, 2019
Humans of UB
‘Jersey Boys’ takes Buffalo crowd back in a ‘time machine’ of its own
Read your classmates’ stories
> SEE PAGE 4
> SEE PAGE 5
Hot up in the six: ub basketball hops over harvard in toronto win Graves, Segu and A. Johnson drop combined 58 points BENJAMIN BLANCHET ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
UB men’s basketball’s trip to Toronto was a chance for the NCAA to showcase some of its brightest to an up-north crowd.
While the trip up QEW wasn’t a long one for the Bulls, UB’s guards helped put an extra stamp on their passport Saturday: a big “W” against Harvard. The Bulls (2-1) beat Harvard (3-2) 8876 thanks to a blizzard of points from guards Ronaldo Segu, Antwain Johnson and Jayvon Graves. The trio combined for 58 points as the team took advantage of turnovers and fast breaks throughout.
The game was part of the James Naismith Classic, a basketball showcase that featured two other matchups at the Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. The game started out shaky for the Bulls in the first seven minutes. Harvard chirped to an early 12-3 lead against the Bulls, whose turnovers and missed threepointers cost them the advantage. Halfway through the first, Buffalo
positioned itself closer to Harvard. Segu capped off a 13-5 run with a three, trimming Harvard’s lead to 17 - 6 with 10 minutes left in the first. The two teams were neck and neck in the first, as Harvard took advantage of second chances all half. Harvard knocked in 14 points after missed shots compared to UB’s 6 points off second chances in the first. As halftime approached, a Graves dunk followed by a Gabe Grant three and a Graves jumper got the Bulls within one score as Harvard led 28-25 with 5:16 left before half. The two squads went back and > SEE BULLS | PAGE 6
aleXander BroWn / The SpecTrum junior guard jaYvon graveS waTcheS aS hiS ShoT beaTS The firST-half buzzer againST harvard SaTurdaY.
Writing the ‘drafts of history’ Pulitzer Prize winner Maggie Haberman discusses president, importance of journalism during Distinguished Speakers Series ALEXANDRA MOYEN, JACKLYN WALTERS ASST. NEWS EDITOR, MANAGING EDITOR
Maggie Haberman said she had a “fairly traditional career” before Donald Trump’s presidency. And while she’s since been “attacked” by Trump and often faces the “corrosive effects” of fake news rhetoric, she still says her job is “amazing.” Haberman was the second guest of UB’s 33rd annual Distinguished Speakers Series. The White House correspondent for the New York Times and political analyst for CNN won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for coverage of Trump’s advisers’ connections with Russia. In her speech Thursday, Haberman discussed her experiences covering Trump, the current state of U.S. politics and how journalism has changed during her time as a reporter. The event ended with a Q&A session led by Ann Bisantz, dean of undergraduate education. Haberman said Trump “has thrown accelerant on the era of partisan polarization, but he by no means created it.” She referenced Bill Clinton’s presidency, Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore, Sept. 11, the wars in the Middle East and the 2008 fiscal crisis leading up to this. “These are seismic events in the life of a nation,” Haberman said. “We did not arrive in this moment of history out of nowhere.” And neither did she. In 2011, Haberman received a tip from
Roger Stone, a political consultant and lobbyist, about a potential Trump campaign. She ran with the story, then received a call from Trump who said Stone didn’t speak for him, and a statement from Trump’s office saying Stone wasn’t advising him. “It was an early window into the disorienting sensation that has become familiar with journalists seeking to cover reality during the Trump presidency,” Haberman said. Haberman said Stone warned her that “the line between news and entertainment was not quite as clear for people outside of the business.” She said this became evident when people described Trump as a “self-made man” and “successful business leader” despite contradicting evidence the New York Times provided about his career. “It did not penetrate the already-formed opinions that many people have of him, watching him on television and seeing him sit in a high-back leather chair,” Haberman said. Haberman recalled the day after Trump’s election, when a “democratic strategist” told her “the nation was about to discover how much of its system is based on norms, not laws.” “And he was right,” Haberman said. This story resonated with Philip Gambini, a Niagara Gazette reporter. “Being ethical and being moral isn’t always synonymous with what’s legal,” Gambini said. “You could be immoral and not necessarily commit a crime, but that doesn’t make it not worth knowing about or not worth being critical of.” Haberman said Trump’s tweets are not “a real-time window into his thinking,” but are often part of his persona. “The Twitter persona that he has is sometimes just that –– a persona. So what can be striking to people is that when they meet him, he comes off different than
what ends up becoming a caricature of him, in terms of his personal intera c t i o n s,” Haber man said. “He does have a temper, he does get angry and he vents quite aleXander BroWn / The SpecTrum frequently ub diSTinguiShed Speaker maggie haberman SpeakS on her eXperienceS aS with his new York TimeS whiTe houSe correSpondenT and cnn poliTical analYST. aids and ences major, said this was encouragthen he moves on.” ing. Haberman said journalism has turned “Just how she entered her career without into a “choose your own adventure” mod- even knowing she was entering her career el. … especially for students who don’t know “For our credibility, it’s vital to take the what is going to happen to their career … time to determine what is real and what is it’s important to see that you don’t always not. Even if it means losing a scoop or a go in the direction that you are expecting story,” Haberman said. “No one will ever to go,” Dadzie said. remember who got certain stories right, Haberman’s speech left audience membut they will certainly remember who got bers with her inside perspective on Trump, them wrong.” Twitter and the state of the news media, She discussed the importance of local despite technical difficulties during Vice journalists as “vital sources of account- President of Research and Economic ability” and said following the news on Development Venu Govindaraju’s introTwitter is “not healthy and it’s not infor- duction, where closed captions confused mative.” Haberman’s Pulitzer Prize with “PunxBut she never thought she would be sutawney Phil.” Shortly after Haberman writing news. Haberman said she “always began speaking, closed captions ended for wanted” to write, but “never wanted to be inability to keep up. a reporter.” Her father was a journalist for But early technical difficulties didn’t the New York Times and she “saw firsthand stop Haberman from leaving the audience how hard it can be on families.” But after with a harrowing warning: graduating from college, she struggled to “All we can be sure of is that 2020 is gofind a job and applied to the New York Post ing to make the nastiness of 2016 look like as a “copy kid,” where she had her first a high-minded debate of ideas.” experiences reporting. Adwoa Dadzie, a junior biological sci- Email: news@ubspectrum.com
NEWS
2 | Monday, November 18, 2019
ubspectrum.com
’s exclusive interview with The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman The Spectrum Haberman discusses who she is as a reporter, mental health and Trump’s White House ALEXANDRA MOYEN JACKLYN WALTERS ASST. NEWS EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR
