ND DE EN PE DE T FP U IO VA EL RO S I,T Y AC TE B1U9F5F0A L O , S I N C E 1 9 5 0 T H E I N D E P E N D E NTTH E S TI U T NPDUEBNLTI CSATTUI O NN O TB HLEI CUANTI V EN R SO I TFY TAHTE BUUNFI F SIN
ubspectrum.com
Friday, MARCH 27, 2015
An alternative SA Assembly show creates
SPRING FEST
Into the deep Robert Ballard’s April talk to focus on past, present and future of deep-sea exploration CHARLES W SCHAAB
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
It took Dr. Robert Ballard less than two weeks to find the Titanic. The United States Navy funded a mission during the height of the Cold War to recover two nuclear powered submarines, the Thresher and the Scorpion, that were sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by the Soviet Union. But because of tensions between the two countries, the Navy needed a cover for their search, which ended up being to search for the RMS Titanic. But Ballard, an active duty Navy intelligence on the mission, had every intention of finding both the British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912, as well as the submarines. “[The Navy] said you need to do what we want you to do … and if you have any time left, which was 12 days, you can do whatever you want … I said I’m going to find the Titanic, and I did,” Ballard said. Ballard, now a professor of oceanography and the director of the Center for Ocean Exploration at the University of Rhode Island, will be speaking in Alumni Arena on April 1 as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. Ballard said the talk will cover the past, present and future of deep-sea exploration illustrated through his explorations. At 72 years old, Ballard has been exploring the ocean’s dark abyss since he was 17. He’s been on about 150 explorations, doing about three every year, and he is not finished yet, he said. Ballard said that discovering the Titanic in the summer of 1985 was “cool,” but the world already knew it “existed,” he said. “The real discoveries are when we’re looking for something and then we find something more important,” Ballard said. One of Ballard’s most important discoveries was the hydrothermal vents and chemosynthetic organisms living in a place no one knew existed, he said. SEE BALLARD, PAGE 2
Volume 64 No. 62
COURTESY OF FLICKR USER MATT ARENA
COURTESY OF FLICKR USER NEON TOMMY
COURTESY OF DANNY MARTINEZ
Artists Young the Giant (top), Banks (right), Bear Hands (left) and In the Valley Below will be performing at UB’s Spring Fest on May 2. TORI ROSEMAN
SENIOR ARTS EDITOR
Young the Giant, In the Valley Below, Banks, Bear Hands and Royal Tongues are performing at this year’s Spring Fest on May 2, the Student Association announced Wednesday night. The Windish Agency, the booking agency for In the Valley Below, broke the news early, announcing on its website that In the Valley Below would perform along with three other acts at SUNY at Buffalo, The Spectrum reported Wednesday morning. The alternative rock lineup is part of an effort by SA to diversify the genres of the groups that perform at UB, which was a response to a fall student survey. The Royal Tongues, a local band that recently released their first EP, Patterns and Shapes, will be opening the alt-rock-focused fest. “I don’t know a lot about alternative music, so I relied on [the SA Entertainment Director] and the booking agents for who to bring in,” said SA President James Ingram. “We had rap in the fall, and another thing that was highly rated in our polls was a rock show. We wanted to try to cover all our bases throughout the year, so rock seemed like the next logical choice.” This year’s Spring Fest is less than the cost of last year’s country-themed fest, where the SA spent about $190,000 on talent for The Band Perry, Gloriana and Citizen Cope. The budget for this year’s Spring Fest was about $195,000, according to Ingram. Because talent for the show cost about $161,000, the remainder of that money went to producing the EDM concert on April 17 featuring the Bingo Players and 3LAU, which he said cost just under
$90,000 in total. “I know the alternative music scene is big in Buffalo so this seems like the appropriate genre for this fest,” said Marlee Rothschild, a junior legal studies major. In the Valley Below – known most recently for their song “Peaches” – is a duo made up of vocalist Angela Gail and guitarist Jeffrey Jacob. The two met in Los Angeles where they both played in an experimental rock band. Their chemistry was undeniable, so they took on In the Valley Below as a separate project. Their sound is a combination of their differing backgrounds. While Jacobs is a southern boy who pulls his inspiration from the likes of Phil Collins, Gail found her inspiration while on a boat in the West Indies. This creates a folkcountry-classic-rock vibe mixed with heavy Memphis riffs. Young