Spring 2014 Issue 1

The new Marketplace is the "Mein" event Pipe Dream reviews all 12 stations, making sure you grab the good stuff and make the most of your meal plan, See pages 8-9

PIPE DREAM Monday, January 27, 2013 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXIV, Issue 27

Open for business

Pharmacy school to open by fall 2017 Governor's budget includes $10 million for facilities Christina Pullano Editor-in-Chief

Plans to build a pharmacy school at Binghamton University became more tangible last Monday when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his support in the form of a $10 million budget allocation.

“The process for developing a school of pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy started almost two years ago … with a planning process that involved faculty and staff on campus to develop a business plan and a curriculum plan, as well as a research plan for this program,” BU President Harvey Stenger said at a press conference.

Stenger and New York State Sen. Tom Libous announced Monday that the school will likely be built in Johnson City, in close proximity to the UHS Wilson Medical Center.

“Putting this next to a major hospital obviously makes sense.

That doesn’t mean we’re not

Marketplace opens with 12 food stations, lounge seating

See PHARM Page 4

Oleski, mailroom clerk, dies at 50

Christina Pullano Editor-in-Chief After a year and a half wait and a weeklong “soft opening” full of free samples and first glimpses, the Binghamton University Marketplace officially opened its doors today. With 12 “food concepts” and a completely new layout, the site of the old Food Court and Susquehanna Room is nearly unrecognizable.

The 12 stations, many of them concepts developed by Sodexo, are Red Mango, Pandini’s, Mein Bowl, a convenience store, SubConnection, Cafe Spice, The Diner, Garden Toss, Wholly Habaneros, a cafe serving Starbucks coffee, New York Street Deli and International,

going to work with all the major hospitals — of course we are, we have a great relationship,” Libous said.

Before a pharmacy school can open, it will have to be approved by both SUNY and the New York State Education Department, as well as receive accreditation from the American Council of Pharmacy Education.

But Stenger and Libous are confident that plans will move forward rapidly in the coming months.

“The governor was very clear to me that this is not just a $10 million startup or planning — no, this is beyond planning. This is the beginning of acquisitions so that we can make the school become a reality,” Libous said.

According to Stenger, the pharmacy school could be finished in the next several years.

“Our plan is to have our first group of students in the fall of 2017, but with this announcement

John Oleski remembered for love of motorcycles, charity Geoffrey Wilson Assistant News Editor Christina Pullano/Editor-in-Chief

After 18 months of construction, the Marketplace is finally open for business. The project included creating 12 “food concepts,” as well as renovations to portions of the north University Union, and totaled $18 million.

a breakfast and rotating lunch kiosk. The stations vary in their hours of operation, but the cafe will be open for 24 hours on weekdays, and seating will be available 24/7.

At a reception celebrating simply a food court.

“We hope students will think the Marketplace’s opening last Tuesday, Vice President of creative ways to use the for Student Affairs Brian Rose capacity and the space,” Rose explained the vision for the new See FOOD Page 2 area — one that extends beyond

Blackboard blackboardgets new look, features

John “Wah” Oleski, Harley-Davidson enthusiast and a senior mail clerk at Binghamton University, died on Dec. 17 at UHS Wilson Medical Center after a yearlong battle with cancer.

Born Feb. 1, 1963 in Binghamton, N.Y., Oleski was diagnosed last year with nonHodgkin lymphoma. He was 50 years old.

He is survived by his wife, Debbi Oleski; his brother, Ralph Oleski; two sisters-inlaw; his mother-in-law; four brothers-in-law and other relatives.

Nicknamed “Wah” by his friends, Oleski earned the title for complaining about a job interview. The nickname was a joke at his complaints, according to Debbi.

A member of the National Harley Owners Group (HOG)

See OLESKI Page 4

Professors can now track student progress, upload videos Nicolas Vega Assistant News Editor After a brief stumble out the gate, the newly upgraded Blackboard is now up and running.

The website now features a redesigned user interface as well as several new features, according to JoAnn Navarro, the associate vice president for administrative services and interim chief information officer.

“The latest version of Blackboard will offer students and faculty global navigation through ‘My Blackboard,’ allowing students to stay up-todate with critical information consolidated in a simple, modern, and easy to access menu,” Navarro wrote in an email.

The upgrade also adds a new calendar to the website, which allows for drag-and-drop capabilities, as well as exporting and color coding, which provide

an integrated experience for students and faculty, according to Navarro.

There is also a new customizable notification dashboard that allows students and faculty to see alerts, announcements and assignments in one place.

Faculty now have the ability to track students’ progress and can have Blackboard alert them if a student is falling below a certain threshold.

Mark Reisinger, associate

professor of geography, used the upgraded services in a class that he taught over winter break, and said that he plans on using the ability to track students during spring semester.

“I am teaching a course with 176 students, and I have three TAs that do most of the grading, so it will be an easy way for me to keep track of the students’ performance since I have less direct contact with their

See BB Page 4

Photo Provided

John “Wah” Oleski, 50, passed away Dec. 17 at UHS Wilson Medical Center after a year long battle with cancer. Known as a Harley-Davidson enthusiast, Oleski worked for the University for 12 years, most recently as a senior mail clerk. He is survived by his wife, Debbi Oleski; his brother, Ralph Oleski; two sisters-in-law; his mother-in-law; four brothers-in-law and other relatives.

www.bupipedream.com | January 27, 2014

NEWS

2

Ross Park Zoo loses red panda

Photos Provided

Xiao-Li, a 6-year-old adult red panda in the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park, passed away on Jan. 9. Red pandas, which can live up to 14 years in captivity, are found mostly in Central Asia.

Xiao-Li, painter and member of an endangered species, dies of heart disease at the age of six Carla Sinclair Contributing Writer

Binghamton lost one of its most vibrant, creative and furry members of the community.

Xiao-Li, a 6-year-old adult red panda in the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park, passed away on Jan. 9.

He is survived by his mate and cub and is dearly missed by his non-bear family at the zoo.

“It’s hard losing an animal in a small zoo such as ours,” said Rachel Davenport, media

relations assistant at the Binghamton Zoo. “But it’s something that is dealt with in our profession.”

Born in the Nashville Zoo in 2008, Xiao-Li traveled to the Binghamton Zoo to mate in 2011 as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), created by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to encourage the expansion of the species.

He mated with female Mei-Li, who gave birth to his cub, now 6-month-old Zhin-Li. Xiao-Li was one of the most popular animals at the zoo;

workers described him as a “very fun-loving, easy-going, relaxed red panda.” Xiao-Li was more than just a pretty face. As part of an animal enrichment program, he was an avid painter — his work was showcased and sold at the Oakdale Mall, with the revenue from the sales going back to the zoo.

Though he enjoyed painting, Xiao-Li did not work for free.

“He was very food-motivated; he loved grapes,” Davenport said.

A necropsy performed at Cornell University found heart

disease to be the cause of death.

Xiao-Li had health issues in the past, including displaying symptoms of lymphoma.

Xiao-Li’s death came on what was supposed to be a day of celebration. As part of the SSP, the baby Zhin-Li was going to be sent to the Erie Zoo to find a mate of his own and contribute to the reestablishment of the red panda population.

The red panda is an endangered species, with only 175 in captivity across America and Canada, and 60 in the subspecies to which Xiao-Li

belonged. The goal of the SSP is to repopulate the species with diverse and genetically varied individuals.

Zhin-Li’s move to Erie was put on hold due to Xiao Li’s passing. Now either he will leave and another male will be brought in to partner with MeiLi, or Mei-Li will leave to join another mate.

Xiao-Li’s death leaves not only an empty cage, but an empty spot in the community.

It's hard losing an animal in a small zoo such as ours — Rachel Davenport Media Relations Assistant at Binghamton Zoo

Marketplace opens after 18 months FOOD continued from Page 1

I’ll probably spend 90 percent of my last semester hanging out and eating there.

—Dena Wilson BU Senior

said.

Rose said he wants to see students using the Marketplace for programming events such as open mic nights or performances. He said that the TVs installed in the seating areas have audiovisual capabilities that will make such events more feasible.

The technological innovations continue in the beverage department.

Disposable drink cups each have an RFID tag on the bottom, which will allow for one “fill” at the drink station, according to ValidFill representative Tom McCann. Students will be able

to purchase a Bearcat travel mug with a rechargeable RFID chip in it, and either a package with a certain number of “fills” or an unlimited package.

The Diner features local options, with meat and dairy products from family-owned farms and Italian sausage from Binghamton’s own Lupo’s Char-Pit. Dena Wilson, a senior majoring in accounting, spent last week relishing in the flavors of the new food stations.

“I think Binghamton has really outdone itself with the construction of the Union,” said Wilson, a senior majoring in accounting. “It’s amazing and I’ll probably spend 90 percent of my last semester hanging out and eating there.

Who needs Restaurant Week?”

Derek Smith, a senior majoring in Arabic, agreed with Wilson.

