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Thursday, February 22, 2018 | Vol. XCIII, Issue 11 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
SA Congress votes to postpone elections Deadline for submissions pushed to March 20 Sasha Hupka News Editor
Shawn Fleming/Pipe Dream Photo The new member classes of Panhellenic sororities at Binghamton University rush to greet their sisterhood. While these sororities go through a fourday formal recruitment, fraternities in the Interfraternity Council go through an informal process.
Standards vary across Greek life Formal structure defines Panhellenic recruitment Jillian Forstadt
Assistant News Editor
This past weekend, nearly 400 students participated in the Binghamton University Panhellenic Council’s formal sorority recruitment — the largest recruitment the council has ever seen. In the weeks prior, BU’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) chapters held their informal recruitment week, welcoming the second-largest new member class in the past five years.
While both councils aim to recruit new members in a safe environment, the differences between their processes shape two very different recruitment weeks. About 15 percent of students at BU are involved in Greek life organizations across the seven councils, which include multicultural, professional and social organizations. Two of the councils — BU’s IFC and Panhellenic Council — have wide variations in structure that stem from differences in each council’s national governance: the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). At BU, formal Panhellenic recruitment
SA groups accepting Venmo face punishment Use of third-party payment systems violates BU policy Gillian Kenah News Intern
Thanks to a warning from the Student Association (SA) Executive Board, some groups selling food around campus might be less willing to take Venmo. The SA warned groups earlier this month that using mobile payment services like Venmo, Apple Pay and Square could lead to serious consequences, including having their bank accounts frozen. Under Binghamton University policies, payment services that are not payment card industry compliant cannot be used. Payment card industry compliance is a list of requirements that merchants are held to by companies like Visa and Mastercard in order to protect the customer’s credit card information when making a payment, according to Stephen Duseau, assistant director and payment card industry compliance officer for the University’s Office of Risk Management and Administrative Compliance. Currently, all schools in the SUNY system follow these guidelines. Duseau said the University can only be truly compliant if student groups abide by Requirement 12 of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Guide. Requirement 12 states the third-party vendor, Venmo, must
SEE VENMO PAGE 2
is held each spring. While Panhellenic Council Executive Boards organize and determine the rules for recruitment operations at BU, the NPC also offers its own set of rules, outlined in its Unanimous Agreements, which ensure fairness and equality between the organizations during recruitment procedures. For the NIC, there are no comparable contracts. Most of the fraternity rush process is based in longstanding chapter traditions. Men can choose to attend recruitment week events at a number of fraternities or just one, limiting the breadth of their familiarity, and
SEE GREEK PAGE 3
The Student Association (SA) Student Congress voted to push back campuswide elections for the 2018-19 SA Executive Board in a meeting on Monday night. The election, originally scheduled for March 15, will be postponed to March 20. Sweeps were planned for Feb. 27, but are now scheduled for March 13. Letters of intent will be due on Feb. 26 by 5 p.m. Bryana Snyder, the SA Congress speaker and a senior majoring in human development, said the decision came after Congress representatives voiced concerns about the election’s promotion. “Tonight, Congress voted to change the election timeline,” Snyder wrote in an email. “This was due to the fact that Congress representatives believed the information about running was not advertised sufficiently.” Four candidates would have been running uncontested for the vice president for finance, vice president for academic affairs, vice president for multicultural affairs and vice president for programming positions in the election. Harry Bittker, an SA Congress representative and a junior majoring in political science, said he thought the original election
date worked, but could also see why Congress chose to move it back. “If Congress hadn’t come to the consensus that it was absolutely necessary, I would have been comfortable with the original timeline,” Bittker said. “But Congress deemed that because the advertisement never made it to SA Line, not enough students had the opportunity to consider running, so we had to push it back.” SA President Jermel McClure, a senior majoring in political science, said he supports the decision and hopes to see more participation in the election as a result of the extension. “I support the congressional representatives’ decision to extend the election timeline,” McClure said. “Allowing representatives more time to promote the election is a great way to foster more participation in the election. I look forward to a great election season, and I can’t wait to see who our campus elects.” The SA will heavily advertise the new deadline for letters of intent and aim to reach more students, according to Bittker. “We’ll be advertising the extended submission period throughout the next week through a variety of media, including SA Line, additional flyers, social media and through our respective community governments,” Bittker said. Students who wish to run must submit a letter of intent and a petition with 250 valid signatures to the SA office by 5 p.m. on Feb. 26.
IT Services showcases progress of six projects Department holds spring briefing on developments Karen Benitez
Pipe Dream News
Binghamton University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) directors presented upcoming projects to students, faculty and staff on Wednesday morning. In 2016, ITS instituted its Project Management Office to manage and develop its project portfolio and evaluate project requests. In fall 2017, the PMO held its first project briefing, which spotlighted projects from Jan. 1, 2017 through July 31, 2017. Throughout 2017, ITS received 107 project Rosalie Coschignano/Contributing Photographer requests, which are ideas for new technology Information Technology Services directors and project leaders present on upcoming improvements, including their Identity and Access Mandate, which aims services or programs submitted by the to consolidate multiple email addresses for one person into one account. University community, and completed 81
of them. After a project is selected for development, it will have a technology lead and a sponsor. A sponsor oversees the development of the project and will manage any obstacles that may arise. The technology lead will be the technology expert for the project from ITS. According to Logan Robinson, communications manager for ITS, the briefings provide transparency on the projects ITS is developing. “This venue provides an opportunity for feedback and discussion around the highlighted projects in the presentation,” Robinson wrote in an email. Wednesday’s brief highlighted six projects in development. The six projects funded by the University include the identity and access mandate; Microsoft system
SEE PROJECTS PAGE 4
Community solar offers energy alternative BlueRock Solar looks to expand to Broome County
the benefits of their subscription-based community solar program, which could help customers save 10 percent on their New York State Electric and Gas Hannah Walter Corp. (NYSEG) bill while also helping Pipe Dream News the environment. Michael Francis, the general The world is going more green, and manager of BlueRock Solar, gave a Binghamton is a prime market for solar presentation explaining how the system energy. works and the new infrastructure In an information session held at the that BlueRock is building in order to Koffman Southern Tier Incubator on expand its reach. The company, which Tuesday, BlueRock Solar representatives is based in Syracuse and is the newest discussed their intention to expand division of BlueRock Energy, a provider into the Binghamton area and touted of electricity and natural gas services,
builds large solar farms in upstate New York. Customers can purchase a percentage of the energy produced at the farms. “For each customer that signs up for a certain percentage of the energy that’s produced, they receive credits on their bill for the share of solar power that is produced,” Francis said. In doing so, the customer lends the solar energy they own to NYSEG, and in return, NYSEG pays back the participant through their energy bill, which is around 10 percent cheaper than the usual amount.
According to the National Association of Realtors, the average cost of solar panel installation is around $18,500. Houses must have a certain type of roof or shading that can support the infrastructure. If one of the panels breaks, it is also the owner’s responsibility to fix or replace it. Because customers are not responsible for maintaining the solar panels in community solar projects, these factors do not impact them in the same way they might if the customer installed
SEE SOLAR PAGE 2
NEWS
ARTS & CULTURE
OPINIONS
SPORTS
“The Liar” brings confusion and comedy to Watters Theater,
Groove for a good cause at Cyber Cafe West Fest,
Contributing columnist Sarah Molano criticizes Trump’s proposed changes to SNAP benefits,
Men’s lacrosse remains winless after narrow loss to Canisius,
Steve Schneider reflects on his wrestling career,
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bupipedream.com | February 22, 2018
Zionist organizations fundraise for Israel's terror victims 'All-In for Israel' raises money, awareness Ciara Gordon
Pipe Dream News
Almost 900 people have been injured and 62 have been killed in terror attacks in Israel since September 2015, according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On Tuesday, Binghamton University students raised money for the victims of Israel’s recent terror attacks at the second annual “All-In for Israel” casino night at the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life. Approximately 60 people signed up for the fundraiser, which was cohosted by Chabad, the BU Zionist Organization (BUZO), Bearcats for Israel and the Scrabble Club. The $1,400 raised at the event will be donated to Chabad’s Terror Victims Project, an international nonprofit that allocates money to Israel’s terror victims and their families, regardless of their religious background. Mariah Stein, the student president of Chabad and a senior majoring in human development, said joining forces with BUZO and Bearcats for Israel was a great way to draw a crowd. “We thought that bringing in the two Israel organizations on campus would give us a larger pull and reach even more students to come together to support a great
cause and have a huge impact while also enjoying a great event,” Stein said. Attendees paid a $10 cover chrarge to eat, hang out with friends and play blackjack or Scrabble. Those interested in poker could pay an extra $10 to $20 to participate in a Texas Hold ‘em tournament. No actual gambling took place, as students competed for prizes ranging from Cold Stone Creamery gift cards to BUZO T-shirts, rather than cash. Kevin Brown, a sophomore majoring in biology, chose to play Scrabble with other students rather than partake in the tournament. “I’m playing games and hanging out with friends that I know and people that I don’t,” Brown said. “Events like these are a great way to meet new people while also supporting and bringing attention to a cause that I’m passionate about.” The event began last year as a fundraiser for the victims of fires in northern Israel, mainly in the city of Haifa. Many of the fires were believed to be caused by politically motivated arsonists, according to The New York Times. Jacob Fishman, president of Bearcats for Israel and a senior majoring in political science, said Chabad’s Terror Victims Project aids victims in various ways. “What’s great about what we’re doing is that the money raised is being used in a wide
Kevin Paredes/Photography Editor Students gather around a table to play poker in a Texas Hold ‘em tournament at “Casino Night” on Tuesday at the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life. The money raised at the event will be donated to Chabad’s Terror Victims Project.
