The Spectrum Vol. 66 No. 41 by The Spectrum Student Periodical

HOUSING ISSUE

UBSPECTRUM.COM

HOUSING GRIPES

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

MAINTENANCE MEMORIES

Living on a budget

VOLUME 66 NO. 41

OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING OVERVIEW

WE WANT PEACE, GEESE

GRAPHIC BY PIERCE STRUDLER

Aviva Abramovsky appointed dean of UB School of Law

More graduate students opt for off-campus housing as rates rise and stipends stagnate

New Law School dean chosen after an international search HANNAH STEIN

SARAH CROWLEY SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR

Anne Marie Butler biked 50 minutes, two to three times a week, from her Buffalo apartment to North Campus. Butler, a graduate student of global gender studies, is one of many graduate students who cannot afford to live on campus. She looked at UB housing rates compared to her salary as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and realized biking from her off-campus home was her best option. Since 2014, graduate student housing rates have risen while TA and Research Assistant (RA) salaries have not. This may be why only 10 percent of graduate students live on-campus. Graduate students said the options for

ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM

Graduate Student Association President Tanja Aho sits at her desk. Aho is putting forward a resolution to make university officials aware of graduate students’ concerns with on-campus housing.

on-campus apartments have grown too expensive, particularly for international students without other ﬁnancial support. Some students feel Campus Living could make housing more affordable by cutting back on programming and allowing students to give more input on operational costs. Campus Living’s expenditure for the 2016-17 year was $61.7 million and $19.7 million went to personnel. Campus Living currently employs about 210 full-time employees and 733 student employees. The Campus Living budget is not available online “because it is not required and stu-

dents have never asked for it,” according to Campus Living Director Andrea Costantino. Graduate Student Association (GSA) President Tanja Aho is putting forward a resolution to make university ofﬁcials aware of their concerns with housing costs. Aho said there are many reasons graduate students may choose not to live on-campus, such as the simple desire to not live near the students they teach. But not all graduate students prefer to live off-campus, and those who do, are sometimes forced to spend several hours commuting to school each day, according to Aho. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

COURTESY OF LEDARIUS MACK GRAPHIC BY PIERCE STRUDLER

LeDarius Mack (left) is hoping to follow in his brother Khalil’s (right) footsteps for UB football. Mack has only played football for two years but believes he can develop quickly into UB’s next great linebacker.

Return of the Mack LeDarius Mack hopes to follow in his brother Khalil Mack’s footsteps for UB football MICHAEL AKELSON SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

Eight years ago, an unknown linebacker from Florida who played only one year of

high school football received just one offer to play Division-I FBS from UB. That player, Khalil Mack, took to the game quickly. He went on to become an All-American, the NCAA’s all-time leader in forced fum-

ubspectrum.com

bles, and most recently, the NFL’s defensive player of the year. This fall, there will be another Mack in UB’s linebacking corps. He also has little football experience but a ton of raw athleticism. And he also has only one offer to play Division-I FBS football. LeDarius Mack only started playing football two years ago, but his former and future coaches rave about his upside if he can master the mental part of the game. “If he would have played four years of high school football, I don’t think there would have been any question he would have been on scholarship somewhere,” said Chris Boden, Mack’s junior college head coach. “He’s a phenomenal athlete.” Mack originally committed to ASA College, a junior college in Miami, to play basketball. But after seeing Khalil develop into one of the NFL’s most feared defensive players, Mack decided to transition to football, hoping that he too could make it to the NFL despite getting a late start at the sport. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Aviva Abramovsky has been named dean of UB’s School of Law, effective in July, after an international search. Abramovsky will be the ﬁrst female dean of the law school. “I do take the historic appointment with all due seriousness and recognize it as the honor it is,” Abramovsky said. UB Provost Charles Zukoski announced Monday that Abramovsky has been appointed. Abramovsky serves as an associate dean at Syracuse University where she was in charge of internationalization effort in the College of Law. She said she is “deeply familiar” with the Law program at Buffalo and is excited to take the program “to the next level.” She said she worked hard on special projects at Syracuse on interdisciplinary and professional education. She said UB has a “long history” of internationalization and is an aspect of law she wants to continue working on. She is the successor to interim Dean James Gardner. Gardner will remain at UB as the school’s Bridget and Thomas Black Professor. Abramovsky is also an academic evaluator for the American Association’s federal judiciary committees and expert in commercial law, insurance law and legal ethics. She holds a JD from the University of Pennsylvania and has a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University. She is also the daughter of two UB alumni and feels this position is a “homecoming” for her. “As a scholar and leader, professor Abramovsky brings to UB and our law school a wealth of experience, collaborative energy and intellectual creativity that will advance the School of Law’s national and international visibility and reputation,” President Satish Tripathi said in a news release. Abramovsky said her primary responsibility will be to students and to ensure they receive the education and preparation needed.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

@ubspectrum

HOUSING ISSUE

Thursday, March 30, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

CREEKSIDE VILLAGE

FLINT

SOUTH LAKE VILLAGE*

FLICKINGER COURT

HADLEY

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

$771

$768

$748

$590

$727

$810

$806

$785

$750

$763

$834

$830

$809

$733

$786

PERCENT INCREASE FROM 2014-17

8.10%

7.90%

8.00%

30.20%

GRAPHIC BY PIERCE STRUDLER

MONTHLY RATE FOR 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT

Living on a budget

8.00% *four bedroom apartment cost

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Many graduate students, especially those in the College of Arts and Sciences, cannot afford a car from their meager TA wages,” Aho said in an email. “I know graduate students who bike 10 miles one way to campus every day because they don’t know how else to make ends meet or need to prioritize savingApartment moneytypein2 bed any way possible.” Creekside Village Flint Southlake Village** 2014-15 monthly rate $771 $768 $748 $590 $727 Creekside Village and Flickinger Court 2015-16 Monthly rate $810 $806 $785 $750 $763 rate $834 $830 housing $809 $733 options $786 are2016-17 the Monthly two on-campus for Percent increase from 14-17 8.10% 7.90% 8% 30.20% 8% graduate students. In 2014, students paid $590 a month to live in Flickinger Court. Although it is still the most affordable on-campus housing for graduate students and families, residents at Flickinger now pay $773 per month. Graduate students who work 20 hours a week as RAs and TAs receive a monthly $1,300 stipend, which many students say is barely enough to afford on-campus housing and food. They are not permitted to work other

jobs or work over 20 hours per week. Costantino said the rate increase was necessary because the Flickinger Court apartments now include utilities and furnishings. Campus Living added these services to help international students, who struggled to ﬁnd furniture and set up utilities in their name, according to Costantino. Ladan Golshanara, a fourth-year Ph.D. Flickinger Court Hadley student in computer science, said she preferred having the option of unfurnished or semi-furnished rates, which Campus Living used to provide. The unfurnished apartments were less expensive and Golshanara, an international student, said Campus Living provided her with all she needed. Golshanara lived in Creekside Village for one year and Flickinger Court for another. She moved off-campus when the rates for Flickinger Court changed because she worried every day that she wouldn’t have money to cover an unexpected emergency.

