Mario Del Moral, BMMMO’s educational coordinator, and Troy Drayton, the organization’s publicity coordinator, led an open discussion with students about the positives and negatives of welfare programs.

In choosing whether or not to use public assistance, Drayton said certain factors must be considered.

“[You have to weigh] how much utility [they] get from the program versus the disutility [they] get from the stigma,” Drayton said.

Del Moral, a junior double-majoring in economics and mathematical sciences, and Drayton, a junior majoring in economics, sought input from the audience to create an open and balanced dialogue.

“They all had their perceptions about welfare programs,” Del Moral said. “Our goal was to have a discussion about their experiences with welfare and how welfare programs impact the economy and them as individuals.”

The discussion focused on “welfare queens” — those who allegedly take advantage of the system and live solely off of welfare.

But most of the 15 audience members agreed that, in general, welfare goes to those who really need it.

“These programs serve as a foundation to help only those individuals that need it the most,” said Derrick Nesbitt, a senior majoring in financial economics and treasurer of BMMMO. “By providing facts and statistical data, we demonstrated that these safety programs are not surrounded by as much corruption and greed as many may think.”

Two videos were shown, one emphasizing the positive aspects of welfare and one demonstrating how welfare recipients can abuse the system.

The meeting featured icebreakers about different types of public assistance and moved on to topics including how people qualify for welfare, how the media affects perceptions of welfare and how the system can be misused.

Drayton and Del Moral ended the meeting with a discussion of how audience members would reform welfare to prevent such abuses and to decrease the associated stigma.

Nesbitt was pleased with how open the presentation was to discussion, and thought that everyone came away with new insights into public assistance programs.

“I believe the audience gained a better understanding of welfare, and the various safety net programs that are implemented,” Nesbitt said.

Weisman, a co-founder of Campus Labs, the company responsible for the PAWS and B-Involved computer programs, spoke to about 60 students Wednesday, telling them his personal success story.

When Weisman graduated in 1998 with a degree in anthropology, he left without a career or any long-term plans for the future.

“Initially I thought it was a tragedy,” he said. “But in retrospect it wasn’t, it was an opportunity.”

After working as an elementary school teacher for several years, Weisman decided to attend business school at the University at Buffalo. While on a road trip with Eric Reich, a friend of Weisman’s, the two decided to create a business together.

The pair entered their idea into the Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition at UB’s business school and won $25,000 to start their brand new company, at that time called StudentVoice.

From there, they started gathering investors and building the business that would eventually have 90 employees, be on 650 campuses across the country and make $10 million in annual sales from their student data tracking programs. That company, Campus Labs, was just sold this August to tech company Higher One for approximately $40 million. Weisman is now executive vice president of Campus Labs and director of the company’s campus relations, traveling to universities across the country to market the company’s products.

Weisman took questions from the audience about his personal success and gave advice to students unsure about their career path. He stressed that hard work and determination are the keys to success.

“Get your degree, figure it out from there, because you’ve got the whole world waiting for you,” he said. “If you don’t wake up every day excited about what you’re doing then you’re not doing the right thing.”

The talk was organized by the Student Affairs Assessment and Strategic Initiatives (SAASI) department in conjunction with the Career Development Center. Chris Knickerbocker, the director of SAASI, was optimistic that students walked away from the presentation with newfound confidence in their futures.

“We hope it inspires questioning in students,” Knickerbocker said. “There aren’t necessarily straight paths in life and we want students to be able to take whatever path they choose and be able to avail themselves of opportunities.”

Students in attendance found the event interesting and informative. Israt Ahmed, a sophomore majoring in anthropology, was encouraged by Weisman’s story.

“One of the best parts about the presentation was that he helped show me that nothing is set in stone,” Ahmed said. “Even if you come into college thinking you know what you want to do, you may not leave college thinking the same thing. Basically, go with the flow and you’ll be successful.”

Vivian Vuong, an undeclared freshman, appreciated Weisman’s advice to students.

“From the way he spoke, he seemed very humble about his success story,” Vuong said. “He reinforced the fact that it’s not just about the letter grades you get on your transcript or your degree, but how you advertise yourself as a person.”

The two groups hosted a “Science Café” for both graduate and undergraduate students that featured Mark Poliks, a chemistry professor and technical director of the Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing.

Poliks discussed the advances from silicon wafers to flexible plastics and the applications and material composition of flexible electronics.

Megan Fegley, president of the Graduate Chemistry Club and a graduate student studying chemistry, said she believed the café was a success.

“The event was well attended and the audience was very engaged,” Fegley said. “Professor Poliks’ presentation gave the audience a chance to learn about the evolving world of electronics and how flexible, smarter materials such as glass and plastics can be incorporated into a variety of electronic devices.”

The Café was held to coincide with the re-airing of the four-part special “Making Stuff” on the PBS series “Nova.” Each episode in the series was about the science of materials, focusing on making things smarter, cleaner, stronger and smaller.

“It’s about the progression of technology,” Fegley said. “As you can see with all technology, things have become smaller and smarter, all because of the materials they’re made out of and the science behind those materials.”

According to Melody Tianchan Jiang, president of the Binghamton University student chapter of the Materials Research Society, material science is the study of all kinds of materials and their applications.

“These materials are used to create anything from nanotechnology to medical technology,” Jiang said.

Fegley said the goal of the café was to promote material science to the general public and display how it is applicable to everyday life.

“Materials are in everyday life and they are really of interest to everyone,” Fegley said. “We can take complex topics and bring them to the general public to help educate them about the materials they use everyday and the science behind those materials.”

The orientation included meetings for students and a reception for parents. Sessions were held on fire safety, staying well, U.S. culture and the U.S. higher education system, as well as meetings with academic advisers.

Nearly 700 students attended the orientation this year, up from around 500 last year.

“More international students applied to Binghamton at both the undergraduate and graduate levels this year, and more chose Binghamton in comparison to last year,” said Ellen Badger Ellen Badger, director of international student scholar services.

The influx of international students is a result of both an increase in applications and the recruitment efforts of the University, Badger said.

“Binghamton University has actively recruited international students, along with out-of-state students as well as our traditional population base in New York state for a number of years,” Badger said. “But U.S. colleges nationally are seeing increases in applications from international students and Binghamton is no exception.”

