Spring 2023 Issue 48-49

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 | Vol. CI, Issues 48 & 49 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

see pages 2 and 3

Nobel laureate visits BU, receives inaugural prize

OCCT creates route to local farmers market The temporary route will transport students to the market every Saturday for the rest of April.

Brandon Ng news intern

caspar carson photo assistant After receiving the prize, Maria Ressa delivered a lecture titled “The Battle for Our Future,” which discussed the risk of mass atrocity through digital media.

Maria Ressa recieved the Nadia Rubaii Memorial Prize for her human rights work.

Geonha Lim

news contributor

A 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

was awarded the first-ever Nadia Rubaii Memorial Prize on Friday.

Maria Ressa, founder of the Philippines’ top digital news site Rappler, was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Nadia Rubaii Memorial Prize — created by Binghamton University’s

Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP). The award is given to individuals who best represent the work of Rubaii, I-GMAP’s late co-founder and codirector, and her commitment to human rights.

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Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) will provide service to the Broome County Regional Farmers Market on Saturdays throughout the rest of April.

The route, established as a “special charter,” will allow campus shuttle vehicles owned by OCCT — Binghamton University’s student-run bus service — to operate outside its regularly serviced areas. Support for the charter originated with BU’s Sustainability Hub, a “physical and virtual space that … seeks to

support the long-term cultivation of a campus-wide culture where sustainability efforts are valued, recognized and easily accessible,” according to its website.

Student groups that sponsored the charter include the Food Co-Op, Zero Hour Binghamton, Students for Ethical Living and Food, the Binghamton Policy Project and the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Daniel Croce, chairman and chief financial officer of OCCT, the current vice president for finance and a junior majoring in business administration, provided background on the initiative.

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RENA Magazine hosts second annual fashion show RENA Magazine’s show is inspired by classic television show “The Twilight Zone.”

Jason Tang

arts & culture contributor

A well-lit parking lot — an unlikely place for anything except cars — was the site for RENA Magazine’s second annual Fashion Show — the Fabric of Reality — this past Friday. Inspired by former

Binghamton icon Rod Sterling’s television show, “The Twilight Zone,” each outfit was designed and inspired by a specific episode or character from the series. For an hour, RENA magazine took a sold-out line of spectators on a journey through high fashion and their passions.

To the founders of RENA magazine, the success of the fashion show was a satisfying result of the hard work poured

BCRC allegedly blocks funds for campus speaker The withdrawn $2,500 donation was to be used to bring a speaker to campus.

Brandon Ng and Ella Connors news interns

The Broome County Republican Committee (BCRC) allegedly retaliated against the Binghamton University College Republicans for “not falling in line” behind preferred candidates.

The county’s Republican Party had initially promised $2,500 to the College Republicans for a guest speaker event. However, the funding was withdrawn after Logan Blakeslee — the vice president of the College Republicans and a

into it. Audrey Franza, a senior majoring in economics who serves as RENA’s editor-in-chief, is one of the magazine’s founders, along with Cameron Wallace, a senior majoring in environmental science who works as the magazine’s creative director.

Franza described the fashion show as the biggest event that RENA has held.

“We have been blessed with the most amazing team,”

Franza said. “If this is the event that Binghamton University remembered me by, I would be more than happy about it.”

This was not RENA’s first attempt at holding a fashion show, with multiple events held in the Fine Arts building last year. Hannah Sperber — a senior majoring in social work — described attending the first fashion show as a positive experience, especially due to the

splendor of all of the outfits and makeup.

“The first one was really cool,” Sperber said. “It was really good, and they had multiple shows because they could only fit 30 to 40 people, but this one is on a much larger scale.”

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Baseball drops series to Maine, clinches finale win

junior double-majoring in history and political science — was seen speaking to Michael Korchak, the Broome County District Attorney, at a petition night event on March 30. Korchak, a Republican, was elected in 2019 on the Libertarian Party ticket after losing the Republican primary to Paul Battisti. Battisti is challenging Korchak again in the upcoming Republican primary.

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ARTS & CULTURE

aidan emery contributing photographer Junior outfielder Mike Gunning registered four hits and two RBIs against Maine over the weekend.

OPINIONS

SPORTS

“Dungeons and Dragons” movie delivers,

Starfest coming to the Bundy Musuem ,

The Editorial Board evaluates the response to SAPB’s Spring Fling headliner,

Softball sweeps Maine in two games at home,

Men’s lacrosse hosts NJIT in narrow 17-16 victory,

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 12

SEE PAGE 16

SEE PAGE 15

check bupipedream.com on 4/20 for full issue

Cannabis licenses available in Binghamton Binghamton was one of the first municipalities to offer retail licensing.

Brandon Ng

news intern

After New York state legalized recreational marijuana, Binghamton officials have moved to update zoning laws and regulatory policy.

The Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), passed by the New York State Legislature and signed by thenGov. Andrew Cuomo in March 2021, legalized possession, usage and cultivation of marijuana products and plants.

The Act also created the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) — a regulatory body overseeing adult-use, medical and hemp cannabis. A year later, the City of Binghamton became one of the first municipalities in the state to pass draft zoning legislation for new cannabis-related businesses, according to a press release from Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham.

Under Binghamton law, three distinct types of marijuana businesses are recognized, including industrial, retail and on-site consumption, all of which are prohibited in residential and commercial neighborhoods and the medical district.

Kraham, who took office in January 2022, emphasized the importance of proactive planning in preparing for

cannabis businesses.

“Having that zoning established really allowed for Just Breathe, the cannabis retailer downtown, to come to the table with a quick process,” Kraham said. “Had the City not adopted that zoning legislation quickly in advance of these retailers trying to open, it would have been a legal mess to try to both define a use that didn’t exist in our code, and also have the [Planning Commission] consider a use that has not been defined or regulated by City Council or the Mayor.”

The Council approved the legislation with four votes in favor, one vote against and two members absent. Joe Burns, a city council member, voiced objections to the initial zoning plan. Though he expressed approval about the decriminalization of marijuana, Burns, a Democrat, listed factors behind his opposition — including his past experiences with addiction and the potential impact on drug addicts. Still, however, Burns described Kraham as a “good mayor who does things quickly” and who successfully persuaded the City Council to adopt his cannabis plan.

Just Breathe, New York state’s first licensed cannabis dispensary outside of New York City, originally opened in 2021 selling cannabidiol (CBD) — an “essential” component of medical marijuana derived from the hemp plant, according to Harvard Medical School. It is operated by Damien Cornwell in collaboration with the

alexa valadez design assistant Under Binghamton’s regulations, three types of cannabis businesses are allowed — industrial, retail and on-site consumption.

Broome County Urban League (BUCL), a nonprofit that works to empower communities.

Cornwell, also the League’s director of operations, recounted the regulatory process that preceded Just Breathe’s transition to selling cannabis.

“The City [of Binghamton] was super proactive [and] was one of the first municipalities to act and do the zoning laws in advance of the licensing coming out,” Cornwell said. “But in my world, I still had a lot to do with

the OCM and the state, and how that integrates with laws and different practices that are exercised in the municipality.

For me, it was still a two-year journey to get everything put together.”

Cornwell noted the social implications of his business, adding that he hoped to build on Binghamton’s culture, which would entice current college students to stay in the area after graduation.

Iris Defino, a sophomore majoring in political science,

expressed positive sentiment about Binghamton city officials pioneering recreational marijuana in New York state.

“It is heartening to see places like Just Breathe opening Downtown and to see the support from the community to implement these changes,” Defino wrote. “This is especially valuable given that the criminalization and hyperpolicing of marijuana have had a disproportionate impact on [Black, Indigenous and people of color] communities and have

fueled the mass incarceration crisis in this country.”

Bianca Van Zile, a sophomore majoring in mathematics, agreed with Defino, and considered the legalization’s broader societal impacts.

“It’s good that they’re decriminalizing marijuana,” Van Zile said. “It’ll be interesting to see how legalizing cannabis will affect drug culture down the road. Will it decrease alcohol use or increase other drug use? Who knows.”

Important drug and addiction resources For those battling addiction, there are a number of resources to help.

Hallie Milligan

Assistant news editor

College comes with challenges, which can be especially difficult to face when struggling with substance abuse. If you find yourself or a loved one facing these challenges, here is a list of on- and off-campus recovery and support resources to aid in

the journey toward sobriety.

