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ubspectrum.com
Friday, May 1, 2015
Volume 64 No. 76
Students pay tribute to the victims of Nepal earthquake
ELAINE LAM, THE SPECTRUM
(Top) Student placed candles on the ground outside the Student Union Wednesday to honor the victims of the Nepal earthquake. (Bottom) Sofiya Karki, president of Bangladesh Student Association (BSA) holds back tears as she speaks of her friends in Nepal who are terrified to step into their own homes in fear they may collapse. The BSA held a candlelight vigil attended by approximately 150 students for the victims of the Nepal earthquake that occurred on Saturday.
Approximately 150 students gather for candlelight vigil ASHLEY INKUMSAH
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
When Eveeta Bajracharya moved from her native Nepal to Buffalo in August of 2014 to attend UB for graduate school, she never imagined her beloved city would turn into a “ruin.” Bajracharya, a first-year graduate student studying finance, received a phone call from her father at 2 a.m. on Sunday telling her that a major earthquake had occurred in her hometown of Kathmandu, Nepal. “I was completely drained of all my fear, anxiety and worry for my people back home,” Bajracharya said. “With events like these, you realize that the things that actually matter are our family and everything else took a back seat.” The Bangladeshi Student Association (BSA) held a candlelight vigil for the victims of the earthquake outside of the Student Union on Wednesday night. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred on Saturday and caused the deaths of more than 5,400 people and injured 11,440 people as of Thursday, according to Nepal’s National Emergency Coordination Center. The death toll is expected to rise. The earthquake was centered within the district of Gorkha, but the United Nations said the earthquake affected 8 million people across 39 districts. During the vigil, which was attended by approximately 150 people, students remembered
the deceased and sang Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka, the national anthem of Nepal. Students also placed candles around the flag of Nepal. “The reason I was at the vigil was to meet my people from back home who could understand the emotional distress I have been feeling,” Bajracharya said. “[I wanted] to cry with them, for the lives we have lost and heritages that we have lost due to this unfortunate event.” Bajracharya said she feels “helpless and emotionally drained” because she cannot do anything other than worry for her friends
and family. Sofiya Karki, a junior accounting major, president of BSA and a Nepal native, said she wanted to hold the vigil because she felt like people needed to know what was happening in Nepal and she wanted to find out who was interested in helping. “Even though it started out as a BSA event, it turned out to be a event to unite people to come together,” Karki said. Karki helped organize the fundraiser “UB for Nepal Earthquake Relief,” in which people can donate money in support of relief
efforts. It has currently raised more than $500 in support of the relief efforts and all proceeds will be given to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). Nepal’s Minister for Information and Communications Minendra Rijal, said the government has provided more than 4,700 tents and 22,000 tarpaulins to those in need of shelter, according to CNN. Twenty-one helicopters have been sent to Nepal, rescuing more than 800 people. Karki said some of her family and friends have not slept in their homes and are camped outside in tents. Some went on a trip to Nepal and are now stuck in the country due to the earthquake. “I just hope after today’s event, everyone keeps us in their prayers so we can come out of this trauma as quickly as possible,” Bajracharya said. “As a country like Nepal, something devastating like this will push us further back.” Anita Sharma, a sophomore health and human services major, started getting notifications on Sunday on Facebook informing her that her friends and family in Nepal were safe. “This was very helpful because it let me know that even though they do not have access to the Internet to personally let me know that they are OK, I was still able to know that they were safe,” Sharma said. Sharma said she hopes to help create an organization for Nepali students to gather and reflect especially when natural disasters like this earthquake occur. email: news@ubspectum.com
The ‘Woz’ wows UB Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talks computers, people, pranks and creative freedom TOM DINKI SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Steve Wozniak said performing on Dancing with the Stars was more challenging than building the Apple II computer. The Apple co-founder said it took him about two weeks from thinking of the concepts to actually building one of the first personal computers that would revolutionize technology. The celebrity dancing competition show forced him to train and sweat six hours a day, seven days a week while learning something new. “When you work so hard at something you’re not able to do, it’s not your area of discipline and you achieve something, it brings you so much joy that you overcame something,” Wozniak said. “I was so happy to be a geek and be on a show like that.” Wozniak’s fast-talking, joke-cracking discussion at Alumni Arena Wednesday night covered everything from having the cre-
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ativity to branch out and learn new ideas, the future of artificial intelligence, the formation of Apple Computer to pranks and fake names. Wozniak’s talk was the final of the Distinguished Speaker Series for the academic year. Wozniak, despite his success and creating the Apple I and Apple II computers, presented himself as an ‘everyman’ on stage Wednesday. He spoke of pulling pranks with TV jammers and once referred to himself as a nerd eating TV dinners and watching Star Trek. He said he mostly uses Facebook to look up funny videos. When a student asked about global technology growth trends, he openly admitted he knew little about the subject and instead took a
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EMILY LI, THE SPECTRUM
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, salutes the Alumni Arena crowd Wednesday night at the end of his Distinguished Speaker Series talk.
question he was more comfortable with: How do parents inspire their children to be the next Steve Wozniak? Wozniak grew up in San Jose, California in an age he describes as a simpler time and one he wants to get back to – where one person could work one job and take care of an entire family. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Review of UB’s uncensored production of Spring Awakening
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UB unrolls new fall class based on professors’ favorite books
ubspectrum.com
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Friday, May 1, 2015
The ‘Woz’ wows UB
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
He always wanted to build things that would make life easier and “let us sit back and relax and go to movies.” His father, who was an engineer, once said to him that maybe someday “we’ll have enough stuff that we’ll only have to work four days a week.” Although Wozniak admits “we obviously didn’t get there,” he has certainly done enough innovation to make lives easier. When Wozniak worked for the information technology company Hewlett-Packer (HP) in the 1970s, he had no time for a girlfriend or wife so he’d come home and design what he calls “fun things.” He said his friend, deceased Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, would come into town once in a while and find ways to turn his projects into money. Wozniak said that by the time he and Jobs officially created Apple in 1976, they weren’t forming the company – they had already been doing it for five years. He said they were just naming it by that point. He said the story of Apple forming in the garage is a myth built by their public relations firm to create the idea of one of the most successful companies in the world starting with two kids working out of a garage. “Nothing ever happened in a garage. There was no thinking out a computer, there was no designing the computer, there was no building the first prototype, there was no manufacturing, it’s just that we hung out in the garage,” Wozniak said. “And then once [we would drive] down and pick up computers being built somewhere else, drive them to the garage, make sure the computer works then we would drive them to the store and get paid.” But their success story is still unique. Wozniak pointed out that he and Jobs were in their young 20s, with no business experience, money, saving accounts or rich relatives. Wozniak didn’t want to run the business or deal with politics after the company’s breakthrough, though. He left the company in 1987 and became a teacher full-time up
EMILY LI, THE SPECTRUM
(Top) Steve Wozniak spoke at Alumni Arena on Wednesday night as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series.