“I enjoyed the food. I thought that Cafe Spice was definitely on point. It’s nice to have such a large variety of options, and more healthy options, too,” Smith said.

He added that the increased seating is a plus of the renovated Union.

“The old Union’s cafeteria style was horrid,” Smith said.

“I think the variety in seating is what really makes the whole thing great, and overall it just looks way more collegiate now and less like a prison cafeteria.”

According to Rose, the 12

Christina Pullano/Editor-in-Chief

Customers line up to get a taste of Wholly Habaneros, one of 12 food stations in the newly renovated Marketplace. The Marketplace had a “soft opening” last week, serving up free samples and showcasing the new layout.

dining concepts could evolve over time with student needs.

“We’ll see what is popular, how the seating works and how the students actually use the space,” Rose said.

“We’ll make adjustments in operating hours and in other ways, if necessary, to maximize the number of visitors and increase the value it brings to the campus.”

In addition to the food area

construction, the renovations, which totaled $18 million, included portions of the north University Union, creating a walkable space that flows between the two previously disconnected Unions. Within this area will be the Career Development Center, Center for Civic Engagement, Tutoring Center, Educational Opportunity Program and TriO.

Sodexo managers are seeking input from students for future plans and endeavors through the newly created Student Culinary Council.

Jill Shotwell, a senior double-majoring in environmental studies and geography, heads up the council. She said meetings are open to all students who wish to voice opinions about campus dining options.

“It’s a place to create change,” Shotwell said. “We want to hear the issues, and we also want to do something about them.”

The council will hold its first meeting Wednesday evening.

PAGE III Monday, January 27, 2014

Pipe Line

It's a sign

News you missed while you were away State Law proposed for autistic NYC boy who vanished Sen. Charles Schumer says new legislation, proposed in the name of a New York City boy who disappeared from his school and was found dead three months later, would fund voluntary tracking devices for children who have autism.

Schumer is joining the mother of 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo on Sunday to announce “Avonte’s Law.” The legislation would create a program that provides tracking devices and expands support services for families with autistic children.

Schumer says it would be similar to a federal program that tracks seniors who have Alzheimer’s disease. Avonte walked away from his Queens school in October. His body was found in the East River earlier this month. About 200 mourners gathered Saturday for his funeral. Investigators are still trying to determine how he died.

NY gov takes careful step on medical marijuana Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a political splash by introducing a medical marijuana plan in the State of the State speech, but his cautious approach has been met with skepticism from pot advocates who question whether the proposal is mostly for show. While nearly two dozen states have OK’d marijuana for medical purposes and Colorado and Washington have legalized its use for pleasure, Cuomo is tapping a 1980 state law to allow as many as 20 hospitals to dispense the drug to people with certain severe illnesses as an experimental research project. The governor’s office has yet to detail how the program would overcome key hurdles, including the lack of a legal, unadulterated supply of marijuana in the state and a federal law that still makes it illegal for doctors to write a prescription.

National Bieber arrested for drag-racing, drunken driving Pop star Justin Bieber was arrested on drag-racing, drunken driving and resisting arrest charges after allegedly speeding down a residential Miami Beach street in a yellow Lamborghini on an expired license. He is being held at a Miami-Dade County jail pending an initial appearance expected later Thursday. Authorities say Bieber was arrested after police saw him and R&B singer Khalil racing two luxury vehicles down the street at 4:09 a.m., with two other vehicles apparently being used to block off the area. Both Bieber and Khalil face drag-racing and driving under the influence charges. Police chief Ray Martinez said at a news conference Thursday morning that the singer was initially not cooperative when the officer pulled him over. Martinez said the singer also had an invalid Georgia driver’s license and admitted to smoking marijuana, taking prescription medication and drinking. According to U.S. immigration law, authorities do not revoke an individual’s visa unless the person has been convicted of a violent crime or been sentenced to more than one year imprisonment.

Christina Pullano/Editor-in-Chief

Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, New York State Senator Thomas Libous, and University Physical Facilities personnel pose next to the new entrance sign on Bartle Drive. President Stenger referred to the sign, which cost a total of about $200,000, as an “investment.”

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World Apparent Thai elephant attack victim was NY woman A tourist apparently trampled to death by elephants in Thailand was a recent college graduate from upstate New York who loved animals, authorities said Friday. The Department of State identified her as Lily Glidden, of Freeville, a small village near Ithaca. Glidden’s body was found by Thai park rangers on Jan. 18, five days after she had left alone from a campground in Kaeng Krachan National Park in the western province of Phetchaburi. Glidden, 24, was a biology major and a 2012 graduate of Tufts University who had avid interests in animals and the outdoors. Authorities in Thailand said Thursday the severity of Glidden’s injuries led them to believe she was attacked by elephants, but the investigation continues.

This Day in History January 27, 1970 John Lennon writes and records “Instant Karma,” his third single before the breakup of the Beatles, in a single Tuesday. The idea was spontaneous, with

Corrections Pipe Dream strives for accuracy in all we publish. We recognize that mistakes will sometimes occur, but we treat errors very seriously. If you see a mistake in the paper, please contact Editorin-Chief Christina Pullano at editor@bupipedream.com. stabilizing: people in the union

Lennon writing the song that morning and recording it at EMI Studios under the direction of Phil Spector on the same day.

“Instant Karma” was released

“I think what we saw last year in 2013 was a Washington that did not deliver for the American people. And the president sees this as a year of action to work with Congress where he can and to bypass Congress where necessary, to lift folks who want to come up into the middle class.”

to the public 13 days later. The recording resulted in Spector taking over on “Let it Be,” which

Jay Carney White House press secretary, on President Barack Obama’s plans for 2014

was unreleased and without a producer. no more nirchi's:destabilizing

www.bupipedream.com | January 27, 2014

NEWS

4

Gov. budgets $10M for BU Blackboard

upgraded BB continued from Page 1

assignments and other work,” Reisinger wrote in an email.

However, there were several technical hiccups during the initial rolling out of the program.

“During the first week of its release the Blackboard support team received notifications that some faculty and students were experiencing problems with attaching/opening files,” Navarro wrote. “Not everyone experienced these problems.”

Reisinger said that these issues caused headaches for many of his students, with some having to wait more than 15 minutes for their assignments to upload.

“There were huge issues that impacted my students ability to submit assignments and to do practice quizzes,” Reisinger wrote. “It also affected my TAs ability to grade. It just took a really long time to submit anything to the system.”

According to Navarro, the cause of the Blackboard functionality issue was an index in the database files.

“Once the cause was determined, the problem was

Christina Pullano/Editor-in-Chief

Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger listens as New York State Senator Thomas Libous announces plans to build a pharmacy school at BU. The school, slated to open in the fall of 2017, will likely be located in Johnson City, in close proximity to the UHS Wilson Medical Center.

PHARM continued from Page 1 we’re going to try to push that a little bit faster, maybe fall of 2016,” Stenger said. “So students who are undergraduates right now could be planning on staying here for their pharmacy degree.”

Sarah Netz, a senior majoring in biochemistry, is attending University of Saint Joseph’s School of Pharmacy next year, but she said that if BU already had a pharmacy school, it “wouldn’t even be a question — I would go here.”

“I am honestly very jealous of those students who will have the opportunity to go to pharmacy school here,” Netz said. “I think a lot of undergrads will be interested in it; it gives pre-health majors more options than just doctor, dentist and nurse.”

Stenger said BU undergraduate students would be able to apply to a 2-4 program — two years of undergraduate and four years of graduate school — either directly out of high school or as undergraduate students at BU. Non-BU students could apply to

a traditional four-year graduate program.

Stenger said he anticipates hiring 20-30 full-time faculty members for the new school, which would house 240-300 students in both Doctor of Pharmacy and Ph.D. programs. The project is estimated to cost about $60 million to complete.

“This is a growth field,” Stenger said. “Pharmacists now are primary caregivers in many communities, and we expect that our pharmacist graduates will be highly respected.”

“But we also believe that this will attract research funding in the area of pharmaceutical sciences,” he said. “Drug development, clinical trials, as well as drug delivery method are areas of research that are very fertile and we anticipate that through the research that this school will do that we’ll be able to attract large businesses as well as some small companies to the area to work closely with our faculty to develop new technologies in the area of pharmaceutical sciences.”

Netz agreed that strong research programs would benefit the University.

“Binghamton is so strong when it comes to research so I am excited to see the direction it goes,” Netz said.

To put the plans in motion, Stenger said timing will be key, and “we have to show progress as rapidly as possible.”

“Within a year we certainly want to have the site in control, have it cleared, have utilities start to be brought in and have a design almost complete,” Stenger said.

“We have to have as fast a process as possible in this initial phase so that we can make sure that the commitment for future funds is talked about.”

In addition to the planned funds for the new pharmacy school, Cuomo’s higher education plan also includes $8 million for scholarships to high school students who will be attending SUNY or CUNY to pursue a career in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field. The scholarships will be offered to

the top 10 percent of high school graduates who promise to pursue a STEM career in New York state for at least five years after graduation.