“I was never able to go to a restaurant with my friends or anything because I just had to spend my money on rent,” Golshanara said. “And [Campus Living] has some events but you know, usually you have deadlines, and you cannot always attend those events.” Because they are paid bi-weekly, many TAs and RAs can’t afford to pay the full amount of rent at the beginning of each semester, another change Flickinger Court made in the last two years. “Especially for international students, the university knows our salary, it’s not a secret we get paid by this weekly stipend,” Golshanara said. When Campus Living announced a rate increase for Flickinger Court in 2014, its residents called for a meeting and met with Associate Director for Operations Mike Koziej and Costantino. These students opposed the rate increase, and were subsequently “grandfathered in” and allowed to keep their rate by paying just a 3 to 5 percent increase each year. Incoming residents by comparison, now pay a 20 percent increase to the 2014-15 rate. Tianle Ma, a fourth-year Ph.D. computer science student, was one of the residents who was able to keep his rate. “UB is a very good public university, we should have affordable housing for grad students, that is what the Campus Living director said,” Ma said. “I want people to discuss this, to ﬁnd a solution for this.” Ma thinks Campus Living is spending too much on personnel and programming like resident socials and workshops. He proposed the GSA resolution asking for Cam-

pus Living to provide detailed expenditures to residents and to make students aware of public hearings before raising rent. GSA’s proposal also asks Campus Living to “ﬁnd ways to reduce the operating cost, and conduct a campus-wide study to investigate how many full-time and part-time employees are needed, what kind of programs students like most and are most cost-effective.” Ma said most of his fellow RAs and TAs leave their apartments early for class and arrive home late and don’t necessarily beneﬁt from programming as much as undergraduates who are in their dorms more frequently. He said many graduate students are simply looking for a safe, affordable place to sleep. “On UB’s event calendar, each day there are dozens of events happening, many of them are happening in [the] Student Union, which helps students get involved in the community and student clubs, develop their leadership skills and achieve academic success, etc.,” Ma said. “By contrast, as far as I know, a majority of programs provided by Campus Living are free-food related activities.” Costantino agreed on-campus housing is expensive, but disagreed with Ma’s proposed solutions. She said research shows that the programming Ma suggests cutting back on is important for student success and creating a college experience. “It’s not all about just a bed to live in, it’s really about an experience, getting students tied to the university, connected to an experience that will allow them to persist and remain at UB and be successful, academically successful,” Costantino said. email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com

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HOUSING ISSUE THE SPECTRUM

Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF

Gabriela Julia

MANAGING EDITOR

Tori Roseman COPY EDITORS

Saqib Hossain Emma Medina Margaret Wilhelm Grace Trimper NEWS EDITORS

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

Sarah Crowley, Senior Lindsay Gilder, Asst. ARTS EDITORS

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

Michael Akelson, Senior Daniel Petruccelli, Asst. Thomas Zafonte, Asst. PHOTO EDITORS

Kainan Guo, Senior Angela Barca Troy Wachala, Asst. CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Pierce Strudler Martina LaVallo, Asst.

Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Helene Polley

Finding comfortable housing off campus is up to students, but suitable on-campus housing is up to the university One of the most exciting parts of coming to school is the opportunity to dorm. The convenience of living in the highly populated North Campus allows for easy access to classes, events and clubs. But as the UB population increases, many ﬁnd themselves in housing trouble. A three-person room becomes a quad due to overcrowding. South Campus dorms require more effort to get to North Campus classes. The on-campus apartments are expensive, but off- campus housing means commuting and possibly living in a less-safe neighborhood. Where does UB’s responsibility lie in helping students ﬁnd comfortable housing? Our editorial staff agrees that once a student decides to live offcampus, the school is not responsible for their decisions. It is up to the student to research the area, the

limited space for another person. UB can do a few things to remedy this issue. To start, admitting less students would resolve the problem. If on-campus dorms only have room for say, 10,000 students, why admit 15,000? Admittance to the university is a privilege, but reasonable on-campus housing is a right. Another solution, if UB truly wants to build the population, is to improve the housing on South Campus. This could mean better transportation between South and North or putting money into remaking some of the dorming complexes. If improving South Campus dorms isn’t an option for the university, perhaps another dorming complex on North Campus is in order. This would take years to build but would provide more housing to a larger population of undergraduates. Our editorial staff agrees that stu-

them all the way to the Super Bowl. After only two seasons as a starter, Kaepernick already had playoff wins over future league MVP’s Aaron Rodgers (in back-toback years), Matt Ryan and Cam Newton. He had a record of 17-6 as a starter in the regular season in the ﬁrst two seasons of his career. But since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers on March 3, Kaepernick remains unsigned as the free agent market cools down. The number one reason why a 29-year old quarterback who once seemed so promising remains unsigned is obvious: he’s not the same quarterback as he was back then. In the last three seasons, the 49ers are 11-24 in games Kaepernick has started. He has struggled throwing from the pocket as NFL teams have adjusted to his scrambling style. The other reason why he remains unsigned is a lot harder to swallow. Whether he wanted it or not, Kaepernick is now a civil rights icon in a league that discourages individual expression. He made national news this past season when he decided to kneel for the National Anthem before every game, inspired by oppression of minorities in the United States. This past season, he frequently used his platform and media access to give his take on social issues. Even while still a free agent, he has continued to donate money to various causes, most recently a $50,000 donation to

Meals on Wheels just last week. It is suspicious for NFL teams to not want a quarterback who played in the Super Bowl four years ago. So far this offseason, several quarterbacks with less success in the past and less talent than Kaepernick have already signed new deals. Geno Smith (28 career touchdowns, 36 career interceptions) found a new team in free agency. EJ Manuel (three starts in the last two seasons) found a team in free agency. Mike Glennon (career 5-13 record as a starter, 11 pass attempts since 2014) got a brand new $45 million contract. Yet, three weeks into free agency, Kaepernick is hearing crickets. And based on a report by Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, that does not seem likely to change any time soon. One anonymous AFC General Manager told Freeman that in his estimation, 60 percent of NFL owners “genuinely hate” Kaepernick and want “to stop other players from doing what he did.” Even if Kaepernick’s no longer capable of being a starter, which is still in question, he’s surely still a high-end backup at this point. As the 49ers organization has crumbled around him over the past two years, he has still shown that he belongs in the NFL in some capacity. Last season, he threw 19 touchdowns and just ﬁve interceptions. Rarely do quarterbacks with this much playoff experience make

it to the open market at such a young age. At the very least, that experience would make him valuable to some team as a backup. For this reason, I do expect that at any point between now and the beginning of next season, a team will gamble on Kaepernick. The NFL is a league that requires a competent quarterback for success and a team that doesn’t have one will get desperate. But players are only paid as the market dictates, and in Kaepernick’s case, the market is dry. He will likely be paid at a rate that is beneath what he would have otherwise earned. The treatment of Kaepernick as a free agent will not be lost on the minds of other NFL players. The average NFL career is only 3.3 years, according to the NFL Player Association. Every NFL player who signs a new contract after their rookie deal must have the expectation that it may be the last one he ever will have. NFL owners are sending a message to their players with their hesitance to sign Kaepernick: shut up and play. There’s a reason why athletes, who have the platform to speak up on social issues, so often choose to keep quiet. In the NFL, social activism is allowed, but partake at your own risk. It may cost you.

My life with a hundred grandparents

are and even ask about my family. I told one couple in particular that I was writing for The Spectrum and when I had my ﬁrst story published, they said they were so proud of me and I can’t even begin to explain how that made me feel. But there are also downfalls to this job. Because this is an independent living facility, there are instances when a resident requires more assistance and has to move to a better-equipped facility for their needs. I’ve come to know these people, talk with them and provide them with the best service I can every day, so when I learn that someone is moving, I try my best to catch them before they leave and thank them for sharing their stories and advice with me. Moving, though, isn’t anything compared to a resident passing away. That is truly one of the toughest parts of the job. I become so used to seeing that person every day, talking to them one day and they’re gone the next – that’s what really makes me think about life and how everything can change so quickly.

I lost my grandfather a few years ago and it was the hardest thing I’ve been through, so all I can think, is that someone had just lost their grandparent, their best friend. But I love seeing the residents happy and having fun. A typical night is similar to eating at a restaurant. Residents sit at your table, you take their order and serve their meals. Occasionally, we have something special or themed for the holidays. In the summer, we have a few barbecue buffets outside in the courtyard with live music. One resident will often ask me if I’ve behaving, and if I say that I am, he responds with, “Why? You’re young. You shouldn’t be.” I know I won’t be working there forever – maybe I will, who knows – but one thing I know is that my experience there has been extremely rewarding and I have learned so much from the residents, my new friends and my bosses. And for that, I am grateful and I will never forget about my days or the people at Asbury Pointe.

