Spring 2016 Issue 11

POKÉMON celebrates its 20 year anniversary!

SEE PAGE 5

Tuesday, March 1, 2016 | Vol. LXXXIX, Issue 11 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

Celebrating 70 Years as the Free Word on Campus

Bookstores vie for BU contract

AE Check out our

TOURNAMENT

With B&N rights expiring, Follet competes for spot

BASKETBALL

PREVIEW!

Brendan Zarkower

- Player features - Team previews - All-conference picks for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Pipe Dream News

the National Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. Kids were challenged to build a protective case for an egg so that it could be dropped 15 feet without breaking, using materials like bubble wrap, plastic foam and rubber bands. Other events included circuit building, a demonstration on using lemons as batteries and a tour of the 3D printing lab.

Students from Engineering World

Two companies are bidding to operate the campus bookstore, and each made pitches to the Binghamton University administration on Friday about why they are the best choice for the University.

Follett and Barnes & Noble proposed divergent visions for the 10-year future of the campus bookstore, which has been operated by Barnes & Noble for the last 30 years.

The committee, which consists of administrators from a variety of departments, will send an intent-to-award letter to SUNY’s Centralized Administration in Albany by March 21 to indicate their company preference. The proposed contract, if approved, would go into effect beginning July 2016.

Follett, which is the largest college bookstore provider in the country and is represented at SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Buffalo, proposed a University-led vision for the store’s future. The proposal emphasized BU branding instead of Follett branding, as well as the company’s overall flexibility and openness to University preferences.

Regarding the physical layout of the store, Follett proposed modest changes to the store like creating a technology area upstairs, which would include things like headphone testing stations and Apple products and other technology for sale. While their proposal outlined a commitment to further emphasizing the BU brand, they also acknowledged that many aspects of the store work well as is.

“We don’t like to be too presumptuous,” said Mike McEneany, a vice president of marketing at Follett. “We are still learning about your campus, so we took a very

SEE ENGINEERS PAGE 2

SEE SHOP PAGE 2

The men’s team is set to tip-off its quarterfinal match-up on the road against UNH at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while the women will host UMBC on Saturday.

See pages 10-15

Local community engages with engineers

Annual event teaches science concepts to local children through interactive challenges Odeya Pinkus Arts & Culture Editor

Through making homemade crazy putty or creating mini-catapults, close to 200 students got together to share the importance of engineering with friends and families in the Binghamton community.

This past Saturday, the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science hosted its annual Community Day. Held in Binghamton University’s

Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC), the event was free and open to the public. Engineering-based student organizations taught scientific concepts to attendees through presentations, tours and interactive activity stations.

Community Day has been held at BU for approximately 20 years and is a part of Engineer’s Week, a national week-long celebration that promotes the study of engineering.

It is spearheaded by the nonprofit

organization DiscoverE. This year’s national theme was “engineers make a world of difference.”

The event ran from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and was sponsored by IBM, Raymond, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, BAE Systems, Binghamton University Dining Services, Universal Instruments, Mirabito and Shumaker.

Local children were able to participate in various activities, including the egg drop challenge. The station was sponsored by Pi Tau Sigma,

VPMA arrested for DWI, pleads not guilty Staff Reports Ruslan Klafehn, the Student Association (SA) vice president for multicultural affairs (VPMA) and a sophomore majoring in political science, was arrested for driving while

intoxicated on February 12.

According to a Facebook post by the Vestal Police Department, Klafehn was driving unsafely, and was found to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) higher than .08.

Klafehn is currently running to

be the SA president for the 2016-17 academic year.

Pipe Dream reached out to Klafehn, but he declined to comment other than saying he had pleaded not guilty.

This is a developing story. Check bupipedream.com for updates.

Students explore career options

On Leap Day, campus samples creative ways to use extra time Peter Brockwell

in electrical engineering, said this was an opportunity to show students activities that could be accomplished on To celebrate a day that only comes the extra day. The event was hosted by once every four years, students gathered Hinman Community Council (HCC), of in the Mandela Room to explore what life which Cadwell is the vice president for might be like in an alternate universe. service and leadership, along with the Despite being held the Sunday before Dickinson community.

Leap Day, Ryan Cadwell, organizer of “Leap Day is kind of a weird, the event and a sophomore majoring interesting day that happens every four Contributing Writer

years,” Cadwell said. “I thought the idea of a ‘fake day’ was a cool concept to use so that students could have some fun with the extra day in their year.”

By setting up different stations around the room, Cadwell said they hoped to provide a glimpse of different realities for students. With tables dedicated to professions such as

SEE LEAP PAGE 2

Eating disorder myths dispelled Psychologist Norman Kim dissolves stigmas about illnesses Samuel Abaev Contributing Writer

Over 75 Binghamton University faculty and students gathered in the Old University Union on Monday night to learn about eating disorder awareness and prevention.

The program, titled “Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate,” focused on eating disorders and how they can impact all individuals differently.

The program was initiated by a panel of student speakers who made up a subgroup of the Eating Awareness Committee (EAC), a University-wide group that has spread information on disordered eating issues since 1998. The panel first introduced speaker Norman Kim, a psychologist who graduated from UCLA, and later took the stage at the end of the presentation to reflect their personal stories.

“Eating disorders are not disorders of

ARTS & CULTURE

A ’90s classic gets a modern-day reboot in “Fuller House,” but fails to deliver, See page 4

The Hinman Production Company takes on the challenge of writing, rehearsing and performing an original play in only 24 hours, See page 4

being, they’re not disorders of the body, but rather they are anxiety disorders,” Kim said. “There is no reason to think that [eating disorders] would be limited to any certain group. They can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, size, ethnicity, sexual orientation — none of those factors matter.”

Kim has been working and studying eating disorders for over 15 years, and

SEE EAC PAGE 2

Vladimir Kolesnikov/Contributing Photographer Binghamton University Counseling Center (UCC) interns Hadas Bernstein, Allison Dashow and Amanda Niedfeld discuss causes of stress for college students at a workshop titled “Resiliency.” This workshop was hosted by the UCC as part of an ongoing effort to certify students as Mental Health Advocates (MHA).

Workshop focuses on how to manage stress

University Counseling Center series promotes resiliency amidst adversity Kanchi Chandwani Staff Writer

There are many causes of stress for college students, and on Sunday the Binghamton University Counseling Center (UCC) hosted a workshop on how to remain resilient in the face of all of them.

The workshop, titled “Resiliency,” was held as part of an ongoing effort by the UCC to certify students as Mental Health Advocates (MHA). The MHA program began last spring with the goal of fostering a more supportive, stigma-free campus.

To receive the certification, attendees

OPINIONS

Guest columnist discusses the need to promote political activism, See page 8

must go to five sessions.

As counseling center interns, BU students Hadas Bernstein, Allison Dashow and Amanda Niedfeld held this session in University Union to educate students about resiliency, which is the ability to recover readily from significant sources of stress such as illness, depression, trauma and other forms of adversity. The “Resiliency” workshop fulfilled the life skills category of the MHA certificate series.

The interns, also known as Mental Health Outreach Peer Educators (M-HOPE), encouraged students to

SEE UCC PAGE 2

SPORTS

Baseball swept in three-game series at UNC Greensboro, See page 16

Dominant offense propels softball to three wins at JMU Tournament, See page 16

2

NEWS

bupipedream.com | March 1, 2016

Workshop teaches skills to de-stress UCC FROM PAGE 1

Vladimir Kolesnikov/Contributing Photographer Representatives from Barnes & Noble propose their vision for the campus bookstore. B&N and Follett are bidding to operate the campus bookstore, and the companies made pitches to the Binghamton University administration on Friday about why each is the best choice for the University.

B&N, Follett compete for bookstore deal SHOP FROM PAGE 1 simple, mockup approach for initial discussion.”

Barnes & Noble’s pitch centered on their long relationship with the University, the resources the company plans to devote to the bookstore in the future and current student satisfaction with the operations of the store. They conducted a survey which indicates that 92 percent of students rank the bookstore as “good” or better in terms of overall performance, and 69 percent of students feel the campus bookstore made their transition into college life easier as freshmen.

Another portion of Barnes & Noble’s presentation focused on proposed physical changes to the bookstore. Among these

are a conversion of the upstairs mannequin window into a door to increase foot traffic through the store, the addition of a lounge area with seating for students and a relocation of textbooks, by moving some to the first floor to better facilitate the sale of other products.

“We are constantly working to grow,” said Heather Sheffer, the current store manager. “We can’t stay the same because campus hasn’t stayed the same.”

Both companies highlighted their own technologies, with Barnes & Noble promoting their Yuzu online textbook reader and Follett discussing the functionality of their website, which includes Blackboard integration. Professors would be able to use a Blackboard add-on to browse and select textbooks and students could then buy the books

directly from Blackboard.

Both Barnes & Noble and Follett indicated similar approaches to digital textbooks. While both companies plan to continue offering electronic and physical textbook options, they acknowledged that the adoption of these materials has not been widespread. A survey of BU students by Barnes & Noble indicated that 83 percent of students prefer print textbooks to digital.

The committee will rank each of the proposals on several specific financial, technical and presentation-based criteria. Once the bid is approved, the bookstore will either enter a transitional period with Follett or the contract with Barnes & Noble will be renewed, according to Peter Napolitano, the director of auxiliary services and the leader of the bidding process.

Since the contract is 10 years, these are mutually beneficial —Peter Napolitano BU Director of Auxilary Services

“The winner of the bid will give money to the University for things like capital improvements,” Napolitano said. “Since the contract is 10 years, these are mutually beneficial for them and us.”

share significant events in their life in which they successfully handled their daily life obstacles.

Bernstein, a senior majoring in psychology, said students could learn from their past and become stronger people. By sharing their own struggles, other students could benefit by knowing that they are not alone.

“Always take care of yourself, because that is your first priority, and always reflect on your past,” Bernstein said. “Reflecting on your past can help you learn about what strategies for building resilience work for you and try to figure out how you can respond effectively to difficult situations or what you can change to make you a better and stronger person.”

For Rachel Moshman, a workshop attendee and a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, transitioning into college was one of these difficult situations.

“It was a major change and I felt really lost,” Moshman said.

“Any kind of drastic change is really stressful for me. My brain feels like it won’t work if there’s a change in the circumstances.

It took me around a year to not hate Binghamton. I’m happier and better now though and looking back at my first year here at Binghamton, I didn’t know what it meant to work for my classes.”

Dashow, a junior majoring in psychology, and Niedfeld, a senior majoring in psychology, encouraged students to be more resilient in hard times by being proactive and using resources offered on campus, such as selfhelp and support groups, books

Always take care of yourself, because that is your first priority, and always reflect on your past —Hadas Bernstein BU Senior

and the counseling center.

“You as students should look at a problem and take it headon,” Dashow said. “The first thought you should try to train your mind to think is, how do I need to approach this? How can I realistically accomplish what I need to and what is this situation trying to teach me?”

Although the workshop focused on teaching students how to approach stressful situations, the interns also stressed that resiliency depends on one’s surroundings. The skill set that students develop is uniquely shaped by their past and the support system provided by friends and family.

“Family members, friends and support groups that people have usually have a strong impact on how resilient they are,” Niedfeld said. “The approaches for one person might not work for someone else, because each culture or upbringing is different.”

Panel shares eating Kids experiment with engineering disorder experiences ENGINEERS FROM PAGE 1

EAC FROM PAGE 1

Health (EWH), a student organization that works to improve healthcare in poor countries through biomedical engineering, ran a station where attendees built DNA models from marshmallows and Twizzlers. EWH president Leigha Jarett, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, said that for the student volunteers, it’s rewarding to teach others about the scientific disciplines.

“It’s really nice to get involved in the community,” Jarett said. “It’s nice to work with kids since you don’t really get to work with kids that much as a college student, and also encouraging students to pursue STEM careers or engineering careers is fun.”

While some events were new, such as the tour of the 3D printing lab, other organizations brought back successful activities from previous years.

