The Spectrum Vol. 67 No. 51

THE SPECTRUM VOL. 67 NO. 51 | MAY 7, 2018

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

One hundred and ninety two teams played in this year’s annual Oozefest on Saturday morning.

Black Student Union elects 2018-19 e-board

> SEE PAGE 6

> SEE PAGE 5

Faculty question UB’s commitment to diversity 2004-2017

fell from to

Over the last several weeks, UB has outfitted North Campus with banners emblazoned with the phrase “Diversity Sparks Discovery.”

The words reflect the goals of the university’s mission statement, which advertises a diverse environment for faculty and disciplines at UB. But UB is not living up to its promise of inclusion and diversity on campus, says Cecil Foster, the chair of transnational studies, who came to UB in 2010 to lead the department. He said the university is more interested in funding and growing STEM programs, and the engineering school than in bolstering humanities. His department, he insists, is particularly overlooked.

“We in transnational studies feel that we are in a position where we don’t know where the commitment is really to the department,” Foster said. “For the last two years or so, we feel that we have

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Family and friends have raised over $26,000 for a UB student struck by a car while crossing the road near South Campus early Wednesday morning, and the donations and supportive messages keep coming.

Kevin Guichard, a freshman engineering major, remains in critical condition at Erie County Medical Center after suffering a major head injury when he was hit by Buffalo police detective 62-yearold Mary Pat Kaempf while crossing on Main Street around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday.

On Sunday, University Police received reports of two separate and unrelated incidents of forcible touching, according to an email alert sent at 1:54 p.m. Police are asking for anyone who can help identify the suspects to call.

A female UB student reported to her residence hall adviser that an “unknown male” fondled and kissed her without consent at Spring Fest. The incident occurred toward the front of the red section in Alumni Arena during the last act of the night, according to UPD. The student described the suspect as a tall male with dark curly hair, wearing a long-sleeve UB shirt.

In a separate incident, a male student

email: news@ubspectrum.com

*All information according to Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

been treading water – there is a lot of restlessness among the faculty.”

In the past three years, transnational studies has lost five faculty members to other universities. Jose Buscaglia-Salgado left UB and moved to Northeastern University where he is the chair of the cultures, societies and global studies department.

LaKisha Simmons also left UB, and is now an assistant professor of history and women’s studies at the University of Michigan.

Foster said most who left were people of color, and he also sees a lack of women as a danger to the future of the department.

Trap, rap and soul electrify Spring Fest A$AP Ferg, Ty Dolla $ign and Daniel Caesar set precedent for UB festival diversity

DIVERSITY | PAGE 5

Over $26,000 raised in two days for UB student struck by car Wednesday

SARAH CROWLEY

NEWS DESK

reported to UPD that a female friend was forcibly touched while walking with him and a group of friends along Main Street in front of South Campus around 2 a.m.

The student told police the unknown suspect followed the group to several parties earlier that night. He described the suspect as a light-skinned, college-age black male, approximately 5 feet 7 inches with curly hair with a fade on top, wearing a white shirt and jeans, and possibly named Joel.

Police are asking anyone with additional information to help identify the suspects.

The university had nothing to add to the UB alert regarding the incidents.

“Members of the community are urged to be vigilant at all times, and report any unusual circumstances or suspicious persons or activities to the University Police as soon as possible,” the alert said.

GRAPHIC PIERCE STRUDLER

> SEE

A Go Fund Me page offsets family’s hospital and travel costs

University Police sent an alert Sunday afternoon asking for help identifying suspects

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

ASST. ARTS EDITOR

> SEE PAGE 8

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

BRIAN EVANS

Spring check-in: men’s and women’s basketball

Two students report separate incidents of ‘forcible touching’ over the weekend

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

Transnational studies shrink while STEM grows

FELL FROM 7 TO 6

2,426

FELL FROM 36 TO 30

2,467

FELL FROM 58 TO 33

ALL FACULTY*

BLACK FACULTY HISPANIC FACULTY NATIVE FACULTY

UBSPECTRUM

Cassidy Maier, a freshman nursing major, created the Go Fund Me page for Guichard and his family. The page originally hoped to raise $20,000, and has already surpassed its goal, with over 500 individual donations in the last two days.

Maier could not be reached for comment.

“He is truly the sweetest, most selfless and kind individual you could ever wish to meet. Kevin lights up every room with his goofy dancing and warm smile,” the page reads. “Kevin and his family need support and prayers now more than ever.”

Guichard is from Long Island and is a member of the fraternity Delta Sigma Phi, according to multiple sources.

The university derecognized Delta Sigma Phi in 2001.

BRENTON BLANCHET, BRIAN EVANS ARTS DESK

With Saturday’s closing set, the selfproclaimed “trap lord,” A$AP Ferg, wasted no time jumping into his opener “Trap and a Dream.” He rushed the stage as soon as his verse began.

Ferg headlined this year’s Student Association Spring Fest alongside West Coast rapper Ty Dolla $ign and opener Daniel Caesar. Despite a total ticket count of 5,000 with 4,300 that were picked up as

of April 30, 3,281 students showed up to Alumni Arena, according to SA Entertainment Director Matt Cosmai. The event cost SA $400,000 for both talent and production, according to SA Entertainment Coordinator Marc Rosenblitt –– $40,000 less than last year’s Spring Fest. The mandatory student activity fee of $104.75 per semester funds the event.

