The Spectrum Vol. 65 No. 37 by The Spectrum Student Periodical

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WEDNESday, DECember 2, 2015

Volume 65 No. 37

Faculty Senate discusses diversity and inclusion, UB home ownership program Program gives loans to UB employees purchasing homes in Heights

THE NAME ON THE BACK

ASHLEY INKUMSAH NEWS EDITOR

For Joe Licata, it’s always been about playing for family and team

TOM DINKI EDITOR IN CHIEF

Joe Licata often can’t sleep the night before a game. At 5:30 a.m. Friday morning, hours before the Buffalo senior quarterback’s final college game, he texted his mother, father and three sisters in a family group chat. “I hope you get the same thrill I do every time they say our last name,” the text message said. The Licata family has heard its last name over the UB Stadium PA system a lot over the past four seasons. That’s what happens when your son and brother is the program’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and passing yards and is featured on just about every UB football billboard, poster and graphic. And for Joe, it’s always been about using the spotlight to represent his family as well as his team and university. “People talk about not playing for the name on the back of the jersey but the name on the front, but I really think that if you have pride in yourself and you play for the name on the back, it’s all encompassing,” Joe said. “I’m proud to represent our family and I’ve always tried to make my entire family proud and I hope I did.” Joe’s played every single game of his college career with family in the stands, and they were there once again for his last game Friday despite wind, rain and a heart-breaking seasonending 31-26 loss to Massachusetts. His father, Gil, and his mother, Paula, have never missed a game – home or away – while his three sisters have only missed a few. It’s what Joe, who grew up in Buffalo and chose UB so he could play practically in his own backyard, always wanted. “It’s a lot easier to walkout onto that field and perform and play your best when you got five people there that are always going to support you and I’m lucky enough to have that,” Joe said. Bulls home games are self-described family reunions for the Licata family. A crowd of 60 people – composed of cousins, aunts, uncles and Joe’s Williamsville South High School coaches and teammates mostly clad in No. 16 jerseys – always gather on the 200 level standing section on the East Side of the stadium. They might just be the liveliest group of fans in the stadium – rowdier than True Blue and at times even louder than the marching band. No Buffalo positive yardage gain or defensive stop goes without some cheering and when Joe throws a touchdown, the three Licata sisters Rachel, Claire and Grace always find one another to embrace in a group hug,

or as Rachel appropriately calls it, “a huddle.” The Licata’s have always watched Joe’s game from the little-used East side standing section. That’s because Gil can’t sit in the crowd. He likes to pace back and forth as his son and the team moves down the field. Paula, wearing her own No. 16 jersey and holding Joe’s Senior Day rose, watches the game as any mother would: cheering after her son’s every completion and touchdown but holding her breath every time he’s hit. “Don’t do that to my son,” she says under her breath as Joe is knocked to the ground after getting off a pass. Consider Rachel, Joe’s oldest sister who works in digital media for Pegula Sports and Entertainment, as the Licata’s family’s personal Sports Information Director. She’ll set up interviews with cousin Lauren or Williamsville South head coach Kraig Kurzanski for a complete stranger. Kurzanski, who made it to Joe’s final five home games at UB Stadium, says Joe “is Buffalo.” When former Bulls head coach Turner Gill left for Kansas in late 2009, Kurzanski remembers then-head coach Jeff Quinn asking him if Joe was still interested in UB despite the coaching change. There wasn’t any question about it. “I think Buffalo is his family now,” Kurzanski said. “It’s wonderful what he’s done and stayed home.” As for giving his former quarterback pointers and advice after games, Kurzanski said with a laugh that Joe “knows a lot more than I do now.” Paula admits Friday’s game was “melancholy.” Joe’s been at UB for five years and the family has watched him start every game under center for nearly four full seasons. Joe was visibly upset at the post game press conference and who could blame him? His final pass a game-ending interception that went off the hands of an open receiver. After leading Buffalo to a bowl game in 2013, his final season will end on a threegame losing streak with no chance of bowl eligibility. But Joe’s always found support in his family. They usually get together after every game, and they feel the same emotions Joe does – whether it’s the highs of a win or the lows of a loss. In a time when athletes are so publicly criticized by media in newspa-

@ubspectrum UPD investigates strain of .com falsely-pulled fire alarms

COURTESY OF LICATA FAMILY (TOP) (L to R) Claire, Joe, Gil, Grace, Rachel

and Paula Licata pose for a photo after Joe’s final game Friday. Joe has had family at every single game of his college career what he always wanted when he chose to stay home and attend UB. YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM (BOTTOM) Licata hugs freshman center James O’Hagan in his final game at UB Stadium. Licata finished his career as the program’s all-time leading passer.

pers and fans on Twitter, Joe says he loves knowing he can throw five interceptions and his dad will still be standing on the field after the game ready to give him a hug. Joe, who graduated last May, now turns his attention to going pro. He’ll start looking for an agent and will train for the next few months and as he says, “hopefully get picked up and just go for it.” “I hope that’s not the last time I took off shoulder pads,” he said after Friday’s game. As for the rest of the family, it will be a “different way to live life” without watching Joe’s games at UB Stadium, Paula said. “We were talking about that this morning like, ‘Oh my god, what are we gonna do on Saturday when we go to the mall and do whatever and not have to worry about wearing an extra set of socks or have hand warmers in our pockets?’” Paula said. “It will be very weird.” As for Joe trying to make the NFL, Paula said her son has the family’s full support – no surprise. It’s what Joe’s wanted since he was a child. “He wants to live out his dream and we’re there to help make that happen,” she said. Speaking just minutes after his final game, Joe admitted it was tough in that moment to think about his UB legacy. He’ll probably get his photograph placed somewhere in the new expansion of UB Stadium’s team facilities. The stadium Jumbotron will probably turn to him whenever he visits Bulls games in the future. “When people look back I just hope they’re happy that a local kid stayed local and had fun playing for the city,” Joe said, “That’s all I ever wanted.” email: tom.dinki@ubspectrum.com

Did you make this week’s blotter?

