In collaboration with Binghamton University’s Residential Life and Environmental Health and Safety offices, the talk included a screening of the documentary “After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes & Cowards,” which centered around Llanos and Simons’ recovery and the investigation into the fire. Afterward, the two spoke to the crowd about their experience and general fire safety, before the floor was opened to audience questions.

“What we have done is we’ve turned our tragedy, in a sense, into an educational and inspirational story for young adults, especially who are living on college campuses, just to show them the importance of fire safety and fire prevention from our perspective,” Simons said in an interview with Pipe Dream. “We’re not firefighters, we didn’t go to school to learn this. We were students, and we thought we were invincible, that nothing could happen to us, and unfortunately, the situation did.”

“Now we’re just trying to embrace that tragedy in order to help others,” he continued.

On Jan. 19, 2000, two students, Sean Ryan and Joseph LePore, set fire to a bulletin board in Boland Hall, a freshman dormitory, as a fraternity prank. Because the building did not have a sprinkler system, the fire spread rapidly. Three students passed away — Aaron Karol, Frank Caltabilota and John Giunta — and 56 more were injured.

Llanos and Simons, then 18, were two of the most severely injured students. They awoke at 4:30 a.m. to the fire alarm, which Simons said frequently went off as a result of pranks. Expecting another false alarm, the two tried to leave, only to be met by intense heat and smoke.

The two crawled out of the room and were separated. Simons was able to escape but suffered burns while crawling, as the fire reached about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. While attempting to leave through a door, Llanos was struck by a fireball and set on fire. Two residential assistants helped put out the fire, and they were evacuated.

Simons was burned on 16 percent of his body, suffering serious injuries to his hands, head and face. Llanos suffered burns on 56 percent of his body. The two were hospitalized and put in medically induced comas, Simons for two weeks and Llanos for three months.

The documentary showcased testimonials from their family members, as well as healthcare workers, police officers and other survivors of the fire. Ryan and LePore pled guilty to third-degree arson and witness tampering and were sentenced to five years at a youth correctional facility.

After the screening, Llanos and Simons gave safety tips to the audience in the event of a residence hall fire. As many students attending were RAs, they showed a list of banned items in dorms and urged students to report any potential fire hazards.

They also warned of the dangers of smoke inhalation, the most common cause of death in a fire.

“I strongly urge every single person in this room today that whenever you all hear a fire alarm go off, we need you all to take it as serious as possible,” Simons said. “Stop what you’re doing, get up and get out as quickly as you can. Don’t sit there and look at your roommate and say, ‘Do you think we should go outside?’”

Llanos and Simons told students that when entering an unfamiliar space, check to see if there are multiple exits. They said that in the event of a fire, many people try to escape through the exit they came in from, but that might not be the quickest or safest way to leave the building.

Along with fire prevention tips, Llanos and Simons shared how their recovery taught them invaluable life lessons.

Llanos said that his recovery was both physical and psychological, as he struggled with his identity after being scarred. After fearing how he would be perceived by those around him, he realized that “before society could accept me, I had to learn to accept myself.”

“I had to learn how to love myself, and we all need to learn how to love ourselves a bit more,” Llanos said. “Our scars, our flaws and imperfections don’t define who we are. Everything in our heart, everything we become defines who we are.”

Attendees then asked Llanos and Simons questions. One attendee asked if they were able to forgive the two arsonists. Both said they did and that letting go of their resentment allowed them greater happiness.

While Llanos said he realized he needed to forgive early on in his recovery, Simons said it took him 10 years and a conversation with his mother to forgive.

“A lot of times we say, ‘Oh, we hate a person, we can’t stand a person,’ and nine times out of 10, that person is off living their life not thinking about you one second of the day,” Simons said. “You’re the only person that’s hurting by holding on to that, and when I was able to truly grasp that and be able to say, ‘You know what, there’s nothing I can do about changing the past. If they don’t want to come forward, if they don’t want to apologize, that’s on them. That’s not on me at any point.’”

“Once I was able to truly grasp that, honestly, my life became a lot more positive because I wasn’t holding on to that negative energy,” he finished.

Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski will step down following over two months of paid administrative leave and an ongoing investigation, according to an announcement from Mayor Jared Kraham.

Zikuski was placed on administrative leave after his girlfriend was involved in an altercation with two teenagers on July 18. According to a video that circulated on social media, Susan Rice, 44, reportedly approached two teenage boys on the front porch of a Johnson City home.

After arguing with the teenagers and making inflammatory comments like “What do you do, Section 8?” Rice walked onto the porch and punched both teens. The younger, 16-year-old boy, then struck her in the face, causing her to fall to the ground before being led away by Zikuski.

Rice received medical attention, while neither teen was injured. She was later arrested and charged by Johnson City police with trespass, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

“Yesterday, I accepted the resignation of Binghamton Police Chief Joseph T. Zikuski,” Kraham said in Tuesday’s press release. “He will step down from the Police Department and retire, effective Oct. 6. This comes as the independent investigation into factors surrounding a July 18 incident in Johnson City involving Zikuski and his girlfriend is concluding.”

In a July 23 press release, Kraham announced that an independent third-party investigation into Zikuski would take place, led by attorney Karl Sleight. A report from the investigation will be released shortly, according to Kraham.

Assistant Chief John C. Ryan served as acting police chief following the suspension. He will continue to stay in the role while the city appoints a permanent police chief in accordance with New York state civil service law.

Miles Burnett, the Democratic candidate for Binghamton’s upcoming mayoral race, called for community involvement and transparency in selecting the next chief.

“As the City moves forward, I believe it is vital that the process of choosing a new Chief includes meaningful community input,” Burnett said in a Sept. 30 press release. “Town halls, public hearings, and opportunities for residents to ask questions and share concerns should be central to this process. A transparent approach will ensure that whoever is chosen has the credibility and respect needed to lead effectively.”

“Decisions about public safety must always be made with the public’s voice at the center,” he continued. “Binghamton has an opportunity to set a higher standard of openness and accountability, and we cannot afford to fall short.”

In a Sept. 18 press release, Burnett criticized the delay in issuing an update and report. The investigation, which began late July, was initially expected to take 30 days, according to WSKG.

Zikuski has served as Binghamton’s police chief since 2008. In 2015, he was placed on administrative leave for over three months after sexual harassment allegations.

“As BPD makes this transition, the investments and changes we’ve made in the department to build a strong foundation are more important than ever,” Kraham said in the Sept. 30 press release. “As Mayor, I’m confident in the men and women who serve in our Police Department, and remain committed to the future of public safety in Binghamton.”

During an event at Utah Valley University, Kirk was answering questions from a crowd of students when shots were fired. According to a video captured of the shooting, Kirk was struck in the neck. After being rushed to the hospital in critical condition, his death was confirmed by President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote in the post. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”

A suspect has not yet been apprehended.

Before Kirk’s death was announced, politicians condemned the shooting.

“The shooting of Charlie Kirk is sickening and heartbreaking,” Rep. Josh Riley wrote in a post on X. “We must take the temperature down and reject political violence always and everywhere. Praying for his family and everyone impacted.”

Kirk founded Turning Point USA when he was 18 years old. The organization engages young people at more than 3,500 high schools and college campuses, according to Turning Point’s website.

In 2019, Turning Point tried to open a chapter at Binghamton University. That November, more than 100 students gathered on the Spine to protest a table set up by Turning Point and the Binghamton University College Republicans. The organizations were spreading awareness about an upcoming talk featuring Arthur Laffer, an economist who served on Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board.

Event flyers and a poster reading “I’M PRO CHOICE. PICK YOUR GUN” were shown hours after a school shooting in Santa Clarita, California.

Six months ago, a federal judge dismissed all legal claims filed against University President Harvey Stenger and Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose in connection with the 2019 campus protests.

“The Binghamton University College Democrats condemn all forms of political violence,” the BU College Democrats E-Board said in a statement to Pipe Dream. “Acts such as these stifle honest debate and further the deep polarization that plagues our nation. The family of Charlie Kirk is in our thoughts following this horrific tragedy.”

A comment request has been sent to the BU College Republicans.

This is a developing story, and it will be updated.

Editor’s Note: Kevin O’Connell, a member of the BU College Democrats E-Board, is an opinions columnist. He had no part in the writing or editing of this article.

Stenger spoke at every commencement ceremony, along with Provost Donald Hall, Alumni Association President Cara Treidel ‘16 and the dean of each school. Honorary degree recipients, selected student speakers and Jennifer Flanz ‘98, executive producer of “The Daily Show” and winner of this year’s alumni award, also spoke at the ceremonies.

At the beginning of each speech, Stenger yelled out, “You did it!” to the students. He congratulated them on their accomplishments in and outside of the classroom.

“We call this event ‘commencement,’ not because it’s the end of a chapter — it’s a beginning,” Stenger said during his speech. “As you venture off into graduate school or a career, you’re commencing on a new journey. It can be intimidating: new people, new tasks, a new role. Change can be a challenge when you’re not sure what to expect.”

“But remember, you’ve done it before,” he continued. “You did it here, and now you’re equipped with so many more skills and so much more knowledge. So be confident in your next steps — you are ready.”

Three alumni and the CEO of Visions Federal Credit Union were awarded honorary degrees this year. Amy J. Hyatt ‘78, a retired ambassador and recipient of a Doctor of Laws, spoke at the College of Community and Public Affairs’ commencement ceremony. Tyrone Eugene Muse II, president and CEO of Visions Federal Credit Union, was honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters at the School of Management ceremony.

Michael Dudley Timmeny ‘73, a retired Cisco executive and former chief of staff to five members of Congress, received a Doctor of Humane Letters at the second Harpur College commencement. He shared the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in his career, particularly working under Shirley Chisholm, who served as the first Black woman in Congress. Timmeny gave three pieces of advice to students: “build strategic alliances across differences,” “empower those around you” and “have the courage to speak up.”

“Even as DEI language and practices are contested in today’s discourse, remember this: you’ll excel in every aspect of life by embracing America’s vast diversity,” Timmeny said. “You’ll discover opportunities and reach heights you never expected, as I did.”

“Look around this audience,” he continued. “Diversity isn’t going away, it’s a fact. In fact, it is the most positive fact of American life.”

Stuart F. Koenig ‘73, a business executive and chair of the Binghamton University Foundation, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the final ceremony. During his speech, he praised the University’s expansion and investment into the local community as “a major factor in the resurgence of the entire Southern Tier.” He later said he was by Stenger’s side during “his gentrification of Johnson City.”

Following the honorary speakers, student speakers chosen for their contributions on campus reflected on their college experience and offered advice to graduates. Natalie Khalil BS ‘24, MBA ‘25, the student speaker for the School of Management, dedicated her speech to her late grandmother and encouraged students to look at life through experiences, not just career and academic success.

“We’ve spent years studying and preparing, but now comes the real challenge,” Khalil said. “Let’s not be people who know, let’s be people who experience. Let’s not just analyze life, let’s live it. Because, at the end of the day, true success is not found in the pages of a textbook. It’s found in the moments that challenge us, that change us and that make us who we are.”

After student speakers, students crossed the stage and received their awards, waving to the crowd and shaking hands with Stenger. Attendees sang along to “In the Rolling Hills of Binghamton,” the University’s alma mater, and graduates flipped their tassels and threw their caps into the air.

Throughout the ceremonies, speakers commended Stenger for his leadership and legacy in his 13-year tenure at the University. Stenger announced his intent to step down last October, with the search for his successor still continuing. In an interview after the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science ceremony, Stenger shared the significance of the 2025 commencement being his last.

