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ubspectrum.com
Monday, November 2, 2015
Volume 65 No. 27
Bulls headed back to semifinals ROMULO ROMERO STAFF WRITER
In the fourth round of penalty shots at UB Stadium Sunday, sophomore goalkeeper Laura Dougall quickly stutter-stepped toward her right to make a save. But she didn’t even have to do that much. Central Michigan’s shot sailed wide right. Dougall was then mobbed at the goal by the rest of her Buffalo women’s soccer teammates in celebration as a somber Central Michigan squad was sent home early. The No. 3 seed Bulls (11-6-3, 7-3-1 MidAmerican Conference) defeated No. 6 seed Central Michigan 3-1 in a shootout to advance to the MAC Tournament Semifinals. The Bulls will play No. 2 seed Western Michigan (11-3-5, 8-1-2) on the road in the semifinals Friday looking to advance to the Championship game and win their secondstraight MAC Championship. “Champions are defined by how they deal with adversity,” said head coach Shawn Burke. After a 2-2 score at the end of regulation and two scoreless overtime periods, Buffalo scored on all three of its penalty shots in the shootout. The Bulls got goals from freshman defender Brianna Shingary, sophomore midfielder Julia Benati and freshman forward Carissima Cutrona, respectively. Dougall made two saves on four shots, with the fourth shot sailing wide of the net. She was calm in her demeanor in making a diving first save that gave Buffalo an early
Women’s soccer wins shootout, advances to MAC Semifinals to defend title
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
The women’s soccer team rushes to celebrate with sophomore goalkeeper Laura Dougall (1) after a win over Central Michigan in the MAC Quarterfinals at UB Stadium Sunday. Buffalo will advance to the MAC Semifinals against Western Michigan next weekend.
advantage. For Dougall, the preparation for the moment came during practice. “The coaches and I saw tapes of their game plan with penalties,” Dougall said. “So I was pretty confident going in, just knowing their tendencies and which way they were looking to go. Made it a bit easier for me there in an important situation.” The Bulls were one second away from a
2-1 victory in regulation until Central Michigan forward Alexis Pelafas scored the gametying goal with one second left in regulation. Buffalo’s defense allowed key passes that setup Pelafas to have a shot directly in front of net. Pelafas found a pocket in the bottom right corner and kicked the ball into the back of the net. It was a play that Burke wasn’t surprised by.
“I saw it coming,” Burke said. “It wasn’t surprising because we weren’t working collectively as a defense. We weren’t working together as a group and it allowed their offense to find the holes and get in position to make that play. It’s just something we have to tighten up.” The Bulls started the game strong, scoring a goal two minutes in off the foot of Cutrona. Cutrona received a pass from Benati, setting her up right in front of the Chippewas’ goal and allowing her to bury her third goal of the season. After the Chippewas answered to tie the game at 1, the Bulls once again went on the attack. In the second half, Shingary scored her second goal of the season when she shot one past the Central Michigan goalkeeper from the right corner. “There were several options on that play. I had a choice of whether to play it off to [Benati] or to just take the shot,” Shingary said, “so I took it and it found the back of the net.” There wasn’t much action in overtime until the 107th minute. Both teams were at a stalemate until the Chippewas Kaelyn Korte received a good pass from a teammate and a clear path to the goal. But Dougall that came up with the season-saving play. The Bulls travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan to face Western Michigan in the MAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday. Kickoff has yet to be announced. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
ASA steals the show African Student Association hosts annual fashion show
PHOTOS BY KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM
GABRIELA DIAZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The African Student Association’s 16th Annual Fashion Show stole the “Halloweekend” spotlight. ASA’s fashion show Saturday was filled with live music, dancing and stepping from some of UB and SUNY Buffalo State College’s dance groups. African prints and cloths took a modern approach as they walked the runway. Undergraduate, graduate students and alumni took part in the “Noir” themed show at the Marriot Hotel on North Campus Saturday evening. Instagram famous Lorenzo Cromwell, callhimrenny, hosted the show and kept the audience laughing. He joked with the audience and brought students on stage for dance battles. But the African culture incorporated into the clothing is what stole the show. Along with the African influence in many of the designs from the event, many designers chose to use a different theme in their lines. The line BlaccTokio incorporated Japanese elements into their clothing. The models strode down the runway in bomber jack-
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ets, jogger pants and tunics with Japanese kanji and prints of famous woodblock paintings on them. The designs showcased not only the diversity behind each piece, but the originality behind it too. Another noteworthy line from the evening was The Grunge Project, a line created by Toya Mendez from Buffalo State. The models for this line walked in modern apparel that appeared to have been inspired by the Yeezy clothing line. Julissa St. John, a junior fashion merchandising major from Buffalo State, said the new designs show the diversity of the designers. “I think there is a great amount diversi-
The Spectrum wins five national awards from the 2014-15 school year
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The African Student Association held its annual fashion show at the Marriot Hotel Saturday to show off students’ design work.
