The Spectrum Vol. 71 No. 10

Student Association Senate loosens policy on non-undergraduate tickets for club events

The previous ticketing policy prompted protests from the Latin American Student

JASMIN YEUNG ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

The Student Association Senate voted to amend its Ticketing and Merchandise Sales Policy during its meeting Friday, loosening restrictions for non-undergraduate ticket sales to club events. The amendment allows clubs to sell as many non-undergraduate tickets as they want so long as they do “not exceed the number of undergraduate tickets available for sale,” and removes restrictions on subsidizing non-undergraduate tickets with club budgets and limits. The measure passed by a vote of 8-2-1.

The SA’s previous ticketing policy, which was unanimously passed in March as a part of a policy package, barred clubs from subsidizing non-student tickets with their club budget and capped the number of tickets they could sell to non-undergraduate students at 10% of total tickets available for sale.

The SA e-board presented the amendments to the SA Senate on Friday. The amendments enjoyed broad support, but some senators argued that the policy was too loose. At times invoking ticketing issues surrounding Allen West’s on-campus speech last semester, they argued that clubs could sell similar amounts of student and non-student tickets for similar prices. This would in theory create competition between undergraduate and non-

“Yes, there’s a chance that they [clubs] might mess up,” SA President Becky PaulOdionhin said to the Senate about the

Marie Yovanovitch discusses diplomacy and Ukraine’s strength in 202223 Distinguished Speaker Series

The former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine highlights Distinguished Speaker Series with lessons from her time as a diplomat and her admiration for Ukraine

KAYLA ESTRADA SR. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR TENZIN WODHEAN FACT CHECKER

In 1983, Marie Yovanovitch found out that the U.S. invaded Grenada while reading The New York Times on the subway ride to her Manhattan marketing job.

Something didn’t feel right.

Yovanovitch walked into her office that day with the intention of telling her team about what happened. Instead of listening to her concerns about the U.S’s actions, her coworkers were preoccupied with debating the layout and color scheme for a brochure.

This is when Yovanovitch realized that a marketing job in New York City was not for her.

It was also when she decided to apply to the State Department.

Yovanovitch’s passion for foreign policy issues stems from her unique family history. She is the child of European immigrants who grew up during World War II. Her mother endured Nazi Germany, and her father grew up under Nazi control.

Eventually, Yovanovitch and her parents made their way to the U.S.

“My parents are always grateful that the U.S. took us in, providing us with your sanctuary as a safe place to live,” Yovanovitch said at her Distinguished Speaker Series appearance at UB’s Center for the Arts on Tuesday. “There was opportunity here. What they especially loved about the U.S. was the freedoms that we have here.

I don’t think we

Vargas brothers connect to heritage through hockey

How Hector, Antonio and Daniel Vargas leaned on family and pride to represent Puerto Rico at the 2022 LATAM Cup

RYAN TANTALO STAFF WRITER

On Sept. 15, Puerto Rico hockey prepared to face Venezuela in an 8 p.m. primetime matchup in Division II of the 2022 LATAM Cup.

The tournament featured teams from Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East competing across six divisions, including Men’s D-I and D-II.

The D-II team was Venezuela’s best. Its national hockey association debuted in 2018, two years before Puerto Rico’s.

Flags covered the stands in the stadium rink as noisemakers and competing chants

of “Puer-to-Ri-co!” and “Ve-ne-zua-la!” rang out.

Hector Vargas, a fifth-year exercise science major at UB, Antonio Vargas, a UB graduate architecture student, and their brother Daniel took the ice for Puerto Rico.

For the first time in their lives, they played as teammates.

“We grew up playing hockey together, to be on the same team for once was very special,” Hector Vargas said.

Association, among others

undergraduate students for events funded by undergraduates’ mandatory student activity fee.

possibility

of

clubs taking advantage of loopholes. “But when they do mess up, we’ll say, ‘Oh, here’s how we can do better’ — but we’re not going to say, ‘Oh, we’re going to lock you in a cage,’ because how are they going to grow?…

should strive to put [students] in cages.” Paul-Odionhin declined a request for further comment.

YAKUN LIU / THE SPECTRUM THE LATIN AMERICAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION ORGANIZED A DEMONSTRATION ON OCT. 7 IN PROTEST OF THE SA’S TICKETING POLICY

‘It’s an attack on education’: Students and faculty react to Supreme Court’s reconsideration of affirmative action

KYLE NGUYEN SR. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

The Supreme Court heard arguments Oct. 31 in two cases that could strike down race-based affirmative action in col lege admissions nationwide.

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a nonprofit organization led by conservative activist Edward Blum, brought two law suits before the Court claiming that the use of race in the admissions process at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) is discriminatory.

Following the proceedings, The New York Times reported that the Court seemed “ready to throw out affirmative action programs” and undo decades of legal precedents upholding diversity programs in universities across the country.

Jewel Moore, a sophomore communica tion major and treasurer for Black Student Union (BSU), says that striking down af firmative action in higher education would be yet another setback for students of color, who are already struggling to find representation on campus.

“It’s an attack on education,” Moore said. “Black and brown children who had better grades than their white counterparts were sometimes being denied access to schools, and it’s just very important to ensure that these students have a place at universities that they may not have had before. I don’t even necessarily think that affirmative ac tion policies have done enough.

“Being a Black person in America is not easy, being a Black woman at that. My competence is constantly being ques tioned, whether that’s in the classroom, in a boardroom — everywhere. Anything that I say is constantly being picked apart.”

Moore says she sees the challenges of fostering diversity and community, even under an affirmative action framework.

“Where’s the representation for Black students? Where is the home away from home for Black students?” Moore said. “We have the Black Student Union, we have the African Student Association, we have the Caribbean Student Association… But we had to create those spaces as stu dents. Those weren’t given to us by the school. Those clubs exist only because we pushed for that. So what is the school do ing for us?”

In light of deliberations of affirma tive action in the Supreme Court, UB is “monitoring the issue very closely from the admissions and legal perspective,” UB spokesperson John DellaContrada said.

The university says that race and ethnic ity are currently “considered” factors for selection in its admission process but not considered as “important” as other crite ria such as academic GPA or standardized test scores.

Enrollment data for fall 2022 shows that while Asian enrollment has steadily grown

to 14.17% this year, just 7.46% of students identify as Black and 7.3% as Hispanic.

Over a 14-year period, neither Black nor Hispanic enrollment has crossed more than 8% of the total enrolled population.

“Those numbers just prove that we’re really just accepting the bare minimum,” Brianna Dennis, a senior biology major, said. “If we’re rolling [affirmative action] back, you’re gonna see that number plum met even more when it really shouldn’t be — it should be going up instead.”

Nicolee Jimenez, a junior media stud ies major, says that striking down affir mative action and seeing diversity figures fall would only make it more difficult for student organizations to create safe com munities and welcome experiences for stu dents of color.

“People already don’t feel safe, like they don’t have community,” Jimenez said. “Every club or association is like a home for students of color.”

While Moore thinks affirmative action policies can do more, the sophomore is dubious that striking down race-conscious criteria from colleges’ admissions will im prove college outcomes.

“I don’t necessarily think that affirma tive action policies have done enough,” Moore said. “But should it be eradicated? No, because at the end of the day, it defi nitely was put in place for a reason. Trying to reverse that is just doing a disservice to education.”

Professor Jaekyung Lee, a faculty expert in educational policies and inequalities, echoed that sentiment, citing affirmative action policies as a crucial piece of a wider issue of systemic racial inequality in the U.S. education system.

Lee is wary of SFFA’s characterizations of affirmative policy as discriminatory to Asian Americans.

“Asian American is not a monolithic group,” Lee said. “There are many sub groups, ethnic groups in that category. So it’s very misleading to treat Asian Ameri cans as one group.”

He doesn’t see a point in striking down affirmative action in the wider conversa tion of improving educational outcomes across the board.

Lee cites the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger case in the Supreme Court, which upheld affirmative action in admissions for Michi gan Law School after determining that race-conscious admissions were not un constitutional as part of a holistic admis sions process — similar to the processes used by UNC and Harvard.

The Court also decided that race-con sciousness ultimately served a “compelling interest” for the university and its students by improving diversity.

“Improving diversity of the student body will benefit not only those minority students of color, but also white students,” Lee said. “Ultimately, it helps students to

prepare for when they work in similarly di verse environments after graduation.”

Lee hopes the Supreme Court will make similar considerations, nearly two decades after the landmark case, and urges students and parents to remain optimistic.

“I definitely hope that the Supreme Court decides to continue supporting af firmative action policies, given the sever ity of the racial inequalities and gaps,” Lee said. “But even if they don’t, then I’m sure that the colleges and universities will still find ways to maintain and even improve the diversity. There are other kinds of re lated factors that they can always consider as a proxy indicator of that.”

Parent income and education history, for example, could serve as effective cri teria for universities to bridge access eq uity gaps for disadvantaged or underrep resented communities. Funding of U.S. schools through local property taxes, for example, provide more funding to schools in wealthier neighborhoods, a system that Lee describes as “highly unequal.”

“A lot of the inequalities come from where students just live,” Lee said. “That zip code kind of determines the quality of their learning opportunity, which is totally unacceptable.”

Lee says that COVID-19 and remote learning exasperated the disparity be tween low-income and high-income com munities, as high-income students had more access to technology, teachers and parental support.

Lee believes that getting rid of affir mative action policy would only be war ranted once racial disparities are directly addressed.

“I view affirmative action policy as a kind of temporary Band-Aid to fix the system of racial inequalities and achieve ment gaps,” Lee said. “Ideally, we’d fix this

problem early on through better preschool programs, and better K-12 education pro grams for disadvantaged minority students so that by the time they get to college doors, there should be no achievement gap, no inequalities.”

In the coming months, Moore hopes that the university will play a more direct hand, whether it be in nurturing diversity or combatting hatred on campus.

She says that a sense of anguish burns fresh in the memories of Black students at UB in the fallout of last year’s Allen West controversies and the racially motivated mass shooting at an East Side Tops during the spring semester.

“That night, I cried. I cried so hard be cause I felt like our voices weren’t being heard and I felt like the university didn’t understand where we were coming from,” Moore said. “I understand that racism is not a cut and dry thing. Everybody is en titled to their opinion. But at the end of the day, affirmative action was created to combat racism. Although we want a world without racism, a world where we don’t acknowledge racism, where we say that racism is fake, is a figment of our imagina tion.”

Moore believes affirmative action and fostering a diverse student body are vital buffers against racial hatred and violence.

“When you’re not having conversations with people from other backgrounds, that can make you jaded toward others,” Moore said. “When you learn about other people, the struggles that they’ve gone through, why they are the way that they are, it helps you be empathetic, sympathetic to their situations. And without diversity, you’re not going to get that.”

Email: kyle.nguyen@ubspectrum.com

The freedom to speak your mind, the free dom to assemble, the freedom to worship as you please, which was very important to my parents, because in Nazi Germany you could not do that.”

These experiences are what inspired Yovanovitch to take advantage of the rights she had in the U.S. She never took her freedoms for granted.

But that wasn’t enough. Yovanovitch wanted to use her own privileges and rights to give back to communities that didn’t have those same freedoms.

“My brother and I grew up with this idea of service,” Yovanovitch said. “It was up to us how we wanted to give back, whether it was through volunteering or something else. I also love to meet people from different places, eat their food and get to know their culture. This [diplomacy] was a job that combined those two things plus service to the American people, and you got paid for it. I thought that was a pretty good game.”

Yovanovitch writes about these experi

ences, as well as her lessons learned from working in Ukraine, in her New York Times-bestselling memoir, “Lessons from the Edge.” The book highlights her fears surrounding the war in Ukraine and how she believes the U.S. can best assist in pro tecting democracy.

“He [Vladmir Putin] will keep on going because that has been the problem, and we will be foolish to ignore that,” Yovano vitch said. “Countries will be invaded, and human rights will not be respected and borders will be violated. We can expect Russia to follow that route. But I think other countries, other dictators, would be watching as well. It would harm our econ omy and our commerce. It will harm our democracy, and it will certainly harm our security.”

Yovanovitch says that a peaceful end to the Russia and Ukraine war is possible in the future, but as of now is unmanageable. Diplomacy was thrown out the window once the Ukrainian people were abused and persecuted.

“They are continuing these acts of ter ror against Ukrainian people. This is not

the act of a country that is looking for a diplomatic solution,” Yovanovitch said. “I think that right now Ukraine is winning. And so Ukraine wants to maximize its po sition as well. We don’t want Russian leads and that to me seems very reasonable.”

Yovanovitch characterized her line of work as “invisible” by design. Her respon sibilities as an ambassador meant navigat ing the intricacies of a foreign cultures, sometimes corrupt legal systems and rela tionships with allies and adversaries.

Yovanovitch exercised values like integ rity in her diplomacy, and she encouraged the audience to practice their values not just as Americans, but as moral human be ings, by supporting Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Crimea had “coalesced Ukraine into a country,” she said. In 2017, she witnessed Ukranians placing their hands over their hearts and singing their national anthem, a stark con trast to her visit in the early 2000s, when there was an absence of patriotism and no one had sang the anthem.

Yovanovitch’s words connected Holden Endres, a freshman computer science ma

jor, closer to Ukraine.

“She did a great job with informed pa triotism,” Endres said. “She told us that Ukraine was going to win the war not just because she wanted to, she wanted us to believe it and to console us. That was truly inspiring, and the most tied to Ukraine that I have felt throughout the entirety of the warfare.”

Andrew Pawlaski, a freshman biology major, attended to “respark” his engage ment with the war in Ukraine and found Yovanovitch’s career interesting but did not understand Yovanovitch’s stance that diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine was not a possible solution at the moment.

“That was a little disheartening to hear,” Pawlawski said, “I was honestly a little sur prised to hear the ambassador saying that she thinks that a peaceful option right now isn’t the best situation because peace is im portant.”

Email: kayla.estrada@ubspectrum.com Email:tenzin.wodhean@ubspectrum.com

UB currently considers race in admissions, will “monitor” developments in affirmative action Supreme Court cases

Moaz Elazzazi / ThE SpEcTruM StudentS from the Black Student union proteSted allen WeSt S on campuS Speech entitled “america iS not raciSt,” laSt SemeSter

Holidays are not for body shaming

ceive comments about my face and body. This semester was different.

