The Spectrum Vol. 68 No. 5 by The Spectrum Student Periodical

THE SPECTRUM VOL. 68 NO. 05 | SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

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

SEPT. 13, 1978 - Administrators within UB’s Food Services locked the doors to the Spaulding Cafeteria exclusively for storage and official university banquets and dinners. Then-contributing editor Harvey Shapiro reported that the cafeteria was the quickest way to travel to each of the Ellicott complexes’ quads. Students responded by trying to pry the doors open to avoid the cold weather.

UBSPECTRUM

Popular app pays users to walk it out

Defense of a legacy: How UB football is honoring a teammate

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Faculty Senate Executive Committee Student Association and discusses budget issues UBIT partner with Top Hat University expenditures will exceed its revenue for the next three years

Contract to save students money on subscriptions

MAX KALNITZ

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

The university’s expenditures will exceed its revenue for the next three years, Provost Charles Zukoski and Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration, said at Wednesday’s Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting. UB’s operating budget for 2018-19 is $760 million, according to Hubbard. While it may seem like a large budget, after distributing it between various outlets such as research, capital projects and renovations, the university will be operating on a deficit. UB’s carry forward balance is roughly $171.1 million for 2017-21, which will be distributed between six outlets, including academic program support, renovation projects and research.

Students can expect increased savings on clicker technology required in many general education classes and large lecture halls. The Student Association and UBIT signed a contract with Top Hat for the fall semester, to save students additional costs. The webbased software tool connects to students’ mobile devices or laptops, allowing professors to take attendance, administer polls, games and quizzes and share notes. Students are typically offered two options in classes that require clicker technology: buy a physical clicker and register it with the class, or buy a subscription to Top Hat, which offers the same services on your phone or laptop. The market price for Top Hat is $26 for

> SEE BUDGET

ISSUE | PAGE 2

SHUBH JAIN | THE SPECTRUM Senate Chair Philip Glick speaks at the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting. Senators and administrators discussed the university’s budget, and about including statements on students’ syllabi about mental health and sexual violence awareness.

Former UB student, high school teammate found dead near Brockport Bodies were found in a burned car NEWS DESK

Former UB student Alexander Burrow, 20, was found dead along with Bruce Kane, 18, Monday morning in Hamlin, New York. Burrow and Kane were teammates at Brockport High School. Burrow was last enrolled at UB in Fall 2017.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office reported the bodies were found with apparent bullet wounds. Investigators are treating it as a double homicide, but the cause of death has not been released. Investigators have yet to announce any possible suspects, but said anyone with information should call the Monroe County tip hotline at (585) 753-4175. email: news@ubspectrum.com

SA signs proclamation for Suicide Prevention Week The Student Association executive board and members of Student Affairs met Monday afternoon to sign an official SA proclamation recognizing Sept. 10-15 as Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. The proclamation calls upon UB students, faculty and administrators to recognize what resources are available on campus, and to fight the stigma associated with reaching out for help and using counseling services. “One of the major things that we’re calling upon the university to do, is including the Counseling Services phone number on the backs of student IDs. We’re hoping to get the attention of UB administration this week,” SA President Gunnar Haberl said.

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

one semester, $38 annually or $75 for a fouryear subscription. As a result of UB’s contract with the company, the current pricing for students is $23, $34 and $68 respectively. At the UB Bookstore, a Turning Technologies clicker with a four-year subscription is $83. Last year, Vice President and Chief Information Officer J. Brice Bible held open forums on IT matters on both North and South Campus. During one forum, a faculty member asked him when UBIT was going to support Top Hat. “I didn’t know anything about it and so we started looking into it and found that there was a significant number of faculty and students actively using Top Hat,” Bible said. “That planted the seed about working with the company. It really wasn’t until Gunnar [Haberl] reached out that we started going ahead with negotiating a discount.” Student Association President Gunnar Haberl said last spring semester he had to > SEE TOP

HAT | PAGE 2

UBIT reports increase UB debuts newly designed bicycles in scam emails Faculty warns students about fake job offers

New bike design introduced to UB Bikeshare program

MAX KALNITZ

SAMANTHA VARGAS

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

ASST. ARTS EDITOR

Students are receiving an increased number of fake job offers to their UB email accounts, which are potentially jeopardizing their financial and personal information, according to UBIT. The emails are typically generic, unsolicited, include spelling and grammar errors and offer an unrealistic amount of money for a few hours of work a week. The people who send the emails often don’t provide what company they work for and don’t include job descriptions or specifics, according to Blake Cooper, IT communications specialist. UBIT could not provide how many students are being affected by the scams, but said students have reported an unusually high amount of emails offering fake jobs. Scammers often target freshman and international students, who are less familiar with the ways of the workplace and more likely to fall for a fake job offer, Cooper said. To combat the rise in job scams, UBIT said it will send out emails in the coming weeks educating students about the danger of scam emails. UB has warned students about the dangers of phishing –– an attempt to collect an individual’s online banking, credit card or login information –– in the past, but Cooper said job scams are different. “Phishing is an attempt to get your info but

UB Parking and Transportation Services has partnered with Reddy BikeShare to release 50 newly designed bicycles to be integrated into the UB Bikeshare program. The unveiling was followed by an inaugural ride around North Campus led by Victor E. Bull. The new bikes offer new GPS-enabled technology that can be accessed through its smartphone app. The program at UB charges a $10 yearly fee, along with a $2 per hour charge. UB’s BikeShare program currently

> SEE SCAM

EMAILS | PAGE 4

> SEE UB

BIKE | PAGE 4

SAMANTHA VARGAS | THE SPECTRUM UB’s parking and transportation has partnered with REDDY BikeShare to distribute an additional 50 rentable bicycles on north and south campus. Students and faculty can access the new GPS-enabled bicycles and their locations through the REDDY BikeShare app.

