Fall 2022 Issue 18-19

Check out our ELECTION ISSUE online now Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | Vol. CI, Issues 18 & 19 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

Late Nite UPD introduces body-worn cameras suspended after altercation BU joins other SUNYs in requiring campus police to wear body cameras during service calls.

Fabiha Era

news contributor

The service was suspended following an incident between riders and police officers on Oct. 29.

Melissa Cosovic and Celia Woodruff assistant news editors

Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) has suspended Late Nite services following “antagonistic student behavior” on State Street.

OCCT Late Nite — a service that provides downtown transportation to students — has dealt with incidents of “antagonistic behavior” before, such as a past transgression that led to a cancellation of Late Nite routes two weekends in a row.

According to Toni Stefanakos, public relations coordinator for OCCT, this past Saturday, Oct. 29, Late Nite services were suspended due to an incident Friday night involving “reckless” student behavior on the corner of State Street and Hawley Street, leading to an altercation with the police. At the corner of the two streets is a Late Nite bus stop frequented by students.

see occt page 3

Binghamton’s New York State University Police Department (UPD) will now use body-worn cameras when receiving service calls.

The usage of body cameras was first recommended by the Campus Citizen Review Board (CCRB), as part of a SUNYwide initiative. BU will be joining at least 16 other SUNY schools who have already instated the new protocol. The cameras are to be worn when UPD responds to service calls, and the footage acquired will be stored in a storage system, where it can be accessed as needed.

Karen Jones and Mathew Johnson, cochairs of the CCRB, said the board believes that the body-worn cameras will benefit both the campus community and UPD officers.

“The CCRB recently met with Interim Chief [Matthew] Rossie to get an update on the body-worn cameras,” Jones and Johnson wrote in an email. “The board appreciated the way in which the recommendation has been implemented and believes that consistent use of bodyworn cameras will promote accountability, trust and communication among the [BU] campus community and the [UPD].”

The promotion of transparency between the UPD and campus community has been an ongoing process, with the

michael golann photo editor Binghamton’s New York State University Police Department, located in the Couper Administration Building, has worked with the Campus Citizen Review Board on past initiatives.

CCRB and UPD making several policy changes in the past two years. Last year, they reviewed and surveyed the campus community on behalf of community safety. The CCRB and UPD created six subcommittees for the UPD, in light of the Black Lives Matter Movement, to research recommended action for certain

altercations.

Rossie explained why the issuing of body-worn cameras was delayed — after originally being scheduled for inauguration last year.

“The equipment, including the cameras and storage space, was ordered in fall 2021 and was expected to be delivered

by Thanksgiving but was delayed by supply chain issues, and we finally received the cameras in May,” Rossie wrote in an email.

“Once they arrived, a Florida police officer familiar with the system we are using came here for an all-day training of our trainers.”

see upd page 3

SAPB comedy show a major hit The show opened with Sergio Chicon, featuring Chris Distefano as the headliner.

Sam Lillianthal

arts and culture editor

On Tuesday, the Osterhout Concert Theater in the Anderson Center opened its doors for the Student Association Programming Board’s (SAPB) standup comedy show. The show featured headliner Chris Distefano and opener Sergio Chicon.

The show began with SAPB Comedy

Chair Victoria Manfredi, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, introducing Chicon. Chicon is a fighter, personal trainer, creator of the #DBSpodcast and, most importantly, a comedian. Chicon immediately charmed the crowd with his wholesome attitude and effortless self-deprecation.

Chicon warmed up the crowd by effectively ragging on the audience for being too formal, telling them to loosen up. He joked about various topics, often jumping from one idea to another at lightning speed. At one point, he talked about his overbite always making him look happy, and often being called Vin

Diesel. Crowd interaction was another jumping-off point for Chicon’s jokes, which led him to a bit about how people talk about animal adoption.

“I hate when people say ‘I rescued,’” Chicon said. “That shit is annoying.

Everyone knows that person who has a little hat on and bangs and says ‘I rescued.’”

Chicon used descriptive storytelling to deliver punchlines to his jokes, which won over the audience many times throughout the set. One example was his story of his pit bull getting neutered.

“They tattoo your dog to show that

your dog’s been fixed if missing testicles was not enough of an indication,” Chicon said. “Now I have a pit that’s pissed off with no nut sack and two tattoo teardrops on his eye looking like a Latin king.”

After roughly 20 minutes, Chicon welcomed Distefano onto the stage.

Distefano first garnered popularity on MTV’s talking heads franchise “Guy Code vs. Girl Code.” He has accumulated a repertoire of comedy specials as well on Comedy Central, and is currently cohosting the podcast “HEY BABE!” with Sal Vulcano.

Right off the bat, Distefano used

clever jokes and jaded humor to begin the set. Similarly to Chicano, Distefano used a little crowd interaction to craft jokes. Funnily enough, the same BU student was called out by both comedians. Matteo Frezza, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, was called out for a gnarly scar on his nose that resulted from a fight. Frezza did not mind getting involved with both comedic acts in this way.

“I thought it was funny,” Frezza said. “I mean I kinda expected it since I was in the front of the room. It was fun.”

see comedy page 6

Women’s soccer defeated in AE Championship by UNH Binghamton finishes season as AE tournament runner up and regular season champions.

Aidan Jennings Sports Intern

blake owens contributing photographer Junior midfielder Lexi Vegoda scored two goals in BU’s AE championship loss against UNH on Sunday.

ARTS & CULTURE Hinman Production Company show adapts 1895 comedy, SEE PAGE 6

On Sunday afternoon at the Bearcats Sports Complex, where just three days earlier the Binghamton women’s soccer team defeated UAlbany in a tense penalty shootout, BU faced New Hampshire in the America East (AE) championship game. A high-intensity, eight-goal game followed, including a secondhalf comeback that forced overtime and the second penalty shootout in a row for the Bearcats — this time resulting in a 3-2 loss, as they ended their season as tournament runnersup to UNH. “Some of it was just quality in terms of our possession, we were just giving the ball away too easily at times,” said Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “New Hampshire’s pressure was part of it, but some of it was just some of the letdowns. We needed more pace on our passes, winning the physical battle. We knew we had to win first balls [and] second balls for us to have

OPINIONS

BU Libraries partners with Art Museum for pop-up displays, SEE PAGE 6

a chance, and we knew we needed to get that first goal early, and if we did that we’d be able to push from there.”

BU (9-5-5, 6-1-2 AE) and UNH (9-5-3, 6-1-2 AE) were immediately locked into an end-to-end matchup, with the game living up to the hype of a championship game. The Wildcats took first blood in the ninth minute through a close-range strike to the nearside top corner. However, it didn’t take long for the Bearcats to respond, as senior forward and AE Striker of the Year Maya Anand dribbled through three UNH defenders and added the equalizing goal just two minutes later.