The National Society of Black Engineers held a zip line activity, where participants had to figure out a way to get a ping pong ball from the top to the bottom of a zip line in less than four seconds.

“It’s challenging, it’s innovative, it’s fun,” said Uthman

has experience both treating sufferers and teaching about the disorders.

In his presentation, he explained myths surrounding eating disorders, such as assumptions that they are choices or the result of extreme dieting. Kim said the disorders arise as result of a number of factors, one of which is genetics.

“The picture of the eating disorder started to become, and still remains so, as an illness of girls who come from wealthy families that have a lot of pressure placed on them,” Kim said. “But none of these factors existed in plenty of other cultures, yet the eating disorders are still present.

Eating disorders are strongly biological and genetic illnesses, meaning that we can establish clear hereditary patterns.”

Following Kim’s presentation, members of the student panel discussed their struggles with eating disorders.

Tommy Landes, a junior majoring in biology, shared his battle with anxiety, depression and suicide.

“In the beginning of high school, I began to notice a decrease in my self-identity,” Landes said. “I didn’t really know who I was. I would come home from school, start crying and want to disappear. There wasn’t a day where I wouldn’t

Vladimir Kolesnikov/Contributing Photographer Around 200 students gather to share the importance of engineering with friends and families in the Binghamton community. The Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science hosted its annual Community Day at the Innovative Technologies Complex. Engineering-based student organizations taught scientific concepts to attendees through presentations, tours and interactive activity stations.

Olowa, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. “The kids get really excited for it. It’s competitive, so we just figured why not bring it back again this year.”

According to David Berman, assistant to the

dean in the Watson School, there were approximately 350 attendees, including around 60 students from Johnson City Schools through STEP (Science and Technology Entry Program), which aims to get underrepresented students

interested in the field. “[The goal is] to share engineering with kids,” Berman said. “Engage kids and show them what engineering can do and what engineers do, and really open their minds to those possibilities.”

Feb. 29 offers chance to explore careers LEAP FROM PAGE 1 doctors, astronauts, janitors and the President of the United States, students could get a taste of new and different lives through simple games.

Elizabeth Sang, a sophomore majoring in psychology, ran the table where students pretended to be doctors; participants played the board game Operation, in which they extracted small plastic objects from a plastic man with a pair of tweezers. She said Leap Day gave students a chance to take part in a completely different world than the one they

currently inhabit.

“It only comes every four years, so this day’s not really supposed to exist,” Sang said.

“Since this day’s not really supposed to exist, we kind of made up a parallel universe where you get to be these different professions … you get to do all these different things, you get to be all these different people.

It’s just a completely different world.”

Ann D’Angelo, a resident assistant in Dickinson Community and a sophomore majoring in human development, was also running the doctor

table. She said that the day was both fun and a way for people to interact in unique ways.

“I thought it would be a fun way to get communities together,” D’Angelo said. “It would be a chance for different people from other communities to meet other people during a bigger event.”

Students at the event went from table to table, taking in the different experiences an alternate universe could offer them. Lydia King, a resident assistant in Dickinson and a sophomore double-majoring in mathematics and economics, said she was

using Leap Day to meet people across campus.

“We came to support the communities hosting the event, but also, it’s an extra day in the year and that’s pretty cool,“ King said.

Faith Porzilli, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she saw the event as a reminder to appreciate the additional day.

“Once every four years we randomly get an extra day and often it’s very overlooked,” Porzilli said. “The event reminded me to take the time to have fun despite all the stress of classes and exams.”

go in front of the mirror, and suck in my stomach to see how skinny I could get. I remember thinking that maybe if I could keep sucking my stomach in, I could physically disappear.

Obviously it was illogical, but to me, it was comforting.”

Kelly Keill, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she took to heart what she learned from sitting in.

“Eating disorders affect a large portion of the population,” Keill said. “I know a few personal friends that are affected by eating disorders. As Norman Kim explained, they affect a rather large part of the population, with two to three percent of girls and women being diagnosed with just bulimia. It’s important to address them and get them the help they need.”

This awareness that Keill described is just what event coordinator Jen Wegmenn said she hoped the event would convey.

“Our mission is to get this to spread and make it known to the public,” Wegmenn said.

“Everybody is susceptible.

Individuals tend to deny the actions or behaviors because they don’t fit the criteria, meaning they don’t seek help, which in turn can snowball and turn into something worse.

Eating disorders indeed ‘don’t discriminate’ and today was just a step in trying to convey that.”

Rachel Tomei/Contributing Photographer A panel of student speakers from the Eating Awareness Committee (EAC) speaks to over 75 Binghamton University faculty and students in the Old University Union Monday night.

The program, titled “Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate,” focused on eating disorders and how they can impact all individuals differently.

PAGE III Tuesday, March 1, 2016

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

Pipe Line LOCAL NEWS Binghamton University makes Buffalo Business First ranking According to the Press and SunBulletin, Binghamton University was ranked as the 20th best public college in the United States by Buffalo Business First. Along with being the 20th among the top 250 public universities, BU was also ranked first among New York state’s public colleges.

Oakdale Mall announces tobacco-free grounds policy The Oakdale Mall in Johnson City announced that they will implement a tobacco-free policy on Tuesday, according to the Press and Sun-Bulletin. The policy will prohibit the use of all tobacco products, including electronic nicotine devices, on mall grounds at 601-635 Harry L Dr. Mall management said they implemented the policy, which is already in use at multiple other malls across the state, to protect visitors and employees from secondhand smoke. Tobacco Free Broome and Tioga will provide “Tobacco-Free Grounds” signage for the Oakdale Mall.

Mercy House opens for terminally ill The first home for the terminally

Label Lies

ill in Broome and Tioga counties opened on Sunday, according to the Press and Sun-Bulletin. The Mercy House of the Southern Tier, founded by Rev. Clarence F. Rumble, is a nonprofit community care shelter that has 10 beds and will be staffed by professionals and trained volunteers to provide 24hour care to patients. More than $1 million was raised through community events and donations to open the house. There will be no cost to stay in the home, but donations and any insurance that can be provided will be accepted. The home is located on N. McKinley Ave. in Endicott, and will work with Lourdes Hospice to provide various services.

Senator seeks EPA inspection into Ithaca lead in water issue Following the shutdown of all drinking water sources in every Ithaca City School District school on Wednesday, Senator Charles Schumer called on the EPA to investigate, according to the Ithaca Journal. The letter called for testing of the water sources by the EPA and an investigation into the sources of contamination.

Schumer said that he believed the EPA’s experience in dealing with lead contamination would help remedy the situation as soon as possible.

This Day in History March 1, 1790 The first United States census is authorized.

“Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted.”

— Leonardo DiCaprio, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in “The Revenant.”

Web: bupipedream.com

Spring 2016 editor-in-ChieF* Nicolas Vega editor@bupipedream.com MAnAging editor* Emma C Siegel manager@bupipedream.com neWs editor* Alexandra K. Mackof news@bupipedream.com Asst. neWs editors Carla B. Sinclair Pelle Waldron Gabriella Weick oPinions editor* Lawrence Ciulla opinion@bupipedream.com Arts & Culture editor* Odeya Pinkus arts@bupipedream.com Asst. Arts & Culture editor Kathryn Shafsky sPorts editor* E.Jay Zarett sports@bupipedream.com Asst. sPorts editors Jeffrey Twitty Orla McCaffrey Fun editor* Benjamin T. Moosher fun@bupipedream.com design MAnAger* Samantha Webb design@bupipedream.com

Caleb Schwartz/Contributing Photographer Melanie Peranich, a dietician for Binghamton University Dining Services by Sodexo, speaks about the common mistakes and misconceptions surrounding labels in the food industry. The talk was given Friday afternoon in the East Gym.

design Assts.

Aleza Leinwand Sihang Li PhotogrAPhy editor* Franz K. Lino photo@bupipedream.com Asst. PhotogrAPhy editor John S. Babich

Police Watch Gone in a Flash FRIDAY, Feb. 26, 11:50 a.m. — A female student reported that she had her flash drive stolen from the computer pod in Brandywine Hall, said Investigator Dennis P. Bush of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. The flash drive, which contained her school work and personal photos, was left in the computer she was using when she left the building. She left a note asking for whoever took it to return it, and the case is still pending investigation.

Lift-ed FRIDAY, Feb. 26, 4:59 p.m. — A student came into the station on Friday to report the theft of his backpack out of a cab, Bush said.

The cab had dropped him off the night before, and he had forgotten to take his backpack with him. The student said that when he had contacted the cab company, they were unhelpful and said they didn’t have it. When UPD contacted the cab company later and gave them a description, they said that they did in fact have a bag matching that description.

Upon checking the contents of the bag, the student said that there was $200 missing from it, but that all other items were there.

A lighter take on campus crime Derek Schuster Police Correspondant

A Likely Story SATURDAY, Feb. 27, 8:29 p.m. — An officer on patrol stopped a vehicle on West Drive that had not stopped at a stop sign on Saturday night, Bush said. The officer noticed alcohol in the vehicle and found that the driver was only 20 years old. The driver stated that the alcohol belonged to a friend of his who was 21 years old, and that he was visiting the friend. The alcohol was confiscated by the officer and the driver was issued an appearance ticket for the Town of Vestal Court for failing to stop at a stop sign.

Turnt Up MONDAY, Feb. 29, 9:23 a.m. — UPD was contacted on Monday regarding a quality of life violation at an unknown fraternity on Chapin St., Bush said. The fraternity, according to the student, constantly throws parties with loud music, and not just on weekends. He also said that there is often trash left outside the house.

He has contacted multiple agencies regarding this issue, and believed that since they are University students, this matter should be handled by the University. He was informed that since they are off-campus, that is not the case, and was given the proper contact information.

CoPy desk ChieF* Katherine H. Dowd copy@bupipedream.com Asst. CoPy desk ChieF Rachel Greenspan neWsrooM teChnology MAnAger* Rohit Kapur tech@bupipedream.com Asst. neWsrooM teCh. MAnAger Henry Zheng leAd Web develoPer* William Sanders web@bupipedream.com editoriAl Artist Elizabeth Manning business MAnAger* Michael A. Contegni business@bupipedream.com Advertising MAnAger Sabrina Khan ads@bupipedream.com distribution MAnAger Nathan Dodge distribution@bupipedream.com 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.

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stabilizing: sports

2 hours :destabilizing

ARTS & CULTURE

HPC creates an original play in 24 hours

Script, scenery and stage design in just one day Shauna Bahssin Staff Writer Once a semester, Hinman Production Company (HPC) puts on a short play that is written, designed and rehearsed within the span of 24 hours. Between the 32 participants, hours of sleep are few and far-between, though spirits remain high at the prospect of creating a completely original performance.

This semester, Pipe Dream shadowed the full-day project to find out what it’s like to be backstage during the production.

HPC puts on 24-Hour Theatre to provide an opportunity for students who are interested in being a part of the company or the performing arts but can’t commit to being in a full-length production. The production doesn’t require any previous experience in theatre — only the motivation to stick it out for the whole day.

Participants sign up prior to the production, but are only given the theme for the semester’s show upon arrival.

The theme is decided upon by the Hinman College Council (HCC) and requires a person, action and place. This semester, the theme was “star-crossed lovers find out they’re related behind a Denny’s.”

Upon arriving at the Hinman Commons, it was clear to see that participants had come prepared

for the long haul. Overnight bags, blankets and an assortment of snack foods were scattered around the three different rooms allocated to the event.

The contributors were divided into three teams — a tech team, writing team and acting team — and each group was already hard at work.

“It’s a really cool experience that a lot of other people don’t get to do in any other setting but college,” said Douglas Harrington, a co-coordinator of the event and a senior majoring in business administration.

The event coordinators believe that this kind of production gives people who weren’t cast in HPC’s seasonal shows the opportunity to get involved.

“The thing I love about 24-Hour is that we have 30 participants … and you can try anything you want,” said Ed Markievicz, a co-coordinator of the production and a senior majoring in financial economics.

