CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
1916-2016
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
~
Feds
Investigating
UA lbany
Athletic
Program
PAGE 10
Sports:
Danes
Fall to
Stony Brook
PAGE 10
July 1.
The University at
Albany’s College of
Emergency Preparedness,
Homeland Security,
and Cybersecurity will
welcome its new dean on
Robert Griffin, who has
spent 25 years working
TUESDAY,
practice using data
FEBRUARY 7,
experiential learning as
he joins the UAlbany
community this summer.
In terms of experiential
learning, students can
analytics as a tool in
emergency management
operations. On using data
analytics, Griffin said,
“There is a science to this,
2017 ISSUE 2
emergency managers have.
To instill good judgment
like this in students and
give them practice in
emergency management,
Griffin plans to build on
the traditional teaching of
data analytics by bringing
in more opportunities for
experiential learning.
Moving with the
in local and federal but there’s also an art.” future of emergency
government management, That art involves the management, he hopes
seeks to expand instinct that experienced to bring in industry
ALBANYSTUDENTPRESS.NET
New College Gets New Dean
By ELISE COOMBS
for students to gain
experience in putting to
use many technological
developments. The
appointed dean also plans
on bringing in traditional
first responders like police
officers and firefighters to
the college.
Industry also involves
the advancement of
technology, such as
sensors, which can be
Please see DEAN page 3
| JUSTICE
MLK Talk: A Tale of Redemption
_ CAMPUS
Sexual
Assault
Reports
Increase
By TYLER MCNEIL
Roughly 50 more cases of sexual
violence were reported last year than
in 2015 at the University at Albany.
Once finalized, these numbers are
expected to be higher.
So far, current figures from the
Title IX office indicate a steadier
climb from the previous year when
the number of reports had risen
dramatically.
Chantelle Cleary, Title IX
Director, remains hopeful that
the number of reported cases will
continue to rise this year. She
believes that more students are
willing to report sexual violence as
a result of greater university efforts
to assist victims within the last two
years.
“T think the university is doing a
better job of letting students know
that we're here to support them,”
Cleary said. “So, if [students] have
an experience that involves sexual
violence, they can come to the
university to get more support and
resources.”
In 2015, Cleary was the first full-
time Title IX coordinator hired at a
SUNY school, a position filled as
Please see REPORTS page 2
By SEAN STONE & MEGHAN
MAHAR
The University at Albany
hosted their 38th annual
celebration for Martin Luther
King Jr. this year by bringing
Shaka Senghor to the university
on Wednesday, an ex-prisoner
who tured his life around
through writing.
The event kicked off with the
black national anthem, anda
few words from the university
president before being turned
over to Senghor for his lecture
titled “Y our Worst Deeds Do
Not Define Y ou.”
Senghor began by telling the
story of his childhood. On the
outside looking in, he seemed
like he was part of a normal,
middle-class, A frican-A merican
family. What outsiders did not
see however, was the abuse
he suffered at the hands of his
mother. “I was broken, battered,
and beaten,” Senghor said.
Atage 13, Senghor said he
could no longer endure the
abuse and ran away from home.
This ultimately led him to a life
of drug dealing. At the age of
seventeen, Senghor was shot
twice during a drive by shooting
on March 8, 1990. He said this
event is what led him to getting
a gun for his own protection. “If
there is ever an argument, | will
shoot first,” he said.
A short time later, at
nineteen years old, a drug
deal gone wrong led Senghor
to fatally shooting a man
and being sentenced to 17-
AO years in prison of which
he served nineteen years,
4 and a half of those years
being served consecutively in
solitary confinement. “Solitary
confinement is one of the most
inhumane and barbaric things
that can be done to a human
being,” Senghor said.
During his prison sentence,
he began to read books by
Malcom X and Martin Luther
King Jr., and slowly began to
forgive himself.
Leaving prison, Senghor took
Noah Beadle / Albany Student Press
his writing skills from his time
there and wrote a book titled
“Writing my Wrongs”. His work
has also led to him becoming
an MIT Media Lab fellow, and
a professor at the University of
Michigan, among other awards.
He has also become a
prominent figure for prison
activist groups, one being
#Cut50, which wanted to cut
the prison population, a goal
that Senghor thinks may be
more difficult with the new
administration. He stated that
one major disadvantage is
being black and not having
support from policy makers.
Furthermore, Senghor believes
Please see SHAKA page 2
@ EXECUTIVE ORDER
Immigration Ban Sends Ripples to UA lbany
By STEFAN LEMBO-STOLBA
An executive order signed recently by
President Donald Trump temporarily halted
immigration into the U.S. for people from
seven Muslim-majority nations.
And for nearly two weeks, the nation has
erupted in protests that sharply oppose what
many are calling a “muslim ban.”
Among other things, Trump's order
restricted people from Iran, Iraq, Sudan,
Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Libya from
entering the country — even prohibiting
entry of those with existing legal permission
to live in the U.S.
On the long list of people affected by
the ban are intemational students, many of
whom have visas to live in the country while
attending school.
Atthe University at Albany, 35
international students as well as several
visitng scholars and faculty members are
being urged not to leave the U.S. Ina
PRINTED BY THE TIMES UNION, ALBANY,
statement sent to the community, Interim
President James Stellar voiced his concern
over the ban and the implications the
restrictions could have on UAlbany’s
international community.
While there are no enrolled intemational
students at UAlbany unable to re-enter the
U.S. as a direct result of this order, a visiting
scholar at the university who was abroad
when the ban was instated is now having
trouble getting back into the country.
Although the identity of the researcher
was not released, Michael Elliott, the
director of the Intemational Student
and Scholar Services, explained that the
administration is working on the scholar’s
behalf to aid in the re-entry process.
The identities of the 35 international
students from affected nations were
withheld as several of the students inidcated
they feel unsafe. A private meeting was
held for the students last Thursday, allowing
those affected an opportunity to voice their
NEW YORK
concems to local immigration experts.
While only 35 international students are
from the seven banned nations, UA lbany
is home to various scholars and professors
native to these countries.
Iranian immigrants, Arash and Kamiar
Alaei, who direct UAlbany’s Global
Institute for Health and Human Rights,
are among the community’ s numerous
representatives of the seven banned
countires.
In an interview with the Albany Student.
Press, Arash spoke about the challenges
the community now must face in light
of the new travel prohibitions. Vouching
for the success of several Iranian Ph.D
students, Arash explained that banning
travel for people from these certain nations
is antithetical to mainstream efforts of
globalization and intergration and ultimately
will be a undue burden for students from
affected countries
A HEARST CORPORATION NEWSPAPER
Jasmine Millner / Albany Student Press
THEASP.EIC@GMAIL.COM
2
EDITOR: STEFAN LEMBO-STOLBA
NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
_ GLOBAL
Albany Celebrates
By ZOE HICKS
In the lobby of the Egg on
Saturday afternoon, eager voices
could be heard inquiring if tickets
were still available to the sold-out
Amazing China event that marked
the height of Chinese New Y ear
festivities in the Capital Region.
The two-hour event co-spon-
sored by the Confucius Institute
at the University at Albany and
the Chinese Community Center
of Capital District of New Y ork,
featured a program packed with
displays of Chinese culture, rang-
ing from flute solos to martial
arts displays, from local kids and
Chinese performers alike. The
enthusiasm in the air was tangible,
as parents and grandparents shep-
herded young children into the
auditorium and groups clamored
to buy bubble tea and red bean
buns from the stalls lining the
entrance hall.
The fireworks and party hats of
the Gregorian Jan. 1 New Year's
festivities are no match for the
ceremonies of the Lunar New
Y ear. Even midnight kisses and
champagne fail to compare to a
celebration that spans 15 days,
that began this year on Jan. 2, and
will continue until its culmination
Zoe Hicks / Albany Student Press
In China, Chinese New Year is one of the most importatant eco-
nomic and social holidays.
with the Lantern Festival on Feb.
11.
“It's like Christmas, Thanks-
giving, and New Y ear’s com-
bined,” explained Y ouqin Huang,
director of the Confucius Institute,
in her opening address.
Acts originating from the
Chinese Community Center that
co-sponsored the event, book-
ended the program. They opened
onan adorable note, with the first
grade students from the Chinese
dance number entitled “Hold Y our
Hand” with their parents.
The CCC also provided the
Chorus that performed the closing
numbers, with the acts in between
coming from the Confucius
Institute and other community
organization, all uniting to usher
in the Y ear of the Rooster, the
zodiac animal that is celebrated as
representing this 4715 lunar year.
Throughout the showcase of
performances that ensued, the
audience was welcomed into the
traditions demonstrated. Though
most of the audience were im-
migrants or of Chinese descent,
no knowledge of Chinese culture
or heritage was assumed. Instead
context and education were of-
fered warmly, uniting those of ev-
ery background to join in cherish-
ing and appreciating its richness.
