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ubspectrum.com
Friday, DECember 4, 2015
Volume 65 No. 38
Judge recommends lawsuit against former law school dean be dismissed
New student housing complex could change dynamic of Heights
TOM DINKI EDITOR IN CHIEF
A federal judge has recommended dismissing a former UB law professor’s wrongful termination suit against former Law School Dean Makau Mutua. The lawsuit, filed by Jeffrey Malkan in 2011, alleged that Mutua violated Malkan’s due process rights when the former dean fired him in 2009. U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder also granted sanctions against Malkan and his attorney for claiming Mutua committed perjury in the case. Malkan, who says he hasn’t been given a fair trial, will appeal the dismissal. He has 14 days to do so. “I have to believe that I will eventually get a fair hearing,” Malkan said in an email. “The Magistrate’s decision to prevent my case from being heard on a record tainted by fraud and perjury is yet another miscarriage of justice.”
Complex located off LaSalle Avenue to open in August TOM DINKI EDITOR IN CHIEF
COURTESY OF DOUGLAS LEVERE, UB NEWS CENTER
A wrongful termination suit against former UB Law School Dean Makau Mutua (pictured) was recommended to be dismissed this week. The lawsuit, filed by former UB law professor Jeffrey Malkan, claims Mutua denied his due process rights when he fired him in 2009.
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CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
Award-winning singer-songwriter John Legend speaks about social activism and self-empowerment BRIAN WINDSCHITL SENIOR ARTS EDITOR
During February of 1994 in his small hometown of Springfield, Ohio, 15-year-old John Roger Stephens submitted an entry to McDonalds’ annual “Black History Makers of Tomorrow” essay contest. Stephens wrote about how he truly believed, one day, he would become a famous singer who would change the world with his not only voice, but with his actions as well. Fast-forward 21 years, and John Roger Stephens from Springfield, Ohio, now 36, has become known worldwide as John Legend, a nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician who also has a Golden Globe and an Academy Award on his growing list of achievements. But, more importantly, Legend has done everything he once said he would in that essay contest all those years ago – he’s become a man and can say he changed the world for the better. On Thursday, Legend spoke and per-
formed for a sold-out Alumni Arena as apart of UB’s third Distinguished Speakers Series event of the semester. Over the course of an hour and a half, Legend talked to the crowd about taking control of fear in order to change oneself and the world, as well as self-empowerment and how believing in yourself can make all the difference. “We may have more in common than you think,” he said. What was different, he said, was how he looked at the world – with self-confidence and undying determination – a viewpoint he tried to explain to the audience his speech. “I want you to leave this place with the ability to conquer your fears,” he said. “Believe in yourself, be persistent and don’t take no for an answer.” He spoke about his past upbringing, his current fight against poverty and educational inequality and his vision for the future. And, at the end, Legend even took a seat at the Yamaha grand piano onstage to entertain the crowd with two of his songs: “Ordi-
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‘Creed’ movie review
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ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM
Nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter John Legend came to speak and perform in Alumni Arena for UB’s Distinguished Speaker Series Thursday. He spoke about how he used self-empowerment as the means to change the world.
nary People” and “All of Me.” Legend’s speech was as equally a call for self-empowerment as it was a call to action. “What’s going to stop you?” Legend said. Throughout the night, Legend tried to show that his own life and upbringing wasn’t special – that anyone could change the world. “I’m excited by your potential,” Legend said to the crowd. “I’m excited by the power you have inside of you.” Legend was homeschooled until high school and attended the University of Pennsylvania on a scholarship to study English and African-American studies. He said his most influential role models
Muslim students feel effects of Islamophobia after Paris attacks
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Some UB students have lived in decrepit houses susceptible to crime and with absentee landlords located in the University Heights for years. The neighborhood, located right off South Campus, has been plagued with high crimes rates, absentee landlordism and tensions between residents and partying students. A new multi-million dollar gated student housing community in the neighborhood could help change that. Legacy Development, a Buffalo-based real estate developer, is currently constructing the first student housing complex in the Heights, called Axis 360, with an initial opening of 532 bedrooms in August 2016. Campus Advantage, an Austin, Texas based student housing company, is managing the complex that will be located on LaSalle Avenue off of Main Street and in close proximity to the metro rail. The complex will mostly market to UB students, but will also reach out to other local universities, such as SUNY Buffalo State, Canisius and Daemen College. The complex’s proximity to the metro rail, which travels to downtown Buffalo, could make it an ideal spot for UB medical students, as the medical school will move downtown in 2017. Bryanna Hollis, the location’s floating lease manager, said students can start signing leases in early 2016 once a temporary leasing office is constructed on the location. Hollis said Legacy Development recognized a lack of student housing near South Campus and engaged a student housing consulting group to confirm feasibility for the project. The results showed UB students desired to live at a professionally managed student housing community near South Campus, so Legacy hired the Campus Advantage, Hollis said. She said the reason no one has built something similar in the neighborhood before is the difficulty assembling enough land. The property, owned by Legacy Development and given site plan approval by the City of Buffalo in December of 2013, is off of LaSalle Avenue and is bordered by McCarthy Park. “Legacy identified a unique opportunity to acquire the project site which allowed us to bring Axis 360 to the [University Heights] District and UB South Campus,” Hollis said. The new complex has the support of community leaders like Mickey Vertino, president of the University Heights Collaborative. Verinto said the complex will help give students more housing options than the older homes in the Heights and he hopes it will bring business to Main Street. “I personally think it’s a good thing to give the students some other options other than 100-year homes in the Heights,” Vertino said. Vertino said students with “neglectful landlords” may get the opportunity to inhabit quality living spaces with quality landlords with the new housing complex. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Jam Club and UB Improv come together
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NEWS
Friday, December 4, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
New student housing complex could change dynamic of Heights
COURTESY OF CAMPUS ADVANTAGE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
were his parents. “My parents taught me about character,” he said. “About what it means to live a good life and what success is – not money or material things, but love and the people you are able to help and touch.” When he was 10 years old, however, Legend’s grandmother died – a death that sent his family into turmoil. His mother became severely depressed and addicted to drugs and his parents divorced. Despite that, the lessons his parents taught him as a child, Legend said, have guided him through his life to today. It was his parents’ teachings that helped him turn his hardships and self-doubt into motivation and self-confidence. “There is no excuse for inaction,” Legend said. “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve – think about what it means to love people you don’t even know.” Nowadays, Legend honors his parents by trying to spread the same self-respect and self-belief that they instilled in him, through music, philanthropy and social change. Legend, when not writing award-wining
ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM
Legend is a heavily-involved philanthropist who splits his time between music-making and working for one of the many national philanthropic organizations. He is on the national boards for Teach for America, the Education Equality Project and more.