“Even if you’re into tech, you can try out to be an actor — it gives you a really good opportunity to work on your interests.”

By 7 p.m., the writing team began to work on the basic plot of the script. They had just finished a brainstorming session in which members of the team threw out words that could vaguely pertain to the prompt, which included everything from “evil siblings”

Caleb Schwartz/Contributing Photographer Members of the Hinman Production Company put on a short play that was written, designed and rehearsed within the span of 24 hours.

to “familytree.com.” Meanwhile, the acting team was in the next room over, getting to know each other through games, which were based on ensemble-building techniques and improvisation.

The tech team had a lighter job earlier in the night, as the majority of their job couldn’t be done until they received the script.

By 2 a.m., the writers had finished the script and many of the participants had gone to sleep. Natalie Lista, a writing team leader and a sophomore majoring in integrative

TELEVISION REVIEW: FULLER HOUSE

neuroscience, explained that the enthusiasm for the production is only enhanced by the fast-paced and exhausting environment.

“You are so sleep-deprived and you’re trying to do such a huge operation, but you’re very much buoyed by the team aspect of it,” Lista said. “We’re going to go to sleep and by the time we wake up, there’s going to be a set halfconstructed. It’s like our vision coming to life before our eyes.”

The next morning, however, was when some participants appeared to be fading. Though they were greeted by coffee and

bagels upon waking up, the Hinman Commons’ heat had been turned off overnight and most of the contributors had slept on the floor. Still, the urgency of opening the show in 10 hours was more than enough to motivate the cast and crew as they set to work that morning memorizing lines, blocking scenes, finding props and creating a set.

At 5 p.m., the show was completed and cast members were moving about in a halfexcited, half-exhausted daze.

Harrington, noticing the atmosphere, requested that loud

music be played to pump up the cast before the show opened.

After doing a series of HPC preshow rituals, everyone was as energetic as they had been when they started 23 hours earlier.

The show, which they titled “Becousins I Said So,” went off without a hitch.

“Everyone’s exhausted,” Harrington said. “I’ve slept for two hours. I’m starving. But it’s all worth it because we bring all these people together and you can see that everyone’s having an amazing time. That’s why it’s worth it.”

ALBUM REVIEW: THE 1975

A fun, modern sound

British band works to diversify audience Georgia Westbrook Staff Writer

Photo provided by AP Exchange

Netflix effort a real flop

'90s revival fails to live up to the anticipation Lindsey Klein Contributing Writer On Friday, February 26, “Fuller House” — a revival of the ’90s hit “Full House” — premiered on Netflix. “Full House,” which aired on ABC from 1987-1995, followed a widowed father who enlists the help of both his brother-in-law and his best friend to raise his three daughters. While the anticipation for the reboot was great, the 13-episode series doesn’t live up to the hype.

In August 2014, reports circulated that Warner Bros. was considering a revival. In April 2015, John Stamos confirmed the rumors on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and filming on the project began in July.

“Fuller House” — which was written and produced by “Full House” creator Jeff Franklin — revolves around the Tanner children, now all grown up. In the first episode, viewers learn that DJ Tanner-Fuller is now a widowed veterinarian with three boys, struggling to keep it all together.

However, sister Stephanie and old friend Kimmy Gibbler make the decision to move in with DJ and help her raise the three boys — truly reminiscent of its predecessor’s beginnings.

“Full House” stars John Stamos,

Bob Saget and Dave Coulier barely make the cut in the series. The show ships them off to live their post-parenting lives elsewhere.

Danny moves to Los Angeles with Uncle Jesse and Becky, and Uncle Joey goes off to Vegas. Besides a few scattered appearances by each, the show doesn’t circulate around them. Instead, the show mirrors the plot of the original show, in which three people are coming together to raise three children.

The episodes start with the original theme song, remixed by Carly Rae Jepsen, with pictures of the cast then and now. But the reboot is something that its ancestor never was. It is a try-hard, almost Disney Channel-type version of the show. It’s the kind of show you put on when you’re trying to fall asleep, or while doing your homework and just need some background noise.

The idea behind this reboot is extremely thoughtful and nostalgic, but its execution is poor and stale.

The lines are forced and awkward, and although the characters are meant to be the same, the magic that the original show had is gone.

And, of course, it’s unfortunate that the sassy star of the show, Michelle Tanner — played by MaryKate and Ashley Olsen — didn’t make it back. The Olsen twins are currently running two successful

clothing lines, Elizabeth & James and The Row. The “Fuller House” characters passive-aggressively reference this by directly addressing their absence and staring into the camera, which makes for an uncomfortable moment for the viewers.

The first episode was, of course, sentimental and familiar, as the actors parallel the old series, sending the live studio audience into loud laughter. As each episode goes on, however, it just becomes cheesy.

It’s not entirely clear who the show’s intended audience is. Is it a younger generations’ version of “Full House,” or is the reboot meant for former fans of the show?

Like the more successful spin-off “Girl Meets World” — a follow-up to “Boy Meets World” featuring original cast members — the show’s main challenge is to find a balance between appealing to fans of the original and today’s younger generation. However, unlike “Girl Meets World,” “Fuller House” fails to stand on its own.

As far as revivals go, “Fuller House” is definitely not on the top charts. Yes, it’s something to put on to pass the time, but it’s not worth wasting eight hours following the tribulations of childhood stars all grown up.

The 1975’s sophomore album, “I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It” was released on Friday, three years after the band’s eponymous first album came out. The band has teased the album, releasing several singles over the past year, including “Love Me,” “UGH!” and “The Sound,” and hyping it on their social media. Fans of The 1975 will find that this album uses a more synth-based sound than their first album, but the emotions behind the lyrics are mainly the same.

The English band, who met as teenagers, have been together since the early 2000s. They released their first EP in 2012 and their full album, “The 1975,” was released soon after in 2013. In the same year, their song “Chocolate” was arguably one of the songs of the summer, despite peaking at only number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. With “The 1975,” the band gained somewhat of a cult following among teenagers and the “hipster” crowd.

“I Like It” pokes fun at the angst of young love and frontman Matthew Healy’s music taste may be to blame. In an interview with British music blog “When the Gramophone Rings,” Healy said he was influenced by all the songs that he listened to as an adolescent when creating this record. However, this influence does not translate to a childish sound. Instead, the band, both on their first album and this new one, aim to capture the intensity of love and the feelings of a complex relationship through their music. The conflict between the influences which informed the album and the desire to reach a larger demographic creates a thin line for the band to walk, but they are successful in their attempt to create a balanced record.

The album title for The 1975’s newest record is almost as long

as the album itself, but of the 17 tracks on the album, there are some true gems. “If I Believe You” plays heavily on Healy’s moody vocals, pairing him with gospelstyle background singers against heavy beats and little other music.

“Somebody Else” is an electronic song at its core and sounds like a remix of tracks on “The 1975.”

“Loving Someone” echoes similar electronic vibes, but it matches the sound with an ethereal mood in its lyrics and harmonies.

It could definitely make its way onto the soundtrack of the next John Green movie adaptation.

“The Sound” is a confusing addition to the record, as its pop sound sits in stark contrast with the rest of the album. However, its sound is reminiscent of Passion Pit and fans of more upbeat songs will find it a welcome interlude in the moodiness of the rest of the record.

“This Must Be My Dream” is arguably the highlight track of the album, as it manages to combine pop elements with electronic influences and lyrics that match the rest of the album’s angsty mood. It sounds like a more hip

version of something one might find on a 1980s throwback playlist, but it need not be added to their playlist ironically.

Despite the length of “I Like It,” the album is cohesive in the feelings it evokes. The 1975 experiments wholly with the composition of their album, featuring instrumental tracks while playing with synthesizers and remixing. Although the styles are mixed, the album is mainly comprehensive when listened to in order. Compared to ”The 1975,” the new album showcases a more creative sense of musicianship in the band.

Overall, the album is a good one.

The 1975 prove that their music is no longer just pretentiously created for a marginal audience, but is instead driven by the desire to become a more listenable act.

Their music serves as an invitation for listeners to party with the hipster crowd. The new album is far from mundane in its mix of styles, and the feelings that are expressed are undoubtedly relatable. The album may be long, but it is worth a listen all the way through.

Photo provided by Polydor Records

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

5

ARTS & CULTURE

Pikachu reaches a milestone Replace pasta in After 20 years, fans of Pokemon still want to 'catch 'em all' your next meal James Sereno Arts & Culture

This past Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the release of the very first PokĂŠmon game in Japan. In the two decades since, PokĂŠmon has gained unprecedented international success and has become one of the most recognizable and cherished video game, film and TV franchises ever.

The second most-popular exclusive franchise for Nintendo next to Mario, the handheld video game series lets players fill the shoes of a PokĂŠmon trainer from the moment they receive their first PokĂŠmon — a creature with special abilities — all the way to becoming the PokĂŠmon League Champion. Along the way, players collect and train their PokĂŠmon while competing against their rivals, other trainers and criminal organizations. While the Entertainment Software Rating Board gives these games an “E for everyoneâ€? rating, the series has featured more mature topics of death and religion, leaving many adults still hooked on the game they loved as children.

Following its launch in Japan and abroad, PokĂŠmon reached

success far beyond the video game industry. The PokĂŠmon Trading Card Game, first published in 1996, allows fans to collect their favorite PokĂŠmon and compete against friends without a video game system. Both the handheld video games and trading card games are still played today in tournaments year-round, including the 2016 PokĂŠmon World Championships, which will be held in San Francisco in August.

On the air since 1997, the PokĂŠmon television series follows the adventures of the 10-year-old trainer Ash Ketchum on his quest to become a PokĂŠmon master. Based on the video game series, the show has produced over 900 episodes and 18 movies with no indication of stopping any time soon.

To celebrate the franchise’s 20th year, “PokĂŠmon Red, Blue and Yellow: Special Pikachu Editionâ€? were re-released through the handheld 3DS’s Nintendo eShop for $9.99 each on Saturday. The company also released a now outof-stock special edition PokĂŠmonthemed New Nintendo 3DS, which comes with “PokĂŠmon Red and Blueâ€? preinstalled.

On Friday, Nintendo hosted a PokĂŠmon Direct, a live, online, six-minute presentation from

The PokĂŠmon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, to announce the next installments for the handheld 3DS and 2DS, “PokĂŠmon Sunâ€? and “PokĂŠmon Moon.â€? The two new PokĂŠmon role-playing games are slated for release this holiday season.

PokÊmon Sun and Moon will be the seventh generation of PokÊmon handheld games, the latest since the company’s 2013 releases of PokÊmon X and Y. Little is known about the new titles, but players will be able to explore a new region filled with new PokÊmon, trainers and exciting adventures.

Other than the re-release of the franchise’s original titles and the newest generation to come this year’s holiday season, The PokÊmon Company has new developments on the horizon to continue its worldwide brand. Scheduled for a worldwide release on March 18 is PokkÊn Tournament for the Wii U console. Developed by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Inc., the producers of the fighting game series Tekken, PokkÊn Tournament will allow players to battle PokÊmon in an arcade-fight style, which will be much different from the PokÊmon games that players have become accustomed to.

Also to come this year is

PokĂŠmon GO, a virtual reality app for iPhone and Android devices.

This highly anticipated release will allow smartphone users to explore the real world for PokĂŠmon using their actual location. Players will have to search far and wide across the world to find, battle and capture PokĂŠmon. Trading and battling with other players will also be possible, making the PokĂŠmon world truly come to life.

From reliving their first experiences with Pocket Monsters to preparing to travel the world and capture their favorites, fans will undoubtedly have another exciting 20 years to look forward to in the world of PokĂŠmon.

PokĂŠmon Sun and Moon will be the seventh generation of PokĂŠmon handheld games

Kathryn Shafsky Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

Got a fancy vegetable spiralizer as a gift but don’t know what to make? Pipe Dream has you covered with three tasty recipes that will keep you satisfied.

