The Spectrum Vol. 71 No. 19

Meet the 2023-24 Student Association

e-board candidates

$4.5 million budget, which is funded by UB’s mandatory student activity fee.

Elections for the 2023-24 Student Association (SA) e-board are underway this week.

Six candidates — three running for president, two running for vice president and one running uncontested for treasurer — are on the ballot. That’s down from last year’s nine candidates, but still a more competitive race than 2021’s lightly contested and partyless race.

The candidates shared their platforms and qualifications last Friday at a debate held in the Student Union Theater.

The three students who win the race will each collect annual stipends of $15,750 and administer the SA’s approximately

All undergraduate UB students are eligible to vote through the SA’s website. Voting ends at 4 p.m. Friday.

Here’s a look at this year’s candidates:

Abhi Ramtel

Ramtel, a freshman computer science major, is running for SA president as an independent candidate.

As an international student from Nepal, Ramtel wants to use his background to help bring more international student representation to the position. Ramtel’s platform involves creating a stronger sense of community on campus through the creation of a multicultural exchange program and world pallet festival, where students

Former women’s soccer player signs with Australian team

Fifth-year goalie Emily Kelly signed with Australia’s Gungahlin United F.C.

Former UB women’s soccer goalkeeper Emily Kelly signed a deal with Australia’s Gungahlin United Football Club (GUFC), UB Athletics announced Monday.

Kelly, a Wilson, New York native, is one of the all-time greats in UB women’s soccer history. She started all five years she played at UB, playing in 88 games. Her 54 wins and 34 shutouts are both program records.

In 2022, she anchored a team that won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship with stellar numbers. She led the nation with 13 shutouts and set the UB single-season goals against record, allowing just 0.43 per game. Her 15 wins in 2022 is the second-most in a season in UB history and her .934 save percentage ranked third.

In her final season with the Bulls, Kelly

became the second player in school history to receive Second Team All-American honors and also earned MAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-MAC honors.

“We are so proud of Emily and can’t wait to see her flourish at the next level,” Bulls head coach Shawn Burke said in the UB press release. “From day one, Emily has always trained like a pro and that work ethic and dedication will continue to open doors for her.”

GUFC plays in Australia’s National Premier League. The team is based in the Australian Capital District in the capital city of Canberra. The team plays its home games at the Gungahlin Enclosed Oval.

Kelly will join the club”s NPL team for the 2023 season, which began in early April.

Email: ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com

can learn about different cultures, indulge in a variety of ethnic foods and showcase the cultural practices of their respective countries.

He also wants to establish a mentor club where bigger organizations can provide newer and smaller clubs with guidance and support, as well as a support hub where clubs can help the local and international communities in times of crisis. Ramtel stressed he kept his platform “realistic” to avoid making any promises he can’t keep.

Paul&Pang

Becky Paul-Odionhin, a junior industrial engineering major, and Sammi Pang, a junior business administration major, are running for second terms as SA president and vice president, respectively. Paul-

Odionhin said they should be reelected because their year in office has given them the experience they need to run the SA.

“Paul&Pang” touted a record of “increased communication” with clubs and said they were “proud” of how they handled problems they’ve inherited from prior administrations, including amending the ticket merchandising policy.

“Clubs have come to us with issues that they’ve experienced in previous years, and still don’t have a solution,” Pang said. “I’m proud of how I said f—k that, let me find you one.” Paul-Odionhin said she is proud of increasing student engagement and keeping undergraduate students in the loop with her frequent email updates.

Turning Point USA invites Gaines during UB’s pride week

Riley Gaines, a former Division-I swimmer at the University of Kentucky, will deliver a speech titled “Protecting Women’s Sports” at UB’s Center for Tomorrow this Thursday.

Gaines has recently attracted national attention for sharing her experience competing against Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Since then, Gaines has spoken out against trangender women competing in women’s sports, claiming it creates a disadvantage for cisgender women.

Gaines will speak at an event sponsored by Turning Point USA Buffalo (TPUSA) approximately one month after Michael Knowles, a conservative political pundit, spoke on campus and sparked protests from the Buffalo community.

TPUSA declined to comment.

Last Tuesday, Gaines tweeted a picture of posters on UB’s campus which portrayed her as the clown from “It.”

Gaines’ speech at UB coincides with recent legislation being passed about transgender women in sports across the U.S.

Currently, 19 states have restricted transgender women from competing in women’s sports, most recently Kansas, which passed a ban on April 5.

The Biden administration recently proposed a “rule” which would ban transgender women from sports on a case-by-case basis, depending on how competitive the team is.

Gaines made national headlines after she spoke at San Francisco State University via TPUSA last Thursday. Students protested her speech, with Gaines claiming that she was “assaulted” by a mob of students. The students claimed they protested “peacefully.”

Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), a club at UB, helped organize a protest for Knowles’ speech last month. The club is expected to organize a protest outside of Gaines’ speech on Thursday.

“It’s clearly meant to make trans students feel unsafe and say, ‘You’re not wel-

RYAN TANTALO SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

MASLIN SPORTS EDITOR

2 of 3 SA e-board positions will be contested, with polls closing Friday evening

VICTORIA HILL SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

KIANA HODGE NEWS EDITOR

‘It’s clearly meant to make trans students feel unsafe’: UB students react to Riley Gaines’ upcoming speech

KATIE SKOOG FEATURES EDITOR

UB receives $500,000 grant to develop Haudenosaunee research portal

The grant will also support the creation of the “Haudenosaunee Hub” and new hires in the Indigenous Studies Department

The College of Arts and Sciences received a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation in order to support the next phase of The Haudenosaunee Archive, Resource and Knowledge (HARK) portal, UB announced last month. The project initiatives are being led by UB’s new Department of Indigenous Studies.

The portal will be a platform for the production of community-driven digital resources and circulation and preservation of Indigenous research. The project previously received a $175,000 planning grant from the Mellon Foundation in 2021 and a $3.174 million grant in 2019.

The planning grant is also being used to create the “Haudenosaunee Hub,” which will provide networking opportunities for Indigenous communities and connect cultural heritage items to community needs.

“The hub is people and resources,” McCarthy said in a statement. “The portal will be the product of that infrastructure.”

The Department of Indigenous Studies will make additional hires in the upcoming months to manage the hub, including a digital librarian and a community archivist.

“In developing the technology infrastructure that will serve as the foundation for the HARK portal, we will be building a comprehensive digital resource that collects, preserves and shares Indigenous knowledge,” Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, vice provost for University Libraries, said in a statement.“Drawing on the expertise and insight to the Haudenosaunee community, this portal will deliver a wealth of infor-

mation for researchers and scholars on the rich history, language and traditions to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.”

The UB Native American Studies program began in 1972. It was the first higher education program of its kind and served as the foundation for the recently created Department of Indigenous Studies.

“We want to tell that story [of UB’s contribution],” Mia McKie (Tuscarora Nation, Turtle Clan), a professor of Indigenous studies, said. “Utilizing published and publicly available materials serves as an ethical starting point for this project, to avoid digitizing materials that may be identified as sensitive or sacred.”

Developing the portal will also support the community by connecting other Indigenous repositories, cultural centers, community-based archival initiatives and interested individual Haudenosaunee cultural heritage preservationists and artists.

“Nothing like this exists for us, despite the profound need to facilitate a network for information sharing across our Confederacy, to transcend boundaries and borders now cross-cutting our Haudenosaunee homelands that have sought to separate and divide us,” Theresa McCarthy (Six Nations, Onondaga), a professor and director of the Indigenous Studies Department, said. “This grant allows us to build what’s necessary to keep this information and knowledge accessible to the people and places from where it originates — which is fundamental to sovereignty.”