music, is a heavily-involved philanthropist who devotes his time developing education policy and combating poverty as national board member for Teach for America, Education Equality Project, Harlem Village Academies, PopTech and Stand for Children. He also is heavily involved in reforming the judicial and prison systems, which are heavily abusive and racist, he said. Fighting against education, poverty and racism are his passions outside of music. He asked the audience to find within themselves something they are as passionate about. “Whatever your passion is I want you to follow it,” he said. “To empower yourself to make a change.” email: arts@ubspectrum.com
The constructing of a student housing complex, mostly targeted for UB students, located off of LaSalle Avenue in the University Heights. The complex, Axis 360, will open in August and could change some of the dynamics of the neighborhood. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Dan Ryan, UB director of Off-Campus Student Services, accompanies City of Buffalo inspectors into students’ apartments on ‘housing blitzes.’ He’s seen students living in homes with faulty or absent smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, faulty wiring and other violations. Axis 360 will give students who want to live in the Heights, which can be attractive due to its close proximity to campus and a nightlife scene, an alternative to leasing apartments, some of which are in poor condition. Ryan said in order to create a functional living community within the Heights, landlords and property owners need to make sure that they bring their properties up to code and make the right investments. The housing complex could potentially help alleviate tensions between residents and students in the Heights. The private complex could take some students out of such close proximately to their nonstudent neighbors, who have complained about student drinking, loitering and littering in the neighborhood for years. The tensions have reached a high this semester, forcing UB and Buffalo Police to take further action. During the first few weeks of the fall semester alone, UB disciplined 57 students that Buffalo Police arrested and ticketed for partying in the Heights. The Heights are known for high crime rates and students have reported having their homes broken into and being mugged while walking the streets. In 2012, there were more than 500 major reported crimes in the Heights, including homicides, assaults, rapes, larcenies, robberies, burglaries and vehicle thefts. Hollis said Axis 360 will be fully gated and extremely well lighted to help prevent crime. She said there will also be “courtesy officer patrols” during the evening hours. “We will have comprehensive camera security throughout the property similar to the blue light cameras used by Buffalo Police,” she said. But students may not be ready to leave their apartments for a gated housing community, as students who live in the Heights often do so for the cheap rent. Campus Advantage does not have set rates at this time,
but Hollis said they will be competitively priced with other student housing complexes in the area. Rent for complexes surrounding North Campus, such as Sweet Home Village and the Villas on Rensch, often double that of rent for homes in the Heights. Ryan worries the pricing of the apartment complex may be unattractive to students, especially considering the complex will be a 20-minute walk to South Campus. Campus Advantage plans to have a shuttle to take students to and from campus daily. “But it may be attractive for students at Daemen College, Buffalo State or architecture students,” he said. The first phase of Axis 360 will be open to new tenants as soon as August 2016. This phase includes the building of studio twoand three-bedroom apartments, each with a bathroom attached to the bedroom. The furnished rooms will also be equipped with stackable washers and dryers, as well as granite countertops and laminate flooring. Phase Two of Axis 360 is expected to be completed by August 2017. Four bedroom apartments will be an option for students once this phase is finished. Axis 360 will offer fitness centers, outdoor fitness areas as well as a swimming poolsized hot tub and grilling stations. “We will feature a huge clubhouse complete with a computer lab, juice bar, private study rooms, a recreation and gaming area,” Hollis said. “There will also be a complete fitness center with state of the art exercise equipment along with a training room with spinning bikes, TRX and video on-demand fitness programs.” Sam Ackerman, a senior accounting major, currently lives in the University Heights area. “I have lived on South for two years now and I like it here but I don’t know if I want to live so close to the rowdy nightlife,” Ackerman said. Campus Advantage manages 25,000 beds nationwide. Editor’s note: Evan Schneider, Marlee Tuskes and Ashley Inkumsah contributed reporting on this piece email: news@ubspectrum.com
OPINION THE SPECTRUM
Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF
Tom Dinki
MANAGING EDITOR
Alyssa McClure 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. 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. ADVERTISING DESIGNER
Derek Hosken
THE SPECTRUM Friday, December 4, 2015 Volume 65 Number 38 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. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100
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Friday, December 4, 2015
Fighting words
Oklahoma Wesleyan University president slams students for playing the victim Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Everett Piper penned an open letter titled “This Is Not A Daycare! It’s a University!” in regard to political correctness of students on his campus and on other campuses across the country. He calls out students for acting as “victims” and for complaining when their “feelings are hurt.” The letter comes in the wake of what some perceive as a rise in political correctness at college campuses across the country. There have been multiple protests over racial tensions, including at Yale University where there was a debate over whether certain Halloween customs were offensive. University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe was forced to resign over the racial tension. Piper referred to an incident in which one of his students told him he felt victimized by a sermon given at the university. Oklahoma Wesleyan is an evangelical Christian university. He wrote in the letter that college students are self-absorbed, and told TODAY that our generation has a mentality of forcing everyone to comply with the majority’s opinion. The letter split our editorial board. Some of us, while disagreeing with his brashness, agree with Piper’s core argument that college is meant to challenge one’s ideas and beliefs. We also feel Piper, a white male, and presumably wealthy one at that as a university president, may not have the right to tell certain groups of people how to deal with oppression he has likely never faced. It’s surprising he was able to pen
the letter at all and that his public relations team didn’t stop him from submitting such an honest, open and not so gently worded letter. At the same time, his letter points out an issue that many are discussing, including President Barrack Obama and several comics who are now refusing to perform on college campuses for the perceived over-the-top political correctness. College is for exploring, and as long as those ideas are not based in bigotry and meant to cause physical harm to others, it’s important for students to have an open mind. College should be an open learning experience – one in which we deal with the uncomfortable or the vague and discuss it in a manner that’s productive and educational. It should act as a space to discuss topics that are difficult or controversial. Without this space, there’s no room for opinions or ideology, just mere straightforward learning like high school. OK, so the elephant in the room. The “White Only” art project here at UB. Graduate fine art student Ashley Powell’s project has challenged our ideas of what art is, and overall, seems to have created good discussion about diversity at UB. Student leaders are meeting with President Tripathi. There is a task force of students meeting
with University Police. These are good things. But we’re not willing to completely agree with Powell’s methods. While we are for challenging our ideas, we still stand by our stance from the beginning that Powell should have labeled the signs as an art project because students feared her project was a hate crime. We want students to challenge each other’s ideas and go outside their comfort zone, not frightened and thinking they are hated. But back to Piper. At the same time, Piper’s letter is very brash and straightforward. There’s little sensitivity to the oppression of others. His comments about our generation’s complaining seem a little out of place. He cannot truly relate to the oppression that some of these students are feeling. He cannot empathize with students who are suffering from these social tragedies and because he can’t relate, perhaps it’s not his place to comment on the protests.