From the start, I had been going through a cycle of toxic thoughts and habits. I would go a day without eating, but binge the next. Then, I would instantly regret it and starve myself the next day. Just to go through it all over again.

asked myself, “Who has said this to me?” and “Did they say this to hurt my feelings?”

I slowly recognized a pattern: The people who made comments about me were also insecure about the same things.

The more I thought about that, the angrier I got.

more vocal about how comments about my weight hurt me.

I want to be able to share that those comments make me feel uncomfortable.

I dread having to go back home for the holiday breaks.

I should be happy to be away from school and finally with all my family and friends after a couple of months, right?

Right.

But there’s just one problem: holiday breaks are a time for people who I haven’t seen in a while to comment on my body.

Hearing things like “your stomach is getting bigger,” “what do you eat up there [in college],” “you’re breaking out really bad,” and “watch your weight” have become common refrains from the past three years’ worth of holidays.

Every semester, I would spend weeks mentally preparing myself to be able to re-

I would spend so much time in the mirror examining all parts of myself. I’d replay comments I’d received and tell myself that they were true.

My days started to feel like a blur. With negativity consuming my thoughts, I started missing being present in every moment.

But Nov. 1 crept up on me, leaving me anxious about having only a couple of days to “fix” myself before I have to go home. I upped the toxic habits, and they took their toll on both my physical and mental health.

It all came to a head. I had to sit down and ask myself: How did I allow it to get to this point? Why? How could I allow others to make me this insecure and cause harm to my own body?

I went through each comment, and I

I cannot empathize with the phrase “hurt people hurt people.” Trust me, it is not hard to not inflict your insecurities on others.

Comments about my body are degrading and leave me feeling like my appearance is not acceptable. Even if they’re not intended to hurt my feelings, why do people feel the need to share their opinion about my looks in a negative way? Why should I have to accept that people will be making comments about me? Why should I allow anyone to even feel comfortable enough to express their opinions about my appearance in a condescending way?

So this year, I’m setting some boundaries.

Instead of “mentally preparing” for the comments by harming myself, I should be

I want to be able to remove myself from those who aren’t willing to understand. I want to get back to the version of myself that knew that weight gain, weight loss, acne and other physical imperfections are all a part of being human.

I want to go back to feeling comfortable in my own skin.

I want to do better for myself and learn how to love myself properly again.

To everyone who struggles with setting those boundaries, it’s OK.

You are not the problem. Body shaming is wrong. Especially during the holiday season — a time where many gather together to celebrate and be around those they love.

I hope body shamers realize that their words can hurt people. Regardless of their intentions, they should keep their comments to themselves.

Email: kiana.hodge@ubspectrum.com

It’s OK to not always be perfect

The struggles and stress that come with academic validation are exhausting and unnecessary

KIANA HODGE ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR VICTORIA HILL ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

I’ve always pushed myself in school.

I wouldn’t allow myself to get anything below an “A” on my assignments.

People always say that “grades don’t define who you are,” but that is far from the truth. We equate good grades with a successful life.

It’s drilled into students’ brains from a young age.

In middle school, I was put on track for advanced courses, and ever since then, I’ve felt the pressure to keep my grades at an exceptional level.

At the end of eighth grade, I was invited to join the National Junior Honor Society. Only a select amount of students with high GPAs were asked to join. I had to keep up my grades all throughout high school to stay in this student organization, and eventually be inducted into the Na-

tional Honor Society.

On top of the stress of maintaining my grades to remain in the society, I was a student leader in multiple extracurriculars and I balanced an accelerated track of classes.

All of the stress built up. I had my first major breakdown junior year.

I was taking all AP classes, some collegelevel classes and studying for the SAT. I’ve never been more stressed than I was then.

There would be nights when I would cry for hours because I was so wrapped up in getting “A’s” on papers and getting a good grade on my SAT so I could get into college.

At the time, nothing else mattered to me.

“Grades don’t define who you are.”

What a lie. Everything is based on grades.

Many students are forced to believe that if you don’t do well on the SAT, you won’t get into college. If you don't get “A’s” on every assignment, you won’t get into college.

If you aren’t in clubs or sports to boost your resumé, you won’t get into college.

That is what is ingrained in students’ heads.

When can I just live my life without having to be constantly bombarded with this idea that if I’m not scoring 100%, I’m not doing enough?

I have dealt with basing my worth on academic validation for as long as I can remember. If I didn’t get an “A,” I would be devastated. I would beat myself up over a grade.

In high school, I vividly remember getting an 80% on an AP biology test and thinking that I would never come back from that.

I was upset over something that meant nothing in the real world. Something that didn’t even matter.

But at that moment, I thought that bad grades had the power to ruin my entire future.

Once you get into college, it’s the same game — just a different ending. Only this time, you’re pushed to make sure you get a good job when you graduate instead of an acceptance letter from a good college.

Academic stress is never-ending.

Recently, I’ve been trying to work on not letting grades define who I am.

Through a lot of self-reflection, I’ve internalized the belief that I’m worth more

than a number on a piece of paper.

Even though I’ve gotten much better, it would be a lie if I said I didn’t still have feelings of humiliation and disappointment when I don’t get an “A” on an assignment, or when I get a “B” in a class.

This need to do the best doesn’t go away all at once.

I need to constantly remind myself that I am doing enough.

But I know that life will go on. I’ve gotten to where I am today without being perfect.

The big lesson that I’ve learned in the last eight years of needing academic validation is that if you get a “bad” grade, it isn’t the end of the world.

There is always an opportunity to restart and learn for the next time.

Be forgiving of yourself. No one is perfect.

Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com

Dylan Greco, Sr.

Emma Stanton, Sr. Kailo Mori, Sr.

Tenzin Wodhean

Jake Blumberg

Jenna Quinn, Sr.

Kara Anderson, Asst.

Being invisible is the worst superpower

acknowledged just by looking at someone. It includes conditions such as migraines, celiac disease, IBS and lupus.

MORGAN S.T. ROSS ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

As children, we often ask each other the question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

It may have been telekinesis, super speed, telepathy or maybe even the ability to talk to animals.

For me, it was to be invisible.

I grew up thinking Violet Parr from “The Incredibles” had the coolest ability. I thought about how easy it would be to go from place to place and not be seen.

In my childlike mind, I could go anywhere in the world and just mysteriously pop up. Not to mention, being invisible would make games of hide-and-seek so much easier.

But being invisible isn’t as fun as I convinced myself to believe.

Invisible illness gives an entirely new and daunting meaning to what it means to not be seen.

This term refers to chronic health conditions that can’t be easily diagnosed or

Typically, when people see a seemingly able-bodied, smiling and active person, they assume they’re completely healthy and well. Personally, many people I interact with on a daily basis wouldn’t know at face value that I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and an autoimmune condition while managing multiple leadership positions.

In my experience battling with invisible illness, I’ve encountered people socially and professionally who continuously claim, “You don’t look sick,” or say, “You can’t always not feel well.”

They may mean no harm, but their words have a harsh impact.

Their words, on top of attendance policies with a limit of three absences, having to cancel plans with friends and choosing to stay home for the sake of being able to function the next week is a burden I wish I didn’t have to face.

Having an invisible illness can feel like the world keeps moving while many people don’t see you or seek to understand.

Barely anyone sees behind closed doors. The sleepless nights, extensive doctors notes and medications all add to the unbearable mental and physical toll it has on

me.

The medical setting is the one place you would hope to feel visible, but it actually makes things all the more complicated.

Imagine walking around with symptoms of the flu, not just for one day, but a month. You have headaches, body pain and constant exhaustion, but you face the doctor with no runny nose, fever or cough.

There’s obviously a problem, but it can’t be seen with a simple look. The doctor looks at you with a puzzled expression, and he doesn’t see anything.

You’ve tried every over-the-counter medication with no relief and the doctor sends you off by saying, “Remember to stay hydrated, and take medicine.” It’s one of the most irritating feelings ever.

This scenario has been my reality.

I’ve sat in urgent care and Student Health Services multiple times this semester. I’ve had consistent symptoms that flare up because of my condition. But each time I get checked I receive a blanket diagnosis of a virus, despite my noted medical history.

While I do get sick easily, oftentimes I feel brushed off with a “It’s that time of year, everyone is getting sick,” or a familiar “You’re doing everything right. Come back if it gets worse.” Last year, I was even referred to an off-campus physician because they weren’t sure on how to proceed.

There have recently been days where I’ve attempted to make an appointment with Student Health Services to address a problem, only to find out they’re completely booked for a couple of days, or even into the next week.

During a crisis, it’s much more physically, financially and mentally taxing to find a ride and a local urgent care center that isn’t at capacity in a health crisis, than it is to use campus resources.

There’s often no follow up unless you reach out yourself or make sure to get in contact with accessibility resources to work on accommodations and contacting your professors.

As a college student who lives away from my home city during the school year, I can’t always go straight to my specialist in person, but that doesn’t mean the care I receive here shouldn’t be held to the same standards.

For students like myself with chronic conditions, Student Health Services is the one place we expect to get accessible and quality care during our time in school. But it’s discouraging knowing even though I’ve ultimately tried everything, I know going in to be seen will almost always have the same outcome it always does.

Email: morgan.ross@ubspectrum.com

I am numb to the racial inequality against Black Americans in America

and current events tell us.

On May 5, 2020, a Minneapolis police officer pinned the full weight of his body into George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes until the oxygen left the father of five’s body.

A.J. FRANKLIN ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

On May 31, 1921, a white mob attacked the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, destroying the neighborhood of Glenwood a.k.a. Black Wall Street and massacring over 160 Black people.

On Dec. 4, 1969, plainclothes Chicago police officers fired more than 90 bullets into a West Side Chicago apartment, killing the 21-year-old chairman of the Chicago Black Panthers next to his fiancé, who was pregnant with their eight-month-old son at the time.

On May 14, 2022, a white supremacist killed ten people and injured three in a racially-motivated shooting at a local Tops in a predominantly Black, significantly underserved and segregated Buffalo community.

These are just a few instances that serve as reminders to people who look like me that just because we live in a more progressive country today, does not make us equal to other races in America, especially white Americans.

Will racism in the U.S. ever end?

For myself and many of my friends, the likely answer seems to be that it won’t.

The lack of hope comes from the selfevident truths that U.S. history, institutions

Videos of police shooting and abusing their power against Black individuals is something that I see on a weekly basis, and at some points in the past, a daily basis.

Hearing about incidents where Black people are called racial slurs, locked out of opportunities or assaulted simply because of their skin tone is something that I hear all too often.

My middle school to college education was and has been great. One of the best parts about it is the accuracy of the lessons that my teachers have taught me and my peers.

Racism is so deeply ingrained in U.S. society that it is almost impossible to imagine the country without it, especially when it comes to racism against Black people.

Saying I am tired of the racism that exists in the U.S. would be an understatement.

I am numb to it.

I am numb to seeing people who look like me murdered without justice. I am numb to seeing people who look like me taken advantage of with a gap in societal support. A blind eye is turned even though robust evidence shows the issues need immediate attention.

The story of Black people in the U.S. is a story of persistent resilience in a country that disproportionately denies us equity to our peers who do not look like us.

We need change!

But, like many of my peers, there are times when I’m tired of fighting when the odds are almost immeasurably stacked against me and others with similar skin tones to my own.

Email: aj.franklin@ubspectrum.com

Minor in Community Organizing and Development

ADVOCATE for the public good in your chosen career path.

POSITION yourself to work with people in community and neighborhood capacity building efforts.

LEARN about innovative means of alleviating and rectifying social problems and injustices.

DEVELOP essential skills that are transferable in many professional settings.

LEARN MORE: socialwork.buffalo.edu/minor

Emerging Choreographers Showcase highlights undiscovered student talent

The dimming lights hushed the packed house of the Katherine Cornell Theatre in the Ellicott Complex this past weekend. When the stage lit up again in an eerie red glow, three body parts — a head, arms and legs — stuck out from behind the curtain.

Put together, they would make up ap proximately half of a dismembered body. The music causes one of the dancers — the floating head — to explode from her hiding spot. The other two body parts, in a fashion reminiscent of “The Shining” twins, enter stage right. The creepy mari onettes bust hip-hop, acro and contempo rary moves to unusual electronic beats, un nerving soundbites and music straight out of an alien abduction soundtrack.

This unsettling opening number, “Por celain Nightmare,” kicked off UB’s Emerging Choreographers Showcase by transporting the audience to a twisted dollhouse of psychotic ballerinas and un known intrigue. The show, a beautifully chaotic mix of various pieces by up-andcoming student creatives, had begun with a brilliantly horrific bang. Nobody fell asleep in the audience — but after that chilling performance, audience members might have difficulty sleeping at night.

Choreographer and senior dance major Victoria-Rose Hyl balanced the dancers’ cutesy doll looks, including pigtails and checkered jumpsuits, with Pennywise-like scares.

Despite their deceptive cutesiness, these dolls are killers on stage. They flawlessly murder several styles of dance, including hip-hop.

“I just wanted it to be a very fun piece,” Hyl said. “Hip-hop really isn’t represented here much at UB. So I wanted to portray that, get them to do a different style than they’re used to.”

Hyl’s number was not the only one that challenged the dancers with out of the box choreography. Act I continues with senior dance major Juliana Guiffrida’s “Awash In Time,” a contemporary commentary on self-anchorage and the unwavering, con stant march of time.

Cast members, including freshman dance major Ariana Parsons, acted as waves in time’s sea, flowing around the space, collapsing into a pile atop one an other and completing impressive lifts and trust falls to an unrelenting ticking sound.

“It was a really fun process embodying a wave because it is different than what I’m used to,” Parsons said. “It was really fun to push myself and be out of my comfort zone with a new style of dance.”

Returning to this theme of water, gradu ate dance MFA student Natasha McCand less choreographs with a very different type of water in mind: tears.

Her “Made of Water” number sees danc ers pulling tissues from their box, littering them on the ground, then picking them back up again over and over. Throughout this process, the dancers come together and begin to toss the tissues into the air gleefully while others make snow angels.