ty amongst the designers, they bring a lot to the table,” St. John said. “Many other designers tonight have incorporated tribal schemes into their work, for example, a lot of African prints are used in the pieces. These prints are incredibly elegant and I think they really make the clothing stand out.” St. John modeled for Mendez, the designer behind The Grunge Project. She said Mendez mostly designs menswear, but it is versatile enough that women can also wear it too. For Ethan Pray, a junior accounting major, this was his third year modeling in the
A local student turns to Wicca to embrace spirituality
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show. “Everyone always shows a lot of love and a ton of positive energy during the event. All of the pieces from each designer are different and it really shows the many unique ideas behind the people of this generation,” Pray said. “Honestly, there was not one line that I modeled that I did not like. For me, the clothes are a form of expression for oneself and everyone here has really great ideas.” Myriam Diomande, a UB alumnus, came to the event to support the UB Step Troupe (UBST). “I was president of UBST last year and I am a big supporter of ASA as well. I want them to do a great job tonight and I support them all the way,” Diomande said. The audience was not disappointed as the energy and perfectly choreographed performance of UBST wowed the crowd that night as well. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Sufjan Stevens performed at the Center for the Arts Friday
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NEWS
Monday, November 2, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
The Spectrum, former editors win national awards
Sex Issue and three former editors win national awards GABRIELA JULIA SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
The Spectrum has won five national awards from the 2014-15 school year. The Spectrum’s sex issue and three former editors received College Media Association (CMA) Pinnacle Awards. The Spectrum won first place in the Best Special Section category for its sex issue last February, second place in the Investigative News and General News categories and third place in the investigative sports category. Former editor in chief Sara DiNatale also won second place for Reporter of the Year – an Associated Collegiate Press National Pacemaker Award. “These awards continue an exciting pattern of UB journalism students getting national recognition for their work,” said Jody Kleinberg Biehl, director of UB’s Journalism Certificate Program and advisor to The Spectrum. “I couldn’t be prouder. We won awards in some of the most competitive categories. This shows that despite the program’s small size, we can compete against nationally ranked schools.” The Spectrum’s sex issue, which was published last February, included informative stories on topics like fetishes, threesomes and sexual health. “I put so much focus on it and wanted to make sure it wasn’t just columns, advice and fillers like other papers,” she said. “I wanted it to be well-researched and well-reported.” DiNatale said the staff stayed up until 7 a.m. working on the final touches before sending it to the printers. “All hands were on deck and everyone worked so hard,” she said. The following day, Issuu, the company that hosts The Spectrum’s digital copies, flagged the Sex Issue with a “Content Warning” and required users to verify they were 18 or older before viewing the issue.
“It made me that much prouder we won and the Pinnacle board could appreciate how intelligently we talked about sex,” DiNatale said. DiNatale received second place for Best Investigative News category for her story, “Facing the system.” Her article focused on former UB student Daniel Lampke’s hardships as a Level 2 sex offender and how sex offender levels are determined. DiNatale also won second place for Reporter of the Year. Katie Shepherd, a reporter for The Daily Bruin of the University of California, Los Angeles, came in first. “I didn’t consider myself a reporter last year since I was running a paper too,” DiNatale said. “Looking back at what I wrote, I realized I was. Being one of three recognized is pretty crazy and I’m grateful to have been in a group with such talented people.” DiNatale has interned for The Buffalo News, The Oregonian and The Boston Globe. She is currently working for The Tampa Bay Times. Owen O’Brien, former managing editor, said his story is one The Spectrum had been trying to write for a while. He received third place in the Best Sports Investigative Story category for his article “UB Athletics spends most money in the MAC.” O’Brien’s article revealed that while UB’s athletic department spends the most money in the Mid-American Conference, it does not spend the most money on coaching salaries and ranks near the bottom of the conference in coaching salaries. “UB Athletics, and the rest of UB, spends taxpayer and student money, so it’s important for people to know how it’s spent and make informed decisions,” O’Brien said. O’Brien said he was shocked just to be nominated. “UB isn’t known as a journalism school,” he said. “There’s a true underdog
The Spectrum’s sex issue won first place in the Best Special Section category for this year’s College Media Association’s Pinnacle Awards.