The vibrant dress donned by
visiting performers from Bing-
hamton University took center
stage in their presentation of
Beijing Opera. But as English and
Chinese subtitles both bounced
behind them, the audience, able
to follow along, found themselves
just as enraptured by the drama
between the costumed characters.
Though a battle scene, in
School at the CCC performing a
“Defeating Jiao Zan” the leads
Chinese New Y ear
danced as much as they fought,
and despite being an opera, they
didn’t sing at all. Nor were the
later Opera selections any more
akin to Western Operas, but there
was no shortage of music in the
successive acts.
A solitary figure in elegant
sequins, Wenwen Chen took the
stage next with her pipa, a tradi-
tional instrument. Though she was
seated as she strummed the pear-
shaped lute, she retained a capti-
vating stage presence; head bowed
and knees swayed, her whole body
pulsated and moved back and
forth to play the instrument.
Before breaking for intermis-
sion, the audience was treated to
two more acts. First, the Kung Fu
students of the Chinese Martial
Arts Academy, who flipped and
kicked across stage in colorful silk
uniforms with impressive prowess
for their young ages. The diversity
of Chinese culture represented
in the performances was then
increased as the gallery was sent
off into break by mezzo-soprano
Hong Zhang singing two folk
songs from China’ s vast reaches
in Mongolia and Tibet.
Though it is often called
the Chinese New Y ear, the Lunar
Please see NEW YEAR page 3
_ ACTIVISM
ava and
lection
By AMANDA SWANSON
Talk of social justice filled
the air last Wednesday as
the Interfaith Center held its
monthly meeting of “Java and
Justice.”
The conversation was cen-
tered around the outcome of the
2016 election, its effect on both
the national and intemational
level, and how to take further
action.
A set of 18 chairs were placed
around a large table to fill the
seats of people who want to
have their voices heard in the
government. In these seats sat
women and one man, of all ages,
ranging from undergraduate
students at the University at Al-
bany to people in their mid-60s.
The students who just wanted
to see what the meeting was
about were joined by men
and women from 20 different
congregations in Albany. The
meeting began with a prayer
led by Rev. Sandy J. Damhof,
who nuns the monthly Java and
yustice: U
esults
npacking the
Amanda Swanson / Albany Student Press
the world. The work of social these issues in order to beat
movements was also a topic them.”
heavily discussed and ways to Throughout the meeting
work towards achieving their
goals were stated; you must
the conversation occasionally
referred to the Civil War, the
and McNeill were asking their
students at Moral Mondays, also
held at the Interfaith Center, to
advocate for social issues.
| ALBANY
Student
Death in
Hit-and-
Run
By TYLER MCNEIL
A University at Albany student,
Rajine Martinez, 21, was killed in
a hit-and-run crash early Saturday
moming in Washington Park.
Martinez was hit around 4 a.m.
near New Scotland A venue on
Washington Park Road by what wit-
nesses described as an SUV.
When police arrived, she was
found lying in the street and the
driver had fled the scene.
She was later pronounced dead at
Albany Medical Center Hospital.
Albany Police have reported a ve-
hicle under suspicion, however, the
incident is still under investigation.
Martinez was a psychology major.
According to Karl Luntta, UAlbany
Justice meetings. s Realizing that these students 4
Following the praver, all the publicly endorse the movement Women’s Suffrage Movement, were not fully aware of all the director of media relations, she was
attendees aie dneed thos elves YOU believe in, commit to your and the Black Lives Matter social issues that were cur- most recently registered at the uni-
and stated their reason for join- resources, get your organization — movement. rently going on, Damhof and versity last spring.
ina the mecina thie month to be supportive, and just to pay ‘Another attendee said, McNeil decided to start “Java Over winter break last year, Keri
9) I tie aH NYC and. attention and show up. “People need to become uncom- _ and Justice,” which meets the Williams, a junior chemistry major,
waste te Take the ett Emily McNeill, the acting fortable with how comfortable first Wednesday of each month was first introduced to Martinez at a
here Iam.” Elaine Bi en director of the Labor- Religion they currently are.” to discuss social injustices go- downtown residence hall. The two
ie ahs a ane. SiN, a0 Coalition, directed the conver- She went on to discuss that ing on in the world, and what dorm neighbors, Williams, stuck
auRnOsE, Sal vik “What d sation at this month’s meeting people believe that there is no they can do about it. Issues like on campus for a nearby intemship,
dusstions sah at do and began by comparing Martin —_way theirvoices can be heard so —_Black Lives Matter, Fight for and Martinez, being Close to her job
Wwe do next?” and "| cn we Luther King’s words to what is they are comfortable with just 15, and Mass Education Reform at the time, bonded over “Grey's
teak {9 change ied led going on this day in age. accepting what is going on. The have been discussed at previous Anatomy.
e air. But the meeting “The three evils are racism, audience all agreed with her. meetings. It’s just that she was such a
not limit itself strictly to the terial d militarism,” lovely person,” Williams said. “We
presidential election, but other McNeil said "Wer , ere The Java and Justice plat: Please see DEATH pace 2
social injustices going on around Nem Said Me must tackle form was built when Damhof Pag
TUTTE
| CRIME BLOTTER
out in NYC. An ar- Hall UNLAWFUL POS- toilet paper. found.
IDENTITY THEFT rest was made. Report of two male SESSION OF MARI- FIRE ALARM
1/27/2017 students in posses- JUANA DRUG COMPLAINT DOMESTIC DIS- 2/2/2017
UPD DRIVING WHILE sion of marijuana, 1/31/2017 1/31/2017 PUTE State Quad- Whit-
Report of a forged INTOXICATED marijuana parapher- State Quad- East- Indian Quad- Adiron- 2/1/2017 man Hall
student loan. 1/29/2017 nalia, forged IDs and = man Tower dack Hall Parking Manage- Caused by burnt
SEFCU Turnaround weapons. An arrest Report of a male Report of six male ment cosmetic.
UNLAWFUL POS- Report of a male was made and also student in posses- students in posses- Assisted subjects in
SESSION OF MARI- subject driving while __referrals. sion of marijuana sion of marijuana a domestic dispute. DRUG COMPLAINT
JUANA intoxicated. An ar- and a male student paraphernalia. Re- 2/2/2017
1/28/2017 rest was made and PETIT LARCENY in possession of a ferrals were made DRUG COMPLAINT Empire Commons-
Indian Quad- Mo- vehicle was towed. 1/30/2017 forged ID. Referrals for all. 2/2/2017 EC G Cluster
hawk Tower PE Complex SEFCU were made. Alumni Quad- Alden Report of odor of
Report of a male
Arena
student in posses- CRIMINAL POS- Report of a stolen ASSIST A PERSON
sion of marijuana SESSION OF cell phone. 1/31/2017
and marijuana para- WEAPON PE Complex SEFCU
phernalia. Also has 1/30/2017 Arena
an active warrant
Indian Quad- Seneca
Report of stolen
marijuana. Nothing
found.
DRUG COMPLAINT Hall
2/1/2017 Report of odor of
Indian Quad- Mo- marijuana. All stu-
hawk Tower dents referred.
Report of odor of
marijuana. Nothing
HAVE A NEWS TIP? EMAIL US AT THEASP.EIC@GMAIL.COM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
NEWS
EDITOR: LINDSEY RIBACK
THEASPNEWS@GMAIL.COM
3
REPORTS
Continued from Page 1
part of a string of efforts to improve the
way the handled sexual assault on campus.
One year prior, another office opened
with a similar goal: the Advocacy Center
for Sexual Violence, a dim-lit space
underneath Seneca Hall dorms on Indian
Quad.
Approved under former UA lbany
violence have surfaced. With greater
numbers and two staff members, staffing
and space are likely challenges for the
center in the future, said Carol Strenger,
director of the Advocacy Center for Sexual
Violence.
“As the cases increase, this is a small
staff,” Stenger said. “At some point that’s
just not going to be sufficient enough.”
Strenger also remains concerned about
the center’ s accessibility for victims at the
Health Sciences campus in Rensselaer,
some 10 miles from campus. She often
the door says to me that we are providing
services that students want and that they
feel like they'll benefit from is because we
know it’s happening,” Stenger said. “Even
if you don’t accept the national statistics,
why would we be any different than UC
Berkeley?”
Y ears before the center opened up,
efforts by the university to improve victim
support began as early as 2006 with the
launch of a task force on acquaintance
rape in response to on-campus rape by two
freshman football players.
sexual assault cases in recent years. In
2013 and 2015, UAlbany, was put under
investigation by the U.S. Department of
Education’ s Office for Civil Rights for
violating Title IX.