Despite an early 1-1 scoreline, the offensive play in the first 45 didn’t let up. In the 17th minute, the Wildcats gained back their lead through a deep shot that just slipped through the outstretched hands of sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams. In the 25-minute mark, UNH doubled its advantage as a through ball found the middle of the box and was lifted over a charging Williams. The Wildcats earned another close-range shot as a through ball slipped past the Bearcats’ backline just for UNH to sky it into the cage and make it 4-1 going into halftime.

see soccer page 8

SPORTS

Contributing Columnist Theodore Brita discusses the harms of drone warfare,

Men’s soccer wins AE quarterfinals against UMBC,

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 8

Volleyball takes first place in AE standings, SEE PAGE 8

PAGE II Tuesday, November 8,2017 2022 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017

Address: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 Phone: 607-777-2515 Web: bupipedream.com

Word Street on the

Fall 2022 Editor-in-Chief* Hamza Khan editor@bupipedream.com

Managing Editor* Harry Karpen manager@bupipedream.com

News Editor* Jacob Knipes news@bupipedream.com Asst. News Editors Melissa Cosovic Celia Woodruff

Opinions Editor* Doris Turkel opinions@bupipedream.com Asst. Opinions Editor Desmond Keuper Arts & Culture Editor* Sam Lillianthal arts@bupipedream.com

Matthew Nikol

Juliana Heneka

Q: What’s your favorite part of BU?

Q: What’s your favorite part of BU?

A: “Honestly just the community, you know, the people around here.

I transferred here because I used to go to Baruch [College], and really didn’t feel like there was a real community there. By transferring here I met great people. I met these, these little goofballs. I just love the community.”

A: “My favorite thing, I would say, is the TRIO [student support services] program. Through that I’ve gotten a personalized advisor, which is really nice. It’s for low income and first generation students. And I think the services that they offer have been really beneficial. I also just like the campus in general, it’s really walkable.”

a senior majoring in business administration

Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Jamie Nguyen Eli Engler

a sophomore majoring in environmental science

Joseph Loconte

a senior majoring in economics Q: How was your midterm season?

A: “Two out of the three midterms I took went well. Third, not so much.

But we’re trying, using office hours and teachers and stuff.”

Q: Yeah. So the office hours worked for you.

A: “Oh yeah.”

Asst. Sports Editors Michael Carbone Ian Mills Photography Editor* Michael Golann photo@bupipedream.com

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stabilizing:pinochole

schedule:destabilizing

Madison Mercado

Lindsey Garthe

Iris Rivera

Q: How did your midterm season go?

Q: How did your midterm season go?

Q: What do you think of BU so far?

A: “I think it went really well — yeah, it did. I have gotten all of them back.”

A: “It was a little stressful. I feel like it is for everyone. I had, like, three exams. And I definitely had to space out when I was going to study for each one, and dilute the stress.

a senior double-majoring in English and philosophy, politics and law

Q: Any tools that especially helped you prepare?

A: “No, if I’m being honest, I wait till the very last second to work on things and the adrenaline makes me concentrate a lot when I wait till the last second. It’s not healthy, but that’s the truth I guess. Starbucks, that really helps.”

a junior majoring in business administration

Q: Any tools that you used that worked especially well to get through the stress?

A: “I’ve been using Quizlet for years.

I think Quizlet has been really helpful.”

a junior at Farmingdale State College

Q: What do you think of BU so far?

A: “It’s really nice. The campus I love.

I like how big it is. Everyone’s been so friendly so far that we’ve talked to. It’s a really nice campus, great environment. Seems fun too.”

Q: Anything else that stood out to you so far?

A: “Clubs, the amount of clubs.

You have a lot of clubs. It’s very inclusive.”

Sports Editor* Jack Oh sports@bupipedream.com

Asst. Photography Editor Mason Brody-Lewis

Daniella Rodriguez

a sophomore at Westchester Community College

A: “I love it. I’m super, super excited to attend this coming spring.”

Q: Is there anything in particular that caught your eye that you really like?

A: ”Definitely the diversity. I’ve been hearing a lot about it. And I’m super excited coming from a diverse background myself. And I’m excited to meet other students with similar backgrounds or different backgrounds in that case.”

bupipedream.com | November 8, 2022

NEWS

3

UPD and CCRB Late Nite suspended for Halloween weekend partner for body-worn camera program occt from page 1

upd from page 1 The UPD has been trained to use their phones in conjunction with the body-worn cameras, according to BingUNews. With an app on their phone, officers tag the recorded video footage with a case number, which will be uploaded to a larger storage system at the end of their shift.

The videos will then be stored for a time period that depends on the manner of the service call. All videos are kept for at least 180 days, but footage pertaining to higher offense charges — such as felonies and fatal accidents — will be kept for longer. The UPD can now refer to their video recordings when filing for their case, holding themselves and the community accountable for collective action. According to Rossie, usage of these cameras has been going smoothly.

The current cost and training of camera use is $64,000, with an annual estimate of $28,000 for storage, as stated in a BingUNews article.

According to the CCRB, the new measures are meant

to promote accountability and trust between the UPD and campus community, of which some students have shared their support. Lenny Balarezo, a sophomore majoring in biology, said he did not see any cons to the new protocol.

“It keeps both parties accountable,” Balarezo said. “I don’t see any downsides to it.

It’s a good way to ensure the UPD and students maintain a good relationship with each other.”

Abdur Haider, a sophomore majoring in economics, said that beyond holding the UPD accountable, bodyworn cameras could also potentially allow for better safety measures — by creating a record of consistent offenses, Haider believes the UPD could assess how to better handle certain conflicts.

“Every interaction and person should be recorded as it gives us more information about what people are getting caught up for,” Haider said.

“UPD will have consistent data about similar offenses, so now they can work on better preventing that offense.”

“We are disheartened to report that last night, this antagonistic behavior took a sudden turn and directly targeted the police officers on the scene at State Street,” a statement from the Student Association (SA) Executive Board read. “This behavior is not only unacceptable but places everyone at risk.”

Daniel Croce — SA vice president for finance, chairman and chief financial officer for OCCT and a junior majoring in business administration — provided information regarding the perpetrators of this incident, saying they “involved a large and disorderly group of students and created great safety risks for themselves and everyone at the scene.”

Due to this incident, Late Nite services will remain suspended Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5, pending further communications between the SA and university administration, according to a SA Instagram announcement. The SA, OCCT and the Transportation and Parking Services department (TAPS) are working to reopen Late Nite services within the next few weeks, however, they are considering the “very real possibility of a permanent Late [Nite] termination,” according to Croce.