Daniel Caesar gave Spring Fest a headline-worthy performance while students still filtered into Alumni.

Students were excited while singing along with Caesar, whose soulful love ballads won over a trap-seeking crowd.

With the majority of his five-song set coming from his Grammy-nominated debut LP “Freudian,” Caesar gave a different approach to the usual UB festival trajectory. > SEE SPRING

FEST | PAGE 4

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com twitter: @crowleyspectrum

A$AP Ferg, Ty Dolla $ign and Daniel Caesar brought a diverse mix of genres to this year’s Spring Fest, providing sets consisting of rap, trap and soul that energized Alumni Arena from start to finish.

NEWS

2 | Monday, May 7, 2018

ubspectrum.com

STUDENT NEWSPAPER VILLA VIBE LAUNCHES IN THE PUBLIC Villa Maria partners with local alternative weekly to bring back student newspaper DAN MCKEON COPY CHIEF

Buffalo’s largest print alternative weekly newspaper, The Public, usually features an art print — paintings, drawings, photography, etc. — as its centerfold. But in the April 25 issue, Villa Vibe debuted as a four-page insert in the middle of over 30,000 copies of The Public distributed throughout Western New York.

Villa Maria College, a small private college of just over 500 students, hasn’t had a newspaper since the late 1990s, and even that iteration, called The Viking, was more of a yearbook or newsletter with announcements than a newspaper, according to Joyce Kessel, an English professor at Villa Maria. Villa Vibe partnered with The Public to not only bring a student newspaper to Villa Maria for the first time this millennium, but to produce one on newsprint that could showcase the work of the school’s two-year-old digital media and communication program.

Villa Vibe started as an honors project for Alexandra Snow, a junior digital media and communication major. When she pitched the idea of a newsletter to Michelle Kearns, an instructor for the digital media and communication program, Kearns suggested expanding it to a studentwide newspaper instead.

“It became a project that me and other students from the intro to journalism class took on over the past two semesters,” said Snow, the editor for the newspaper. “We have people coming and going, and are

DAN MCKEON | THE SPECTRUM

Villa Vibe printed as an insert of the local alt-weekly The Public last month. The issue is the first student newspaper to print for Villa Maria College since the late 1990s.

still figuring out all the issues that come with something like this.”

Villa Vibe has an annual budget of $200 to work with, making the task of printing on newsprint financially difficult. Kearns and Geoff Kelly, the editor-in-chief of The Public, worked out a deal where for the price of a full page ad from Villa Maria, The Public would print the Vibe as a four-page insert. The ad –– discounted at around $750 –– would cover publishing and distribution costs.

During the discussions, Kearns and Kelly started thinking about expanding the idea and partnering with other colleges in the area. They referred to Villa Vibe as a “pilot project” for future collaborations that would draw on “the young talent” in local journalism programs, Kelly said. “[Villa Vibe] is the first of these, and they put this together really fast and met some stringent deadlines,” Kelly said.

“The staff seems pleased with it, the students seem pleased with it and the administration as well. Something like this puts a good foot forward for the college, and we plan on reaching out to other schools soon to see if they’d be interested in par-

UB Student Remembrance Ceremony A CEREMONY TO REMEMBER OUR STUDENT FRIENDS WHO PASSED AWAY IN 2017-18

REMEMBERING OUR STUDENTS W I T H G R AT E F U L A P P R E C I AT I O N

Angel McKnight-Miller Damodar Nayak Dennis Ruchalski

Friday, May 11, 2018 11 am Student Union Theater University at Buffalo (North Campus)

Dedication & luncheon immediately following ceremony.

All are welcome.

ticipating.”

Kelly said a foundation has also reached out about the possibility of offering a scholarship to one of the students involved in this partnership.

The Public has long had an interest in special inserts of other publications, Kelly said. The newspaper currently publishes Loop Magazine, an LGBT magazine for the Buffalo area, every month. Kelly said they would like to have a monthly collegiate insert as well, and eventually other publications so that readers would have a different monthly periodical within the weekly The Public.

A recent tariff on newsprint put in place by the Trump administration has significantly raised the cost of printing, something Kelly said “has to be taken into account by all papers, including student newspapers” and poses an “immediate and existential threat.” He said the tariff has already had an impact on printing costs for The Public –– anywhere from 26 to 33 percent, depending on page count.

Some universities will likely not want to support the rising cost of print editions for student newspapers, Kelly said.

But Kearns and students at Villa Maria

said having the student newspaper in print is much more substantial and preferred than a purely digital platform.

“Once you start telling [students] you’re going to publish something in print, they get much more into doing the revisions and doing the things you need to do to make it publishable,” Kearns said. “It’s motivating; it just makes writing more exciting.”

Ana Echeverria, a junior graphic design major at Villa Maria, said students already read The Public, and having an insert seemed a “good match.”

“We read The Public because it’s all about the things that we want to know about,” Echeverria said. “It’s all about art, and different forms of art. … It really is already what Villa Maria’s all about, so it’s a nice fit.”

Villa Vibe plans on publishing an issue each semester, with the next one planned for the end of summer, according to Snow. The students also plan to expand and figure out what they want Villa Vibe to be exactly, covering more news on campus and Villa Maria’s athletics program.

Snow said learning journalism can be personally useful as well.

