UBSPECTRUM.COM
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017
VOLUME 67 NO. 6
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Whole Foods welcomed by organic enthusiasts New upscale grocery store draws large crowds
Fall Semester Smashes From pop to R&B, here’s what to expect from the music world this semester
PAGE 8 Investing on poor foundation UB’s continued spending on football needs to end
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University Police identify suspect in dorm burglaries Police ask students not to confront suspect; call UPD
$739
MILLION IN TOTAL
WHERE
HE DOES T
Y E N MO B U R FCO M O R F E OM
*All information according to UB’s 2015-16
Overview of Financial Activities and UB VP for Finance and Administration, Laura Hubbard
GRAPHIC BY PIERCE STRUDLER
Unweaving UB’s complex financial web UB Vice President of Finance explains mechanisms involved in Black case; student fees MADDY FOWLER ASST. FEATURES EDITOR
After former UB Vice President Dennis Black and former Campus Living Director Andrea Costantino pleaded guilty to stealing thousands in state funds on Sept. 7, students have expressed concern and confusion about UB’s finances. “Even before the Dennis Black situation, I had been concerned about UB’s finances. The
Faculty and administration conduct joint gender equity study
closest they seem to come to transparency is a categorical breakdown of [fees],” said Mike Brown, UB Council Student Representative and Student Association Assembly Speaker. “UB should take national leadership as a public university by following the examples of local, state and federal government who have all adopted open data policies to promote both efficiency and transparency.” Senior political science major and Black Student Union President Malcom Gray
also expressed concerns about UB’s lack of transparency. “UB’s financial transparency needs to extend beyond just a general ledger. Officials need to involve themselves in the lives of students on a regular basis and there needs to be a record of every transaction that university officials make and request,” said Gray, a senior political science major. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Students frustrated by UB’s lack of accommodation to observe religious holidays
UB study explores whether gender-related pay inequities exist for faculty SARAH CROWLEY SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Faculty and administration are looking to find out once and for all whether UB’s female faculty members are paid less for equal work. Provost Charles Zukoski and Faculty Senate Chair Philip Glick charged a gender equity salary committee in March 2017 to determine if gender bias exists for tenured and tenure-track professors. The committee, which comprises members from around the UB community, will announce their study methods to the entire Faculty Senate on Sept. 19, and will hold town hall meetings on North and South Campus to allow community input. They will present their data by the end of the semester, according to Glick. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
ubspectrum.com
ALLISON STAEBELL & LINDSAY GILDER, THE SPECTRUM
(Left to right) Andrew Meyer, Alyson Katz and Jordan Einhorn Many students are frustrated they have to choose between classes and observing religious holidays.
LINDSAY GILDER ASST. FEATURES EDITOR
Alyson Katz is missing almost three days of classes and an exam this week so she can go home to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with her family. In an effort not to cater to one religion over another, UB’s calendar became religion-neutral with the 2014-15 academic year, observing no religious holidays. The policy still requires faculty to make reasonable accommodations for students following a religious observance. Despite this policy, many students of various faiths experience a tough decision choosing between attending class or observing holidays.
Katz, a senior studio art and art history major, chose family and religion over class. “I always missed school to go to temple and as I got into high school it became more of a choice for me to go to temple over school,” Katz said. “I enjoy being with a community, specifically a Jewish one, over the holidays.” The High Holy Days in Judaism of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur take place over the next two weeks: Rosh Hashana on Sept. 21-22 and Yom Kippur on Sept. 30. These holidays are generally observed by attending synagogue for the majority of the day, along with a day-long fast for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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SARAH CROWLEY
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
University Police named its suspect in a string of residence hall burglaries. Darnell Cleveland is 20 years old and is not affiliated with UB. Cleveland has been named as the suspect in seven on-campus burglaries since July. Police are sharing his identity with UB students to prevent any more students from becoming burglary victims. University Police asks students not to confront Cleveland. The suspect is 5’11” and approximately 180 pounds. Cleveland does not have any history of violence, he has not confronted or even spoken to the victims. Police advise students to call 6452222 if they see Cleveland or any suspicious persons on-campus. Police identified Cleveland through video and other physical evidence. The suspect has a criminal history involving burglaries at other locations around Buffalo, including SUNY Buffalo State College. UPD obtained a warrant for Cleveland with the help of the Erie County District Attorney’s office last week. *All information according to the University Police website email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com
UB Law School to hold free DACA renewal clinic The Community Justice Clinic will be providing free DACA renewals on Sept. 25 SARAH CROWLEY SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
The Community Justice Clinic of UB School of Law will be holding a free DACA renewal clinic on Sept. 25 for all students and members of the Buffalo community. The clinic will be held in 507 O’Brian Hall from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The clinic will offer free renewal for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Obama administration initiated in 2012. DACA allowed undocumented immigrants brought as children to work and live in the U.S. without threat of deportation. President Donald Trump recently announced the DACA program would be ending, effective in six months. President Trump met with Democratic leaders on Sept. 13 to discuss negotiations to replace DACA, according to NPR. No deal was reached, but President Trump appeared to double back on his stance after he tweeted, “Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!.....” With DACA’s end, Congress must pass legislation to determine DACA recipients’ fate. Until then, 800,000 undocumented immigrants are in limbo. Reapplying for DACA ensures recipients their right to work and maintains their low priority for ICE officials. Individuals interested in UB’s free renewal clinic are advised to email law-cjc@buffalo.edu or call 716645-2167 to set up an appointment. email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com
@ubspectrum
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NEWS
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
Students frustrated by UB’s lack of accommodation to observe religious holidays CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Muslim students experience frustration with scheduling conflicts as well. Rijaa Khan, a junior finance and psychology major and vice president of the Muslim Student Association, was forced to attend classes on last year’s Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays in the Islam tradition, because she had an exam. She also had to miss the first week of classes this year to celebrate the holiday with her family in Pakistan, which was observed Aug. 31-Sept. 1 of this year. “I hate missing school, but [Eid al-Adha] is like Christmas for me,” Khan said. “People are accommodating to missing classes for holidays, but I don’t understand why we don’t have off.” Khan also said she would be very disappointed if there were any UB events that conflicted with Muslim holidays as she would like to attend. She is anxious in anticipation of next year’s finals week and commence-
ment, which will overlap with Ramadan. “I’m going to have to fast through finals week, which is already physically exhausting before I couldn’t eat,” Khan said. “I hope that professors will be accommodating and hopefully let me take finals early before the holiday starts.” Andrew Meyer, a senior business administration major and a marketing intern for Hillel of Buffalo: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, is not taking off from classes to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, but will attend services during the day along with his usual course load. His schedule is accommodating, but other students don’t share that convenience. “I know UB allows excused absences, but many aren’t willing to take advantage of it,” Meyer said. “Many students will have to make a tough decision whether or not to attend classes or attend services during one of their holiest days of the year.” Katz said her professors have been ac-
commodating to her religious obligations. She is handing in assignments for the week in advance and will get notes from her friends in the classes. “It’s stressful,” Katz said. “But what I don’t think is fair is that teachers still assign things due or tests on those days.” Jordan Einhorn, a senior political science major, has assignments in two different classes due during the Jewish holidays and plans to email them to professors before the holidays start. But he also has friends with professors that haven’t been as accommodating. “I’ve also heard from students about times when their professor refused to reschedule their assignment either due to ignorance of the university policies or the significance of the holidays,” Einhorn said. “But sometimes it comes down it them just not realizing that they have the right to observe these holidays and that their professors have an obligation to accommodate them.”