Maggie Haberman knows her critical coverage of President Donald Trump “probably works at [her] disadvantage.” But she says she isn’t writing for the president’s approval. Haberman believes if she wrote any other way, it wouldn’t be the truth. Before her speech at the Center for the Arts Thursday, Haberman, New York Times’ White House Correspondent and a 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner, met with Spectrum editors for an exclusive Q&A where she discussed reporting on Trump’s White House, how technology today has changed journalism and her mental health. Our interview, lightly edited for length and style, follows below: The Spectrum: You are regarded as the best-sourced reporter in Washington D.C. How do you set yourself apart from other reporters, and how do you describe yourself as a reporter? Haberman: I don’t consider myself to be the best-sourced reporter in Washington, partly because I don’t live in Washington, I live in New York and I go to D.C. once a week on average. This is a bit of an unusual presidency, for a variety of reasons, obviously, but Trump came into Washington with a bunch of people who are not of Washington and so I think that helped me in terms of figuring out how to navigate his government a little better in terms of figuring out who to talk to and who to approach. In terms of maintaining it, a habit that I developed when I was a clerk at the New York Post, which was in 1986, was I got a beeper. This was pre-cell phones and I would always just be on call if they needed a runner to go to a general assignment reporter and so basically, that’s still how I function. There’s a lot of sources in government who want to talk after hours because they can’t talk when they’re at work, so I have lots of conversations at 10 p.m. But you have to be prepared to be be called at 10 p.m. which means that invariably there’s something in my house that I’m not doing that time of night because I’m having conversations. It’s just basically constantly being plugged in, which is not great in terms of being able to step back sometimes and assess and figure [things] out. Just make sure you’re not nose-to-the-glass and focusing on things that don’t matter. That’s basically it, it’s just timing and luck of timing.
Vindhya Burugupalli / The Spectrum Maggie Haberman, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, White House correspondent for the New York Times and CNN political analyst, speaks trum editors.
pager devices to smartphones and then to the advent of Twitter. I mean blogs changed the way that political reporting works in a way for good. Twitter has just shattered everything and not the least of which is because it’s the forum that the president uses. I tried staying off Twitter, [I] can’t, it’s where the job takes place now.
balance and it’s about giving people a hearing. It’s about making sure that you have a full set of information, in the case of dealing with my children’s schooling, it’s making sure that I have the right amount of research. It’s making informed decisions. That is where the job has probably helped me more than I realize.
TS: What have been your biggest obstacles in your reporting and how do you overcome these challenges?
TS: Why do you frame the way you talk about the president in your reports the way you do? And do you feel the critical perspective works in your favor?
H: That’s a really good question that I don’t think I’ve ever been asked. There’s different types of obstacles. There’s the obstacles that get the stories wrong, which is the worst feeling in the world. And I think the best thing you can do is correct it quickly, own it and try to make it clear that you were wrong. … There are days in this job if you’re covering a beat you don’t like it can be hard to get up and go to work, but you have to just stick around. TS: What lessons have you learned through journalism that you use in your life off the job? H: Try not to react. I mean, that’s the problem with Twitter, which I realize I keep coming back to you, but it’s basically designed to elicit reactions and what we do in journalism is supposed to be trying to be devoid of reactions and actually just taking information and processing and reassembling it in a way that is faithful to the facts, in a way that is accurate. … I mean, it’s just about balance. It’s about
H: No, I think it probably works at my disadvantage. TS: Why do you continue? H: Because I think it’s accurate. Because I think that if I did something differently, it would not be the truth. And I think that we are not writing stories for his approval. The thing I find myself saying to a lot of people in the White House these days is we are not short order cooks. This is not how this works. And look, no president likes their media coverage. I have yet to meet the elected official who likes their media coverage. … We don’t need their permission to do it right. And we’re not looking for them to say ‘Yes, this is a perfect encapsulation of how this is’ because in Donald Trump’s mind, to cover him accurately is to cover him unfairly. And that is what I’ve learned over time. So I’m going to keep covering him the way that best characterizes what he’s doing and the chips fall where they
Spec-
fall. TS: So, in your own words, what is it like reporting on the Trump White House? H: It is so exhausting and it’s hard for me to put it into words in general. I mean, look, I don’t think we’re ever going to cover anything like this again. I think that lots of norms will not return to what they were, but I don’t think we’re ever going to cover a story like this again. So it is exhilarating and it’s fascinating and I feel very fortunate to be able to have a front row seat to all of this. But it is, it is a lot. TS: Has your work affected your mental health? H: It is only recently that I have started feeling a little bit of battle fatigue, and literal fatigue. I just think this is a lot and I think that sometimes it is actually better when we’re just kind of focused on the traffic in front of us as opposed to looking all around the road. I don’t think it’s affected my mental health. But I think it has affected my sense of exhaustion. TS: And how do you balance your personal life and your family with your non-stop role as a journalist? H: With difficulty, with a lot of difficulty. I’ve been trying to do a little less traveling, so the next year is going to be really hard but my kids were not happy that I had to go away this week. I do the best I can. Email: news@ubspectrum.com
TS: You got your first full-time reporting job in ‘98. How have you seen technology change journalism, and what is it like to adapt so drastically to so many technological changes across your time reporting? H: I remember when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke in ‘98, and I was working at the New York Post city desk as a clerk and the Drudge Report had just become a thing. … It was a big deal because we would have to check Drudge every night and this was completely different, we’d never done this before Then, when everybody developed websites, we would check the Times website, their stories would go online at midnight. We would often then have to scramble between midnight and 1 [a.m.] to match something that we didn’t have. So that felt wholly unnerving as a technological change, and still it went from beepers to those weird longer messenger
with
Vindhya Burugupalli / The Spectrum Maggie Haberman, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, White House correspondent for the New York Times and CNN political analyst.