“I took a journalism class in high school, and the teacher really made me feel valid and that people cared what I had to say,” Snow said. “Being able to write about these things is really great.”

The digital media and communication program just finished its fourth semester, and Kearns said she hopes more students will explore what they want through Villa Vibe and journalism classes.

“One thing I like to do is play to a student’s interest,” Kearns said. “[Snow], for example, had a real interest in design and writing, so she was a natural to be editor. … It’s the same thing with story ideas. All of the stories the students wrote are born out of things within their interests.” email: dan.mckeon@ubspectrum.com twitter: @Dan_McKeon_

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OPINION

ubspectrum.com

THE SPECTRUM Thursday, May 7, 2018 Volume 67 Number 51 Circulation: 4,000

Welcome to my screaming brain How ADHD looks different in women and is often underdiagnosed

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hannah Stein MANAGING EDITOR David Tunis-Garcia CREATIVE DIRECTORS Pierce Strudler Phuong Vu, Asst.

COPY EDITORS Dan McKeon, Chief Emma Medina Savanna Caldwell, Asst.

Cassi Enderle, Asst.

Lauryn King, Asst.

NEWS EDITORS Sarah Crowley, Senior Max Kalnitz Haruka Lucas Kosugi, Asst.

Anna Savchenko, Asst.

FEATURES EDITORS Benjamin Blanchet, Senior Wanly Chen, Asst.

Erik Tingue, Asst.

ARTS EDITORS Brenton Blanchet, Senior Brian Evans, Asst.

SPORTS EDITORS Thomas Zafonte, Senior Nathaniel Mendelson, Asst.

EDITORIAL EDITOR Maddy Fowler MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Allison Staebell, Senior Jack Li, Asst.

Elijah Pike, Asst.

CARTOONISTS Ardi Digap Taj Taylor

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

Stephen Jean-Pierre JuYung Hong, Asst.

ABOUT THE SPECTRUM 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.

MADDY FOWLER EDITORIAL EDITOR

Here are some places I’ve lost my keys in the past week: my refrigerator, my underwear drawer, my bathtub.

I have ADHD, a disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

So does my brother, but he was diagnosed at 5 years old. I was not diagnosed until I was 21.

That’s because ADHD presents very differently in women. As a kid, my brother was a hyperactive troublemaker who frequently found himself in the principal’s office. His grades were poor, and ADHD was brought up early.

But I was quiet and well-behaved. I got mostly As, except in math, which I always had to repeat in summer school. I was chronically disorganized and often running late.

None of these behaviors severely disrupted my life until I got to college. This is when the worst ADHD symptoms tend to show up for young women with the disorder. Without a parent to remind me to take the 12

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Anyone interested in joining The Spectrum’s editorial staff can email Hannah Stein at: eic@ubspectrum.com.

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moldy mugs out of my bedroom or hang my key on a hook, my symptoms went unchecked. As I took on more and more responsibility, they quickly spiraled out of control.

I just got distracted by Facebook. Where was I? Oh, yeah –– I spent a lot of time beating myself up for my symptoms. I thought I was just lazy and disorganized, and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get myself together no matter how hard I tried. I would sit in bed, clothes and dishes strewn across my bedroom floor, feeling paralyzed and overwhelmed. I would clean up the mess through frustrated tears, only to have it look just as bad a few days later.

I would fill out my planner with all my appointments, exams, meetings and work schedule only to find myself still forgetting to write down important events, forgetting to check the planner in the first place or losing it altogether.

My professors always seemed confused to discover someone so smart, motivated and conscientious was really such a mess. Finally, one day I showed up at my therapist’s office in tears because I didn’t know what was wrong with me, why I was a grown woman and still unable to take care of myself and be a responsible, functioning adult.

It wasn’t that I was lazy or that I didn’t care. It was that my brain always felt so mixed up, so unclear, like it was always screaming and no matter how much I tried to snap it into submission, noth-

ing changed. It made me hate myself, I told my therapist.

That’s when she said it sounded like I had ADHD. I was shocked. I never brought up these symptoms in therapy before because I didn’t see them as symptoms, and there was always more pressing problems to discuss anyway. I thought they were just the byproduct of a lazy, useless personality. I knew my brother had it, but we couldn’t be more opposite, so it was never a possibility I even considered.

After being evaluated for ADHD, I was officially diagnosed. Just knowing my difficulties were the result of a mixed-up brain chemistry –– not some character flaw –– was huge. I constantly have to remind myself that my inability to stay organized, be on time, keep my apartment clean and stay on top of appointments and homework are not character flaws but symptoms of a mental illness.

Sometimes the way I beat myself up over it can be even more debilitating than the disorder itself.

Once I got the diagnosis, I quickly learned my experience was not uncommon. For highIQ young women with ADHD, particularly those undiagnosed, there is a huge emotional toll.

“Confused and ashamed by their struggles, girls will internalize their inability to meet social expectations,” Sari Solden, a therapist and author of “Women and Attention Deficit Disorder,” said in an interview with The Atlantic. “For a long time, these girls see their trouble prioritizing, organizing, coordinating, and pay-

ing attention as character flaws.

No one told them it’s neurobiological.”

Getting the diagnosis didn’t make my ADHD go away, but it helped me learn how to manage it. I now get extended time and a separate location for exams, and I’ve seen my grades improve as a result. I now know my organizational problems are a symptom, one that tends to get worse when I am feeling particularly stressed. I can plan for it, and also work with my therapist to come up with specific strategies to cope with it.

