JACOB BECKER - The Spectrum

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Student documentary explores social issues in Cuba

By JACOB BECKER | May 2, 2005

Five months after filming illegally undercover in Cuba, two UB graduate students are now hoping to attract attention to their documentary about the social effects of tourism on the isolated Communist island."Entre Luz y Sol," which means "Between Light and Sun" in Spanish, is the culmination of almost a year's work by Clorinda Andrade, the writer and co-producer of the film.

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Faculty Senate prepares to write new conduct codes

By JACOB BECKER | Apr. 29, 2005

UB's faculty conduct policies, which many critics over the years have called vague and unfamiliar, will finally be revamped.Officials at Wednesday's Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting said that the new Faculty Code of Conduct, at President Simpson's urging, would consolidate the several policies in use right now into one clear document.Officials say they hope the new policy will provide a missing consistency while also clarifying the process for conduct violations, officials said.Peter Nickerson, the chair of the Faculty Senate, said the new code might expand the scope of already existing conduct codes."We are trying to determine what specificity we need for this document," said Peter Nickerson, chair of the Faculty Senate.

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Students walk for cancer research until the early hours

By JACOB BECKER | Apr. 25, 2005

Friday night, over 500 UB students got very little sleep.That might not sound strange for a college weekend, but for these students, staying up all night had nothing to do with either partying or studying.UB's first ever Relay For Life, an all-night fundraiser for cancer research, drew over 500 UB community members from their usual weekend activities to raise $50,000 at Alumni Arena.

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Two big cultural nights planned this weekend

By JACOB BECKER | Apr. 1, 2005

The Center for the Arts will play host to two major campus cultural events this weekend - Arab Night on Saturday and China Night on Sunday.The Organization of Arab Students has been preparing for its third-annual Arab Night all year.

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New architecture fraternity hopes to build brotherhood

By JACOB BECKER | Mar. 30, 2005

James Pietrzykowski, a junior architecture major, can now officially say he is brothers with I.M.

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Forum focuses on issue of justice at border

By JACOB BECKER | Mar. 4, 2005

A Muslim UB student detained multiple times by the U.S. government and an immigration lawyer shared their experiences Thursday night at a lecture in the Student Union Theater.The event, sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and the Organization of Arab Students, was meant to raise awareness about civil rights issues facing Muslim Americans today.The forum, titled "Is it Justice, or is it Just Us?" focused on the unsettled immigration affairs of Helmi Agha, a first year non-matriculated business major.

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Faculty Senate considers new building for unused books

By JACOB BECKER | Feb. 25, 2005

As early as this spring, UB could break ground on a new storage facility for the millions of low-use books, journals and magazines sitting untouched in UB libraries.Two UB officials introduced the storage proposal at a Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday in Capen Hall.According to Karen Senglaup, director of access services for arts and sciences libraries, UB's libraries are currently over capacity.

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UB makes plans to celebrate Einstein's 'miracle year'

By JACOB BECKER | Feb. 14, 2005

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of physicist Albert Einstein's Annus Mirabilis, or miracle year, UB's physics department is planning to arrange commemorative events to help students remember Einstein.The year 1905 is known as Einstein's miracle year due to the publication of his most renowned works, including his ideas on the physics of life and special relativity, published in German journals.The United Nations has declared 2005 the International Year of Physics.

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Thousands pack into Alumni for Funfest

By JACOB BECKER | Feb. 7, 2005

Over 3,000 students filled Alumni Arena for rock climbing, dodgeball, video game tournaments, and free food and music on Friday night for UB's annual Funfest.The event, sponsored by various campus-wide organizations, aimed to provide students with alternatives to the stereotypical college Friday night of drinking and debauchery, according to event organizers.Running from 7 p.m.