Badger said the appeal of BU to foreign students includes “academic excellence and reputation of the faculty, variety of course offerings, cost, reputation of Binghamton’s international outreach.”

According to Badger, international student enrollment will play a role in Binghamton’s plans to grow its enrollment by 2,000 students over the next five years. She said these students are an important part of the Binghamton community.

“Binghamton accepts the best students from all over the world,” Badger said. “Binghamton is committed to enhancing students’ preparation for a global society, and international students on campus, providing different perspectives both in and out of the classroom, is one way that happens.”

Xiaoheng Wang, who previously studied at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China, chose Binghamton for its academic reputation and its ability to further his career goals.

“The accounting major is one of the best in BU,” Wang said. “Additionally, BU has a sound relationship with some big companies and the career service is good, which makes it easier for international students to find an internship or full-time job.”

Yosep Lee, a senior born in South Korea but raised in Indonesia, said Binghamton offers both academic and social opportunities.

“I chose Binghamton for the environment and the atmosphere that the school provides for its students,” Lee said.

Lee said he is excited for the start of classes and the year ahead at Binghamton.

“So far I love the school and everyone in the school, who helped me to go through the orientation process without any big trouble,” Lee said. “Orientation leaders and faculty were responsible and dedicated and that is the kind of environment that I want to be surrounded by. I can’t wait to start my first day, which is the first chapter of my life in Binghamton.”

The new system makes use of computers on-site at polling stations. Students cannot access the voting program from personal computers in their residencies.

Voting will be nearly the same as before, except students will now vote using computers instead of filling out ballots by hand, according to Nick Fondacaro, chairman of the Elections Committee and a junior majoring in political science.

The SA will use netbooks that are used by orientation advisers during summer sessions to conduct the polling.

The computers will not be connected to a network, which will prevent anyone from tapping into the computers and altering results, according to James Grippe, the designer of the voting system program and a member of the Elections Committee.

The new system will require pollsters to enter a password for each new voter but polling can only begin or end with two other passwords known only to Fondacaro and Grippe.

“After the program closes, the votes will be put into a password-protected zip file just like a locked ballot box,” said Grippe, a sophomore majoring in computer science. “The computers will be locked up in UPD just like the old ballot boxes.”

Votes will be counted one at a time on a projector screen in a public room.

“In the past, we printed out hundreds of ballots for each community and locked those votes in ballot boxes,” Fondacaro said. “This system is almost the same except we’ll be voting on computers.”

Fondacaro said the new system will alleviate problems that affected the old election procedure.

“There are always discrepancies between the amount of signatures signed and the amount of ballots actually cast,” Fondacaro said. “In the past, someone could take a ballot without signing in, or signed in and left without inserting a ballot. This system would remove these issues and make it more difficult to stuff ballot boxes or manipulate numbers.”

Polling stations will be located in student’s respective dining halls designated for on-campus students and in the New University Union for all off-campus students, Fondacaro said. The Elections Committee is still deciding where the polling stations for Hillside and Susquehanna Communities will be.

Grippe said the program will streamline the voting process and prevent possible complications.

“I probably put in over 20 hours of work over the past couple of weeks setting this up between testing and development,” Grippe said. “The overall goal is to decrease issues with voter fraud, increase efficiency and set a foundation for future elections.”

Mark Soriano, a current candidate for SA president and a former president of College-in-the-Woods, expressed his support for the change.

“I think the change is good,” said Soriano, a junior majoring in history. “When I was president of CIW we instituted online voting. We used a Blackboard email, so it was a little different, but it was really effective. It saved time because we didn’t have to count them and cuts down on inconsistencies because there weren’t paper ballots to lose track of.”

The SA elections will take place on March 26 and 27 — the official list of candidates will be made available next Wednesday.

The National Acrobats kicked off their U.S. tour at BU. Their show featured many physical feats of balance, strength and skill.

Dressed in vibrantly colored costumes, the troupe’s members — including plate-spinners, jugglers and contortionists — put on displays of acrobatic prowess and also performed two comedic pieces.

Danny Curreri, a sophomore majoring in mathematics, said he was amazed by the show.

“I saw 12 ladies ride one bicycle and a 5-foot-3 guy jump through a hoop 10 feet and 6 inches in the air,” Curreri said. “It was definitely one of the greatest displays of human talent, strength and overall ability I’ve ever seen.”

The National Acrobats have been touring the world for decades, according to Gary Pedro, executive director of the Anderson Center.

“The National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China was the first national performing arts troupe established by the government of the People’s Republic of China in 1950,” Pedro said. “The company has performed in more than 40 countries, and continues to tour extensively every year.”

Pedro, who is responsible for bringing acts to the Anderson Center, said the audience at the National Acrobats show consisted of about 25 percent students, and that the rest of the audience were faculty and local community members. He said he was pleased with the crowd’s reaction to the performance.

“There was a wonderful tension in the audience, because many of the feats performed required such precision and the crowd knew the inherent danger in performing them,” he said. “Audible gasps accompanied almost non-stop applause throughout the show.”

Brendan Perkinson, a freshman majoring in English who attended the show with his friends, had only good things to say about the spectacle.

“I was completely blown away,” Perkinson said. “Everyone was saying it was the best show we’ve seen in ages. We definitely got our full money’s worth.”

Terry Agbo, a freshman majoring in biology, became involved with the performance during one of the troupe’s comedic pieces. He was called onto the stage by a knife-thrower, and he had a bag placed on his head. The performers tricked him into thinking that knives were being thrown at him.

Despite the deception, Agbo was pleased with the show.

“I thought it was really, really awesome,” Agbo said. “What the acrobats were able to do was phenomenal. I thought it was a complete testament to the will and strength of the human body.”

“My Internet speed has been, very, very, very slow,” said Danielle DeUrso, a sophomore majoring in history. “My Safari [Internet browser] freezes up pretty much every time I go on the computer. I’m in the same building as last semester, and it’s definitely much slower.”

James Alford, a sophomore majoring in mathematics, has had issues with slowed-down Internet access as well.

“I feel like the speeds are far slower than they were last year,” Alford said. “I have lag on my wireless Xbox connection that I didn’t have before.”