The Consultation, Advocacy, Referral and Education (CARE) Team The CARE Team is an on-campus support group responsible for promoting personal and academic development by directing students to resources that can best accommodate their needs. The team is composed of licensed social workers dedicated to creating judgment-free case management services for students who need help finding the correct

resources. The CARE Team is located in Binghamton University Union West, room 207, and can be contacted weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. by phone at (607) 777-2804. The team can also be reached by email at dos@binghamton.edu for general inquiries or to set up a consultation appointment.

The University Counseling Center (UCC) College comes with challenges, which can be especially difficult to face when struggling with substance abuse. The UCC

is available to aid students experiencing mental health crises, addiction or those who simply need someone trustworthy to talk to privately. The UCC has many certified counselors available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for therapy services. The UCC is located in Old O’Connor Hall, room 264, and can be reached by phone at (607) 777-2772 to set up an appointment.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Office Located in the Academic B building, room 202, the

bella daidone design manager Important resources to combat addiction within the community include the CARE team and the Addiction Center of Broome County.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Office is an on-campus recovery resource dedicated to creating a collaboration of resources available to students struggling with substance abuse. Staff at the office work hard to conduct research, stay upto-date on the most recent support developments and collaborate with outside resources to create a program that meets the needs of students in various stages of recovery. These resources include support groups, events, cannabis and alcohol screening for college students, prevention tools and more. The office can be reached on weekdays by phone at (607) 777-3088 or by email at aodstaff@ binghamton.edu.

Campus Recovery Support Group (CRSG) Established in 2021 in coordination with the UCC and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Office, the CRSG is a student-run support initiative that works to aid students struggling with substance abuse through recovery. The group organizes various support events such as “Coffee Talks” and game nights to facilitate connection among students struggling with drug abuse.

For further inquiries, the CRSG can be reached by email at busober@ binghamton.edu. Dates and times for support events held at the group’s social space, located in the Academic B building room 211, can be found on the group’s Instagram, @busober.

The Addiction Center of Broome County (ACBC) Located off-campus at 30 West State St. in Binghamton, the ACBC has been aiding community members struggling with substance abuse for over 40 years. The team at the ACBC provides many resources, including individualized treatment planning, psychiatric care and more.

Resources are also available for those interested in aiding a loved one through addiction. This includes Narcan training, suicide alertness training, family support and more. For more information or to inquire about care, the ACBC can be reached by phone Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (607) 723-7308.

Binghamton’s New York State University Police (UPD) In the case of an emergency, to report an incident or to inquire about lost or stolen property, students can contact UPD. The department has a group of highly trained professional officers who can aid in emergency situations, including drug-related emergencies. The UPD office is located in the basement of the Couper Administration Building, AD-G24.

For emergency calls, the UPD can be reached at (607) 7772222 from a cell phone, or at 911 from a campus phone.

For non-emergency reports, students can call (607) 7772393 to speak with an officer.

A guide to the best psychedelic drug experience Set, setting and dosage are the most important parts of a fulfilling trip.

Sam Lillianthal

arts & culture editor

A drug experience is dependent on many things, but — as long as it all lines up — it can be a rewarding and exciting journey. The main components to achieve this are set, setting and substance. This guide will help users of psychedelics, from the inexperienced to those with more experienced, avoid a bad “trip.”

1. Come in with a good mindset This tip may be a nobrainer, but have a positive and uplifted mindset before taking a drug. If you have just come off bad news or a disturbance to the mind, then some dormant thoughts could come to light during the drug experience.

While a trip could be a good time to be introspective and explore facets of your life in a new way, this is not as ideal when those thoughts are extremely distressing.

2. Set goals An important piece of advice before beginning the psychedelic experience is to set expectations for it.

What do you hope to gain from the trip? What type of

mood do you want to be in?

Do you want to be active or more sedentary? Planning how much to take and what activities you will be partaking in is critical. Maybe there is something you want to ponder spiritually or psychologically. Just remember to plan these goals beforehand.

3. Be in a good space As mentioned before, the setting is one of the main factors behind how your trip will go. First, you want to surround yourself with people you are comfortable with. Whether they are a fellow passenger on the trip or as a sitter, the person — or people — should be a figure in your life that you can be open with and not feel judged by. Psychedelics will open you up and show you the world as it really is, so having good people in the room with you is very important. Second, the actual location matters. If you are going somewhere that may overwhelm or overstimulate you, then it is better to stay somewhere more isolated. A place you feel comfortable in and know your way around is highly recommended. The feeling of being stuck or lost somewhere could lead to a scary experience.

4. Measure how much you take The dosage can directly affect how your trip

This guide helps bring the psychedelic user the best drug experience they can have.

experience goes. If you take a little bit, then you may be underwhelmed, but if you take too much, then it could be overwhelming. If you are a beginner, doing research on a proper firsttime amount is key to an enjoyable drug trip. If the packaging informs on how much to take, that can be

a helpful guide as well.

People like to do a lot and get in over their heads, but patience is key. If you are feeling good but want to reach a more exhilarating level, you can always take a little more or strategically increase the dosage on the next trip.

5. Don’t do it if you

have just done it so you can reflect Psychedelics are, for the most part, not addictive. It’s still important to consider how long you wait in between trips. Taking them too often in succession will lead to a developed tolerance that means, eventually, you will not feel any of the effects

bella daidone design manager

anymore. Taking them at a high rate can also overload the brain too much and lead to feelings of dissociation.

It is better to wait multiple weeks or even months to take them again. This time of waiting gives proper allowance to thoughts of reflection about the trip and the overall experience.

Fun and unique cocktails to make yourself at home Learn how to make an Old Fashioned or Tom Collins to impress guests.

Samra Ashe

arts & culture intern

Shots and cheap beer may be the alcohol preference for most partygoing college students, but a wellmade cocktail offers an elevated, delicious drinking experience that shouldn’t be overlooked. If it’s a more costly price tag that’s keeping you away, don’t fret — many cocktails are easy and fun to make at home.

Just acquire some basic

ingredients, master a few staples and you can easily become your own bartender!

There are so many families of cocktails to explore and varieties of recipes to try — and where better to start than with these tried and true classics?

Tom Collins The Tom Collins is a popular, gin-based cocktail.

Bubbly, refreshing and boasting a sweet and sour flavor, there’s a reason this drink is a beloved classic.

The first Tom Collins recipe was published in 1876, and it allegedly derives its name from a London waiter. The cocktail is often elegantly served in a tall highball

A well-made cocktail can elevate your drinking experience.

glass, fittingly referred to as a Collins glass.

Ingredients: 2 ounces dry gin ¾ to 1 ounce simple syrup 1 ounce lemon juice 4 ounces (½ cup) soda water Ice For the garnish: maraschino cherry, lemon wheel Instructions: Add the gin, syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with 4 ice cubes.

Shake well until chilled.

Strain the liquid into an ice-filled glass, and top off the glass with soda water.

Garnish with a lemon wheel

and cocktail cherry.

Moscow Mule When it comes to vodka cocktails, you can’t go wrong with a Moscow mule!

This easy-to-make, delicious drink was conceived in the 1940s and is still a favorite today. The drink consists of only three ingredients — vodka, ginger beer and lime juice. If you’ve ever ordered a Moscow mule, you may have noticed that it’s typically served in a copper mug or cup. This unique choice of vessel keeps everything icy cold, as the copper takes on the drink’s temperature. But if you’re not interested in tradition, any cup will do.

brianna crowther design assistant

Ingredients: 2 ounces (¼ cup) vodka ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) of fresh lime juice 4 ounces (½ cup) ginger beer For the garnish: lime wheel or wedge, fresh mint (if desired) Instructions: Pour the vodka, lime juice and ginger beer into a copper mug.

Add ice and garnish with a lime slice. Serve immediately.

Old Fashioned It doesn’t get more classic than an Old Fashioned. It was the first cocktail ever made, back in the early 1800s. While mixed drinks have gotten a lot more popular and complex since then, the Old Fashioned remains a timeless favorite.