Email: suha.chowdhury@ubspectrum.com

If they are reelected, Paul-Odionhin and Pang say they plan to prioritize student engagement and communication in their next term.

As part of their platform, “Paul&Pang” want to implement mandatory e-board training for new and returning SA employees, which they hope will accelerate the learning process. “Paul&Pang” also wants to add a separate committee for Spring/ Fall Fest production because of how much time and money it takes to plan these events.

More of Paul-Odionhin and Pang’s platform can be found here.

PanDias

Astha Pandey, a junior philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) major is running for SA president alongside her vice presidential running mate, Thomas Dias, a fellow junior PPE major. Pandey is currently an assistant director of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Their party, PanDias, has three main points on their platform: catering to clubs, transforming SA and being better advocates for the undergraduate student body.

As a part of their election campaign, Pandey and Dias say they have been talking to numerous clubs to get feedback on the current SA and what they want to see changed. They also want to incorporate bi-weekly town halls where “anybody can come to contribute ideas, complaints or critiques.”

PanDias encourages students to vote for them because they are “extremely dedicated” to these positions. Neither of them

will be involved in other clubs or outside activities, in an effort to fully immerse themselves in the student body.

“We’re going to be entirely dedicated to serving them [the students] and what they want,” Dias said. “The students hire us and it’s our job to serve them.”

More of Pandey and Dias’ platforms can be found here.

Unnati Agarwal

Unnati Agarwal, a junior biomedical engineering major, is the sole candidate running for treasurer.

Coming from a family of businessmen, Agarwal believes she is financially literate and capable of implementing changes that will provide students with a better undergraduate experience. She said she plans to shadow the current treasurer, Alana Lesczynski, to ensure that she can get well-adjusted to her role if elected. (Lesczynski, a senior studio art major, will be graduating and is therefore not eligible for reelection.)

Agarwal said she wants to address clubs’ financial concerns, including delayed approvals for programs. Increased fundraising efforts and collaboration initiatives are the main priorities of her platform.

“I want to emphasize that I’m committed to working collaboratively with the rest of the executive board and all clubs to achieve our shared goals,” Agarwal said. “I am a person who can make a difference and who can improve funding that clubs and organizations receive.”

Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com

Email: kiana.hodge@ubspectrum.com

Club leaders speak against SA third-party affiliation ban

Representatives of four student groups aired concerns about a policy change that bans some clubs from affiliating with third-party organizations at a Student Association (SA) Senate meeting Monday.

The new policy, which passed at the previous Senate meeting on March 27, would require SA clubs in the hobby, POC, special interest and international councils to dissolve all ties with outside organizations before the end of the semester.

At the time, SA leadership did not disclose a specific reason for the policy change, but the change was made two weeks after right-wing commentator Michael Knowles gave a speech at the invitation of UB’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). The speech, in which Knowles spoke against feminism and “transgenderism,” sparked large protests among UB students.

At the March 27 meeting, SA President Becky Paul-Odionhin said the ban on affiliations will protect SA, telling senators, “we all know why we’re doing this.”

Immediately after opening the meeting, senators adjourned for a 15-minute recess to discuss issues privately with the SA attorney.

Leaders from the UB chapters of Amnesty International, Circle K, Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC), and Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) spoke against the ban on affiliations, saying it would cause significant harm to their organizations.

Amnesty International president Zanaya Hussain said the club has helped her and other members become more culturally competent and engaged with world affairs. She spoke about one alumna who established an organization to support refugees in Western New York, and another who received a Fulbright Scholarship and was admitted to UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Hussain said that without a connection to Amnesty International, the club’s impact will be limited.

“This will change the very essence of our club and the positive benefit we implement on our campus, the broader WNY community, and across the United States as well,” Hussain said.

Circle K president-elect Sara Dembsky

and vice president-elect Sofie Melledy also cited the leadership and community benefits of the club’s affiliation with Kiwanis International.

“We are risking our whole club falling apart,” Dembsky said, noting that UB’s Circle K chapter is among the largest in the state. She said the club’s affiliation with Kiwanis is “the sole reason our club even has a reputation today,” and that there is no clear solution that would allow the club to continue operating.

Young Americans for Freedom vice president Justin Hill said chapters of his organization had not encountered similar issues at other schools. He questioned whether the change is necessary, and said there is confusion about how clubs can come into compliance with the new rules.

SA Vice President Sammi Pang responded that SA’s structure, as a nonprofit encompassing its clubs, is relatively unique. Pang said a Zoom town hall meeting will be held to clarify the change for club leaders.

Leaders from BASIC also spoke against the change, saying it would hinder their ability to attract new students. BASIC vice president Amy Choi said the organization, which has operated at UB since 1986, is a recognizable name to students transferring from other SUNY schools with a BASIC chapter.

“[BASIC] has been around for 30, 40 years on campus, and our name is being cut off now,” Choi said. “A major reason many of us are able to fill seats in our clubs is because of that name recognition.”

John Garcia, representing UB Stand-Up and Laugh, used the comment period to encourage more people to try stand-up. He did not comment on the policy change.

The SA Senate was unable to take any action at Tuesday’s meeting since no legislation had been drafted, butVice President Samm Pang said SA would work to find a solution by the next Senate meeting.

Discussing the proceedings with each other in the hallway after the meeting, some club representatives expressed disappointment.

“I feel like they avoided our questions,” YAF vice president Justin Hill said. Both Hill and Choi, of BASIC, declined a request for an interview with The Spectrum after the meeting.

SOL HAUSER STAFF WRITER

SUHA CHOWDHURY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Leaders say the new policy will reduce their clubs’ impact

MOAZ ELAZZAZI / THE SPECTRUM THE DEPARTMENT OF INDIGENOUS STUDIES IS LOCATED AT 508 CLEMENS

Everyone should take at least one communication course

Communication skills are your most vital asset

courses will teach you how to do just that.

The first communication course I ever took was a public speaking class in high school. At the time, I was a junior and I wanted to take an “easy” course that would boost my GPA for college applications.

Before I knew it, my time was up. The class applauded. I sat back down, my nerves finally settling. I couldn’t have told you what I said or how I looked. I was so nervous that I had blacked out.

ically, the athlete or actor is throwing their hands up in the air — taking up space — in celebration of their accomplishment.

You think your life is hard? Psh. Try being a communication major.

I work myself to the bone.

My classes start at the break of dawn — 10 a.m. I have to do a discussion board and a 10-question multiple choice quiz every week. I just can’t catch a break!

In all seriousness, communication majors don’t exactly have a reputation for putting our noses to the grindstone. While what we do isn’t as difficult as mechanical engineering, we still put time into our coursework and learn some incredibly valuable life lessons.

For instance, how you present yourself — verbally and nonverbally — could be the deciding factor during a job interview. Your eye movements, your facial expressions, your posture, your tone of voice and especially your attitude are all key components to being successful in life.

Employers want confident, well-rounded individuals who present themselves in a professional manner; communication

My ignorant 16-year-old self was fully confident that public speaking would be a cakewalk. “How difficult could it possibly be? There’s barely 15 kids taking this class and all I have to do is speak in front of them for a few minutes? Bet.”

The teacher, Mrs. Caiet, won that bet. For our first assignment, we were asked to get up in front of the class and talk about something that interests us for two minutes.

The catch to this assignment was that Mrs. Caiet recorded our speeches in order to evaluate our posture and presence.

I was a fairly confident person at that age, so I volunteered to go first. But when I got up to speak in front of the class, I started to shake uncontrollably.

I started to speak, but my voice was drowned out by the deafening sound of my restless nerves. Blood rushed to my head and my ears. I couldn’t focus on the words spilling out of my mouth.