vehicle were missing also. The vehicle was still in the lot. Police filed a report. 2:11 a.m. Buffalo Police request UPD assistance to break up a party on Merrimac Street. UPD issues Student-Wide Judiciary (SWJ) notices. 9/5
9/1
11:19 p.m. A resident advisor (RA) in Wilkeson Quad reported she was in a room where students had been drinking. The RA confiscated the students’ IDs, got rid of the alcohol they were drinking and requested police. 9/2
12:20 a.m. The mother of a UB student contacted police concerned over her son’s whereabouts. Police eventually located the student who’d been sleeping at a friend’s house off-campus. The mother was reportedly satisfied with the results.
7:20 p.m. A student was ejected from an event after he was seen swimming across Lake LaSalle to enter behind stage. The student was a non-ticketholder and U.S. security ejected him. 8:15 p.m. A student was ejected from Fall Fest for crowd-surfing. 9/3
12:42 a.m. Two students returned to their rooms in Richmond and reported one of their wallets was stolen and the other had money removed. At 1:05 a.m. the RA requested police to return; the student reported that keys to her
9:31 p.m. An RA reported hearing a student was seen on the roof of the Fargo building in the Ellicott Complex. Nobody reported actually seeing the person, only hearing someone shouting, “I’m on the roof.” Police cleared the area and found nothing. 9/8
3:29 p.m. A student reported returning to his room in Red Jacket to realize the contents of his wallet were missing, including $15 in cash, his UB ID card and credit cards. The student’s car keys were also missing and upon checking the Red Jacket parking lot to check on his car, could not locate it. The student’s missing car is a black Chevy Malibu. Police checked Spaulding and Red Jacket lots and were unable to locate the student’s car.
The university has a track record of scheduling events and classes during religious holidays. Some classes are difficult to schedule around holidays because both Friday and Saturday conflict with Rosh Hashanah. The first exam in one of Katz’s class is being held on the night of Sept. 22. “I know the chemistry department has been good about letting people take Friday night exams before Shabbat starts if you request it, but in this case they can’t do that because all of that Friday is a holiday, so I don’t know when they would give the person a makeup,” Katz said. Meyer also mentioned last year’s Spring Fest, which was scheduled during Passover. “I know I was very angry when this occurred. I obviously chose to attend a Passover Seder, but I also wanted to go to Spring Fest that year,” Meyer said. “I know many other students were angry when this occurred. Some went home for the holiday and were upset they missed out.” email: lindsay.gilder@ubspectrum.com
9/9
2:24 a.m. A Richmond RA reported a subject seen stumbling outside Building 2. The RA believed the subject was intoxicated. The subject fell several times. Patrol requested an ambulance. At 3:05 a.m. the student was transferred to Millard Filmore Suburban Hospital (MFSH). 9/10
10:57 p.m. An RA reported being approached by an older, balding man asking where he can buy adderall. The RA told the man to leave immediately, and called police. Patrol checked the area for the man’s vehicle. He was gone upon their arrival. 9/11
4:51 p.m. A caller reported she was being harassed by a male unaffiliated with UB. He hand delivered her flowers at her on-campus job. The caller said the male had been sexually aggressive toward her in the past. Police filed a report. *All information according to University Police email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com
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OPINION
3
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF
Hannah Stein
MANAGING EDITOR
Maggie Wilhelm Grace Trimper COPY EDITORS
Saqib Hossain Dan McKeon Emma Medina
UB should cancel classes for major religious observances
NEWS EDITORS
Sarah Crowley, Senior FEATURES EDITORS
Max Kalnitz, Senior Maddy Fowler, Asst. Lindsay Gilder, Asst. ARTS EDITORS
Benjamin Blanchet, Senior David Tunis-Garcia, Senior Brenton Blanchet, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS
Danny Petruccelli, Senior Thomas Zafonte, Senior Jeremy Torres, Asst. MULTIMEDIA EDITORS
Troy Wachala, Senior Allison Staebell, Senior CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Pierce Strudler Arielle Channin, Asst. Alyssa Brouillet, Asst.
Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Helene Polley
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
Ayesha Kazi GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGERS
Stephen Jean-Pierre Shawn Zhang, Asst.