Mark Reed, associate vice president for Information Technology Services (ITS) at Binghamton University, said slower campus Internet connections are largely the result of Internet traffic increasingly shifting toward watching streaming video sites like YouTube, which has placed a strain on the campus network.

“Five years ago, [the Internet was being used for] a lot of emails and web pages and to download songs, which required a fair amount of bandwidth,” Reed said. “Now everything has become video, which is much more bandwidth intensive.”

Reed also attributed the problem to the increase in the number of devices besides computers connected to the campus network.

In addition to their personal computers, students now connect devices like smartphones, mp3 players and video game systems to the campus network.

“The number of students [on the network] is the same, but now everybody’s got five devices instead of one,” Reed said.

Stacey Troy, a sophomore majoring in actuarial science, has three Internet-connected devices: an Xbox, a laptop and an mp3 player.

Alford has five such devices: an Xbox, an iPod, a smartphone and two laptops.

Reed said the campus network is used most heavily from noon to 1 a.m., a trend that many students have observed.

“I’ve noticed that the Internet’s fine in the mornings, but at night, it’s dramatically slower,” Troy said. “Most times if it’s slow enough I’ll say ‘it’s not worth it’ and stop what I’m doing.”

Reed said the University’s technology equipment was in part to blame for slow connection speeds.

BU currently pays for the use of 570 megabits per second of data capacity, with the capability to pay to raise that to 1,000 megabits, or one gigabit, when necessary. Those 570 megabits have to be divided among everyone using the network.

“On a normal night, with 6,000 students using the network, we have to divide the network’s capacity by the 6,000,” Reed said. “The normal speed we allow people to go through is about 2 megabits per second of capacity.”

Reed said ITS has been actively working to make sure it keeps up with the campus’ Internet needs despite its limited budget. He said ITS has progressively increased the bandwidth from 200 to 570 megabits per second in the last year and a half, and it plans to raise the bandwidth to 700 megabits per second by the end of this year.

“We want to raise [the bandwidth] at a level that keeps response good, but doesn’t squander the money we have,” Reed said. “We’re always looking at the bandwidth issue. We notice that satisfaction with Information Technology Services is pretty directly linked to the performance of the network.”

Many students were prompted to revalidate their Internet-connected devices multiple times this semester. Typically students are only required to validate their devices at the beginning of each semester.

“I had to keep validating my Mac multiple times at the beginning of the year and my phone forces me to do it every once in a while as well,” Alford said.

Reed described the validation system as a tool implemented in 2004 to protect the network from widespread computer viruses and to help identify and assign network addresses to students’ devices.

According to Mike Hizny, assistant director of networking at ITS, there is a bug in the validation system currently that forces students to revalidate. He said ITS is working on fixing the bug, but it has not yet succeeded at pinpointing the cause.

“At this point, without there being a distinct set of circumstances between machines, there is no pattern so we can’t locate the source of the bug,” Hizny said. “There just hasn’t been enough data to actually break it down yet.”

Access to DC++ on BU computer networks was blocked by the University over the summer.

DC++ worked by requiring that new users share media stored on their computers through the program.

Mark Reed, associate vice president for Information Technology Services (ITS) at BU, said that the DC++ technology was not itself illegal, but that the University had concluded it was being used primarily for improper sharing of copyrighted material.

“I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with the programs themselves,” Reed said. “But the general consensus is that an overwhelming amount of the material downloaded is copyrighted.”

Reed stressed that the University does not desire to limit the sharing of legal files for academic purposes.

“We certainly recognize that there are legitimate and academic reasons for this program,” Reed said. “If someone calls the help desk and explains why they need to do something, [ITS] can open the firewall.”

One BU student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the potential for legal action against him, said he used DC++ two or three times per week to download movies and songs.

“I liked that there was a big selection of media, and it was very quick and easy to use,” the student said.

Reed said a significant factor in the University’s decision to block access to DC++ was new provisions on “peer-to-peer” file sharing that were added by Congress last year to the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

These provisions stipulate that universities notify students of the legal risks of illegal downloading, examine technological methods of blocking downloading and make sure that there are legal alternatives to illegal downloading available.

Reed said the University also wanted to protect students from having to face legal action from copyright holders like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

“It seemed to us that students kind of aren’t aware that when they enable this software on their machine they’re advertising to the world that they have this content on their computer,” Reed said.

The University received more than 700 complaints last year from the RIAA against students, a significant increase from previous years, when it averaged about 200 complaints.

The RIAA’s website makes it clear that the recording industry is serious about pursuing legal remedies against illegal downloading.

“A long series of court rulings has made it very clear that it’s against the law both to upload and download copyrighted music without permission,” the website states. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re dealing with sound recordings, pictures, software or written text. The courts have consistently ruled that many peer-to-peer (P2P) programs and other unauthorized uploading and downloading inherently amount to copyright infringement and therefore constitute a crime.”

Reed said that when ITS receives a complaint about a particular IP address — a number which identifies an individual computer — downloading copyrighted material, it does not reveal to the complainant the identity of the student to whom the computer belongs, but it informs the student that there was a complaint against him or her.

“We send the letter back and say, ‘We’re not going to be your agent in this,’ but we pass on that the letter has come to the student,” Reed said.

If a copyright holder chooses to legally pursue the user of an IP address that downloaded copyrighted material, the holder can obtain a subpoena to legally compel the University to provide its records. Students indicated therein can then be subject to sizeable fines or lengthy, expensive legal battles.

Reed said that the RIAA asked at least two Binghamton students to pay $5,000 fines, and that at least one of the students paid the fine.

ITS has spent a significant amount of time and resources dealing with the many copyright infringement complaints made against students at a time when the department is already strained by budget cuts, which led to layoffs, according to Reed. He said he hoped that the number of complaints this year would decline now that access to DC++ is blocked.

“With a lot fewer complaints, there will be much less work to do, and students won’t be advertising that they have copyrighted material on their computer,” he said.

But some students on campus are now finding other ways to share media like music and movie files.

“[There is] a program called Alliance,” the student who did not wish to be identified said. “DC++ required users to connect to a server to share content. Alliance allows users to connect directly to each other, without connecting to a server first.”

It remains to be seen whether Alliance will become as popular as DC++, or whether the University will take steps to end its usage as well.