mentality going up against schools with so many resources – but who doesn’t love the underdog?” His experience at The Spectrum has given O’Brien opportunities to work for The Buffalo News and Newsday. Emma Janicki, former assistant managing editor, came in second place in the General News Category for her story “Publishing textbooks can mean big money for professors.” Janicki found no SUNY or New York State laws regarding professors selling selfpublished textbooks to students. UB had no policy or regulation on professors assigning their own textbooks to students or even accepting cash or the books in the classroom. She knew something wasn’t right. Her story sparked conversation in UB’s administration and the Faculty Senate recently passed a policy regulating the practice. “What’s even more rewarding is that UB recognized this was a problem and recently made a decision about it,” Janicki said. “That’s
really what you want as a journalist, for your piece to make a difference. Awards are wonderful but a real change is the whole point.” Janicki currently serves in a first grade classroom on Buffalo’s East Side with Americorps and said she attained this position due to the teaching and leadership skills she gained at The Spectrum. “I am proud and pleased for each of these students, but I’m also excited for the whole newsroom for winning the special section award,” Biehl said. “It’s a testament to their teamwork and synergy as a group. I hope this is the first of many team awards.” DiNatale said it’s nice to see The Spectrum on an “upward trajectory.” Ten years ago the newspaper wasn’t receiving national awards and had never been nominated for one. “It’s great to have worked with a team [of] such hard-working, talented journalists,” Janicki said. “I couldn’t have done my piece without the support of The Spectrum staff. We all won.” email: news@ubspectrum.com
Graduate Program Information Session Thursday, November 5, 2015 3:30 - 5:00 pm Davis Hall 101 North Campus Discuss graduate study opportunities. Explore current research. Meet faculty and students. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information: Please call (716) 645-0956 or e-mail: jrm9@buffalo.edu www.eng.buffalo.edu
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OPINION
Monday, November 2, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF
Tom Dinki
MANAGING EDITOR
Alyssa McClure
The end of Grantland What Grantland did for me as a sports writer
COPY EDITORS
Kayla Menes Renée Staples NEWS EDITORS
Gabriela Julia, Senior Ashley Inkumsah Marlee Tuskes FEATURES EDITORS
Tori Roseman, Senior Dani Guglielmo ARTS EDITORS
Brian Windschitl, Senior Kenneth Kashif Thomas Tomas Olivier, Asst.
QUENTIN HAYNES SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTS EDITORS
Jordan Grossman, Co-senior Quentin Haynes, Co-senior PHOTO EDITORS
Yusong Shi, Co-senior Kainan Guo, Co-senior Angela Barca . CARTOONISTS
Joshua Bodah Michael Perlman CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Kenneth Cruz Pierce Strudler, Asst.
Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER
Nicole Dominguez Lee Stoeckel, Asst. Zach Hilderbrandt, Asst.
When parents and friends ask me what I’m going to college for and what I want to do with my life, I point to Grantland. At 14 years old I decided I wanted to enter the world of sports journalism and spend the rest of my life covering sports at the highest levels. And Grantland, ESPN’s sports and pop-culture blog, has given me motivation to continue to pursue that goal and represented the pinnacle of sports writing. So when ESPN announced on Friday that it was shutting down the site immediately after four years of production, I was crushed. In a backstory that you probably, certainly don’t care about, the website’s end comes after its founder Bill Simmons left ESPN
for HBO and took four of Grantland’s top editors, thus accelerating the site’s demise. There’s lot of differing opinion on who’s to blame and ESPN and Simmon’s drama, but right now I’m looking back at Grantland fondly and what it did for my writing. Grantland was everything I want to be as a sports writer. I always wanted to be able to write about sports and have that ability to provide emotion and a statistical background to my thoughts. As I continued to read, I began to think that everything around a result was more important than the result itself. “Player X” ran for 150 yards became secondary, as I was more intrigued at how the offensive line played and which side of the field did he use to get most of his yardage. I remember sharing some of my favorite Grantland articles with my teacher freshman year and saying, “I want to write like this. I want to be this. How do I get to this?” Even now, as I write this for The Spectrum, I’m reminded of Grantland’s style of writing and why I like it more than newspaper writing. Here I am, four years later, wanting to go back and do more work like that. I still use Grantland as the pinnacle of what type of
writer I want to be. Now it’s over and there’s still a ton of work to do on my end to reach that goal and I have about six months to do so. There were several things made Grantland great – most notably, the talented writers, the versatility and the coverage of different events. There was no stone left unturned during its tenure in the sports and pop culture and it was the ability to give you everything that made it great. ESPN gave them the ability to get the best talent but as a daily reader, it was a treat to be able to wake up and see coverage from some of the best writers in the sports world on one website. At one point, it had the best in each in three of the four major sports. Zach Lowe and Jonathan Abrams for the NBA, Bill Barnwell and Robert Mays on the NFL and Jonah Keri and Ben Lindbergh covering MLB and the rigors of a 162-game season. It was good to see a constant, smart presence when it came to those sports and their respective seasons and postseasons. And for all the work done on the sports, the pop culture work was just as great. Grantland ran a bracket on some of the best songs of the 2000s, wrote oral histories