All I could think of was where to awkwardly place my clammy hands and how to stand up straight without looking like a total dork.

Mrs. Caiet emailed me the video of my speech later that day. As I watched it, all I could think was “Dude really?”

I was leaning on one leg like a Vogue model, but my hands were in my pockets at the same time. My eyes were darting across the room as if I was tracking down a fruit fly. My cheeks were bright red.

To say that was a humbling experience would be an understatement. But what started as an embarrassing moment blossomed into one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.

Not only does your body language and facial expressions affect how others perceive you, it also affects how you see yourself.

How do you sit? You might sit cross legged or with your legs slightly tucked under your chair. But, if you sit with your legs open and feet flat on the floor, you will seem and feel more confident. Taking up space, with consideration for those around you, is a small but very effective way to increase your self confidence.

When you see an actor win an Oscar or an athlete win an Olympic gold medal, pay attention to their immediate reaction. Typ-

After my speech, I started making a conscious effort to sit with my legs unfolded and my feet more outward. Four years later, I sit that way unconsciously. After taking up a little more space in a mundane human task, my confidence has skyrocketed.

My public speaking class opened my eyes to a new world of communication.

Once I got to UB, I became a communication major.

Now, as a junior in college, I’ve learned much more than how to sit correctly.

I’ve learned about the science of communication, how it affects people and why people communicate the way they do.

But even that small lesson in high school helped me become a more confident person. This confidence, this superpower, will bring me far in life — and literally anyone can learn how to harness it.

I know it’s not the most respected major, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be. But it is important to realize that the communication skills you can learn in the classroom will be relevant for the rest of your life.

If you want to improve your general demeanor, you should take at least one communication course — no matter what field of study you’re in.

Email: dylan.greco@ubspectrum.com

A list of the Distinguished Speaker Series entries UB wishes it could redo

Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey and Donald Trump have all headlined the series

sey native was unemployed and, in case you live under a rock, embroiled in allegations that he had sexually assaulted several young boys over the course of decades.

any politicians or government officials on this list.

Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault.

Whoever books guests for the Distinguished Speaker Series should give themselves a pat on the back, because this year’s was one for the books.

But not every entry in the decades-old speaking series is memorable for the right reasons. The speaking circuit attracts more than its fair share of grifters, liars and abusers, and UB’s Distinguished Speaker Series is no exception. Today’s heroes are sometimes tomorrow’s villains.

So to celebrate the closing of a Distinguished Speaker Series that will (hopefully) age like a bottle of fine Chardonnay, let’s take a look back at just a few of the speeches that have aged like milk.

Kevin Spacey (2016):

Kevin Spacey was at the height of his fame when he addressed a packed Alumni Arena in 2016. He’d just starred as the machiavellian politician Frank Underwood in the fourth season of the hit Netflix show “House of Cards” and been nominated for two Emmys the year prior.

A mere 18 months later, the New Jer-

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023

71 NUMBER 13

3,000

But Spacey’s sliminess doesn’t end there. The actor offered his first accuser an insincere if-I-did-it-style apology before coming out as gay in the same statement. I can only assume that was a cynical attempt to distract from the allegations, all while giving free ammunition to homophobic pundits who want to portray gay men as pedophiles.

But despite his complete unwillingness to take accountability, Spacey did fess up to one misdeed in his speech: As a struggling actor, Spacey told the audience that he had stolen a ticket to a film lecture from a sleeping woman.

“I know it was wrong,” Spacey said, according to UBNow. If only he’d repeated that line instead of denying the allegations against him in disturbing YouTube videos where he plays Frank Underwood.

Bill Cosby (2003):

Cosby seems to have spent much of his speech portraying himself as a committed husband and fun uncle, according to the UB Reporter. But of course, he had to slip in this “joke” about middle-aged parties: “We don’t have to worry about someone slipping ecstasy into our drinks — they might try to slip Viagra in there instead.”

The quip is as disgusting as his use of “we” is inappropriate.

Donald Trump (2004):

I tried to stay away from putting

The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Opinion section of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address.

Besides, what really makes Trump’s speech memorable for all the wrong reasons isn’t his presidency, not really anyway. It’s the advice (or, as the UB Reporter puts it, “pearls of wisdom”) he offers to the presumably bright-eyed UB students in attendance: “Surround yourself with the best people and sort of trust them — not totally, but watch them,” the business mogul (and then-registered Democrat) said in his 40-minute speech. “If someone screws you, you screw them back.” “Be paranoid.” “The professors will be upset with this… [but] get even.”

And my personal favorite? “Always get a prenup. Had I not had a prenup, I would not be here!” (That being said, his use of the word “loser” to describe a building is a close second.)

Looking back on it from 2023, the speech is a forward and all-too-honest portrait of the man who would go on to be the 45th president of the U.S. Yes, he was always like this.

Steve Wozniak (2015):

For those of you who aren’t engineering majors, Wozniak co-founded Apple and helped lead the company until 1985. He’s a giant in computer science.

But since his 2015 speech, he’s added some less savory items to his resume. He founded his own private university, WozU, in 2017. An Arizona state oversight board had to review a formal complaint against the “institution,” according to azcentral. com, and one student told CBS that the

school was effectively a “a $13,000 ebook.” Oh, and he has own cryptocurrency called WOZX.

Steven Levitt (2007):

Economist Levitt, alongside journalist Stephen Dubner, took the world by storm in the 2000s with their book, “Freakonomics,” which aims to expose the unexpected and unintuitive causes of everyday phenomena using economics.

And while perhaps the least problematic person on this list, Levitt has a lot to answer for intellectually.

Take his claim that the legalization of abortion in the ‘70s led to falling crime rates in the ‘90s because unwanted children commit more crimes. It’s as fantastical as it is uncomfortable.

It’s also wrong. According to The Wall Street Journal, other economists found serious coding errors in their data and criticized the pair for counting arrests on a total (and not per-capita) basis. When accounting for those, the effect disappears.

But even if that wasn’t the case, saying that abortion was the main driver of this trend is still an irresponsible oversimplification of sociology. A lot of things changed between the ‘70s and ‘90s. And it’s not just one theory. Levitt and Dubner have been objectively wrong about a long list of topics.

I guess we should’ve taken Levitt’s opening line seriously: “I’m not a real economist.”

Email: grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com

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DYLAN GRECO OPINION EDITOR

GRANT ASHLEY MANAGING EDITOR

‘Amazing father, amazing husband, but in the kitchen, he’s a beast’

A look into the life of local boutique owner and Buffalo Bills players’ personal chef Darian Bryan

A.J. FRANKLIN ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

After a long day of practice, Stefon Diggs heads home with one thing on his mind: his empty stomach.

Lucky for him, he doesn’t have to do the cooking himself; a sizzling steak is already being prepared by nationally-acclaimed chef Darian Bryan.

Bryan expected many things to come from his culinary career, but becoming a personal chef for several Buffalo Bills players was not one of them.

Bryan’s culinary career began at age 12 in his home country of Jamaica. Every day, he helped his mom cook food for her shop. Three years later, his mom left him with the keys to the shop, and that’s when his passion for cooking took over.

At age 20, he migrated to the U.S. and entered culinary school at Erie Community College, supporting himself with a cooking gig at Denny’s.

Now, at 31 years old, he is the owner of his own boutique, The Plating Society, and a personal chef for multiple Bills players

“Food is love, and food brings people together,” Bryan told The Spectrum. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on, food is always involved, some way, somehow.”

When Bryan was growing up in Jamaica his family experienced hurricanes every fall, causing extensive damage to his home.

During one storm, Bryan desperately ran outside of his house with a big piece of wood to board up his windows.

“I can’t afford for this to happen again to us,” he thought to himself.