NEWS

2 | Thursday, September 13, 2018 FROM PAGE 1

BUDGET ISSUE

Hubbard said this is a normal event that all large universities experience while growing. She said the school has invested resources in enrolling more students while increasing faculty salaries and renovating and expanding the school. These factors on top of tightened funds from the state are hurting UB’s annual budget, Hubbard said. “That tells you we have an unsustainable path ahead of us that we have to address. What is driving that? Much of the new tuition revenue comes with additional costs,” Hubbard said. “Every time that we grow enrollment, increasingly we’re getting squeezed on the capital budget … also salary increases. We want to remain competitive for new hires and retaining professors, but those increases aren’t being funded by the state. So as we receive increased tuition revenue, they’re not enough to keep pace with those costs.” Hubbard said the university had three requests totaling $109.7 million in potential investment this year. But UB only has $34.8 million from the state to invest during the next three years. Hubbard said it can be diffi-

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TOP HAT

buy a clicker and a Top Hat subscription for two different classes. After paying for the same service twice, he wondered why this technology wasn’t offered to students for free like other technologies, including the Microsoft Office Suite. “I met with Bryce over the summer and asked him if subsidizing Top Hat for students was possible,” Haberl said. “We determined that if enough students and professors used the technology, we could work out a deal. The forums and surveys he conducted found that surprisingly, a lot of them are using it, which he didn’t realize. He reached out to Top Hat officials and worked out the current deal.” As of Monday, over 15,000 students have interacted with a question through Top Hat this semester and a total of 13,377 enrolled in a course that uses Top Hat, –– up from 12,000 students prior to the fall semester –– according to Diana Tuorto, IT communications officer. There are currently 186 active Top Hat instructors who use the technology

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cult to pass up investment opportunities, but she can’t do anything about it if the university doesn’t have the necessary funds. “We want to be financially conservative because we’d hate to pass up a good opportunity,” Hubbard said. “Unfortunately, given our current situation, that might be the case until we can level the field between our expenditures and revenues.” Zukoski said growing the university’s student body comes at a price. Although more first-year students are being admitted every year, the revenue from their tuition is disappearing into investments in new buildings and renovations to already existing buildings. “This is the third year now that we’re bringing in over 4,000 first year students. If you play that out over the next three years, we plan to add to that by 2,000,” Zukoski said. “We’re not necessarily making money off of all of these students, we’re paying for them to learn here. As we keep taking in all of these students, there are a lot of fees associated with that. We also have to keep an eye on the mix of international and domestic students, as enrolling one international student costs the same as three domestic.”

With the tension of budget strains came hope for student activists pushing for increased awareness of resources available for students on campus. Student Association President Gunnar Haberl proposed two revisions at the meeting –– one on mental health, the other about sexual harassment and violence prevention –– to be added for all undergraduate student syllabi, starting in fall 2019. The Undergraduate Student Association and Sharon Nolan-Weiss, director of the equity, diversity and inclusion, are sponsoring the statements, which include adding the phone numbers of offices, such as Counseling Services and Student Health Services to class syllabi. “There are a lot of resources here at UB. The problem is that we’re such a large institution that students don’t know how to get those resources or where to go,” Haberl said. “Other major universities are making it mandatory to include syllabi statements regarding mental health or counseling services or sexual assault and harassment prevention. Since every student gets a syllabus, it ensures that every student will have the resources to

seek help if they need it.” Promoting mental health awareness on campus has been a high priority for Haberl, who discussed the topic frequently in his platform for president. The proposal received positive feedback from many senators at the meeting. Senator Jurriaan de Jong proposed working with the Graduate Student Association to include the statements on graduate syllabi as well. Senate Chair Philip Glick supported the movement and motioned to send the two statements to the academic policies and grading committee to be “promptly evaluated and sent back to the executive committee for recommendation.” It passed with a unanimous vote. At the end of the meeting, Zukoski provided an update on the Boldly Buffalo campaign, which has already raised 70 percent of its goal. Zukoski said the university will reach its goal of raising $650 million by 2020. The next Faculty Senate meeting is next Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. at the Center for Tomorrow.

in 235 courses, she added. Haberl said although the Top Hat discount is small this semester, as more and more students transition from using clickers to using the software, the discount will continue to grow. “My goal for the spring semester is to offer a larger discount,” Haberl said. “If Top Hat sees an increase in usage, next fall it would maybe be even more of a discount, hopefully 75 percent and eventually 100 percent subsidized. When that happens, the university would be required to make Top Hat the sole clicker technology on campus. It would be embedded into UBLearns, and old fashioned clickers would then go away.” Bible said the discounts being offered are a good start. He wants to receive more feedback from students and faculty who use the technology before making the university exclusive to Top Hat. “Today, there’s no exclusivity with Top Hat, neither is there exclusivity with Turning Technologies,” Bible said. “These are two services that our faculty have said they like

and so we’ve tried to make those both available. We’re very open to conversations with students and faculty to see if they prefer one over the other, keeping both or other options that maybe students would be OK with fees going towards subsidizing one completely.” Haberl and Bible both agree that an additional benefit of using Top Hat instead of a traditional clicker program is less plastic is being disposed of after students graduate college and no longer need a clicker. Bible said it’s something he didn’t initially think of, but has been receiving positive feedback from students about the environmental impacts. Almost every student The Spectrum spoke to said they preferred using Top Hat over a traditional clicker. They said using a cheaper software that’s available on smartphones and laptops is the “perfect combination.” Ambra Mooney, a freshman pharmacy major, said she’s already using Top Hat in her chemistry class. Even if it’s only a few dollars, she appreciates the work SA and UBIT has done to work out a contract.

“I really like the program so far, it’s a lot better than a traditional clicker,” Mooney said. “It’d be better if it was completely free, but it’s a good start. I think as everything is becoming more digital, this is a great program.”

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SAI SEETHALA | THE SPECTRUM Vice President and Chief Information Officer J. Brice Bible talks about the university’s contract with Top Hat, resulting in a small discount for students.

OPINION

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The Spectrum Thursday, September 13, 2018 Volume 68 Number 05 Circulation: 4,000

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR IN CHIEF Hannah Stein MANAGING EDITOR Brenton J. Blanchet CREATIVE DIRECTORS Phuong Vu Chase Wilcoxen, Asst. COPY EDITORS Savanna Caldwell, Asst. Cassi Enderle, Asst. Lauryn King, Asst.

NEWS EDITOR Max Kalnitz, Senior FEATURES EDITORS Benjamin Blanchet, Senior Kirsten Dean, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS Brian Evans, Senior Samantha Vargas, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS Thomas Zafonte, Senior Nathaniel Mendelson MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Shubh Jain, Senior Jack Li, Asst. CARTOONISTS Ardi Digap Taj Taylor

PROFESSIONAL STAFF OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER Ayesha Kazi GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGERS JuYung Hong

ABOUT THE SPECTRUM The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Opinion section 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.