Medication also helps keep my brain a little clearer, and these days it doesn’t feel like it’s screaming as much.

But the biggest benefit of having the diagnosis is knowing there is an explanation for why I can be such a mess. Now when I can’t find my keys, instead of crying and thinking I’m so stupid or disorganized, I laugh to myself when I find them in a box of cereal. Or when my Lyft driver calls me to say he found my key in his backseat, but he is in Canada so it will be a while until he can return them.

Once I find my keys, I’ll hang them on the hook I always forget to use, despite the big red sign I have above it that says “HANG UP YOUR KEYS, MADDY.” But I’ll probably find them at the bottom of my laundry basket later this week. And you know what? I’ve made my peace with that. email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com twitter: @mmfowler13.

The truth about procrastination It affects everyone else and SpongeBob, too

For information on adverstising with The Spectrum: VISIT: www.ubspectrum.com/advertising CALL US: 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 14260-2100

Monday, May 7, 2018 | 3

MATTHEW IAN DOYLE STAFF WRITER

There it is again. It’s hanging over your head like a vulture.

You want to do something about it. But at the end of the day, do you do something about it?

You choose not to do anything about it. A few days pass by, and you still haven’t done anything about it. Not only is it still hanging over your head, but now the stress begins to kick in.

When the stress kicks in, that’s when you know you should have dealt with the problem from the get-go. Why let something that could have been fixed or solved days ago cause you twice the stress of the original problem?

That is what is known as procrastination. It is an affliction that affects everyone in the world, but most of the time, college students.

I know that it sucks to do work that you don’t want to do, but it’s got to be done –– someway, somehow. It has happened to

me. I did nothing but sit around and horse around, and boy, did I sure pay the piper.

Not too long afterwards, I had an interesting revelation in the form of a dream.

I was faced with many different deadlines. Did I choose to meet them accordingly or did I horse around too much?

If you picked the latter, you would be quite right. I chose to live my life this way for my remaining days in college. All I did was party way too much, spent many wasted hours binge watching some awful Netflix show and so on.

Then all of a sudden, in my dream, I flash forward ten years –– it’s a dream, anything can happen. I heard myself saying, “Welcome to McDonald’s, may I take your order?”

This dream became one of the very few nightmares I have had in my life.

I am not denigrating anyone who works at a McDonald’s for a living because, at the end of the day, all honest work is honorable. My point is, why throw everything you have going for you away just because you don’t want to do it?

If you are reading this, you are most likely a college student yourself. If you are attending college in the first place, you have truly been blessed. You have re-

ceived an opportunity that many people cannot get. Don’t let it go to waste just because you’re too lazy to study.

You may think otherwise, but there definitely are constructive ways to avoid the stress associated with procrastination. You may even realize that these strategies may boost your motivation as well.

Plan ahead of time. This one may seem obvious, but what many people fail to realize is not doing this simple task is why most people tend to fall behind in the first place.

It may even be wise to invest in a planner. I’m pretty sure you can find a ton of these in the bookstore or if you’re looking for a much cheaper alternative, simply go to a dollar store. These things aren’t scarce and may just save your grade and your college life.

In the planner, simply list the things you need to do and when you need to complete them by.

This way, when you decide to procrastinate again, you really don’t have an excuse to have not done it considering you had listed this in your planner quite some time ago.

Set goals for yourself –– realistic goals, mind you. Definitely make sure that goal isn’t to write a ten-page paper five hours before it is due.

But take a big assignment,

see when it is due and with respect to the due date, set fair and achievable goals.

For example, on Monday you can write two pages worth of an assignment. On Tuesday, you write another two pages and so on. This way, once the deadline rolls around, you won’t have a thing in the world to fuss over, considering you finished the assignment way before the deadline.

If you’re still in that “I’m too lazy to do anything” mindset, go exercise. Go to the gym and bench press some 200 pounds or, if you’re more of a runner like myself, go on a nice, long run to clear your head.

Exercise does not only make you happier and relieve any other stress you may have, it can also motivate you to do many other things you’ve never even considered doing like that big essay due at the end of the semester.

You are in college. You are most likely an adult at this point, too. If you’re wasting your college career doing nothing that pertains to any coursework, just leave college.

I said it once before and I’m going to say it again: you have been blessed to receive the extravagant educational opportunity that is college. Don’t let it go to waste. email: features@ubspectrum.com

NEWS

4 | Monday, May 7, 2018

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WRITER: DAVID TUNIS-GARCIA & ARTIST: TAJ TAYLOR

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SPRING FEST The R&B singer provided the arena with a powerful yet passionate vocal performance, while using a Fender Telecaster for crowdfavorite “Best Part.” Caesar’s touching lyrics echoed through Alumni, especially to those singing along in the front row.

Caesar grabbed the audience’s attention, with the excitement and warmth growing as each song progressed. In just five songs, the reserved singer-songwriter redefined UB fest openers.

SA President Leslie Veloz was positive about the whole evening, but her focus was on Caesar’s set.

“He’s adding that neo-soul vibe to this concert which really allows students to see the diversity of the show,” Veloz said.

