The Spectrum Vol. 65 No. 48

T H E I N D E P E N D E N T TSHTEU D NETP E PN UD BE LN I CTA S TT IO NA I VTEI R Y FA T T HBEU U FF E T1 B 9U 50 I NED UN D EO NFT TPH UEB LUI C OSNI T O NA I VLEOR,S S I TI N Y CA FFALO, SINCE 1950

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WEdnesday, February 17, 2016

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE

Volume 65 No. 48

TO CLOSE Tuesday’s winter storm left many students asking yet again why UB did not cancel classes TOM DINKI EDITOR IN CHIEF

Tuesday’s winter storm and nearly a foot of snow has left many students asking a familiar question: What does it take for UB to cancel classes?

The winter storm, which affected the entire Western New York region, left unplowed campus parking lots and streets hard to navigate, Stampede buses delayed and many commuter students stuck inside their driveways with snow burying their cars.

While Daemen College, located in Amherst, canceled classes Tuesday, UB remained open yet again - a pattern that has repeated and frustrated students for years.

Other local colleges Canisius and SUNY Buffalo State were already closed due to Presidents’ Day. Students reported unplowed parking lots on North and South Campus as late as 4 p.m., causing many drivers to dig themselves out of the snow, as well as triple park and block other drivers from exiting. Unplowed sidewalks also made it difficult for students liv-

ing on campus to get to the academic spine.

Assistant Chief of Police Chris Bartolomei said a few cars did get stuck in the snow but all got out without a tow truck and there were no accidents reported on campus.

Stampede buses ran approximately 1520 minutes behind schedule because of the road conditions Tuesday, while several commuter students could not leave their driveways due to unplowed streets in their residential and downtown neighborhoods.

Several students said they didn’t even attempt the drive to campus Tuesday simply because they were fearful of getting to an accident in the harsh conditions.

And on Monday, a sprinkler head froze in a South Lake Village apartment causing damage to the apartment floors, walls and carpeting and relocating eight students until maintenance can finish fixing the issue.

A quick Twitter search shows dozens of student complaints about UB holding classes, from the hazardous commute to receiving parking tickets despite the unplowed campus lots. One student questioned whether or not UB cares about its students’ safety.

YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM

Tuesday’s winter storm left harsh road conditions for commuters, and some student had difficulty walking to class and parking because several campus sidewalks and parking lots remained unplowed. Many students took to social media to voice displeasure with the university for not canceling classes.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Death of Supreme Court Justice raises major questions during election year UB students and professors weigh in on death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ASHLEY INKUMSAH NEWS EDITOR

The sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has left a vacant seat on the United States Supreme Court. The search for a new justice nearly immediately caused a stir among the Republican and Democratic parties.

Antonin Scalia passed away from apparent natural causes at the age of 79 at a luxury resort on Saturday in West Texas, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Former President Ronald Reagan nominated Scalia, a longstanding member of the Supreme Court’s conservative wing, and the Senate unanimously appointed him in 1986.

His death has wide-ranging effects on all branches of government and on political players and law students across the country.

“Justice Scalia was a brilliant jurist and a forceful advocate for the doctrine of originalism in interpreting laws and the U.S. Constitution,” said James Campbell, a distinguished political science professor. “The job of the jurist was very strictly to determine whether an act was in accord with the law or the Constitution as it was meant by those who originally passed or ratified it.”

Scalia was an ardent practitioner of originalism, the concept of constitutional interpretation that looks to adhere to and incorporate the understanding and philosophies of those who drafted and ratified the Constitution.

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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia testifies before the House Judiciary Committee’s Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee in 2010. Scalia passed away on Sunday, leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

“[Scalia’s beliefs] put him on the conservative side of the current Court, but he was not a judicial activist,” Campbell said. “He said that he followed the law to whatever conclusion it took him, whether he personally liked that conclusion or not.”

Alexis Ogra, a sophomore history major and president of UB College Republicans

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and Erica Lutz, a junior communication and political science major and vice president of UB College Republicans, referred to Scalia’s death as a blow.

“This is definitely a big loss for any conservative and the Court as a whole,” Ogra said. “Losing any justice is really just a hit to the nation.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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NEWS

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

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THE SPECTRUM

WHAT DOES IT TAKE

TO CLOSE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

A tweet from the UB Problems Twitter account Tuesday morning reading “Nothing like risking your life to make that 9 am because your professors don’t look out the windows” got 66 retweets.

And Tuesday was nothing new for students.

Students have started petitions in years past for the university to close during winter storms, with a petition last February calling for UB to close when it can not provide adequate busing transportation receiving more than 2,500 signatures. And the university received national attention for delaying cancellation during the historic Snowvember storm in November of 2014.

UB decides whether or not to cancel classes based on input from an advisory

group of officials across different departments. A UB spokesperson, who asked to be identified as such, said cancellation decisions take into consideration weather conditions, forecasts, road conditions on and off campus, travel warnings or bans and scheduled academic and extracurricular activities.

There were no travel bans issued in Western New York Tuesday.

Several professors canceled classes on their own - and some students said they would not have attended class even if it had been held.

The university posted an alert on its website at 9:55 a.m. about travel delays, however no emails were sent to students’ buffalo. edu addresses.

The majority of students’ complaints Tuesday were about unplowed parking lots

YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM

A student makes his or her way through the snow on north campus friday.

THE DONALD L. DAVIS LECTURESHIP FUND & UNIVERSITY LIFE AND SERVICES PRESENTS

on North and South Campus. Although a UB spokesperson said the university’s facility department began plowing the campus roads and lots at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and used all available plows in its fleet, some lots, such as Cooke and Hochstetter, remained unplowed into the afternoon.