Letter to the editor Breaking the Silence The theme of this year’s National Suicide Prevention Week is the Power of Connection. Although there is no single cause of suicide, one of the risks for suicide is social isolation, and there’s scientific evidence for reducing that risk by making sure we have strong connections with one another. It’s also about the power of having real conversations about mental health with people in our everyday lives. Many people have a connection to this cause, whether they are a student, a teacher, a parent, a veteran, a suicide loss survivor, an attempt survivor, or someone struggling with suicidal thoughts themselves. I write this hoping that someone else can connect with my experience and that we can work to end the stigma of talking about suicide loss. In February 2018, my family and I lost my oldest sister Ariane to suicide after her long battle with schizoaffective bipolar disorder. For many months, I only told a few people because of the intense stigma associated with losing someone to suicide. While society has made great strides in bringing national attention to mental health awareness and suicide prevention, the vast majority of us do not know how to approach the subject of suicide with those affected by it – so we often try not to. But avoidance and silence only perpetuates stigma. So what then can we do? First, if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal

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thoughts, please text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Millions of people have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or depression and are still alive. A mental illness diagnosis is not a death sentence. Help is available and asking for help is normal. Second, the suicide mourning process is very different from the mourning of other deaths. While already overwhelmingly distressed, survivors may have real or imagined perceptions of what others are thinking such as whether they are judging them or, worse, blaming them for the death. There’s also internal emotions of guilt, anger, depression, confusion and much more. The puzzle of “why” never has 13 pieces that neatly fit together –– many missing pieces forever remain with the person who died. If you’ve lost someone to suicide, a support group of other survivors will have resources for healing and provide a safe space to express your feelings and tell your story. While attending AFSP’s recent Out of the Darkness Walk with my family, I saw well over 1,500 people from the Buffalo area who are in a vast community of survivors whose lives have been forever changed. Find your local support group by visiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at afsp.org. So how should you respond to survivors of suicide loss?

• Listen. If a friend lost someone to suicide and feels comfortable sharing their story and feelings with you, the most important thing to do is listen without judgment. • Be patient. You can ask the survivor if and how you can help, but know that they grieve at their own pace and may not be ready to share. • Words may fail, hugs never do. Hugging is a scientifically powerful way of healing. Even virtual hugs can provide comfort if you can’t see a friend in person. • If you don’t know what to say, it’s OK to say exactly that. Such honesty can be better than saying something that comes out insensitive. Silence is worse. • If you do feel compelled to say something, then perhaps something like “I’m thinking about you. I know you’re going through a tough time. I know my words feel empty, but I just want you to know that I’m thinking of you.” • Avoid “I know how you feel” unless you are a suicide loss survivor yourself. Even if you’ve lost a loved one, losing someone to suicide is distinctly different. • If it was a very recent loss, survivors might not want to hear silver-linings or well-intentioned phrases like “they’re in a better place” or “God never gives you more than you can deal with.” Give them time to grieve and use your best judgement. • Use “died by suicide,” “lost to suicide,” or “killed themselves” instead of “commit,” which is associated with

sin or crime. • Use the loved one’s name instead of “he” or “she” as it humanizes them. Here’s two additional thoughts that are important on the topic of suicide. • Dismissing a suicide attempt as “selfish” or “attention seeking” can be extremely damaging. People who attempt suicide do not want to die – they just want to end their pain. It just so happens that they see no way of doing that except through death. If attention really is the motivation, they see no other way of getting the personal or medical attention they need except through risking death. It’s not merely a “cry” for attention, it’s a plea for help, so listen to them and help. • Think about who’s around you when you speak and consider the high chance someone has been somehow impacted by suicide. There are so many other ways to express that you’re bored in a lecture or frustrated at work. By no means is this a comprehensive or definitive list and my experience as a survivor may differ from another’s. However, I hope this can at least help start conversations that erase the stigma surrounding suicide loss. If you’ve read this far, thank you and if you’d like to reach out or talk about anything, feel free to get in touch at mpbrown@buffalo. edu. -Michael Brown ‘19 UB Council Student Representative

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Thursday, September 13, 2018 | 3

BENJAMIN BLANCHET SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Over the summer, I completed over 100 tasks a day at my job. My hands were always busy, and every day required more and more of a laser sharp focus on my part. But I didn’t work an internship, no sir, I sat on my bed and did surveys in my free time — and earned about $1000. After I completed my Bachelor’s in May, and after two companies declined me internships (to their loss), I jumped onto Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform for the second straight year. The site, commonly referred to as MTurk, is an online work requester service. Workers can work comfortably from

their laptop or their phones throughout the day and night. The tasks are simple and most are survey-based jobs, requiring just a few minutes of workers’ times. I began “turking” in June 2017, after I saw a serious dip in my bank account. I went to Toronto two weekends in a row, and like Drake, told my friends I had an affiliation with the six — that is, the six dollars I had left to my name. So I took a full court heave and considered all the opportunities available — trimming hedges, freelance writing or selling my toenails to a psychic. Although the last option enticed me, I joined MTurk with a heavy dose of skepticism, instead. The first couple of surveys were dull but after a while, filling out demographic information became second nature. As a result, MTurk made me think deeply about being a 22 year old white male who hasn’t committed a felony or smoked tobacco. I soon discovered what a breeze it was to make money with the service and I started using it just about every night. This past summer, I discovered the various scripts I could run on my computer that automatically grab the highest paying surveys, some which paid $10 or more. Besides surveys, there are

more offbeat ways on the site to earn money, too. In one case, one of the site’s work requests asked me to draw a bear and take pictures of said bear on my phone. The prize for completing the task? $2.75. I promptly took a page from my sketchbook and I thought it would be easy. Boy was I wrong. The task asked me to draw multiple bears, with my bears being rated by a professional artist. I realized after my first sad bear drawing I needed to step my game up. I googled pictures of bears — black bears, spectacled bears, you name it. Inspired by my love of movies like “Brother Bear” and TV shows like “Bear in the Big Blue House,” I knew I needed this $2.75. I sent over my second drawing, which the artist fell in love with. The MTurk work requester who asked for the bear sent me my money a few days later. As simple as it is to get paid, I initially entered into MTurk with ultra high expectations. I discovered I needed to verify my bank account through Amazon Pay before getting paid, which took over a week to complete. This is one of the downsides to the platform, overall, but once workers get over this hump they’ll start to rake in the cash. And MTurk is an ideal source for a college student in need of

income. It’s a job with flexible hours, despite the minimum wage pay. If you sign up for enough surveys, like I have, you’ll start to get emails every week with more and more offers. The opportunities are endless. Nowadays, thanks to MTurk, I have a week’s worth of Starbucks money under my belt. After the semester began in late August, I’ve stopped using the site as much as I used to. Unfortunately, I don’t have two hours to kill every night staring at a screen waiting for the next $1+ survey to appear. There are plenty of other opportunities out there but MTurk trumps the offbeat, weekend gig you may find on Craigslist. It’s far from a supportive financial means, though, and if you’re in desperate need of money — don’t do this. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for an effective way to make some money for weekend spending this year — MTurk is your best bet. email: benjamin.blanchet@ubspectrum.com twitter: @BenjaminUBSpec.