A$AP Ferg’s hour-long set paralleled Caesar’s short performance. Ferg, who SA saved for last, didn’t evoke tears, but rather uncontrollable momentum that resonated throughout the crowd.

Tensions peaked minutes before Ferg took to the stage, as a fight in the gold zone bleachers section of the arena led to University Police escorting students out. Several students and event staff attempted to break up the altercation before UPD stepped in.

According to witnesses, the dispute began with two students verbally disagreeing then led to physical violence.

Even with a fight in the arena, Ferg got the crowd’s attention just minutes later.

For the last hour of the event, Ferg

moved from deeper cuts like “East Coast” to commercial smashes like “Shabba” and “Work.” He showed little reservation toward journeying outward, playing some of his features including the A$AP Mob hit “Hella Hoes” and a cover of Tupac’s “California Love.”

Ferg took several moments to laud the crowd explicitly, while also expressing sorrow and recognition of his friend and Mob member, the late A$AP Yams.

Ferg attempted to close the evening with a rousing performance of his most popular, double-platinum hit, “Plain Jane.” But he only rapped the first few lines of the opening verse before handing the mic over to the crowd.

He knew UB could give him more.

He started the track over, this time running it through in its entirety. Ferg’s massive stage presence and unmatched charisma left the general admission floor shaking from the crowd’s energy.

Ferg had more to say before wrapping up the night.

“You can be whatever the f--k you want to be in life. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t,” Ferg said.

He left the crowd with his trademark sentiment: “Love, peace, A$AP.” Throughout both Ferg’s and Caesar’s sets, fellow-headliner Ty Dolla $ign stood by with applause and smiles as he watched his fellow performers take to the stage.

Dolla $ign’s own performance marked a moment of pivotal change for the evening, taking the overarching sense of heartfelt ballads left by Caesar into a hard-hitting

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM A$AP Ferg sweating it up on stage at Spring Fest. Ferg saved his hit “Plain Jane” for the end of the show.

set of rap hits. Dolla $ign was visibly stoic throughout his performance, rarely moving from center stage.

When he did, his movement was of excitement and applause as he made close contact with the crowd.

Dolla $ign performed memorable hits like “Or Nah,” Post Malone’s “Psycho” and even Kanye West’s “Fade.” The famed rapper made use of his arsenal of features, jumping from track to track with little time in between.

The evening also consisted of several

student acts, from DJs to group performers which kept the crowd entertained in between sets.

“Something I was really passionate about this year was making sure that we were able to showcase some of the local talent that we had, the same way that we’re showing the national talent of artists,” Veloz said.

“This is a great platform to give students that exposure so that one day, they can do their own show.” email: arts@ubspectrum.com

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Celebration #UBclassof2018 Morning Ceremony

Afternoon Ceremony

Student-nominated faculty speaker

Student-nominated faculty speaker

Troy D. Wood

Wendy Quinton

Student Speaker

Student Speaker

Department of Chemistry

Moses Kwang Jin Chung Biological Sciences

arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/commencement

Department of Psychology

Fareesa Mahmood Geography

NEWS

ubspectrum.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

DIVERSITY “There are gaps that we need to fill,” Foster said. “One of the things that is of concern to us is a gender issue –– the new [transnational studies] is going to have faculty that is primarily going to be malebased, because all of the females have left TNS and gone elsewhere.”

Attempts by The Spectrum to reach the departed faculty members for comment were unsuccessful.

Other transnational studies faculty members also question UB’s commitment to diversity, as have other humanities professors in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Y.G. Lulat, an associate professor in transnational studies, is among them.

“On paper, the school is very committed to these things,” Lulat said. “In practice, of course, it’s a different matter.”

As a research university, UB places significant focus on STEM fields. Even during times when the number of overall faculty is shrinking, schools like engineering remain consistently staffed.

From 2004 to 2017, all tenure-track faculty fell 7 percent, a loss of 94 people, 32 of whom were people of color, according to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. The CAS saw a faculty decrease of 13 percent. Engineering, management and social work, however, each saw increases in faculty, at 42 percent, 33 percent and 60 percent, respectively. Underrepresented minority tenure-track faculty increased 5.8 percent, despite the university’s goal of 7.7 percent.

Lulat said the university’s commitment to diversity should be wide ranging, applying to students, staff and curriculum.

“The overall mission of the school of course includes the desire to have a diverse student population, but it is also reflected in the curriculum,” Lulat said.

“The school wants to ensure that the subject matter it offers in the university reflects a range of different fields, and that includes fields in the liberal arts, which deal with issues of diversity.”

African-American studies used to be independent and began as the black studies program in 1969. It evolved into its own department in 1973. But in 2010, CAS consolidated it, along with Caribbean studies, global gender and American studies, to create transnational studies.

James Pappas, an associate professor in the transnational studies department, served as the chair of African-American studies in its earliest days at UB, and advocated for the department to remain independent.

“The idea was to pit departments against each other, American studies for example, trying to get us to absorb into larger frameworks such as transnational studies,” Pappas said. “I always fought against that because I felt that the department needed its own autonomy. Without that autonomy, there would be no real recognition of our mandate – our mission if you will – to educate African-Americans and the full university component about [our] heritage.”

Pappas saw the absorption as problematic, affecting both the department and the faculty. He said faculty members of color leaving African-American studies took away the essence of African-American studies as an authentic discourse.

