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Ben Blanchet

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Music faculty, students concerned with Music Library's future

Music faculty, students concerned with Music Library's future

The Spectrum — James Currie is worried about the future of UB's Music Library. Since he came to UB 15 years ago, he said, he has seen dramatic changes to the library. Back then, Currie, a musicology professor, said the library had three staff members and a circulation expert. Now, the staff is down to one librarian.
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A testament of faith

A testament of faith

The Spectrum — Monsignor Patrick Keleher of UB's Newman Center does not want Catholic students to lose faith, despite the reemergence of a 17-year sexual abuse scandal that has again rocked the Catholic Church.
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Making 'cents' of the broad-based fee

Making 'cents' of the broad-based fee

The Spectrum — This year, Buffalonians will spend as much as $68 to see just one of the six distinguished speakers on North Campus. But the average undergraduate student will pay a fraction of that cost: $1.06. That's roughly the price of a McDonald's coffee plus tax.
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Putnam's is named after UB founder who had racist views

Putnam's is named after UB founder who had racist views

The Spectrum — Students eat at Putnam's Marketplace Eatery in the Student Union and travel down Putnam Way. But they may not know James O. Putnam believed black people were an "inferior race" and introduced anti-Catholic legislation.
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Donation data reflects political differences between UB employees and Council members

Donation data reflects political differences between UB employees and Council members

The Spectrum — A number of deans, faculty and staff donate primarily to Democrats, according to political donation data -- a stark contrast to UB Council members, who give money across party lines, records show. The UB Council - which consists of eight governor-appointed members - has donated roughly 28 times the amount as UB's most politically active high-profile employees.
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The Student Association Senate did not comply with Open Meetings Law, according to state top open...

The Student Association Senate did not comply with Open Meetings Law, according to state top open...

The Spectrum — The SA President Gunnar Haberl, chairperson of the SA Senate meeting on Oct. 11, said he was following SA’s past “precedent” by only posting the event on SA's event calendar and sending an email to senators. But New York’s top open-government official said SA’s “precedent” is not adequate and is not compliant with New York’s Open Meetings Law.
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Faculty Student Association says $785,500 land purchase came from student fees, other money

Faculty Student Association says $785,500 land purchase came from student fees, other money

The Spectrum — For three decades, FSA, a UB-controlled nonprofit known to most students as Campus Dining & Shops, has claimed it had no idea how much money went into the $785,500 it used to buy a piece of land in Amherst in 1964. This month, FSA lawyer Terry Gilbride of the law firm Hodgson Russ wrote that a “portion” of FSA’s funds used to purchase the 1964 land “did originally come from student [activity] fees collected by FSA” and the “balance of the purchase price came from other FSA resources which did not derive from student activity fees.”
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UB has no plans to develop, build on 200 acres of university land

UB has no plans to develop, build on 200 acres of university land

The Spectrum — A lone sign tells students to enjoy the roughly 200 acres of UB land east of the Millersport Highway. The sign asks students to take "the path to a better quality of life throughout the community." But North Campus maps don't lead students to the path, or the hundreds of acres of land the path travels through.
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Bobby Militello continues his musical quest in the classroom

Bobby Militello continues his musical quest in the classroom

The Spectrum — Bobby Militello's career is a destiny fulfilled. At around 10 years old, Militello flipped through 99-cent jazz records on the corner of Grant and Ferry Street. His first record as a kid was trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's "Message from Newport." He used to lay in front of his stereo and play Ferguson's albums, until each solo was ingrained in his brain. When Ferguson appeared in or around Buffalo, Militello made sure to be there. And by 25, he was on the road with the jazz great.
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Former Campus Living director's state-funded treadmill at UB

Former Campus Living director's state-funded treadmill at UB

The Spectrum — Former Campus Living director Andrea Costantino used $4,200 in state money for a personal home treadmill, her very own Landice L7 model. The same treadmill model currently sits, ready for use, in the Hadley Village fitness center. Upperclassmen use the Hadley Village treadmill every semester for their daily workouts, but UB said it has no record of Costantino's treadmill returning to the university. Still, the Erie County District Attorney’s office said UB has the treadmill, and it is a Landice L7 model.
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Faculty Student Association controls $1.5 million from student-funded purchase

Faculty Student Association controls $1.5 million from student-funded purchase

The Spectrum — For three decades, the Faculty Student Association has said it has no idea how much student money went into the $785,500 it used to buy a piece of land in Amherst in 1964. The UB-controlled nonprofit has made that claim in response to efforts by the student-founded organization Sub-Board I to gain control of the money, now worth $1.5 million.
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UB paid former president John Simpson roughly $60,000 after full-time retirement

UB paid former president John Simpson roughly $60,000 after full-time retirement

The Spectrum — UB paid former President John Simpson $60,237 for part-time work after he retired from his full-time role in 2011. Simpson was paid from 2012 to 2014 as an "executive officer" for the university, according to UB spokesperson John DellaContrada. The part-time position ensured Simpson compensation for serving "as needed" as a university adviser.
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Data Trackers: How UB uses student info

Data Trackers: How UB uses student info

The Spectrum — UB can track your location every time you swipe your UB Card. Card readers across campus track when you eat dinner, go home and ride the bus. The card registers when you get Moe's and if you are a loyal Bulls fan. All your swipes are recorded and some departments share your habits with people outside of UB.
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Puzzling Pathways: Students concerned with UB general education topics

Puzzling Pathways: Students concerned with UB general education topics

The Spectrum — Electrical engineering students can take “Communication Systems I,” a class about transmitters and receivers, to understand racism. Industrial engineering students can learn “Facility Design and Materials Handling” to understand ancient civilizations. Civil engineering students can take “Hydrologic Engineering” to discover more about global conflicts. The list goes on.
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Archie Shepp looks back on rich past at UB

Archie Shepp looks back on rich past at UB

The Spectrum — “Even to give assignments to the students, there just wasn’t everything written like there is today,” Archie Shepp said. “All I had when I started teaching, was my own experience in the music. When I began to build an archive, I could give my students assignments which would build their knowledge not only of contemporary African-American music but how that music evolved.”
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Behind the keys: UB instructor George Caldwell's storybook career

Behind the keys: UB instructor George Caldwell's storybook career

The Spectrum — When George Caldwell heard he won a Grammy in 1997, he thought it was a joke. He couldn’t fathom how he had won the most prestigious music award in the nation. Caldwell had recorded “Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild” with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1996. He had performed with the group in Pittsburgh and didn’t follow what had happened with the live recording. Then, months later, a colleague congratulated him as he was working on the set of a Broadway show.
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Pride and shame: Millard Fillmore's controversial legacy at UB

Pride and shame: Millard Fillmore's controversial legacy at UB

The Spectrum — Asli Ali finds it disconcerting that she has spent a semester studying the black struggle for freedom in a building named after a man who helped persecute slaves.
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Spring semester of '71: Charles Mingus leaves his legacy at UB

Spring semester of '71: Charles Mingus leaves his legacy at UB

The Spectrum — When it comes to jazz, the late Charles Mingus is one of the first names mentioned. He was a man of many talents: a bassist, a pianist, a composer, a civil rights activist and an author. One of his forgotten contributions, however, was that to education.
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Nº18: Genuinely G4SHI, the illumination of a rap star

Nº18: Genuinely G4SHI, the illumination of a rap star

A.R.T.S.Y. Magazine (Brooklyn, NY) — For those unaware of G4SHI, he's a comprehensive soul - wholesome in both his artistry and his persona. In the days leading up to my conversation with the New York rapper, I found myself binging on his music, finding each of his songs appealing from the very beginning.
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