“These 13 years, 50,000 students have come across this stage, and that’s amazing, and it feels great to have done that,” Stenger said.

“I said to somebody, ‘When the next president comes, ask them if they’re going to shake all the hands at the ceremonies,’” he continued. “That’s the test. Because this is where you show your love for all the students, all the parents, all the faculty and staff, being up there through thick and thin with them and watching their smiles come across the stage, is probably the best experience that I can imagine.”

To view the commencement ceremonies, visit the University’s YouTube channel to watch the saved livestreams.

The resolutions were passed on April 26 by the SUNY University Faculty Senate, which represents 33 SUNY colleges, then sent to schools for endorsement. Of the voting members present, the University’s senate endorsed all three resolutions without dissent.

John Starks Jr., a SUNY University Faculty senator representing BU and an associate professor in Middle Eastern and ancient Mediterranean studies, read the resolutions to the senate. He told Pipe Dream the resolutions were written to address “the nature of higher education right now.”

“In this particular case, they were deemed more important to address at the state level and then also at the local level, because of particular kinds of executive orders or federal changes that have been announced, if not always implemented, around those particular areas of concern,” Starks said.

The first resolution addressed federal action leading to “significant uncertainty around the eligibility criteria and implementation of scholarships, grants, and programs” for higher education. It called on the SUNY administration to “provide clear and consistent guidance” in response to these changes, along with legal support and collaboration between colleges.

In April, President Harvey Stenger signed a letter along with hundreds of higher education leaders criticizing the “coercive use of public research funding.” A statement released in March, signed by University Graduate School Dean Terrence Deak, affirmed that graduate student research offers and funding packages would continue as planned.

During comment time, a faculty member asked if it was “wise” to call on the SUNY administration to bind itself to the resolution, potentially leading to “inflexibility.” Provost Donald Hall responded that each resolution would protect individual campuses from federal action.

“What I like about all three of these resolutions, but I’ll speak to this one, is that it’s asking the SUNY central administration to take on that role so that we’re not making any individual campus a target for anything that will be coming from the federal administration,” Hall said. “With SUNY’s large apparatus of legal counsel and other support systems, that they are very well situated to be the central voice on this, and so I think this is actually the right strategy.”

The second resolution, “Legal Help for Immigration Issues,” called on SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the Board of Trustees to take several actions that protect the First Amendment and due process rights of noncitizen students, staff and faculty. It instructed the chancellor to keep students on a visa or with permanent resident status enrolled in their school “in the event of visa revocation, revocation of permanent residency, legal status termination, detention, and/or deportation.”

The resolution also called for establishing a fund to help affected students continue their education, providing legal support and expanding “Know Your Rights” training and information.

SUNY faculty members across 14 campuses drafted the original resolution. A University faculty member involved in the resolution’s creation pointed to several factors that made the resolution “urgent,” including a recent “one-strike policy” where visa holders can lose their status if charged with “any kind of infraction.”

In April, 46 SUNY students, including five at BU, had their visa status revoked and then restored, according to a Justice Department lawyer in federal court. The restoration was reported to be “temporary” as the Trump administration develops a new system to evaluate and revoke legal records for international students, per the New York Times.

“We think that this is the right kind of resolution coming from the SUNY UFS, providing support for our faculty, for our staff, for our students as they’re making risk calculations about ‘Should I travel or not, should I talk about this subject in my classroom or not, should I speak up if I’m a student in a discussion or not, what kind of support will I have?’” a faculty member said.

The third resolution, titled “In Support of All Forms of Gender Identity and Expression,” was drafted by a working group at BU. It affirmed the University Faculty Senate’s support for protecting gender expression and identity, as outlined in the New York State Constitution.

In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order recognizing two unchangeable sexes and instructing federal agencies to adhere to “sex-based definitions” while denouncing “gender ideology.” Last November, New York voters passed Proposal One to add constitutional protections against discrimination or unequal treatment based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The amendment was implemented on Jan. 1.

Starks said the resolution would follow previous statements made by King affirming support for nonbinary, transgender and intersex students, along with actions by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James.

“If this were to be contested, it is so ensconced in New York State law and in the SUNY charter that it would actually face a strong backlash to challenge these protections,” Starks said.

Bridget Whearty, an associate professor of English, voiced support for the resolution during the meeting. She told Pipe Dream that the resolution would confirm SUNY employees’ obligations to uphold the state constitution.

“A resolution is a limited tool — it cannot do everything, but it is something,” Whearty said. “And I think silence very often can be taken as tacit agreement with large statements by powerful federal entities that say scientifically incorrect things, like there are only two sexes.”

“It’s just a statement, but saying something matters,” she continued. “My goal would be that this would be a robust declaration for all SUNY students that you will be protected, and it would be the start of that. It can’t be the only thing, but it is an important something.”

Hosted by the National Academic Quiz Tournaments, which holds competitions at the middle school, high school and college level, 64 teams from the United States and Canada went head-to-head and showed their trivia knowledge. Led by founders Deric Wagner ‘24, Quiz Bowl’s vice president and a first-year master’s student studying business administration, and Bianca Van Zile, a senior majoring in accounting and the organization’s president, the team competed in the tournament’s second division against teams from Harvard, Brown and Columbia Universities.

“It was hard,” said Wagner. “There are some really smart kids there. We played Amherst, Cornell, Chicago [and] McGill in Canada. We played them and we were toward the bottom of the field. But just in general, to be able to go there and rep Binghamton for the first time after starting this three years ago, it was pretty special.”

In February, the University’s team hosted the Sectional Championship Tournament, where 18 teams competed for seats at the Intercollegiate Championship. The tournament was the largest Quiz Bowl competition in Upstate New York, according to Wagner.

Wagner said that by hosting, the team automatically got a seat in Division II, where teams new to the tournament competed. The team tied for 30th place.

The Quiz Bowl team was founded in 2022 after Wagner, who had been competing since seventh grade, learned that there was no team at BU, which was “the largest university in New York state that did not have a quiz bowl team.” While searching for people interested in creating the team, Van Zile reached out to him after finding him on the National Academic Quiz Tournaments’ “rising freshman” list.

“Unlike Deric, I didn’t play quiz bowl in high school, which I regretted, which is why I wanted to start a club here,” said Van Zile. “My high school was actually very competitive in quiz bowl.”

“And so over winter break, I was watching some clips of my classmates that had competed, and I was like, ‘Hey, I actually know some of this stuff,’” she continued. “I kind of regret not trying out. So that’s when I found him on the rising freshman list and sent him a DM.”

Before they were chartered by the Student Association, the Quiz Bowl team was already competing in collegiate tournaments. At its first competition, the Academic Competition Federation’s fall tournament, the team placed second.

“We show up there, and it’s our first time playing a college quiz bowl tournament,” Wagner said. “And we just start winning — we barely knew each other and we didn’t know what we were good at.”

The team has competed in eight tournaments this year. In the fall, three Binghamton teams competed in the federation’s tournament at Cornell University. The University’s A team placed fourth out of 18 teams.

At quiz bowl tournaments, two teams of four compete against each other, answering questions about several different topics. Each question contains multiple sentences of information, with a “giveaway” at the end. Points are awarded based on how quickly teams buzz in and get the answer correct, with a deduction if they answer incorrectly.

While Wagner and Van Zile are both graduating this semester, they said they believe the club will continue to grow in the coming years.

“This club is here to stay,” Wagner said. “It will last for years. Cornell’s had a team for three decades. Just like how I mentioned how many high school players we have that come to Binghamton, and the growth we’ve already achieved, this club will be here to stay.”

Organized by the Feminist Collective, the rally was part of a week of programming to amplify the voices of survivors and offer a safe environment for individuals to share their stories. About 20 students held signs, reading “We hear you,” “Coercion ≠ consent” and “No means no,” among other phrases. After some speeches, the group walked down the Spine, making a loop around campus and chanting.

“The rally is a really good place to create a presence on campus and show that we care about this issue and that other people should, hence why we’re also making posters,” said Hannah Nahmias, the vice president of FemCo and a senior majoring in sociology. “And we didn’t really get to experience that and show that last year, so I’m really hopeful that this year will be different because I think it’s a really important thing.”

Mia DeVito, the president of FemCo and a senior majoring in sociology, said the organization relocated the rally this year to its location on the Spine and held it in the middle of the day to increase visibility and invite more people to participate. While she said she was happy FemCo helped some students last year through its programming, she wanted to reach more people this year.

There is a reason why sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, DeVito added, and fostering safe spaces can allow survivors to feel understood and empathize with one another.

“There is a lot of stigma, but there is also a lot of normalization of these awful, demeaning, diminishing behaviors,” DeVito said.

Beth Riley, a representative from the Violence, Abuse and Rape Crisis Center, spoke at the rally, highlighting the services they offer, including trauma-informed counseling. She added that students can meet with a confidential advocate from the Crime Victims Assistance Center and a University advocate, a private resource.

Next, a faculty member said that in her time at the University, beginning as a graduate student in the 1980s, she had seen changes in policies to prevent sexual assault, like implementing blue-light telephones around campus. She said that these policies were not enough and there needed to be changes in “the culture of abuse and rape” through “education and learning.”

A student said that sexual assault was “not a woman’s issue, it’s not a girl’s issue, it’s a human rights issue.” She criticized the University for “turn[ing] a blind eye” and called for changes to sexual assault policies, like releasing lists of unaffiliated fraternities that faced sexual assault allegations.

The University did not return Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

Throughout the week, FemCo organized several events dedicated to raising awareness about sexual assault on campus. On Tuesday, attendees wrote supportive messages and spread awareness of sexual assault at a “Chalk the Spine” event. A poster-making workshop was then held on Wednesday, and after the rally, survivors came together to share stories in a Survivor Speak Out event.

Nahmias said “communal and collective action” propels power and spaces like FemCo can make that power active. She said students can forget these spaces exist, but they still have a voice on campus.

DeVito said she was surprised to receive as many supportive responses from faculty members as she did after reaching out about FemCo’s programming, with many remembering the event in years past.

“A lot of people view sexual assault as always an extreme, sensationalized experience, when in reality, you can be sexually assaulted by your boyfriend,” Nahmias said. “You can be sexually assaulted by people who trust you and even respect you in other scenarios. And I think that that shows the importance of events like ours, where you can sit down and speak to other people.”

Organized by the activist group Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine, the demonstration was held on Tax Day, the last day for Americans to file federal income tax returns. A representative from the organization said the protest date was selected to highlight how defense companies and weapons manufacturers are “receiving billions of taxpayer dollars in weapons contracts each year.”

“The goal of this event is to raise awareness for the ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide occurring in Palestine, and to highlight the complicity of these institutions, including Binghamton University,” the representative wrote. “We are urging President Stenger to take a stand for what is right, and oppose the university’s practices that have monetarily and morally supported the colonial Zionist state.”

The event began in Owego outside the Lockheed Martin facility, which develops military communication sensors and operates a machining center. Banners reading “Lockheed Martin Bombs Children” and “SUNY Binghamton: Stop Funding Lockheed Martin” were hung from cars parked across the street from the facility.

Protesters intended to deliver a letter addressed to both the CEO of Lockheed Martin and the Owego plant manager, calling for the company to demilitarize. The letter said that the U.S. government and American citizens were obligated to prevent the facilitation of war crimes under two international agreements: the 1948 Genocide Convention and the Geneva Convention, adopted one year later by the United Nations.