THE SPECTRUM
Holding classes on holy days forces religious students to choose between faith and academics In the spring of 2013, President Satish Tripathi introduced a “religiously neutral” academic calendar. Under this calendar, classes are held on all religious holidays— including Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days in the Jewish faith. The policy change was intended to “ensure greater continuity in the academic schedule and minimize course disruptions for students,” Tripathi said in a statement. This statement prioritizes convenience and continuity over students’ faith. It forces religious students to choose between academic success and their religious practices. While religious observances are considered excused absences, students who cannot attend class for a religious reason are still falling behind and missing material. And some professors limit the number of excused absences a student
Bed buggin’ out My six-legged summer roommate nightmare
Monday, September 18, 2017 Volume 67 Number 6 Circulation 4,000 The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100
can take, meaning a Jewish student might lose attendance points later on in the semester if he or she gets sick and has to miss class. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, takes place from Wednesday through Friday. Many Jewish people spend most of their day attending synagogue services. Yom Kippur, which falls on Sept. 29 this year, is the Day of Atonement and no work can be performed. Jewish people attend synagogue services and fast throughout the day; attending classes on this day is simply not an option for many Jewish people. UB has scheduled major events during the Jewish holy days; the SA involvement fair is scheduled on Wednesday, and women’s volleyball and soccer games
take place Friday. There is a soccer game and cross country meet on Sept. 29, as well as the Buffalo Humanities Festival, hosted by the UB Humanities Institute. And while the UB calendar purports to be “religiously neutral,” it still effectively prioritizes Christianity. Classes and exams are never held on Sundays, the Christian Sabbath day, but they are held on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. Even the school breaks follow a Christian calendar—it is no secret that winter break starts at the end of December because of Christmas. While holding classes on religious holidays is not outright discrimination, and UB is not obligated to yield to the practices of any given religion, it is nonetheless inconsiderate and disrespectful to Jewish students, who made up 10 percent of the student body last year, according to the Jewish Student Union—that’s over 3,000 students. Jewish people are not the only religious group that faces the unfair choice between academics and faith; Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, fell on a school day this year. Eid al-Fitr, a celebration marking the end of Ramadan, also falls on school days some years, depending on the lunar calendar.
MADDY FOWLER ASST. FEATURES EDITOR I’ve always had trouble sleeping through the night. One night in early August I woke with a start at 1 a.m. That’s when I saw it. Illuminated by my bedside lamp that I forgot to turn off, a little reddish-brown oval-shaped insect scurried across my pillow. My breath caught in my throat. I knew exactly what it could be – what it probably was – but tried to reassure myself that it was something, anything else. I have an anxiety disorder and a generally dramatic disposition, so it’s not uncommon for me to jump to worst case scenarios. I told myself to stay calm. It could’ve been anything: an ant, a beetle, a potato bug. I had recently visited my aunt who has a dog and four cats; perhaps a stray flea had stowed along on my luggage, I reasoned. I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone with shaking hands. I pulled up Google and quickly typed “reddish-brown ovalshaped bug,” resisting the urge to throw my phone across the room before the results came up for fear of what they would reveal. The result was exactly what I
dreaded: bedbugs. I desperately scrolled through the results, searching for some other, less horrific explanation for the critter crawling on my covers. Much to my relief, I stumbled on an article listing other bugs that are often mistaken for bed bugs. Surely, it must’ve been some random, benign insect. It was summer, the building was old; having little bugs around here and there is to be expected. It was the middle of the night and I had work in the morning. Convincing myself that I had bedbugs is exactly the kind of scenario my anxiety-ridden brain would concoct. I told myself I was jumping to a ridiculous conclusion and willed myself to go back to sleep. But the image of the reddishbrown oval-shaped insect labeled “bedbug” on that Google Image search was burned into the back of my brain. I didn’t want to believe it. But I know what I saw. The next day I thought I had some type of rash or maybe mosquito bites. Little pink bumps appeared along my chest. I thought maybe they were just pimples. Anything to ignore the horrifying possibility of what those little bumps really meant. You don’t have bedbugs; you don’t have bedbugs I repeated to myself on my walk home, like a mantra. Deep breath. Walk into my bedroom door. You don’t have bedbugs. Even if I didn’t have bedbugs, my temporary summer accommodation wasn’t exactly the Ritz Carlton. I had a tiny room in a shared house off of South Campus that had to have been built half a century ago. And then there was that odor: musty and
sickly sweet, like rotten strawberries. It was a distinctive odor that I will never forget. I was relaxing on my bed that evening in that dingy little room, when I felt something on my leg. My heart stopped. I looked down and there it was. And another. And another. Coming to feast. I pulled up the Google Image search again. There was no mistaking it this time: they were bedbugs. And the bumps on my chest were bedbug bites. I leapt from my bed screaming and called my mother from the other side of the room, sobbing and trembling. “This is a nightmare, my worst nightmare,” I sobbed again and again. Ever since a friend of mine had a bedbug infestation three years ago, I obsessively researched the creepy crawlers and momentarily convinced myself I had them. That time it really was just a figment of my imagination. But this time around, my nightmare had come into fruition right before my eyes. And just as I thought that perhaps this was all just some kind of delusional anxiety-induced hallucination, another little friend started crawling up my leg. I shrieked. My mother got me a hotel to stay in for the night. I spent my evening in the hotel researching bedbugs even more fervently than I had three years previously. I learned that the distinctive, sickly odor that I will never forget is in fact a telltale sign of bedbugs; the scent is a pheromone secreted by the nightmarish nymphs. Thankfully, the apartment was just a temporary summer sublet, so I was able to get out of the sublease and move out the next day. I don’t have a car so I had to stow whatever clothes I could
New York City public schools— the largest public school district in the country— observe both of these Muslim holidays as well as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Several SUNY institutions also observe the Jewish holidays, including Binghamton, Oswego, Purchase, Cortland and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Jewish students might choose to attend these schools over Buffalo because they would not have to choose between going to class or honoring their faith. They would not feel like their religious views were disrespected by their college. For many students, their religious beliefs are just as important as their academics, if not more so. These students should not be forced to fall behind and lose out on learning opportunities because of their beliefs. The editors of The Spectrum agreed that they would be willing to shave one week off of winter break if that meant the university could accommodate major religious observances for Jewish people and Muslims. If the university can schedule one of its major school breaks around a Christian holiday (whether that’s explicitly admitted or not), it can find a better way to accommodate the needs of students from other religions. email: eic@ubspectrum.com
