The Spectrum Vol. 66 No. 50

UBSPECTRUM.COM

THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2017

QASIM RASHID DISCUSSES ‘TRUE’ ISLAM AT UB P.4

MSA PRESENTS ‘EXPOSING RADICAL ISLAMOPHOBES’ PANEL P.5

UB’S BLACK FACULTY:

DWINDLING AND ISOLATED UB continues to experience significant decline in black faculty

ASHLEY INKUMSAH, THE SPECTRUM

Professor Henry Taylor sits in his office in Hayes Hall . Taylor, and other black faculty members feel they are undervalued at UB.

ASHLEY INKUMSAH SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Omar David has never had a black professor.

Most UB students haven’t.

UB’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website says the university prides itself on the diversity of its community. But black students and black faculty feel left out of the diversity conversation.

For years, UB has struggled to bring in

minority faculty. That is partially because black professors are demanding higher salaries because there are so few. UB does not have the money to compete with larger universities and offer higher pay.

UB also struggles to bring in black faculty because the few who are here feel undervalued.

And many who start here, leave, because they felt isolated. Often they were the only black people working in their departments.

Or they felt the university didn’t put enough

“The whole premise that Spencer was starting off from was inherently very biased. He got up there and he coal mined some texts here and there and tried to portray some narrative against Muslims,”

VOLUME 66 NO. 50

LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS P.10

money, time or resources into black studies.

And students – many of whom come to UB for its diverse student population – feel discouraged because almost none of their professors look like them.

In a city as diverse as Buffalo and at a time when racial tensions are exploding across the nation, students say they expect more racial equality from UB. Black people make up 38.6 percent of the Buffalo population, according to the U.S. Census. Yet as of fall 2015, out of 2,513 faculty at UB, only 98 were black, according to UB Spokesperson John Della Contrada. That’s 3.8 percent. Out of those 98, only 41 were tenure track, which brings the total down to 1.6 percent.

David, a senior biological sciences major, feels having a black professor would have been inspirational. He thinks he would have aspired for greater leadership roles at UB if he had seen someone who looked like him and shared the same struggles achieve success.

But David never got his wish.

In the past 10 years, black faculty have continued to leave the university. Data from Teresa Miller, vice provost for Equity and Inclusion shows black faculty continued to decline from 2005 to 2015.

Miller has spent the last three years trying to recruit faculty of color. Faculty acknowledge Miller has worked hard, but say the university as a whole needs to take more responsibility in hiring black faculty.

Della Contrada said the university employs 202 state-supported staff “the second-largest race/ethnicity group, after whites for staff.”

“So that’s basically janitors and Campus Dining food workers…” David said. “That doesn’t make the lack of black faculty any better, if anything that makes it worse because it’s just placing more black people in more marginalized menial work.”

Gray areas

UB’s photo policy concerns students MAX KALNITZ SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

Like many excited freshmen, Michael Kuczkowski hurriedly clicked through all the rules and regulations on the UB website so he could complete his enrollment process for the start of the Fall 2016 semester.

It was a giddy time for him. He was excited to sign up for his political science major, explore UB’s numerous clubs and start his college experience.

As he scrolled through and rapidly hit “accept,” he never considered what powers he was granting UB or that he was – as UB argues – giving the university the right to use his image.

“I just clicked the ‘I accept’ box and didn’t click on any other links to read about UB’s policies,” Kuczkowski said.

“Filling out all that paperwork is tedious and I think most people don’t pay attention to what they’re actually agreeing to.”

Among the rules and regulations every freshman clicks and has to accept is the following statement: “Photographs of University events and members of the campus community are taken regularly, and are subsequently displayed in various media. If you do not want your picture used in this manner, please advise the photographer.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

A CAMPUS DIVIDED STORY ON PAGE 2

- Yousuf Zubairi, senior computer sciences major

"You can't come to a place like this and not listen to what someone has to say and then automatically say 'no, I don't like it,'" -Kevin Wall, a freshman electrical engineering major

"Students have every right to oppose [Robert Spencer's] views and student groups have every right to bring him here on campus,"

- Teresa Miller, vice provost for Equity and Inclusion

ubspectrum.com

KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM

(top left) MSA holds sit-in before Robert Spencer’s speech. (top right) UPD tries to keep students from entering Knox Hall. (bottom left) UB College Republicans take photos of Dr. Otham Shibly. (bottom right) Robert Spencer takes photos of the crowd in Knox Hall.

fb.com/ubspectrum

@ubspectrum

2

NEWS

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

A CAMPUS DIVIDED Robert Spencer’s visit met with chaos and opposition from UB community ASHLEY INKUMSAH AND SARAH CROWLEY SENIOR NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Robert Spencer couldn’t speak for more than 30 seconds without students shouting and cursing at him on Monday night.

Spencer planned to speak to students about “the dangers of jihad in today’s world” but constant heckling from the crowd made it near impossible for him to complete a full sentence. Spencer, a selfproclaimed expert on radical Islam, runs a website called Jihad Watch.

Students called Spencer things like a “Nazi, “Trump Jr.” and a “pseudo-intellectual,” and most of his hour-long speech was inaudible. Spencer seemed unfazed as students shouted over him and he responded, calling the crowd “uninformed fascists.”

Students who were anti-Spencer and proSpencer attended the event. In the end, many students left feeling little had been accomplished for either side.

“I think what ends up happening in debates like this where there’s different people who feel very strongly about different things, instead of seeing the other side’s perspective is they strengthen their own perspective,” said Fiza Ali, senior finance major.

Hundreds of students and faculty were unable to get into Knox 109, which only fits 200 people. University Police said the room reached its full capacity and letting more people in would be a fire hazard.

Students banged on the door chanting “let us in” as UPD struggled to contain the rowdy students. The officers were flustered and visibly unprepared for the unruly crowd. Two officers searched their phones

to find laws to cite to students about why they couldn’t get in.

But many people weren’t surprised with this outcome.

When Spencer’s visit was announced it immediately caused a firestorm across the university and posed questions about the implications of free speech.

Although Student Association did not pay for Spencer to speak, thousands of students and faculty petitioned for SA to remove its logo from flyers about Spencer’s visit and many demanded his visit be canceled all together. Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) invited Spencer for the club’s first official event.

Despite the outcries of discontent from the UB community, Spencer still spoke. He entered Knox 109 to a swarm of boos and middle fingers from the crowd.

Spencer held a thumbs up with a grin on his face and took his phone out to record people booing him.

“I was invited to speak whether you like that or not,” Spencer said.

When Spencer agreed to debate anyone, he was met with a roaring applause.

Students asked him a wide range of questions, such as, what the central tenets of Islam were, what measures the military should take to defend against terrorism and if white men contributed to U.S. terrorism.

Midway through every answer, someone interrupted.

YAF Chairwoman Lynn Sementilli repeatedly asked students to quiet down as they interrupted Spencer while he tried to answer questions.

Before Spencer’s speech, Muslim Student Association held a peaceful sit-in as students gathered on the ground floor of Knox Hall. Roughly 80 students and faculty members showed sol-

KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM

Dr. Otham Shibly and students attend Robert Spencer’s speech in Knox Hall Monday evening.

idarity for Muslims while some prayed.

“This is our narrative, our voice being stripped from us, and we demand to take it back,” said MSA President Samiha Islam.

“Spencer and his followers have never been impacted by Islamophobia, we have. More Muslims have been harmed and killed by ISIS than any other group in the world. We vociferously denounce terrorism at every junction, hundreds of times publicly and privately and declare this is not what Islam represents.”

Kadija Mohammed, a sophomore undecided major, said she was disappointed that the university allowed Spencer to speak.

“I was shocked that there weren’t any moves by the school to stop him from coming, considering he’s banned from the U.K., like you have to be pretty bad to be banned from the U.K., if the queen doesn’t want to see your face, that’s a bad day,” Mohammed said.

Spencer spent a large portion of his speech reading from the Quran.

He read a part of Quran about gays and lesbians that referred to them as “adulterers,” and the crowd erupted in boos and cursed at him.

Sementilli said she expected the crowd to ask “tough questions,” but didn’t expect the crowd to impede on the dialogue.

“They are responsible for their own ac-

tions, obviously we can’t control what anybody does,” she said. “It would have been nice if they would’ve been more respectful to the speaker and participated in a more productive dialogue.”