Ingredients: 1 sugar cube (1 teaspoon sugar) 4 dashes of Angostura bitters ½ teaspoon water 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) bourbon or rye whiskey Orange peel Cocktail cherry, for garnish (optional) Large clear ice cube, for serving Instructions: Place the sugar cube in a lowball glass and add the bitters. Add the water and mash and swirl the sugar cube with a muddler or wooden spoon until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Add the whiskey and swirl to combine. Add a large ice cube.

Use a knife to remove a 1 inch wide strip of the orange peel. Squeeze the

orange peel into the drink to release the oils. Gently run the peel around the edge of the glass, then place it in the glass. If desired, garnish with a cocktail cherry for additional sweetness.

Mojito Minty and refreshing, the mojito is one of the most delicious cocktails out there. Just ask Ernest Hemmingway, who allegedly was a big fan of the drink, although it existed long before he popularized it.

Mojitos were invented in Havana, Cuba, and while its specific origins remain unclear, it may have begun as a medicinal drink.

Along with classics like the margarita or whiskey sour, the mojito falls into the sour cocktail family — or mixed drinks made of liquor, citrus and sweetener.

Ingredients: 6 mint leaves, plus an additional for garnish 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lime juice 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) simple syrup 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) white rum 2 to 4 ounces (½ cup) of soda water Instructions: In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves.

Add the lime juice, simple syrup and rum. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold.

Place ice into a glass, and strain in the liquid. Top off the glass with soda water.

Garnish with additional mint leaves.

All recipes courtesy of A Couple Cooks.

bupipedream.com | April 18, 2023

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Nobel laureate wins first annual I-GMAP prize nobel from page 1 The ceremony occurred at the Chamber Hall during Frontiers of Prevention, I-GMAPs annual international forum that invites worldwide scholars to discuss critical global issues. After receiving the award, Ressa delivered a lecture titled “The Battle for Our Future,” which discussed the rising risks of mass atrocity through digital media and disinformation that have caused division, polarization and violence in contemporary society.

Kerry Whigham, codirector of I-GMAP and an assistant professor of public administration, described how the Nadia Rubaii Memorial Prize was created.

“Before her untimely death in 2022, Nadia was a

professor and practitioner of public administration at [BU],” Whigham wrote in an email. “In 2016, she was handpicked to co-found I-GMAP, the first universitybased institute of its kind with an exclusive focus on preventing genocide and other mass atrocities. In honor of Rubaii’s amazing legacy, the I-GMAP team created the Nadia Rubaii Memorial Prize.”

Ressa has worked as an investigative journalist in Asia for over 30 years.

In this capacity, she has reported on autocratic governments in the region, which issued countless bail, arrest warrants and threats of life-long imprisonment against her. Her reporting has recently centered on how Philippines President

Rodrigo Duterte’s regime has utilized Facebook to allegedly spread hate for political gains.

Ressa’s work has been acknowledged both by I-GMAP and the Nobel Committee. In 2021, the co-directors of I-GMAP interviewed Ressa and invited her to a webinar, where she spoke about the battle for democracy and press freedom. An hour after the webinar, Ressa was announced as the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

After the ceremony, Ressa delivered a speech urging the audience to pay attention to the rising dangers of social media as a platform to spread hate and put democracy at risk. She said data has been corrupted by design.

“Human beings are commodified again with technology like they were with labor during the industrial revolution,” Ressa said.

“Tech companies, realizing that anger, fear and hate make us scroll down, have allowed and planted the attention economy in our lives. Through social media, lies spread faster than facts, creating distrust and breaking journalism.

Contemporary genocide and mass atrocity utilize disinformation promoted by social media platforms like Facebook.”

Ressa also described how disinformation and hatred threaten the grassroots of democracy and civil society.

“Digital platforms dominated by lies create a critical problem,” Ressa

said. “Lies hide and distort facts. If you cannot have facts, there is no truth.

Without truth, there cannot be any trust. Without trust, we cannot have a shared reality and democracy. If you do not have integration of facts, you cannot have integration of elections.”

I-GMAP is planning to award the Nadia Rubaii Memorial Prize annually.

The institute believes that the prize will honor Rubaii’s work and solidify I-GMAP’s role as a global leader in building bridges between scholars, activists and government officials.

After giving her final remarks, Ressa was met with a standing ovation from the audience, including BU students, faculty and conference attendees.

Josh Cheuk, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, said Ressa highlighted a new perspective on journalism’s role in people’s daily lives.

“I came here out of pure interest and wanted to know more about misinformation and its utilization,” Cheuk said. “I was intrigued to hear how knowledge is passed and how people can use that knowledge for both good and bad.”

Junhyeok Kim, a sophomore double-majoring in English and politics, philosophy and law, noted that such events can help students in choosing careers.

“These informative events help and guide me to learn what I want to do in the future,” Kim said.

OCCT creates temporary farmers market route market from page 1 “I was first approached by a working group consisting of the Food Co-Op, the SUNY [Student Assembly] and the Student Culinary Council regarding the desire to add a permanent route to the farmers market,” Croce wrote in an email. “I loved the idea but understood that the constraints of the location of the market being outside of the regular servicing area for OCCT made that very difficult. That’s when we developed the idea of operating a special charter, [which] I authorized for the director of OCCT, and we moved forward with a ‘test run’ of a charter for the month of April.”

According to a timesheet provided by Croce, the farmers market shuttle will make four trips every halfhour from the University Union, starting at 11 a.m. and continuing until 12:30 p.m. The last departure from the market will be 1 p.m.

Located on Binghamton’s Upper Front Street, the market lists “[connecting] farmers with consumers on a personal level … to advance local agriculture in the Southern Tier’’ as a goal on its website. The market is associated with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) — a program that partners with local, state and federal government agencies to connect local communities with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Ecology.

Amanda Poodiack, the CCE’s market manager, explained the process behind its establishment.

“In February 2009, the Broome County

The new route will run on Saturday afternoons, with departure times running from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Government and its partners began to develop a concept plan and explore the feasibility of creating a regional farmers market in Broome County,” Poodiack wrote in an email.

“Because of Binghamton’s ideal location and vast interconnected highway network, it was the perfect place to establish a regional market that will benefit the region’s farmers, residents and neighboring communities.

After a two-year period,

the groundbreaking on the market building began in October 2015.”

The concept of OCCT service to the farmers market is not a new idea. A petition started online four years ago accrued over 500 signatures, demonstrating student interest, according to Victoria Barics, the general manager of the Food Co-Op and a senior doublemajoring in psychology and philosophy, politics and law. Barics further emphasized the need for

collaboration between interested organizations.

“While some organizations had sponsored individual trips to the farmers market, they were expensive trips to fund, so we decided that working collaboratively would make for an easier and more effective effort,” Barics wrote in an email.

“This initiative was very important [as it] gives students a chance to access locally sourced [and fresh] foods. As the Food Co-

brianna crowther design assistant

Op is centered on being a sustainable option for students on campus, we are excited to extend our resources to allow the opportunity for these values to live even outside of [it].”

Sydney Licata, the president of Plant Based Binghamton — a club “dedicated to providing education and resources for vegans and students interested in plant-based lifestyles” — and a senior majoring in geological sciences, said she supported

the initiative.

“The farmers market is a great resource that everyone should have access to, but many students don’t have their own cars and rely on the buses for transportation,” Licata wrote. “This will provide all students with the opportunity to purchase sustainable, locally grown food.”

bupipedream.com | April 18, 2023

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The BCRC accused of revoking support for speaker bcrc from page 1 Blakeslee described how the night of the gathering affected his standing among party officials.

“Unfortunately, some of the other people at that party claimed that our club was giving support to Korchak’s campaign,” Blakeslee said. “On that same night, I received a phone call from [BCRC] Chairman Benji Federman, and he told me that a donation that we were in line to receive was no longer going to be offered because I had upset a lot of people, and I was not being a team player by being seen talking with [Korchak].”

Korchak was the winner of a three-way contest in 2019, prevailing by fewer than 100 votes. He expressed confidence in his reelection and criticized the BCRC’s endorsement process.

“I want to give the voters a choice, and candidates should not be picked by a small group of politicians in a back room,” Korchak said. “I think the voters of Broome County are very smart, very intelligent and they will see through all this political nonsense and come to the right conclusion in the Republican primary on June 22.”