Teresa Miller said there has been progress in the realm of diversity and inclusion in universities like UB, but there is still much work to be done. The Faculty Senate discussed topics of concern within the university, including the controversial “White Only” art project and the UB home ownership program in the Center for Tomorrow Tuesday. Miller, vice provost for equity and inclusion and a law professor, delivered a presentation to the senate regarding diversity and inclusion. “Inclusion means access, people being able to come to UB. It means getting them through their programs. It means supporting students while they’re here [and] it also means making them feel welcomed,” Miller said. The SUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution in September to help make SUNY the “nation’s most inclusive university system in the nation,” according to Miller. An important aspect of this resolution is that every campus will have a chief diversity officer. Miller said this is a “bold and ambitious” endeavor with respect to diversity. She said SUNY is collecting data at a statewide level on having students identify sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and various other factors that the SUNY trustees felt they did not have enough information on. She said the idea of using the words “equity and inclusion” is to take a step from “diversity as a goal.” “We see evidence of diversity in having a great variety of races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientation, but equity and inclusion means we’re not going to have a ‘check the box’ kind of approach,” Miller said. Miller spoke of the university’s recent initiative to include a required designated culture course beginning with next year’s freshmen. Diversity and inclusion have been topics on campus since graduate fine arts student Ashley Powell sparked controversy for her “White Only” and “Black Only” signs that she hung around campus as part of a class project in September. “The idea is to increase cultural competence and expose our students to the types of issues and skills that they’re going to need to be effective members of the increasingly diverse workforce.” Miller addressed the recent racial tensions and protests at universities across the country like the University of Missouri. She said although there is a different kind of situation going on at UB, the university is still working to rectify issues of diversity that exist within the campus. “What has happened in UB with the [art project] signs was really a discussion about expression and welcome,” Miller said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Check out The Spectrum’s December movie guide

NEWS

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

All information according to University Police

11/24 12:39 a.m. – A UB student requested patrol after an intoxicated male punched and damaged a wall in Lehman Hall. The male admitted to punching the wall and was issued Student Wide Judiciary paperwork. 11:21 a.m. – A UB employee reported an accident in the Center for Tomorrow Lot between a driver in a blue state dump truck and a jeep. 1:41 p.m. – A UB student reported his backpack was stolen from Crossroads Culinary Center while it was unattended. The backpack contained a MacBook Air, a wallet and two graphing calculators.

THE SPECTRUM

Faculty Senate discusses diversity and inclusion, UB home ownership program

intended on staying overnight in the library. Patrol advised him he could be arrested if he was seen staying overnight.

11/26 1:48 p.m. – A mother of a UB student reported she could not get in contact with her daughter after she tried calling her. The student reported she was OK and had slept through her alarm.

11/27 5:53 p.m. – A football patron was injured at a tunnel of UB stadium. Rural Metro reported the victim sustained an ankle injury. The victim declined medical transport but reported he would drive himself to the hospital.

11/29

5:55 p.m. – A UB student reported witnessing a verbal altercation between a male and female in the Jacobs A parking lot. The student said the male’s vehicle was blocking the female’s vehicle from exiting the parking lot. Both parties had left the area when patrol arrived.

4:36 p.m. – A UB student called to report a taxi struck his vehicle. The student reported the driver of the taxi was refusing to give him insurance information. Patrol determined based on information gathered at the scene it was not clear who was at fault.

11/25

8:47 p.m. – A father of a UB student contacted UPD to check on his daughter after he had not heard from her for an hour and a half. Patrol was dispatched to the student’s room. The student reported she was fine and she called her father.

10:32 a.m. – A UB employee reported finding marijuana paraphernalia in Greiner Hall. A bong, pipe and grinder were all confiscated and taken to evidence for destruction. 11:26 a.m. – A UB employee reported finding residue and white powder in a Wilkeson room. Patrol reported a pill and powder was accidentally thrown out by cleaning staff. 11:39 p.m. – Patrol found a male on the ground floor of Capen Hall that had

11/30 6:33 p.m. – A 29-year-old male reported having an anxiety attack with chest pain on the benches in front of Baldy Hall in Putnam Way. Victim was taken to ECMC for further treatment.

HUY DUC PHAM, THE SPECTRUM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“When those signs went up it was not clear to students what was going on.” Miller said during her meetings with various student groups for people of color she learned that they felt unsafe and as if “there was a target on their back.” “Students feel like ‘I’m proud to wear that blue and white, I just want the blue and white to be proud of me too’ and they just want to belong,” Miller said. Miller said she has worked with residential life and they have worked on encouraging faculty and their families to host dinners with students in the residential dining centers in Governors, Ellicott and Goodyear Halls beginning in the spring semester. She said she would like students to feel they can have informal contact with faculty. President Satish Tripathi also addressed the senate about the university’s new home ownership program, UB H.O.M.E., which provides home loans for UB faculty and staff looking to purchase houses in the University Heights neighborhood off South Campus. “A few years ago [from 2003-09] we had a program in University Heights for faculty and staff to buy houses there, and about 22 of our faculty and staff had bought houses there,” Tripathi said.