The SLA’s original suspension of The Rathskeller’s liquor license was the result of various violations, most notably an incident involving a police raid of the bar on Jan. 27 to check for underage drinking. Bar co-owner Andrew Urso was charged at the time with reckless endangerment for allegedly telling a DJ to yell “fire” in order to clear the bar before the police raid.

Christine Pasquale-Urso, The Rathskeller’s other co-owner, claimed that parts of the SLA report were inaccurate and are contradicted by security camera footage from the night of the incident which shows patrons walking calmly in and out of the bar.

The owners of The Rathskeller brought the video footage to the police over the summer, according to Pasquale-Urso.

“A lot of the reason we lost the license was that the police report said there was danger and that havoc was created, but after the police department looked at video surveillance they realized this wasn’t the case,” Pasquale-Urso said.

After Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan and Chief of Police Joseph Zikuski viewed the security camera footage, both wrote letters to the SLA that prompted the return of the bar’s liquor license on July 14.

“I have reviewed all the evidence from the above referenced case and am writing on behalf of the bar owners and operators to request leniency in any penalty or fine that is imposed in this case and also to request that their suspension to operate be lifted, when appropriate,” Ryan wrote in his letter to the SLA.

Ryan expressed doubt that patrons actually believed there was a fire, or that a panic ensued, as described in the original police report.

“When comparing the police report to the security camera at the time the police entered the bar, it is clear that any comments were made with a wink and a nod and other words to the effect that, ‘if you have an illegal ID get out now,'” he wrote.

According to the mayor, those in the bar were not endangered by the announcement, but rather, they were given the discrete opportunity to exit before the predicted bar raid.

Zikuski’s letter to SLA also cast doubt on the circumstances of the incident.

“Over the past several weeks, I have become aware of there being a question about how the owner announced there was a fire in the building causing patrons to leave in a rushed, alarming and chaotic manner,” Zikuski wrote. “Yesterday, July 13, 2011, I was provided with surveillance tapes from the bar and patrons left in an orderly, unalarming manner as the Police entered.”

According to Pasquale-Urso, in addition to paying a $15,000 fine, the owners had to propose changes to The Rathskeller’s operating procedure in order to reacquire their liquor license. These changes, which were agreed upon by the SLA, include the use of a scanner to detect fake identification documents, certification of bouncers as security guards and the training of bartenders under the Alcohol Awareness Training Program (ATAP).

The owners are also making changes to the design and activities offered at the bar. There will be a new area with booth seating, vintage arcade games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and pinball and a Wednesday beer club for patrons to try a variety of beers and play games of trivia. Patrons will also be able to order food from the menu of Pasquale’s pizzeria. It is undetermined when these additions will be implemented.

“It took a while to get the license back but we’re excited to be back in business,” Pasquale-Urso said.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who had called ensuring the legislation’s passage one of his top priorities, immediately signed the bill into law.

The legislation provides same-sex couples with an equal right to marry as well as all of the legal rights that marriage entails. Same-sex couples will officially be able to marry starting July 24, 2011, 30 days after the bill’s passage.

The bill became law due to the votes of four Republican senators, who defected from their party conference’s stance against the bill.

“I cannot legally come up with an argument against same-sex marriage,” said Sen. Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, who became the final “yes” vote.

The only Democratic senator to oppose the bill was Sen. Ruben Diaz of the Bronx, a Pentecostal minister and president of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization.

“Gay marriage has been imposed on the people of New York,” Diaz said.

After the historic vote, thousands, including Gov. Cuomo, joined New York City’s Gay Pride Parade Sunday, June 26 in celebration of the landmark victory.

Frank Torres, a senior double-majoring in financial economics and political science and director of Binghamton University’s Rainbow Pride Union, said he was excited by the progress the bill represents.

“I think it’s absolutely great,” he said. “It’s something that should have been done a while ago, something that’s a basic human right like anything else.”

Torres said he believes that the bill will create positive role models for young people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community.

“There’s a generation of LGBT kids who don’t know any married couples, they don’t know who to look up to,” he said. “This bill is going to create more positive and healthy relationships for younger generations to emulate.”

However, the bill’s passing was not praised by everyone. Tara-Marie Lynch, a senior triple-majoring in economics, political science and international policy economy and executive chairman of the BU College Republicans (BUCR), said that though the LGBT community is gaining political momentum, she disagrees with the legalization of same-sex marriage.

“Gay marriage is, of course, a widely contentious topic in our country today,” she stated. “While some people strictly pose themselves as either pro- or anti-gay marriage, I believe it is not that simple. In my opinion, for example, marriage is a [sacred] union between a man and a woman. But this is not to say that members of the LGBT community should be cut off from similar freedoms that a married couple enjoys.”

Marissa Beldock, a senior majoring in history and vice chairman of BUCR, echoed Lynch’s sentiment.

“It is unfortunate that couples who are members of the LGBTQ community are not entitled to the same legal rights, such as health, tax and other insurance benefits, as couples who are heterosexual,” she said. “However, that does not mean we should disregard or redefine the very notion of what marriage is just to please a small population of society.”

Torres recognized that some would remain opposed to the idea of same-sex marriage, but remained upbeat.

“Just because a law is enacted doesn’t mean that everyone believes in it,” Torres said. “Although this might not be the perfect solution, it’s definitely creating the change that we need.”

Presented by nonprofit organization Poets and Writers, the award honors writers who have worked to strengthen the writing community and aid their peers.

According to the Poets and Writers press release, the Writers for Writers Award “was established in 1996 to recognize authors who have given generously to other writers or to the broader literary community.”

Gillan is a professor of poetry at BU and the director of the creative writing program and director of the Binghamton Center for Writers.

Gillan’s first writer advocacy project came in 1980 with the founding of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in her hometown of Paterson, N.J. The Poetry Center seeks to encourage the work of poets by providing them with outlets to share and improve upon their work.

According to Gillan, through the center she has created various poetry contests and awards, including the Allen Ginsberg Award for individual poems. She has also established many book awards, which are grants of new books presented to schools in need.

Gillan also works to bring exposure to unknown writers of various races and backgrounds. She helps to make her fellow authors known by giving them advice, connecting them with publishers and editors and publishing their work in anthologies like “Unsettling America.”

“Our first anthology, ‘Unsettling America,’ was like throwing a bomb into the literary cannon,” Gillan said. “Other people then stole our writers, which is what we wanted to happen.”