“There are a number of options that the SA, myself and OCCT are considering when it comes to a permanent solution for Late [Nite] servicing,” Croce wrote in an

sydney ouano contributing photographer Off Campus College Transport is a student-run service that provides free transportation to BU students, faculty and staff.

email. “The originally developed plan was scheduled to be fully rolled out this upcoming weekend.

However, the incidents of this past weekend have required OCCT to actively review and expand the original scope of the plan. Among possible considerations include potential route changes, bus stop location changes and staffing changes.”

Many students rely on the Late Nite service as their only form of transportation back to campus during the weekends. While some students find the suspension to be unavoidable in lieu of repeated disorderly conduct, others believe there are alternative options to resolving the issue.

Adeline Roy, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said suspending the bus line for the rest of the semester may be necessary.

Roy described the service as a privilege.

“I definitely think the Late Nite bus service is a big privilege for students who are on campus,” Roy said. “And as unfortunate as it is, I feel like given the circumstances, I feel like it being revoked — even if it’s just for the rest of the semester — it will probably make students think about their actions a little bit more. Especially because they were downtown, I’m sure they were completely drunk, too.

So, and there are other ways to get downtown, there are Ubers, you can phone a friend. So as unfortunate as it is that those buses won’t be there anymore, for the meantime, I feel like it’s a good situation for the safety of the drivers. I have a few friends who drive the buses.”

Keonna Hyacinth, a junior

majoring in biology, was waiting on the bus line Friday night when she witnessed “a lot of pushing and aggression.” Hyacinth expressed discomfort with the OCCT bus protocol, and said she hopes a more effective solution than suspending the service can be developed.

“I witnessed a lot of pushing and aggression between the students as people tried to get on the bus,” Hyacinth wrote in an email. “There was a police officer at the scene. I feel uncomfortable with this behavior knowing that every time I try to take the bus there may be some sort of incident.

I think the school needs to put a better system in place because the amount of buses running during those times are not enough for the amount of students who are in need of the bus.”

Campus organizations hold West Side cleanup Participants collected trash across Downtown Binghamton.

Sky Crabtree

News Contributor

Several Binghamton University organizations came together to host a cleanup of

Binghamton’s West Side this past Saturday.

The BU Entrepreneur Connect Club (ECC) — in partnership with Financial Literacy for Youth (FLY), Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi), a professional business fraternity, Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity and the School of Management community service committee —

organized the event with support from the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator (KSTI). Participants first met in the West Side. Then, they strategically collected trash across the city in different groups.

Hung Tu, president of the ECC and a senior majoring in electrical engineering, said the cleanup came to fruition after students noticed a large presence of trash

Participants met at Binghamton High School before splitting off into five directions to collect trash across the city.

on the West Side — a problem he attributed to the area’s heavy student presence.

“Since we have a large BU student population living on the West Side, the trash situation can get pretty bad once the semester starts,” Tu wrote in an email.

“ECC sees this opportunity as a great way to give back and better the community that we

michael golann photo editor

live in. We first got support from our parent organization, the [KTSI], to get it kick-started.

From there, we reached out to other organizations to see if they wanted to partner with us.”

Attendants from participating organizations met at Binghamton High School before splitting off into five different directions to clean up trash around the city.

According to Tu, the location was chosen because it is central to where West Side residents reside.

“This is the heart of the West Side where a lot of students, as well as the local community, reside,” Tu wrote. “By choosing this area strategically, we want to make a real and significant impact to the local community.”

In addition to forming partnerships with other participating organizations, organizers received aid from the KTSI, which included supplies such as gloves and trash bags, to assist in running the event smoothly.

Laura Holmes, a mentor for student entrepreneurs and a member of KTSI, explained that she wanted local residents to know that BU students care about the community they inhabit.

“So [the KSTI] is actually in Downtown Binghamton,” Holmes said. “The University is actually very, very cognizant of the fact that a lot of residents of the city aren’t necessarily the best fans of students. So, seeing something like this, on a Saturday morning where people are home and not at work, and seeing the students pick up [trash] should definitely help with community relations.”

An event of this scale had not happened prior to the West Side cleanup, according to organizers.

Tatiana Balasenowich, vice president and head of marketing for the ECC and a senior majoring

in business administration, described how she felt after seeing an abundance of organizations gather to benefit the local community.

“I think it was a really big thing for ECC,” Balasenowich said. “We really haven’t had a big event like this with so many organizations coming together, so it was really nice to see such a big turnout from so many different organizations.”

Mallory Fowler, a senior majoring in business administration, shared her thoughts on the event’s impact on community development.

“So I’m a big believer in servant leadership, which means that, in order to be a leader, you need to be a servant to your community,” Fowler said. “The point of bringing together all these clubs that are built on leadership and progressing their academic [pursuits] and careers is to kind of teach them to be a leader for their communities as well.”

As the cleanup came to an end, participants removed several bags worth of trash from the West Side and shared a meal provided by the KSTI. Organizers expressed their desire to hold more large-scale events that give back to the local Binghamton community.

Sarah Hausman, a junior majoring in business administration and a participant in the event, said she felt the cleanup was a success.

“Well there was a lot of trash, so it was just helpful to pick up stuff on the street that most people wouldn’t have seen,” Hausman said. “Because people pick up trash, maybe by their houses, but they don’t really care about the streets or the sidewalks — so it was good to help out and clean up the streets.”

4

NEWS

bupipedream.com | November 8, 2022

Alistair Lees named vice provost for faculty affairs Lees will work alongside provost Donald Hall to assist in faculty matters.

Vera Then

News Contributor

Alistair Lees, a Binghamton University chemistry professor, will become the newest vice provost in January.

In an Oct. 26 faculty senate meeting, Donald Hall, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, announced that Lees will be the new vice provost for faculty affairs. Lees will be in charge of working with deans, department chairs and faculty leaders to make sure systems and procedures for hiring, tenuring and promoting faculty are fair and transparent, according to Hall. Lees will oversee the recruitment of faculty and the improvements they make toward the campus community.

Hall explained his decision to appoint Lees as vice provost, citing Lees’ past professional experience at BU and notable accomplishments.

“Professor Lees has decades of experience working at [BU] and in England on behalf of faculty, staff and students,” Hall wrote in an email. “He is uniquely qualified to take on a

new role in the provost’s office that is devoted to advancing the careers of our faculty.

I hope that we can work to create new mentoring and support systems to make sure our faculty are recognized for their accomplishments both on campus and also nationally and internationally. He has been a leader already on faculty committees and in building departments and programs.