4 | Thursday, September 13, 2018 FROM PAGE 1

SCAM EMAILS

jobs scams seem to be about money, which is newer,” Cooper said. “It’s very unnerving. It’s about the anxiety of getting a job. Students need money and the whole end goal of school is employment. These emails promise trial-based jobs that could lead to something full-time in the

FEATURES imbursement check once they receive them in the mail. After sending the fake company supplies or money, students never hear from them again, losing out on their savings. A student forwarded The Spectrum a fake job email he received from “Richard Wayne.” It reads: “Hope you’re doing good today? I had a look at your resume on your school job

search and I might possibly have an opening for you. Kindly confirm to me if you’re available and get back to me as soon as possible. Send an email to [...] and also get back to me with a mobile number i can reach you on at any point in time for job description to get started Work 4 - 8 hours weekly and get paid $250.” Scammers will leave emails like this as ge-

neric as possible, allowing them to send it out to thousands of students at once. The poor sentence structure, punctuation and lack of a job description should be a red flag for students. Cooper said if students didn’t apply for a job and randomly receive an email offering unrealistic amounts of money, they shouldn’t believe the hype. If a job offer threatens students in any way, they should ignore it, Cooper added. He said scammers will often try to intimidate students into sending them money, similar to IRS calls intimidating people into providing their personal information. “It sounds like they’ve specifically targeted UB students. It’s very fear and greed motivated,” Cooper said. One email said ‘[a certain time] you’ll face [a consequence].’” If a student falls victim to one of these scams, it can be difficult to retrieve their money. Often times scammers will have students wire them money using untraceable methods, ensuring a successful scam. Catherine Ullman, UB’s senior information security analyst, said there are steps students can take if they think they fell for a scam. “[First and foremost,] protect yourself by stopping any further communication,” Ullman said in an email. “Change any passwords on accounts that were involved in the scam, contact any financial institutions involved and make a report to your local law enforcement. If you are a member of the University at Buffalo, contact University Police [and] file a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center.” Students said they receive scam emails daily and, despite flagging them as spam, are still

contacted by fake job recruiters. Lucas Furlow, a junior psychology major, said he gets scam emails every now and then, but has never paid any attention to them. After learning about the increase in scam emails, he said he plans on being extra cautious for any offers that seem too good to be true. “They’re kind of annoying and I noticed this year that there are more,” Furlow said. “I never responded, but if people are losing their info, it sucks. UBIT should be sending out emails or putting up posters to make sure students know not to fall for these emails.” Other students said they’ve been bombarded with scam emails that are looking to pay them ridiculous amounts of money for a part-time job. Anthony Hong, a freshman computer science major, said he receives spam emails almost daily. He hasn’t responded to any but is concerned by the sheer volume of emails in his inbox. “I do notice that I’ve been getting these phony emails and texts, but I guess I sort of had prior experience with these types of emails, so I tend to ignore them,” Hong said. “I think they’re so popular with college students because so many students are so focused on money –– whatever’s available, they’ll jump at. I think just spreading more awareness of the situation would really help a lot.” UBIT is holding an Information Security 101 training for students on Oct. 18 in 310 Silverman from 4 to 5 p.m.

the environment. It’s good for your health. It’s an inexpensive transportation option for us all,” Austin said. “We are actively working towards making UB a more bikefriendly campus. We encourage everyone to try them and to make UB a greener campus.” UB began its bicycle initiative in 2007 by introducing refurbished Buffalo Blue bikes. In 2012, UB became the first university in the country to test bike sharing with wireless technology, which has now become the industry standard.

The school also offers bike racks throughout its three campuses, as well as bicycle repair stations and free bicycle registration. The debuted bicycles contrast Reddy BikeShare’s signature red color, emblemized with UB’s classic blue and white. Sarra Souissi, a junior computer science major, has been using a personal bike as a method of transportation for the last two years, but likes the idea of bringing more bikes to campus. “I had never seen a Reddy bike on cam-

pus before, but I had seen them in the city of Buffalo,” Souissi said. “Maybe if they add more bikes that are readily available, it’ll be more well-known. I’d definitely advocate for more bikes on campus.” Although bicycles within North Campus can not be taken off campus without students being charged, bicycles rented on South Campus can be taken as far as Canalside.

“It’s very unnerving. It’s about the anxiety of getting a job,” said Blake Cooper, IT communications specialist. “Students need money and the whole end goal of school is employment. These emails promise trial-based jobs that could lead to something full-time in the future. When you dangle that in front of a freshman’s face, or an international student looking for an opportunity that will allow them to stay in the country, they’re often successful.” future. When you dangle that in front of a freshman’s face, or an international student looking for an opportunity that will allow them to stay in the country, they’re often successful.” Some scammers ask students to handle, transfer or spend their own money on things like office supplies, with the promise of a reFROM PAGE 1

UB BIKE

maintains 315 active members, as of Wednesday. Students and faculty with memberships are also eligible to use any of the 200 Reddy BikeShare bicycles within the city of Buffalo. Christopher Austin, director of parking and transportation services, spoke to the crowd of faculty and students before the inaugural ride. “Bicycling, as we all know, is good for

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FEATURES

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University Heights Tool Library knows the drill Library features over 2,500 different tools on loan, community engagement initiatives for students BENJAMIN BLANCHET SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Your next DIY project doesn’t have to break the bank. The University Heights Tool Library can help save students money on everything from cordless drills to handsaws. The library, located near South Campus, is a non-profit program dedicated to helping University Heights and Buffalo community members. The library has over 2,500 tools on loan, from automotive and bike tools to garden and plumbing tools. The library also spearheads community engagement efforts such as tree planting and urban blight, or decay, improvement initiatives. A membership at the tool library costs as low as $20 per year with the “Tool Belt” membership, which allows members to borrow up to five tools at a time. Other memberships include the $50 per year “Tool Box” and $100 per year twouser “Wheelbarrow” package, which allow members to take out up to 25 and 50 tools at a time, respectively. Darren Cotton, founder of the University Heights Tool Library, said he started the library in 2011 after realizing a need for tools in the neighborhood. There are over 1,000 members and at least 15 volunteer staff members at the tool library, according to Cotton. Cotton, a ‘12 alum, said he doesn’t want class to be a barrier to people and

SHUBH JAIN | THE SPECTRUM The tool library offers 2,500 different tools on loan for members, who can pay as low as $20/year to be a member. From hammer drills to paint brushes, the tool library offers home, plumbing and garden tools, as well.

it’s something the Tool Library wants to always keep in mind. “Our membership is super affordable. So if someone’s borrowing a drill or a sander, the cost of that tool alone is already making up the money you spent on the membership,” Cotton said. “Even with the $100 membership, if you take out a trap saw, which is typically around $150, you’ve already made a good investment. So especially for students who want to be a bit more handy and want to do jobs around their apartment or house, it’s really a great low cost way to do that.” Aside from checking out tools, students can also get involved through a number of services the tool library offers in the community. The library administers ReTree the District days, where volunteers have already planted over 1,000 trees in Buffalo. Additionally, volunteers have also helped restore areas on Buffalo’s East Side through art initiatives and revitalization efforts. “It’s obviously great to have a storefront