President Satish Tripathi speaks at the first Faculty Senate meeting of the year in October. On Tuesday, the Faculty Senate discussed diversity and inclusion, as well as UB’s new loan program for faculty purchasing homes in the University Heights.

He said this new program is “slightly different” because the university is collaborating with West Side Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., a nonprofit Buffalo-based organization, and a portion of the loans will be forgiven if the faculty live in the home for five continuous years. UB Foundation has put $100,000 into the program and West Side has matched this amount, according to Tripathi. “It will provide $5,000 in some areas and $7,000 in certain others areas for the faculty and staff to buy houses,” Tripathi said. He said the initiative is an opportunity to improve the Heights neighborhood, which has high crimes rates and absentee landlordism. An information session will be taking place on Dec. 15 in Allen Hall, located on South Campus, in which faculty can attend. email: news@ubspectrum.com

email: news@ubspectrum.com

Where will you be this winter? Embrace winter in Buffalo – or anywhere else in the world – and earn UB credit for it! Study on campus or online in UB’s new three-week winter session beginning January 4.

you at ubthiswinter.buffalo.edu

OPINION

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

THE SPECTRUM

Buffalo Joe

Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF

Tom Dinki

Fan should appreciate what Joe Licata did for UB football

MANAGING EDITOR

Alyssa McClure COPY EDITORS

Kayla Menes Renée Staples NEWS EDITORS

Gabriela Julia, Senior Ashley Inkumsah Marlee Tuskes FEATURES EDITORS

Tori Roseman, Senior Dani Guglielmo ARTS EDITORS

Brian Windschitl, Senior Kenneth Kashif Thomas Tomas Olivier, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS

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

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

Joshua Bodah Michael Perlman CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Kenneth Cruz Pierce Strudler, Asst.

Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER

Nicole Dominguez Lee Stoeckel, Asst. Zach Hilderbrandt, Asst. ADVERTISING DESIGNER

Derek Hosken

THE SPECTRUM Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Volume 65 Number 37 Circulation 7,000 The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100

JORDAN GROSSMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

It’s fair to say there’s been little stability in the UB football program over the past few seasons. The Bulls have had a coaching change. They’ve seen the highs of a bowl game in 2013 and the lows of back-to-back five-win and bowlless seasons the past two years. But through it all there has been one constant – Joe Licata, a local high school quarterback who stayed local and shattered most of the passing records at UB. Buffalo’s loss to Massachusetts last week brought about the end of the Licata era – an era that gave the Bulls the reassurance that even if they were overmatched in other areas of the field, they’d always have a steady leader under center.

Licata was the undeniable leader of the Bulls for three-plus years. He had a hardworking and salt-of-theearth persona that teammates and coaches could appreciate, as well a charismatic charm that always got at least one laugh from the media during press conferences. He took pride in playing for his hometown city. Quarterbacks like that don’t come along often – especially not at smaller programs like UB. After a decorated career at local Williamsville South High School on both the football team and basketball team – he was so good that opponents called him Joe Li-cheata because he was so talented it was almost unfair – Licata got offers from larger programs. But he chose UB to play in front of family and hopefully make a big-time statement in his own backyard. He grew up not far from UB Stadium and hoped to one day be the Bulls’ starting quarterback.

Goals like that don’t often happen. His presence was felt around Buffalo. You can’t see a UB football advertisement without him. He takes time out to respond to fans that both criticize and praise him on Twitter. There were even Joe Licata costumes this past Halloween – jersey, eye black and all – circulating around the town for young Bulls fans to wear. Licata would give credit to all of his teammates, even if his play is what won the Bulls the game. He would take the blame after losses regardless if his play truly hurt the team or not. And in a day in age where so many college athletes – including quarterbacks, as we’ve seen this season – have issues off the field, Licata was never a distraction to his team. The worst thing he ever did was accidentally reveal what his favorite Buffalo wing is – Cajun Honey Mustard Wings from Elmo’s in downtown Buffalo – when NCAA stipulations

wouldn’t allow him to release it. And he always made a point to strike up a small conversation with the reporter before beginning an interview. And let’s not forget he was one heck of a quarterback on the field as well. In his three-plus years in Buffalo, he accumulated a 21-19 record. He threw more than 9,000 career passing yards and 76 touchdown passes, making him one of the best quarterbacks to not only play for Buffalo but the Mid-American Conference as well. He led the program to its second-ever Bowl game and was one successful drive away from possibly bringing it to a third. But the fans that did come to UB games the past four years probably have an appreciation of Licata. Buffalo may not have a quarterback like him for a while. email: jordan.grossman@ubspectrum. com

May the hype be with you ‘Star Wars Battlefront 3’ is a fun, intense hype machine for the franchise DAN MCKEON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Game: “Star Wars Battlefront” Platform: Xbox One Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE Publisher: Electronic Arts (EA) Released: Nov. 17 Grade: B+ The “Star Wars” hype is growing more and more each day and “Star Wars Battlefront” only adds to the vast interest in the upcoming movie. In this firstperson shooter set in the “Star Wars” universe, players go from shooting storm troopers or rebels to piloting X-wings and TIE fighters in the skies above. The “Battlefront” series dates back to an original 2004 release, made by Pandemic Studios. Rather than a sequel, this is a full reboot of the series with all new game modes unique to “Star Wars” and specialty weapons based on the original trilogy. The best part of “Battlefront” has always been playing as the common foot soldier in a galactic war. While many other “Star Wars” games focus on playing as Jedi, bounty hunters or smugglers, “Battlefront” puts players right in the thick of it from the standpoint of a soldier. All hype aside, the game can stand well on its playability. Previous entries in the series were mainly popular because they were quite simply “Star Wars” games. The new entry, however, goes well beyond that using new game modes that still incorporate the original “Star Wars” appeal. In what is probably the “flagship” mode for the new “Battlefront,” “Walker Assault” is the most “Star Wars”-centric game mode created. Imperial players must escort one or two AT-ATs, massive 4-legged robotic behemoths, towards a Rebel base. Rebel players attempt to stop the Imperials by calling in bombers. With 20-versus-20 gameplay, it