Cuomo’s budget plan also included funds to expand another round of NYSUNY 2020 and NYCUNY 2020. $55 million would be available for the SUNY system.

Campuses will present plans for academic improvement, and the best plans will be awarded the most money. According to the budget proposal, plans that promote economic development and improve students’ ability to enter the workforce will be granted the most money. Priority will also be given to schools who increase efficiency with online classes and technology. Many of these elements are reminiscent of the Obama administration’s plan for higher education, which the president unveiled in a tour of upstate New York and Pennsylvania in August.

The goal of this round of SUNY 2020 is to get students working after graduation, hopefully in New York.

immediately fixed,” Navarro wrote. “There have been no further reports of these problems and Blackboard is now fully functional.”

Reisinger said that he thinks the new tools given to professors will be great for students.

“I believe the benefit for students will come from their professors ability to [do] new things in the system, like the ability record video right in BB,” Reisinger wrote. “So, for example, for my online courses I use iTunes and YouTube for my lectures; students will soon have the ability to watch/listen to those lecture in BB.” However, he added that a feature he would like to see in the future is improved functionality for faculty users who access Blackboard while on the go.

“What I mean is that I cannot use all of the BB features with my iPad, particularly the grade book,” Reisinger wrote. “So when I am away from my office I have to connect to my office computer through my iPad to access the grade book and this can be kind of clunky.”

This was the first of three planned Blackboard upgrades.

Nicolas Vega/Assistant News Editor

Blackboard, an academic management website, recently launched a new version of its site, introducing a redesigned user interface among other upgrades. While the launch was initially plagued by technical issues caused by an index in the database files, the problem has been fixed, according to JoAnn Navarro, the associate vice president for administrative services and interim chief information officer.

Family and friends remember mail clerk John Oleski OLESKI continued from Page 1

since 1986, Oleski acted as the assistant director of the Binghamton chapter.

Donald Rauschmeier, director of Binghamton HOG, met Oleski in 2004 through the group. According to Rauschmeier, he could never pick a single favorite memory with Oleski.

“If I told you one of my

favorites, you wouldn’t be able to print it,” Rauschmeier said.

Rauschmeier said that Oleski’s most notable trait was his passion, whether it was for motorcycles, monster trucks, NASCAR, baseball or charity.

“Passion is what sticks out; it was how he lived his life and part of his personality,” Rauschmeier said.

Debbi described John as a loving person who cared deeply

about his friends and hobbies.

“John was the happiest person I’ve ever met,” Debbi said. “He just loved to have fun, enjoy life, enjoy his friends.”

Oleski spearheaded HOG’s Christmas for Kids charity rides. The ride goes through Binghamton to Tioga Downs and raises money for Broome County Toys for Tots. According to Rauschmeier, Binghamton HOG plans to rename the

charity ride in memory of Oleski.

He also participated in various HOG rides to Sturgis, S.D., Daytona Beach, F.L. and the Outer Banks, N.C. “[He] just had a passion for motorcycles, riding and being with the Harley Owners Group,” Debbi said.

Oleski also taught a course on motorcycle safety at the Southern Tier Harley-

Davidson dealer, according to Rauschmeier.

“It was just part of his lifestyle,” Rauschmeier said.

Oleski worked as a mail clerk from 1992 to 1997, leaving the the University before returning in 2007 as a senior mail clerk.

Debbi encourages everyone who knew him to make a donation in his name to any of the local charities.

Passion is what sticks out; it was how he lived his life and part of his personality

— Donald Rauschmeier Director of Binghamton HOG

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RELEASE Arts & Culture

Favorites and flops of winter break movies

3 great, and 2 not-so-great, Oscar season films

Warner Brothers

Paramount Pictures

Patrick Hao | Contributing Writer Winter break, better known as “Oscar Season” for movie lovers, is always an exciting time. It’s the time when studios roll out Academy Award contenders, the cream of the crop of each year’s films. To help you navigate through films that are still in theaters or to help you make future Netflix decisions, here is a roundup of some of the best and worst films that were released during winter break.

The Best “Her,” directed by Spike Jonze “Her” is the rare sci-fi film that is neither dystopian nor cynical. It tells the story of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin

Phoenix) falling in love with a Siri-esque operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

With a muted color palette, Jonze paints a conceivable near future. But, sci-fi is a genre usually used as a parable for something not shown onscreen.

The relationship between the protagonist and his OS is not a commentary of humans becoming reliant on technology, which is refreshing. The film is sometimes heartbreaking but also incredibly cheerful.

Phoenix gives a subtle performance that is even better when compared to his overthe-top turn in last year’s “The Master.” All this makes “Her” possibly the best film of 2013.

“Inside Llewyn Davis,” directed by Joel and Ethan Coen “Inside Llewyn Davis,” a

musical odyssey, is as infectious as its folk soundtrack. The movie is not simply a retelling of the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene, but rather a homage to it. The characters, including the eponymous character of Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), are amalgamations of real life characters. The story itself serves as Homeric adventure piece, as Davis moves from place to place while falling under hard times, sometimes because of his own doing.

The high points of the movie, though, are the music scenes. All songs are performed in full, and each serves a purpose in the story. T-Bone Burnett, who collaborated with the Coens on “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” picks and arranges songs to serve as a celebration

of the emotional resonance of folk music. That and the witty humor of the Coen Brothers make “Inside Llewyn Davis” their best film since “No Country for Old Men.” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” directed by Martin Scorsese The life story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is disgusting, repulsive and incredibly entertaining.

Scorsese makes a cynical update of “Goodfellas” except without his trademark character redemption. It is no wonder that the reactions vary from praise to unadulterated hatred.

The film is told from the perspective of Belfort, and to say that he is an unreliable narrator is an understatement.

The hyperbolic portrayal of his life is sickening and funny. It’s

a film of contradictions based on Belfort’s audience — the lead character is made out to be evil by a magazine, but it makes people desire him more.

The audience is manipulated in the same way — while we laugh at the horrible deeds committed onscreen, Scorsese keeps the scene going until it becomes grotesque and uncomfortable. No director has ever manipulated his audience as skillfully as Scorsese.

The Worst “August: Osage County,” directed by John Wells There is a reason that many stage actors haven’t smoothly transitioned to screen acting. In stage acting, an actor is required to act with big flourishes and grand emotions to reach the back of the theater. Film acting requires more nuance to prevent overacting.

Unfortunately, it’s all too obvious that the source material of this movie is a stage production by

Tracy Letts. Underneath, the screenplay seems to be a strong testament of what it means to be loyal to family, but that is overshadowed by the over-thetop performances by all the actors involved.

“47 Ronin,” directed by Carl Rinsch According to the opening titles of this film, “The story of the 47 Ronin is the story of Japan.” In essence, that is a truthful statement. The legend is the ultimate representation of the sacred samurai code of Bushido. Unfortunately, this Japanese epic was thought to be so unappealing to Western audiences that accommodations had to be made to the story in order to be more accessible, which includes a shape-shifting witch and mystical monsters and dragons. This thought process eventually leads to a mess of a film that is more boring than hilariously bad.

It gets better: why spring beats fall semester Fall is so last year, especially with the Marketplace, Parade Day and nice weather to look forward to Evy Pitt-Stoller and Rachel Mack | Contributing Writers Have you been hiding away in your bed for the past five weeks, dreading the day you have to trek back to the dreary skies and frigid mornings? Have you finally drowned out the sounds of construction and become used to having a reliable parking spot for your car? Well, Debbie Downers, there are plenty of things to sigh about, but try turning that frown upside down because there is plenty to look forward to this upcoming semester.

Here are a few reasons why spring semester at Binghamton University is something to be excited about: 1. The Marketplace The wait is finally over! Taking the long way around the mesh green fence stops now. We now have Red Mango — Wheatley Plaza ain’t got nothin’ on us! Students will be able to enjoy an international station,

lounges, a fireplace and much more.

Einstein’s is going to face some serious competition, but maybe they could use this as an opportunity to practice putting the damn avocado I asked for on my bagel thin.

2. Parade Day Parade Day is Binghamton’s version of a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, even though it’s a little ahead of schedule. On the first of March, Binghamton goes green.

The Downtown area is flooded with both students and locals celebrating the Irish holiday by watching an exciting parade pass through town.

Bars have all kinds of different deals, and almost any student-inhabited house will be celebrating with a big party. It’s an event that makes you really feel like you’re at college — it’s fun and unifying to celebrate a holiday (even though you probably know nothing about it) with the inhabitants of Binghamton. It’s something unique to BU that alumni return to year after year.

right before finals, the Student Association throws a festival with carnival rides, food stands, activities like face-painting and games and a huge, free concert. All this hullabaloo takes place throughout the middle of campus, and now that the New University Union construction site is wrapped up, it might even be on the Peace Quad again. In the past few years, the SA has booked some pretty exciting concerts, including Passion Pit and Far East Movement. The weather is beautiful, and you can eat cotton candy and ride a Ferris wheel, not to mention several other activities that will return you to the blissful pleasures of bein’ a kid! Plus, the name rhymes.