“It doesn’t work, and it isolates or marginalizes those faculty because [people of color] never come here to see what we’re doing,” Pappas said. “It sort of [puts them] on a separate landscape.”

Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence Teresa Miller recently left UB after 23 years. During her tenure, Miller created the first diversity and inclusion plan at UB and created the Inclusive Excellence Leadership Council. Despina Stratigakos is currently the interim vice provost. Provost Charles Zukoski said he plans to have a permanent replacement by July 1.

African-American studies and global gender studies have only one dedicated faculty member, even as enrollment rose steadily since fall 2012, according to UB’s Office of Institutional Analysis.

“We are way understaffed, [and] in jeopardy of having support staff being removed or split in their duties, and that’s bad,” Pappas said. “That’s not very socalled supportive of being a part of gaining strength in our department and the university itself.”

Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., a professor in the urban and regional planning department and the founding director of the Center for Urban Studies, stressed the importance of maintaining consistent numbers of people of color among UB faculty in order to build an authentic and welcoming environment. He said there is no “authentic quest for diversity” without adequate minority faculty –– specifi-

Monday, May 7, 2018 | 5

cally African-Ameri“It has always been can, Latinx and Native the case that the monmen and women. ey [at universities] has gone to STEM fields.

“When I first came Fifty years ago, one here in 1987, the uniWe in knew that an engineerversity had a great deal ing major would bring of interest and a great transnational you more money than deal of concern about studies feel an English major. It developments on Bufisn’t a mystery,” Holsfalo’s East Side, and that we are in a tun said. a great deal of interposition where we est and concern about Holstun said he feels what they call special UB maintains a differdon’t know where population groups,” ent mindset toward the the commitment Taylor said. “That arts and sciences. concern is no lon“What’s happened is really to the ger there –– we’re not at UB is something department. For thinking about it in different. It’s been a those terms.” sustained attack on the last two years Taylor said UB the humanities, social or so, we feel that needs to focus on sciences and the arts building an extensive to the extent that dewe have been network for partments are people of being detreading water color. stroyed,” – there is a lot Holstun said.

“You find “At the same yourself in a sitof restlessness time, there has uation where peoamong the been an overall deple come and then crease in faculty numgo because there is faculty.” bers, while there has nothing unique about been an increase in the holding them here,” Tay- Cecil students admitted.” lor said. “You have to create Foster that thing that’s unique about The department of the Vice holding them here. You’ve got Provost for Faculty Affairs shows to invest those dollars in ways that a total increase in students of 12.4 you would not normally invest them percent from 2004 to 2017. if you are authentically serious about The Spectrum reached out to CAS strengthening faculty and students –– Dean Robin Schulze multiple times, but you can’t play games with it.”

Schulze did not respond in time for print.

Taylor envisions a broader image for Schulze held several “town hall” meetings UB’s transnational studies department –– with faculty last week and fielded numerous one that can compete with other colleges questions about funding for CAS. and universities across the country.

Foster said he hopes to recruit and “Transnational studies becomes the bed- maintain a welcoming home for all faculty. rock of this university by [looking toward] He stresses the need to receive adequate Princeton and Harvard,” Taylor said. “Put- aid and resources from CAS to do so. ting in investments and really trying to “We look and we see that there are bring in here some of the best scholars in things that are happening on other areas, the country to occupy those positions.” for example, to the plans that are there Foster presented a plan last week he for the new [global gender studies],” Foscalled “new TNS” to the CAS as a way to ter said. “We are wondering – where are diversify faculty and to work with all de- the plans for the new TNS? We are not partments and schools across the univer- hearing equally of what is going to hapsity. Foster said he wants to make UB “the pen with TNS.” place for diversity” in the SUNY system. arts@ubspectrum.com James Holstun, an English professor, email: twitter: @BrianEvansSpec said prioritizing STEM at the expense of humanities programs is not a new trend.

Black Student Union elects 2018-19 e-board HARUKA KOSUGI ASST. NEWS EDITOR

UB’s largest student body club, the Black Student Union, held its election for the upcoming year’s e-board last Wednesday in front of a packed crowd. Ayenoumou Barry, Daniel Edwards and Kendra Harris were elected president, vice president and treasurer, respectively, and both Edwards and Lucas Furlow won seats as activities coordinators for next year.

BSU is the largest club on the People of Color council with over 300 members, and will wield a budget of $33,000 dollars, according to the 2018-19 Student Association budget packet.

According to Barry, all of the candidates ran unopposed, but the election was still relatively rigorous for those running.

“Questioning from the general body and our panel is very thorough to ensure that everyone elected by the general body is qualified for their position,” Barry wrote in an email.

Barry, a senior sociology major, also wrote that she would like to expand on the annual Welcome Back Celebration barbecue held by the club on the first weekend of classes. She said she would like to collaborate with other student organizations to have an event every day during Labor Day weekend to expose new students to different clubs on campus.

Harris, who previously served as secretary for the club, wrote in an email that she wanted to become more involved in the

club because it will give her a forum to discuss issues within the black community.

“The BSU provides me with a safe space where I am comfortable addressing issues that affect me and my community free from judgment, allows me to voice my concerns as a black student on campus and allows me to learn more about black history and culture,” wrote Harris.

As treasurer, Harris said she wants BSU fundraisers to focus more on economic issues facing the black community and “educating the students on financial literacy.”

