The Spectrum Vol. 71 No. 14

Sherrilyn Ifill discusses the beauty of litigation, content of character and more in Distinguished Speaker Series

The former president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund urges audience members to participate in democracy

Sherrilyn Ifill, the former president and direct-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund spoke at UB last Thursday as the 47th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration keynote speaker.

Calling herself a “student” of King, Ifill focused her speech on “the depth of this extraordinary man and leader as a way of inspiring us to what we can be.”

While reflecting on some of King’s advocacy throughout the Civil Rights Movement and his memorable speeches, Ifill challenged the audience to direct their attention to a specific sentence of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that she believes has been misused.

The “overused” sentence — “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” — has, in Ifill’s opinion, been distorted “to suggest that Dr. King and his advocacy was focused on creating a colorblind world in which you pretended not to notice race.”

Ifill believes the meaning behind this sentence is not solely focused on King’s

children but our character as a nation, which is constantly being tested.

Ifill asked the audience to think about these key questions throughout her interview with Aviva Abramovsky, the dean of UB’s school of law; “Who are we? What is the content of our character?”

The conversation shifted to Ifill’s legacy and her contributions to the decades-long fight to achieve racial equity.

Ifill first addressed affirmative action, providing an overview of the never-ending battle over the issue at the Supreme Court, a subject that Ifill has written about extensively. Challenges to affirmative action have “largely been brought by white students,” she said. But recent challenges are different, with Asian American students mostly leading the charge.

“I would never deny the opportunity to challenge some act by a state actor that they believe is discriminatory,” Ifill said. “But, that is the beauty of litigation. Litigation puts you through your paces, and you have to prove it.”

Ifill urged the audience to not “be caught in the undertone of what people say about race-conscious admissions.”

UB students disappointed, cautious following fatal shooting at Club Marcella

Some said previous experiences had made them wary

GRANT ASHLEY MANAGING EDITOR VICTORIA HILL SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Isabella Asmus was having fun at Club Marcella the night of Saturday, Feb. 11.

The sophomore biology major danced with her friends for hours and watched the drag shows until around 2 a.m., when she and her friends left the club.

Gunshots rang out 30 minutes later.

She found out after a friend called her, frantically asking if she was OK.

“It was such a stark contrast between that and then finding out someone got shot and killed,” Asmus, a sophomore biology major, said.

Three people were shot — one fatally — inside Club Marcella at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, according to a press release from the Erie County District Attorney’s office, leaving many UB students and Buffalonians hesitant to return.

Jorge Garcia-Leon, a 21-year-old father, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WIVB. The other two victims — a 49-year-old male and a 59-year-old male — were taken to ECMC. Both have since been released from the hospital, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in a Feb. 13 press conference.

A 17-year-old has been charged with nine felonies — including three counts of assault, one count of criminal possession of a weapon, three counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm — for allegedly bringing an illegal gun inside the club, according to the DA’s statement. That gun was allegedly used by another individual to commit the shooting.

Gramaglia would not say how the 17-year-old got the gun into Club Marcella. The shooter is still at large.

That shooting came just two weeks after an on-duty security guard was shot in the parking lot outside of the club at 3 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29. The security guard, 36, was taken to ECMC in stable condition, according to WKBW. Police are still investigating that incident, which was unrelated to the Feb. 12 shooting, Gramaglia said.

“We are devastated by the horrendous act of violence that occurred last night,” Club Marcella said in a Feb. 13 Instagram post. “We pray for the victim and his family, as well as anyone else impacted by this tragedy. Of course, we are cooperating fully with the police and will continue to do so in every way possible.”

The club announced in another post Friday that it would stop admitting 18- to 20-year-olds beginning Feb. 24 and would be closing at 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays “for the foreseeable future.”

But several UB students and Buffalonians told The Spectrum that Club Marcella had fostered an unsafe environment and an unnecessarily violent security team long before this year’s shootings.

Maggie Hoak, an esthetician who lives on Buffalo’s West Side, said she and several friends were maced by security at the club last fall following an altercation with a security guard.

The situation started when Hoak was with her friends in the VIP area, and they tried to get her male friend into the section.

“The security guard was making a big deal about him being let in. He was adamant that my friend couldn’t get in,” Hoak said.

The security guard had left after a while, and they were able to get the friend into the private section.

When the guard came back, all the niceties from before had left.

“My friend was kind of resisting [to leave] because the guard wasn’t really giving him any reason as to why he couldn’t be up there, and they swung at him and ended up dragging him out,” Hoak said.

After being thrown outside, the group was approached again by a security guard and was told they couldn’t stand there.

“I didn’t see the mace happen, I didn’t see them spray it, but it was just that immediate feeling in our throat and in our eyes,” Hoak said. “Everyone started coughing a lot.”

The security guard used so much mace, she said, that patrons standing in line nearby started tearing up.

Christina Antoci, a senior early childhood education major, had attended the club a few times but said she would “never” go back after she watched club security “manhandle” one of her friends outside of the club on Halloween weekend, 2021. The security guard eventually took Antoci’s friend off the premises and onto

the street.

“The second security guard who was working threatened anyone who was waiting in line [and] screaming to stop it,” Antoci said. “My other friend from out of town got pushed for walking over to the security guard to defuse the situation.”

The security guards at Club Marcellas are “ intimidating” and “promote violence,” Antoci said.

Club Marcella CFO Michael Slyder declined a request for comment from The Spectrum.

BPD is unlikely to shut down Club Marcella, Gramaglia said, as the owners have “always been very cooperative.”

“Their communication has been thorough,” Gramaglia said. “When they opened that club, they were working in conjunction with our district on security improvements. They have a significant amount of security officers… They have

JOHN GARCIA / THE SPECTRUM A 21-YEAR-OLD WAS FATALLY SHOT AND TWO WERE INJURED INSIDE CLUB MARCELLA ON FEB. 11.

UB Center for Information Integrity discusses bias in artificial intelligence at panel

Using artificial intelligence is ‘in a sense, pulling up a mirror to our culture’

SUHA CHOWDHURY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

UB’s Center for Information Integrity addressed biases in and misconceptions surrounding artificial intelligence systems at a panel discussion on Feb. 18.

The panel of four professors featured engineering professor E. Bruce Pitman, architecture and media study professor Mark Shepard, comparative literature professor Ewa Plonowska Ziarek and Syracuse University’s Jasmina Tacheva, an information studies professor. The event was moderated by the Center for Information Integrity’s co-director David Castillo.

Pitman kicked off the discussion, explaining that AI are really just “classifiers.”

“In some sense, what they do is look at patterns from what they’ve been trained on,” Pitman said. “You give them a new test pattern, and it tries to make a prediction. ‘Does this fit into class one or class two of what I’ve seen before?’ That’s all it does.”

Shepard added that AI is trained on a large “corpus text” and is designed to learn from public data. The system becomes a reflection of what it has been and needs to be “explicitly taught.” For systems like Chat GPT, data can be pulled from spaces like Reddit, blogs and other media platforms. AI will search these sources looking for “natural language context” and attempt to understand what words are “nested” near input words.

Shepard notes this was the type of algorithm used to create the AI-generated sitcom “Nothing, Forever” — a spinoff of the of the 90s sitcom “Seinfeld” — that streamed on Twitch. But what resulted

from this show was more than just the daily shenanigans of Jerry Seinfeld. On a scene broadcasted on Feb. 6, Seinfeld’s character suddenly outburst into a bigoted tirade. Twitch ultimately banned the show’s broadcasting.

Panelists discussed similar occurrences that took place with other systems such as Tay.ai and Bing’s AI chatbot.

Shepard said “Nothing, Forever” was a textbook example of an AI software malfunction — in a sense. The AI did exactly what it was programmed to do, without knowing what was appropriate. “AI simply remixes and regurgitates human sentences, assessing random bits of language,” Shepard said. “In this sense, it’s a little bit like pulling up a mirror to our culture.”

What people find staring back at them can sometimes be racism, misogyny and bigotry, sentiments that AIs, based on their training, predict will appeal to the majority.

“The most radical views get the most attention, when they are attacking someone else, and they are not constructive,” Ziarek said. “Extremist views or anger about extremists: that’s what most engages us.”

Tacheva added that this draw toward extremism online helped radicalize the Tops shooter, resulting in the murders of 10 Black Buffalonians on May 14. “There are places on the internet, pockets really, where this discourse is encouraged, where our young people are drawn to,” Tacheva said.

She added that while AI is new, it’s built on “historical systems” and progression of “colonialism, racism and capitalism.”

That doesn’t make AI inherently bad,

but it forces people to not see AI as completely removed from contemporary culture.

Pitman elaborated further on that idea, explaining that AI has substantially improved our navigation, healthcare and finance systems. But AI systems can be susceptible to misinformation, whether they’re designed to check for suspicious financial transactions or identify cancerous growths. That leaves room for implicit biases within these algorithmic systems.

“That should be a big warning sign for us as users of these AI systems,” Pitman says.

But Tacheva says that it’s not about whether artificial intelligence is good or

bad. Instead, we need to focus on “re-envisioning the entire process of technology together in a collective form.”

Rachel Galet, a junior and media studies major who attended the panel, says she learned a lot from the discussion.

“I definitely think this is something we should be concerned about,” she said.

“They mentioned a lot of stuff that I didn’t know was going on, and most people don’t know how these systems are actually working… Especially for somebody that is going to this space, it makes me think critically about how we can use this for good and not use this as a system of oppression.”

Email: suha.chowdhury@ubspectrum.com

University Facilities is working to repair water damage in the Student Union after a student posted pictures of the damage on UB’s Reddit page.

Andrew Tennenbaum, a Ph.D. student of aerospace engineering, posted an image of rainwater leaking from the ceiling in the tunnel between Knox Hall and the Student Union on UBreddit. The post garnered comments from students who said leaks like this are a persistent problem across North Campus.

“The water was dripping down the wall and collecting in a puddle on the floor,” Tennenbaum said. “Eventually after I posted, someone came and put up a caution sign.”

Concerned about health risks as a result of possible mold in the wet buildings, Tannenbaum felt compelled to make the leaks public on social media.

“The safety of the campus community is always a primary concern,” Tracey Eastman, acting director of communications for University Facilities said in an email to The Spectrum. “Any time unwanted moisture is present inside our buildings, University Facilities deploys countermeasures to dry and remove potential safety hazards.”

Eastman says University Facilities is aware that some of the tunnels and building bridges on campus experience water leakage after heavy snow melt or heavy rain. University Facilities regularly seals and caulks the cracks and expansion joints for the known problem areas.

“The leaks have been happening in that hall ever since I’ve been here,” Brandon Fowler, sophomore communication and media studies major, said.

Fowler can recall a few instances during rainstorms when he walked through the Knox tunnel and passed by a “steady trickle” coming from the ceiling. He also said that he’s seen leaking water and snow inside the Natural Sciences Complex, as well as the bridges by the Level Up gaming lounge.

Salah Areikat, a junior business administration major, is disappointed in UB’s allocation of money.