OPINION
ubspectrum.com
Letter from the editor: Here’s what we do. Here’s how you can, too.
BRENTON J. BLANCHET EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
This semester at The Spectrum has been an absolute dream. We’ve introduced new ways for students to engage with us on social media and made it easier for the community to get involved. We’ve told our classmates’ personal and touching stories in ways they haven’t been told before with Humans of UB. We’ve run an entire sports section without a dedicated editor until just recently and have published work by all 10 of our new, talented sports writers regardless. It’s been a monumental semester for us here and one that I’m proud to have been a part of. But I can’t help but feel that what we do, or how we function as an organization, is often misunderstood. And I want to clarify. On Thursday, before New York Times White House Correspondent Maggie Haberman visited UB as part of the Dis-
UB’s gen. ed. program distracts students, creates unneeded work and stress
ALEX WHETHAM ASST. ARTS EDITOR
I used to be a proponent of the UB Curriculum. As a former pre-med student, the chance to take a few English and Music courses while also pursuing psychiatry seemed ideal and a step above what I assumed regular general education programs would be like. But I misunderstood. The UB Curriculum is UB’s version of a general education program. Most programs feature 100 or 200-level courses that give an overview of various majors and subjects like math, science and English. UB’s curriculum takes this idea and expands upon it. The curriculum includes a 199-level seminar introducing students to the program, “foundations” that mirror other gen. ed. programs, six pathway courses to “explore another field of study” and a one-credit “Capstone” course to wrap up the experience. But why add roadblocks for students when the courses don’t augment their education? Most general education programs serve as an introduction to college.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2019 VOLUME 69 NUMBER 24 CIRCULATION: 4,000
Do you have an interest in journalism, graphic design, photography, social media, advertising, cartoons or copy editing? The Spectrum is always looking for enthusiastic students who want to be part of our team. Join our 45-time award winning independent student newspaper for hands-on, realworld experience in your field. Anyone interested in joining The Spectrum’s editorial staff can email Brenton J. Blanchet at: eic@ubspectrum.com. Anyone interested in joining The Spectrum’s professional staff or advertising team can email Helene Polley at: hapolley@buffalo.edu.
tinguished Speakers Series, UB held a prespeech informal session for Haberman to talk to members of the community, including some Spectrum staff. Toward the end of her Q&A, I asked Haberman how often she has to explain her job to readers. I wasn’t shocked by her answer at all. Haberman said she has to explain what she does, and how she does it, nearly everyday. And the best way to explain what you do, according to her, is with your platform. So treat this op-ed as a blueprint for how we function. And more importantly, treat it as a blueprint for how you can help us function. At The Spectrum, we have many missions, two of which take precedence. Firstly, we’re here to tell stories and share information with our readers. Our front page stories reflect the biggest news of the week. Our opinion page –– where this letter lands –– reflects the views of your classmates, whether we as a publication personally agree with them or not. Our arts page reflects what’s hot in the national, local and on-campus art scenes in the form of album reviews, artist interviews and coverage of UB events. Our features page reflects student life and student interests: Profiles of students, sto-
ries on student clubs and deep looks into communities on campus. And our sports page reflects the stories of student athletes, coverage of their games and usually the best photos of the week from our lovely multimedia crew. Our first mission as an organization is to keep you informed as a community member, but to me, the second is more important: We’re here to train new writers and creatives, as an outlet for students who are lost or searching for a place to share their work and don’t know how to start. Our staff has grown exponentially since the start of the semester and I’m incredibly proud of that. But there’s always room for more writers and reporters. They don’t have to ask questions at every press conference. They don’t have to understand the intricacies of campus life right away. And they certainly don’t have to write the most elaborate stories off the
I, as a senior, am still finishing the program. I’m taking my last pathway course (World Cinema) and my Capstone. This means I’ll only have one semester without the pressure of general education over my head. But according to the official UB Curriculum website, “The UB Curriculum makes general education a purposeful program with a beginning and an end, where every step of the journey builds on the last, readying graduates for everything to come.” On paper, this sounds fine, but quickly after I started college, the cracks in the program became evident. The UB Curriculum started to feel like every other college’s general education program with extra steps. The pathways portion of the program is, at the very least, a novel idea. To sum it up, students choose six courses, three in a “thematic pathway” and three in a “global pathway.” There are several different choices in each pathway and several course options to fulfill the requirements. At first, all seems well, as choosing the six courses is simple and most sound interesting in theory. But this process isn’t as smooth for students like myself. I switched my major three times and wasn’t able to truly start taking major-specific credits until my sophomore year. As a result, I had to go back into my pathways and choose classes within my two majors to simultaneously fulfill my pathway requirements and stay on track to graduate on time. The pathways section of the website says you can “Take ownership of your education by choosing topics of interest