4. Formal season At the end of the semester, several Greek organizations have an event called formal. Not the formal.

Just formal. Like prom. Anyway, it generally consists of riding out to a hotel in a semi-close, semi-

after a huge party with a DJ and an open bar, and then getting some delicious brunch and heading home the next day. And, even better, this brother or sister gets to bring a date to his or her formal. So that means — and this is the best part — you don’t have to pledge to get there! Frat stars, sorostitutes and independents alike all have the opportunity to partake in this overnight party. So, get excited and get invited!

5. Bar Crawl Bar Crawl is kind of like a combination of Parade Day and Spring Fling. It is a made-up event placed in the middle of finals week (yes, in the middle; there is many a tragic story of having to miss it because of a pesky test) that sends the semester off with a bang. Since it takes place in mid-May, the weather is beautiful, like at Spring Fling. And like Parade Day, there are several deals at bars and bumping parties throughout Downtown Binghamton. This event, however,

Day, which pumps up the party with colorful locals. The point of it is selfexplanatory in its title; it’s meant for people to literally crawl (yes, it’s one of those days) from bar to bar, utilizing the specials and picking up souvenirs to remind you of this day that you probably won’t remember.

6. Nice weather It seems obvious, but this is truly one of the best things to look forward to for spring semester at BU. Instead of facing a depressing decline from warm weather to cold weather, the spring semester gets better and better as it goes along. The main campus is littered with students catching frisbees and sun. Boys will bring their cute dogs to campus so that girls talk to them, and you begin to actually appreciate the Peace Quad. You start to realize where the BU faculty gets all the footage they feature in promotional videos.

Even Downtown Binghamton begins to become more attractive and enjoyable. From the right angle,

Gorgeous Washington Street.

7. Freshmen actually feel like students Finally, for all the freshmen out there, this semester marks us officially feeling like a part of the Binghamton community.

Last semester, freshmen learned the ropes of creating a schedule, navigating their ways around campus and adapting themselves to the social scene. This semester, it’s time to hone all that you learned and become a functioning Binghamton University student!

Use this list to bring back a feeling of purpose into your life whenever the Binghamton weather seems too much to tolerate. There is so much to experience and look forward to this semester — things that would have never occurred to you during the fall. With all of this in mind, go forth, baby Bearcats, and make this semester your (second and) best one yet!

January 27, 2014 | www.bupipedream.com

RELEASE

6

Get interested in GIMs PJs and TV ain't so bad There are hundreds of campus groups, find yours Anna Szilagyi | Contributing Writer Spring semester has begun, which means a pseudo-clean slate halfway through the academic year. You have the chance to actually enforce those new study habits, start using the East Gym membership you forgot you paid for and get involved on campus like you promised yourself you would in the fall.

At Binghamton University, the small window of time we know as General Interest Meeting (GIM) Season must be used wisely. The hundreds of student organizations at BU hold GIMs to attract new members, and they’re the best way to learn what a club is all about with no strings attached. So here’s a guide to guarantee a busier, more fulfilling semester when it comes to clubs.

The first step to making the most of GIMs is finding out when and where they are.

Check B-line daily, dig through the layers of fliers in Lecture Hall or ask your friends about meeting times and places. We all know you’re not getting ahead of reading during the first week of class, so go to a couple of meetings in your free time instead. Attending GIMs doesn’t mean you’re a part of the club, so if you go to a book club GIM only to receive a jam-packed syllabus for your English class the next day, don’t freak out. GIMs are meant to give you a feel for what a club or organization does, what the time commitment is like and when meetings are. Don’t skip out on a GIM just because

What you should have done over winter break Shelby Reller and Joseph Barberio | Contributing Writers

Kendall Loh/Photo Editor

you’re hesitant, but don’t feel pressured to commit right away.

There are clubs and organizations on campus for every area of interest, from a cappella to hula hooping, so don’t be afraid to try something totally new or out of your comfort zone. Environmental studies majors, feel free to join a sustainability club like Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS), but checking out a dance organization could uncover a hidden love for ballroom. If you’re into activism, there are plenty of politically-conscious groups on campus, like the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and College Republicans. At the same time, clubs are about experiences you can’t get from your classes.

Outdoors Club organizes trips every weekend, and our radio station, WHRW 90.5 FM, puts students in charge of what plays over the airwaves. During the first few weeks of classes, choose GIMs based on your

interests and passions, but also try branching out into something different.

Most clubs, like Ballroom Dance Association or Guitar Club, accept and encourage members from all levels of experience and even offer lessons, so don’t be intimidated if you’re a beginner.

If anything, college students love free food, and most GIMs use this knowledge to lure in new members. It’s called Nirchi’s. If you want to get a head start on saving up your meal plan, scan B-line for descriptions that include “free pizza.” Skip dinner, bring your suitemates along and use your free time on something other than Netflix (we all know you did plenty of bingeing over winter break). Whether you want to make a difference, make new friends or just try something new, use GIM Season as a way to break the boring routine of class, eat, sleep, party, repeat.

With that said, see you at Pipe Dream’s spring GIM!

Every year it’s the same. While we love Binghamton University and all it has to offer, we could all do without the unbearably long winter break. Year after year, we watch our friends from other schools come and go, leaving us BU students with only our parents to interact with. And so we promise ourselves next year will be different. We will keep ourselves busy to avoid those seemingly endless nights of watching television, eating leftover holiday cookies and dealing with our parents. Here’s a list of some of those things we said we’d do, but inevitably did not.

1. Get a job — Your first instinct as poor college students is to make some money. You blew all your savings on beer and Chipotle last semester, and if you have any desire to keep up with that lifestyle, you need to make some liquid cash over the break. So you thought about getting a job.

But let’s get real: The last few weeks of fall semester were jammed with late-night test cramming, early morning coffee runs and afternoon power naps. There simply was no time to look for a job in between. Besides, don’t you deserve a break? At least, that’s what you tell yourself as you sit, day in and day out, in what’s becoming a permanent indentation in the couch cushions. So much for that one.

2. Get in shape — There are three “F”s of the holidays that make them such a joyous time:

friends, family and food. Mom’s Christmas cookies are the best thing to happen to you since you got into college, but after finishing an entire platter by yourself and having grandma’s eggnog shoveled down your throat, you made a resolution to lose weight before spring semester comes around.

The problem is, gym memberships are expensive, especially for the unemployed.

Using your free time over break to work out seems like a good idea at first, but there are a few things you didn’t think of beforehand.

First of all, it gets cold out in the winter, and the cold weather makes it very hard to leave the comfort of your (warm) couch. In the battle between working out and Netflixing, Netflix always wins. Second of all, working out is exhausting and not fun. Bikini season is months from now, so consider working out another task called off from the todo list.

3. Exercise the brain — You could have taken a winter course.

You could have read those 12 books you’ve been meaning to get to. You could have written a short story, solved some intense mathematical equation or found the cure for polio. But you didn’t. You did, however, finish three cases of beers with your older brother in a single night.

4. Watch everything on your Netflix queue — At the beginning of break this goal appeared to be easily attainable. Who doesn’t love a good Netflix movie/TV show marathon? However, once you finish something, you will probably discover five new things

that you want to watch. Netflix is a bottomless pit that will never be satisfied. It’s just impossible to expect yourself to get around to everything in one relatively short break. Next thing you know, it’s the end of January, and you still haven’t watched “Game of Thrones” or “House of Cards.” But don’t fret; you can continue this never-ending battle during the semester when you should be studying.

5. Plan for real life — This may not apply to freshmen, but for returning sophomores, juniors and seniors who are beginning to realize that college is not the real world we were told it would be back in high school, winter break becomes a designated six weeks to digest the achievements and setbacks of fall semester, and prepare for the rest of your life. Decide on classes to take, plan to study abroad, apply for summer internships, apply to graduate school, start planning a career — it’s all very thrilling, and very intimidating. But be honest: Could you even begin to start making some of those decisions while your Netflix queue is still waiting? “Sherlock” won’t watch itself.

So winter break wasn’t exactly everything you hoped it would be.

Don’t worry because it’s already in the past. There’s a whole new semester ahead of you, full of new goals to achieve and new heights to reach. And if you still don’t accomplish anything, remain calm because there is always summer.

Maybe you didn’t get anything done. But the point is, you tried … right? Better luck next break.

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Welcome to the International Dish: chocolate chip pancakes Right, so we’re not sure what to make of a place called “International” that serves a classic, good ol’ American breakfast every day of the week. As a practice, we don’t deny greasy, disgusting foods, but the pancakes we ordered crossed even Paula Deen’s moral barrier when they were ladled with an entire scoop of melted butter. And that’s hard to do. Next time we’ll skip the butter, but this station may be the hangover cure you’ve been waiting for, because let’s be real, we don’t actually eat breakfast unless we’re rocking last night’s outfit at Rolando’s.