range of ways,” Fishman said. “It could be as simple as paying for a victim’s cab fare to the hospital or paying for that victim’s whole hospital bill.” Israel is not currently experiencing extremely high rates of terrorism, according to Binghamton University’s Zionist groups. Nevertheless, Rabbi
Levi Slonim, the director of programming and development for Chabad, said they are still occurring and victims continue to require aid, even though attacks may not be numerous. “Just a few days ago there were a few soldiers wounded on the border,” Slonim said. “The need is constant, unfortunately, so events
like this are a tremendous display of unity and support.” In 2017, 54 terror attacks were successfully carried out across Israel, ranging from stabbings, shootings, vehicular rammings and roadside pipe bombs, according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Brianna Perris, a junior
majoring in chemistry, said she chose to attend the casino night event because of her personal connection to the cause. “A lot of us are connected to Israel,” Perris said. “I have friends who fight in the [Israeli Defense Forces], so it’s great that the money is going toward terror victims.”
SA enforces payment, donation policies Solar company presents to community VENMO FROM PAGE 1
establish a written agreement with the merchant that spells out the security policy. The third party must also annually prove they are fulfilling industry requirements through specific documentation. Because Venmo does not have a written agreement with BU, it is not compliant, and even with a written agreement, the company would have to agree to provide the University with annual documentation indicating it is following compliance requirements. According to Rebecca Ho, the SA vice president for finance and a senior majoring in business administration, the SA is held to compliance standards by the University. “The use of Venmo is considered a serious violation because it violates university PCI compliance policy, which the Student Association is subject to,” Ho wrote in an email. “If I were aware of a student group using Venmo, I would be obligated to follow the Financial Policies and Procedures (FPP), and freeze the group’s account.” An SA Line newsletter statement on Feb. 2 referenced Page 5 of the SA’s Financial Policies and Procedures. The fifth rule under Section 1.1C, Budgetary Restrictions, states that SA groups may not accept payment for fundraising through Venmo, Google Wallet, Square, Facebook Messenger or similar online services. Currently, SA groups, including groups housed under Campus Recreation, are only allowed to accept cash or checks, which are deposited into their individual SA group bank accounts, according to the Financial Policies and Procedures. Craig Dube, the director of University club sports and intramurals, said he is not aware
SOLAR FROM PAGE 1
Theo Mason/Contributing Photographer Members of the Binghamton Hellenic Cultural Society, including Evangeline Kontos, an undeclared freshman; Jake Dertinger, a sophomore majoring in biology; and Rene Vorilas, a freshman majoring in business administration; hold a bake sale in the Marketplace. Student Association groups cannot use Venmo to collect payments or donations during fundraisers.
of any club sports using Venmo as a form of payment for fundraising. According to Dube, the organizations he oversees are instructed to use their individual University bank accounts, similarly to the SA. “We discuss not using personal accounts at our annual club leadership training because club leaders do not have the capacity to manage the financial needs of their respective club individually,” Dube wrote in an email. “The club would not be able to function appropriately given the complexity of the budget and purchasing process.” However, other student groups, including Greek life organizations, do not have the same restrictions as SA-chartered clubs.
Passion to Action: Democratic Access Join faculty, community members and student leaders to discuss proposed changes to state laws and federal policies that may impact the role you play on Election Day.
THURSDAY, FEB. 22 7-8:30PM UU-120
L.C. Coghill, the director of fraternity and sorority life at BU, said Greek organizations don’t have financial rules to abide by because they are separate entities from the University. “They all have independent accounts, because they have national dues that they have to collect, and they have to pay the national organization, and so all of that is separate from the University,” Coghill said. “So the SA groups are not supposed to have external accounts, so they would have nowhere to actually deposit the money that they’re collecting.” Kevin Wallace, a sophomore double-majoring in computer science and mathematics and a
member of the Hinman Production Company (HPC), a student-run theatre group, said HPC doesn’t use Venmo to accept payments for their ticket sales. “We use cash for all of our ticket sales, and our ticket prices are very affordable, so we’ve never had a problem with people being able to get tickets,” Wallace said. According to Duseau, the University’s payment standards keeps BU secure in terms of finances. “If BU does not do its part to keep payment cards secure, it could end up costing the University thousands, perhaps even millions of dollars,” Duseau said. Michael Levinstein contributed reporting to this story.
their own solar panels. Southern Tier Solar Works, a local solar energy nonprofit, claims on their website that community solar gives individuals an opportunity to support green energy without directly installing it into one’s house. “This model allows an entire community to benefit from a solar farm,” the website states. “That includes those who rent, live in a multi-unit building, or live in an area where your roof just doesn’t get enough sun.” Currently, BlueRock serves over 20,000 customers in five states, but according to Francis, the Binghamton area is an attractive place to recruit customers because it would be one of the larger markets its infrastructure covers. “Binghamton is one of the areas that has eligible consumers for our project,” Francis said. “Binghamton is actually one of the larger areas of all those counties and customers that can subscribe to our farm. So, we got to get to Binghamton at some point.” The first solar farm built by BlueRock is in Millport, New York and is 3 1/2 acres large. Its service is at full occupancy, serving 80 customers. BlueRock is currently working to sell energy from its second location in Enfield, New York, which, at 14 acres, is much larger. This farm would be able to service 300 to 400 customers. According to the Department of Energy, the average U.S. household releases 6.8 metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year. However, solar is emission-free, so the rampant implementation of this energy would likely cause a great reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It could also help decrease pollution and related health problems. Apalachin resident Brian Harasymczuk found out about the BlueRock meeting on Facebook, and he said he decided to go because he was interested in the opportunity to be both environmentally friendly and save on their bills. “I am interested in joining community solar,” Harasymczuk said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s really any downside to it, so it probably can’t hurt.”