to you and applying them to your major or using them as a platform to explore another field of study.” If a student wants to explore courses within their major, these pathways only restrict their options. Not only do students have to choose within the pathways, but they also have to fulfill requirements within their major. I wanted to use the pathways to branch out, and now I feel like I’m being punished for changing my major and doing something I have a passion for. While the pathways at least make an effort to augment students’ education, Capstone is a different story. I have never taken a course that felt like as much of a waste of time as UBC 399. Capstone is a one-credit course where students make an e-portfolio summing up their entire UB Curriculum experience. UB Curriculum’s website describes Capstone as “a holistic reflection of your learning experiences,” and while this is technically true, it’s pointless. Reflection should be the job of a student who cares, not a university that forces it on them. My experience with Capstone has been nothing but frustrating. Students are required to submit pieces from introductory courses and pathways. But the course does not account well for people like myself who had some of their “foundations” requirements met as early as their junior year of high school. It does not account well for students who do not store their work on a cloud, because no one told me to save these “artifacts” for our e-portfolios. It also does not account well for people who started the UB Curriculum its first
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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Monday, November 18, 2019 | 3 bat. They just have to care and work hard enough to grow. There’s always room for more photographers and videographers, too. They don’t have to own a camera. They don’t have to have any experience shooting games, concerts or news stories. They just have to care and work hard enough to grow. There’s also always room for graphic designers, cartoonists and other creatives. As long as they’re driven, there’s a spot for them, too. There’s always going to be room for you at The Spectrum. If you’ve ever wanted to get first-hand experience writing or shooting photos and videos, enroll in our Spring session of ENG 394. And if you want to try some editing, graphic design, cartoon work or anything else you feel could help us as an organization, send me an email at eic@ubspectrum.com. I wrote it in my first letter and I’ll write it in each one that follows: This is your campus publication. And we want you to help us grow. Email: Brenton.Blanchet@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @BrentonBlanchet
year. The first year it was implemented, the 199 seminar course was meant to teach what UB Curriculum classes would roughly be like. We learned how to use the eportfolio website and were told all of our UB Curriculum classes would use this portfolio. Only my seminar, my Capstone and one other class used the e-portfolio. Then the site was completely redesigned, so accessing it for Capstone two years later revealed a completely different interface that we were not taught. The UB Curriculum was designed by former Vice Provost and Dean Andrew M. Stott. The year after it was implemented, he left UB for the University of Southern California, completely abandoning his project and not sticking around to see a full cycle of it. I can’t fault him for taking a lucrative opportunity, but I can fault him for leaving an already-flawed project in the hands of people who didn’t design it. There are many more parts of the UB Curriculum that could be highlighted to show its uselessness, but it can all be summed up relatively quickly; the UB Curriculum is a needlessly bloated general education program that does not fulfill any of its promises. All it does is create more work, distract students from focusing on their majors and, in some cases, prevent them from branching out. General education doesn’t need to be all-encompassing; it should ease students into college and then see itself out. Email: alex.whetham@ubspectrum.com
FEATURES
4 | Monday, November 18, 2019
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Putting new meaning to the phrase ‘two-in-one’ Oak and Iron, Buffalo’s first combination salon and tattoo shop, offers ‘safe space’ downtown SAMANTHA VARGAS SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR
Oak and Iron is breaking boundaries in Buffalo’s tattoo community as the first tattoo shop with a full-service salon, priding itself on being one of the most inclusive studios in the area. The shop’s slogan is “keep Buffalo beautiful,” and the owners do just that. Married owners Ashley and Jessica Fox created the shop in response to the “maledominated” tattoo community, hoping to create a safe space for patrons and employees. They prioritize hiring artists and estheticians from marginalized communities and support the community through charity efforts. The shop is split in half, offering tattoo services in the front and salon services in
the back. Staff specialize in multiple tattoo styles, haircuts and color, nail care, waxing, eyelash extensions and makeup. The location encourages patrons to book appointments in multiple areas to get the most out of the “one-stop shop.” Patrons are welcomed in the shop by a sign stating, “We welcome all religions, all races, all countries of origin, all sexual orientations, all genders. We stand with you. You are safe here!” The Foxes hope this highlights their passion for uplifting Buffalo’s women and the LGBTQ+ community. They teamed up with Period the Menstrual Movement’s Buffalo chapter to provide Aunt Flow menstrual products in Oak and Iron. “Although [Buffalo] is kind of behind nearby cities like Toronto or New York City, I think we have the potential to grow and educate the community,” Jessica Fox, also Oak and Iron’s head tattoo artist, said. “The tattoo community is tough. It’s always been male-dominated. We wanted to create a space that was non-intimidating and comfortable.”
courTeSY of jeSSica foX The Salon offerS lunch break and happY hour SpecialS for paTronS on-The-go.