(Bottom, from left to right) Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, J. Brice Bible, vice president and chief information office of UBIT, and Dennis Black, vice president for University Life and Services, at Wednesday’s Distinguished Speaker Series event.
to seven days a week for eight years for students as young as the fifth grade. He’s always been interested in the development of the child’s mind – he likens it to that of a computer. “I never sought success in terms of money, wealth and power,” Wozniak said. “But I remained the person I liked.” Wozniak’s a self-admitted geek. As tough as it is to imagine while he quickly spoke to thousands in Alumni Arena, Wozniak used to be so shy he couldn’t come out and talk to “normal” people, just his “little geek friends.”
“So I couldn’t go to parties, or get into sex and drugs or any of that stuff they were doing,” Wozniak said of his peers. “They would think I was a weird person. Why couldn’t I talk? But my social energies came out as pranks.” He said he never does a prank halfway. He used a jammer to turn off televisions and would secretly turn the TV back on every time one his frustrated college friends would hit the set. He did it so much one person was always designated to sit right next to the TV to hit it. When he went back to the University of
California Berkley to finish up his degree after his success at Apple, he used the name “Rocky Raccoon Clark,” which is the name on his degree, he said. He once built a metronome and put it his friend’s locker, causing the principal to hear it, open the locker, pull the ticking device to his chest and run out to the middle of the football field to dismantle it. “I could hardly hold my laughter because I had a switch that when you opened the locker, the ticking sped up,” Wozniak said. As for how parents can inspire their children to be the next Steve Wozniak, Wozniak said it’s about not stifling creativity and giving children the option to do what they want to do. “Everyone is born creative, we just shouldn’t stifle the creativity,” he said. “They say, ‘How do you bring it out?’ It’s there, just don’t stifle it and force everyone to be uncreative and just like everyone else.” He said his father, Jacob Wozniak, told him, “Here’s how some people think, here’s the way other people think and there’s some variation in the middle.” “He would never tell us one way was right and one way was wrong. He would let us decide for ourselves,” Wozniak said. When Wozniak was on Dancing with the Stars in 2009, he figured he would be voted off the show right away, so he should buy gifts for all the cast early on. He made gifts for all the cast with joke books, $2 bills, business cards and computerized letters about what a great time had and how to contact him. “And then I thought, like education when I was giving computers to schools, it you have a lot of money, it’s easy to give money away but not to give yourself,” Wozniak said. “That’s why I started teaching. If you really have it in your heart, it’s got to be more than words.” He decided to just write handwritten letters to all 26 members of the celebrity and professional dance crew. Despite how much his life has focused on computers, Wozniak’s discussion Wednesday centered lot more with people. For him, his pursuits were more about making people’s lives easier with the machines rather than the creating the machines themselves. email: news@ubspectrum.com
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Friday, May 1, 2015 ubspectrum.com
Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF
Sara DiNatale
MANAGING EDITORS
Rachel Kramer Emma Janicki, Asst.
OPINION
Business is booming in Buffalo – with a little help Programs to support local start-ups indicate a promising trend
OPINION EDITOR
Tress Klassen COPY EDITORS
Alyssa McClure, Copy Chief Anne Fortman Emma Fusco Natalie Humphrey NEWS EDITORS
Tom Dinki, Senior Ashley Inkumsah, Asst. Charles W Schaab, Asst. FEATURES EDITORS
Gabriela Julia, Senior Dan McKeon, Asst. James Battle, Asst. ARTS EDITORS
Tori Roseman, Senior Brian Windschitl SPORTS EDITORS
Jordan Grossman, Senior Quentin Haynes Bobby McIntosh Asst. PHOTO EDITORS
Yusong Shi, Senior Kainan Guo Angela Barca, Asst . CARTOONISTS
Harumo Sato Joshua Bodah
CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Jenna Bower Kenneth Cruz, Asst.
Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Helene Polley ADVERTISING MANAGER
Kevin Xaisanasy Alex Buttler, Asst. Melina Panitsidis, Asst. ADVERTISING DESIGNER
Tyler Harder Derek Hosken, Asst.