“UB spent $37.8 million on One World,” Areikat said. “We all know how much tuition is and all their fees, so that’s pretty ridiculous that they can’t keep up with basic maintenance.”

UB has accumulated $605 million in deferred maintenance costs, according to UB’s 2022-23 Operating Budget Report.

University Facilities cite the age of the structures as the major reason for the leakage.

UB began construction on North Campus in 1964, with most of the academic buildings being completed in the 1990s, according to the University Libraries’ website.

In 1992, the $16 million Student Union project was completed, with no publicized renovations since. The last completed academic building at North Campus was Davis Hall in 2011, 12 years ago.

Eastman said that “the pressure of natural freeze/thaw cycles of water and ice melting” is to blame, as is the pitch of the Founder’s Plaza pavement above the Stu-

dent Union tunnel. University Facilities is aware of the aesthetic complications presented by the leaks, such as rust stains on walls, and is working to correct the issue.

“Replacement of some of the problematic tunnel systems are included in the Campus Master Plan and will be studied and designed in the near future,” Eastman said.

There is currently “no estimated cost or completion date for this effort.”

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

Suha Chowdhury / The SpeCTrum UB’s Center for InformatIon IntegrIty held a panel dIsCUssIon on feB. 18 to dIsCUss artIfICIal IntellIgenCe systems

Various university buildings experiencing leakage from heavy rain University facilities say they are aware of the damage and are ‘working diligently to rectify the situation’

ALEXANDRA SACCONE STAFF WRITER ALEX OLEN STAFF WRITER

SaCCone / The SpeCTrum

Don’t believe the NFL’s

his country. When patriotic unity gripped the U.S., Tillman symbolized the ideal American citizen, sacrificing himself for the greater good.

Tillman toured Iraq in 2003.

of Pat Tillman’s

surfaced: Tillman was killed by friendly fire — three shots to the head.

teous move. And it was.

At last Sunday’s Super Bowl, the NFL played a video tribute to deceased Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman. The league recounted Tillman’s legacy and recognized four “Tillman Scholars” on field prior to the coin toss. Kevin Costner narrated the star-spangled memorial to over 100 million viewers, saying that Tillman left the NFL to join the Army after 9/11 and “lost his life in the line of duty.”

While that video is accurate, the real details are less “Disney movie” and more “war fodder.”

After four seasons in the NFL, Tillman enlisted in the Army on Sept. 12, 2001. At 25 years old, he declined a $3.6 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals to serve

He enlisted with plans of fighting the perpetrators of 9/11 but arrived in a nation that proved to have no tie whatsoever to the terrorist attacks. Tillman was a free-thinker who called the Iraq invasion “f—king illegal” in conversations with his brother Kevin — who also enlisted post9/11 — and he planned to meet with MIT’s well-known anti-war scholar and author Noam Chomsky, according to The Intercept.

Tillman remained committed to his duty, despite his personal objections to U.S. military policy.

He deployed to Afghanistan in 2004, where he was killed by gunfire while on patrol in Afghanistan, according to History.com.

The Army initially reported that Tillman died at the hands of enemy forces. Tillman was praised as a national hero and awarded a Purple Heart, among other honors.

After weeks of official denial, the truth

“Commemorations of Tillman’s courage and sacrifice offered contrasting images of honorable service, undisturbed by questions about possible command or battlefield mistakes," the Washington Post reported in 2004.

According to his family, the military knew who killed Tillman all along. They criticized the government for intentionally distorting Tillman’s death to improve public opinion of the unpopular war.

“I will go so far as to say the [George W. Bush] administration believed that this was something that just couldn’t be admitted to,” Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother, said in a 2008 NPR interview. “And they thought they could also use it as an opportunity.”

While the truth of Tillman’s death eventually came to light, that didn’t stop the U.S. military and its best friend — the NFL — from using his image and story to produce pro-government, pro-military and pro-war propaganda.

In the pre-Super Bowl video, Tillman’s sacrifice of NFL money in exchange for military service is painted as a heroic, righ-

Go park yourself

The

on TikTok until it’s time to leave for class. My earliest class starts at 10 a.m., but I live near South Campus. I’ll have to leave my house at least half an hour early if I want extra time to find parking.

I jump in my Mazda CX-5 (his name is Saul after Saul Goodman from “Breaking Bad”) and listen to “Down Under” by Men at Work on repeat until I reach North Campus.

It’s 8 a.m. and my roommate wakes me up with a gentle knock on my door.

“Yo, can you move your car, I gotta get to class,” he says.

Naturally, I reply with “of course bro” and cartoonishly leap out of bed. The heat isn’t working in my house, and it’s 10 degrees outside. My bedroom has turned into a walk-in freezer.

With an ear-to-ear grin on my face, along with borderline frostbite on my cheeks, I say to myself, “Good morning Buffalo!”

I move my car for my roommate, chug my morning cup of joe and doom scroll

No surprise here, everyone and their mother parked in the Hochstetter B lot this morning. Not to worry — I have half an hour to spare. I pride myself in having contingency plans for obstacles such as a packed parking lot.

“Thirty minutes must be enough time to find one parking spot,” I tell myself. Oh, how naive I was.

Ten minutes go by and after driving through each aisle of the lot, I’m still hopeful. My plan is to spot a student in the parking lot and follow them to their car (hopefully without looking creepy).

Twenty minutes go by, and I’m starting to get nervous. This particular class doesn’t

post any lecture slides on UBlearns, and, if I miss even five minutes of class time, I’ll miss out on notes that I can’t review on my own time. So far, I’ve spotted three potential spots, all stolen by a fellow student.

I can’t blame them. They’re in the same position I am.

After 45 minutes of torment and sweat, I managed to get lucky as a kind student signaled to me that I could take their spot. At this point, I’d missed 15 minutes of lecture that I’ll never be able to get back, with a test on the horizon.

One could find parking in the Alumni Arena lot, the A and B Cooke lots or the B and C Jacobs lots. But all of these lots are at least a 10-minute walk from any North Campus building (the exception being the Natural Sciences Complex and Cooke Hall).

In addition to the long walking distance from class buildings, the layout of the parking areas for students is a little confusing. Jacobs lot has three sections: A, B and C: but only the B and C lots are designated for students. This leads to confusion

But remember who really benefited from his sacrifice. Did the people of the U.S., or Iraq, or Tillman’s family benefit from his selfless deeds?

Or did the NFL military-industrial complex?

In February 2023, before America’s biggest TV event of the year, the circumstances surrounding Pat Tillman’s death were glossed over and dumbed down. The casual observer sees him as another loyal patriot who died defending liberty and justice.

Next time you see Pat Tillman’s name used to promote the military and NFL, remember the truth surrounding his tragic death. The same organizations that covered up his death, and used it as a marketing tool, are currently encouraging other young people to enlist and fight in America’s endless and unnecessary “War on Terror.”

Is that what he died for?

Email: ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com

and parking tickets as three lots under the same name can be misleading for newer students. The university should either change the names of each lot section or make the written indication of student/ faculty labeling more visible on their respective signs.

For a school with over 32,000 students, undergrads (approximately 21,000 of that student population) aren’t provided with enough close-to-class parking. UB should either put time limits on parking spots or allow portions of professor lots to be used by students.

For example, the Hotchstetter A lot is designated for staff and faculty members, but this lot is rarely even half full. If half of that parking lot was open for students, there would be hundreds of available spots for college kids in a time crunch. Students pay thousands of dollars a year for an education. Failing to find a closeto-class parking spot shouldn’t be a reason for that money to go to waste.

Email: dylan.greco@ubspectrum.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 2023

VOLUME 71 NUMBER 14 CIRCULATION: 3,000

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version

story The NFL wants you to know that Pat Tillman gave up millions of dollars to serve his country — but they don’t want you to know how he died

lack of available, close-to-class parking for students causes unnecessary stress and hurts academic performance

Zetti’s Pizza and Pasta seized for nonpayment of taxes

The Maple Road pizzeria owes more than $112,000 in sales tax revenue

Zetti’s Pizza and Pasta, located at the corner of Flint and Maple Road across the street from North Campus, owes more than $112,000 in sales tax revenue, according to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The restaurant was seized by the state last Thursday, Feb. 16, for nonpayment of taxes.

“The state Tax Department makes every effort to work with taxpayers to get them into compliance with their obligations under the law,” Ryan Cleveland, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, said.

Cleveland says seizure is typically a last

resort for the Department of Taxation and Finance after substantial periods of non-compliance and/or non-responsiveness.

“Even at that point, we will work with business owners to allow them to reopen as soon as possible. But it does require the business to make a good faith effort to address tax debts,” Cleveland said. The Maple Road location, which opened in early 2009, was the second Zetti’s in Buffalo. Other locations previously existed in University Plaza across from South Campus, on Transit Road near Sheridan Drive and the Elmwood strip. The Maple Road location was the last one to remain open prior to its closure last Thursday.

This isn’t the first time that Zetti’s has had a run-in with the law. In 2014, the restaurant was evicted from its Elmwood Avenue location after it failed to pay $9,000 in back rent, according to The Buffalo News.

In 2021, Zetti’s was fined by a federal district court judge for failing to comply with a July 2020 subpoena from the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Zetti’s owner John Fusco couldn’t be reached for comment, and phone calls to the restaurant were not returned in time for publication.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

SA Senate resolution on increasing number of signatures required to run for e-board failed to pass Monday, will be revisited at next meeting

Resolution would double signature requirement for candidates to appear on ballot

SOL HAUSER STAFF WRITER

After contentious discussions during the senate meeting on Monday, the Student Association Senate failed to pass a resolution that would increase the number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot as a candidate for an executive board office position from 100 to 200.

The vote was an even split, with seven ayes and seven nays or abstains. The measure required a two-thirds majority to pass.

In previous elections, candidates for SA e-board positions were required to obtain 30 undergraduate students’ signatures on a petition to appear on the ballot. The Senate previously voted to increase the threshold to 100 signatures. That requirement went into effect on May 31, 2022, but no elections have been held since then.

The signature threshold to run for a Senate position remains at 50 signatures.

Cameron Kiner, chair of the Elections and Credentials Committee, introduced the resolution, arguing that it “would filter for stronger candidates who are more committed to their responsibilities and more representative of the student body.” Senator Connor Sullivan said he would vote against the resolution, arguing that raising would make the process more difficult for small parties and minorities like a similar measure passed by New York in 2020. Sullivan also questioned whether increasing the required threshold would threaten already low voter turnout in SA

a significant camera system. They have other types of security measures and camera systems inside that I’m not aware of anybody else having.”

He added that BPD would only shut a club down for a permit violation or a violation of Buffalo’s “Peace and Good Order” law.

BPD has temporarily shut down Club Marcella before. In February 2019, authorities ordered the club to shut down 20 minutes before its 4 a.m. closing time after police were called in “several times” to break up fights, according to WIVB. Police had responded to over 50 calls at the establishment in the prior six months, which Slyder attributed to incidents that occurred in nearby parking lots.