The cost of conscience Colin Kaepernick pays the price after using his platform to speak up on social issues

Priyanshi Soni ADVERTISING DESIGNERS

Alexa Capozzi

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. 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

dents need to lower their expectations for housing. There is no combination of affordable, perfectly comfortable and conveniently located housing at UB. Students must sacrifice one of these things to enjoy the other few. If you don’t mind coughing up extra cash, the Villas on Rensch are perfect. If you don’t mind the area, South Campus houses can be an incredibly fun and enjoyable place to live. Looking for cheap off-campus apartments not in an organized complex? You can find it, but probably in Williamsville or Clarence, which would require a commute. Dorming is convenient and can be comfortable if it’s done correctly, but the price of room and board is expensive. No matter what, it seems that students will never be completely satisfied with their housing. The university can help alleviate some of these issues on-campus, but off-campus, students must be responsible for their own actions.

housing unit and their roommates beforehand, not the university. UB currently provides information about off-campus housing on their housing website. So long as UB provides information and offers assistance to those who ask for it, that’s as far as the school can go to help these students. For many students, it is their ﬁrst time looking for housing – an experience we feel students are better off having as an undergraduate rather than post-graduation. On-campus housing is different and we feel that UB has more responsibility for those students who are living on-campus. To start, forcing students to live with more people than their dorm allows is uncomfortable, unfair and can take away from the experience, especially for freshmen. There may be a price slash, but it is not worth giving up the already

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Thursday, March 30, 2017 Volume 66 Number 41 Circulation 4,000

Thursday, March 30, 2017

MICHAEL AKELSON SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

What is the cost of speaking your mind in the NFL? In the case of Colin Kaepernick, the answer is shaping up to be millions of dollars. Four years ago, it was unthinkable to imagine that not a single NFL team would want Kaepernick. After starting his second season as a backup, Kaepernick took over as the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback midway through the 2012 season after an injury to starter Alex Smith. Kaepernick brought

What my job has taught me and how it changed my perspective on life

KATIE KOSTELNY STAFF WRITER

When I sat down for an interview with my soon-to-be boss, he told me, “This job is like having a hundred grandparents come at you all at once.” I found out pretty soon that he was right. About two and a half years ago, I started working as a dining server at an independent living facility called Asbury Pointe. I just

thought I hit the jackpot ﬁnding a part-time job that ﬁt my schedule, was right down the street from school and provided food – free food: the college student’s dream. But as time went on and I got to know the residents, make friends and take on new roles in the staff, I started to realize that my perspective on life was changing. With the age difference between the residents and myself, learning about their lives and hearing their stories makes me think about the life I have ahead of me. Some were teachers, nurses, doctors, dentists, business owners, or were in a war. One resident even saw Adolf Hitler when he was a child. You start to think about everything they’ve seen over the years and it’s amazing. You think about the history that they’ve experienced, many things that I only learned about in middle and high school. A lot of residents ask me about myself. They ask where I’m from, where I go to school, what I’m majoring in, what my future plans

email: eic@ubspectrum.com

email: michael.akelson@ubspectrum.com

email: features@ubspectrum.com

HOUSING ISSUE

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HOUSING ISSUE

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THE SPECTRUM

ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM

UB students walk outside Greiner Hall, a residence hall for sophomores. Greiner is unable to fully accommodate the 201617 sophomore class, UB’s largest class in history.

similar format to requesting housing change.

Housing gripes: a Q&A with Campus Living Director Andrea Costantino addresses common complaints about on-campus housing ANDREW FITZGERALD STAFF WRITER

Hadley Houck received her housing appointment and noticed that the one-hour window she was assigned to fell in the middle of her class. Frustrated, Houck realized that as soon as she would be able to choose her housing for next year, a new wave of students would begin their selection process, cutting her off from some options she was interested in. Houck and other students said they feel the time frame to choose housing is too short. “I feel like the appointments should be split up into days and not just hours,” Houck, a sophomore linguistics major, said. Andrea Costantino, director of Campus Living, explained that this is a more ﬂexible time frame than offered in the past. In prior years, if students missed their window of

time to select housing, they had to wait until all other appointments were ﬁlled to try again. Campus Living’s new policy allows students to choose at any time between their start time and the end of the selection process. Costantino answered some of student’s most common housing questions to sort through complaints and concerns.

Do students with higher GPAs have housing priority? Despite the myth that GPA weighs into housing lotteries, Costantino said Campus Living tries to make the process as fair and random as possible. “The times are assigned based on years or semesters stayed with us [on campus] and then after that, it is based on a random order,” Costantino said. She said the housing department wants everyone to have an equal opportunity to

live where they want. Campus Living also has forms to request a change in living situation if students are unsatisﬁed with their assignment. Thousands of students’ locations are changed, according to Costantino.

Why assign students to completely random roommates? In some cases, students are satisﬁed with the location they are living in, but unhappy with the person they are living with. “I wish there was a roommate survey with some kinds of preferences you like,” said David Corradi, a freshman civil engineering major. Corradi said he feels this would be a better way to match roommates together by allowing students with common interests and habits to live together. Campus Living said the answer to the classic roommate problem is counter-intuitive. “Research has shown that we’ve had better success with random individuals,” Costantino said. Campus Living used personality surveys in the past, but they stopped doing them and found that randomizing roommates resulted in less change requests, she said. Random roommates often lead to less problems but there are still options when a roommate match goes wrong. Students can request a roommate change in a

Why do current freshman have more choices of where to live sophomore year? “I think it’s unfair that current freshman get better housing choices than we did,” said Alby Eapen, a sophomore business administration major. Eapen feels he should have gotten the choice of living in the Creekside Village apartments for his sophomore year, since the current freshman get that choice. Costantino said these freshman only have more options because they are the largest ever freshman class and traditional freshman room and board couldn’t accommodate all of them. She explained 4,000 students have already been accepted and intend to come to UB in the fall. Due to this large number of students, the university had to open up half of the Creekside Village apartments to the upcoming sophomore class in addition to the sophomore-restricted Greiner Hall. Why is it so hot in the Ellicott dorming complexes right now? Students have complained about the heat in Ellicott Complex and said the last few weeks are “almost unbearable.” “It was always too hot or too cold in Ellicott. I had to use a portable heater all winter and I could never adjust the thermostat to make it cooler in August,” Eapen said. The buildings were built in the 1970s with no air conditioners, since Buffalo weather is typically cool or cold. Campus Living hasn’t installed any into the dorms since. Costantino said the best way to battle the heat during those few weeks is to open the windows to allow for greater airﬂow. email: features@ubspectrum.com

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HOUSING ISSUE

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THE SPECTRUM

Maintenance memories

Ellicott Complex Maintenance staff discusses the joys of the job

BENJAMIN BLANCHET, THE SPECTRUM

Vince Biondi, maintenance assistant with the Ellicott maintenance staff, takes a Sawzall tool out of a tool cage. Biondi and other maintenance workers deal with student concerns in all the Ellicott Complex dorm buildings.

BENJAMIN BLANCHET ASST. ARTS EDITOR

David Boody, a painter on the Ellicott Maintenance staff, patches up and paints walls throughout the dorms. While checking for room damages at the end of one semester, Boody noticed students getting artistic by covering up paint damages on their wall with their hands. “Finger painting and prints were smeared all over the wall and the students thought

that was a repair. The entire wall needed to get sanded down, re-patched and re-painted,” Boody said. Boody described the student’s creative effort as outrageous and that it stood out from a hundred yards away. Be it ﬁnger-painting, toilet troubles or an insect infestation, the maintenance staff located within the Ellicott Complex is equipped to handle any emergency or non-emergency matters in dorms. Ellicott Complex Maintenance is composed of ex-

pert tradesmen who are on call 24 hours a day for students via the work order system, which is serviced on the Campus Living website. Pam Gruber, office manager at Ellicott Maintenance, is one person in charge of the complex’s work order system. Gruber said some students will call in with emergencies, but the system is all online for student use. “It’s best for location-wise [problems] that people put them online so, that way, there’s no misunderstanding where a room is or what building work is needed in,” Gruber said. “I always tell kids if they’re calling up [Maintenance] to put it right into the description box where they’re writing down what the problem is.” Once an order is submitted, mechanics and electricians are called in to fix problems that can range from graffiti on walls to clogged drains. Maintenance has even gotten calls about pests. One year, a student’s parents called regarding their terrified son who believed a rodent was lurking under his radiator. “He couldn’t go into his room and he lived [in a single], so it turned out when we had the exterminator to go in there, it was a spoon that happened to be there,” Gruber said. “He was someone that maybe should’ve had a roommate but it’s hard and your first six months being away from home is a horrifying feeling so it’s good that at least they know they can ask for help from us.” Scott Cleveland, a plumber on the Ellicott Maintenance staff, helps fix issues from plugged drains to dripping pipes in the dorms. Cleveland notes the importance for students to submit orders both efficiently and correctly.