about Boogie Nights, the history of the first all-sports talk station, WFAN, and independent newspaper The National, held Grammy Week and Oscars Week and my favorite writer Rembert Browne got to sit with Barack Obama and discuss topics like his trip to Selma. And it was all on one website for four years. It was important to have sites like Grantland because it opened the reader’s mind and challenged the basic viewpoint of the common sports fan. Grantland and sites similar to it provided a statistical side of sports that is often missing in newspapers and often just a bit more to the people who wanted it. It’s going to be weird, waking up tomorrow knowing that I’m going to accidently open Grantland and see “We had a good run” on the homepage, with nothing new there but archives. Knowing that one of my favorite websites is gone and no chance of coming back is weird. But instead of being sad like I am now, I’m going to check out the archives and read some of the stuff that only reinforced my dream of becoming a sports journalist. email: quentin.haynes@ubspectrum.com
ADVERTISING DESIGNER
Derek Hosken
Halo 5: Guardians doesn’t disappoint
THE SPECTRUM
Master Chief returns to save the universe, but this time he’s the hunted
Monday, November 2, 2015 Volume 65 Number 27 Circulation 7,000 The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. The Spectrum is represented for national advertising by MediaMate. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at (716) 645-2452. The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100
KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS ARTS EDITOR
Game: Halo 5: Guardians Grade: AStudio: 343 Industries To the joy of many fanboys and gamers, Halo 5: Guardians finally hit stores last Tuesday and did not disappoint. With a beefed-up campaign longer than any before, it’s more fun with friends – as long as you all have an Xbox One console. The fifth installment of Xbox’s titan series Halo 5: Guardians shows Master Chief in a position in which he’s rarely seen. Intent on saving the universe, he’s hunted by Spartan Locke and his four-man team of Spartans. With redesigned gameplay, it can be a bit rocky getting into the groove of the controls but once you get past that, you’ll have a hard time putting the game down. Now before actual gameplay, you’ll be heartbroken to know there is no local play for the game. In other words, only one person is playing Halo per console. Albeit, this is something that made Halo the favorite it is. It’s not an issue that will cause you to lose sleep with the new content and features that have been added. With a 16-mission campaign, it’s easy to be drawn into the Halo universe, but this time you have a team of Spartans to watch your six. His generation one Spartan family Frederic, Linda and Kelly – who make up the blue team – aids Master Chief. Edward Buck,
an ODST member from Halo 3: ODST, played by Nathan Fillion in image and voice, Vale and Tanaka – the red team – back up Spartan Locke. Throughout the campaign you switch between both teams. With the added ability to be revived or revive your teammates, the battles can continue much longer – but that doesn’t mean the AI hasn’t changed much. AI this time around has seen a huge upgrade in both power and strategy, even on heroic difficulty. You will find yourself cut down quickly if you’re not careful. You aren’t given new weapons as there are no new factions – you’re still facing the covenant and the prometheans – but the flood are nowhere to be found, eradicated in the Halo 3. There are new armor abilities though – you get thruster pack jumps as a permanent addition – hovering while aiming down sights
and a Spartan push that kills or breaks down most walls while sprinting. The plot is an elaborate goose chase, with Locke’s red team chasing the Chief and Chief ’s blue team chasing Cortana, who’s cured rampancy but has a new contingency plan for the universe. Not to give too many spoilers for the end, but it’s readily obvious that there will be another one – there is no closure in its ending. Although, we are given a plethora of extra information in terminals and data pads strewn across the campaign. We see online multiplayer for Halo 5 cut down with only six Arena game types comprised of team slayer and other objective-based games, but what is taken away in variety, we’re given warzone. Warzone is a mixture of taking and holding bases, protecting reactor cores and fighting off formidable AI, all wrapped into 24-player
COURTESY OF MICROSOFT STUDIO
hellstorm. The gametype also doesn’t leave guns and vehicles lying around the map, so you can build up an arsenal of requisitions, which you can access in bases. To keep the game steadily growing in intensity, your performance will up your security clearance in-game, giving you access to your better guns and vehicles. Overall, Halo 5 proves that the franchise can still put out quality product without compromising too much of what made the game immensely popular in the beginning. The campaign is immensely better with improved AI, giving great backup but even more competitive enemies. Warzone proves to be the most popular of gametypes, putting old school favorites such as team slayer and capture the flag in the shadows. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
4Hope in spirituality
FEATURES
Monday, November 2, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Wicca helps local college student find herself SOPHIA MCKEONE STAFF WRITER
Spirituality is something that gives us hope in a sometimes hopeless world, according to Nina LaPres, a junior journalism and creative writing major at Canisus College. “I believe it should help you grow as a person and make you feel good about the world you live in,” LaPres said. Although she believes each person should get this feeling from spirituality, LaPres doesn’t believe each person finds spirituality in the same place. It is a personal experience that can be found through a variety of practices and religions. LaPres finds spirituality in Wicca, a pagan religion worshipping ancient gods often found in nature through various herbs, crystals, rituals and spells. “The best way to describe [Wicca] to people is that I don’t have a church – nature is my church,” LaPres said. LaPres said once spells are mentioned, people seem to get the wrong impression of Wicca. “I like to say it’s the easiest form of chemistry,” LaPres said. “You use different herbs and crystals for different seasons and for different gods sometimes you do chants and some gods like different music played.” Unlike people’s usual assumptions, these spells aren’t scary. In fact, LaPres enjoys Wicca so much because reaching out to the gods is reassuring and comforting. This feeling became so overwhelming during one of her first spells that it brought tears to her eyes. “I was doing it for our main deities The God and The Goddess, which are like the two head honchos, and I kept noticing