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL PERLMAN
We also have to remember that he is complaining about a generation of kids that his generation helped raise. It’s true, we did grow up in a generation where everyone wins and everyone gets a trophy, but it was the adults who were giving us those trophies and that encouragement. It’s fair for him to express his opinion – in fact to say he shouldn’t have made his comments at all would be hypocritical of us. We instead believe Piper should have redirected his approach. He should not have come off as so absolute. And while making the point that college students are playing the victim, he should have considered, in some cases, they are victims. There are some students facing discrimination for their race, sex and orientation. Let’s not forget that. This harsh letter may not have been the best way to open up the discussion. email: eic@ubspectrum.com
‘Creed’ is even better than ‘Rocky’ fans could have hoped AUBREY MCLAUGHLIN STAFF WRITER
Film: “Creed” Release Date: Nov. 25 Studio: Warner Bros. Grade: A+ In the weeks before “Creed” was released, my little brothers and I would talk about the new “Rocky” movie, then quickly correct ourselves: “It’s not a Rocky movie, it’s a Creed movie.” This type of film, I might say, has a devoted fan base. From 1976 to 2006, six movies traced the story of Rocky Balboa, the Philadelphia boxer who started with nothing but grit and luck to capture the world heavyweight championship. I believe that the whole series is worth your time, except for “Rocky V” – if you want to argue, watch it for yourself – because even though they might cheese up and take some wrong turns, Rocky is the story of all of us. It’s about how we go through tough times but manage to get through them and fight for what we believe in. I might not blame you for ignoring “Creed” as another imposter trying to make a buck off of our sentimentality. But before you disregard the movie completely – consider this.
Director Ryan Coogler, who also co-wrote the film, isn’t trying to make a buck off you. His main goal is to inspire and you’ll feel it through every piece of this film, especially in the detail of the characters. Michael B. Jordan shines in the lead as Adonis Johnson, son of Apollo Creed, the fictional boxing champ Balboa had to take out in the first two films. Johnson’s younger years are spent in juvenile detention lunchroom brawls while his 20-something years are spent fighting underground in Mexico and waking up to do some terrible financial job in Los Angeles. He goes home to his family’s mansion in a vintage car to watch old reels of Creed vs. Balboa. He’s playing Balboa’s role, the underdog, not his father’s. To help Adonis make it through, we’ve got Tessa Thompson as Bianca, the singer-songwriter blasting music below his apartment – but she isn’t a mousey girl next door at all. Her own struggle is every bit as powerful as her male counterpart. It doesn’t take a genius to figure the rest – of course, he’s going to quit his job, move to Philly and convince Balboa to train him to be the best. You came to see that. I’ll bet you didn’t expect the expert storytelling, as Adonis’s life is
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
‘Creed’ is not a ‘Rocky’ movie, rather, a new iteration of Rocky altogether. Micheal B. Jordan who plays the title character, shines in his role as the son of a famous boxer who is trying to carve his own path in the industry.
a terribly complex teeter-totter between privilege and shame, honor and abandonment on his way to earning respect from what, at a point, Rocky calls his “toughest opponent” – himself. What we end up with has to be at least as good as the old “Rocky” films. The hero’s journey has been refashioned for our millennial mindset.
Now, more than ever, we need this film. You’ll make your own conclusions as to the race allegory here, but “Creed” doesn’t pull a single punch. Embrace them all: the underdog will be on your mind for a long, long time after, no matter what you call it. email: features@ubspectrum.com
4 Combating negativity with knowledge FEATURES
Friday, December 4, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Muslim students feel effects of Islamophobia after Paris attacks
JESSICA BAIN STAFF WRITER Saba AL-Maani was stopped walking and stood still in Alumni Area three weeks ago when she overheard a comment from an older man. “There’s no such thing as a good Muslim,” said the man said to his wife, according to AL-Maani. AL-Maani, a junior psychology major, felt it was her duty to speak up to the man, especially because she knows people cannot automatically identify her as a Muslim due to her choice not to wear a hijab and traditional attire. She said although she tried to defend of her religion, the man would not budge from his original statement. “He said, ‘You hate me and you’re taught to want to kill me,’” AL-Maani said. “I said, ‘I’m not taught that and right now you’re being very hostile because of my beliefs and yet I have nothing against you and yours.