He has a stellar background as an administrator and problemsolver on behalf of faculty.”

Lees has over 41 years of experience in teaching, according to Lees, and has held visiting professorships at both public and private institutions. Lees earned a Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. at University of NewcastleUpon-Tyne, England, and his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California. Lees has acquired several awards, and said he has also been presented with the Chancellor Award for Excellence in research, faculty service and teaching throughout his career at BU. Lees expressed optimism about his new role at the University.

“I have been a faculty member that was a department chair for a total of 17 years, heavily involved in research

— photochemistry and spectroscopy — and one that thoroughly enjoys teaching our great students here at [BU],” Lees said. “The new position will enable me to take all these wonderful experiences to facilitate the advancement of the faculty as a whole, with particular attention to tenure and promotions, external recognition of faculty, developing effective mentoring and faculty hiring.”

Hall also disclosed upcoming plans that the University has regarding the employment of new faculty members and their contribution to campus life and academic success for students.

“This is an exciting time for [BU],” Hall said. “We will be hiring a record number of new faculty in the coming year and we want to make sure that we are fully prepared to support their success. Professor Lees will play a key role in that effort.”

Several students expressed a positive reaction to Lees’ promotion.

Christopher Lee, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said he has heard positive things about Lees’ work as an educator from his peers who have taken classes with him.

“They talked about his teaching methods and how it was a stressful course but Dr. Lee made it enjoyable by creating a welcoming classroom environment and incorporating jokes into his lectures,” Lee said. “That he really cares about his students and how they do in his classes.

One friend told me that he went to his office hours and he went in depth into every question he had. Seeing that kind of commitment to students makes me glad to hear that Dr. Lees is becoming a part of the provost staff.”

Nikkie Lin, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, also commented on Lees’ performance as a professor.

During Lin’s discussion class, many faculty members would come in and discuss research opportunities with students.

Lin explained that Lees’ presentation was memorable and showed how devoted Lees was to his students.

“Rather than use his few minutes to mainly talk about what he accomplished with his research team and his specialties, he focused on making sure we students learned from him how to achieve the research position we want from any chemistry subfield,” Lin said. “A year after this discussion class, I

sourced from binghamton.edu Alistair Lees is a past recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

don’t remember too much about what the professors said, other than what I jotted down in my notes, but I still recall Dr. Lees’ kindness and so I am

very proud to have someone who cares for students as much as he does to be vice provost.”

F UN

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Chris Distefano gets major laughs comedy from page 1 Distefano spoke a lot about his family, including his Puerto Rican children and old-fashioned father, using various comedic voices to impersonate people in his life. He told cute stories of his daughter only speaking Spanish and the surprisingly loving relationship between his traditional father and transgender nanny TiTi Jerry.

One crazy story revolved around his daughter getting in trouble for calling kids on the bus “poopy.”

“She’s a kid,” Distefano said. “She goes ‘you’re a poopy, grandpa you’re a poopy.’ He’s

like, ‘I haven’t shit in three weeks.’”

Another good moment was Distefano’s biting humor toward his biggest public mess-up.

“By far the most viral thing I have ever said is [mispronouncing] the word fucking ‘Tupperware,’” Distefano said. “Instead of saying ‘tupper’ with a ‘p,’ I said it with a ‘b.’ And you know what, I graduated from a state school, so the joke’s on you.”

In the end, Distefano took a handful of questions from the audience. There were many funny ones, ranging from whether he has ever had sex

with Joe Biden to what Sal Vulcano smells like.

As comedy chair of SAPB, Manfredi was responsible for choosing what act to bring to BU, reaching out to agents, corresponding with the team of each comedy act and promoting the show. Manfredi had no complaints about the outcome of the show.

“The show went really well!” Manfredi wrote in an email. “I’m happy to say that everything went smoothly behind the scenes and Chris and Sergio were both so funny during the show. I could tell the crowd really had fun with them.”

michael golann photo editor The Student Association Programming Board (SAPB) hosted a comedy show last Tuesday featuring stand-up comic, Chris Distefano, as the headliner.

HPC’s newest show adapts Oscar Wilde The play is filled with amazing acting and clever comedy.

Alexis Yang

Arts & Culture Contributor

Whimsical, witty and absurd — this is how the cast of “The Importance of Being Earnest” describes their fall production.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” is Hinman Production Company’s (HPC) take on Oscar Wilde’s 1895 comedy. Filled with deception, family tensions and muddled identity swapping, the play offered stellar acting and clever comedy from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5.

The comedy tells the story of Jack Worthing, an English gentleman who assumes two separate identities — Jack in the country and Ernest in the city.

Jack uses his double identity to escape from his life in the country, galavanting around London as his “younger brother” named Ernest.

Meanwhile, Jack’s best friend, Algernon Moncrieff, uses another excuse for personal freedom — he has invented a chronically ill friend named Bunbury, whom he visits to escape his tiresome social life.

When Jack-as-Ernest proposes to Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen, she falls for him. Jack must then

face the consequences of his deceit. Gwendolen refuses to love him by any other name, certainly not Jack — “there is very little music in the name” — and will only accept Ernest because “there is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence.”

Meanwhile, Algernon falls for Jack’s ward, Cecily Cardew, while pretending to be Ernest. The two men’s simultaneous deception quickly evolves into a tangled mess of swapped identities and convoluted love.

Julianna Holmes, director of the play and an undeclared freshman, described the play as an opportunity for audiences to de-stress from the pressures of college. “‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is at its heart a comedy, and I feel like in college, a lot of times we’re beaten into a little box of anxiety and workloads and deadlines, and just trying to get through the day,” Holmes said.

“This is a place where you can come [and] you can watch a great show full of talented actors who just want you to have fun in the audience.”

“The Importance of Being Earnest” delivered on that wish.

The Hinman Commons was staged as an English sitting room, including an ornate couch and dresser that brought the audience into the time period.

Elaborate costumes drove home the historical immersion, while the actors’ performances crackled with chemistry. Their banter, bickering and everything in between felt electric and organic.

Holmes spoke about the rewarding challenge of directing a play as a first-year student.

“I come from a children’s theatre background, so it’s much different with kids that fully know the art of acting, and know how to interact with other people on stage and off stage in a completely different way than kids,” Holmes said. “It was a really fun experience. It was a learning curve definitely, but I feel like at the end I was able to learn a lot about this craft and about the actors that were kind of giving their talents to me.”

Zach Carpenter, a cast member portraying Jack Worthing and a first-year graduate student studying mechanical engineering, discussed his experience rehearsing with the rest of the cast.