A member of Veterans for Peace, an anti-war group, told protesters to remember how Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged nonviolent protest and that the letter was also mailed to the company beforehand. As protesters moved toward the plant’s entrance, a police officer told protesters that he was “asked to be here by Lockheed Martin.” He offered to give the letter to the facility manager.

Before leaving, one protester spoke to the crowd and condemned the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. They said that the facility’s workers “go to sleep and wake up and make more missiles and bombs, like they don’t know where those missiles and bombs are going.”

“We respect the right to peaceful protest and remain focused on supporting the U.S. government and its allies to deliver strategic deterrence and security solutions,” Lockheed Martin said in a statement to WBNG.

The caravan then traveled to the BAE Systems facility in Endicott, where protesters lined the street corner with Palestinian flags. Several demonstrators held a banner reading “Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems Terrorize the World.” They walked to the building’s main entrance to deliver another letter but were unable to pass it under the transaction window, which was taped shut, instead leaving it in a stand at the front desk.

“It’s a letter of incrimination, which calls upon them to reorient their services toward economically useful products which don’t kill people, which exalt life, which save lives,” a protester said when asked by another reporter.

BAE Systems did not return Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

The caravan then continued to BU, stopping in front of the University Union. Followed by a heavy police presence, protesters marched past the Engineering Building and through the Peace Quad to the Couper Administration Building, and drivers continued around campus. One speaker denounced the University for its connections to the defense industry, asking the crowd if they would “betray a sibling, a father, a mother, a child” for monetary gain. They urged the crowd not to accept “fantasies” and “lies” from defense companies.

“This university invites recruiters of the military and the arms companies and treats them with respect as if they were the same as any other line of work,” they said. “Know this: It is not the same.”

After speeches, protesters attempted to enter the Administration Building to deliver a letter to Stenger. It listed several demands, including banning military manufacturing and intelligence recruiters, ending disciplinary action against students who participated in past protests and complete divestment from Israel.

Protesters were locked out of the building, and campus police stood at the doors. They argued about their entry, and a police officer said that only people with “official business” could enter, which the protesters said delivering the letter was. JoAnn Navarro, the vice president for operations, said she would bring the letter to the Stenger’s office, and she confirmed to Pipe Dream that she had delivered it.

“The University recognizes the right of individuals to express their views, including those critical of the institution,” a University spokesperson said in a statement to Pipe Dream. “We remain committed to upholding the principles of free speech, academic freedom, and peaceful protest. These rights are central to our mission and as a public institution. However, these freedoms come with responsibilities.”

“Protests must be conducted in a manner that does not threaten the safety, operations, or well-being of our campus community,” they continued. “We will not tolerate disruptions that interfere with teaching, research, or university business functions. Nor will we allow any form of harassment, intimidation, property damage, or the incitement of violence under the guise of protest.”

The protesters then marched to the Engineering Building, walked to the Watson Career and Alumni Connections office and delivered another letter. The Innovative Technologies Complex, where the dean of Watson College’s office is located, was closed that day, and some classes were canceled.

“They receive billions of tax dollars every year to produce technologies and weapons that are used to murder innocent people, and destroy our planet,” the Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine representative said of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. “These corporations are accepted on campus in open arms by university administration, especially in the engineering department, Watson College.”

“Every year New Americans are naturalized here in the U.S. and more specifically, Broome County,” Hussein Adams, the American Civic Association’s executive director and CEO, wrote to Pipe Dream. “Just recently we witnessed some of our clients, nationals from 21 countries, taking the oath for citizenship. They came here to the ACA to take ESL classes, receive legal services, and study for their citizenship exams so they can give back and become contributing members of society.”

“The April 3rd victims were no different,” he continued. “The fact that we are still here in full swing 16 years later is testament to the resilience and courage of this community.”

On April 3, 2009, a mass shooter identified as Jiverly Wong, killed 13 and wounded four during citizenship classes. The memorial service honored the lives of Parveen Ali, Almir Olimpio Alves, Marc Henry Bernard, Marie Sonia Bernard, Li Guo, Lan Ho, Layla Khalil, Roberta “Bobbie” Badaines King, Jiang Ling, Mao Hong Xiu, Dolores “Dinah” Cabonilas Yigal, Haihong Zhong and Maria “Mima” Zobniw.

The procession stopped at the memorial park, which has 13 statues of flying doves to commemorate the victims. A small courtyard in the park has stone plaques engraved with each victim’s name, picture and messages from their family.

After the procession, Mayor Jared Kraham addressed the crowd, thanking the American Civic Association for its work supporting immigrants in the Binghamton community. He said that he remembers where he was when he learned of one of Binghamton’s “darkest moments” and described the tragedy’s continued impact on the community.

Kraham said he spoke to Lubomyr Zobniw, the husband of Maria Zobniw who could not attend the memorial service. Zobniw told him that spring, “the symbol of new growth, the change of season and hope,” was now “one of the more difficult times for him and his family.”

“Despite all of that grief and heartbreak, we push forward, never to forget but rather carry on the memories of those who died and their legacies of light and goodness,” Kraham said.

While attending a naturalization ceremony a few weeks ago, Kraham said he saw firsthand “a sense of hope and celebration” from the new citizens, their families and volunteers from the American Civic Association. He recognized the staff and the victims’ loved ones, “who have refused to let the light go out.”

“They are forces for good in our community and around the world,” Kraham said. “The rest of us should follow their lead. As we reflect on the legacies of those we lost 16 years ago, we also pledge to carry on the light they all brought to this world so that it may never be extinguished.”

Adams spoke next, and he said that he attended a candlelight vigil held after the shooting when the community was reeling from news of the tragedy. He highlighted some of the victims’ stories, like Roberta King, an educator whom her son, Dr. Jeffrey King, said “was the most dedicated and passionate in helping educate her students,” and Marc and Maria Bernard, two Haitian immigrants who took English classes at the American Civic Association and were “the nicest people in the world,” according to their landlord.

“People from all walks of life collectively demonstrated the power of unity in difficult times,” Adams said. “No doubt this tragedy reminded us that such devastations, our universal sense of loss that impacts us all, and that regardless of religious background, regardless of political affiliations, our strength, our resilience, is manifested through compassion, found within faith, found within union.”

A local singer, Ayana Del Valle, performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” After the memorial service, the procession returned to the American Civic Association’s office for a reception.

“We are a stronger and more diverse community today,” Adams said. “Through tragedy, we have become triumphant in so many ways.”

Held as part of the national Students for Justice in Palestine organization’s “Week of Rage,” around 25 marched from the Admissions Center to the Couper Administration Building on Tuesday to rally against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the University’s ties to the defense industry.

Some held flags while others led the crowd in chants like, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes” and “Free, free Palestine.” University police remained on the perimeter throughout.

“It is SJP’s goal forever and always to expose injustice, demand an end to illegal occupations, and crush fascism where it festers,” SJP wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “These goals have not changed, even if our tactics must.”

“There can be no business as usual while a genocide is being orchestrated in Palestine at the hands of the Israeli regime, funded by U.S. tax dollars — and by Binghamton University,” they continued. “BU’s ties to weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems and unconditional support of Israel fuel the genocidal war machine. We protested outside admin to demand divestment from this.”

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Hamas and the Israeli government had signaled progress toward a new cease-fire agreement following a breakdown in March that saw the Israeli military campaign restart.

The rally began with an overview of protest safety, including instructions to avoid engaging with counterprotesters and what do to in an emergency.

Samuél, the president of the Yiddish Bund of Binghamton who only gave his first name, began his speech by talking about hypocrisy, accusing University administration of making millions of dollars by participating in programs that push engineering students into jobs at defense companies. He cited SUNY’s divestment from apartheid South Africa, saying that activists now can “force their hand just like we did there.”

“We’re here using the word apartheid for our protest this week,” he said. “But we need to keep in mind that apartheid is just a feature. Apartheid is just one of the many ways the Israeli occupation of Palestine upholds its settler-colonial projects.”

At the end of his speech, he read a quote from Kwame Ture, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael, a Black Power activist: “If we’re not careful, we allow mobilization to become an event. The struggle is never just an event. The struggle is the continual, eternal process.”

“The University will continue to provide a safe and supportive campus environment to every one of our community members amid these challenging times,” a University spokesperson wrote to Pipe Dream. “While the University encourages members of our community to speak freely, we will not tolerate racism, hatred or bigotry — nor will we tolerate attacks of any kind on individuals or groups, nor incitement to violence.”

Another speaker who shared just a first name, Rend, shared their experience attending the first national SJP conference, which they said was at Columbia University. Also mentioning the widespread divestment campaign against South Africa, they emphasized the power of numbers.

“You have institutional power,” they said. “You are paying to go here. You have the power to do something, right? And they hate that. They hate that you in this institution get to have a say in what happens with the money that’s here. That’s what they’re actually mad about, is that you have the opportunity to create real, material change.”

After the speeches, demonstrators led chants like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” They then began to march across campus, continuing to chant and crossing the Peace Quad before stopping in front of the administration building.

Several counterprotesters approached shortly after the crowd arrived at the administration building, with one carrying an Israeli flag and wearing a “Bring Them Home Now” shirt, which advocates for the return of the hostages taken on Oct. 7. As the crowd continued chanting, they shouted “Am Yisrael Chai,” or “the people of Israel live” in Hebrew.

The protest dispersed shortly after, with one speaker citing concerns of increased police presence and a nearby drone.

The national SJP organization’s “Week of Rage” has pointed to crackdowns by the federal government on student protesters. Throughout the week, SJP’s events have included a collaboration with SHADES, a student organization for queer people of color; discussing the “taboo nature of political conversation” on Wednesday; and a celebration of Eid with the Muslim Student Association on Thursday.

“NSJP’s Week of Rage was an excellent opportunity for us to make ourselves visible on this campus and show the student body that the fight for Palestinian liberation has not wavered amidst recent events,” SJP wrote, using an acronym for the national SJP organization. “We hope to have inspired our peers, even if they were just passing by on their way to class, to join the cause and take comfort in knowing they will not be alone in their activism.”

Faye McCray ‘03 is an attorney, writer, journalist and entrepreneur. A Goldman Sachs consultant, she has published content for HuffPost, Healthline and Parade Magazine, specializing in career mental health and wellness. Her interview responses have been slightly edited for clarity.

Q: Could you tell us your name and an overview of what your talk is going to cover today?

A: “My name is Faye McCray. I’ll be talking a little bit about identity and the expectations that get placed on us from a young age, about who we’re supposed to be versus who we end up becoming, and just a little bit of empowerment in that way, because I’ve pivoted a lot. So I graduated here in 2003, and I majored in English. I went to law school, but I ended up going back to my roots and writing and having a really great career in media and as an author. So I just talk a little bit about following your truth and what’s true to you.”

Q: How did your time at Binghamton University help prepare you for the different career paths that you’ve taken?

A: “I loved my time at Binghamton, in particular the English Department. At the time, we had great professors; John Vernon and Thomas Glave and Donette Francis were all professors that were here when I was here, and they had very, very creative approaches to English and really opened the doors to reading a lot of different types of things.

And I think when you open up the world to all the different possibilities through literature, it helps you live your life in a way that’s more intentional and purposeful and see a lot of possibilities. So I think I was exposed to a lot, which, in turn, made me more of a risk-taker when I left.”

Q: As someone who has worked in many different fields, including law, journalism and entrepreneurship, what advice do you have for students uncertain about what career path they would like to pursue?