Ultimately, the four dancers unite on stage and collectively drop their tissues to the ground one last time. McCandless’ emotional Iliad addresses a realistic heal ing journey that is devastating and nonlin ear, but also hopeful.

“[It’s about] any type of sadness, any thing that we experience that keeps com ing back to us that we ruminate about,”

McCandless said. “The dancers letting go of the tissues over and over again felt like that rumination of when you keep coming back to the same memory, the same idea and the same — romantic or not — any type of sadness.”

After McCandless’ dancers find joy and catharsis within their melancholia, Act I ends. But while the audience settles, the cast prepares for a comeback: a bold, burning red comeback.

Dancers flood the stage in unbuttoned sparkly red dress shirts. For much of the piece, the dancers work with partners, star ing into each other’s eyes, palm to palm. Their shift from sensitive, soft duo danc ing to running desperately in a circle wows audiences and their in-sync jumps are met with enthusiastic whoops from the crowd.

This second opener, senior dance major Kiara Cieslinksi’s “Limerence” is as ob sessed with infatuation as the audience is with Cieslinkski’s gorgeous choreography. The bold, eye-catching red motif under scores the idea of love, but also the wild intensity of unreciprocated infatuation.

“I guess it’s about infatuation and ob session whether that be with a person or thing, whatever it is. It’s about that des

perate feeling and how that impacts your mind and your actions,” Cieslinksi said. “I wanted it to be like they were close enough to touch but couldn’t, like when you’re so obsessed with something that all you can do is think about it but you can’t physically, it’s not tangible.”

Audiences properly process “Limer ence” and mourn “McDreamy” or who ever inspires their own infatuations. Then, they are plunged into senior dance major Sidney Bowers’ “Entropy.” The act pres ents a whimsically optimistic world, where good news spreads as easily as a piece of paper exchanged by her dancers. The lead, in her white dress with its pink bow, de cides whether she should chase her dreams or stifle them.

The papers represent a dream: either one pursued or one let go.

“I thought about how I could repre sent a dream and I thought of a couple of ways,” Bowers said. “I think using a paper is like how you hear about those stories about how ideas are made in coffee shops, on a napkin or just scribbling on a piece of paper.”

In the first half of “Entropy,” frozen portraits of glee burst to life and the danc

change the policy, while 40.7% wanted it to stay the same.

ers embrace dreaming big. Eventually, they toss all their papers into the air, creating a remarkable stage picture of unfiltered joy. Then, the narrative restarts, hitting audi ences with both deja vu and the sense that hiding your aspirations is like living the life of a crumpled-up piece of paper. In this alternate ending, the lead is left alone, scrambling to pick up an endless pile of papers.

Bowers represents herself in this bewil dered lead. While the primary dancer was ill for the first performances, Bowers was forced to step into her own shoes.

“In the first half, you make a decision and it plays out perfectly and then you question, ‘What if? What if it didn’t go that way?’ And then, you go to the two extremes,” Bowers said. “It started play ing into my humor of how I catastrophize every decision I make. Also, it’s exploring two different outcomes… how one min ute-change can change everything.”

“Phase in Three” closes the showcase with the female dancers donning tuxedos as affluent yet overworked businesswom en. The surprise of seeing the dancers in masculine clothing goes hand-in-hand with the piece’s inventive movement: los ing jackets, undoing hair, rolling on the floor, exiting by sliding underneath the curtain and a trust fall that causes the group to topple like a row of dominoes. These unexpected, jarring movements reflect the desensitization and loss of selfawareness that the dancers face as personi fications of individuals worn down by the demands of the workplace. Students, like Brennah Woollis, choreographer and a se nior dance and exercise science major, feel this same mental burden.

“My piece was about insomnia in the workplace and how through really rigorous work regimes and everything, you develop a lot of mental health issues and it starts to affect your sanity,” Woollis said. “You start to get more agitated, more aggressive, and that was my goal to show mental health in a different way because it’s not discussed a lot in performing arts. A lot of students experience this so why not take an experi ence for myself and showcase it.”

Kelly Quinn, a sophomore dance major, weighed in on her work with Woollis.

“[The dance] was the descent into insan ity. But we were also bad bitches,” Quinn said, before her pumpkin spice latte ex ploded into her eye and onto one of her contacts.

After Quinn cleaned up, her mother, Laura Quinn, offered her own opinion.

“As a business woman myself, I really enjoyed watching her pretend to go crazy like her mother,” she said.

Simply put, Emerging Choreographers Showcase was a springboard that allowed the potential of its soon-to-be graduating and masters students the chance to weave their own deeply-personal and expertlychoreographed narratives through dance.

“It’s really invigorating and exciting to have a creative platform like this because a lot of other [performing arts] schools don’t allow students to do things like this,” Woollis said. “We have a lot of really help ful faculty and staff that really push us to pursue our largest creative vision that we possibly can. It’s so refreshing to be able to take a deep thought and express it in this way… that’s me, that’s part of me on stage.”

Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

protesting students outside the SA of fice.

Yaide Valdez, LASA Vice President and a junior political science and law major, described the new policy as a “positive start we are delighted to put into effect.”

“I am proud of my organization for shedding light on this issue that could have affected other organizations if it did not

change,” Valdez said. “I am thankful for those organizations and school communi ty members who supported us throughout this process.”

The results of a poll by SA to the gen eral student body about the policy showed that 59.3% of respondents wanted to

SA came under fire for its ticketing poli cy in early October when the Latin Ameri can Student Association learned a week and a half before their Annual Heritage Banquet that they would have to raise tick et prices and limit non-student tickets. The club, frustrated with these changes and SA’s unclear communication, organized a demonstration on Oct. 7, leading

LASA decided two days before the ban quet to make tickets free rather than make LASA alumni and family members of cur rent students, some of whom had already traveled to Buffalo for the event, pay $60 for a ticket.

Courtesy of Ken smith / uB Department of theatre anD DanCe

UB’s EmErging ChorEographErs showCasE prEsEntEd danCE works By Ba, BFa and mFa danCE stU dEnts

Courtesy of Ken smith / uB Department of theatre anD DanCe UB stUdEnts danCE at thE EmErging ChorEographErs showCasE at kathErinE CornEll thEatrE

Buffalo’s 2022-23 winter outlook: a look at this year’s winter forecast and UB’s weather policy

Buffalo breaks weather record for the highest temperature in November since 1948

VICTORIA HILL ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

The recent weather has left many con fused about whether they should grab a winter coat, an umbrella, or sunglasses be fore walking out the door.

Buffalo is experiencing record-high temperatures this November. The city hit a record-high 74 degrees Fahrenheit on Nov. 6, beating the previous record, set in 1948, of 73 degress Fahrenheit.

Buffalo should expect “slightly belownormal snow amounts with fewer impact ful lake-effect snow events,” according to WKBW.

Temperatures are forecast to be slightly above normal with above-average precipi tation, but that forecast does not predict whether the precipitation in question will be rain or snow.

This fall’s unusually warm weather can be attributed to La Niña, a weather pat tern that changes the Pacific Ocean tem perature and the patterns of tropical rain fall.

These changes in tropical rainfall pat terns affect weather patterns throughout the world and are “usually strongest dur ing the winter months when the jet stream is strongest over the U.S.,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

La Niña causes colder and stormierthan-average conditions across the north ern U.S. and warmer and less stormy con ditions across the southern U.S.

This is the third year in a row that La

Niña has affected weather patterns in Buf falo.

Even though Buffalo experienced 70 F weather in early November, the first snow fell on Nov. 13, accumulating to less than an inch.

Despite the predictions made within the past weeks, on Nov. 14, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20 in Erie, Genesee and Wyoming counties.

The storm watch indicated that there is “heavy lake effect snow possible, with to tal snow accumulations of one to two feet, or more.”

UB will continue following its Adverse Weather Operations Policy, which was es tablished in 2017, to make schedule chang es in the face of adverse weather condi

tions.

UB bases its decision on whether to can cel, delay or issue an early departure for classes or events on “numerous factors and input from the Emergency Planning Oversight Committee, including officials from departments responsible for student life and safety, academic scheduling, emer gency management, athletics, human re sources, facilities operations, and campus infrastructure,” according to the policy.

The policy also states that the safety of students, employees, visitors, and guests is “a primary concern” when making weath er-related decisions about campus opera tions.

There were only “nine days over the past 10 years in which classes were canceled due to severe winter weather, according to

UB Alert records,” John DellaContrada, a university spokesperson, said.

President Satish Tripathi makes the final decision to change scheduled operations which would result in class cancellations, class delays, an early departure, or a clos ing. Only Gov. Kathy Hochul can officially direct an early departure or close the uni versity.

The university has a website for winter travel advice, with tips on how to navigate the campus during the winter months. It also encourages students to sign up for UB Alert texts and to look out for in formative emails in the case of a severe weather emergency.

Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com

Denied FOIL

KIANA HODGE ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

SUNY no longer requires that campuses report the number of active COVID-19 cases or administer COVID-19 tests on campuses as of September, according to SUNY Press Secretary Holly Liapis. The decision was made to “reflect the latest conditions,” and protocols are “subject to change as COVID-related conditions de velop,” according to SUNY’s COVID-19 Guidance for the Fall 2022 Semester.

SUNY campuses may still impose addi tional booster requirements “at any time as a result of changes in local conditions or as a result of requirements imposed by Federal, State or local authorities.”

The recent decision to discontinue man datory surveillance testing and mandated reports to SUNY’s Health Portal was made to be “in accordance with federal and state guidance,” according to SUNY’s COVID-19 tracker site.

SUNY campuses are encouraged but not required to have beginning-of-semes ter testing and surveillance for unvacci nated students.

UB did not require return-to-campus testing this semester, but those who have COVID-19 vaccine exemptions and live on or come to campus are still required to complete COVID-19 testing, according to UB’s 2022 summer and fall COVID-19 guidelines.

Erie County is still tracking positive cas es in the community. Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious diseases in the department of medicine at UB says that this gives the UB community a “sense of where we’re at” when it comes to posi tive cases.

“Our case counts have been a significant underestimate,” Russo said. “Tracking cas es at this point really isn’t any value added information in terms of where we’re at.”

Russo says that due to vaccination rates and previous rigorous guidelines, UB has seen a decrease in positive cases, but trends show that “as the community [Erie County] goes, UB goes.”

Russo identified hospitalizations and

death as the two critical metrics to moni tor when tracking COVID-19 cases.

Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein stated last Thursday that reported cases and serious hospitalizations in Erie County are significantly lower than they were last year, according to The Buffalo News.

Although the mandated report has been discontinued, SUNY schools can continue to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 on campus.

UB continues to monitor the daily pres ence of COVID-19 on campus, providing students, faculty and staff with guidelines on what to do in the event of a positive case, according to Jerod Dahlgreen, the

senior director of issues management and internal communications.

Students who test positive for CO VID-19 “should isolate and report it via UB’s confidential reporting form,” UB’s COVID-19 guidelines say.

UB’s guidelines are based on the recom mendations of the CDC, the NYS De partment of Health and SUNY.

Dahlgreen urges all members of the UB community to “familiarize themselves with UB’s guidelines and to stay informed of any changes.”

GRANT ASHLEY MANAGING EDITOR

Engineering professor Matthew Burge, who was abruptly removed as an instruc tor from all his classes in October, appears to be under investigation by the university, according to a Freedom of Information Law FOIL request filed by The Spectrum.

The Spectrum filed a FOIL request with the university asking for documents re lated to an investigation into Burge. UB denied the request, but stated that “re cords pertaining to an investigation into an alleged violation are exempt” because those records would “constitute an unwar ranted invasion of personal privacy” and represented “inter-agency or intra-agency materials which are not final agency policy or determinations.” At no point did the university say that such documents didn’t exist.

John DellaContrada, a university spokesperson, told The Spectrum late last month that Burge was still a UB employee and that, in general, “the university is com mitted to investigating all potential viola tions of UB’s policies on consensual re lationships and nepotism.” DellaContrada said the university wouldn’t comment on “personnel matters” or “rumors or allega tions” and did not say whether UB was in vestigating Burge specifically for violating a university policy.

Burge answered a phone call from The Spectrum late last month but hung up after learning he was speaking with a Spectrum editor.

The Freedom of Information Law al lows anyone to request government docu ments from New York State governmental entities like UB, although certain catego ries of documents, like those related to ongoing investigations, are exempt.

Tori Evans / ThE spEcTrum UB will continUe following its Adverse weAther operAtions policy which wAs estABlished in 2017, to mAke schedUle chAnges in the fAce of Adverse weAther conditions

request indicates Engineering Professor Matthew Burge is under investigation by UB

Burge was suddenly removed as an instructor from all his classes in October

sai Krishna sEEThala / ThE spEcTrum UB sAys it will continUe to monitor the dAily presence of covid-19 on cAmpUs despite not Being re

to report cAses And Administer tests By sUny

Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ smashed records

Songs from ‘Midnights’ took all Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, making Swift the first artist to do so

ALEX NOVAK ASST. ARTS EDITOR

For the first time in history, one artist occupied all Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: Taylor Swift.

Her unprecedented achievement spoke to the massive popularity of Swift’s latest album,“Midnights,” and solidified Swift’s almost mythological status as a pop icon. Many UB students found themselves drawn to the album and its chart-topping hits. “Anti-Hero,” Swift’s No. 1 track still holds Billboard’s top position for the week of Nov. 19, even shutting out Rihanna’s first release in nearly three years, “Lift Me Up,” and Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex.” In “Anti-Hero,” Swift’s most enduring No. 1 song since “1989,” she tackles facing her inner-saboteur.

As a Vietnamese student studying abroad in Buffalo, senior pharmaceutical science major Harley Le felt as though “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” formerly No. 8 on the charts, addressed her own difficult experiences adjusting to a new way of life at UB.

“I have to do everything independently and I have to take it, do it myself and not ask others to help me with that,” Le said.

“Lavender Haze,” runner-up to “AntiHero” on the charts, enjoyed a similarly positive reception. Students embraced Swift’s fresh return to her usual stomping grounds: pop music.

“It’s a new different phase for Taylor in the sense of her music. Honestly, ‘Lavender Haze’ is really giving. I love the vibe,” sophomore neuroscience major Adda Villalobos said. “It’s new, it’s cheerful. She’s putting her real attitude into it and I really mess with that.”