the Giant, who were The Jakes until 2009, is a rock band that’s been on the come up for the last few years. Their single “My Body” was released in 2011 and went on to peak at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 100. They played at the MTV awards the same year. The group’s latest album, Mind Over Matter, was released in 2014. Young the Giant has played with the likes of Steel Train and Incubus. The band’s sound is similar to that of the Cure and Muse with a cool, collected vibe. They embody alternative rock – softer, yet just as powerful as punk. “I really only know Young the Giant, but I’ll listen to some of the other artists before the show,” said Christina Swaitowy, a junior legal studies major. “I’m not going to pretend I know all the music, but I’m still excited for the show.” SEE SPRING FEST, PAGE 4
taskforce to review smokefree policy TOM DINKI
SENIORS NEWS EDITOR
Davis Podkulski said UBreathe Free, UB’s smoke-free campus policy, is a policy “in name only.” UB has not allowed smoking anywhere on its campus since 2010, but the university does not currently reprimand faculty, students or visitors for doing so. “You walk out of Capen [Hall] and go through a tunnel of smoke,” said Podkulski, a junior business administration major, before the Student Association Assembly Wednesday night. The SA Assembly voted to create a taskforce Wednesday to review the UBreathe Free policy and strategize with the university to “implement a realistic, enforceable smoking policy that considers every students’ rights and freedoms,” according to the official motion. Podkulski and Jack Oshei, a sophomore political science and history major, motioned to create the taskforce and Podkulski was elected chair of it. SA Assembly Speaker Melissa Kathan said it was great the assembly was taking the initiative on and it’s something that has been discussed throughout her time in SA. UB’s smoke-free policy is not unique among SUNY schools, as SUNY encourages and assists its 64 campuses “in moving toward the tobacco-free goal in the absence of legislation,” according to its website. It also provides funding for schools to go to conferences to learn how to become smoke-free. There was a bill to make it a SUNY-wide law that campuses are smoke-free, but it died in state legislature committee. Sharlynn Daun-Barnett, Wellness Education Services’ alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention specialist, educates people on the policy and said that more students have been asking her about the smokefree campus recently. Her office also provides a way for students to quit smoking. “I feel like if students had passion not to make it a healthy, clean campus, and respect smokers and nonsmokers alike, not make anyone feel bad, I think [a smoke-free campus] could really happen,” she said. SEE SMOKE-FREE, PAGE 4
Buffalo shows Hurley the money No contract finalized as of Thursday evening OWEN O’BRIEN
INVESTIGATIVE SPORTS REPORTER
Bobby Hurley coaches during the Bulls' 68-62 loss to West Virginia at NCAA Tournament held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
P A G E
2
Check out a rundown of Wednesday’s Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting
P A G E
5
UB Athletics is ready to make Bobby Hurley the highest paid men’s basketball coach in the Mid-American Conference. Hurley, who has been rumored to being courted by other programs such as DePaul and Arizona State, has been engaged in contract negotiations with Buffalo for the past three weeks, according to Deputy Director of Athletics Allen Greene. Hurley’s 2014 base salary was $255,770 and in 2013, his base salary was $250,000 but Hurley earned $336,669 according to the 2013-14 athletics budget. Greene acknowledged the rumors circulating about Hurley’s new Buffalo contract, but
Waging war: Students push for $15 minimum wage
P A G E
said Hurley has yet to sign a finalized deal. “I think it’s no surprise that he is a sought after candidate for other positions,” Greene said Wednesday. “He, in a very short time, has done something I say is pretty remarkable in terms of winning a conference championship and making the NCAA tournament in two short years.” Ohio University men’s basketball coach Saul Phillips leads the MAC with a $550,000 base salary per season. Hurley is still interviewing for other positions and hasn’t accepted UB’s offer. Greene understands the interest other universities have in Hurley and is prepared to compensate Hurley. “We feel like we’ve gotten to the point where we are making him the highest paid head coach in the conference and that’s something that he felt was important to him in terms of his accomplishments and we don’t disagree,” Greene said. “So that’s kind of where we stand now.” SEE HURLEY, PAGE 4
5
What wings should you eat before you graduate? Check out the Buffalo Bucket List