A: “I would say to really rid yourself of this expectation that you need to have it all figured out when you graduate. You’re going to experience things that you’re going to be like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ And then you’re going to experience other things where you’re going to be like, ‘Oh, this is not for me.’ And life is all about those twists and turns and pivots. So it’s okay to kind of redirect and resituate yourself and go in another direction. So instead of framing it as ‘I’m graduating, and I’m entering the thing that I’m going to do for the rest of my life,’ ‘this is the thing that I’m going to try and see if I like it.’

I think that alleviates some of the pressure of choice and expectation. You want to find things that not just fulfill you and allow you to make an impact but also help you live this type of life you want to live.”

Q: Your talk overview discussed how part of your talk is going to center around healthy relationships with ambition. How have you displayed this in your career and what insights do you have to offer listeners of your talk?

A: “For me, the core of what’s healthy ambition is ridding myself of other people’s expectations of what I do versus things that really feel aligned with myself. I think, for a very long time, particularly early in my career, I wanted to make people proud. And that could be my family, but it could also be a boss or an organization that I was working for — and sometimes that meant I gave so much of myself that there was very little left over for me.

So I think at the root of healthy ambition is really just being in tune with yourself and living a life that feels value-aligned and it feels good, the work that you’re doing. Make yourself happy first, everybody else will come along for the ride.”

Q: As someone who has a current focus on career wellness and mental health, what is the importance of this and how can students look to achieve that in their future careers?

A: “It’s everything. It’s not an afterthought. Just like you would go to the doctor if you were feeling sick or like you had a cold, you want to make sure that you’re taking time to focus on your wellness. Am I taking care of myself? Am I taking rest? Especially when you’re in your early 20s, right after you graduate school, you just are full of, like, ‘I gotta do all the things.’ And it feels almost like there’s an urgency around it. And a lot of times, we neglect our health and our mental health, and we neglect relationships that could provide a real foundation for support.”

I think it’s so important to constantly check in with yourself, make time and space for the people that love and care about you, that kind of recenter you — I’ve had the same best friends since I was 14 — but just a phone call or a check in is so grounding for me. Really hone in on those relationships that are core to that, and then when you need something outside of that, there’s no shame in therapy or any other support that you need, but it’s just so foundational to being healthy as you progress and move throughout your career.”

Q: What do you hope that students will take away from your talk?

A: “I hope that you feel permission to be yourself. I’m sort of renavigating this experience. My eldest son is 17, so he’s getting ready to pick a college. We’re getting all the acceptances and stuff rolling in right now. And there’s these parts of him that have been so fundamental to him since he was little. He’s a musician — I talk a little bit about that in the talk. And I think he’s in a place of questioning: ‘Do I abandon these parts of myself to study business or do something that’s going to be more financially sound and stable?’ And I want people to feel empowered to explore all parts of your identity.”

Honestly, in the world that we’re living in right now, nothing is stable, everything is all over the place. So just do the things you know that you can pour passion into, in your zone of genius and your expertise, and you’ll be good. You’ll be good.”

“Refraction is for audiences who want new perspectives and who want to know how ideas can shift to create something extraordinary,” said Aaron Cordero, the director of finance for TEDxBinghamtonUniversity and a sophomore majoring in mathematics, to open the conference.

The talk began with Guru Madhavan MBA ‘07 Ph.D. ‘09, a systems engineer and senior director of programs at the National Academy of Engineering. He spoke about resilience, both in engineering and one’s personal life, and challenged the idea that resiliency involves “bouncing back” from a traumatic event.

Madhavan pointed to historical engineers who studied resiliency, like Thomas Tredgold, who measured the strength of wood in building ships and found that “trees that grew in the worst soil under the worst conditions tread the best.” He tied these understandings of resilience to his experience as an immigrant and how every “displacement” he faced “actually fueled his strength, much like Tredgold’s trees.”

“Rethinking resilience requires us to rethink how we engineer a better world,” Madhavan said. “It is not about designing systems that never break but systems that break revealingly — how we can make breakdowns into breakthroughs.”

“True resilience isn’t about bouncing back, it’s about bouncing forward to where we need to be,” he added.

Next, Sarah Zarember ‘24, a first-year master’s student studying business administration, discussed Generation Z’s “identity crisis” as the first generation that grew up after the widespread use of the internet. Citing the trends that Generation Z has followed — mullets, perms, matching sweat sets and Ugg boots — she said that young people suffer from “analysis paralysis,” or the emotions that arise from too many options, especially with the constant consumption of information available online.

As a business student, Zarember found that Generation Z could solve this identity problem by utilizing branding strategies like the ones used to market products, much like selling a pen. She pointed to 10 qualities highlighted by Kevin Harrington, a businessman who has been featured on Shark Tank, that Generation Z could use to market themselves. She found analogies between the strategies of selling products and marketing oneself, like a “powerful offer with a supportive costs of goods” to “giving enough of your time, enough of your resources to fostering relationships.”

Zarember ended by describing how she would market her own pen using the strategies covered in her presentation.

“My pen is purple and sparkly on the inside and out,” Zarember said. “It is a functional writing utensil, it is high-quality, it is very thoughtfully put together, and it can lend itself really to signing a check or in an art capacity. Even with its purple, sparkly ink, it is comfortable wherever it needs to be, and it is loved and appreciated by many.”

“But the reason that the Sarah pen is loved and appreciated by many isn’t because someone just told me when I was formulating this product, this brand, that I should just be myself,” she continued. “It’s because I took the effort, I took the incentive to go and try to do these internal audits for myself.”

Clay Jeon, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, set a scene at the start of his speech, telling audience members to see themselves walking past a pond and seeing a child drowning. He asked if they would jump in the water to save the child’s life, saying the decision was a rather obvious yes. He then questioned what separated the child drowning in the pond from a child dying across the world.

He cited philosopher Peter Singer, who believes that those who would help the child in the pond should feel equally obligated to help children living in poverty, with disease and who suffer from a lack of necessary resources. He said before tackling his main question, whether or not physical distance should impact moral decision-making, they needed to “take a step back.”

Jeon said philanthropy, which is not only for the wealthy, is declining, with more and more people feeling less inclined to give to others, a large part of which, he said, is because individuals underestimate the singular impact they can have. Small actions can add up to “create waves of positive change,” Jeon added.

“Let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good,” Jeon said. “Ultimately, when you decide to give, don’t wait and realize that you, and yes you, can be a philanthropist.”

Faye McCray ‘03 began her portion of the event with a question: “Have you ever felt like the world made up its mind about you before you had a chance to decide for yourself?” She employed an example, saying her son, who is 6-foot-8 and a jazz pianist, is often mistaken for a basketball player when he is introduced. Being 6-foot-2 herself, she said she is no stranger to the same assumption.

She continued, saying that people often put each other in boxes, seeing each other as one thing, as it is easier than understanding “the nuance and the complexity of being a human being.” She then described her professional journey to becoming a federal attorney, which was disrupted when the government shut down in 2013, and she was sent home without a paycheck or plans to return.

The identity she had spent so much time crafting for herself had fallen apart. Eventually, McCray began writing more creative works like blogs, articles, TV and film reviews, which she said helped her realize that the complex parts of her identity she had been pushing away “wasn’t a liability, it was a superpower,” and people were not meant to be confined to only one thing.

“When I left law after 10 years of practice, my path was blurred,” McCray said. “People listened and they judged. But for the first time, I wasn’t chasing a title. I wasn’t chasing someone else’s definition of success. I wasn’t trying to be palatable or digestible or be seen by people who could never really see me.”

“Here’s the thing: No one else gets to define success,” she continued. “That belongs to you. Your joy, your survival and your evolution depend on your ability to grow and to lean into your autonomy.”

The 12 candidates included are running to be the student representative on the University Council and for each of the SA’s six Executive Board positions — president, executive vice president, vice president for finance, vice president for student success, vice president for multicultural affairs and vice president for programming — and fielded moderator and audience questions on their plans for addressing student needs. The debate, held in Science I from 8 p.m. to around 10:30 p.m., was moderated by members of the SA Congress’ Elections and Judiciary committee, led by Kenny Tran, a senior majoring in biology who serves as chair.

“The Debate itself allows candidates the perfect space to further explain their platform and answer any questions from the student body,” Tran wrote in an email. “As a student government, the SA helps represent and serve the needs of the students in any way possible. It is my hope that in present and future Candidate Debates, students will continue to participate in this event and learn more about the Candidates as well.”

The night kicked off with the candidates for council representative: Mackenzie Cooper, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, and Irene Cui, a sophomore majoring in economics. Cui, who was originally removed from the ballot, was temporarily reinstated pending a ruling on a grievance she filed the night before and was allowed to participate.

Cooper, the incumbent, described her goals for student outreach, civic engagement and dialogue. She mentioned some initiatives she led as this year’s representative, including establishing an 11-member BU Council Committee with representatives of diverse areas of student life, and ones she plans to lead, like civic engagement roundtables, a peer mentorship program and semesterly town halls for students to share concerns.

Cui spoke next, offering her experience as a director of community relations in the SA president’s cabinet and regularly interacting with students and organizations. If elected, she said she plans to implement monthly checks on automated doors to address accessibility concerns and advocate for longer hours and healthier, more culturally representative dining hall options.

When asked about the biggest challenge the candidates may face in the upcoming year, Cooper identified uncertainty in higher education amid federal challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion and President Donald Trump’s calls to dismantle the Department of Education. Cui noted the same concern and said she would create a student-run committee to report discrimination and bias incidents.

Next was Atticus Fauci, the current vice president of programming and a junior majoring in economics, who is running unopposed. Fauci, who grew up in Binghamton, said his love for SA Programming Board events began before college. He highlighted achievements like reducing ticket prices for the NLE Choppa-headlined fall concert —which Fauci said was the highest-profiting fall concert since 2016 — and an increased digital media presence. He plans to form a separate committee that is “solely there for digital media events.”

Fauci is looking to move next year’s fall concert to a Friday and said that more than 80 percent of students who answered a recent survey agreed. He said that he has already begun speaking to administrators about the change.

Next, the vice president for multicultural affairs candidates were presented. Rome Maliha, a junior majoring in economics, said she would promote a culture of “communication, collaboration, connection and community” among multicultural organizations if elected. To achieve this, Maliha emphasized the importance of bringing multicultural organizations together and fostering collaboration and proposed launching a newsletter to share details regarding multicultural events with these organizations to boost attendance.

Jestina Tam, the chief of staff to the SA president and a junior majoring in biology, highlighted her student government experience and summarized her campaign platform as “A.C.T. Now.” If elected, Tam said she would promote events that “focus on empowering students,” create monthly pamphlets spreading information about multicultural events and look into commissioning a mural in the Union Undergrounds to celebrate diversity. She pledged to continue the VPMA’s peer mentorship program that builds relationships among students from different cultural backgrounds.

Kristina Donders, the speaker of the SA Congress and a junior double-majoring in mathematics and political science, and Lauren Wilner, the director of policy in the vice president for student success’ office and a junior double-majoring in environmental studies and philosophy, politics and law, then took the stage as the candidates for VPSS.

Donders, who worked in the VPSS office as secretary last year, said her main goal would be to “help students help students.” She focused on three components of her platform — mental health, civic engagement, and student outreach — and said she would establish peer support groups, create training for opioid overdose prevention and mental health first aid, and host a “complain to us” initiative to promote student involvement in the SA.