COURTESY OF ELECTRONIC ARTS

“Star Wars Battlefront 3,” the long-awaited followup to 2005’s “Battlefront 2,” has been one of the most talkedabout games since its release last month. After weeks of non-stop gameplay, gamers are speaking out against the lack of content in the game. And, despite the overwhelmingly intense gameplay, complaints the lack of in-game expansion and expensive add-ons are bringing down the immense hype of “Battlefront 3.”

is one of the largest online battlefields in the game. After playing the mode several times, it becomes apparent that it needs some balancing. Even though the Imperials have the giant AT-ATs and the more nimble AT-STs on their side, more often than not the Rebels win. On some maps, it is simply too hard for the Imperials to stop the Rebel attacks. This is the sort of thing that should have been worked out in beta testing, but with the new movie coming out, this game was destined to have a few rushed pieces in it. The deadline to release it may explain the main problem with the game – lack of content. While there are plenty of online game modes, the game lacks a campaign and only features a handful of guns to choose from and a mere 4 planets. EA promises several expansion packs will be released and a season pass can be purchased for $50 which is a shame. Players already pay $60 minimum for the game, so another $50 for more content in a game that is severely already lacking content seems like a greedy move from EA.

To their credit, a free downloadable content (DLC) is coming out in December that adds in Jakku, a planet that will feature in the new movie. But it seems a bit odd that the DLC would be ready two weeks after the game was released. Why wasn’t it just included with the base game in the first place? A smaller but important problem is the hero mechanic of the game. Like in previous entries in the series, players can occasionally play as heroes if their rebels or villains if their storm troopers. Heroes include Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo while villains include Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and Boba Fett. The problem with the mechanic is that it’s just boring playing as the most powerful characters in the game. A meeting between Luke and Darth Vader should be one of the most epic battles in the game. Instead, it becomes very hack-and-slash, more a battle of luck than an awe-inspiring showdown between good and evil. In a way, this makes sense. “Battlefront” has always been a

game celebrating the common man in “Star Wars.” The grunts on the frontlines are the real heroes in “Battlefront.” We don’t need anything more than them. So, is “Battlefront” anything more than just a hype machine for the new movie? Yes, but barely. More content and more balancing and this becomes another classic game. EA will probably fix it, but it should’ve been done a long, long time ago. Overall, the pros are the unique game modes, the immersive, genuinely intense first-person shooter combat and the fact that it is a stellar follow-up to an already famous video game series, a potential classic in the series. On the other hand, the lacks of content and rushed development of the game detract from not only the hype, but the actual gameplay. If EA can figure out a way to smooth out the bugs in the game, as well as expand the in-game content, they have a game that will be as potentially entertaining in five years as it is now, just like “Battlefront 2.” email: arts@ubspectrum.com

4Dorming dilemmas

FEATURES

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

THE SPECTRUM

JOHN JACOBS STAFF WRITER

Michael Koziej, senior associate director of Campus Living, remembers having a terrible roommate. “He smoked in the room and stayed in the room all day and did nothing,” Koziej said. “It was so bad that I had to change roommates. Luckily, I knew a guy whose roommate didn’t show up, so I roomed with him.” Now 22 years later, Koziej spends his time setting up student roommates at UB. The roommate selection process at UB begins when new and returning students submit a housing deposit in the beginning of January. They have until May 15 to submit their roommate preferences. Both new and returning students can choose their room and roommate preference. If students don’t submit a roommate request, they are assigned a roommate randomly. Koziej said that as long as students request each other and have an application on file by April 1, they should be approved to room together regardless of whether they are new or returning students. Koziej added that housing does its best to accommodate students, even if they submit their request after April 1. But the later the application is submitted, the harder it is to have two people room together. Sometimes it can be much easier for a student to choose his or her own roommates. Noah Barclay, a junior accounting major, lives in an off-campus house near South Campus with seven other male students. Despite his large number of roommates, Barclay said he and his housemates get along pretty well. They all have their own room and they’ve all known each other since his freshmen year. “We definitely butt heads but its just arguments that normal people would have,” Barclay said.

Students discuss good and bad relationships with roommates

“The first thing we encourage everyone to do is start with your roommate,” Koziej said. “Communicate with them. Talk to them about what your concerns are.” If that doesn’t work, Koziej suggests going to an RA. If the RA doesn’t seem to help, the next line of defense is to speak with the residence hall director who has been professional trained to deal with roommate problems. Koziej said students can choose to change roommates if those steps don’t work. As long as one of the two students is willing to move, the hall director will move them after the room freeze – a time at the beginning of the academic year during which no one can change rooms, except for extreme situations – is lifted. Koziej believes that the root of problems that occur between roommates is a lack of communication. “A lot of times what we find is that students don’t clearly express their expectations to each other,” Koziej said. “There are students who will sit across the room from each other and text each other instead of talk – that’s not really going to help your roommate conflict.” Hardick also acknowledged that she thinks the problem has to do with communication. “A lot of the students living in the dorms are younger,” Hardick said. “They need to talk with each other, but they don’t because they aren’t used to having to live that closely with someone else.” Unlike Koziej and Hardick, Warner blames the problem on students having different personalities. “People are different – everyone’s got a different schedule [and] a different way of doing things,” Warner said. “Some people just don’t mesh with each other.”