Since coming to BU, Gillan has created new book awards, brought editors to speak with graduate students and faculty and established the Binghamton Center for Writers.

Gillan attributed her supportive nature to her upbringing by her Italian-immigrant parents. Her father acted as a people’s lawyer for the Italian-American community, drafting papers and helping with legal issues.

She said he used to tell her, “If you live your life only for yourself, you’ll end up with nothing. You have a responsibility to the world and a responsibility to others.”

In addition to all the work she does for other writers, Gillan is a published writer herself. With 12 books of poetry in print, her writing career is going strong.

“I started out trying to write poems that I thought I should be writing,” Gillan said. “Poems about Greek gods. More obscure, deliberately vague poems.”

After her first book was published in 1980, one of her graduate school professors said that the poem he appreciated most was one about her father. Gillan then realized that she could write about her own life, and the many roles she played, like Italian American, mother, wife and citizen. She now defines her work as narrative poems based on her life experiences.

Gillan’s reception of the award was first announced in an ad in Poets and Writers Magazine. After the magazine’s publication, many of the people she had helped over the years contacted her.

“I got letters and e-mails from people all over the country thanking me for helping them,” Gillan said. “I’d forgotten I had helped them.”

Jose A. Rodriguez, a graduate student who is working on his doctorate in English and creative writing, has been a student of Gillan’s for several years.

“She writes, teaches, supports the department’s literary journal Harpur Palate, manages and edits Paterson Literary Review, runs the Binghamton Book Awards, runs The Poetry Center in New Jersey. She’s unstoppable, ” Rodriguez said.

Gillan said she will continue to do whatever is within her power to draw attention to new writers and provide aid to the literary community.

“What I’ve tried to do is to open up opportunity to people who are not part of the elite. There is so much wonderful writing that goes unobserved. I want to draw attention to that writing and make people realize that they can love poetry and literature as much as I do,” she said.

That is why Terry Kelley-Wallace is heading the new Transfer Student Initiatives Office, which was created prior to the start of the fall 2010 semester, to help transfer students transition into the Binghamton University community.

Kelley-Wallace, who previously served as the University’s Registrar, described the office’s goals as providing services to transfer students and helping to better integrate them into life at BU.

“We’re here to help transfer students make connections at the University, from other students to faculty and staff, so that they feel like a part of the campus community,” Kelley-Wallace said.

According to Kelley-Wallace, the office reaches out to transfers in various ways, including a monthly newsletter distributed via e-mail, monthly transfer student coffee hours and biweekly informal lunches, at which transfer students can meet one another and ask questions.

The Transfer Student Initiatives Office is also working with Tau Sigma, the transfer student honor society, on its initiative to start a transfer mentor program for non-residential students. Mentor programs for on-campus transfer students are already in place.

Another plan that Kelley-Wallace hopes to implement is designated transfer student floors in the residential communities. A pilot of the program will be tested next year on a floor in College-in-the-Woods and will be expanded if it is found to be successful.

The creation of the Transfer Student Initiatives Office was a result of recommendations made by a committee within the Student Affairs department while looking to solve undergraduate issues. The committee determined that the University would benefit from an office for transfers because, according to Kelley-Wallace, nearly one-third of all undergraduate students are transfers.

Kelley-Wallace, having been a transfer student herself, has always been sympathetic to the plight of transfer students, and thus was chosen for the new position of director of the office.

“I was a transfer student myself from BCC [Broome Community College] and also a non-residential student, so my experience at Binghamton was very one-dimensional,” Kelley-Wallace said. “I came to school, went to classes and went home. It wasn’t the happiest experience, and I wish there was an office like this back then.”

According to statistics gathered by tracking e-mail, telephone and in-person contact during the fall semester, the office saw a dramatic increase in transfer students’ use of its resources.

Dominic Bianco, a sophomore majoring in accounting, visited the office after transferring to BU from Stony Brook University last semester.

“I went to the office because I was having trouble getting involved on campus and was having trouble with my housing assignment,” Bianco said.

Kelley-Wallace helped Bianco with resources available on campus like tutoring in the College-in-the-Woods Library. She also directed him to whom he needed to speak with about the housing issue, and the problem was resolved.

“At first I was a little overwhelmed when I got to campus and speaking to Terry definitely made me feel a little more comfortable,” Bianco said.

The establishment of the new office, though conceived of independently, coincides with SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher’s plan to make the transfer process between SUNY schools simpler.

“I think that overall the chancellor wants the transition to be as seamless as it is for freshmen, and we’re working on that,” Kelley-Wallace said.

Kelley-Wallace hopes that she will continue to hear from transfer students during this semester and on. She is confident that her office will be able to address the concerns of transfer students and provide them with the services they need.

“Ultimately I hope that the efforts of this office will help more students stay at Binghamton so they can get their degree and follow their dreams, and not find it as difficult as I did when I came.”

The Transfer Student Initiatives Offices is located in room 109 in the College-in-the-Woods Library and is open to all transfer students.

According to Jared Kirschenbaum, Student Association president and OCCT CEO, buses are currently kept at an off-campus University storage facility. The facility is not equipped to perform maintenance on the buses, so they need to be brought to a small maintenance area on campus.

This area, which Kirschenbaum says has little room for mechanics to move and no lift to allow for work under the buses, is sometimes insufficient for bus maintenance, and OCCT is often required to send the buses off campus for maintenance.

According to BU spokeswoman Gail Glover, the renovations to the current garage will save money by allowing maintenance to be performed on site.

OCCT, which provides free transit to BU students and is funded jointly by the SA, the University, the Graduate Student Organization and Off Campus College Council, has been running under a temporary renewal of last year’s contract, which expired in October, until negotiations on the new contract could be concluded.

“We’re going to cancel that as soon as the new contract takes effect,” Kirschenbaum said of last year’s contract.

The contract includes a clause for the replenishment of buses, which are replaced in a yearly cycle, and funds to begin renovation on the OCCT bus garage.

“Design for a repair facility is nearing completion and the project will then be bid for construction,” Glover said. “The University believes that OCCT’s annual operational costs will be reduced since many repairs, which are currently outsourced, will now be able to be accommodated in the new facility.”

Kirschenbaum is equally optimistic about the benefits and cost-effectiveness of the new garage.