fit into a garbage bag (not a cloth bag or suitcase—bedbugs love to hitch on those) to the laundromat, and I washed and dried them on extra high heat. I had to throw out everything else and left for my family home directly from the laundromat; I couldn’t risk going back to the apartment and having more bugs stow along with me. When I arrived at my aunt’s house, it took me two full days to garner up the courage to open up my garbage bag, for fear the bugs that managed to survive the dryer. Luckily, no bugs were found— well, no live ones that is. Little parts of bedbug bodies were scattered about the bag and in my clothes. It took me almost a week to be able to sleep through the night. It took me nearly three weeks to stop obsessively checking the bedding, underneath the mattress, under the couch pillows and in the carpet. It’s been over a month now and I’ve finally stopped jumping whenever I see a crumb, speck of dirt or ant on my bed or my floor. I’m in a new apartment now and there is no sign of the insects that traumatized me in August. But there are some rituals that I don’t think will stop any time soon: checking train and bus seats and searching hotel beds for signs of the pests. Travel is the primary way people get bedbugs and I want to do everything I can to keep from reliving my terror. There are some realities that will continue to haunt me: like the fact that Buffalo is the eighteenth most bed bug infested city in the country. And UB has had at least four cases. Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com
4 Faculty and administration conduct joint gender equity study
NEWS
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
GRACE TRIMPER, THE SPECTRUM
Dr. Philip Glick, Faculty Senate Chair, addresses the Faculty Senate Executive Committee at the Sept. 13 meeting. Provost Charles Zukoski joined Glick in charging UB’s joint faculty-administration gender salary study.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
UB has conducted salary analyses in years past, but this study is unique because of the joint support between administration and faculty, said committee chair Peter Elkin. When administrators conducted a salary study, faculty charged that it was not rigorous enough. When faculty conducted their own, it was criticized because it lacked access to necessary data, Elkin explained. “Here, we were charged by both the faculty senate and the provost to do it together. That’s
not common in literature,” Elkin said. “It’s a joint effort, which I think is one extremely important advantage we have over other literature. I think other universities will want to replicate what we are doing here.” The study committee includes: Sharon Nolan-Weiss, director of the Office of Equity; Diversity and Inclusion and Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Peter Elkin; professor of internal medicine and chair; Craig Abbey, Associate Vice President and director of institutional analysis and Glenna Bett, chair of the Facul-
ty Senate Committee on Equity and Inclusion. Once the committee receives all input from the UB town hall and Faculty Senate meetings, they will analyze data from a single pay period from the 2016-17 academic year. The study looks primarily at gender, but will also consider race and ethnicity as its secondary aim, according to the study’s methodology breakdown. It excludes staff, non-tenure track faculty members and clinical faculty in the medical school whose primary source of income is not their state salary. The study
will also examine librarians separately, due to their unique method of promotion. If the committee finds evidence of gender inequities, Nolan-Weiss said the university will have to rectify the inequity, which may result in salary adjustments. “If the study does not find statistical evidence of inequity, our work is not done. We need to continue to run the study on a regular basis to ensure that salaries remain equitable,” Nolan-Weiss said. “Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that this is an overall picture of UB. Individual inequities within departments may exist even if there is no statistically significant inequity institution-wide.” Nolan-Weiss said any faculty or staff member who thinks they have been discriminated against should request an individual salary review by contacting the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The administration’s willingness to conduct the joint study reflects well on UB, Elkin said. This institutional support poses a difficult question: why is unequal pay a problem that needs to be addressed when there is such institutional support for gender equity? According to Glick, this study can only begin that discussion. “We are not sociologists. We are not trying to figure out why [inequity] happens,” Glick said. “What we’re trying to do is rectify it if it exists. There are probably dozens of reasons for why things are the way they are. It’s a very patriarchal society, and hopefully the results of this will begin the discussion.” The committee members will announce the dates for their upcoming town hall meetings for members of the UB community to offer input and criticism. email: sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com
News Briefs
CAMPUS UB launches website showcasing new medical campus
UB launched a website to promote the new downtown home of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The site is intended to bring regional and national awareness to the school’s new building, according to a UB press release. The site includes pages detailing the school’s community impact, research and patient care and more. The medical school will begin its transition from South Campus to Downtown in November, as faculty and staff begin moving their offices and laboratories. The campus’s formal grand opening is expected around February 2018. UB advances field house plans
Athletic Director Allen Greene announced on Friday morning that UB has secured Rochester-based LeChase Construction as the general contractor and New York-based architecture firm CHA Consulting, Inc. for the longawaited $18 million fieldhouse, according to UBNow. The facility is funded through philanthropic efforts and football revenue, according to the press release. The fieldhouse will also host university events and expanded intramural and recreational sports programs. UB will have a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 7 to mark the beginning of construction. The 92,000-squarefoot indoor practice facility will be located behind the football field. The tentative completion date is spring 2019.
LOCAL
Buffalo News analysis finds downstate students having major impact on SUNY enrollment trends
The number of UB undergraduates from Brooklyn has doubled over the last decade, according to The Buffalo News. The Queens borough likewise has more students from its county than any other county in New York State, besides Erie. These trends demonstrate an overall shift in downstate interest in SUNY colleges and universities, according to the report. This surge in downstate students comes alongside a noticeable decline in Western New York natives choosing UB. Schools like SUNY Buffalo State, SUNY Fredonia and Geneseo all experienced similar trends over the last decade. Whole Foods store opens its Amherst doors
More than 400 people stood in line for the grand opening of Whole Foods, according to The Buffalo News. The national grocery chain opened its doors at 3097 Sheridan Dr. on Friday morning, after a much-anticipated wait. It is the first location to open in Buffalo.
NATIONAL
Trump and Democratic leaders indicate a plan to save DACA is in negotiation
President Donald Trump met with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday morning to speak about protecting DACA, the program which allows undocumented immigrants brought over as minors to remain in the U.S. without threat of deportation. Details of this meeting were murky and any talk of deal-making was refuted to an extent by both sides. Both agreed that the meeting was productive, according to national news. Wildfires on West Coast loom large this season
“Extreme fire behavior” has been ramping up along western states, according to The New York Times. Ten western states dealt with more massive wildfires this September, than at any time in the last decade. Thousands have been evacuated. Two firefighters died in a Montana wildfire and dozens of California’s homes and buildings are destroyed. So far, with 8.3 million acres burned as of mid-September, 2017 isn’t a record year. More than 10 million acres burned in 2015, the worst wildfire season in decades. What’s striking about this year’s fire is the social aspect, The New York Times reports. In years past, fires affected mostly unpopulated, rural areas. As populations continue to grow out west, more people are forced to evacuate as the flames meet them at their doors.