THE SPECTRUM Friday, May 1, 2015 Volume 64 Number 76 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
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As Buffalo continues to attract an influx of college graduates looking for work and establish itself as a location for incoming industries downtown, the importance of small businesses to the economy cannot be overlooked. Fortunately, there are several programs in Buffalo that emphasize the role of small businesses and support up and coming companies. But the success of these initiatives is far from guaranteed. In October, 11 companies won $250,000 to $1 million each in a business plan contest run by 43North, a state-backed organization that helps funds entrepreneurial development in Buffalo and Western New York, as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative. The program sounds incredibly promising,
ILLUSTRATION BY JOSHUA BODAH
as it directly supports Buffalo residents and encourages local development and serves as an example of the potential effectiveness of the Buffalo Billion. But currently, progress is being stymied as the companies who won funding are still waiting for their second installment. Some of the companies have been waiting since the beginning of April and the delay is becoming increasingly problematic, as the cash flow with which to pay vendors and support the start-ups begins to run out. Although many of the individuals running these companies – working in fields including biotechnology and software development – have been patient so far, the delay is disheartening and reflects a level of incompetence
Pay to play, but with an eye on the future Playing Division I is costly and UB needs to ensure the price tag is justified UB’s football team is just starting to find its footing, as the program has managed to string together several seasons of improved play and increased ticket sales. But that success must be sustained to make the university’s multimillion-dollar investment worthwhile. In 2013, UB spent $6,699,385 on its football program. Of all UB’s athletic programs, football receives the most monetary support – but it also brings in the most revenue. Because 62 percent of the program’s income comes directly from the university through student fees and institutional support, the team was able to break even financially. As a team in the Mid-American Conference without high-paying television contracts like schools in the larger conferences known as the Power Five, UB faces the challenge of maintaining – and justifying – a football program that is barely self-sufficient. It’s a dilemma that vexes other schools in positions similar to UB. These universities aren’t in the powerful conferences like the Southeastern Conference (SEC) or the Big 12, but instead compete in smaller conferences that pay to play Division I football without much external support outside the university. And for some of these schools – like the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which cut its football program last year – the cost is just too great. Right now, UB is far from making such a drastic move. Despite the financial challenges, football is at the heart of Athletic Director Danny White’s “bigtime” plans for UB Athletics – a school without a football team simply would not be able to maintain a competitive athletic reputation. But as long as UB continues to pour money into the football pro-
gram, it’s critical that this funding produces results. The team needs to continue its upward rise, proving the Bulls are competitive enough to have a shot at beating high profile teams. Ticket sales need to continue to improve and students don’t attend games when the team is losing. At the end of the next year when senior quarterback Joe Licata graduates, his popularity will no longer help to draw in crowds, and the team needs to have a streak of winning seasons to continue to fill the stands. And in order to maintain a better than mediocre team, UB needs to be able to recruit players who can make a difference. With the athletics program paying $42,482 in support per athlete – compared to around $5,000 spent by schools in the SEC and Big 12 – it’s critical the players coming to UB have the potential to help their team win. Successful recruitment hinges on UB’s ability to outshine other similarly ranked programs, which makes it even more pressing that UB build a field house – a project which has loomed as a priority at UB for years. A field house would allow the football team as well other outdoor sports teams to practice indoors during poor weather. Considering that Buffalo is blanketed in snow for close to half the year, this facility is a necessity. Completing this project would also help UB catch up to other MAC programs that already have these sorts of facilities to attract potential players. UB has to be able to keep up with schools in its own conference, even as White strives to prove that the Bulls can compete with teams in the Power Five. email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
that shouldn’t be coming from a state-backed, high-stakes initiative. But the initiative itself is encouraging, as it demonstrates a commitment to local business development in Buffalo – as does the Queen City Pop-up program, which is in its second year of promoting small businesses. The program, run by the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation, offers free retail space and promotion for two months, in order to help boost sales and customer awareness. This initiative, which is refreshingly straightforward, demonstrates the vast impact that even a brief period of external support can have on a small business. The success of the first businesses to participate in the program makes that readily apparent. The first series of the program, which was hosted downtown in the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, resulted in 50 percent increase in sales and as much as an 80 percent rise in new customers for the participating businesses. This second effort will feature five new businesses, including an event planning company, a graphics firm, and several equipment and apparel shops, in a location at 635 Main Street. The diversity of these businesses is laudable, and allows for a variety of customers to benefit from the initiative. And the location selected for this round of the program is also intelligent, as the Main Street location is in the heart of downtown and in a high-traffic area near Shea’s Performing Arts Center. If this round of the program is as successful as the first, perhaps the initiative could be expanded even further, allowing more startups to benefit from the support. It doesn’t always take the Buffalo Billion to support local businesses – sometimes just a few months of free rent can do the trick. email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
‘We the people’ must practice what we preach Why hypocrisy in the media is sending the wrong message
JAMES BATTLE
ASST. FEATURES EDITOR
I’m going to preface this column the best way I know how: I AM NOT ADVOCATING VIOLENCE OF ANY KIND. With that out of the way, I’ve seen a lot of hypocrisy lately on social media and in the news regarding how demonstrators are protesting against the police brutality – namely, in the city of Baltimore. The media is showing us violent images of protesters in Baltimore in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police. The media shows rioting, looting and destruction of property and all people can say is “What does destroying your community prove?” or “Violence isn’t the answer.” I agree. I don’t believe a violent response is the best course of action, but there are a few things about the situation that upset me. It seems to me that people are more upset by cars burning and stores being looted than by a man who was senselessly brutalized by someone who was sworn to protect and serve the American public. Unfortunately, Freddie Gray’s death isn’t an isolated incident in that sense. Freddie Gray was stopped by police and literally beaten to death. Where was the national outrage then? Where was everyone saying that violence wasn’t the answer when Gray’s spine was broken on
