A Killer Revelation
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Vol. 61 NO. 37
ubspectrum.com
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Update: UB Says It Has No Record of Contribution to Collins LUKE HAMMILL Senior News Editor Last month, The Spectrum reported on $2,560 in illegal campaign donations from UB to Erie County Executive Chris Collins’ re-election campaign. UB officials said that The Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE, a part of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) made the donation.
Interim Provost Stenger Named Binghamton’s Next President Cancels interview with The Spectrum
Current Interim Provost Harvey Stenger was appointed as the next president of Binghamton University.
LUKE HAMMILL Senior News Editor Last week, the SUNY Board of Trustees approved University at Buffalo Interim Provost Harvey Stenger as the next president of Binghamton University, one of UB’s three peers as a SUNY “university center.” His term will begin on Jan. 1.
Courtesy of UB Reporter
Stenger actually wasn’t available at the previously scheduled time, and said she hoped to arrange a Tuesday afternoon phone interview between Stenger and The Spectrum. On Tuesday afternoon, she told The Spectrum that Stenger was too busy for the phone interview. A subsequent email from The Spectrum to Stenger was not returned.
On Monday, The Spectrum scheduled an inperson Tuesday interview with Stenger via the Office of the Provost, hoping to discuss Stenger’s new position and issues at UB, as it may have been the students’ last chance to speak with him.
The Office of the Provost, and a former Spectrum reporter who saw him in a Capen hallway, confirmed that Stenger was on campus on Tuesday afternoon.
But an office employee quickly canceled the in-person interview, informed The Spectrum that
“I am honored to have been chosen as Binghamton University’s next president,” the
The office provided a statement from Stenger.
statement reads. “On a personal level, my wife, Cathy, and I are excited about the opportunities ahead. At the same time, we’re sorry to leave so many wonderful colleagues and friends from UB and Tapestry Charter School. We’re grateful to these two communities for the support we’ve received from them during our years here. While our primary university allegiance may change from UB to ‘BU,’ UB and Buffalo will always be very special places for us.” Stenger’s wife, Cathy Frankenbach, is a teacher at Tapestry Charter School in Buffalo.
“In order to develop clients for our services, we are always networking in the community,” said TCIE Executive Director Timothy Leyh in an email last month. “My staff and I attend as many events as possible where we can make contacts and inform people about what we offer. Last spring, I bought tickets for a breakfast event, and a dinner, which I now realize were fundraisers for the Collins campaign. “At that time, I didn’t realize that our purchase would be regarded as a campaign contribution,” Leyh continued. “That was not my intent – I just wanted to attend the event so that we could do our usual networking. It was an honest mistake and one that I take responsibility for.” Numerous UB officials, including some at TCIE and others who have direct connections to TCIE, declined to reveal to The Spectrum the names or dates of the “breakfast” and “dinner” events or the staff members who attended them. On Tuesday, in response to a Nov. 1 Freedom of Information Law request from The Spectrum, UB Records Access Officer Brian T. Hines said in an email that the university has no documents that show the names and dates of the breakfast and dinner events, no documents that show the names of the staff members who attended, no documents that show transactions that in any other way resulted in the $2,560 in donations, and no documents that indicate that Collins’ campaign returned the money, as both a Collins official and UB officials claimed. Collins, a Republican, lost his re-election bid to Democratic challenger Mark Poloncarz at the beginning of the month.
” “ ” The Binghamton Pipe Dream reported that Stenger will receive a $510,000 pay package (which includes a $60,000 housing allowance)
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Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Turner Gill Axed by Jayhawks AARON MANSFIELD Senior Sports Editor The man who led the Bulls to the International Bowl in 2008 is a UB legend. But following a hasty exit at Kansas, now he’s an unemployed legend. Turner Gill was fired Sunday after he met with Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger. He led the Jayhawks to a 5-19 record in two years as head football coach. He took that job – a glamorous job, a job in a major conference, an upgrade – after three years of coaching at UB. He went 1-16 in the Big 12. There used to generally be an unspoken three-year rule for college football coaches. They get three
years to prove their worth before they’re disposable. Athletic Director Warde Manuel was asked if he thinks the rule still exists. “No,” Manuel said. “Traditionally, it’s probably more of an after four-year decision, but there have been several institutions over the past few years that have started to make decisions on coaches after their second, third year. And while I can’t speak to that, if it’s strictly based on wins and losses, I think it’s too soon. You need to give coaches an opportunity to build a program with their recruits and then determine
Courtesy of Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics, Source: The Spectrum Archives
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their fate in the four or five year period.”
Though he only went 20-30 in four years in Buffalo, he is held in such high regard because he turned around a terrible team. The Bulls went 8-49 under Jim Hofher, the head coach prior
East title in 2007 and 2008. He won MAC Coach of the Year in 2007. Gill wasn’t given the traditional three-year period, and some of his former players aren’t happy about it.
“Sure, I love what Turner did here and respect it greatly,” Manuel said. “If anything changes here in the future and an opportunity is here, I’ll definitely talk to him again and see if he’d want to come back.”
to Gill. Gill also recruited James Starks, Drew Willy, and Naaman Roosevelt. The Bulls won the Mid-American Conference
“I think [Kansas] didn’t give him enough time to get his players in there,” said former Bulls linebacker Justin Winters in an email. “[Kansas] let go a great coach.” Manuel, too, said he didn’t think Gill was given enough time. Lew Perkins, Zenger’s predecessor, hired Gill. He was given a five-year, $10-million dollar contract. He is still owed approximately $6 million.
He expected to be back, and said at a postseason press conference that the team had a harder road in front of it than he’d expected. He still
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UPD, Muslim Student Association, Others React to Car-Keying Incident SARA DINATALE Asst. News Editor On Monday, Nov. 21, The Spectrum reported a crime committed against a Muslim student named Thawab, who requested to have her last name remain anonymous. Her car was defaced with two swastikas and a penis; this was the third crime the senior English and political science major has experienced in her time at UB. She views all three of the incidents unquestionably as hate crimes. The University Police Department disagrees.
Email eic@ubspectrum.com to get more information and you could see your name on the front page “The university should be a safe and next semester!
Weather for the Week:
Wednesday: Rain/Snow/Wind- H: 40, L: 31 Thursday: Sunny- H: 44, L: 35 Friday: Few Snow Showers- H: 38, L: 26
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welcoming place for all people, and University Police are taking this incident very seriously,” said John Della Contrada, assistant vice president for media relations. “At this point in the University Police investigation, it is premature to categorize this incident as a hate crime because the motivation of the perpetrator is not known.” The incident isn’t considered a hate crime because of how New York State law defines hate crimes, according to Chief of University Police Gerald Schoenle. “[Determining it a hate crime] has to go by the intent of the person that does the act.” Schoenle said. “You
have to know the intent of the person to classify it as a hate crime. It’s a pretty high standard to meet.” The investigation remains open, and UPD encourages anyone who has information to contact the department. Schoenle identified this incident as “criminal mischief.” Without a witness, it will be difficult for the case to progress. Thawab’s biggest issue with UPD’s reaction was its decision not to send out an alert to the entire campus. The incident did not meet the appropriate criteria for a campus alert to be issued, according to Schoenle
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Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum
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