they don’t share a room with anyone. Hardick said she thinks it’s more difficult for students to get along when sharing a room with another person. Hardick, who used to live in the dorms before she moved into Hadley Village, said, “it’s harder because there isn’t a door students can close [to separate each other].” Hardick also used to be a resident adviser (RA) on campus, so she knows all about dealing with students who have to live with each other. Brendan Warner, a junior biology major, thinks living in the same bedroom as your roommate isn’t bad. “[Me and my roommate] don’t really fight. He’s a senior and I’m graduating next year – we’ve been doing this long enough to know how it’s done,” Warner said. Warner said he doesn’t get into argument with his roommate because the two both respect each other. “If we have a problem we talk about it,” Warner said. For students who don’t have as great a roommate situation as Warner, Koziej has some suggestions to ease the tension.

ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM

Roommates (R to L) Kevin Wu, Drew Wentka and Matt Holder play video games together in their Richmond dorm room.

Jin Sung Kim, a junior biology major, also has a fairly peaceful relationship with his housemates. Kim lives in his own room in a house off campus with people he just met this year. According to Kim, they don’t fight much, but they aren’t very close either—it’s just an acquaintance-like relationship. Mallory Hardick, a graduate pharmacology/toxicology student, lives in the on-campus apartment complex Hadley Village with three other housemates and has a room of her own. She’s friends with two of the housemates and is getting to know the other one better this year. “We’re all so busy that we don’t even have time to hang out, let alone fight,” Hardick said. These students seem to have a cordial relationship with their housemates. All of them have one thing in common, though –

email: features@ubspectrum.com

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Your Mom called and wanted you to know what time the Masses were on Campus

Congratulations to the men of

Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Inc. THETA GAMMA CHAPTER

Mass Schedule Newman Center @ UB North 495 Skinnersville Road Amherst NY 14228 Phone: 716-‐636-‐7495

Daily mass: Monday, Wednesday and Friday @ Noon Starting 9/9/2015 Saturday-‐ 5:00PM Sunday-‐ 9:00AM, 10:30AM, and Student Mass 6:30PM

St. Joseph University Parish 3269 Main Stree Buffalo NY 14214 Phone: 716-‐833-‐0298

Saturday, November 14, 2015

8:30AM Monday through Friday (Center Chapel unless noted) Satuday-‐ 4:30PM Sunday-‐ 8:30AM, 10:00AM, 11:30AM, and Student Mass 8:00PM

All Are Welcome!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

December movie guide

THE SPECTRUM

Upcoming films to be released this month TOMAS OLIVIER ASST. ARTS EDITOR

As fall comes to an end and the holiday season trudges on, the primetime for endof-year movies is ushered in. The hottest movies of the year are often premiered in December, strategically, to catch the end of the movie award season. This year, the countless movies to be released in December offer a fun and exciting way to spend the holidays with friends and family. Don’t miss out on what the season has to offer by checking out some of these upcoming films.

“Krampus” – R Release Date: Dec. 4 Starring Adam Scott (“Hot Tub Time Machine”), Toni Collette (“The Boxtrolls”), David Koechner (“Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”), Allison Tolman (“The Gift”), Conchata Ferrell (“Two and a Half Men”), Emjay Anthony (“Chef ”), Stefania LaVie Owen (“The Lovely Bones”) and Austrian actress Krista Stadler, this film will be sure to inject some spook into your holiday season. A young boy, upset after having a bad Christmas, unintentionally summons Krampus, a Christmas demon, into his family home. Meant to be a dark comedy, “Krampus” is set to bring all sorts of Christmas terror into theaters in the beginning of the month. Check out “Krampus” to get your fill of spooky Christmas spirit.

“The Ridiculous 6” – Unrated Release Date: Dec. 11 (Netflix) This Netflix original feature stars Adam Sandler (“Grown Ups 2”), Terry Crews (“The Expendables 2”), Jorge Garcia (“The Wedding Ringer”), Tayler Lautner (“The Twilight Saga”), Rob Schneider (“50 First

Dates”) and Luke Wilson (“Old School”). Set in the Wild West, an interesting team of five half-brothers decide to go on a quest to find their ne’er-do-well father. The comedy stars an eclectic host of older comedians and actors – come and follow the adventures of this ragtag, motley crew for the holidays.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” – PG-13 Release Date: Dec. 18 This holiday, Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) return to the big screen as their beloved characters. The seventh chapter of the Star Wars epic has fans on their toes. The film is continuation of “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi” released in 1983. Starring many of the original cast members from the first 1977 film, this movie also includes Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) from “Lincoln,” Daisy Ridley (Rey) from “The Inbetweeners 2,” John Boyega (Finn) from “Imperial Dreams,” Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) from “Ex Machina,” Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) from “12 Years a Slave,” Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke) from the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy and Dormhnall Gleeson (General Hux) from “Ex Machina” in their first appearances in the world of “Star Wars.”

“Sisters” – R Release Date: Dec. 18 Two sisters, now well into adulthood, decide to whip up one final crazy house party at their family home before it’s gone forever. Follow Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as two-overgrown children who just want to party. Along the way, maybe the two sisters will learn something about themselves – or maybe just learn

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how many drinks they can have before they throw up. This movie stars Tina Fey (“This Is Where I Leave You”), and Amy Poehler (“Inside Out”) John Cena (“Trainwreck”) and John Leguizamo (“American Ultra”).

