Monday, October 1, 2018 | Vol. XCIV, Issue 10 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
Path of Tolerance
Walk the
this week
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The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
Campus Fraternities may face recruitment changes sees full Family Weekend IFC, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life plan new structure Gillian Kenah and Jacob Kerr Pipe Dream News
Influx of visitors hits Downtown, University Amy Donovan
Assistant News Editor
More than 1,600 families registered for this year’s Family Weekend at Binghamton University, an increase of around 100 registrants from last year, leaving students and their relatives with fully booked hotel rooms, packed activities and busy restaurants. According to Linda Salomons, parent, family and events coordinator for the Dean of Students Office, roughly 5,350 people flooded into Broome County for the annual event. The influx of visiting families had an impact on Downtown Binghamton and on campus. Over the weekend, restaurants across the city saw booked reservations and long waits. According to Maria Carbone, a manager at Citrea on Court Street, local eateries are used to seeing crowds during events at the University, but this year was different, with her restaurant observing an increase of customers in comparison to previous years. “We love it,” Carbone said. “We love to have the parents in town so they can see the area where their kids are staying. My personal opinion is that it’s great for us.” Hotels located in the Binghamton area also saw an influx of visitors. The Holiday Inn in Downtown Binghamton, which has 237 rooms, was completely booked for the weekend. Other hotels, including the DoubleTree by Hilton in Downtown, Hampton Inn in Vestal and Courtyard by Marriott in Vestal, also lacked vacancies. According to Salomons, families have to book early to get a room close to campus, and many end up staying at hotels in nearby towns, like Oswego and Sayre, Pennsylvania. “I definitely hear about the hotels being an issue,” Salomons wrote in an email. “Many of the new student families book their hotels very early, in the summertime. Some families have had to stay a half hour to 45 minutes away.” Marisa Camacho, a senior majoring in human development, said her family could
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Changes could be coming for Binghamton University’s fraternities, which will potentially see a more structured recruitment process this spring. According to L.C. Coghill, director of fraternity and sorority life at BU, his office is currently working with leadership within the InterFraternity Council (IFC) to develop a new procedure for spring recruitment. Currently, fraternities see little oversight during their recruitment process, a stark contrast to the recruitment process for sororities, which is heavily regulated. Fraternities host most of their recruiting events at their fraternity houses, which are off campus. According to Yitzhak Maurer, the president of the IFC at BU and a senior double-majoring in classical and Near Eastern studies and anthropology, the offices hope to encourage fraternities to host more rush events on campus. In the past, there has been a correlation between fraternities hosting on-campus rush events and an increased number of new members, according to Maurer. Coghill said because of this trend, chapter
Max Samson Editorial Artist
leadership within the IFC asked their council leadership and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life for additional support and structure for their spring recruitment. “We are currently in the process of working with both the chapter and council leadership to create a plan that both fits their needs and creates
a more structured atmosphere for IFC recruitment,” Coghill wrote in an email. However, Coghill wrote that the new spring recruitment process will not imitate sorority spring recruitment, which is a process managed by the National Panhellenic Conference. “A more realistic option would
be a recruitment process similar to what our Panhellenic organizations do during the fall semester,” Coghill wrote. “However, the decision lies completely with the IFC chapters and their council leadership and, as always, our office will work to support whatever
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Staff member hospitalized after infection Individual could have been contagious for 10 to 12 days Sasha Hupka News Editor
A staff member at Binghamton University has been hospitalized after contracting Neisseria meningitidis, a bacteria that can cause meningococcal meningitis. The staff member may have been contagious for 10 to 12 days, potentially exposing students, faculty and staff to the infection, according to a Dateline addition released on Sept. 27. Although the affected person does not have meningitis, the bacteria can invade the body after infecting the skin, entering the bloodstream and impacting the nervous system. Those suffering
from meningococcal meningitis experience swelling and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the illness can be fatal if not treated promptly. It is relatively rare, with about 370 cases in the United States in 2016, when the illness reached a historic low. Approximately 20 percent of people with the illness experience complications from it, which can include permanent deafness and neurological problems, according to the CDC. The bacteria can be spread through saliva and mouth-to-mouth contact, but not through casual contact. Additionally, it is not airborne, and according to the CDC, the bacteria are not as contagious as viruses that cause the cold or flu. According to the Dateline statement, the University is working to ensure anyone at high risk of contracting the infection
receives precautionary medical care and antibiotics. “Those requiring medical attention have been contacted directly and advised of what to do,” the statement read. “If you have not been contacted, you are not at increased risk.” Schools and colleges are especially susceptible to outbreaks of the bacteria, as they often have large populations of people coming in close contact with one another. Currently, Oregon State University, Amherst College, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Smith College, Hampshire College and Mount Holyoke College are battling meningitis outbreaks. Richard Moose, medical director of Decker Student Health Services Center, said the chances of seeing an outbreak on campus are low. Nevertheless, Moose said he is working with the University,
the Broome County Health Department and the New York State Department of Health to ensure precautions, including contacting people who were in direct contact with the staff member and may be at a higher risk of contracting the bacteria, are taken. “One component of that is making the University community aware of the situation so they report any concerns,” Moose wrote. “Everyone at increased risk has been contacted and given a medication to help prevent them from getting the infection.” Students, faculty or staff who notice symptoms of the infection, which include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, confusion, nausea, red or purple rash and sensitivity to light, should immediately seek medical attention at the nearest emergency room.