Both Luciana Sena, a senior legal studies major and Jared Armitage, a junior political science major, feel conservative perspectives aren’t heard on campus.

“It’s kind of an ongoing discussion here with the more conservative or Republican groups on campus that our free speech is often suppressed and I think that we saw that here today by not allowing one side of the discussion to speak,” Sena said.

UPD Chief of Police Gerald Schoenle wished more university staff were present at the event to contain the disruptive crowd of students who were unable to get in. He said the university will try to hold future potentially chaotic events in bigger venues like the Student Union Theater or Alumni Arena.

“Overall, well nobody got hurt, the points were heard on both sides so from that perspective so from that point of view it went OK,” Schoenle said. emails: ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com

3

OPINION

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF

Gabriela Julia

MANAGING EDITOR

Tori Roseman

With free speech comes consequences Where does UB draw the line on guest speakers?

COPY EDITORS

Saqib Hossain Emma Medina Margaret Wilhelm Grace Trimper NEWS EDITORS

Hannah Stein, Senior Ashley Inkumsah, Senior Maddy Fowler, Asst.

FEATURES EDITORS

Sarah Crowley, Senior Lindsay Gilder, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS

Max Kaltnitz, Senior David Tunis-Garcia Benjamin Blanchet, Asst.

SPORTS EDITORS

Michael Akelson, Senior Daniel Petruccelli, Asst.

Thomas Zafonte, Asst.

PHOTO EDITORS

Kainan Guo, Senior Angela Barca Troy Wachala, Asst.

CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Pierce Strudler Martina LaVallo, Asst.

Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Helene Polley

ADVERTISING MANAGERS

Priyanshi Soni ADVERTISING DESIGNERS

Alexa Capozzi

THE SPECTRUM Thursday, May 4, 2017 Volume 66 Number 50 Circulation 4,000 The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length.

If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address.

For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100

Monday night was full of chaos, thanks to the appearance of Robert Spencer.

Young Americans for Freedom brought the self-proclaimed expert in radical Islam to campus.

The event raises many questions: what are the consequences of bringing a controversial speaker to campus? What can be learned for bringing future speakers?

Many students attended to earnestly hear Spencer’s views even though they were hostile about his visit, while others came to stop him from speaking.

When inviting speakers to campus, we must consider the following – are they inflammatory? Are they looking to educate students, or incite riots? Is it fair to bring in this particular person without inviting someone of the opposite ideology?

A clear divide was apparent between students who were willing to hear him speak and those who incited harshness.

This tension remains on campus.

Student organizations must think about who they are bringing to campus and what they are hoping to accomplish. Many students feel Spencer stands for hate speech and bigotry – more than 1,000 students signed a petition to stop the speaker from coming to UB. We must stop to think when does free speech become hate speech and should administration have any role in stepping in if this line is crossed?

If nothing was said and learned from the event, what was its true purpose?

We at The Spectrum strongly believe in free speech but question was what gained from the event if no information was passed on or discussion had.

There are more productive ways

CARTOON BY MICHAEL PERLMAN

to foster discussion. For example, debate style discourse may be more informative for students. If Robert Spencer and Qasim Rashid debated about Islam in front of students rather than holding two separate events, it would create an environment in which students who align with both sides could have moderated discussion. In this scenario, both sides of the argument are given an opportunity to have their voices heard.

Watch the throne LeBron James is coming to dethrone Michael Jordan

JEREMY TORRES STAFF WRITER

If LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA finals this year, James will be the greatest NBA player of all time.

However, if he loses, he will never be in the same breath as Michael Jordan. This is coming from a person who absolutely hates James.

But man, can he play basketball.

Jordan has six championships, including two separate three-peats.

James has three championships, two in back-to-back campaigns.

If he wins this year, that would be another pair of back-to-back championship seasons for him.

Despite James’ playoff success, making it to the finals for six straight years, he still has more

championship losses than he does wins. Winning this year would put him at four wins and four losses.

For many, this is a major hole in James’ legacy.

Jordan never lost a championship game, let alone went through a full seven game series. When Jordan was on the court, no player could match his pedigree, let alone his teammates. Yet for James, he often utilizes to his teammates.

For instance, in last year’s finals, it wasn’t James who hit the big shots to close out the series in game seven – it was Kyrie Irving, hitting a dagger on Klay Thompson.

To refer back to his time in Miami, James didn’t win a championship until he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. How could someone – who couldn’t even win on his own – be better than Jordan?

Here is how: James carried the Cavaliers to back-to-back championships, defeating arguably the greatest team in NBA history, the Golden State Warriors.

This season, the Warriors have completely dominated the league.

The team won a league high of 67 games, down from 73 wins the season prior. Yet, the Warriors are even better than they were last year.

We at The Spectrum also believe it is on administration to be more handson with this issue – instead of lounging outside of the protest, it is their responsibility to create a safe environment for educational purposes.

When reporters for The Spectrum cover these sorts of events, we look to speak to both sides of the argument. On Monday, we spoke to both YAF and the MSA. It is our responsibility to report the facts, but also to create and express the

dialogue of the event. It becomes difficult for us to report on a speaker who doesn’t have the opportunity to make his point or ostracizes an entire group of people.

Free speech is important. Sharing ideas is important. Education is important.

None of this is accomplished when an inflammatory speaker comes to campus to stir the pot.

If you pay attention to basketball and don’t live under a rock, then you know Kevin Durant, arguably the second-best player in the league behind James, joined the Warriors. The second-best player in the league joined the greatest regular season team in the history of the NBA. Scary.

The Warriors didn’t stop with Durant. The team added veterans to help round out a roster that already had a bench unit that could compete with most starting five in the league, led by Andre Iguodala, who won a NBA finals MVP award in 2015, which was against James and the Cavaliers.

To understand the gravity of this team, let’s look at the Warriors roster even further. In addition to former MVP in Kevin Durant, they have a two-time MVP in Stephen Curry, who is an all-star shooting guard. The team also has a potential top five shooter in Klay Thompson and an all-star, defensive maestro in Draymond Green.

There is not a team in league history that has had a lineup from top to bottom like this.

The Warriors are only getting better as the season progresses.

Durant missed the tail end of the NBA season and the beginning of the playoffs with a sprained MCL. As he assimilates back into the lineup, the Warriors are going to improve. Improving a team that has lost only one game since March 14 without their best play-

er seems impossible, yet that is the reality of this super team.

There is no point in trying to find a way the Jazz, Rockets, or Spurs can beat the Warriors in the West. The only challenge for them will come when they face James and the Cavs.

Getting ahead of myself ?

The Cavs too have no real competition in the East. Regardless of the playoff seeding, the Cavaliers are by far the best team in the east. The Celtics’ may have won the top seed, but everyone knows the Cavs kick it up a gear in the playoffs and for James, the regular season is futile.

The Cavaliers have three allstars themselves, but besides James, Kyrie Irving isn’t even a top five player at his position. Kevin Love is great, but he isn’t a top tier star either – he’s a third fiddle on a team that often lacks the offense scheme that Love needs to thrive.

For the Cavs to beat the Warriors, James needs to carry this team. He must show why he is the best player in the league. To beat possibly the greatest team ever assembled with a team that has much less assets than his opponents would elevate him to god status in basketball.

He is aware of this and so is the rest of the basketball world.

Nobody thinks James can win this year. Yet, everyone expects him to.

email: eic@ubspectrum.com

email: sports@ubspectrum.com

4

NEWS

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

Qasim Rashid discusses ‘true’ Islam at UB

Former Harvard Fellow of Islamic Studies discusses misconceptions about Islam MADDY FOWLER AND DANIEL PETRUCCELLI ASST. NEWS EDITOR AND ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Qasim Rashid believes there’s a philosophy in media that “if it bleeds, it leads.”

He thinks because Robert Spencer’s speech on Monday was more sensationalized, it garnered more attention. Rashid’s event, by contrast, was smaller, quieter and more peaceful.

Approximately 125 people attended the event and 20 people left after Rashid’s lecture.

“Unfortunately, that has dominated our media lives – what’s going to get more clicks, what’s going to get more views,” Rashid said. “I think that’s why people left.

If I spoke up there about how Sharia law is coming and Muslims are taking over, I guarantee you we would have had more.”