weird things like smoke from the burning incense going certain directions and candles flickering. Just the energy was so comforting, I was like ‘Wow, this is really working,’” LaPres said. LaPres’ experience with religion and spirituality has not always been so positive. Before turning to Wicca, LaPres was a Christian, which for her came with an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. At her Christian middle school, LaPres didn’t feel like she fit in. “I would always wear black, I would always wear chokers, I always dyed my hair however I could while still within the dress code guidelines … and there were rumors about me just because I was different … I felt like an outcast,” LaPres said. As LaPres grew up, it seemed who she was and what she believed became more conflicting with what she was being taught was right. When LaPres began attending an Evangelical church her freshman year of high school, this feeling escalated, specifically toward their opinion on gay rights. “I’m a very big LGBT supporter. Especially in high school I was a big part of the Gay Straight Alliance and it was fantastic … but even at my school they would joke about how ‘The gays were fighting for the right to go to hell’ and I was really hurt by that. It bothered me that people could be so adamant about God sending you to hell for being who you are,” LaPres said. Not only was her church preaching beliefs she didn’t feel right about, it was urging its parishioners to do the same. According to LaPres, if you didn’t spread the word you weren’t being a good enough Christian and she couldn’t spread words she felt wrong about. “I always felt like I was at a crossroads
… I felt too guilty to preach these things I was supposed to and it was like if you’re not doing something for our God then you’re not doing it for the right reasons and therefore you’re wrong. I felt like if [I was] a spiritual being this really shouldn’t be how my religion is making me feel.” LaPres finally left the church. Throughout the rest of high school she describes knowing there was a god of some sort but not what it was. She didn’t want to believe it was the same god COURTESY OF NINA LAPRES that would be so harsh Nina LaPres, a junior at Canisius College, felt uncomfortable and on the people it creatout of place for most of her life - until she found Wicca. Wicca is ed. a subset of Paganism which practices spells and rituals involving It wasn’t until her nature and worships both a god and a goddess. first year of college at St. Bonaventure Unia spirituality that doesn’t make her anxious versity that LaPres started researching and and is thankful for the person Wicca has practicing Wicca. helped her become. “After I got out of the church, I was like, “Before Wicca I would just be really sad ‘I still kind of believe in this but I kind of all the time and anxious like ‘What life am don’t.’ I don’t really know what I am any- I supposed to live?’ [and] ‘What am I supmore … so when I got to college it was kind posed to do?’… It was me against the of like a free for all and even though St. world,” LaPres said. “Now, every little thing Bonaventure was a Franciscan college they has a meaning and it’s always positive and I were very accepting of everything. [The] li- look at nature differently. I respect it a lot brary had a really big section on witchcraft more than I used to … I see all the beauty and Wiccan and paganism and I just read in the world.” every single book I could … and started practicing it all right away.” email: features@ubspectrum.com LaPres has since enjoyed the luxuries of
Around town: November edition Enjoy the last of the fall weather with these events around Buffalo COURTESY OF FLICKR USER JIM DUELL
Canalside is a great place to spend the dwindling days of fall. Take in the waterfront, enjoy free activities like foosball or giant Connect Four and a grain elevator illumination taking place on Nov. 4.
at Kleinhans Music Hall for the “Where’s Larry” tour and perform their live comedy show. This show is going to feature never-before-seen footage, lots of laughs and what the group does best – embarrassing each other.
Plain White T’s The Plain White T’s, best known for its popular songs “Hey There Delilah” and “Rhythm of Love,” are making a stop in Buffalo during its tour. The group will perform at the Showplace Theatre in Buffalo on Nov. 3. Although this band hasn’t released a new album since 2010, the tour will be featuring most of its pop and punk songs.
DANI GUGLIEMO FEATURES EDITOR
Fall is coming to an end and it’s time to squeeze in last minute activities before the temperature falls below zero and the ground is covered in snow. Check out some of these interesting events around town in the upcoming weeks before Thanksgiving.
Everyday autumn activities Make your way downtown to Canalside for free activities such as ping pong, foosball, giant Connect Four and more.
Every day and all day until Nov. 13, Canalside will be hosting typical autumn activities. You can spend your days by the Buffalo River and Lake Erie as the Buffalo weather continues to decline. There will be lawn and table games, art installations, food and drinks.
Grain elevator illumination The grain elevator is one of Buffalo’s historic landmarks. It is a factory where cereal is manufactured in the elevators and plants owned by General Mills. Join Canalside on Nov. 4 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. as they “flip the switch” and light up the elevators and turn the factory into a
work of art. This celebration will feature events like live jazz music, a performance by David Butler, food trucks, beverages and more.