President Robert Jones, the center was
a response to an expected demand for
victim services following state and federal
legislative reform targeting sexual assault
on college campuses.
The center offers support for victims in
the wake of sexual violence. Services are
kept confidential unless otherwise directed
by avictim.
Since the office opened doors, about
seven times as many reports of sexual
Act.
tables at the campus to raise awareness for
the uptown service.
With of all three campuses combined,
over 2,000 students are likely to experience
sexual assault. In contrast -- in the most
recent campus security report, there were
11 counts of rape and seven counts of
fondling in 2015 reported under the Cleary
“The fact that more people are coming in
Aran Mull, deputy chief of the
University Police Department believes that
the early steps contributed to the current
numbers from the Title IX office.
“We knew that was happening, but we
just weren't getting the information so that
the institution could actually try to prevent
it going forward,” Mull said.
Despite measures, the university was
under federal probe twice for mishandling
DEAN
Continued from Page 1
anything from drones to devices embedded in the
street to collect information locally. A fter sensors collect
the information, subsystems carry information, which
can then be analyzed and visualized.
The whole aspect of industry helps operationalize data,
or put data analytics to use. This is important because
it makes emergency operations run more smoothly,
according to Griffin.
Currently, experiential learning in CEHC includes a
research seminar, internship, capstone project, and 100
hours of non-credit training.
Griffin plans to further prepare his future students
through applied learning with a focus on improving the
safety and security of communities. While emergency
and security issues may rise to the international level,
“Every disaster, every emergency, starts as a local
problem,” he said.
The growth of emergency management is not only in
the local, state, and federal levels, but also in the private
sector leading to an endless amount of career choices
for CEHC students who choose to pursue a career in the
field.
For example, analysts are involved in big events such
as NFL games, according to Griffin.
In addition to Griffin’s upcoming arrival, CEHC
is undergoing other changes as well. In November
2016, Mohawk Valley Community College signed an
articulation agreement with UAlbany that allows MVCC.
students to transfer into the CEHC program.
Ina similar fashion as this agreement, Griffin
envisions UAlbany as a “hub” where many different
universities and disciplines can come together.
Collaboration will help expand the network of faculty
and research, which Griffin believes will give students a
competitive advantage in the growing area of security.
“We're stronger when we’ re working cooperatively
with folks,” he said.
Griffin has previously taught state and local
governance classes at Georgetown University and looks
to teach at UA lbany in addition to his role as dean.
Teaching is important to him because he wants to build a
college that is “student-centric.” His goal is to fill in the
gaps in the curriculum and teaching positions.
Although he is unsure of which particular classes
he may teach, Griffin’ s interests range from classic
emergency management to federalism to the
development of homeland security. Other areas of
Griffin’ s interest are international components of secure
communities such as Smart Cities— places where
technology and design provide high quality of jobs
and life based on workable energy and healthy living
conditions.
As CEHC is the first program of its kind, Griffin said,
“There's opportunity for us to do something in Albany
that hasn’t been done.”
The appointed dean believes that CEHC can become
an “international leader” in pioneering new ways to think
of emergency management.
| TECH
Troy Startup Key Playerin VR
By YOSHI NEILSON
SpaceoutV R, Inc. was founded
in 2015 by two former NY U
college buddies, in affiliation
with StartUpNY. StartUpNY is a
government sponsored program,
fostering partnerships between
universities and startup businesses,
partly designed to create internships
for SUNY students. Three of
the nine SpaceoutV R employees
started as interns. Dennis, the
Chief Operating Officer, projects
SpaceoutV R, Inc. will hire at least
ten intems in 2017.
Virtual Reality (VR) went
mainstream in 2016, launching
a new type of interface between
computers and people: “spacial
computing.” Become more familiar
with spacial computing, and spacial
computing development skills,
to make opportunities for joining
teams who design and market mind-
expanding VR. In neighboring
Troy, NY, SpaceoutV R,
Inc. is developing artificial
intelligence for self-personalizing
content, organization, analysis,
entertainment, and distribution
for their proprietary VR systems.
In the global circus surrounding
VR today, their concepts, art, and
operations distinguish SpaceoutV R
as an industry-leading beacon.
“SpaceoutV R is a hybrid of
cognitive computing and spacial
computing. The space is intelligent;
the ability for a cognitive agent
to follow a command is critical
to the adoption of this medium,”
CEO, V. Owen Bush shares. Owen
developed management skills while
assembling multimedia production
teams. “Our main question is: How
do we improve communication?”
Spacial computing at the low-
end is most popular because of
its technical advantages over the
high-end. It frees the user from
cables and consoles, and it requires
no devices beside a smartphone and
simple VR goggles. To sample it,
you can find inexpensive cardboard
goggles, and free mobile apps like
(OVA STARTUPS
TowATen itt 2019
ag
baobab
Wevr
Ul
4 vier
Z
PREN‘V
the Google Cardboard demo app,
and the “automagical” social media
app, SpaceoutV R. Even without
goggles, you may get a sense of
the interface and experience - just
install a VR app... then move your
phone until the white dot points at
what you want!
The largest potential market for
VR is the Facebook-sized market
(1.86 billion monthly active users.)
Designing and building the first
killer app for VR is among the
hottest business targets in a decade.
No one is sure exactly how the
components of VR will fit together.
Nonetheless, major players around
the world placed big bets in 2016
on this high-tech industry, which
is projected to generate $25 Billion
in annual revenues by 2020.
For examples: Facebook bought
high-end VR hardware company
Oculus for two Billion dollars; and
Swiss healthcare VR developer,
MindMaze raised over $100
million, which is more than the total
of similar investments the prior five
years. Computer-related consumer
goods promoter and popular
monthly magazine since 1983, PC
World points out, “virtual reality
has already inspired totally new
Source: Zazmic, Inc
genres of computers, and wormed
its way deep into Windows.”
While “PlaystationV R” was the
VR term most searched for VR,
at number nine, “Virtual Reality”
was the number one most-searched
term among Chinese Tech News
searches in 2016. High-end goggles
are too expensive for most Chinese
consumers, but VR arcades are
popular. Shanghai has over 25.
“The person who is experiencing
VR is having fun, but for the
people observing it is even more
entertaining,” Lan Chunru, the
founder of Chuyu VR Cafe told
Asian high-tech industry fan site,
TechNode.
Business skeptics at V enturebeat
say it’s “unclear whether developers
will be able to produce high quality
experiences, quickly, in order to
satisfy the anticipated demand.”
There's a lot of work for liberal arts
students: writers and musicians,
as well as graphic artists. Each
proprietary VR chatbot (automated,
verbal, personal assistants, like
Apple’s Siri,) guides users with
helpful comments. Each comment,
especially localized references and
jokes, means script-writing work
for language majors.
NEW YEAR
Continued from Page 2
New Y ear celebration is actually an essential holiday
to many Asian cultures and communities beyond China,
a far from culturally homogenous country itself, includ-
ing those of South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the
Philippines, and Vietnam.
Beyond the stretch of food and drink stalls and fami-
lies taking proud photographs of their young performers,
stood a booth for the Asian and Pacific Islander A meri-
can Public A ffairs Association, further enhancing the
theme of diversity present that day.
But it was Congressman Paul Tonko, the U.S.
Representative for New Y ork’s 20th district, that drove
home this theme.
“Our American Culture is a quilt. Everyone brings
their tradition,” he remarked when he took the stage in
the second half of the festivities, “Knitted together, we
New Y ear to many Asian-Americans this year. Earlier
this year, Governor Cuomo issued a proclamation nam-
ing Jan. 28, 2017 to be Lunar New Y ear Day within
New Y ork State, stating “it is fitting for all New Y ork-
ers to join in spirit with our Asian and Pacific Islander
communities as they celebrate and welcome Lunar New
are a power quilt. The envy of the world.”
Year 4715.”
Rep. Tonko went on to describe the importance
of immigrants to America’s strength and culture, and to
acknowledged his commitment to supporting refugees.
His final comments expressed that in 2017, “we need
that Rooster spirit,” addressing that the Rooster of the
Zodiac signifies energy, intelligence and confidence.
Rep. Tonko is not the only politician to pay re-
spect to the significance and importance of the Chinese
SHAKA
Continued from Page 1
that prisoners should be given the skills to go back into
society after they leave to help rehabilitate them.
In light of Martin Luther King Day, Senghor felt it was
important to share his story in hopes to give members of
the black community, among others, inspiration to push
past boundaries that may be in their way. “In tough times,
our lights shine the brightest,” Senghor said.
The event was hosted by the NY S Writers Institute and
is one of the university’s longest standing traditions.
DEATH
Continued from Page 2
met on Alumni Quad and I re-
member it like it was yesterday.”