Rashid was the featured speaker at an event called “True Islam: A Response to Islamophobes and Terrorists Everywhere,” which took place in 106 O’Brian Tuesday night. Rashid is a civil rights attorney, former Harvard University Fellow of Islamic Studies and Amazon bestselling author. The event aimed to promote what “true” Islam stands for, Rashid said.

“If I were to say that tomorrow 1,000 Muslims are going to donate blood to save lives, it might get a blurb,” Rashid said. “But if I were to say one Muslim is going to yell ‘Allah Akbar’ on a plane and do something and not even say what it is, there would be like a 24-hour news coverage.”

He is not interested in “falsehoods and propaganda,” but rather what he calls the

KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM

Qasim Rashid speaks to students in O’Brian Hall on Tuesday evening. Rashid discussed the misconceptions about Islam.

proven model of true Islam. He challenges people to give him all the propaganda they want, and he will respond with this model to explain his point of view.

“Not just fear mongering, meritless garbage that only serves to divide us and create fear,” Rashid said.

He said Muslims are “pure, honest, noble and good-hearted” people.

Rashid said his Muslim community is united by a “true” khalifa who believes in separation of mosque and state, gender equality, universal human rights and religious freedom, referring to the leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Khalifa Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

Rashid spoke about the importance of women in the founding of Islam. He said women are equal to men, citing a part of Sharia that states all the money a man makes belongs to his wife and she gets to keep all of the money she makes.

Sharia is the moral code by which Muslims live, according to Rashid. He said it is no different than canon law for Catholics or

halakha for Jews. The belief that those who do not believe in Islam are killed per Sharia is a falsehood spread by “corrupt clerics” and “Islamophobes,” according to Rashid.

He also addressed misconceptions about Jihad. He said Jihad has been depicted

by Islamophobes as “forceful conversion through any means necessary,” but it refers to any kind of struggle. Trying to ace exams, lose weight, or fighting cancer are all forms of engaging in Jihad, according to Rashid.

“The speaker last night was promoting ISIS ideology on campus. He was essentially their spokesperson. That’s how dangerous this rhetoric is,” Rashid said.

Rashid explained that there are two narratives being written right now: one says that people are so different from one another that one person’s success depends on the other’s failure.

The first narrative helps people gain attention, Rashid said.

“The other narrative, the one where we come together – there’s no money to be made. There’s no fame, there’s no fortune, there’s a lot of ridicule and a lot of harass-

ment behind it as well,” Rashid said.

Rashid also addressed hate speech and he said it is best combated through education, dialogue and rational discourse.

“If you want to take everything that Islam teaches, every philosophy that Islam has and summarize into one word, it’s to read.

It’s to recite. Emphasizing education, investigation, contemplation, reflection, insight, critique,” Rashid said.

He discussed Khalifa Ahmad’s ideology that Jihad should be performed with the pen instead of the sword.

He emphasized the importance of open dialogue on both sides of the debates and said criticism of Islam is not Islamophobia as long as it is presented respectfully.

“Criticism of the prophet of Islam is not Islamophobia and I will fight tooth and nail with Muslims who claim it is. But launching insults against the prophet of Islam and thinking that that is an engaged dialogue and bringing about peace is foolishness,” he said.

During his Q&A, Rashid said no question is off-limits, no matter how taboo or politically incorrect it might seem, in the interest of fostering an open dialogue.

“My only request is that if you ask a question, you must be invested in the answer,” Rashid said. “Even if that requires reading a book. And you laugh because it sounds so simple, but I can’t tell you how many people send me a question, and I send them an article or book to read and they’ll say ‘no if you can’t answer it in a Tweet, it means you’re wrong.”

He also addressed homophobia in Islam.

He said while Islam states that marriage is between a man and a woman, discrimination against gay people is against the teachings of the Quran.

“The idea that there should be any discrimination or hatred or persecution of somebody because they’re gay is completely un-Islamic. If a gay person were to come to our mosque, they would be welcomed with open arms,” Rashid said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

“A must see!”

— Broadway World

Connecting Heaven and Earth GREAT MOT

G IF T S DAY ’ R E H

IDE A

ALL-NEW 2017 SHOW WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA 30-COUNTRY WORLD TOUR

“Epic! One of the greatest performances ever existing on the planet!”

“Exquisitely beautiful.

An extraordinary experience for us and the children.”

—Arion Jay Goodwin, veteran music producer

— Cate Blanchett, Academy Award–winning actress

“I came here to drink Shen Yun’s beauty as deeply as I could.”“I was in heaven, having the most beautiful, exquisite, and enjoyable time I’ve had for the whole years.”

“So inspiring. I think I may have found some ideas for the next Avatar movie.”

— Robert Stromberg, Academy Award–winning production designer

— Helen Cons, painter

“This show was dramatic, dynamic, energetic and very creative, I was very, very impressed by all the energy on the stage and also the beauty of the great stage and also the beauty of the great Chinese tradition... It touches something beautifully spiritual in all of us.”

— His Eminence Cardinal Donald Weurl

Shea’s Buffalo Theatre 646 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14202

Added New Show

May 5, Fri May 6, Sat May 6, Sat May 7, Sun

7:30p.m.

2:00p.m.

7:30p.m.

2:00p.m.

“This is my 6th time. This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen on stage. For people who haven’t seen this show...... They have no idea what they’re missing until they come here and see the show.”

— Joe Heard, former White House Photographer

Last Call

THE SHOW START TOMORROW

Ticket Price: $73 – $153 Online: ShenYun.com/Buffalo TicketMaster: 1.800.745.3000 Presenter Hotline: 1.877.519.0905

5

NEWS

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

Muslim Student Association presents ‘Exposing Radical Islamophobes’ panel Civil rights lawyer and psychology professor discuss misconceptions about Islam MADDY FOWLER ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Hassan Shibly believes people are more likely to get struck by lightning than be killed by a terrorist who calls himself Muslim.

Shibly, a civil rights lawyer, UB alumnus and director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), was one of two panelists for an event entitled “Exposing Radical Islamophobes: Breaking Down the Misinformation of Robert Spencer.” The event was hosted by the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and also featured Dr. Katharina Azim, a professor in UB’s psychology department. Roughly 200 people attended the event, which took place in Norton 112 on Wednesday evening.

Azim and Shibly discussed misconceptions about Islam and addressed points made by Robert Spencer in his Monday speech at UB. Shibly thinks Islamophobia is manufactured by “hate profiteers” and believes it undermines liberty, freedom of speech and safety.

A hate profiteer is someone who makes money off of hateful rhetoric based on double standards and information taken out of context, Shibly said. He feels Robert Spencer is a hate profiteer. These individuals promote the same lies about Muslims that were made about Jews in Germany 70 years ago, Shibly explained.

“If you compare Nazi quotes about Jews and Spencer’s quotes about Muslims, it is almost verbatim. It’s the same hate with a different target,” Shibly said.

He feels people like Spencer are a threat to democracy and liberty.

“When I hear Spencer say that Islam should be illegal, I hear him saying my religion should

be outlawed... and what I hear him saying is that he will chip away at the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Shibly said.

Therefore, Shibly concluded, he is not just defending his faith; he is actually defending his country.

“When we start chipping away at certain people’s rights, we start chipping away at the Constitution, and then we all lose our rights – today it’s this group, tomorrow it’s that group,” Shibly said.

He also feels it is a violation of First Amendment rights when government officials and police officers question Muslims about their faith. He feels such questioning undermines Americans’ safety because officials become so focused on profiling Muslims they miss out on actual criminals.

Shibly described a time his family was selected for random questioning at the U.S./ Canadian border.

“Random means they saw your headscarf,” Shibly said he remarked to his mother as they were pulled aside into a room of 40 or so people – all of whom were Muslim.

“I swore I was in a mosque,” Shibly said.

The group was held “like criminals” for six hours. During that time, a white American man got through the border with no issue, and ended up killing people in Canada.”

Shibly made it clear that Muslims condemn violence.

“Every group, whether it is a political group or a religious group, has people who do crazy things,” Shibly said. “Mainstream, moderate, humane individuals of all different religions and political thought have a lot more in common with each other than people who claim to share their faith.”

MADDY FOWLER, THE SPECTRUM

(right)Civil rights lawyer Hassan Shibly addresses misconceptions about Islam. (left)UB psychology professor Dr. Katharina Azim discusses microaggressions and the mischaracterization of Muslims in the media.