Wilner identified sustainability, support for students with disabilities and civil dialogue as her main goals if elected. She said she would continue progress on an initiative she started this year to reduce off-campus rent by 10 to 20 percent through community solar, along with creating a permanent Off Campus College Transport bus line to the Broome County Farmer’s Market and allowing students with disabilities to register for classes early through “ghost credits.”

In the VPF race, Gabriela Meza, a junior majoring in economics, is running unopposed. She discussed her experience as an assistant in the VPF office and her plans to improve communication, innovation, reliability and efficiency if elected. She said that she wants to create an anonymous student feedback system and use her assistants to “streamlining communication” with students.

The race for EVP pitted Nicholas Ginsberg, the chair of the SA Congress’ Financial Committee and a junior double-majoring in political science and sociology, against Batia Rabin, the incumbent and a junior double-majoring in philosophy, politics and law and women, gender and sexuality studies.

If elected, Ginsberg said he would “help bring organizational support and organizational efficiency” to student clubs and organizations. Ginsberg discussed the “two biggest missions” he would achieve if elected: expanding access to SA Rentables for organizations and allowing student clubs to select their preferred tabling section at events like UFEST and Club Carnival.

“Right now, the Student Association puts organizations into different categories on our end,” he explained. “I want to put that back into the student organizations. I want student organizations themselves to label themselves as multicultural or label themselves as special interests, label themselves as political.”

Rabin recounted their accomplishments as EVP, like creating a grant for student organizations to receive storage supplies, moving Club Carnival to a Sunday to accommodate observant Jewish students and creating a form for clubs to borrow SA equipment.

In response to a question on how the EVP will accommodate an increasing number of new student clubs, Rabin said that they are looking to expand storage space on campus. Ginsberg proposed creating a rotational storage locker for provisionally chartered organizations, which are not allocated space. Rabin rebutted by saying that some of these organizations have been given space under certain circumstances — to which Ginsberg replied that space is needed for all newly created clubs, “not just on a special case-by-case basis.”

Finally, the presidential candidates took the stage: McKenzie Skrastins, the incumbent and a junior double-majoring in mathematics and an individualized major in data science, and Joseph Kornblum, president of the Off Campus College Council and a junior majoring in business administration.

Kornblum spoke on the importance of professional development and said that he plans to work with pre-professional clubs across campus to prepare students for the workforce. He also said he plans to address student safety by creating a safety advisory board within the SA.

“I believe that I have the ability to bring Binghamton a fresh perspective as president,” Kornblum said. “I will build upon past administrations and work to give every student the best experience possible.”

Skrastins highlighted initiatives her office has worked on this year, including a collaboration with the VPMA office for the Multicultural Professional Development Summit and recycling regalia for graduating students. If reelected, she said she plans to update the club calendar to improve event space access and the OCCT website to give live updates when buses are full.

“I want to make sure that students feel that we’re a resource that they can utilize, not an organization that’s out to get them or an organization that doesn’t actually do anything,” Skrastins said. “But rather an organization, or specifically me, the president, the face, who’s here for them, wants to hear them out and work with them to find a solution to any problem and any controversy that may arise.”

The campuswide election will be held on B-Engaged on Thursday, March 27. The results are to be certified by the SA Congress at a meeting on April 1.

Titled “Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness,” the order said that the Biden administration abused the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which has traditionally forgiven student debt of public service workers after a decade of service and minimum payments. It said the program has been used to fund “activist organizations” that “harm our national security and American values, sometimes through criminal means.”

It recommends that individuals employed by such organizations be excluded from program eligibility.

“As President of the United States, I have a duty to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution and our national security, which includes ending the subsidization of illegal activities, including illegal immigration, human smuggling, child trafficking, pervasive damage to public property, and disruption of the public order, which threaten the security and stability of the United States,” the order read.

The executive order described organizational actions that have “a substantial illegal purpose,” including violating immigration law, supporting terrorism, engaging in “child abuse,” like supporting gender-affirming care for minors, violating civil laws like trespassing, disorderly conduct and public nuisance, and engaging in discrimination.

While no specific organizations were named, critics said the order could target advocacy organizations for supporting causes opposed by the Trump administration rather than legitimate illegal activity.

Following the executive order, the administration laid off about 50 percent of the Department of Education’s staff, with nearly a quarter of employees in the Office of Student Aid having already been laid off. The layoffs follow Trump’s reported plans to dismantle the department, which must be done through congressional action.

“We’re going to move the Department of Education,” Trump said in a press conference last week. “We’re going to move education into the states, so that the states — instead of bureaucrats working in Washington — can run education.”

The administration also removed application materials for income-based student loan relief, only some of which were blocked by federal courts.

Former President Joe Biden attempted to implement a wide-ranging loan forgiveness plan during his presidency, citing a 2003 law allowing the government to relieve student loan obligations during a “national emergency.” The plan, which would have permitted around 43 million Americans to cancel up to $20,000 in debt, was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023. The Biden administration still canceled $183.6 billion in student loan debt through other legal mechanisms.

Trump’s recent policies have created uncertainty for borrowers and students looking to take out loans. Amber Stallman, the director of financial aid at Binghamton University, said the executive order was “not related to the administration of federal financial aid for students,” but could impact borrowers.

She mentioned federal financial aid programs that BU students regularly use. Students receiving Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants do not need to pay back the financial assistance, which comes directly from the federal government. Federal Work-Study is available based on need.

The University is a recipient of the Federal Direct Loan Program, offering low-interest loans for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate students can receive need-based subsidized loans, where interest is paid by the federal government while enrolled, and no interest is charged for six months after graduation. Unsubsidized loans are available to undergraduate students enrolled in at least six credits and graduate students taking at least three.

“Our job is ensuring federal funds are distributed fairly and follow all the rules,” Stallman wrote. “Federal financial aid is a huge part of making college affordable for many students here, and we’re always looking for ways to help students make the most of these resources.”

Late last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the state offered a deal to the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association Inc. to end a strike impacting the state’s prison system. After the union rejected the deal, a new offer was made last Thursday, which included increased pay, limited mandated overtime and assured striking officers that they would not face retaliation.

The Thursday deal had proposed that a committee would review the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement, or HALT Act, to determine if some of its provisions could be modified.

The legislation puts certain restrictions in place regarding solitary confinement. Incarcerated individuals who are 21 or younger, 55 or older, disabled or pregnant cannot be placed in solitary, and confinement is limited to 15 consecutive days or 20 days in a 60-day period.

Though the union rejected this deal, the strike finally ended with an agreement on Saturday. Hochul had deployed thousands of members of the National Guard to maintain order across the prison systems.

In a Feb. 25 post on the platform X, Riley voiced his support for the striking correctional workers.

“Corrections officers have a tough job in harsh conditions with minimal resources,” Riley wrote. “Instead of helping, Albany politicians are making things even worse with half baked policies and mandates. Law enforcement, including COs, shouldn’t be collateral damage in Albany’s latest dysfunction. Let’s get these folks what they need so they can get back to work.”

Riley’s response received criticism from local activist groups, including Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier, a community organization that advocates against mass incarceration and policing. Andrew Pragacz MA ‘18, president of JUST, decried the response as a way to “score political points.”

“I don’t know who he thinks he’s trying to impress by ticking off his base and people that put him in office,” Pragacz said. “But more to the point around the HALT law and his criticism of it, he thinks that this is a political winner for him. I don’t know why, I think he’s wrong.”

Pragacz said the strike followed the killing of Robert Brooks, a 43-year-old inmate who was fatally beaten by correctional officers in December. He said Brooks’ death exemplified the “arbitrariness, some of it particularly violent” present in the prison system.

JUST, with Citizen Action New York and the Broome-Tioga chapter of the NAACP, rallied outside the Brome County office building on Tuesday to protest Brooks’ death. They demanded that the HALT Act remain implemented and called for the improvement of conditions inside the Broome County Jail.

“It is a misconception that justice-involved individuals deserve the treatment they receive, because the truth is that ALL people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” the NAACP said in a statement addressing the rally. “Inhumane treatment should never be regarded as the cost for a second chance.”

Correctional officers and sergeants at 36 of the state’s 42 prisons had refused to report to work. However, this strike, per New York’s Taylor Law, is not approved by the correction officers’ union.

“My top priority is the safety of all New Yorkers, and for the past 11 days, I have deployed every possible State resource to protect the well-being of correction officers, the incarcerated population and local communities across New York,” Hochul told the Associated Press. Her office did not return Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

The state, according to several media reports, fired around 2,000 prison guards who refused to return to work following the strike’s end.

Since the HALT Act’s 2022 implementation, assaults on prison staff increased by over 40 percent. This led to difficulties in recruiting new prison guards to counter the rapid turnover of those quitting. Supporters of the reform suggest that the law helps stop some abuse facing incarcerated people, like 23-hour periods of solitary confinement for minor offenses.

When reached for comment, Riley’s office directed Pipe Dream to his social media statements. In another X post on March 2, Riley said he joined the strikers on the picket line “to support them and to listen to them.”

“They want the prison to be safer for everybody: prisoners, visitors, and their fellow officers,” Riley wrote in the post. “I want that for them, too. But right now, they’re not getting the respect they’ve earned, and they’re being asked to do too much with too little while facing unrealistic mandates out of Albany.”

The investment, announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer last week, will expand the company’s Huron Campus in Endicott. A 150,000-square-foot addition will be made, housing a new production line, lab space and offices. With a 2027 expected completion date, the expansion is estimated to create 134 jobs.

“BAE Systems’ decision to further expand its business represents yet another win for New York State and for the Southern Tier, which is laser focused on becoming a global hub for next-generation battery innovation efforts,” Hochul wrote in the press release. “Since taking office, I have remained committed to bringing jobs back to Upstate New York. This incredibly successful company chose to grow its operations here, spurring top-quality, good-paying job creation in the region because they have seen firsthand how hardworking New Yorkers are.”

A facility dedicated to developing high-voltage energy storage systems, which will create a sustainable way of advancing the aviation industry will also be built as a result of the investment. New additions will include pilot production mechanisms, battery cell and energy storage system testing facilities and aftermarket support.

“BAE Systems is a vital part of the Southern Tier economy, with a world-class workforce of over 1200 people, and selecting this area for their major battery production expansion is no accident,” Schumer wrote in the release. “I’m proud of the millions in federal support I’ve delivered — via the American Rescue Plan and my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act — to the region to make it a global center for battery research and set the stage for today’s announcement.”

The investment follows a Memorandum of Understanding between BAE and Binghamton University, signed last December. Under the memorandum, BAE Systems and the University will explore ways to create manufacturing processes, models and materials for energy storage. The agreement, which also involves SUNY Broome Community College, will center around hiring and career development programs.

“Our collaboration with BAE will provide direct support to our students and faculty working on cutting-edge research,” Ryan Yarosh ‘02, MPA ‘09, the University’s senior director of media and public relations, wrote to Pipe Dream last month. “This partnership further strengthens our position as a national leader in energy research with deep local impact right here in the Southern Tier and surrounding regions.”

Additionally, BAE Systems, BU and SUNY Broome have created a six-week curriculum as an introduction to the energy and engineering management industry. Twenty engineering students have already participated in the course, according to SUNY Broome’s president, Tony Hawkins, and many others are interested.

While the University has previously collaborated with BAE Systems in other research, the memorandum will further solidify the partnership, said Michael Crawford, senior director of engineering at BAE Systems.

“BAE Systems provides a direct conduit to inform areas of use-inspired Research & Development; develop training programs and curriculum content that translate to address industry needs; and provide future workforce development through internships, co-ops and career opportunities in the industry,” Crawford said in a statement to Pipe Dream last month. “This collaboration will further serve to attract, retain, and grow technical talent in our region.”