GLOBAL
At least 36 Burundi refugees dead after clash with Congolese officials
Government forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo allegedly killed at least 36 Burundi refugees on Friday afternoon, activists said. More than 400,000 people have fled political turmoil in Burundi since 2015, according to The New York Times. A group of Burundi refugees went to the office of a Congolese official demanding information about other refugees who’d been detained. The meeting turned hostile and the refugees started throwing stones at the officials. Government soldiers responded with gunfire, leaving at least 36 dead. Second man arrested in London subway bombing
British police arrested a 21-year-old man in connection to a subway bombing that left dozens injured and many hospitalized. This is their second arrest after detaining an 18-year-old man thought to be in connection with the bombing. The Friday morning bomb went off in a subway car. It is Britain’s fifth terrorist attack in the past year. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to The New York Times. email: news@ubspectrum.com
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NEWS
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
GO?
*all information according to UB’s 2015-16 Overview of Financial Activities and UB VP for Finance and Administration Laura Hubbard | GRAPHIC BY PIERCE STRUDLER
Unweaving UB’s complex financial web CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The Spectrum sat down with UB’s Vice President for Finance and Administration, Laura Hubbard, who broke down how money works at UB. She discussed how private corporations affiliated with the university operate and explained where UB gets its money and where it goes. Hubbard also commented on Black and Costantino’s crimes, how they occurred and how stricter controls have been put in place to ensure a similar crime does not happen again in the future.
AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES The Faculty Student Association, a private entity affiliated with UB, is the organization Black used to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into a private bank account. He used to the money to finance personal expenditures such as Yankees tickets and his son’s bachelor party. Auxiliary enterprises handle revenue that is generated through sales or relationships with individual people, according to Hubbard. These enterprises typically include: student housing, campus dining and bookstores, according to Hubbard. Campus Dining and Shops and the University Bookstore fall under the Faculty Student Association’s umbrella. “Virtually every college and university in the country— public and private—has auxiliary enterprises,” Hubbard said. “Most of these auxiliary enterprises are a part of the universities themselves, meaning the universities have direct access to the funds and can see what they are being spent on.” However, some universities outsource their auxiliary enterprises to private corporations, which is the case at UB and SUNY schools in general, Hubbard said. She added that the business was outsourced because “it doesn’t work well in the state agency business department.” Auxiliary enterprises do not “exist just to exist,” according to Hubbard. “[Auxiliary enterprises] exist because of the university and to benefit the university. But it is a separate corporation. The governing board is a fiduciary board and what that means is they have a legal obligation to ensure that they are doing what is best for the corporation,” Hubbard said. Prior to uncovering Black’s crimes, Hubbard, President Satish Tripathi and Provost Charles Zukoski set up “special sessions” on auxiliaries in order to provide “better insight” into how auxiliaries were financed and operating. “In the conversations we have around student fees and tuition and room and dining rates, we want a better understanding of what the total cost increases are to the students. We wanted a better linkage between those conversations,” Hubbard said. These sessions ultimately led to President Tripathi noticing he was not getting travel reimbursement requests from Black. Hubbard then looked into the situation, which prompted the university to audit the Faculty Student Association, focusing on any reimbursements it was paying to university employees. The audit uncovered Black’s crimes. “So, what happened was [that we noticed] there were funds that were supposed to be paid to the university—specifically to Student Life—for costs that they bear to sup-
port campus dining and shops and the auxiliary. But instead of transferring the money to the university, [Black] put it in a special bank account that stayed over at FSA and then certain people had access to those funds and utilized them,” Hubbard said. Costantino’s crimes were also revealed through the audit. The audit looked at all the financial activity at FSA and noticed some of those funds were used by Costantino to make personal purchases. “So that’s how it came about—we ended up auditing that entire bank account,” Hubbard said. “It’s disappointing what happened. Unfortunate, obviously. We’ve done a lot of work—you know this is a problem that the university discovered… so we’re focused on understanding how it occurred and making sure that we, to the extent possible, can prevent the same circumstances from happening in the future,” Hubbard said of Black’s theft. SUNY auxiliary cooperation guidelines were updated in June 2016—the same month Black stepped down, according to Hubbard. “The anonymous [ethics report] hotline, the internal control policies are now covered in new employee orientation just so people are aware of them so all the measures an important part of creating a stronger control environment than we’ve had,” Hubbard said. The new guidelines also change how auxiliaries are governed. For example, the SUNY guidelines require that a third to half of the auxiliary board be comprised of students. And the law now requires auxiliary enterprises to have independent directors who don’t have business connections with the university or its auxiliaries. “So they’re business experts and community people that have business expertise and they also constitute the audit committee of FSA. FSA also didn’t have an audit committee previously – now they have one. And it’s made up of these independent experts—so that’s a change,” Hubbard said. The updated SUNY guidelines now call for seven administrators—previously there were only three, including Black, and they were all from Student Life. Hubbard said the university sought to “diversify” the administrators by including people from South Campus, Academic Affairs as well as businesspeople. The University Comptroller was also
added to the board, which means the university now has some direct insight into FSA’s finances— which they did not have before. “So those were changes made both to make the FSA board more robust—and we did this in cooperation with FSA—but also to provide stronger controls and management over the business operations there,” Hubbard said.