For freshman psychology major Casey St. John, it took her multiple listens before

she fell head over heels for “Midnights.”

St. John says that as a fan of the artist’s recent stripped down folk releases, “Folklore” and “Evermore,” Swift’s return to pop was a massive adjustment.

“I didn’t care for it the first time because it was more of a poppy vibe,” St. John said. “Personally, I’m more into her ‘Folklore,’ ‘Evermore’ type s–t… The lyricism is what sold it for me.”

Riding the hype of her album and journey to re-record her previous catalog, Swift announced “The Eras” Tour, a hodgepodge traveling concert celebrating her entire discography.

St. John says she’ll be there somewhere in the screaming crowd of Swifties; her dad is already tasked with securing her tickets.

“I’m broke, but if I do have the money, yes,” Ashley Allegretti, a sophomore public health major, said about the odds of her attendance.

Although there are certainly mixed opinions regarding “Midnights” and Swift’s upcoming tour, there is little doubt regarding the significance of Swift’s unprecedented domination of Billboard’s Top 10.

“Taylor was such an iconic person in the past,” Villalobos said. “Especially in 20142015, that was her real peak. But honestly with her new music coming out, as she should, that’s where she has to be. She’s always a classic and she’ll never stop being one.”

By claiming all of Billboard’s most coveted chart positions, this bejeweled pop star still sparkles. With “Midnights,” Swift furthers her musical legacy and proves that she never goes out of style. Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

ULTIMATEWARRIOR13 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS TAYLOR SWIFT S RECORD BREAKING “MIDNIGHTS” TOPPED THE BILLBOARD CHARTS

Ellicott stabbing investigation taking longer than recent murders and attempted murders at SUNY campuses

University Police’s investigation into Buff State student Tyler Lewis’ death entered its second month Monday

GRANT ASHLEY MANAGING EDITOR

University Police’s investigation into the Oct. 14 stabbing death of Buffalo State College sophomore Tyler Lewis entered its second month Monday, with no sus pects in custody.

But according to news reports from the last five years reviewed by The Spectrum, similar homicides and attempted murders at SUNY campuses were solved much more quickly, some in a matter of hours.

Binghamton University was rocked in 2018 by two on-campus murders that oc curred within weeks of each other. Nurs ing student Haley Anderson went missing in early March of that year. Her friends, using the Find my Friends app to track her phone, found Anderson’s body in the apartment of fellow nursing student Or lando Tercero, according to CBS. Tercero, a dual citizen, had fled to Nicaragua some time before Anderson’s body was found March 9 and was apprehended by Nicara guan police March 13, according to Press Connects. He received a 30-year prison sentence, according to Spectrum News.

Freshman Joao Souza, an engineering student at BU, was fatally stabbed in his dorm room weeks later, according to The New York Times. Police took a suspect into custody weeks later.

Elizabeth Holmes, a 21-year-old SUNY Potsdam student, was shot and killed near the college’s Crane School of Music, alleg edly by Michael Snow, according to North Country Public Radio. Snow was arrested and charged with murder a day later. He has pleaded not guilty to four charges, in cluding second-degree murder.

Cases of attempted murder have re sulted in relatively quick turnarounds, too. Buffalo State College student Isaiah Doyle allegedly fired gunshots on campus Sept. 29, 2019, according to The Buffalo News. No one was injured or killed. Doyle was arrested 18 days later on Oct. 17 and in

HockeyFROM PAGE 1

The brothers practiced for hours to gether on their backyard rink, imagining a moment like this.

Among a sea of spirited fans, they seized the moment.

Hector Vargas ripped a wrist shot from the face-off circle late in the first period to give Puerto Rico a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Antonio Vargas forced a turnover and took the puck for a break away goal.

In the third, Daniel received a pass on the left side of the ice and fired a precise wrist shot past the Venezuelan netminder, 28-year-old Maximilian Avila, to seal the game.

The brothers combined for five goals in their 7-2 international debut victory.

It happened on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

It was also Roberto Clemente day, a day honoring the Puerto Rican icon and MLB legend.

The stage couldn’t have been bigger.

“It seemed like it was meant to be,” An tonio Vargas said.

Breaking barriers on the ice

Hector Vargas plays for the UB Hock ey D-II club team. He first competed for Puerto Rico in March 2022. He found the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association (PRIHA) on Instagram, reached out, and earned a spot on the team for the 2022 Amerigol Spring Classic, hosted by the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Back home in Western New York, An tonio and Daniel watched their brother earn a silver medal with Puerto Rico in that event.

Inspired, the brothers joined forces for the 2022 LATAM Cup, another Amerigol event sponsored by the NHL.

Antonio was unsure about taking time off from school while pursuing his mas ters at UB, but thought the opportunity to play international hockey was too good to pass up. His professors helped him with that decision.

dicted on charges including second-degree attempted murder.

And most recently, a 19-year-old student was stabbed in a parking lot at Hudson Valley Community College on Nov. 3, ac cording to The Times Union. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect fled cam pus but was arrested the same day, accord ing to a statement from the college.

Only one murder or non-negligent mur der was reported on a SUNY campus be tween 2019 and 2021 — a death at Buf falo State College in 2019 — according to Annual Security and Safety Reports from each SUNY institution. The Spectrum was unable to find any further information about that case.

Lewis was stabbed outside of UB’s Elli cott Complex Oct. 14. He was transported to Erie County Medical Center before dy ing of his wounds. University Police have identified a “person of interest” in con nection with the case, who is described as a white male between the ages of 19 and 22 with light brown hair, a medium build and a height of approximately 5’5 to 5’9. He was wearing a yellow shirt, was covered in blood and had a “large diagonal lacera tion across his forehead.” Police have not announced any arrests.

University Police “continue to make progress” in their investigation into the stabbing, which “remains a top priority,” according to a UB statement from Friday.

“We are unable to disclose details with out the risk of compromising the inves tigation,” UPD Chief of Police Chris Bartolomei said in a statement. “We are continuing to make progress, and I am confident that we will eventually be able to tell the family exactly what happened and who was involved. We are working closely with the Erie County District Attorney Office, and we will not disclose any infor mation until the DA is prepared to do so.”

“All my teachers were very supportive. They were like ‘Go take care of business, we’ll be ready for you when you get back,’”

Antonio Vargas said. “I figured I had to take it.”

Antonio Vargas’ decision gave him the chance to play alongside his two brothers for the first time.

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the three brothers huddled underneath a bus shelter in the Buffalo airport parking lot.

A bus arrived and they swung their suit cases and massive hockey duffels onto the baggage rack.

They entered the terminal and hustled to their 6 a.m. flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

After they landed, the three brothers traveled north to Coral Springs. They ar rived at a pavilion in the field of a high school campus.

Adjacent to the field was the Florida Panthers Ice Den. The NHL practice fa cility hosted the week’s events.

At the pavilion, the brothers enjoyed a meet-and-greet with other members of the PRIHA. Players from six divisions mingled, including the top men’s and women’s players in Puerto Rican hockey.

They shared a common sense of na tional pride and relished the opportunity to compete for their homeland.

“Any hockey player has probably worn many different jerseys, but to have a flag and represent a country, it’s very honor able,” Hector Vargas said.

PRIHA and the LATAM Cup also gave players the platform to represent Latin Americans and Hispanics in hockey, a mostly white sport.

“It means a lot, especially coming from a young age of hockey, thinking Hispanics couldn’t be on the ice, and now we’re in a whole tournament of Hispanics,” Liana Vazquez, a women’s skater, said.

Liana and her sister Alyssa grew up feel ing like hockey outsiders.

“To finally not be the only Latina in the locker room meant a lot,” Alyssa Vazquez said.

Forty-three murders and non-negligent manslaughters were reported on the cam puses and properties of 5,930 higher edu cation institutions in 2020, according to data from the U.S. Department of Edu cation. About 19.4 million students were enrolled in a higher education, according to data from the National Center for Edu

cation Statistics.

The “clearance rate” for homicides (the percentage of murders that are solved) in the U.S. was about 50% in 2020, according to The Marshall Project.

Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com

‘My family is my world’ Throughout the tournament week, the Vargas brothers received support from near and far. Their parents, Hector Sr. and Christine Vargas, traveled to Coral Springs to watch the games in person.

Their grandmother, Maria Rivera-Cor ral, watched her grandsons online and kept up with her family via phone.

And without her, they wouldn’t be there.

To prove their PRIHA eligibility, the brothers used Rivera-Corral’s birth certifi cate.

Rivera-Corral was born in Puerto Rico and came to the U.S. when she was 3 years old. She grew up with a strong family bond. She helped her parents learn Eng lish while they taught her Spanish.

She was thrilled to find out her grand sons were reconnecting with their roots and playing for Puerto Rico.

“I was overwhelmed. It was the greatest thing that ever happened,” Rivera-Corral said. “To me, it was a blessing.”

After the brothers’ stellar tournament performance, Rivera-Corral said, “It’s amazing to see these young men… with the challenge of going to college, playing hockey on top of it. I’m very impressed with the three boys.”

While reminiscing about the tourna ment, Rivera-Corral kept describing the smile on her face.

“My family is my world,” she said.

Boricua

While the Vargas brothers’ story is one of personal achievement, they’re also a permanent part of Puerto Rican sports history.

The 2022 LATAM Cup concluded on Sunday, Sept. 18. Puerto Rico’s D-II squad fell short of a medal.

Their D-I squad, however, won gold for the first time. They joined Puerto Rico’s 2021 women’s squad and the 2022 U-20 squad atop the Latin American hockey po dium.

Momentum followed their success, and

on Sept. 29, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) recognized Puerto Rico as its 83rd associate member. This, preced ed by the gold, was a watershed moment for PRIHA.

While fans and players across divisions celebrated Puerto Rico’s triumph on the ice, they mourned tragedy on the island.

Hours before Sunday’s championship game, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico and left over a million people without power.

The devastation was a somber remind er of Puerto Rico’s struggles and lack of support from the mainland U.S.

PRIHA used its victory as a sign of the collective resilience possessed by Puerto Ricans.

Scott Vargas (no relation), PRIHA founder and D-I captain, commended players for persisting through tragedy to represent their nation.

“We built an amazing community. I think you saw that throughout the week end… we represent Puerto Rico, we rep resent 23 states in the U.S…. everyone is Boricua [Puerto Rican by birth or descent] though,” Scott Vargas said.

UB’s Vargas family never lost their con nection to the island. Hector Vargas Sr. visited with his parents as a child. Follow ing past hurricanes, the brothers’ grandfa ther sent generators to the island to help their recovery efforts.

For the brothers, Puerto Rican stories, food and culture shaped their identities. Their Puerto Rican ancestors paved the way for their lives today.

They added a new page to the family history in September. As three of the first 200 hockey players to represent Puerto Rico in international competition, Hector, Daniel and Antonio Vargas blazed a trail for the next generation of Puerto Rican athletes.

“It was so fulfilling,” their mother, Chris tine Vargas, said. “I think they feel more connected than ever to Puerto Rico.”

John Garcia / The SpecTrum University Police haven t made any arrests in connection with the fatal stabbing of bUffalo state stUdent tyler lewis, which occUrred over a month ago

A conversation with Marie Yovanovitch

The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine discusses retirement, testifying to Congress and the one thing she wouldn’t do for her country

GRANT ASHLEY MANAGING EDITOR VICTORIA HILL ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Few Americans knew who Marie Yovanovitch was prior to her testimony before Congress during then-President Donald Trump’s first impeachment in quiry. She told the assembled lawmakers that Rudy Giuliani, then Trump’s personal lawyer, and a corrupt Ukrainian worked to smear her and eventually pressured the U.S. State Department to remove her from her post. This led to the House’s vote to impeach Trump and prompted the 45th president to criticize her on Twitter as she spoke.

But the testimony that launched Yova novitch into the headlines was simply the last chapter in a 33-year-long career in the State Department. Yovanovitch worked for six administrations and served as the U.S. ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Ukraine.

Yovanovitch sat down with The Spectrum before her appearance as part of UB’s Dis tinguished Speaker Series to talk about tes tifying during Trump’s first impeachment, her time with the U.S. State Department and what retirement has brought:

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Spectrum: You were a pretty prolific ambassador in Eastern Eu rope across three administrations, and Eastern Europe is probably the most interesting place to be an ambassador today. Do you still wish you were at the State Department or are you happy to let other people take the helm there?

Marie Yovanovitch: “Well, I had a great career for 33 years. And so I think, now it’s time for the next generation to take over and move forward. Maybe even some of you guys are thinking about careers in For eign Service — I hope you are.”

TS: After Trump’s first impeach ment, you went to therapy and it seems like you went through a long period of self-reflection. What was that period in your life like for you?

MY: “There’s no question that 2019 was the worst year of my life, both personally and professionally. And really, there was a lot of gaslighting going on too, where there were full-on, kind of attacks on me and people saying lies about me. You start to wonder, ‘Did I somehow do something wrong?’ It was — I think you’re right — a period of self-reflection and trying to find [out] what your strengths are, and how you can move forward, and how you can build your resilience. I’m happy to report that I did come through the other side of all that. And writing the book actually also really helped. I’m not a writer, obviously, and I found it to be a very difficult pro cess. I have to say, it really increased my respect for authors because I love to read, and I had no idea how difficult the whole process is. Writing, especially a memoir, you see the patterns in your life, you see the patterns actually in your family’s life as well. It was really quite a process and very interesting, but also hard.”

TS: So speaking of your book, in that you talked about how the State Depart ment was trying to keep you from tes tifying to the House, and there were other people who were trying to pre vent you from testifying. What made you decide to ultimately go through with that?

MY: “Foreign service officers, like all government employees, swear an oath to the Constitution, to defend and protect the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. That’s something that you do right at the beginning when you start, and we don’t talk about it a lot, but it’s something that is very important to all of

us. We are serving the American people, we are serving the sitting president and his or her foreign policy and domestic policies. But we are also serving something bigger, which is our Constitution, our enduring values. That kind of guided me through that process. Even though, my whole life, I’ve been pretty much what I call a ‘Rules Girl’: this is the way the State Department does things and I kind of followed that.

my duty.”

