CASSANDRA YOCHUM - The Spectrum

FEATURES

UGA offers students new way to see the world

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Dec. 3, 2013

It's been a year since David Harary, Matt Adam and Josh Krause created a club for geography students to network in what they consider an "isolated department." And that isolation is starting to change. Founded in November 2012 by Harary, Adam and Krause, the Undergraduate Geography Association (UGA) provides a social forum for students interested in geography to network with one another and learn and discuss geography's effect on people's lives. Harary, a junior economics and international trade major, said there was once a undergraduate geography club, but it failed to achieve its potential.

FEATURES

Turkey traditions

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Nov. 19, 2013

For many college students, Thanksgiving Day is a time to go home and load meal-plan-filled stomachs with a home-cooked turkey meal. But some UB students partake in other traditions beyond the turkey plate.

NEWS

"With heated bus stop on its way, some students question Stampede system "

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Nov. 14, 2013

Some students view the new heated bus shelter as necessary salvation from harsh Buffalo winters, but not every student is sold on the impact of the idea. Though UB has taken steps to make busing safer and easier for students, some think UB's new swipe system and upcoming heated bus shelter outside O'Brian Hall may cause more issues than solutions. Ivan Chao, a sophomore intended communication major, thinks the current state of campus transportation is "disorganized." Maria Wallace, the director of Parking and Transportation Services, said UB put a lot of research into the design process and location, taking the utilities, existing infrastructure and cost into account. "Students will have the option during pleasant weather to wait at the [existing] shelter within Flint Loop, and then during inclement weather they'll have the option of waiting in the heated shelter," Wallace said. Chao said the location of the heated shelter, at North Campus' Flint Loop, could cause traffic and safety issues for students. The South Campus pick-up station is next to Hochstetter Hall, and because the heated shelter is going to be adjacent to O'Brian, Chao worries students are going to run into the Flint Loop to get a seat on the bus.

FEATURES

Architecture students balance immense workload with social life

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Nov. 12, 2013

Whether it's battling deadlines, fatigue, printers or professors, sophomore architecture majors Alexa Russo and Ashwini Karve find UB's School of Architecture both a challenge and a triumph. The architecture school promotes diversity, collaboration between disciplines and exploration of the architectural masterpieces in the Queen City, according to its website.

FEATURES

New curriculum for UB's communication department

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Oct. 31, 2013

Communication students can expect a new curriculum in 2015, according to Lance Rintamaki, an associate professor in the Department of Communication. The university currently has a Research 1 (R1)communication program, which means UB's communication department focuses more on research than other schools, Rintamaki said.

FEATURES

Acting against discrimination

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Oct. 31, 2013

Jonathan Katz, director of UB's visual studies doctoral program, stood on top of a table in a restaurant in California and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, I just want you to know that I'm being thrown out of this restaurant for the simple fact that I'm gay." Katz expected to receive support from his audience.

FEATURES

The Buffalo ghost trail

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Oct. 24, 2013

Every city has its secrets. Buffalo's stories are just well hidden. Despite all the graffiti, caged storefronts and general urban decay, Buffalo was once a hub of travel and architectural style.

FEATURES

A new start for the Bangladeshi Student Association

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Oct. 20, 2013

The memory of the fireworks pushes her forward. Tazrin Hossain, a sophomore political science major, vividly remembers the New Year's celebrations and warm nights she spent shooting off fireworks and watching them explode into thousands of shimmering pieces.

FEATURES

Around the World in one shop

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Oct. 20, 2013

Most students would probably shudder at the thought of managing and marketing a store while double majoring.

OPINION

Day trips in Buffalo for under $25

By CASSANDRA YOCHUM | Sep. 17, 2013

It doesn't require a lot of money to have a good time in Buffalo. There are many daytime trips, trails and locations to explore for under $25. Drive up Elmwood Avenue, North Street or Robert Moses Parkway, take the subway downtown or take a walk down Main Street - any of these roads will take you to places where, for less than $25, students can enjoy a variety of events. The Aquarium of Niagara has everything from penguins and sea lions to fishes and coral reefs.