Between 1980 and 2005, 7 percent of terrorism was committed by people who claimed to be Jewish, 6 percent was done by people who call themselves Muslim, and “double digits” terror acts were committed by people calling themselves Christian, Shibly said.

Shibly also clarified the definition of Sharia Law, which he said means “path to water.” It is not a specific, monolithic code and is open to debate and interpretation. Sharia aims to protect religion, life, intellect, honor and property, just as the Constitution does, he said. It forbids forcing religious practices and beliefs on non-Muslims.

Praying five times a day and honoring one’s mother is what Sharia looks like for the average Muslim. Dishonoring family is the greatest sin, he said.

He explained that Jihad means “to struggle,” and can mean a struggle with one’s own ego, such as working to become less arrogant, or a struggle to defend the oppressed.

Shibly addressed Spencer’s right to speak at UB. “Even though I dramatically disagree with inviting Spencer, I think he has a right to speak. I just don’t think he deserves a platform like the University at Buffalo,” Shibly said.

He feels inviting Spencer to UB is no different than inviting a Nazi.

“Just as I wouldn’t invite a Nazi or a member of the KKK, I certainly wouldn’t invite

Spencer,” Shibly said.

He feels the line between free speech and hate speech is inciting violence.

“Hateful rhetoric is not cost free and has led to a dramatic increase in hate crimes,” Shibly said.

However, he said he was disappointed that Spencer’s speech was disrupted. He fees it would have been more productive to have a discussion.

“We should not be afraid to let people speak but also challenge them and be driven not by arrogance and a desire to win debates but a desire to unite our community,” Shibly said.

He said the best way to challenge Islamophobia is through service. He said recent efforts by the Muslim community to raise thousands of dollars for the Jewish community after a string of hate crimes against Jewish synagogues cemeteries are an example of this type of service.

Azim addressed the portrayal of Muslims in the media. She said men are portrayed as violent and women are shown as inferior.

“This is essentialized, a caricature and erases reality,” she said. “When we remove the humanity, people are perceived as simplistic, not as whole beings.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Imani Roache ’15, MS ’16 Math Support Teacher Tapestry Charter School

UB Student Remembrance Ceremony

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER IN EDUCATION

A CEREMONY TO REMEMBER OUR STUDENT FRIENDS WHO PASSED AWAY IN 2016-2017

Remembering our students with grateful appreciation Canisius College is the smart move for

Ilyas Abdulle

teachers with initial certification who

William Boatwright Zin Lynn Htoo Anthony King Josiah Matthew Matthew Morris Justin Romaniuk Alexander Saldarriaga

want to advance their careers. We

Friday, May 12, 2017 11 am Student Union Theater University at Buffalo (North Campus)

Dedication & luncheon immediately following ceremony.

offer 13 CAEP-accredited professional and advanced certificate programs in education, including several that can be completed 100% online. Connect with an admissions counselor and let us help you find the program that’s right for you.

Master’s & Certificate Programs

Bilingual Advanced Certificate* Deaf Education Differentiated Instruction Educational Leadership & Supervision* Education Technologies & Emerging Media* Literacy B-6* Literacy 5-12* Physical Education* School Building Leader (SBL)* School District Leader (SDL)* Special Education TESOL* TESOL Advanced Certificate* *Available Online

SUMMER CL ASSES BEGIN MAY 22

All are welcome.

Learn more at canisius.edu/graded.

6

NEWS

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

UB’S BLACK FACULTY:

DWINDLING AND ISOLATED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Addressing black issues The number of black faculty at UB is “beyond disgraceful,” said urban and regional planning professor Henry Taylor.

Taylor said the university’s failure to do something about the lack of black faculty is a form of systemic racism. Such failure, he said “under develops” the black community by not allowing the African American studies program to evolve.

“The African American people were people that this country had a special responsibility to in the sense that they had been brought here as slaves, stolen from their country, imprisoned on their homeland and brought here to work,” Taylor said. “The university has a huge responsibility to [us] and I think the university has failed in a very miserable way.”

Taylor said black people get nothing, “absolutely zero” for suffering as a result of slavery.

When Taylor first came to UB in 1987, one of the university’s priorities was addressing issues black people faced, he said.

He was hired at the university specifically to help design a public service infrastructure that would connect the university to a larger urban community. He addressed these issues with then-UB President William Greiner and visited his house so often people thought he was Greiner’s relative.

Taylor also helped redevelop the University Plaza area, located across from South Campus.

He said administrators slowly began to feel race was too divisive of an issue and thought it needed to be minimized. Taylor said he was among the minority who felt race needed to be grappled with, talked about and placed at the forefront of university discussions.

Taylor said the university often boasts about its diversity by placing minority groups like Asians in the forefront so the campus looks diverse.

“There is no diversity because the university no longer has the commitment to dealing with the exploitation and oppression of

STUDENT BODY TOTAL STUDENTS: 28,444* WHITE

14113 INTERNATIONAL

4859 ASIAN

3518 BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN

1881 UNKNOWN

1692 HISPANIC/LATINO

1674

2 OR MORE RACES

black people,” Taylor said. “In the old days, we used to call that window dressing, when you get enough black people around just to say ‘there they are,’ but that’s not authentic and that’s not legitimate.”

Lack of blacks vs Buffalo demographics Blacks are the second-largest ethnic group in Buffalo, second only to whites, who hold a 50.4 percent majority.

“We live in a city that’s close to 50 percent black and Latinx, and yet we have not a single major initiative that’s focused on that,” Taylor said. “We have a Global Health Equity Institute that doesn’t even have a focus on the African American population.”

Taylor said despite the high concentration of blacks, the university continues to prioritize addressing refugee and immigrant issues over black issues.

“And my response is ‘seriously?’ Why don’t you try moving the health equity needle in Buffalo? And why would you ever focus on the refugee population and not have a focus on the African American population whose health indicators are horrendous?

Who face an enormous level of inequities in comparison to whites and they don’t even make your cut? Seriously people?” he said.

Taylor said there has been a dramatic decline in tenure-track black faculty in the past 25-30 years and the university continues to lose the small number of tenure-track faculty embedded on the campus.

“When you talk about faculty... the only thing that counts in a really meaningful way – and I don’t wanna disparage anyone – are those individuals who are full time and on tenure track because unless you’re full time and on tenure-track lines, you’re not providing instructional activities that are leading to degrees,” he said.

Taylor said the U.S. has a responsibility to create opportunities for black people to achieve their larger freedoms.

These larger freedoms, he said, aren’t the same as small freedoms like the right to vote, the right to speak or the right of social mobility.

“The larger freedoms are our human rights. The right to a high-quality education.

The right to an employment that allows us to earn a livable wage. The right to live in safe and wholesome neighborhoods. The right to have high quality health care. The right to have nutritious food. These are our human rights. And education is an anchor human right. So that is the right that we have not yet been given or granted,” he said.

Faculty members who are not of color like transnational studies Professor Carl Nightingale agree that the lack of black faculty is a problem.

Nightingale said the university hasn’t done an adequate job of retaining faculty of color and the transnational studies department continues to lose more minority faculty. He said retaining more faculty of color should be a “major institutional priority.”

Recruitment of black faculty The desperate need for the university to find a solution that brings in more faculty of color is an issue that keeps Teresa Miller up at night.

She has a daughter who’s a freshman in college and she evaluates diversity through her eyes. She worries that UB students of color don’t have enough professors who look like them.

As a black woman, in her role, she says people expect her to have a certain level of insight on issues facing people of color.

They expect her to bring her own racial experiences to the table to help increase the university’s diversity.

2,513* FACULTY atUB

WHITE 63% HISPANIC

1.6%

88

NATIVE HAWAIIAN

23 *ALL DATA AS OF FALL 2015 GRAPHICS BY PIERCE STRUDLER

1.8%

BLACK

2.6%

AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE 0.4% MULTIPLE RACES 0.1%

23.8%

ASIAN

6.6% 202 STATE-SUPPORTED STAFF UNIVERSITY COULD NOT PROVIDE EXACT NUMBERS ONLY PERCENTAGES

She doesn’t think the resolve to hire black of Institutional Analysis. faculty has wavered, but UB’s strategy to Miller doesn’t agree that the university’s hire them has changed in the last 30 years in commitment to hiring diverse faculty has light of widespread criticisms of initiatives shifted; she says the commitment has only like affirmative action. gotten stronger.