Impractical Jokers Four childhood friends and comedians – Sal Vulcano, Joe Gatto, James Murray and Brian Quinn – compete to embarrass each other on their hit show, Impractical Jokers. The boys have pulled off some pretty incredible stunts or “punishments” including piercings, professional wrestling and crashing an Imagine Dragons concert. On Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., the Impractical Jokers will be heading onstage
Buffalo Saturday Artisan Market Buffalo’s Artisan Market is set up at Canalside on Nov 13 and 14. Similar to the larger version of the market set up over the summer, vendors will be selling a variety of trinkets, from jewelry to artwork. It comes just in time for the holiday season, making it the perfect place to pick up unique gifts for friends and family. The ice skating rink at Canalside will open this weekend next to heated tents for those who want to show off their skills. You can make a day out of going downtown and checking out the market, or have a date night by the ice rink. email: features@ubspectrum.com
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Monday, November 2, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Sufjan Stevens and his bittersweet homily Singer-songwriter puts on incredible live show
BRIAN WINDSCHITL SENIOR ARTS EDITOR
Sufjan Stevens has a way of bringing out emotion like no other artist. Bathed in a swath of swirling lights, the musician played all of his hit songs, including “Carrie and Lowell,” “Should Have Known Better” and “All of Me Wants All of You.” On Friday, the Detroit singer-songwriter performed at the Center for the Arts (CFA) for a near sell-out crowd to promote his newest album Carrie & Lowell. The studio album, Stevens’ seventh, was released from Asthmatic Kitty Records on Jan. 12. The concert was unlike anything anyone in the audience expected. Stevens may have only said 20 words to the audience the entire night. But he really didn’t need to say anything at all – his music speaks for itself. Stevens, known for his heavily emotional music, is much different live. The emotional artist played his music on top of a live band and adding in a heavy bass into his live show, which kept the audience on the edge of their seats the entire night. Bryan Johnson and Yannay Khalkin, both from Toronto, came down from Canada to make sure they were able to see Stevens live. They said Sufjan was a musician you never want to miss if you had a chance to see him – they saw him once before when he was touring for his Christmas album Songs for Christmas. “All of his music is like poetry,” Khalkin said. “He is able to sing softly, have beautiful lyrics and still keep the audience involved.” Stevens’ performance was constantly changing – each song started off with Stevens playing by himself on stage, illuminated by a single beam of light. After a soft chorus and verse, Stevens would cue the live band and slowly the instruments would add in one-by-one – piano, banjo, wind chimes, keyboard and drums. Stevens and his band made sure to keep the audience involved by keeping them guessing. Each new instrument felt refreshing and surprising. At the crux of the concert when Stevens was performing “Blue Bucket of Gold,” the band wordlessly played an instrumental for 10 minutes onstage, an intense montage of pounding bass, drums, keyboard, guitar and swirling lights. Patrick Daly, a student at SUNY Fredonia, said Sufjan was simply amazing. “A lot of his songs on his records are completely different from how he played them,” he said. “It’s like you know it, but’s it’s a totally new thing. I loved it.” It’s not often a musician can perform in a way that sounds completely different from his studio albums, but still is able to capture
YILIN LI, THE SPECTRUM
On Friday, Sufjan Stevens performed at the Center for the Arts’ Mainstage Theater in front of a near sell-out crowd. His emotional songs kept the audience on the edge of their seats all night, constantly moving between feelings of sadness and catharsis.
the crowd. “I want to share my sadness with the world,” Stevens said during the performance. “Each night I’m able to share my emotions with the world – it feels special.” Stevens, throughout the night, asked a lot of his band. Each band member was constantly moving onstage, shifting from instrument to instrument. One song could feature keyboards, piano and drums and the next extra vocals, a xylophone and a banjo – the band members were impressively adaptable to each new song. The pace onstage kept Stevens’ music
from getting too slow – the pace he has in his studio albums just doesn’t fit a live show. The added instruments and heavier bass made sure the concert didn’t ever feel too sluggish. “It was fantastic, very moving,” said Mark Constantino, a Buffalo native. “His voice was phenomenal, and I loved the harmonies between all the players in the band.” Humorously, Stevens projected a Buffalo Bills logo over himself during the encore, where Stevens performed many songs from his Illinois album, including “Chicago” and “John Wayne Gacy Jr.”
His songs, often tinged with humor and sadness, play on looking at tragedy with a tongue-in-cheek approach. Because of this, Stevens’ music is cathartic and invigorating, a hymnal for souls struggling to find meaning in their own lives. Stevens’ says it himself – he only hopes his music is able to make people understand their own feelings. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
The grapevine BRIAN WINDSCHITL SENIOR ARTS EDITOR
This week, the Plain White T’s make a re-appearance, TheNEWDEAL comes to Town Ballroom and David Sanborn plays at Buffalo State. From an award winning alto saxophonist to a hard rock jam sesh, Buffalo has something for everyone this week.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 Plain White T’s – Showplace Theatre American pop punk band Plain White T’s is one of the most massively popular groups to emerge in the 2000s, riding off of its hit single “Hey There Delilah.” The band has received two Grammy nods in its career and three of its songs – “Hey There Delilah,” “1234” and “Rhythm of Love” – were certified Platinum in 2007, ’09, and ’11 re-
Your weekly collection of Buffalo’s sonic selections spectively. They will be performing again in Buffalo at Showplace Theatre on Tuesday. Don’t miss this chance to see one of the biggest rock bands of the late 2000s.