BPD isn’t the only organization investigating Club Marcella. The New York State Liquor Authority told WKBW on Feb. 13 that it had “immediately opened an investigation” following the Feb. 12 shooting and would “take all appropriate actions” once its investigation is complete. It added that the premises were already under investigation.

Joe “Marcella” Guagliardo, the owner and founder of Club Marcella, told WIVB last December that his club was equipped with more than 70 security cameras, a met-

elections.

“Two hundred signatures was 14% of the total votes in the [2022] election,” Tyler Herman, an SA Senate member, said. He suggested running an election with the new 100-signature threshold before increasing it further.

Student Affairs Director Ariel Clarke argued that the threshold is arbitrary, and that a change would likely make little difference in “weeding out bad apples” if a candidate had support from a subset of the student body.

Members in favor of the resolution argued that the higher threshold would be unlikely to act as a barrier to minority groups.

Kiner noted that 200 signatures represent “less than 1%” of UB’s nearly 22,000 undergraduate students, and Hobby Council Coordinator Matthew Dowd said the new requirement is “not limiting minority ideology at all.”

Dowd is also a Spectrum staff writer.

Email: news@ubspectrum.com

She stated that a Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action would be “radical” and would have to “simply ignore” decades of precedent.

“The rule of law is absolutely critical to any healthy democracy,” Ifill stated. “There is no healthy democracy that does not adhere to the rule of law. The rule of law means that laws, enacted and legislative, must apply equally to the rich to the poor or to the Black and to the White.”

She described lawyers as having a “noble profession,” and turned the conversation to the power of lawyers’ responsibilities beyond the courtroom. The release of wrongfully convicted individuals, for example, is an “abomination” rather than a cause for celebration because of all the years already lost in prison.

“We [attorneys] just keep it moving,” Ifill said. “So for me, that is unacceptable for lawyers because we are in this profession. We purport to the actors in this justice system. We get our professional status from it. We get our jobs from it. We can see that the system has that level of injustice. Of course, no system is going to be perfect. But, if you’re not directly speaking to that, it is deeply problematic to me.”

Ifill encouraged those interested in law to go to law school and “behave as though you are charged with upholding the rule of law.”

Ifill’s words reminded Audrey Joseph, a junior English and political science major, why she is interested in studying law.

“You don’t really get to hear that every day,” Joseph said. “I know some people who just want to go to law school to make money, but this really reminded me why I wanted to go to law school and the power law school could have to help people, especially people in underrepresented communities where the law is not on their side.”

Ifill concluded her speech by circling back to the questions she asked the audience to keep in mind during her speech: “Who are we? What is the content of our character?”

You don’t need to be a practicing attorney or know the endgame to fight for what’s right, Ifill said. She urged the audience to vote, show up at board meetings, support public infrastructure, and contribute as a member of society to work towards an equitable democracy.

“We’re not absolved, because it all looks so terrible and poor,” Ifill said. “It has not been all bad, as I said, because we benefited from the sacrifices before us and now don’t have to pay it forward. It’s difficult, but that’s because a democracy constantly has to be worked on. It’s not like you have a democracy and then that’s it. You have to keep working and making sure you don’t backslide.”

al detector and security guards — armed outside the club and unarmed inside.

“Club Marcella is a home for everyone and safety is our number one,” Marcella said. “And I’ve spent enough money on it that I know what I’m doing and what I’m supposed to be doing.”

But some students said that Club Marcella wasn’t using their security resources effectively enough.

Drew Falkner, a sophomore linguistics major taking some classes at UB, said that he’s seen security guards at Club Marcella let patrons in without checking them for weapons.

“I think that no matter who you are, you should have a thorough security check with the metal detectors, the wands and pat-downs and such,” Falkner said.

Falkner hasn’t been to Club Marcella since last Halloween. He didn’t feel safe then, and he said he probably wouldn’t go back following the past month’s shootings.

Some students said they would support a shut down of the club if it ensured the safety of others, even though it would limit the number of LGBTQ+ nightlife establishments.

Heald says it would be hard to see the club close since so many people “go there to have a great time.”

She also said local, state or federal gun

control measures could prevent further gun violence at establishments like Club Marcella.

Asmus had mixed feelings about a potential shutdown.

“I wouldn’t blame them if it’s for public safety, but I do think it kind of sucks that a more open environment, an LGBTQ+ space, would have to be shut down because of violence,” Asmus said.

Annika Balk, a junior math major who called Club Marcella “foundational” for Buffalo’s queer community, said authorities should investigate the incidents and let the club “implement new strategies” to mitigate violence before resorting to a complete shut down.

Still, she said despite the positive experiences she’s had at the club, she won’t go again “in the near future.”

“I just feel like not a lot of people will go there in general, so it might already change the atmosphere of it,” Balk said. “But on top of that, going there with the anticipation that something bad might go wrong? It’s just not the best feeling when you’re trying to enjoy a night.”

Others said they wouldn’t return ever, regardless of what the club decides to do.

“I absolutely won’t go back. I don’t think it’s a safe space in general, and I don’t think it’s been a safe space for the

Ariel Clarke, a senior criminology and political science major, felt moved by Ifill’s optimism.

“You don’t always have to know what the end goal is or you don’t always have to know what your job is to do the work, you could just do it because you care,” Clarke said. “At the end of the day, you’re making an impact, even if you don’t know what that impact is.”

Read The Spectrum’s interview with Sherrilyn Ifill on page 7.

Email: kiana.hodge@ubspectrum.com

queer community,” Hoak said. “I don’t see myself going back there and supporting them in any way.”

Hoak wants to see accountability from the club. After her mace incident happened, she posted on social media tagging Club Marcella. The club’s account viewed the posts and blocked her and her friends who were speaking out about their mistreatment.

“People are continuing to get injured and even going as far as losing their life,” Hoak said. “The rate at which it happens at Marcella’s has just gotten really out of hand and I really would like to see something changed.”

SOL HAUSER STAFF WRITER

Student Union 330 is filled with smells of warm pizza and students chattering with excitement. On stage, two UB improv club members are warming up for the show, shaking their limbs and trilling their lips. As students gather around the table in the back to grab free pizza, a club member makes their way around the room, strumming a guitar and singing.

Conversations subside as the lights dim and the stage illuminates.

“Erie County Children’s Performance Troupe,” one of the three improv troupes, is the first on stage. A member sets up a chair as remaining members form a line offstage. Sitting down, he pretends to scroll through Tinder.

“Age, 22. Name, Charles Moneybags. Yeah, my dad is pretty rich. That’s all I need. Let’s see what we got,” he said.

Potential matches of the Cookie Monster, a frat boy named Chad and a giggly girl named Ramona come and go from the stage.

“First name, Buried. Last name, Alive,” one member introduced himself as while dragging a limp leg across the stage, garnering laughter from the crowd.

A few more matches were swiped on and the skit ended with a holler of, “Woo! Scene.”

This was the first of many skits that took place last Friday night at the UB Improv Club’s show. The club holds shows every two weeks on Friday nights in SU 330 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with free pizza and free comedy. Through their immense passion for improv, the club hopes to create laughter and a sense of community while leaving a legacy behind for both ex-

isting and future club members. Although these shows are acted out in the moment, there is still preparation and work put in before the actual performance. One troupe practices three times per week, discussing previous shows and honing in on what they can improve. Another troupe practiced the basics of improv before going on stage.

Tom Andrews, last year’s president and a current UB Teach student (and a for-

the club has ever been’

excited to sit down with everybody, talk about the show and see what we did right and can keep doing right. I just want to see a natural progression for the troupe throughout the semester.”

The first troupe that performed is led by club vice president and junior theater performance major, Tim Nunez and Hannigan.

The next troupe, “Improv for a Sushi Restaurant,” is led by senior communica-

from the audience while exchanging the items at random, leading to scenes with violent turkey hunters and hyper accomplices.

Lastly, the troupe “Roll for Funny” goes on stage. The troupe is led by Andrews and Juliana D’Orazio, a senior anthropology major who couldn’t make it that night. Their skit was called “Audience Recap.” Half of the troupe remains on stage to perform a skit while the other half goes outside. After the first group is done, an audience member has 10 seconds to describe the scene to the remaining members. That group then has to try to replicate the first group’s skit.

The results? A skit about an overworked zookeeper cleaning up the otter exhibit turns into a skit about putting laxatives in the water cooler.

The show concludes with two members serenading a crowd member on stage with a guitar and a “thank you.” The crowd erupts into applause.

mer Spectrum staff writer), said the club has never been more alive in the five years he’s been a member. According to Killian Hannigan, club secretary and a business administration major, they’re averaging 47 people per meeting and frequently break 100 people per show.

“I look at the show today as a great starting point,” Gabriel Santos, a senior biomedical sciences major and the social media coordinator, said. “I’m extremely

28 years of brotherhood,

tion major and president Moca Tanaka and Santos.

Santos holds a speaker while fellow troupe members come onto the stage, blasting the Harry Styles song “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.”

One skit was called “Emotional Attachment.” A member presented three objects to the crowd: a book, a frisbee and an iPod, each representing hyperness, violence and depression. The members take prompts

Autumn Ragonese, the club’s social media coordinator and a sophomore biology education major, said tonight’s show was particularly special because for three members, it was their first time being on stage. They said it’s fun to see new members going on stage as they’re learning and growing over the semester.

The seniors want to leave the club in good hands and create memorable traditions to be passed down. The progress the club makes today is a combination of their own work and the legacies of previous eboard members.

“I want to see where this club can end up,” Santos said. “I know that it can end up even bigger than it is right now.”

Email: katie.skoog@ubspectrum.com

sweethearts and a capella

UB’s all-male a cappella group, The Buffalo Chips, celebrated its 28th anniversary with a night of love songs and goofiness

The Buffalo Chips have been around for longer than most UB students have been alive.

This past Friday, the Chips commemorated the a cappella group’s 28th anniversary with a Valentine’s Day concert filled to the brim with swoon-worthy ballads, upbeat anthems and a healthy dose of humor (which is just as good for the heart as any love song).

When the lights lowered on the SU Theater’s stage, a once boisterous crowd quickly hushed themselves.

The silence didn’t last long. Soon enough, the Chips took the stage and jumped into a feverish rendition of the Jonas Brothers’ “Burnin’ Up.”

Eric DeVore, the Chips’ music director and a fifth-year media studies major, along with Jack Catena, a sophomore music theatre major, burned up the stage, channeling their inner Joe and Nick.

Continuing their high-energy start to the night, the Chips immediately dove into another sizzling number. Simon Wu, a thirdyear grad student studying medical physics, wooed one extremely lucky audience member with a cover of “It Don’t Have to Change” that would have even John Legend blushing and kicking his feet.

After a comedic break, the squirrely singers returned to their regularly scheduled programming with a performance of Train’s “Drops of Jupiter,” featuring Catena.

Although the song serenades an otherworldly girl who “fell from a shooting star” and has “drops of Jupiter in her hair,” it was Catena’s voice — not Train’s muse — that was truly out of this world.