In recent years, Martinez assisted
children at two summer camps,
Camp Scully, and more recently,
Camp Wilton.
Mariah Hawsey knew Martinez
from Camp Scully since 2007.
Working beside her, she started
growing closer with Martinez three
years ago.
“She was a really sweet person,”
Hawsey said. “The kids really loved
her, too. She was always positive
and fun to be around.”
Prior to attending UAlbany, Mar-
tinez attended Ravena-Coeymans
High School. By the end of her
high school career, she earned the
Albany City Lodge No. 540 Knights
of Pythias Achievement and had her
artwork presented at a Columbia-
Greene Community College show.
Tamas Beverly, a sophomore
business major and Ravena-Coey-
mans alumnus, remembers Martinez
from his childhood. Back then, they
both attended services at River-
view Missionary Baptist Church in
Coeymans.
“She had a very beautiful smile,”
he said.
EDITOR: ILENE ROTHMAN
OPINIONS.ASP@GMAIL.COM
4
| SCIENCE
OPINION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
Can the Dead Bring Life to Y our Anatomy Program?
By SAM WEISS
Since the 16th century anatomy students
have been learning on cadavers. But with
the rapid growth of technology, under-
graduate students are increasingly turning
to advanced computer modeling instead of
preserved dead humans, and some educa-
tors are questioning if the next generation of
medical practitioners are being cheated of
valuable early experience.
While in medical school, dissecting
cadavers is mandatory for graduation - for
good reason, no patient would want the
doctor performing heart surgery for the first
time to have never seen or felt a real human
heart; in undergraduate anatomy studies
there is no formal policy that requires stu-
dents to lean on cadavers.
The point of undergraduate anatomy and
physiology is to learn a general overview
of the parts of the body and how they work,
which is the basis for all forms of study
on the human body. Students enrolled in
undergraduate anatomy classes may go on
to become medical doctors, nurses, physical
therapists, chiropractors, forensic anthro-
pologists, and biological anthropologists,
just to name a few.
But human anatomy computer programs
fail to consider the variability of the human
race. Take a look at the person sitting next
to you. Their hands don’t look like yours,
their legs aren’t the same length, and hope-
fully their face isn’t the same as yours. This
is the product of sexual reproduction where
genes are mixed at random.
According to Adam Gordon, a paleoan-
thropologist and the director of the hu-
man biology program at the University at
Albany, variation within a population is
important for students to see and leam.
“It’s only having like a lab where you
have multiple dissections going on at once
that you see this variation as it presents
itself. That could be really instructive,”
Gordon said.
Despite its importance, UAlbany does
not use cadavers in its anatomy course.
UAlbany professor Cara Ocobock, who
studies the human body in extreme environ-
ments, agreed that students are not always
prepared for the real world.
Ocobock, who used to teach anatomy at
Grand Valley State University where under-
graduate students used cadavers, said when
her former students moved from introduc-
tory anatomy courses that are based on
books, power points, and online resources
to a course using real dead bodies, “they say
this looks nothing like the picture.”
A huge part of the cadaver experience is
actually feeling tissues and seeing the rela-
tionships between different body parts.
“We're visual and tactile creatures and
we're 3D visual creatures,” said Gordon.
“It’s hard to quantify but there are at least
for myself, a qualitative difference, at least
from my own work, in holding a bone, mea-
suring a bone in person, versus I take 3D
laser scans and occasionally take measure-
ments off those scans. It’s not the same.”
A downside to using cadavers is the hu-
man tissues and muscles are of course real
and they can get destroyed when students
cut through multiple layers of the body to
get at other structures they need to study.
Once destroyed, these muscles and tissues
can no longer be used for study. The com-
puter models have an advantage because
students can easily dive into the deepest
parts of the human body without ruining the
chance to go back and look at those struc-
tures closest to the skin.
When undergraduate anatomy programs
do have cadaveric-based labs, most often
there is a medical school attached to it. This
allows the bodies already dissected and
studied by the upper level graduate students
to be passed down to the undergraduate
students for study, dramatically reducing
the cost to the undergraduate program.
But for a university without such labs,
housing, preserving, and using dead bodies
for undergraduate study, can cost hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
Charles Hilton, a UAlbany anatomy pro-
fessor, estimates that the cost of a new lab
with all the associated facilities to be about
$500,000, and that’s just the beginning.
The school would also need to fund the
staff to organize and keep track of bodies, a
professor in charge of the lab, and janitors
specially trained to clean up biohazards.
A lab would also have to meet the
guidelines set out by the federal Occupa-
tional Safety and Health Administration,
which would mean constant monitoring and
repairing of expensive machinery and tools
used in the lab.
Liability and cost were two factors that
may have nixed previous attempts to get a
cadaveric-based lab at UAlbany.
According to David Strait, who started
the UAlbany anatomy and physiology pro-
gram, he had laid out a long-term plan fora
Jab but was denied the approval to apply for
a Keck Foundation Grant that could have
provided up to $1 million. He then asked
for help through university funds but was
also denied.
The liabilities were too much for UAI-
bany to risk, according to Louise Burkhardt,
chair of the anthropology department,
which runs the anatomy and physiology
course as well as many of the public health
courses, which pre-medical students need
to take.
Liability is certainly something worth
worrying about. George Washington
University recently discovered it had 50
unidentified cadavers after it had come
under fire for mismanaging its cadaver
lab. Several families related to the cadav-
ers that had been sent to GW are suing the
university and asking for $10 million each
in damages.
Other liabilities include student mental
health. Working with the deceased can take
a psychological toll on some students.
According to a study by New Zealand's
Auckland Institute of Technology, based
on the Impact of Event Scale, 30 percent
of students exposed to cadavers exhibited
post-traumatic stress and after 18 months,
7 percent of students still exhibited post-
traumatic stress.
The Impact of Event Scale, according
to Regis University, is a 15-item question-
naire, which attempts to “reflect the inten-
sity of the post-traumatic phenomena.”
Student health may be another factor.
Formalin, a chemical used to preserve
biological tissue in cadavers, readily breaks
down into a much simpler form as the toxic
gas formaldehyde, which can cause irrita-
tion to the eyes, nose, and throat. The CDC
says that some people are more sensitive
than others and while one person may be
perfectly fine around the gas, others may
end up “sick or uncomfortable.”
The CDC also wamns that prolonged ex-
posure to formaldehyde will lead to cancer,
although there is not enough research to
determine at what levels of exposure that is.
Hilton, who's been teaching anatomy
since 1989, said in recent years there’s been
aconsiderable shift away from gross anat-
omy, which is anatomy at the macroscopic
level, toward biochemical anatomy, or
microscopic level. So, students are spend-
ing less time learning about the muscles as
awhole, and are spending more time under
microscopes looking at the tissues up close
and how different chemicals react with the
cells.
In ajoint study between Stanford, Michi-
gan State University, and University of
Central Michigan in 2014, it was concluded
that cadaveric learning is better than learn-
ing with computer models.
“Our findings indicate that educational
technology can enhance anatomy instruc-
tion but is unlikely to fully replace cadav-
ers,” said Cary Roseth, a co-author of the
study.
Students learning on the cadaver were 16
percent better at identifying body parts than
those on the multimedia system, and 11
percent better at explaining physiology.
But whether students catch up once they
come face-to-face with a cadaver is another
piece of the puzzle and only raises more
questions. But that’s science, right?
The Albany Student Press: Free of
Alternative Facts since 1916
Wanted: LIFEGUARDS &
SWIM INSTRUCTORS
Flexible hours — days, nights and weekends available
ea
the
The CAPITAL DISTRICT YMCA is looking for Lifeguards
& Swim Instructors for the following branches:
GREENBUSH and TROY Branches call:
Emily Furthman 518.477.2570 x 1230
ALBANY and BETHLEHEM Branches
call: Jean Berry 518.463.9622 x 1330
CAPITAL DISTRICT YMCA
iS www.CDYMCA.org
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
Troy Farkas
Bll pa Stefan Lembo-Stolba Sports Editor
Editor-in-Chief sports.asp@gmail.com
“\ theasp.eic@gmail.com
Sunny Tsao
B Lifestyle Editor
A Patrick Day Tine lifestyle.asp@gmail.com
Managing Editor
production.asp@gmail.com 4 Enig
BB A&E Editor
Lindsey Riback artsent.asp@gmail.com
ALBANY News Editor Daniel Pinzon
STUDENT PRESS
sports.asp@gmail.com
Opinions Editor
opinions.asp@gmail.com
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
Sam Cutro
Layout Editor
layout.asp@gmail.com
Tammy Pope
Web Editor
Jonathan Peters &
Brittany Gregory
Co-photo Editors
Danielle Amoretti
Business Manager
asp.advertising@gmail.com
@ALBSTUDENTPRESS
The Albany Student Press
is published Tuesdays from
September through May by
the Albany Student Press
Corporation, an independent,
not-for-profit organization.