Zucchini Noodles in a Mushroom Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: 1 large zucchini 5 baby bella mushrooms 1 jar of tomato sauce Chopped garlic Diced onion Oregano Black pepper Steps 1. Chop one large onion — or use frozen diced onions — and add them to a large sautÊ pan with a tablespoon of oil.

2. Once the onions are clear, add chopped garlic, chopped mushrooms, tomato sauce and spices to the pan. Let simmer for 15 minutes on low.

3. Using your spiralizer, make spaghetti-sized noodles out of the zucchini. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan and simmer for five additional minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Serve noodles with a side of baked chicken or tofu.

Zucchini Shoestring Fries

Ingredients: 1 package of imitation crab sticks 1 large cucumber 2 tbsp of mayonnaise Sriracha Black pepper Steps 1. Slice the imitation crab sticks in half and peel into thin strips that are about the width of linguine.

2. Using the “thin� setting on your spiralizer, create “noodles� with the cucumbers. Slice the cucumber “noodles� into small strips that are about the same size as the strips of imitation crab.

3. Mix the mayonnaise and sriracha to taste before adding it to the mixture of crab and cucumber.

4. Add black pepper to taste and serve in a bowl or over slices of cucumber.

Kani Salad

Ingredients: 1 large zucchini Flour 2 eggs Black pepper Salt Chili powder Steps 1. Using your spiralizer, create thin zucchini noodles. Use a knife to cut the zucchini into the smaller segments.

2. In one bowl, mix together the flour, black pepper, salt and chili powder. In another bowl, whisk together the two eggs.

3. Dunk the zucchini in egg and then dredge in the flour before placing it on a tinfoil-lined pan.

4. Bake the fries at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes until they are golden brown.

Photo provided by Pokemon/Nintendo

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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Sudoku Column

Hothead Balloon

Lil Manning

DIY Sudoku Please Feel The Bern Please Please Please

(917) 837-9124 This bit can't be stopped!

Actually it can be, because fewer and fewer people are texting me, so lets MAKE IT WORK, DESIGNERS!

Bernie Sanders?!?

What are you still doing here?

No one voted for you in the contest!

Benjamin Moosher

I am using this as a last ditch effort to get voters OUT there on Super Tuesday.

Also if things don’t work out I might need to crash at Fun Page for a while, sooo ...

(917) 837-9124 RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis Brady Bunch Sudoku (Idea by Babich)

Hey guys, I realize there's a lot of space between the tightrope walking bit and the lil' stickies cheering him on, so I want to address something in this space. Unfortunately, it's time to retire the Tetris bit. I could blame it on my editor, but the truth of the matter is that I ran out of steam pretty quickly. Big Red will be returning periodically like below, but for now, don't expect an invasion of Tetris pieces next issue, or any issue after that. Also, wouldn't it be wild if the whole page was just this joke:

SuGoku

"Pandini's?

More like PanDUMPi's!"

Just a thought.

Featuring

Bernie Sanders Millennial Melissa Big Red Greaser Greg Transformed Guy Joseph Arra Alex Antiuk The Runny Sticky's Best Friend Marcus

my Oh

!

Go d

He's d o ing it !

I can't believe it!!

ACROSS 1 Baby bed 5 At hand 9 Students’ stats 13 Invisible vibes 14 95-year-old cookie 15 Lettuce or cabbage, so to speak 16 *Use unfair tactics 18 “The Beverly Hillbillies” star Buddy 19 Men of La Mancha 20 Olympians 22 When pigs fly, poetically 24 “__ & Janis”: comic strip 25 Muscular power 28 The sound of music?

31 Rx watchdog 34 Fox or turkey chaser?

35 Doubleday and Yokum 36 Distant 37 Sanctions 38 *Drop in the ocean 39 Swing voter: Abbr.

40 VCR button 41 Mottled, in catdom 42 Twice quadri43 Early 16thcentury date 44 Inscribed pillar 45 Vile smile 46 Tiny bit 48 “White” event 50 Close associates 54 Party appetizer 58 Ciao in Chihuahua 59 *Outboard, say 61 “Big” director Marshall 62 Thereabout 63 Bart or Homer Simpson 64 Consequently 65 __ miss 66 Contemporary of Agatha and Rex DOWN 1 Baseball headgear

2 Make a judicial decision 3 Persia, today 4 Weapon attached to a rifle 5 Cause of urban pollution 6 Like some vbs.

7 “__ life!”

8 Hall of Fame pitcher Wilhelm 9 “Lonesome” George of ’50s TV 10 *Kissing game 11 On the calmer side 12 Lacking 15 ’90s TV drama “__ Place” 17 Attracted 21 Mohawk, for one 23 Hoi polloi 25 Dark-clouds bringer 26 Teed off 27 *Prohibition at a lake 29 “__ we meet again” 30 Frees of frost 32 Beatrice’s lover

33 Fervency 35 Slackened 38 Rapture 42 Musically monotonous 45 Close angrily 47 College town near Bangor 49 Shakespearean performer 50 Seaside land formation 51 German river to the Baltic

52 Deep black, in verse 53 Like some losers 55 Fabric finish?

56 Parlor game, and word that can follow the last word of the answers to asterisked clues 57 Fish-eating eagle 60 Nutty-fruitcake center?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

By Fred Jackson III (c)2007 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

7/31/07

7/31/07

WEEKEND SPRING 2016

7 Raquel Panitz/Pipe Dream Photographer

WARRIORS

With Parade Day on the horizon, many Weekend Warriors rested their bodies to fully prepare themselves for debauchery. But a few brave souls ventured onto State Street last weekend to get alcohol in their system and butter and other soft oils on their skin. Luckily, Pipe Dream was there to catch all the action.

ADVERTISE IN PIPE DREAM. ADS@BUPIPEDREAM.COM

OPINIONS Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Sanders inspires youth to do more Momentum for progressive should transfer to Clinton Harris Weiss

Guest Columnist

APPLY YOURSELF Leap day came and went, and whether we like it or not, March is upon us and it’s time to apply for jobs and summer internships.

Sure, it can be tedious and stressful to update resumes and cover letters, but you don’t want to be the one sitting at home while the rest of your friends are out getting ahead in their fields.

There are resources on campus that are readily available, and it is prime time to make headway on job searches. We’re not looking to sound like policing parents, but it really is necessary to get on top of future plans. For those who aren’t graduating, this isn’t the time to slack. Whether it’s at a nonprofit, a large company or a small startup, internships are a valuable way of adding to your resume and figuring out what type of job and atmosphere you might be interested in after graduation.

Many applications are now open and many could be closing soon. If you are finding this stressful, remember that you are not alone in the job search, and the process will soon prove worthwhile. Reach out to the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development; it is a valuable resource readily available for students. They’ll go over your resumes, cover letters and even take professional photos for your LinkedIn profile so you can avoid cropping a picture from The Rat or from family dinner six years ago. And if you aren’t sure what you want to do, they will sit down with you and help you figure out what internships best suit your interests.

And while paid internships are nice, they are often few and far between. If you get an unpaid internship, look up the Sodexo Internship Fund. They offer up to $5,000 to help defray the costs of an internship, allowing you to intern wherever you like. Don’t let an organization’s inability to pay inhibit your ability to get a great experience.

If you are having trouble finding opportunities, don’t shy away from using the resources available to you. HireBing has numerous listings for jobs around the country. Open your mind up to positions back at home, across the country, or here in Binghamton — for those of you that are living off-

campus, you’re paying rent over the summer anyway, so it makes sense to actually live there. Keep your options open. Internships provide you with one of the new opportunities in life to take a risk for a short period of time and find something that you could really enjoy.

Internships and jobs are looking at you, the person. They aren’t always looking at GPA or recommendations — they are curious about the job you are able to do. Seize this. When your procrastination presents you with a choice to either work on an English paper or spend the night applying to a job, do the latter.

Think big picture — it can help you down the line.

Views expressed in the opinion pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece which represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial, above. The Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Opinions Editor, Sports Editor and Arts & Culture Editor.

want our Democratic nominee, no matter who they are, to have the best chance of success, we need Democrats elected to the house and senate to prevent the obstructionism we have seen since Republicans took over Congress under Obama.

At the state level, core Sanders policy topics such as increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, alleviating student debt and ensuring healthcare for all could be approved in New York state.

As it stands, the Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate, but in a presidential year like this, Democrats have a great chance of swinging the senate their way. This could be one the best ways to continue activism for Bernie and his policies even if he is no longer in the race. While those policies would not happen country-wide, in New York, you could see them become a reality.

In closing, I would love to see every Sanders supporter become just as active in support of Clinton, but I know realistically that it probably won’t happen.

So if you are one of those people, please know that there are other places for your activism to be just as valuable. If we want to see progressive policies passed, we need to work together at every level of government to ensure we elect people who will make those policies a reality. So if Sanders drops out or loses, please don’t give up; just find a new avenue for your activism, because come November, we will need it.

Since his announcement last year, I have been fascinated by the level of activism of the student populations on campuses across this nation in support of Bernie Sanders. While I am a proud Hillary Clinton supporter, I have been delighted to see that so many students are taking a vested interest in their future and the future of this country by registering to vote and becoming outspoken activists for a cause they believe in. But what happens if Sanders drops out, or does not become the Democratic nominee at the convention? With polls showing Clinton to be the favorite to become the nominee, I worry that all of the activism and organization of students that has taken place in support of Bernie could be lost once he is no longer in the race.

While various polls have shown that a majority of Sanders supports would support Clinton in the general, a disconcerting amount of people say they would not. I hope every collegeage Sanders supporter would give the former secretary of state a fair chance to earn their vote. After all, both Clinton and Sanders share core policy values on topics such as student debt, racial justice and women’s rights, just to name three.

Another reason that needs no further explanation is Donald Trump is looking more and more — Harris Weiss is a senior like the Republican nominee. majoring in political science.

But if you are a student who just does not want to support or advocate for Hillary, know that there are other avenues for you to continue to advocate for Democratic values, and your preferred policy outcomes.

In New York state alone, the upcoming election is shaping up as an election wherein Democrats could do very well as long as people vote, and also advocate strongly for candidates.

At the federal level, we need to ensure that we re-elect our Democratic congressional members, but more importantly we need to elect Democrats in the districts currently held by Republicans, such as the district the University resides in. If we

I worry that all the activism and organization of students that has taken place in support of Bernie could be lost once he is no longer in the race

President and Senate have duty to nominate justice

Despite GOP rhetoric, the Constitution mandates replacement regardless of 2016 election Anita Raychawdhuri

Columnist

With the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, nominated by President Reagan, the opinions on how to fill his vacant seat came from seemingly everywhere.

Some were relieved that the reign of conservative rulings had ended, while others panicked at President Obama being able to nominate a new justice to the Supreme Court.

The president’s nomination could cause the Supreme Court’s scales to tip in a more liberal direction, much to the dismay of the GOP.

Personally, I love the idea of Obama being able to nominate a new justice to the Supreme Court, but even if I didn’t, I recognize the idiocy of the GOP threatening to block the nomination. It is the constitutional right of the president to nominate a candidate and for that candidate to be properly considered by the Senate. The Constitution is clear: the president nominates the candidate, the candidate attends hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, who can vote to send the nomination to the Senate which then can confirm or reject it.

The president and the Senate have a duty and a right to elect a suitable candidate. A new justice is needed to fill the vacancy and break the evenness of justices left in

Scalia’s death. Yes, Obama’s term is ending, but there is still a year left — a year is enough time to select a suitable justice and long enough that it is unreasonable to block his duty. Yet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that the Republican-controlled Senate will not consider a nomination from President Obama.

McConnell justified his stance by saying that the people should decide, aka ‘let’s wait for the election cycle and pray for a Republican president to be elected, so we can put in a new Scalia.’ Would McConnell suggest letting the people decide if the president were Romney rather than Obama? McConnell has completely politicized the branch of government that is supposed to

be politically neutral. Justices have their positions for life, meaning that they owe nothing to the government that appointed them or to voters; they make decisions based on their convictions and expertise in analyzing the constitution. Now, of course, justices are humans with political views that do interact with how they vote on the Supreme Court. That being said, however, the Supreme Court is not supposed to be politicized in the bipartisan way McConnell is imposing.

