The Spectrum Vol. 68 No. 23

Page 1

THE SPECTRUM VOL. 68 NO. 23 | NOVEMBER 19, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950

UBSPECTRUM

UB should research, educate students on its difficult, historical past

p.3 p.11 p.8

Water you drinking? Survey shows drinking water across North Campus is safe to drink

BENJAMIN BLANCHET | THE SPECTRUM The Spectrum tested 94 different water fountains across North Campus. We found no significant water quality difference between regular fountains and water bottle fill stations.

KIRSTEN DEAN FEATURES EDITOR

Water from fountains around campus is H2Okay, according to a Spectrum study. Though the pH of water from some fountains fell below recommended U.S. Environmental Protection Agency levels, the water on North Campus was consistently safe to drink and free of harmful metals like lead, the study found. The Spectrum tested water quality from 94 drinking fountains for three days across North Campus, from Alumni Arena to the Natural Sciences Complex. We tested the water for total hardness, alkalinity, pH and the presence of free chlorine, iron, copper, lead, nitrates and nitrites on Nov. 7, 9 and 11. All of the fountains tested –– 94 of the roughly 245 on North Campus –– had hard water, meaning it contained a lot of minerals.

Hard water does not pose any health hazards and may in fact help contribute to important dietary calcium and magnesium, according to the National Research Council. Five fountains had very hard water. Seven fountains tested poorly for alkalinity, and 49 fountains had a pH below the EPA-recommended level. Seven fountains contained trace amounts

of chlorine. But all of the test results still indicate safe drinking water. A low pH sometimes indicates the presence of harmful metals but isn’t itself necessarily a sign of unsafe water, according to the > SEE WATER TESTING | PAGE 7

A guide for drinking on THanksgiving eve

Marveling over Marvel: Ph.D. candidate Richard Deverell’s journey to comic book research

Arrest made in hit-and-run collision at Hadley Village UPD arrests student responsible for collision NEWS DESK

University police made an arrest in the Nov. 1 hit-and-run collision Friday, roughly two weeks after the driver sent a 20-year-old student to the hospital in critical condition. UPD arrested Hannah Christensen, 20, a student from Clifton Park, New York, who lives in an off-campus apartment in Buffalo, according to a UPD press release. Christensen has been charged with leaving the scene of a serious injury accident without reporting, a class E felony. Renuka Ramanadhan, 20, an accounting major from Singapore, was in critical condition for six days in Erie County Medical Center following the accident at Hadley Village. She is now in stable condition, but it’s unknown if she’s > SEE HIT-AND-RUN | PAGE 6

President Tripathi More than a number: How UB responds to mental signs resolution health emergencies, concerns on campus health evaluations, as of Friday, according to protecting nonUPD Deputy Chief Joshua Sticht. citizen members The prevalence of mental health emergencies at UB, both in residence halls and beyond, of university reflects national trends, too. GRAPHIC BY PHUONG VU

MAX KALNITZ SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

UB President Satish Tripathi signed and announced his support for a Faculty Senate resolution protecting non-U.S. citizen members of the UB community from any legislation passed by the Trump administration. The resolution, signed on Nov. 9, will allow these students, faculty and staff to remain on campus to continue their studies or employment despite executive orders signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump’s signing of Executive Orders 13769 and 13780 “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” in January and March 2017 posed a threat to UB community members, especially those from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The resolution states that 122 students were affected by the order during the 2017 spring semester. The Spectrum reached out > SEE TRIPATHI | PAGE 6

BENJAMIN BLANCHET SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Nearly every day at UB’s Counseling Services office, mental health officials respond to a student in a state of crisis, university reports show. Although the number of crisis appointments and UB students admitted to hospitals has remained steady for the last four years, there is still a rise in counseling appointments

every year at UB. Mental health at UB is handled by a wide range of departments, from Campus Living to University Police. These officials receive various degrees of training to respond to mental health emergencies and overall wellness for UB students. So far this semester, UB Counseling Services scheduled 186 crisis appointments, as of Nov. 12. This year alone, UPD has reported 22 student transfers from Campus Living areas to Erie County Medical Center for mental

In April, the American Psychological Association found that more than a third of freshmen on college campuses face mental health concerns. The APA’s research found that roughly one fifth of its student participants were dealing with depression, while 18.6 percent were dealing with anxiety. Campus Living, which oversees residences halls and apartments at UB, requires paraprofessionals –– RAs, CAs and administrative staff –– to undergo a number of mental health-related trainings. Thomas Tiberi, director of Campus Living, said Counseling Services trains its staff in QPR (question, persuade, refer) suicide prevention. The training sessions can last for two hours, according to UB’s website. Tiberi said para-professionals also go through emergency, crisis and mental healthrelated training which other departments provide at UB, such as UPD. Para-professional training also includes roughly eight hours of Behind Closed Doors training featuring role-playing for situations > SEE MENTAL HEALTH | PAGE 5

HUMANS OF UB Follow us on social media to catch up with the series every Tuesday and Thursday.

HUMANS OF UB, A NEW SPECTRUM INTERVIEW SERIES, SHARES IMPACTFUL STORIES FROM THE LIVES OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.