UB TEACH

combined

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Louise Lalli @ lmlalli@buffalo.edu or 716-645-6622

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where people can come to have access to the tools they need, but the bigger picture was always more about empowering the community through some of these things,” Cotton said. “I think the tool library is a really great catalyst to show that you don’t have to have a million dollars to have an impact in the community, sometimes it’s just about bringing a small group of dedicated people together.” A number of University Heights residents and members of the library appreciate the library’s ability to save them money and engage residents with the community at-large. Charlotte Hsu, news content manager for UB Communications, is on the library’s board of directors. Hsu, who owns a home near South Campus, said the library’s tools helped her save money over the years on household projects such as painting stairs, stenciling walls, fixing broken thresholds and assembling furniture.

POLICE BLOTTER 9/6-9/9

Did you make this week’s blotter? NEWS DESK

9/6 12:19 p.m. University Police received nine reports of a car parking in a handicapped spot in the Baird Hall parking lot. Dispatch notified Parking and Transportation. 12:28 p.m. UPD responded to an abandoned vehicle at Williams-Butler House near the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Groundskeepers told UPD they noticed the car three weeks ago. 1:54 p.m. A female student left campus in an ambulance after telling UPD she felt light headed and dizzy. Before first responders arrived, she vomited in the bathroom and could no longer walk. 4:43 p.m. A female student reported that her laptop was stolen from a bench in Knox 20 a week ago. 5:37 p.m. Police received reports of middle-aged male playing the guitar and panhandling outside the Student Union. The police arrived and informed the man to leave. 7:43 p.m. Police received a report of a group of six to seven black males fighting at the McDonalds near South Campus on Main Street. Two suspects fled the scene and ran through UB parking lots. Police had two in custody while still searching for the third, who was wearing a backpack with a white Adidas jacket. The two are suspects in a robbery. 10:55 p.m. UPD received a report about a stolen bike in front of Clark Hall. The victim said he went into the building for 10 minutes and did not lock his bike. 9/7 12:59 a.m. UPD received a complaint about a skunk making a nest around the outside of Spaulding building 7. Dispatch contacted facilities, who checked the area in the morning. 10:20a.m. A female student reported ap-

Thursday, September 13, 2018 | 5

For Hsu, she said one of the essential features of the library is its environmental contributions. “Reducing my impact on the planet is a value that guides much of my decisionmaking in my personal life,” Hsu said. “The tool library is an awesome resource because it enables the community to share things like a power drill or wheelbarrow that you might not use on a daily or even weekly or monthly basis. This cuts down our collective carbon footprint. It also helps to reduce clutter, so you don’t have a bunch of unused tools sitting around your garage or basement.” Mickey Vertino is the president of the University Heights Collaborative. Vertino said from community garden efforts to tree planting, he’s impressed by the overall sense of community the Library has brought to the Heights. Matt Straub, a senior architecture student, has been a tool library member and volunteer since his freshman year. He said anyone looking into joining the library can stop by and find out if they can use tools on their project or use the library’s CoLab event space. “We can always use more help keeping the shop open for our members,” Straub said. “I think the shop has been useful for my roommates and I when we need to hang stuff on our walls, build more furniture, or trim an out-of-control hedge blocking our sidewalk. At [as low as] $20 per year, it’s hard to beat.” The University Heights Tool Library, located at 5 West Northrup Place, is open from Tuesday to Friday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. email: benjamin.blanchet@ubspectrum.com twitter: @BenjaminUBSpec.

proximately $300 and multiple cards were stolen out of her wallet in Knox 20. She filed a report with UPD. 12:53 p.m. A man’s phone fell out of his pocket near Goodyear Hall on South Campus. After multiple attempts to try and locate it, he filed a report with the police. 5:58 p.m. A female student reported fraudulent charges totaling $240 appearing on her debit card. 4:40 p.m. Police recieved a call about a suspicious incident at Lehman Hall. Someone attempted to open a window by standing on a nearby grill. Facilities later repaired the window. 8:52 p.m. A male caller reported that a 300-pound male assaulted him at Walter Kunz Stadium. Police made an arrest. 9/8 2:53 a.m. Police responded to a marijuana complaint at Kanazawa Island. Officers responded but found no one on the island. 4:04 a.m. A caller reported a suspicious vehicle at the Main-Bailey parking lot. Police responded and found two males asleep in the car after a night of smoking. Police checked the car and the males were cleared. 4:15 a.m. A caller reported a homeless man sleeping near the Student Union. Officers responded and saw the man walking towards the bus stop. 11:55 a.m. Police responded to a larceny at the Spaulding parking lot. The victim reported that 22 capsules of 30mg Adderall were taken out of his vehicle. Patrol filed a report. 8:30 p.m. A male student called police after getting stuck in an elevator in Wilkeson building 5. The elevator eventually reset itself and the student returned to his dorm room. 9/9 1:15 a.m. UPD responded to a possible alcohol overdose in Clinton Hall. The female student was vomiting and slurring words. Medical transport was offered to ECMC. 7:23 p.m. UPD responded to a fire report at South Lake Village. A microwave burned out causing a small fire. The fire died down when police responded.

FEATURES

6 | Thursday, September 13, 2018

ubspectrum.com

POPULAR APP PAYS USERS TO WALK IT OUT Students concerned with Sweatcoin’s data tracking, distribution BENJAMIN BLANCHET SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Your next walk across campus can be cashed in for a Starbucks gift card thanks to a popular app. Sweatcoin is a pedometer-like app that converts outdoor steps to credits. Users can spend credits on gifts in the Sweatcoin store, including Starbucks and Netflix gift cards, bookbags and even an iPhone 8. For every 1,000 steps a user takes, Sweatcoin converts these steps into .95 credits. The more users invite others to join the app, the more credits they receive toward the store –– where products like the iPhone 8 cost 20,000 credits. Users can then spend the credits on themselves or donate their credits to a number of charities through the app. Sweatcoin is the #1 most downloaded free Health and Fitness app in the App Store, as of Wednesday morning. The app, however, is able to collect more than just your daily steps. Sweatcoin users must allow the app to