“It’s been a blast,” Carpenter said. “I think this is a really fun comedy, and I think we’re all kind of pushing our limits by trying out the accent. And you know, it’s been a process to really find our characters. So we laugh a lot on set. There’s a lot of times where somebody will try something new comedically and it’ll make

us totally break, because it’ll come out of the blue and it’ll be hilarious.”

Katherine Quinn, a cast member portraying Lady Bracknell and a senior doublemajoring in English and cinema, described what initially drew her to the play.

“I actually studied abroad in London over the summer, and that’s when I found out that they were doing the ‘Importance of Being Earnest,’” Quinn said. “I

was sort of picking up the British accent, and I thought it would be really fun to audition when I got back to school because I could show off my accent.”

Carpenter went on to speak about his previous familiarity with the play, and its relevance today.

“I actually knew nothing about the play before I auditioned except for the fact that it was written by Oscar Wilde,” Carpenter said. “I have read his other works and

I’ve loved all of them, so I was like, ‘I’m sure it’ll be great.’ And it is. It’s really funny, and I think the humor — even though it was written in 1895 — it still holds up today, and kind of shows [Wilde’s] genius.”

The “Importance of Being Earnest” lived up to that genius.

Confident performances, cozy period costuming and downright hilarious humor made HPC’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” a show to remember.

provided by amanda mulvey Adapted from Oscar Wilde’s play with the same title, “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a classic comedy about the too-familiar pressure of societal obligations.

#BingCollects showcases heritage and identity The pop-up exhibit will return on Nov. 14.

Sam Lillianthal

Arts & Culture Editor

In the 2022-23 academic year, the Binghamton University Art Museum and BU’s libraries’ Special Collections are joining forces to present various pop-up exhibits focused on awareness of different heritages and identities. The exhibits project is titled #BingCollects.

The identity theme has

presented itself in two exhibits already this past month. One focused on Latinx heritage, and was displayed on Oct. 6 at the Appalachian Collegiate Center, and the other was on celebrating LBGTQIA+ history, displayed on Oct. 26 at the University Union.

There will be one more exhibit on Nov. 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Glenn G. Bartle Library breezeway, presenting Native American Heritage. Next semester will see another three pop-ups at different places around campus.

#BingCollects began all the way back in February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Blythe Roveland-Brenton, ’83, director of Special Collections and Library Preservation, reached out to Claire Kovacs, curator of collections and exhibitions at the BU Art Museum (BUAM), to see about a partnership for a pop-up exhibit project. With COVID-19 causing a lengthy delay, RovelandBrenton and Kovacs were ready this year to put the plan into reality. Roveland-Brenton wrote

sourced from university libraries #BingCollects has three exhibits this semester, including one on in the University Union that is focused on LGBTQIA+ history.

about their excitement to see their goal finally realized.

“Our purpose for #BingCollects is to generate more awareness, especially among students, that both repositories and the material in them are available to them to explore and use for their studies,” Roveland-Brenton wrote in an email. “We thought we’d be more successful in introducing our rich resources by taking objects out of their usual homes and bringing them to various spaces at different days and times where and when students gather.”

Once Kovacs and RovelandBrenton decided on their theme of identity, they began to each take works from their respective collections to start the planning process. Kovacs mentioned how this theme was more than just objects to look at — it was also a way to connect to students.

“It’s important because I don’t want our collections to be seen as static and sterile objects with zero connections to folks,” Kovacs said. “As we’re choosing objects around different identity themes, part of our goal is to allow students to see works in our collection that resonate with parts of their identity.”

The Oct. 6 exhibit at the Appalachian Collegiate Center featured a variety of intriguing works of the past. Special Collections showcased an array of historical items from the

University archives related to the Latin American Student Union and its predecessors over 50 years ago. BUAM took highlights of artwork and writings from The Border Art Workshop/Taller de Arte Fronterizo, a group of Anglo-American, Mexican and Chicano artists working on issues of the border between Mexico and California.

LGBTQIA+ history was represented later in October with art prints from the book “The Blue Guitar: Etchings

by David Hockney Who Was Inspired by Wallace Stevens Who Was Inspired by Pablo Picasso”

by David Hockney, a well-known queer artist, which was taken from BUAM’s collection. Some may be surprised that the prints don’t center on Hockney’s typical subject matter — his queer identity. Instead, these prints draw on other influences in Hockney’s life that he resonates with. Kovacs commented on the social pressure of queer artists to only create queer-centric art.

“Just because someone is an artist that identifies in a particular way doesn’t make them beholden to create work around that identity,” Kovacs said.

On the Special Collections side, Roveland-Brenton pulled out archival material from Herizon, a lesbian social club based in Binghamton that existed from 1975 to 1991.

Their upcoming exhibit in

the middle of Native American Heritage month will have many exciting objects and works featured. While most of it is kept under wraps, Kovacs discussed one object recently acquired for the exhibit, a two-row Wampum belt replica created by Tony Gonyea from the Onondaga Nation. Its importance lies in the fact that the belt was the first treaty between the Dutch and Haudenosaunee confederacy in 1613. Kovacs emphasized the preservation of the original artifacts these replicas come from.

“When these sorts of works go into museums, they are just replicas,” Kovacs said.

“Any original wampums should be returned to the Haudenosaunee.”

Kovacs and RovelandBrenton have enjoyed their collaboration thus far and cannot wait to continue this project into the next semester — not only to connect with students on a scholarly level but also on a personal level.

“In the spring we will celebrate Black History Month, among others,” RovelandBrenton wrote in an email.

“We’re hoping that more students will seek out the #BingCollects pop-ups and are inspired to visit the Art Museum and Special Collections for their own intellectual curiosity and scholarship as a result.”

OPINIONS Tuesday, November 8, 2022 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017

THE SUNY DEFICIT CAN’T GO UNCHECKED The Editorial Board

The nation’s largest higher education union, United University Professions (UUP), launched a campaign earlier in October to advocate for more funding for SUNY. At Binghamton University, concern has been raised over whether a lack of state funding will force tuition increases, which could have drastic effects for current and prospective students.

Bella Daidone Design Manager

The nation’s largest higher education union, United University Professions (UUP), launched a campaign earlier in October to advocate for more funding for SUNY. At Binghamton University, concern has been raised over whether a lack of state funding will force tuition increases, which could have drastic effects for current and prospective students.

This is not the first time the UUP has called for more SUNY funding — for the past decade, state funding to SUNY schools has remained stagnant, despite increased operational costs and needs. This past summer, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that

SUNY tuition would be frozen and that $53 million would be provided to hire new faculty at SUNY schools, and $60 million provided for academic programs and student services — prioritizing those with the most student diversity. However, a vast number of SUNY schools, including SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Albany, are still struggling with multi-million dollar deficits. This chronic underfunding has resulted in SUNY students paying $2 for every $1 of state funding.