Korchak conveyed hope that the College Republicans will be able to raise enough money for their speaker — Daniel Di Martino, a Venezuelan “freedom activist and economist” — despite the lack of funding from the BCRC. A GoFundMe has been started to raise money for the effort.

Federman disputed Blakeslee’s account, asserting party neutrality in primaries. The BCRC’s calendar has several events in support of Battisti in the coming weeks.

“The Committee doesn’t endorse in primaries and never made a formal commitment to the College Republicans to underwrite a speaker at the University,” Federman wrote in an email.

The College Republicans’ involvement with Husain Hadi, a candidate running in the City Council’s district one race, has also apparently caused controversy.

Blakeslee blamed the BCRC for a lack of communication. “[Hadi] came to one of our club meetings to request volunteers and general advice on how to run a campaign, and we were more than willing to offer that help because we had no idea there was another

sourced by college republicans twitter and mikekorchak.com The fund was allegedly withdrawn after College Republicans Vice President Logan Blakeslee was witnessed conversing with Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak.

Republican in the race,” Blakeslee said. “We were never informed about the other candidate, Mary Ann Callahan, who is currently supported by [Binghamton] Mayor Jared Kraham, and as far as I know, the rest of party leadership.”

According to Blakeslee, Federman assured him that he would attempt to fix the relationship between the

College Republicans and the BCRC if he withdrew his name from Hadi’s petition witness form. Blakeslee added that Federman has not yet contacted him to “fix the situation,” and expressed surprise at how quickly local Republicans may have turned their back on his organization after the College Republicans frequently volunteered on

various campaigns.

Daniel Todd, a senior majoring in business administration, said the BCRC recently has appeared to show animosity toward those supporting Republican candidates they have not backed.

“I think the relationship is extremely weird,” Todd said. “I know historically the Republican party in

Binghamton has supported having multiple ideas. It now seems to be doing something it hasn’t been. It has shifted into something very taboo to [disregard and punish] those who show any support for other candidates.”

BU student wins highly selective NSF fellowship Madison Tuohy, a senior, was the only undergraduate recipient.

Ella Connors news intern

An undergraduate student at Binghamton University has been awarded this year’s National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP).

The NSF GRFP is a selective student award that is given out by the NSF, according

to Alex Nikulin, an associate professor and undergraduate director of geological sciences and environmental studies.

The fellowship’s purpose is to provide “quality, vitality and diversity” of both the scientific and engineering workforce across the United States, which includes three years of financial assistance by the means of $37,000 each year. It is meant to likewise increase the participation of underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, the disabled and veterans in

science and engineering. This year’s recipient is Madison Tuohy, a senior majoring in geology.

Michael Jacobson, the director at the Office of Strategic Research Initiatives, described the prestige of the award.

“The NSF GRFP Program is NSF’s way of recognizing who they see as potential leaders within STEM,” Jacobson said. “There’s a lot of notable researchers who have received this fellowship in the past and have moved onto great things.

One of the co-founders of Google is a GRFP recipient.”

Tuohy has been doing research in humanitarian demining geophysics, or landmine detection. She explained that there are over 100 million explosive remnants of war (ERW) that are hidden throughout the world in nations with past conflicts, carrying massive risks with them.

Tuohy said current detection methods for this ERW are handheld magnetometers that are

sourced from linkedin Madison Tuohy said she hopes to use the fellowship to improve the efficiency of explosive remnants of war (ERW) detection.

inefficient and pose a danger to the operator, which her research aims to avoid.

“The recent miniaturization of geophysical instruments has allowed for successful mounting upon unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have proven to increase detection efficiency and safety,” Tuohy wrote in an email. “One of these sensors, called hyperspectral imaging (HSI), is a camera that can spectrally quantify any type of material. By mounting HSI onto UAVs, we were able to identify a massive amount of landmines that have evaded remote detection in the past.”

The results of this research will have life-saving effects for demining teams as well as citizens across the globe that live in these impacted areas, according to Tuohy.

The images produced using the hyper-spectral camera captured various types of ERW for the first time ever, as a result of UAV-based data. These image datasets can also be added to a machine algorithm that is being created by some of Tuohy’s colleagues in order to “automate the detection of ERW.” Tuohy’s hope is that by adding more datasets, or channels, to the machine learning algorithm, they can improve the overall efficiency of ERW detection.

Tuohy expressed “disbelief” toward receiving the award, as the only undergraduate student to receive it.

“This fellowship allowed

me to really focus on what I wanted out of a graduate program, including where I wanted to attend and what project I’d like to focus on,” Tuohy wrote in an email. “I’m looking forward to pursuing this important research in my Ph.D. studies and am lucky the NSF GRFP will be funding me throughout this endeavor.”

Tuohy also wished to thank her many advisors in the Geophysics and Remote Sensing Laboratory, who helped her to learn and grow during her time as an undergraduate student and provided her with opportunities to prove herself as a capable researcher.

Kanthimathinathan Ramasubramanian, a firstyear master’s student studying information systems, spoke on the importance of demining research.

“Landmines are the most dangerous thing when it is in an area where people are non-densely populated too,” Ramasubramanian said.

“Undecorated landmines are hard to spot with naked eyes.”

Julian Ortiz, a freshman majoring in computer science, shared her thoughts on the importance of grants that encourage student research at BU. “I think research is really important to the University,” Ortiz said. “It allows students to see what’s really out there and what might be possible in graduate studies. It’s a great thing to do, and it’s a great way to learn.”

‘The Fabric of Reality’ showcases unique fashion

kai depalma photo intern With a sold-out show and an eager crowd, RENA Magazine created an atmosphere that celebrated fashion within the BU community.

show from page 1 The increased size of the fashion show brought upon a set of logistical challenges.

Grace Moon, the publishing and layout director of RENA magazine and a senior majoring in electrical engineering, discussed the difficulties in setting up a

show in a parking lot.

“We have been working for months and months — literally this entire week, we have been posted up at [Wallace’s] house,” Moon said. “Classes were not the priority. I came on campus at 3 [p.m.], a few of them came at 10 [p.m.] All of our models, their call time was 2

p.m. The show is at 9 p.m.”

RENA magazine recently became an official club on campus, receiving a Student Association charter.

However, to use the parking lot as a venue, the club had to pay for all of the spots in the lot. Consequently, all of the costs for running the fashion show were initially absorbed

by the executive board of RENA magazine. Through a $12 cost for tickets, this cost was passed onto the spectators.

“We made this with no budget,” Moon said. “We really made this happen out of scratch.”

The tenacity of the RENA magazine was most

highlighted, however, not just by the effort in organizing it, but with the star of the show — what people wore. All the outfits the models wore were handpicked by RENA, which included handmade clothing made by RENA. At the end of the fashion show, all members of the E-Board walked the catwalk,

including Wallace, Franza, Moon and Justin Wang, RENA’s treasurer and a sophomore majoring in business administration. For the organizers, the hard work that the team endured was worth it, as they stretched the Fabric of Reality and created something worthy of being remembered.

Rod Serling to be commemorated with statue Serling is known for creating and writing the “Twilight Zone.”

Lorena Maggiore

arts & culture contributor

Binghamton is welcoming a new tourist attraction to Recreation Park, an 8-foottall statue of Rod Serling. The statue commemorates Serling, a screenwriter who called Binghamton his home.

Serling is most recognized for creating “The Twilight

Zone” and the original “Planet of the Apes” film of 1968. Nick Parisi, president of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation and author of “Rod Serling: His Life, Work and Imagination,” said the project to create a Rod Serling monument has been an ongoing effort.

Parisi said the foundation sought to create a monument for several years, organizing a Kickstarter two years ago.

Since then, New York State Assemblywoman Donna A. Lupardo assisted the foundation

with receiving a state grant of $50,000 at SerlingFest, the annual festival hosted by the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation.

The most recent SerlingFest took place Aug. 12 to Aug. 14, 2022, in various locations in Binghamton. The event featured different authors and artists, including Anne Serling — Rod’s daughter — Tony Albarella — editor of “As Timeless of Infinity: The Complete Twilight Zone Scripts Of Rod Serling,” a 10-volume

Rod Serling, a Binghamton local, will be honored with a statue in Recreation Park.

set of “The Twilight Zone” scripts — and Mark Dawidziak, author of “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Twilight Zone: A Fifth-Dimension Guide to Life.”