Advertisements, as well as letter
and column content, do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of
ASP staff. All unsigned editorials
are written with the approval
of the editorial board. The
ASP is a registered trademark
of the Albany Student Press
Corporation which has exclusive
rights to any materials herein.
Cost: $0.01
Contact the ASP
for information and
publication schedules:
Newsroom:
Campus Center 326
Email:
theasp.eic@gmail.com;
production.asp@gmail.com
www.albanystudentpress.net
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
| IN THE NEWS
OPINIONS
EDITOR: DANIEL PINZON
OPINIONS.ASP@GMAIL.COM
5
MORALS OF A CAB SERVICE: UBER
AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH TRUMP
By DANIEL PINZON
Uber came under fire when its CEO,
Travis Kalanick, joined Donald Trump's
economic advisory council. Y et what really
tipped the people of the United States was
when Uber continued its business during the
protest against immigration ban. They not
only continued business, but made their price
cheaper even though a cab ride from John F.
Kennedy International A irport is not cheap.
The protest at JFK consisted of taxi cab
drivers who stood in solidarity, coming
together in order to go against the ban of
Syrian refugees, and stopped any people
entering from seven countries in the middle
east. The seven countries consisting of: Iran,
Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, and
Sudan. Refugees are being blocked from
the U.S. for 120 days, where as people from
the seven countries are blocked for 90 days.
These countries have the majority as people
who follow Islam, so the ban intentionally
targets Muslim people. Countries such as
Libya have 97 percent of their population
as Muslim and Sudan has approximately 97
percent as well, according to muslimsinafrica.
wordpress.com.
The New Y ork Taxi Workers Alliance
consist of 19,000 drivers, in which “60 to
70 percent of our member are Muslim,”
said co-founder Javaid Tariq. With this in
mind, it’s clear that the NY TWA would take
offense to the recent ban. In their response
they used their lack of business to show how
not okay they are with the ban: sacrificing
their services as well as doing that in a cab
intensive location in order to portray an
impactful message. NY TWA said in their
twitter, “NO PICKUPS @ JFK Airport 6 PM
to 7 PM today. Drivers stand in solidarity
with thousands protesting inhumane &
unconstitutional #MuslimBan.”
Although making life a little harder for
people at the airport for one hour, humanity
can endure that little hiccup in their day.
And of course, no one is obligated to stand
with the NY TWA. No one was obligated
to stop their business. Nevertheless, seeing
that other companies are taking advantage
of the NY TWA’s halt in business, it’s not
complementing the case, especially if the
business is adjusting their prices for the
occasion.
Uber NY C took to twitter during the
protest, “Surge pricing has been tumed off
at 4FK Airport. This may result in longer
wait times. Please he patient,” surge pricing
being a raise in prices due to peak hours.
As said before, no business was obligated
or should feel obligated to stop doing their
business, however, it’s clear that Uber was
taking advantage of the protest. Uber was
making profit off the protest, and it would
have been okay; it would have been a regular
business day for Uber, yet they made special
circumstances due to NY TWA stopping their
service.
It doesn’t help Uber’s case that the CEO,
Kalanick, is on the economic advisory
council. With Uber’s action during the
protest, Kalanick’s position toward Trump
‘was brought up. These two things were
connected and it didn’t make fora good
conclusion. With Uber’s business decision
during the protest, which is a protest that
is notin favor for Trump's recent ban,
in addition to Uber’s CEO being closely
associated with the president, it didn’t make
for a good representation of the company. It’s
not a good connection; it’s made out to seem
that Uber as a whole is supporting the recent
ban, which isn’t the case. Kalanick is for
Trump; that doesn’t mean Uber in its entirety
supports Trump. Each worker doesn’t
support Trump. In fact, most Uber drivers
are minorities, Muslim even. Nevertheless,
the company, being owned by Kalanick,
is associated with Trump; there can be no
separation unfortunately, especially since he
is in the economic advisory council.
Or atleast he was.
Kalanick said, “There are many ways we
will continue to advocate for just change on
immigration, but staying on the council was
going to get in the way of that,” in his e-mail
to employees that The New Y ork Times
obtained. Kalanick has realized his error, or
more or less realized his business has been
affected in a severe way. #Deleteuber was a
prominent trend and was effective, yet not
using Uber didn’t solely affect Kalanick. It
affected its workers.
But it doesn’t change that these actions
were progressive. Protesting at the airport
sends out the message that banning certain
people from the U.S. is unethical. Also,
simply by not using a service can show that
service to be mindful in what they do. Morals
do matter, and people should consider the
circumstances before they act. Making prices
cheaper for their service at the airport doesn’t
come off as a regular business decision. That
decision was made with the idea that taxi
cabs are protesting, therefore more clients
for Uber to use, completely disregarding the
intentions of the protest.
No one is obligated to use a service and
in order for that service to have a wide
audience, they not only have to have a good
service, they have to have good ethics.
Money shouldn't deter a person’ s ethics.
And if people make decisions that are
based on money, that decision is on them.
Nevertheless, people will react to your
decision and that’s something that’s a given,
and the reaction is foreseeable.
_ ACTIVISM
Discriminating
Against the
Disabled
Are the fundamentals of ableism
being overlooked?
By ASHLEY JONES
Ableism, according to Merriam-Webster,
is discrimination or prejudice against
those who have disabilities. However, this
definition, while true, coddles most of us
who don’t label ourselves as bad people,
going around screaming offensive language
to those who are disabled. The words
discrimination and prejudice to the modem
millennial mind predates to very specific
times in the world’s history. We hear these
words used in association with slavery,
the Holocaust, and perhaps in modern hate
crimes. We, students of the 21st century, are
above the mindset of the bigots we shame,
right?
I urge you to re-evaluate previous
assumptions and measure yourself against
a more applicable definition of ableism;
Ableism: discrimination in favor of
able-bodied people. This definition more
accurately describes the everyday offensive
nature of common language, action and
activism, which often lead to stereotyping
and the erasure of disabled individuals.
Not only is ableism rarely a topic in the
social justice conversation, some products
of activism are ableist in themselves. Often,
people interchangeably use the terms “social
media activism” and “fake activism.” The
so-called social media activist describes
those who share their ideas and opinions
conceming social justice through the
medium of social media. All online, some
feel that this type of activism isn’t “real”
because it uses a platform in which nothing
is immediately at risk. It does not mirror
the iconic images of people swarming the
streets in solidarity during The Civil Rights
Movement or the Women’s Movement,
therefore it isn’t valid. Social media activists
often get a bad rep for being lazy, taking the
easy way out by sitting behind their phones
and computer screens.
This argument favors the able-bodied
population. A ttending protests isn’t realistic
for many. It puts on a pedestal the actions
of those who are young enough and healthy
enough to stand outside for hours on end
in an environment organized without the
disabled in mind. Often, protests take
place in cramped places that lack way of
evacuating in case of an emergency as well
as the necessary tools for the disabled to
participate in outdoor protest.
For people like Felisa Simpson, a
freshman at the University at Albany who
is deaf in the left ear and has no directional
hearing in the right, being an active protester
can prove to be difficult. Simpson, who uses
they/them pronouns, explained, “It’s pretty
loud, and that means it can be confusing
forme to communicate. A lot of times in
big groups everyone will get a message to
do something and I’m left out because I
didn’t hear. My brain can’t make sense of
the chaos of sound.” They go on to suggest
possibly having a buddy system in which a
friend or volunteer would stay close to let
them know what's happening.
Simpson is just one voice in the
population of disabled people who we do
not make room for in our organization of
protest. Not fora second should using one’s
social media platform be shamed. Especially
since for once in history, disabled persons
finally have the same platform as the able-
bodied population to participate in activism.
In this day and age, everything is on social
media, and so many can be reached and
influenced conceming social justice that
way. While those who are able to go out and
march are important, we can’t all march.
The way of doing things changes over time
and as everything else, the face of activism
should also keep up with our way of life.
Johnson
Cornell
MASTER THE FIELD OF
Accounting
Advance your career through
Cornell’s unique curriculum that
combines Ivy League resources
with individual interests and
industry essentials.
SC Johnson College of Business
Apply Now
wwwjohnson.comell.edu
J OHNSON’S ONE-YEAR MPS IN
MANAGEMENT - ACCOUNTING
SPECIALIZATION WILL HELP
YOU MEET YOUR CAREER
OBJECTIVES SOONER.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @ALBSTUDENTPRESS
EDITOR: ELI ENIS
ARTSENT.ASP@GMAIL.COM
FILM REVIEWS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS.