the pavement? Where was everyone then? It seems to me that we as a society place a higher value on property than the lives of our fellow Americans. Furthermore, I find it hypocritical that people are so quick to say that violence doesn’t solve anything while our tax dollars go towards funding the longest war in the history of the United States. We call the people protesting a murder “thugs” and “degenerates” while we kill thousands of people overseas. When Kentucky lost in the NCAA Tournament, people flipped cars, rioted, started fires and burned buildings. When that happened, it was just “college kids feeling strongly about their team.” I can’t begin to tell you how many times I see people destroy property when their teams lose sporting events, but when the people protest the – in many cases – unlawful death of people of color in this country, then it’s too much. I also believe the media isn’t doing a great job of objectively covering what is truly going on in the city of Baltimore. The media isn’t reporting the allegations of bystanders shouting profanities at protesters. The media didn’t report how gang members in Baltimore put aside their differences and ended their tradition of animosity toward one another to unify peacefully and protest. To make matters worse, you have news reports using micro-aggressions to cast the protestors in a negative light, calling protestors “thugs” and “animals” – which to me are the 21st century substitutions for a more offensive term. I’d like to end with one final question: Who should you really beg to be nonviolent? The people destroying property or the people destroying lives? email: james.battle@ubspectrum.com
ubspectrum.com
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Friday, May 1, 2015
The top
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4/21-4/28 All information according to University Police
English department to offer a class based on professors’ picks of top 10 books MARLEE TUSKES
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Kenneth Dauber, an English professor, sent a survey to professors in every department at UB asking, “What 10 books would you want your child to have read by the time he or she has been graduated from college, regardless of his or her major?” He will compile the responses to create the reading list for his English 214 class next fall. The class, titled ‘Top Ten Books,’ was last taught in 2000 and Dauber sent the same survey to UB’s faculty 15 years ago. “Top Ten Books” enrolled over 100 students when originally offered, according to Dauber. Next fall’s class has a capacity of 59 students. “One of the things in which we are interested is whether the new list will be fundamentally like the old list or different,” Dauber said in an email. Dauber is receiving responses from all different departments at UB, but he said the health and engineering departments have notably more responses to the survey. With the recently new general education requirements, Dauber said he thought it
was a good opportunity to bring the class back and survey the professors from all departments in order to find out which books should be read as part of a general education. Dr. Mark Frank, a professor in the Department of Communication, said he received the email and thought the class sounded like a great idea and he hopes to see books about leadership on the list. “You’re 18 and you’re at this point in your life that you’re in control,” Frank said. Frank, who has two children of his own, said he “needs to sit down and think” of which books would be on his list because there would be many to choose from, but a few that came to mind were Origins of the Species and To Kill a Mockingbird. “I would have to look in my library. There would be a lot,” he said. Dr. Graham Hammill, the English department chair, said the class was very popular when it was first offered to students. “The 1990s saw an explosion of interest in popular literature, ethnic literature and literature written by women,” Hammill said. “That made people question the intrinsic value of previously accepted classics. Maybe Virginia Woolf or Toni Morrison is better than Shakespeare, or at least just as good. English 214 approached the issue from a democratic point of view.”
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Graham Hammill, chair of the English department, is behind professor Kenneth Dauber’s idea to teach a class next fall titled, “Top Ten Books.” Dauber asked every professor at UB, “What 10 books would you want your child to have read by the time he or she has been graduated from college, regardless of his or her major?” and used their responses to create the syllabus for his English 214 class.
Hammill also said even though the class drew in a lot of student interest, it was only offered for two years when first introduced as it was designed to only be offered occasionally. It was brought back to see how the list has evolved in the course of more than a decade. Dauber said they don’t have a set list of books yet because it’s too early after releasing the survey to tabulate answers, however, there is some similarity among the answers received. “The suggestions include books from the ancients – Greeks and Hebrews – to yesterday,” Dauber said. “And while many are literary, that is novels, or plays, or poetry, many are not.” Dauber also says that by seeing how similar or different the responses from 2000 compare to those now will show how far the university has progressed. According to Hammill, he hopes to see somewhat of a change in books the faculty responds with. “I do think the responses will be somewhat different. There are some classics that will likely be on both lists, but times and tastes change,” Hammill said. “It will be very interesting to see what books people are recommending in 2015. I am hoping that some newer works, maybe some films or digital literature, will make the list.” Dauber said the survey will bring in a draw from professors on campus because it is asking for their own opinion. “In asking, ‘What would you like your children to have read?’ we have sought to bring education back to visceral level, to move from committees and formal decisions to the simple question of what you, faculty member, who so values education, want for the education of the ones very near and dear to you,” Dauber said. email: news@ubspectrum.com
4/21 5:08 p.m. – A caller reported that a suspicious male was walking around the Governors E lot checking vehicles. The person was described as being a 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-9 male with a beard wearing a black hoodie emblazoned with ‘UB’ in red lettering. The male was last seen heading toward the area of the Academic Spine. Governors A and B lots and Fronczak lot were checked with negative results – patrols were unable to locate the person. 4/23 2:22 a.m. – An anonymous caller reported an odor of marijuana and loud noise coming from the east stairwell in Goodyear Hall on South Campus. A patrol was dispatched and found no sign of drug use in the stairwell – only a subject playing his acoustic guitar. Patrol advised him to play softer. 10:18 a.m. – A caller reported a three-car accident at Flint Road and Maple Road involving two passenger vehicles and one UB Stampede bus. UPD patrol reported no major injuries but Twin City Ambulance was on scene to transport one victim to the hospital. A Stampede bus supervisor arrived on location to see the damage and Amherst Police assisted in clearing the scene. 12:02 p.m. – A staff member reported that a laptop belonging to the university was stolen from his office in the Center for the Arts on North Campus between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. The office was open and unoccupied at the time of the theft. The caller reported to have video footage of the suspect in the area. A report was filed with UPD. 4/24 3:02 p.m. – An employee at the Lockwood Library circulation desk requested assistance with an individual who appeared to be in mental distress. A patrol was dispatched and identified a UB student. The patrol advised her to quiet down in the library. 4/25 12:11 a.m. – A patrol reported a person sleeping in a vehicle in the Richmond B lot on North Campus. The driver reported he was asleep for about two hours and must have fallen asleep while studying. 1:57 a.m. – A patrol identified two UB students acting disorderly in the area of Foster Hall on South Campus. The patrol petitioned both students for Student Wide Judiciary (SWJ) for public urination. 2:27 a.m. – A patrol requested medical assistance for an intoxicated female at Goodyear Hall on South Campus. The patrol identified a UB student and she was transported to Erie County Medical Center for an alcohol overdose. The student was referred to SWJ. 12:21 p.m. – A complainant reported that her casual boots were stolen from the women’s locker room in Alumni Arena on North Campus. The caller reported the boots were stolen on April 23 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. and said they are worth approximately $100. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
BE CREATIVE. CHANGE YOUR LIFE. ENROLL NOW.
Friday, May 1, 2015 ubspectrum.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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‘Spring Awakening’ rocks crowd A review of UB’s racy but tasteful student production COURTESY OF JIM BUSH PHOTOGRAPHY, INC.
