LAURA DIBBELL - The Spectrum

NEWS

Battle of the Ridge

By LAURA DIBBELL | Nov. 29, 2006

The muddy ruts, puddles and broken tree limbs littering the landscape of one of the last remaining undeveloped plots of land on Chestnut Ridge Road in Amherst aren't just the aftermath of the "October Surprise."American Campus Communities, the Texas-based company that also manages the University Village at Sweethome, recently bulldozed the property and plans to open the doors to a new student housing complex in the fall of 2008.The planConstruction of the 552-bed complex is anticipated to begin in early 2007, and leasing will begin the following fall.

NEWS

Joy to the world?

By LAURA DIBBELL | Nov. 10, 2006

When I heard the announcement that Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging, I was filled with mixed emotions.

NEWS

Green living

By LAURA DIBBELL | Nov. 6, 2006

As Kermit the Frog used to say, "It's not easy being green."Amid the whirlwind of college life, it's easy to forget about recycling papers and plastics, or saving energy and water, but living "green" - making choices that have a minimal (or positive) impact on the environment - doesn't have to take a lot of effort.EnergyAccording to Erin Cala, an environmental educator at the UB Green office, awareness is the key to dealing with issues like energy consumption."I don't believe that North Americans are aware of the impact of their actions," Cala said.

NEWS

Welch 101

By LAURA DIBBELL | Oct. 25, 2006

Forty years of teaching at UB has given Claude Welch first-hand knowledge of the university's past, and a unique view of its future.Welch's office reflects his deeply rooted presence at UB with book-lined walls and souvenirs from global travels displayed in every nook and cranny.

NEWS

Welch 101

By LAURA DIBBELL | Oct. 23, 2006

Forty years of teaching at UB has given Claude Welch first-hand knowledge of the university's past, and a unique view of its future.Welch's office reflects his deeply rooted presence at UB with book-lined walls and souvenirs from global travels displayed in every nook and cranny.

NEWS

Terms of engagement

By LAURA DIBBELL | Oct. 13, 2006

A year ago when my then-boyfriend asked me if I would marry him, I readily accepted, naive of the floodgates we'd just let open.

NEWS

A honker's tale

By LAURA DIBBELL | Sep. 8, 2006

Driving in Buffalo for the past three years has molded and twisted me into something I had never hoped to become - a honker.On my way to work one day, listening to the radio and driving along in a stupor, I noticed a teensy crack in the vinyl of my steering wheel.

NEWS

Room raiders: making four walls feel like home

By LAURA DIBBELL | Sep. 1, 2006

Home for the average college student is a square room or two, entirely surrounded by white walls.

NEWS

[Insert question mark]

By LAURA DIBBELL | May 1, 2006

Don't you hate it when your parents end up being right about something [insert question mark]. My dad always warned me never to eat at the computer, but who knew he'd be right [insert question mark].I guess the spilled soda pop did more damage than I thought: the backslash[slash]question-mark key on my keyboard is completely fried.

NEWS

Working out the kinks

By LAURA DIBBELL | Apr. 28, 2006

Drop the book bag, kick off those shoes and socks, grab a mat, and get ready to stretch your horizons at one of UB's yoga classes.It is instructor Jacqueline Bogdan's hope that after 45 minutes of stretching, twisting, balancing, and synchronizing every move with their breaths, students will have worked out some of the kinks of everyday life."Sometimes I fall asleep at the end," Kelly Vo, a senior social sciences major, said.Vo, who goes to the gym on alternate days, uses the Tuesday and Thursday yoga classes to stretch and relax."It is really relaxing," Vo said.