Th university did not specify by press time how many plows it has.

“UB will continue to remove snow until the lots and roads on campus are clear,” the spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon.

Some felt the weather wasn’t harsh enough to cancel class, but that the university did not adequately plow the parking lots and sidewalks. One student tweeted “UB, its okay that had [sic] school today but you could at least plow the lots and the sidewalks so students can actually get to the buildings.”

Several students reported seeing UB parking attendants writing tickets for cars in unplowed parking lots. This prompted one student to tweet “where is the justice UB?!”

The UB Now Twitter account tweeted that all the university issued just four tickets Tuesday - all for cars that triple parked and blocking others in. The UB Parking and Transportation Twitter account tweeted back at students complaining of parking tickets, telling them that those who received tickets should call the office to “discuss the circumstances.”

A representative from Parking and Transportation was not immediately available to comment further.

“The roads aren’t great and the lines are

hard to see in the lots, but the hard part was trying to avoid other cars that are slipping around,” said Shawn Milligan, a junior computer engineering major.

Some commuter students were not able to make it onto campus at all due to roads near their off-campus homes not being plowed.

O’Brien Welsh, a senior political science major, said he could not get out of his downtown apartment. Hannah Milligan, a freshman English major, said her usual 10-minute commute to campus took twice as long.

Some streets in the Town of Tonawanda were still not plowed by 11:30 a.m.

Bridgette Cerenzuela, a senior political science major, said she didn’t leave her house Tuesday and called off work after seeing snapchats of accidents throughout the morning.

“No accident is worth it,” she said.

UB did add two additional Stampede buses into circulation Monday evening in anticipation of Tuesday’s weather and the extra buses will run until the weather improves.

The Parking and Transportation website provides a GPS tracker for students to locate buses and shuttles.

After students complained UB did not adequately provide them information about busying delays last February, UB completed notifications about busing delays into its text alert system.

Tori Roseman contributed reporting to this story. email: tom.dinki@ubspectrum.com

STAY LONGER REACH HIGHER

SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE Cancer Physician, Researcher & Author of the Pulitzer Prize-Winning “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer”

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OPINION THE SPECTRUM

Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF

Tom Dinki

MANAGING EDITORS

Alyssa McClure Gabriela Julia

Kanye all day

The artist, though controversial, has managed to keep himself relevant no matter what

COPY EDITORS

Renée Staples Saqib Hossain NEWS EDITORS

Marlee Tuskes, Senior Ashley Inkumsah Evan Schneider FEATURES EDITORS

Tori Roseman, Senior Tomas Olivier John Jacobs, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS

Brian Windschitl, Senior Kenneth Kashif Thomas Luke Hueskin, Asst.

SPORTS EDITORS

Jordan Grossman, Co-senior Quentin Haynes, Co-senior PHOTO EDITORS

Yusong Shi, Co-senior Kainan Guo, Co-senior Angela Barca .

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THE SPECTRUM Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Volume 65 Number 48 Circulation 4,000

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Kanye West performs in concert. With the release of his newest album, West is in the spotlight again - but not necessarily for positive reasons.

Kanye West has been at the forefront of the music scene as both an artist and a producer for the last decade.

His six albums are not only innovative bangers, but purposely move away from whatever is popular at the time. His first album The College Dropout rapped about insecurities during a time most other artists were building themselves up. His last album Yeezus was incredibly experimental with sound while maintaining the ever-relevant lyrical content Yeezy is known for. 808’s and Heartbreak used auto tune before it became part of T-Pain’s image.

West’s ability to be ahead of the curve and apart from the crowd is hard to believe.

But in the last few weeks, West has been floundering. He claims to be $53 million dollars in debt and his latest album The Life of Pablo underwent many changes and delays before finally being released on Tidal, the music streaming service started

by Jay-Z. Taylor Swift threw some serious shade his way at the Grammys and his social media is constantly full of nonsensical ranting.

Kanye as a person and Kanye as an artist are two different people.

As an artist, he’s a lyrical master-

mind, one of the greatest rappers of our generation and incredibly experimental as both a producer and a writer. His albums are instant classics and his songs are anthems that everyone, rap-lover or not, know the words to.

Kanye as a person is petty. He calls others out on Twitter, loves himself more than anyone else and shamelessly indulges in bad publicity. He’s almost like the Donald Trump of music – making comments that are controversial just to have his voice heard. Recent tweets including pleas for Mark Zuckerberg to bail him out of debt, blaming

Chance the Rapper for delaying his album release and the most controversial, saying Bill Cosby is innocent.

West’s ability to keep himself relevant is a talent – whether it’s his marriage to Kim Kardashian, new music or some crazy statement he makes, Kanye always seems to be in the news.

He knows how to play the game, how to keep himself in the loop and relevant in the media.

He’s a skilled entertainer and has stretched himself into domains further than music. He knows what to say, when to say it and which names to drop. The hype around his albums is built around this type of publicity he garners.

The only artist that has come anywhere close to this kind of complex marketing is when Drake dropped If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. His issues with Cash Money Records led him to surprise drop what was supposed to be a free mixtape right before Kendrick dropped his album, taking away publicity and hype.

Marketing in the music industry is completely strategic, so long as the players are willing to play the game.

West has managed to perfect his image, though many find him narcissistic, in a way that will keep him relevant to matter what is happening.