The festival also featured screenings of “The Twilight Zone” episodes and a performance by Paul Cienniwa from the Binghamton Philharmonic and Southern Tier Actors Read (S.T.A.R.).

“Donna Lupardo, [the] assemblywoman up there, she has been very supportive,” Parisi

michael golann photo editor

said. “She’s been instrumental in getting some funds for it and some support for it, so between her and the foundation, that’s the main players.”

The Serling statue will be constructed in Recreation Park because the screenwriter was tied there creatively. “[Serling’s] boyhood home was about seven blocks away from there, and he has a fondness for Recreation Park,” Parisi said. “One of the classic ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes was inspired by his childhood in Binghamton and particularly in that park, so it’s the most appropriate place for this to be.”

Serling’s career as a writer had a unique trajectory. Parisi said Serling volunteered himself for war immediately after high school graduation, and was sent to the Philippines during World War II. According to Parisi, Binghamton became a symbol of Serling’s childhood and his innocence lost during World War II. “He saw some major combat in the Philippines and he came back determined to be a writer,”

Parisi said. “He began writing as a means to purge some of the war wounds.”

Serling’s accomplishments as a screenwriter are also vast.

He wrote nearly 250 scripts to be produced on different media platforms, including TV and radio. Additionally, Serling is the only writer to win six Emmy awards, with many awards for best dramatic writing.

Parisi said the monument would be a major Binghamton attraction, and that the statue would be a way for the Binghamton community to return the love that Serling had for Binghamton.

“It’s going to be an about 8-foot-high statue including base, and it’s going to be him standing there with a doorway behind him,” Parisi said. “It’s going to be a major piece of work when it’s all said and done.”

The project is expected to be completed by September 2023. Parisi said there will be an unveiling afterward in spring 2024 — or during SerlingFest that year.

7

ARTS & CULTURE

bupipedream.com | April 18, 2023

Starfest to feature live performances for charity The event will raise funds for local queer mutual aid.

Kimberly Mourao

arts & culture contributor

Are you wondering what to possibly do on one of the fine, sunny weekends that Binghamton is coming into now that spring is in the air?

Starfest is coming to town soon.

Held at the Bundy Museum of History and Art on April 22 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Starfest is open to people of all ages (of course only 21+ can drink though). There is no better event for dipping your toes into the Binghamton area cultural scene while you find yourself a resident of this fine city.

Starfest is a recent event that was created as a cooperation between various local organizations, individuals and businesses. This amalgamation of everything Binghamton has to offer has even surpassed the expectations of its organizer, Allenby Buchanan, a Binghamton resident.

“Starfest was created to celebrate queer joy, to center LGBTQIA+ artists of all kinds and to give back to the queer community through a mutual aid fund,” Allenby said. “It started out as a half-baked idea to get some of my favorite local bands together on a set. It evolved into this pretty massive project that myself and quite a few others have been working

on. I cannot wait for you all (and myself) to experience it!”

Starfest has already met and exceeded its $800 goal in order to fund the actual event itself through communal donations. Although the event is free, a minimum $10 fee is encouraged as all profits go toward local queer mutual aid organized by North Side Mutual Aid in order to be allocated to queer individuals in need.

Even though there are more than enough philanthropic reasons to attend this event, the organizers have arranged for all kinds of entertainment that are well worth the price of admission. This event is perfect for students seeking to begin their exploration of everything Binghamton has to offer — including, of course, the local queer community.

Starfest is set to showcase some of the phenomenal drag performers in the area such as blackismygender, Ms. Vivi Nox and Femme De Violette.

Starfest also plans to promote Binghamton’s underground scene by encompassing local performers and bands.

Starfest has more than enough performances to cater to those better acquainted with Binghamton’s cultural scene. The more experienced showgoers will have no trouble recognizing some of the talents featured. Band favorites such as Mall Goths, Happy to be Here and No More Bands will be part of the many performances

kimbery mourao arts & culture contributor Starfest is being held at the Bundy Museum of History & Art on April 22 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Starfest has to offer.

The nine-hour festival will have lots of events to fill the time. There will also be around a dozen different vendors to browse through while attending.

If you get hungry, seek out one of the baked goods vendors like Joyful Sweets and Treats. If you

need a souvenir to remind you of the experience or simply looking for some treasures to add to your collection, there are also more than enough artists and vendors selling their oneof-a-kind creations and goods.

For those who are more craft savvy, look for Oh Queer! for

handmade, crocheted items. If you love thrifting, find the stalls for Volumes of Imagination and Parlor City Thrifts. If you need to brighten up your walls, there will definitely be something of interest from Spacehead Art or one of the many other vendors selling their paintings.

Starfest has something to offer for everyone and will be a wonderful opportunity to start getting out again and enjoying the beautiful spring weather after having braved the Binghamton winter.

‘Dungeons and Dragons’ movie a strong adaption The film brings the popular tabletop game to the big screen.

Jason Tang

arts & culture contributor

There is a common misconception about Dungeons and Dragons — a game based solely around role-playing — about whether or not it is a video game, board game or simply

crazy people playing makebelieve in their basements about imaginary monsters and creatures. “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” puts these myths to rest by introducing the

sourced from imdb “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page and Sophia Lillis.

theatrical audience to the world of Dungeons and Dragons without any prior knowledge required going into the film.

The biggest strength of cinema is the ability to transport the viewer to a world — fictional or not — to tell a story about people, and the choices and actions that they make in order to complete their journeys. Some films choose to approach this in oblique manners, by choosing a slice-of-life approach that paints individual dots in a tapestry that only makes sense when you zoom out and see how the figure is formed.

“Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is very successful in this aspect, bringing the fictional worlds of Dungeons and Dragons to life in a mainstream, studio-meddled approach.

Every scene feels raw and is full of creative energy capturing the best parts of the game — the action, the setting and whimsical experiences that are often associated with taking part in such a game. The scene that exhibits this energy in the most apparent way is when Edgin Darvis, played

by Chris Pine, and Simon Aumar, played by Justice Smith, are unsuccessfully interrogating the dead about the whereabouts of a magic

relic. This scene with the rapid cuts in between the questions being answered by the dead through flashbacks, and the poor question asked by our heroes, leads to a dynamic in which Pine and Smith look like they are having fun. This dynamic fit the spirit of Dungeons and Dragons to a tee, where the humor and the tones of the film are easily the most apparent thing lifting the film up.

This film is more and less than the humor and the action being presented, however. From all of the characters shown, there is not one that feels fully fleshed out in the 134-minute runtime of the film, which is to say that it is relatively long. The biggest offender of this is Doric, played by Sophia Lillis, who — through no fault of the actress — feels stunningly one-dimensional due to her becoming the manic pixie dream girl for Aumar. In contrast to the struggles that Aumar, the other magical character of the film, goes through with his inadequacies with magic, Doric is an all-powerful and flawless character that is only able to shape the narrative indirectly. All characters have positives and negatives, except for Doric who only exists to fill a role in the plot as a shapeshifter,

and also as a potential love interest for Aumar. Doric is not a real character, and despite the clear intentions to develop a strong mix between three-dimensional and two-dimensional characters, Doric ends up in the wrong category.

While it is difficult to cram hours of characterization that are often afforded in Dungeons and Dragons into a film, there is no excuse for the inordinate disparities between the characters within the movie.

When you zoom out of this movie, it tends to represent exactly what the filmmakers, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, intend. A whimsical adventure that would not only act as an advertisement for Dungeons and Dragons, but an entertaining film that works not just for people familiar with Dungeons and Dragons from the start of the film. As much as this movie is exactly what the fans want, for the outside viewer, it feels like it is missing something and is, as a result, a little hollow. The movie is fun, well thoughtout and executed, and is everything that a Dungeons and Dragons fan could expect, finishing the film with a dragon in the heart of the eye, the perfect caper to a good film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

F UN

Tuesday, April 2023 Thursday, Monday, Monday, October October April18, 3,2,5, 2017 2017 2017

@peter_isaiah_poetry

@peter_isaiah_poetry

@peter_isaiah_poetry

@peter_isaiah_poetry

@laney_bonora

Solution to last issue’s puzzle

OPINIONS Tuesday, April 2023 Thursday, Monday, Monday, October October April18 3,2,5, 2017 2017 2017

STUDENTS ARE NOT FEELING GOOD, LIKE THEY SHOULD, ABOUT SPRING FLING When @bingsapb posted to Instagram saying they would announce Spring Fling performers over spring break, Binghamton students were abuzz with anticipation over who would perform this year.