Because of this, she says the university “I don’t agree that our commitment is can’t use race as the sole criteria of hiring. much less today, I think our commitment “The legal definition of affirmative action has grown. This office being created and bechanged in the last 30 years, so there’s been ing staffed and built out. That’s a commitan attack on the way race gets used in the ment, it’s a commitment of resources to rehiring process so we’ve had to change the ally make a difference,” she said. hiring process of people of color,” she said.

The university responded by changing its How lack of black faculty affects students strategies for minority faculty recruitment.

The lack of diversity isn’t just limited to Miller carved out a 10-step “strategic faculty; it also extends to the student body. plan” to hire more culturally diverse staff.

Out of 28,444 UB students, only 1,881 stuThe plan encourages the university to ad- dents are black. vertise for positions in arStudents of color yearn eas with more people of to see people who look color to gain more di“In the current political like them teaching in the verse applicant pools classroom. Many students and take part in minori- climate, where you go said they grew used to bety cluster hiring. It advis- to school does make ing the only black people es to reduce hiring barriin their classes, but they ers against people of col- a difference but it’s found it puzzling that or by training faculty to difficult wherever you many African American eliminate implicit biases. studies professors at UB are. It’s difficult to be Miller also regularly were white. goes to conferences and a black person working Miller went to college at sees how other universiDuke University in North wherever you are,” ties hire faculty of color, Carolina and said she only and she carves out a plan -Lakisha Simmons, had one black professor. based on her discoveries.

“I say to people all the former UB professor time, students are our cliBut many faculty of color drop out of these ents and they want to see searches early, Miller said. people who can relate to their experiences Other black faculty don’t want to come to who are role models and mentors and it’s the university because they don’t see people absolutely important,” Miller said. who look like them on campus.

While Taylor agrees a black profesMiller said colleges like Columbia Univer- sor could bring a unique perspective that sity, Yale University or University of Mich- a white professor couldn’t, he says the coligan invest $30 to $50 million in recruiting or of people’s skin doesn’t qualify them to faculty of color. teach black studies.

UB doesn’t have that money.

“I’m a firm believer based on my experi“Underrepresented minority faculty are ences that black faces in high places don’t demanding much higher starting salaries be- mean a thing unless their ideologies and cause there are fewer of them so it’s scarce viewpoints are emphasizing change,” he said. and we often compete with schools that can Taylor said there are some black people pay a lot more,” Miller said. he wouldn’t want anywhere near UB stuWhile the university struggles to recruit dents and within the black community there blacks, Miller said the university contin- can be an ideological divide. ues to draw international, non-black faculty “There are some black people that I know from across the globe in management, engi- through these buildings that I wouldn’t want neering and the sciences. anywhere near our black students and I cer“I think the demographics of the nation tainly wouldn’t want them trying to teach and the state have changed over the last 30 them anything about the black experience,” years so the diversity of the non-white pop- he said. ulation has become greater in New York State than the rest of the nation,” said Craig CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Abbey, associate vice president and director

596

AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE

UNKNOWN

INTERNATIONAL

}

261,310* TOTAL POPULATION OF THE CITY OF BUFFALO:

WHITE 131,753 BLACK 100,774 AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE

2,009

NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER OTHER

TWO OR MORE RACES

7,999 ASIAN

8,409

10,247

ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENSUS

7

NEWS

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

Gray areas

KAITLYN FILIPPI, THE SPECTRUM

Deshawn Henry, a senior civil engineering major, appears on a poster in Davis Hall and on UB engineering pamphlets displaying student research.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The paragraph, administrators argue, means that if a UB photographer takes a photograph of Kuczkowski or any other student on campus, the image can appear in campus ads, brochures, billboards and even elevators. The university argues it doesn’t need individual permission because the paragraph grants it.

“I think that they could explicitly explain their policy better,” Kuczkowski said.

He added he thinks the university should “have a separate waiver explaining photo and video regulations so that students actually know what they’re agreeing to.”

That’s what other prominent universities like Brown and Northwestern do.

At Northwestern, photographers are required to have written permission from any recognizable person in a photo with intended use in university web and print publications.

“All photographers taking photographs on University property or of University events must obtain appropriate signed release forms from any student, faculty member, staff person, or member of the public who is visibly recognizable in the photograph.”

At UB, students don’t always know photographers have taken a photo of them since many photographers use long lenses.

And once a photo is taken, students have no say in how their images are used.

Sometimes, images are used out of context.

In a March ’16 story called “Face Value,” The Spectrum spoke to Angel Cardona, a junior communication major, whose picture is on the front of a transfer student brochure.

Cardona, however, is not a transfer student; he only learned his photo had been used when students stopped him in the halls asking him about how he transferred to UB. Matt Vanderwerf is shown decked out in UB garb on a banner encouraging UB students to “stay longer” on the walkway from Clemens Hall to Lockwood Library. Vanderwerf dropped out after only a few weeks at UB. Several other students whose images are on banners, elevators and brochures told The Spectrum that UB had not contacted them about using their images and that they were surprised to see enormous images of themselves on elevators, in hallways and on promotional materials.

Mickey Osterreicher, General Counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, thinks UB is treading in a gray zone of fair use of images.

“If the university is using student pictures for commercial purposes, they need a model release or the student’s consent,” Osterreicher said. “UB is a public place, so the school has the right to take pictures on its campus. But, if the university is using these pictures to promote [departments and university organizations] through marketing campaigns, it’s wrong that students aren’t being asked formally.”

Osterreicher argues that if UB falsely represents who a student is, the student has a case to ask for compensation for the use of the image or the removal of the image.

“The student that they used for the transfer booklet is being falsely advertised since he was never a transfer student,” Osterreicher said. “They have some ill-founded belief that because someone is on their campus they can take their picture. What if someone is just visiting and their picture is taken and then used for an advertisement?

Because UB isn’t asking students’ permission they have no idea if the images they’re using are of actual students.”

In some cases, the university does reach out to faculty for recommendations on students to be featured on posters or advertisements.

Deshawn Henry, a senior civil engineering major, appears on a poster in Davis Hall and on UB engineering pamphlets displaying student research.

Henry researched a groundbreaking method for third-world countries to treat water. UB wanted to document the successful project and use it as a marketing tool.

“The university contacted my professor and then he contacted me and asked if this was something that I’d want to do,” Henry said. “Since it helps promote UB in a positive way I didn’t mind it.”

The project was important to him and he was pleased to have the chance to share his experiences. He also thinks being African American helped in his selection.

“I feel like since I’m a minority, they probably saw it as an opportunity to showcase their diversity along with the research students can participate in,” Henry said.

The Spectrum questioned why UB doesn’t ask students to pose for specific images. UB Spokesperson John Della Contrada says some pictures are posed and others are organic.

“Students who pose for photos are in direct contact with the photographer,” Della Contrada said. “The photographer’s contact info is typically given to the students when

the photographer is arranging the photo shoot. When photos are taken in public spaces or at public events, students can inform the photographer at that time that they prefer their images not be used.”

Henry thinks the way UB approached him was appropriate and that officials should always ask permission before using a student’s image in a bold way.

“They should definitely be asking students because there are some people who might feel uncomfortable with their image being used like that,” Henry said. “If you want to promote something by using a student’s image, I feel like it’s the right thing to make sure it’s at the student’s discretion.”

Other legal professionals agree and think that UB should implement a separate waiver when student images are used.

Mark Bartholomew, a professor at UB’s law school, said UB’s policy is broader and more vague than the policies at other large state universities.

“Other public schools are more exacting in the terms of their consent notice by using a photo agreement waiver,” Bartholomew said. “In UB’s case, they’re telling students to opt out, but other schools require students to opt in by signing the waiver.”

Brown University’s policy states that “if a student is identifiable and their image is being used for marketing or promotional purposes,” the school needs written permission from the student.

“This applies when an individual or individuals are identifiable and “featured” — the focus of an image — for websites, publications, e-communications, social media etc. for the purposes of: promoting academic or administrative programs; promoting events in advance; fundraising; recruiting; and encouraging attendance or participation, etc.,” the policy states.

Rhode Island has different variations of photo rules at the state level, but Bartholomew argues that the premise of students’ publicity rights is still effective nationwide.