Following the interstellar magic of “Drops of Jupiter,” the Enchords, UB’s only all-gender a capella group, gave the Chips a much-needed water break. After getting the audience “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Accidentally in Love,” the Chips returned to perform a warmup on stage.

According to Chips folklore, if the group can successfully perform a round where each member sings up and down the solfege scale at different times, they

must immediately end rehearsal. Thankfully, the Chips’ traditional warmup was their first and only failure of the night, allowing the show to continue after a few chuckles.

Following this silly and stumbling interlude, the Chips offered up delightful nostalgia and modern pop bliss back to back.

The Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week” served shoo bop before Charli XCX’s “Good Ones” gave the audience whiplash. Since The Beatles and love songs aren’t for everyone, one singer noted, “Good Ones” gave all the single people a moment to breathe.

Charli XCX’s 2022 hit smashes into the audience like a car crash with eerie siren sounds and stomping that set the scene for junior biomedical engineering major Zack Farnam’s freakishly high falsetto to shine. Still stunned by Farnam’s dolphinlevel frequencies, viewers couldn’t help but “(Boom) Clap.”

Following this number, the Chips teased their latest mid-show competition, “Chips Idol.” Based on audience donations, the Chips would perform either Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” or Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye.” After intermission and a prompted drum roll, the Chips dove into “September,” which was met with excited dog noises and hollers from the audience. “September” ends on a high note, with a literal high note from DeVore, whose confidence on stage is a testament to his five-year commitment to the Chips.

Through his work with the Chips, DeVore realized that his major shouldn’t be mechanical engineering or computer science, but media study. Not only that, but over the years, DeVore fought off his initial freshman jitters.

“Now it’s kind of the opposite because I know that I’m gonna vibe with everybody. I’m gonna know my music,” DeVore said. “But now it’s me worrying [about my groupmates] as a parental figure.”

As a soloist once again in this number, DeVore was electric. The Chips’ alumni, called to join the current members onstage, were equally remarkable. Despite having left the group some time ago, the former singers fall right back into rhythm, performing in perfect sync with one another.

Adam Rakiecki, Chips alumni and mechanical engineering graduate of the Class of ‘22, said the culture of brotherhood is what makes the group so close-knit.

“It’s just the friendships that we make in the group while we’re here,” Rakiecki said. “It’s just really solid and strong and we prioritize keeping that together, making sure we see each other… you don’t want to let that go after you graduate.”

To wrap up the show, junior theater performance major and assistant music director John DellaContrada and freshman musical theatre major Dylan Saglian channeled rockstar realness with Cheap Trick’s “The Flame.” Saglian’s growly, punchy vocals and DellaContrada’s clean but powerful sound create a perfect storm. From their “Burnin’ Up” opener to their “The Flame” closer, the Chips were sensational — on fire, some might say.

The Chips exited, but only briefly. Joined by their a cappella contemporaries, the Enchords and Royal Pitches, the Chips

brought it home with the unfiltered childhood joy of “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” from Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb.” Newbie Chip, freshman biomedical science major Jaden Lombardo, shined as the soloist.

“I sing my first solo later tonight,” Lombardo explained to The Spectrum before the Chips took the stage. “It’s supposed to be a secret, but I’ll tell you because I’m being interviewed. And I’m extremely nervous.

“[But] when I get up there, I think once I see all the people and I start singing that I’ll be able to perform. It’s just right now I’m very nervous about it. Don’t tell anybody I told you about that though,” Lombardo said with a laugh.

Fortunately, Lombardo, like DeVore, had nothing to fret about. Both Chips, whether seasoned or brand new, get the jitters.

But Lombardo says it’s worth the nerves.

“I’m just excited to be out there with those guys because I’ve built such a good relationship with all of them that it’s fun to perform with them because we have been like a brotherhood,” Lombardo said.

“I’m very grateful to be part of this group. I think it’s helped me get through college because the curriculum that I am doing is quite hard and I find music as an escape for myself.”

Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

The Royal Pitches, an all-female a cappella group, kept the audience occupied with Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby,” while the Chips prepared for Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

is by far the most alive

hosts

night with three performance troupes

John Garcia / The specTrum The uB improv CluB hosTed a show, wiTh Three Troupes performing, lasT friday nighT in sTudenT union 330.

Turkish UB students share stories about devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, ask university community for help

Basak Akbas spent hours looking at the devastating pictures from the earthquake in Turkey. She felt hopeless and defeated because she was so far away from home.

One picture in particular — of a father holding the hand of his daughter who died in a building collapse — overwhelmed her with emotion.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said.

Akbas, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in business analytics, didn’t think the destruction would be that bad when she first heard the news. She was shocked.

“I didn’t expect it because sometimes we have earthquakes,” Akbas said. “We usually get a three-point-something earthquake, and we don’t really feel it or get affected by it.”

Nearly 47,000 people died in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on Feb. 6, according to ABC News. Millions more were displaced, according to The Guardian, and aftershock quakes have killed at least another eight people.

On Feb. 21, the university Honors College held a panel discussion and Q&A on the earthquake to “help members of the UB community better understand the event and what the people of the area face in the upcoming weeks and months,” said Neil Savoy, program director for the Honors College.

Azra Deniz Çömlek, a senior international trade major, was worried that her family wouldn’t make it out alive.

“I wasn’t sure which cities were affected by the earthquake, so I was very scared for my people. Thankfully my [immediate] family was safe,” Çömlek said. “But I still had some family members and loved ones who couldn’t get out. I was very scared to lose the people I love.”

Everyone Çömlek knew survived — ex-

cept for her ex-boyfriend. He was 23 years old.

“It was three days after the earthquake, and unfortunately, they were not able to get to him,” Çömlek said. “He was the only person that I lost.”

Çömlek’s family members were pulled out from the rubble and saved.

Both Akbas and Çömlek, members of UB’s tennis team, said that the UB Athletic Association encouraged every team to donate something, whether it be diapers, blankets or other supplies.

“UB Athletics is helping us a lot, and they’re checking on us all the time,” Çömlek said. “They’re helping us through this and donating as much as they can.”

Donations are being accepted through March 1, in room 161 in Alumni Arena.

But despite the assistance from UB Athletics, Çömlek and Akbas said they wished the university had done more.

Çömlek said that she and other international students only received one email from the university with UB’s condolences and contact information for Counseling Services. She is disappointed and believes the university didn’t do enough.

“I would appreciate it if they would have posted something on social media — Twitter or Instagram — because they have a lot of followers,” Çömlek said. “I don’t have that reach for resources, but they do.”

Çömlek said that she tried to reach out to the university to help share donation links, but they didn’t respond to her emails.

“Student Life, specifically the Dean of Students Office, messaged students to offer their support and assistance,” Katie Tudini, Assistant Vice Provost and Director of International Student Services said in an email to The Spectrum. “ISS sent a message to all F-1 and J-1 students from Turkey and Syria on Feb. 13. We sent our condolences, offered our support and reminded students of campus resources including University Counseling.”

Alongside this, the university connected the campus community to a website with a trusted aid organization. The website is housed within ISS’s website.

The university also has an international student emergency fund that can receive donations.

“Turkey needs support and money,” Çömlek said.“$1 is equal to 18 Turkish Liras, which is five loaves of bread in our country, and a lot of people are hungry right now.”

Çömlek said that over 60 countries are helping out Turkey, which is “more than she thought would help.”

They are receiving a lot of clothes and sanitary items, but aid organizations are still cash-strapped.

“A lot of people had to cut their arms or legs to get out [of the buildings], so people need money for rehabilitation,” Çömlek said. “People need money to find a new home and to send kids to school. Turkey needs money to rebuild.”

Right now, Turkey is using all the resources they have to provide shelter. Aid workers are putting beds in buses and using cruise ships to house survivors, according to Akbas.

Kevin McCue, a member of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, told The New York Times that rebuilding could take “at least” a decade. Another expert, civil engineer consultant Hussein Dhaban, told Al Jazeera that demolishing damaged buildings could take six months and removing rubble could take years.

“Ten cities in Turkey were demolished and need to be rebuilt from the ground up,” Akbas said. “It will definitely take a long time. I mean, they’re still trying to find people under the buildings. So, I don’t even know how long this will go on.”

Those wishing to donate can give to AKUT, which is endorsed by UB Athletics.

Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com

‘I was very scared to lose the people I love’

VICTORIA HILL SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

JADE DENNIS / THE SPECTRUM ON FEB. 21, THE UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE HELD A PANEL DISCUSSION AND Q&A ON THE EARTHQUAKE TO HELP MEMBERS OF THE UB COMMUNITY BETTER UNDERSTAND THE EARTHQUAKES

A conversation with former NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill

Ifill discusses affirmative action, healing after the Tops shooting and knowing if law is the right career choice

Sherillyn Ifill has known she wanted to be a civil rights attorney since she was a young girl.

Over three decades, Ifill worked her way up from a fellow at the ACLU to the President and Director Counsel of NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Ifill spent three decades working on voting rights, environmental justice and former inmates’ transitions back into society. Outside of the courtroom, Ifill spent 20 years teaching civil procedure and constitutional law at the University of Maryland School of Law. Last year, she was named one of Time magazine’s women of the year.

The 47th Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Keynote Speaker sat down with The Spectrum Thursday before her appearance as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series to discuss Supreme Court precedents, the importance of diversity and pushing through traumatic experiences as a community:

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Spectrum: What case were you a part of that stands out the most for you?

Sherrilyn Ifill: “They all stand out in their own way. I think 2020 was a year of incredibly high-profile and consequential cases. We sued the post office to compel them to deliver ballots on time, we sued Trump [and] Bill Barr. We were involved in some really high-profile litigation, but every case feels that way. We’ve done cases involving natural hair discrimination, death penalty cases, employment, discrimination, education, and they all feel consequential in their own way. So, no, I can’t say one. I can only say that each one has its own kind of consequences. But of course 2020 really stands out because it was such a high-pressure time.”

TS: The ABA [American Bar Association] reported in 2020 that only 5% of all lawyers are African American. What advice would you give to Black and Brown students who are interested in going into this field, but are facing anxiety because of the lack of diversity?

SI: “It’s a long and old story. Sadly, it’s not very much different than when I went to law school. You have to know why you want to do this thing; I would say this to students of any race or gender. I taught law school for 20 years, and I would say to my students, ‘If you don’t want to be here, you shouldn’t be here.’ It’s hard work. And you’re going to work incredibly hard if you want to be at the top of the profession, if you want to be really good at what you do. So, you have to know why you want to do it. I know some people just go to law school because your parents stop bothering you and you have something to do. I can understand how that can happen. I don’t advise it though. I think you should know at that point, what you think you want to do with this thing. You can change it at any time. But you’re gonna need that motivation to move you through and to move you through even a sense of isolation. But pick your law schools carefully. Be in a place that values diversity and that demonstrates that by what they do, and not just what they say. And that’s all you can try to do, is put yourself in as comfortable a situation as you can. But law school is what it is. It is a professional school that gives you the skills and enables you, then prepares you to take a very, very important leadership role in a democracy. And if you’re not clear about why you’re doing that, then it’s going to be very difficult to succeed. You’re just going to do what scorers have done before you, which is, you’re going to make your way through it.