In the comment section, students guessed who the big performer might be — Lil Uzi, Flo Milli, J Cole, and, most popularly, Miss Ice Spice.

To gauge the reaction of Binghamton University students to the April 4 announcement of who this year’s Spring Fling performers would actually be, Surfaces and Imanbek, all you have to do is read through the 435 comments under the Instagram announcement post.

While many students expressed disappointment about this year’s line up, much of this sentiment was misdirected toward the SAPB. We picked out a few highlights that illustrate students’ complex feelings

about the line up: “That’s not ice spice” “@icespice pls come here, I’m a munch frfr’ “Will be selling tomatoes at the entrance” “Gunna took y’all money” “Really went from gunna to this” “… you still have time to delete this and try again” “You guys know April fools passed right?” “the baddies did not get what they like” It’s fair to say many students expressed disappointment following a slew of extremely popular performers who have graced the Spring Fling stage over the past few years, including Doja Cat, Playboi

Carti and most recently, Gunna. ““you name em, we bring ‘em” we ain’t name these people yet here they are” “where’s sean kingston? these people weren’t on the list” These are good points.

Surfaces was not included in the survey of possible acts that the SAPB sent out before recruiting performers. However, SAPB members explained that the Spring Fling survey responses indicated that students wanted a genre other than rap this year, and Surfaces was on the fall survey, so it is fair to say that the SAPB did take student opinion into account. But, we want Sean Kingston too.

“Only going for @ fromthebronxband then I’m

dipping” If students are unfamiliar with — or not fans of — opener Imanbek or Surfaces, seeing the awesome BU student band From the Bronx open the show should be a reason to go!

“Haters begone” “ngl there’s more to be said for the ppl on the SA busting their ass to give us sick events all year than the keyboard warriors in these comments”

“Y’all are being exceptionally weird about this. If you thought ice spice was gonna take a trip to the southern tier you’re actually delusional. Also, planning events like this is insanely hard.

SAPB are students doing their best, same as you. So be kind.”

We agree. The SAPB are students who work hard to put on great events and concerts all year for BU. It is extremely difficult and expensive to get

top performers to come to the University, so the performer is not at all a proper reflection of the work that the SAPB puts into this concert, and all others. We should be grateful that students choose to take on these positions of responsibility to make our school year more fun — so be kind to your fellow BU students. And, who knows, maybe Ice Spice will perform at Spring Fling next year.

The U.S. needs stronger privacy protections

Efforts to ban TikTok should be redirected to passing comprehensive privacy rights.

Peter Levy Opinions Columnist

On March 23, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress for the first time regarding potential security concerns over the app. His testimony brought forth a rare flicker of bipartisanship. Chew did the impossible by somehow bringing both Democratic and Republican lawmakers together in their hatred of America’s fastest-growing social media platform. The agenda for the meeting was a potential ban of the service, an idea first floated during former President Donald Trump’s administration and realized with a bipartisan bill giving broad powers to the Secretary of Commerce to regulate services produced by hostile nations to the United States, namely China. The

TikTok community has equally been quick to unite against such measures. Mocking senile lawmakers for their unnecessary paranoia has ironically strengthened TikTok. Many of my peers are right in defending TikTok as a creative space, but they are wrong in assuming that the bipartisan concerns of lawmakers are trivial. There are real security concerns TikTok presents that cannot be assuaged in a TikTok PR blitz to appeal to the majority.

TikTok consumes a massive amount of personal data, including contact information, search history and biometrics, and they have been far from transparent in combating fraud and misuse. In September 2022, TikTok denied virulent reports that the hacking group AgainstTheWest had accessed over 2 billion records containing millions of user statistics. This comes after a promise by TikTok to shore up security by putting

data security in the hands of the United States company Oracle. A few days before Shou testified before Congress, the Justice Department opened an investigation into the service after reports surfaced of employees at ByteDance — a Chinese company — gaining access to the data of United States tech reporters. The ease with which independent groups can get through TikTok’s firewall raises alarm about a far more organized and powerful Chinese government that may not need legal backdoors to get in.

However, the greatest risk to American data comes not from laws that require Chinese-owned businesses to turn over data to Beijing if it demands it, but instead from the obsolescence of current United States data laws.

Shockingly, there is no broad data protection law.

Instead, several federal acts govern different aspects of data privacy. The first and perhaps

the most all-encompassing, The Privacy Act of 1974, prevents federal agencies from disclosing personal information without consent. Other laws include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which govern the privacy of medical and academic records, respectively. Perhaps comically, the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) remains on the register.

It restricts the sharing of VHS and DVD rental data and notably does not extend to the sharing of current streaming data.

Lost in this sea of acronyms is the broad protection of the tons of data collected by far more advanced modern data tracking systems, which are then put on the private market.

As companies amass more data, consumers are at greater risk for data breaches, privacy scams and corporate predation.

In recent years, there have

been countless stories of major corporations getting hacked, endangering an ever-increasing number of customers. Banning TikTok will not eliminate the data already stored and sold to third parties. Even if TikTok will never turn over data to the Chinese government, a dubious assumption at best, the far more realistic threat is in the private sector.

If there is hope to be found, it is in the patchwork of state regulations that have attempted to fix some holes in federal regulation. Like many things in our federal system, state regulation is uneven and imperfect.

However, recently, California has passed a significant overall consumer protection bill. The California Consumer Privacy Act ensures the right to know about the personal information a business collects and the right to delete or opt out of the sharing of such information with third parties.

Similarly comprehensive bills like the Consumer Privacy Act are already in the legislative committees of over 20 states.

The sheer number of consumer privacy acts makes it abundantly clear how widespread and bipartisan the consumer protection issue is and ought to be.

The same bipartisan efforts to ban TikTok should be redirected toward finally passing a comprehensive declaration of privacy rights for the modern era. While we may not be able to eliminate the Chinese legal backdoor, we can and should re-examine and reform our data protection laws to protect TikTok’s millions of American users. As troubling as the TikTok situation is, it might serve as a needed push to finally ensure the right to data privacy for all.

Peter Levy is an undeclared sophomore.

Resident Evil 4 is exemplar video game remake Succesful remakes should both honor original and feature novelty.

Nicolas Scagnelli Opinions Columnist

Many cry out that a remake of a popular series is a creatively bankrupt and cheap way to prolong the life of a series.

This is true to a certain extent.

Remaking an old movie or game doesn’t require the creative team to come up with something wholly new — just redo and potentially remix what has been done before. The harsh truth is that audiences eat up remakes. Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King” grossed a worldwide $1.6 billion. Many outlets reviewing the movie didn’t even praise it that much, saying it felt unoriginal and unnecessary, yet this film made Disney an obscene amount of money.

Remakes are interesting since they can give the audience who loved the original work something familiar and new at the same time. It’s enticing to see one’s favorite story retold in a way that changes and keeps parts from the original. Video games in particular are a form of media that has seen many remakes over the years, ever since the early 2000s when gaming technology started to advance at a fast pace. One of the most influential video game series has to be the horrorfocused game, Resident Evil, first released in 1996.

Resident Evil 4 (RE4) was originally released in 2005, and it is easily one of the most successful and influential games ever created. This game inspired the structure of many modern games, whether it be gameplay or level design. Any successful, high-budget video

game nowadays has some of this game’s DNA in it, from Fortnite to The Last of Us. RE4 flipped the gaming industry on its belly with its new over-theshoulder camera perspective and the combination of cheesy action with grizzly horror and a bombastic, fast-paced story.

When it comes to the remake of this classic game, the development team had expectations placed on them that were higher than the moon. Many believed RE4 didn’t need a remake, especially because the game has aged well despite being 18 years old. All of this being said, Capcom still marched forward and released the remake in March of this year. The remake was received incredibly positively. This game is a picture-perfect remake due to the fact that it built upon the weaker parts of the original, like the story, and also built upon

already great parts, like the characters and gameplay.