His mom told him to get back inside; he complied.

After the storm, Bryan and his family went outside to survey the damage. Trees had blown over. Everything was soaking wet. All of the goats, chickens and pigs in the area were dead.

His family would dry their belongings and sleep on wet beds. With no coal and wet wood, they couldn’t even start a fire to keep themselves warm.

But despite the wreckage, Bryan’s family and their neighbors found solace in cooking curry chicken for each other.

That sense of community is part of the reason why Bryan and his team at The Plating Society dropped everything to cook for the victims of the May 14 shooting on Buffalo’s East Side and Winter Storm Elliott in December.

Within a week of the shooting, Bryan’s restaurant provided food to East Side residents and created a fundraiser for the families of victims, collecting around $20,000 in one day, according to Bryan.

Bryan shopped at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue regularly and knew most of the staff, including Aaron Saltor, the security

guard whose life was taken that day. The two used to talk to each other about cars.

Bryan’s children, Darian and Nia, went to daycare across the street. Bryan and his family planned to go to the grocery store on that day, but chose to go to the Elmwood Market instead.

“I just never heard him weep or cry like that, that was extremely hard for me to hear,” his wife, Jessica Bryan, said about his reaction to the shooting.

After Winter Storm Elliott brought Buffalo to a standstill last December, Bryan and his team cooked and distributed over 3,000 meals to storm victims over the course of four days.

“Buffalo is my home,” he said. “Buffalo pretty much made me, and all these are my people.”

staff, recreated all the menus and redesigned the kitchen. But he did not feel like he fully fit into the town, as he would rarely see other Black people. One percent of Hamburg’s population is Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Then for the first time in his two years as a chef at the Prima Café, a Black man walked in. Intrigued, Bryan walked over and struck up a conversation with him.

The next day, the man returned to the restaurant and asked Bryan who the executive chef was. When Bryan confirmed that he was the one in charge, the man revealed himself to be Vontae Davis, former Buffalo Bills cornerback. Davis had moved to Erie County the week before to play for the Bills.

Bryan, a Jamaican, didn’t know anything

Not too long afterward, in September 2018, Davis abruptly retired during halftime of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. One of the first people he contacted was Bryan.

“Chef, I don’t need any more meals, I’m retiring,” Davis texted Bryan.

Later that year, Davis hired Bryan to cook a six-course meal at a New Year’s event with 30 Bills players in attendance. The players were impressed. Diggs reached out soon after, asking for Bryan to become his personal chef.

“I didn’t even like lobster like that, but the way he cooked it, he made me fall in love with his lobster,” Diggs told ESPN in an interview.

Bryan has been cooking for Bills players — including Davis, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, center Mitch Morse and running back Taiwan Jones — ever since.

“Flavors: that’s me all day,” Bryan said. “That’s why these guys love my food so much.”

Some of Bryan’s standout dishes include coconut curry salmon, cranberry and pistachio custard rack of lamb, bourbon brûléed sweet potato and short rib stew.

Bryan was featured on CBS Saturday Morning, where he discussed his work for the victims of the May 14 shooting.

Bryan says he spends about 13 hours a day cooking. He goes to sleep at midnight, wakes up at 3 a.m. and then heads straight to the gym to start his day.

“I just don’t feel tired though,” he said. “My passion keeps me going.”

Despite all his commitments, Bryan would not be able to accomplish many of his achievements without his wife.

Jessica Bryan handles business development and seeks opportunities to build her husband’s brand behind the scenes while he focuses on cooking.

“Amazing father, amazing husband, but in the kitchen, he’s a beast,” she said about her husband. “When you live with somebody who used to [live near] crocodiles, basically trying to avoid getting eaten, it’s just different.”

Bryan charges his clients a $75 minimum booking fee for catered meals at The Plating Society, plus the cost of groceries, but he also does pop-up shops for those who wouldn’t be able to afford his catered meals.

Bryan says that by the time he reaches age 40, he sees himself vacationing on a beach with his wife and kids.

“A little boy back in Jamaica walking barefoot, riding a bicycle, to this? It’s just a blessing,” he said.

Email: aj.franklin@ubspectrum.com

Prior to The Plating Society, Bryan ran the kitchen at Prima Café in Hamburg, New York. He hired and trained all the

SPRING PHOTO GALLERY

about American football, but that didn’t stop him from accepting the opportunity to be his personal chef.

Courtesy of JessiCa Bryan Darian Bryan is a personal chef for multiple Buffalo Bills players

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come here,’” Rayna Cooke, a senior biology major, said. “We want to combat that as much as possible because trans students should feel safe and trans students are welcome at UB. UB should be doing more to show that that is the case, to make trans students feel protected.”

Cooke says a group of graduate students are currently working on sending a list of demands to UB President Satish Tripathi, such as requesting more gender neutral bathrooms on campus.

Susan Cahn, a professor emeritus in the History and Global Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, provided their insight into Gaines’ visit. They have studied gender and sexuality in women’s sports history for decades.

“Where I really disagree with Riley Gaines is I think that bans on transgender athletes hurt all women athletes,” she said. “I think what it does is affirm the view that real athletic ability is male.”

They went on to explain that within genders, there’s biological variability. Cahn says by banning transgender women athletes from sports, it exemplifies the idea that being born a woman means “you couldn’t possibly beat a trans woman.”

While there is backlash from students regarding Gaines coming to campus, there is also support and interest in her speech.

“I’m planning on attending the event,” Ryan Kahle, a senior political science and communication major said. “I’m always interested to hear what these people have to say, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with them.”

Kahle thinks that as long as there is evidence to support conclusions that transgender women shouldn’t compete in women’s sports, he would support it. He added that as a political science major, he believes these events help people get more politically engaged.

“It’s when you have someone who’s controversial that it really brings out the spirit in people because obviously there are

these issues that they really care about for one way or the other,” Kahle said. “It kind of gets people out there and gets people excited, which, as a political science major, I like to see that, regardless if people are angry about it or excited about it.”

Students and faculty also pondered UB’s involvement and if the university is doing enough to protect transgender students on campus.

UB put out a statement after the backlash against Knowles speaking on campus. Students and faculty felt that the email was not enough and are showing concern for the university’s lack of response to Gaines.

“I felt like the message coming from

UB was we will be there to serve trans students who are traumatized by the event,” Cahn said. “But I think as a campus our goal should be [to] not allow people to be traumatized by what’s going on on campus.”

UB says University Police has plans to ensure the safety of the campus community for the speech on Thursday, which was originally planned to be held in the Student Union.

“UB police have been planning accordingly for Thursday’s speaking event, which includes a change in venue to the Center for Tomorrow, security checks upon entrance and a strong police presence both

inside and outside the event,” John Della Contrada, a UB spokesperson, said in a statement to The Spectrum. “As always, the focus is on maintaining a safe, secure environment so all parties can peacefully express their views.”

The Student Life Freedom of Assembly Support Team (FAST) will also be in attendance to remind students and faculty of the right to free speech and the “responsibility to abide by public rules of order and maintain a climate of respect,” according to the university.

Email: amy.maslin@ubspectrum.com

Email: katie.skoog@ubspectrum.com

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Black lines covered the floor of the Center for the Arts (CFA)’s Project Space, depicting Buffalo’s highway systems. Entering south of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, one could walk all the way to Canalside. Viewers marveled at the ability to spontaneously transport oneself throughout all of Buffalo without leaving a single room. Immersed in the topography of Buffalo, viewers realized that in Vic Janis’ miniature world, they could be in Elmwood one minute, and Amherst the next.