The owners are “hyper-aware” when choosing their staff to stay true to their inclusive goals. They even hired employees who are “less experienced” but share the shop’s values. “When we were searching for staff, we looked for people that were skilled but also had a social awareness,” Jessica Fox said. “People should know that they aren’t going to have an average experience at [our shop]. I want to see more women, more queer and unorthodox artists in Buffalo.” Brianna Nickerson, a Buffalo resident, has been a client of the Foxes for years. She’s gotten 17 tattoos from them and regularly goes for salon treatments from the owners. “For any service, they make sure I’m as comfortable as possible and happy,” said Nickerson. “The knowledge both Jessica and Ashley have for their trades is what keeps me coming back.” Oak and Iron’s hairdressers are also trained to perform “non-gendered” haircuts and don’t use “gender-based” styling products.
Tattoo artists specialize in traditional Americana, neo-traditional, geometric, dotwork and realistic portraits. The shop also invites guest artists throughout the year to offer something new. The shop minimum is $80, but it also offers a $60 “get-what-you-get” vending machine filled with small flash designs that can’t be customized. Located at 176 Franklin St., the shop has cornered the market as the only tattoo studio in downtown Buffalo. It is surrounded by the city courts and convention center, adding a new flair to the downtown area. And the owners have big goals for the shop’s future. “We want to always stay fresh and bring education and youth services to the community,” Jessica Fox said. “But I’m still learning, too. I’ve been told I’m ‘too young’ and ‘haven’t done it long enough’ to get as far as I wanted. But here we are, doing it.” Email: Samantha.Vargas@UBSpectrum.com Twitter: @SamMarieVargas
samantha Vargas / The SpecTrum ownerS jeSSica and aShleY foX pride ThemSelveS on creaTing a Safe-Space for paTronS bY prioriTizing The hiring of minoriTieS.
and emploYeeS
KAI BUSTOS
x FASA BRIAN BALAYON
By christine hanratty
“I started pursuing computer science because that’s what my parents pushed me to do, rather than the nursing route and definitely away from anything artistic. But my interest in design continued from being on a marketing team for robotics initially, moving onto helping design things for the Filipino basketball leagues back at home to now continuing on to overall web design. [That’s] really where I’ve branched off from having design as an interest to pursue it more professionally. Not only did I have some input on the web design at a local company here in Buffalo, but I was making graphics for them.”
KESEAN REDMOND “When I was 18 months old, I was diagnosed with stage-five neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. I had to receive chemotherapy, radiation and a bone-marrow transplant. I was in a hospital for, I don’t know how long. Cancer shortened my height [but the treatment] killed the tumor. It’s inactive but I am living and feeling well. When I was in middle school, I got bullied and I felt really anxious and very depressed. But now I’ve made a lot of friends at UB. They’re so accepting. Especially my foster family, I love them so much.” By christine hanratty
“Something I’ve been doing for myself for the past two years now, I have been meditating on a weekly basis. I’ve tried to do it daily but it’s getting closer to weekly so I meditate for about three to four times a week. It has really helped me get in tune with myself and my feelings, especially when I enter a deep state of meditation. I realize that a lot of my feelings are reflective of my physical body. If I’m feeling anxious about a test, I will feel anxiety in my chest before acknowledging the fact that I am anxious. This pattern is something that I’ve noticed about myself and how my body functions over these past two years. It’s really cool because I’m getting to a point where I don’t really necessarily need to meditate to acknowledge how I feel about a situation. I can recognize how my body is feeling in a moment and be like ‘Oh okay, this physical feeling is tied to an emotion that I’m feeling. Okay, so what is that emotion?’ I can sort of walk myself through those steps without having to actually sit down and be in a formal practice of meditation. When
By christine hanratty
I say ‘practice’ I mean like sitting down, breathing, following my breath and maybe listening to a recording. I’m better able to implement those practices in day-to-day life.”
PATRICK DIOSO “Ever since I was six, my mom forced me to play the piano. That’s where my love for music started –– I started talking to different people and they started giving me different ideas for music tastes such as R&B, hip-hop and pop. I [started] listening to different artists. When I came to college, I learned about soca and afro-beat, which is like Caribbean and African music. What’s crazy about that is I started loving that type of music too. So when I listen to anything, I’ll start listening to it and I’ll probably love it. That’s how much I love music.” By christine hanratty
ubspectrum.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Monday, November 18, 2019 | 5
A conversation with local band Dogs in Stereo frontman Joe Cardina
Buffalo indie-rock group vocalist talks new EP, tour and dogs with mono JUSTIN WOODMANCY STAFF WRITER
Thursday night’s concert at Mohawk Place was an eclectic showing of independent artists. Pittsburgh’s Flower Crown, Brooklyn’s Stairwell H, Ontario’s Mononegatives and Buffalo’s Alpha Hopper came together to support the show’s headlining act –– Buffalo’s indie rock band Dogs in Stereo, which was celebrating the release of its new EP “Idle” by performing it live in its entirety. The band sold “Idle” on cassette at the show but independently released the album officially on streaming platforms Friday. Led by songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Joe Cardina, Dogs in Stereo expanded upon its gloomy, indie-rock sound since its first release “I Peaked in ‘07”, in 2017. “Idle,” while retaining the lo-fi and nonchalant qualities that defines Dogs in Stereo, features a newfound clear, refined and energetic sound. Before Cardina and his band took the stage at Buffalo’s Mohawk Place Thursday, we discussed “Idle,” Cardina’s influences and whether or not dogs can get mono.