You’re blinded by hatred and anger and fear.’ And I told him, ‘God bless you.’” And during Thanksgiving weekend, ALMaani’s friend told her about her family’s store in Buffalo being vandalized with a derogatory mark toward Arabs on the window. AL-Maani’s personal account is just one local reflection of what some consider a growing sense of Anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamophobia in the United States in the aftermath of the Islamic State’s recent terror attacks in Paris, France. Some Muslims fear the situation might only get worse after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, Wednesday, which was a carried out by a Muslim couple. Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, spoke in New Jersey and condemned the attacks and urged people not to assume that the couple was motivated by radical Islamic terrorism. According to a recent nationwide poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, 56 percent of Americans feel the values of Islam are at odds with the country.
Cheap
Members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) have served as a support system for Muslim students at UB. MSA put up a poster on campus with excerpts from the Quran to show what Muslims believe and show a message of prayer for those affected by the attacks in Paris, Beirut and Iraq. “Instead of this world of negativity where we constantly have to backpedal and apologize, why not instead of apologizing, we demonstrate what Islam actually is, who we actually are?” said Samiha Islam, a sophomore psychology major and vice president of MSA. “We’re not responsible for terrorism and Islam doesn’t support terrorism.” At the World Bazaar, a multicultural event sponsored by the Intercultural Diversity Center, which took place the week after the Paris attacks, the UB Muslim Women’s Council allowed women the opportunity to try on a hijab and write down how they felt afterwards. “After the Paris incidents, when we came to World Bazaar, we had it in our minds that maybe there would be more negative re-
COURTESY OF SAMIHA ISLAM
Muslim students participate in the World Bazzar in the Student Union. The Muslim Student Association has served as a support system for Muslim students who feel like targets of Islamophobia.
actions to consider but overall I think UB proved us proud,” Islam said. The was met by some people asking why they hadn’t been more vocal or created an event in response to the Paris attacks. “I feel like our club isn’t political so we shouldn’t have to respond to politics or explain current events to anyone,” said Hafsa Zubairi, a senior biomedical sciences major and secretary of Muslim Women’s Council. Next semester, MSA plans on holding Islamic Awareness Week at the end of February based on the responses they got from its activities at the World Bazaar. email: features@ubspectrum.com
cheer
Holiday gifts you can actually afford TORI ROSEMAN
SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR
Holiday spending can be tricky – maybe you picked up a part-time gig so you can afford better presents for friends and loved ones this year. Maybe you’ve been saving money for the last six months in preparation for the season. No matter what your game plan may be, it’s not hard to find cool, unique gifts that won’t totally break the bank. Don’t worry, we did the work for you – here’s a list of gadgets and trinkets that are both cheap and trendy.
ROLLUP KEYBOARD $15 (AMAZON) Everybody uses their laptops around school, but this rollup keyboard could be perfect for anyone who uses their tablets regularly. It’s convenient, portable and of course, a little squishy and fun to play with. They’re also a perfect gift for anyone at home that regularly uses a desktop and is sick of the click-clack of the hard keyboard. The gift is cheap but also a nice piece of technology that can improve the computer experience.
L5 UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL FOR IOS $70 (AMAZON) Universal remotes were the coolest piece
of technology circa 10 years ago, and it’s time to bring that back. Let’s just admit it what we know to be true – it’s always ideal to find the easiest way to do things. We’re in college, we’re lazy and the best option is the easiest option. This remote would make your access to television, your computer and any other piece of technology easy to access at the palm of your hand. Though it’s the most expensive item on this list, it’s worth the money to save the time.
PRINTSTAGRAM $25 (SOCIAL PRINT STUDIO)
COURTESY OF FLICKR USER MANDY JANSEN
Yankee Candles are just one of the few perfect gifts that won’t break your bank during the holidays. It works for friends or family and comes in a variety of scents, which is perfect for personalization.
For all of those who are insta-famous, or aspire to be, this is the perfect gift to a friend or anyone else who loves that form of social media. It’s a simple project – you go onto their website, submit 100 photos of your choice and then they make it into a cute little book. It’s a personal gift too, which makes it that much more meaningful.
YANKEE CANDLE $27 (YANKEE CANDLE) People like candles for various reasons – whether it’s for the scent or just the appearance, a candle is a great gift. Yankee Candle in particular is a good buy
because they constantly have sales and coupons. For this holiday season, Yankee Candle is offering a buy-one-get-one half off sale on its products. This means that you can buy either multiple candles for a few people or even better, treat yourself to your favorite scent. Yankee Candle also has such variety in scents so it’s easy to find the right one for any friends.
CHROMECAST $35 (GOOGLE)
For those who don’t know what this is, it’s just one of the latest pieces of technology that is replacing cable boxes everywhere. The chromecast is basically a USB that plugs into your television that you can add subscriptions, such as Netflix, to. You can upload a variety of subscriptions to this chromecast, or connect your computer to it. It’s a cheap investment into the new age,
and a perfect gift to ask for when your parents ask you what you want.
Shatterproof Wine Glasses $29
This is the best deal and easily most efficient gift on this list. Four glasses – one for each bestie, roommate or family member – that are shatterproof, no matter how much you drink. To take the extra step, you can paint them, since paint isn’t too expensive either, and customize them for whomever your gift will be going to. If you’re not looking to go that extra step, the glasses themselves are a perfect giveaway for a Secret Santa or any other holiday exchange. email: features@ubspectrum.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE SPECTRUM
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Friday, December 4, 2015
Jamprov Rising brings collaboration of music and comedy Jam Club and UB Improv showcase spontaneous performance art LUKE HEUSKIN STAFF WRITER
Jamprov Rising knows how to get the creative juices flowing. Jamprov Rising, a collaboration between Jam Club and UB Improv, took to the Student Union Theater Wednesday night for a joint variety show that featured two sets of alternating performances combining the musical and comedic talents of the two Student Association clubs. “It all comes together when you’re jiving with people, when you get the juices flowing, and there’s no negativity around,” said Jerasak Manivong, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. Jam Club warmed up the crowd at 6 p.m. with an energizing set of three jams, drawing curious spectators into the theater as groove-based music drifted through the Student Union. Next, members of UB Improv took the stage, looking to the crowd for topics that would form the basis of adlib comedic improvisational skits. They pieced together the audience’s highly varied suggestions into absurdly comical plots involving such characters like superheroes endowed with strange powers, lizard babies and FBI agents. Following another strong set from Jam Club, UB Improv’s second set of skits took place in a mock funeral setting, as friends of the deceased took turns re-enacting hilarious memories of their late friend in flashback style.