Wholly Habaneros Dish: chicken quesadilla, chips and salsa

What a pun! Despite the painful wordplay, Wholly Habaneros is not your average CIW burrito. The chips and salsa seem like something you should actually be paying money for, and although the quesadilla cheese didn’t go far enough to the edges of the tortilla, we’ll cut our losses. Except on Moe’s Monday.

The Diner

Dish: Lupo’s Italian chicken sausage, cheeseburger on multigrain bun The coolest thing here is that amid a sea of rebranded Sodexo food, The Diner is serving — and showcasing — local options.

They’re buying their meat and dairy products from local farms, and serving Lupo’s Italian sausage. We hope this means there’s room for more local options down the road. Take that, society!

Sub Conn

Dish: roaste Caesar

Dining hall frequ of worrying about th wiping his knife off Your favorite Subw back with a sleeke countertop and all could ever dr

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Garden Toss New York Street Deli We didn’t get to sample this spot, so you guys are on your own here. But we’re sure any sandwich they serve up will be as authentic and delicious as the one you’d get from Katz’s Deli back home on New York Street.

Union Café Drink: something called Verona

Dish: baby spinach salad with Caesar dressing and steak Two big changes here: One, apparently someone from the University caught on to the unintended but hilarious innuendo in naming the Food Court salad bar “Salad Toss”; and two, salads are now thankfully priced by size, rather than weight. With the promising avocado chipotle dressing and options to add steak, chicken or shrimp to any dish for a few bucks, even we might be caught with green shit in between our teeth this semester.

The powers that be got especially creative naming this one. “Cafe” — no, not Starbucks cafe, just “Cafe” — will satisfy your coffee needs 24/5.

We want your feedback. What do you think

arketplace

nection

ted chicken r sub

Hours of Operation Cafe Spice Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Closed weekends

Red Mango Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Friday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Weekends: 6-10 p.m.

Pandini's Monday-Friday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Weekends: 6-10 p.m.

Mein Bowl Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Friday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Weekends: 6-11 p.m.

Christina Pullano, Editor-in-Chief Darian Lusk, Release Editor

C-Store Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-midnight Friday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Weekends: 6-11 p.m.

If you were smart enough to direct all of your B-line emails to your spam folder, you may have missed the constant updates about the Marketplace and its 12 — yes, 12 — food kiosks. But not to worry, because we hit the scene and sampled each one.

Here’s what went down.

Sub Connection Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Friday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Closed weekends The Diner Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Friday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Weekends: 6-11 p.m.

C-Store We’re not sure that adding a Union Nite Owl counts as a “food concept” — but then, we’re not sure what a “food concept” is to begin with. We look forward to being able to pick up a pack of gum to wash away all that damn garlic from the pasta station.

uenters, the days he sandwich guy f are behind you. way knockoff is er, more visible l the carbs you dream of.

Garden Toss Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Closed weekends

Mein Bowl

Union Cafe 24-hours from 10 a.m. Sunday-11 p.m. Friday; Saturday: 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Dish: lo mein, sesame chicken, fried rice One word: Did someone say “gravy”? Mary’s back, and so is Mein Bowl, so there’s nothing new to report here. We’re just glad to say we have this delectable, greasy meinstay back in our lives.

International Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m.

Friday: 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m; Closed weekends New York Street Deli Monday-Friday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Closed weekends Wholly Habaneros Monday-Friday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Weekends: 6-11 p.m

To the Bookstore Pandini's Dish: chicken parm pasta, pizza When the “create your own” pasta station closed along with the rest of the old Food Court, many of us shed a single tear of sadness. But the orgasmic blend of oregano, garlic — too much garlic, dammit — and marinara is back under a new name which we’re sure will become “Panini’s” within a week. Freshmen: don’t forget to mix the pasta sauces and ask for a breadstick!

Café Spice Dish: chicken masala, chicken curry, rice, naan You know the best dish in College-inthe-Woods that sometimes gets served on Friday nights? It’s that but all the time. A great substitute for that Indian place in University Plaza, except not really because you’ve never gone there.

Cafe Spice passed our taste test and will be there when you’re feeling like taking a walk on the culinary wild side.

entrance

Red Mango Dish: mango yogurt, then strawberry sorbet, then mango yogurt again … don’t judge us.

In a word? Sploosh. After three free samples and a knowing look from the guy working there, we were more than sold on Binghamton’s first secular yogurt establishment.

k of the food court? Email manager@bupipedream.com and give us your thoughts!

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information © 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the United States member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. We are proud to be an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.

SUNY at Binghamton_9.32x16_v1.indd 1

10/2/2013 5:56:36 PM

OPINION Monday, January 27, 2014

Address: University Union WB03 4400 Vestal Parkway E. Binghamton, N.Y. 13902 Phone: 607-777-2515 FAx: 607-777-2600 Web: www.bupipedream.com

Spring 2014 editor-in-ChieF* Christina Pullano editor@bupipedream.com MAnAging editor* Paige Nazinitsky manager@bupipedream.com

neWs editor* Rachel Bluth news@bupipedream.com Asst. neWs editors Davina Bhandari Nicolas Vega Geoff Wilson oPinion editor* Michael Snow opinion@bupipedream.com releAse editor* Darian Lusk release@bupipedream.com Asst. releAse editor Jacob Shamsian sPorts editor* Ari Kramer sports@bupipedream.com

Doctor's Orders L

ast Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his executive budget plan for 2014, which includes $10 million for a pharmacy graduate school to be built as a part of Binghamton University.

Not only will the school open up new opportunities for students, but it will also bring a much needed boost to the local economy.

Let’s break down the benefits. The land needs to be developed, the building needs to be constructed and people must be hired to maintain it. So in the immediate future, the pharmacy school means jobs. Hopefully these employees will come from Binghamton, Endicott, Union and other local towns, providing some much-needed employment opportunities to the greater Binghamton area.

Next, there’s the long term: The pharmaceutical industry is a high-earning one. The school will give BU students another way to earn a practical

and useful degree. This pairs with President Barack Obama’s plan for efficient education getting people into the workforce. With any luck, some of these bright-eyed graduates would stay in the Southern Tier after they get their degrees to work at local pharmacies and hospitals. On that note, the school will attract professionals with larger salaries to the area who will settle down and become a part of the community. They help local businesses simply by spending money.

With countless opportunities for pharmaceutical research, Binghamton’s reputation as a research university will strengthen.

And with the proposed Johnson City building location, the University’s economic influence will

expand further outside of Vestal, especially as more students choose to stay local over break to work on research.

Most importantly, the school is planned to be in close proximity to the UHS Wilson Medical Center. More medical professionals in the area means better medical care for everyone.

We talk a lot about how the University should do more to aid in the economic development of Southern Tier, and this is the perfect way to progress our own school while helping our surroundings too. And with this school becoming a permanent part of our University, we think that the effects to our area will be lasting.

Asst. sPorts editors Erik Bacharach Ashley Purdy Fun PAge editor* Kris Casey fun@bupipedream.com

design MAnAger* Zachary Feldman design@bupipedream.com design Assts.

Rebecca Forney Cari Snider Photo editor* Kendall Loh photo@bupipedream.com Asst. Photo editor Janine Furtado editoriAl Artist Miriam Geiger CoPy desk ChieF* Victoria Chow copy@bupipedream.com Asst. CoPy desk ChieF Paul Palumbo leAd Web develoPer Willie Demaniow developer@bupipedream.com systeM AdMnistrAtor Daniel O'Connor soCiAl MediA MAnAger Keara Hill social@bupipedream.com

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, Opinion Editor, Sports Editor, and Release Editor.

neWsrooM teChnology* William Sanders tech@bupipedream.com

business MAnAger* Zachary Hindin business@bupipedream.com Advertising MAnAger Stacey Troy Dan Weisberger

MLB needs injection of harsher anti-drug policy Current punishments for doping aren't enough to prevent players from using David Forrest Contributing Columnist

New developments in the Alex Rodriguez saga have once again made baseball’s steroid issue front-page news across the country. Bud Selig, the soon-retiring Commissioner of Major League Baseball, has decided to make an example out of Alex Rodriguez by suspending him without pay for the entire 2014 season for violating drug agreements and obstructing investigations of his illicit actions.

While a season-long suspension may seem harsh, the punishment is not nearly harsh enough to deter other players from using steroids.

The suspension highlights the flaws

in Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The league’s punishments for using steroids are not severe enough to deter a player from using them. Players have an incentive to use steroids to enhance their abilities because impressive statistics result in impressive salaries.

Even if players are caught, they are not given much of a punishment.

Under the 2005 rules, first offenders are given a slap on the wrist in the form of a 50-game suspension for steroid violations. However, once they return, they make their full salary as if nothing had happened.

Therefore, players have an incentive to use steroids because even if they are caught and are suspended without pay, they will make more money once they return than they would have if they hadn’t used steroids in the first place.

In order for players to stop using steroids, harsh monetary punishments must be applied to take away the economic incentive to use steroids. Under the MLB’s current drug prevention program, any player who is caught using steroids does not receive pay while he is suspended.

