Healthy eating on campus: Navigate the dining halls with tips from Arts & Culture,
See Page 4
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 | Vol. XC, Issue 2 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
Celebrating 70 Years as the Free Word on Campus
Prof. takes new look at addiction Group of researchers receive $11.7M grant to study genetic codes Peter Brockwell Contributing Writer
By studying genetic codes in mice, a Binghamton University professor is taking a different look at drug addiction — and potential cures for those addicted. With the help of a grant totaling $11,714,623 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of the National Institutes of Health, a group of researchers from five universities are looking into the genetic causes of addiction in hopes of creating more effective means of treatment. J. David Jentsch, a professor of psychology who received his doctorate in neurobiology from Yale, will continue his almost 20 years of work in the field at his BU lab. The other researchers are from the Jackson Laboratory in Maine, the University of North Carolina, University of Pittsburgh and Virginia Commonwealth University. The study focuses on cocaine addiction, and uses mice with varied genetic makeups specially provided by the Jackson Laboratory. These mice are used because their genetic composition closely mimics
SEE DRUG PAGE 2
University Fest 2016 Kevin Sussy/Photography Editor Students attend University Fest, located on the Peace Quad, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. Binghamton University departments and programs, student organizations and local vendors tabled at the event and showcased opportunities for attendees to get involved.
BU celebrates diversity on campus First annual 'Multicultural Extravaganza' features BU Gospel Choir, X-Fact'r dance group Samuel Abaev Contributing Writer
Students gathered in the Anderson Center on Friday night as the Binghamton University Multicultural Resource Center hosted its first Multicultural Extravaganza. Attendees were welcomed by a performance from the BU Gospel Choir, followed by speeches from administrators, including BU President Harvey Stenger. He said that events like these are important since they both unify and educate students. Performances and presentations throughout the night included dances and skits from various campus organizations, such as a body percussion dance from student-led step team X-Fact’r. MK Asante, a best-selling author, rapper, filmmaker and professor at Morgan State University, was the keynote at the event. He spoke about his journey from humble
origins to the success he’s garnered today. Nicholas Ferrara, president of the Student Association and a senior majoring in political science, said the event was a great success. “Having so many of our multicultural groups there together was a great way to show the diverse opportunities Binghamton offers,” Ferrara said. “The performers were fantastic, the guest speaker was amazing and it was wonderful to see so many students and administrators turn up to support our multicultural groups.” Shelsie Lindor, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she thought the event was highly beneficial for freshmen and she sees potential for the program in the future. “The event was a great idea because this is the first time the University is holding an event like this,” Lindor said. “I feel like a lot of times freshmen don’t know what kind of
Weiyi Meng plans to transform teaching, research methods Chloe Rehfield Pipe Dream News
Kevin Sussy/Photography Editor X-Fact’r performs at the first annual Multicultural Extravaganza. The event was established by students and University staff to unite BU’s multicultural community.
organizations or even the kind of cultures into putting this together and I definitely that are on campus so this is a great way see it as a helpful and fun event for years to showcase that. Just by looking at the to come.” program, you can see how much work went
RA event garners national attention Training session '#StopWhitePeople2K16' makes media spotlight, claims of insensitivity Alexandra Mackof News Editor
A one-time resident assistant (RA) training session focused on reverse racism and tolerance, titled “#StopWhitePeople2K16,” garnered national media attention last week. RA training happens annually, and is a requirement for all Binghamton University RAs. This year’s training lasted from Aug. 11 until Aug. 19. The session was part of a breakout conference portion of RA training. RAs were given multiple sessions to choose from, such as “Understanding and Valuing Neurodiversity” and “Real Empathy in Tough Times,” which were all taught by returning RAs and green lighted by BU’s Residential Life. RAs interested in hosting a conference session had to submit a proposal for their
program well in advance of training. The Binghamton Review, the University’s newspaper devoted to libertarian and conservative thought, first reported about the training session on Aug. 21. Media outlets such as Fox News and ABC picked up the story, and later in the week sources like BuzzFeed News also reported on the issue in addition to it trending on Facebook. Some news outlets referred to the training session as a course at the University or an ongoing element of RA training; both of these assumptions are false. Brian Rose, BU’s vice president for student affairs, released an original statement on Wednesday in response to the session’s media attention. He said that after the University became aware of concerns expressed by off-campus groups and individuals, they investigated
ARTS & CULTURE
CS dept. welcomes new chair
the session more thoroughly. “We verified that the actual program content was not ‘anti-white,’” Rose said. “Topically, the discussion in the program was far-ranging, student driven and explored reverse racism, the relationship of communities of color with police, whiteness, crime and segregation in an open conversation format.” Rose also explained that the RAs who hosted the event did not develop the hashtag themselves. According to him, it is commonly used on Twitter, and is frequently posted ironically. In a statement released on Friday, Rose further commented on the situation as media attention grew. He agreed that the title was in bad taste and misleading to the general public. “The program should not have been so titled,” Rose said. “Out of context, it is offensive and alarming. That was not
the intent. The mistake made by staff who let it go to print was a failure to consider what impression the program title would create if it circulated beyond those familiar with the hashtag, as it in fact did. We’ll make sure all of our staff learn from the experience.” Rose added that while its negative opinion was valid, the level of pushback that the student event organizers received was excessive and inappropriate. “Criticism that the title was poorly chosen is fair,” he said. “Continued cries that the program purpose and intent were racist are not. The facilitators of the program have been personally targeted with threatening, racist and highly vitriolic messages. That is reprehensible and condemnable.” Rose said that the University aims
On Aug. 15, Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences welcomed Weiyi Meng as the new chair of the computer science department. Meng, who graduated with a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992, worked as the interim associate dean for research and graduate studies in the Watson school from Aug. 2014 until June 2016. Two months later, he was offered the position of chair of the department after his predecessor, Kanad Ghose, who served as the computer science chair for the past 19 years, retired. According to Meng, the computer science department is currently founded largely on organizational principles, such as a rigidly set computer science curriculum and an adviser assigned to each class, but it requires even more structure to improve efficiency. A variety of classes and extra help are offered, for instance, but students might not be aware of available resources such as advisers, tutors on campus and student societies. While faculty and students maintain active relationships with one another, Meng said, stricter written rules and guidelines would be beneficial to both parties. “I plan to work with my colleagues to develop measures to make the department more effective in both teaching and research,” Meng said.
SEE RA PAGE 2
OPINIONS
SEE CS PAGE 2
SPORTS
Britney Spears sees “Glory” in her ninth studio album,
Alumna sees New York success with theatre collaboration,
BU alum Mike Amory shares perspective on the RA training controversy,
Volleyball drops three matches in season-opening tournament,
Men’s soccer defeats Canisius in home opener,
See page 4
See page 4
See page 5
See page 7
See page 8