In the wake of the
Umpqua Community College massacre, the Editorial Board addresses the need for increased preparedness on campus See page 5
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Friday, October 2, 2015 | Vol. LXXXVIII, Issue 9 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
BU professor tapped for Nobel Prize
SUNY Board implements diversity plan Cultural competency training among new mandatory policies
Stanley Whittingham recognized for work on lithium ion battery
Pelle Waldron
Alexandra Mackof
Assistant News Editor
News Editor
A distinguished Binghamton University chemistry professor was announced as a Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate, recognizing him as a Nobel Prize hopeful. Stanley Whittingham was named, along with his colleague John B. Goodenough from the University of Texas at Austin, for his work on lithium ion batteries. The duo earned one of three designations made in the chemistry category. Lithium ion batteries are rechargeable, and are the power source found in everything from smartphones and laptops to Broome County Transit hybrid electric buses. According to Thomson Reuters, an individual’s designation on their list means that the recipient and their work is of Nobel Prize caliber. Thomson Reuters has successfully predicted 37 Nobel Prize winners since 2002. Whittingham first began his research 40 years ago while working for Exxon, focusing on intercalation
See NOBEL Page 3
The first book of the series tells the story of how Suhcrom and Naddih went out into a large field and, using a cardboard box as a makeshift tent, pretended to be nomads. This story was based on Mohalland’s experience with his brother. “It felt real,” Mohalland said. “It left an impression on me. When I experienced it and when I came to the United States, I said, ‘If I ever write a book, it’s going to be about this.’” The road to publication was not easy. Molhalland said that publishers had a preference for other genres, so he and Lewis created their own publishing company, Mohalland Lewis LLC, in March 2013. “It’s been two years and [Lewis] and I feel like there’s still a long way to go,” he said. “We have so many other plans for ‘Silly Nomads.’” Mohalland went on to work for the State of New York as a youth empowerment coordinator in Broome County, where he educated children on the dangers of tobacco. He currently lives in Vestal and
The SUNY Board of Trustees approved a new diversity policy, which will stretch across all 64 campuses in New York State. In upcoming years, each SUNY school will be mandated to add a chief diversity officer and develop a comprehensive diversity plan in order to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities. The diversity plans will ensure that staff at SUNY schools undergo cultural competency training, and that new staff must be hired from a diverse pool of candidates. Valerie Hampton is the chief diversity officer in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Binghamton University. Despite the fact that BU is already ahead of the curve, Hampton said that the mandate will help continue the efforts the University has undertaken. “The emphasis and support from both the Governor’s Office and SUNY Administration will serve to reinforce our commitment to the provision of the high impact, high quality education through developing programs and initiatives that promote inclusive excellence at Binghamton,” Hampton wrote in an email. The policy also requires that SUNY schools give students the option to declare their sexual orientation and gender identity when they register for classes. This will allow for administration to get a better sense of the population. According to Ruslan Klafehn, the Student Association’s vice president for multicultural affairs and a sophomore majoring in political science, this aspect of the new policy is important for BU. He continues to push for an LGBTQ resource center, which he says is important to have in addition to the diversity resources offered. “It’s important that the LGBTQ community gets their own center that they can go to with their concerns and their problems that they’re facing,” Klafehn said. Kelvin Santiago Valles, a sociology professor, said that while the new policies are a movement in the right direction, there is still work to be done. “I think that the problem goes to how they define diversity and equity,” Santiago Valles said. “What I’ve seen from the public statements, both from SUNY central and from SUNY Binghamton, is that they define diversity in terms of differences between individuals.” For Santiago Valles, the problem is not just the differences between people,
See ALUM Page 2
See SUNY Page 2
Raquel Panitz/Pipe Dream Photographer Merlin’s hosts its final events this weekend. After 11 years in business, it is closing its doors for the final time.
Merlin's to shut doors after 11 years Court Street gay bar and dance club to closes due to changing times
Carla Sinclair
Assistant News Editor Downtown Binghamton is going through a growth spurt, with restaurants and stores cropping up left and right. However, one cultural institution on Court Street will be shutting its doors this weekend. Merlin’s, located on 73 Court St., is closing after over a decade as an LGBTQ-friendly bar and dance club. But according to president and CEO Laura
Hering, it is a good thing. “The changes that have happened with respect for equality in the country have created a much more socially accepting environment,” Hering said. “I can walk in the mall and see two women walking hand and hand, and nobody blinks an eye anymore. I can go into Dillinger’s and see two guys kissing, and nobody blinks an eye. I don’t think it’s necessary to have a Merlin’s anymore.” Hering graduated from Binghamton University in 1986 with degrees in
philosophy and psychology and stayed after graduating. When Merlin’s first opened in 2005, then located on 201 State St., she said the idea of an openly gay bar was not nearly as accepted as it is today. “I remember people used to sneak in the back doors; they’d park their cars on other streets and walk so they weren’t seen going inside,” she said. “Times are just different.”