The vague wording of UB’s consent paragraph has left some students wondering who they should contact if they want to “opt out” of campus photos. The website does not offer contact information or an “opt out” choice.

Sonan Lama, a sophomore business major, didn’t know he had the option to request that the university not use his photos.

“Students should definitely know when their images are being used,” Lama said. “It’s weird that UB doesn’t put contact info on their website. They should start including it just in case a student sees their image being used and would prefer to have it taken down.”

After learning about the school’s policy, Lama said he may consider opting out so that he won’t be photographed.

Students should contact University Communications if they wish to “opt out” of having their picture taken or remove an already published picture, according to Della Contrada.

“We recognize that this is not always an ideal situation, which is why [we are] updating current practices so that members of the campus community are more aware of UB’s photo practices and have more opportunity to select how their images are used,” Della Contrada said.

Unlike regular UB students, all student athletes in the Mid-American Conference have to sign a photo waiver through the athletes’

“

partnership with SIDEARM Sports Services.

The policy states that “any public information an athlete discloses, including pictures becomes public can be used for online and offline promotional or commercial uses in any and all media.” This protects the athletes’ privacy and publicity rights and gives the school permission to market their images.

Bartholomew says that a student’s publicity rights could be violated by marketing without consent. But, if there is no emotional or financial damage resulting from the image use, UB is not at fault.

“For student athletes, they can argue that they should be getting paid for their images, but for an average student I don’t see any harm being done,” Bartholomew said. “It’s too murky of an area to try and draw any legal complaints. Technically the school has gained the student’s consent, but their policy could be worded better.”

Della Contrada released a statement indicating UB’s plans to update the university’s photo practices. The Spectrum’s original story wasn’t the catalyst for the policy’s change, but helped in addressing current issues.

“The story was not the impetus for University Communications’ review of UB’s photo practices,” Della Contrada said. “University Communications has been reviewing photo and video practices at other universities for more than a year, with the recognition that UB’s current practices need updating to reflect changes in the digital and social media landscape.”

The new policy will give students more options if they choose to opt out of university photo practices.

“The university’s current photo/video practices are consistent with state law and SUNY policy,” Della Contrada said in an email. “As part of its continual implementation of contemporary communications best practices, University Communications is in the process of updating its practices to address the usage of photos and video in digital and social media.”

UB’s updated practices will give students the opportunity to opt out of having their image used for specific marketing purposes, according to Della Contrada. The university aims to implement the updated practices in the fall.

“To update UB’s photo procedures and practices, University Communications is reviewing best practices at other universities and conferring with UB’s Student Life office,” Della Contrada said. “The new practices will then be reviewed by UB’s legal counsel and the university’s policy committee.”

Della Contrada did not specify how the policy will work and if students will be able to opt out of having pictures taken overall, or just for marketing purposes. He also added that University Communications has never received a complaint about a photo that was used and people have requested beforehand that photos not be used, and those requests have been honored.

Lama is thrilled the university is making changes and hopes it will help students understand their rights.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Lama said. “Students should be able to decide if their images can be taken and how they’re used by the school.”

UB is a public place, so the school has the right to take pictures on its campus.

But, if the university is using these pictures to promote [departments and university organizations] through marketing campaigns, it’s wrong that students aren’t being asked formally.

”

email: max.kalnitz@ubspectrum.com

Qasim Rashid discusses ‘true’ Islam at UB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Uma Khan felt Rashid’s talk was more productive than Spencer’s because she believes educational dialogue is more helpful than shutting a speaker down.

“Every speaker deserves to say what they have to say, but our response should be an educational response, education has more power,” the sophomore finance major said.

“It’s great to have protests but it needs to be a peaceful protest and we have to let the

speaker actually speak in order to respond.

We don’t just shut someone down like that what happened yesterday.”

Khan said the best defense against anti-Islam speakers such as Robert Spencer is to show the Muslim community’s service, humanity and unity, not just “shutting someone up.”

“Because now that’s his defense, he used that against us,” Khan said.

Elyse Krezmien, a Buffalo woman who found out about the event via Facebook, felt the speech had “really great views on how to

fight Islamophobia” and helped her understand how to separate terrorism from Islam.

Maham Alamgir, a sophomore biochemistry major at Niagara University, felt Rashid’s speech highlighted the importance of diversity.

“It shows that people are different and it’s possible to live in harmony with each other and have differing opinions,” Alamgir said.

“Whether it’s your race, gender, ethnicity, culture it doesn’t matter, what matters is that we can co exist as individuals and human beings.”

Anser Daud felt the event promoted

healthy inter-cultural dialogue.

“I came here and saw that people of all different cultures were here they wanted to genuinely learn and it was good to see that,” Daud said, who traveled from Toronto for the event. “These types of events need to happen more often, not just for Islam but for all types of communities so people can come together and realize at the end of the day we’re just human and we’re so similar.” email: news@ubspectrum.com

8 Beyond the block

FEATURES

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

UB students create video pen pal program for Buffalo middle schoolers SARAH CROWLEY SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Like most kids their age, the eighth grade students at Buffalo School 31 would rather talk about new movies or share gossip with friends than spend extra time learning about science.

Sushmita Gelda, a senior English major, and Antara Majumdar, a senior biomedical sciences major, weren’t sure how to engage the students they mentored. They joined the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership (ISEP) program hoping to improve science education in Buffalo public schools and get students excited.

Instead, they were often met with blank stares and bored sighs.

Something wasn’t working, but they didn’t know what was missing until the day Majumdar brought a heap of letters back from her winter break trip to Calcutta, India. While tutoring at Calcutta Rescue, Majumdar asked the Indian students to write letters to bring back for her Americans students at School 31.

That’s when everything changed.

The usual bored faces turned puzzled and intrigued as they burst with questions.

“What is ‘cricket’?” “Is this a girl or a boy writing to me?” “Why do kids in India write the date differently?”

“I remember that day perfectly,” Gelda said. “It felt like a totally different experience than the things we had been doing.”

Gelda and Majumdar realized that while the students focused heavily on core subjects like math, science, reading and writing, there wasn’t a global emphasis linking it all

UB’S BLACK FACULTY:

DWINDLING AND ISOLATED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

He’s come across white scholars who have deep understandings of that experience and he says he would be happy to call them colleagues.

Taylor feels the university is responsible for finding and attracting “outstanding black scholars” but feels UB has never done that for its black studies program. He feels UB’s black studies program is one of the weakest in the country.

Black faculty departures Lakisha Simmons, a former global gender studies professor, left UB to teach at the University of Michigan earlier this year. She found it difficult to teach in a department where she was the only black woman.

together. Beyond the Block became the answer to that problem. They worked in partnership with student mentors in Calcutta to share videos between the students in Buffalo and their pen pals halfway across the world.

Gelda and Majumdar now focus on incorporating global issues into their curriculum with the students, with an emphasis on social issues and scientific ways to learn about them.

So far, the students have exchanged over 40 videos, focusing on global issues like air pollution, gender equality and stress.

“One thing that definitely surprised us making the videos is that it’s not only about exchanging information, but exchanging communication styles, ways of presenting, ways of creatively expressing yourself,” Gelda said. “The students definitely learn a lot on the communication level.”

The students from India will usually offer constructive criticism for the Buffalo students after watching their videos, Majumdar explained. They suggest the Buffalo students speak louder or more confidently. In exchange, the Indian students will practice English very confidently, which in turn inspires the Buffalo students.

“They’ll say, ‘Wow, that girl from India is an amazing speaker. I want to be like that,’” Majumdar said.

The program’s flexibility allows them to focus on topics important to the students.

This semester, their focus is on mental health and diversity. They chose these topics after students voiced a recurring problem they noticed: kids in their school would have trouble paying attention and be put in When she first came to UB, she loved that there was a core group of young faculty of color and she became very close with them and built “a strong community.”

That strong community of faculty of color dwindled over the six years she taught at the university.

“Things got really difficult for me a couple of years ago when the fate of global gender studies and African American studies seemed uncertain and I feel like at that time, there were messages that those studies were not valued,” Simmons said. “I feel like things changed with the current dean and Provost Miller but at that point, it was already almost too late. And if you feel that what you do is unimportant to the university for a certain number of years... it hurts your morale.”