JAMES CORRA, THE SPECTRUM
Jeremy Landau, a senior business major, pictured with other members of UB Jam Club, warms up his guitar at Jamprov Rising on Wednesday in the Student Union Theater.
The concept for the collaborative performance came about from the friendship between Jam Club President Jeremy Landau and his roommate, who served as treasurer of UB Improv. The collaboration made sense because both clubs are dedicated to spontaneous performance art. Manivong said his introduction to improvisation as a “quiet kid” in his freshman year of high school helped him develop confidence. Now a sophomore in college, Manivong has brought his passion for performance into the leadership of UB Improv. “Anyone can do improv,” he said. “It just
takes effort and willingness to practice.” Students who want to develop their improv skills can join UB Improv on Monday nights in the Student Union Theater from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A successful improvisation, Manivong said, involves the establishment of three elements: character, location and action. Cooperation and sensitivity to what the other performers are doing is vital to an act. “The trick is to not think about it at all,” said Keith Pomana, a junior media study major that performed at the event. “You can’t plan. You just have to react and stay in the moment.”
The same principle of cooperation extends to jam music. A jam starts when one musician lays down a foundation, like a guitar riff or a drum groove and the other players build on it. Each musician must pay close attention to the subtle cues of the other parts, locking in with and playing off the other musicians to keep performances dynamic and cohesive. “The most important thing is listening and knowing the chemistry you have with the guys you’re playing with,” Landau, a senior business major, said. “Once there’s chemistry it just clicks and works out really well.” Landau comes from a family of musicians. His grandfather played trumpet and his father is a drummer. Jeremy joined that tradition when he started playing guitar at 8 years old. “At that point I took guitar lessons but I never practiced,” Landau said. “But sports were never my thing so when I was 12 I started playing guitar again.” On any given Sunday afternoon, the Jam Club holds meetings in Room 330 of the Student Union, where a rotation of guitarists, bassists and drummers collaborate to practice their instruments and improvise in extended jams. Jam Club is set to perform at Late Night UB this Friday night. Jamprov Rising kept the entertainment flowing with strong performances throughout the evening and both clubs are looking forward to future collaborations. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Jay Z’s Tidal announces new CEO-Jeff Toig Is TIDAL making the right moves? GIOVANNI GAGLIANESE STAFF WRITER
With SoundCloud’s former Chief Business Officer Jeff Toig as the new CEO of TIDAL, the company looks to advance in a highly competitive market. Since Jay-Z took over the company, it has had difficulty keeping a CEO to lead, which has impeded the company’s growth into something more sensational. TIDAL is a new addition to the music streaming industry. Much like Spotify, Pandora and other services, it offers music and playlists based on moods, activities and genres. The company has recently made Jeff Toig, former chief business officer of SoundCloud, its CEO in the hopes of becoming a stronger company What makes TIDAL stand out is its quality of sound and amount of music content. Subscribers to TIDAL can expect artist and musician interviews, among other nuanced media access not given on other platforms. With one million subscribers, TIDAL offers an ample amount of exclusive content and show access, including the recent TIDAL 10/20 concert. The platform seeks to offer both artist loyalty and customer loyalty by paying artists 75 percent of it’s revenue, as well as those involved in the musical process, like artists and labels, while also giving subscribers something special, according to a tweet by Jay Z. “For a company to want to give more back to an artist money-wise is great and it might mean well, however it will be fascinating to see if this will plan out the way they want it to plan out in this competitive music-streaming,” said Mike Pietrantoni, a senior civil engineer major. “I think at the cost of a TIDAL subscription right now they
will need to offer something with value.” While many do not believe it will last long in the music streaming industry, Toig believes he could transform TIDAL into a strong and unique music streaming service. Earlier in his career, Toig co-founded a music streaming service called Muve Music, a platform attached to the plans of 2.5 million Cricket Wireless customers. Toig said that he believes a strategy based on handling costs and being different from the bigger music streaming services is what will work. This includes some of the things TIDAL has already been doing, including the promotion of TIDAL events and concerts, exclusive live streaming of shows and meet and greets for subscribers. These exclusivities were embraced by Coldplay, who streamed songs from their new album a month before the release. Rihanna invited 80 Tidal subscribers to her video-premiere party this summer and giving all Tidal subscribers pre-sale access to her coming tour, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In the university community, a common consensus seems to be that TIDAL’s unpopularity is because it lacks a free subscription. “They will need to have something to differentiate themselves to the people that they are targeting. They need brand loyalty from both the consumer and the artist, but more so the consumer,” said Pietrantoni. “Perhaps, their artists will be fine working at these TIDAL events but will money ever become an issue for these artists? We will have to see.” Take Pandora for instance. This music streaming service offers listeners a free subscription accompanied by advertisements. While this may be a pain for some, to get interrupted mid-listen, others find it affordable and enjoy how easy it is to listen. “I’m not really sure what TIDAL is,” said Anita Levine, a junior accounting major. Levine is a YouTube and Pandora user who uses her free subscription for streaming to jump from genre to genre throughout the day. A good amount of people don’t even
COURTESY OF TIDAL.COM
Jay-Z’s third CEO for Tidal, Jeff Toig, is set to takeover the company in January. Toig, the former chief business office of Soundcloud has the challenge of turning Tidal into a serious competitor against industry giants Spotify and Apple Music.