REBECCA VINCENT
STAFF WRITER
UB students rocked the Center for the Arts stage belting out songs that you won’t find in most other college performances, covering sex, masturbation and “the b*tch of living.” Spring Awakening opened at the Center for the Arts last week and continues its performances this weekend. If you haven’t yet caught this talented group of students stomping, singing and moving through the struggles of adolescence – you should. The annual spring musical opened on April 23 and is presented by the UB Department of Theatre and Dance. Students from different areas of the department worked together to put on the award-winning musical Spring Awakening. Nathan Matthews directed UB’s strong production of the rock musical. The show will have its final performance May 3. For fans of other rock musicals like Rent or Next To Normal, this show is a must-see. Matthews and company picked the right cast to fulfill the show’s challenging roles. Each character – from “sad, soulful sleepyhead” Moritz Stiefel to the rebellious Melchior Gabor. Those male leads commanded the stage with their defiance against the social construct of their 1980s German town through loud and expressive music. Their female counterparts captured the innocence of naïve teenagers, giggling and gossiping about the other boys and girls in town. As it’s written, the show contains dark and controversial themes. It was slightly unnerving to watch a group of college students embody characters that are depressed, suicidal, and abused both emotionally and sexually. Wendla (Leah Berst, a sophomore music theater major) lives in a community that shelters the youth from the truth and reality of sex and sexual desires. She sings “My Junk” – a song about what it’s like to have a crush – with her classmates to express their desires for the boys they are coming of age with. While they struggle to understand their strange dreams about women, the two male leads Melchior and Moritz (William Hin, a freshman exercise science major and Sean Ryan, a junior music theater major, respectively) express their sexual frustration and lack of knowledge by singing “The B*tch of Living,” a high-energy crowd pleaser. The song – which sits in juxtaposition to the girls’ “My Junk” – shows the sexual frustrations of teenagers, as emphasized by the explosive choreography. And this group of guys could dance. The choreography wasn’t designed for a show choir, but rather expressive teenage rock stars. Act one stayed relatively light with the characters exploring mild curiosity about sex until it is revealed that Martha (Amanda Joy Schwartz, a junior music theater major) faces physical and sexual abuse by her father. She shares an emotional duet with
UB’s cast of “Spring Awakening” stomps and dances along to popular song “Totally F*cked.” The award-winning rock musical will finish its run at the CFA May 3.
Ilse (Bailey Humiston, a junior musical theater major) who was in a similar situation but left her home to avoid the abuse. “The Dark I Know Well” was wrought with emotion from both actresses, so much so that Schwartz was in angry tears by the end of the final note. Meanwhile, Wendla and Melchior begin to explore their relationship. They let themselves give into their sexual desires while the rest of the cast stands around to sing “I Believe.” What is made unclear is whether Wendla gives her consent to Melchior – an ambiguity that different productions of the play chose to either harp on or leave to audience interpretation. Wendla, due to her sheltered life, doesn’t actually understand sex, unlike the unruly Melchior. The simulated sex scene, as well as other uncensored elements of the play, is what sets UB’s show apart from others that have been performed on college campuses. Some student productions of the show choose to censor different elements. The UB production decided to keep the performance as written. It was the right choice as to not compromise the integrity of the show. Instead, there will be talkbacks after the April 30 and May 1 shows to discuss what was shown in the play. Act two of the play is where the threads that hold characters together begin to fray and break. While Wendla and Moritz are assumed to be the center of attention, it was Moritz that gripped the audience. After failing out of school and being beat by his father, Moritz’ uses “And Then There Were
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None” to express his pain. Ryan’s rendition of this song was so compelling that it should have produced tears and goosebumps to anyone watching. His emotion was raw and everyone felt it. “They’re not my home, not anymore / Not like they so were before / Still I’ll split and they’ll like / Well, who knows? Who knows? Who knows?” Wendla ends up pregnant from her rendezvous with Melchior, finally understanding how children are conceived. The most emotion and innocence Berst could have mustered was shown when she was being dragged off for her abortion. Her screams echoed in audience’s ears after the lights went out – you wanted to comfort her like her mother should have. The audience was able to relate to the cast as it sang the popular song “Totally F*cked,” because it’s about being in a situation seemingly impossible to face, or fix (it may also be the perfect song to add to your finals week stress playlist). The song simulated a high school dance with the semi-random dance moves and the lovely “Blah, blah, blah, blah” that we all hear from teachers sometimes. With death plaguing the characters, those who are left must now learn to grieve. Their performances switch from a curious, childlike perception of the world to accepting and taking what life gives them one step at a time, together. The theater was filled with friends and family of the cast, many carrying flowers
and gifts of congratulations. After the show, Berst felt a great amount of reprieve. “I’m relieved that opening night is behind us, and now I’m excited for what’s to come,” Berst said. Opening night is almost like a dress rehearsal, except you get audience reactions with the performance. If the applause and standing ovation at the end of the show was any indication, Berst and the rest of the cast did everything right. Bridget and Heather Humiston were there to see their daughter and niece respectively, Bailey Humiston, who played Ilse. Both were extremely pleased with the show. Neither had seen the show before but both had a positive experience. “I knew the story beforehand,” Bridget said. “But I have never seen it performed before.” Those who did not know any of the show’s content beforehand may have been hit with the shock factor, but it was well worth it. The entire cast and production staff took what is a racy and controversial show and made sure it was tastefully done while still being exciting and relatable. Ryan and Berst were the show’s clear standouts, pouring themselves into every line and note. Spring Awakening explores all sides of sex and relationships – the beauty, pleasure, pain and abusive nature. Despite the fact that the musical is set in 1891, based off a play from that period, the story is timeless. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