‘THE SPACE BETWEEN US’
NEVER LEAVES THE GROUND
By DIEGO CAGARA
Houston, we have a problem.
Despite its overall good-hearted nature
and its teen romance which is bound to
attract all kinds of hopeless romantics, this
film fails to launch.
In the vein of recent romantic tragedy
films, like the immensely successful
“The Fault in Our Stars” (2014) and the
somewhat heartwarming “Me Before
You” (2016), “The Space Between Us”
certainly tries to get the audience to feel
sympathy for the quite literally star-crossed
lovers. The couple consists of Gardner
Elliot (played by Asa Butterfield) and
Tulsa (played by Britt Robertson) whose
romance seems quite doomed, courtesy of
melodramatic interplanetary conditions.
The film begins in around 2018 where
a bunch of astronauts travel to Mars to
set up the first human colonization there,
presented as an example of brilliant human
achievement although it’s basically just
an escape route from how we humans
are trashing Earth. The lead astronaut,
however, discovers that she’s pregnant
and eventually gives birth to a son, Elliot,
but she dies moments later, leaving the
first Martian motherless. The film jerks
immediately forward to 16 years later
where Elliot has begun to wonder about his
father’s identity, how it feels to be on Earth
and he also frequently messages Tulsa
who’s a high school student back in the
United States.
Director Peter Chelsom seems content
with spending quite a lot of time to
introduce all of these pre-requisite
circumstances first, making “The Space
Between Us” feel a bit choppy and
awkward as it obviously just wants to
skyrocket straight to the film’s romance
aspect. Eventually, Elliot is allowed to
travel to Earth but the melodrama persists
as it’s discovered his organs literally cannot
handle Earth's gravity which interferes
with his romance with Tulsa.
Despite how cheesy the film is, there
are moments of genuine emotions as Carla
Gugino plays Kendra Wyndham, another
astronaut who travels to Earth with Elliot,
who acts like a mother figure to him.
Meanwhile, actor Gary Oldman tries to
flex his thespian muscles as affluent mogul
Nathaniel Shephard to save the film but to
no avail. There is also a major plot twist at
the end which can throw viewers off ina
good way, being one of the few high points
of this film.
The film presents numerous plot holes
and awkward moments like how it’s never
quite clear how Elliot was originally able
to directly message Tulsa and their online
relationship is almost like an episode of
MTV’s “Catfish”. The most dramatic
scene | found implausible was how he
could successfully flee from the security-
saturated NASA Kennedy Space Center
since he is still struggling to adjust to
Earth’s gravity yet fit employees just can’t
seem to catch up to him. Furthermore, as
Tulsa was initially depicted as someone
who has her walls up, she seems to
suddenly support and believe Gardner after
he explains his life story.
Production-wise, a ton of money was
evidently invested into the special effects
to animate Mars and the interplanetary
travel sequences, another rare treasure of
this film. On Earth, however, while Tulsa
and Elliot steal cars and drive across the
U.S. in search of his father, the camera
presents their joumey like stereotypical car
commercials as they drive across gorgeous
terrains. The way they steal strangers’
money, cars and the occasional Wi-Fi also
Source: allbestmovies.ru
feels too convenient as they always get to
them the moment people tum their backs
on their possessions, clear proof that people
are still dense in the year 2034.
However, in spite of all of these toxic
ingredients scattered throughout, “The
Space Between Us” does have a sweet side
as Tulsa and Elliot's relationship blossoms
fairly quickly, becoming a textbook
example of how even the most literally
extreme long-distance relationship could
work, given how the film's conclusion was
left open-ended. V iewers— at least those
who remain in their seats and must have
forgiven all the film’s erroneous aspects
at this point— should be over the moon as
they cheer the couple on. The film’s most
comedic moment was when Gardner is
horrified when a creature he’s never seen
before contentedly passes him and Tulsa
by: a mere horse.
As Valentine’ s Day nears, “The Space
Between Us” is an adequate attempt to
entertain lovers and hopeless romantics
alike. But if you don’t belong to either of
those two categories, like the film’s title
suggests, you ought to maintain space
between you and the film.
‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’
The over-extended film franchise is finally over.
By TYLER CALLAHAN
“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” is
the final film of the Resident Evil franchise
that has been around for over 15 years if
you could believe it. After numerous films
left fans and critics not wanting more, “The
Final Chapter” delivers more of the same as
its sendoff.
Following the events of the last movie
“Resident Evil: Retribution”, Alice (Milla
Jovovich) is in Washington DC and re-
ceives a message from the Red Queen about
the end of humanity. If Alice does not go
back to Raccoon City and get the antivirus
and release it into the air, all the humans
Source: filmtopp.se
that are left will die.
What proceeds is just over 90 minutes of
action— if you can follow along— and a plot
that has way too many holes. The biggest
problem with the film is the cinematogra-
phy or simply the way the film was shot.
For the most part the camera never stops
moving, even if people are just talking and
it gets really bad when the action starts. The
best example of the kind of action in this
movie are the Taken movies where there are
alot of jump cuts around the action, making
it really hard to follow along. There was
this one scene of two characters walking
on a bridge that comes out of the water and
it was the best shot in the movie because
it was still and had a nice pan view of the
bridge. The movie has an issue if the best
shot in it is because the camera can actually
stay still for more than five seconds.
The overall plot of the movie itself is also
amess with some things happening without
explanation, and by the end of the movie
you might be left confused by how things
went. A cting-wise it’s the usual over-the-
top acting that is a staple of the franchise,
with the exception of Milla Jovovich who
was the best in the film. For the most part
there are actually a lot of new characters
that were added, but since they are severely
underdeveloped and only say a few lines
each, they do not leave much of an impact.
There are however some returning char-
acters such as Claire Redfield (Ali Larter)
and Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) even if
they are not used well.
“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” is
overall not just a bad movie, but a disap-
pointing one as well. When watching the
movie there are pieces of it that if put
together right, would have made fora
good sendoff for the series. The action
for example could have been enjoyable to
watch if the camera wasn’t jumping around.
However, that did not happen and what was
released is simply a bad movie and does not
buck the trend of the past few Resident Evil
movies.
So really, who should see this movie? If
you have been a fan of the movies for years,
go see it as you owe it to yourself to see this
through, but otherwise everyone else should
stay away. People that want to watch a good
movie will not find it here and if you are in
a Resident Evil mood because of “Resident
Evil 7” just came out, stick to the games as
the movie will just leave you disappointed.
SEEN A GOOD MOVIE LATELY? WANT TO WRITE A FILM REVIEW? WHAT ABOUT A REVIEW OF
A CONCERT OR A HOT NEW ALBUM.
THAT COULD BE YOUR BYLINE UP THERE. IMAGINE THAT. YOU COULD BE FAMOUS.
WRITE SOMETHING! EMAIL ARTSENT.ASP@GMAIL.COM TO GET STARTED.
MISS THE SHOW? READ ABOUT IT ONLINE AT ALBANYSTUDENTPRESS.NET
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
COMMUNITY 7
WEEKLY = Around UAlbany
and tne Capital Region
TUES
February 7
WED
February 8
THRS
February 9
Albany Devils
7:00 p.m.
The Albany Devils face
the Providence Bruins
at the Times Union
Center.
The Deadbeats
10:00 p.m.
The Deadbeats are
playing at The Low Beat
- 335 Central Ave.
Thomas Freidman
8:00 p.m.
New York Times
columnist Thomas
L. Freidman will be
FRI
February 10
SAT
February 11
SUN
February 12
Big Mean Sound Machine
8:00 p.m.
Big Mean Sound Ma-
chine live at the Hol-
low. Tickets: $12
Maker's Market
Market of local craft
vendors in the Troy
Atrium.
Less Than Jake
6:00 p.m.
Less Than Jake plays
at Upstate Concert hall
in Clifton Park.
speaking at Proctors in
Schenectady.
esant Plaza Location’.
1475 Western Ave a
Albany, NY 12203
(518) 514-2003
ty
ok mounran |
TE FACTORY [i
“1 OFF
any Caramel Apple
°3 OFF
any Signature Cake or Pie
(Excludes Petite Cakes & Cupcakes)
Foto MOUNTATS
(HOCOLATE FACTORY]
‘Stuyvesant Plaza Location
1475 Western Ave
NY
‘Stuyvesant Plaza Location
1475 Western Ave
Albany, NY 12203 « (518) 514-2003
Expires 1231/2017 PLU #35
MISS THE SHOW? READ ABOUT IT ONLINE AT ALBANYSTUDENTPRESS.NET
GET TREATED
LIKE THE MILLION
BUCKS YOU MIGHT
NOT HAVE.