McConnell is no stranger to blocking nominations for justices from the Obama administration. He has blocked multiple nominations including vacancies in courts deemed emergencies, which means that Americans are being

denied justice because the court is not filled. These ridiculous obstructionist policies from the GOP are unconstitutional. It’s funny to me that politicians who deify Scalia, a strict textualist, would choose to reinterpret the constitution just because of political difference.

My issue with McConnell, and other members of the Senate who support his motion, is that it is not based on any inherent issue with the timeline or the legislation; it is purely based off of political affiliation. To reiterate, McConnell’s choice to block Obama is only because the president is a Democrat. I am comfortable with the Senate finding a candidate inappropriate, after sufficient hearings and consideration, but it is unjust to not even allow Obama

to fulfill his right of putting forward a nomination that will actually be considered. The Supreme Court should not be an ideological center used as a pawn by each party to impose the divide between the GOP and the Democrats. Aside from the inappropriateness of McConnell’s threat, it encourages Americans to categorize their country as deeply divided. I’m aware that America is surely divided on many issues, yet the GOP/Democrat rift interrupts productive discussion and progress.

There is not enough willingness to listen or to compromise and McConnell’s obdurate position proves this.

— Anita Raychawdhuri is senior majoring in English

10

AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

DESIGN BY ALEZA LEINWAND

PIPE DREAM'S

AMERICA EAST

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

With the America East men’s and women’s postseason tournament set to begin this week, Pipe Dream has written a comprehensive tournament preview for both Bearcats squads, as well as making first team all-conference selections and tournament predictions. Curious about the players who led the men’s and women’s teams throughout the season? Check out our profiles of Timmy Rose, Thomas Bruce, Willie Rodriguez, Kim Albrecht and Alyssa James. The men’s team is set to open the America East Tournament on Wednesday at New Hampshire, while the women’s team is set to host the first two rounds of the conference tournament on Saturday and Sunday.

OFFENSE 61.2 PPG 38.9 FG% 11.3 APG

DEFENSE 69.1 PPG ALLOWED 5.5 SPG 2.3 BPG

Michael Contegni/Pipe Dream Staff Photographer, Rebecca Kiss/Contributing Photographer

BU EARNS HIGHEST FINISH SINCE 2009

WIN OVER MAINE LEADS BEARCATS TO 5TH SEED E.Jay Zarett Sports Editor

One minute into the Binghamton men’s basketball team’s game against Maine on Saturday, junior guard Marlon Beck swished a three-pointer.

Beck then hit another. And another.

Beck scored nine points in a 2:44 span and, combined with a dominant performance from sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez, led the Bearcats (821, 5-11 America East) to a 7866 victory over the Black Bears (8-21, 4-12 AE). Rodriguez scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the game, while Beck finished with 14.

The win propelled Binghamton to the fifth seed in the upcoming America East (AE) Tournament, the highest seed BU has had in postseason play since 2009, when the team won the conference championship.

“We didn’t necessarily have the year we had hoped to have in a lot of ways, but at the same time, we’re focused on progress,” said BU head coach Tommy Dempsey. “We thought that if we can win [against Maine] and get to that fifth spot, then that would be a clear sign of progress and something that we can build off.”

The Bearcats had an up-anddown 2015-16 regular season.

BU dropped 11 of 12 between December 5 and January 21, and struggled to score the ball for most of the season, registering 65 or more points just six times in its first 21 games. Binghamton finished

the regular season ranked last in the America East in scoring offense, averaging just 61.2 points per contest. The next closest team, Hartford, scored nearly 10 more points per game.

But, Binghamton was consistently strong on the defensive end of the floor — finishing the regular season third in the conference in scoring defense (69.1 points per game) — and, for the second consecutive year, ended the season playing its best basketball down the final stretch.

Binghamton was victorious in three of its five final games and finished the season with eight victories, the most the team has recorded in Dempsey’s four years at the helm of the program.

A main reason for the Bearcats’ late-season turnaround was a vastly improved offense. BU eclipsed 65 points in four of its last five contests and developed increased scoring options throughout the season. Leading the Bearcat offense all year long was Rodriguez — who finished the year averaging 15.0 points per game, fourth in the AE — and Beck, who knocked down 2.5 3-pointers per contest, third in the AE. Joining the BU scoring threats in the latter portion of the season were freshman forward Thomas Bruce and sophomore forward Bobby Ahearn. Bruce scored in double-figures in four of BU’s last six games, including 12 and 11 points, respectively, in victories over Hartford and

RODRIGUEZ CARRIES BEARCATS' OFFENSE QUIET SOPHOMORE RAISES GAME AT THE RIGHT TIME Jeffrey Twitty Assistant Sports Editor

In the final regular-season game of his sophomore season against Maine, forward Willie Rodriguez played like Binghamton’s leader. With 24 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks, the second-year starter led the Bearcats (8-21, 5-11 America East) in all three categories. But if you were to ask Rodriguez where he fits in on the team for yourself, he’d claim to be a work in progress.

“I’m still learning how to [lead],” Rodriguez said. “I’m sure if you asked [BU head coach Tommy] Dempsey he’d say I’m not a very vocal guy, but I’m still working on it. Trying to get better, trying to get the team better, trying make this playoff run.”

Against the Black Bears (821, 4-12 AE) on Saturday, the Bearcats did more than just try — they broke through. Following up an 80-79 loss to UMBC on Wednesday, Binghamton posted its third consecutive 70-pluspoint game to top Maine, 7866, and capture the fifth seed in the AE Tournament. Rodriguez, who only shot 2-for-12 in last week’s loss against the Retrievers (7-24, 3-13 AE), avenged his performance with a 10-for-17 clip from the field to end the regular season.

“I think he was disappointed by the way he played Wednesday,” Dempsey said. “He knew he didn’t have a good game and he was determined to come out and get it right today.”

But for Rodriguez, getting it right doesn’t stop when the game clock hits zero. Along with being the team’s leading scorer this season with an average 15.0 points per game, the sophomore has made a name for himself off of the court. Supplementing his quiet nature with a thundering work ethic, Rodriguez’s attitude has not only paid off for him this season, but has also proven to be contagious among his teammates.

“They see someone like me coming in and getting workouts and that leads to other people getting workouts in and pretty much the whole team getting better,” Rodriguez said. “[Sophomore forward] Bobby [Ahearn]’s come on lately.

He’s playing really well, so everything’s going good.”

On the floor for only 17 minutes against Maine, Ahearn poured in 10 points for BU. Junior guard Marlon Beck also hit double figures for the Bearcats, scoring 14 points of his own.

With the 2015-16 regular season in the backdrop for Binghamton, the Bearcats are now poised to enter the postseason with their highest seeding since 2009, but

just a 5-11 record in conference play.

“I’d say it’s a bittersweet feeling,” Rodriguez said about 2015-16. “The season didn’t go the way that we wanted it to, but at the end of the day it’s all about the conference tournament.”

BU is set to take on fourthseeded New Hampshire in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, a squad that has topped BU twice in 2016 and that Rodriguez has found mixed results against. In his first meeting with the Wildcats (1811, 11-5 AE) on January 9, Rodriguez led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. But in BU’s last meeting with New Hampshire on February 6, Rodriguez was drawn into foul trouble early, only seeing the floor for 19 minutes. Back for a third shot at UNH on Wednesday, Rodriguez will continue his journey as a leader for BU with a mission as straightforward as his style.

“Bring home the [AE] championship,” Rodriguez said.

“We got to go one game at a time.”

UMass Lowell, while Ahearn reached double-figures in BU’s last three games. He recorded his first career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) in the Bearcats loss at UMBC on Wednesday.

“Offensively we’ve progressed,” Dempsey said.

“I think we’ve scored the ball better, individually guys have gotten better and more confident and we look like we have more options out there right now.”

The Bearcats are set to travel to face New Hampshire — the fourth seed — in the quarterfinal round of the America East Tournament on Wednesday. In the team’s first meeting of the season, January 9 in Durham, BU shot just 36.2 percent from the field, scored just 16 points in the first half and was defeated, 58-43. But, a month later in the Events Center, the Bearcats played right with the Wildcats (18-11, 11-5 AE). BU held a 23-21 lead at halftime and led with just under four minutes to play, but failed to hold on, falling 59-55.

“I think guys are excited, I think guys know that we have a chance to win a playoff game on Wednesday night,” Dempsey said. “It’s not like you’re playing a team that’s kicked you around a couple of times … I think overall we’re in about as good a place that we can be. Now, you just have to go and play the game.”

Tip-off for the quarterfinal match-up is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham, New Hampshire.

42 STATS 15.0 PPG 6.7 RPG 44.5 FG%

Neil Seejoor/Pipe Dream Photographer

11

AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

BRUCE COMES ON STRONG FOR BU FRESHMAN IMPROVES DOWN THE STRETCH Noah Bressner Pipe Dream Sports

Michael Contegni/Pipe Dream Staff Photographer

STATS 13.1 MPG 2.8 PPG 1.4 APG

4

Last Wednesday at UMBC, hidden in the box score of the Binghamton men’s basketball team’s crushing overtime loss, freshman forward Thomas Bruce had what was until this point was the best game of his collegiate career.

The 6-foot-9-inch Bruce shot seven for nine that game, a 77.8 percent clip, with a season-high 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. When viewed within the context of his past 10 games, however, the performance hardly stands alone. Excluding that game, six of his past 10 performances have included double-digit points and, over that stretch, he has shot 65.5 percent from the field. The game was a culmination of what had been a recent string of solid performances, and has proven Bruce’s potential to be a key to a successful Binghamton basketball program in the coming years.

Bruce, much like the Bearcats at large, had a struggling start to the year with a lack of consistency.

In his first 10 games of his rookie campaign, Bruce averaged 4.6 points per game.

But since then, he’s risen to an average 8.5 points per game, and in the team’s last 10 games, Bruce has averaged 9.3. The rookie has delivered 7.0 points per game on the season and has blocked 26 shots, which ranks him fifth in the conference.

“It felt pretty good, just to get in a flow and everything, scoring,” Bruce said.

“Everything’s starting to come to me, so it feels really good.”

The game in Baltimore acted as a homecoming of sorts for the Washington, D.C. native. According to Bruce, he had “maybe 10-15 family members present.” At UMBC, however, Bruce was also met with a group of familiar faces that may have been torn over who to root for in a matchup of Bruce and his high school teammate Jarius Lyles, who scored 25 points in the game.

Both Bruce and Lyles were products of DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyatsville, Maryland).

DeMatha Catholic, a powerhouse in high school basketball, has produced the likes of current Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo and the Knicks’ Jerian Grant, in addition to 14 players currently in NCAA programs. The advice Bruce took away most from everyone, however, was only tangentially related to basketball itself.

“Everybody says pretty much the same thing: ‘keep your head in the books and everything else will come with that,’” Bruce said. “I just try to follow that and take that with me.”

In his freshman year, even when faced with the steep learning curve from high school to college basketball, Bruce was afforded the fourth most minutes on the team, becoming its fourth leading

scorer. Bruce’s 690 minutes played came despite being sidelined for two games with a concussion suffered against Michigan State.

“The injury was a quick recovery, wasn’t anything that was too major, just a little setback,” Bruce said. “I don’t really think it bothered me too much.”

Bruce has started 18 of his 25 games this year and the final 13 games of the regular season. On a young Binghamton team that features no seniors, Bruce played an important role in what was BU’s best regular season finish in five years.

“I feel like I was pretty prepared for it and everything,” Bruce said.

“Just coming from where I came from, DeMatha, pretty much set me up and put me in a position to where I could handle myself in those minutes and doing things in those minutes.”