TUITION AND FEES Students have also expressed concern about how the university handles their money. In-state students pay $6,670 in tuition each year. Students also pay a $209.50 student activity fee yearly, which funds the Fall and Spring Fests, Homecoming Carnival and the Fall and Spring Galas, off-campus activities such as tickets to Sabres games and funding for over 150 student-run clubs and organizations. Students also pay two “broad-based fees”—the Comprehensive Fee and Academic Excellence and Success fee— which are $2,573.50 and $375, respectively. The proposed Academic Excellence and Success fee for 2017-18 is $475. Broad-based fees are “charged to all enrolled students to finance discrete activities that benefit the student body, excluding those activities that are part of the core instructional program,” according to Student Accounts. The comprehensive fee was implemented in 1998 and it’s a compilation of all SUNY and campus required fees. It includes technology, athletics, transportation, health, campus life, a transcript fee and funding for University Police. The Academic Excellence and Success Fee is a “strategic investment plan to invest in and expand academics and research, need-based aid, faculty and researchers,” according to Student Accounts. The fee, established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2011, goes toward: • The Finish in Four graduation program • Center for Excellence in Writing • Center for Entrepreneurial Research • Extended campus library hours • Updated technology in classrooms and cybraries • Formation of the biomedical informatics and material sciences and engi-
KATIE KOSTELNY, THE SPECTRUM
Laura Hubbard, UB’s Vice President for Finance and Administration, discusses how finances operate at the university.
neering departments • Institute for Strategic Enhancement Establishment of Institutional Diversity, an organization that “funds and educational opportunity for underrepresented and disadvantaged students in post-baccalaureate programs across the disciplinary spectrum,”according to Student Life • UB Energy Diversification Initiative • Formation of “A Human Capital Agenda for Educational and Economic Development,” an MA program in economics and educational policy • Built Environment, Health Behavior, and Health Outcomes Initiative, which sponsored research, the launch of an interdisciplinary dual degree in planning and public health • Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness • Formation of the Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics (ISTL) • Establishment of Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering • Joining Forces: UB Partnership for Excellence in Veteran Care, a collaboration between the UB Master of Social Work students and Doctor of Nursing Practice students focusing on training students interested in working with veterans and military families. Students are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the academic excellence fee via the UB Hub, a yearly survey, Facebook and via student representatives, according to Student Accounts. The fee was introduced to student leaders at a conference in 2011. “The input from that meeting was that student leaders actively engaged in the discussion were supportive of the UB 2020 approach and encouraged continual, active dialogue with students in constructing future plans for tuition and fee revenue use,” Student Accounts said in a statement on their website.
OPERATING EXPENSES AND REVENUES UB generates revenue through state tax support, tuition, fees, residence hall and apartments operations, endowment income, unrestricted gifts administered in the UB Foundation, faculty and administrative cost recovery and other income administered in the Research Foundation for SUNY and agency revenue administered in Campus Dining & Shops, according to UB’s 2015-16 Overview of Financial Activities. UB took in $739 million in 2015-16. This money goes toward instruction, departmental research, academic support services, student services, institutional support, operation and maintenance of plant, scholarship and fellowships, public service expenses, hospitals, clinics and intercollegiate athletics. Hubbard feels a sense of responsibility to the UB community. She believes her chief responsibility is stewardship. “If you look up the definition of stewardship it means we’re managing resources that don’t belong to us,” Hubbard said. “To me, that’s an important responsibility and it involves everybody at the university because we all in some way are managing resources that are university resources.” email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com
6
FEATURES
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
Whole Foods welcomed by organic enthusiasts New upscale grocery store draws large crowds MAX KALNITZ SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR
More than 400 people lined up hours before the Whole Foods grand opening on Friday at 8 a.m. to see the grocer’s first location of the Buffalo Niagara region. Janet Austin and Erin O’Brien, senior exercise science majors, were among the hundreds who waited in line for the store to open in the Northtown Plaza on Sheridan Drive. “It’s always exciting to see new healthy options available in the western New York area,” Austin said. “We have been waiting forever for Whole Foods to come to Buffalo and were so excited when we found out it was finally happening.” Austin and O’Brien got in line at 7:20 a.m. to wait for the opening. Free prizes and first-day sales were a major draw-in for the two to wait in line. “Waiting in line was definitely worth it. They had a lot of great sales and giveaways, like reusable bags and water bottles,” O’Brien said. “We bought fresh pasta, specialty yogurts, granola from their bulk section, unique frozen products, plus lots more. We were able to have a lot of samples from great local places too.” Mark Wilkins, store team Leader for the Buffalo Whole Foods branch, said he has welcomed the flood of shoppers at the new store and is happy to see UB students frequenting as well. “We have had a wonderful opening re-
ALLISON STAEBELL, THE SPECTRUM
Buffalo Niagara’s first Whole Foods supermarket opened its doors to a crowd of more than 400 people Friday morning at 8 a.m. People waited in line for their fair share of opening day sales and giveaways.
sponse on our opening day in Buffalo,” Wilkins said. “Students have especially been frequenting our coffee and juice bar, and our hot food and salad bars. We love having the college students in our store.” Whole Foods is known for being more expensive than other more traditional grocery stores. Amazon recently purchased the company lowering the price of staple food items, making it a more budget-friendly environment for college shoppers. As a result of their recent partnership, Wilkins said roughly 75 staple grocery items have been discounted, making it more affordable for people to eat healthy. “[These items] are staple items that are often sought after healthy items,” Wilkins said.