passively track their location whenever their phone is on. Sweatcoin’s privacy policy lists information such as names, phone numbers, emails, passwords and payment information as potential traits they can gather from users. The app may also be able to access user Facebook accounts and friends lists, if users allow contact searches through the app’s invite feature. Furthermore, the app collects locationbased information and Sweatcoin’s data may be stored and distributed to third parties, according to the app’s privacy policy. Rachel Wright, a 1L law student, said she’s weary about the app based on its payment collection. “I probably wouldn’t have any interest in using it. If I’m already agreeing to third parties taking my information and it also is acknowledging that it has my personal financial information, what’s stopping a third party from accessing that,” Wright said. Users, however, have the ability to opt-out of marketing emails from the app, change the information Sweatcoin holds, request their information from Sweatcoin and delete their information/account with Sweatcoin. Celina Gregory, a sophomore sociology and legal studies major, said she thinks it’s a

good thing for Sweatcoin to give users control of their data. “When you join any kind of social media, such as Snapchat and Instagram, there’s always a huge list of what [information] they can take from you. I feel like no one reads it, at least I know I don’t, ” Gregory said. “Apps have control of information we don’t always know about, but with this app, you can at least control what they take from you which makes it more trustworthy.” Wright said she sees the ability to opt-out and delete information as positive but has doubts about the validity of the app’s privacy policies. “I’m not sure if some of the things on the policy can be legally upheld, so if you do run into issues, you could always take all that information to court,” Wright said. Nicole Niedzielski, a senior photography major, said Sweatcoin isn’t different from other apps’ privacy policies and a number of gadgets, such as the Apple Watch, have similar methods of gathering information. Niedzielski said she would use Sweatcoin only if the “tradeoff ” between your data and gifts “was worth it.” “You have a lot of apps that promise you rewards for using the app and sometimes it’s

DISCOUNTS AND FREEBIES How you can save money as a UB student KIRSTEN DEAN ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

Let’s face it: college is expensive, and students have to do whatever they can to save a few bucks. Luckily, there are a few options out there to take advantage of. From discounts to free stuff, here’s what you should know to help keep some money in your pocket.

Wellness Education Services UBCovered provides free male and female condoms, flavored and unflavored lube, and dental dams through Wellness Education Services. UBCovered’s supply request form can be accessed via UBLinked. Students who live on campus can use the form to order free safe sex supplies for delivery to their mailroom. Students who live off campus can also request supplies. Wellness Education Services also can connect students to a registered dietician for nutrition counseling. The services offer “guidance on a range of topics including weight management, allergies and sensitivities, and

other eating-related medical questions and concerns,” according to UB’s Student Life page.

UNiDAYS discounts Students can create an account for free on UNiDAYS and have access to discounts to many different stores and services. Students can get a discount on Grubhub, a food delivery service, as of Tuesday night. Students can place orders for discounted deliveries for restaurants near North Campus like Qdoba, Red Robin, Five Guys, Anchor Bar, Red Lobster and more. UNiDAYS also gives discounts between 10 and 15 percent off to fashion brands including Dr. Martens, Calvin Klein, H&M and Nautica. Activewear, sneakers, eye care and health subscriptions are also discounted on the site. As for travel, UNiDAYS offers a free student membership to Zipcar, which is partnered with UB, Megabus, Hotels.com, Uber and Lyft. Discounts for technology are also available.

Free software from UBIT UBIT allows students to download software for personally-owned Windows, Mac and Linux computers. The available software

covers various student needs; Symantec Endpoint Protection for computer virus protection, Office 2016 for school work, and Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for secure VPN connections, according to UBIT’s webpage.

UB Counseling Services UB Counseling Services offers free counseling to all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. The services focus on helping students deal with much of the stress of university life as well as crisis management. Counseling Services also offer a Wellness Suite & Safe Zone, located at 114 Student Union, where students can take advantage of free tea, coloring supplies and massage chairs.

Free streaming services For students who live on campus, Campus Living provides free streaming cable television via the application Stream2, HBO Go and MAX GO. Most of the content, which comes from HBO and Cinemax, is available in HD.

Technology discounts Spotify Premium has an offer for students that includes Hulu and SHOWTIME. The

WAYNE PENALES | THE SPECTRUM Sweatcoin offers gifts in its store such as book-

bags, cell phones and Netflix giftcards. The app, though, collects users’ personal informartion, including phone numbers and payment cards.

not worth the effort of using the app [nonstop],” Niedzielski said. “If I’m taking a certain amount of steps outdoors a day, I hope I could get a good tradeoff with some of the rewards they can give you.” email:benjamin.blanchet@ubspectrum.com twitter@BenjaminUBSpec

cost is 99 cents for the first three months of subscription and then $4.99 per month afterwards. All on one bill, UB students can pay for three music and television services for half the cost of an average Spotify Premium account. Apple also offers a special discount for students. Through Apple education pricing, students can purchase desktops, laptops, iPads and software. Students also have access to a discounted Apple Music membership for $4.99 per month –– half the regular price. Apple is offering a free pair of Beats headphones with the purchase of a Mac or iPad Pro, as of Tuesday.

Restaurant discounts Students can add a little spice to their lives by signing up for food deals. If you sign up for Chipotle text alerts, you will be signed up for Chipotle mobile offers. Through text alerts, students will receive notifications of day-of deals and according to an Amherst store worker, there are special discounts just for students. CoreLife Eatery, located in Buffalo, also has a deal for students. From now until Sept. 16, 2 p.m. to close, students can get 50 percent off their in-store meal and beverage purchases. All you have to do to take advantage of this deal is show a valid UB Card in store. email:kirsten.dean@ubspectrum.com twitter:@KirstenUBSpec

Mass of the Holy Spirit & 42nd Annual Convocation Sunday, September 16 @ 11:30am St. Joseph University Parish 3269 Main St.

All are Welcome!

Felisha Legette - Jack Head Coach of Women’s Basketball Recipient of the Annual Newman Award

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ubspectrum.com

SPORTS

THE WALL AT THE NET

Freshman goalkeeper Emily Kelly continues to impress in debut season

Thursday, September 13, 2018 | 7

Student athlete scholarship and team pay breakdown A look at the numbers from 2017

THOMAS ZAFONTE SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

SPORTS DESK

THE SPECTRUM Freshman goalkeeper Emily Kelly prepares to pass the ball back to her team. Kelly has looked great since becoming the starting goalkeeper for the Bulls.

having started for the Bulls in every regular season game this year. The Bulls have not lost a game since its season opener against the St. John’s Red Storm (3-5). In the last five games she has only allowed one goal. Kelly credits the defense and team as a whole for her strong play. Kelly said she started playing as a goalkeeper seriously when she was 15 because, “nobody else was very good at it and my coach asked me to.” “This team has no ego,” Kelly said. “Everyone here is open to criticism and doesn’t get detracted off mistakes.” Burke said Kelly was a perfect match for the team the moment he saw footage of her playing. “I could see on video she had something that would excell here,” Burke said. “Once she got here she was even better than we thought … she can read a shot so well and has that ability to get there in an instant. To have that so early is just so rare and she is not even at her peak yet. The whole team isn’t even at 100 percent either and I am very happy with how we are shaping up.” Bukre said this is one of the deepest teams in terms of talent, but said recent freshmen additions like Kelly have been a, “huge factor.” Still, Burke said he still sees untapped potential in all his players that the team can build upon. “It’s a team-wide mentality but we can always get better,” Bramble said. “Emily got that the moment she got here and I think she keeps getting better. I see her putting the time at and