SUNY financial difficulties have been exacerbated by declining enrollment rates caused by COVID-19. The state government is aware of the impact of the pandemic

on higher education, and we call upon them to offer more funding to the SUNY system.

According to the Democrat & Chronicle, SUNY enrollment decreased by 20 percent over the last decade and by 10 percent just since fall 2019, mostly due to COVID-19. The BU website’s “Financial Report” page states that the “2020-21 academic year was fiscally challenging” due to fewer on-campus residents and the allocation of several million dollars to COVID-19 testing.

The university lost about $8 million in tuition revenue and $2 million in “associated student fees.” Last spring, BU projected that 2022-23 would see an $8-11 million deficit.

Amid the extra costs that

SUNYs took on to enforce COVID-19-related health measures and the loss of student revenue, it is more important than ever that the government step up to fund our nation’s most accessible educational institutions. In addition to offering in-state students affordable tuition, investment in SUNYs has a great economic return.

SUNY’s economic return is about $30 billion each year, and each dollar invested in SUNY generates $8.17.

Additionally, most students continue to live and work in New York for at least two years.

If SUNYs are not able to get increased funding, they may be forced to cut academic and extracurricular programs,

with SUNY Potsdam serving as a sobering example. SUNY Potsdam is currently facing a $3 million deficit, and is launching an “academic realignment” campaign to compensate — jeopardizing the existence of 17 majors, eight minors, and two departments.

In addition to the value of the academic and extracurricular programs that BU already has, our school is in need of more — plans which will be jeopardized without an increase in funding.

Students have repeatedly called for more investment in mental health resources, as BU only has 16 counselors employed for over 10 times the number of students. It is fair to assume that this lack of mental health

resources extends to other schools, as the UUP’s campaign calls for the 242 mental health counselors to be added across the SUNY system. BU is also hoping to renovate the Fine Arts building and revamp our arts program. Without more federal funding, SUNY facilities, academic programs and other student resources can be expected to remain stagnant or deteriorate.

SUNYs are the backbone of New York State, an integral part of developing its youth and economy. We applaud the UUP’s campaign to close the SUNY deficit, and hope that the state government will take steps to ensure the future of the SUNY system is secure.

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.

Biden admin’s drone restrictions should be commended Drone restrictions can reduce civilian casualties and improve international relations. catastrophes that have resulted from the frequent use of drone Contributing Columnist warfare. One such calamity came during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, when an American drone strike resulted In early October, President in the deaths of 10 civilians, Joe Biden signed a classified including seven children. Sarah policy that placed limitations Yager, the director of Human on the use of drone strikes Rights Watch in Washington outside areas of active conflict. — who has been advocating This policy restored limitations for measures to reduce civilian that had been removed by the casualties for 15 years — said previous administration. The that the new policy represents new strategy is designed to the biggest shift in drone policy limit strikes in countries such she has seen during her tenure. as Somalia, Yemen and now While obviously long overdue, Afghanistan, where the United Biden’s decision to reign in States had previously carried out the United States’ frequent counterterrorism drone strikes. use of drones will undoubtedly While the Biden administration establish a positive precedent in has certainly made splashier counterterrorism policy and go headlines, the importance of some way toward helping the more restrictive policies on country’s moral standing in the drone strikes should not be global community. undersold.

On the surface, drone The move shows that the warfare seems to be an efficient United States, albeit protractedly, solution to a thorny problem. has acknowledged and responded Theoretically, the use of drone to the number of high-profile strikes allows the military to Theodore Brita

eliminate enemy combatants without endangering the lives of American soldiers. In reality, the situation is usually far more complex. Zemari Ahmadi, the man who was targeted by American drone operators in the strike that resulted in 10 deaths in Afghanistan in August 2021, worked for an American non-governmental organization (NGO). Unknown to him, he was under surveillance by an American drone for several hours as operators interpreted his everyday actions to be preparation for some terrorist action. As Ahmadi drove up to his home and his three children ran to meet him, the drone operators fired a missile at his car, resulting in Ahmadi and nine others being killed.

A New York Times investigation in 2021 found that American intelligence on targets of drone strikes was frequently faulty and often resulted in civilian deaths. The Pentagon’s own internal documents

contained over 1300 reports of civilian casualties from American drone strikes. Despite former President Barack Obama’s promise that increasing the use of drones as American troops left the Middle East would result in the “most precise air campaign in history,” the evidence reveals that it has been anything but.

Due to the shockingly high number of civilian casualties, it is entirely debatable whether drone strikes even benefited broader American military strategy. Although the new policy put in place does not specifically address intelligence failures, the hope is that reducing the number of strikes will lead to much fewer fatal miscalculations.

Due to the very nature of drone warfare, drone operators are entirely detached from the dangers of traditional combat.

Those who are the victims of drone strikes are also detached, but in a far more sinister way.

Unlike in traditional warfare, those who are under surveillance

by drones have no way of knowing that they are a potential target and therefore cannot surrender or defend themselves. Drone operators essentially function as judges and executioners of people who are completely innocent in many cases. Dozens of families whose homes were struck by missiles fired from drones had no idea why their homes had been marked by drone operators as places of potential terrorist activity, and usually received no clarification from any credible sources on the topic. The nature of these strikes without cause on families and homes could also potentially serve to increase the difficulty of achieving peace in tumultuous regions of the world, such as the Middle East. If someone’s house was attacked by an American drone for no reason at all, it is not unimaginable that anyone who survives such an attack would begin to feel some animosity toward the United States.

Given the slapdash nature

of American drone operations in the last 10 years, it is long past time for new regulations that limit the unfettered use of drone warfare. However, there is still more that can be done. The new policies do not outline any consequences for those who have ordered drone strikes resulting in the deaths of innocent people or implement reviews of improper strikes. There is still a clear lack of accountability and oversight of the drone program, even if its scope has now been limited.

The reforms implemented by the Biden administration are a good start when it comes to fixing the American drone program.

But if Biden intends to fully see the issue through, he and his administration must go beyond adding more regulations and ensure that the Pentagon faces accountability when drones are used improperly.

Theodore Brita is a junior majoring in political science.

Artemis mission has exciting potential Moon mission may help us combat climate change, increase space exploration.

Peter Levy Contributing Columnist

In September, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) decided to roll back the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Complex 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Ian. This delays the muchanticipated launch of the first mission of the Artemis program — NASA’s mission to bring humans back to the moon for the first time in 50 years and, this time, for good. Artemis I will be a roughly monthlong unmanned flight around the moon using NASA’s new SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, which are now expected to take off sometime between Nov. 12 and Nov 27.