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Police blotter
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
5:23 p.m. – A caller reported there was a sick student that vomited on a UB Stampede bus that parked on Core Road on North Campus. The student said he was not in need of medical attention and was issued SWJ papers. 6:18 p.m. – Amherst Police Department reported there were people under the bridge on the Audubon Parkway on North Campus that might be spray painting. A patrol on location reported there was a large group under the bridge having a water balloon fight. 4/26 12:01 a.m. – A caller reported an intoxicated female in the Wilkeson Quadrangle on North Campus. A patrol requested an ambulance for the subject and she was transported to Erie County Medical Center for an alcohol overdose. The UB student was issued SWJ papers. 12:53 a.m. – A caller reported there was a group of people smoking marijuana outside of Spaulding building 7 on North Campus. Patrol arrived and the subjects were gone. 1:05 a.m. – A patrol reported a large group of people fighting at the top of the University Station on South Campus after they got off of a party bus. The driver of the bus stated that a car pulled up and adults got out and went after a kid, then they got back into the car and took off. UPD dispersed the crowd and no injuries were reported. 1:30 a.m. – A caller reported an odor of marijuana coming from the Richmond Quadrangle on North Campus. A patrol arrived on scene but the subjects were gone. 2:55 a.m. – A female flagged down a patrol on Rensch Road at Hadley Village on North Campus and reported her boyfriend was refusing to give her the keys to her vehicle. The boyfriend turned over the keys when the patrol arrived on scene. Both parties claimed they got in a verbal argument over a movie and that there was no physical altercation. The female left the area without incident and the boyfriend was advised. 12:23 p.m. – A resident adviser report-
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ed finding marijuana in the common area of an apartment in building 304 in Flint Village on North Campus during room inspections. A patrol confiscated the drugs and tagged them for destruction. Campus Living will file a report. 1:23 p.m. – A staff member at the Student Union information desk reported there was an ongoing argument between a male and a female near the women’s bathroom. A report was filed with UPD and both subjects were issued SWJ papers. 4:00 p.m. – A UB employee reported a strong odor of gas by Squire Hall on South Campus. A patrol reported the odor was coming from a release valve that had been knocked off by an employee from Allentown Landscaping. National Fuel reported the area was safe and repairs are being made. 4/27 8:28 a.m. – A Lockwood Library staff member reported that obscene messages were left in room 134 in the library between 5 p.m. on April 24 and 6:30 a.m. on April 27. One of the messages was left on a note and the other was made on the wall using cigarette ashes. The staff reported that there was also an obscene picture left in the office. There was no sign of forced entry into the room and the staff member suspects it was the cleaning staff. A patrol reported there was no damage to property. A report was filed with UPD. 7:20 p.m. – A community assistant in Flint Village on North Campus requested the pickup of drug paraphernalia found during a room check. A patrol reported the community assistant will issue SWJ papers. The confiscated items were secured and labeled for destruction. 10:38 p.m. – During a room inspection, a community assistant in Flint Village discovered a hookah, which is against housing policy to have in a student’s room. Patrol was dispatched to confiscate the items, but the patrol reported the hookah is not illegal because it is used for tobacco purposes. No action was taken. email: news@ubspectrum.com
Friday, May 1, 2015
‘West Club’ to open in UB Stadium CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
The West Club will feature loge seating, both indoor and outdoor. The indoor seating will cost $1,325 per seat – $125 for the season ticket and $1,200 for the donation. The Club seating, which is outdoors, is $1,125 per seat – $125 for season tickets and $1,000 for the donation. UB Athletics expects the West Club to offer fans and students another way to experience UB Athletics, but is also expected to help the program in return. Gross said the revenue would help Buffalo build a new indoor athletic facility. “It’s a venue for fans, but it’s also a new source for revenue,” Gross said. “What’s significant is that we’ve been lacking this resource for a long time … We’re going to take the money we receive from donors and place them towards a field house. That’s important for the success of the West Club.” Schools throughout the Mid-American Conference have used premium club seating to offer a better game experience and used the money in order to help facilities. Buffalo is currently the only program is the MAC without a field house or currently constructing one. Ohio University implemented the Ohio Bobcat Club, where donors can donate up to $10,000 to receive tickets and premium seating to football and basketball games. Mi-
Losing Loesing
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
ami Ohio offers the Red and White Club, in which donors can donate up to $10,000 to receive premium seating and valet parking and multiple awards including a trip to an away game and a tour from Athletic Director David Sayler. Both schools used their added revenue from the clubs to help their respective programs. In 2014, Ohio built the Walter Fieldhouse, a 93,750-square foot multi-purpose building used for football, track and field, golf and baseball. The $12.5 million facility was built in response to a surplus of revenue accumulated by respective clubs among other donations. In the same year, Miami Ohio spent $20 million on renovations to its current buildings for their hockey and baseball programs and broke ground on an indoor training facility near Yager Stadium. While the field house project is currently “to be determined” in terms of location and beginning of construction, Athletics officials would like to build it in the near future. The field house would offer an indoor training facility for sports such as football, track, softball, baseball and soccer. The Bulls currently travel to the Buffalo Bills’ field house, the ADPRO Sports Complex, in Orchard Park, New York. Athletics officials say the West Club will be completed for the 2015-16 season. The Bulls’ first home game is against Albany on Sept. 5.
freshman year, which forced her into the position due to injuries. “She brought confidence. She brought faith. She brought belief in a new coach that joined the program,” Legette-Jack said. “She bought into the system and the system worked.” Loesing thanked the Buffalo community for its support. “Thank you for continuously supporting me throughout this whole process,” Loesing said. “I didn’t know I had this fight in me. As much as I played for myself, I played for my teammates, I played for the fans, I played for the community of Buffalo … Hopefully I can still represent those people so I can make them proud.”