With a long list of pre-event preparations to complete, Vic Janis ran around all afternoon, gearing up for the closing reception of “Duplex,” her Buffalo-themed art exhibit that occupied the CFA’s Project Space until April 6. After being displayed for a week, it was time for the duplexes — which represented the geography and architecture of Buffalo — to be demolished.

But first, Janis, a senior studio art major, needed to set up the snack table and mingle with guests that ogled at her work.

During their travels through Janis’ “mini Buffalo,” viewers encountered photographs of 36 duplex houses printed onto transparent film hung from the ceiling by string. The maps on the walls — including those of redlining categories, a sincedismantled streetcar system, future metro line plans and the current highway system — drew guests into the geography Janis recreated.

The hanging sculpture and photo installation highlighted the inequities that Buffalo’s highway system and redlining have fostered. The photographed duplexes may look the same on the outside — suggesting equality — but the quality of life varies

through Buffalo and its inequities

house two blocks over (photographed in the series) puts towels in the windows to combat drafts.

Janis presented “Duplex” as a way of encouraging self-research and broader dialogues about the topics raised.

“It’s all about observation. Just open your eyes to the idea and look around,” Janis said. “You can come across some really incredible discoveries that you might not have if you didn't make those connections and take the time to be mindful and put the dots together.”

Janis’ reception persevered through various distractions — an attention-stealing dog, an overly curious Spectrum reporter and a child screaming while being whisked away by his parent.

“Ariana Grande, is that you?” Vic quipped as the child was carried away, still yelling.

Furthering questions about systemic inequities in Buffalo, Janis’ piece spoke to broader social problems while also encouraging self-reflection. Janis believes duplexes are human, and vice versa. She chose to look at duplexes in the same way one looks at another person.

“It’s about to happen.”

“Any minute now.”

“Are you ready?”

These ominous lines boomed over the speakers at the Center for the Arts (CFA)’s lower art gallery this past Thursday, immersing the audience into a new and peculiar world. Bridget Moser’s “When I Am Through With You There Won’t Be Anything Left” was not a series of paintings, a dance or a play. It was something else entirely, something unfiltered, raw and unabashedly original.

As audience members took their seats, they faced a hand-painted set of pastel pink, purple and blue. Moser, a performance and video artist, emerged in matching purple shorts and a baby blue top, fitting into a soft, childlike aesthetic.

But once the show began, it quickly derailed into raunchiness, unpredictable body imagery and existential dread.

As a performance artist, Moser accessed deep levels of her psyche to portray profound ideas in humorous and often ridiculous ways.

Within the first few minutes, Moser pulled out two dismembered feet, wondering if there are human body parts in heaven. Then, she donned a pair of skin gloves, slapping them against her thighs while contemplating, “Is it bad to hate my mother-in-law’s tattoo?” and “Is it so bad to tell my roommate I’m not responsible for her boyfriend’s allergy?”

“We’re thinking about what it means to be a body. The one consistent material in the art that I make is my own body,” Moser said. “[I explore] the way that my body is coded and how that creates a lens through which I experience the world.”

After asking crucial questions about all the people she’s let down, Moser displayed a gaudy white wig “purchased at a country estate sale.” She monotonically shared that the wig makes her feel nauseous, and perhaps, might be “super weird and not normal.” Moser launched into a spiel satirizing the rich who have kitchen islands

greatly from one area to the next. Inequity is hidden within the false outward equality of the identically structured duplexes.

Inspiration for “Duplex” came from Janis’ lower socio-economic upbringing

as the daughter of two Polish immigrants in an isolated, rural area and her current residence. While Janis occupies a cozy student housing apartment built in 2016 on top of a nature park, her best friend in a

“They all look a little different on the outside and they’re all unique in their own way,” Janis said. “But they all fit this little shape that the human body could be alike to, this shape that we’ve fit ourselves into. And it’s not really fair when certain people get looked at differently, and they don’t fit into human quality anymore just because of their differences when their differences are just stylistic, not necessarily identity that they are no longer human.”

Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

bigger than most garages, pretend to like champagne and own Samsung Galaxy S23s — all while smacking herself with a loose foot and fighting off a wig.

Throughout her show, Moser philosophized about life with a fuzzy pink skeleton and a gigantic pool floatie of a man’s ripped abs. Later, she aggressively deflated the pool floatie before dancing awkwardly to a distorted clip of Taylor’s Swift’s “Shake It Off” — specifically the “got nothing in my brain” lyrics.

“I’m a very embarrassing person, but I just keep going,” Moser admitted midshow.

Despite its “embarrassing” exterior, Moser’s weirdness hides deep introspection. Her performance art is an avenue for airing out the inexplicable thoughts that

everyone possesses, but rarely expresses.

“Nobody knows anybody beyond the skin,” Moser told a pair of feet during her performance. “And we are all sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own lonely skins for as long as we live on this Earth.”

Alongside writing, producing and starring in her performances, Moser creates and curates all the featured props. The pool floatie depicting a man’s body in a tiny speedo was a lucrative Ebay find, while the fur-covered skeleton was a painstakingly handmade “pandemic project.” Despite having many opportunities to sell the skeleton as a traditional artist might, Moser says she could never part with it. Her art may sometimes be silly, but it’s always heavily personal.

“There’s something about making some-

thing that’s, at times, so stupid — as this is — that there are also these moments that come up that are very exciting to me,” Moser said. “Even if I’m not sure if other people will agree, the act of investigating that… is something that just makes being alive better.”

To put an end to her existential ramblings, Moser announced that she is going somewhere beyond what anyone knows. With that, she walked straight out of the gallery, leaving audience members dumbfounded.

“Performance art can be a hard sell. It just has a bad reputation. Does it deserve it? Sometimes, not always,” Moser said. “I mean, I love it.”

Email: alex.novak@ubspectrum.com

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com

Alex NovAk / The SpecTrum

Vic Janis displayed her “duplex” exhibit at center for the arts which highlights housing inequity in buffalo

What to expect from the brand new Buffalo AKG Museum

Formerly known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the massive museum opens in June after three years of construction

Building, a small Greek Revivalist structure built in the early 1900s.

The Buffalo AKG Museum, formerly known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, is set to open this summer after over three years of transformative renovations. The museum’s vast expansion was funded by a $230 million capital campaign — the largest in the history of any Western New York cultural institution.

More of a rebirth than a simple reopening, the museum’s June 2023 debut will include new acquisitions, new community space and a completely reinvigorated 50,000-square-foot campus.

Architect Shohei Shigematsu led the overhaul of the museum’s campus and designed the new Jeffrey E. Gundlach Building, an ultra-modern structure that will house 30,000 square feet of gallery space, a sculpture garden and a theater. Its glass paneling and grand spiral staircase are a stark contrast against the original Knox

The top of the Gundlach Building will provide a bird’s-eye view of Delaware Park, giving the museum a sense of openness and connection to nature.

The new Buffalo AKG campus will also include the Ralph Wilson Town Square, the museum’s new hub for community engagement. Once an open-air pavilion attached to the Knox Building, the town square has been renovated to serve as a “comfortable, accessible community space that people from across Western New York and beyond can visit without the need to purchase anything,” according to a press release.

Covered by “Common Sky,” an intricate glass roof designed by artists Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann, the Town Square will host performances, interactive art installations and a restaurant. Admis-

Review: It’s a kid’s movie — relax

The new Mario movie is packed with impeccable animation and slapstick comedy

DYLAN GRECO

OPINION EDITOR

Leave your neckbeards and fedoras at home. If you’re looking for a plot-driven drama thriller about two little Italian guys stomping on turtles, this is not the movie for you.

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“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is, surprise surprise, catered toward kids — but that doesn’t mean that people of all ages can’t enjoy our two favorite plumbers on the adventure of a lifetime.