Cast portrays Four Seasons for packed nostalgic Shea’s audience ISABELLA FORTUNATO, REILLY MULLEN STAFF WRITER, ASST. FEATURES EDITOR
Audience members shielded their eyes as they were blinded by the same light 1960s rock band the Four Seasons experienced at its sold-out shows. The “Jersey Boys” cast members faced upstage, with their backs turned toward the audience as they shared the feeling of stardom with the nostalgic crowd, some of whom were fans of the foursome since their start. “Jersey Boys” debuted at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on Friday Nov. 15 as roughly 3,000 people enjoyed the national tour’s performance and characterization of Frankie Valli (John Hacker), Tommy DeVito (Corey Greenan), Nick Massi (Michael Milton) and Bob Gaudio (Eric Chambliss). The show highlights their struggle to make it out of New Jersey and find musical success with strong performances, interactive set designs and creative staging, all of which brought the sentimental crowd back to the glamour of the ‘60s. The popular musical, that Chambliss described as “unpolished, honest and certainly entertaining,” illustrates the struggles that the Four Seasons faced on their road to stardom by using popular selections from the group’s catalog. Throughout the course of the show, each character helps narrate their transformation from criminals to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Many audience members felt a connection to the three hour-long show because of their memories of the group’s peak. Susan Hann was pleased to see her memories reproduced in “dramatic excellence.” “When I was younger I used to go see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons all the time” Hann said. “[The cast] sounds just like [the Four Seasons], it really takes me back.” The 15-person cast did its part to enhance the show, but a few stand-outs elevated the experience. Chambliss enchanted the crowd with his spot-on portrayal of Gaudio, the group’s
The interview, lightly edited for style and length, follows below:
The Spectrum: This show is the first stop on your tour with Pittsburgh’s Flower Crown. How did you two link up and book these shows together? Joe Cardina: We met in Fredonia [New York] back when Richie [of Flower Crown] was in the Erie [PA] band Frame and Mantle. They would come out to Fredonia from Erie to play shows, and I shot a video for them in 2015. We’ve just been online friends ever since. We played a show together in New York City a few years ago. It’s just been an ongoing thing and we’ve always stayed in touch. TS: You recently put out a music video for your song “Traffic Circles.” Could you talk about the process of recording the video and where the video’s party theme came from? C: I’ve had this idea in my head about making a sad birthday party thing and that was sort of the theme we went around. Shauna Presto made it, she does a lot of stuff with bands around here. Me and Shauna met the night before and sort of just came up with a bunch of sketches and a loose storyline. Then we just made it happen. It was filmed in the beginning of summer too, on the first hot day of the year. So it was like 85 degrees in a room with 20 people making up a dance and ev-
Justin Woodmancy / The Spectrum Joe Cardina performs with Dogs in Stereo at Mohawk Place on Friday Nov. 15.
erything. It was a little weird. TS: What is your opinion on dogs in mono as opposed to Dogs in Stereo? C: I don’t know, stereo is cool, you can do a lot with it. It’s better than mono the disease, too. I don’t even know if dogs can get mono, though. But it wouldn’t be that weird because dogs are always licking people’s faces all the time. It’s kind of just on the dog at that point, you know? TS: What are you most proud of with “Idle?”
C: I finally have six songs where I like all of them. Most of the other stuff online is, I don’t want to say it’s up just to be up, but it sort of is. I’m finally happy with these songs. They mean something to me and I’m confident they could mean something to someone else. TS: If someone never heard Dogs in Stereo before, what would you want them to know before listening to “Idle”? C: Don’t expect the happiest music in the world. Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
main writer, and his smooth singing voice and charming swagger. The humorous nuance to his no-nonsense tone made him the loving “a--hole” no one was going to forget. Even some actors who didn’t have show-stealing numbers had their spot in the limelight. Playing Massi, Milton offered dry humor and subtle harmonies that held the longer monologues charmingly in-tact. Even the “Ringo Starr” of the group got to speak up in a tongue-in-cheek outburst that was well worth the wait. Greenan oozed the charm and sleaze necessary to portray Tommy DeVito. The mobster-turned-rockstar had his ups and downs and Greenan portrayed them beautifully, seeming completely likeable in a way that made the audience gasp. His portrayal of DeVito’s complicated relationship with Valli was both sickening and oddly endearing at the same time, showcasing his skill as both a comical and serious artist. The lead actor, Hacker, was great in the difficult role of Valli. One of the most crowd-pleasing numbers of the show, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” highlights Hacker’s dynamic acting ability. The scene emphasizes the conflict in Valli’s personal life that lurked behind his breathtaking performances and powerful vocal range. The audience was begging for more with applause at the conclusion of the climactic number that almost seemed “too good to be true.” Each actor had stand-out moments, but nothing topped the scenes where group members performed together with flawless harmony and stellar dance moves. The crowd danced along to hits like “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” “Walk Like a Man” and “Sherry.” A few fans even stood and danced along to the final number as the whole company took to the stage for a dazzling final performance of “Who Loves You.” The cast and crew nailed the ‘60s Photo Courtesy of Shea’s Theater vibe, leaving some grateful audience Shea’s Performing Arts Center hosted the national tour of “Jersey Boys” from Nov. 15th to 17th. members in tears. DeVito’s character “Sometimes these people might never Broadway magic to their hometowns.” was right when he asked, “Is this a time get an opportunity to visit New York to Email: features@ubspectrum.com machine, or what?” see other Broadway shows,” Milton said. For the actors, the fans are what it’s all “So it feels very special to be able to be one about. of the lucky ones who gets to bring some
SPORTS
6 | Monday, November 18, 2019 BULLS FROM PAGE 6
forth just before forward LaQuill Hardnett grabbed a board. And once Graves got the ball in his hands with seconds left, he nailed the three to give UB a push into the final half. Harvard kept it close with the Bulls at the start of the second. Johnson shined with a three and dunk (with the dish from Davonta Jordan), respectively, that nudged the team ahead of the Ivy Leaguers 51-48 with 15:13 left. Johnson dazzled with a pair of threes in the minutes after as UB cemented a 67-54 lead with about 10 minutes left. The Bulls shot better in the second half, nailing eight three-pointers in the second
(compared to Harvard, which shot 3-10 in the second) and were near perfect from the free-throw line (6-7). Johnson led the Bulls with 15 points from behind the arc. A firehot performance by Segu was turned up thanks to his perfect aim from three (3-3) and from the free-throw line (6-6). Segu put on a show in the final four minutes of the game as the Bulls capped off their night in Ontario. “Ronaldo is real big time, he makes the right plays most of the time. Whenever you need to stop someone, you know you could count on him,” Johnson said. The Bulls look to hold onto their positive free-throw and three-point groove going into Thursday when the team plays UConn (1-1) in the Charleston Classic.