A main component of the agreement will focus on the National Science Foundation’s Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, led by the University. The engine aims to establish a battery and energy storage hub in the Southern Tier through workforce development, prototype testing and research. BAE Systems will match career development funds from the Engine and support internships for selected students.

Meera Sampath, the CEO of the NSF Engine, said the vision of the engine is for upstate New York to be “the battery capital of America.” She said the expansion of BAE, as a partner of the University and the engine, will allow for this goal to be achieved.

“We are very excited and very thrilled to see this announcement, because this is really a testimony to the fact that, ‘Hey, there’s all these investments in this region,’ are really accelerating the momentum toward this vision,” Sampath said. “So when BAE Systems expands and they have their battery manufacturing plant here, that is a very big sign that we are moving toward realizing the bigger vision.”

Earlier this year, Rainbow Pride Union rebranded to an organization focused on fostering queer community and liberation. What sparked this change?

“Rainbow Pride Union has always been a social club for having queer community and celebrating our LGBTQ+ identities. However, we noticed there was a need for a group to educate and inform others on campus about LGBTQ+ rights, especially in the new air of the political climate of the United States. With so much legislation being pushed to oppress LGBTQ+ individuals, we knew that education and speaking on the intersectionality of LGBTQ+ issues and politics would be good for us.”

How has the Rainbow Pride Union blended its roots as both a politically focused with its social element? 

“We are having GBMs in our usual fun fashion. We’ve done record painting and bracelet making, but we also have an educational component. We want people to talk and learn about each other and know that they have support systems, which we know we can also convey through our educational activities, which include PowerPoint presentations and discussions.”

In September, Pipe Dream published a feature on the Rainbow Pride Union to highlight its shift in focus. What political activism has RPU engaged in since this article? 

“We are hosting a meeting with Students for Justice for Palestine to discuss Pinkwashing, and we are making efforts to educate our student body on what they can do to support LGBTQ+ individuals during our GBMs.”

Since the organization’s rebrand, how has the membership of RPU changed, and what do your members take out of joining? 

“We’ve had a lot of new faces pop up and new collaborations. We hope that members take away a new piece of information and leave with more knowledge than they came in with. We’ve already done a few educational events and I’m proud to say people are leading their lives with a more inclusive lens.”

How has the Rainbow Pride Union created a safe space for queer students?

“We recently did an event surrounding Aromantic Awareness Week with bracelet making where we had an open discussion about the stigmas around aro-ace identities. Most people said that they never had the opportunity to discuss their identity and that it made them feel seen! Additionally, we host events that are as simple as a movie showing of a queer film, so that we can promote movies with LGBTQ+ representation.”

Is the Rainbow Pride Union hosting any upcoming events this semester? 

“Our Second Chance Prom, an event for LGBTQ+ students to have a “second chance” at prom is Friday, March 28, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Old Union Hall. We will have drag performances, photo booths, fun mocktails, a prom court and more! Second Chance Prom is an opportunity for any LGBTQ+ individual to have a safe haven to dress up and express their queer identities. The theme this year is fairytale!”

Is there anything else you would like to add?

“Follow us on Instagram @rainbowprideunion!”

Held Saturday in front of the Broome County Courthouse, the event was spearheaded by the Together for Ukraine Foundation, a local volunteer organization supporting refugees and providing aid, cultural diplomacy and advocacy across political parties. A large Ukrainian flag was draped across the front of the courthouse, and the crowd held flags and signs, including one reading, “We The People Stand with Ukraine.”

The service opened with words from Anatoliy Pradun, the board president of the Together for Ukraine Foundation, followed by the American and Ukrainian national anthems, performed by Ayana Del Valle and the Ukrainian Community Chorus, respectively.

“It is very important for us, for not only the Ukrainian community but everyone who lives in Binghamton to support,” Pradun said. “To send that spirit of encouragement, to stand with them, to show our people that we are standing and supporting them.”

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump incorrectly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” responsible for the war. The statement followed a diplomatic meeting between the United States and Russia to address the war — a meeting from which Ukrainian representatives were notably absent.

On Saturday, the United States proposed a resolution to the United Nations calling for peace, rivaling another proposal by the European Union and Ukraine. While the European resolution demands a complete withdrawal of Russian military forces from Ukraine, its American counterpart calls more broadly for “a swift end to the conflict.”

In her opening remarks, Christina Zawerucha ‘05, the executive director of the Together for Ukraine Foundation and a lecturer and conversation pairs coordinator at the English Language Institute, criticized the administration’s handling of negotiations.

“There should be no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no negotiations about Europe without Europe at the table,” Zawerucha said. “A peace deal with Russia is not just about stopping a war. A deal should also be made to prevent the next one by convincing Russia that its invasion was a costly failure.”

Over the past three years, Russia has paid a large price in equipment and casualties — with one estimate from the International Institute for Strategic Studies concluding that “a minimum of 172,000 Russian troops have been killed and 611,000 wounded,” while thousands of Russian main battle tanks and armored vehicles have been destroyed.

“If America abandons Ukraine now and denies Ukraine the right to reclaim all of its territory or join NATO, these concessions send the message to Putin to think that, after all this, the war was worth the cost,” she added. “A short-term peace does not justify long-term instability and power grabs.”

The Very Reverend Father Teodor Czabala and Father Ivan Synyvsky, leaders from the Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church and St. John’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led the group in a panakhyda memorial service. Afterward, Fathers Jim Dutko of St. Michael’s Orthodox Church and Nathaniel Choma of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church said a moleben, or a mourning prayer.

The Rev. Joe Sellepack from the Broome County Council of Churches shared his upbringing as a child of an immigrant before leading the crowd in an interfaith prayer.

“Today we all suffer,” Sellepack said. “We suffer with you, because we know what it’s like to have to leave your home looking for freedom.”

State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 and Rep. Josh Riley were also present, advocating for Ukrainian independence and reaffirming Ukraine’s right to self-determination.

“Despite what some of our leadership may think, and most certainly may do, to diminish the human spirit through policies that are rooted in injustice and sow seeds of divisiveness, and lead to loss of life and loss of our shared humanity, us standing here together today — it is my prayer that it serves as a reminder of the power that we have when we all stand together to demand justice and peace for our shared humanity,” Webb said.

Lupardo criticized the Trump administration’s shift in policy as a “betrayal” and a rewriting of the history of the war. Long-term security and peace within Ukraine is critical, she said.

Riley noted the sizable Ukrainian community in the 19th Congressional District, saying he would support his constituents in the federal government.

“I want you to know, with all the uncertainty and all the fights that are happening in Washington, no matter what, when push comes to shove, I am going to have your backs through thick and thin,” Riley said. “You can count on me for that.”

Harris Weiss ‘16, a district representative from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, read a similar statement in support of Ukraine and Ukrainian Americans.

After the event, a small reception was held at Atomic Tom’s gallery, serving traditional Ukrainian baked goods. Later that night, the Security Mutual Life Building downtown was lit in blue and yellow to honor the victims of the war.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Cultural Association will place around 200 Ukrainian flags on the Peace Quad to commemorate the lives lost in the war. Zawerucha urged students to call their representatives and voice their support for Ukraine.

“Let our elected officials know — please support Ukraine,” Zawerucha told Pipe Dream. “Please support Ukraine, do not betray our allies in Ukraine. Please stand up for freedom, justice and democracy by supporting Ukraine.”

The letter, signed by about 65 faculty members expressed concern with police involvement in dismantling the encampment and suggested three resolutions supporting freedom of speech and protest.

Surya Parekh, one of the letter’s authors and an associate professor in English, said the resolutions addressed faculty concerns about how student protesters were treated.

“One of the things we wanted to see was, if and when there’s future protests, for the administration to start off with an approach that’s starting off in negotiation rather than some other kind of approach,” Parekh said in an interview with Pipe Dream. “The goal with the Faculty Senate was for the Faculty Senate to express these concerns, and I think that certainly happened with these resolutions.”

Aaron Beedle, the chair of the Faculty Senate’s Executive Committee and an associate professor in pharmaceutical sciences, read the resolutions aloud. The first affirmed the rights of academic freedom, free speech, and assembly for students, faculty and staff. Submitted by an ad hoc committee for review by the Diversity and Faculty Senate Executive Committees, the resolution specified these rights applied to topics “including but not limited to Palestine-Israel.”

Both the Diversity and Executive Committees endorsed the resolution. However, the Diversity Committee proposed an amendment to replace language specific to Israel and Palestine with “matters of domestic and global significance.” Claudia Marques, the chair of the Diversity Committee and an associate professor of biology, said the committee felt the original resolution was too narrow in scope.

The proposed amendment was met with opposition by some faculty members. Parekh acknowledged the importance of a broad resolution but said he felt the revision could erase the specific context of discourse surrounding Israel and Palestine.

“We crafted the resolution in the way that we have so that it’s written, including, but not limited to Palestine and Israel,” Parekh said. “Our aim here is to change a culture of censorship and self-censorship so that faculty, staff and students feel able to speak about Palestine and Israel as it relates to academic freedom and freedom of speech.”

Bridget Whearty, an associate professor in English and medieval studies, proposed a revision to the amendment, changing the wording to “matters of domestic and global significance, including but not limited to Palestine-Israel.” The vote to approve the revision, along with the amendment itself, passed.

“As I listened to the discussion, I was struck by what the head of the Diversity Committee said about the need — especially in this political moment in the US — to be clear that our commitment to academic freedom is capacious, and includes a defense of our rights to speak about domestic as well as international issues,” Whearty wrote to Pipe Dream. “At the same time, my role as a Senator is to represent my constituents’ concerns, and the constituent group that asked for my help was clear about their commitment to having Palestine and Israel explicitly named in the resolution.”

“I proposed the amendment because it seemed like the best way to capaciously and clearly protect academic freedom in our uncertain moment and keep representing my constituents,” she added.

After discussion, the body moved to vote on the resolution. Using anonymous paper ballots, the first resolution was passed with 48 votes in favor, three against and three abstentions.

The second resolution voiced concern about the University’s response to the Peace Quad encampment, “particularly regarding the possibility of punitive and policing action against students involved in the peaceful demonstration.” The encampment faced a large police presence and administrative response last semester.

The Diversity and Executive committees did not endorse the second resolution. The Executive committee said that due to an expedited process, no students were consulted while drafting the resolution, while the Diversity committee felt the resolution lacked specifics.

Neither committee endorsed the third resolution, which called on the University to “refrain from threatening heavy-handed punitive action in response to peaceful student protests” in the future. Both committees cited a lack of clarity between “disciplinary” and “punitive” action.

The second and third resolutions eventually passed, though by a notably closer margin than the first. The second resolution passed with 25 votes in favor, 20 against and 10 abstentions, and the third passed with 26 in favor, 23 against and six abstentions.

During the discussion for both resolutions, faculty members brought up certain punitive measures used to threaten students who participated in the encampment. Robyn Cope, an associate professor in the Romance Languages and Literature Department, said student protesters were threatened with their grades being withheld or courses not getting counted. She added that violations of the policy on use of University facilities could result in interim suspensions, suspensions or expulsion — punishments not previously included in the guidelines for noncredit use of University facilities section of the Student Code of Conduct at the time of the encampment.

Jennifer Stoever, an associate professor in English, said this policy constituted “heavy-handed” punishment due to the financial threat to students.