West’s appearance on Saturday Night Live this past Saturday is another example of his erratic behavior though – the show was borderline crazy and even though the song is good, it was an interesting choice off the new album.

Once West’s newest album becomes fully available, we may get a better idea of what’s going on in his head. For now, the rapper will remain one of the greats who’s ability to produce and create music will be remembered for decades to come. email: eic@ubspectrum.com

THE CASE FOR CREDIT Why opting for a credit card over a debit card isn’t such a bad idea

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

KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS ARTS EDITOR

Growing up you may have heard people warn you about the trap that is a credit card.

The truth is, opening a credit card is some of the best advice you’ll ever get in your life, right up there with wearing sunscreen and not eating before bed.

Credit cards are often sent to young adults with inserts touting the benefits of having one, but the fine print, jargon and unknown acronyms are what you actually need to pay attention to. Owning a credit card is a responsibility and having one with a good interest rate is a privilege.

Consider credit cards as a loan to you from the bank you choose to do business. Debit cards work differently – payments with a debit card are drawn directly from your bank account, while credit cards purchases need to be paid off.

Credit card payments are due on a monthly basis and need to be paid promptly. Interest rates begin to accrue not at the end of the

month, but at the end of the grace period, which means that you’re only paying what you spent.

Money that you put into the bank compounds by the interest rate that the bank offers on savings accounts. If you have a savings account, you’re getting some percentage of interest for keeping your money in the bank, albeit a small amount.

For college students, often the only thing growing financially is student debt. But taking a refund check or monetary gift from a relative and opening an account with the money could prove an exercise in smart banking. The money will eventually begin compounding upon itself, and after several years you will have more money than you put in – even if you don’t add to the account at all.

According to US News, “The longer money compounds the faster it grows. Money growing at 6 percent per year will double in about 12 years, but it will be worth four times as much in 24 years.”

Every time you spend money using the debit card, the money you can gain from interest decreases, just like in your savings account.

Which brings up opportunity cost, which is essentially saying what you stand to lose by doing one thing instead of another.

For example, the opportunity cost of using debit over credit is the interest you make on what’s in your account.

Credit cards require a high degree of self-control. Holders need to make sure they pay off their purchases in a timely manner in order to avoid high accruements in interest rates. Per US News, credit cards compound interest against you, so it is in your best interest to pay off the purchases as soon as possible.

The opportunity cost of using a credit card is the interest rates that you would have to make should you miss a payment, which would be insanely high considering most college students are offered interest rates in the realm of 20 percent.

Still, opening a credit card is a good way to save money and an even better way to build a sense of responsibility. It also helps build your credit – so long as your payments are not perpetually late – which will help facilitate future large purchases like a house or a car.

If you were to be responsible with a a high-interest rate credit card, lenders would throw cards at you, which then gives you the privilege of choosing the lowest interest rate that comes your way.

It could be said that credit cards have been given a bad rap, but, as with most things in life, it comes down to what you do with it. email: kenneth.thomas@ubspectrum. com

MONEY TALK

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.

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

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FEATURES

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

THE SPECTRUM

UB COLLEGE REPUBLICANS OFFER STUDENTS OPPORTUNITY FOR POLITICAL DISCUSSION Students use club to talk right-wing politics TOMAS OLIVIER FEATURES EDITOR

Alexis Ogra felt that her right-leaning opinion didn’t matter when a professor in the English department asked her class to write a response on why Ted Cruz and other Republicans “don’t understand science.”

Although Ogra, a sophomore history major and president of the Buffalo chapter of the New York Federation of College Republicans, didn’t identify as a Cruz supporter, she was shocked by the professor’s blatant exemplification of political bias as an employee of a public institution.

“It was very hard for me to come to class,” said Ogra. “I’m not a Ted Cruz supporter but I am still a Republican and that was offensive to me as a student.”

Political conversation in the classroom is a slippery slope and the possibility of offending someone can be relatively high.

There are students on campus who want to voice their political opinions on current event issues plaguing the United States without feeling like they are being targeted or judged for what they believe.

Organizations like the UB College Republicans aim to create an environment where open discussions about the nations issues allow politically active students and non-political students alike to learn more about problems facing this country.

“When we’ve gone to our statewide and nationwide events we meet with students that feel that their voices have been suppressed on campus,” Ogra said.

Ogra believes that college students should be allowed to speak their minds.

A group like College Republicans is just one forum on campus that allows students to do just that – voice their opinions, learn more about the party and meet other Republicans.

“Schools tend to be a little bit more liberal in terms of the administration and faculty so I think liberal students have an easier time discussing their views,” said Reed Tighe, a junior political science major and treasurer of College Republicans. “But conservative students who strongly believe in their views might be less inclined to state their opinion because they are outnumbered.”

Tighe said that attending a liberal institution does tend to silence kids who don’t agree with liberal points of view but the College Republicans is opening to promoting all kinds of conversation about what stance the country should take on various topics.

Erica Lutz, a junior communication and political science and major and vice president of the club, feels that College Republicans is perfect for sharing her views.

“For me, in a leadership position, it’s a great way to bring attention to issues that students aren’t fully aware of,” Lutz said. “Before I was elected VP, the club was a great place for me to feel accepted for my conservative views because I felt like my views may be drowned out on a ‘liberal campus.’”

With the presidential election happening on Nov. 8, political dialogues are buzzing all around campus in classrooms and clubs alike.

The College Republicans meet every Monday to discuss politics.

“The biggest way that we promote the Republican Party is just by being very welcoming to everyone,” Ogra said. “From week to week we have like a different crowd that is really great because it promotes open and new discussion.”

