Vol. 61 NO. 6
ubspectrum.com
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Dark Sunday in Joplin “I remember standing where my cousin’s house used to be and I could taste drywall in the back of my throat,” she said. “There were people just in tears. I’m amazed my cousins are alive.”
MATTHEW PARRINO Editor in Chief UB student Sunday Moulton received a text message at 8 p.m. on May 22 that upended her life. “Have you heard from your mom? There’s been a tornado.” Moulton, 31, grew up in the Mid-West and knew about tornadoes, so she shrugged off the message. An hour later, she went online and her indifference turned to fear. Joplin, Mo. is where most of her family lives, and it had been flattened by an E-F5 grade tornado that hit at 5:34 p.m. Already, 24 people were known dead. Countless were injured. And many more were missing. Cars had crumpled like accordions. Buildings had collapsed like Legos with people inside. “When I saw the word multi-vortex [online], I actually got sick to my stomach,” Moulton said. “Those are the only tornados that I’m afraid of.” A multi-vortex tornado has several mini tornados wrapped in one destructive package. This one had three within its almost mile-wide jaws. It was one of a series of tornados that wound from Lake Superior to Central Texas. The Joplin tornado now ranks as the deadliest tornado since 1950, and is the seventh deadliest tornado in U.S. history. The survivors and the families of the victims face every day with a single question. Why? They also live haunted by one of life’s oldest and most perplexing questions: Was it luck or chance or destiny that determined their loved ones’ fates?
Continued on Page 8 and 9 Sunday Moulten recalls the disaster caused by the tornados in Joplin, MO.
Akari Iburi /// The Spectrum
The Impenetrable Spirit AKARI IBURI Senior Life Editor On March 31, 2011, one life took unexpected turn. As the Student Union roared with cheers from the triumphant VOICE Party, Daniel Ovadia, the Blue Party’s presidential candidate, remained humble in his defeat. Falling short by 781 votes, it slowly sank in to Ovadia that he would not be president of the Student Association for the following school year. But the disappointment at the loss of the election did not penetrate Ovadia’s persistent spirit. He inhaled a new air of confidence and took a long exhale of relief. “It was so stressful [but] it was a great learning experience. I knew I wasn’t going to win... but I still wanted to get my ideas out there,” Ovadia said. “I thought it was important to continue and raise awareness for things,”
Dan Ovadia hopes to leave a lasting impression on UB.
Meg Kinsley /// The Spectrum
The 23-year-old junior in the School of Management has a spirit fueled by the thrill of overcoming challenges. After graduating high school in 2006, Ovadia took a few years off to plunge into the work field before attending UB. For two years he worked at Armani Exchange in the Roosevelt Field Mall on his home turf in Long Island. He began at age 17, often times putting in longer hours than were permitted for a high school student. “Danny worked day and night,” said Stephanie Ovadia, Daniel’s mother and role model. “In fact one night, I woke up at four in the morning and saw his car not parked at the house. I was hysterical and drove to the mall, but sure enough there was Danny helping with inventory.” After being the youngest employee to achieve a $1.5 million sales record, Ovadia left Armani Exchange and dabbled in some investment banking before jumping to the
UB Political Parties Discuss Issues JOHN HUGAR Asst. News Editor Members of UB College Republicans don’t want to be labeled. “We’re not all Fox News Republicans,” said Kathryn Delong, president of UB College Republicans. “If you want to join a club where everyone agrees with you, this is not the club for you.” With the Republican Presidential candidates holding a key debate and President Obama giving a longawaited speech, there was much to discuss in the world of politics this week. As a result, UB’s College Republicans and College Democrats were not lacking topics at their weekly meetings. The UB College Republicans held its first meeting this past Wednesday. While several topics were discussed at the meeting, the 2012 presidential primary, and whom each club member deemed the best candidate, generated the most debate. A popular choice was Texas congressman, Ron Paul, whose libertarian views and anti-war stance struck a chord with several attendees.
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O l i v e r P u t s t h e Te a m o n H i s B a c k Tailback leads Bulls to victor y over Stony Brook in home opener
AARON MANSFIELD Senior Sports Editor His touchdown runs were dazzling. His speed? Breathtaking. Though seemingly all the hype surrounded Stony Brook’s impressive duo of running backs, it was Buffalo’s sophomore from Miami who really put on a show on Saturday. Branden Oliver’s 126 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries carried Buffalo to a 35-7 victory. Last year, Buffalo took on Division I-AA Rhode Island in its home opener. This Saturday, the Bulls opened home play with another I-AA team – Stony Brook. The Bulls won 31-0 last year. Early in the ballgame, the Seawolves sought to prove they wouldn’t be quite as easy. Unfortunately for Stony Brook, Oliver suited up for Buffalo. The seventh-largest crowd in UB Stadium history witnessed his dominant performance.
At 5-foot-8, Oliver doesn’t look that imposing. On Saturday, Stony Brook learned just how deceiving his size is. “If you look at [the game], the tell-all is the explosive plays by Branden Oliver,” said head coach Jeff Quinn. “Branden did a great job. He had a real solid night.” It didn’t take long for Buffalo to show it was superior to Stony Brook. On the first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Chazz Anderson hit sophomore tight end Alex Dennison on a 57-yard touchdown. “We talked about [the play] since Monday,” Dennison said. “I actually woke up about 5 a.m. this morning, thinking: ‘this ball’s going to come to me. I better be prepared to catch it and run.’” It was Dennison’s first career catch and one of two touchdowns tossed by Anderson, who finished with
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Weather for the Week: Monday: PM Showers - H: 79, L: 65 Tuesday: Scattered T-storms - H:79 L: 54 Wednesday: Few Showers - H: 68, L: 49
Branden Oliver (32) bullied the defender’s on his way to the first of three touchdown runs in UB’s win over Stony Brook.
Alexa Strudler /// The Spectrum
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