Eventually, Artemis III will be the first manned moon-landing in 50 years and will be accomplished by the first female astronaut and women of color to do so.

While the world waits for this momentous occasion, I think it’s as good a time as ever to explain why this mission is important enough for you to care.

Ever since Alan Shepard became the first American to reach space in 1961, America has had an interest in space travel.

So, why did we stop going to the moon? Admittedly, a large part of it had to do with the Cold War and a fear of giving the Soviet Union any control of space. The detente in United States and Soviet relations in the early 1970s correlated directly with a drastic cut in space spending. Further domestic and international issues, such as the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War and civil rights movements,

all distracted the nation from our nearest celestial body. While space exploration did persist with the shuttle program, the International Space Station and the launch of space telescopes, it has been far too long since we have visited the moon.

Beyond the geopolitical target, which was the moon during the Space Race, exploring our nearest celestial body continues to have enormous scientific benefits. First of all, just getting to the moon in the 1960s involved enormous innovations, particularly in computing.

As NASA says on its website, MIT developed a revolutionary computer, which, at the time, was the compact size of a refrigerator and capable of operating at a 12-microsecond clock speed.

Such power is dwarfed by our modern computers’ capacities, but it set our computer revolution in motion. Likewise,

before we landed on the moon, we sent the first low Earth orbit satellites to study the Earth in different wavelengths of light, paving the way for the Landsat program, which has since been used to analyze our climate and study climate change.

Today, the moon offers even more exciting possibilities than ever before. Just recently, the moon was confirmed to have frozen water at the bottom of its dark craters. With the existence of water, there is, of course, the real possibility of some form of life on our very own moon. Such water, if purified, can provide drinking water to future astronauts and lunar dwellers, be distilled to produce breathable oxygen and can even be converted into fuel for spaceships. Moreover, the moon contains valuable materials that can be used for constructing solar panels and — with materials like helium —

fueling further space exploration.

Unlike the Apollo missions, Artemis seeks to return to the moon for good. NASA plans to set up an “Artemis Base Camp ‘’ — a permanent structure on the moon to support future moon missions. In addition, the “Gateway” will act much like the International Space Station, serving as a space station in orbit around the moon as opposed to the Earth. The Gateway will act like a space lab for future study of the moon as well as a staging point for deep space exploration to and from the moon. To that end, the moon’s low gravity and little atmosphere will serve as a far better platform to launch rockets to other space destinations. NASA plans to use the tools on the moon to get humans to Mars sometime in the next decade or so.

Exploring other planets presents the most exciting new

chapter for our species since perhaps the age of exploration half a millennium ago. The fact that such a monumental change in our species may begin in our lifetime gives us much to be excited for. During the last era of great exploration, the amount of new knowledge acquired shaped our modern world. The need for navigation fueled the growth of maps and astronomy, while new species in the New World became staple crops, feeding a growing world population. New ideas of our own political selfworth were all fostered by this change. The point is that a new millennium will be brought on by revisiting the moon, and future intergalactic humans will look back at us with envy, jealous of a time when the course of our species was irrevocably changed for the better.

Peter Levy is an undeclared sophomore.

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Men’s soccer defeats UMBC in overtime thriller BU advances to conference semifinals match against UNH. Tyler Friedlander

Sports contributor

In its second consecutive match against UMBC, Binghamton men’s soccer notched with the Retrievers at two through ninety minutes, leading to an overtime period.

In the 99th minute, a ball was lost in a crowd before junior midfielder Markos Touroukis lined up — just outside the 18-yard-box — and struck the ball toward the right lower corner, giving BU the inside track at advancing to the AE semifinals. Once the clock hit zero, the score stood at 3-2 and the Bearcats advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2015.

“When we went down 1-0, the guys fought back,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “I was more nervous, not when we were down 1-0, but when it was 2-2. I thought that could’ve been a momentum swing, but our guys were great.”

BU (6-8-4, 3-2-2 AE) and UMBC (10-6-2, 4-3-0 AE) had proper preparation for their playoff matchup, facing each other just four days earlier in the final regular season game. The Bearcats emerged victorious in the previous matchup, taking down the Retrievers 4-2 on

their home turf. Saturday marked Binghamton’s second victory over UMBC this week. In both games, the Bearcats rallied after early 1-0 deficits.

Although the Retrievers added the first score early, BU had a first-half response when junior back William Noecker put Binghamton on the board in the 36th minute — with a header off a deep free kick from junior midfielder Shawn Coles.

This was Noecker’s second goal of the year, with his first coming just a week ago against Bryant.

The junior and the rest of the Bearcats’ back line were also firm defensively.

“We’ve been living on the backs, they’ve been great,” Marco said. “They competed hard and they minimized chances. There was good oneversus-one defending and good set piece defending”.

The match entered the break knotted up at 1-1, however, both teams came out of halftime looking to be more aggressive.

The game got chippy as there were 14 combined fouls for both teams in the second half.

Binghamton finished the match with 24 fouls and UMBC ended with 14. The resulting free kicks provided a plethora of opportunities for both squads.

Neither team found the back of the net until the 67th minute, when a ball coming off of a free kick found its way to redshirt senior midfielder Parker McKnight. McKnight blew by

the Retrievers’ defense and drove straight to the baseline.

There, the senior whipped a pass across the box to redshirt junior midfielder Anthony Lazaridis, who blasted a one-timer into the top left corner, his fourth goal of the season.

Despite now trailing, UMBC responded just two minutes later, tying the match on a headed shot off of a corner kick.

The ball was scored in the top left corner and grazed the diving hand of senior goalkeeper Mats Roorda.

The Binghamton defense bent but did not break, holding the Retrievers to only two shots for the remainder of the game following their 69thminute goal.

The game headed into extra time tied at 2-2 as both teams faced a potential season-ending loss. Offense was quiet for both sides in the first extra time period, and although the Bearcats netted just one attempt, they used it to their advantage. With a minute remaining of a gritty first half of extra time, Binghamton had a fast-break developing. Senior back Michael Bush sped down the touchline and launched a cross into the box. The ball bounced around between both teams, eventually settling at the feet of Touroukis. Touroukis did not waste the golden opportunity, as he fired a shot on net that found the bottom right corner for what would end up being the game-winning

mason brody-lewis assisstant photo editor Junior midfielder Markos Touroukis scored the go-ahead goal in BU’s 3-2 quarterfinal win on Saturday against UMBC.

goal.

“The team is very close,” Marco said. “It’s been that way all year. The closeness, the camaraderie, the culture — whatever you want to call it —

it’s a very good one”.

The win advances the Bearcats to the semifinals of the AE tournament, where they will look to keep their season alive against the one-seeded and No.