Weekly meetings are centered on specific political topics. This week’s topic focused on the environment and a fraction of the 30 active members spoke critically about climate change, climate refugees, nuclear fu-

KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM

(From L to R) Katie Henshaw, a senior psychology major, Erica Lutz, vice president of UB College Republicans and a junior communication and political science major, and Alexis Ogra, president of UB College Republicans and a sophomore history major, pose with the American flag in the club office.

sion/fission and the role of free markets in resolving these problems.

Ogra said that the club wants to attract people who don’t know where their political alliances lie to come to meetings as well as the UB College Democrats club meetings so that they can learn about both parties and what they stand for.

“This semester people seem to be a lot more interested, I guess with the election coming up,” Tighe said. “Its very important for people to vote so I volunteered and said ‘Hey, if anyone needs an absentee ballot let me know so I can get you the information you need to fill out.’”

Tighe also thinks that the meetings are helpful for people who don’t understand major issues or policies.

The UB Democrats and Republicans challenge the stereotype of negative feelings toward

one another by having a healthy professional and social relationship amongst the members.

“College Democrats and Republicans on campus get along very well,” Ogra said. “[UB Republicans] share[s] an office with the UB Democrats. We go to each other’s meetings and plan events together. We are currently planning a banquet for all of the clubs in our office at the end of the year.”

Ogra said that the UB Republicans reach out to students on campus through social media devices like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. The club also uses flyers and has a banner hanging in the student union.

Although the club is heavily based in political debate, they don’t just sit around and talk politics. The club is also a breeding ground for social growth in and out of an academic setting. email: features@ubspectrum.com

Death of Supreme Court Justice raises major questions during election year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Ogra said she feels that his legacy won’t be lost and people will still remember the important role he played in decisions.

Lutz said as a student pursing law, Scalia’s opinions were always clear and easy to understand.

“I think losing his [writings] might affect how students read and look up to the law,” Lutz said. “They might be challenged if someone writes it in kind of heavy jargon.”

Campbell said, politically, the passing of Justice Scalia is a “huge loss” for American conservatives.

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution says the President has the power and authority to “nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint ... judges of the Supreme Court.”

Campbell said the Republican Senate majority is big enough to block a liberal nominee from President Barack Obama.

“Since President Obama has not worked well with congressional Republicans in the past and has tried to circumvent congressional authority in numerous ways [such as] recess appointments, executive orders, and executive agreements rather than legislation, there is little reason for congressional Republicans to be conciliatory toward the President now and both time and numbers are on the Republican’s side,” Campbell said.

The longest it has taken for the Senate to approve a president’s nomination to the Supreme Court is 107 days, when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was nominated in 1991. President Obama has over 300 days left in office.

Campbell said he thinks that the likelihood a replacement nominated by President Obama will take place before this year’s presidential election is “extremely unlikely.”

The process to replace Scalia began on Saturday night when the president’s legal team began making conference calls. On Sunday, meetings took place to begin drawing up a list of possible candidates, according to CNN. The White House Office of General Counsel’s office administers the process, along with a team of lawyers and aides.

They gather information on each potential candidate perform specific in-depth legal research, according to CNN. Rumors of possible candidates are in full swing, with a leading Supreme Court analyst predicting Attorney General Loretta Lynch as the frontrunner, according to NBC News.

If chosen, Lynch would first black woman ever nominated to the Supreme Court.

Campbell said Obama and the Democrats in Congress would like to nominate a replacement quickly and win confirmation in the next few months.

“Since this is an election year and the parties are already highly polarized, conservative Republicans will block this attempt by President Obama and congressional Democrats to secure a rubber stamp liberal majority on the Court,” Campbell said. “Republicans have 54 seats in the Senate to 44 for Democrats and two independents who usually vote with the Democrats.”

The Senate has rejected 36 nominations to the Court out of 160 since 1789, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Scalia famously opposed affirmative action and other policies that offered special treatment to minorities.

Campbell said the death of Justice Scalia removes a “persuasive voice” from the side of the Court that is “skeptical of affirmative action as a remedy to any remaining racial discrimination.”

He said this could mean that current policies will remain in place until the composition of the Court is brought back to nine members.

“As a group, some college-age students are helped by affirmative action and others hurt by it,” Campbell said. “It is a classic zero-sum game policy option.”

Ogra said college students should care about issues facing the government.

“Judicial review is a big part of our daily lives, it’s not just from president to president, they serve as a life term,” Ogra said. “It’s a long-lasting term and the next justice can be there as long as I live so it’s really something that people should be focused on.” email: news@ubspectrum.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE SPECTRUM

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

AND THE GRAMMY FOR MOST DRAMA GOES TO… MAX KALNITZ STAFF WRITER

Taylor Swift gave the world all the drama it needed for the night when she called out Kanye West in her Album of the Year acceptance speech Monday, in retaliation to the rapper’s claim in a song that he made Swift famous.

The singer warned her young female audience people will try to “undercut” them and their work, but to stay strong and focused on the loved ones who helped you achieve success.

On Monday night, LL Cool J hosted the 58th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The show brought viewers tons of surprising wins, snubs and, of course, drama.

One of the biggest surprises of the night was the all-around snub of Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s soundtrack hit “See You Again” from the film “Fast and Furious 7.” The tribute to Paul Walker scored three Grammy nominations but missed out on Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group and Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” won Song of the Year – another surprise win.

But Stephanie Latko, a freshman graphic design major, said she was happy to see Sheeran finally pick up a win.

“I have loved that song forever and he is such a talented musician,” she said. “He really deserved to win.”