“The new facility will have lifts, multiple bay garages and other opportunities to do in-house repairs on site, which will be a good opportunity to save money,” Kirschenbaum said.

According to OCCT Director Giovanni Torres, members of OCCT are enthusiastic about the prospect of a new storage and repair facility.

“We’re just really excited to have somewhere we can do repairs in house and streamline operations,” Torres said. “We can get broken buses back on the road faster.”

According to Kirschenbaum, construction on the facility was scheduled to begin soon, but has been delayed. He hopes the garage will be ready for use by next school year.

According to Glover, the new contract has been signed by both the University and the OCCT, but still needs to be approved by the Attorney General’s office and the Office of the New York State Comptroller (OSC). The contract consists of a two-and-a-half-year commitment of financial support for OCCT from BU.

“It is a two-and-a-half-year contract that will run from approximately Apr. 1, 2011, to Sept. 30, 2013,” Glover said. “Once the Attorney General and OSC approve the contract, the current contract will be cancelled and the new one will take effect.”

Glover said the University believes that helping to finance OCCT provides important benefits to students.

“The University recognizes that many students rely upon OCCT and Broome County Transit [BCT] and we believe that providing reliable transportation services to our students is critical to support the mission of the University,” Glover said.

Students climb through a gap in a fence near the top of the path that is meant to stop them from using this dangerous walkway.

According to Mountainview President Sean Muir, a prospective student fell and broke her wrist while walking down the path last year.

“People in Mountainview sit on the side of Appalachian and watch people fall on the ice,” Muir said. “It’s become a laughingstock that it hasn’t been fixed already.”

Concerns over the safety of the path and proposals to pave it have become major topics of contention between students and the University administration within the last year. The Student Association and all of the residential communities have begun a push to solve the problem once and for all.

According to College-in-the-Woods President Mark Soriano, a significant amount of funds have been set aside for the path from the Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable (DIFR) budget, which is given to the residential communities every year for structural improvements. Soriano said that $40,000 of last year’s DIFR budget and $60,000 of this year’s, nearly the entire budget, have been pledged to the construction of a new path.

However, funding is still not sufficient to build the path, and other obstacles to construction exist, including legal requirements that the path be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

At this time, the administration has chosen not to shoulder the cost of the path, which an engineering survey commissioned by the University approximately one year ago estimated to cost between $240,000 and $270,000, according to BU spokesman Ryan Yarosh. This cost would further be compounded by the costs of upkeep.

Yarosh stated that though renovation of the path by the University will not take place immediately, it may potentially be part of a future plan to renovate Hinman College’s recreational facilities.

“While the University would like to provide a more convenient pedestrian route from Mountainview to the Lecture Hall area than currently exists, we don’t want to commit significant funds to a path simply to have to tear it up again,” Yarosh said. “When there is a definitive plan for the development of that area of campus, we will, as part of that plan, address the pedestrian route between Mountainview and the Lecture Hall area. Until that time, we encourage students to use the existing concrete and paved paths to walk to and from Mountainview.”

Student Association President Jared Kirschenbaum called on the University not to put off the issue of the Mountainview path any longer.

“It’s not something that can wait three years,” Kirschenbaum said. “This is something that needs to be built right now.”

Without funding from the University, it appears that the cost of paving the Mountainview path will be left to the Student Association and the residential communities for the time being.

“This year we initiated a Mountainview Dirt Path Committee,” Muir said. “They are working on a large scale fundraiser to add to the money but also to show how important the issue is to the whole campus and to the administration.”

Muir is cautiously optimistic that these efforts will soon yield results.

“I think now as the semester goes along we’ll find out if we’ll be able to get something done,” he said.

This was the focus of a program held on Nov. 18 in Hinman College’s Cleveland Hall’s main lounge at which officer Marcus Mallon of Binghamton’s New York State University Police discussed the dangers students can face Downtown.

According to Mallon, BU students can sometimes be too trusting of their fellow students, and they are often targets for crime.

“Don’t travel anywhere alone,” Mallon warned. “Some townies resent college students.”

Mallon indicated that crimes like drugging, assault and sexual assault do occur, and the most common reason for them is alcohol.

“The biggest drug that makes people a victim here is alcohol,” he said. “Alcohol is far and away the main cause of sexual assault and other crimes.”

Knowing not everyone can abstain from alcohol, Mallon provided tips to stay safe. These included traveling in pairs, always having a cell phone and keeping an eye on your own drink — and not even entrusting it to a friend.

When asked how you can tell if you have been drugged, Mallon said to use judgement to assess if you feel more than “just drunk.”

“You tend to know the effect alcohol has on you,” Mallon said. “You know what it feels like. Look for warning signs of not feeling normal, like being more fatigued than you’d normally be.”

Mallon also noted students should not hesitate to call Harpur’s Ferry when in need.

In regard to physical altercations, Mallon said fighting happens frequently toward the end of the night. Disputes regularly take place in taxis between riders or with drivers.

Mallon’s advice to avoid fights was to “try to remove yourself from the situation as soon as you can.”

The discussion with Mallon was led by Carly Hochreiter, a junior majoring in studio art and a resident assistant in Cleveland Hall. Hochreiter held the program to help students learn how to avoid trouble Downtown.

“You hear a lot of students talking about going Downtown,” Hochreiter said. “Since we can’t stop them from going, we can at least educate them about how to do it safely.”

They had been relaxing in the station’s lounge, as they often do between calls. But as dispatch radios in, the medics pull all stops and head to the ambulance bay, where they load into an ambulance and set off for their destination.

It’s a typical night for the crew of Harpur’s Ferry, Binghamton University’s student-operated emergency medical service, which operates year-round.

Jill Shotwell, an undeclared freshman and Harpur’s Ferry trainee, went on her first call Friday night. At about 3 a.m., Harpur’s Ferry responded to a call in Susquehanna Community’s Brandywine parking lot. Though the details of the cases they handle are subject to privacy laws and can not be published, the medics were able to reflect on their experiences.

‘At first I was kind of nervous, but everyone was really nice and helpful. I was actually really impressed with ‘ how calm they were,’ Shotwell said, referring to the other medics.

Most of Harpur’s Ferry workers are emergency medical technicians, though some have received a higher level of training to become paramedics, also known as Advanced Life Support (ALS).