Athletics reported budget of $19.9 million for athletic student aid, coaching salaries and administrative pay, according to a UB financial report covering the 2017 financial year. Athletic student aid had an individual budget of $9.4 million. Athletic student aid covers expenses for summer school, tuition discounts, waivers, aid given to inactive athletes and aid for no longer eligible athletes, according to the report. Three hundred ninety-five students were reported aid recipients. Football received the most aid with 95 students on the team receiving a combined $3.6 million. Female sports received $3.7 million in aid for 161 students, while male sports received $5.7 million for 234 students. The 2017 numbers include the four Division I teams that Athletics cut last year. Coaching salaries, benefits and bonuses had a budget of roughly $4.4 million. The number includes benefits like allowances, speaking fees, retirement, stipends, memberships, media income, tuition reimbursement and earned deferred compensation. For men’s teams, athGRAPHIC BY PHUONG VU

In front of the 8-foot-tall by 24-foot-wide net at the UB Stadium, stands a 5-foot-6-inch goalkeeper ready to pounce. From 10 yards to her left to a shot over her head, freshman Emily Kelly attacks every shot that comes her way with speed and ferocity. The results have already shown. In her first six games with the Bulls (5-1, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) she has recorded four shutouts and has only given up four goals. In her few months on the team, she has shown a high level of play that has coaches, players and support staff excited for her time to come at UB. “It is rare a player comes in and can just perform at such a high level,” said head coach Shawn Burke. “It can take some players three years to be in that college shape, but Emily was ready day one. She is one of the best pure athletes I have ever coached.” Burke is giving high praise for a freshman who replaced one of the best goalkeepers in program history in Laura Dougall, after her graduation last spring. Burke said the difference in goal keepers is that Dougall was able to utilize her reach and height at the net while Kelly relies on her explosiveness to, “lunge at the ball.” “It’s awesome having her at the net,” said senior defender Rebecca Bramble. “She makes things less stressful on the defensive end. The first practice we played together, I saw her at the net and I was like, ‘ok, I can get used to this.’” Bramble said Kelly is almost cat-like at the net, going after the ball like it was a red laser dot. Burke said she has a “work like mentality towards soccer,” seeing it less as a game and more as a job. She is known for always playing her hardest all the way to the final minute, according to Burke. Kelly has 31 saves in six starts this season,

after practice.” Kelly said players like Bramble have been helpful in getting her comfortable playing for Buffalo. “The experienced players made it way easier to feel calm at the net … after the first practice I was way less nervous playing,” Kelly said. Up next for Kelly and the Bulls will be a

letics used $1.2 million for head coach pay and $1.8 million for assistant coach pay. For women’s teams, athletics paid head coaches $684,327 and assistant coaches $744,124. Support staff and administrative pay, benefits and bonuses had a total budget of $5 million. The number includes all wages, bonuses, allowances, speaking fees, retirement pay, stipends, memberships, media income, tuition reimbursement and earned deferred compensation. None of the money was listed as being given to a specific team. Athletics had a total budget of $35.9 million for 2017. email: sports@ubspectrum.com twitter: @ubspecsports

home rivalry game against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies starting at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Bulls have the chance to earn wins over all the major Western New York schools, having beaten the Niagara University Purple Eagles (4-3) and the Canisius Golden Griffins (3-2-1) this season. email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com twitter: @Thomas_Spectrum

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SPORTS

From families to students

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

Painted students participating in the UB Football student section. The section was filled with fans during the game against the Delaware State Hornets on Sept. 1.

How UB Athletics plans to grow football attendance around program success THOMAS ZAFONTE SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

From this year’s first-time NCAA tournament wins in basketball, to formerBull Khalil Mack being selected fifth in the 2014 NFL draft, UB has experienced some of its top sports moments in school history within the past five years. Senior director of marketing for athletics Elaine Russell uses these accomplishments to market an emerging Division I sports school to students, families and the Buffalo community. Russell said the UB sports fanbase can grow through past success. “You want people to say ‘Oh, I saw Anthony Johnson play before he got drafted,’ it creates a buzz around the whole team,” Russell said in an interview with The Spectrum last April. “I saw the same thing happen with Khalil Mack. … You could see the crowds grow throughout the year and it makes people want to see what the players are all about.” Already, UB football has higher atten-

dance numbers compared to last season having a reported attendance of 17,959 for the season opening 48-10 win against the Delaware State Hornets, which is 6,413 more fans than reported for the 2017 home opener. “I went to the first game this season and it was awesome,” said Erick Rivera, freshman mechanical engineering major. “Everyone there was loud and into the game until they [Buffalo] really started to run away with. It was my first UB game and I will definitely try to attend more.” Rivera said he didn’t see UB as a sports school until seeing the success of men’s basketball in the past NCAA Tournament. Now at UB, Rivera said the school provides the college sports experience he expects from other Division I sports schools. Rivera said he also attended the soccer team’s game against Canisius and enjoyed it. Russell said the student experience is always important when trying to market to on-campus students. She said spirit groups like True Blue help to draw in more students by increasing awareness through word of mouth and leading the student section. Kyle Yagielski, a senior media study major, has been a member of True Blue since 2016 and has started his own UB mascot

as UB Naked Guy. Yagielski said the recent success has helped True Blue recruitment “a ton” as more students show interest in attending games, including students who aren’t in the club. Yagielski said he has had more people than ever recognize him for his signature speedo and cowboy boot look. “It’s a lot easier to get someone to go to a game when you can tell them that the team is good and have actual stats to back it up,” Yagielski said. “After the basketball teams had their runs in March, things have just been building momentum.” Yagielski cited the success of events like the recent True Blue Fest as an example of the growing fanbase. For Russell, the goal is to convince students before the start of their freshman year or over the summer to get into UB football. “To get students excited early, you have to market around players,” Russell said. “We have a linebacker in Khalil Hodge, who could be the next coming of Khalil Mack. We have a six [foot] seven [inch] quarterback in Tyree [Jackson], a future draft pick in Anthony Johnson. So we try to take those elements to try to get people excited about the team.” Thomas Parry, a freshman biomedical major, said before the basketball teams’ recent success, he also didn’t consider UB a sports school. Parry said now that he is at UB, the school offers the “full on” college sports experience he was looking for. “I definitely wanted to go to a school that was serious about sports,” Parry said. “UB really offers that and it helped in my decision to come here.” There is a “widespread effect” on attendance when one of the revenue programs [football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball] alone is having success, according to Russell. The success of one UB team can be used to promote another, according to Russell. This gives athletics the ability to promote from season to season instead of year to year. Russell said UB football offers a “less intense” option for families when compared to the Bills, even with the commitment to having a strong student section.