Which is what all of us have had to do. I don’t think lack of diversity is a reason not to go to law school. It’s a reason to go to law school, because we do need to diversify this profession. I think we have to do what we’ve always done, which is just press forward and within it find your way. My law school roommates became my best friends, my best friends to this day. Godmother to my children. You will find your group who you connect with. So I think you should count on that everywhere you go, you’re going to find that connection.”

TS: The idea has been floating around of the Supreme Court getting rid of affirmative action. What do you think will be the impact if they go forth and make that decision?

SI: “Well, I think it’s going to have a devastating impact. I think we have become accustomed to affirmative action, certainly in college admissions, but in other ways as well, such that we don’t even recognize that it exists actually. And I think that, should the Supreme Court drag down race conscious admissions for universities, we’re going to feel it, and we’re going to see a drastic difference. We’ve seen it in California, and we’re going to see it all over. And that’s going to change the educational experience for all students. It’s going to change the experience for professors in terms of who’s in the room and what perspectives come to the table. And of course, worse and most consequently, ultimately it will change the profession [of professors]. So I think it’s quite serious. And, you know, I think it will garner a lot of attention this term, we will see what the court does. I will admit that things look grim, but [no] one ever knows.”

TS: U.S. Rep. Barry Moore and five other House representatives recently co-sponsored a bill to abolish the Department of Education. And not too long ago, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked AP African American Studies from being taught in Florida high schools. What do you take away from these political moves?

SI: “Education has always been at the center of the fight over racial equality in this country. Obviously, we know that from Brown v. Board of Education. So it doesn’t surprise me. In fact, it’s actually quite familiar in a way and really takes us back to the wars around education following the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown. All the same language is being used: the language of parental choice, the language of children being indoctrinated, the idea that somehow children are being placed in danger by being exposed to the truth and by being exposed to people who are not like them. Those are the same things that were said to resist integration. So it actually feels quite familiar. I don’t mean that in a good way. I mean that in an incredibly alarming way. It was 101 members of Congress who signed the Southern Manifesto agreeing that they would resist Brown in any way they could. So that now some congresspeople want to do the same essentially with education doesn’t surprise me. The term ‘massive resistance’ was created by the governor of Virginia after Brown. So this has always been part of the play. Unfortunately, the last eight or so years have really returned us to periods that we have seen before, whether it’s the post-Reconstruction period or the postBrown period. I think it’s quite alarming and needs to be resisted as much as possible.”

TS: Less than a year ago, a white supremacist terrorized a local [Tops] grocery store, killing 10. They were sentenced to life without parole yesterday. From your experience, what is the best way to move forward as a community after such a tragedy?

SI: “I don’t have the answer to that. I’m not a faith leader or someone who feels equipped to address the incredibly powerful trauma that I think is experienced in that community. But, I also think that we are in a period of national trauma that needs to be addressed by those best equipped to do it. So rather than suggest that there are these pockets of trauma, I

think we should understand that we’re really in a national period of trauma that has been undiagnosed, and that is not being really addressed. We’ve lost a million people to COVID-19 and we just keep it moving. The rise of white supremacist violence over the last eight years is incredibly painful and recalls really devastating memories for Black people. It’s been very painful for me. I’ve been a civil rights lawyer for 30 years. It’s incredibly difficult. To answer your question with the expertise I have, which is as a civil rights activist and a civil rights lawyer, is that you keep fighting no matter what. We don’t have an option to lay down our weapons yet, and you have to keep fighting for the world that you want to see. So we should take care of ourselves, for sure. I think that’s important. I think it’s something that’s been very much a new addition to this discussion about what we do by younger generations who have been much more focused on self-care and trauma than we ever were. We just kind of kept it moving through everything, including the generations before me, who really went through some of the most traumatic experiences. We all look at the civil rights movement like it was this wonderful, noble thing when it was actually a time of deep trauma. We were not socialized to believe that self-care was something we needed to spend time on. So, I’m actually happy that that’s now a part of the movement. That taking care of yourselves and recognizing that we need to care for ourselves is actually part of the work of civil rights, revolution and transforming the world. So I think we have to do that. But then you have to keep fighting. It is ultimately a war of attrition, and whoever gives up first wins, so we just have to keep fighting.”

Email: kiana.hodge@ubspectrum.com

Email: aj.franklin@ubspectrum.com

Family and faculty mourn tragic passing of UB alum Sonja Jackson to Winter Storm Elliott

The UB Class of 2022 grad died a day after graduating with a sociology bachelor’s

Sonja Ta’shale Jackson was determined to get her bachelor’s degree.

Twenty years after leaving school, Jackson went back to college to study sociology at UB.

She did it. But one day after earning her degree, she died due to health complications during Winter Storm Elliott.

For two days, Jackson and her 14-yearold son, Giovanni White, lost power at their home on Kensington Avenue. They were rescued by emergency responders on Christmas Day, her sister, Tameka Dixon, told The Buffalo News

The two were taken as close as emergency responders could get to her mother’s house, which was blocked by the snow. Jackson and her son were walking the rest of the way through the side street on her mom’s block when suddenly, Jackson collapsed.

Neighbors shoveling nearby came to rescue Jackson and were able to assist her the rest of the way to her mother’s house.

When they arrived, Jackson seemed fine.

Later that day, while in the shower, she collapsed again.

Her mother screamed.

Dixon called 911 several times, but she couldn’t get first responders to come to rescue her sister due to the high volume of calls and dangerous weather conditions. Eventually, she resorted to calling a friend who is a first responder. A snowmobile arrived after 30-60 minutes and took Jack-

son to ECMC, but it was too late. Jackson was pronounced dead at the hospital on Dec. 28. She was 47 years old.

“I just miss the sisterly bond we had,” Dominique Dixon, Jackson’s youngest sister, told The Spectrum. “Holidays will never be the same.”

Winter Storm Elliott hit Western New York last December, causing whiteouts, high winds and snow accumulation of over four feet in some places, according

There have been 35 reported deaths in Buffalo alone. Most victims were found at home or outside, while others died from delayed EMS responses, snow shoveling or snow-blowing incidents, and freezing temperatures.

Jackson was born and raised in Buffalo. In her childhood, she spent her spare time participating in talent shows, student committees, and a marching band, according to her obituary. Due to various circumstances, she took a few breaks from college over the course of her life.

Jackson moved to Charlotte, North Carolina temporarily before moving back to Buffalo to take care of her mother after she suffered a stroke and aneurysm. She became her mother’s full-time caregiver, a “second mother” to her youngest siblings and shortly thereafter, a mother herself.

Outside of family life, Jackson was a lead family partner and director at Community Action Organization, a nonprofit that provides services to combat poverty and create multigenerational success, and ran her own side business, Sonjackson Creates, an interior design service.

Jackson was primarily focused on finishing her degree, her family and taking care of her son.

“I’m going back to school for Giovanni,” Jackson told Dixon around the time she enrolled at UB.

proud and say she did it,” Dixon said. “Just to say she did what she wanted to do and to make all of us proud because we’re a tight-knit family.”

Yige Dong, a sociology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, taught Jackson’s Sociology 349: Classical Sociology Theory course in her final semester last fall.

“I was really shocked, and it’s pretty heartbreaking,” she told The Spectrum, who broke the news about Jackson’s passing to her. “I just wish she could have seen her achievement and know that from her professor’s perspective, she’s a great student and person.”

Their last conversation was over email on Dec. 23, the day the blizzard began. Jackson reached out to see whether or not her grades had been posted.

“She cared about the class, her own coursework, her progress and me,” Dong said.

Dong expressed that as a UB professor, it saddens her to see bad things happen to her students.

“Imagine that final day she contacted me, what if I did not pick up? What if I did not pay attention? What if I didn’t finish reading and I just dismissed her email? Or, you know, ignored it? That would be even sadder, so I did respond and hopefully, she saw it.”

Murals cover Buffalo Arts Studio’s walls, and sculptures fill its display rooms. Studios branch off the hallways, offering glimpses into resident artists’ minds.

And at the center of it all is George Hughes’ exhibit.

The room is filled with soft yet rich hues of pink, blue, purple and green. Sports and military imagery collide with fragmented URLs and barcodes.

“George— he’s a painter’s painter. I mean, he can paint the hell out of things,” Buffalo Arts Studio curator Shirley Verrico said.

Hughes, an associate professor of painting at UB whose art has been displayed and received praise everywhere from China to South Africa, debuted his solo exhibition “George Afedzi Hughes: Identity, Power, and Reconciliation” at Buffalo Arts Studio.

“It’s a really wonderful opportunity to have a world-class artist like George Hughes showing here locally,” Verrico said. “He’s somebody that has lived literally around the globe. So I think there’s a lot of entry points, but once you’re engaged in the artwork, there’s a lot there. You can stay and stand in front of these paintings for a long time.”

The words “Identity, Power, and Reconciliation” were chosen carefully as the title

to a four-day report by NOAA. Tens of thousands of residents experienced flooding, power outages, food insecurity and below-freezing temperatures — even inside their homes.

Her son provided her encouragement to pass the finish line this December, according to Dixon.

“I know her goal was to find a job after she did her degree, just to make herself

“I think as a community we should have more bonding and solidarity,” she said. “We’re all on this world and we should care more for each other.”

Email: aj.franklin@ubspectrum.com

with bright colors

of this exhibition. George Hughes’ identity in society is highly intersectional. In a space where someone could feel so alone, Hughes instead creates art that transcends labels and connects all corners of the world.

“I come across in society with multiple identities,” Hughes explained. “First as a human being, as an artist and other identities such as Black, African, Ghanaian and Fante. Furthermore, I can also be perceived with other implied identities such as an American, African American, immigrant, minority and so forth. These multiple identities come up depending on the circumstance.”

Hughes is able to connect deeply personal experiences to global and historical issues, making viewers feel understood by the work around them as they walk through the exhibition.

Hughes endured countless obstacles and challenges before becoming the artist he is today. These life experiences come together in his art as pieces of a painted collage. Barcodes litter each canvas as a nod to Hughes’ job during his first four years in the U.S., driving a forklift and scanning barcodes for eight hours a day. Hughes is an avid soccer fan and was once a player himself. Soccer balls, cleats and other images of the game appear in

almost every Hughes piece. These works portray his connection to the sport and acknowledge the horrible history of racism within the soccer world and prejudice against developing countries like his native Ghana. Black and Brown players are commodified and dehumanized by these European leagues. Bananas appear in his paintings to symbolize those that racist spectators have thrown on the field when Black players were in possession of the ball.

“Reconciliation” speaks largely to Hughes’ journey recovering from a serious accident in 2017, which left him mostly paralyzed from the neck down.

“I am interested in how we reconcile with our personal histories, memories and culture,” Hughes said. “I must reconcile with the trauma of my accident and lack of full mobility… The process of doing this requires artistic humor and metaphor.”