The film was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, both known for their

sion to this part of the museum will be completely free of charge. Much of the museum’s permanent collection — including notable contemporary and modern works by artists like Paul Gaugin, Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo — will be reframed and reglazed to be put back on display. But the museum’s expansion has doubled the amount of space to showcase art — and with this extra space comes plenty of new acquisitions.

The museum recently acquired one of Yayoi Kusama’s iconic “Infinity Rooms,” titled “My Heart is Dancing into the Universe.” The immersive installation, a mirrored room lit up with kaleidoscopic lanterns and covered in the artist’s trademark polka dots, is the first major work by Kusama to enter the museum’s collection.

Among the Buffalo AKG’s inaugural ex-

work on “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies” as well as the series, “Teen Titans Go!” Like in their work on the DC show, the duo’s trademark slapstick humor is front and center in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

While the film’s comedy is moderately corny, that’s to be expected from a kids movie. What makes this type of humor palatable is that the movie is aware of its clichés and keeps them to a minimum.

The plot of this film follows your regular old hero’s journey; There’s no character-driven kino, but it’s loads of fun to watch. Illumination Entertainment, the artists behind “Despicable Me” and “The Secret Life of Pets,” did the animation for the film and wow did they deliver.

From perfectly-cast shadows and lighting to blemishes on animated characters’ skin, this movie takes detail very seriously. Illumination perfected the physics of each character’s clothes and hair blowing in the wind.

A fiction film, especially if it’s animated, has one job: to make the audience suspend disbelief and transport themselves into the world of the movie. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” does just that — and gives you a reason or two to chuckle along the way.

One of Nintendo fans’ biggest concerns pre-release was Chris Pratt’s voice-

hibitions is “Through a Modernist Lens: Buffalo and the Photo-Secession,” a show that will highlight more than 600 photographs from the museum’s extensive photography collection, featuring artists like Alfred Stieglitz and James Craig Annan.

Also opening is “Clyfford Still: A Legacy for Buffalo,” a retrospective of the enigmatic abstract expressionist painter who donated a major portion of his works to the museum in 1964.

“Great art is now built into the very physical fabric of the Buffalo AKG,” Cathleen Chaffee, the museum’s chief curator, said in a statement. “Our local community will find the great works of modern art they know best alongside never-before-seen recent acquisitions by leading contemporary artists.”

Email: meret.kelsey@ubspectrum.com

acting role as the movie’s titular character. Pratt, best known for playing Star-Lord in “Guardians of The Galaxy,” wasn’t exactly your average Mario fan’s first choice for the voice of the plumbing paisano. Some were even concerned that Pratt wouldn’t don an Italian accent. (In contrast, fans were delighted to hear that Charlie Day was cast as Luigi.)

Pratt proved those fears to be unfounded. He did a wonderful job voicing Mario, incorporating a slight accent while not going over the top.

The voice acting in this film is generally great, but Jack Black truly knocks it out of the park as the voice of Bowser. After a four-year hiatus from acting, Black brings his fiery personality to the brutish king of the Koopas.

Every scene with Bowser is down-right chilling, as Black breathes life into the character with a guttural, menacing tone.

Anyone who plans on seeing this film should remind themselves that this movie was made for kids. Sure, there are callbacks to the original games, but this movie isn’t a middle-aged nostalgia trip.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” may not be a profound piece of cinema, but it’s definitely a fun watch for people and families of all ages.

Email: dylan.greco@ubspectrum.com

MERET KELSEY SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

RYAN LACKI / THE SPECTRUM THE ALBRIGHT-KNOX MUSEUM HAS BEEN UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR THREE YEARS

Dispellingtherumorsof ‘LegoLand’

Was Ellicott really built to discourage protests?

There are endless rumors about UB’s Ellicott Complex — that the architect was on acid or that his child helped him design it, for example.

But one is more enduring and popular than the rest: that it was designed to prevent congregations to discourage protests and riots.

The 38-building mega-structure, affectionately nicknamed “Lego Land” by students, is infamous for its peculiar design. Ellicott looks like disjointed cubes from the side and a sprawling brick octopus from above.

Since its construction in 1974, Ellicott has been viewed by some as confusing, cramped and dismal.

“At first glance, the huge labyrinth-like Ellicott Complex… appears to have been deserted by civilization,” then-student Amy Dunkin said in an issue of The Spectrum from that same year.

The jokes didn’t die down in the years following the complex’s construction, either. Jay Rosen, then a Spectrum special features editor, quipped in a 1977 issue that “the Buffalo Bills would never lose a game there. You build the visiting team’s locker room somewhere in Ellicott…You just know the other team would never find its way out.” Even UB’s own website gracefully concedes that “Ellicott is notorious for its serpentine corridors and multiple pathways.”

Given its confounding architecture, it’s no surprise that urban legends about Ellicott’s allegedly totalitarian prison architecture have circulated for decades.

North Campus’ Rocky Start

Ellicott’s story begins far before its first brick was laid, and is deeply entwined with the history of UB itself.

After 116 years as a private institution, UB elected to join the SUNY system in 1962. School officials saw this as an opportunity to expand the university, accommodating a nationwide explosion of college enrollment.

UB projected an enrollment of 20,000 students, necessitating new construction. Administrators eventually decided to construct a new campus in the growing town of Amherst.

In 1966, when Martin Meyerson became president of the university, he consolidated 90 academic departments into seven faculties, each led by a provost.

To create a sense of community within such a large university, Meyerson envisioned creating 30 colleges of no more than 1,000 students, each with an individual identity. The “academic spine” was born.

Laid out along an east-west axis and or-

ganized by faculty and college, each school was originally intended to feature “distinct architectural expression,” according to a thesis on the design of North Campus. But to give the campus a sense of coherence, every building took on a standard color scheme of dark brown brick, a design that would eventually contribute to UB’s reputation as one of America’s ugliest college campuses.

UB broke ground on North Campus on Oct. 31, 1968, kicking off a sequence of unrest that lasted for years.

Some students quickly noticed a lack of Black construction workers on campus and wrote a resolution to the-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, calling for the training and hiring of more Black workers. After a three-month silence on the matter, Rockefeller created a commission to investigate the issue, which halted construction.

After tumultuous negotiations, construction sputtered back into action, but the setback was the first of many incidents in which students would butt heads with university and state officials.

Shortly thereafter, students protested against UB’s choice to administer the Selective Service Qualification Test, which was meant to measure whether a college student qualified for draft deferment. These protests culminated in a brief occupation of South Campus’ Hayes Hall, an administrative building.

Then, in 1969, several Black UB athletes were in a dispute with their coaches over stipend differences. A group of white student activists from the Students for a Democratic Society protested in support of the Black athletes.

During the prolonged negotiations, some student activists broke windows in Hayes Hall. In response, UB administrators called campus security officers to arrest the students.

Students and officers ended up in physical confrontation. The activists retreated to the former Norton Student Union, barricading themselves inside.

Police eventually broke through, beating and arresting many students. The ensuing days saw more violent confrontation with law enforcement, leading to a police occupation of South Campus.

The occupation ended after nearly four months, but not before police arrested 45 faculty members for holding a sit-in at Hayes Hall.

The 1971 Attica prison riots only exacerbated tensions. These riots, quashed by Rockefeller, involved the deaths of 43 inmates and hostages. Two hundred UB students responded by protesting the state’s actions at a rally in downtown Buffalo. During the rally, police beat protestors and

arrested 11, including four UB students.

Three days later, 150 students, outraged by the state’s refusal to offer healthcare to inmates injured in the Attica riots, held a sit-in at South Campus.

The Birth of Ellicott Complex

Given that history of protest, it’s no surprise that the opening of the Ellicott Complex in 1974 was a contentious affair.