“If you’ve got a plugged toilet or a sink, I want it done right away. You pay big money to be here and you deserve quality service and the only way we can [provide] service is to know there’s an issue,” Cleveland said. Some of the work orders have left memorable moments for the Ellicott Maintenance staff. Vince Biondi, a maintenance assistant, is a jack-of-all-trades. Biondi, who started 17 years ago as a cleaner in Governor’s Complex, began his job as a maintenance assistant in 2003 and has experienced some campus fame. Biondi’s picture is featured alongside the work order submission page and a student once noticed him on the job. “They say ‘Oh, I’ve seen you on the Campus Living website’ where I’m kneeling down doing a repair so it’s an honor and it makes me really proud,” Biondi said. “I didn’t even know the student but they came up to me, so it’s a memorable thing in a beautiful way.” For Cleveland, another unforgettable order originated at the bottom of a toilet bowl in the dorm bathrooms when he had to “chop up” feces with a piece of wood. Aside from the offbeat moments the job can offer, the Ellicott Maintenance staff takes every order seriously. Some of the joys of the job for Biondi include the random thank-you’s he gets for ﬁxing dispensers in the bathrooms or otherwise. He doesn’t expect the appreciation but it’s an added bonus for a job he already adores. “I love it and we’re here for the students to make this place awesome – that’s our goal. They live here and we want the very best for them,” Biondi said. email: benjamin.blanchet@ubspectrum.com

HOUSING ISSUE

Thursday, March 30, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

Off-campus housing overview A rundown off-campus apartments MADDY FOWLER ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Finding the perfect off-campus spot to settle can be tricky, especially since UB’s surrounding area offers so many options. All of these housing options present their own issues and conveniences, depending on location, price and amenities. Daniel Ryan, Director of Off-Campus Student Services believes living off-campus is a good way for students to build independence and establish a credit history. “Make sure you are educated in real estate matters and have your lease reviewed by an attorney,” he said. “Or you can restrict your search to the off-campus student services listings, which only allow properties to be listed if they have passed a municipal inspection in the last 36 months.” The editors at The Spectrum compiled information about the top 5 off-campus hotspots to help this decision-making a little easier. 1. University Village at Sweethome Rent: $639 per person for four beds and four baths, $769 for two beds and two baths, $1,049 for one bed one bath Distance from North Campus:

0.7 miles Distance from South Campus: 4.2 miles Pros: These apartments are fully furnished and parking is included in rent. The community center offers a 24-hour gym, a lounge area, a pool, computers, printers and mailboxes. There are shuttles to North Campus that run on a daily schedule. Staff and maintenance are available to help with issues. All buildings require a special magnetic key. Cons: WiFi and electric are not included so it is up to students to put the National Grid bill under their name and to purchase a router. The shuttles do not run on the weekend. The apartments are similar to dorms in the sense tenants have surrounding neighbors, whom they do not choose. Though these apartments are close to North campus, they are far from downtown Buffalo and the nightlife near South campus. 2. Villas at Chestnut Ridge Rent: $699 per person for four beds and 4.5 bath, $839 for two bedrooms and 2.5 bath, $1,059 for one bedroom one bath. Distance from North Campus: 1.4 miles Distance from South Campus: 4.2 miles Pros: Like Sweethome, these apartments are fully furnished and offer slightly nicer kitchen appliances and differing ﬂoor plans. They also have a community center with similar amenities, including a gym, recreation center, a hot tub and computers. Also like Sweethome, access to these apartments is controlled with key cards. Gas, wa-

ter, trash, Internet and cable are included. Cons: These villas have many of the same issues as the Sweethome villas. These villas are also set back, so walking around the area or walking to school can be difﬁcult. 3. Villas on Rensch Rent: $789 per person for a fourbed four-bathroom townhouse. Distance from North Campus: 1.2 miles Distance from South Campus: 3.6 miles Pros: Rensch is often known to be the “nicest” of the set of villas. This is because their kitchen appliances are stainless steel, the wood ﬂooring is nice and the townhouse style is a little fancier than a simple apartment. The shuttles run the most frequently and the community center has the same amenities as the other two. Cons: These villas are very expensive – more so than many on-campus options. Like the other sets of villas, they are also far away from downtown Buffalo and the South campus nightlife scene. 4. University Heights Average Rent: $350/month per person Distance from North Campus: 5 miles Distance from South Campus: 0.7 miles Pros: To live in the Heights usually means living in a home, whether it’s the entire house or simply the top half. This house setting allows for more customization and autonomy for students. Students can also live with as

many or as few as they’d like, up to about 10 people on average. Rent is usually very cheap, which is convenient for students looking to save money. These houses provide easy access to the train downtown, the buses to North and the restaurants right on Main street. Cons: The crime around South campus often affects students, from robberies to stabbings. Many of the landlords who lease these houses are unreliable, unavailable and rip off students with hidden fees or maintenance charges. The houses themselves are not typically nice, since students have been living in them for years, which means broken windows, doors, mold, or permanently dirty ﬂoors.

5. Elmwood Village Average Rent: $675-$1,995/month per person Distance from South Campus: 6 miles Distance from North Campus: 13 miles Pros: The Elmwood Village has a very active bar and nightlife scene, variety of nearby restaurants, proximity to cultural sites such as the Albright-Knox art gallery popular village for young people. You’ll be in the heart of city life and it’s easy to walk anywhere. The houses and apartments are usually nicer too, compared to those in the Heights. These homes provide an independent space away from campus. Cons: Elmwood Village is far from the campuses though, which means those who live there would be commuters. There is also limited availability for parking, which means you’re more subject to be ﬁned for parking incorrectly on the street. Some of these apartments can be very expensive and vary whether or not they include the utilities. email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com

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8 We want peace, geese

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Thursday, March 30, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

Analyzing the evil birds that terrorize our school

BRENTON J. BLANCHET STAFF WRITER

There was once a time when I thought the snow was the coldest thing on this campus. It was a simpler time, before I encountered the most diabolical, cold-hearted creatures on planet earth: the geese. When I say “the geese,” I’m not referring to any goose. The UB geese are far from your average birds. They’re massive animals whose only goals are to ruin your life and make you second guess every decision you’ve ever made.

In their defense, geese have the potential to be pretty cool. Mother Goose, for instance, supplied my childhood with loads of fairy tales and memories. UB’s geese are memorable too, in a far more obnoxious and terrifying manor. Let me put into perspective how awful these little demons are. A few weeks ago, I decided to take my daily run outdoors. It was about 60 degrees out and I was ready to bring along my favorite pair of short-shorts. I began my run on the Ellicott bike path and after ﬁve minutes of moving my legs, I had to abruptly stop. A mob of geese spontaneously crossed the bike path the second I approached; forming what appeared to be their rendition of the Abbey Road album cover. As I was staring at John, Paul, George and Ringo, I evaluated my options. I could’ve ran straight through them, at the risk of them biting off a few of my limbs. Or I could’ve ran around them and subjected my feet to piles and piles of unseen goose feces.