Wednesday, Nov. 4 TheNEWDEAL – Town Ballroom From Toronto, TheNEWDEAL is an electronic band that has been around since the late ’90s, when it formed after some impromptu jam sessions. The band has frequented Buffalo, playing back when the free summer concerts were still held in Larkin Square. The band is coming back after a three year hiatus, when it reformed in 2014.
Thursday, Nov. 5 David Sanborn – Buffalo State David Sanborn is a well-known alto saxophonist who has worked in many different genres. Notably, he worked with David Bowie on his album Young Americans. An incessant tour musician, Sanborn will often have over 100 tour dates. He will be coming to Buffalo State to perform on Thursday – don’t miss the chance to see this Grammyaward winning artist in action.
Friday, Nov. 6 Theory of a Deadman – Rapids Theatre
Theory of a Deadman is officially classified as hard rock, but its fusion of postgrunge and alt-metal is a sight to see. Getting its start as the opening bill of a Nickelback tour, Theory of a Deadman has been headlining its own tours since 2010. The band will be performing at Rapid Theatre for its high-octane, adrenaline-filed live show – come out and head jam.
Saturday, Nov. 7 Gwar – Town Ballroom Heavy metal band Gwar has been around since the ’80s. Known for its over-the-top live shows, the band often satires social and political topics in humorous and violent ways. In some cases, the band will spray the crowd will fake blood. The “shock rock” band will be performing at the Town Ballroom on Saturday. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
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SPORTS
Monday, November 2, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Quick Hits: wrestling starts 2-0, men’s soccer reaches MAC Tournament
Former Bull Ford signs D-League contract
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
Xavier Ford dunks during Buffalo’s win over Kent State last January in Alumni Arena. Ford has been proving people wrong about him his entire life.
KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM
Freshman Megan Wernette and senior Megan Lipski signal to other players during a match. The Bulls finished 1-1 this past week and have four games remaining in the season.
The Bulls picked up perhaps its finest victory in years. The team defeated Big Ten Conference team Maryland (1-2) 1913. A victory by James Benjamin in the 197-pound weight class sealed the victory for Buffalo. The Bulls then took down Davidson 47-0 with all 10 competitors taking home a victory for Buffalo. Kyle Akins began the day in the 125-pound weight class with a 14-2 decision, followed by a pinfall victory by Bryan Lantry. The Bulls will continue their season on Nov. 14 in Albany at the Northeast Duels.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
Cross Country The Bulls had two members of the Cross Country team make it to the All-MAC second team at the MAC Championships on Saturday in Norton, Ohio. Amy Shaw completed the 6K course in 21:37.2 for 13th place. Cameron Bruce finished 11th with an official time of 25:01.5. The Bulls will head to Boston, Massachusetts on Friday for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.
Wrestling (2-0) Buffalo kicked off its season on Sunday at the Terrapin Duels in dominant fashion.
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
And work he did. Ford was named a Parade All-American in high school before coming to UB as a touted prospect. He struggled his first three seasons and didn’t see much playing time or results. It wasn’t until his senior year where Xavier Ford became Xavier Ford. He became a major contributor for a championship team, scoring 9.7 points and grabbing 6.2 rebounds a game and eventually took over as the permanent starter for the second half of the season. It took a trip to Cleveland for his senior season to come full circle. He averaged 17.5 and 7.5 rebounds in the MAC Tournament and was named the Tournament MVP. He credits positive role models on the team like former head coach Bobby Hurley, who he said always conducted himself like a professional.
As he continues his journey toward the NBA, Ford can’t help but think about his hometown. He wants to do more than be a great player – he wants to make a difference for the players that think they can’t make it out of a troubled neighborhood. “I try to pride myself on being more than just an athlete,” Ford said. “A lot of people are great athletes, and it’s just that. I try to pride myself of being an athlete and give messages back to my community. It resonates more when kids can look up and see a person who came from where they came from and understands how they feel and what they go through.” Ford is settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan as the youngest player on the team and will partake in the first official training camp practice Monday. The Drive opens its season on Nov. 14.
