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Spring 2023 Issue 32-33

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Check out page 10 for Harvey Stenger’s Super Bowl picks Tuesday, February 7, 2023 | Vol. CI, Issues 32 & 33 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com

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SNAP budget to decrease amid rising inflation Over 1.6 million households to be affected as emergency allotment rolls back. Tresa Karnati news intern

The budget for food safety nets will soon be reduced to preCOVID-19 levels. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal initiative that provides food assistance to low or no-income individuals and families. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), according to their website, gave emergency allotments to SNAP users “to help address temporary food needs during the pandemic.” The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 is set to roll back these emergency allotments, affecting 1.6 million households in New York state. The U.S. Government Accountability Office website issued a post on their WatchBlog about the effect the pandemic had on food insecurity. In it, the office outlined issues caused by COVID-19 as determining factors in the exacerbation of food insecurity in the United States. “This number may have grown for certain populations during the pandemic as more Americans experienced job loss or reduced incomes as a result of COVID-19’s economic impacts,” they wrote.

“COVID-19 disrupted the U.S. food supply chain and contributed to an already existing national hunger crisis.” Broome County in particular experiences high rates of food insecurity compared to the rest of the New York state, according to Feeding America. On Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap,” Broome County was listed as having a food insecurity rate of 13.8 percent, as opposed to the New York state average of 9.6 percent. The data also showed that 76 percent of Broome County residents in 2020 were eligible for SNAP. The Consolidated Appropriations Act appropriates funds to federal agencies for the 2023 fiscal year. This bill, while providing funding to the defense budget, disaster relief and improving health care, cut the nationwide increase of SNAP benefits established during the pandemic. According to Forbes, prior to the pandemic in 2020, inflation was at 1.2 percent — and it had climbed to around 8.1 percent in 2022. Rising inflation and supply chain issues have also had negative impacts on food banks. In an interview with WBNG, Les Aylesworth, director of Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) in Binghamton, explained the difficulties inflation has posed to his food bank. “Ever since supply chain issues and inflation, it has made getting food that much more difficult for every organization,” Aylesworth

said. “We have been traveling farther more often to make sure that the food that gets in the building behind me is stocked and ready for folks.” In order to mitigate this decrease in SNAP benefits, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has

Glass Bonds exhibition emphasizes glass art BU Art Museum’s new exhibition encourages the audience to make new connections. Alexis Yang

arts & culture contributor

The Binghamton University Art Museum’s new exhibition explores

bonds — bonds between people, bonds between atoms and bonds between glass. “Bonds…Glass Bonds” includes around 70 glass objects and a video projection, encouraging visitors to make connections between the objects, each other and the world around them. Themes such as “commemoration,”

pipedream archives

Post-COVID-19 inflation has left families that rely on SNAP with less benefits.

“decolonization” and “seeing the universe” group the objects together to tell their stories. At the same time, panels about scientific topics such as atomic structure, reflection of light and iridescence delve into the atomic bonds between glass.

see glass page 5

proposed an emergency assistance supplement for households participating in SNAP, which “will result in New York state’s economy receiving roughly $232 million in federal funding,” as stated on ny.gov. The web page also states that these

ARTS & CULTURE

see snap page 3

Women’s basketball defeats Retrievers 80-70 Weltz registers doubledouble, Traeger grabs 18 rebounds. Bowman scores 21, Wanzer drops 18. Michael Carbone

assistant sports editor

brian petz photo contributor The BU Art Museum welcomes a new exhibition that centers around the concept of bonds and their relationship to people and the world around them.

households should see their SNAP increases posted in late March, when the government allotments will be redirected.

On Wednesday night, the Binghamton women’s basketball team hosted UMBC for the teams’ second and final America East (AE) regular season meeting of the year. In their first matchup, the Retrievers bested the Bearcats 73-69 in a contest that came down to the final minute of play. This game saw a similarly close outcome, but BU pulled away late and came out on top, securing the win 80-70. “The key was our stops that we got,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “[UMBC] did get a lot of points in the paint, but when you’re going twos inside to our threes, that’s hard to stop.” UMBC (9-12, 6-4 AE) put points on the board first as it quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead over BU (12-11, 5-5 AE). Despite trailing, senior guard Denai Bowman dropped in two straight Bearcat buckets to remain close. The visitors, however, did not lose any steam as they pulled away 13-6 shortly after. Bowman’s first-quarter flurry continued as the senior added

OPINIONS

four more points in the period. The hosts ended the frame on a 13-2 run and entered the second with a 19-15 advantage. “A few games I felt like I wasn’t being that aggressive, so I talk to myself before every game and have a go-getter mindset,” Bowman said. “It’s been paying off the last two [games].” The Retrievers began the second period putting a halt to Binghamton’s first-quarter run as the teams put in back-andforth scores. Although UMBC applied pressure, the hosts remained ahead due in part to redshirt freshman guard Jadyn Weltz who scored four straight points. This, however, did not last as the Retrievers added 10 unanswered points and took a 32-27 lead with a minute left in the half. The Bearcats did not back down, despite relinquishing their lead, as they scored two straight baskets and entered the break trailing 32-31. “When we’re drawing up a play, we can go to any person,” Bowman said. “The defense has to stay on their toes because they don’t know who’s coming.”

see basketball page 10

SPORTS

Maneskin releases their fourth studio album

Provisionally chartered club embraces Fujianese students

Columnist Julie Ha discusses the misrepresentation of drug addiction

Track and field competes at Kane Invitational, Sykes and Sabock Challenge

Wrestling hosts dual against Princeton

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Spring 2023 Issue 32-33 by Pipe Dream - Issuu