know what TIDAL is and without their use of advertisements, they fail to accomplish a branding. “I predominantly listen to Spotify. Although the 30-second ads are reoccurring, I’m overall satisfied with it,” said Giselle Santiago, a junior business major. “I really enjoy how specific the genres are within a certain category, so I can chose to only listen to bachata within the Latin section.” With TIDAL being among so many music-streaming platforms available for consumption, do the features of Jay-Z’s nuanced music streaming platform peak your musical curiosity? email: arts@ubspectrum.com
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NEWS | SPORTS
Friday, December 4, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Judge recommends lawsuit against former law school dean be dismissed CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara must now approve Schroeder’s recommendation to dismiss the case. Malkan said district judges usually write an opinion on the case within two to three months and that he doesn’t believe Arcara will endorse Schroeder’s ruling. Mutua, who resigned amid the lawsuit in September of 2014, said in a statement that he was pleased with the magistrate’s decision. “I am glad that the court not only affirmed the falsity of the charges, but has also sanctioned Mr. Malkan and his lawyer for their reckless behavior,” Mutua said. The lawsuit stems from Mutua’s firing of Malkan despite Malkan having signed a clinical professor contract in November of 2006 that stated he could only be fired for cause in accordance with the law school accreditation standard.
Schroeder granted Mutua’s motion that sanctions be brought against Malkan and his former attorney Rick Ostrove for claiming Mutua committed perjury in the case. Schroeder said in his decision that there was no evidence that Mutua testified falsely and that Malkan and Ostrove made the allegations to harass Mutua, needlessly increase the cost of the litigation and burden the court. Malkan claims Mutua lied under oath when the dean testified at a Public Employee Relations Boarding hearing that a vote to promote Malkan to full clinical professor in 2006 was actually just a vote to retain Malkan as a director of the Research and Writing program. Several faculty members have testified the vote to make Malkan a clinical professor did take place. “I don’t know how the Magistrate concluded that there wasn’t sufficient evidence of Makau Mutua’s perjury,” Malkan said. Schroeder fined Ostrove $10,000 for
pursing the perjury allegations against Mutua. Ostrove will object the sanctions. Schroeder, who graduated from the UB Law School, also denied Malkan’s motion for sanctions against Mutua and David Sleight, the assistant attorney general that has represented Mutua. In a separate ruling on Wednesday, the New York State Supreme Court also dismissed Malkan’s defamation suit against Interim Law School Dean James Gardner. The defamation suit came after UB banned Malkan from campus in October for referencing mass shootings in emails to faculty. University Police determined Malkan did not present a threat to campus, but UB officials decided to ban Malkan anyway, saying Malkan’s emails frightened faculty and incited worry the former professor could cause harm to individuals at the university. Malkan said he only referenced the shootings because Mutua and Gardner had previously spread rumors that he could be a mass
shooter one day. “We could not be happier with these results,” Gardner said in a statement. “It is no surprise that Mr. Malkan, having filed three different losing lawsuits against the former dean, finally went ahead and filed a losing suit against me. I am gratified that the court recognized that this action, like its predecessors, is completely devoid of merit.” Malkan has been without work since his firing, which he says is due to Mutua’s refusal to write him a letter of recommendation, which has consequently blacklisted him in the profession, he said. He said he now represents himself in the lawsuit because he can no longer afford an attorney. Mutua resigned amid the lawsuit, perjury allegations and divide among law school faculty about his leadership in September of 2014. He has been on sabbatical for almost a year. email: tom.dinki@ubspectrum.com
Undefeated no more Dismal offensive night ends It was evident from the first quarter that Bulls’ undefeated start the Bulls were overmatched. Hofstra got out JORDAN GROSSMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack didn’t exactly plan for her return to Hofstra to transpire like it did. The women’s basketball team was ranked No. 26 in the RPI nationally and was yielding an undefeated start. But a sluggish game all around on Thursday night put an end to the impressive streak to open the season – and left many question marks for a young team. Hofstra (6-1) defeated the Bulls (6-1) 79-36 in Hempstead, New York Thursday, which ends Buffalo’s six-game winning streak to start the season. It was LegetteJack’s first game against her former team, which she coached from 2002 to 2006, since coming to UB in 2012. “It just wasn’t our game,” Legette-Jack said. “From beginning to the end, we didn’t play the basketball I thought we could play.” The Bulls, who had been impressive on offense and defense nearly every game this season, were outmatched by the Pride, who held Buffalo to a season-low 36 points and forced them to shoot just 23.4 percent from the field.
to a 10-point lead and held Buffalo to just 12 shots in the 10-minute timeframe. The Pride began the game on an 8-0 run. Buffalo only got within seven points throughout the entire night. The Bulls came out sluggish with more turnovers in the first quarter than made shots (five turnovers to four made baskets). The only positive during the first quarter was the play of junior guard Joanna Smith. She scored five of Buffalo’s nine points in the quarter and connected on a deep threepointer. But that was nearly the only positive on offense for Smith and the rest of the team. Smith only scored four points for the remainder of the game and the three-pointer was the team’s only make from three for the night. The Bulls shot a dismal 1-of-19 from three-point range. Senior guard Karin Moss hit the first six points – both three-pointers – for Buffalo in the fourth quarter, trying to get a spark going on the court. The Bulls’ offense would end with Moss’ last three-pointer. The Pride went on a 23-0 run to end the game, providing Hofstra a statement victory over its former coach. In her final season at Hofstra, LegetteJack guided the Pride to a 19-12 record and
KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM
Sophomore guard Liisa Ups goes for a layup in a 54-40 victory over Canisius in Alumni Arena on Nov. 17. The Bulls’ undefeated season came to an end Thursday with a 79-36 loss to Hofstra.