Needless to say, I decided to just sit tight and avoid both those traumatic experiences altogether. Maybe I would’ve run right through those birds if they weren’t the size of human toddlers. Their size is actually their most menacing trait. They’re twice the size of the average bird and use it to their advantage. The geese ﬁnd joy in huddling around passers-by and don’t move until they’re gifted food, much like middle school bullies looking for lunch money. This tactic creates the vicious cycle that these birds thrive upon. If a student feeds these birds, they only increase in size, making them much more intimidating than before. Size isn’t the only thing that these birds use to intimidate students. UB is a large campus with plenty of empty land, but these geese still manage to defecate primarily on sidewalks and parking lots. Their sole purpose of doing so is to watch students suffer, stepping on their goose deuce. On that same run where I met the fab four, I had another situation play out further down the bike trail. The trail became nearly impossible to see, as I played hopscotch avoiding miles and miles of goose feces. I should be able to enjoy my run once a day, without fear of stepping on a number two. For students who don’t have to deal with these problems and enjoy the leisure of taking online classes, there’s something you should know. These cruel animals don’t just function outdoors. They use their tactical annoyance

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skills to disrupt the lives of those inside, as well. When you’re a student like me, who’s first class this semester is at 11 a.m., you want to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in each day. Unfortunately, the geese here don’t operate on the same schedule as students. Roughly five times a week, since the beginning of this semester, the geese have been my personal alarm clock. Each morning at 8 a.m., I wake up to the sound of dozens of geese honking outside my window. I thought the geese were directly outside of my room, voluntarily bothering the residents of my building, but I was wrong. One morning I looked out the window and realized that nothing was there. After searching for the heartless birds, I saw them. The geese were on the roof of my 10-floor building and taking part in what could best be described as UFC for birds. These animals were brutally attacking each other and letting out the most dastardly war cries I think I’ve ever heard. At that moment, I realized something about these massive, frightening creatures. They don’t just hate us; they hate each other too. How naïve was I to think that these geese had it out for students? Sure, maybe they’re not the most kind-hearted creatures, but at least we know that they feel the same way about each other as we feel about them. To all the geese out there, I know you may be the most heartless animals on planet earth, but you are just as much a part of UB as we are. So please, let me sleep in on weekends at least.

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Thursday, March 30, 2017

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SENIOR LEAH BERST JUGGLES ACADEMICS AND ACTING MOLLY DIETZ STAFF WRITER

Leah Berst grew up watching Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn play the role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.” Berst, a senior music theater major, is now fulﬁlling the same role as two of her biggest inspirations as Doolittle in UB’s spring production of “My Fair Lady.” “I’ve watched Audrey Hepburn’s performance in the ‘My Fair Lady’ movie since I was a child,” Berst said. “So being able to portray a role I loved so much because of Audrey is really a great way to end my college education and I feel extremely lucky.” Berst, who started in theater at a young age, realized she wanted to be a performer when she played the Fairy Godmother in “Cinderella.” While suspended mid-air on a crescent moon and looking out into the audience, she had an epiphany that she wanted to “brighten people’s lives” through acting as her career. She’s continued that mantra going into her performance in “My Fair Lady” – a role she earned after a two-day long audition process last fall. She is no stranger to the UB stage. Berst has been the witch in “Into the Woods” and Vivian in “Legally Blonde.” “My Fair Lady” takes place in Victorian era London and follows the trials and tribulations of Doolittle – a young, workingclass Cockney girl. Doolittle is taken in by Henry Higgins, a phonetics professor

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Leah Berst talks about what it takes to play a leading role in a university musical.

who attempts to teach her proper English so that she can pass as a lady. For Berst, performing in “My Fair Lady” means simultaneously studying for midterms, maintaining a required 3.5 GPA and attending late night rehearsals. The rehearsal process nearly spans the entire semester, from learning the musical pieces to orchestra and dress rehearsals. The actress has to make sure the material she studies for classes doesn’t mesh with the lines she has to memorize for her performances. Berst keeps one notebook for “My Fair Lady” and another for the scenes she studies in her classes. Vincent O’Neill, the director of “My

Fair Lady,” refers to each actor by his or her character name during rehearsals to help the cast immerse themselves in their characters. “We are becoming the character we are portraying and we ﬁnd them within ourselves,” Berst said. The actors in “My Fair Lady” have spent hours of rehearsal time perfecting their British accents and trying not to fall asleep on top of their music stands. During table readings, the cast practices their body language and chemistry as they look across the room and read scenes together. Benjamin Antar, a senior music theatre major, is playing Professor Henry Higgins

opposite Berst. “It is really hard being a student and being in a performance major in a show – like having a full-time job along with school,” Antar said. “It just means we have to work a little extra hard to make sure we can do what we love and be the best at it. Berst said that the rehearsals are exhausting, primarily because they last for so long with few breaks in between. “It’s pretty tough because, during those times, we’re so demanded on stage in rehearsals and we need to be there all the time,” Berst said. “There’s no calling off. You have to be there because they need you.” Maria Horne, a theatre and dance professor, has known Berst since she was a freshman and has had her as a student for the past three years. Horne studied under Lee Strasberg, the father of method acting in America and understands that “not everybody is a Leah Berst.” “Leah is a product of hard work. She is like a sprite. She’s small but full of bright, bright energy,” Horne said. “It has been my pleasure to witness her growth and development and it ﬁlls me with great pride to see Leah succeeding.” Berst hopes to bring her success to platforms beyond UB and looks to go back to school to get her Master of Fine Arts degree. After she graduates, she’ll perform in “Light in the Piazza,” staged by Second Generation Theater in Buffalo. She will also be the performing arts co-supervisor in her hometown of Orchard Park and will be working with mostly preschoolaged children. “My Fair Lady” runs at the Center for the Arts from Friday, April 28 to Sunday, May 7. Tickets are $8 with a student ID, or $18 without, and can be purchased at the CFA box ofﬁce or online. email: arts@ubspectrum.com

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HOUSING ISSUE THE SPECTRUM

HOUSING ISSUE

Thursday, March 30, 2017

THE SPECTRUM

JAKE HEFFEZ STAFF WRITER

Buffalo is gearing up for spring with a packed lineup of performances, ranging from shows at Mohawk Place to the iconic Town Ballroom. Local venues are bringing in some incredible talent, which means this week’s lineup is worth seeing. Thursday, March 30 Beach Slang – Town Ballroom American punk band Beach Slang, based in Philadelphia, is making its way to Town Ballroom this Thursday. Travelling with Minus the Bear and Bayonne, the loud and aggressive group is touring in promotion of their recent EP, Here, I Made This For You (Beach Slang Mixtape Vol. 2). If you are looking to an epic punk rock performance, this show is perfect. Beach Slang hasn’t made their way to Buffalo in over two years, so if you are interested, this would be a great opportunity to catch them live. Thursday, March 30 Digisaurus – Lockhouse Distillery Ohio-born rocker Digisaurus is stopping at Buffalo’s own Lockhouse Distillery on

Your weekly collection of Buffalo’s sonic selections Thursday during his spring tour. The oneman-show is a ﬂuid mix of indie and alternative, with a twist of dance produced beats. His unique and inviting sound makes his live performances extremely fun for both his loyal fans and new music lovers. The show is set to kick off at 8 p.m. and is sure to be electrifying. Friday March 31 Marc Berger – 9th Ward at Babeville Folk-rocker Marc Berger will be stopping by downtown Buffalo this weekend to bless the Queen City with his easygoing Americana rock. The singer/guitarist has performed at major festivals including SXSW and opened up for legendary artists including Bob Dylan. Tickets are $10 advance and $15 day of. If you’re looking for a more laid-back way to start your weekend, check out Marc Berger this Friday.