The gameplay of the remake was very similar to the original’s, but with a modern twist. Accessibility options were added, such as changing the colors of certain aiming reticles.

This makes the game much more friendly to colorblind players. The core gameplay was essentially a modern version of the original game. Developers really used the base game as a template for the remake, which was much appreciated since the original played like a dream.

The game’s story, lore and characters saw the most change.

The story of the original was a cheesy, action-filled thrill ride.

It was a satirical horror game with great action and funny oneliners. Was it as scary as previous games in the series? No. Was it one of the most fun video games at the time, and does it still hold

that title? Yes. The story and vibe of the remake are different from the original.

The remake has a much darker, more macabre vibe to it. There are still some cheesy and funny one-liners, but many of them have been removed.

The story here is to be taken seriously. The characters in this game feel tortured, as opposed to the original, where they were spouting funny dialogue. One could argue this makes sense, considering how the plot revolves around the main characters fighting for their lives in a zombie-infested country. One could also argue that this takes away from the charm of the original.

I would say that while I personally miss the funny oneliners of the original, I think the remake’s vision for a different interpretation of this world is appropriate. There are also new

levels and areas added to this remake, which further give the player more context, like the parasite that causes the zombie virus. In the original, the player had only text-based logs to read off of. In the remake, there are new areas that the player personally explores, and they can see firsthand where this undead nightmare started. I don’t think we should think of one as better than the other — we should view them both as valid but different interpretations. And that’s the best way to view a good remake — it should give the audience a greater appreciation for the original while also creating something familiar yet new that feels like its own work of art in its own right. Capcom redefined what a great video game remake should be with their reimagined roller coaster of RE4.

Nicolas Scagnelli is a junior majoring in English.

13

SPORTS

bupipedream.com | April 18, 2023

Women’s lacrosse falls on Senior Day to Albany Binghamton loses first conference matchup of season 16-11 to Great Danes.

Johnny Yang sports intern

The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team hosted Albany on Saturday for senior day, hoping to clinch a share of the America East (AE) regular season title with a win. The Bearcats and Great Danes were playing a tight contest with the score tied at 7-7 with 10:52 remaining in the third period, but Albany broke the deadlock with a goal a minute later. The Great Danes would never relinquish their lead and pulled out a comfortable 16-11 win over the Bearcats.

“The outcome against

Albany was frustrating and not reflective of our abilities as a program,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen.

“It was a week of challenges for us that didn’t help the end result. We are excited to hopefully see them again in the AE tournament.”

The Bearcats (9-5, 4-1 AE) started the scoring when sophomore attack Olivia Muscolino scored off an assist from senior attack Rebecca Korn less than two minutes into the action. The Great Danes (8-6, 4-0 AE) responded two minutes later with a goal, but the Bearcats had an answer seconds later with a goal from junior midfielder Kristen Scheidel.

Junior midfielder Hayley Weltner added a goal of her own off an assist from senior midfielder Isabella Meli, but

Albany managed to score a goal with three seconds left in the first period to trail the hosts 3-2.

Albany started the second period on a three-goal run, giving it a 5-3 lead over the Bearcats. BU responded with a three-goal run of their own to negate the Great Danes’ stretch. However, Albany was able to tie the game at six before heading into the half.

Both Albany and Binghamton traded goals in the third period to knot the score at 7-7 before the Great Danes scored twice to make the game 9-7. Both teams would add another goal to their tallies before the end of the third period, leaving the score at 10-8 in favor of the Great Danes at the conclusion of the period.

“We had several mistakes

back-to-back that Albany was able to capitalize on and gain some separation,” Allen said.

“The turnovers compounded and resulted in a stretch that we couldn’t get points on the board.”

The Great Danes started off the fourth period with a three-goal run right before the game would be delayed for lightning with 9:12 remaining on the clock. Albany came out of the delay with another three-goal run to make the score 16-8. However, the Bearcats responded with a three-goal run of their own.

It was too little too late for the Bearcats as time ran out, and they walked out of senior day with a 16-11 defeat to the Great Danes.

“We talked about adjustments,” Allen said. “We needed to make defensive

Sophomore midfielder Abigail Carroll tallied three goals, two assists and two draw controls in Binghamton’s 16-11 loss to Albany on Saturday.

adjustments and also take the time to finish our shots on goal. On paper we were in the game and knew that we were an equally competitive team. We just needed to stop [Albany’s] momentum. The first few possessions out of the delay didn’t go our way and that made the comeback a tough feat. I was really proud to see the surge from our team in the final few minutes … it was just too late in the game.”

With a loss against Albany, the Bearcats are now 4-1 in the AE this season and will play in the postseason regardless of their result against UMass Lowell in the regular season finale. However, with this loss the Bearcats missed out on the opportunity to be the outright AE regular season champions and to host the

AE tournament. The Bearcats could still share the AE regular season title with a win against UMass Lowell and an Albany loss next weekend.

“We need to clean up our turnovers and continue to talk through game strategy and clock management,” Allen said. “We are looking forward to getting back out there and focusing on all the little things this week as we prepare for [UMass Lowell] and our final regular season contest.”

BU will close out their AE regular season with an away game on Saturday, April 22. First draw control is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Cushing Field Complex in Lowell, Massachusetts.

pipedream archives

15

SPORTS

bupipedream.com | April 18, 2023

Men’s lacrosse overcomes UMBC at home Bearcats clinch spot in AE tournament with 16-13 win.

Adams nets four goals, Insinga, Keegan both add three.

Johnny Yang sports intern

After a four-hour lightning delay, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to take on UMBC on Saturday evening.

Despite taking their first loss in America East (AE) play last weekend against Vermont, the Bearcats bounced back, taking control of the game in the first half and defeating the hosts 1613, clinching a spot in the AE tournament.

“I don’t know if it was our best game overall, but we scrapped,” said Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown.

“We kept fighting. I thought we shot the ball very well. I’m proud of the way we battled and gutted out a big road win in conference.”

After winning the opening faceoff, senior faceoff Matthew DeSouza picked up a ground ball, ran it down the field and found the back of the net to get BU (8-3, 4-1 AE) on the board in the first 15 seconds.

However, only two minutes after Binghamton’s opening goal, the Retrievers (7-4, 2-3 AE) tied it up. Going into the second period, the score was tied at two apiece as both teams kept play even by grabbing another goal each.

“I thought both teams were maybe just a little flat,” McKeown said. “I thought we both kind of worked out of that in the second quarter.”

The second period saw much more action as Binghamton opened the scoring with three consecutive goals, coming from sophomore attacks Matthew Keegan and Gage Adams along with junior

Junior midfielder Ethan Insinga recorded a hat trick and three assists in BU’s 16-13 victory over UMBC on Saturday.

midfielder Ethan Insinga.

The run allowed the Bearcats to take a 5-2 lead over the Retrievers. UMBC would stop this run temporarily, adding a goal of their own to cut the deficit to two. However, Binghamton continued its offensive prowess, adding two more consecutive goals to go up 7-3. The Retrievers managed to keep things close, finding the back of the net two more times before the end of the period. Going into halftime, the Bearcats led 7-5.

“I’m proud of the way the guys fought,” McKeown said.

“We had some adversity go against us in the second half where they got after us on ground balls a bit, [UMBC]

started winning some faceoffs.”

UMBC got the scoring started in the second half to cut Binghamton’s lead to just one. A minute later, redshirt junior midfielder Thomas Greenblatt answered with a goal of his own. Just as both teams began to stagnate on offense, Insinga found the back of the net once again to put BU up 9-6. Both sides traded goals to close out the quarter and the Bearcats entered the final frame with a 10-8 lead.

“We persevered and came out with the win,” McKeown said. “We worked our way out of that second quarter, and we both got out of that sluggish

start.”

UMBC got on the board first in the fourth, cutting the Bearcat lead to one goal, but the visitors responded, scoring three consecutive goals to go up 13-9, their largest lead of the match.

The Retrievers would not give up, however, as they were right on BU’s tail, getting on the board once again with just over three minutes left to make it 13-10. Despite both teams trading goals in the final minutes, the Retrievers would fall short as Binghamton ended up on top 16-13, improving to 4-1 in AE play.