As for Saturday’s game, head coach Jim Whitesell said the win “definitely” helps “improve” team spirit going down to South Carolina. “[UConn] we all know is going to be an awfully tough opponent, so I do think it helps our guys get a little more confidence,” Whitesell said.“I think that’s the biggest thing with us, you want to build off that... .”
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aleXander BroWn / The SpecTrum davonTa jordan driving To The baSkeT for a laYup. jordan finiShed The game wiTh 8 poinTS in 23 minuTeS plaYed.
Email: benjamin.blanchet@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @BenCBlanchet
aleXander BroWn / The SpecTrum jeenaThan williamS finiShing a Tough laYup. williamS finiShed The game wiTh 10 poinTS.
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Stampede stats: Bulls collapse in the fourth quarter, fall to Kent State UB loses to Kent State 30-27 RICHARD LOUIS STAFF WRITER
Kent State (4-6, 3-3 MAC) defeated UB football (5-5, 3-3 MAC), 30-27 Thursday night. The Bulls dominated the Golden Flashes throughout the game before collapsing in the fourth quarter. Kent State has allowed the most rushing yards in the MAC, giving up 253.9 yards per game and Buffalo attacked that weakness, rushing for 245 yards Thursday. The Bulls outgained the Golden Flashes 379-284, averaging 5.19 yards per play, and in the third quarter, went on a 19-play 93yard drive, resulting in sophomore running back Kevin Marks rushing it in from two yards out. The drive took 9:16 off the game clock. The Bulls took a commanding 27-6 lead with 11:18 left in the fourth. But it didn’t last.
Mike Carrigan on a five-yard touchdown reception to tie the game. Buffalo was forced to punt the ball late and Kent State started the drive with 2:04 left on the clock. The Golden Flashes were driving down the field when Crum hit senior wide receiver Kavious Price for a 17-yard completion, putting the team in field-goal range. Sophomore kicker Matthew Trickett hit a 44-yard field goal as time expired, giving Kent State the victory.
Who showed out
The Bulls running back duo played well. Sophomore running back Jaret Patterson ran for 144 yards on 30 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per rush, while Marks rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Kyle Vantrease threw for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a score. Senior linebacker Matt Otwinowski led the team with 10 tackles and senior safety Joey Banks had 7 tackles and caught an interception. Junior defensive ends Malcolm Koonce and Taylor Riggins combined for 4 sacks.
What led to the loss
Kent State took advantage of Buffalo’s special teams’ performance. After cutting the lead down to 27-13, the Golden Flashes recovered an onside kick with 7:34 left in the fourth. Kent State scored one play later on a 41-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Dustin Crum to redshirt sophomore running back Xavier Williams, cutting Buffalo’s lead to seven points. With 6:17 left in fourth, Kent’s sophomore cornerback Jeremiah Salaam blocked freshman Jackson Baltar’s punt, recovering the ball at Buffalo’s four-yard line. Crum later connected with senior wide receiver
Wayne penales / The SpecTrum The bullS STorm inTo ub STadium during The homecoming game ThiS SeaSon.