O PINIONS FFUN PAGE UN III Thursday, Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September February October October April 3,2, 22, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2018 2017
Recruitment grows for BU Greek life GREEK FROM PAGE 1 are not required to attend any single number of events, many of which are held off campus, where chapters host prospective members for rituals. These rituals, however, are not supposed to break any IFC rules. While the IFC Constitution states that all official recruitment week events must be dry, it is more difficult to pinpoint violations since all events are held off campus. According to Yitzhak Maurer, president of the IFC and a junior majoring in classical and Near Eastern studies, many fraternities use parties in the first couple of weeks of the semester as a recruitment tactic. “We’re trying to move people away from that,” Maurer said. “We want to showcase more of what Greek life can be, especially with what’s been happening in the past year or two years in the national scene of Greek life.” At the IFC level, punishment comes in the form of fines and other actions determined by the IFC Judicial Board. According to Maurer, concerns are often brought from Coghill or members of other organizations, but there are still many issues people talk about among themselves that are not shut down. The IFC is now contemplating
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how best to add formal components to the fraternity recruitment process. With 19 chapters, each with 30 to 60 members, the logistics of holding a formal fraternity recruitment would be just one of many challenges. According to Ashley Rottkamp, the president of the Panhellenic Council and a junior double-majoring in psychology and accounting, coordinating a yearly formal recruitment is easier for sororities. “IFC is bigger and has less people in each chapter, so a formal recruitment process wouldn’t necessarily work for them, and they’ve never done it, so it would be really hard to all of a sudden do one now,” Rottkamp said. After initiation this spring, Coghill expects there will be roughly 2,300 Greek life members on campus. According to Coghill, although the changing regulations of recruitment are leading to a positive change in Greek life Kevin Paredes/Photography Editor overall at BU, this process takes On Wednesday, Binghamton University’s campus was decorated with green tags, marking different rooms, buildings, time. “Culture change is hard,” pieces of art and objects made possible by donations to the Binghamton Fund. Coghill said. “Every year they talk through different rules and regulations to see if they can get to where they want to be, but ultimately our goal is to get as Sasha Hupka News Editor many qualified people that want this experiences as they can.” The following accounts were provided by Investigator old female employee had provided free meals for Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State state employees on three different occasions without University Police. permission from her supervisor. Officers interviewed the employee, who admitted to giving away a meal for Jumpin’ around free once, but denied doing so the other two times. A FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 11:36 p.m. — Officers received report was taken, and Dining Services will handle a report that nine students were trapped in the situation through their human resources an elevator in Digman Hall of Dickinson department. Community. Officers made sure none of the students needed medical Turf trespass using threatening language toward attention, and instructed the TUESDAY, Feb. 20, 4:31 p.m. other students, according to WBNG. students to wait for an elevator — Officers encountered four He was charged with making a ter- repairman to arrive. The students playing soccer on the roristic threat, which is a felony. students, who were stuck recreation turf field by the Judge Kevin Dooley of Broome between the first and East Gym. When asked how County Court ordered Wormuth to second floors of the they accessed the field, the wear a monitoring device on his an- building, managed to pry students said they had jumped kle for six months. He is currently open the elevator doors over the fence. Officers informed on house arrest and is only allowed and free themselves. the students that they needed to to leave his home for mental health Upon examining the video contact Campus Recreation if they evaluations and court appearances. footage from the elevator, wanted to use the field and were officers discovered the asked to leave the turf. Authorities searching for students had been jumping suspect in West Side Mini Mart up and down in the elevator, Stolen crepe robbery which caused it to break down. TUESDAY, Feb. 20, 6:12 p.m. — Officers A work order has been placed, and were contacted by a Dining Services On Feb. 16, a man wearing a white the students will be held responsible manager who said he wanted to report mask walked into West Side Mini for any damages. a larceny from Hinman Dining Hall. The Mart, a convenience store on Main manager said he saw a 19-year-old male student eat Street in the city of Binghamton, Free food a crepe without paying for it. Officers interviewed the around midnight, according to Fox MONDAY, Feb. 19, 2:02 p.m. — A BU Dining Services male, who said he had stolen the food because his meal 40. According to the cashier, the manager contacted UPD regarding employee theft from plan was running low. He was reported to man placed a gun on the counter Hinman Dining Hall. The manager said a 57-yearStudent Conduct. and demanded money. He left the store with approximately $500. The Binghamton Police Department is investigating the case.
Police Watch
Pipe Line CAMPUS NEWS Women approach students on campus Binghamton’s New York State University Police (UPD) received reports that several women have been approaching female students around campus to invite them to join World Mission Society Church of God, a religious organization that promotes the idea of a female God. According to UPD, there are rumors online that it is a sex trafficking scheme. They have, however, found no evidence that the women are dangerous. LOCAL NEWS Student threatens others on school bus Jacobe Wormuth, 16, was arrested last week on a Whitney Point Central School District school bus after
This Day in History Feb. 22, 1980
The U.S. men’s hockey team, consisting of college players, defeats four-time defending gold medal Soviet team at the Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. For many Americans, the dramatic upset represented an ideological victory against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
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bupipedream.com | February 22, 2018
UDiversity hosts cultural discussion Briefing addresses project proposals
Educational program builds bridges Jacob Kerr
Contributing Writer
The UDiversity Educational Institute started a conversation with students about diversity, inclusion and oppression in today’s society on Wednesday. During “Building Bridges to Cultural Competency,” Lea Webb, a coordinator at the UDiversity Educational Institute, hosted an intimate discussion, aiming to make connections between diversities and educate students about the issues of oppression and how to handle them when they arise. The UDiversity Educational Institute is a branch of Binghamton University’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). The mission of the branch, according to its website, is to support the DEI’s goal of working together with students, faculty and staff to support values of diversity, equity and inclusion in campus life. Through research, training and education, they hope to bring an end to bias and harassment. “Usually there is just a diversity officer doing the
educational programs and training, but here we have a whole educational institute that is looking at best practice and trying to incorporate new research and partners with different offices on campus,” Webb said. UDiversity has worked with the Center for Learning and Teaching, Dean of Students Office, Broome Community College, University Libraries and Residential Life as part of its educational programs. At Wednesday’s event, the conversation revolved around the effects of diversity on each individual. Beyond sharing these stories, attendees, along with Webb, reflected on why certain events happened, how they changed their perspective and how they could have been different. Diane Mathews, a senior majoring in biology, said hearing other people’s stories was interesting. “Hearing what everyone had to say was amazing, and to see the different perspectives on the same situation,” Mathews said. “Realizing that these things are really happening still now is frustrating, and being part of the change is something that we should all do.” The discussion also doubled as a training event for Mathews,
who said it was a part of her College Reading and Learning Association certification for tutoring. Mathews had multiple options to complete this part of the training, but said she chose this one because of the impact this discussion has on her job. “[Diversity and inclusion] is such an important issue, especially when we’re seeing all of these different students in tutoring,” Mathews said. “Having this idea of not knowing what their background is, is something that we take for granted and is something we need to think about.” The UDiversity website offers
resources to request training and to report incidents with students and faculty or staff. Webb said she wants students to feel comfortable approaching her regarding anything to do with diversity, equity and inclusion. “I encourage people to just reach out to me,” Webb said. “Shoot me an email, give me a call if there are ideas or approaches they want to take on diversity trainings.” The UDiversity Educational Institute will be holding another two-phase educational program on March 9 and March 16 this year.
Jacob Hanna/Staff Photographer Lea Webb, a coordinator at the UDiversity Educational Institute, speaks to students at “Building Bridges to Cultural Competency,” a conversation on the effects of diversity at BU, in the University Union on Wednesday evening.
PROJECTS FROM PAGE 1 center configuration manager; National Institute of Standards and Technology 800-171 “bubble” implementation; business intelligence software implementation; the distributed antenna system; and a project for outdoor Wi-Fi. The identity and access mandate aims to consolidate multiple accounts for one person into one, which could be especially helpful for emails. After people change jobs or roles at BU, their email accounts are often switched, leading to one person having multiple email addresses. The project hopes to eliminate this and create one account for each person. In the meantime, the National Institute of Standards and Technology 800-171 project aims to create a “bubble” for faculty to perform research and will act as a short-term solution for faculty research until the identity and access mandate project is completed. Microsoft system center configuration manager will provide a centralized service for software deployment, patch management, anti-virus management and remote assistance for Windows devices owned by the University. When completed, several new full-time employees will be hired to monitor the program. Business intelligence software implementation is a software project
that will provide data reports and performance dashboards from University databases. It is expected to be completed by April 2018. The distributed antenna system and outdoor Wi-Fi will extend current infrastructure and services on campus as part of BU President Harvey Stenger’s Road Map program. The system will provide cellular reception to places on campus that are not well-connected, including Academic Building A, the University Union and Glenn G. Bartle Library’s ground floor, while the outdoor Wi-Fi project aims to provide internet connectivity to places such as the Spine and the Peace Quad. Some attendees expressed their concerns over budgets and the accessibility of some of the projects to all departments at BU. Andrea MacArgel, director of instructional design for the Center for Learning and Teaching, said she would like to see more educational projects. “In the strategic plan, their goal mentions my office quite a bit, but I didn’t see any projects that were related to that,” MacArgel said. “So I’d like to see more of that. There is a lot that campus asks of them but I’m proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish.” Project briefings occur once every semester. The next project briefing will be in September 2018.