Senior economics major Patrick Strickland attended the first Q&A portion of the election and said the process was “intense.”

He said the questions asked by the audience were “tough” and measured the candidates’ critical thinking skills.

Rudolph Walker, a BSU general body member and senior political science major, also remarked that the elections were “intense,” but thought the candidates did well. “[Barry] is definitely going to do a great job,” Deon said.

Recently, the BSU has produced a number of students who have gone on to hold a seat on the SA e-board.

Current SA President Leslie Veloz was BSU vice president before running for her SA position and incoming SA Vice President Anyssa Evelyn held the position of BSU events coordinator. email: haruka.kosugi@ubspectrum.com twitter: @kosugispec

COURTESY | BSU

The 2018-19 Black Student Union e-board after the election. The E-board (left to right) Jermaine Hinckson, Daniel Edwards, Ayenoumou Barry, Kendra Harris and Lucas Furlow.

FEATURES

6 | Monday, May 7, 2018

ubspectrum.com JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

One hundred and ninety two teams played in this year’s annual Oozefest on Saturday morning, according to Luke Haumesser, assistant director for student activities for Campus Life.

JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM

HANNAH STEIN | THE SPECTRUM

Firefighters pump 250,000 gallons of Lake La Salle water for UB’s annual Oozefest Crews prepare for one of the largest mud volleyball tournaments in the U.S. HANNAH STEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Firefighters pumped a total of 250,000 gallons of Lake La Salle water — around 1,500 gallons per minute — into the mud pit on St. Rita’s Lane ahead of UB’s annu-

al Oozefest.

Steven Herberger, the manager of fire and life safety in UB’s Environment, Health and Safety department, has been working Oozefest for 26 years. He is one of the 12 firefighters and 10 junior firefighters from the Getzville Fire Department that prepared the pit for Saturday morning’s mud volleyball tournament.

The crew came in two pumper trucks and an aerial truck, and pumped the water for

two-and-a-half hours on Friday starting at 6 p.m. and for two hours at 6 a.m. on Saturday. Herberger said his crew used to take the water directly from the fire hydrants, but they started using an “old school” method called “drafting” to pump fresh water from Lake La Salle 10 years ago.

The crew battled strong winds up to 50 miles per hour the night before Oozefest.

“The wind today is severely impacting us. We are fighting more to keep our water

to stay on the courts,” Herberger said Friday evening. “Normally, we can take our nozzle and reach all the way across the court before it breaks up, and today, you can see what the water is doing to it. …

It’s creating more of a mist. If we were at a fire right now, the wind would be so strong the nozzle would be useless.” email: hannah.stein@ubspectrum.com twitter: @HannahJStein

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SPORTS

8 | Monday, May 7, 2018

ubspectrum.com

SPRING CHECK-IN: MEN’S WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BASKETBALL NATHANIEL MENDELSON ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Bulls ready to repeat as champions

The Bulls will start next season in unknown territory for the program as a nationally ranked team.

Coming off the two biggest wins in program history this past March at the NCAA Tournament, Buffalo is hoping to build with the upcoming recruiting class. The coaching staff is looking to work on this past season’s weaknesses and strengths in attempt to bring the program even more national success.

The team ranked No. 21 in the nation to close out this past season coaches poll, a program-first appearance on the Top 25.

“Each year, this just keeps growing and growing,” said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. “When I first took over, man, we were losing a lot. Now we have a chance to show the whole nation what UB basketball is about and grow this into something that can be recognized nationwide. Why not us in Buffalo? We have all the tools to make one of the nation’s best programs right here.”

One of Buffalo’s most noticeable recruits is the recent addition of guard Ariel Dickson. She comes in having averaged 15 points and 5 assists at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Illinois.

The 5-foot-5-inch Dickson is a former McDonald’s AllAmerican game nominee.

She is joined by fellow 5-foot-10-inch guard Oceane Konukou. Konukou comes in having averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds in her last season at Dawson’s College in Quebec. Konukou will transfer in having played two seasons at Dawson’s College.

The Bulls will add size with this upcoming recruiting class, having four players coming in at 6 feet or taller for this upcoming season. One of the Bulls’ biggest issues was playing larger teams.

“When you saw us in the Sweet 16 against South Carolina, you saw us against a much bigger team,” Leg g ette-Jack said in an interview shortly after the end of this past season. “That is something we are fixing with this upcoming group of new talent we are bringing in.”

After having only one center last season in senior Cassie Oursler, the Bulls will have three players who can play the position. 6-foot3-inch center Zena Elias R | TH

MEYE

CTRUM

E SPE

email: nathaniel.mendelson@ubspectrum.com.

Coaches and staff discuss expectations coming off Sweet 16 season

ISON

have been here to step their game up.”

Williams and Fagan will add height to a small Buffalo team. At 6 feet 7 inches and 6 feet 8 inches, respectively, the Bulls will increase the depth at the small forward and power forward positions.

The team primarily ran a threePHOTO: MADISON MEYER | guard lineTHE SPECTRUM up last season, with 6-foot-3-inch Massinburg playing the traditional small forward position.

“We’ll figure it out,” Oats said. “I love our options, but I have no idea until we get the entire team here in the summer and the fall.

We’re going to figure it out, that’s the good thing about the way we play.

I’m not married to a system that has to have two bigs or one point guard, two wings and two forwards.