Because our focus is on you, not shareholders,
you can get personal support whether you have
$500 or $5 million. Start now at TIAA.org/advice
TIAA
E | BANKING | RETIREMENT
eo na
A
ALL: 2 SEGRE PASS
BUILT TO PERFORM.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
SPORTS
SPORTS EDITOR: TROY FARKAS:
SPORTS.ASP@GMAIL.COM
| FOOTBALL
Danes Ink 16 on National Signing Day
By JOHN C. LONGTON III
On Wednesday, high school seniors across the
country signed their letters of intent, committing their
blood, sweat and tears to the football program of their
choice for the next four years. The University at Albany
will likely never compete for any of ESPN’s top-100
rated players, but head coach Greg Gattuso has himself
another strong recruiting class, even bringing in a player
that was on the field in this year’s Rose Bowl.
Gattuso’s main point of focus was to try to shore up
his defensive front and he believes that he accomplished
that goal.
“We're really pleased with where we’ re at,” Gattuso
said in an interview on the Levack and Goz show on
104.5 The Team. “We signed really five guys that can
play on the defensive line and rush the passer.”
One of those D-linemen is Antoine White, a Penn
State transfer who played in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.
The 6’2” and 290 lb. New Jersey native brings depth to a
line that was tied for 55th in sacks last year. Because he
is transferring to a Division 1-AA school, White is not
required to sit out a year.
Also booked for next season is Mazon Walker, a
defensive lineman who recorded 72 tackles, 6 sacks and
3 fumble recoveries as a senior while receiving Third
Team All-State honors in Ohio. Standing 5’10” he is
considered undersized, but Gattuso described him as
aggressive and physical. “I’m not afraid of the 5’10”,
5’11” defensive lineman. He was overlooked because of
his height. He’s very powerful and explosive,” Gattuso
said, per UAlbanySports.com
The Danes also locked up a pair of siblings, one who
plays on offense and the other on defense. Hunter and
Zack Verdi (Cheshire Academy, CT). Both are expected
to fight in the trenches for the Danes next season.
Because of his 6’4” stature, Hunter draws
comparisons to another steady lineman for the Danes,
Matt Campion, according to Gattuso. “We really like
Hunter. We're impressed with his versatility because
he can play center, guard or tackle.” Gattuso described
Zack as a “hard-nosed kid” and a “good run-stopper,”
per UAlbanySports.com
Gattuso and his staff appear to want the team to
play an old-school style, one predicated on strong
play in the trenches on each side of the ball. Last year
the Danes averaged 167 yards rushing per game and
their sophomore running back, Elijah Ibitokun- Hanks,
finished 7th in the nation, running for just under 1,400
yards on the season.
Ibitokun-Hanks tore his ACL in the last game of the
season and the timetable for his return is uncertain.
Because the rehab is so demanding and some players
don’t return quite the same from it, UAlbany decided
to search for another running back to add depth to the
backfield.
Karl Mofaor of Laurel, Mo. rushed for 1,991 yards
and 21 touchdowns as a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.
He brings versatility and can be a good second option
behind Ibitokun-Hanks.
“We think Karl has a lot of attributes. Big, physical
kid,” Gattuso said. “We must find a way to take the
burden off Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks.”
Other notables to join the 2017 UA lbany football team
are Damon Burton and Danny Damico, two linebackers
from central N.Y . who finished their high school careers
with gaudy stastistics.
“I’m excited about the class in general,” Gattuso said
in his interview with Levack and Goz. He also joked
with the guys, “I’m excited about it being over. It’s a
long process.”
| SPRING SPORTS
UAlbany Men’s Lax Out for Orange Blood in 2017
By TROY FARKAS
Despite the thermometer reading 20 degrees at
points last week, it doesn’t mean the men’s lacrosse
team will stop practicing. The Great Danes are out for
redemption and no amount of frost on the field will
change that.
The University at Albany’s men’s lacrosse team
(No. 13 in the preseason polls), who is predicted to
win the conference for the 5th year in a row, will play
its first game in less than two weeks. Even though it’s
the first game of a long season, it may be the most
important one the Danes play until the postseason. On
Feb. 18 UAlbany will travel to Syracuse, the team that
ended its 2016 season in the first round of the NCAA
tournament. Syracuse won 11-9 and also beat the
Danes in the season opener last year. Each game was
played at the vaunted Carrier Dome. The Danes return
the majority of their key players and head coach Scott
Marr (18th season) knows his guys haven't forgotten
the losses.
“We ended our season there last year.” Marr said.
“I thought we were right there and I thought we could
have won that game if we played a little bit better in the
4th quarter.”
“Tt certainly gives our guys something to be
motivated for going into the preseason,” Marr added.
Even though UA lbany retums a lot of players with
big-game experience, the Danes will miss a few key
guys lost to graduation and early departure. Former
midfielder John Maloney and All-American goalkeeper
Blaze Riorden were selected in 2016 Major League
Lacrosse (MLL) Draft. Seth Oakes, the leading scorer
for the Danes a season ago, sacrificed his final year
of eligibility to enter the National Lacrosse League
(NLL). He was taken at No. 8 overall by the New
England Black Wolves.
The vacancy left by Riorden, who skipped out on the
MLL and decided to sign with the Buffalo Bandits of
the NLL, will be the most difficult to fill. The reigning
America East Defensive Player of the Y ear in 2016,
Riorden was the most crucial piece of an improved
UAlbany defense. It is now up to his heir, J.D.
Colarusso, who patiently waited behind Riorden for
three seasons. Marr says it’s Colarusso’s job to lose.
“Our competition there is wonderful. Nate
[Siekerski] is putting pressure on J.D. but J.D. has
responded,” Marr said. “He always wanted to be a
Great Dane and he is gonna get his opportunity to
shine.”
With leaders like
Maloney, Riorden
and Oakes off in their
professional careers,
it’s now up to veterans
like Connor Fields
and Stone Sims to
lead the team and help
the younger players
get accustomed to the
fast UAlbany style of
lacrosse. Fields knows
UA lbany will miss
the guys who showed
him the ropes, but he
also knows it’s now
his time to return the
favor.
“Seth, Blaze, and
Maloney--theyre all
huge holes to fill,”
Fields said. “But I
think we're ready
and I think we can
fill those holes. No one
Source: Bob Mayberger Ualbanysports.com
individual can fill all
those holes but I think as
a team we can do it.”
“T’ve just got to give the young guys confidence.
They’ re all great players. They all came here fora
reason. We’ re confident in them with the ball and on
defense,” Fields added.
With the additions to the team and one more year
of experience under the belts of the returning players,
the Great Danes’ roster appears to be deeper than it
has in recent years. Armed with a number of strong
midfielders and defensemen, UA lbany looks poised to
be able to sustain its aggressively style of play, a huge
plus for a team looking to win an automatic berth to
the NCAA tournament after failing to do so last year
after an overtime loss to Hartford in the America East.
championship game. Despite the loss UAlbany earned
its first at-large berth in program history before falling
to Syracuse. UAlbany has gone undefeated in the
conference four years in a row and the guys want to do
it again.
“We've been a powerhouse in our conference for as
long as I can remember,” said junior midfielder Kyle
McClancy. “We take our conferences games really
seriously. That's our No. 1 goal coming in to the year--
winning the conference.
UA lbany has the firepower to win the conference
again, but to advance further in the postseason it will
need to give 110 percent at all times. “We didn’t end up
last year how we wanted to. I feel like after we started
to get up in games and go higher in the rankings, we
slowed down our mentality. We can’t do that,” Fields
said.
“We have to keep our foot on the gas. I think we're
just as good of a team this year, if not better. We have
high hopes.”
The quest for redemption started on Saturday with a
scrimmage against Colgate. They have one final tune-
up against Princeton before the first official game of
the season against Syracuse. Then, it’s go-time.
"We are all pumped and ready. Syracuse is like a
rival to us,” Fields said. “We know what Syracuse has
and we're just ready to go.”
If UAlbany can channel that energy and excitement,
then the Great Danes have a strong chance of beating
the Orange in the Carrier Dome. But if Marr's team
reaches new heights like it hopes to, Syracuse, as well
as nonconference opponents Maryland and Y ale, won't
be the only high-ranking teams the Danes face this
season.
The Editar’ s Take:
By: Troy Farkas
ference.
Even though UA lbany couldn't get it done on Saturday night against Stony Brook, I have to say I was
really proud of the student body for filling up the seats. But I’m begging you all, please keep coming to
the games. Our teams need your support. Students don’t come to these games enough on a regular basis.