“Concussion” – PG-13 Release Date: Dec. 18 In the world of football, concussions are as commonplace as the tackles that cause them. Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) unveils the truth about the dangerous amount of brain damage discovered in football players who repeatedly suffer concussions during play. This movie stars Will Smith (“Focus”), Alec Baldwin (“Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation”), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Jupi- COURTESY OF LUCASFLIM ter Ascending”), Arliss Howthe blockbuster hits coming to theaters this month, ard (“Time Travelers Wife”), Among “Star Wars” and “The Hateful 8” are set duke it out for the Paul Reiser (“Funny People”), top spot. Check out the best movies coming this month in our December movie guide. Luke Wilson (“Old School”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Annie”), David Morse zard, but when notions of betrayal and de(“World War Z”) and Albert Brooks (“This ception come into play, who will survive? This is 40”). film stars Samuel L. Jackson (“Django Unchained”), Kurt Russell (“Grindhouse”), Jen“The Hateful Eight” - R nifer Jason Leigh (“The Machinist”), Walton Release Date: Dec. 25 Goggins (“Django Unchained”), Tim Roth Quentin Tarantino’s newest film is set to (“Pulp Fiction”), Michael Madsen (“Reservoir premiere a week after the new “Star Wars” Dogs”), Bruce Dern (“Django Unchained”), movie, which should make for some interestJames Parks (“Django Unchained”) and Chaning box office competition. A post-Civil War ning Tatum (“22 Jump Street”). Wyoming sets the scene for a group of bounty hunters who seek shelter during a blizemail: arts@ubspectrum.com

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FEATURES | SPORTS

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

THE SPECTRUM

AUBREY MCLAUGHLIN, THE SPECTRUM

ADDICTED TO THE

GAME AUBREY MCLAUGHLIN STAFF WRITER

Louie Mott plays, on average, 30 hours per week playing video games. Mott, a sophomore undecided major, began playing semi-religiously at 6 years old with games like Pokémon Silver on a Gameboy Pocket. He’s been in a 30 hour-perweek routine since he started high school in Central New York. Few things get between him and his games – he said the only major distractions are school or a job if he’s currently holding one down. “If I have nothing going on I’ll sit in front of my computer all day – no problem doing that,” Mott said. Video games have become increasingly prevalent over the last two decades, especially with latest consoles Xbox One and Playstation 4. These consoles serve as more than just a gaming center – they offer an allencompassing experience. According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), 67 percent of households have video games present. In 2010, the average gamer played for eight hours per week. Mott’s roommate Joey Gugino, a sophomore geology major, and their friend Dave Pavone, a sophomore electrical engineer-

ing major, said they don’t have much time to play video games because of the difficulty of their majors. In an effort to make the best of both worlds, they try to budget their time to the best of their ability. “Electrical engineering is brutal,” Pavone said. “I manage to save a couple hours a day to play [video games] when I’m sitting around chilling with friends.” Mott said although he plays the guitar and bass, playing video games is his most important hobby and what he spends a majority of his time doing. He’s become sufficiently skilled at games because he spends so much time playing. “Just to be clear, [gaming is] definitely an addiction,” Mott said. “It’s [not] like painkillers, but more like a TV show.” Growing up as an only child, Mott played a lot of “Spyro,” “Zelda” and “Megaman” until online gaming started to pick up and friends didn’t have to get a ride across town just to save a princess. He finds that the benefits of gaming include not needing much to enjoy it other than your gaming platform, which is whatever projects the game onto the screen. Mott describes himself as a self-declared “PC man,” or someone who prefers computer games, and other than desiring a more

The Kobe effect CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

As the coaches reminisce about playing against Bryant, the Bulls players didn’t look at Bryant as an opponent or a rival. He was simply a role model. The Bulls still regularly practice the ever-famous Kobe stepback jumper, where Bryant got rid of his defender with a simple pivot and quick shot. Freshman guard CJ Massinburg was one of the players who respected and emulated Bryant’s moves throughout his career. Never in a game, but Massinburg did admit he attempted some of the jumpers and fadeaways like Bryant took throughout his career in practice. “Honestly, Kobe was my favorite player ever,” Massinburg said. “He left the best legacy in the game besides Michael Jordan and honestly, it’s going to be

weird turning on a NBA game and watching, knowing Kobe isn’t there in the league anymore. Kobe is a legend.” But no Bulls player took news of Bryant’s retirement harder than junior forward Blake Hamilton. A native of Los Angeles, Hamilton couldn’t believe the news when he first heard it. But after watching Bryant play and struggle this season, he was more understanding of the move. “It’s tough to see him go,” Hamilton said, “I grew up watching Kobe play almost every game. In my eyes, he’s one of the greatest to ever play. It was tough to see him play like this, but I’ll always remember him as one of the best to ever play the game of basketball.”