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email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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Monday, November 2, 2015
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8
SPORTS
Monday, November 2, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Former Bull Ford signs D-League contract Xavier Ford to play with NBA Detroit Pistons’ D-League affiliate JORDAN GROSSMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Xavier Ford has spent his entire life proving people wrong. People told him he’d never make it out of his troubled Colorado Springs neighborhood. They told him he would never live up the hype after he struggled his first three seasons at UB. He proved everyone wrong in helping the men’s basketball team win its first MidAmerican Conference Championship and graduating UB with a degree in sociology last semester. Now he’s ready to do it one more time. Ford, a former forward for the Bulls, recently signed his first professional contract with the Grand Rapids Drive, the Developmental League affiliate of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. But he’s not ready to stop there. “I’m at a point now where I’m working to prove people wrong and fight for what I want,” Ford said. “The end goal and the end result is the NBA. To get to the NBA, it’s a tough road. You just have to take it day by day, understand the grind and love the process of getting better.” Ford decided to stay in the States after originally thinking about going overseas to continue his basketball career. But he knew he wanted to continue his basketball career in any way he could. His agent, who already represents a player on the Drive, recommended Ford as a possible sign-on. Both sides agreed and Ford shipped out to Grand Rapids, Michigan to begin training with the team. The news came “all of a sudden” for Ford. He didn’t even know he was going to be a part of the Pistons organization. Earlier in the process, Ford thought he would be joining the Sioux Falls Skyforce – the affiliate for the Miami Heat – after conversations with their personnel. As talks fell apart, the Drive continued conversation with B.J. Johnson, a former
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
Xavier Ford celebrates during Buffalo’s victory over Kent State in Alumni Arena last season. Ford signed a D-League contract and hopes to make an impact on his hometown and eventually get to the NBA.
Syracuse basketball player and current mentor to Ford. Johnson knew multiple people at Grand Rapids and lauded Ford for his talent, ability and character. The Drive eventually decided to give him a contract. Before Ford could be officially signed, he had to go through a background check. Everything checked out – nothing surprising to people who know Ford. “I felt it played a long part,” Ford said
about the background check. “They’re bringing in a genuine person that they don’t have to worry about off the court.” That’s something Ford takes pride in. Ford, who grew up in a rough neighborhood of Colorado Springs, had witnessed others fail too many times. He saw people he grew up with get involved with drugs, gangs and crime. But not Ford.
He made it a point to prove the skeptics wrong. He wanted to be the anomaly. “Coming from Colorado Springs, where not a lot of people accomplish what he did, it’s been instilled in him at a young age to keep working,” said Will Regan, Ford’s former Buffalo teammate. “It’s a great mentality to have.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Quick Hits: men’s soccer clinches MAC Tournament spot, wrestling starts 2-0 SPORTS DESK
Football (4-4, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) The Bulls avoided an upset on Thursday, defeating Miami Ohio (1-8, 0-5 MAC) 2924. Senior quarterback Joe Licata complet-
ed 22 of 29 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Jordan Johnson had his second 100-yard rushing game in as many career starts, finishing with 28 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns. It comes one week after Johnson replaced senior running back Anthone Taylor in the
starting lineup due to an ankle injury. Taylor played in a limited role on Thursday. The Bulls will travel to Kent, Ohio to face Kent State (3-5, 2-2 MAC) on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Volleyball (6-18, 5-7 MAC) The Bulls finished 1-1 on the week as the
MAC Tournament approaches. On Thursday, the Bulls defeated Akron (8-17, 2-10 MAC) 3-1. After winning the first two sets, the Zips claimed the third set, before Buffalo closed the fourth set. Three players finished with double-digit kills, led by freshman outside hitter Valisha Watkins’ 16 kills. Senior outside hitter Megan Lipski finished with 10 kills and a team-high 16 digs. On Saturday, Buffalo fell to Ball State (13-13, 7-5 MAC) in straight sets. The Bulls scored more than 19 points in just one set. Watkins finished with nine kills and nine errors, while freshman outside hitter Megan Wernette was second on the team with six kills. The loss ended Buffalo’s three game conference winning streak. The Bulls return to Alumni Arena to face Bowling Green (6-19, 2-10 MAC) on Friday, Nov. 6. The match is set to begin at 5 p.m.
Men’s MAC)
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
(From L to R) Senior outside hitter Marissa Prinzbach, freshman middle blocker Megan Wernette and senior middle blocker Akeila Lain celebrate. The volleyball team had 1-1 this week with a victory over Akron and loss to Ball State.
soccer
(7-5-4,
2-1-1
The Bulls picked up their biggest win under head coach Stu Riddle on Saturday as they punched their tickets to the MAC Tournament. Buffalo came from behind to defeat Bowling Green (8-8, 1-1-3 MAC) 2-1 Friday. After trailing 1-0, the Bulls got goals in the 86th and 88th minute – one by senior forward Marcus Hanson and the other by junior midfielder Russell Cicerone – to give the Bulls the victory. The win clinches the Bulls’ first MAC Tournament appearance since 2011. The Bulls travel Kalamazoo, Michigan to face Western Michigan (9-3-4, 2-1-1 MAC) in their final regular season game of the year on Saturday. Kickoff is set 1 p.m. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6