TS: So you’d been a Foreign Service Officer for almost 35 years. What’s your most interesting story from your career in the State Department?

MY: “One of the things that we did when I was ambassador in Kyrgyzstan is, we had an exchange. And Kyrgyzstan is a

was growing up, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy Jr. were big. That was the ‘60s, and they were very influential on a very impressionable little girl. There were so many issues going on, which we would now call social justice. And these were people who were fighting — fighting in a non-violent way, I should make clear — for the rights of all Americans, and that re ally made a huge impression on me. They

But in this final chapter of my foreign ser vice career, ironically, I felt that what the White House and the State Department were asking me to do was wrong, because the investigation that Congress was con ducting, which then ultimately became the impeachment investigation, was a com pletely constitutional and legal process. I felt that I didn’t have a lot to contribute in terms of my knowledge, because the things they were investigating were pri marily things that happened after I depart ed Ukraine.

“But nevertheless, if the Congress wanted to hear from me, I felt I owed it to Congress and to the American people to come forward. It was not an easy de cision, because it was very frightening. I’ll remind you that around that time, the transcript of the former president’s phone call with President Zelensky, came out. That was what President Trump calls the ‘perfect phone call.’ In the perfect phone call, he talks about ‘that woman’ — me — and criticizes me. Then he says, ‘She’s gonna go through some things.’ So, even as Congress was asking me to come and testify, this comes out. And it made me wonder, ‘What kinds of things am I gonna go through, especially if I testify?’ Is there going to be retaliation — or worse? And so, it was a difficult process, but again, it just felt to me that just as when a Republi can Congress had called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to testify for hours on the Benghazi investigation, this was no differ ent. This was a similar process. It was con stitutional, it was legal, and I had sworn an oath to the Constitution. I felt I had to do

nomad culture, historically, and they still have a big cowboy culture there. There’s lots of similarities with our own cowboys from the American West. So we brought some cowboys from Wyoming, and they were going to do a rodeo together. First the American cowboys and the Kyrgyz cowboys, and then they were going to do things together. This was in the city of Oshkosh, which is in the Fergana Valley, where Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz stan all meet, and so there’s a real blend ing of cultures. The mayor had invited a number of people for a lunch beforehand, including the Russian consul.

“Out comes this amazing feast, and of course, the pièce de résistance is a whole lamb, including the head. And because I was the honored guest, I got one of the eyeballs, and the other eyeball went to the Russian consul. So the Russian consul who — you know, this was literally not his first rodeo. He takes that eyeball, and he pops it into his mouth, downs it with a shot of vodka, and then he looks over at me and he smirks. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh God, what am I going to do?’ And, I have to say, I did not represent our country very well. I kind of pushed it under the lettuce leaf and piled up rice on top and hoped everybody would forget. It was kind of a disaster, but there’s some things I just won’t do for my country, and that was one of them.”

TS: Who are your heroes and why?

MY: “There are a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons, but when I

too were trying to make America the best that it could be, and that was something that made a big impression on me when I was growing up.”

TS: What has your retirement been like since leaving the U.S. Foreign Ser vice?

MY: “Well, it’s been really busy actually. It’s not the way I would have imagined it. I retired in January of 2020, and then, of course, COVID-19 hit, but I also started writing the book at that time. Maybe in some ways, it was good to have that en forced isolation where you have time to reflect and write and so forth. That was a process that took about probably a year and a half. Then the Russian buildup around Ukraine started, and on Feb. 24, the Russians invaded, and I started doing some media on that. Then, several weeks later on March 15, my book came out, so there was a lot of media attention to that. I was glad because not only did it enable me to promote the book, but also to talk about Ukraine, and why the war in Ukraine is important, not just to the Ukrainians, but to us — why it is in our national secu rity interests to help Ukraine win this fight. That’s pretty much continued since then, and now I’m able to talk to student groups like I am tonight in Buffalo. So yeah, I’m pretty busy. I’m traveling every week talk ing to different groups.”

Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com

Moaz Elazzazi / ThE SpEcTruM

Former U.S. ambaSSador to Ukraine marie Yavanovitch Spoke with The SpecTrum beFore her diStingUiSher Speaker SerieS Speech at Ub S center For the artS.`

AASU’s Night Market restores the nostalgia of upbringing for Asian students and the novelty of community The

TENZIN WODHEAN FACT CHECKER

Familiar cultural delights of the Asian diaspora, from the physically digestible to the visually digestible, hosted over 300 students who were in attendance for Asian American Student Union’s (AASU) Night Market last Saturday.

Reminiscent of the prominent street food culture in Asia, various Asian clubs employed their tables’ surfaces to remind Asian attendees of their proximity to Asian culture despite the physical discon nection from home. Packaged delicacies like Haw Flakes and Mango Jelly envel oped the blank, gray surfaces of the tables with strong hues of oranges, yellows and reds.

Mogu-Mogu, the bottled fruit juice of such effervescent colors, is an object of affection for senior business administra tion student and Singapore Student Asso ciation (SGSA) President Jonathan Lam, as he drank it often while attending sec ondary school in Singapore. For SGSA’s Vice President ShiJey Chan, a senior psy chology major, she found Indomie noo dles to be a source of communal comfort because of her family’s inclination to cook it as a meal instead of eating out.

Representing these cultural attachments was especially crucial for Lam and Chan after the number of members in SGSA “dwindled” following COVID. Joan Liu, a sophomore biochemistry major and Presi dent of Hong Kong Student Association (HKSA), observed a similar decline as well. The event posed an opportunity to develop connections with other clubs and

potential members.

“There are significant amounts of inter national students that come from Hong Kong or were born in Hong Kong, and es pecially with the political climate in Hong Kong,” Liu said. “I know it can be really stressful to find people with the identity and be comfortable.”

AASU Night Market ensured an atmo sphere of comfort with the familiar and unfamiliar, as it hosted a diverse 18 orga nizations to help strengthen relationships between people and their cultural identi ties. Guests were also encouraged to learn more about other cultures through con versations and the exchange of cultural customs.

This is important as many young stu dents gravitate toward the club most closely associated with their ethnic back ground, failing to explore other traditions.

“Coming into college, a lot of people, if they’re Filipino, will go straight to the Fili pino American Student Association. They won’t necessarily explore other clubs,” Jacky Li, political chair of AASU and a se nior computer science major, said.

Although booking conflicts with the En gagement Center prevented AASU’s origi nal intention to host the market in the SU Lobby and Theatre, the single, open space allowed for the harmonious exchanges of words, treats and customs.

Members of UB Kickline and

STEP Troupe, groups of dancers on cam pus, captivated the attention of attendees with rhythmic movements and dynamic motion.

But the sudden emergence of tall bamboo sticks in everyone’s visual fields prompted an anticipation toward how the Filipino American Student Associa tion (FASA) would maneuver their bodies around an unexpected item, restoring the initial level of enthusiasm from the begin ning of the event.

Sam Uzirra, the President of FASA and a nursing student in his junior year, ex plained that in Tinikling — a traditional Philippines folk dance — the sticks are representative of how rice farmers would catch the tikling birds by baiting them with rice.

FASA’s exhilarating movement garnered an unforgettable reverberation of ap plause and cheers from the audience.

The audience remained in awe of the performers as hip-hop and k-pop dance teams including the likes of AASU Vibe, KASANOVA and AASU’s e-board con cluded the market with their synchronized dance to the cadence of Nicki Minaj, GIDLE and Jay Park..

The crowd’s collective movement in their directed attention, enthusiastic ex changes and overwhelming support re flected a synchronicity even in the absence of music.

Long after half of the room emptied out, the sustained passion in the conver sations that lingered assured that AASU’s Night Market reinstated the longing for community on campus.

Email: tenzin.wodhean@ubspectrum.com

health

KAYLA ESTRADA SR. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Alfie Chen dropped out during their ju nior year of high school.

They randomly started going days with out eating, isolating themselves from the people around them and couldn’t pull themselves out of an endless depression cycle.

For years, Chen, who identifies with all pronouns, remained unaware of what was going on in her own mind. She wondered why these miserable thoughts were plagu ing her.

Chen had been dealing with these intru sive thoughts and behaviors since he was 12 years old. But by the time he was ap proaching the end of his high school ca reer, Chen couldn’t take much more.

Chen’s seemingly random spurts of depression and mania landed him in the hospital for six months. And for a while, it seemed like college wouldn’t be an option, until the now sophomore psychology ma jor was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder shortly after his hospital visit.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression with seasonal patterns that impacts approximately 6% of adults in the U.S., according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). For most people struggling with this disorder, their depression increases in the winter and sometimes summer.

Chen realized his mental health took a turn for the worse during the winter and summer, making his usual depression un manageable.

“I realized I had it [Seasonal Affective Disorder] when different seasons hit and I would consistently feel awful,” Chen said. “Awful in a sense where I had no motiva tion to do anything, I was constantly tired and mainly in a bad mood. I lost motiva tion to do the things I liked. And it was always severe during the winter and sum mer.”

Chen was able to receive a diagnosis be

fore attending college. This means she was able to try a variety of medications, thera py and other resources for coping with her mental illness.

Khrystina Warnstadt, a graduate student studying social work, had an entirely dif ferent experience.

Warnstadt says she has struggled with seasonal depression for the majority of her adolescent life. But without the re sources to label it, her mental illness went unrecognized and untreated until college.

“I had never heard of seasonal depres sion until college and it started to make so much sense to me once I did,” Warn stadt said. “I didn’t realize until I heard of the concept and suddenly the mysterious symptoms I had all made sense. I’d always wondered why the fall and winter, which are my favorite seasons, hit me so hard. I couldn’t even enjoy the things I love so much.”

Warnstadt says that Seasonal Affective Disorder not only prevented her from participating in the activities she loves, but it also stopped her from being able to per form seemingly basic tasks, such as getting out of bed, brushing her teeth or shower ing. Her inability to do everyday activities has even caused her embarrassment.

“This, of course, causes me to feel a lot of shame and like there’s something wrong with me, or that I’m a failure,” Warnstadt said. “There seems to be a lack of understanding from university staff and professors about this struggle. Living in this cold, harsh winter climate definitely can make it worse. Everything seems to get harsher — the weather, the expecta tions, the darkness... it’s just more and more things piling up.”

The APA suggests that living farther from the equator can increase the risk of developing SAD. This puts UB students at risk, given that Buffalo is located nearly 3,000 miles away from the equator and is infamous for its brutal winters.

Chen says that moving to Buffalo has acted as a catalyst for her depression.

“The winters in Buffalo definitely have a big impact, and I catch myself often feel ing really hostile and tired, also with the absolute need of just staying in bed all day doing nothing because I feel hopeless,” Chen said. “I very much dislike it but I try to be productive on the days that are even harsher, to keep myself on track.”

Vic Janis, a senior graphic design major, says that seeing the first snowfall of the year comes with overwhelming joy and in tense anxiety.

“The harsh winters here aren’t easy,” Ja nis said. “I’m overjoyed when I see snow, but also terrified because my neighbor hood, near South Campus, doesn’t receive the best plowing. When I get home it liter ally looks like midnight everyday. I don’t see much sunlight.”

Janis says that it was difficult to commu nicate about Janis’ depression to profes sors. This experience made Janis feel even more isolated.

“I was in the engineering department my first semester and it was so difficult to communicate with professors in those large classes,” Janis said. “I felt like a num ber. In my smaller class sizes in the art pro gram I feel much more seen.”

While Janis struggled with receiving sup port from professors and instructors, Janis is grateful for UB counseling services and what they offer the student body. Even though Janis required “better expertise” and decided to attend counseling outside of the university.

Carissa Uschold-Klepfer, the Assistant Director for Outreach, Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Eating Disorder Treat ment Team Coordinator says that UB Counseling Services has treated “many students” for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Uschold-Klepfer says that SAD can lead to an overwhelming feeling of isolation, making individuals struggling with season al depression emotionally vulnerable. She recommends that students try their best to take care of their mental health year round, but especially during the winter.

“It can be beneficial to prioritize selfcare, nutrition, sleep, socialization, mind fulness and support,” Uschold-Klepfer said.

There are also other, more fun ways to combat SAD.

Janis says that owning pets has forced Janis to be productive even when Janis’ depression reaches its peak. Janis’ hungry cats require Janis to go grocery shopping and perform other daily tasks that Janis’ depression usually keeps Janis from ac complishing.

“My cats kept me in a really good rou tine of getting up early enough for my classes because I have to feed them break fast,” Janis said.

Janis recommends owning a pet for those who struggle with their mental health. But for students who live on cam pus and can’t get the necessary paperwork to own an animal, Warnstadt recommends students to remind themselves about the aspects of winter they enjoy.

“I love to decorate for Christmas early because it makes me feel cozy rather than super sad and empty in my home,” Warn stadt said. “I love Christmas and it makes me happy so that’s important for me.”

Another resource that Uschold-Klepfer says students can utilize is “Bright Light Therapy,” which uses a “light box” to mimic sunshine UVs and provide individ uals with vitamin D, which can contribute to happiness.

Uschold-Klepfer also encourages stu dents to reach out to UB Counseling or Health Services.

Warnstadt urges students to keep an open mind in finding what resources work best in helping them through the winter.

“Whatever helps you is something you should schedule,” Warnstadt said. “I just recommend practicing kindness with yourself. It’s important to be gentle with yourself and not beat yourself up. You’re not a failure. This is normal and valid.”

‘Everything seems to get harsher’: Students prepare to struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder during this upcoming winter

Students and campus

professionals grapple with methods to cope with seasonal depression

night immersed students in the allure of Asian cultures and their own communities

Moaz Elazzazi / ThE SpEcTruM

Over 300 students attended asian american student uniOn s night market On saturday night

Students reflect on ‘isolating’ experience of living on South Campus

Goodyear and Clement Halls undergoing renovations, expected to be reopened this summer

her free time in her dorm between classes.

When Lyn Karrick moved into Good year Hall at the start of the fall 2021 se mester, she was thrown off by the dirty tile floors and beige cinder block walls that made up her new home for the next two semesters. But she was determined to make the best of the situation. For hours, the then-freshman Spanish major dusted, organized and hung up decorations, des perate to make her space feel cozy.