When Sheeran’s win was announced, cameras panned to Taylor Swift’s reaction rather than focusing on Sheeran.

Billboard’s Jody Rosen and Carl Wilson both considered Sheeran’s song to be a weaker nominee, as they predicted Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” to win the Song of the Year award.

Swift did win Album of the Year for 1989. Rosen gave the upper hand to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, while Wilson predicted The Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color would win over Swift.

Isabelle Bertino, a freshman biological studies major and lifetime Swift fan, said she rejoiced when Swift’s album took home the biggest award of the night.

Students react to drama-filled Grammys

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The biggest winners from this year’s Grammys were Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

“I’m excited that Taylor Swift won Album of the Year. Her new style with 1989 has totally changed the way I look at her, but I love it all the same,” Bertino said.

The Alabama Shakes scooped up three awards for Best Alternative Music Album for Sound & Color and both Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for “Don’t Wanna Fight.”

As she collected the award, Brittany Howard, lead singer of the Alabama Shakes, said, “Thanks so much, this is beautiful and I promise we’re going to keep going.” The band also performed “Don’t Wanna Fight” later on during the show.

The Weeknd entered the night with seven nominations and received two Grammys, both of which were awarded during the non-televised portion of the show.

One was awarded for his song “Earned It” from the soundtrack to “Fifty Shades of Grey” – the only award the film would take home, despite being up for five awards.

Drake went into the Grammys with five

nominations, but the Toronto native failed to win any of the awards he was nominated for.

Kendrick Lamar was nominated for a whopping 11 awards and took home five, failing to score the top prize of Album of the Year.

His Grammys included a shared award with Taylor Swift for their music video for “Bad Blood” as well as Best Rap Song “Alright” and Best Rap Album To Pimp a Butterfly.

This is a large improvement from last year, when he received none of the awards he was nominated for.

One of the biggest flubs of the night was the highly anticipated performance from Adele.

People flocked to Twitter to complain about the poor sound quality of her performance. Her audio engineers messed her piano and couldn’t fix it in time, so she proceeded to sing almost her whole performance out of key.

Afterwards, Adele tweeted, “The piano

mics fell on to the piano strings; that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. Sh*t happens.”

The show also includes several tributes to legendary artists.

John Legend, Demi Lovato and Luke Bryan paid tribute to Lionel Richie by performing some his hits from his solo career and his work with The Commodores.

Lady Gaga stole the show with her tribute to David Bowie, who died of cancer in January. She performed a mashup of some of his most famous songs. Twitter blew up within seconds of her performance, with viewers expressing love for the tribute to the rock icon.

Reese Witherspoon tweeted “@ladygaga that #Bowie tribute gave me chills #GRAMMYS.” Dave Grohl and The Hollywood Vampires, who played their first televised performance, paid tribute to the late rock star from Motorhead Lemmy Kilmister.

The band’s frontman died last year at the age of 70 after losing his battle with cancer.

They performed a rendition of a famous song “Ace of Spades” as well as debuting their original “As Bad As I Am.” Perhaps the most heart-warming tribute of the night was when Jackson Browne and the remaining members of The Eagles played “Take It Easy” as a tribute to their late friend and musician, Glen Frey.

The Eagles were then awarded a Grammy for “Hotel California” that they didn’t accept back in 1977.

Terry Cook, a freshman German and international trade major, was happy to see The Eagles take home an award for possibly their most well known song.

“This is an event that should’ve happened over 30 years ago when the legendary song came out,” he said. “They’ve deserved it for a long time and I’m just happy to see them finally receive it.”

The Grammys was filled with surprises and drama. But, despite all that happened, expect to see Swift’s clap back at Kanye as the biggest headline of the night. email: arts@ubspectrum.com

SETTING A NEW TONE UB Glee becomes more confident with new e-board

KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS ARTS EDITOR

It’s easy to buy into the glee club stereotype perpetuated by FOX network’s “Glee” or the memorable “Pitch Perfect” franchise.

But UB Glee is different.

Starting only eight years ago, the UB Glee is in a transitionary stage. Last year, with a brand new e-board, the club made many important decisions regarding events, trips and overall policy. The club focused on making its event schedule more manageable. While UB Glee traditionally held two events per semester, the club has decided to cut down to one per year, to take place before finals week, according to Events Coordinator Nabil Faisullah.

“We hold our event a couple weeks before finals week before things it gets hectic,” Faisullah, a sophomore legal studies major, said. “We also usually collaborate with other clubs for our events.”

Holding its event toward the end of the semester gives the club more time to practice various songs – not only as a whole group, but also smaller groups, duets and solos. This allows the club to showcase the skills and talents of both the whole group and individual members.

“What we try to emphasize in our performances has to do a lot with the group aspect, so learning to perform and learning to work together as a group,” said Raina Dug-

girala, a senior psychology major and president of UB Glee.

But the new e-board is also making it a priority to highlight the distinct individual talents of their club members, so club performances can have up to 11 solo performances strewn between group performances.

“A lot of the people that perform are very diverse in their voices, in their talents, so we like to give them opportunities to perform their own solos in the show,” Duggirala said. “That’s a big part of this club that you can’t find in the other music clubs or acapella groups on campus.”

This year UB Glee has 24 members. This number is fewer than last year’s group, but the club has been holding auditions for new members.

“During auditions we look at tone, their pitch, rhythm, and we look at their energy,” said Julienne Zhou, vice president of UB

Glee and a sophomore biology major.