I propose that any player who serves a performance-enhancing drug suspension automatically has his salary reduced to the league minimum of $500,000 for the rest of his career in addition to the lost wages during the suspension. While this may sound harsh, it must be put in perspective.

A salary of $500,000 to play a sport that you love sounds quite good when

compared to the 2011 U.S. median household income of $51,324.

Players stripped of their multimilliondollar contracts would still be wealthy in comparison to most Americans.

Major League Baseball writers have refused to vote players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others that have been accused of using steroids into the Hall of Fame in recent years. The zero-tolerance mentality should be brought to the game’s drug policy to end what has become a steroid epidemic in America’s pastime.

Players have an incentive to use steroids ... impressive statistics result in impressive salaries

— David Forrest is a junior majoring in political science.

Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel. *Positions seated on the Executive Board are denoted by an asterisk.

Pipe Dream is published Tuesdays and Fridays while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters, except during finals weeks and vacations.

Pipe Dream accepts stimulating, original guest columns from undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. Submissions should be 400 to 500 words in length and be thus far unpublished. Columns and letters to the editor in response to something printed in Pipe Dream should be submitted before a subsequent issue is published.

Submissions must include the writer’s name and phone number, and year of graduation or expected year of graduation. Graduate students and faculty members should indicate their standing as such, as well as departmmental affiliation.

Organizational (i.e. student group) affiliations are to be disclosed and may be noted at Pipe Dream’s discretion.

Anonymous submissions are not accepted.

Any facts referenced must be properly cited from credible news sources. Pipe Dream reserves the right to edit submissions, and does not guarantee publication. All submissions become property of Pipe Dream.

Submissions may be e-mailed to the Opinion Editor at opinion@ bupipedream.com.

January 27, 2014 | www.bupipedream.com

OPINION

12

Who needs death? I want to live forever Technological advancements could make immortality a reality Molly McGrath Columnist

I often pose the following question to my peers: “Do you want to live forever?” The default answer is “no.” Those responding often launch into a long-winded explanation of how life is not worth living without death.

My conversation partner is usually surprised when I tell him or her that not only do I want to live forever, but I also believe that it is possible that many in our generation will never die.

It seems our generation is unaware of the massive leaps forward in age reversal technology. In 2010, scientists confirmed that injection of the chemical NAD into mice was able to reverse the aging of cells. The cells of a 2-year-old mouse then resembled the cells of a 6-month-old mouse. Of course, simply because a treatment is proven effective in rodents doesn’t mean it will work in humans. However, allocating more funds to research and development within this area could greatly extend human lives until the age reversal process is further perfected.

The replacement of vital organs could also extend the human life span. The field of tissue engineering is marked with new

successes, as the implantation of healthy tissues is extending to some of the most central organs to human survival. While the implantation of new skin was an early success, researchers at MIT professor Sangeeta Bhatia’s lab are developing implantable cardiac tissues. With heart disease as the leading cause of death, the ability to easily replace a faulty or infected heart would fundamentally alter the limits of human longevity.

Another significant development that may extend the human life span is genetic engineering. As I noted in a column last spring, the United Kingdom approved the use of genetic engineering to treat mitochondrial disease. This is only one example of the many treatments that could eliminate genetic disease from our species.

Not only would this increase individual longevity, but the elimination of all such disease causing traits from our gene pool would greatly improve the overall health of our species, generations down the line.

Despite all these potential breakthroughs, I believe the most significant technological advance in the quest for immortality does not concern preservation of the human body, but the mind itself. Some readers

may associate life fully with the body, believing that once the body fails, the person it represented no longer exists. I disagree.

If we are able to transfer our consciousness and memories to a non-biological entity, perhaps a computer, the need for a physical body is eliminated and immortality is possible. Immortality of the mind would solve the issue of infinite consumption of finite resources. Though scientists are developing computers that closely resemble the biological structure of the human mind, this development exists purely in the realm of science fiction, for now.

What is life without death lurking at the end of it? It’s still life, and a life free of the constant anxieties associated with running out of time. I’d posit that our insistence that death is a necessary component of the human experience is merely a means of rationalizing our demise. Think about everything we could accomplish as a species if we were given more time: the exploration of new forms of thought, wisdom accumulated from centuries of experience and love that is truly eternal.

What is life without death lurking at the end of it? It's still life

— Molly McGrath is a junior double-majoring in political science and history.

'Real women' aren't retouched Editing photos to make women larger doesn't promote a healthy body image Rebecca Klar Contributing Columnist

“Real women have curves.”

Somehow this new “positive” selfesteem message is supposed to make up for years of the media portraying images of rail-thin models. However, in actuality, this shift is a giant step backward.

Lately in popular media there has been an increase in messages urging women to embrace their own body and be confident in their own skin. However, somewhere along the line the message has morphed into one of “Real women have curves.” How is this better than the ridiculous media that used to promote stick-thin bodies?

The praise of curvy figures is no better than the photographs of waif-like Kate Moss with her infamous quote — “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” — attached to her magazine spreads.

Retouched photos and ads of models and celebrities to make the women appear smaller have received much ridicule. In recent years, though, the opposite has been occurring. Photos of models and celebrities have been retouched, in fact, to make them appear larger; visible bones are being smoothed over, inches added to thin waists and faces rounded. Leah Hardy, a former editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, spoke out about a magazine editing a cover photo of Cameron Diaz. The photograph was morphed to fill out her cheeks, widen her thighs and smooth over her defined hip bone. Similarly, a photograph of supermodel Karlie Kloss was retouched to smooth over her rib and collarbone definition.

Altering these women to appear larger in no way promotes a healthy body image. The message remains

that your body is not good as it is and must be changed. Instead, the models should be left as they are, proving that they are beautiful as they are photographed, without the editing.

Dove and Victoria’s Secret recently launched the campaigns “Real Beauty” and “Love My Body,” respectively. In Facebook and Tumblr posts, the two campaigns were shown side by side; the Victoria’s Secret campaign was criticized in the comments section for the models being too thin, while Dove’s was praised for portraying “real” women. Criticism included that the Victoria’s Secret models were gross, and some even implied that the models were anorexic or bulimic. Although I agree that the Victoria’s Secret campaign should have included a more diverse range of body types, it is appalling to see how readily people are willing to call the models “gross,” or even imply they have a mental illness based on their appearance. What is even more disturbing is that this act is somehow socially acceptable, just because these women are typically deemed beautiful and fit.

In fact, both brands missed the “Love your body” message in their campaigns. Each portrayed a group of women who all seemed to have relatively similar body types.

The Victoria’s Secret campaign contained a group of women who all were tall, thin and toned; the Dove campaign only portrayed a curvy female body shape.

One woman should not be deemed more “real” based on her body type. Instead of focusing on trying to get women to stop obsessing over being too thin or too curvy, media should instead push the message that body type does not determine a woman’s, or a man’s, value as a person. A real woman doesn’t have curves, she has a mind.

The message remains that your body is not good as it is and must be changed

Get your voice heard.

— Rebecca Klar is a freshman majoring in English.

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Disney Channel's new shows leave older viewers nostalgic This generation of characters is rude, disrespectful and lacks the moral authority of the past Matt Bloom Contributing Columnist

As the arctic air bellowed across the New York City streets for the better half of a month, I was trapped within the confines of the small yet quaint apartment that sheltered my two little sisters and me while my parents were at work. With two little girls in the house, Disney Channel was the consistent choice for what to watch on TV. At first this didn’t seem so bad, as it would grant me a chance to relive beloved childhood pastimes.

However, all that changed once I was forced to witness Disney Channel’s disastrous transformation from its former wholesome self. Instead of instilling virtues and providing

laughs as it once did, Disney Channel’s current televised trash is teaching children how to be sassy and rude, making the “tween” population grow up at an unwarranted accelerated rate.

Disney Channel once consisted of witty and honest television that would teach children vital lessons about growing up, such as the social and academic hardships they are bound to face and the peer pressures they are bound to encounter. It also simply helped kids see how to be decent human beings. There were cherished shows like “Even Stevens,” “That’s So Raven,” “Sister, Sister,” “Lizzie McGuire,” “Boy Meets World,” “Smart Guy” and yes, even “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (the one where they lived in the hotel). This doesn’t even include the hundreds of animated shows I still believe to be hilarious and exciting, including “Kim Possible,”

“Recess,” “The Legend of Tarzan” and many more. Unfortunately, these shows have all been taken off air. The problem is not necessarily that they’ve been removed, since all shows must eventually be replaced at some time or another. Rather, the problem is what these shows have been replaced with.

The difference between this generation’s Disney Channel and ours is essentially a holistic plot twist in the majority of their series, where the characters “get away with ‘it,’” as opposed to the shows we were raised with, where they most certainly did not.

Disney Channel used to air episodes where the children would partake in mischievous activities and, despite their best effort, were caught, consequently learning a valuable lesson such as the dangers of bullying or hazards of conformity. Or, as I remember from both Ron in

“Kim Possible” and Beans in “Even Stevens,” the dangers of fire. Other episodes advocated individuality, self-confidence and above all, doing what one inherently believes is right notwithstanding the majority.