Inside the store, Buffalonians appreciated the grocer’s efforts at making the store not only visually enjoyable, but a positive and welcoming experience. Lindsay Lassetter, a freshman biomedical sciences major, was instantly taken by the store’s assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers. “This is amazing and really big. They have everything that I look for when I go shopping,” Lassetter said. “I like that they have a wide assortment of bulk foods, too. They have the granola and snacks that I eat here, so I can tell I’ll be shopping here a lot.” Lassetter said the store’s design matched the fall season perfectly and was impressed with
every aspect of her shopping experience. “Even the pumpkins and flowers outside the store are aesthetically pleasing. Everything here looks clean and organized,” Lassetter said. Many UB students haven’t made it to Whole Foods yet, but are eager to explore the store’s healthy and organic options. Of roughly 50 students interviewed, only three had been to the new store. Lindsay Corbett, a sophomore psychology major, said she can’t wait to shop at Whole Foods because their wide selection of fresh produce appeals to her taste. “I’m really excited to try to eat healthier, and I know that Whole Foods is going to make that easier,” Corbett said. “Their prices are a little bit high for college students, but I think that it’s worth it because before they came there wasn’t a store close enough to campus that has organic food like they do.” Corbett said she plans on doing all her shopping at Whole Foods instead of other local options including Wegmans or Tops. Mike Rogeo, a shopper from the area, said the new store’s modern look wasn’t something he’s used to seeing in Buffalo. Within the first few minutes of his grocery run, Rogeo was mesmerized by the cleanliness of the building. Its stainless steel and porcelain tile accents and bright lighting give the building an open feeling, making it seem bigger than it actually is. “This doesn’t feel like Buffalo,” Rogeo said. “I’m used to Wegmans and Tops, this is completely new for me. The store looks like something that you’d see in New York City, but not in Buffalo.” email: max.kalnitz@ubspectrum.com
Fall semester
smashes
From pop to R&B, here’s what to expect from the music world this semester ARTS DESK
If you’re looking for some new tunes, the autumn is a far from a disappointing time in music. From Miley Cyrus’ refined pop sound to Kelela’s blessed airy vocals, notes from low to high will be hit in the shower if you bump these jams loud enough. Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton Choir of the Mind Sept. 15 Metric frontwoman and Broken Social Scene vocalist Emily Haines will be releasing her first solo project in over a decade. Her previous project under the Soft Skeleton name, Knives Don’t Have Your Back, distinguished itself from Metric’s rock offerings by focusing on piano-driven tracks, often backed by strings and horns, to accompany Haines’ breathy vocals. The three released singles – “Planets,” “Fatal Gift” and “Statuette” – share a similar, dreamy quality. “Statuette” in particular draws the ear in as Haines’ vocals echo over a dark cabaret style instrumentals that encourage the mind to wander. Camila Cabello - The Hurting The Healing The Loving Sept. 22 Pop star Camila Cabello shocked the music world with her public departure from supergroup Fifth Harmony this past December. As arguably the most recognizable group member, this decision helped Cabello gain traction among lovers of her unique vocal acrobatics. Cabello’s debut solo single, “Crying In The Club,” co-written by Sia, hit airwaves this summer and solidified Cabello’s rising fan base. The former girl-bander shared two other singles on Aug. 3, “Havana” and “OMG,”
which feature rappers Young Thug and Quavo, respectively. Between expressing Cabello’s Cuban roots, and delivering a string of pop bangers, The Hurting The Healing The Loving will have everyone saying “OMG.” Miley Cyrus - Younger Now Sept. 29 The end of the month will see the sixth album by the former Disney Channel star and her first commercially released project since 2013’s Bangerz. Cyrus seems to be undergoing somewhat of an image rehabilitation after her dreadlock-wearing, salviasmoking period earlier in the decade which culminated in the infamous twerking incident with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The two singles that have been released off the album so far, “Malibu” and the titular “Younger Now,” showcase a rootsy sound that Cyrus had gotten away from with her hip-hop inspired Bangerz. Fans of her television series “Hannah Montana” may be excited to hear that Dolly Parton, who portrayed her Aunt Dolly on the show, will be showing up for a feature on the cowritten track “Rainbowland.” Kelela - Take Me Apart Oct. 6 Never has a singer made such accessible dance-based R&B (except maybe Janet Jackson). Kalela took to new heights after releasing her debut Cut 4 Me in 2013, with songs like “Go All Night” and “Floor Show” infectiously grooving over electronic soul. On Take Me Apart, the singer is gearing for a semblance of her past sounds while continually pushing her crooning forward. “LMK” is a smart love song, detailing Kelela’s yearning for a partner to respond to her
COURTESY OF WARP RECORDS
Kelela’s latest effort, “Take Me Apart,” will be a sensual and dancey mix of electronic R&B. The album one of the upcoming projects that music fans should look forward to this fall.
cues. It’s modernly appealing, much like the album’s second single “Frontline” which brings a thunder of trap and cool synths to a storm. With production from Jam City and Arca supporting the singer, expect an electric fusion of noise that will please any R&B fan come October. En Vogue - Electric Café Dec. 8 It’s been 13 years since fans last heard of En Vogue, the Funky Divas ‘90s R&B girl group. With their new album Electric Café, it’ll be worth the long wait. The group, known for hits like “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” will likely bring their distinct soul sound to wax yet again. After touring earlier this year, En Vogue is in harmony and will certainly be in check just as they did in their peak days. Earlier this year, it was announced that former Lucy Pearl co-founder Raphael Saadiq will be aiding the album’s production department. Years after his stint in R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, he had a minor but alleviating role in Solange’s A Seat At The Table last year. The mix of Saadiq with En Vogue, former
new jack swing contemporaries, will please anyone searching for more vintage soul stylings. Tinashe - Joyride TBA Since her 2014 debut album, Aquarius, R&B singer and choreography mastermind Tinashe has tried just about everything. She announced her upcoming pop release, Joyride, in 2015 and embarked on a world tour for the project. The album never surfaced, but Tinashe still kept impatient fans excited by dropping Nightride, its dark R&B antithesis. Stan Twitter and fans of Tinashe’s pop agenda have been craving the release, thanks to lead 2016 single “Superlove.” The track served as the perfect summer anthem, but it never gained traction due to a lack of promotion. Her latest single, “Flame,” was released this March and makes it clear that Queen T hasn’t thrown away her plan to dive into the pop world. If her label starts pushing her music and gives her the time of day, Tinashe’s Joyride has potential to be one of this year’s biggest pop releases. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
CLASSIFIEDS
7
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
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8
SPORTS
Monday, September 18, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
Gridiron
Report Card Breaking down the Bulls’ performance in their 33-10 win over Colgate DANIEL PETRUCCELLI SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
The Buffalo Bulls (1-2) looked fantastic on Saturday as they earned their first win of the season. They dictated the game from the first play and beat the Colgate Raiders (1-2) 33-10. Sophomore Emmanuel Reed became the first Bulls running back to score this season as well as the first running back to cross the century mark. Here are The Spectrum’s performance grades by position. QUARTERBACK: A
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyree Jackson showed great control in the game and commanded the offense. He got it done through the air and on the ground and had 281 combined yards and two total touchdowns. He scored the first touchdown of the day on a quarterback draw which has been a successful play call for the Bulls this season. His 97 yards on the ground was the best rushing performance of his career. He also kept the momentum the team has had with the long ball and completed two 45+ yard passes in the game. RUNNING BACK: A
This was by far the best showing that the Bulls running backs have had this season. Reed passed the 100-yard mark and found the end zone, both firsts for a Bulls running back this season. Junior Johnathan Hawkins added a score and put up 65 yards while not playing the entire second half. WIDE RECEIVERS: A-
The receivers had a good showing against Colgate. Five different receivers caught a football. Redshirt junior Anthony Johnson led the way for the third straight game and had two catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. The only knock is that no one crossed the 100-yard mark, but the Bulls didn’t have much need to go to the air and ran the whole second half.