During the opening ceremony, 150 students demonstrated against recent tuition hikes and faculty layoffs.

With little to no trust in UB administrators, many students believed that Ellicott’s strange silhouette was meant to suppress activism.

“[It’s] full of dead ends, isolated towers and plenty of windows — what would be handier for a potential thought police?” then-student Eric Martens said in a 1977 letter to the editor published in The Spectrum

However, despite ongoing unrest, Ellicott was designed with Meyerson’s philosophy in mind, as all North Campus had been. The complex was meant to create many smaller communities among one larger one, not to intentionally sequester radical-minded students. In fact, UB professor emeritus of history Michael Frisch says that Ellicott actually houses ideal architecture for would-be student-rioters.

“Revolts against the state have seen more success if the perpetrators took advantage of narrow winding alleyways,” Frisch argued. “Put a bunch of protesters into the middle of a plaza and they’ll get hosed down by a couple of fire hoses. But if student radicals wanted to revolt, they could barricade themselves into Ellicott, block some entrances, open the windows to its towers and throw stones at advancing police. And the press would be able to capture the situation before the police could ever penetrate into the complex.”

Still the paranoia of students grew stronger as the social unrest of the ‘70s raged on.

In 1975, Attica prisoners began facing trial, with many UB students still rallying behind them. They sent a request to UB President Robert Ketter for funding toward bus fare so they could travel to Albany to attend the trials. Ketter denied this request, with 100 students sitting-in in response.

The sit-in abruptly escalated when a window broke and panicked students ran out of the building into the waiting police force. In the ensuing confrontation, students gathered up shards of glass and stabbed several officers. Nine students were arrested and suspended, and several officers were injured.

North Campus’ Final Form

Shaped by conflict and a diminished budget, North Campus slowly took shape. Ten new buildings were completed in 1976 and 1977, giving much needed structure to the previously isolated and desolate sixbuilding campus.

However, some students remained skeptical. Rosen wrote an article claiming that North Campus lacked a “heart” of a student union and was designed to corral and control students.

Rosen wasn’t the only one.

“Decentralization is working because if it were not, there would be much more student protest about what is being done to us,” then-student Bernard Borthman wrote in a letter to the editor of The Spectrum. “We are being divided and conquered.”

In his own letter to the editor, then-student Kevin McCabe envisioned “totalitarian control and a serious threat to human freedom” on North Campus.

Yet, other students felt the suggestions were overblown.

“Please stop reminding us of the imperfections which exist in our would-be flawless, comfortably secure surroundings,” then-student Margaret Mary Buchanan said in a 1977 Spectrum letter to the editor.

Separated libraries, a distant university plaza and the closing of Squire Hall, South Campus’ Student Union in 1982 led to the temporary homelessness of student organizations. This further bolstered student conspiracies.

But North Campus would eventually receive its own Student Union in 1985, after many years of negotiations between students and administration. The new building, which was expanded in 1992, gave a home to 75 clubs and organizations and supplied North Campus with the “heart” that Rosen claimed it had lacked for so long.

Though imperfect and sometimes confusing or ugly, the decentralization of North Campus stems from attempts to form smaller communities within the larger university rather than a far-fetched conspiracy theory.

It may be easy to see clues pointing toward authoritarian scheming hidden in the bricks of “Lego Land,” but in the end, North Campus was malformed by state and national politics, conflicting visions and a suite of setbacks — not an Orwellian plot by the UB administration.

DOMINICK MATARESE STAFF WRITER

Amy mAslin / The specTrum

‘A coach’s dream’: How Olivia DeBortoli became UB’s ultimate role player

The former volleyball player extended her stay at UB to add depth to the women’s basketball team

KAYA SCHULTZ STAFF WRITER

Olivia DeBortoli was packing her bags and looking toward graduation in December, 2022.

Having completed her bachelor’s in biological sciences, the Clifton Park, New York native was set to leave UB after a successful four-year career with the volleyball team. She was planning on enrolling in a physician's assistant graduate school at another university.

But her plans were put on hold when she received an unexpected text from Scott Smith, her head volleyball coach. Smith asked the 6’2 DeBortoli if she would consider joining UB’s women’s basketball team instead of leaving Buffalo.

First-year head coach Becky Burke was scrambling for roster depth after 6’2 forward Kiara Johnson suffered a seasonending achilles injury. The Bulls were already thin on height, and with the conference schedule approaching, mid-season tryouts were not an option.

“When KJ went down, we knew we needed to fill that void, and quickly,” Burke said. “We racked our brains on potential avenues of someone who has a basketball background, and volleyball came to mind as a similar court sport.”

Burke reached out to Smith to see if he knew of any players that could help the basketball team. Smith knew he had just the player in DeBortoli — who played three years of varsity basketball at Shenendehowa East High School in Saratoga County, New York.

“Of course I said yes,” DeBortoli said. “I’ve always loved basketball.”

DeBortoli met with Burke to discuss logistics and what to expect joining the team mid-season. She was granted an athletic scholarship for basketball, moved in with one of her volleyball teammates and re-

enrolled at UB.

After watching DeBortoli on the volleyball court for four seasons, Smith knew she could make an impact on the basketball team.

Despite a decreased role under Burke, DeBortoli’s work ethic carried over from volleyball.

“She just goes out and does her job and pushes the pace of practice and holds everyone accountable,” Smith said. “I think

all of those attributes are really showing up in basketball as well because she’s not getting as many minutes, but she’s doing exactly what she did for us. She’s giving them another good physical presence that is helping everyone else.”

In her senior year with the volleyball

program’s top-10 with a career average of 1.02 blocks per set.

When she joined the basketball team, DeBortoli assumed the familiar position of a reserve player.

“I feel like my role on each team is actually pretty similar even though I went in a lot more in volleyball,” she said. “I wasn’t, at least my senior year, a starter for volleyball, so I was kind of put in when needed. Although I’m not really going in on basketball, I feel like I’m still put where I’m needed, which is just like scouting or being a role player.”

Burke described DeBortoli as a “light” for the basketball team and commended her for bringing “positivity and great energy.”

DeBortoli joined the women’s basketball team in the midst of a rebuild. She spoke about the program’s changing atmosphere.

“I was with the same girls for like three or four years, and we knew what to expect going into each season,” DeBortoli said about UB volleyball. “With basketball, there’s all new players and a new coaching staff. They were still trying to find their identity when I first joined.”

According to Burke, DeBortoli ended up being a great part of that identity.

“She was one of the biggest blessings to happen to our program this year,” Burke said. “She is a coach’s dream, works hard, does the little things, wants to see the program — and UB in general — succeed. And I am so grateful that she chose to be a part of our women’s basketball family and that I got the opportunity to coach a young woman like Liv.”

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

team, DeBortoli appeared in eight matches off the bench and finished with a career-high three solo blocks against Central Michigan on Oct. 29. She also ranks in the

PAUL HOKANSON / UB ATHLETICS OLIVIA DEBORTOLI PLAYED VOLLEYBALL AT UB FOR FOUR SEASONS BEFORE JOINING THE WOMEN S BASKETBALL TEAM

UB Athletics report card: Grading Mark Alnutt’s head coaching hires

Athletic Director Mark Alnutt earns a 2.26 GPA on his coaching hires

RYAN TANTALO

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

The hiring of men’s basketball head coach George Halcovage III late last month marked the sixth time that UB Athletic Director Mark Alnutt has appointed a head coach. Just over five years into his tenure at UB, it’s time to give Alnutt a report card on each of his hires.

Scott Smith, 2019-present —

Grade: B

Smith was elevated to women’s volleyball head coach in 2019 and helped the program achieve its first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament win in 10 years.