Be Greek, Be You
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OPINIONS FFUN UN Thursday, Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September February October October April 3,2, 22, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2018 2017
Considering more than just a major Additional skills can be especially marketable to future employers Brad Calendrillo
Columnist
Annabeth Sloan/Editorial Artist
WHO DOES CLAUDIA CARE ABOUT? Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, who represents the city of Binghamton, said that the people who are behind many mass shootings in the United States actually turn out to be Democrats. While speaking on an Albany-area radio show, Tenney said, “Yeah, well, obviously there is a lot of politics in it, and it’s interesting that so many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats, but the media doesn’t talk about that either.” Not only was her comment somewhat irrelevant in the aftermath of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as it touched on a trivial aspect of the event, but she also clearly did not consider the aftermath of one of the other deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history — the one in her own backyard at the American Civic Association on Front Street in the city of Binghamton that occurred almost 10 years ago. The shooting is still the deadliest mass shooting to occur in New York state’s history. In the same radio interview, Tenney expressed concerns for the legal gun owners who would potentially be affected by the Florida shooting. She stated, “What scares me most is that a lot of these legal gun owners are going to be targeted
now. In their demographic, they have the least amount of crimes of virtually any other demographic.” It is inappropriate and completely ignorant for Tenney to say that what scares her most is how gun owners will be affected, rather than saying what scares her most is that innocent people are being murdered as a result of gun violence every day and the United States has yet to do something about it. Tenney is wholeheartedly ignoring the tragedy that took place in her own district and how it changed the community — both the people who were directly and indirectly affected by the shooting at the American Civic Association. It’s hard to believe that Tenney, among other politicians, cares more about Second Amendment rights than finding ways to prevent more innocent people from being murdered. After the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas in October, we wrote an editorial about the tragedy. We recalled Tenney’s support of the National Rifle Association, and the organization’s tandem support of her. In the wake of both the Las Vegas tragedy and the
shooting in Parkland, Claudia Tenney has reminded us that she is more interested in the rights of gun owners than the safety of innocent people. Although Tenney’s comments were unwarranted, her ignorance is unsurprising. The congresswoman has a track record of ignoring constituents’ concerns. In fact, exactly a year ago on Feb. 22, 2017, the Binghamton Homepage reported that constituents were planning to hold a “Where’s Tenney?” town hall meeting after she failed to schedule meetings, even after constituents requested she do so. Her failure to schedule town hall meetings demonstrates her unwillingness to listen to the people she is supposed to be serving, and it also explains the current disconnect between her and her constituents. Tenney’s alternative to holding town hall meetings was to hold them via phone instead of in person, which was, frankly, far from adequate to address citizens’ concerns. Tenney is blatantly disrespecting and ignoring the people she was elected to listen to. Although it should go without saying, serving
as a congresswoman requires one to understand and be receptive to the people you govern. She certainly does not acknowledge that community members are still suffering from what occurred almost 10 years ago. According to an article published in The Boston Globe on Nov. 11, 2017, Binghamton community members are still constantly thinking about the bloodshed at the American Civic Association. The article highlights David Stark, a retired Binghamton teacher and principal who used to play piano at the organization’s annual Garlic Festival. The article states, “Now he can’t drive down Front Street without thinking of murder and death.” Tenney must acknowledge how her own citizens must be feeling in light of yet another mass shooting. The Editorial Board wholeheartedly denounces Tenney’s statements following what occurred in Florida. If she wants to fulfill her congressional duty to serve citizens of her district, she first needs to prove she actually cares about the people who elected her, the place in which they live and the history tied to it.
Views expressed in the opinion pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial, above. The Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor and Arts & Culture Editor.
Imagine a world in which employers only looked at one’s college major to determine if they are the proper candidate for a certain job. In this world, no other attributes, such as communication skills, are considered in the job market. What would it be like to live in this world? There would most likely be less appreciation for the arts and humanities, and these areas of study would become lost in the mix. Admittedly, I would likely change my major to something STEM-related or something in the business field. I could do this in real life if I really wanted to, but my true passion is within the humanities. This is not to say that engineering students in the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and students in the School of Management do not appreciate the arts and do not love what they do. If I did not study what I loved, I would not be the same person I am today. If college majors were the only qualification employers cared about, I would lose myself in the desire to make money rather than to pursue what I genuinely enjoy doing. Some people also believe that certain majors like sociology offer few job opportunities due to the lack of marketable skills. This is simply not true. One’s future job opportunities do not directly correlate with one’s major, and people can certainly possess marketable skills outside of their major. Someone with great communication skills who is good at interviews and networking can earn a fantastic job, regardless of their major. Someone can be at the right place at the right time and land an enjoyable, well-paying job. For instance, perhaps one can be in an interview and the interviewer gains a soft spot for the candidate because they went to the interviewer’s alma mater, regardless of their major. Life is not set in stone and one’s path is not always certain; so many curveballs can be thrown at someone 20 years down the line after college — they can find themselves in a job they never expected to be in and their college major can become a blur. Personally, while I am open to change, I currently plan to work toward a master’s degree after I graduate, which can cause potential employers to put less emphasis on my undergraduate major. Patience and faith that all of the puzzle pieces will fit together one day is key to a successful, fulfilling life. It can take five years, 20 years or 50 years. I acknowledge that this may not be the most popular viewpoint, and you can call me overly optimistic, but I find it to be a stronger, more marketable driving force than a major. — Brad in English.
Calendrillo
is
a
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majoring
Trump's proposed changes to SNAP don't benefit recipients The proposal strips people of their dignity Sarah Molano
Contributing Columnist
Yet again, some of the United States’ most vulnerable citizens are being targeted. The Trump administration proposed a change to the current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would eliminate much of the program’s recipients’ ability to choose what food they can purchase. But aside from depleting SNAP recipients’ autonomy, something else gets depleted — their dignity. The full proposal suggests that instead of the current system, in which recipients are given their benefit money on an electronic benefit transfer card to buy food that fits within the guidelines,
the government would distribute “America’s Harvest Boxes” to Americans who receive at least $90 per month — which is over 80 percent of recipients — through the program. These packages would contain “shelfstable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit and vegetables.” The idea of the U.S. government distributing such a volume of food to roughly 38 million people is a logistical nightmare. How will the food be distributed? Will it be like the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides senior citizens who have an annual income below $16,000 with monthly food boxes, forcing recipients to travel to some location like a food bank to receive their benefits? This would mean that recipients who have no reliable means of transportation — a problem common for low-income people
— would have difficulty receiving their benefits, especially in rural areas. Or would the government ship boxes to recipients? This begs a series of questions that appeared in the New Yorker: “How, exactly, will this Administration — which recently contracted with a desperately inept company to deliver millions of premade meals to Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria, only to withdraw the contract after almost none of the meals were delivered — actually get these boxes of food to millions of households? Or to recipients who move frequently, or end up temporarily homeless? What if the food is stolen or delayed?” Transportation issues aside, sending out identical food boxes to millions of people does not account for food allergies or other dietary restrictions, differences in food preparation ability within families,
especially in regard to cultural food differences. Why are we doing this? Perhaps because there’s an awful myth that SNAP recipients are lazy, don’t work to better their lives and are using their benefits to splurge on luxurious steak and lobster dinners. For one, this is the breakdown of food stamp recipients for the 2016 fiscal year: 44 percent were children, 12 percent were seniors and 11 percent were nonelderly people with disabilities. Most SNAP recipients who can work, do work. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than half of SNAP households with at least one able-bodied adult work while while receiving SNAP, and more than 80 percent work in the year before or after receiving SNAP. Additionally, the program requires most childless adults to work, and in some states, parents must work.
Let’s call it like it is. There’s something more glaring that this proposal suggests: Poor people cannot be trusted to make their own food decisions. Those in favor of Trump’s proposal accuse SNAP recipients of being unable to make what they deem to be acceptable food selections. For some reason, people cannot stand the idea of low-income parents buying their kids simple luxuries like chips or ice cream. It’s unfathomable that a poor person be allowed to have shrimp in their pasta, or buy a cake for a birthday. Simply put, SNAP recipients buy what they want, which typically includes what they need. Why do we keep pretending that they’re not competent enough to prioritize the necessities? If they want to use a portion of their benefits for a comfort food, which may be the only delicacy they can treat themselves to once a week, let them.