But her efforts were useless. Karrick says even after hours of arduous work, her South Campus dorm still felt like a “jail cell.” “It messed with my mental health honestly,” Karrick said. “You’re separated from the rest of campus as it is, and on top of it your dorm looks like it’s a hospital room. The worst part is there was literally nothing I could do about it.”

Karrick isn’t the only student who re ports having a poor experience living in Goodyear Hall. Residents from the 202021 and 2021-22 academic years reported a variety of problems from unreliable trans portation, dorm cleanliness, lack of food options and isolation. Hope for Goodyear Hall upgrades lives amidst the active South Campus reconstruction, which is sched uled to be done by this summer. But Kar rick says these renovations are long over due. “I’m glad they’re finally upgrading the place,” Karrick said. “I just wish it wouldn’t have been the year after I lived there and paid to live somewhere that was outdated and dirty.” The Spectrum interviewed other previous Goodyear residents to discuss their experiences living on South Campus prior to the renovations.

Unreliable transportation

The Stampede operated under a reduced schedule during the fall semester of last year, cutting back 25% of its trips due to a staffing issue.

South Campus residents bore the brunt of the reduced schedule, with only up to three buses running to South Campus at a time.

Jennifer Reyes, a sophomore linguistics and education major, says that while liv ing in Goodyear last year, she spent a lot of time waiting for the bus to take her to North Campus, where the majority of her friends and classes were. Reyes says that now, as a Greiner resident, she can enjoy

“Last year I really wasn’t allowed to be cause it would be an entire field trip just to get back [to my dorm],” Reyes said. “I made sure to leave for North and wouldn’t go back until the end of the day.”

Ally Yang, a sophomore occupational therapy major and past resident of Good year Hall, says that while she enjoyed frequenting the nearby stores on South Campus, the bus ride to and from North Campus everyday was a hassle.

“I loved being close to a bunch of stores within walking distance, but the trip to North Campus everyday was a lot,” Yang said.

Karrick worked four to five days a week last year at North Campus’ Tim Hortons. Some of Karrick’s shifts would start at 7 a.m. She would wait for the Stampede by 5:30 a.m. and was still sometimes late be cause the bus didn’t show.

“It would be freezing cold out, and I’d wait at the bus stop for so long to the point where any exposed skin would crack open and bleed,” Karrick said. “And somehow I’d still be late because the buses never came when they were supposed to.” Brian Haggerty, the senior associatedirector for Residential Life, said in an email to The Spectrum that there aren’t current plans to change the transportation system, specifi cally between North and South Campus. He added that UB will monitor “ridership trends” and make the “appropriate adjust ments for next academic year.”

Lack of food options and resources South Campus is surrounded by fast-food restaurants and grocery stores, all within walking distance of Goodyear Hall.

But many students — including all firstyear students living on campus — have already invested hundreds or thousands of dollars into meal plans that can only be used on campus.

Goodyear Hall had one food court that served the same breakfast, lunch and din ner menus every day, aside from special occasions.

If South Campus residents craved vari ety, they had to make the 25-minute round trip to North Campus or pay for different food out of pocket.

Karrick, a vegetarian, says there were only a handful of meatless options at Goodyear, and not many were nutritional.

“Nearly everything had meat and my only accessible substitute, other than tofu once a week, was cheese,” Karrick said. “There were some nights when I was too tired from work to go back to North to get food, but I didn’t want dining hall food. So I just wouldn’t eat. I started feeling really sick by the second semester and even con sidered eating meat again to get my nutri tion back up.”

More food wasn’t the only thing previ ous residents wished they’d had on South Campus.

Jamelia Duncan, a sophomore criminol ogy major, didn’t own a car when she lived in Goodyear. She says the lack of resourc es was hard to live with.

“North Campus had all the food spots, tutoring places and gyms,” Duncan said. “While South Campus [Goodyear] only had our dining hall. We had a gym that was opened halfway through the semester and it closed early. Tutoring only catered to math or science, which wasn’t even helpful for me.”

Haggerty says that the Goodyear Dining Center has recently undergone upgrades to its kitchen equipment. But there are no active plans to add new restaurants with more vegan or vegetarian options. Hag gerty told The Spectrum that Campus Din ing and Shops already “has vegetarian and vegan options in all their dining centers.”

Karrick also says that the elevator had consistent mechanical issues.

“It was almost a guarantee that at least one elevator would break every week,” Karrick said. “Sometimes I’d try to take one up to my room but I’d give up after waiting like 20 minutes and realizing they weren’t working. I lived on the seventh floor.”

Isolation

In order to see friends, go to class, or attend events, Goodyear students had to wait for an inconsistent Stampede bus that included long, bumpy rides with many stops to North Campus. Reyes says that this was the hardest part about living on South Campus. “There are many people on this campus compared to South where you barely see people,” Reyes said. “So if you’re a people person like me, then Goodyear Hall isn’t for you.” Karrick says this isolation prevented her from making friends during her freshman year.

“It was lonely, especially when the

weather started getting bad and you don’t want to wait in three feet of snow for the bus,” Karrick said. “We were literally lo cated next to the quarantine dorms. If that doesn’t tell you how isolating South Cam pus is, I don’t know what does.”

Clement Hall, the only other dorm building located on South, housed stu dents infected with COVID-19 as a quar antine dorm during the 2021-22 academic year. No students lived there long-term.

“Not only did I feel like it was really hard to branch out and meet new people who didn’t live in Goodyear, but also I had a lot of anxiety about being right across the street from that many sick students.”

Karrick says that Goodyear Hall resi dents were not made aware that they would be living so close to quarantine dorms prior to move-in.

“Someone asked at our first ever floor meeting why Clement was empty, the hall director told us that it was because not enough people signed up for on-campus housing,” Karrick said. “I later found out that that wasn’t true.”

Haggerty says that the renovations to South Campus are not the result of stu dent complaints received from the univer sity and instead reflect outdated features that need to be upgraded.

“Campus Living is renovating the South Campus residence halls as part of its over all capital plan to reinvest in the student residential experience,” Haggerty said. “There are no specific concerns or com plaints that were received that prompted our renovations.”

UB relies on previous satisfaction sur veys completed by students in order to receive student comments or concerns, according to Haggerty.

Those surveys revealed that “students living in South Campus residence halls are about as satisfied or are comparable to their peers with their sense of belonging,” he said.

Of the seven students interviewed by The Spectrum, only Reyes said she would consider living there again after these seemingly necessary renovations to Good year are completed.

“There would need to be a lot of up grades,” Reyes said.

Email: kayla.estrada@ubspectrum.com

Erielle Ortiz ‘goes all out’ with nail business

nail artist Erielle Ortiz juggles her major, home-care job and “Nails by Erielle”

JASMIN YEUNG ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Stuck inside during the peak of the CO VID-19 pandemic, Erielle Ortiz passed the time with a hobby she’d always been interested in: doing her nails.

“I’ve always gotten my nails done, acryl ics and all that,” Ortiz, a junior public health major, said. “They’ve always been extravagant sets and stuff. It’s just always been something that interests me and I’m self-taught. I really watched over the years how it’s done and applied it to doing it my self.”

She hit the ground running after her then-boyfriend gifted her with nail sup plies, “going all out” and practicing de tailed sets.

A month later, she started her business: Nails by Erielle. She started by selling $20 sets in her hometown of Queens, New York.

“I was born and raised in Queens, so I generally know a lot of people there,” she said. “My friends were a big help in sharing my posts, sharing that I started doing nails. The $20 sets were what really brought people in.”

But her business really took off at UB. She gets most of her clients from campus, where word of mouth has brought new customers into the fold.

Some of her regulars have been cus tomers since she first opened, something that she says makes her “appreciate them more,” considering the other “really good” nail technicians on campus.

Aside from her skills with nails, she be

lieves that her very “welcoming relation ship” with clients makes her business special. During appointments, she plays music or TV shows, provides phone char gers and chats with her customers if they seem interested in conversation.

She honed those interpersonal skills as a home care professional, where she pro vides in-home care to elderly clients (Ortiz aspires to be a nurse).)

“It [home care] gives me a lot of back ground information and experience in the field,” she said. “It’s something I enjoy do ing. I have really good relationships with my clients. Whenever I go over there [cli ent’s homes], it’s nothing but positive en ergy.”

While she admits that her home care cli ents sometimes “have their days,” she says the bad days are few and far between.

“Nursing has always been something I’ve wanted to do,” Ortiz said. “I’ve always liked helping people. I have an autistic sis ter, so that really helps me with patience and with helping them with whatever they need.”

Ortiz’s family continues to be support ive of her future plans and her nail busi ness. After her family started to see that nails were something she was “serious about,” her older sister bought her a nail table, which has a surface made to protect against chemicals like acetone, which is used as a nail polish remover.

“My mom and my dad are probably my biggest supporters,” she said. “They’re al ways just so proud. I would send my mom [pictures of] a lot of the nails that I would

do and she would say, ‘I wish I could do those,’ but she just can’t do long nails and all that extra stuff.”

She describes her parents as people who “made sure that I worked for what I want ed,” a lesson that shaped her into who she is today.

While Ortiz isn’t exactly sure about where her business will be in the future, she’s been thinking about taking Nails By

Erielle’s to the “next level.”

“I feel like right now it’s doing good, better than I really thought it would,” she said.

Ortiz has plans to expand her business and start selling press-ons for “people who can’t wait for three hours” for her to do their nails.

Email: jasmin.yeung@ubspectrum.com

Self-taught

‘More Love, Less Ego’ displays how her love is better than ‘Her Loss’

WizKid’s fifth studio album takes listeners through the world of romance and seduction

A.J. FRANKLIN ASST. FEATURES EDITOR

Album: “More Love, Less Ego”

Artist: WizKid

Record Label: Starboy/RCA Records

Release Date: Nov. 11

Rating: 8.5/10

Countless relationships have failed be cause of lost romance.

For listeners, that is an area that the internationally renowned Nigerian art ist WizKid has not failed in. From the smoothness of his voice to the seductive ness of his lyrics, WizKid vividly showcas es his romantic abilities on “More Love, Less Ego.”

WizKid rose to international fame in 2016 after collaborating with Drake on the international eight-time platinum track “One Dance” and his gold track “Come Closer.” On the same day as the release of his new album, WizKid’s “Essence” fea turing Tems received its triple-platinum certification.

Now, over a year after the release of the deluxe version of his fourth studio album

“Made in Lagos,” WizKid reminds ladies that there are few things more enjoyable than romance. In 40 minutes and 53 sec onds over 13 tracks, WizKid gives his au dience a first-person look into his love life with mellow yet highly energetic and en gaging beats.

“I am grateful to have been loved / And to be loved now / And to be able to love / Because that liberates, love liberates / It doesn’t just hold, that’s ego,” Maya Ange lou says in a sample on “Everyday,” hint ing at the meaning behind the album.

For many fans, the energy of WizKid on a song is exhilarating. From hearing the build up of bass on his songs’ beats to his multilingual ability of being able to per fectly transition between several languages in the same song, WizKid is persistently able to engage his audiences and get them to feel the emotions he wants them to feel.

This album is no different.

From beginning to end, the album flows well with persistent and timeless vibes.

The album goes vibe to vibe starting in stantaneously from the first track, “Money and Love.” The Nigerian artist wastes no time with a build-up of bass to give a firstperson perspective into his romantic life

with the use of sensational and clever lyr ics that display his romantic prowess.

The lyrics make it clear that this album is not one for parents to play with their kids listening in the car, as the album is formed like a conversation between him and the mystery woman.

This album is more than just about ro mantic and sexual prowess. WizKid also focuses on good times with his friends, giving his listeners tracks for a fun night out.

“E-ye, ge-ge / Yo-mah ge-ge-ge / Casa migos / For my amigos,” WizKid sings on the hook of “Bad to Me.”

One of the strengths of the album is its features. The album’s featuring artists include a diverse list from regions around the globe. From American artist Don To liver, to British-born artist Skepta, to Ja maican artists Skillinbeng and Shenseea and Nigerian artists Ayra Starr and Naira Marley, WizKid gives listeners a culturally wide range of music to choose from.

In “2 Sugar,” featuring up and coming artist Ayra Starr, WizKid focuses on stay ing positive despite challenges.

“Man I fight my own demons / Keep the bad energy gone / Play with no time

when you see us / We got the right energy on,” WizKid sings.

However, there is a lack of subject matter beyond romance, sex and having a good time. For many that is not a bad thing, but in comparison to his past work, the Nigerian artist fails to encapsulate the whole picture of life that he usually would on an album.

From track one of his last album “Made in Lagos,” listeners knew there was some thing special about WizKid that many art ists fail to achieve, which is his ability to connect with his listeners to show them that living a normal life is fun and exciting. He instilled hope and self-appreciation to listeners in his last album to let them know that despite the darkness this world keeps on pushing on them, they can still find joy in their day to day lives.

“More Love, Less Ego” gives audiences an energetic album that works well for honeymooning with a romantic partner, or a fun album to listen to solo.

Email: aj.franklin@ubspectrum.com

Drake and 21 Savage’s ‘Her Loss’ feels like a Drake solo project

Fans lose out as Drake overpowers his collaborator

MORGAN S.T. ROSS ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

sounding like an ask for a few bars for old times sake and relevancy, rather than an offer to take on the project hand in hand.

The imbalance between the two is most clear in “Hours of Silence,” where Drake appears to be speaking from the heart of a bitter lover as he croons “It’s my fault for once….you were lost until me.”

The album has provoked controversy from the rollout to its lyrical content. This includes a lawsuit from Vogue due to fake magazines being distributed for promo tion, lyrical content from Drake calling Serena Williams’ husband a groupie and conversations around a line in “Circo Loco.”

“Savage”.

‘Her Loss’ comes as a long-awaited fulllength collaboration between Drake and 21 Savage, as fans of the duo reminisced on the successes of the pair’s previous songs together.

The duo’s journey began with the 2016 release of “Sneakin” on Drake’s album “More Life,” followed by tracks such as “Mr. Right Now” off of “Savage Mode II” and the closing single “Knife Talk” on the Toronto rapper’s “Certified Lover Boy” album.