In an email to Pipe Dream, Marques said some of her concerns regarding clarity — like what certain terms like “heavy-handed” referred to — were addressed after these points were raised by the faculty members. Beedle said that the Executive Committee could not verify the claims against threatening students as they were not previously raised in the letter of concern.

“Having not heard such statements before and given that the letter of concern faculty did not put forward any specific incidents of concern in the resolution (the resolution focused on generalities), it was not possible for any party, including FSEC, to understand the nature of the allegations that were made at the senate meeting,” Beedle wrote to Pipe Dream.

Editor’s Note (2/14): The description of the responses to the encampment last spring has been updated.

Last semester, the union, which says it represents around 30,000 members across New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut, began a campaign to organize student workers. Paul Iachetta, a labor relations representative, said union stewards have been confronted by their Sodexo supervisors for distributing union authorization cards to their student coworkers, causing them to fear joining.

“I do think they’re trying to intimidate the students,” Iachetta said in an interview with Pipe Dream. “You have a lot of international students there who may not know exactly the process for organizing, and even our own students don’t understand it. It’s new to everybody, it’s like anybody walking into something they don’t get. You get a little intimidated when you don’t have the facts and you don’t know.”

One steward, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, told Pipe Dream that their manager reprimanded them after giving coworkers union cards to review, telling them not to discuss joining the union with the students. Steve Weigand, another labor representative, said the steward notified him of the incident and that the reprimand violated federal law, as employees are permitted to discuss union matters at work, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

Later, the steward said Iachetta told them they could discuss the union and distribute cards to student employees as long as they were off shift. After telling the supervisor they would give out union cards to students, they said the supervisor then asked who gave them “permission” to do so. Union representatives said the steward was not signing cards on duty but “talking across the table.”

“If I can talk about my kid’s birthday party, or where I went on vacation, or what I did over Christmas break or what I’m doing this weekend — I’m selling my car to my fellow coworkers while I’m working — then I can talk to them about union work,” Weigand said. “That would be a form of discrimination against union workers.”

Iachetta said past efforts to unionize non-student workers on campus led to eventual support from University administrators. This time, as of late January, none of the union’s letters to the University or its president, Harvey Stenger, have been answered. He added that he reached out to student groups for support — as UPSEU had in the past during contract negotiations — but had yet to receive a response. The University did not return requests for comment.

On Jan. 27, Sodexo issued a memorandum, obtained by Pipe Dream, to its student employees about the cards and their right to join a union.

“The letter was issued in response to the signing of Union Authorization Cards with the intent to inform students of their legal rights,” Dan McLain, a Sodexo district manager, wrote to Pipe Dream. “Sodexo fully respects the decision students make regarding union representation.”

One clause said UPSEU “may require every student employee to pay dues and/or other fees to the Union” and would give the union power “to tell Sodexo to terminate you from employment with Sodexo if you fail to pay the required Union dues/fees.” It suggested students think about their employment relationships with managers before signing a card, to consider if UPSEU made promises to urge signing cards and if the union will “really be able to deliver on their promises.”

Iachetta said that union dues are based on hourly wages and hours. A typical student employee working less than 10 hours each week and earning $16 an hour would pay $4 a week in dues, and additional initiation fees are waived for students, he added.

“Now, a lot of these students are nervous about what they’re doing because of letters like that,” Iachetta said. “Because of some pressure from the managers, because they witnessed our steward get reprimanded and threatened with discipline because [they were] speaking to a student worker in regard to the union.”

The National Labor Relation Act, passed in 1935, mandates that negotiations must take place between an employer and a union to create a written agreement regarding the conditions of their employment, and it prohibits discrimination against employees to encourage or discourage them from joining a union are prohibited under the act. Some executives, managers and supervisors may not be protected under the act, as they are viewed as part of the employer’s management team, not its labor force.

Under the 1947 Labor Management Relations Act, which made changes to the original act, unions cannot refuse to bargain in “good faith” with employers or charge their members excessive dues or fees. A free speech clause was added to the amended law, “providing that the expression of views, arguments, or opinions shall not be evidence of an unfair labor practice absent the threat of reprisal or promise of benefit,” according to the National Labor Relations Board.

On Jan. 31, the Department of Education issued a notice that schools and universities must abide by the 2020 Title IX Final Rule implemented by former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The notice followed an earlier federal court ruling that overturned certain Biden administration policies that expanded Title IX to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Originally implemented in 2024, 26 states had already paused the changes before they were struck down.

“The department will return to enforcing Title IX protections on the basis of biological sex in schools and on campuses,” a Department of Education press release read. “Returning to the 2020 Title IX Rule also ends a serious threat to campus free speech and ensures much stronger due process protections for students during Title IX proceedings.”

Under the DeVos Final Rule, colleges and universities can determine which employees are mandated reporters of sexual harassment. Institutions of higher education are required to “promptly” investigate sexual harassment claims in a manner that is not “deliberately indifferent,” or “not clearly unreasonable in light of known circumstances.”

In sexual harassment investigations, the accused must now be treated as innocent until a determination is reached at the end of a grievance process. This differs from standard civil cases, which determine liability based on harm to the victim.

Additionally, investigations require live hearings and cross-examination. The accuser and accused must have advisors — which universities must provide if the parties cannot — who will cross-examine the parties along with any witnesses. While the parties can be in separate rooms upon request, they must be able to see and hear each other through other means.

In the original 2020 Final Rule, institutions were required to dismiss statements if a party did not consent to cross-examination. This requirement was revoked in 2021 by a federal court, which upheld all other provisions of the Final Rule.

The DOE memo also mandated that any ongoing investigations for Title IX complaints, including ones that began under Biden’s rules, must abide by the newly outlined processes.

“This court decision means that institutions who updated their procedures and practice to comply with the 2024 regulations, like Binghamton, will now be returning to the regulations promulgated in 2020,” Andrew Baker, the Title IX coordinator at Binghamton University, wrote to Pipe Dream. “With this change is the opportunity to remind community members that Title IX is just one law providing rights at institutions in New York State. Rights and option[s] are also guaranteed to students who have experienced sexual harassment/discrimination — including dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault — by state law, and apply regardless of an individual’s sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation.”

Colleges and universities in New York are required to adopt guidelines to address sexual harassment, including providing prevention and awareness training. They must also implement a bill of rights for students who experience sexual harassment and assault.

The University facilitates sexual harassment complaints through the CARE Team, which provides options including no-contact orders, Title IX investigations and additional support. Students who have experienced sexual harassment can receive private and confidential support services, including at the Violence, Abuse and Rape Crisis Center, the University Counseling Center, the Crime Victims Assistance Center and Decker Student Health Services Center.

Victim advocacy groups derided the DeVos rules as a step back in addressing sexual assault on campuses. In particular, required live hearings have been criticized as being potentially retraumatizing for victims of sexual assault.

The Feminist Collective, an intersectional and abolitionist political organization, condemned the changes as harming progress for sexual assault survivors.

“The rollback of Title IX protections is not just a policy change, it is a setback in the ongoing fight for justice and equity,” they wrote in a statement on Instagram. “By narrowing the definition of sexual assault and reinstating mandatory live cross-examinations, these changes create additional barriers for survivors seeking justice. They jeopardize the progress made under previous reforms and foster an environment that retraumatizes survivors and discourages them from coming forward.”

In an executive order issued on his first day in office, Trump instructed all government agencies to recognize two binary, unchangeable sexes and decried “gender ideology.” [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/two-genders-executive-action/161157/] The executive order reversed Biden-era interpretations of Title IX under the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County — which protected LGBTQ people from employment discrimination — to require single-sex spaces such as bathrooms.

“These actions are not isolated decisions; they reflect a broader pattern of neglecting the needs and rights of marginalized communities, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, and pregnant individuals,” the Feminist Collective wrote. “The Feminist Collective stands in firm opposition to these regressive measures. We are committed to advocating for policies that protect, support, and empower all survivors, ensuring their voices are heard, their experiences validated, and their rights defended.”

Myers, originally from the Pacific Northwest, has worked in the culinary industry for over 30 years. He previously worked for celebrity chefs throughout the country, spending most of his career in fine dining. In 2006, he and his wife, Carrie Blabac-Myers, opened 515, a fine dining restaurant in Montana nominated for a James Beard award, which recognizes “exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries.” After closing 515, Myers decided to start a new project with Paul & Sons.

“I started in pizza at an early age, when I was around 19, and I’m finishing my career in pizza in my 50s,” Myers said. “So I’m kind of bookended with pizza, both sides of a culinary career.”

Located at 67 1/2 Leroy St. in a row of brick buildings, Paul & Sons is a fixture of Binghamton’s West Side. Behind the register is the kitchen, visible to customers as they wait for their orders. The weekly specials are listed on a chalkboard, along with a map of the world and past news articles featuring the restaurant. On the other wall is a mural reading “Greetings from Binghamton,” covered by towering stacks of pizza boxes.

Paul & Sons does “everything from scratch,” Myers said. The restaurant does not have a freezer, and other than typically packaged goods like olives or artichoke hearts, everything is made “fresh in-house.” Every part of the pizza-making process is carefully curated, from the restaurant’s hours and location to the water-to-flour ratio in the dough and the selection of ingredients.

In the seven years since opening Paul & Sons, Myers said the restaurant has done no official advertising, winning loyal customers through only word of mouth.

“I think that is a testament to just doing something well, putting your head down, kicking, just kind of grinding it out and sticking to your protocols and stuff like that,” Myers said. “Eventually people will either like you or they won’t, but you know you’re authentic in what you do, and hopefully you build an audience through that.”

Born just outside of Portland in Milwaukie, Oregon, and raised in Montana, Myers spent most of his career in the fine dining industry throughout the Pacific Northwest. In Seattle, he worked for Tom Douglas, a James Beard Award-winner and celebrity chef with 13 restaurants. Owning a pizzeria, however, removed him from the exclusivity of fine dining, Myers said.

“I like the fact that when you come in here, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing your laundry and you’re getting one slice or you’re ordering 10 pizzas, you’re the same person to me,” Myers said. “There’s no front of the line.”

Paul & Sons is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Myers said the success of Paul & Sons has allowed him to carve out time for his family, with Sundays being a “complete family day.”

As the name suggests, family is a critical part of the Paul & Sons business, down to its location. Blabac-Myers is originally from Binghamton and now works at the Office of Development at the University Libraries. She pushed Myers to open a pizzeria, as Binghamton is a city that supports pizza parlors, and the restaurant itself is only two blocks away from their home.

Blabac-Myers oversees much of the behind-the-scenes operations, including running the social media. Their oldest son, Franklin, works in the kitchen, and Myers hopes his youngest, Truman, will also work with him in the future. He said the restaurant’s name was a way to honor his family.

“I knew it was going to be something that my kids were going to have to give away time with their father because I was going to be here so much,” Myers said. “I felt like it was like an honor, kind of, in honoring them, my boys — just ‘Paul & Sons.’ I mean, it should probably say ‘Paul and Carrie & Sons.’”

Paul & Sons is a favorite among Binghamton students, almost half of whom come from New York City or Long Island. Myers said that downstate students flock to Paul & Sons because it reminds them of home.

“I love New York City pizza and Brooklyn pizza, and this is going to be a showboaty thing to say, but I’m going to say this with conviction, that if Paul & Sons were in a neighborhood of Brooklyn or Queens, we would hold our own down there, absolutely,” Myers said. “We’re not just a good pizzeria for Binghamton. We’re a good pizzeria.”

