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Pearly whites
A visiting assistant professor at Binghamton University was involved with the recent discovery of eight ancient human teeth that may provide evidence about human evolutionary history
The Free Word On Campus for 64 years
Vol. LXXIX, Issue 7
Binghamton University
lifestyles
The morning after
We ll guide you through your night out so you don t suffer the next day
9
opinion
Some modest proposals
6
Our suggestions for the new apartments above The Rat
As Egypt turmoil brews, students, staff reflect Bar owner to recast site for housing
Yelena Levina Pipe Dream News
Just a day after making a televised address announcing he would remain in office until September, embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned Friday and fled the country’s capital of Cairo, leaving the military in charge of the country. Since gaining control, the military has suspended Egypt’s constitution and dismissed the parliament. These changes were brought about after protesters gathered in the heart of Cairo, Tahrir Square, and other cities across Egypt, for over two weeks to demand greater economic opportunities and reform of Egypt’s oppressive political system. Thousands of angry protesters demonstrated throughout the night in Tahrir Square after Mubarak’s speech on his intention to retain power. The next morning, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that Mubarak had left office and turned over authority to the military. “There was a constant state of emergency which constituted police brutality,” said Ali Mazrui, the Albert Schweitzer professor in the humanities, director of Binghamton University’s Institute of Global Cultural Studies and a renowned African scholar, in reference to Egypt’s Emergency Law which had been in effect since 1967. “This means security forces could do anything without being prosecuted,” Mazrui said. Omaima Khan, a senior majoring in anthropology, also decried the lack of civil liberties for Egyptians under Mubarak’s rule. Khan’s mother’s relatives live in Alexandria, Egypt. “If you spoke out against the government or the police, you disappeared,” Khan said.
Emily Melas Pipe Dream News
Timmy Shin/Staff Photographer
Patrick Regan, a political science professor at Binghamton University, doubts Egypt’s ability to hold a free and fair Democratic election that would live up to U.S. standards. His comments were in response to the recent resignation of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
As the revolution that eventually toppled Mubarak gained momentum in January and February, the president and those loyal to him tried to suppress media coverage of the protests. Al Jazeera’s news offices were burned by Mubarak supporters, and state security forces jailed journalists and banned filming in Tahrir Square by international media. On Jan. 28, the Egyptian government cut off text messaging and Internet access in the entire country. “They were hoping, like most autocratic leaders, to diffuse the protests,” said Patrick Regan, a political science professor who specializes in the study of violent
armed conflict and its resolution. “In this day and age, those are the primary vehicles.” Mazrui called the Internet shutdown a form of technological censorship aimed to stop the Egyptian people from organizing. “It misfired because people went to Tahrir Square and contributed to the size of the demonstrations,” he said. Khan’s aunt and cousin are doctors who aided injured protesters in Egyptian hospitals during the massive rallies. She said she was not surprised by the resilience of the Egyptian people. “Egyptians are a stubborn people. I knew without a doubt they weren’t going to leave the square until
[Mubarak] left,” she said. When protesters’ demands were not met after several days, labor unions carried out nationwide strikes. The two weeks of demonstrations cost Egypt $1.5 billion in lost tourism revenue alone, according to a report from Bloomberg. Mazrui, who visited Egypt last year, said he believed that pressure from the international community — including the United States, which, according to the State Department, contributes more than $1.3 billion to the Egyptian military — was a factor in Mubarak’s resignation.
See EGYPT Page 4
Plans to build apartments for students over Binghamton’s Downtown bar, the Rathskeller Pub, were approved last week, and building will begin shortly. Andrew Urso, owner of Rathskeller Pub, proposed this plan in November 2010 and received confirmation of this project Monday, Feb. 7 from the City Planning Commission. According to Urso, construction will begin once building permits are obtained. The apartments will be built in the three floors above The Rat at 92 State St. and JT’s Tavern and Pasquale’s Pizza at 98 State St., which is also owned by Urso. Each unit will have seven to eight loftstyle bedrooms with exposed brick and hardwood floors, an open kitchen, living room and two to three bathrooms, Urso said. “We are targeting Binghamton University students,” Urso added. The size and location of the units cater to the local student population. But some BU students, the target population for the new apartments, are concerned with the noise. According to Therese Dompor, a sophomore double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, who plans to
See RAT Page 5
Political science major receives prestigious fellowship Emily Melas Pipe Dream News
Jacqueline Tello, a Binghamton University senior double-majoring in political science and history, is one of 12 college students nationwide to receive the American Political Science Association (APSA) Minority Fellowship, which is awarded based on academic excellence, for the 2011-12 academic year. This is the second consecutive year a BU student has won the award. The competitive fellowship includes a grant of $4,000 given in two payments of $2,000 each, one at the end of the recipient’s first year in graduate school and the other at the end of the second year, so long as high academic standing is maintained. The APSA’s director also writes letters of recommendation to all graduate schools to which the honored students apply. The students were notified they had won the award during the first week of December, and recommendations were completed on their behalf by the APSA’s
director the following week, Tello said. “It’s rare for any college university to get any student for this award, and this is actually the second year in a row Binghamton has had a student achieve the honor,” said David Cingranelli, a political science professor and mentor to Tello. “Two years in a row has put Binghamton in quite an elite group. She has done so much for herself and the University.” According to the APSA’s website, the fellowship is awarded based on factors such as GPA, extracurricular activities, GRE scores, a personal statement and letters of recommendation. “It was a very holistic process, making sure each part of the application was representative,” Tello said. Tello said she felt another important determining factor was whether applicants possessed a clear direction in their plans for future pursuits. “I think they were really looking for
See AWARD Page 5
Janel FitzSimmonds/Assistant Photo Editor
Jacqueline Tello, a senior double-majoring in political science and history, is one of just 12 students nationwide to receive the American Political Science Association Minority Fellowship, which is awarded for academic excellence, for the 2011-12 academic year.