Nobody using SNAP benefits is living a life of luxury. Most of them are working and feeding children; others cannot work and SNAP is the reason they aren’t starving. Let’s not take away low-income families’ simple comforts, dignity and autonomy. Binghamton University sits in an area with a higher-thanaverage poverty rate. In most cases, students are extremely privileged compared to the citizens of the area. When you talk about how lazy and pathetic SNAP recipients are, you may be talking about the guy in front of you in line at the grocery store, the family of the fellow BU student behind you or the cashier checking you out. Regardless of how far Trump’s proposal goes, we need to destigmatize the use of food stamps anyway. — Sarah Molano is a junior double-majoring in English and philosophy, politics and law.
ARTS & CULTURE
'The Liar' mixes lies and love in Watters Theater The 17th-century play gets a modern update Joshua Rosenthal Staff Writer
Before you even know what the play is about, the title, “The Liar,” is enough to draw you in. That’s all the show’s director, theatre professor Thomas Kremer, needed. “Lying is pretty pervasive in our society,” Kremer said. “I was attracted to the title alone. And then I read it, and I saw it was a modern adaptation in rhyming verse. The language was so beautifully clever and funny, so I was attracted to that.” “The Liar” is a comedic play that tells the story of Dorante, played by Trey Santiago, a senior majoring in theatre. A French nobleman who has recently moved to Paris in 1643, Dorante cannot help but lie every chance he gets to achieve his goals — and his goals typically include seducing women. His false stories create a tangled web of lies that leads to a number of humorous interactions with the other characters. “Ah Paris, how I love you. Jesus, it’s fast here. At this rate I don’t see how I can last here. I’ve just arrived, I haven’t any pull, and look, my calendar’s already full,” Dorante says in one scene. “Fess up, are any of you quick as I, the master of the airtight alibi?” The line is not only spoken in rhymed verse, but is also in iambic pentameter — a verse that consists of five pairs of stressed and unstressed syllables. The play is written mostly in this way, giving it a much more poetic feeling than the average theatre piece. As you can imagine, it creates a much more difficult job for the performers, who must ensure the unnatural dialogue has a natural tone and delivery. “I think the biggest challenge is making the language work,” Kremer said. “Finding a way to
Yanah Hossain/ Contributing Photographer Trey Santiago, a senior majoring in theatre, and Robert Edwards, a junior majoring in theatre, star in the theatre department’s production of “The Liar.” The show opens Friday, Feb. 23, and tells the story of a compulsive liar falling in love.
do the verses so it doesn’t sound singsongy, and at the same time it makes sense.” Adapted from Pierre Corneille’s “Le Menteur,” “The Liar” is playwright David Ives’ 2010 take on the 1644 play. There is another layer of influence, too: Corneille drew his inspiration from Mexican-born playwright Juan Ruiz de Alarcón’s “La verdad sospechosa.” In an interview with NPR, Ives said
he considers what he did as a “translaptation” — part translation, part adaptation. Because Ives revamped the play so recently, it’s full of modern references to entertain a 21stcentury audience. Kremer said the theatre department puts on a similar “language play” in its Mainstage series every year. In these plays, the language is purposefully different and more difficult. According to the show’s stage
manager, Rich Vollmer, ‘06, a production like this requires a lot of work. “We’ve been rehearsing around five weeks,” Vollmer said. “We rehearse Monday through Saturday, where we typically run for four hours during the weekdays and a sixhour rehearsal on the Saturday.” The play is romantic and poetic, but most of all, it’s funny. Much of the humor comes from the larger-than-life
performances, the humorous dialogue and the meta jokes throughout the show. “The first thing I hope people take away from the show is that they have a hell of a good time laughing,” Kremer said. “But my second thing that I hope they take away from the show is the question about lying and how does lying fit into their lives, if it fits in at all. Do they tell little white lies or do they tell big lies? Our job in the
theater is to raise questions and make morals.” “The Liar” will be performed at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23, 24, 28 and March 1, and at 2 p.m. on Feb 24. All performances will be held in Watters Theater in the Anderson Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Anderson Center Box Office or on the Anderson Center website. Prices are $18 for general audience, $16 for alumni, faculty, seniors and staff and $10 for students.
Stepping from the screen to the stage Annual 'Watch Your Step' competition to be held Sat. James Tlsty
Contributing Writer
Pitchfork Media Inc Yaeji, a Korean American DJ and house music artist, will headline the first Binghamton Underground Music Presents show of the semester on March 10. Her performance at BU will come just before she begins her “Make It Rain” North American tour.
Yaeji to headline BUMP show The Korean American artist will perform March 10 Allison Khin
Contributing Writer
Yaeji will kick off this semester of Binghamton Underground Music Presents (BUMP) shows on Saturday, March 10. Born in Flushing, Queens, Yaeji is a Korean American dance and house music producer. She is known for performing in both Korean and English, and for her fusion of different genres. Her second extended play, “EP2,” debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Album Sales chart in November. Yaeji has recently spiked in popularity, with three online Vogue articles pertaining to the artist published in the last year, in addition to features in The New Yorker and The FADER. In one of the Vogue pieces, posted in January, she said that she feels split between two different worlds as an Asian American
performer. But her fans in both South Korea and the United States seem to find her music fascinating because of it. Fans in South Korea, she told Vogue, look to her music with a feeling of being authentic and real. In the United States, her use of Korean in her lyrics has become important for Korean Americans. “I noticed that for a lot of Asian girls, it’s a huge change to see someone that’s doing that,” she told Vogue. The artist is also gaining visibility for her upcoming performances at Coachella and the Seasons Festival in Vancouver. Mika Itkin-Weinstein, BUMP chair and a junior double-majoring in English and history, said that BUMP worked extremely hard to get the booking and she’s still surprised that it worked out, as Yaeji’s popularity is increasing every day. “She’s probably one of the bigger artists we’ve ever had,” Itkin-Weinstein said. Previous acts brought by BUMP include Topaz Jones, who was formally trained and known for the single “Tropicana,” Diet Cig, who has frequently played at small
shows throughout the country and IAN SWEET, whose debut single was featured in The FADER. Itkin-Weinstein said she predicts that the event will be different than previous BUMP shows because of Yaeji’s popularity. “It’s going to be a different environment than usual — it’s going to be more like a party,” she said. After months of hearing friends tell her to listen to Yaeji, Itkin-Weinstein said that she discovered the DJ-producer after seeing the music video for her track “Raingurl.” The video currently has over 2 million views and nearly 60,000 likes on YouTube. Yaeji’s fusion of various genres aligned with Itkin-Weinstein’s stated mission as BUMP chair of “getting different genres and more diverse groups of artists” to perform at shows. Yaeji will perform on Saturday, March 10 in the University Union Undergrounds. The opener for the show has not yet been confirmed. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show is at 8 p.m., and admission to the show is free to students.
This weekend, “Watch Your Step,” the Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society’s annual step show, returns. The dance competition brings together step teams from colleges and universities — and this year, a high school — from throughout the Northeast to compete for a $1,000 prize. The theme for Saturday’s show is “Stepping Off the Silver Screen,” which encourages teams to incorporate scenes and costumes from blockbuster movies into their performances. The venue, St. Patrick’s Church on the West Side of Binghamton, will be decorated to match the theme, complete with a red carpet and popcorn for those who attend. Chenelle Seck, the president of the Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society and a senior majoring in sociology, said that this year, the ticket proceeds go toward efforts to provide students with affordable opportunities to visit out-of-state law schools. Step is a dance form with historical roots in black culture. Seck said that stepping is an empowering form of selfexpression that turns the body into an instrument, using hands, feet and words to create a rhythm. She expressed excitement at the possibility that X-Fact’r, Binghamton University’s step
team, could win it all. “They have a lot of practice, and they won last year,” Seck said. “Having a home team to represent Binghamton makes things really exciting.” Judges will score the teams based on both the technical execution of their act and the creative incorporation of the theme. The panel of judges includes members of other oncampus organizations, including popular student dance groups Quimbamba Latin Dance Team and the Uyai Nnua African dance group, and the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Milton Chester, assistant dean for off-campus programs and services, will also serve as a judge for the event. Chester said that he will be judging teams based on a rubric of creativity, crowd participation and engagement, uniforms and synchronization. “This is a high energy, exciting, fun event,” Chester wrote in an email. “There is always lots of positive energy in the room. Over the years I have attended hundreds of student events and this program ranks in the top 5 percent of student programs I’ve attended.” The competition will take place Saturday, Feb. 24 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the St. Patrick’s Church at 9 Leroy St. on Binghamton’s West Side. Tickets will be sold for $10 in the Tillman Lobby in the University Union this week leading up to the event. According to Seck, tickets at the door will likely be sold for $12.