Saturday, April 1 As If Dance Party: ’90s & ’00s UK Dance Party - Mohawk Place Today’s college students often consider ’90s & ’00s jams the best, since it’s the music they grew up listening to. If you are looking to let loose and enjoy some classics, Mohawk Place has got you covered. DJs Gabtron & Garbanzo will be fresh off the plane to provide the vibes this weekend. The April Fool’s Day Party kicks off at 10 p.m. and is sure to keep you on your feet. Be sure to bring your Von Dutch hat and distressed jeans to enjoy the best ’90s & ’00s euro pop has to offer. Saturday, April 1 Mojo Stone – The Music Room Come support fellow UB student-rockers Mojo Stone this Saturday as they gear up to perform hits off their ﬁrst album as well as some newer tunes. The band carries a Led Zeppelin ﬂavor mixed with other clas-

sic rock and punk inﬂuences. The group has been together since 2014 and is still going strong while working on its second release. The band is a frequent ﬂyer at other local venues such as Mohawk Place and The Evening Star. If you’re a fan of classic rock, ska or punk, you won’t want to miss this chance to get your mojo on. Sunday, April 2 Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness: Zombies in America Tour – Town Ballroom McMahon is a California based singer/ songwriter who just released his highly anticipated second studio LP, Zombies on Broadway. Songs such as “Cecilia And The Satellite” and “High Dive” have gone radio famous amongst indie and alternative stations nationwide. McMahon’s current tour in promotion of his new record has been hitting cities all across the country to sold out crowds. His stop at the popular Town Ballroom on April 2 should be no different. Be sure to listen to his most recent record and check out his dynamic live show on Sunday. email: arts@ubspectrum.com

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Phil Elverum releases his best album in almost a decade After losing his wife, Washington-based artist releases his most emotional album yet NICK CIERI STAFF WRITER

Album: A Crow Looked at Me Artist: Mount Eerie Label: P.W. Elverum & Sun Release: March 24 Grade: A+ In the midst of listening to this record, I almost began to feel wrong for reviewing it. I felt as though I learned something about someone else, something that I wasn’t supposed to know. A Crow Looked at Me, the latest record by singer-songwriter Phil Elverum’s project Mount Eerie, is one of the most intensely personal musical experiences I’ve ever had. On this record, Elverum bares his soul to listeners and adds another melancholy folk opus to his growing discography. The artist has been involved in other groups like The Microphones and D+. The groups took a more experimental approach to indie rock and folk styles that were popular in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Where Mount Eerie differs from these other music projects is in the fact that Elverum is Mount Eerie’s only member. This gives him full creative reign to explore the sounds that gave him name recognition in years past. Like most of the records Elverum has worked on, the subject of A Crow Looked at Me is Elverum’s personal turmoil. From his time in The Microphones to his present work in Mount Eerie, Elverum has mastered the art of the lo-ﬁ, home recorded album. Records like The Glow Pt. 2, Mount Eerie, and Lost Wisdom show Elverum’s true talent – a talent for crafting roughly recorded, deceptively complex folk with an experimental edge, all while imparting his inner demons upon listeners. Instrumentally, this is one of Elverum’s quieter and more stripped-back releases. The 11 tracks presented here are largely driven by very muted, acoustic guitar passages, which are occasionally punctuated by piano sounds

and some light hand percussion. This album could be viewed as being a little too quiet and could use more instrumental diversity but I believe otherwise. The album’s quietness gives Elverum more room to breathe in the mix to deliver his lyrics. It’s the subtlety of this record that definitely makes it one worth revisiting. I don’t believe the melodies being played on tracks like “Soria Moria” and “My Chasm” can be best appreciated after only one listen. Elverum’s lyrics are often noted for reading like poetry – lyrics with denseness, intricate imagery and metaphors comparing his struggles to elements of nature. On A Crow Looked at Me, however, Elverum deals with what could be his greatest emotional battle: his grief over the loss of his wife Geneviève. A Crow Looked at Me has been compared to albums of a similar theme like Sun Kil Moon’s Benji or Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell on the grounds of these albums all covering similar themes, but A Crow Looked at Me is decidedly different. Benji and Carrie & Lowell both largely center themselves on themes of death and reminiscing of the past; A Crow Looked at Me makes no room for happiness. This album is about grief and one man’s attempt to work through one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. In his lyrics, Elverum finds himself unable to stop reminiscing, though all this brings him is anguish and a bitter sadness. On the track “Ravens,” Elverum returns to a wooded area that held some significance to him and his wife. He seeks some sense of closure, only to find himself sitting on a mossy log sobbing. On other tracks like “My Chasm,” the artist adopts the idea that those close to him are sick of his constant reminiscing, asking the listener in a frank manner, “Do the people around me want to keep hearing about my dead wife?” The album’s lyrics are most definitely its central focus and they feature all of the hallmarks typical of Elverum’s writing. This album is rife with nature sym-

COURTESY OF P.W. ELVERUM & SUN

Personal turmoil is a recurring theme on Phil Elverum’s most recent album. After the death of his wife, Elverum got personal on his newest release.

bolism like on the closing track “Crow,” which appears to use the titular bird as a symbol for his wife, his wife’s death or even death itself. Tracks like “Crow” and “Emptiness Pt. 2” are some of the more cryptic tracks on the record. In the latter, Elverum seems to personify the lack of his wife’s presence in a bizarre and haunting moment. The symbolism in Elverum’s writing, along with his preference for eschewing traditional song structures, makes the exact meaning of each track rather difﬁcult to suss out. This, combined with the incredibly sleepy sounds in the instrumentals, can make this album feel somewhat opaque and impenetrable to listeners expecting more of an immediate experience. For anybody who wants to hear an incredibly depressive and impactful folk album with a lot to say, however, this album is not to be

missed. This album, in how dense and potentially confusing it can be, perfectly captures the feelings of grief over loss that Elverum feels. Grief can be messy and grief can sometimes be confusing. Elverum, however, tries to work through what he’s feeling through music. Whether or not the ﬁnal product makes perfect sense comes secondary to the promise of catharsis. Considering all this, saying that I love this album is rather strange. The music and the lyrics contained within this 41-minute experience is absolutely breathtaking and should not be missed. To contrast that, knowing what happened to inspire this work of art makes loving it a bittersweet experience. I’m sorry for your loss, Phil. email: arts@ubspectrum.com

The Newman Centers Catholic Campus Ministry Newman Center @ UB North Location: 495 Skinnersville Road Amherst, NY 14228 (Across from the Creekside Apartments) Phone: 716-636-7495

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MARCH 30TH | 6PM @ ALL 3 COMMUNITIES

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Date & prize are subject to change. Limited time only. While supplies last. College ID required for event. See office for details.

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Thursday, March 30, 2017

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CAMPUS

UB hosting African Studies meeting Over 200 specialists in African studies will visit the university on March 31 and April 1 for “Emerging Africas: Versions and Visions,” the 42nd annual convention of the New York African Studies Association (NYASA). Anthropology professor Philips Stevens Jr. was program chair of the 1977 “Emerging Africas” meeting at UB and president of NYASA in 1978. Stevens is the program coordinator for the 2017 meeting. Specialists will discuss various topics relating to the African experience including “Restorative Justice and Reconciliation in Africa,” “Race and Political Representations in African Films and Hip Hop,” “Separate and Unequal: ‘Black’ Education in North America” and “New Visions of Pan-Africanism,” according to a news release. UB joins national network aiming to improve STEM faculty teaching skills UB recently joined CIRTL, the Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, a national network of universities aiming to improve teaching skills and increase diversity among STEM faculty, according to the UB website. CIRTL@UB is lead by Luis Colón, a chemistry professor and dean for graduate and postdoctoral study in the UB graduate school. CIRTL@ UB will ofﬁcially launch with a special program at noon on Friday in 145A Student Union.

LOCALLY East Side Buffalo residents discuss location of new train station The location of the new Buffalo train station can mean a lot for the resurgence of the city. Many Buffalo community members discussed their hopes to make the Central Terminal a train station again. Others are in favor of having the train station placed downtown. Residents created an online petition. Buffalo school bus crashes, two people seriously hurt Two people were injured Wednesday afternoon after a car crashed into a school bus, according to The Buffalo News. That accident happened in Kaisertown at around 3:40 p.m. when detectives attempted to search a home for narcotics. Police tried to stop a vehicle that pulled up. The car took off and struck a vehicle on Seneca Street at Bailey Avenue. The suspect’s vehicle crashed into a school bus at 3:50 p.m. on Seneca Street near Babcock Street. The students were taken off the bus and were treated by paramedics in the Babcock Community Center. The male suspect was taken into custody and taken to Erie County Medical Center where he is in critical condition.

NATIONALLY GLOBALLY President Trump’s approval rating at a historic low Only 35 percent of Americans approve of Donald Trump as president, according to a Gallup tracking poll released Wednesday. This marks Trump’s lowest approval rating yet and are a historic low compared to other U.S. presidents’ during their ﬁrst terms. Trump’s approval ratings have proved low throughout his entire presidency in just 60 days since his inauguration. His ratings plummeted even more after last week’s failed health care passage.