Using this criteria, the club put together a group of vocalists ranging from sopranos to tenors to basses. The club works to harmonize vocally and improve their onstage performance.

“We have music and dance coordinators and we like to take ideas from our stronger members on how we can make the music and dance routines better,” Raina said.

Members of UB Glee will also attend an invitational event at SUNY New Paltz, to be attended by glee clubs from across the state.

“It’s a very artistic school so they also invite the other music programs in the school as well and we all put on a show,” Duggirala said. “It’s usually a good time, so we usually do it every semester, but we won’t be going this semester because with a six hour drive it doesn’t make sense if we won’t be prepared.”

COURTESY OF GLEE CLUB

UB Glee is is focusing this year on highlighting the distinct individual talents of its club members.

The aim of SUNY New Paltz’s invitational is to both showcase the talents of each individual club and its members as well as demonstrate inter-organization support for each other, as the glee club community is an interconnected one.

UB Glee is currently focused on solidifying both its internal operations and its network on campus, which it utilizes for its own events and to open up opportunities to perform at other organizations’ events.

UB Glee has not yet solidified a date for its upcoming event and is still looking to add to its roster. email: arts@ubspectrum.com

6 Rihanna’s ANTI has no opposition FEATURES

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

THE SPECTRUM

The pop star’s eighth studio album reinforces her rebellious image

DARLENE BRUMFIELD ism of the electric guitar provide the edgiSTAFF WRITER

Album: ANTI Artist: Rihanna Release Date: Jan. 27 Studio Label: Roc Nation Grade: B+ Rihanna’s eighth studio album entitled ANTI reminds audiences everywhere why she’s such a bad gal.

The album contains 16 tracks of pure liberation that fans grow to love coming from the young artist. Its title is highly significant considering the pop star’s past filled with sass, rocky romances and appealing vulgarity.

According to Billboard, the singer’s album received 1.47 million downloads worldwide in approximately 15 hours.

ANTI is a compilation of sultry, rockfused ballets showing why Rihanna remains a one-of-a-kind pop star. The track “Work,” featuring Drake, is highly popular on radio stations and is still holding a Top 10 spot on the Billboard charts since its release nearly two weeks ago. Their collaboration provides fans with fun-loving, chill reggae vibes that are self-explanatory and enticing.

In her trippy, rock-and-roll tune “Woo,” Rihanna adds a new emphasis on how painful breakups can really be. The musical blends of Rihanna’s voice with the radical-

ness that fans worldwide love. The song includes Travis Scott on its chorus chanting “Woo” repeatedly, which recreates the feelings a breakup would create through its melody – exuding feelings of hate, anger and sadness mixed as one.

The album assures fans that Rihanna hasn’t lost her edge.

Her vocals in the song “Consideration,” featuring SZA, shows a more vulnerable Rihanna explaining to the audiences of why she’s doing things her way and not taking in the account of anyone else.

The pain infused in her voice throughout the piece isn’t just heartfelt – it’s empowering. It’s situated on a universal feeling listeners can relate to – of longing the freedom to be independent and set your own terms on your life.

The seventh track on ANTI, entitled “Need Me,” is another record where Rihanna gives viewers insight on a relationship that ended sourly, due to her ex’s neglect for her and his eagerness to move on.

This track and others such as “Desperado” represent Rihanna’s opposition to love.

ANTI serves viewers Rihanna’s rebellious attitude towards the boundaries and conventional standards associated with love.

Her music shows her refusal to conform to mainstream notions of how she should live her life. It shows she’d rather make her own mistakes and grow from her experiences.

Her defiance and unruly energy is what

COURTESY OF ROC NATION

Rihanna’s eighth studio album is the pop star’s most conceptual album to date. Despite its creative stretches, it is without a doubt the artist’s most complete pop album.

carries this album. She provides listeners with emotions and real hurt derived from past experiences and relationships that have failed, but have continued to leave its scars.

The harmonies within ANTI cater to the egocentric and masked rebel within all of

us. The album showcases liberation at its finest, conveying the ideal that the best approach to life is to create your own path, by following your heart. email: arts@ubspectrum.com

A record-breaking comeback CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

“I thought, ‘There’s no way I’ll ever get down there,’ but it was definitely one of my goals,” Crimmins said. “I just pushed and progressed a lot and I ran a 4:14 mile at the end of the year. After that, the seconds kept shaving off. I had figured out how to push myself to that level and that’s when the time really started dropping.”

The times dropped so low in high school for Crimmins that he set school records in the 800m, 1000m and the 1600m run.

This high school success seems to have paved the way for the success Crimmins is experiencing at the collegiate level. Things have changed since high school though.

More at the collegiate level than in high school, Crimmins has to balance being a runner with being a student.

Off the track Being a student and a Division-I athlete is a demanding combination, but Crimmins thinks he’s figured out the key to succeed at both.

“The big thing is just time management.

If you can manage your time well then you can still have the opportunity to get things done,” he said. “Obviously balancing running, academics and social life is difficult but it’s doable.”

Scheving is one of the social connections Crimmins made through balancing his life properly. The two runners met during their visits to UB. “He wasn’t really a very talkative person,” Sheving recalled. “It wasn’t until we came to college that we all opened up and we got to find out who he really was.”

According to Scheving, the person that’s underneath Crimmins’ initial reserved nature is one worth knowing, both as an athlete and a friend.

“Even when he’s not racing he takes a step back and goes from being a track athlete to track fan. He loves the atmosphere and watches everyone’s race and cheers for everybody [on the team],” Scheving said. “He’s the embodiment of the perfect teammate.”