This season, when Bruce has played well on both ends of the floor, Binghamton has played well. The question that still remains is whether Bruce’s recent string of consistent play can help the Bearcats to an America East (AE) Tournament run.

“I had the expectation of coming in and trying to help where I could,” Bruce said.

“I knew it wouldn’t be an instant huge improvement, but we’re getting there, we’re slowly getting there. We’re definitely progressing and we’re definitely becoming a better team.”

STATS 7.0 PPG 5.0 RPG 54.0 FG%

32

ROSE STEPS UP AND RUNS THE POINT

AFTER BU INJURIES, WALK-ON FILLS A MAJOR ROLE E.Jay Zarett Sports Editor

As a freshman walk-on, Timmy Rose was never supposed to play a role for the Binghamton men’s basketball team this year.

It appeared as if the plan for Rose during preseason was to have the guard gain experience in mop-up minutes during non-conference games and in blowouts, and maybe spelling the starters here or there when they were tired. Most of the time, in close games, he probably wouldn’t appear at all.

“This was the only Division I place that I could have gone,” Rose said. “I wasn’t expected to play that much.”

But, an injury struck the Bearcats’ roster early in the season. First, junior guard Yosef Yacob suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during preseason practice, leaving the Bearcats thin in the backcourt — with only four healthy scholarship guards — and opening an opportunity for Rose to see a few more minutes throughout the opening weeks of the season.

Rose played in 14 total minutes in BU’s first five games, mostly at the end of halves or when other guards were in foul trouble.

“I just tried to work harder,” Rose said about his thought process following Yacob’s injury.

“If they need me, my minutes will come if I work hard, and that’s what I just tried to do. Just help my team however I could.”

Then, seven games into 2015-16, the Bearcats’ already thin backcourt got even thinner.

Sophomore guard Romello Walker, who started 31 games as a freshman, suffered a similar injury to Yacob in Binghamton’s loss at Michigan State, ending his season. Binghamton was left with just two healthy ballhandlers on its roster — junior Marlon Beck and freshman Everson Davis — both of whom were starters, forcing Rose into an unexpected role for the remainder of the season. “[My coaches] just said ‘just go out and have fun; play your game and try to help us any way you can,’” Rose said about the advice he was given when he started seeing more game action.

“That’s what I try to do.”

Injuries forced Rose into immediate action and he has thrived in his new role for the Bearcats. The freshman has played double-digit minutes in 15 consecutive games for BU and has been a steadying presence for a Binghamton team that has struggled with turnovers all season long. “[Rose] gives you a floor general,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said following Binghamton’s victory over Maine. “I just think Timmy now has added a dimension where he throws the right passes and he knows how to run the show.”

As his minutes have increased, so too has Rose’s play for BU. Rose scored 14 points, grabbed three

rebounds and dished out four assists in the Bearcats’ first game against Maine on January 30. He distributed a season-high five assists in 19 minutes of action against Vermont three weeks later and then, on February 20, scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in a then career-high 30 minutes to lead Binghamton to a victory over UMass Lowell.

“To see him play with that type of confidence and go out there and play like that, it lifts our entire team really,” Beck said about Rose following the UMass Lowell victory. “If he can come out there and play with that type of confidence, it just makes us a better team.”

In BU’s regularseason finale on Saturday, a victory over Maine, Rose earned his first career start. He played 34 minutes, scored nine points and led the Bearcats with a game-high four assists as Binghamton secured the fifth seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.

“It’s a great feeling,” Rose said about his unexpected success.

“Coming in here and not expecting to play that much and working hard and finally being able to go out and help your team.”

Rebecca Kiss/Contributing Photographer

12

AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

ALL-CONFERENCE PICKS Pipe Dream editors hand out their America East (AE) regular season awards and name their first and second-team all-conference selections:

SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE Jahad Thomas UMass Lowell Redshirt Sophomore, Guard

Carson Puriefoy Senior, Stony Brook, Guard

Evan Singletary Senior, Albany, Guard

Puriefoy was a first-team selection in 2014-15 and deserves a spot on the team again this season. He was a perfect supplementary scorer to senior forward Jameel Warney throughout the year, averaging 14.5 points and 3.1 assists while shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range.

This spot was a toss-up between Singletary and his teammate, senior guard Peter Hooley, but ultimately, Singletary gets the nod. The senior averaged 13 points, 2.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, while leading Albany to the second seed in the conference tournament.

Willie Rodriguez Sophomore, Binghamton, Forward Rodriguez may have been selected to the third team, but he’s one of the top five players in the conference.

He averaged 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and is one of the most reliable scoring options in the AE, eclipsing doubledigits in 25 of BU’s 29 contests.

Jameel Warney Senior, Stony Brook, Forward

Tanner Leissner Sophomore, New Hampshire, Forward Leissner had a dominant freshman season for the Wildcats, which culminated in the AE Rookie of the Year award, and he only got better this year. He raised his scoring average to 15.6 points per game and grabbed 6.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 44 percent from the field.

Easy choice here. Warney is by far the best player in the conference this season, averaging 18.7 points and 10.2 rebounds — the only player in the AE to average a doubledouble on the year — and is a force defensively, averaging 3.2 blocks per contest. Warney could go down as the best player to ever play in the AE.

Coach of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Albany, Senior, Guard

Steve Pikiell Stony Brook, 11th season

Joe Cremo Freshman, Albany

Jaleen Smith

Pikiell guided the Seawolves to the regular season conference crown and led the team to a dominant 14-2 record in the conference.

He built one of the most talented rosters in the conference and got the most out of his talent.

Cremo averaged 10.5 points per game in just 20.8 minutes per contest and was instrumental in Albany’s potent perimeter attack.

Peter Hooley

New Hampshire, Junior, Guard

Pancake Thomas Hartford, Junior, Guard/Forward

Ethan O’Day Vermont, Senior, Forward

Defensive Player of the Year

Player of the Year

Ray Sanders Senior, Albany

Jameel Warney: Warney’s dominant season culminated in his third consecutive AE Player of the Year award, only the third player in the history of the conference to ever earn that honor. He is a force both offensively and defensively. See Above

This was a tough choice between Sanders and Warney, but Sanders was a lockdown perimeter defender all year, often times guarding the opponent’s best scoring threat. He averaged 1.6 steals per contest, second in the conference.

Photos provided by stonybrookathletics.com, bubearcats.com, ualbanysports.com, unhwildcats.com and goblackbears.com

AE TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS #1 Stony Brook The Retrievers can really score the ball and have arguably the best offensive backcourt in the conference with sophomore guards Rodney Elliot and Jairus Lyles. But, the Seawolves almost equal the Retrievers’ backcourt, and UMBC has no answer for Stony Brook senior forward Jameel Warney inside. Expect this to be a double-digit victory for SBU.

#8 UMBC #4 New Hampshire This will be the closest of the four first-round games as the Bearcats almost upset the Wildcats earlier this month. This game will be very competitive, but UNH sophomore forward Tanner Leissner will be the difference.

This will be a one or two possession game and the Bearcats have a shot to spring the upset, but ultimately, UNH will prevail.

Pipe Dream makes predictions for the upcoming America East (AE) Tournament.

Each game will be hosted by the higher seed. The quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday, the semifinals the following Monday and the championship will be Saturday, March 12.

#2 Albany

#1 Stony Brook New Hampshire is good this year, but Stony Brook is better. Stony Brook’s offensive attack of senior guard Carson Puriefoy and Warney, combined with junior do-everything guard Ahmad Walker will be too much for the Wildcats to handle.

Expect Warney and Walker to lock down Leissner.

#4 New Hampshire

#2 Albany

#1 Stony Brook #3 Vermont Stony Brook has fallen twice in the championship game during Warney’s time at Stony Brook. This year will be the Seawolves’ year. The Seawolves are extremely talented and have a ton of depth.

Warney and his fellow seniors — Puriefoy and forward Rayshaun McGrew — will lead Stony Brook to its first AE title in school history. The Seawolves could even make noise in the NCAA tournament by pulling a first-round upset.

Albany is the threetime defending champion, but this won’t be the Great Danes’ year. Vermont will pull off the upset behind junior forward Kurt Steidl and sophomore guard Trae Bell-Haynes, while O’Day will help shut down the potent Albany attack.

#3 Vermont

PREDICTED WINNER: STONY BROOK

#5 Binghamton Quarterfinals

Albany is the three-time defending champion and should have no problem dispelling the Hawks. Hartford struggles to score (eighth in the conference) and defend (sixth in the conference), and will have a difficult time stopping Albany’s four talented guards — seniors Peter Hooley, Evan Singletary and Ray Sanders, as well as freshman Joe Cremo. This one shouldn’t be close either.

#7 Hartford #3 Vermont Maine enters the contest on an eight-game losing streak, the longest in the conference, and will be overmatched here.

While the Black Bears play fast, averaging 77.4 possessions per 40 minutes (fifth in the entire NCAA, according to Ken Pomroy’s statistics), they just don’t have the firepower. Vermont’s defense, anchored by senior forward Ethan O’Day, will shut down Maine.

#6 Maine Semifinals

Finals

Semifinals

Quarterfinals

13

AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

Emily Earl/Pipe Dream Photographer, Sasha Dolgetta/Pipe Dream Photgrapher

BEARCATS TO FACE UMBC IN AE QUARTERFINAL ROUND

CARRYING FIFTH SEED, BU LOOKS TO UPSET FOURTH-RANKED RETRIEVERS Orlaith McCaffrey Assistant Sports Editor

The Binghamton women’s basketball team (13-16, 8-8 America East) is heading into the conference tournament with something it has missed for the past five seasons: a serious chance to win. The Bearcats will carry the fifth seed — the highest position they’ve held since 2010-11 — into the quarterfinals on Saturday when they take on fourth-seeded UMBC (17-12, 8-8 AE) at the Events Center.

Binghamton will host the AE tournament for the second year in a row, and this fact alone may play the biggest role in determining the outcome of BU’s quarterfinal game. On their home court this season, the Bearcats have gone an impressive 10-3, a far cry from their 3-11 record in the Events Center in 2014-15. Binghamton’s only victory against UMBC this season came at home last week.

For BU head coach Linda

Cimino, it’s the energy generated by the fans that makes the difference.

“We obviously play much better at home,” Cimino said following the UMBC game. “We have a huge home court advantage with our awesome crowd. The kids are really comfortable playing on this court.”

Binghamton will have to rely on energy from both internal and external sources as it takes on UMBC, splitting its regular season mark with the Retrievers.

In the first meeting on Jan. 27, the Retrievers went on a 10-point run to open the second half, giving them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish to defeat Binghamton, 62-51. Junior forward Pandora Wilson and classmate guard Taylor McCarley led the UMBC offensive effort to victory, contributing 18 and 17 points, respectively.

In the teams’ most recent match-up on Feb. 24, Binghamton relied on career-high scoring totals from sophomore guard

Imani Watkins, who drained 30 points, and freshman guard Rebecca Carmody, who added 22, to overpower the Retrievers, 7650.

Binghamton will look to attack UMBC from beyond the arc, where it has had plenty of success this season. BU ranks third in the AE with a 32.1 3-point field goal percentage while UMBC ranks in the bottom third, making just 26.4 percent of its attempted threes.

In Binghamton’s first face-off with UMBC, senior forward Kim Albrecht went 6-for-7 from behind the line. In last week’s victory over the Retrievers, it was déjà vu, except this time it was Watkins who hit six threes, five of which came in the first quarter. If BU can replicate this prowess from deep in its quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, winning is a very real possibility.

Also integral to Binghamton’s match-up with UMBC will be BU’s defense, which has impressed all season and must continue to do so

to keep the Bearcats’ playoff hopes alive. Spearheading this effort once again will be sophomore forward Alyssa James, who leads the conference in blocked shots per game, averaging 3.0 per contest.

In order to come out on top against the Retrievers, Cimino believes Binghamton must treat each possession with the same level of importance.

