Skip to main content

Fall 2023 Issue 1

Page 1

Tuesday, August 29, 2023 | Vol. CII, Issue 1 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

The Free Word on Campus Since 1946

Broome County awarded $1.6 million from landmark opioid settlement The money stems from a $2.6 billion fund won by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Tresa Karnati

assistant news editor

Broome County has received about $1.6 million in settlement money from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors to aid in combating the opioid epidemic. In 2019, New York State Attorney General Letitia James sued pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors like Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, alleging improper practices that exacerbated the opioid crisis. One of the first to sign onto James’s lawsuit, Broome County also filed its own lawsuit against Purdue Pharma

L.P. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, two large opioid manufacturers in 2017. Of the cases settled in 2022, the settlement will go toward programs that help those in treatment for addiction, patients in recovery and harm reduction and community education efforts. Broome County Executive Jason Garnar, a supporter of the original 2017 case, outlined his plans to distribute the funds to community organizations. “We will be using every single penny of this settlement money to address this crisis from every angle,” Garnar wrote in an email. “Education, prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. While it will never bring back the people we’ve lost, it will help us save lives.”

See PaGe 7

See OPIOID page 3

bella daidone ManaGinG editor

Organizers launch ‘Keep LUMA Free’ campaign LUMA was founded in 2015 and celebrates the intersection of art and technology. Dayana Lucero news intern

Every fall, the LUMA Projection

Arts Festival lights up the streets of Downtown Binghamton. This year, organizers are appealing to the community to prevent a funding shortfall. A free visual art festival founded in 2015, LUMA typically attracts a crowd of “nearly 40,000 festival-

goers” thanks to “unprecedented community support,” according to a press release. Celebrating the intersection of art and technology, LUMA lights up historic buildings Downtown with animated shorts produced by “worldclass” artists worldwide. This

year, the organization’s $40,000 Kickstarter goal is slightly more than halfway met, prompting its leaders to launch the “Keep LUMA Free” campaign. According to Joshua Bernard, the co-founder and operations director of LUMA, the

Volleyball goes undefeated at Bearcat Classic Binghamton begins 2023 fall season 3-0. Jacob Knipes

assistant sports editor

The Binghamton volleyball team went undefeated in their three matchups against Merrimack, Duquesne and Saint Peter’s. defeating Merrimack 3-0, Duquesne 3-1 and Saint Peter’s

3-0 at the Bearcat Classic. In their first tournament of the 2023 season, the Bearcats welcomed the teams to Vestal, New York and took home the Bearcat Classic title. “We really wanted to kind of mix some lineups up, see what we’re working with, what works, what doesn’t work,” said Binghamton head coach Allie

Yaeger. “Get everybody in and just start to head toward a starting lineup … just be consistent, no bad errors and to win the serve and receive game.” Binghamton (3-0) opened up the tournament against Merrimack (1-2) on Friday night. The first set saw both squads going back and forth, with the Warriors staying within two points of the

Bearcats early on. However, a four-point run from BU to go up 15-9 gave the squad the necessary momentum to keep Merrimack at bay for the set, eventually winning 25-21. The next two sets saw Binghamton stay in control throughout, taking both at 2513 and 25-17, respectively, and sweeping the match 3-0.

See VOLLeybaLL page 10

Kickstarter campaign indicates community support to sponsors and government officials. The campaign is “all-or-nothing,” so organizers won’t receive any funding if the goal is not met.

See LUMa page 3

University a finalist to win another $160 million in battery funding Binghamton University’s team won more than $113 million in last year’s New Energy New York contest. Joseph Brugellis news intern

caspar carson photo editor Senior outside hitter Tsvetelina Ilieva was named Bearcat Classic MVP after tallying 32 kills and nine aces in three games over the weekend.

ARTS & CULTURE

OPINIONS

Last year, Binghamton University’s New Energy New York (NENY) won more than $113 million. This year, BU’s program was selected as a finalist to potentially win another $160 million in the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines Competition. Created and funded with federal money, the NENY program seeks to harness and utilize new batterymaking technology to revitalize the Southern Tier’s economy. According to the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the program began as a submission to the agency’s 2022 Build Back Better Regional Challenge, a federal competition that encouraged smaller regions to identify potential investments that would spur growth in the local economy.

See battery page 4

SPORTS

Top eight moments from the Eras Tour,

Hozier’s new album maybe best yet,

‘Dark Femininity’ trend is seeped in patriarchal ideology,

Men’s soccer loses season opener,

Women’s soccer defeated in home opener,

SEE PAGE 8

SEE PAGE 8

SEE PAGE 5

SEE PAGE 10

SEE PAGE 9


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Fall 2023 Issue 1 by Pipe Dream - Issuu