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ARTS & CULTURE
February 22, 2018 | bupipedream.com
Restaurant serves up 'good vibes' on Main Street
Rebecca Kiss / Assistant Photography Editor The BLEAT burger, which includes a sunny-side up egg, bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato, served with garlic Parmesan french fries. The burger is on the menu at Peterson’s Tavern on Main Street in the city of Binghamton.
Peterson's Tavern takes name from local history
Binghamton’s history. Peterson’s Tavern opened in October of last year, but the inspiration for the name came from where the first Nikkolette Sather Arts & Culture Intern meeting place of the town of Binghamton was held — back One Downtown restaurant in 1834. is looking to build on The space was most recently
home to Champz Sports Grille, which closed in June 2016, but it is now equipped with a few round tables, couches to lounge on and an L-shaped bar leading to the back where there’s a patio for outdoor seating in the warmer seasons. The bar is located at the corner
of Main and Front streets, with large windows showcasing its interior. The atmosphere provides a casual but positive vibe as pop music blares in the background. Its menu has a classic American flare, with options ranging from burgers and
sandwiches to salads and fries. The bar also has several beers on tap. Nathan Jachimowicz, managing partner of Peterson’s Tavern, said the BLEAT burger is one of the most popular items on the menu and incorporates a variety of flavors within one bun. The patty is topped with a sunny side up egg, avocado, lettuce, tomato and bacon. I sampled this burger, and even without bacon, the egg added an interesting and savory twist by bringing breakfast to the burger. The garlic-Parmesan fries were garnished with cut scallions and Parmesan cheese, but still needed more flavor. Peterson’s Tavern already has several specials on rotation, with plans to feature additional specials on certain nights of the week. On Wednesdays, there will be deals on wings and on Friday nights, there will be special steak offerings. The restaurant plans to feature live entertainment more regularly on Saturday nights, including an upcoming performance by local band Deveroe on Feb. 24. Like any other sports bar, there are multiple TVs around the bar. Peterson’s Tavern also features a two-story screen on the back of their building where they will project sports games and shows to patrons on the patio
during the warmer months. Though the tavern is far from State Street, Jachimowicz said the location is ideal for the restaurant. “You don’t compete with those guys like The Colonial or Thai Time,” Jachimowicz said. “We just want to add to their essence and not compete with them, just shine next to each other.” According to Jachimowicz, Peterson’s Tavern welcomes adults of any age and at any stage in the night — whether it’s the last stop of a bar hop or a laidback dinner with friends. “We don’t have a typical crowd, it’s anyone from say 18 to 80, we accept all different types of people as long as they’re bringing good vibes,” he said. “That’s the type of people we want coming here to have a good time.” By fall 2019, the owners plan to expand their current one-floor bar, adding a dance floor and a rooftop garden where they will grow their fresh herbs, according to Jachimowicz. Peterson’s Tavern is located at 11 Main St. in Downtown Binghamton. It is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays, from noon to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 1 a.m. on Sundays.
CASU, VSA team up for Lunar New Year Banquet Event will feature lion dancing, Chinese food Erica Prush
Contributing Writer
Two student groups will honor of the Lunar New Year on Friday — with some fun twists. The Chinese American Student Union (CASU) and the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) will be hosting their annual Lunar New Year Banquet on Friday, Feb. 23 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Mandela Room in the University Union. In hosting this event, CASU and VSA bring the tradition of the Lunar New Year, celebrated by Asian and Asian-American families, to the campus community. “The Lunar New Year is similar to the American New Year on Jan. 1,” said Jason Lu, the vice president of CASU and a junior majoring in economics. “It’s a time where everyone’s supposed to gather around and feast with the family.” The Lunar New Year officially took place on Friday Feb. 16, and though different Asian and Asian American communities celebrate the holiday
differently, CASU and VSA are teaming up for this event. CASU and VSA scheduled the banquet for this week so that even those who chose to celebrate at home can participate. “Throughout the Asian community [at BU] a lot of people go home, but there’s a lot of people who stay here because they don’t have a ride to get home or they don’t have time to go home,” said Christina Tran, cultural events coordinator of VSA and a sophomore majoring in English. “So we put it on as a celebration within the community, so we can come together.” The Mandela Room will be decorated with red lanterns and tablecloths, keeping with the Chinese association of the color red with good luck, especially during the Lunar New Year. The banquet will feature a catered meal including white rice, chicken and broccoli, lo mein, tofu stir-fry and General Tso’s chicken from Red Wok, a restaurant located on Binghamton’s West Side. There will also be photo booths, with backdrops decorated by CASU and VSA, where attendees can take pictures with their friends in their formal attire. Performances will include breakdancing by BU Breakers, a
showcase of the Chinese yo-yo, spokenword poetry and traditional lion dancing. There will also be interactive games for attendees and, of course, red envelopes — although they will be filled with candy instead of money. “I think it’s a good balance between modern and traditional,” Lu said. Darren Yu, a senior majoring in business administration, will be performing solo beatboxing on Friday. Yu explained that, for him, the Lunar New Year Banquet represents a bridge. “A lot of first generation/minority students commit significantly to their family’s culture, only to find that it does nothing to connect them to their local or school community,” Yu wrote in an email. “Events like Lunar New Year Banquet and student organizations like CASU/VSA validate my past in a sense. I’ve found ways to connect with other students that have nothing to do with ethnicity, but seeing the prevalence of Asian representation through student organizations has helped me reconcile with my ethnic circumstances.” Tickets for the banquet will be on sale on Thursday, Feb. 22 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Marketplace. Tickets are $7 and will be available at the door if they do not sell out in advance.
Pipe Dream Archives In this image from February 2016, a lion dance mask sits backstage at the Lunar New Year Banquet. This year, the Chinese American Student Union and Vietnamese Student Association are teaming up to host their annual banquet on Feb. 23.
WHRW to host concert featuring student bands Cyber West Fest will be held Saturday night Georgia Westbrook Arts & Culture Editor
Pipe Dream Archives In this picture from March 2017, Stand and Wave performs at the Student Association’s Battle of the Bands. The group will perform at Cyber West Fest, hosted by WHRW, on Feb. 24.
On Saturday, Feb. 24, WHRW, Binghamton University’s campus radio station, will host Cyber West Fest, a concert whose proceeds will benefit the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The event is being held, in part, to honor WHRW’s longtime chief engineer, Tom Siglin, who died of cancer in January. Since the planning for the event began last semester, the event was originally going to be a fundraiser for only WHRW. But after Siglin’s death, Cyber West Fest took on the benefit title. The idea for the event came from Abir Hossain, loud rock director for WHRW and a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, in response to the station’s successful semesterly Cafe O’Spacis events. He said that members of the station’s board came up with the idea for a live music event, but on a smaller scale than Moefest,
the station’s music festival held toward the end of every spring semester. Cyber West Fest, held at Cyber Cafe West on Binghamton’s West Side, will be headlined by Elephant Jake and will feature bands natural born kissers, The Nesbitts and Stand and Wave. “They’re all rock bands, some are louder than others, some are more pop-y, but they’re still rock music,” Hossain said. Hossain said he held a contest to find the headliner — then turned to his friends. “I had this contest [to pick the main act] through the loud rock department where I just had anyone who recorded their own music and was a part of the station to send in their stuff,” he said. “The other bands were people I knew.” Mika Itkin-Weinstein, the singer for natural born kissers and a junior double-majoring in English and history, said that the four-piece outfit performs often in the local music stage and is excited to be in the lineup. Ryan Lupia, drummer for The Nesbitts and a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said his band is looking forward to
playing for an audience. “I think it is safe to say for all of us [in the band] that playing live is one the best experiences as a band,” he said. “We love pouring all our energy into our music and getting that energy back from the audience.” Cyber Cafe West was suggested as a venue because of its popularity among station DJs, according to Jeffrey Goldberg, the general manager of WHRW and a senior majoring in geography. “[Cyber Cafe West] has always had small acts come in,” Goldberg said. “They’ve got a great stage setup, and a bunch of WHRW people love going down to Cyber West on regular occasions.” Jeff Kahn, ‘84, the owner of Cyber Cafe West, said he is pleased to be hosting the event at his shop. “Cyber Cafe is closing in on its 5000th performance and we are glad this is one of them,” he wrote in an email to Pipe Dream. Cyber West Fest will be held on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. at Cyber Cafe West at 176 Main St. in the city of Binghamton. Tickets are $5 at the door.