In his paintings, Hughes often depicts serious subjects in bright colors and humorous tones. Alongside the many pieces that explore soccer politics, “Yield” is a massive, 228 x 72 inch painting that depicts the fatal consequences of war in a pretty, pastel pink.

The combination of military imagery and pop-culture symbolism sheds light on corporations that profit from violent global conflicts. Hughes encourages viewers to compare this piece back to his others about the commodification of Black and Brown bodies in the soccer world. Furthermore, the military imagery also references a point in Hughes’s life when repurposed Army barracks served as his studio. “Colonialism and trauma are relevant to my personal history and to a collective culture,” Hughes said. “Art and humor are universal and expressive visual forms of communication that cut across racial, ethnic and class boundaries.”

Pairing humor and metaphor with popculture iconography allows Hughes to create remarkably accessible artwork. “The work is smart and interesting and engaging, but it’s also so well-crafted,” Verrico said. “And that’s exciting, you know. To get an opportunity to see somebody’s work that is contextually rich, but also just so well crafted.”

“Identity, Power, and Reconciliation” by George Afedzi Hughes is on display in Suite 500 at the Buffalo Arts Studio until March 1, 2023. Email:

Thomas T. Edwards FunEral homE, Inc

UB alUm Sonja jackSon, 47, died in Winter Storm elliot in decemBer

‘Identity, Power, and Reconciliation’ explores tough topics

JULIA MARCOTULLIO STAFF WRITER

JulIa marcoTullIo / ThE spEcTrum GeorGe HUGHeS’ exHiBition iS fUll of paintinGS tHat explore tHe perSonal and tHe political

Meet the 2023 Life Raft Debate competitors

UB’s

Which discipline would you trust to rebuild civilization in a post-apocalyptic world?

UB students will vote on which of six professors — each representing a different field of study — they’ll bring with them to create a new society during the university’s 12th annual Life Raft Debate on March 6 from 6-8 p.m. at the SU Theatre.

The professors will debate the significance of their studies in a fictional endof-the-world scenario to win the final seat on a life raft.

Here’s what to know about the candidates:

Martha Bohm

Bohm is an associate professor in the architecture department and the associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Architecture and Planning.

With a focus on sustainable design and a background in earth and planetary sciences, Bohm aims to design buildings with a “more sustainable and resilient relationship” to the environment.

“I love the question that the debate is centered around, about surviving a nuclear disaster apocalypse and we’re setting off to build a new world,” she said. “That’s what architects do — we create visions for new futures… create places with meaning and value.”

She aims to move away from the traditional model of architecture, where the vision of a new future is often held by a “male white architect.” She wants to prove to the students that architecture can be “fresh, innovative and forward looking,” despite the discipline’s long history.

Chad Lavin

Lavin is an English professor in the field of political theory and will be de-

fending political theory during the debate. He is interested in the way language is used in how it “provides people with purpose” and in struggles over power.

He aims to show students the history and influence of political theorists, from those who have helped dictators control their civilizations to those who have been “good at humiliating” them, as well as the “craft of language” and the stories that are used to form a civilization.

Cecilia Martinez Leon

Leon is an associate professor of teaching at the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the director of the Engineering Management Program.“There’s a saying that failing to plan is planning to fail…and IE’s [industrial engineers] do a lot of planning because we like to anticipate things before they occur, so we’re not caught by surprise.”

She aims to “bring the latina flavor” and prove that her discipline acts as the “glue of the other disciplines,” making processes better and more efficient.

Noemi Waight

Waight is an associate professor of science education in the Department of Learning and Instruction. Her research is broad, spanning from social justice to the nature of technology.

“The future needs science educators to tackle some of the most crucial problems of the world, which focuses on food insecurity, climate change, [etc.]” she said. “Science education is going to be instrumental for those thinking about these issues and coming up with solutions for these issues into the future.”

She aims to showcase science education to the UB community, a “small but mighty” field.

As a woman of color and a self-described differently-abled individual, Waight applauds the life raft debate as a platform for students to be able to see diverse range of disciplines and people. She hopes to see a more “tangible” award to benefit the students, such as creating a scholarship for a student to be able to work with the winning competitor.

Joseph Costa

Costa won the 2022 Life Raft Debate, representing the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Science. He credits his win last year to his discipline being “incredibly practical” for the life-or-death scenario presented.

“At the very least, I provided an immediate practicality,” he said. “The understanding of the human body, how it’s put together, how it functions… It’s kind of difficult to ignore not just the practicality in the short term, but also the long term.”

He will be acting as the devil’s advocate to convince UB students that all of the professors should not be offered a seat on the raft. While he prefers to not reveal his full strategy, he intends to use his background in speech and debate to recognize the weaknesses in the other faculty members’ arguments.

Mark Frank, representing the Communication Department, did not respond in time for publication.

Email: jasmin.yeung@ubspectrum.com

trailblazing

In 1970, UB entered uncharted territory by hiring Ed Wright, the first Black head coach in NCAA hockey history.

Nearly five decades later, Seth Van Voorhis — a 5-foot-3 coach of color, like Wright — took his place behind the Bulls’ bench as an assistant coach for UB’s ACHA D-I club team.

Van Voorhis coached UB for three seasons, until 2022, when he departed to coach Hilbert College women’s hockey in its inaugural NCAA season. Like Wright — who was hired before UB’s second season in the NCAA — Van Voorhis joined a Hilbert program in its infancy.

When he learned about Wright’s impact on UB and hockey history, Van Voorhis immediately sought a meeting with the legendary coach and attended Wright’s induction into the UB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

“It was such an amazing experience to shake his hand and talk to him about not only the game of hockey, but his experience,” Van Voorhis said. “He’s a pioneer just based on having the courage to be a head coach at that time.”

From the moment Ed Wright laced up his skates as a junior in Canada to his coaching career at UB, he endured “unspeakable” treatment. Fans spat death threats and slurs, officials handicapped his teams, and restaurants refused him service. At one point during his career, the burden became so heavy that he developed an ulcer that required surgery.

“This s—t is not easy,” Wright said. “I remember what it took out of me, I used to tell people when I started my position at UB I was 6’5, 250 pounds, and when I left I was 5’3.”

Wright said he triumphed thanks to his “inner confidence” and “blessings from above.”

Wright won over 138 games in 12 seasons at UB, founded the UB recreation and intramural sports program, and became the NHL’s first Black scout.

Thanks to monumental sacrifices from

athletes like Wright, Jackie Robinson and Willie O’Ree, all U.S. pro sports leagues are integrated and publicly promote inclusion.

But hockey still trails far behind other sports in diversity. In the NHL, over 80% of league employees are white, while less than 4% are Black. The NHL has fewer

enous and coaches of colour in… skills development, leadership strategies, communication tactics, networking and career advancement opportunities.”

“It’s just an honor to be part of that. You get to have all these meetings together and talk about the game of hockey,” Van

Van Voorhis commended women coaching men’s hockey and men (like him) coaching women’s teams. Van Voorhis thanked trailblazers like Wright for the opportunities he and others have today.

But, he lamented the ongoing racial tension in the sport — and the nation.

“You hear about players in the minor leagues and players even in the NHL having to deal with [racism] still. It’s honestly scary, and it’s despicable,” Van Voorhis said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done with the game and just in life, honestly. There’s still that blockage that is stopping them from seeing everybody as people all together.”

Wright pointed to respect as the solution. He dedicated his life to coaching and teaching others and he experienced powerful, lasting connections formed by sport.

“It’s a deep bond of absolute and complete respect, to the core,” Wright said of his players and teammates. “It’s a tie that goes beyond the physical. It’s a spiritual tie. You don’t see color.”

Van Voorhis also sees himself as a resource and mentor to his players.

Van Voorhis’ position at Hilbert College is his first NCAA coaching gig. He says he was attracted by “the newness of it,” where he’d “be learning the ins and outs of NCAA hockey from a first-person standpoint.”

“Coach Seth has been an integral part of our inaugural program,” Hilbert women’s head coach Cole Klubek said. “His work ethic and dependability make him a great role model for our players as they advance into adulthood.”

Van Voorhis said he’s motivated most by competition and hopes to continue to work toward coaching at the “highest level.”

than 30 Black players, paling in comparison to the NFL, NBA and MLB.

In recent years, the NHL established programs designed to “combat racism” and “accelerate inclusion efforts.” Van Voorhis is a member of the NHL Coaches’ Association BIPOC program, which “aims to specifically support Black, Indig-

Voorhis said. “So many seminars they’ll have, and it’s just great to see the diversity in the game.”

Van Voorhis said he believes the sport is “headed in the right direction” and pointed to the diversity in coaches and players across the game.

“Hockey truly is for everyone,” he said.

While Van Voorhis’ career is blossoming, Wright, 78, reflects on his journey and the challenges he faced. He recognized the strength and drive Van Voorhis possesses, saying that the “great little young man” is “extremely devoted to becoming a coach.” Email: ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com

of seth Van Voorhis Ed Wright (lEft) and SEth Van VoorhiS (right).

12th annual debate has professors battling to prove the merit of their disciplines in a post-apocalyptic scenario

Then and now: UB hockey’s

coaches reflect on experience, progress Seth Van Voorhis and Ed Wright have worked to make the game more inclusive

Practice before the party: UB dance groups ahead of International Fiesta

AASU Vibe, Buffalo Bhangra and LASA prepare for UB’s annual dance competition and exhibition

MERET KELSEY SENIOR ARTS EDITOR ALEX NOVAK ARTS EDITOR

UB’s international clubs and cultural organizations will take the stage this Saturday for International Fiesta, an annual dance competition held at the Center for the Arts. The event, sponsored by the Student Association and UB’s International Council, will showcase the talents and cultures of the university community.

Leading up to the event, the teams are hard at work planning, choreographing and fine-tuning their performances. Three of the participating organizations — Buffalo Bhangra, Asian American Student Union Vibe and the Latin American Student Association — gave The Spectrum an exclusive look into their rehearsal process ahead of Saturday’s celebration.

Buffalo Bhangra

Buffalo Bhangra, a UB dance team that performs a popular form of Punjabi folk dancing, spend their weeknights practicing in an unassuming, carpeted classroom in the Natural Sciences Complex.

Dancers fly across the floor, weaving through each other seamlessly as they practice their high-energy routine, which will open the show on Saturday. Tasked with setting the stage for the rest of the night, the Bhangra dancers say they feel some pressure, but the atmosphere in the room is decidedly positive.

“Yeah, it’s stressful,” Siddarth Suresh, a freshman public health major, said. “But at the same time, I have so much fun when I come to practice.” Co-captains Avantika Sridhar and Priyanka Tondamantham direct the dancers through an upbeat, energetic routine, the camaraderie among the team is impossible to ignore.

“We’re a family. We all help each other out. It’s not competitive,” Sridhar, a sophmore political science major, said.

Having spent most of her life dancing, choreography comes easily to Sridhar. But it’s not just about teaching the steps — it’s about connection, both among the dancers and with the audience.