“I preach all season long, ‘one possession,’” Cimino said. “Every possession counts in a game and if we can keep the game within one or two possessions, we can beat anybody. That’s all you want. You want a shot to win at the buzzer, you want a shot to be right there when the game is on the line and I think right now the team is playing in such a way that they believe if they do what they’re supposed to do, they’re just as good as anybody.”

Tip-off for the quarterfinal match-up is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.

OFFENSE 56.8 PPG 34.8 RPG 11.0 APG

DEFENSE 58.1 PPG ALLOWED 9.1 SPG 4.0 BPG

COMMENTARY: CIMINO SPARKS BU'S TURNAROUND

SECOND-YEAR HEAD COACH BRINGS ENERGY, FOCUS TO PROGRAM Orlaith McCaffrey Assistant Sports Editor

When Binghamton Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott hired Linda Cimino to head the women’s basketball program in April of 2014, many believed that the rebuilding of the program wouldn’t happen overnight. While there is no formula to determine exactly how long it should take a struggling team to become one that opponents see as a viable threat, a few years at the least is a safe bet.

The BU women’s basketball program, in the 22 months since Cimino’s hiring, has ignored any relevant time frame for progress.

In just two seasons, the program has transformed from a team that lacked energy and focus, winning just two conference games in 2013-14, to one that legitimately challenges every team that it faces.

Despite being chosen to finish last in the America East in this season’s preseason poll, the Bearcats will carry the fifth seed into the conference tournament this weekend — their highest ranking since the 2010-11 season when they were third. Cimino’s coaching style has undoubtedly been the catalyst behind this marked improvement. When she took the helm almost two years ago, she acknowledged that at first, victories would be few and far between. Instead of focusing on the number in the win column, Cimino emphasized simple, controllable aspects of the game — getting

back quickly on defense, running hard in transition, talking and communicating.

In her first season as head coach, the wins certainly didn’t pile up; Binghamton came out on top in just four games that season. There were, however, other results of her new coaching style. Players dove onto the floor after every loose ball.

There was a palpable energy in the Events Center. While some games were still blowouts, more often that not, Binghamton was competitive every time it took the court, never ceding defeat until the final buzzer had sounded.

The same attitude carried over into this season. But this time around, the wins came, too. The squad has gone 10-3 on its home court and 8-8 in conference play, its best mark in five seasons. In 2014, the scoring margin between BU and its opponents was an ugly 15 points. This season, BU has cut the deficit down to 1.3. As it prepares to host the America East Conference Tournament for the second straight year, Binghamton has a real chance to make waves.

How has Cimino turned the Binghamton program around in such a small amount of time?

The short answer is simple: She brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to a program that desperately needed change.

The long answer is more intricate.

The foundations for the team’s recent success were laid upon her arrival, when Cimino met or recruited new players to the

Bearcats. In order for a player to perform to the best of her ability, she must trust completely in her coach’s philosophy and be willing to make any necessary adjustments. The relationship Cimino has cultivated with each of her players allows for exactly that.

Both sophomore guard Jasmine Sina and sophomore forward Alyssa James cite their main motivation for choosing Binghamton as Coach Cimino. Sina, a player initially overlooked by recruiting coaches, fell in love with Cimino, who called her first after she got the job at Binghamton. James, who played

under Cimino at her previous coaching position, DII Caldwell College, agreed to play under Cimino before ever stepping foot in Binghamton. For two players of such a high caliber to put their college careers in the hands of Cimino speaks volumes about their trust in her.

It would have been easy, even understandable, for Cimino to lower her expectations for the team this season once Sina, the 2015 America East Rookie of the Year, was lost to an ACL injury in the preseason. Instead, Cimino acknowledged the loss, but repeated

that her goals were the same. It is this mindset precisely, in which she explicitly challenges her players to step up at critical moments, that has set the stage for Binghamton’s improvement this season.

If the past two years are any indicator of Cimino’s long-term effect on the program, the progress she has made thus far will only continue. After Cimino has had the chance to bring in a few more of her own recruiting classes and continues to improve the talent already present on BU’s squad, Binghamton is posed to be a top contender in the coming seasons.

Emily Earl/Pipe Dream Photographer

14

AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

ALBRECHT KEY TO BU'S OFFENSE

GUARD LEADS DI IN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE Brett Malamud Pipe Dream Sports

While the scoring prowess of sophomore guard Imani Watkins or the impressive post play of sophomore forward Alyssa James might be the first reasons that come to mind to explain the Binghamton women’s basketball team’s revival in 2015-16, the contributions of senior guard Kim Albrecht cannot be dismissed.

The sharpshooter is deadly from the free-throw line, sinking 91.8 percent of her shots from the charity stripe — making her the best in NCAA Division I. As Binghamton’s lone senior, Albrecht, a 5-foot6-inch native of Deerfield, Wisconsin, has supplied her teammates with leadership and camaraderie. Looking back on her career, Albrecht is quick to point out that the best aspect of her time at BU has been the relationships she’s built with her teammates.

“This team has been great to play with and it’s a really good group of girls,” Albrecht said. “They make everything worthwhile. They’re my best friends and I’m so lucky to have them.”

Albrecht represents a turning point in the program’s history, considering the coaching change that BU made at the conclusion of her sophomore season. Albrecht is one of three current BU players who saw the transition of head coaches from Nicole Scholl to Linda Cimino — an experience that Albrecht says changed the culture in the locker room.

“The program has turned around in every aspect,” Albrecht said. “It’s been great to see how everybody has come together and bought into

the new system. We’re all more disciplined and more like one unit.

The success that we’re having in just our second year with Coach Cimino is incredible.”

A reserve player for her first two seasons, the coaching change provided a spark for Albrecht and the last two seasons have seen her emerge as one of the team’s impact players.

In addition to her skill from the freethrow line, the senior also sits in the top two in the America East with a 41.4 three-point percentage.

“It’s been pretty cool,” Albrecht said. “I’ve had a lot of people congratulate me on the free throws.

I just have to keep knocking them down when they matter most and try to stay focused.”

BU finished the season 10-3 in the Events Center. With the team playing so well at home, Albrecht is thankful that the Bearcats will have another home game in the America East Tournament, which will be hosted at the Events Center next weekend.

“Having the tournament at home gives us that much more confidence,” Albrecht said. “I think it’s so important to have a home game, especially in ones with such high stakes. We’ve played really well at home and we’ve really showed that we can play with anybody here.”

With Binghamton set to face-off in the America East Quarterfinals on Saturday night with UMBC, Albrecht remains confident in her team, who defeated the Retrievers (17-12, 8-8 AE), 70-56 on Wednesday.

“UMBC has a really high-pressure defense and they get a lot of easy points in transition off turnovers,” Albrecht said. “As long as we don’t turn the ball over, I think we’ll be fine.”

STATS 11.9 PPG 41.4 3-FG% 91.8 FT% (1st in NCAA)

23

Sasha Dolgetta/Pipe Dream Photgrapher

JAMES FINDS INSTANT SUCCESS FOR BEARCATS

IN FIRST SEASON FOR BU, FORWARD LEADS AE IN BLOCKS Nicholas Waldron Pipe Dream Sports

STATS 14.9 PPG 7.8 RPG 2.96 BPG

5

In basketball, the addition of one player can completely invigorate a team’s play and change the course of a program. When the New York Knicks added Patrick Ewing to their roster before the 1985-1986 campaign, they went from a struggling team to a title contender for the next decade.

Thirty years after Ewing took his talents from Georgetown to New York, his niece, Binghamton sophomore forward Alyssa James, played her first game for the Bearcats and took head coach Linda Cimino’s rebuilding plan into the fast lane.

In the 2014-15 season, the Bearcats were dead last in the America East (AE) with a 4-26 record. With a first-year coach on the sideline and a young, inexperienced roster on the court, Binghamton looked exactly as it was: a program in the first year of its rebuilding process. Fast-forward to 2015-16, and Binghamton is certainly not playing like a team in just the second year of its rebuilding process, finishing with an 8-8 record in conference play.

But there is no mystery as to how the Bearcats have been able to turn it around so quickly: a fearless shot-blocker and rebounder in James.

James played her first year of college basketball with coach Cimino at Division II Caldwell College in 2013-14, transferred to BU last year but was not allowed to play because of NCAA transfer rules. Once Cimino was hired to take the helm at Binghamton, James knew that her best chance to succeed in college basketball was to follow Cimino and transition to the Division I level.

“I had never even been to [BU] before the first day of the 2014 summer session,” James said.

In her opening game as a Bearcat, James faced off against national powerhouse Michigan.

While the Bearcats lost the game, James tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four blocks. Her performance was a real statement for James and Binghamton; BU was done being stepped on and James was ready to turn the Bearcats into a contender in the AE. This is exactly what she has done throughout the season.

James has had an incredible first year at the DI level, but it hasn’t been without its ups and downs. While her 33-point performance against Columbia, or her near triple-double featuring a Binghamton record nine blocks against Xavier were very encouraging performances, there have also been games where James can’t seem to get it going downlow offensively. As a sophomore with two more years left in her Binghamton career, consistency is something that will come with time and experience at the Division I level.

Despite a slew of individual achievements this season, James sees her contributions to the team as paramount.

“I’m just glad that I can help out my team,” she said. “It’s never been about personal feats for me.”

When it comes to James’ ambitions for herself and the Bearcats over the next two years, she is setting her goals high enough that even she can’t block them.

“We’re on our way to being a more winning program, but I hope by my senior year we can have a championship already and be on our way to another one,” James said.

Considering the Bearcats have earned their most wins in 201516 in five seasons, James has every reason to be optimistic.

Raquel Panitz/Pipe Dream Photographer

15

AE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

March 1, 2016 | bupipedream.com

ALL-CONFERENCE PICKS Pipe Dream editors hand out their America East regular season awards and name their first and second-team all-conference selections: Imani Tate Junior, Albany, Guard

Shereesha Richards Senior, Albany, Forward

SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Sigi Koizar Junior, Maine, Guard

Tate trails only her teammate Richards with 18.6 points per game. She leads the conference in steals with an average of 3.0 per game and has racked up 3.7 assists per contest.

The reigning America East Player of the Year has bested her scoring average from last season by almost two points, averaging 22.8 points per contest while leading the Great Danes to their fourth-straight regular-season title.

Koizar is deadly from beyond the arc, leading the AE with 76 made 3-pointers this season. Her prowess from deep and average of 17.5 points per contest have propelled the Black Bears to the top of the conference

Elizabeth Belanger Senior, New Hamphire, Guard

Taylor McCarley Junior, UMBC, Guard

Imani Watkins Sophomore, Binghamton, Guard

Brittany Snow Senior, Stony Brook, Forward

In a Binghamton backcourt that lacks depth, Watkins has been a constant this season, leading the America East in minutes played with 37.3 per game.

Her 16.1 point-per-game average has been a huge reason the Bearcats finished 8-8 in conference play.

Snow, a third-team AllConference selection last season, has averaged 14.8 points per contest this season, helping the Seawolves secure the third seed in the conference tournament.

Coach of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Linda Cimino Binghamton, 2nd season

Ogechi Anyaligbo Freshman, Stony Brook, Forward

In just her second season, Cimino has turned the once-struggling Binghamton program around. The Bearcats enter the AE tournament with the fifth seed — their highest since the 2010-11 season.

Lindsey Doucette

Anyaligbo has been an impressive defensive presence this season and leads all conference freshmen with 9.1 points per game. She has joined with Snow to form a potent front court for SBU.

Senior, UMass Lowell, Forward

Defensive Player of the Year

Pandora Wilson Junior, UMBC, Forward

Kim Albrecht Senior, Binghamton, Guard

Alyssa James Redshirt sophomore, Binghamton, Forward

Player of the Year Shereesha Richards: Senior, Albany, Forward Richards has no close competition for this title, averaging five points more per game than her closest contender. She is destined to repeat as Player of the Year. See Above

James has been nationally ranked in blocked shots per game all season.