DEFENSE OF A LEGACY

How UB football is honoring a teammate NATHANIEL MENDELSON SPORTS EDITOR

Sitting in his hotel room, senior cornerback Cameron Lewis prepares for his day. The sounds of the Isley Brothers and Janet Jackson ring through his headphones. All seems normal for Lewis, who listens to classic R&B to get ready. Lewis will put on his suit and change his playlist to modern hip-hop. Now, the sounds of Travis Scott and Kanye West join him as he walks onto the team bus for the journey to Lincoln Financial Field. It’s just another gameday for the Detroit native. As Lewis enters the locker room, he’s greeted with an unfamiliar sight: a different jersey number. Lewis’ number was changed to 41 on Sept. 8, as opposed to his typical

number of 39. In an opening week press conference, head coach Lance Leipold announced the team will rotate who wears jersey number 41, in honor of the late Solomon Jackson. Jackson was a linebacker on the team who died at 20-yearsold. He concluded his second season on the team when he had a medical emergency during a Bulls conditioning session. He passed a week later in the hospital. Players who wear the number honor Jackson and his time here. “I was proud and nervous,” Lewis said. “I wanted to wear his jersey proud. I did not want to bring it dishonor. But once I got out there on Temple’s field, I felt something over me and felt like he was watching over me. He played a big part for why I had that big game.” Lewis had the best game of his collegiate career on Saturday. He finished with four tackles and two interceptions that earned him the Mid-American Conference East Defensive Player of the Week award. It was the first

NATHANIEL MENDELSON | THE SPECTRUM Senior safety Brandon Williams (left) and senior cornerback Cameron Lewis (right) pose together after practice. Williams and Lewis were selected to wear Solomon Jackson’s jersey number 41 the first two weeks of the season.

of his career. The two-interception game was the first by a Bull since the 2015 season. Lewis remembers both plays vividly, but could not reveal the names of the plays the team called. On his second interception, he thanked senior safety Brandon Williams and senior linebacker Khalil Hodge for their coverage since the ball was tipped up and Lewis grabbed it. Williams earned the right to wear number 41 in the week one matchup against Delaware State. Solomon Jackson and Williams played against eachother in high school. Jackson defeated Williams’ team in the state championship while Williams was a junior. Williams thinks of Jackson as a brother. “When I came up here for my junior year [visit] he was my host,” Williams said. “So he kind of took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. Showed me around campus and stuff like that. Whenever I needed something; money, a couch to sleep on, he was always there. A helping hand.” Lewis says he sees a lot of similarities between Williams and the way Jackson conducted himself. “Brandon [Williams] is a hard worker for sure, team player and I like his aggressiveness, Lewis said. “I play with a lot of aggressiveness too. With Solomon, I feel that he and Brandon have a lot in common. They put players before themselves. Brandon helps the freshman move in. He has that caring aspect that Solomon had.” UB football has been described as a “brotherhood” by Lewis. For months, the players are left alone with one another with limited time to see their families. Players like Lewis have had the team become their family. Leipold described Lewis as an infectious leader. That leadership comes from his fa-

ubspectrum.com “UB football is a family-friendly sporting experience,” Russell said. “We target the surrounding suburbs … by trying to have something for everybody. You can come for the concert, there is face-painting in Stampede Square, there’s the rockclimbing wall [and] we also added food trucks. We try to do all this while keeping it an affordable ticket for whoever is going.” Undergraduate students can attend the game for free, while graduate students have to pay $10. Single-game tickets cost $30 with group rates starting at $15 per seat. Blue and White Priority season tickets cost $225 per seat with discounts available for staff and alumni. Russell said that the more selective ticket options, like the $10,000 12-person box suite season tickets, are easier to sell when attendance and team success are strong. She said the boxes are marketed toward corporations and business groups to create more clients for other aspects of athletics, such as sponsorships. “The more of a hot ticket item you can make the games, the easier it is to get those businesses to buy whole boxes for the season,” Russell said. In 2017, athletics earned $1.1 million for ticket sales, $84,966 for programs, novelties, parking and concession sales and $925,352 for royalties, licensing, advertisement and sponsorships. Marketing had a budget of $1.2 million for 2017. Russell said there are students, locals and businesses that don’t have an interest in sports and are much harder to market toward. She said even though she would like to convince them to attend, the marketing strategy is more focused around the, “diehard sports fans Buffalo is known for.” Alumni Arena, the UB Stampede and UB Stadium have ads that promote upcoming games, while groups like True Blue oversee promotions in the Student Union. On Wednesday, True Blue ran a merchandise give-away to promote Saturday’s game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. UB’s brand continues to grow with three more men’s basketball games being added to national broadcasting on ESPN and CBS this past Monday. With numbers already up and teams looking better this season, athletics seems primed to have one of its strongest attendance years to date. email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com twitter: @Thomas_Spectrum

ther’s influence on him. According to Lewis, his father did not let him and his siblings get involved with the negative influences in Detroit. His own father grew up in the “poor end” of Detroit and did not want his sons to experience what he went through. “Unselfishness,” Leipold said. “We’ve asked Cameron at different times in his career to do different things. There’s never a wavering look on his face from what we ask him to do. He’s a hard working, team guy, plays the game for all the right reasons, the practice habits, everything that goes through it.” Williams is a leader in his own right. A lot of what he practices is learned from the habits of Jackson. Jackson always made sure the young players were hustling, on top of their games and not falling behind, according to Williams. Those are aspects that he tries to bring to his position group. The memory of Jackson is still in the minds of many of those who shared the field with him. When the number is announced at a team meeting, the whole team congratulates and cheers for the player who earned the weekly honor. “I almost cried the first time I put that jersey on,” Williams said. “It’s a spiritual feeling because I’ve known him personally. I get to represent him the right way, every single time.” “I’d just tell him thank you,” Lewis said. “Everything he’s done for me and since I was here as a freshman. That’s when he had his biggest impact on me. I just want to say thank you for everything you’ve done and I miss you every day.” Both Lewis and Williams have felt an extra weight on their shoulders when putting on the special jersey. Neither want to disappoint “Solo” and make sure to make his memory proud. email:nathaniel.mendelson@ubspectrum.com twitter:@NateMendelson