U.K. Prime Minister formally initiates Brexit U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May sent a formal notice of the country’s intention to withdraw from the European Union on Wednesday, according to The New York Times. May told Parliament that she was invoking Article 50, the legislation that initiates Brexit, putting Britain on track to fully exit the European Union by 2019. “This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back. Britain is leaving the European Union. We are going to make our own decisions and our own laws,” May said, according to USA Today.

Trump passes climate change executive order President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday at the Environmental Protection Agency, which looks to get rid of the federal government’s enforcement of climate regulations. The executive order looks to place American jobs above the issue of climate change, White House ofﬁcials said. The order sets back former President Barack Obama’s policies on addressing climate change. Trump said the order will “eliminate federal overreach” and “start a new era of production and job creation.”

Dozens dead following flooding and mudslides in Peru The El Nino climate phenomenon has triggered several deadly floods and mudslides in Peru since January. On March 18, the Rimac River in the town of Chicos suffered severe damage from rising water and flash floods, according to USA Today. Since January, thousands have been injured by the mudslides and 72 people have died. Many cities in Peru now face water shortages because mud and debris are compromising the water lines.

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Khalil Mack attacks a UConn football player. Khalil has helped his younger brother with his transition into football.

Return of the Mack CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“I ain’t even gonna lie, that [the NFL] is the goal, I’m working every day to try and get there and I know it’s gonna take extremely hard work,” Mack said. “I know it’s gonna be a grind and I believe in myself, I believe in my athleticism to bring a promising future.” Some will say it’s crazy to offer a full scholarship to a player who is still such an unknown commodity. But Boden thinks Mack’s combination of inexperience and natural athleticism is what makes him so enticing in the ﬁrst place. “I really think he’s barely tapped into his potential as a player,” Boden said. “You recruit some kids and you can see what their ceiling is, with him it’s kind of an unknown… I think that’s what’s very intriguing about him is that you’re not really sure where that ceiling is because of his background.” UB linebackers coach Chris Simpson says Mack will most likely redshirt this season, giving him another year to learn the nuances of the game so the mental part can become “second nature.” “It’s the things you learn through repetition – the pad level, the bending the hips, the striking with the hands and proper base

underneath you and using your feet,” Simpson said. “He was able to make some plays just off of athleticism alone without necessarily having a ton of technique, so once he’s able to obtain that, those skills, he’ll be able to use his God-given ability as well.” Midway through February, Khalil started a minor controversy in the UB Athletics community with a Tweet about UB not offering his brother a scholarship.

A few weeks later on March 8, Mack committed to UB football on a full scholarship. Simpson says that LeDarius had been on their radar for six months and that it was just a matter of making sure the logistics worked out. “It wasn’t a matter of that we didn’t want LeDarius in the program it was a matter of how to make it work,” Simpson said. “The

whole process is based on numbers and where you’re at within each position and things happened within our program that freed up a spot for us to be able to do that. From Khalil’s perspective, at that point in time there wasn’t a spot, things happen through the recruiting process and things open up.” Mack says the situation was worked out after they “talk[ed] about it” and is “in the past.” He says Khalil has helped “a lot” with his transition to football by helping him train whenever he can and giving him advice on what to improve on. Mack is a few inches shorter than Khalil, but at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, he calls himself a “true inside linebacker.” He will wear the number 52 at UB, the same number his brother wears for the Oakland Raiders. Simpson and Boden do not worry about Mack struggling to handle the pressure that comes with being Khalil’s brother. He is a soft-spoken, humble kid. “That’s my brother, I want to be like him but at the same time, this is my life,” Mack said. Even though he does still have a redshirt season available, Mack is entering the program extremely raw for a junior, as opposed to his brother who came in as a freshman and had ﬁve years to develop. It is unknown what Mack might bring to the table as he gets more comfortable on the football ﬁeld– that is why even UB was hesitant to give him a scholarship. But Buffalo has decided his family genes and athleticism are worth the risk. “I don’t want to see [Khalil] outdo me and he’s probably never gonna let me outdo him, so that’s just a mindset thing with us, we’re competitive,” Mack said. “I believe in myself… it’s a ‘you did it, why can’t I sort of thing.’” email: michael.akelson@ubspectrum.com

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Thursday, March 30, 2017

Aviva Abramovsky appointed dean of UB School of Law CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“I am looking forward to collaborating with my world class faculty and advancing the mission of the University at Buffalo’s school of Law,” Abramovsky said. “I particularly want to make sure that the school becomes even more recognized for its preeminence in legal education both in the state of New York and the larger legal community.” UB’s School of Law recently dropped six spots in the recent U.S. News and World Ranking Report rankings, placing at No. 106. The law school ranked in the 100th place last year and 87th in 2015 and 2014. “A ranking is only a snapshot of the school at one particular moment in time,” Abramovsky said. “I don’t think this ranking reﬂects the quality of University at Buffalo’s School of Law. I will endeavor to make sure that the law school receives the recognition as a preeminent place of education, hopefully and that will be reﬂected in the rankings.” email: hannah.stein@ubspectrum.com

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Vegas, baby, Vegas Men’s rugby club talks about their trip to Las Vegas

COURTESY OF STUART SHAPIRO

The rugby team poses for a photo during their recent trip to Las Vegas. The team played in the Las Vegas 7’s tournament a few weeks ago.

THOMAS ZAFONTE ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The Oakland Raiders aren’t the only team who made the move to Las Vegas in 2017. The men’s club rugby team took their annual trip to Las Vegas to play in the Las Vegas 7’s Invitational a few weeks ago in what club president Jake Oppenheim called, “one of the greatest experiences of [his] life.” “We became our own attraction,” Oppenheim, a junior political science major, said. Oppenheim enjoyed dressing up in Hawaiian shirts and jorts – jean shorts – and

hitting up Old Vegas when the team was free. There, they participated in an outside dance concert and garnered a crowd. “People were taking pictures of us and doing the dances with us, we sort of became celebrities,” Oppenheim said. The Las Vegas 7’s tournament remains a yearly highlight for the 14 players through and single coach on the trip. The Las Vegas 7’s is an international event with top teams from around the world. Oppenheim remembers a rugby player from England helped pay for his Uber ride simply because they played the same sport.

“Rugby has a unique culture to it… simply because we all play this one less popular sport, we all have some bond with one another,” Oppenheim said. The team stayed for five days in the bright lights of the Vegas Strip playing rugby and checking out the sights. They took measures in order to cut costs for the cross-country trip including flying during the week to help save money, since weekend flights are expensive. “Because we were there to play, the hotel we stayed at offered us a discount on the rooms. That actually made it cheaper to stay longer so in total, the whole thing cost

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about $450 per person,” Oppenheim said. Freshman Owen Lawther, an undecided major, is only in his ﬁrst year as a member of the team but he already considers it a highlight of his career. “The whole thing is a huge memory… it’s stuff like this that makes me think of the team as a group of brothers and I’ve only known them for a semester,” Lawther said. That bond makes the trip all the better for the team, as their Vegas trip can turn into a transition period between older and newer players. “As the older guy, you can see the young guys on the trip listen to what you have to say which is great because it makes it way more about the team [as a whole],” said Trent Dingman, a senior mechanical engineering major. This marked Dingman’s second team trip to Las Vegas. Because Dingman has taken the trip before, he knew exactly where to go with his fellow players. “Some of the best ones we went to were Circus Circus and Casino Royale,” Lawther said. “Circus Circus almost had an entire theme park in it. It is just so awesome to go there.” All three of the players said that this experience wouldn’t have been possible if they were not part of the Rugby team. “I couldn’t even imagine most other clubs leaving the time zone… there is nothing like being in an international tournament with that many people in Las Vegas,” Dingman said. The results of the Las Vegas 7’s didn’t go the team’s way as they ended the weekend going 1-3-1. Yet Dingman still saw the trip as a success. Two of the team’s losses came in games where they were leading at the half. In his fourth year with the team, Dingman looks at his time with rugby as extremely rewarding. “There was a lot of times I thought of quitting the team because of my major, but if you make the team important to you, you can really learn valuable skills and get a great experience out of it.” email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com