made it to the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). Legette-Jack said the Bulls made it a point to secure a victory for her in her return, but the team was unable to get anything going. “This team is really close and I feel like I’m a part of the team,” Legette-Jack said of her connection to the Bulls’ players. “I think they tried to play hard for me, coming back to Hofstra for the first time in 10 years. It just didn’t work out. We don’t want to play like this anymore.” The loss ends Buffalo’s historic run to begin a season. The Bulls’ 6-0 start was their best start to a season since the 2000-01 season, where they started 8-0 to begin the year. Legette-Jack has been preaching team-
work basketball since the offseason, but was upset it was not present during Thursday’s loss. She said in order to return to winning ways, the Bulls must return to playing “Buffalo basketball” and forget about the tough loss. “We’re not going to even talk about Hofstra anymore,” Legette-Jack said. “They beat us. They won the game. Let’s win the war by bouncing back against Duquesne.” Buffalo will return home on Sunday after a three-game road trip to face Duquesne (61) before hitting the road once again to take on Big 4 opponent St. Bonaventure (4-2) on Wednesday night. Tipoff for Sunday is set for 2 p.m. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Gridiron season report card CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
The trio of seniors Nick Gilbo and Okezie Alozie and junior Brandon Berry was Buffalo’s most impressive unit on the defensive side of the ball. Gilbo finished with a team-high 113 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 12 tackles for losses, while Berry had 104 tackles and 11.5 tackles for losses. Alozie showed his ability as a tackler and a playmaker in his final season, finishing with 85 tackles on the season, five sacks, 10.5 tackles for losses, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Secondary: C After a strong start, the Buffalo secondary had a weak finish to the season. Overall, the team finished right in the middle of the conference, sixth, in pass defense. But several players return in 2016, making it one of the more experienced units on the defensive side of the ball. Senior cornerback Marqus Baker ends his career with 71 tackles and 12 pass breakups. Junior cornerback Boise Ross finished with 52 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 18 pass breakups, but those two interceptions and 10 of his breakups came in the first four games. The biggest question mark for Buffalo secondary heading into the season was the safeties. But overall sophomore safeties Ryan Williamson and Andrews Dadeboe well
enough. Williamson had 83 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble and Dadeboe finished with 36 tackles and two picks. The Bulls have a spot open at one of its two outside cornerback positions, but the other three positions appear to be locked in heading into spring ball.
Special teams: ABuffalo’s special teams may be the biggest improvement from last year’s squad. A freshman kicker and a senior punter were the faces of this unit, and excelled doing so. Freshman Adam Mitcheson went 13-of-19 in field goal kicking during his first season with Buffalo, while senior Tyler Grassman proved to be one of the best allaround kickers in the conference. He was responsible for 25 touchbacks and averaged 41 yards per punt this season while talking home multiple Player of the Weeks honors.
Coaching: B For his first season as a Division-I head coach, Leipold did a great job of getting several underclassmen playing time and incorporating them into future roles. The Bulls had a combined 32 freshmen and sophomores get playing time this season, setting up for future success. Buffalo also impressed in wins over Ohio and Kent State and even in a loss to Penn
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
Senior quarterback Joe Licata gets a pass off as he’s hit in Buffalo’s 31-26 loss to Massachusetts on Nov. 27. Licata received a ‘B’ for our gridiron season report card.
State in Happy Valley. As for the negatives, the Bulls had several gaffs and questionable play calls throughout conference play. It was also telling that the Bulls often struggled in the first half and had to recover in the second half. They made great half-
time adjustments, but had several slow starts. Still, Leipold showed why he was a great coach in Division III and why he may be the one to turn the Bulls around. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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Friday, December 4, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
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8
SPORTS
Friday, December 4, 2015
THE SPECTRUM
Duking it out Buffalo prepares for reigning national champion Duke
COURTESY OF DUKE PHOTOGRAPHY
Blue Devils guard Luke Kennard is averaging 9.1 points and 2.4 points per game this season. The Bulls face No. 7 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday.
JORDAN GROSSMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Head coach Nate Oats will never take the easy way out for his basketball team. Even as a high school coach at Romulus, he sought out the toughest competition to ready his players for the brunt of the season. And the competition cannot get any tougher for the men’s basketball team than what it will face this upcoming week: reigning national champion Duke. “The only way to get better is to play good competition,” Oats said. “I’m not one of those guys to play four non-Division I games to get to 20 wins. I don’t care about that. When we
go into Duke, we’ll play well, we’ll play hard, we’ll learn how to compete. We’ll get better … Those games make you better in March.” After a tough loss to Big 4 rival St. Bonaventure Wednesday night, the Bulls (4-3) faceoff against two of the top-10 teams in the nation in No. 7 Duke (7-1) on Saturday and No. 5 Iowa State (6-0) on Monday. Buffalo will first travel to Durham, North Carolina to face the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium, considered the mecca of college basketball. It’s tough to assume Buffalo will grab a victory over the defending champion Blue Devils. But Oats just wants to see a wellplayed, fundamental basketball game. And he thinks he has the pieces in place for a competitive game. “I think we’ve got some guys that can play better than they’ve been playing,” Oats said. “I think we’ve got some athletes … that can play in a game with those guys.” But Buffalo may still have work to do. In its loss to St. Bonaventure (3-2), Buffalo shot just 19-of-32 from the free throw line and just 1-of-13 from deep for just 58 points – tied for its lowest scoring output of the season. Oats noted that the combination of freshman forwards Ikenna Smart and Nick Perkins need to improve around the rim offensively and defensively. That may pose a big problem against a team like Duke. The Blue Devils are one of the premier teams in the country on both offense and defense. Duke ranks 36th in the country in offensive boards (14.38/game) and are tied for 26th in the country with 311 total rebounds through eight games played. On the other side of the ball, the Blue Devils are 23rd in the nation with 86.5 points per game, led by an array of talented guards
and dominating forwards. Duke guard Grayson Allen is one of the top players in the nation with 21.8 points per game. Allen, a sophomore, first broke onto the national scene with a scintillating performance during Duke’s 2015 NCAA Tournament run. But Buffalo has a talented sophomore guard of its own. Lamonte Bearden’s allaround game has improved this season, as he’s averaged 13.6 points and 2.7 assists per game. Bearden said the team will try to play loose in Cameron Indoor Stadium. “We’re going to go in, try and play normally,” Bearden said. “We’re the underdogs, so we have nothing to lose. We’re going to go in there fighting to the best of our abilities.” But even if Buffalo leaves North Carolina with a loss, it would still be considered a win in Oats’ mind. He prepares his teams for conference play and beyond, not early in the season. “It’s one of the best places in America as far as college basketball environment goes,” Oats said. “I think it’s big our guys get to go in there and experience it.” This wouldn’t be the Bulls’ first time playing two national contenders in the same season. Last year, Buffalo played both Kentucky and Wisconsin and held first half leads over both before eventually losing. Both of those teams met in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament season last season. Buffalo may be more prepared to play in a big basketball venue this season compared to last, after playing at Kentucky and Wisconsin and in front of a packed out Nationwide Arena in the NCAA Tournament last march. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Bearden said. “I don’t know how many students, but just as much as Kentucky or maybe even more. But it’s going to be real great
for us – a good challenge, a good test.” Tipoff against Duke is set for 5:15 p.m. and will air nationally on ESPN2. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
COURTESY OF DUKE PHOTOGRAPHY
Duke guard/forward Brandon Ingram averages 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and will present one of many challenges to Buffalo on Saturday.