Training volunteers to respond to calls is a large part of Harpur’s Ferry.

A standard Harpur’s Ferry crew consists of a crew chief, a driver and usually two attendants. The crew chief is in charge of each call and making the decisions regarding the patient, and the attendants are EMTs who perform tasks like taking vitals and gathering patient information.

Crews are often accompanied by trainees called AFAECers, short for Advanced First Aid and Emergency Care.

According to Nate Cisne, a Harpur’s Ferry paramedic and former BU student who now attends Cornell, EMTs have to train for 140 hours to receive their title, while the paramedic program requires 800 hours. Paramedics are allowed to perform more advanced procedures than EMTs.

‘I can start IVs, perform invasive procedures like intubation, administer medication and use electrical therapies,’ Cisne said.

Paramedics are also allowed to administer narcotics, which, according to Cisne, Harpur’s Ferry just began using this past year.

‘We are one of the few collegiate agencies that carry the narcotics,’ Cisne said. ‘We use it during procedures for pain management.’

Harpur’s Ferry has to follow strict procedure regarding narcotics. Every ambulance comes equipped with a locked narcotics box, and the drugs are limited to administration by paramedics and EMT critical cares, a level only slightly below that of paramedic.

Harpur’s Ferry has two ambulances, one of which is always designated as the primary response unit for a shift, and the other a secondary response unit. Before going out, each ambulance goes through a rig check, in which volunteers go through everything stocked in the ambulance, making sure they have everything they need for a call.

Harpur’s Ferry also owns two SUVs they call Flycars, which come equipped with many of the same medical supplies as the ambulances, but the Flycars are specifically used for providing additional aid at a scene rather than transporting patients.

Though many Harpur’s Ferry volunteers are current BU students, many community members and Binghamton alumni work with the organization.

‘Ten to 15 percent of our membership are community members,’ Cisne said.

As part of the East Campus Housing Project, Harpur’s Ferry will be receiving a new squad room. According to Robbie Cohen, a junior double-majoring in political science and history and Harpur’s Ferry deputy director and first assistant chief, they’re getting ready to begin the transition next semester and expect to be moved in fully over the summer.

Though Harpur’s Ferry serves mostly the BU campus, it sometimes responds to calls in the local community, depending on need and the availability of other local emergency medical services.

When a patient is picked up by Harpur’s Ferry, they are usually taken to one of three local hospitals. Wilson’s is reserved for trauma cases, Lourdes is common for general illness and Binghamton General is where most intoxication cases are brought.

While in transport, Harpur’s Ferry crew members follow standard procedures to help the patient. They ask for medical history, put the patient on oxygen if necessary, take vitals and talk with the patient to keep him or her as calm as possible.

If anyone is ever in need of medical attention, Harpur’s Ferry is only a call away at (607) 777-3333.

Part satirical response to right-wing pundit Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally, part plea for cooperation in politics, the rally was a force for moderation that vilified what its organizers deemed the political extremes of cable news media cycles.

The National Mall was thick with people shouldering to get closer to the stage. Based on aerial photos commissioned by CBS news from www.AirPhotosLive.com, an estimated 215,000 people were in attendance.

Attendees carried humorous protest signs such as, ‘The people behind me can’t see’ and ‘Is this the line for Justin Bieber tickets?’

Everyone appeared to be in a good mood, despite the cramped conditions. The relative calm of the crowd was perhaps a testament to the ‘sanity’ that the rally aimed to restore.

The performance itself, taking place over three hours, began with a greeting by Stewart, followed by Colbert’s rise from his ‘fear bunker’ beneath the stage, after some convincing on Stewart’s part that people had indeed shown up to see their rally.

From there it was a series of humorous exchanges, like Stewart and Colbert’s debate over sanity versus fear, and guest appearances from celebrities such as basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ‘Law and Order’ actor Sam Waterston.

The rally also featured musical performances from The Roots, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow and Ozzy Osbourne.

Stewart ended the festivities on a serious note, addressing the crowd with his reasons for holding the rally in what he called a ‘moment of sincerity.’

‘The image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political and media process is false ‘ We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate, and how it’s a shame that we can’t work together to get things done, but the truth is, we do. We work together to get things done every damn day. The only place we don’t is [in Washington] or on Cable TV,’ he said. ‘Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives ‘ We know, instinctively as a people, that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light, we have to work together.’

The Student Association Programming Board’s Novel Events Committee organized three buses to D.C. from BU, all of which sold out. According to Aaron Cohn, vice president for programming of the SA, the demand for transportation to the rally was overwhelming.

Cohn, who attended the rally himself, had mixed feelings about the experience.

‘The rally itself was very good, but I don’t think it blew anyone away. It got the point across. It was cool to be there with like-minded people advocating for reasonableness,’ Cohn said.

Kelly Lutz, an undeclared freshman, was also in attendance. She traveled to the rally with the belief that it would emphasize moderation and civil discourse between Democrats and Republicans.

‘I think it will show that the silent majority can have just as much of an impact as the political extremes like Glenn Beck,’ Lutz said. ‘We don’t need to have those kinds of people dominate the discussion.’

Ashlee Yilmaz, chair of the SAPB Novel Events Committee responsible for organizing the buses, felt that the trip was a great success.

‘We had a great turnout,’ she said.

Yilmaz also commented on the success of the rally as a whole.

‘It was a political rally of sane people,’ she said. ‘There was no fighting, no accusation ‘ a peaceful exchange of ideas.’

The lecture focused on the ethics of Judaism and the teachings of the rabbinic figure, Hillel.

Telushkin said his book’s premise is that Hillel can be just as relevant today as when he lived more than 2,000 years ago.

‘Hillel offered an alternative mode of religiosity,’ Telushkin said. ‘He was very aware of basic ethical issues.’

These ethics can be applied to any life, regardless of age, according to Telushkin.

He also noted that Hillel created a lot of clich√É©s that have been adopted into modern speech.

‘Because the teachings turned into clich√É©s, they lost some of their freshness,’ Telushkin said.

His goal with the book and on the tour is to restore Hillel and revive those messages. The idea is that people can spend too much time comparing their levels of religion instead of paying attention to being ethical.