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Golden Gloves of Clark Hall New UB boxing head coach Kristen McMurtree aims to make club more accessible DANIEL PETRUCCELLI ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Kristen McMurtree turned to boxing after struggling with bullying throughout high school. She started out as a track and crosscountry runner but said the harassment became “so bad” she decided to quit the team. But a boxing lesson during gym class helped her refocus her energy. McMurtree has recently taken over as head coach of UB’s boxing club. She is a product of the club and was trained by the original founder, Dean Eoannou. She became the club’s first National Golden Glove champion under the direction of Eoannou. Kristen McMurtree, a 20-year-old, signature red hair 112-pound champion, stands out as the club’s leader. Boxing was once her “escape” and now as the head of the club, she wants to help influence others. “I was angry and I was kind of lost and I just fell into boxing,” McMurtree said. “I see what this club does for so many kids and I see how I’m supposed to be used to help these kids and build that family and build that safe haven that I had in the very beginning.” She signed up for her first boxing club, but wasn’t there for long before she transferred to UB’s club because of Eoannou and the reputation he built. In his tenure as the head of the club, Eoannou coached over 30 Golden Gloves champions. McMurtree struggled to get the coach’s attention at first. Eoannou placed a larger emphasis on fighters that had proved their dedication. Members of the club said this is one of

TROY WACHALA, THE SPECTRUM

UB Boxing head coach Kristen McMurtree instructs members of the boxing club. McMurtree is a national champion and recently took over as head coach of the UB Boxing club.

the biggest differences in Eoannou’s and McMurtree’s coaching styles. “A major difference I see between her running it and when Dean was running it is a lot more active participation with the newer people,” said assistant coach Tyler Kruse. “When Dean was running it there was a core group of people… now there’s a lot more returning people who are more interested in it.” Kruse is another student of Eoannou’s. The freshman started training with Eoannou when he was eight years old and is an 11-year veteran of the club. Kruse and McMurtree are prime examples of UB Boxing being open to anyone and everyone.

Kruse started attending the club when he was about 10 years old after private lessons with Eoannou at his own gym. McMurtree proudly represents UB Boxing, but exercise science and sports science double major attends D’Youville College, not UB. “Anyone’s welcome at UB boxing,” McMurtree said. “It’s cool because we have a lot of new and upcoming boxers. Little Jimmy is one of them, he doesn’t actually go to college, obviously because he’s 10, but he had his ﬁrst ﬁght already.” Making the club more accessible to all skill levels goes beyond McMurtree. Eoannou was very open to all levels of competi-

UB Athletics’ top 10 moments from March Men’s and women’s basketball fall short in Mid-American Conference tournament, Men’s ice hockey wins second straight championship JUSTIN BYSTRAK STAFF WRITER

10) Vodak and Fridell earn MAC Doubles Team of the Week The Men’s Tennis duo of junior Petr Vodak and freshman Villhelm Fridell helped to defeat both Binghamton on March 17 and Northern Illinois on March 18 on their way to receiving MAC Doubles Team of the Week for the Mar. 13-19 period. Vodak and Fridell are 3-1 together this season. 9) UB alumni shine at USA Track and Field Indoor Championships On March 4, former NCAA champion and six-time All-American Jon Jones won a silver medal in the shot put at the USATF Indoor Championships with a distance of 20.53 meters. Jones holds the school record for shot put distance at 20.78 meters and is the only National Champion in school history. Meg Manley, also a UB graduate, placed eighth in the 600m. 8) Scheving breaks 800m school record Senior Tyler Scheving broke the UB record in the 800m with a time of 1:48.37 on March 25. His time also earned him MAC Track Athlete of the Week honors. His time was the best in the March 20-26 collegiate week. Scheving currently ranks ﬁrst in the MAC in 800m time and is second in the NCAA East.

ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM

Senior guard JoAnna Smith drives to the hoop during the MAC Tournament semifinal against Toledo. Women’s basketball failed to repeat as MAC Champions.

7) Reid breaks UB single season assists record Junior guard Stephanie Reid finished the women’s basketball season with 233 assists, demolishing the previous record of 198 set by assistant coach Ashley Zuber. Reid averaged 7.3 assists per game, ranking 2nd in the MAC and 7th in the NCAA. Reid also finished 8th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.91. 6) Lantry loses heartbreaker at NCAA Championships On March 17, sophomore wrestler Brian Lantry lost in overtime to 9th ranked Scotty Parker of Lehigh University in consolation round four of the NCAA Championships, which are held in St. Louis. Parker forced overtime after Lantry had gained his first lead of the match with only a minute remaining in the third period. Lantry was taken-down in overtime, giv-

ing Parker the two points to win the match and cause Lantry to fall just short to becoming just the second UB Division I Wrestling All-American. 5) Two Swimmers make it to NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Senior Abbey Croce and junior Megan Burns each competed in the NCAA Swimming and Diving championships in Indianapolis on March 18. Croce, the second female diver to compete in the Swimming and Diving Championships, competed in both the one and three meter dive. She finished with a score of 242.40 in the one-meter dive, which earned her 41st place. Burns competed in three events, the 50 Free, 100 Free and 200 Free. In the 50 Free, she finished in 23rd place out of 53 swimmers with a time of 22.18 seconds. She also finished in 23rd in the 100 Free.

tors, but had very little assistance in his time at the club and had no choice but to focus on members who had proved their dedication because he had been “burned” by people who would practice for a week or two and then never come back. McMurtree has the fortunate circumstance of having a very active e-board. “It was basically one person supporting the entire club,” Kruse said. “Now you have officers who are actively participating and splitting people up to do group oriented stuff, pushing each other in workouts, there was really none of that with Dean because he tried it so many times and it kept failing.” Treasurer Brayton Connard said he has noticed the club has a better retention rate than it used to. Like many exercise related activities, the club tends to start the semester with a lot of members but that number dwindles quickly when people realize the difficulty of the sport and even just the workouts. Connard, in his third year in the club, said only four or five people whom he started with even finished the first semester. That number has since increased and a recent Tuesday night practice had over 25 fighters going through footwork drills, hitting the mitts and even getting some time in the ring for their first sparring sessions. “As an e-board member I couldn’t be more pleased with [McMurtree] as the coach,” Connard said. “She has been excellent and I think the whole atmosphere of the club has improved noticeably since she’s been the coach.” McMurtree will be competing April 15 for her third Golden Gloves title at the Buffalo RiverWorks. email: daniel.petruccelli@ubspectrum.com

4) Gunning takes home individual title At the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships on March 5, sophomore Jake Gunning won the individual title at 285 lbs. It was the first individual title for the Bulls since 2011. Gunning’s opponent, Gage Hutchison from Eastern Michigan, took a stalling penalty in the third period, which was the decisive factor in the 3-2 victory. This came just one year after Gunning was a runner up at the MAC Championships. 3) Men’s Ice Hockey wins second straight NCHA Championship After winning their first NCHA championship in just their fourth year of existence last year, the men’s ice hockey club team won its second consecutive NCHA Championship on March 26. They defeated Union 5-2 in the championship game. 2) Women’s basketball falls short of repeat UB, considered the Cinderella of last year’s MAC tournament, fell in the semi-finals to Toledo 72-65 in Cleveland on March 10. The 7-seeded Bulls upset 2-seed Ball State in the quarterfinals 69-65, providing a feeling from last year where the team was consistently the underdog. The 22 wins that the Bulls had this season is the most that the team has had since they joined MAC in the 1998-99 year. The Bulls will be returning with four of their five starters next season, with the one departure being legendary senior guard JoAnna Smith. 1) Men’s basketball fails to three-peat After an up and down season, the Bulls fell in the quarter-finals of the MAC tournament 68-65 against Toledo on March 9 in a foul-ridden affair featuring 56 total fouls between the two teams. After winning the MAC title the past two seasons and advancing to their first two NCAA tournament appearances, the Bulls were unable to overcome three of their five starters fouling out in the contest. email: sports@ubspectrum.com