She currently leads the AE with an average of 3.0 blocks per contest while contributing 14.9 points per game.

Photos Provided by stonybrookathletics.com, bubearcats.com, goblackbears.com and ualbanysport.com

AE TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS #1 Albany Vermont upset third-seeded Stony Brook in its final regularseason game last Sunday, 44-37. While that victory may have been encouraging for the Catamounts, they will be no match for the four-time conference champions, the Great Danes. Expect Albany to take a big lead early on and never relinquish it.

#8 Vermont #4 UMBC

This is the only quarterfinal matchup in which there will be an upset. Binghamton, fresh off its 70-56 victory of UMBC last week, will take advantage of playing on its home court to narrowly edge out the Retrievers. Look for the Bearcats to score from deep.

Pipe Dream makes predictions for each game of the upcoming America East (AE) Tournament. Binghamton will host both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday. The championship will be played at the highest-remaining seed on Friday, March 11.

#2 Maine

#1 Albany

#2 Maine #1 Albany

The Bearcats will keep pace with the Great Danes in the first half, but the offensive duo of senior forward Shereesha Richards and junior guard Imani Tate will prove too much, even for a strong Binghamton defense.

#2 Maine Maine has already defeated Albany, 65-53, on one occasion this season and came within five points of doing so on another. The Maine defense, led by senior forward Liz Wood, the 2014-15 AE co-defensive player of the year, will hold off Albany senior forward Shereesha Richards just long enough to clinch the championship, ending the Great Danes’ four-year winning streak.

#5 Binghamton

Expect this game to be less close than it appears on paper. The Seawolves will struggle to defend Maine junior guard Sigi Koizar, especially from beyond the arc while Maine’s defense will stifle SBU’s two biggest scoring threats, Snow and Anyagaligbo.

#3 Stony Brook

PREDICTED WINNER: MAINE

#5 Binghamton Quarterfinals

This one won’t be close either. Combine New Hampshire’s scoring struggles with Maine’s airtight defense and the Wildcats will struggle to score 50 points.

#7 New Hampshire #3 Stony Brook Hartford might smell an upset thanks to Stony Brook’s recent five-game losing streak, but the Seawolves’ offense, which scores the thirdhighest number of points per game in the AE with 58.8, will propel SBU past Hartford. Look for senior forward Brittany Snow and standout freshman forward Ogechi Anyagaligbo to lead Stony Brook’s offensive effort.

#6 Hartford Semifinals

Finals

Semifinals

Quarterfinals

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Binghamton set to face UMBC in AE Quarterfinals See Page 13 Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Baseball swept

by Greensboro

Binghamton struggles to hold leads in two of three games William Schwartz Contributing Writer

Via Pipe Dream Archives

Junior infielder Crysti Eichner had a triple and a home run in BU’s victory over St. Joseph’s on Saturday.

Bearcats win three of four at JMU

Binghamton plates 44 runs over weekend tournament

Joseph Burns

Pipe Dream Sports

The Binghamton softball team collected three wins and only one loss at the James Madison Invitational over the weekend, impressing both offensively and defensively.

“Hitting all the way through our lineup and the depth that we have on our bench has really helped make us successful,” BU head coach Michelle Burrell said.

“We felt pretty good about the amount of runs we scored and what we did offensively.”

Friday’s game against Robert Morris started off shakily for the Bearcats (5-4) as they quickly sank to a 4-0 deficit after the first half inning. Undeterred, BU chipped away, putting two runs on the board in each of the next three innings to take the lead.

Senior catcher Lisa Cadogan and junior outfielder Gabby Bracchi singled home two runs in the second and third innings, respectively. The Colonials (211) came back with a run in

the fourth, but junior shortstop Crysti Eichner responded with a solo home run later that inning. Senior outfielder Sydney Harbaugh eventually closed the door for the Colonials, knocking in two runs in the fifth and a hitting a three-run homer the following frame to secure Binghamton’s 15-5 rout.

BU’s offense pressed on into the second day of the tournament as the Bearcats picked up yet another win from Robert Morris right before taking down Saint Joseph’s (4-6).

In the first game, the Bearcats found themselves tied at three at the end of the second inning.

They promptly reminded the Colonials of their offensive abilities, posting 11 runs on the scoreboard in the third inning alone. BU batted through the order in one inning, giving Eichner the chance to knock in two runs in two separate at-bats.

Senior catcher Taylor Chaffee pushed three across the plate as well. Junior pitcher Shelby Donhauser collected her first

win of the season as the Bearcats tacked on another 15-5 win.

Eichner and the rest of BU’s lineup didn’t let up in the second game of the day against St. Joseph’s University. After falling behind early on in the game yet again, the BU offense erupted, scoring six runs in the first inning. Eichner spearheaded the rally with a two-RBI triple.

She went on to crush a tworun homer over the center field wall in the following inning.

Sophomore pitcher Sarah Miller improved her record to 3-3 as the Bearcats capped the second day of the tournament with an 8-3 win.

Eichner went 4-for-6 with a home run and six RBIs on the day. She is now batting .313 for the season after driving in a career-high four RBIs against St. Joseph’s. Burrell was pleased with her shortstop’s performance.

“I think she’s doing a good job,” Burrell said. “We don’t expect or need her to have performances like [Saturday’s] every single weekend, but

we obviously like how she’s contributed to the offensive and hope that she can keep that up throughout the season.”

Eichner carried her hot bat into Sunday’s game against Toldeo (2-10), but to little avail.

BU lost momentum, ultimately concluding its series with a 9-6 loss. Miller’s record dropped to 3-4 while Eichner went 3-for-4 on the day.

“I thought we were doing a good job as far as playing every inning and playing every game until the end,” Burrell said.” I felt really good about that.”

BU has the next two weeks off, in which Burrell is looking for the team to continue to build on last weekend’s strong performance. “[We will] work on individual fundamentals while also working together as a team,” she said.

Binghamton is set to return to action against Stetson at the Stetson Tournament starting Friday, March 11. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, Florida.

Starting off the season with a 1-3 record, the BU men’s baseball team was hoping for improved results on its road trip to North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) for a three-game series. But instead, the Bearcats (1-6) were swept by the Spartans (5-2) over the course of the weekend, falling to 1-6 to start the season.

“We just didn’t play well, and I really don’t have an explanation for why we played the way we did,” BU head coach Tim Sinicki said. “It’s just one of those things we’ll have to learn from, shake off and get ready for the next series.”

In Friday’s season opener, the Bearcats squandered an 8-2 lead to eventually lose the game 10-9.

Following a devastating sevenrun sixth inning by UNCG, the Spartans held on after their six-run comeback.

BU did not fare any better the following day, dropping its second showdown with UNCG, 5-2. The two sides were neck and neck for a large portion of the afternoon, but a twoout, two-run UNCG double in the sixth inning created the necessary breathing room for the hosts to see out the game unimpeded.

While the first two matchups were close contests, the same cannot be said for the series finale.

UNCG pummeled the Bearcats, putting up a seven-run second inning and nine-run sixth inning en route to a commanding 19-4 victory.

“Our biggest issue was our inability to hold onto a lead,” Sinicki said. “We let that [Friday] game slip away and it had a pretty big impact

the rest of the two games. Saturday was a very competitive game.

They threw a very good arm and I thought we did a good job on the mound. But yesterday, it was just kind of a disaster.”

While this road trip was certainly a forgettable one, there were some bright spots in Binghamton’s performance.

Senior third baseman David Schanz went an impressive six for 13 over the course of the series, further adding to his team-leading .379 batting average.

“He’s a four-year senior and that’s what you want out of those guys, he’s been through a lot with this program,” Sinicki said. “Right now, he’s proving to everyone that he’s a young man who we can rely on, both offensively and defensively.”

BU’s season has failed to warm up so far, which is something that Coach Sinicki has attributed to the weather in Binghamton, which has prevented the team from practicing outside. So far, matching up against teams from Texas and North Carolina, the Bearcats are at a disadvantage from a training standpoint.

“It’s basically trying to play a game that’s meant to be played outside, while practicing inside,” Sinicki said. “It’s not ideal when you’re playing in the Northeast, when you practice for three, four days inside a gym and inside batting cages and then you go to a team who’s practicing outside.”

BU is set to return to action when they take on Virginia Military Institute in its next series. First pitch of the series is set for 3 p.m. on Friday from Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Virginia.

Emily Earl/Pipe Dream Photographer

Senior infielder David Schanz delivered three RBIs in Binghamton’s series against UNC Greensboro this weekend.

Binghamton fails to stop Marist offense, falls, 10-8

Despite winning faceoff battle, Bearcats doomed by turnover trouble, poor man-down play the Bearcats for their first home victory of 2016.

Marist started strongly and got The Binghamton men’s lacrosse on the board with two goals in team lost its second contest on the the first five minutes of the game. road at Marist on Saturday, 10-8. Binghamton answered with two Despite a tight contest, the Red goals of its own, both from senior Foxes (1-1) managed to close out midfielder Zach Scaduto, to tie the game with two goals in two the game. The Red Foxes would minutes to take the victory over finish the quarter stronger than Kyle McDonald

Pipe Dream Sports

they started, answering BU’s twogoal run with a three-goal run by senior attack Joseph Radin to give them a 5-2 lead.

“I think they got ahead of us in the first quarter because we had 6 turnovers and we really didn’t play defense,” BU head coach Scott Nelson said. “We made a mistake and took a penalty and they were

We got a lot of great looks but we just couldn't finish it — Scott Nelson BU Head Coach Provided by BU Athletics

Sophomore attackman Thomas McAndrew tallied his first two goals of the season against Marist.

able to score on a couple man-ups, which was very important.”

But Binghamton did not let Marist faze them early. The Bearcats came right back with the first two goals of the second quarter, both from sophomore attack Thomas McAndrew. Marist added a late goal in the second to enter halftime ahead, 6-4.

Radin was scalding hot in this one, opening scoring in the second half with his sixth goal of the afternoon. Marist took another commanding 8-4 lead midway through the third and never looked back. The Bearcats would cut it as close as 8-7 in the fourth, but after back-to-back goals from sophomore midfielder Gannon Morrison and Radin with his seventh score of the game, the Red Foxes put the game away.

“We let their best player shoot the ball,” Nelson said. “So that was probably part of the reason [for Marist’s victory].”

On the day the Bearcats outshot Marist and dominated at the draw, winning 15 of the game’s 21 face-offs, Binghamton also won

the ground ball battle. The killer for the Bearcats was turnovers.

They committed 16 turnovers, including six in the opening quarter.

“Turnovers were definitely part of [our struggles],” said Nelson.

“We still got to within one with 11 minutes to go but we just couldn’t come through and the guys know that we’ve got to come through in those situations.”

The goalkeeping battle was another key point in this game.

Binghamton junior goalie Tanner Cosens made 12 saves on 22 shots, but Marist redshirt sophomore goalie Brian Corrigan was a brick wall in net, stopping 18 of BU’s 26 shots on goal.

“Their goalie played really well and when the goalie plays well its usually a combination of him and us shooting the ball poorly and we really didn’t shoot particularly well,” Nelson said. “We got a lot of great looks but we just couldn’t finish it.”

The main thorn in the side of the Bearcat defense all game long was Radin, who pushed his goal

tally to 10 on the season.

“He had a great start to the game; he had four of their first five goals” Nelson said. “We didn’t defend him really well. We didn’t slide to him well. Defense is team defense so the seven guys on that end of the field need to do a better job.”

Despite the result, Binghamton did show growth on the afternoon.

After only scoring four goals in its opener, an 11-4 loss to Colgate, Binghamton doubled its scoring at Marist. The Bearcats have had great success at the face-off and on ground balls. Both will be keys for the team’s success throughout the season.

“We’ve got to have a better start to things, the last two games we were down three after the first in both,” said Nelson. “We need to get to double-digit goals on a regular basis, but we are doing better.”

Binghamton’s next matchup is set for Saturday against Hobart College. First face-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Boswell Field in Geneva, New York.