University gears up for flu season Bartle Library holds annual book sale
Medical professionals urge students to get vaccinated
Proceeds to benefit library initiatives, resources
Leora Schwadron Contributing Writer
If the coughs and colds haven’t given it away, flu season is fast approaching, and Binghamton University is preparing to prevent the spread of germs. The focus of this season’s preventative measures against sickness will center around flu clinics on campus. The clinics will offer free flu shots to students, faculty and staff every Wednesday in October at Decker Student Health Services Center. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will administer flu shots to faculty and staff, billing their insurance. Richard Moose, medical director of Decker Student Health Services Center, said he encourages students and faculty to receive a flu shot. “Getting the flu shot is the single most important thing they can do to protect themselves and others from
Michael Levinstein Pipe Dream News
Sidney Slon Staff Photographer Juliet Buddiga, a sophomore majoring in environmental studies, gets her free flu shot at Decker Student Health Services Center.
complications of the flu,” Moose said. “Benefits include less chance of getting the flu at all, if you still get the flu after the shot, it is usually milder. [There is] decreased risk of hospitalization from the flu, decreased risk of admission to an intensive care unit from the flu and decreased risk of death from the flu.” Decker Student Health Services
ARTS & CULTURE
Center is working to raise awareness of the flu shot program by training interns from Real Education About College Health (REACH), a peer education internship that heightens students’ awareness and understanding of health issues on influenza. The interns will
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Browsing all types of literature, from mystery books and classic novels to historical nonfiction and cookbooks, students, faculty and staff gathered in the East Reading Room of Glenn G. Bartle Library for the annual Library Book Sale. The sale, which ran from Thursday to Sunday, featured paperback books for $1, hardcover books for $3 and CDs and DVDs for varying prices. It ended with a bag sale, in which buyers could purchase a $1 tote bag, or bring their own, to fill with as many books as it could hold for an additional $5. Bill Palmer, gifts associate and technical services assistant for Binghamton University Libraries, has coordinated the sale for the past seven years. He said the
OPINIONS
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Add some zest to your palate this fall with these unique recipes,
Contributing columnist Evan Moravansky expresses the benefits of off-campus housing,
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items usually come from donations made by faculty and students. “We get a lot of donations [and] books,” Palmer said. “Retiring faculty, we got a lot books from them. Students give us their books, graduating seniors very often.” According to Palmer, money raised from the sale goes directly to the library for events and materials, including items provided for the University’s work-study students. The donations will also help combat budget cuts, which are expected to hit University Libraries in 2019. Nevertheless, Palmer said the main goal of the sale is to promote the library and help students buy discounted books. “We really think it’s a way to get inexpensive books into the hands of students and we have a lot of excitement, especially from graduate students who are building their libraries,” Palmer said. “It’s also a good community outreach, and it’s a way to get people in the library
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SPORTS
Women’s soccer captures its first away game win,
Men’s soccer scores huge upset over No. 23 New Hampshire,
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