“We had some good possessions and were able to

put up six [goals] in that last quarter,” McKeown said. “We talked about in the huddle before going into the fourth, we just had to win the fourth quarter, and we were able to do that.”

Insinga led the Bearcats overall with six points on the day, which included three goals and three assists.

Overall, the victory was a team effort as three players, including Insinga, Keegan and Adams managed to record a hat trick in the victory. In addition, sophomore goalie Connor Winters contributed defensively, managing 18 saves.

“I thought the whole attack line was really good,”

michael golann photo editor

McKeown said. “[Insinga] did a great job … he was able to get to the net multiple times and made some big plays preserving some possessions, and [Adams] has been playing well all season for us. I thought [Winters] came up with some huge saves when we had a few defensive breakdowns.”

Binghamton will end its two-game road trip with a matchup against Bryant on Saturday, April 22. First faceoff is set for 1 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

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Baseball bested by Maine in weekend series baseball from page 1

BU drops first two games. Outlasts Black Bears in 18-17 shootout in series finale.

Aidan Jennings

assistant sports editor

The Binghamton baseball team faced the America East (AE) conference leader, Maine, over the weekeend — in a clash between the top two teams in the division. Despite losing the first two games, BU mounted a strong comeback in the third, winning 18-17.

Despite dropping the series, BU handed the Black Bears their first AE loss this season.

“I thought they were two pretty evenly matched teams,” said Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki. “I thought the first two nights could’ve gone either way, and [the games]

just didn’t go our way and the same thing could be said for today’s game, you know, back and forth. I thought for the most part it was an entertaining weekend. I was anxious to see what [Maine] was all about, undefeated record coming into the weekend, and they’re a good solid ball club. We competed hard, had a chance to win the series, but I’m certainly glad we were able to get at least the last one today.”

The Bearcats (19-12, 6-3 AE) looked to extend their winning streak to seven straight against the Black Bears (17-12, 11-1 AE) in Friday’s game one. The contest saw a lot of action from the mound, as both teams could only muster a single run each by the end of the fifth.

BU’s initial contribution to the scoreboard came at the bottom of the second, when senior first baseman Kevin

Gsell hammered the first pitch of the frame over the wall for a homer, his third of the season. Maine managed to get one back before Binghamton showed up again in the bottom of the sixth, as sophomore second basemen Nick Roselli hit a home run of his own to make it 2-1.

After flipping the script and getting four runs in the top of the eighth inning, the Black Bears had a threerun cushion. The Bearcats attempted a comeback of their own, scoring two runs and cutting their deficit to one in the bottom of the eighth, but this was not enough to match their opponents, as the hosts fell 5-4.

Unlike game one, game two wasted no time in becoming an offensive affair.

Maine’s opening inning saw them storm into a 3-0 lead off the bat. BU would respond by getting a single run in four

of their next innings, the first three all involving junior outfielder Mike Gunning — who got a home run and an RBI. Gsell’s bottom-of-thefifth homer rounded it out and gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game at 4-3. Two late-game homers from the Black Bears would cancel out this comeback, subjecting the hosts to another 5-4 loss.

Game three began the same as game two, as Maine scored three runs in the top of the first. This time, however, Binghamton responded by taking a 5-3 lead in the bottom half, as the batting lineup went on a flurry with scores from junior catcher Kevin Reilly as well as Tully, Roselli, Gsell and Reifler off a wild pitch. The Black Bears would then repeat the outcome of their first inning, scoring another three runs in both the top of the second and fourth, canceling out BU’s sole run in the third

to put it at 9-6.

“That’s what it takes,” Sinicki said. “Obviously, when you play this game, you’re going to go through stretches, you’re going to make outs and you’re not going to have your good stuff on the mound. To have everybody contribute over the weekend, even guys who maybe didn’t have a great night Friday and Saturday, to come through today for us. It’s really rewarding when you get a lot of different guys [getting] their hands involved in a win, and everyone can take a lot of pride in it and be happy for everyone, so it’s a good team win today.”

A major fifth inning from the Bearcats would once again turn the tides of the game, scoring six runs in their half.

Maine’s response was immense though, beating BU with seven runs, including a grand slam in the sixth. Binghamton began its response with two runs in

the seventh, and completed its comeback that inning when back-to-back RBIs from Stellrecht and Tully made it 18-16. BU maintained the lead until the last pitch, securing the 18-17 win and handing the conference leaders their first loss in AE this year.

“I just think it was a game that revealed a lot of character for the guys in our program,” Sinicki said. “Sometimes you’re gonna win a ball game two to one, and sometimes you’re gonna have to win 18 to 17. A lot of guys had a hand in today’s wins, so I think after losing a couple of tough ones on Friday and Saturday — to come back today and the way how the game was up and down — for us to get a win says a lot about our program.”

BU will next travel to Cornell for a midweek game on Tuesday, April 18. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Hoy Field in Ithaca, NY.

andres rojo staff photographer

Freshman infielder Akira Kopec went 5-for-7 at the plate and hit a two-run homer at Bryant over the weekend.

Softball sweeps Bryant on the road Roberts improves to 9-2 on the year.

Bearcat pitching staff holds Bulldogs to just two runs total across three game series.

Michael Carbone

assistant sports editor

The Binghamton softball team traveled to Bryant over the weekend for its first matchup since the hosts joined the America East (AE) conference. The three-game series saw the Bearcats swiftly defeat their Bulldog opponents in each contest, allowing the hosts just two runs. The three-game sweep gave the Bearcats four straight wins, catapulting them to second place in the conference standings.

“When you come home with a sweep, it always means it was a big weekend,” wrote Binghamton head coach Jess Bump. “We have been playing some great softball, and I think we are starting to get on a roll at the right time.”

In game one on Saturday, the Bearcats (20-12, 7-4 AE) got off to a hot start, immediately plating three runs in the top of the first inning thanks to a homer from redshirt sophomore outfielder Brianna Santos.

Bryant (11-23, 3-8 AE) was quick in its response, adding its only two runs of the weekend in the bottom of the frame. BU continued its offensive prowess, scoring 14 more runs in the contest, including nine in the final inning, and won the game 17-2. Junior

pitcher Allison L’Amoreaux and sophomore outfielder Sarah Rende hit home runs of their own in the game as well. L’Amoreaux hit a tworun shot in the third, while Rende notched a grand slam in the fifth inning.

“We are a team that takes momentum and rides it, and I think you saw that out of our offense this weekend,” Bump wrote.

“The behind-the-scenes hard work that people see is what I believe is bringing us in the right direction. All 20 of them have put in a lot of time, and that’s why you are seeing the results that you are from both our starters and reserves coming off the bench and having good atbats.”

The teams continued its series later in the day for the second game of the

doubleheader. Game two brought a much closer contest than the first, even though the Bulldogs were unable to plate any runs and were held scoreless by graduate student pitcher Sophia Pappas. The Bearcat threw for the full seven innings, striking out six batters and allowing just one hit in her first career shutout.

BU’s offense slowed down in this game, however, scoring just three runs as a single from redshirt sophomore utility Lindsey Walter and a double from Santos assisted in the team’s second victory of the day.

“I think we have figured out a lot about ourselves the last three weeks or so,” Bump wrote. “We know the tempo we like to play at, our at bats are getting

more competitive and our pitchers are continuing to keep us in games.”

Binghamton’s strong play continued into Sunday for the series’ final game.

Despite both sides going scoreless for the first three innings, the Bearcats managed to break the game open in the fourth.

L’Amoreaux plated two runs with a double and scored soon after to take a 3-0 lead. Freshman infielder Akira Kopec capped off the frame with a two-run homer that put the visitors up five. Three more runs in the final inning completed the contest and the 8-0 win for BU. Freshman pitcher Brianna Roberts earned her second win of the weekend, tossing three innings, allowing zero hits and striking out four. Roberts

now sits at nine wins on the season, becoming the second Binghamton freshman to reach that mark since 2017.

“Our pitchers have done a great job all year for us,” Bump wrote. “All five bring something different to the table. This weekend [Roberts] and [Pappas] were dominant, so we didn’t have to pitch by committee as much as we have been, which is good knowing we may see Bryant in the tournament and still have some weapons they haven’t seen yet.”

Binghamton will return home for a nonconference doubleheader with Syracuse on Wednesday, April 19.

First pitch for game one is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.