20 New Hampshire Wildcats on Thursday, Nov. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Wildcat Stadium in Durham, New Hampshire.

Women’s soccer loses in PKs after two overtimes soccer from page 1 With the Bearcats down three goals at the half, they were forced to respond, and they did. The goals poured in just as fast as they did at the start of the game, but this time it was BU who clawed back. A cross from junior defender Lexi Vegoda’s corner kick in the 51st minute passed through a sea of white and navy jerseys, before the wind and bend pushed it into the back of the net — allowing Vegoda to grab an Olimpico goal to begin the second period. Just three minutes later, Binghamton found itself on the attack once again when the ball was played in behind to Anand, who

was brought down by a Wildcat defender, awarding the Bearcats a penalty kick. Vegoda lined up and placed the ball in the bottom right corner, just scorching it through the grip of the UNH keeper for the junior’s second goal of the game.

“Vegoda had a tremendous game,” Bhattacharjee said. “She got that first goal, got the PK and we were able to roll from there.

Just unfortunate we couldn’t get that fifth goal or obviously finish it out in PKs, but tremendous heart. Everything that we said at halftime our kids were able to do and implement, and brought us back and just got on the brink of a championship because of it.”

The game’s high tempo persisted throughout the rest of the second half, and the effort paid off as the Bearcats found their equalizer in the 84th minute. Junior midfielder Victoria McKnight’s cross was fired into the hands of the UNH keeper, but she was unable to get full control of the ball, fumbling it into a crowded six-yard box, where it found the foot of freshman forward Samiya Reid. Reid smoked it in, tying the game — and as the final six minutes ticked off the clock, BU was catapulted into their second overtime game in a row.

“We felt pretty good in terms of everything we were doing in the second period, so we felt like we

wanted to keep the momentum going on our side,” Bhattacharjee said. “It was okay for us to take some risks, maybe not as many risks as being two or three goals down, but we were going to have chances and all it was going to take was one moment.”

Two 10-minute halves of extratime saw no goals from either side, despite flurries of shots from both ends of the field. The 4-4 score held, and a second shootout in two games for Binghamton loomed.

Junior midfielder Molly McClelland and Vegoda were the first to shoot for BU, both converting their attempts to match UNH’s first two.

Just like Thursday’s quarterfinal

match, Binghamton turned to senior goalkeeper Nicole Scott for the shootout.

The senior saved the next two UNH attempts, but the Bearcats did not convert on their next three attempts, leaving the fate of the game and season on one final shot.

The Wildcat kicker approached the ball as Scott cheated to her right.

The ball was struck into the middle of the pipes as Scott lunged back at the attempt, but the Bearcat’s effort was too late as the shot connected with the back of the net, naming UNH the AE tournament champions.

“It’s 27 kids that all understood the culture here, what they wanted

for their teammates, how they were a part of something bigger than themselves,” Bhattacharjee said.

“I guess you can highlight some of the kids that got the conference recognition, but it doesn’t happen without everybody really being involved and that includes our staff as well in all facets. We’re obviously proud of the regular season title and the way we played this year, but if I’m walking away with anything that I’m most proud of it, it’s that. It’s the culture that we’ve built and how these Bearcats have represented Binghamton University, this athletic department and this program overall.”

Volleyball earns sweep against UAlbany Binghamton rises to first place in AE. Johnny Yang Sports intern

mason brody-lewis assisstant photo editor Junior outside hitter Tsvetelina Ilieva registered 10 kills in BU’s 3-0 win over UAlbany on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, the Binghamton volleyball team lost a five-set thriller against America East (AE) rival UAlbany. On Sunday afternoon at the West Gym, the Bearcats got their revenge in a rematch. BU swept the Great Danes in three straight sets to take sole possession of first place in the conference standings, heading into its final regular season match.

“I’m very happy with today’s performance,” said Binghamton head coach Allie Yaeger. “We didn’t know if we could beat Albany … confidence is a huge thing that we can take away from today’s match.”

Despite a back-and-forth start in the first set, with both teams exchanging points, BU (16-7, 7-2 AE) began to pull away after the 8-8 mark. The Great Danes (7-18, 2-6 AE) struggled to find their groove as the Bearcats went on an 8-3 run to take a five point lead, which stood for the remainder of the set. With a kill from junior outside hitter Tsvetelina Ilieva, Binghamton took the first set 25-18, recording three aces in the process while avoiding any from Albany.

“What really sticks out to me

tonight was our serve and our serve receive game,” Yaeger said. “We served really aggressively with a lot of aces.”

In the second set, BU came out of the gates hot, taking an early 12-7 lead thanks to a 7-2 run. This forced the Great Danes to call an early timeout, their first of the match. After the timeout, UAlbany stayed stagnant, unable to keep up offensively with Binghamton.

From then on, BU continued to build on its early lead, going on a 10-3 run and getting offensive contributions from several different players. Freshman outside hitter Giulia Bonifacio, junior outside hitter Stefana Stan and Ilieva all got kills during that run. The Bearcats remained in control as they closed out the set 25-15 and took a 2-0 set lead in the game.

“We were in system a lot, we were able to set whoever we wanted to set,” Yaeger said. “Our distribution across the board was really good…we took them out of system.”

In the third set, the Great Danes started off strong, taking a 7-5 lead.

However, UAlbany did not hold its advantage for long, as the Bearcats came storming back — going on a 7-1 run and taking the lead 12-8.

After a UAlbany timeout, the away side gathered some momentum, cutting its deficit to two. BU produced another run, taking an 18-15 lead. Despite Binghamton’s

run, the visitors stayed competitive during the match’s final set. The Great Danes responded with three straight points to make it 18-16.

The two teams traded a pair of points before the Bearcats ended the game with a 5-0 run, powered by two service aces from sophomore defensive specialist Sydney Aguirre.

“With the amount of aces and blocks that we had, we didn’t have a lot of opportunities to dig the ball or put the ball away,” Yaeger said.

“But when those opportunities came around, I thought all of our pins did a really great job.”

Stan and Ilieva spearheaded the offense with 10 kills apiece, doing so with help from freshman setter Lottie Scully, who assisted on 26 of BU’s points. Bonifacio added eight kills of her own to reinforce the offense, and defensively, senior middle hitter Anna Sprys contributed six total blocks to the winning effort.

“I think that all the pins did a really good job,” Yaeger said.

“Execution is always our big thing.

We want to be able to finish sets and matches.”

Following the penultimate match against Albany, Binghamton will wrap up the regular season with an AE matchup against Bryant on Sunday, Nov. 13. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Chase Athletic Center Main Gym in Smithfield, Rhode Island.