The roll out for the album came as a unique, yet welcomed surprise after whis pers of a collaboration album on social media was initially denied by 21 Savage.

The project was formally announced at the end of the music video for “Jimmy Cooks,” a collaboration between the two from “Honestly, Nevermind,” Drake’s most recent solo effort.

Originally slated to be released on Octo ber 28., the album was pushed back a week to Nov. 4 due to OVO producer Noah “40” Shebib’s COVID diagnosis. The ex tra week allowed for even more anticipa tion to grow, as many wondered about the direction the album would go into.

Presumably from the title ‘Her Loss,’ it was expected the pair would follow behind Drake’s track record of recounting old flames and toxic habits.

But what was expected to be a collabo ration of equal parties felt more like an overpowered Drake album that simply featured 21 Savage.

The pair starts off rocky, as the beat and switches in the first track “Rich Flex” comes off as disorganized rather than calculated. While 21’s flow is consistent, Drake enters abruptly in an annoying melodic voice and proceeds to rhyme ac ronyms such as DND, PTSD, GMC and BRB.

As the experience continues, the nowTikTok viral words of “21 can you do somethin’ for me?” eventually ends up

At first listen, it’s easy to forget this is a song with 21 Savage included. It’s easy to forget what was said in the first two min utes when a song exceeds six, but its slow pace is refreshing.

There’s many instances throughout the album where the listener wishes 21 would stand up and take the song, as each track continuously feels like a battle between Drake’s ego and 21’s capability.

21 Savage seizes the moment in the one and only song he gets to himself, “3 AM on Glenwood.” In comparison to the four solo songs Drake receives, this is a star contender for one of the best songs on the album. It’s familiar and shows 21’s ability to be vulnerable in detailing his own personal losses and reflection in compari son to Drake.

There are few tracks where the duo sup ports each other well, giving each other room to do what they do best in their respective tones. There is an illusion of equal footing in “Privileged Rappers,” as they go back and forth, but the song leaves much to be desired. Most notably, the production and catchiness of the beat and lyrics in “Spin Bout U,” “Treacherous Twins” and “Broke Boys” embody the ex pectations of what the project should have been.

“Spin Bout U” and “Treacherous Twins” set up the scene of the two men expressing their feelings in relationships. In “Spin Bout U” they pay close attention to detail of a love interest’s personal life, ask questions about the past and make promises of material items and protec tion against any man who steps to them. It notably includes a line referencing the overturn of Roe v. Wade, as Drake raps “Damn, just turned on the news and seen that men who never got p—y in school are makin’ laws about what women can do I gotta protect ya.”

The album surpassed Taylor Swift’s Midnights and secured a number one spot on the U.S. Billboard 200. However, was it successful because of the quality or the drama surrounding it?

It’s suspected the viral line “This b—h lie ‘bout gettin’ shots, but she still a stal lion” alludes to Megan Thee Stallion and her current legal battle with Tory Lanez, despite denial from co-writer and credited producer Lil Yachty. The irony in the al leged diss to the female rapper is her credit on the album as a co-writer in “Rich Flex,” as 21 interpolates the lyrics of her hit song

The album ends with an emotional fina le of “I Guess It’s F— Me,” where Drake pleads for an ex to tell him where every thing went wrong before getting closure one last time. As strong of a song as it is, as a finale to the partnered project leaves you wondering what the overall theme and purpose of it was.

Unfortunately, in what could have been a classic win for the duo, it was full of un met expectations overpowered by Drake getting a few things off of his chest. Who ever’s loss it was, was truly a gain.

Email: morgan.ross@ubspectrum.com

UB Art Galleries’ latest exhibition explores the absurdities of the human body

MERET KELSEY SR. ARTS EDITOR

The word “hospitality” connotes many things: warmth, friendliness, generosity. It conjures images of manicured guest rooms, of family gathered around a dinner table and of hotels and resorts. A hospitable person is accessible and welcoming, always making space for others — friends and strangers alike — in their home.

But “I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality” has a different take on the concept. It’s not about a billion-dollar industry or a set of folksy traditions — It’s about the human body, in all its bizarre and beautiful glory.

The newest exhibition at UB Art Galleries, which opened last week and will run until May 12, examines the biological, ethical and metaphysical implications of hospitality as it relates to human bodies.

“[The exhibition] invites us to consider how hospitality has simultaneously defined and confined what we think bodies are, what we imagine they can do… and, ultimately, how they engage with each other in the world,” Sylvie Fortin, the show’s curator, writes in the exhibition’s program.

In viewing the body as a “home,” (or, as Fortin puts it, “a prison-house of flesh and mind”) “I don’t know you like that” expands and subverts the definition of hospitality.

“My object, theoretically, is to free hospitality from the home, and to free hospitality from any notion of debt and duty,” Fortin said.

Argentinian artist Celina Eceiza’s work is one of the exhibition’s most vivid demonstrations of the human body as a home, as a place others can access.

JOSEPHZBAZIN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Her piece “La vida terrenal reconquista al soñador,” (a title that translates to “earthly life reconquers the dreamer”) is a larger-than-life, labyrinthine installation modeled after the shape of a human kidney. Walking through a psychedelic, colorful space is meant to emulate traveling through a person’s organs.

With pillows and rugs scattered on the floor, the space feels welcoming and cozy — something Eceiza clearly intended. The artist said she wanted the installation to act as a safe, quiet space for “anyone who needs a place to read, or a place to be, or a place to do work.”

Eceiza’s piece is whimsical and humorous, framing the human body as a welcoming and communal structure.

Rodney McMillian’s piece, “Untitled (Entrails),” is one of the exhibition’s more confrontational works. The aptly-titled piece comprises large tubes of black fabric shaped like intestines, hanging from the ceiling by meat hooks.

It provokes discomfort, especially viewed in tandem with McMillian’s other piece “Between the Sun and the Moon (For H.A. Washington).” The painting lists, in bold capital letters, a timeline of non-consensual medical experiments inflicted on African Americans since the 1950s.

The “hospitality” in McMillian’s work is not the kind that is freely given, but forcibly taken. It’s a stark commentary on the violations of bodily autonomy that people of color have faced in the U.S.

Then there’s “Fighting for the title to not be pending” by First Nations artist Jeneen Frei Njootli. The piece is made of thousands of tiny glass beads that, when weighed together, equal the artist’s body

weight. The beads are piled up in the corner of the gallery, but also distributed across the room, settled in cracks in the floor.

A visitor to the gallery may inadvertently step on the beads or kick them around; they spread across the floor and reach unexpected places, making the piece a mobile, living body that becomes a part of its environment.

French conceptual artist Jean-Charles de Quillacq’s work has a similar effect, blurring the lines between the human body and its surrounding architecture. “Souple ment,” a piece made of acrylic resin, is simply a pair of human feet sticking out from the gallery floor. Even more bizarre

is “Ma Sis T’Aime Reproductive,” a coating of artificial sweat on the gallery wall.

An incredibly diverse collection of works, “I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality” elicits a wide range of reactions from the viewer. Some pieces provoke laughter, and some may cause shock and discomfort.

But every piece in the exhibition speaks volumes about the joys, pains and absurdities of inhabiting a human body.

The exhibition is open to the public at UB’s Anderson and CFA Galleries until May 12, 2023, and admission is free.

Email: meret.kelsey@ubspectrum.com

inspires audiences to break away from their generational curses

A.J. FRANKLIN ASST. FEATURES EDITOR

Director:

Starring:

Studio: Marvel Rating: 9.5/10

What is the right way to mourn the loss of a loved one, sibling, son, partner or a king?

For the Avengers, the answer was clearcut: avenge them.

But for the people of Wakanda and the cast of “Black Panther,” that answer was not as clear after the loss of T’Challa and Chadwick Boseman.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” takes audiences through a heartfelt journey filled with hopeless grieving, laugh-worthy comedy, engaging battles and relentless characters. It models the struggles of being a leader in a world where love seems near impossible and thrones do not guarantee safety.

Wakanda Forever makes it hard to hold

back tears and smiles through its screen time.

*Movie spoilers after this point* Director Ryan Coogler wastes no time throughout the movie.

Silence is weaponized as audiences tear up from the first minutes of the movie that showcase the funeral of T’Challa and remix the Marvel fanfare to showcase heartwarming throwback moments of Boseman as T’Challa. It is clear that Marvel was not just saying goodbye to T’Challa, but to the beloved Boseman.

But even in times of despair, Wakandans still have some of the best fashion pieces in the MCU, from the vibrant white dresses worn during the Wakandans’ dance to celebrate T’Challa to Queen Ramonda’s dark red dress entwined with green and gold jewelry when she addresses the U.N.

Shuri takes the lead throughout the movie and struggles immensely without her big brother T’Challa. Shuri’s development throughout the movie is a story of resilience and the struggles of maintaining courage even when it seems that her family, morals and country are near collapse.

With the loss of three consecutive leaders — T’Chaka, Killmonger and T’Challa — the men of Wakanda have persistently fallen in a short time frame, leaving women to take charge of the great nation. This puts the power of women on display and showcases some of the strongest women in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far with Shuri, Nakia, Okoye and Ramonda.

Like its prequel, ‘Wakanda Forever’ is not afraid to take audiences back to the classroom. The U. S. — the once-believed superior nation in the MCU prior to Wakanda revealing their nation’s true power in “Black Panther” — starts to plot against Wakanda for its vibranium, similar to European nations during the Berlin Conference of the 1880s, when European powers plotted how they would colonize Africa.

The new character Namor and his underwater society, Talokan, take on Shuri and Wakanda. This makes a worthy dynamic of two deeply-traumatized and scarred communities that are unsure of how to move on after the abuse the world has inflicted on them and their people. While wanting to find a way they can pros-

per together, they come to the realization that the world is a much darker place than they once thought, making for a great character dynamic between Talokan and Shuri.

The biggest shock of the movie comes with the reveal that after taking the sacred flower to become the Black Panther, Shuri meets her dead cousin, Killmonger.

“Are you going to be noble like your brother or take care of business like me?” asks Killmonger. This leaves Shuri conflicted between taking the high road like her brother, T’Challa, or taking her anger out on the world like Killmonger.

Shuri’s development in this movie showcases the struggles of mourning a dear loved one, being a leader in a society where love seems scarce and being strong when the world as you knew it is near nonexistent.

The main flaw in this movie stems from the main antagonist of the film, Namor, somehow having wings comparable to a pigeon, with speed comparable to Thor’s hammer when he goes against the Wakandans in battle.

But the few negatives do not take away from the beauty and power of the film for audiences. The film is heavily focused on empowering its viewers — from finding out what a Black young woman Iron Man would look like with the introduction of RiRi, a MIT student who engineers cutting-edge technology, to Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” ending off the movie.

The symbolism of naming T’Challa’s son Toussaint, likely after Toussaint Louverture, the Haitian general who successfully led the Haitian Revolution, symbolizes that the future looks bright for Wakanda, for now. But with the U.S. plotting against the Wakandans, safety is not guaranteed.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” like few blockbuster films, is made to display the power of Black women despite the most unfortunate of circumstances, which makes it a unique and standout modern masterpiece.

notions of hospitality and bodily autonomy

The “Black Panther” sequel showcases the resilience of women in a journey of endless grief

Movie: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Ryan Coogler

Letita Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Tenoch Huerta

Dark academia bewitches Fashionista Club

ALEX NOVAK ASST. ARTS EDITOR JULES EVANS STAFF WRITER

DeaVeon Rhodes showed up to Lock wood Memorial Library looking a little bit different than the other students. She wore her grandmother’s vintage Gloria Lance vest, her mother’s pants, perfect-condition Lisa Carbone shoes that she thrifted for $8 and a necklace from the farmer’s market. She embodied the aesthetic of dark aca demia.

“I think my nana would like to see [her vest] in some pictures,” Rhodes, a sopho more psychology major, said. “It has its own individuality. With the dark academia theme, it’s still really there and the colors are still very dark.”

But Rhodes wasn’t there to study. She was attending a meeting of the Fashionista Club, an on-campus group that promotes self-expression, finding meaning through one’s style and committing to an aesthetic vision. The group meets two to three times a month and plans photoshoots every two weeks. After proposing trending aesthetics for their next photoshoot, the club votes to narrow their choices down to just one.

Futuristic and Met Gala themes did not make the cut for the club’s most recent meeting, but dark academia survived the chopping block.

The club’s creative exploration brings students like Rhodes and freshman studio art major Molly Sifling back to the next meeting.

“I enjoy photography, fashion, modeling and all that type of stuff,” Sifling said. “I just was curious if there was a club that

cent trip to Utah, Schoonmaker instructs the models, telling them how to stand, where the lighting hits best and different poses to strike.

The Lockwood Library is nothing like a typical modeling shoot.

Students were reading books, preparing for midterms and observing the shoot ev erywhere the club propped up a camera. At one point, a librarian tried to pass by with her cart, then decided to go around a different way.

Some students, like senior nursing ma jor Isabella Amarante, found themselves a bit intimidated by the public nature of the dark academia shoot, her first ever.

“I never take photos,” Amarante said. “I’m that person that relies on people who are like, ‘Oh my god, we gotta take a photo!’”

Ultimately, Amarante overcame her nerves and finished the shoot. Afterall, she joined the club to get out of her comfort zone.

“Since COVID-19, people isolate them selves and I wanted to get out there more,” Amarante said.

Junior criminology major and club founder and president Samantha Polanco — like her fellow fashionistas — comes to life when she’s in the crosshairs of Schoon maker’s camera lens. Polanco believes that being creative through fashion, makeup and pictures is key to self-expression.

“In college, it’s hard. It’s easy to lose yourself with everything that’s going on,” Polanco said. “So finding one outlet to just be your true self is a good thing.”

Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

UB’s Student Concert Band offers a unique experience to student-musicians

JOSH BILLIG STAFF WRITER

Nestled in the basement of Baird Hall, professor John Nelson invokes emotion and passion in his 45-piece ensemble with tales of Beethoven’s troubled end and the encouragement to take on new musical challenges.

Composed of flutists and saxophonists, tubists and percussionists, and everything in between, the UB Student Concert Band creates a space of camaraderie among its unique group of musicians, led and con ducted by Nelson. The Concert Band is offered as a class through the Depart

ment of Music, and Nelson directs the the group’s pieces.