See MERLINS Page 3
In children's book series, BU alumnus chronicles early life Marcus Mohalland, '03, looks to tell tales about growing up in Jamaica with "Silly Nomads" stories Haley Silverstein Pipe Dream News
Neil Seejoor/Pipe Dream Photographer Students, entrepreneurs and investors attend a forum held in the Symposium Hall. The Upstate Venture Association of New York and the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnership collaborated on the event.
ITC networking forum links startups to funding Keynote speaker John Vaskis highlights the importance of crowdfunding for entreprenuers Travis Clines
Contributing Writer Over 100 students, investors and entrepreneurs gathered on Thursday evening to learn about the ways to get small businesses on their feet. The forum, held in the Symposium Hall at the Innovative Technologies Complex, was a collaboration between the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships (OEIP) and the Upstate Venture Association of New York (UVANY), which is a private, statewide organization that aims to advance venture capital and investments. Jennifer Tegan, the president of UVANY, said this event allowed them to spread their reach into the Binghamton area. UVANY aims to bring together investors and entrepreneurs to help grow start-ups in New York. Tegan said they hope to make it known that there is a capital out there for start-ups. “UVANY came about some 15 years ago basically to bring those people together, to start saying ‘no, we are open for business,’” she said. “There are deals happening in upstate New York, there are entrepreneurs who need funding.” Laura Holmes, the program associate in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Partnerships, said the event allows BU to showcase its start-up companies as well as facilitate networking. The focus, Holmes said, was on economic development and educating students on how to network and expand their business acumen. “I hope they gain knowledge about not only crowdfunding, but our office,” Holmes said. ”We’re having a really hard time reaching the students on campus, letting them know we are here to support them.” The keynote speaker was John Vaskis, the senior director of hardware technology at website Indiegogo. He talked about crowdfunding, which is a method that can utilize social media to solicit funds to aid in the development and marketing of a product. He said that there are many options for crowdfunding on social media, such as Indiegogo, which allows for a one-onone discussion about a specific project. Vaskis emphasized the importance of making people aware of the product before bringing it to the market. This strategy allows the business to gain feedback on what consumers want, as well as investigate if there is a market for the product. He said he hopes students understand the importance of
See ITC Page 2
Growing up poor in Jamaica, Marcus Mohalland had a childhood filled with stories. Today, those stories stretch the pages of his new children’s book series. Mohalland is the co-author of “Silly Nomads,” a book series chronicling the stories of Suhcrom and Naddih, two young brothers living in Jamaica. The books are co-written by Janet L. Lewis, a nurse from Endicott, New York. After coming to the United States at age 15 in search of a better life, Mohalland attended high school in Bronx, New York, and later attended Binghamton University, where he played varsity soccer for four years. He graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in English, and later received a master’s in social sciences at BU in 2003. “Silly Nomads” is based on Mohalland’s own experiences before coming to the U.S. He said he writes not for the sake of writing, but to share his stories of his own experiences in Jamaica.
Hands-on tactics engage West Side issues
'North of Main' research explores struggles of community outside of campus Alana Epstein
Pipe Dream News Two Binghamton University professors shared their stories from working to engage the local area in “Stories from the North of Main: The Challenges of Community-Based Teaching and Research.” On Thursday in Glenn G. Bartle Library, Siobhan Hart, a professor in the anthropology department, and George Homsy, a professor in the College of Community and Public Affairs, presented their findings from qualitative research that dove into the struggles of the Binghamton community located north of Main Street, which is typically nonstudents. This was the first installment in a three-part speaker series hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), which aims to present strategies for strengthening partnerships between the University and the Binghamton area. According to Homsy, the duo first got
the idea for this research while touring Binghamton’s West Side through a neighborhood watch group called Safe Streets, which aims to improve the quality of life in the city. Hart and Homsy are utilizing the community as a research tool as both professors and city residents in order to gain a better understanding of the issues of the community and to help it grow in its sustainability efforts. “I feel an obligation to work in my home community,” Hart said. “The mutual care for the people we live with and among is important. Studies like this help make those bridges.” Hart and Homsy have been engaging both graduate and undergraduate students in the research through the classes they teach. Hart teaches a heritage-based class and Homsy’s class is about community sustainability. To get a hands-on approach, the professors train their students to interview residents and
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Raquel Panitz/Pipe Dream Photographer Siobhan Hart presents findings from qualitative research about the struggles of the Binghamton community located north of Main Street. This was the first event in a series devoted to professors sharing their stories from local community engagement.