In essence, Disney Channel once showed kids how to rise above what is considered “cool” and how to overcome the severe stresses of popularity at what is already an immensely stressful age.

Based on what I’ve had to sit through in the last two weeks, Disney Channel uses the same plot, except the kids consistently get away with it and don’t ever get caught, never learning the consequences of their actions.

In addition, Disney Channel now attempts to teach kids not to overcome the desire for popularity, but instead, how to actually acquire popularity and be “cool” in mindless, stereotypical, gender-specific forms. Therefore, many children are no longer able to establish for themselves the fine line between sassy and humorous and just plain rude and disrespectful, all in their attempts to be like the characters they see on TV. I must confess my innate bias, since I was not able to watch the shows I originally wanted and was also quite disappointed to find that Disney Channel no longer aired the shows I once worshipped.

All the while, I

Disney Channel once consisted of witty and honest television

was also desperately trying to comprehend the complexity that is a 12-year-old girl’s mind before I lost mine. Nevertheless, I still was unpleasantly surprised by what Disney Channel has become. With all the advancements in technology, social media pressure and the accessibility to virtually anything on the Internet, children are growing up much faster. I’m not trying to say that television is the only contributing factor, or even one of the biggest. It’s just that Disney Channel in particular was once not only an outlet for kids to relax and de-stress, but also a means for them to obtain entertainment and essential guidance since no rational prepubescent child will ever take advice from their parents or their much more experienced and wiser older brother.

— Matt Bloom undeclared freshman.

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an

January 27, 2014 | www.bupipedream.com

Blundergrads

Creation

FUN

13

Phil Flickinger

Jared Auwarter

We the People

Kevin Dartt

RELEASE DATE– Saturday, August 18, 2007

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Mike Manzi

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 With 1-Down, authorized 8 Rooks 15 Big talk 16 Square fare 17 Schubert’s “Der Erlkönig,” for one 18 Not transitory 19 Eastern agreement 20 Big name in honey 22 Article in Die Welt 23 It’s inside: Abbr.

25 Chunk 26 Storage unit: Abbr.

27 Piano teacher’s command 29 Follower of dogs 31 Mordant 32 He played Alonzo in “Training Day” 34 Regulation involving boxers 36 Literally, Dutch for “southern sea” 38 Banquet offering 41 Seat of New York’s Chemung County 45 Fictional braggart 46 Ingenuous sort 48 “Materialism and Empiriocriticism” author 49 Majorca-toMinorca dir.

50 Work without __ 52 Gulls 53 Uninteresting 55 Ornamental stones 57 Fell 58 Tart quaff 60 Drug company whose stock was the subject of Martha Stewart’s conviction 62 Club not often seen 63 Minor party candidate, often 64 Doctor’s order

65 Activity centers DOWN 1 See 1-Across 2 Fix 3 Church seat 4 Legendary abductors 5 Familia people 6 Baseball Hall of Famer Wagner 7 Editor of two “Das Kapital” volumes 8 One on the house 9 Stuck in traffic, say 10 Fall starter?

11 The __ Society of Boston: Irish culture group 12 Like Hershey’s Kisses 13 Hyundai model 14 Written letter?

21 Degas subject 24 1893 courtroom name 28 Drei squared 30 Stun 31 School assignments

33 “Before You Sleep” novelist Ullmann 35 Liquidate 37 Crack operative?

38 Film whose tagline ends “Nothing can stop it!”

39 Mover 40 Devised, with “up”

42 Owing too much 43 Aged 44 Gets back to 47 Charm 51 Rate of speed 54 Prince Charles, e.g.

55 Splashes 56 Sixth-century Great Britain settler 59 Is for many?

61 Lending inst.

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By Bob Peoples (c)2007 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

8/18/07

8/18/07

www.bupipedream.com | January 27, 2014

SPORTS

14

BEARCAT BRIEFS Track & Field men fourth, women fifth at Cornell Staff Reports

In the second team scoring meet of the season, the Binghamton track and field squads competed at the Upstate Indoor Track Challenge at Cornell on Saturday, with the men placing fourth out of nine and the women coming in fifth out of eight.

Seniors Chris Fernandez and Ben Snodgrass were the only Bearcats on either side to capture first place in their respective events.

Fernandez, who had taken second in the mile

in a meet on Jan. 10, met the IC4A qualifying standard with a time of 1:54.11 in the 800 on Saturday.

Snodgrass finished the 3,000-meter run in 8:34.41.

Freshmen Peter Fagan (pole vault) and Eric Holt (1,000) and graduate students Zach Keefer (500) and Jacob Platel (weight throw) also met IC4A qualifying standards, while junior Alexx Baum (triplejump) and freshman Keishorea Armstrong (triple-jump) hit the ECAC-qualifying mark.

Women’s tennis results at Cornell Winter Invite Singles Junior Katherine Medianik def. Chloe Sher, Seton Hall, 8-2 Sophomore Sara Kohtz def. Alex Landert, Seton Hall, 8-4

Doubles Medianik and sophomore Alexis Tashiro def. Anna Guryanova and Julie Martiny, Seton Hall, 6-0 Sophomores Agatha Ambrozy and Shea Brodsky def. Ashley Ta and Maria Ortiz, Niagara, 6-2 Hannah Liljekvist and Madison Shoemaker, Seton Hall, def. freshman Annie DiMuro and Kohtz, 6-3

What you missed over winter break Men’s basketball took a 2-7 break-record into Sunday’s tilt with Vermont, defeating Bryant and New Hampshire at home.

Women’s basketball picked up three wins in nine winter break games. The Bearcats won the two-game Dartmouth Blue Sky Women’s Basketball Classic.

Wrestling went 2-5 in dual meets, the most recent defeat coming by two to American.

In two team-scoring events, the men’s track and field squad earned finishes of fourth and seventh, while the women landed in fifth and 12th.

Men’s swimming and diving went 1-2 while the women picked up two wins in three meets.

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SPORTS

15

Vermont dominates glass in victory over BU Catamounts lead from wire to wire, as Bearcats drop fifth straight America East game Ashley Purdy Assistant Sports Editor

After establishing an early lead, Vermont maintained at least a five-point cushion throughout the remainder of its 65-57 win over the Binghamton women’s basketball team on Sunday at the Events Center.

With the loss, the Bearcats (4-16, 1-6 America East) have dropped five consecutive games.

Vermont (6-14, 3-4 AE), ranking third in the conference with a plus-1.8 rebounding margin to Binghamton’s eighth-place minus-6.9, flaunted its strength throughout the game. The Catamounts swept up 44 rebounds (16 offensive) to Binghamton’s 30.

The Catamounts dominated the glass throughout the entire game, starting with a plus-12 advantage in the first half, alone.

“I thought Vermont did a nice job at just crashing the boards and being in the right position as far as angles and things like that go,” BU head coach Nicole Scholl said. “I think we got outworked in the first half as far as that goes.

We talk about it all the time: You either box it out or you’ve got to go get the rebound, and I don’t think we were very good off our feet that way.”

In addition to rebound troubles, BU had a difficult time offensively. The team ranks last in the conference in field goal percentage (33.5 percent), and approached that mark in Sunday’s loss (34 percent). Shooting 25.9

percent from the field in the first half, the Bearcats needed to make a change in the second.

“They were scoring against and having success against our man and [adopting] the zone kind of just gave a different look and turned things around a little bit,” Scholl said. “I thought at times it did its job, and other times, I just thought that we weren’t playing their personnel very well.

[Freshman guard Kristina White] got loose a couple of times and hit a couple of big threes in the second half that kind of took the wind out of our sails a little bit.”

White knocked down 5-of-7 treys en route to her game-high 19 points, while Binghamton relied on the free throw line for the bulk of its offensive efforts. Sophomore forward Morgan Murphy and senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk tallied team-leading 14 and 13 points, respectively, with more than half of their totals coming off free throws. Morgan shot 8 of 10 from the foul line while Paulk shot 7 of 8.

“That definitely was a focus, to get to the free throw line. And we were making them,” Paulk said.

“Morgan made a few, so we knew we could give the ball to Morgan and get to the free throw line.”

Collectively, the Bearcats got to the free throw line 33 times while the Catamounts, who are second in the AE in free throw percentage, managed to get there just four times. That advantage allowed the Bearcats to get closer in the second.

“I think in the second half

we were just more aggressive,” Murphy said. “Especially at the start of the second half, we got some easy points just getting to the free throw line. I got there a few times and it quickly cut their lead down.”

“I thought in the second half, that we got to the free throw line, that was the bigger piece,” Scholl said. “If you’re not making the shots, at least get yourself to the foul line. Second half, we did a much better job with that.”

It wasn’t enough, however, and the Bearcats never led.

In BU’s all-time series against Vermont, the Catamounts own the advantage, 17-8. They have also won each of the past three games, sweeping the Bearcats in their two match-ups last season.