According to Shana Kantor, executive director of Hillel at Binghamton, this is commonly seen among students on campus, and the book has caused some controversy in the Jewish community.

‘He said ethics are more important than Jewish law,’ Kantor said. ‘But the message of ethical Judaism is an amazing one for today.’

Teachings of Hillel that Telushkin touched upon during his speech included the importance of community, not judging others too harshly, and not treating others in a way one wouldn’t want for oneself.

Or in Hillel’s words, ‘That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.’

Telushkin utilized humor and personal anecdotes to communicate with the audience, whom he frequently called upon for participation. He included serious tones while other moments caused the audience to erupt in laughter.

Though turnout at the speech consisted mostly of community members, some students were in attendance. BU is one of 10 stops on a northeastern college tour that also includes visits to Cornell, Brown and Rutgers. An anonymous donor funded the trip.

Lynne B. Harrison, a leader on the Hillel International Board of Directors and Jewish philanthropist, was the visionary behind the tour.

‘My goal is to get [the book] into the hands of every Jewish student,’ Dr. Harrison said.

She noted this time in students’ lives as crucial because of their potential to be influenced and impacted before they go out into the real world.

‘One student at Rutgers described the talk as a life-changing event,’ she said.

Kantor described Telushkin as the most widely read author in Jewish subject matter in the United States, whose books are usually given during an important Jewish moment in life, such as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

At the age of 26, Telushkin published his first book called ‘Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism.’ Sixteen books later, Telushkin is not finished yet. His next book will be about the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Hasidic leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Judaism. He will focus on the source of the Rebbe’s charisma and how he led such an influential movement.

But a closer inspection would show that these shirts read not Yoo-Hoo, but Jew-Hoo.

The shirts are the start of a fundraising effort by a new group on campus called Jew-Hoo, founded by Eric Rovt, a senior double-majoring in accounting and psychology.

Rovt hopes to use Jew-Hoo to benefit the Jewish students and organizations on campus.

‘Jew-Hoo has three main goals: to create awareness of all the different Jewish groups at Binghamton University, to promote membership in these groups and to create solidarity between them,’ Rovt said.

Rovt and his supporters plan to achieve these goals through their website, www.jewhoo.net. Adam Heimowitz, a freshman majoring in computer science, designed the site. The site is frequently updated with information about the current events being held by the Jewish organizations on campus. There is also a weekly newsletter to which visitors to the site can subscribe.

In addition to the advertising that the Jew-Hoo site provides, the group plans to support campus Jewish organizations in other ways. Through T-shirt sales, Jew-Hoo was able to raise enough money to donate $180 to various Jewish groups on campus.

They also plan to co-sponsor events with the different Jewish groups, such as the Shabbat celebration called Oneg, which they co-hosted with the Maimonides Society Friday.

According to Rabbi Chaim Harkavy, director of the Maimonides Society, the event was a success.

‘Thanks to Jew-Hoo, double the number of students we normally have for a regular Oneg attended. We plan to make [our co-sponsorship with Jew-Hoo] a regular occurrence,’ Harkavy said.

Though it is seeking to work with SA-chartered groups on campus, Jew-Hoo is not an SA-chartered group itself. According to Rovt, Jew-Hoo has been in contact with SA representatives in attempts to become recognized by the SA, but Rovt does not want to take away funding from any of the already established Jewish organizations. Jew-Hoo’s funding currently comes solely from the sale of T-shirts, which are available when Jew-Hoo tables in the Union or on www.jewhoo.net.

Rovt indicated that Jew-Hoo initially faced some skepticism from other campus Jewish organizations, but many, including Hillel, now see the potential in the idea.

Shana Kantor, the executive director of Hillel, sees Jew-Hoo as a vehicle to get the word out on campus and provide a calendar of Jewish events.

‘It sounds to me like [Eric is] trying to create a University calendar that doesn’t currently exist for the Jewish students,’ Kantor said. ‘But I think we should have a University calendar for everyone, not just the Jewish students.’

According to Kantor, there is potential for Hillel to work with Jew-Hoo in the future, though they have not yet collaborated on any projects. Jew-Hoo is also looking to work with Chabad.

Rovt, who will be graduating in December, hopes that Jew-Hoo will ultimately expand beyond BU, promoting unity among Jewish students throughout the nation.

According to Brian Rose, vice president for student affairs, fewer students are living on campus their junior and senior years.

‘We looked at 10 years of data, 1999 to 2009,’ he said. ‘The 10-year average indicated that 28 percent of students who lived on campus in their first year stayed on campus for at least three years, but the rate in the last of the 10 years indicated that only 21 percent stayed for at least three years.’

In examining why students choose to move off campus, University officials found that the most important variable in a student’s decision is privacy. Off-campus housing provides students with the desirable options of single bedrooms and private or semi-private bathrooms.

Jordan Teitelbaum, a senior majoring in accounting, has lived off campus in University Plaza since the beginning of his junior year.

‘I moved off campus for added freedom, a kitchen and to have my own bedroom and bathroom,’ Teitelbaum said.

Binghamton officials are working to reverse the trend and keep upperclassmen on campus by building new on-campus accommodations for students. According to Rose, the East Campus Housing Project, currently in progress, will provide space for nearly 3,000 more students to live on campus.

‘The ‘newness factor’ we know will be appealing. The University is also redesigning the Dickinson buildings to include a significant number of single bedrooms which will give students who are looking for more privacy after their second year in campus housing more options to stay on campus.’

Financial motivations are certainly a factor in the attempt to keep students on campus, as student residence hall fees go directly to Binghamton, and, according to Rose, too many vacancies in campus housing could prove harmful to the University.

But there are also other reasons why having upperclassmen on campus is desirable in the eyes of the administration.

According to Rose, the residence communities are designed to mix students across all class years, intentionally avoiding separating freshmen into first-year residence halls. Having juniors and seniors on campus encourages mentoring between older and newer students through participation in residence-associated organizations like community governments, Discovery programs and learning communities.

‘It is important to the educational design of our residential communities that we maintain a reasonable mix of students across class years,’ Rose said.

Though it remains to be seen whether or not the University’s efforts to keep students living on campus longer will be fruitful, Rose and the BU Council are confident about the future.

‘We do believe we will be able to provide desirable options on campus for more upperclass students through the East Campus Housing project,’ Rose said.