Gridiron season report card After a 5-7 season, The Spectrum hands out grades for the 2015 football season don Manosalvas alongside him on the interior and junior college transfer Roubbens Joseph. The result was several opponents creating pressure on Licata, forcing several turnovers. After an injury to senior guard Dillon Guy, Buffalo’s offensive line was shuffled around and became a solid unit, keeping Licata upright in the pocket and allowing him to find Willoughby, McGill and Weiser downfield. Entering next season, the Bulls will have to replace their offensive tackles Robert Blodgett and all-important left tackle John Kling, but the future is bright for the interior of that line.
QUENTIN HAYNES SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
The football team ended its first season of the Lance Leipold era 5-7 with a 3-5 Mid-American Conference record. A 5-7 record isn’t a bad start to the Leipold era, but losing three in a row to end the season, when just one more win was needed to make the team bowl eligible, left a sour taste in fans’ mouths. Here is how The Spectrum graded the Bulls for the 2015 season.
Quarterback: B Senior Joe Licata never got fully adjusted in Leipold’s system. Licata completed 62 percent of his passes for 2969 passing yards. Good numbers. The issue, however, was Licata’s 16 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions. The 16 touchdown passes were a careerlow since he assumed the starting position full time in 2013, while the 15 interceptions were a career high But it’s hard to knock Licata’s senior leadership, and that came threw in a tough loss to Penn State and a comeback victory over Kent State. He was the heart and soul of this team this season and the past three years as Buffalo’s starting quarterback.
Running backs: A The Bulls send off one of the program’s best-ever running backs, but will also return a pretty good back. After a career-high 1,403-yard rushing season, senior running back Anthone Taylor was hampered with injuries throughout most of the season. He finished the 2015 season with a team-high 829 rushing yards and three touchdowns and ended his UB career with 2,651 career-rushing yards. Junior Jordan Johnson experienced a breakout season in 2015. Johnson ran for 811 rushing yards and was Buffalo’s goal line
Defensive line: C
YUSONG SHI, THE SPECTRUM
Senior wide receiver Ron Willoughby tries to make a catch in Buffalo’s 41-30 loss to Northern Illinois on Nov. 11. Willoughby and the rest of the receivers received a ‘B’ in our season grades.
back, as he racked up 12 touchdowns for the Bulls. He also picked up the slack when Taylor was hurt, with nine touchdowns in the team’s final six games of the season and two games with more than 100 yards rushing. Johnson is expected to be the starter entering the 2016 season, with freshman Jonathan Hawkins (15 carries, 53 yards in 2015) to assume a larger role.
Wide receivers and tight ends: B A strength for the Bulls throughout the season, Buffalo’s offensive skill players were vital in the team’s new pro-style offense. Senior Ron Willoughby continued to be a main target for Licata in the passing game, finishing with 62 receptions, 813 yards and six touchdowns. Junior Marcus McGill answered the call as the No. 2 wide receiver, finishing with 50 receptions for 581 yards and four touchdowns.
The tight end position was one that head coach Lance Leipold saw as an untapped resource for Buffalo. With greater emphasis on the position, Leipold got a breakout season from senior tight end Matt Weiser. After catching 29 passes during his first three seasons, Weiser finished with a teamhigh 63 catches on the season with 625 yards and three touchdowns and was named to the first-team All-MAC team. After battling injuries, Schreck finished with 21 catches for 209 yards, a solid contribution for a No. 2 tight end.
Offensive line: B After a rough start to the 2015 season, Buffalo’s offensive line turned it around in conference play and has a bright future heading into the 2016 season. Buffalo’s offensive line was young and inexperienced, featuring freshman center James O’Hagan, sophomore guard Bran-
The defensive line went through peaks and valleys throughout the season for Buffalo, but mostly valleys. The biggest weakness for Buffalo throughout the season was the run defense. The Bulls ranked ninth in the MAC in rushing defense with 186.1 yards allowed a game. Part of that responsibility falls on the D-line. The Bulls also got just 12 sacks from its down linemen. Junior defensive tackles Brandon Crawford and Max Perisse played well at times, but could have added more production. The pair combined for 60 tackles and three sacks. As for the defensive ends, the Bulls had several underclassmen fill out the roster and all experienced playing time. Sophomore Demone Harris led the group with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while freshman Solomon Jackson and sophomore Charles Harris combined for 26 tackles and three sacks. The defensive line is the position that has to improve the most for Buffalo to contend in the MAC next season.
Linebackers: AThis was the group that was supposed to struggle. It turned out to be the best unit on the team. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6