We adapt to who we have and we’re pretty good at doing that.”

The Bulls will have five seniors for next season: Massinburg, guard Dontay Caruthers, forward Montell McRae, forward Jeremy Harris and forward Nick Perkins. Massinburg and Perkins were first team All-MAC last season, Harris made the second team and Caruthers is a former MAC defensive player of the year. Massinburg and Perkins are the only two players to play their full careers with Oats as the head coach.

“That’s big,” Massinburg said. “Before I came here, I talked to a couple of seniors and one of the hardest things was dealing with coaching changes and how they will fit in. I’m glad Oats stayed for all four years, and I was able to start and finish this journey with him.”

Perkins, now a two-time MAC sixth man of the year, is most likely going to start at center. Perkins was a de-facto starter this season, averaging 27 minutes per game off the bench. The forward started 10 games for the Bulls this past season, averaging over 16 points per game in that span.

“Hopefully, I start my senior year,” Perkins said. “If not, I’ll come off the bench again. Whatever it takes to win, I’m ready.”

With Oats signing a five-year contract extension this past spring, Buffalo basketball is primed to be the next mid-major powerhouse. A “snowball effect” Oats calls it, by winning more games and more championships each year leads to better recruits and better players.

“That snowball is rolling really fast and really hard in the right direction right now,” Oats said. “We got to capitalize on it.”

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

: MAD PHOTO

Buffalo men’s basketball has never been better, with a third Mid-American Conference Championship in four years, five All-MAC players, MAC coach of the year, MAC sixth man of the year and its first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

“We’re trying to make our ceiling our new floor,” said junior guard CJ Massinburg, after the No. 13 seed Bulls broke brackets across the country, defeating the No. 4 seed Arizona.

With 10 players returning and the highest rated recruiting class in program history, the Bulls are on track to do just that. The little improvements head coach Nate Oats wants his team to make every day is just one of the tools he uses to build the culture of this team.

Oats built his team using a “blue collar” mentality.

“The blue collar deal is how hard we play and how gritty we are, and nobody cares who gets the recognition,” Oats said. “If you’re blue collar and out on the construction site, nobody cares who puts this brig in or that one. The building better get built, and you go home with your paycheck at the end of the day. Our deal is that we’re all going to dive on the floor for loose balls. … We don’t care who gets the points. We just need to go out and play together as a team and win.”

The Bulls will be without two starters next season and four players overall. Senior point guard Wes Clark, junior center Ikenna Smart and senior forward Gabe Agrioge will all graduate in May. Clark is projected to be the next Bull to play professionally, the fifth for the program in the past two years. Freshman guard James Reese will transfer and find playing time elsewhere. Reese averaged under eight minutes per game and did not play more than eight minutes in a game after December 16.

Oats has not determined who will replace Clark. Whoever works the hardest and is most committed will get the role, according to Oats. Freshman guard Jayvon Graves, sophomore guard Davonta Jordan, incoming freshman guard Ronaldo Segu or junior college transfer Javion Hamlet have the opportunity to take Clark’s spot.

The Bulls bring in four recruits for next season, small forward and Rochester native Jeenathan Williams; Segu from Orlando; and two JUCO transfers, Hamlet and small forward Tra’Von Fagan. Williams is ranked 83rd in Rivals Top 150 rankings for the class of 2018 and is listed the fourth highest for players committed to a non-Power Five school. Rivals ranks Segu as the 44th best point guard in the country and at one point was 32nd.

“We’re just excited this year,” Massinburg said. “We’ll have a couple new faces and we really expect them to be contributors, but we also expect the people who

THOMAS ZAFONTE

is the Bulls’ tallest recruit and averaged 9.3 points and 11.1 rebounds in her senior season at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida.

The Bulls have brought in 6-foot-2-inch forward Adebola Adeyeye, who comes in having averaged 16.1 points and 17.9 rebounds in her senior season at the Rock High School in Gainesville, Florida. Adeyeye and Elias look to have an immediate impact on the team with the graduations of Oursler and senior forward Mariah Suchan.

Buffalo’s recent additions also include a pair of forwards in 6-foot Alexis Adams and 6-foot-3-inch Keowa Walters.

Adams averaged 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in her junior year at South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. Walters, a teammate of Adeyeye’s at the Rock High School, averaged 8.2 points and 12.3 rebounds in her junior year.

“This past recruiting season was one of our best ever,” said assistant coach Kristen Sharkey. “With the recent success, we were able to really recruit more effectively throughout the country and in Canada. We have been able to sell these girls on what we can do here at Buffalo and what they can be a part of.”

Already LegetteJack said she plans to bring the Bulls to a programfirst Elite Eight appearance next season.

Sharkey said she spends her time in the office looking over tapes of incoming players, trying to find attributes that can be built upon at UB. Sharkey is one of the program’s lead recruiters and said selling the students on the team mentality is a big part in their decision to join.

“That is something we are always looking to build here,” Legette-Jack said. “Building this family atmosphere starts by letting the new people coming in know what UB women’s basketball is all about.”

Director of Basketball Operations Karin Moss said it is a very exciting time to be part of the team and said the program “can only move up from up here.”

“In my first season here, we made it to the Sweet 16,” Moss said. “Given the talent of the incoming players and the wealth of talent we have already, it is going to be hard for us not to get better.” email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com twitter: @Thomas_Spectrum