Louie Mott plays video games as a way to relax, but plays excessively - he has said that he worries he’ll die in his computer chair.

compatible controller, he’s content to enjoy what’s in front of him. PCs hold the most versatility and though he owns all four models of Playstations, Mott can use an emulator, a program that will make his computer believe it’s any platform he wants, to play any downloaded game available. With so many opportunities in the gaming world, he believes there’s a lot of work to be done. Ian Carson, a junior economics major, also prefers to play PC games. He’s met friends through games such as League of Legends – people he will interact with both inside and outside of the game. “It’s a whole community,” Carson said. “There’s a natural similarity because we’re all going to play the same game and enjoy it, so from there it’s easy to build friendships.” Carson enjoys gaming, but tries to limit his time to balance it with his studies. Both Mott and Carson believe that PC games have made significant strides over the last few years in both their graphics and their content. “Hair used to be a picture you stuck on a character’s head, but now, with new programs coming out, you can design every single strand of hair,” Mott said. “[Game designers] really do make planets now. They really do make worlds.” Over the past few years, there have been many speculations that claim graphic video games cause violence and lead to school shootings, but Mott believes this depends on who is playing the game. “Video games contribute to real world violence in people who are already prone to be violent,” Mott said. “It’s not the healthy people, the large demographic.” At UB, Mott spends his time playing video games in his dorm room in Greiner Hall and said the Internet works well while he plays. He hopes that one day UB builds a server for popular games among UB students, where they can compete. “I don’t think they see it as a proper use

Junior guard Willie Conner, a native of Chicago, home of NBA great Michael Jordan, was also sad to see Bryant retire, more so because Bryant was one of the closest players he saw compare to Jordan. “Man, I was sad, I’m not going to lie,” Conner said. “It was like Mike [Jordan] retiring back in the day, only I was young so I didn’t really understand it. Now, the closest thing to Jordan is retiring and it’s tough to see. I’ll always remember that baseline fadeaway.” Amid numerous comparisons between Bryant and Jordan, Conner called it “too close to call” before going with Jordan over Bryant. Hamilton ended with the perfect comparison for the two. “Jordan and Kobe,” Hamilton mused. “That’s like Pepsi and Coke.” Marshall said Bryant announcing his re-

of the money,” Mott said. “But, on the same token I don’t think schools understand how important relaxation time is. It’s something they could advertise.” Matt Weiner, a junior business major, also lived in Greiner where he considers the WiFi optimal for gaming. He said it made gaming easier and that it was more tempting to play. “If it’s hard to get onto the server or the game is lagging, you don’t want to sit there and wait to play for that long,” Weiner said. “When the WiFi is good like in Greiner, it becomes easy to go on binges since you don’t have to worry about losing connection or lag time.” With so many games vital the identity of gaming, he did narrow his all-time list down to franchises, starting with “Fallout” at No. 1, “Elder Scrolls” at No. 2, “Battlefield” at No. 3 and “Call of Duty” at No. 4. He believes that some games drag on while others can be endless. He said the missions and upgrades are too voluminous to ever complete. Mott plays video games at such a high rate for pleasure and for a way to escape stress. “‘Battlefield’ and ‘Call of Duty’ aren’t exactly good stress relievers, but if you’re playing an RPG [role playing game] like ‘Skyrim,’ you can really sink yourself into your character and live another life,” Mott said. According to Mott, the hardest thing about video games is you can’t play them for the first time again. But there’s still hope because Mott has a lot of new games to keep playing, knowing outright he’ll be happy to press start and load up the last saved game for the rest of his life. Video games have influenced Mott’s life in many ways – due to his excess playing, he wants to declare computer science as a new major. He also said games have influenced hopes of how to raise his children. As soon as his kids are old enough, he wants to give them video games because the impact on his own life has been too positive to disregard. “You can learn lessons from good games,” Mott said. “I just can’t see myself not doing it. I might have to lose a hand or something. I might die in the computer chair.” email: features@ubspectrum.com

tirement at this stage of the season was good, because it removed some of the pressure from the game, but also allowed the fans to come out and appreciate their last glimpse of one of the greatest players suit up for one more season. Even though his game this season is clearly not his best, there’s something to admire about Bryant as a fan, an opponent or even fellow retired players. “It was only a matter of time,” Marshall said. “Father Time remains undefeated. You see the way his body was breaking down, it doesn’t really surprise me. He gave it another go and it wasn’t working out. Now that he announced his retirement, it’s better for him and better for the fans, so they can appreciate it more.” email: sports@ubspectrum.com

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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

THE SPECTRUM

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SPORTS

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

THE SPECTRUM

Women’s basketball off to 6-0 start

Player recognition, chemistry are main factors for Bulls’ perfect start JORDAN GROSSMAN

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

When the women’s basketball team visited Universal Studios during a road trip to Florida last week, head coach Felisha LegetteJack planned to spend the day in the amusement park sitting alone and letting her players enjoy themselves. But she was never alone. Throughout the day, her players approached her to talk about a wide variety of topics, from school, to life, to basketball. “As a head coach, you really want to win games and have success to win championships,” Legette-Jack said. “But I can put a lot of money on it when I say every coach would love to have a relationship with their kids. That’s something that’s happening here at Buffalo.” That kind of chemistry may be part of the reason for the team’s undefeated start to the season. After the trip to Universal Studios, the Bulls (6-0) defeated Central Florida and Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference for it’s best start since the 2000-01 season. After the departures of top players like Kristen Sharkey, Mackenzie Loesing, Alexus Malone and Christa Baccas on the court, the inexperienced team has defied the expectations and what it means to be a young team. Most young squads go through a transition period filled with experimenting and question marks. The team isn’t supposed to make a statement at the beginning of the season, let alone rank in the top-5 in the

country in scoring defense. But the Bulls are different. They’ve accepted the adversity. The success can’t be attributed to just a few players. You’ll never hear Legette-Jack rave about one particular player, no matter how good said player might be – she praises the collective effort of the team. She says it doesn’t matter if you played one minute or 30 minutes. “It’s all spread out. People can’t zone in on one player,” said junior guard Joanna Smith said. “We have a whole starting five. We can go a full 15. That’s the most surprising thing people don’t know about our roster, but we have a full 15 that can play that’s ready to get after it.” But it never hurts to have standout players. Smith said she isn’t a standout player, but her performance this season says otherwise. Smith was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Week for her efforts during Buffalo’s perfect 3-0 week. She averaged 19 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in the three wins, including against Central Florida (2-3) and Clemson (1-6). Sophomore guard Stephanie Reid, who Legette-Jack considers the “floor general,” is also having a breakout year in her first full year with Buffalo. She’s averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 assists per game. “[Reid] is doing the general work, just running the entire team,” Legette-Jack said. “She stays so poised and so calm, but aggressive at the same time. She’s a kid that