F UN
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Why does the caged bird sing?
She's a brick ... HOUSE
Nate Walker Emotional barriers
Daniel Eisenhower Sudoku
Annabeth Sloan
By The Mepham Group
Level: 1 2 3 4 Solution to Monday's puzzle
© 2017 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
2/22/18
FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 22, 2018
THE Daily Commuter Puzzle
Ssssshhhhh
Nate Walker
ACROSS 1 French friend 4 Colorful gems 9 Insulting remark 13 Goodman and Cariou 15 Nonconformist 16 Sharpen 17 Craving; yen 18 Major airline 19 Metal bar 20 Unblushing 22 One of the 7 deadly sins 23 Hole averages 24 “__ do you do?” 26 Elevator alternative 29 Immature 34 Elephant’s nose 35 Hair color 36 Singing pair 37 Ladder step 38 “Nothing __!”; firm refusal 39 Sun’s ray 40 Performance 41 Mr. Sinatra 42 Sailor’s time off 43 Most troublesome 45 Combination of short songs 46 “__ a Small World” 47 Repair 48 Takes a bride 51 Like some headaches 56 Wood choppers 57 Fill with joy 58 Actress Patricia 60 Irritate 61 Wanderer 62 Big party 63 Recipe verb 64 TV’s “Dancing with the __” 65 Amount of vanilla to add, perhaps: abbr. DOWN 1 Ring king 2 New York team 3 Part of a foot
by Jacqueline E. Mathews
Monday’s Puzzle Solved
4 Commands 5 Gets ready to eat a banana 6 Up to the task 7 “Why don’t we!” 8 Making rough wide cuts 9 Clever 10 Mortgage, e.g. 11 LSU or TCU 12 __ on; have confidence in 14 Molding 21 Gospel writer 25 Over-the-hill 26 Shoulder __; purse feature 27 Cease-fire 28 Mom’s sisters 29 Actor Eastwood 30 Sound the horn 31 Just right 32 Debonair 33 Comfortable 35 Feathery scarves 38 Chests of drawers
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
39 Sheets and blankets 41 __ to be tied; furious 42 Current season 44 Mouth, slangily 45 Parking __; coin devices 47 Bishop’s hat
48 49 50 52 53 54 55
Armed conflicts Way out Sandwich shop Burial site Molten rock __ as a pin “Buffalo __, won’t you...” 59 Drink like a dog
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SPORTS
February 22, 2018 | bupipedream.com
Men's lacrosse falls to Binghamton defeated Canisius in home debut by first-place Vermont
Rebecca Kiss/Assistant Photo Editor Senior midfielder Stephen Petrelli netted four goals as the men’s lacrosse team fell in its home opener.
Petrelli's four goals not enough to secure win Yaakov Spivack
Pipe Dream Sports
This past Tuesday, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team took on Canisius in its first home game of the season. After a furiously fought second half, Canisius (1-1) came out on top, taking the game 12-10. The Bearcats (0-3) outshot Canisius 37-31 and captured 18 of 25 faceoffs in the defeat. “Obviously we’re disappointed to lose the home opener,” said BU head coach Kevin McKeown. “I thought we took some steps at times today and then our second half we had some untimely turnovers, and they did a good job of pushing transition off of those turnovers and got some easier goals. You know, they’ve got some dangerous kids … we’re disappointed, but we’ve gotta use it as another opportunity to get better and keep looking forward and get ready for Marist
on Sunday.” During the first quarter, the game’s first goal came from Canisius senior attack Connor Kearnan in just under two minutes. Binghamton quickly responded with a goal of its own from freshman attack Will TalbottShere. By the end of the first quarter, the score was at 3-2 in favor of BU. Binghamton piled on the goals coming into the second quarter, scoring three unanswered goals just a few minutes into play. Canisius countered with a goal of its own, but it was quickly matched by another Bearcat goal from senior midfielder Stephen Petrelli. The Golden Griffins were able to tack on two more scores before the half, but BU retained its advantage as the scoreboard read 8-6 at halftime. “It was our first time we were playing with the lead, so that’s a positive there,” McKeown said. “And then I think we have to learn how to handle it better. Our upperclassmen [who] are experienced guys need to have a
little bit better composure with the ball, and we have to do a better job of preparing some of the guys in certain scenarios in the clearing … we have to learn from our mistakes today and get ready for Sunday.” Canisius scored a goal approximately two minutes into the third period, followed by a second several minutes later. With the score tied 8-8, the Bearcats showcased their best efforts to regain control of the contest with multiple shot attempts. Following these empty trips from BU, the Golden Griffins scored another goal with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the quarter. One minute later, freshman attack Sean Makar scored his four goals of the season, tying the game once again. The contest headed into the final quarter with the score tied at 9-9. A goal from Petrelli in the opening minutes of the final quarter fueled Binghamton’s edge once again. This marked his eighth tally of the season and his fourth in the game. A response from the Golden Griffins tied the game for what seemed to be the hundredth time. With just over five minutes remaining, Canisius scored two unanswered goals in the game, taking the match by two. “Our guys are resilient,” McKeown said. “They know what they’re capable of. They know that they’re not performing to their potential right now. But right now that’s all it is, it’s potential on paper. We’ve gotta get out here to the practice field and show that we can be better.” Still looking for its first win of the season, BU returns to action this Sunday when it travels to Poughkeepsie, New York to take on Marist. Opening faceoff from Tenney Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
BU one loss away from missing postseason Samuel Ditchek Sports Editor
In a contest that featured Vermont capturing its second straight regularseason America East (AE) title, the Binghamton men’s basketball team tasted defeat yet again on Wednesday night. The Bearcats (11-18, 2-12 AE) dropped their second straight game as they were routed by 21 points on the road. Even with a tough matchup with the conference-leading Catamounts (23-6, 13-1 AE), BU performed strongly out of the gate. Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad poured in eight of Binghamton’s first 18 points to power the team to an early 18-15 advantage. Despite the slight edge, the Catamounts responded with a 15-2 stretch that provided them a 10-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the opening period. Binghamton, displaying signs of intensity on both ends, rebounded with a 7-0 run prior to UVM ending the half on a dunk and a twopoint jumper. Still within striking distance, the Bearcats entered the intermission only trailing by seven points as the score read 34-27. Even though BU played with intensity and showcased efficient shooting in the first 20 minutes of action, the Catamounts completely took control of the match in the second half. As Binghamton aimed to hang on and trim a mere sevenpoint deficit, the floodgates opened for Vermont. UVM rained 15 field goals on the Bearcats, including five triples to go along with six made free throws. Even though redshirt junior forward Caleb Stewart tried to stop the bleeding with 10 points in the second
period alone, the Bearcats were simply no match for the Catamounts in 40 minutes of action. In the second half, BU misfired 19 different times from the field, eight of which were from long range. As opposed to Binghamton, UVM shot an efficient 56 percent from both downtown and the field during the second 20 minutes of play. Binghamton ultimately fell to Vermont 75-54, and earned its twelfth conference defeat on the tail end of the regular season. As a team, the Bearcats struggled in almost every single major statistical category. Vermont held the advantage in points in the paint,
points off turnovers, bench points, second-chance points, assists, turnovers and rebounds. BU takes on Hartford on Saturday in its last home game of the regular season, followed by the probable season finale next Tuesday against Albany. Binghamton is only one win behind Maine in the conference standings. The Black Bears (6-23, 3-11 AE) are currently on a four-game skid and still have to face two of the top AE teams in the Catamounts and Albany (20-9, 8-6 AE). Tipoff against the Hawks is scheduled for Saturday from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.
Mia Katz/Contributing Photographer Redshirt junior forward Caleb Stewart was efficient off the bench against Vermont on Wednesday, contributing 10 points on four-of-six shooting from the field.
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BU drops home opener
SEE PAGE 9 Thursday, February 22, 2018
Kathrine Scott/Pipe Dream Photographer
Senior outfielder Jessica Rutherford enters her final season at Binghamton.