Since facing off against Rider on Dec. 14, the Bearcats wrapped up their non-conference slate with a loss against Siena and a pair of wins against UMass and La Salle at Dartmouth’s Blue Sky Women’s Basketball Classic on Dec. 29 and 30. Kicking off their conference games with a loss against UMBC on Jan. 4, the Bearcats surged for a 65-64 win against UMass Lowell on Jan. 7 before falling to four successive opponents in Maine, Stony Brook, Albany and Hartford.

Next up for Binghamton, the team is scheduled to host UMass Lowell (2-16, 1-6 AE) on Thursday.

BU will hope to garner a second win against the AE’s newest team, which enters the contest on a fivegame skid.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Events Center.

BU vs. Vermont

BU vs.

UMass Lowell DATE

Jan. 30 LOCATION

Events Center

57

65

Xindi Tian/Contributing Photographer

Senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk’s 13 points weren’t enough to spark Binghamton in its 65-57 loss to Vermont on Sunday.

TIME

7:00 p.m.

Binghamton suffers pair of losses to American, ODU BU draws silver linings from Reed and Deuel's victories, but have fallen in four of five Erik Bacharach Assistant Sports Editor

FIle Photo

197-pound senior Cody Reed won both his matches this weekend in Binghamton’s losses to American and Old Dominion.

Wrestling over weekend 1/24 1/25

vs. Old Dominion vs. American

21-12 21-19

On the heels of a road victory at Drexel last Sunday, the Binghamton wrestling team came up short twice this weekend at the West Gym, falling to Old Dominion, 2112, on Friday before American eeked out a narrow 21-19 victory in the final seconds on Saturday.

Friday’s contest saw the Bearcats (3-9) jump out to a 3-0 lead after junior 125-pound David White earned an 11-6 win. From there, however, Old Dominion (4-8) began to dominate, taking the next four duels en route to a 14-3 lead.

Sophomore Vincent Grella stopped the bleeding with a 4-3 decision at 165 after a takedown with only 26 seconds left in the bout, but back-to-back wins by ODU at 174 and 184 sealed the match. BU’s one-two punch of senior 197-pound Cody Reed and junior heavyweight Tyler Deuel each defeated their opponents in the final two bouts, with Reed earning a 3-1 victory and Deuel notching a 6-2 win.

On Saturday, Binghamton made some adjustments that nearly translated into a victory over American, but junior 149-pound Joe Bonaldi was on

the wrong side of a 2-1 decision in the final match that came down to the final seconds and gave the Eagles (6-5) a 21-19 win.

“It was highly competitive, highly entertaining — had all the elements of a great athletic competition,” Binghamton head coach Matt Dernlan said.

“Even though we came up on the short side, coming down to the last minute, it was a fun match to be a part of. The guys really competed hard.”

Reed earned his most impressive win of the season, defeating 12th-ranked Daniel Mitchell on a takedown in the final three seconds. He moves to 20-8 overall in 2013-14, and 10-3 in duals.

Deuel followed suit and pinned Blake Herrin in the first period after just 2:24. Herrin was ranked No. 23 in the NCAA Coaches’ Panel, while Deuel entered the match ranked 31st.

It was Deuel’s team-high 22nd win of the season (22-5, 11-2 duals).

“I’ve been pretty pleased with our growth the last month of the season collectively,” Dernlan said. “I think from an individual standpoint we’ve got a lot of great individual performances. It was probably highlighted this weekend by Reed. And I think obviously

Tyler continues to set the bar for our team. With his style of wrestling, he’s putting a lot of points on the board. He’s getting a lot of bonus points almost every single match.”

The Bearcats are less experienced and pack less of a punch than in recent years past, but Dernlan says his team has steadily progressed through 2014 and that he expects another hard-fought and close battle when the Bearcats host Boston University next weekend.

“There’s some minor technical adjustments we need to address throughout the week. But I think from an effort and an attitude and a fight standpoint, we’re really starting to click,” Dernlan said.

“The reality is, there’s several weight classes where our guys, they’re kind of outgunned, to be honest with you. So they have to find a way to fight, scratch and claw and not give up bonus points. And if they can do that, if some of our weak spots can stop the bleeding and not give up big bonus points, and then we have some of our other guys get bonus points, that will probably be our reality for the next month here.”

Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 2 at the West Gym.

SPORTS

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

UVM dominates glass, beats BU Page 15

Monday, January 27, 2014

Catamounted

Kendall Loh/Photo Editor

Vermont deals Binghamton season-worst margin of defeat They just took us to the woodshed.

They just took it to us — Tommy Dempsey BU head coach

For updates on Binghamton basketball, follow @BingBBallBlog on Twitter.

Ari Kramer Sports Editor Patience, discipline and veteran leadership fueled Vermont’s 7239 rout of the Binghamton men’s basketball team Sunday night in Burlington, Vt. The Bearcats (4-16, 1-6 America East) flustered the second-place Catamounts (12-9, 6-1 AE) with their 2-3 zone early in the game, but Vermont needed just eight minutes to find its rhythm, picking apart the defense with deft ball movement and effective penetration to send the Bearcats home with a season-high fifth straight loss and season-worst margin of defeat.

“They just took us to the woodshed. They just took it to us,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “They out-toughed us. They out-experienced us. They were just clearly the better team right from the very start, and we were never really able to find any rhythm.”

While Vermont scored 28 of its 38 first-half points in the final 12 minutes leading to intermission, the Catamounts’ defense stifled a young Binghamton team from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Vermont blocked six of Binghamton’s 15 missed field goals in the first half, forced a handful of low-percentage jumpers late in the shot clock and recorded eight steals in the first 20

minutes to take a 38-13 lead into the locker room.

Binghamton converted nine of its 22 second-half field goals (40.9 percent), but still finished the game at 32.6 percent.

“The first half, I thought early, we were playing [well]. We were hustling, and then we just couldn’t get the ball in the basket,” Dempsey said. “I thought our defense let up and we were frustrated, and they just picked us apart from there.”

With sophomore forward Ethan O’Day posting a game-high 21 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting clip, Vermont boasted three doubledigit scorers.

Senior guard Candon Rusin torched Binghamton from beyond the arc, burying four treys on five attempts and finishing with 16 points. Each of his treys came against the zone, as senior forward Brian Voelkel (six assists) and senior guard Sandro Carissimo (four assists) kept the Bearcats in perpetual motion with their ball movement and penetration to free Rusin on the perimeter as well as O’Day and senior forward Luke Apfeld near the rim.

Like O’Day, Apfeld did not miss from the field and scored 10 points to go with a block and a steal.

As a team, Vermont shot 57.1 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from 3-point territory. Bouts

with sloppy ball control resulted in nine Vermont turnovers in the second half, but the Catamounts converted 11 of 16 shots in the final 20 minutes.

They scored 1.18 points per possession on the night, a mark they had eclipsed just three times in 20 games this year. Vermont posted a season-best 1.38 points per trip in a 91-90 loss at then-No. 8 Duke.

“They played really well. There’s no doubt about that,” Dempsey said. “They came out and they were clicking on all cylinders, and we just couldn’t score the ball for so long.”

Sophomore guard Karon Waller led Binghamton with three points in the first half. His 3-pointer at the 17:59 mark knotted the game at five, but the Bearcats would not score again until sophomore guard Jordan Reed buried a jumper from the top of the key with 8:13 left. By then, Vermont had found its groove and held a 20-7 advantage.

Reed — who ranked second in the America East with 16.6 points per game last year and averaged 15.6 points through 16 games this year — has seen his playing time and, consequentially, his scoring outputs plummet in the last two weeks. After posting 15 points in 35 minutes in Binghamton’s 71-59 loss to UMass Lowell on Jan. 11, Reed has averaged 4.3 points in three games played — he did not make the trip to Albany

on Jan. 20, a coach’s decision.

Reed was active on offense, but Vermont’s man-to-man defense limited him in the half court. He scored five points and dished out three assists, but he failed to corral a rebound and went 1-for-6 from the foul line. Binghamton converted seven of its 12 free-throw attempts.

Freshman guard Yosef Yacob led the Bearcats with 10 points on 2-of7 shooting. His career-high 22-point outburst against Lowell sparked his active streak of five consecutive games in double figures.

The Bearcats have an opportunity to bounce back on Wednesday night, when they are scheduled to host UMBC. In their most recent game, the Retrievers (4-16, 2-5 AE) held off Hartford by two points — two days after Binghamton fell to the Hawks on a last-second put-back.

The Bearcats are deadlocked in last place with Maine, which would hold the tiebreaker over Binghamton, and they trail UMBC by one game.

“You just try to get the next one.

The kids have short memories,” Dempsey said. “[Sunday’s game] wasn’t one that we’re proud of, but we’ll get back at it and try to get one on Wednesday night at home against UMBC.” Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

FINAL SCORE

39

72 BU vs. UMBC DATE

Jan. 289 LOCATION

Events Center TIME

7:00 p.m.