TIGHT ENDS: B+
Sophomore tight end Tyler Mabry accumulated almost his entire season total from a year ago in a single catch on Saturday. The 57-yard catch set the Bulls up for their second touchdown of the game. Mabry only had one catch in the game, and needs to become a more active part of the pass game – but, again, the Bulls were all about the run in the second half. OFFENSIVE LINE: A
The offensive line finally started to get things right against Colgate. From the opening driving they were bullying the Raiders’ defensive line. The running game put up over 300 yards and only one run was over 20 yards, so it was just consistently opening up holes at the line of scrimmage. DEFENSIVE LINE: A
Raiders head coach Dan Hunt compared this unit to Syracuse’s after the game, and said they were just as good as the ACC unit. A comparison to a power five school is always a compliment, and the Bulls lived up to it on Saturday. Defensive ends senior Demone Harris and junior Chuck Harris led the team in tackles Saturday with six and five respectively. They also both had a tackle for loss. Eight defensive linemen registered tackles in the game. LINEBACKERS: B
The linebackers didn’t allow too much to happen for the Raiders, but none of the unit stood out either. Junior Khalil Hodge came into the game as the leading tackler in the na-
JACK LI, THE SPECTRUM
The Bulls walk out of the tunnel after halftime. The Bulls picked up their first win over the weekend.
tion, but walked away with only five tackles. The unit had some tackling issues and Raiders freshman quarterback Grant Breneman was able to pick up 68 yards on the ground, but that was the only stat of note for the Raiders. DEFENSIVE BACKS: A
This unit looks even better than last year, holding teams to even lower passing outputs. But unlike last year, this unit is actually being tested. Colgate threw the ball 23 times and only completed six of them. Junior cornerback Cameron Lewis is a shutdown corner who can control a matchup in man coverage. Junior Tatum Slack came up with big play on the goal line that held Colgate to a field goal. Colgate went for a screenplay within their five-yard line, and Slack sniffed it out from the start and emphatically swatted the pass down.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Junior kicker Adam Mitcheson made two field goals in the game and never had any pressure kicks to make, but he missed an extra point. It wasn’t important to the outcome of the game, but this is certainly not his first miss on an extra point – and that’s a problem. COACHING: A-
The ability to get the run game going was big for the coaching staff this week. Each week this offense comes together more and more and if the trend continues this team will be dangerous by the start of conference play. The coaching staff might want to dedicate some practice time this week to tackling, but other than that, it was a solid showing from the coaching staff. email: daniel.petruccelli@ubspectrum.com
Investing on poor foundation UB’s continued spending on football needs to end
THOMAS ZAFONTE SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
The fall has returned, and with it has come another UB football season that has no buzz or student anticipation. What is there to anticipate? Since 2000 the Bulls have only had one winning season. This isn’t a program based in success; it’s one that treats a single player from the team being signed to the NFL like a massive program accomplishment. I could try to convince you that caring about UB football is going to change the program but that’s just not true. Though I
do believe fan support is important for any team, it is not a pillar of victory. Instead, I urge students and athletics to look at other D1 teams at UB. Last year the (now cut) men’s soccer team had an incredible season that almost ended in another MAC championship, yet the whole year their home games looked empty. It’s the same story for almost every team on campus, and it’s a shame. Teams should be rewarded based on success and merit. If a program does well while another falters, there should be a focus on the team that succeeds. I’m not saying to cut the budget of poorly performing teams, but just imagine if just a single million from that new field house was distributed amongst our MAC champion tennis teams. Both programs would receive major facelifts by being able to use better equipment and better facilities, they might even be able to start practicing at UB instead of going to an off-campus tennis center. The plain truth is there are better teams than football which the university can invest in for a lot cheaper. Every team on campus doesn’t need nearly as much money as the football team to make improvements in
team infrastructure. Just a fraction of what we put into football’s budget alone would be enough to help setup our programs that do win MAC championships for future success. A big issue is that each fall, every promotion UB has is used for football. Each home game seems to have either a lackluster pregame musician or free t-shirts. It’s clear that football is the face of athletics early in the year, which sets a low precedent and makes the other teams look insignificant. By saying the football team is the most important sport at the start of every year, it leaves a sour taste in people’s mouths when Western Michigan is slapping them around. This immediately gives students the mentality that we are a bad sports school, which isn’t true. In the past three years we have won MAC titles in soccer, tennis, basketball and individual sports like wrestling. Excluding basketball, where are these teams’ free tshirt day, promoted home opener and terrible tailgate performance by Eddie Money? Promotions like these can draw the student body in; I see plenty of people wearing free UB t-shirts from blackout games yearround. It amazes me that even with UB’s terrible track record, that the school continues to invest largely in football. Maybe I missed the years when UB was winning Rose Bowls left
and right and set themselves up for continued championship success. It’s like the school would rather build around a program that ends up firing its coaches after poor seasons instead of programs where successful coaches end up leaving for greener pastures. We could be those greener pastures for those coaches; we just have to invest in them. I understand the argument that the money being invested in football is necessary to see the improvement needed for championship success. But the team still has the largest budget of any sports team on UB, and the margin isn’t even close. Football is naturally more expensive to run than other sport, and generates more money [still with no profit], so football having the biggest budget is justified. But coming out of a year where UB cut our best fall sport program and is now adding a $18 million field house makes it seem like there is no end in sight into how much money UB is willing to give them. My advice: watch the UB volleyball team. They are shaping very well this season and have already won multiple games. They are a team worth investing your time in, and are just as much Bulls as any other on campus team. email: thomas.zafonte@ubspectrum.com