But even the seemingly perfect teammate has his quirks.

Scheving added that unlike most distance runners, who like to keep their diet relatively clean so their body can be as healthy as possible, Crimmins will usually eat and drink whatever he wants.

The star runner is able to do so and still be successful because he exercises so much.

Another hurdle Crimmins has one more year left at UB and one more season of cross country left to run. But, he’s not quite sure if he will run after college or not. He’s more focused on the moment than he is on the future. He said he will start thinking about running after college when he needs to.

Right now his focus is more on strengthening the little things.

“As you get more experience it’s easier to know what kind of pain barriers you can break,” Crimmins said. “But at the same time … I was so good at maxing out my speed in high school that it’s hard for me to improve now. Now it’s just about the little things and the minor details.”

Crimmins said he’s focused on stretching

and pushing hard on the short-speed workouts. Whereas Crimmins seems to be more concerned with refining and sharpening his talent, Witzleben is concerned with something much bigger for the runner.

“We’re looking at him to make that leap beyond Buffalo, beyond the school records to the national level,” Witzleben said.

“That’s the next big thing for him to be looking at the Olympic Trials.”

Witzleben thinks Crimmins’ best shot at the Olympic Trials is in the 800m run. In order to qualify in that event, Crimmins would need to run the event at a time of 1:46.00.

That’s 2.71 seconds faster than Crimmins’ personal record.

Despite the seemingly small gap in times, the task won’t be an easy one. Two seconds is hard for an athlete to shave off of their overall time in one season.

“It’s a daunting task,” Witzleben said.

But if anyone can do it, it may just be Crimmins. email: sports@ubspectrum.com

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

THE SPECTRUM

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8

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

THE SPECTRUM

A recordbreaking comeback Distance runner Crimmins overcomes injury to break school records

The injury that fueled success

COURTESY OF UB ATHLETICS

Brian Crimmins has broken multiple UB track and field records in his time as an athlete. He’s been running since seventh grade and may even look toward the Olympics post-graduation.

JOHN JACOBS ASST. FEATURES EDITOR

Things have started to “click” for Brian Crimmins these past few weeks, he says.

He’s broken multiple school records for the Buffalo track and field team and has placed himself among the top runners in the entire country. There are talks of him trying to earn a spot at the Olympic Trials.

But just few months ago, the senior distance runner wasn’t breaking records or receiving accolades. He wasn’t on the track at all.

He was rehabbing in a pool for an hour to an hour and a half every day while recovering from a torn lateral meniscus.

Crimmins, a senior pharmacology and toxicology major, has been running track for about a decade and he’s faced his share of adversity along the way. His ability to break records and juggle school, a social life and athletics, all while moving past an inju-

“[Crimmins is] one of those guys that’s up at the front in all of our workouts – he’s one of those lead by example kind of people,” said fellow senior distance runner Tyler Scheving.

“Even if he’s having a bad day you can tell he’s giving every ounce of effort in practice.”

Crimmins’ competitive nature led him to be unanimously voted captain of the Buffalo distance squad. Todd Witzleben, Bulls associate head coach, said Crimmins has a “type-A personality” and is very driven.

“He’s pretty much exactly what you’d look for in a runner,” he said.

For Crimmins, his motivation is simply rooted in his competitive nature.

“For me it’s just about competing,” Crimmins said. “Definitely like to improve my times but it’s more about just going out there and trying to get first place no matter who’s out there.”

This indoor track season might have started off with broken records, but it came after a semester of hardship for the rising track star.

ry has lead him to be a Division-I recordbreaking track athlete.

On Feb. 12, Crimmins set a school record in the 1,000m run with a time of 2:22.74 at the Spire Invitational. The time puts him third overall amongst all college athletes across the nation in that event.

As impressive as this accomplishment is, this isn’t the first time Crimmins has broken a school record for the track team this season.

Crimmins broke the UB mile record twice this semester, the first time occurring at Penn State on Jan. 29 with a time of 4:07.79, and the second time at Akron on Feb. 6 with a time of 4:07.75.

“Things have just started to click in the last couple of weeks,” Crimmins said.

“Clicking” is a modest way to put it, especially for an athlete who holds seven different indoor and outdoor track records at UB. His success on the track can be attributed to his work ethic just as much as it can his talent.

Crimmins’s knee issues have been ongoing since last indoor season. Last winter break, he took some time off from track due to knee soreness.

“I didn’t really think too much of it,” he said. “[The doctors] thought I just needed more rest.”

Despite what the medical professionals thought, this soreness was severe enough to put Crimmins out for an entire season.

The injury that put him out occurred this October during practice for the cross country team. Crimmins was in the middle of running an all-out lap when he felt a click in his knee and immediately knew something was wrong.

He got an MRI and the doctor broke the disappointing news: Crimmins had a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. The doctor told him he wouldn’t be able to run again that semester. The news affected him physically and emotionally.

“We had a lot of good guys this year and I wanted to be a part of it. So definitely some depressed stages in there, just upset that I couldn’t join,” Crimmins said.

Crimmins’ injury was one he had to work through on his own, but he wasn’t the only one affected by it.

“It was frustrating to see happen because

he’d worked so hard,” Witzleben said. “He had had everything set for him to have a good season so, as a coach, it wasn’t the sort of situation you’d want to see one of your runners go through.”

The rehabbing was grueling and repetitive work. Crimmins would have to rehab in the pool for an hour to an hour and a half every single day.

“You wanna talk about monotony,” Scheving said. “It really just kind of shows how much the entire sport as a whole means to him.”