doesn’t fear anything. When the ball is in her hand, the entire team is relaxed.” Katherine Ups is a breakout this season as well. The sophomore guard is averaging 9.7 pointes per game and has scored in doubledigits in four of Buffalo’s six games. The team’s motto this season has been “The Village,” in reference to the saying that it takes an entire village to raise a child – or basketball team. Legette-Jack brought the idea to her team to improve the overall locker room outlook and form more chemistry on and off the court. And if this past weekend was any indication, “The Village” is slowly coming together. The team entered Orlando last weekend and took care of Central Florida and Power 5 school in Clemson. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. A transitioning Mid-Major squad shouldn’t have beat the Tigers. Legette-Jack never thought that way.

KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM

Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack coaches the women’s basketball team on the sideline during a 54-40 victory over Canisius on Nov. 17. Legette-Jack’s Bulls are 6-0 to start this season despite being a young team.

“Respect all, fear none,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re not going to look at Clemson as different than UMass as it looks different to Canisius. We think who’s in front of us … We don’t get excited about names and conference. We play the people that are in front of us.” Buffalo will try to continue its perfect season Thursday when it travels downstate to Long Island to take on Legette-Jack’s former team, Hofstra (5-1), at 7 p.m. email: sports@ubspectrum.com

The Kobe effect Bulls coaches and players reflect on playing against and growing up with Kobe Bryant QUENTIN HAYNES

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

Kobe Bryant broke a lot of records during his 20 NBA seasons playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, including holding a share of the record for most three-pointers in a game with 12. Bryant shares that record with Buffalo men’s basketball assistant coach Donyell Marshall. Bryant, considered one of the greatest players to ever play the game, has faced thousands of players during the last 20 seasons – and two of them can be found right on UB’s campus. Both Marshall and Bulls Director of Player Development Julius Hodge, two former NBA journeymen, reminisced about playing against Bryant, who formally announced he’d be retiring at the end of the season in a post in The Players Tribune Sunday. Marshall and Hodge talked about how retirement can take a toll on players who’ve spent their entire lives playing the game they love. Marshall spent 15 seasons in the NBA from 1994 to 2009 and played with eight different teams. He’d be the first to tell you that he had a good run. He averaged 11.2 points per game and holds a record with Kobe Bryant. But like most athletes, Marshall knew the end would eventually come. With the last major contracts he signed with the Seattle Supersonics and the Philadelphia 76ers, he knew they could be his last. It was there where he began to consider the end of the road. And stepping into the realms of coaching and broadcasting was his next move. “It was those last four, five years where I started thinking about life after the game,” Marshall said. “I always knew I wanted to move into this side of the game, so I began to take time in the summer to begin my transition.” Marshall moved on from the NBA and

coached in NBA Developmental League with the Maine Red Claws, then traveled throughout the college ranks, serving as an assistant with George Washington, Rider and finally, Buffalo. It was the years of preparation that allow him to make the move without much resistance. He said it might be a problem with Bryant. “That’s the major difference,” Marshall said. “Guys like Kobe, LeBron [James], players who don’t know when to retire – it’s a bit more difficult to make that transition.” The same effect goes for Hodge, who retired after a 10-year playing career, including three seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks. He played college at North Carolina State and was named the 2003-04 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and led the Wolfpack to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. When Hodge decided to retire and face basketball mortality, it wasn’t about the contracts, or even the playing time. He retired because of his own pride. “For me it was pretty much: ‘Did I still have anything left in the tank where I can play at a high level?’” Hodge said. “It was a prideful thing, playing at a high level and not being the player I used to be. I gave it up about a year or two early. I went and did some commentating with the ACC Network, knowing I wanted to get into this field someday.” Marshall played Bryant a total of 30 times, going 11-20 in those matchups. Hodge played, and lost, his lone game against Bryant’s Lakers. Even with a loss, Hodge remembers a time when he experienced Bryant’s intense demeanor on the court and realized that Bryant is in fact one of the best of the past two decades. “I remember I started having a good game against him defensively,” Hodge said. “I started talking a little bit of trash to him and my teammate, Marcus Camby, came up

COURTESY OF FLICKR USER ALEXANDRA WALT

Kobe Bryant looks on as he prepares to take a free throw. Players and coaches on the men’s basketball team talked about watching Bryant and his career after Bryant announced his retirement Sunday.

to me and said, ‘You don’t want to do that!’ Kobe comes down the court, knocks down a couple jumpers and I’m like ‘Uh-oh,’ so I look back to Camby and he’s like, ‘See what you’ve done?’” Bryant finished that game with just eight points, as well as 10 assists and five rebounds. The eight points are a point of pride for Hodge, who playfully interrupted Marshall at practice Monday saying, “Tell him about the time I locked [Kobe Bryant] down to eight points. You not gonna tell

him about that?” Marshall’s moment of playing against Bryant was overshadowed by the return of another legend of the game. “I was there when Magic Johnson returned,” Marshall said. “Kobe was on that team, but Magic stole the show that night. I’ve defended Kobe a couple times, I’ve been dunked on by Kobe … It was special to play against him.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 6