Legette-Jack said it was “a privilege and an honor to coach her these past three years.” Loesing was a recruit of former head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald, but played for Legette-Jack in her three-year career. Upon meeting her for the first time, Legette-Jack said Loesing told her she could play every position on the court, including power forward. Legette-Jack didn’t think she would ever UBuffalo_college 1 4/20/2015 11:37 AM Page 1 play power forward student until a services_Layout game during her email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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HELP WANTED HELP WANTED LIFEGUARDS WANTED for Raintree Island Apartments. $10.00 an hour with end of season bonus. Call 716-694-8742 ENJOY WORKING OUTSIDE? Summer Landscapers wanted! Full or part-time. Experienced helpful but not necessary. Near South Campus. Call 8338000 or email: englishgardenerinfo@ gmail.com
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4,5,6 & 8 BEDROOM Remodeled apartment houses. 34 Apartments available located at University Buffalo Main Street Campus, off Englewood. Beginning June 2015: UB South Campus for @ $300/ bedroom plus utilities. Washers & dryers included. Contact bradengel37@gmail. com or Shawn at 716-984-7813 Check out our web-site: www.bufapt.com
APARTMENT FOR RENT APARTMENT FOR
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BIG HOUSE FOR RENT off Sweet Home. Across from great bar, pizza
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TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE SAME OLD DUMP??? Our nicest apartments rent now! Newly remodeled 3-8 person homes on W. Winspear, Englewood, Tyler, Heath & Merrimac. Amenities include O/S parking, whirlpool bathtubs, w/w carpeting, new ss appliances, free laundry, snow removal & valet garbage! Live the Sweethome life on South! Visit www. ubrents.com or call: 716-775-7057 4-BDRM HOUSE. 1 1/2 Baths close to MSC. $350/pp, 716-691-5710 9 to 5. ROOM FOR RENT ROOM FOR
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MINNESOTA STREET, walking distance to UB. 6 rooms 2 baths. $300+ each. Appliances & off street parking. Available June 1st. Call: Jim 716-563-8916 AVAILABLE JUNE 1ST. South Campus. Master bedroom / 2baths, fully furnished, laundry, utilities & wifi included. Off-street parking. 716-570-6062 text preferred. SERVICESSERVICES CITYA1DRIVINGSCHOOL.COM Beginners & brush-up driving lessons. 5hr class $30.00 716-875-4662.
Now accepting enrollment applications for the North and South campus centers for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, 6 weeks to 5 years.
Enrolling now for Summer Camp 2015 at South Campus School Age children 5- 9 years old
DAILY DELIGHTS sponsored by Collegiate Village Apartments Crossword of the Day Friday, May 1, 2015 FROM UNIVERSAL UCLICK
HOROSCOPES
Edited by Timothy E. Parker May 1, 2015 MADE IN THE SHADE By Mary Jersey
B I N E A I V E N I T
1 Couldn’t stand 6 Bit of old gold 11 Mac 14 A Muse 15 Unit of geologic time 16 Certain direction 17 Fire stoker, sometimes 19 Health resort near a spring 20 Plane without a pilot 21 More than sometimes 23 Uniform ornament 27 Playground equipment 28 Subdued 29 Lead ore 31 Kennel club classification 32 Auger, in use 33 Cap of Scottish origin 36 Elevator pioneer 37 Took from the top 38 Time of “comfort and joy” 39 Came in first 40 Handle a grounder, e.g. 41 Persian fairies 42 Short and thick 44 Chain of connected things 45 Drives back 47 Puts down
Hoş geldin
Benvenuto
48 Related to the pelvis 49 “All kidding ___ ...” 51 It gets around 52 Charitable branch working in Muslim countries 58 Had a little something 59 Cold-water craft 60 Minute amounts 61 Flanders of TV 62 Unlikely dog show winners 63 Nonrequirement for email
26 Banjo cousins, briefly 27 Downhill vehicle 29 Divine 30 Excessively dry, as land 32 BBC nickname (with “the”) 34 Dress with a flare 35 Tablelands 37 Barbecue entrees 38 Elusive Himalayan creature 40 Seesaw pivot 41 Neurological problem 43 Green, for one 44 Hand over, as land 45 Puerto ___ (San Juan resident) 46 Make giddy 47 Somewhat long daggers 1 Word for a possessive 49 Miner’s way out woman? 50 “Begone!” 2 “The best things in 53 Ostrich cousin life ___ ...” 54 Bunk 3 Small child 55 Greek vowel 4 Biblical verb ender 56 ’60s war zone, 5 Scribbled idly informally 6 Storage place 57 Kitchen meas. 7 Knowing about 8 Pepsi alternative, briefly 9 King topper 10 Word with “flame” 11 With a disposition beyond equal 12 Remove dowels 13 Fava and green 18 Deuce topper 22 Flipper 23 Nudge rudely 24 ___-Novo (Benin’s capital) 25 Filled with amazement
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): The test will be to bring about the changes necessary to fulfill your dreams without upsetting someone you are close to. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take control and stay within your budget. Don’t feel the need to make an impulsive move based on an overrated opinion someone offers. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Offer help because you want to, not because you want something. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ask for help and you will receive it. A chance to make a professional change looks promising. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Research an offer before you decide to move forward. A new acquaintance will take advantage of your generosity and gullibility. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take a different approach to an old idea and you will hit the jackpot. Face a situation that concerns you and don’t back down until you get the response you want. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Volunteering for a cause you believe in will lead to a new opportunity. Don’t let your emotions get involved when you face a tough decision. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A professional opening will give you the chance to use all your skills to the fullest. Present what you can offer in a creative and unique way. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Initiate changes that will bring you closer to your personal goal. Don’t let someone’s emotional manipulation stop you from following through with your plans. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put original plans into play. A deal or proposal will bring high returns. A new position will give you the freedom to expand your interests and will also help to improve your personal life. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Do whatever it takes to get ahead. Act quickly to secure a position that becomes available. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t be confused by all the choices you face. Anticipate the outcome of each and narrow your options down quickly.