Do you realize we have a team that contends for championships every single season? Y es, we don’t go
to a Big Ten or ACC school like some of your friends do and I know you re jealous, but it’s what we've
got. And I think we're pretty lucky to have what we have. Both teams--the men and women--want to see
all of the students A ND faculty wearing purple and gold at SEFCU Arena over the next few weeks. We
have two incredible teams here who need your help. A loud and hostile environment can make all the dif-
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SPORTS_ASP!
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
ALBANY STUDENT PRESS
SPORTS
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR: JOHN C. LONGTON Ill
SPORTS.ASP@GMAIL.COM
10
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Danes Fall to Seawolves, 72-65
Sophmore gaurd David Nichols drives to the basket in the Danes rivalry game loss.
Max May / Albany Student Press
By JOHN C LONGTON III
The men’s basketball team fell 72-65 to archrival Stony
Brook in the 2017 Big Purple Growl in front of a sold out
crowd at SEFCU Arena on Saturday night.
In the first half it seemed as if it were anyone's ball-
game. The lead changed 11 times, with the Danes holding
a 30-29 advantage heading into halftime. A fter intermis-
sion the tide changed, and the Seawolves ripped off a
12-4 run and. The Danes could not recover and would not
reclaim a lead for the rest of the game.
“T thought Stony Brook did a good job at not allowing
us to get into any offensive rhythm,” said University at
Albany’s head coach Will Brown after the game.
Stony Brook's defense limited the Danes to shooting
36 percent from the floor in the second half. It didn’t help
that the team’s leading scorer, David Nichols, and leading
rebounder, Greig Stire fouled out while their teammates
tried to make a comeback.
“I think sometime I just get a little over-aggressive
maybe,” said Stire, who often fights foul trouble. “I think
that’s something that I need to work on-keeping myself
out of foul trouble.” Despite the early exit, Stire managed
to lead the Danes in scoring for the first time this season
(15 points).
Nichols fouled out only one other time this year, and it
was in the Stony Brook game down on Long Island in early
January. In that game, the point guard fouled out, leaving
the Danes frantically searching for a steady ballhandler.
They failed to find it, resulting in Stony Brook’s magical
21-0 run to come back and stun the Danes. In Saturday's
meeting the Danes sparked a 9-3 run of their own to close
the game, but it wasn’t enough. UAlbany cut the deficit to
four points via a pair of Dallas Ennema threes with 46 sec-
onds left. The Seawolves then made a free throw to extend
the lead to five. Cremo, the primary ballhandler with Nich-
ols on the bench, failed to convert on a drive to the basket,
effectively ending UAlbany’s comeback hopes.
Despite having four different players (Joe Cremo,
Devonte Campbell, Nichols and Stire) in double-figures,
UAlbany failed to make plays when they needed them
most. Cremo and Nichols (14 and 10 points, respectively)
couldn’ t get their games going all night, a credit to staunch
on-the-ball defense by the Stony Brook guards.
Like most rivalry games, it was a chippy battle between
two teams who dislike each other. A few questionable
calls/no-calls- especially involving Stire and Nichols-cre-
ated a hostile environment of over 4,000 unhappy fans. It
was the most heavily attended game at SEFCU this season
besides the November Albany Cup battle with Siena.
“What a great college atmosphere for a basketball
game,” said Jeff Boals, head coach of the Seawolves, who
is now in his first season after Steve Pikiell left for a new
job at Rutgers. “We don’t play in front of many crowds
like that this year.”
Boals, a former assistant on Thad Matta’s staff at Ohio
State, coached in front of huge Big Ten crowds before, so
it didn’t appear as if the hostile environment fazed him.
“We knew it would be a tough environment with the Big
Purple Growl,” Boals said. It didn’t seem to get to Stony
Brook’s leading scorer either. Lucas Woodhouse poured in
23 to lead all scorers.
After graduating three all-conference players in Peter
Hooley, Evan Singletary and Ray Sanders, UAlbany’s
youth and lack of experience has shown at times through-
out the season. They rely heavily on Cremo and Nichols-
both 19-year old sophomores, for much of their scoring
production. UAlbany hopes to work through them by the
end of the season, but Coach Brown knows growing pains
come with the situation.
“T didn’t expect us to start the season 0-3, but where
we're at right now, whether anyone likes it or not, I’m not
INVESTIGATION
Feds Launch Title IX Investigation
into UAlbany’s Athletic Program
By TROY FARKAS
On Nov. 14, 2016 former women’s tennis head coach
Gordon Graham filed an official complaint to the U.S.
Department of Education’ s Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
stating his belief the University at Albany’s athletic depart-
ment failed to comply with Title IX demands when the
school shut down the women’s tennis program last year.
The OCR replied to Gordon on Jan. 11, informing the
former coach of the defunct women’s tennis team, that the
department would open an investigation into UAlbany’s
handling of the situation.
“[ believe that UA’s elimination of the women’s tennis
team violated Title IX, because UA does not now and has
never complied with Title [X's requirements for equity in
athletic participation,” Graham wrote in his initial com-
plaint.
In April 2016, UAlbany announced it would discontinue
the women’s tennis program in response to the decision of
two other America East schools to drop their own— Hart-
ford and UMBC. The New Jersey Institute of Technology
(NJIT) also announced its intent to exit the conference,
leaving the A merica East with only three schools. With
just three schools, there could be no postseason conference
tournament, meaning an automatic bid to the NCAA tour-
nament was off the table. UA lbany was left with a deci-
sion to make— find a different conference or terminate the
program. The school chose the latter, leaving Graham and
his players— many of whom came to UA lbany on athletic
scholarships— out to dry. It should be noted the other two
remaining schools— Binghamton and Stony Brook— did
not terminate their women’s tennis programs. Binghamton
is now independent and Stony Brook joined the Missouri
Valley Conference.
The OCR’s investigation will seek to discover if the ath-
letic department failed to meet Title IX demands. The 1972
law, often applied to collegiate athletics, reads, “No person
in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded
from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be sub-
jected to discrimination under any education program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
The OCR will be conducting its investigation based on
the following three-pronged test. In order to comply with
Title IX, only one of the qualifications must be met. The
school must:
Provide athletic participation opportunities that are sub-
stantially proportionate to the undergraduate enrollment.
(if school is 50 percent men and 50 percent women, the
same must be said for the athletic programs)
Demonstrate a continual expansion of athletic opportu-
nities for the underrepresented sex.
Fully accommodate the interests and abilities of the
underrepresented sex.
UAlbany’s athletic program fails to meet the demands of
the first test, according to a press release sent to the Albany
Student Press. Despite UAlbany’s 49 percent female popu-
lation, approximately 40 percent of the athletes on campus
are women. Over the past 12 years, the gap between male
and female athletes has ranged anywhere from 64 to 109
student-athletes in any given year, per release.
With UA lbany’s failure to adhere to the first test, the
OCR must determine if UAlbany has demonstrated its
efforts to expand athletic opportunities for, as well as fully
accommodated the interests of its female athletes. Should
the OCR determine UA lbany has failed to comply, the
school risks losing federal funding for its athletic pro-
grams.
Bob Lewis, who coached the men’s tennis team from.
1972-95, helped guide Graham in the right direction
for how to approach the situation. Like Graham, Lewis
believes UA lbany is in violation. “They’re not accommo-
dating the interests of women like prong no. 3 says,” Lewis
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SPORTS_ASP!
said.
“They’ re depriving them of the opportunity to play.
What would football do if they didn’t have a conference?”
Lewis said.
In his filed complaint, Graham delves into more than
the numbers to prove his allegation that UA lbany discrimi-
nates against female athletes. “We believe that eliminat-
ing any women’s team amounted to sex discrimination,
because UA did not eliminate any men’s team and because
UA does not provide, and never has provided, enough
women’s athletic participation opportunities, given the
undergraduate female enrollment. But still, UA eliminated
the women’s tennis team.”
Lewis feels UAlbany can make the situation disappear
if the school simply agrees to reinstate the women’s tennis
program. Instead of cutting a men’s athletic program to
make the numbers proportional, Lewis thinks UAlbany
should do its best to get Graham and his players back on
the courts representing the purple-and-gold. But according
to UAlbany’s Associate A thletic Director for External A f-
fairs, Charlie V oelker, it’s easier said than done.
“It’s not that easy. We can’t re-allocate and take away
funds,” Voelker said. When the team disbanded, UAlbany
dispersed the tennis team’s funds to hire and promote
coaches in other sports, according to Voelker. In other
words, UA bany can’t take the money away from those
programs to give back to the tennis team.
Voelker added that UA lbany is in full compliance with
the OCR’s investigation. “We are providing the OCR all
of the information they want— there is nothing for us to
hide,” Voelker said.
Athletic Director Mark Benson was not available for
comment.
There is no timetable for the results of the OCR’s
investigation. The Albany Student Press will provide more
information as soon as it becomes available.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0