“The one thing that I found very helpful while learning dance is being able to relate to what you’re about to perform,” Sridhar explained. “Instead of just showing the steps, saying why it’s important that you do it a certain way.’”

Though the Bhangra team is participating only in the exhibition category, the dancers hope to win the audience choice award.

“[We want the audience] to get themselves amped up because we set the stage for the rest of the performances,” Riya Mariya Alex, a sophomore biology major, said. “So it’s just a way for them to glue their eyes to our performance.”

AASU Vibe

In a quiet dance studio tucked away in the labyrinth of Alumni Arena’s winding hallways, AASU Vibe refines their choreography. Almost in line with the title of their contemporary hip hop track, “Silence (feat. Khalid)” by Marshmello, the dancers listen to dance captain and junior psychology major Yukie Sun’s instruction.

Even though the group is doing exhibition as opposed to competing for the International Fiesta champion title, there is still pressure on AASU Vibe to repeat the success of their predecessors — mainly winning the People’s Choice — audiencevoted award for a second year in a row.

Even though AASU Vibe covets their previously earned title, their dancing centers on family and friendship rather than trophies and adoration.

“I feel like it’s a family away from home — I know it’s cheesy,” Sun said. “When I first transferred here, I had no friends and I saw AASU Vibe on Instagram. I was like, ‘Oh, dance has been something that I’ve been working with… let me join them.’”

Junior neuroscience and music major

Susanna Huang, who’s danced with the group since her freshman year and returned to the group after a semester away, echoes the sentiment. Seeing the club perform without her last semester brought back memories of the adrenaline rush of Hell Week — the final stretch of arduous rehearsals before a show — and a passion for dance she feared she had lost. International Fiesta is Huang’s long-overdue homecoming.

“We never judge each other. Even if we just want to be alone, we somehow come together as a group,” Huang said. “Even if there are times when we want to be alone, we just kind of get there for each other.”

Their inventive number involving the wearing and removal of blindfolds, speaks to the immigrant and first-generation Asian-American experience, covering everything from academic pressure and familial expectations to societal stereotypes and burnout. Sun, herself having immigrated to the US from China at age 9, hopes that the audience will meet AASU Vibe’s message with open arms and minds.

“I hope they get the message,” Helen Pond, a junior biology major, said. “And I hope that we just leave them speechless and with chills.”

LASA

A rehearsal with LASA on day three of Hell Week is a departure from the usual chaos and tension one would expect. Instead, walking into the SU Theater, onlookers would be greeted by joyful exclamations, enthusiastic cheering and a show-stopping salsa number.

LASA members get critiques from dance liaison, team captain and head choreographer Nicole Baez before taping their heels to avoid a fall on the slippery stage. The club works to find what can take their performance to the next level.

“It’s not bad, it’s alright,” Baez, a junior health and human services major, tells her dancers. “It needs more oomph.”

Finding that extra oomph isn’t the only thing on Baez’s mind. As she works to take the group’s dancing to new heights, she also juggles the everyday demands and responsibilities of leading a 47-person group. Having risen from dancer to liaison

in only 10 months with LASA, Baez describes the rapid transition as “an out-ofbody experience.”

Dancers new and old to LASA feel the love and mutual respect that the group cultivates. Senior communication major Kathleen Leite, a four-year LASA dancing veteran, embraces the shared culture and community found through choreography, storytelling and late-night rehearsals.

“It can be hard to kind of find selfidentity around campus,” Leite said. “And so with LASA, I’m able to find people who might have grown up the same as me

or are first-generation students just like myself, and [having grown up] knowing the same language is also something that’s super special.”

Sofia Alvarez, a sophomore math education major and first-year LASA dancer, shares her feelings of anticipation in regard to the narrative LASA plans to create.

“The preparation has been a bit tiring, but very worth it,” Alvarez said. “I think our story is so powerful, and I’m very excited to share that with the audience.”

Email: meret.kelsey@ubspectrum.com

Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

John Garcia / The SpecTrum Buffalo aaSu ViBe S dancerS practice their high-energy performance

John Garcia / The SpecTrum uB’S international cluBS and cultural organizationS are preparing for thiS Saturday S international fieSta

John Garcia / The SpecTrum dance captain yukie Sun leadS the aaSu ViBe team in a contemporary hip-hop routine

Young is UB’s latest 1,000-point scorer Young reflects on surpassing 1,000 career points and leading an inexperienced team

Before women’s basketball’s home game against Kent State on Feb. 15, fifth-year guard Jazmine Young took center stage at Alumni Arena. Head coach Becky Burke presented Young with the ball from her 1,000th career point, scored against Toledo on Feb. 8.

2022-23 has been a career year for Young, even before reaching that major milestone. In her third season at UB since transferring from Tennessee State, she’s averaging career-highs with 13.8 points per game while playing 35.7 minutes per contest. After back-to-back seasons with a 6.1 point-per-game average, Young has blossomed into a primary offensive option this year..

Young’s strides on the offensive end — along with an increased role under firstyear head coach Becky Burke — allowed her to achieve a feat that most players never reach: 1,000 career points. The Milwaukee native came into Toledo knowing that she had a chance to reach the landmark number.

“I knew it could have been the day that I scored it,” Young said. “But I wasn’t thinking like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to get this amount of points.’”

Young ended up matching her UB career-high with 20 points in the 91-73 loss. She made an and-one layup late in the game for her 998th and 999th points. Then, she stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to make it an even 1,000.

Young made the free throw, but her teammates and coaches didn’t know she reached the mark until after the game.

“I don’t think anybody really knew, [but] we definitely celebrated her afterwards,” Burke said. “It’s a once-in-a-career type milestone, regardless of what the outcome of the game was, and we can put that aside and celebrate that person as an individual.”

Young said her parents watched from

home, like they do every game. Afterwards, she said friends and family “flooded” her phone with messages.

“My first year being here [at UB], it was a COVID year,” Young said. “I just think back to those days and what we had to go through as far as missing games and having to sit out. I appreciate the moments I have now for sure.”

Young is the only returning player from last year’s MAC Championship-winning team. Multiple former UB stars such as Dyaisha Fair (23.4 points per game last season), Georgia Woolley (14.6 points per game last season) and Cheyenne McEvans (7.810.2 points per game last season) all followed ex-head coach Felisha LegetteJack to Syracuse this offseason. Now, Young has a new role on the team.

As a veteran player with a new crop of teammates, Young has taken on more of the scoring load for UB. She’s taking six more shots a game this season as opposed to last year, and she’s gone from a role player and “facilitator” to somebody who the offense runs through.

“The other two years [at UB], I was just in a different role as a facilitator, and this year I had to assume the role of scoring a bit more.”

Young is third on the team with 13.8 points per game behind graduate guard Re’Shawna Stone (17) and fifth-year guard Zakiyah Winfield (15.1).

Burke said that Young brings experience and poise to a team with so many players and coaches in their first seasons at UB.

“Having been there and done that… probably not finding yourself in a situation that you haven’t been in before… has been crucial to our team,” Burke said. “I think that everyone trusts that Jaz knows what’s going on out there and [that] this isn’t her first rodeo.”

After three years in the Mid-American Conference, Young said she’s adjusted to a different style of play. At Tennessee

Bulls defense smothers Central Michigan in 63-35 revenge win

UB held Central Michigan to 35 points, the lowest-ever points allowed to a MAC opponent in program history

for the Chippewas, as they were only able to tally 21 points in the frame. UB cruised to victory with four players scoring in double figures.

State, which plays in the smaller Ohio Valley Conference, Young said play was competitive but less “system-led.” At UB, she’s come to perform well within a more balanced and team-oriented structure.

With the Bulls currently struggling in the MAC standings, Young commended her young team because they “just continuously fight.”

“Win, lose, or draw we still got that determination on our face,” she said. Cur-

rently in her final season at UB, Young said she wants to play basketball after college.

As a player who’s scored over 1,000 career points in high school and college, basketball has been at the forefront of Young’s life. But she’s excited for what her future holds, whether it involves playing basketball or not. “I just leave it in God’s hands and whatever he says or whatever he has for me, I’m just gonna go with it.”

Email: ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com

Softball goes 0-4 in UTEP Invitational

The Bulls are 1-7 after the first two weeks of the season

Softball (1-7) traveled to the UTEP Invitational in El Paso, Texas for the team's second invitational of the season. UB lost all four games of the invitational, putting them at 1-7 after their second series of the season.

Men’s basketball (13-15, 7-8 MAC) won in blowout fashion, 63-35, against Central Michigan (10-18, 5-10 MAC) at Alumni Arena on Tuesday night. The Chippewas’ 35 points is the fewest points ever allowed by UB to a Mid-American Conference opponent. The last time UB played CMU on Jan. 14, the Bulls suffered a 87-78 overtime road loss.

The game was “Gun Violence Awareness Night,” an idea proposed by senior forward LaQuill Hardnett. The Bulls wore “End Gun Violence” warm-up shirts and orange — the color of gun violence awareness — socks.

The Bulls’ defense forced CMU to shoot just 29.8% from the field and 0-13 from three. UB made it difficult for the Chippewas to find open shots all night, and when CMU had opportunities, they couldn’t capitalize.

UB also forced 23 turnovers, with 17 steals, which led to 27 points.

“We may not be the most muscular team, but we have really good length,” head coach Jim Whitesell said after the game. “That helped us deflect the ball and slow things down.”

The Bulls came out hot after CMU took a 2-0 lead, scoring 20 unanswered points. CMU didn’t score their second basket till 8:44 left in the half and didn’t eclipse 10 points till 1:19 remaining in the first half. UB led 36-14 at halftime.

Hardnett led the Bulls with eight points in the first half, finishing the game with 10. The second half was more of the same

Along with Hardnett, junior guard Zid Powell (10 pts), junior forward Isaiah Adams (12 pts) and sophomore guard Curtis Jones (game-high 14 pts) carried UB to victory.

Despite a solid offensive night, Jones concentrated on UB’s defensive domination.

“When you play a team a second time you tend to pick up on [their] concepts”, Jones said after the game. “It’s never easy to play defense — but it’s a little easier — you remember some of the action the other team runs”

With the win, UB moved to sixth in the MAC, jumping Northern Illinois (11-17, 7-8 MAC). The top eight teams make the MAC Tournament next month in Cleveland. UB is two games ahead of eighthplace CMU with three games remaining in the regular season.

The Bulls’ next game is at red-hot, firstplace Toledo (22-6, 13-2 MAC) on Saturday, then they will play at seventh place Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The Toledo game can be seen on ESPN3, and Northern Illinois can be seen on ESPN+.

UB concludes the season with senior night against Miami (OH) (10-18, 4-11 MAC) at Alumni Arena on Friday, March 3. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN+.

The Bulls faced Texas Tech (8-2) on Thursday to open up the invitational. UB got on the board early when freshman infielder Abbey Nagel hit a double to allow senior infielder Brianna Castro to score, putting them up 1-0.

It wasn’t until the fifth inning when the Red Raiders got ahead, scoring twice. Junior pitcher Julia Tarantino was able to keep the Bulls in the game, striking out six batters. In the sixth inning, Texas Tech added a third run resulting in a 3-1 UB loss.