At University of Michigan, she says black faculty are more valued because more money is invested in programs like black studies

COURTESY OF SUSHMITA GELDA

(top) Sushmita Gelda, a senior English major, helps mentor students at the Harriet Ross Tubman School. Gelda co-founded the Beyond the Block program her senior year.

detention. The students voiced a frustration and said this didn’t seem to help the students in the long-term.

“They talk about this a lot with us passionately, so we took that into consideration and we would say, OK, on a neurological level, what is happening when we are distracted,” Gelda said. “It’s a chance for students to tie social issues to scientific concepts.”

The mentors started by teaching the students about the scientific method and how to conduct an experiment. The students then designed an experiment to see how meditation would affect student behavior in their school.

Although neither student mentor plans to go into education, the two will continue their Beyond the Block program for years to come and hope to expand into more Buffalo schools.

“It’s funny because as the kids are learning, I’m also learning how to be more responsible, to work as a team,” Majumdar said. “Everyone brings in something new and I have to learn about that and really integrate it into the curriculum.”

The students, too, have learned about more than just artificial intelligence and stress management.

“In India, people perceive mental health issues differently. They don’t maybe talk about it in the same way we do as Americans. That’s kind of what stuck out to me from this program,” Majumdar said. “The kids are really excited to be global players, even if they’re also careful to sometimes not go outside their traditional ways of discussing things.”

Gelda and Majumdar say this is why a global program is so important for the students.

“There are several interviews I’ve had where people asked me, ‘What do you think about the U.S. election in the context of the world?’ And it surprises me when someone from another country asks me that it kind of opens my eyes that you have to be open minded, even if it’s the same issue happening in different countries, people perceive things differently,” Majumdar said.

and global gender studies.

Another reason Simmons left UB was because black studies, global gender studies and African studies didn’t have their own department and were under the transnational studies department.

“It’s never perfect because there’s bias against people of color and women in the workplace... it’s not limited to the university. In the current political climate, where you go to school does make a difference but it’s difficult wherever you are,” she said. “It’s difficult to be a black person working wherever you are.”

The Spectrum reached out to Schulze three weeks ago, but her chief of staff said she could not fit an interview into her busy schedule.

Simmons said she sees Miller and many deans support recruiting black faculty, but she still doesn’t know if there’s urgency across the university, particularly from President Satish Tripathi and Provost Charles Zukoski.

“I think it’s getting to a point that it’s going to take drastic action just to get back to where UB was five years ago so there has to be some kind of targeted hire,” Simmons said. “Either you’re a school that’s recruiting faculty or you’re one that’s losing them because there are only so many professors of color.”

Taylor said he gets offers to teach at different universities often, but chooses to stay at UB. “I’m not trying to run away from problems, I’m trying to solve them,” Taylor said.

Finding solutions Simmons believes the university has to make a “huge push” for cluster hires in order to rectify the issue of lack of black faculty.

Miller said she is currently working with College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robin Schulze to cluster hire faculty of color.

Muslim Student Association presents ‘Exposing Radical Islamophobes’ panel CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

She criticized the fact that Islamophobia is often framed as a political concept and ignores its impact on individuals, particularly in the form of microaggressions, which Azim described as commonplace and daily degradation of minority groups such as Muslims.

Samiha Islam, president of MSA, said she has experienced microaggressions as a Mus-

lim student at UB. She said someone once asked her if it was Halloween because she was wearing a headscarf. In another instance, someone asked how could a man love her if he could not see her face.

Azim said this type of discrimination and degradation causes heightened emotions, which can lead to mental illness, substance abuse and physical illness such as hyperten-

Book your next ride with

Use Curb in Buffalo and beyond!

Curb connects to taxis in 65 US cities, including NYC!

driven by

@LibertyYellow

LibertyYellowCab

sion. However, she said being strong in one’s faith can lessen depression and anxiety.

Tim Weppner, a senior computer science major, attended the event because he wanted to see the “other side” after attending Spencer’s event on Monday. He felt this event did not carry as much weight as Monday’s event if Spencer had been allowed to speak without interruption. He felt the speakers were

@LibertyCab

716-877-7111

Code can only be redeemed on rides that are booked and paid for through the Curb app.

email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com

email: ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com

“good” but he wants to do research and fact-check the points that were made.

Samar Adhami, a graduate student in biology, felt the event was “very necessary” after Spencer’s event.

“A lot of people are not informed because they are so overcome by fear. [The speakers] helped clear up negative connotations,” she said. email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com

CLASSIFIEDS

9

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

HELP HELP WANTED WANTED

ROOM FOR RENT 75 Tyler. 1,2,3 or 4 ROOMS AVAILABLE IN AN AMAZING 4 BEDROOM 2 BATH HOME. Completely furnished, from beds to silverware!! New wall to wall carpeting, newer appliances, off-street parking, snowplowing, free wifi & cable included. Must see!! $350/per room.

716-830-1413

Part-Time Positions Available.

Lasertron Family Entertainment Center is currently hiring for general customer service. Working at a fast, detail-oriented pace and having excellent customer service skills is a must. Starting at $11/hr, must be available nights and weekends. Stop in and complete an application at Lasertron, 5101 North Bailey Avenue, Amherst, NY. FLOWER SHOP HELPER. PART-TIME FUN JOB. MAIN ST. AMHERST. DEBRA 716-400-4891 APARTMENT FOR FOR RENT RENT APARTMENT 10 MINUTE WALK TO SOUTH. 4-BDRM’s $325 to $350/room.

Includes utilities. New bathrooms/ kitchen appliances, free laundry & off-street parking. One year lease.

Available June 1st. Call/text Kevin 716-480-7352.

4,5,6&8 BEDROOM REMODELED APARTMENT HOUSES. 37 Apartments available located at at University Buffalo Main Street Campus off Englewood. Beginning June 2017: UB South Campus for@ $275-$375/ bedroom plus utilities.

Washers &dryers included. Contact bradengel37@gmail.com or Shawn at 716-984-7813 check out our website: www.bufapt.com OUR NICEST APARTMENTS RENT NOW!! Newly remodeled 1-4 person APARTMENTS on W. Winspear, Englewood, Tyler, Heath & Merrimac. Amenities include O/S parking, whirlpool baths new ss appliances & free laundry. Live the Sweethome life on south!! Visit www. ubrents.com or call/text 716-775-7057 to schedule an appointment now!

SOUTH CAMPUS, MAIN STREET 2 and 3 BDRM MODERN APARTMENTS. $700-$1000 including all utilities. Available May 1st or June 1st must see!! Call or text Al 716-861-8102.

OUR NICEST HOMES RENT NOW!! Newly remodeled 3-8 person homes on W. Winspear, Englewood, Tyler, Heath & Merrimac. Amenities include jacuzzi bathtubs, new ss appliances, free laundry, parking, snow removal & valet garbage! Live the Sweethome life on South!! Visit www.ubrents.com or call/text 716-775-7057 to schedule an appointment now!

10 MINUTE WALK TO SOUTH. 1, 2, 3 & 4 ROOMS AVAILABLE IN A 4-BDRM HOUSE. $325 to $350/room.

Includes utilities. New bathrooms/ kitchen appliances, free laundry & off-street parking. One year lease.

Available June 1st. Call/text Kevin 716-480-7352.

75 Tyler. Amazing 4 BDRM, 2-BATH Home. Completely furnished, from beds to silverware!! New wall to wall carpeting, newer appliances, off-street parking, snowplowing, free wifi & cable included. Must See!!! $350/per room. 716-830-1413.

AVAILABLE JUNE 1ST. SOUTH CAMPUS. 5-Master bedrooms/2 baths. fully furnished, laundry, utilities & wifi included. Off-street parking.

716-570-6062 text preferred.

CITYA1DRIVINGSCHOOL.COM Beginners & brush-up driving lessons.

5hr class $30.00 716-875-4662.

HOUSE FOR RENT HOUSE FOR

SERVICES

RENT

FIRST MONTH FREE!! BIG HOUSE FOR RENT off Sweet Home across from great bar, pizza joint, 24 hour store & 5 min. to campus.

4-BDRM, family room with fireplace, 1 1/2 baths, off-street parking, all appliances including washer/ dryer. Big fenced in yard. Available Now!! Call 716-440-7117/email: btfld6@yahoo.com $1600 per mo.

4,5,6,&8 Bedroom REMODELED APARTMENT HOUSES. 37 Apartments available located at University Buffalo Main Street Campus off Englewood. Beginning June 2017: UB South Campus for@ $275-$375/ bedroom plus utilities.