“I’m really more of a baseball coach,” Nelson said. “A baseball coach has to somehow get buy-in from the team. And if you don’t have buy-in, you can have all the talent in the world, but it doesn’t do you any good.”

The talent of the musicians featured in the band is not in short supply. Students in the concert band play to a high level of skill, rising to the challenge of Nelson’s handpicked pieces.

“I just see how they respond musically and how enthusiastic they are about the music,” Nelson said. “I find music that I’m

excited about because if I’m excited about it, I can get them excited about it.”

Much like a small chamber group, but unorthodox for an ensemble this size, students regularly self-conduct in practice and at times during their concert perfor mances. This method of collaboration allows members to experience new posi tions, especially those of leadership and responsibility.

“I mean, it’s interesting because I don’t know any of them [the other members],” percussionist Jayden Chua Jīn Jie said of his experience conducting the ensemble. “But at the same time, it’s like I can feel everybody trying to follow me when we

are playing.”

In self-conduction, players reflect on the self-sufficiency and camaraderie it cre ates. “It makes us better musicians… as a whole, instead of constantly relying on one person,” baritone player Kareem Dilworth said.

Trust between the conductor and their band is sacrosanct. Nelson maintains that trust effortlessly with his sheer reverence for the players.

“The intellectual capacity of everybody in the band is huge,” Nelson said. “When you put all that together, it’s like, ‘wow.’”

The feeling of respect is mutual, as many players are quick to express their ad miration for Nelson.

“I ended up finding John and he helped me with everything.” Dilworth said, “He’s extremely understanding.”

In students find a source of respite from their busy lives in this open and trusting environment.

“It’s a nice reprieve from the day,” Re becca Tarbox, a bass clarinetist and Ph.D. candidate, said. “It’s really relaxing and when I’m done, I’m like, ‘I’m really glad I came.’”

A place where students can be free from the stresses of college, even for an hour at a time, appears as an oasis for those that value music.

“I’m not the mother hen, but I provide a creative outlet for them,” Nelson said.

Invaluable to some members, these two hours a week are sacred. A space where they are comfortable with failing and endlessly motivated to improve, the UB Concert Band provides an experience not found elsewhere on campus.

“You don’t get this in other classes,” Teressa Joe, trumpetist and student con ductor said. “You’re working together ev ery single time that you get here. It’s okay to make mistakes. There’s no right answer sometimes. It’s an important escape for anybody.”

Addison schoonmAker / UB FAshionistA clUB

UB’s Fashionista ClUB promotes selF expression Finding meaning throUgh one s style and Committing to an aesthetiC vision

UB Fashionista Club offers a space for self-expression through style, modeling and photography

combined those things, and this one does. There’s not a ton of artistic clubs here at UB, at least from what I’ve seen on the website. I was happy to find this one be cause it’s very good to be able to express yourself in this type of way.”

Addison Schoonmaker, a junior graphic design major and photographer for both Buffalo Rising and Fashionista Club, guides the club through dimly lit stairwells and overstocked bookshelves. Undiscour aged by the sand in his camera from his re

The band, led by professor Jon Nelson, focuses on hands-on learning through self-conducting

Bulls suffer 31-27 loss to Central Michigan after devastating second half

DYLAN GRECO SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

The Bulls (5-5, 4-2 MAC) couldn’t hold it together against the Central Michigan Chippewas (4-6, 3-3 MAC) last Wednesday, losing 31-27 after being outscored 24-3 in the second half. UB’s defense struggled against Central Michigan’s freshman quar terback Bert Emanuel Jr. as he secured his first three career rushing touchdowns.

The first half looked promising for the Bulls. On the opening drive, redshirt freshman Mike Washington waltzed into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown following a powerful drive from him and senior running back Ron Cook Jr.

Central Michigan sophomore quarter back Daniel Richardson answered Wash ington’s score toward the end of the first quarter after a 60-yard kick return by red shirt freshman running back De’Javion Stepney set the Chippewas up in Bulls ter ritory. Richardson connected with senior wide receiver Carlos Carriere for a com bined 31 yards on the drive, which ended with a one-yard score from Stepney.

During the second quarter, UB found their footing, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal. Cook Jr. was responsible for one of the scores, a 25-yard rushing touchdown, and redshirt freshman run ning back Al-Jay Henderson took the other, a 30-yard dash to the end zone. A 42-yard Alex McNulty field goal with 20 seconds left in the quarter increased the Bulls’ lead to 17 points, with a halftime score of 24-7.

The second half was defined by Eman uel Jr.’s impressive rushing performance. The freshman quarterback was Central Michigan’s top rusher o the night, running 24 times for 239 yards and three touch downs.

On the first snap of the third quarter, Emanuel Jr. took off for a 75-yard touch down after multiple missed tackles from Bulls defenders.

Toward the end of the third quarter, Emanuel Jr. broke free yet again, running

87 yards for his second touchdown of the night. He went on to score one more in the fourth quarter — a one-yard touch down to cap off a six-play, 54-yard drive. All 54 yards were rushing yards, all cour tesy of Emmanuel Jr.

UB’s sole score in the second half was a 54-yard field goal from McNulty, the sec ond-longest of his career (the longest be ing a 55-yarder last season against North ern Illinois). The field goal was set up after UB recovered a fumble by Emanuel Jr. on the previous drive.

It was a run-heavy night for the Bulls, with UB’s rushing squad accruing the ma jority of the team’s total offensive yards.

Cook Jr. rushed 22 times for 100 yards and a touchdown, Henderson rushed 16 times for 72 yards and a touchdown, and Wash ington rushed 7 times for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Graduate wide receivers Justin Marshall and Quian Williams saw only 4 receptions for 45 yards and 3 receptions for 36 yards, respectively. Junior quarterback Cole Sny der went 19-of-32 with 191 yards and one interception.

UB’s defense was led by junior lineback er Shaun Dolac as he finished Wednesday’s game with nine solo tackles and 13 total tackles, accompanied by fifth-year line backer James Patterson with six solo tack

les and nine total tackles.

The Bulls defense was unable to con tain Emmanuel Jr. throughout the second half, which ultimately led to their demise Wednesday night. With the loss, UB re mains in second place in the MAC East and one game shy of bowl-eligibility. They look to rebound Saturday vs. Akron (1-9, 0-6 MAC) at UB Stadium. The game can be streamed on CBS Sports Network.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

UB remains one game shy of bowl-eligibility

Yakun Liu / The SpecTrum

Bulls

Men’s basketball handled by No.

25 UConn on the road, fall to 1-2

RYAN TANTALO STAFF WRITER

Men’s basketball (1-2, 0-0 MAC) fell to No. 25-ranked Connecticut (3-0), 84-64, at the XL Center in Hartford on Tuesday night.

The Bulls were coming off a brutal 35-point loss against James Madison (3-0) on Nov. 12. UB turned the ball over 30 times in that game, resulting in 33 JMU points.

The Bulls’ turnover issue (averaging over 20 per game) is likely a symptom of youth and inexperience. UB lost its top five scor ers from last season, including former pro gram staples Jeenathan Williams and Ron aldo Segu. This year’s roster features nine new players, including six transfers.

UB kept the game competitive for the first 10 minutes against the Huskies. The Bulls came back from a 7-0 deficit to take a 14-13 lead by the nine-minute mark. D-II transfer and senior Armoni Foster catalyzed the Bulls’ offense by getting to the rim and drawing contact. The dynamic guard, who was a finalist for D-II Player of the Year at Indiana University of Penn sylvania last season, led UB with 11 points on Tuesday.

The one-point lead was UB’s last. Turn overs finally caught up to the Bulls, com mitting 18 which resulted in 21 UConn points.

Back-to-back steals by UConn senior guard Tristen Newton resulted in two quick buckets for the Huskies, the second of which was an emphatic dunk. UConn took a 33-22 lead, its biggest at the time, forcing UB to call a timeout with three minutes to go in the first half.

Newton finished with a 22-point, 11-as sist, 10-rebound triple-double to lead the

Huskies.

In the first half, UConn scored 16 points off 12 UB turnovers. The Huskies led 4428 at halftime, riding a 31-14 scoring run to close the first period.

The second half featured more of the same, as the Bulls struggled to contain UConn’s dynamic offense, which scored 40 points in the second half.

UB was only outscored by four points in the second half, but the Huskies were able to ride their first-half lead to victory.

UB’s interior defense was unable to stop UConn’s size. Seven-foot-tall freshman Donovan Clingan and Big East Preseason Player of the Year Adama Sanogo each scored 11 points.

UConn out-rebounded UB 42-29 and

captured 14 offensive boards. The Hus kies added six three-pointers and went to the free-throw line 28 times — more than doubling UB’s 13 free-throw attempts.

In addition to turnovers, UB struggled to stay out of foul trouble. The Bulls’ 23 personal fouls were 10 more than UConn’s. Sophomore guard Curtis Jones was forced to sit multiple times with foul trouble.

After dropping their second straight game, the Bulls will head to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to take on Drake (3-0) at the Paradise Jam this Friday. The game can be streamed on ESPN3.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Women’s soccer falls to Pittsburgh in first round of NCAA Tournament

UB ends its season with only two losses

AMY MASLIN STAFF WRITER

Women’s soccer (15-2-4, 7-0-4 MAC) lost at Pittsburgh (13-4-3, 5-3-2 ACC) 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tourna ment Saturday evening.

The No. 13-seeded Bulls, who were coming off their second Mid-American Conference Championship in program history, couldn’t pull off the upset over No. 4-seeded Pittsburgh, who made the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

The loss is UB’s second of the season, the last being a 2-1 defeat to then-No. 3-ranked Rutgers in August.

Fifth-year goalkeeper Emily Kelly ranked No. 1 in the nation with 13 shut outs heading into the contest, but she and her defense faced multiple challenges from the start.

In the fourth minute, the Panthers put up a shot as Kelly tried to block it. The ball rolled across the face of the goal and went out wide. But even with the press from Pittsburgh, the Bulls still had a fair amount of chances at the goal.

Sophomore forward Jasmine Gurerber recorded four shots throughout the game, but none managed to hit the back of the net. One of her best looks came in the 18th minute when she shot the ball from the edge of the box, sending it just left of the goal.

The Panthers put up 11 shots against the Bulls, forcing Kelly to come up for five saves to keep the game at 0-0 by half time. UB’s defense stayed organized as Pittsburgh recorded six offsides in the first half.

The Bulls gained more control in the second half, with Pittsburgh only manag ing to take six shots.

Gurerber had another good look at goal in the 83rd minute when she shot a ball on frame from outside of the box, but Pitts burgh goalkeeper Caitlyn Lazzarini made

the save.

Pittsburgh’s senior forward Leah Pais went down in the box in the 85th minute, but the game continued with Pittsburgh’s senior midfielder Anna Bout receiving the ball and making a cross to Pais.

Pais got up in time to head the ball past Kelly and into the back of the net. The Panthers were up 1-0, and the Bulls were unable to tie the score in the remaining five minutes.

UB ended its season with the MAC regular season title, a MAC Tournament

Championship and a record-breaking 15game unbeaten streak.

The team said goodbye to Kelly, Han nah Callaghan, Abbey Callaghan, Taylor Caridi, Cashlin Copley, Tess Ford, Annie Judasz and Jennifer Mandarno, who all played the final match of their UB careers on Saturday.

Women’s basketball secures first win of the season over Stonehill

Becky Burke wins first game as UB head coach

HAYDEN AZZINARO STAFF WRITER

Women’s basketball (1-1, 0-0 MAC) de feated the Stonehill Skyhawks (0-32), 6256, Monday night at Merkert Gymnasium in Easton, Massachusetts. The victory marked head coach Becky Burke’s first ca reer victory at the helm of the Bulls.

Three Bulls scored in double-digits, in cluding senior guard Jazmine Young (16 points), graduate guard Re’Shawna Stone (14 points) and senior guard Zakiyah Win field (12 points).

It was a slow start to the game for the Bulls, who didn’t hit a field goal until the 6:20 mark in the first quarter. UB was tied with Stonehill entering halftime but then proceeded to outscore The Skyhawks by eight points in the third quarter. With a 44-36 edge entering the fourth quarter, the Bulls were able to grind out the win.

UB defended the three-point arc well, holding the Skyhawks to a 3-for-23 (13%) showing from deep.

The Bulls scored 32 points in the paint but had trouble putting away an inferior opponent in Stonehill. The Skyhawks transitioned from Division-II over the off season, and now compete in the Northeast Conference.

UB will travel to Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, New Jersey to take on the Princeton Tigers (2-1) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for noon, and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Volleyball defeats Akron, secures No. 6 seed in MAC Tournament

ANTHONY DECICCO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

UB Volleyball (18-12, 10-8 MAC) swept Akron (6-23, 3-15) at Alumni Arena Wednesday night to clinch the No. 6 seed in the upcoming Mid-American Confer ence Tournament.

The Bulls won in three sets, 25-17, 2517, 25-19. UB recorded 46 kills, 45 assists, five aces, eight blocks and 72 digs in the dominant victory.

Junior right side hitter Emma Gielas led the Bulls with 12 kills while sopho more setter Mandy Leigh had 19 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Katrin Trebi chavska recorded team-highs in aces (two) and digs (18). Senior middle blocker Olivia DeBortoli led the defensive charge with five blocks.

DeBortoli, as well as seniors Cali As saley, Jenna Sonnenberg and Emma Puza usky, were honored after the match, as it was UB’s senior night.

UB will travel to Ball State University in Munchie, Indiana to face No. 3 seed Ohio in the first round of the MAC Tourna ment on Sunday at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

Email: anthony.decicco@ubspectrum.com

Paul Hokanson / uB atHletics

Sophomore forward arianna Zumpano dribbleS the ball in a recent game

Jason MccartHy / tHe sPectruM

women S Volleyball earned a no. 6 Seed in the upcoming mac tournament with a win oVer akron

The Bulls lost by at least 20 points for the second straight game

ZacHary Monnell / uB atHletics men S baSketball fell to no. 25 uconn, 84-64, on tueSday night

The Bulls will face No. 3 seed Ohio in the first round of the MAC Tournament on Sunday