Thursday evening, UB faced UTEP (42). The Bulls took a 1-0 lead in the fourth

inning after freshman catcher Lily Lauck hit a single, allowing senior pitcher Alexis Lucyshyn to score.

The Miners bounced back quickly at the bottom of the fourth inning, taking the lead at 2-1. In the fifth inning, the Bulls were challenged when UTEP hit a tworun homer. UB could not score again, resulting in a 4-1 defeat.

On Friday afternoon, UB faced Santa Clara (3-5). The Bulls fell behind early in the second inning — the Broncos held a 1-0 lead as the Bulls struggled to find hits. Castro and senior outfielder Kate Vara were the only two Bulls to get a hit in the game, while the Broncos recorded 11 hit.

Santa Clara scored a run in the third inning, putting them up 5-0 and putting the game out of reach for the Bulls, who would go on to lose 6-0.

UB played New Mexico (3-5) on Friday night to wrap up the Invitational. The Lobos knocked in four runs in the first inning, putting the Bulls down 4-0 early on.

UB managed to hold off UNM in the second inning and score a run of their own. Junior infielder Tianna Williams picked up a hit to help freshman outfielder Mia Mitchell cross the plate.

But New Mexico scored seven runs in the third inning to put the Bulls behind 11-1. In the fourth inning, Tianna Williams hit a single and helped freshman infielder Taylynn Williams score. With UB down nine (11-2), the game ended in five innings when the Bulls couldn’t mount a comeback.

UB will head to Virginia next weekend to compete in the Spartan/Pirate Classic. The Bulls will face Stony Brook (2-3), Norfolk State (5-2), Hampton (2-2), Colgate (2-4) and Saint Peter’s (1-1) on Friday through Sunday.

Paul Hokanson / uB atHletics FiFth-year guard Jazmine young scored her 1,000th career point on Feb. 8.

‘I appreciate the moments I have now’: Jazmine

AMY MASLIN SPORTS EDITOR

Johnson returned to her hometown of Buffalo to finish out her basketball career

AMY MASLIN SPORTS EDITOR

Kiara Johnson limps onto the basketball court in Alumni Arena, having recently gotten out of her walking boot following an achilles injury. Her day starts at 7 a.m.

By 5:30 p.m., she’s sitting courtside, watching her teammates practice in preparation for their games this week.

Afterward, she’ll go to her parents house, where her 1-year-old son, Joseph Johnson, is waiting for her. She hasn’t gotten to see him today.

This is what Johnson — a fifth-year forward on the women’s basketball team — does everyday as she tries to balance three lives at once: mother, student and Division-I college basketball player.

“It’s so hard. I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s not,” Johnson said. “I just know nobody was expecting this from me. He is just going to be like, ‘My mom did what?’... I will be tired, but when I see this face all of that goes away.”

It was the Fourth of July when Johnson found out she was pregnant.

She had spent weeks feeling sick with neither her nor her trainer knowing why — until she took a pregnancy test.

A few days later, she found out she was eight weeks along.

At the time, Johnson was playing at Towson University. But once she started showing and wasn’t able to complete team workouts anymore, she returned from Maryland to her hometown of Buffalo.

She took extra classes online at Towson while dealing with her high-risk pregnancy to prepare for life with a child.

“The hardest part was being alone. I had to go to my appointments alone,” Johnson said. “I was a high-risk pregnancy. So every time I went to a doctor’s appointment it was just a wonder and question. That was the hardest part.”

Johnson gave birth to Joseph in February 2022. Her mom, Maria Johnson, was by her side as much as possible. But Johnson spent some of her time in the hospital alone.

Throughout her pregnancy, Johnson questioned if she would return to the basketball court — and even school — again. She considered getting a “regular job” and not returning.

Pregnant, she sat in the stands of the Gallagher Center, watching her friends play for Niagara University. When she saw her peers play, she knew she had to be on the court again.

With a baby to care for and her academic future uncertain, Johnson decided it was time to leave Towson and permanently come home. After Johnson entered the transfer portal in the offseason, UB assistant coach Wyatt Foust received an email from Johnson’s mom last summer, explaining her daughter’s situation. Maria

Johnson sent the email with the hope of getting her daughter a spot on the team.

“99% of the time when someone sends you an email they’re probably not good enough,” Foust said.

He quickly learned this wasn’t any other email.

“This girl can really play,” Foust recalled saying when he and the other UB coaches watched Johnson’s film. After a phone call with Johnson, Foust said he “could hear in her voice” that she had the drive to play for UB. He believed in her.

Johnson grew up coming to UB basketball games as a 12-year-old, regularly taking pictures in the stands with her family.

After evaluating Johnson’s game tape and hearing her story, UB offered her a spot on the team in April.

“I was like, ‘I can play for my hometown and be eight minutes away from my kid,’” Johnson said. “I love this sport so much, I just got to. I wanted it so bad. I knew it was gonna be hard but I worked. That was just my motivation, knowing that a coach [Foust] understood me and wasn’t just saying it.”

Foust’s wife, like Johnson, went back to playing basketball after having a child in college. This made Johnson feel much more supported and understood at UB. And Johnson isn’t raising her child alone.

She and Foust started with a training plan. Every Sunday, Foust would get on a call with Johnson and reflect on the week. He admired how honest she was on the calls, telling him everything that had gone right and wrong that week.

“I’ve never seen anybody go from where she was and get to where she got,” Foust said. “It was awe-inspiring.”

After averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds over six games to start the 202223 season for UB, Johnson suffered an achilles injury in December. With a recovery timeline of nine to 12 months, Johnson was ruled out for the season.

While the injury was frustrating after the work she put in to return to basketball, she said one benefit of not being on the court is getting more time with her son. Ironically enough, the two are at a similar point in their lives.

“I’m just now starting to be able to walk a little bit,” Johnson said. “My son is actually learning to walk now. It’s like we are learning together.”

Johnson said the most surprising part of her journey has been the support she’s had. Last week, Burke’s fiancée looked after her son when she couldn’t find a babysitter.

“If that [support] wasn’t something we are going to be able to provide her, then she wouldn’t have chosen to be here in Buffalo,” Burke said.

Johnson, 22, is the first in her family to pursue a college degree. She’s currently finishing up her second bachelor’s degree in criminology and has another year of eligibility, though she hasn’t decided whether she’ll take it or not.

One of the most important things to Johnson right now is making sure she’s able to set her son up with a good life. As a mother, she feels it’s her responsibility to show him everything she was able to overcome and accomplish.

“For now, I want to work hard because this is only temporary and I want to set him up for the rest of his life,” Johnson said.

Foust said Johnson’s experience of training while raising a child is “something truly remarkable.”

She previously played for Eastern Michigan and Towson, but never got an offer from UB until her family connected with the current coaching staff.

UB named former USC Upstate head coach Becky Burke as its next head coach after former Bulls head coach Felisha Legette-Jack left for Syracuse. A local to the area, Johnson took advantage of the opportunity to hit it off with a new coaching staff, who were new to the area and needed more players.

Joseph spends half of his time with Johnson’s parents and the other half with her at her apartment.

“They [my parents] see how happy I am on the basketball court and that’s why they still help me with everything, financially, everything they help me,” Johnson said.

Her return to play was “an uphill climb,” according to Foust. Johnson was out of shape and had been out of the game for over a full year after not playing the entire 2021-22 season at Towson.

“She’ll have to share [her story] with him forever,” he said.

After having her son, returning to school and regaining her footing on the basketball court, Johnson has yet to decide her next step after recovering from her injury.

“I’m excited to see what KJ’s future holds,” Foust said. “And no matter what the basketball future holds, she’s gonna be an absolute winner in life.”

Email: amy.maslin@ubspectrum.com

Women’s basketball falls just short again to Miami (OH) Bulls extends losing streak to five in a row, with MAC Tournament at stake

KAYA SCHULTZ STAFF WRITER

Women’s basketball (9-14, 4-10 MAC) suffered another devastating loss to Miami (OH) (10-17, 5-9 MAC) on Saturday at Alumni Arena, falling 72-67 to the RedHawks.

The loss makes it significantly more difficult for the Bulls to make the MidAmerican Conference Tournament, as UB is on a five-game losing streak following a three-point loss to Kent State on Wednesday and a one-point loss to Central Michigan the game prior.

“It breaks my heart for them because they work really really hard every single day,” head coach Becky Burke said in the postgame press conference. “They’re fighting against a time of adversity right now and they deserve to have had a few things go their way.”

The Bulls sat at eighth in the conference standings, one spot above the Redhawks’ ninth, going into Saturday’s game. With only four games remaining in their regular

season, the Bulls desperately needed the win to secure a spot in the MAC tournament, which takes place in Cleveland starting March 8.

Miami came out of the gate firing and started the game on an 9-0 run, but the Bulls quickly found their rhythm. The score stood at a tight 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulls had a big second quarter, taking the lead as a result of solid defense and aggressive penetration into the paint.

Freshman guard Caelin Ellis hit a threepointer at the buzzer to end the first half. The Bulls carried that energy and momentum into the third quarter.

UB held onto the lead for most of the game, but the RedHawks kept it close throughout. With three minutes left, they brought it back to a tie game at 64 points apiece.

Graduate guard Re’Shawna Stone — who led all scorers with 23 points and four assists — drove to the paint and scored an-and-one bucket to put the team up

by two with 1:17 to go. Miami answered quickly, hitting a pair of free throws to tie the game at 67-67 with one minute to go. After a turnover by the Bulls, Miami came down and hit a three-pointer to put them up by three with only 26 seconds to go. The Bulls couldn’t score again. The score finished at 72-67, resulting in another lastminute loss for UB.

Along with Stone, UB’s top scorers were fifth-year guard Jazmine Young (15 points) and fifth-year guard Zakiyah Winfield (14 points).

Sophomore guard Maddi Cluse led Miami with 20 points while fellow senior guard Peyton Scott had 16.

Miami proved to be clutch down the stretch, going 3-3 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. It was this accurate shooting that secured the RedHawks the victory, despite the Bulls being up for most of the game.

“It’s about who can do the hard things better in the crucial moments, and they did those better than us tonight,” Burke

said. “Some days it comes down to the last couple of plays, but there’s so many things that happened before that in the 40 minutes that we need to tighten up on and do better.”

The Bulls are also dealing with injuries and a limited roster which makes the team fatigued in the fourth quarter, but Burke emphasized that “it’s not an excuse.”

With only four games left to play, the Bulls are sitting just on the cusp of making the tournament at 10th in the conference. The Bulls play next at Eastern Michigan (13-12, 5-9 MAC) on Wednesday, a game that is crucial for the playoff hopes of both teams, as the Eagles currently sit one spot ahead of the Bulls at ninth in the conference. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

‘Nobody was expecting this from me’: Kiara Johnson on her return to basketball after having her son

Paul Hokanson / uB atHletics FiFth-year Forward Kiara Johnson manages being a mother while playing division-i basKetball