ACROSS
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Friday, May 1, 2015 ubspectrum.com
SPORTS Losing Loesing JORDAN GROSSMAN
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Junior guard Mackenzie Loesing thought the last time she was going to play competitive basketball was on Dec. 5, 2014. On that day, a doctor told the star guard of the women’s basketball team that she would need a third surgery on her ankle that would effectively end her career. But she persevered, finishing out her junior season. Nearly five months after Loesing’s conversation with the doctor, her playing career officially ended. Loesing was granted medical disqualification due to a recurring ankle injury and will sit her senior season, ending her threeyear career at Buffalo. Loesing finished her career ranked ninth in career points (1,243) in program history and seventh in 3-pointers (123) and is the reigning Mid-American Conference Sixth Player of the Year. “That’s the day that will forever be engraved in my mind,” Loesing said of Dec. 5. “On that day, I thought I was done forever. I thought my career was over ... I wasn’t expecting to be told that my career is done by a doctor.” The early retirement became official on April 25 when Loesing signed the paperwork that declares her medically ineligible for next season and was announced by UB Athletics on Wednesday. After the Bulls’ 63-55 loss to Ohio in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack revealed Loesing played with torn ligaments in her ankle for the majority of the season. Loesing dealt with chronic ankle issues for the majority of her college career, but the injury began when she was still in high school. When she was a senior in high school,
Mackenzie Loesing ends basketball career amid chronic ankle injuries Loesing received an MRI after coming down hard on her ankle during a game. She said a doctor told her the “ligaments exploded” and she would need reconstructive surgery. After her surgery in March 2012, she played out her freshman year at UB and didn’t have complications until the summer heading into her sophomore year. “I got it checked out and they said the ligament was so stretched out it didn’t show up on an MRI,” Loesing said. Loesing tore her ligament for the second time in three years. She went in for surgery for a second time in April 2014 and immediately felt pain once the cast was removed three months later, but insisted she was going to play her junior season. She wanted to rehab her ankle longer than the first time around to reduce another injury. A hobbled Loesing began the 2014-15 season on time, but an injury sustained during a tournament in late November prompted a third visit to the doctor. On Dec. 5, she found out her next surgery would be careerending. Loesing said the doctor was ready to present Loesing with the medical disqualification papers right there, but she needed to consult with many people, including Legette-Jack. “I don’t tell any of the players to do anything,” Legette-Jack said. “I bring things to their attention. Being a wife and a mother, it’s very important to present these young ladies with a future. The future for her would be with her children running in the park. That’s something we have to make
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
Junior guard Mackenzie Loesing was granted medical disqualification due to recurring ankle injuries and will sit out her entire senior season, ending her playing career at UB. Loesing finished in the top 10 of multiple program categories, including points scored.
certain we had to protect.” Legette-Jack was one of the first people to find out about the diagnosis and immediately began a process that would keep Loesing on the court for the remainder of the season. Loesing and Legette-Jack mutually agreed she would practice only before game days and would come off the bench to limit her minutes. “Coach Jack wanted to protect me,” Loesing said. “The future of my career wasn’t exactly clear. It was an opportunity for me to contribute to the team and also give people like [sophomore guard] Joanna Smith and [sophomore forward] Alexus Malone the opportunity to start a game. They were definitively the future of the
‘West Club’ to open in UB Stadium
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
RENDERINGS COURTESY OF UB ATHLETICS
West Club Interior (top) The inside of the West Club will include premium seating, food and beverage access and televisions throughout the venue. West Club Exterior (bottom) Seats on the Club’s outside enable donors to enjoy games in a larger and more comfortable setting.
Athletics aims to upgrade football experience with premium seating, other amenities QUENTIN HAYNES
SPORTS EDITOR
In 2013, UB Athletics unveiled plans for the East Club, a 1,600-seat amenity in UB Stadium that would offer fans a comfortable, luxurious setting to watch games – but that won’t be exactly what fans get this coming football season. The athletic department will have a newly renovated premium seating area for the 2015 football season – but with 1,200 fewer seats and on the opposite side of the stadium. UB Athletics recently announced the West Club, which is planned to open in August in time for the start of the Bulls’ season. The 400-seat section on the west side of the stadium will include an enclosed club private concourse, outside club seating, food and beverage service, private elevator access, premium parking and personalized seating. In order to become a season ticket holder in the West Club, fans must make a $1,000 minimum donation to the Blue and White Fund. The project will cost about $700,000 to $900,000, according to Associate Athletic Director of Development Eric Gross. Gross said the renovations will start soon and will be made to the current suites on the west side, which straddles the 20-yard line on the 200
program.” Legette-Jack said there were times where Loesing’s ankle almost gave out, but the junior guard was able to finish off the season. “She always wanted to put my health first from the beginning,” Loesing said. “But that included physical health and emotional health.” Loesing played in 30 games this season and started 12 of them, most of which came in the first half of the season. Her final game was an 84-61 loss against West Virginia in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). She scored five points in 23 minutes. “Words can’t even describe what I was feeling after that game,” Loesing said. “At that point, I knew that was it for me … I took a picture of my jersey after the game, knowing that was going to be it.” Loesing said she “isn’t going anywhere” and plans to stay on the team and assume a coaching role under Legette-Jack. She is unsure what her exact role will be on the team, but she is expecting to be named a student assistant coach or “helping out with the marketing team.”
level of UB Stadium. “This is a major upgrade for our football venue, competition venue and ultimately the fan experience,” Gross said. “We see the Jim Kelly Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium – luxury
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… Being able to purchase food and beverages in a private, climate controlled concourse. We wanted to bring that at a smaller scale to UB Stadium.” Gross said UB Athletics still plans to
eventually build the larger East Club. The East Club was originally set to hold 1,600 people in a brand new amenity on the east side, but UB Athletics received just over 300 potential donors for the project. Falling short of its goal, Athletics decided to create the West Club, creating a new complex based on demand. “The East Club is a bold vision for our future, a vision that we would like to see become a reality as we gain increase in season ticket sales,” Gross said. “The West Club is not a downgrade, despite the number change. We’re going to be building something great and for the demand we outsourced.” UB Athletics decided to go with a West Club over an East Club for the 2015 season because the structure was already in place. The current suites on the west side of the stadium will be renovated and the walls of the existing suites will be knocked down to add new accommodations such as larger, premium seating and televisions to watch the game. Gross said the money for the project came solely from donations. “We came out with the East Club and asked people to commit,” Gross said. “We didn’t ask for money up front, but rather, asked for a pledge, saying, ‘Would you commit if we build this amenity?’ That was instrumental in the design of the West Club.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
3324 Sheridan Drive, Amherst Open Daily 11am-11pm ~ Dine in, carry-out or delivery