The team struggled in 2020 and 2021, finishing below .500 in conference play. But in 2022, the Bulls got back to 10-8 in the MAC and 19-14 overall.

Smith has two good seasons under his belt, but his inconsistency in between earns him a B.

Mike Ruechel, 2018-present

— Grade: D

Ruechel was promoted from softball assistant to head coach in 2019 and has failed to finish above .500 every year since. His best season came in 2022, with a 22-24 overall record and a 13-14 mark in MAC play.

Thirty-three games into 2023, UB is already approaching that loss mark, with a 10-25 (4-7 MAC) record.

Ruechel’s overall spring winning percentage sits at 31%, earning him a D.

Jim Whitesell, 2019-23 —

Grade: C+

Whitesell took the helm of UB men’s basketball following a period of great success. Under Bobby Hurley and Nate Oats, the team made the NCAA Tournament four times in six years (2013-14 to 201819). The Bulls won the MAC tournament in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Oats departed for Alabama in 2019, bringing his successful on-court game plan and recruiting strategy with him. By 2023, the Crimson Tide ended the regular season as the No.-4 ranked team in the country. While Oats’ good coaching fortune continued, the same cannot be said

Report Card

Mark Alnutt, Athletic Director Coach

Scott Smith

Mike Ruechel

Jim Whitesell

Maurice Linguist

Becky Burke

George Halcovage III

for his successor in Buffalo, Whitesell.

UB made one MAC championship appearance under Whitesell in 2021 and fell handily to Ohio, 84-69.

Since then, the Bulls’ profile and performance continued to decline. In 2022-23, the team had its first losing season in 10 years, finishing 15-17. UB finished No. 6 in the MAC regular season and were dominated in the first round of the conference tournament, losing 101-77 to Akron. Whitesell was fired following that season-ending loss.

While his tenure wasn’t a complete failure, Whitesell failed to fill the shoes of his predecessors and UB lost its place at the top of the conference, earning him a C+.

Maurice Linguist, 2021-present — Grade: B-

Like Whitesell with basketball, Linguist came to UB football after a period of prosperity. In 2020, under Lance Leipold, UB entered the top-25 of the AP Poll for the first time in program history. Leipold

Softball swept by Akron in midweek series

The Bulls now have a 10-25 (4-7 MAC) record on the season

AMY MASLIN SPORTS EDITOR

Softball (10-25, 4-7 MAC) hosted its first home series at Nan Harvey Field this season, losing all three games against Akron (22-15, 10-7 MAC).

The Bulls lost the first game 4-1 on Tuesday. Senior pitcher Alexis Lucyshyn scored the only Bulls run of the game when she hammered a home run to right center in the first inning. UB was only able to hit the ball four times throughout the game, and no other Bulls crossed the plate.

Although the Zips only had three hits, they capitalized on their opportunities, taking the lead in the second inning off a UB throwing error which resulted in two Akron players scoring.

Lucyshyn pitched the full seven innings, striking out eight batters and walking two. Freshman first basewoman Abbey Nagel led the Bulls with two hits — a single and a double.

The Akron series continued with a Wednesday doubleheader. The Bulls lost the first game 9-4.

Becky Burke, 2022-present — Grade: C+

Alnutt hired women’s basketball head coach Becky Burke to replace program legend Felisha Legette-Jack, who departed for Syracuse following a 25-9 season and a 2022 MAC Championship. (Noticing a trend?)

Although it’s a small sample size for Burke, she had a promising first season. The Bulls righted the ship after a slow start and finished 12-16 (7-11 MAC).

Despite the fact that just one player returned from the 2021-22 squad, Burke took a team of transfers and new players to the MAC Tournament. UB had its ups and downs in 2022-23, but the team rallied after a six-game losing streak to sneak into the postseason. When Burke’s team needed to step up, it did.

And when the Bulls got to the postseason, they took No. 1-seeded Toledo to overtime in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, nearly pulling off a massive upset over the Rockets.

Bulls fans will have to wait and see what Burke does with a full offseason to recruit and prepare. The Bulls showed glimpses of what they’re capable of last season, but 2023-24 will give a better picture of the program’s direction.

also led UB to its first two bowl game wins, in the 2019 Bahamas Bowl and 2020 Camellia Bowl.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, Leipold walked a path many UB coaches before him had taken. After finding success at a mid-major program in UB, he departed to coach at a Power Five school. In his second season at Kansas, Leipold took the Jayhawks into the top-25 and earned a Liberty Bowl berth.

Linguist took over a team that had high expectations and looked to climb the MAC rankings. Through two seasons, Linguist has done a solid job of rebuilding the program. He recently pulled in his second consecutive MAC No. 1 recruiting class. And despite a disappointing first-season record of 4-8 in 2021, Linguist revamped the Bulls in 2022 and led the team to a 7-6 record and a Camellia Bowl win.

It’s early, but things appear to be trending up for UB football — B- for “Coach Mo.”

For now, Burke earns a C+.

George Halcovage III, hired March 2023 — Grade: TBD

It’s obviously too early to grade a head coach who hasn’t coached a game, but the Halcovage hire is very promising. The 2022-23 men’s basketball season was a disappointment by almost every measure.

In Halcovage, Alnutt found a youthful, yet experienced, head coach with a championship pedigree. Under Jay Wright at Villanova, Halcovage won two National Championships and appeared in four Final Fours. If Halcovage brings even a little bit of that success and recruiting prowess to UB, the hire could be Alnutt’s crowning achievement.

Results: B, B-, C+, C+, D = 2.26 GPA

Email: ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com

LaQuill Hardnett transfers to Arkansas

State

Hardnett uses UB ties to join head coach Bryan Hogson and assistant Jamie Quarles for 2023-24 season

UB struggled from the beginning as the Zips scored six runs in the first three innings. The Bulls found their footing in the bottom of the fifth when junior pitcher Julia Tarantino hit a two-run home run. The only other UB runs came in the fifth inning when freshman outfielder Mia Mitchell hit a two-run home run, scoring herself and Nagel.

The last game of the series resulted in a 5-1 loss for the Bulls. The Zips came out strong, scoring twice in the top of the first inning. The game stood at 2-0 until the fifth inning, when freshman catcher Lyla Ambrose hit a homer to score the only run of the game.

The Bulls currently rank No. 10 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with five series remaining before the MAC Tournament in May. UB will head to Munice, Indiana this weekend to face No. 7 Ball State.

The men’s basketball team will find itself without a key leader once the 2023-24 season begins. Over the weekend, senior forward LaQuill Hardnett announced via social media that he will be transferring to Arkansas State to play his fifth and final collegiate season.

Hardnett was one of the eight UB players that entered the transfer portal since the firing of former head coach Jim Whitsell on March 11. The seven other players that entered the portal include sophomore guard Curtis Jones, junior guard Zid Powell, sophomore forward Kuluel Mading, sophomore guard Kidtrell Blocker, freshman guard Devin Ceaser freshman center Isaac Jack and freshman guard Jaden Slaughter.

Along with Hardnett, Caesar and Mading have also found new homes. Ceaser transferred to Old Dominion and Mading heads to Norfolk State.

Hardnett will be following in the footsteps of former Bulls associate head coach Jamie Quarles, who also recently left UB to join another former UB assistant in Bryan Hodgson, who recently became the head coach of Arkansas State. Hodgson is widely regarded as an effective recruiter, so Arkansas State was most likely on Hardnett’s radar soon after entering the transfer portal.

Hardnett had his best season as a Bull in 2022-23, averaging 11.1 points per game to go along with 7.3 rebounds per game in 31 games played.

Email: brandon.cochi@ubspectrum.com

Emma Stanton / thE SpEctrum