Crimmins’ cross country season was over as a result of the torn meniscus, but the injury wasn’t all bad news.

“You can have your whole meniscus taken out, which entails a long recovery, but I only had basically a piece taken out … it took me five weeks to recover,” Crimmins said.

The timing of the injury was also in Crimmin’s favor. Because it occurred so early in the season, Crimmins will get to run for the cross country team again next year when he will still be finishing his degree at UB. NCAA athletes are only allowed four seasons of competition, but because Crimmins competed in less than a third of the competitions, the season counts as medical redshirt season and Crimmins will be eligible next season, per NCAA rules.

Running for another year is a plus, but arguably the best part of the injury is that it made Crimmins push even harder.

“I just tried to use it as motivation, like fuel for a comeback,” Crimmins said.

With two school records broken so far this semester, it’s safe to say that the comeback was a success. But his current success has its roots in the past.

Making a record breaker Crimmins originally played soccer, but after attending a few of his oldest sister’s track meets, he took an interest in the sport.

“That’s when I started thinking about switching,” Crimmins said.

He made the switch in the seventh grade.

After 10 years of competing, Crimmins is confident in his abilities as a runner and knows what he’s capable of.

But it wasn’t always that way.

His sophomore year at Horseheads High School, Crimmins was running about a 4:30 mile. He wanted to get into the low fourminute time mark but wasn’t sure it was possible.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Breaking out of the ‘dark age’ JORDAN GROSSMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

Head coach John Stutzman remembers the “dark age” of UB wrestling.

It was a time when the Bulls won one Mid-American Conference matchup in three seasons. The program wasn’t getting many standout wrestlers out of high school, while competing in a conference that is one of the best in the nation.

Stutzman and the Bulls (10-8, 2-5 MidAmerican Conference) are hoping recent and incoming recruits – wrestlers who’ve won state championship at the high school level – can continue the program’s climb out of its “dark age.”

No one wrestler embodies that more than Kyle Akins.

Akins is a 125-pound freshman who fits the mold for everything Stutzman is trying to build. Akins had his first action as a Bull just a few months ago but he may be the wrestler to transition Buffalo into a new era as national contenders.

“He’s the type of kid that you’re going to build the program around,” Stutzman said.

Akins is less than two years removed from major right shoulder surgery that forced him to miss all of his true freshman season last year. Now, he’s ranked No. 33 in the nation at the 125-pound weight class and is the seventh best freshman in the country at his weight.

His most recent victory was a decisive win against Northern Illinois. Akins took down opponent Alijah Jeffery in the sudden victory period to help Buffalo clinch its first 10win season since 2003-04.

“It’s good to see progression throughout the season and beat those kids that I was losing to earlier in the season,” Akins said.

His shoulder injury wasn’t the result of

Wrestler Akins rebounds from shoulder surgery, becomes nationally-ranked competitor

JORDAN GROSSMAN, THE SPECTRUM

Freshman Kyle Akins gets in position during a practice for the Bulls. The 125-pounder is currently ranked 33rd in the country.

just one incident. It was more wear and tear as each practice went on. Once he began training at UB during the 2014-15 offseason, Akins started to feel discomfort in his right shoulder. He realized it was “sliding around” in his socket.

He needed surgery and had to miss his entire true freshman year.

He was devastated about the news, but the slow recovery was more grueling.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Akins said about his six-month recovery. “It was super slow, but it got that itch going.”

After rehabilitation, Akins is confident his shoulder won’t be an issue any longer. And so far, his prediction has held true.

“Shoulder’s been great,” Akins said. “I

don’t even think about it anymore. It’s in the back of my head. I try not to think about it at all. No pain.”

And he couldn’t wait to get back onto the mat. Before this season, the last match he had wrestled was in the Illinois State Championships as a high school wrestler.

He was a state champion in the 125-pound weight division his junior year and was the runner-up in states his senior year. He was a top-100 recruit in the nation at his weight and a two-time freestyle All-American.

Stutzman jumped on the opportunity.

When Stutzman was still an assistant at Northern Illinois, one of his wrestlers ended up being Akins’ high school coach.

Stutzman rekindled his relationship with his former wrestler, which helped him set up a visit for Akins to see UB.

Akins committed the next day. And Stutzman knew he had his next superstar to follow up in the 125-pound weight class.

Max Soria, a graduated 125-pound wrestler, was one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever represent Buffalo. He was a mainstay during Buffalo’s “dark ages,” as he accumulated 81 career victories and still holds the UB record for most escapes in program history (85).

He reached the NCAA Tournament twice, but he never won the national stage.

Stutzman expects Akins to. “[Max Soria] did well for us,” Stutzman said. “But I expect Kyle to surpass that and get on the podium a few times and compete for a national title.”

And through all adversity, Stutzman said Akins is only one of the many wrestlers that will help turn the program around. Buffalo’s has reached the 10-win plateau and secured two MAC victories this season after going winless in the conference during Stutzman’s first two seasons.

But he wants more from his prodigy. Of course, a national ranking is coveted, but Stutzman is thinking bigger for his up-andcoming star.

“It’s not where we want to be. We want to be No. 1,” Stutzman said. “He’s the forgotten guy at 125. He’s taken some tough losses but he’s an unbelievable kid that rebounds well.”

And it’s possible Stutzman and the Bulls may have that national winner sooner than later. Stutzman said by next year, there might be close to 13-14 wrestlers that have individual state rings.

“We’re getting talent,” Stutzman said. “We will have more state champions on this team than we ever had before.” email: sports@ubspectrum.com