Washers &dryers included. Contact bradengel37@gmail.com or Shawn at 716-984-7813 check out our website: www.bufapt.com 3-BDRM HOUSE ON SHIRLEY AVENUE near UB South. $900 per month. 716-835-9000. Available now!!

DAILY DELIGHTS sponsored by Collegiate Village Apartments

SUCCESS LIVES HERE CVBuffalo.com

716-833-3700

10

SPORTS

Thursday, May 4, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

COURTESY OF KELSEY JURNETT

Dave Hahn walks on Mount Rainier. Hahn has summited Rainier over 275 times.

Former UB swimmer Dave Hahn discusses his legendary mountain guiding career MICHAEL AKELSON

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

The first time Dave Hahn stood at the summit of Mount Everest, he did not experience a feeling of elation.

Hahn only spent 10 minutes at the top before his focus shifted to the next task – finding a way back down.

“It wasn’t this moment for celebrating,” Hahn said. “It was this moment for focusing on the challenge ahead.”

The next challenge is always on Hahn’s mind.

He is restless. When he’s not scaling mountains or going on rescue missions, he’s biking or hiking in his free time. He has had expeditions halted by avalanches, earthquakes, helicopter crashes and other unexpected disasters.

Yet, no matter how many times he’s stared down death, the 55 year old is still clinging to life the only way he knows how: leading expeditions up the largest and most dangerous mountains in the world.

“I think plenty of the people I work with as customers, they have a discrete list of things they want to accomplish in the mountains… they say ‘I’ve done what I set out to do, on to other things,’” Hahn said.

“It’s not like that for me. It’s not going to be like that for me. As much satisfaction as I get from climbing a mountain, as long as I’m able there will always be more mountains, and inevitably that means some day, I’ll be in a storm I can’t handle.”

Hahn, a former swimmer and history major at UB, is one of the most decorated mountain guides in world history. He has summited Mount Everest more times than any non-Nepal native in history, reaching the top 15 of his 21 attempts. In 2009, Men’s Journal named him the best mountain guide in the world.

“He’s the premier climber in the world,” said Thomas Fabbri, an entrepreneur and mountain climber who summited Mount Vinson Massif with Hahn last year. “I like to call him the Michael Jordan of the mountain climbing world. He’s the best.”

Hahn graduated from UB in the fall of

COURTESY OF DAVE HAHN

Dave Hahn guides a climber across the Khumbu Icefall on the Nepal side of Mount Everest. Hahn is one of the most revered mountain guides in world history.

1983 with a history degree after switching his major from aerospace engineering.

When he graduated, he had no idea what he was going to do with his life.

“I ended up heading to New Mexico where my mother had grown up and where I’d always liked it, and found my way into the mountains,” Hahn said.

Hahn’s first job after college was as a ski instructor in Taos, New Mexico, where he still resides today. Soon after, he headed to Washington where he learned mountaineering on Mount Rainier. Within a year, he scored a job as a professional mountain guide. Ever since, he has split his time between being a ski instructor in New Mexico and a mountain guide across the world.

He has guided clients through 35 summits of Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica. He has also conquered 21 summits of Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America and 275 summits of Rainier.

Although his individual achievements speak for themselves, Hahn says he’s most proud of having helped so many people achieve their dreams in the mountains.

“Sometimes people set out with the goal to climb say Mount Rainier or Denali, and they don’t know that much about what

they’re getting into,” Hahn said. “Being there when you see their eyes open wide… the wonder on somebody’s face when they see Alaska from 20,000 feet, when they maybe didn’t even know that that world existed even though they were headed for it, that’s definitely what’s so satisfying about it.”

Kelsey Jurnett climbed Mount Rainier with Hahn as her guide last year and calls him the best guide she’s ever had. Jurnett works for a financial company in Washington but runs a travel blog on the side.

She was shocked to find such a legendary guide taking time to guide amateur climbers on Rainier.

“I asked him, ‘you’ve climbed Mount Everest over a dozen times, why do you keep coming back to Mount Rainier?’” Jurnett said. “And he said he really loved the nuts and bolts of climbing mountains and he comes back to Rainier every year because he can be a guide for people who aren’t professional mountain climbers, they’re not spending $60,000 a climb up to the top of Everest.”

Hahn says the moments that have pushed him most are the multiple rescue missions he’s been a part of.

In 2007, he was coming back down from the summit of Everest on the Nepal side when he came across a Nepali women unconscious at 27,000 feet. Hahn says he was able to use his authority in the climbing community to “trick other people into helping” in the rescue.

“Due to my experience and my training and my first aid skills, the fact that I was an expedition leader and guide, I had the communication skills to get a rescue because it was gonna take a bunch of people and to get drugs in this women, to get communication with doctors and to start physically dragging her down the hill,” Hahn said.

A few years after the successful rescue, Hahn was climbing Everest when a woman named Usha Bist came up to him and revealed herself to be the women he had saved.

“A couple of year’s later, when that same woman walked up to me on Mount Everest and introduced herself I was pretty overcome,” Hahn said.

A few years back, the National Parks Service enlisted Hahn for the rescue of a 19-yearold who had hit his head on a rock fall at 9,400 feet on Rainier. Hahn rode up to the scene in a helicopter, but the pilot did not have glacier experience. When the pilot lost control of the helicopter and hit the tail rotor on a glacier, Hahn was sure he was going to die.

“We ended up still pulling off the rescue, and in some ways that was even more frightening because the slope we had to get up to get this rock fall victim was getting peppered with more rock fall and it was a horrifyingly dangerous thing and we had way too much time to contemplate that,” Hahn said.

Hahn was awarded the Citizen’s Award for Bravery by the U.S. Department of the Interior for the rescue.

But the awards didn’t come without the worries.

Just last year, Fabbri found himself in a dangerous storm with Hahn on Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica. Fabbri says the storm lasted about 36 hours with winds gusting up to 80-90 miles per hour, knocking down the walls the team had built around

their tents. Hahn stayed outside rebuilding the walls as they fell and told Fabbri and the other climbers they had to stay in their tents, even when they asked to come out and help.

“He did not let us leave our tents. He went out there in the weather and he kept working on the walls that were surrounding our tent, kept building them up as they were blowing down, putting up these snow blocks,” Fabbri said. “He would rather risk his life to make sure we were comfortable.”

Hahn doesn’t know if one more Mount Everest summit is in his future.

Hahn’s last two trips to Everest were halted by natural disasters that nearly cost him and his clients their lives. The experience led Hahn to question whether or not he can look a client in the eye and tell them Everest is a safe expedition.

In 2014, he was leading an expedition on Everest when an avalanche hit the Khumbu Ice Fall and killed 16 Nepalis. In 2015, he was guiding an expedition up Everest when a 7.8 magnitude Earthquake shook Nepal.

Hahn says he may never return to Everest again.

“I spent a lot of my career on Everest explaining to the people that weren’t on the mountain that it was a somewhat rational thing to do, because people had this image in their heads that climbing Everest was this ridiculous game of Russian Roulette,” Hahn said. “For most of my career, I was pushing back against that... The last couple of years have definitely put a dent in my ability to say that it can be done safely. Those things happening to me told me, told the world, ‘hey, you’re not in control of what goes on here.’”

At 55, there are still no signs that Hahn’s career is inching toward its end, although he is aware that he can’t climb forever.

“If at some point I have to scale it back, by then I hope I have the maturity to accept that I’ve had a good run and be satisfied with doing less,” Hahn said.

Hahn knows he has made sacrifices for

I like to call him the Michael Jordan of the mountain climbing world. He’s the best.

”

his chosen career path. He does not have a wife or children. He admits that in many ways, he has been forced to put his career over his relationships, but he also knows his career is what allows him to live the lifestyle that he loves so much.

Hahn says that as he gets older, he may find more satisfaction in the legendary number of summits he has achieved on so many mountains. But for Hahn, it has never been about the numbers.

“The people that I learned from weren’t interested in becoming an overnight sensation and making a big media splash by climbing some ridiculously hard thing,” Hahn said.

“They were people that I looked up to because they were figuring out how to live your entire life in the mountains. Not just to get something done that would stun everybody, some singular climb. It was much more about a life well lived in the mountains.” email: michael.akelson@ubspectrum.com