Softball looks for redemption in 2018 season BU primed for success behind deep roster Michael Steinberg Pipe Dream Sports
As Mets hopeful Tim Tebow fights for a spot in the majors and Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton begin to mesh in spring training in the MLB, the Binghamton softball team is ready to start its season. Last season, the Bearcats managed to win the America East regular season title with an impressive 11-4 conference record, despite an overall record of 22-25.
After a disappointing loss to Maine in the 2017 America East Tournament, BU is beginning to focus on a fresh slate. “Last season was last season,” said BU head coach Michelle Johnston. “I think we’re really looking forward right now. We’ve got a long way to go before we get to conference.” Johnston has put an emphasis on using a game-by-game approach instead of clinging to the past or lunging toward the future. “We try to [say] last year was last year and focus on this year,” said senior second baseman Stephanie Bielec. “If we want to take small things from last year, if anything it
just makes us work harder. But we just try to take every game, game by game, inning by inning even. So we don’t really try to keep that too much into our minds.” Johnston said she is proud of the team’s work ethic. Even with a delayed start to the season, the team has meshed well in practices leading up to its opener. “I really like the way the team is working together right now,” Johnston said. “I think we’ve just a really good culture within the team of working hard and working for each other and I just hope they can continue that throughout the season. The team as a whole put a lot of work into the past offseason
despite being forced to practice indoors most times. Now the team is ready to see how well that translates to the field. This is a week later than we normally start, so we feel like we’re ready to get out and play.” Senior outfielder Jessica Rutherford is looking to continue her notable career in her final season with the Bearcats. Rutherford was named AE Rookie of the Year in 2015 and first-team AE All-Conference multiple times. She had the highest batting average out of all returning players for Binghamton, hitting .358 last season. Sophomore starting pitcher Rayn Gibson is excited to play with
hitters like Rutherford behind her. She is comforted knowing that she will always have a hard-hitting offense to back her up. Gibson is one of two starting pitchers who started as freshmen last year. Now, with a new lefty freshman pitcher, Chelsea Howard, joining the rotation, they have a strong new core. Despite being a mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen, the pitchers feel very comfortable as a group. “We all support each other and work together,” Gibson said. “We all complement each other really well. Just being there for each other, working inning by inning. When, say, it’s your time to come out, trusting the pitcher coming in
behind you to be able to pick you up or keep things in a good pace.” The team is ready to start its season and begin its journey to avenge its AE Tournament defeat. When asked if she has sights on the AE title, Bielec stayed true to the team’s philosophy. “That would be obviously amazing,” Bielec said. “But we have so much time until then that we’re really not trying to reach too far right now. We’re just taking it day by day.” The Bearcats are set to start the season in Beaumont, Texas, facing off in the Lamar Cardinal Classic against Alabama A&M University on Friday at 10:30 a.m.
NCAA should Schneider reflects on BU career not vacate wins Louisville punishment exemplifies flawed system Edward Aaron Pipe Dream Sports
On Tuesday, the NCAA once again spun its wheel of punishments and announced that the University of Louisville men’s basketball team had been stripped of all of its wins from 2011-15, including its trip to the Final Four in 2012 and its national title in 2013. This marks the conclusion of a long NCAA investigation into Louisville’s hiring of sex workers to entertain recruits. What the university did was undoubtedly wrong, and Louisville deserves a harsh punishment, but the question that has to be considered is: Does the punishment fit the crime? Vacating victories has a long history in individual sports. When an Olympic athlete is found to have used banned substances or otherwise cheated in their event, they deserve to have their medals taken back. It is easy to pin the blame for one person’s actions on his or her individual performance, but how can a governing body take away what a team earned solely based on the violations that did not directly affect the outcome of the game? Unless it can be proven that a team violated rules that directly affected its in-game performance, vacating victories should not have a place in team sports. Things that are happening behind the scenes, such as academic misconduct, paying players and other inappropriate actions deserve a harsh punishment, but do not warrant the erasure of wins from a team’s history. According to the official NCAA records, the 2013 national champion was no one, and the Michigan Wolverines lost the national championship game to no one. Millions of people witnessed Louisville cut down the net in 2013, and now, after confiscating its trophy and taking down its banner, we are all supposed to completely forget about it? Other than telling fans and players that their team no longer
accomplished what it accomplished that year, it does nothing to punish the team in the present or future. A few months ago, I wrote a column discussing the FBI’s investigation into several Division I basketball programs, including Louisville, that were accused of being a part of complex bribery schemes involving recruits. This investigation was the last straw for Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich, who were fired immediately after the report was published. It should be noted that the decision to vacate wins is unrelated to the FBI investigation. So far, Louisville is still under investigation, and will likely receive another harsh punishment from the NCAA and the FBI several years from now. The NCAA needs to change its way of punishing schools so that its sanctions do more than just deal with the past. There are multiple ways to do this; for instance, banning the coaches and executives responsible for life from collegiate athletics, banning the team from postseason play or taking away scholarships from the program. When dealing with the worst offenders, the NCAA should impose all of these actions. In 1987, after repeated serious infractions of NCAA rules, the Southern Methodist University football program was given the NCAA’s most severe sanction — the “death penalty.” The SMU football team was forced to cancel two years of play, eliminate scholarships and have limits placed on off-campus recruiting. As a result, the program was destroyed and has only recently been able to recover with moderate success. SMU is still nowhere near the national championship contender it was before receiving the death penalty, and it may never be. If the NCAA really wants to eliminate the corruption, it should use the death penalty to severely damage programs that are serious or repeat offenders. Obviously, this punishment would be reserved for the most serious offenders, particularly those who have wrongdoings that exceed minor violations. What has happened with Louisville over the course of the two scandals far exceeds the misconduct of SMU, and thus the program should be punished accordingly.
Terrell Julien/Contributing Photographer With over 100 collegiate wins, senior Steve Schneider’s successful wrestling career at Binghamton is coming to a close.
No. 13 wrestler seeks All-American honor Grace Palumbo
Assistant Sports Editor
After four successful seasons, two NCAA C h a m p i o n s h i p qualifications and 101 career wins thus far, senior Steve Schneider’s career on the Binghamton wrestling team is quickly drawing to a close. But before he dons a cap and gown, Schneider reflected on his influences, life as a Bearcat and postgraduation plans. Schneider’s wrestling career began in elementary school, but the sport was not always his
primary focus. “I started wrestling to keep in shape for baseball, so my parents put me in the wrestling program in third grade and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Schneider said. Alongside the support of his parents, he credits one of his youth coaches, Colin Curnuck, and a precollege mentor and coach, with helping him stick with the sport. After a noteworthy wrestling career at MacArthur High School that included a 17522 record, Schneider chose Binghamton out of a wide selection of schools across the nation. “I had a bunch of offers on the table, different schools, some out west,
some down south, and I just felt like, with the coaching staff at the time and the teammates that I was going to school with, that it was the appropriate decision and it would be the best choice academically and athletically for my personal goals [to come to Binghamton],” Schneider said. He recently surpassed 100 career wins to earn a 101-42 collegiate record. Even with this accomplishment, Schneider has not yet fulfilled his own personal collegiate goal quite yet. “I want to be an AllAmerican at the end of the season … that’s my own personal goal for the postseason,” Schneider said.
Currently No. 13 in the 184-pound weight class, this goal should not be too difficult to attain for the Long Island native. As for postgraduate plans, Schneider will forgo a career related to his psychology major and will instead be practicing real estate in New York City while living on Long Island. He doesn’t plan to give up wrestling altogether, however. “Luckily, I have a little brother who wrestles competitively in high school, so hopefully he’s going to grow the way I think he is and I’m going to be his training partner for the next three years while I’m back home living on Long Island,” Schneider said. “So wrestling is not — I hope it doesn’t — it’s never going to escape my life.” As his last season draws to a close, Schneider says he’ll miss the blood, sweat and tears he shared with his teammates the most. “Those moments, during practice and the workouts, and winning and losing [with my teammates], those are the most important to me and I’ll never forget those,” Schneider said. Schneider will hit the mats in a Bearcat uniform for what could be the last time in the upcoming Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships on March 2 and 3. If he qualifies, he will be eligible to compete in the NCAA Championships in mid-March as well before retiring his Binghamton singlet.