What’s next
The fourth-quarter mishaps left the Bulls with an additional loss on the season, but the first three quarters of play showed a promising team. With two games against MAC opponents left in the season, the Bulls need to secure one win to become bowl eligible for the fourth time in school history. The Bulls look to bounce back against conference rival Toledo (6-4, 3-3 MAC), Nov. 20 at UB Stadium. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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SPORTS
8 | Monday, November 18, 2019
Bulls win fourth game in a row GERMAIN BROWN RICHARD LOUIS STAFF WRITERS
UB women’s basketball (4-0) defeated Columbia (1-3) 82-75 Friday night, fighting against a tough opponent. Columbia came out shooting 70% from the field and 80% from three in the first quarter. Buffalo then ramped up its defense, holding Colombia to 37% from the field for the remainder of the game. Coach Felisha Legette-Jack said the
Bulls showed resilience throughout the matchup. “The coaching staff had to adjust, I had to adjust,” Legette-Jack said. “They shot us out of our match-up. So we went player-to-player and that’s what allowed things to open up for us.” The game was back and forth until the Bulls pulled away in the fourth and forced the Lions to commit 9 turnovers. Freshman guard Dyaisha Fair scored 12 to help Buffalo extend its lead. The Bulls, elevating their defensive intensity in the second half, forced the Lions to commit 15 turnovers. UB had four players score in double digits and made 12 3-pointers throughout the
Andrew Palmer / The Spectrum Freshman guard Dyaisha Fair dribbles the ball closer to
JUSTIN WEISS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Coming off of a 30-27 loss to Kent State, the Bulls return home to Amherst to take on the University of Toledo Wednesday. The Rockets are 6-4 following a 31-28 loss to Northern Illinois. Toledo went 3-1 in non-conference play, with wins over Murray State, Colorado State and BYU, and a loss to Kentucky. The 2019 Mid-American Conference Media Preseason Poll projected the Rockets to finish first in the MAC West. Buffalo is coming off one of its ugliest losses in recent memory. The Bulls led the Golden Flashes 27-6 with under eight minutes to play. But Kent State converted on an on-side kick and blocked a punt to complete the largest fourth-quarter comeback in the FBS this season. Buffalo is 5-5 entering the Toledo game. The Bulls defeated Robert Morris, Temple, Akron, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. They lost to Penn State, Liberty, Miami (OH), Ohio and Kent State so far
Columbia on Friday.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
this season. The Bulls’ bowl hopes — at one point seemingly guaranteed — now hang by a thread. Here’s what to expect when the Bulls take on the Rockets Wednesday:
COACH: Jason Candle, 34-17, fourth season at Kent State
LOOKING BACK
The 2018 Rockets went 7-6 and finished in fourth place in the MAC West standings. They received an invite to the Bahamas Bowl, which they lost 35-32 to Florida International. Quarterback Eli Peters completed 55.1% of his passes for 1,837 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He split playing time with Mitchell Guadagni, who completed 57.5% of his passes for 1,053 yards, 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The strength of the team rested in its receiving game. Junior wide receiver Diontae Johnson was a third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, after catching 49 passes for 761 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was also named first-team All-MAC as both a
Courtesy of Toledo Athletics Communication Toledo sophomore running back Bryant Koback breaks a tackle during a 28-21 victory
the basket against
matchup. Dyaisha Fair continued her hot start to the season, leading the team in scoring with 25 points and dishing out 5 assists and snagging 5 steals. Junior guard Hanna Hall and freshman forward Loren Christie also had solid performances, as Hall scored 16 points while hitting four three pointers and Christie saw a career-high 13 points. Columbia sophomore guard Sienna Durr, however, gave the Bulls some problems throughout the night. She had a double-double with 31 points and 13 rebounds. But as the season continues, LegetteJack wants the nation to know Fair is a player to watch. “I have not coached anybody with such a high IQ as a freshman and I’d put her in the top 20 as a freshman. What the nation needs to understand is just because we are at a mid-major doesn’t mean we don’t have one of the best players in the country.” The Bulls look to continue their hot streak as they travel to play San Jose State (1-2) on Thursday.
Chris Yang / The Spectrum Sophomore forward Adebola Adeyeye shoots a jump shot.
The Bulls return home to take on the Rockets
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BYU.
receiver and punt return specialist. Receivers Jon’Vea Johnson and Cody Thompson both eclipsed the 600-yard mark and were named to an All-MAC team. The Rockets averaged 227.9 passing yards per game, ranking at No. 69 in Division 1-A. Toledo ranked second with 10 All-MAC selections, including down lineman Tuzar Skipper and defensive back Josh Teachey. Linebacker Richard Olekanma led the way with 86 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. Skipper was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent after recording 60 total tackles and 8.5 sacks. Cornerback Ka’dar Hollman was a sixth-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers. He recorded 43 total tackles and an interception. On Oct. 20, 2018, the Bulls defeated the Rockets, 31-17, at the Glass Bowl. Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson rushed for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bulls quarterback Tyree Jackson was erratic, as he completed 54% of his passes for 326 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
LOOKING FORWARD
Toledo has six wins, with two against larger programs. Guadagni has completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,099 passing yards, 8 touch-
downs and 2 interceptions. He is third on the team with 332 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Toledo had 12 players named to the Athlon Sports MAC Football 2019 AllConference Team, including center Bryce Harris and defensive lineman Jamal Hines, who were both named to the first-team. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Jordan Fisher leads the team with 77 total tackles. Safety Saaed Holt has 65 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. The Rockets, coming into the Buffalo contest, have played in five games that have been decided by one score or less. The Rockets are 3-3 against conference opponents, and currently trail MAC-West leader Western Michigan by two games, with just two games left.
BOTTOM LINE
After the Bulls’ fourth-quarter collapse against Kent State, they need to win toqualify for a bowl game. They will return home to face a tough Toledo team that has been potent in close contests, which Buffalo has struggled with. It should be an entertaining game, but unlike other weeks, there is no margin for error for the Bulls, who are on the brink of bowl qualification — but also elimination.
Email: justin.weiss@ubspectrum.com
Courtesy of Toledo Athletics Communication Toledo sophomore defensive end Jamal Hines rushes the quarterback during a 45-0 victory Murray State.
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