Out of 18,815 students, 9,068 — just over 48 percent — identified as white, and 834 — around 4.4 percent — identified as Black or African American, according to a spreadsheet compiled by the University’s Office of Institutional Research. About 16 percent of students — or 3,052 — identified as Asian and almost 12 percent as Hispanic, while seven identified as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and another seven as Indigenous. An additional 717, nearly 4 percent, identified as two or more races, while 865 were marked as “unknown.” An additional 2,050 nonresident students — international students not included in the University’s diversity data — attended BU in the fall.

“As part of our mission, we have an unwavering commitment to all aspects of diversity and remain steadfast in our recruitment efforts to ensure diversity is represented in our student portfolio,” Karen Jones, BU’s vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, said in a statement to Pipe Dream.

After a slight dip between 2020 and 2021, enrollment has steadily increased. The fall 2024 semester saw the arrival of 5,477 new students — 90 more than last year — consisting of 3,248 freshmen, 763 transfers and 1,466 graduate students.

Of the enrolled students last semester, 9,037 were listed as male, 9,773 as female, and for the first time, five as a legally recognized other sex. This follows Common App, a popular college application program, adding the choice of a third sex for the 2023-24 admission cycle.

Underrepresented minority students, defined by the University as “historically underrepresented groups in higher education,” comprised around 21 percent of the student body, about the same as last year’s numbers. This year’s enrollment of new underrepresented students, however, dipped slightly since fall 2023, from around 23 to 19.6 percent of the freshman class.

“Enrollment of new underrepresented minority students dipped slightly — down 2% from last year’s historically high numbers — but we are pleased that they are generally in line with our numbers from 2 years ago, which were some of our highest,” said Donald Loewen, the vice provost for undergraduate education and enrollment management. “And with transfer students, numbers actually went up significantly for Hispanic and Black students so that, as a whole, the fall 2024 incoming class consists of 20% underrepresented students.”

The fall 2024 admission cycle was the first following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision that race-conscious admissions programs in higher education were unlawful. While the ruling permitted admissions officers to consider race in some ways, namely through personal essays, critics argued that banning affirmative action further contributed to racial inequality in higher education.

The end of affirmative action could account for the 865 students who did not share their race — more than doubling since fall 2023 — according to Dennis Ikpe, a statistical research analyst at the Office of Institutional Research.

“While race provides statistical value, it is not required as part of the admission process,” Ikpe wrote in an email. “Following the Supreme Court decision in June 2023, race can no longer be used in college admissions at all. This is likely fueling the trend we are seeing of students choosing not to provide this information on their applications.”

Just one year after the Supreme Court ruling, some colleges — including New York University, Cornell University and Harvard University — have already seen steep drops in Black and Hispanic student enrollment. In states that previously banned affirmative action like California, universities received fewer applications from underrepresented groups, contributing to declines in degrees and wages.

From 2023 to 2024, some groups saw marginal changes at BU. Hispanic and Asian students had increased enrollment, up less than a percentage point each, as well as students of two or more races, who went up one percent. Black and white student enrollment dipped by less than half and 2 percent respectively, while nonresident students also slightly decreased.

“Like other institutions nationwide, we are finding our footing in the new admissions landscape after SCOTUS changed the rules, and we will continue to emphasize our institutional commitment to diversity,” Loewen said.

The Israel Defense Forces reported early Monday morning that Neutra, originally believed to have been held hostage for over a year, was killed fighting Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Neutra, a Plainview, New York native, had deferred his enrollment to serve in the IDF, and Israeli officials said his body is still held by Hamas.

Throughout the service, the crowd sang prayers including Acheinu, Esa Einai and Vehi Sheamda. Organizers arranged candles in the shape of the Star of David as mourners sat in a large circle. Entrants were invited to write a message to the Neutra family or sign a communal letter.

“As a community who has devoted themselves to call for the release of the hostages, advocate for American hostages such as Omer, and educate on the events of October 7th and all that followed, we were absolutely heartbroken and shaken to see the news confirming Omer was killed on October 7th,” the BU Zionist Organization wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “The news of one’s child’s death is one that no parent should ever have to bear and our hearts are with the entire Neutra family, as they have been for the last 424 days.”

Seth Schlank, a senior majoring in psychology who knew Neutra personally, commemorated the loss of his friend in a speech he read at the service. He said Neutra possessed the traits of a great role model and leader, and that despite his athletic prowess, physical appearance and popularity, he “treated everyone as an equal.”

“Since Oct. 7, I have not stopped thinking about how Omer could make everyone laugh, feel welcome and always have a smile on his face,” Schlank said. “I would wonder what he was feeling or how he was making it through each day because we thought he was held hostage in Gaza. While the past 423 days have been filled with sadness, there is a constant hope that Omer and his fellow hostages would come home. His family lived a nightmare that they prayed would end with his safe return. [Monday], we learned that those prayers could never have been answered.”

Neutra’s parents, Orna and Ronen, have long campaigned for his return, including putting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and criticizing his failure to return the estimated 100 hostages still in captivity. They spoke at the Republican National Convention this summer, attended meetings at the White House and visited the House of Representatives.

Shira Kohler, a junior majoring in nursing, said over Thanksgiving break, she met with Neutra’s parents, who had expressed hope that they would reunite with their son upon their next visit to Israel. She asked mourners to remember Neutra as a hero and “a leader, always smiling, always making people feel welcome.”

Bailey Kahn, a sophomore double-majoring in human development and philosophy, politics and law and a friend of Neutra’s brother, Daniel, shared personal stories about Neutra and his kindness.

“No matter who it was, every person that spoke about him had only the highest level of praise,” Kahn said. “Since my very first interaction with him, I could see that the world around me knew just how wonderful he was, and I was in awe of him. How could one person be nothing but good?”

Rabbi Aaron Slonim, the director of Chabad at Binghamton, and Nathan Azagury, a junior majoring in computer engineering, led the service in prayer. Mourners then sang the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva.

The service closed with words from Sarit Anstandig, the co-director of the Jewish Learning Initiative On Campus. She shared her experience traveling in an Israeli airport over the weekend, which displayed posters of each hostage, and stopping underneath Neutra’s before learning of his death.

“The fact that you all have so much going on right now and so many other places that you can be, and you’re here,” Anstandig said. “And you’re here because you know that it’s important. You’re here because you just want to support Omer’s family, the people who care about him and honor his memory. And that is something to really take with you. The power of us coming together.”

After the service, organizers invited attendees to mourn in a smaller circle.

With comforting songs, prayers and reflection, the service “provided an opportunity for the community to grieve together, celebrate Omer’s life and find solace in unity during this difficult time,” Chabad wrote to Pipe Dream. Hillel echoed a similar sentiment, saying Omer’s story struck close to home for so many.

“In addition to Omer having deferred his admission to Binghamton to serve in the IDF, many members of our community grew up with him, attending the same high school and summer camp and participating in the same youth group,” the organization wrote to Pipe Dream. “We were shocked to learn of his death yesterday morning and planned this event to give a space for the campus community to mourn this devastating loss. We will continue to keep his friends and family in our prayers and fight for Omer’s return for a proper burial.”

The Haitian Student Association and the Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society held a rally in solidarity with Haiti amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.

Held Wednesday night, the rally began in the University Union Undergrounds lounge, with a presentation on the country’s crisis. A Kahoot! game started it off, testing students on Haitian trivia. Jerry Valentin, the president of HaSA and a senior majoring in cinema — and Chelsea Brothers, the political coordinator of TMPS and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, discussed historical and recent events contributing to its instability.

“This rally can shed light on the struggles facing Haitians both in Haiti and in the United States through the various — and hopefully productive — discussions that will take place during the rally,” HaSA wrote to Pipe Dream. “Opinions will be shared, and we hope those discussions will lead to fruitful thoughts for change in Haiti and its people. Change has to start somewhere, and we hope it can come from us college students.”

Valentin and Brothers pointed to the corruption of the Duvalier regime throughout the 20th century and the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse by foreign mercenaries as sparking continued gang violence and political turmoil.

The political crisis has left significant portions of the nation — including the capital city of Port-au-Prince — under armed gang control. The United Nations estimates that gang warfare has left more than 300,000 Haitians homeless, with thousands of children denied access to education as schools are converted to temporary shelters.

“By us examining this legal system, we are promoting critical thinking and solutions to which we can be a part of this change,” Brothers wrote. “In terms of fighting global injustice, it’s crucial that we not only educate ourselves, but that we educate the Binghamton population through informing them about issues partaking in Haiti, resources in how to help, and through encouraging students and faculty to not be silent or complicit on this matter but to spread awareness.”

After the presentation, students wrote notes on posters, responding to questions the organizers posed. The posters, along with Haitian flags, were taken outside during the rally, which began with a march from the Undergrounds to outside the Engineering Building, as speakers chanted “All eyes on Haiti.” Representatives from student organizations Students for Justice in Palestine, the Black Student Union and the Latin American Student Union assembled around the main entrance to speak.

Members of HaSA’s Executive Board began by discussing their ties to Haiti and their devastation at the ongoing crisis. Stephanie Pierre-Louis, HaSA’s historian and a sophomore majoring in biology, shared her perspective as a Haitian American.

“During these difficult times, I pray that Haiti can find its way back to the peace and prosperity that it deserves,” Pierre-Louis said. “I hope for a future where Haiti can celebrate their heritage freely, share their culture without fear, and rebuild a Haiti where beauty, strength and hope are everyday realities. May Haiti rise again as the beautiful land it once was and always will be in the hearts of its people.”

Aurelie Narcisse, the public relations and education coordinator for HaSA and a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, read a poem she wrote highlighting the emotional struggles felt by many Haitians during this period of uncertainty.

A member of SJP’s E-Board drew a connection between the situation in Haiti and the suffering of people in Gaza.

“How can we call for a free Palestine without recognizing the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, both of which are struggles influenced and perpetuated by Western powers — byproducts of colonization,” the representative said. “From Palestine to Haiti, the call for the liberation of any formerly colonized people is something that transcends borders and it is our unity that will organize change in this world.”

Jayden Perez — secretary and political coordinator of LASU and a senior majoring in psychology and mastering in public administration — followed, connecting the humanitarian crisis to the country’s historical and current relationships with Western powers. The Haitian Revolution — a successful slave revolt against a colonial power — began in 1791 against France, ending with independence in 1804.

Haiti was then forced to pay reparations to both France and the United States, amounting to billions in today’s U.S. dollars to France through the mid-20th century. The United States later occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, continuing to control the country’s public finances until 1947.

Perez then referenced rhetoric against Haitian immigrants used by now-President-elect Donald Trump in the September presidential debate.

“The modern crisis of Haiti is not just one of corruption, natural disaster and gang violence, but of imperialism, exploitation and racism,” Perez said. “We must not forget the past, for it is the only way we can create a path for Haiti to be free.”

The rally was part of HaSA’s Haitian Awareness Week celebrations, following tabling in the Glenn G. Bartle Library and a Haitian trivia Jeopardy! game. Later in the week, HaSA hosted a Konpa workshop with Black Dance Repertoire, teaching the traditional Haitian dance.

“We hope that [the rally] brings a breath of fresh air to the Haitian population,” HaSA wrote. “We want the Haitian population to see that the Haitian Youth who are in college, though far from home or those who do not even know what home looks like, want to see a change for their country. The Haitian youth wants to see more unity among Haitians all over so that we can come together to help change Haiti.”

The Students for Justice in Palestine collaborated with their national organization to hold a panel discussion about the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.

The event, held in the Lecture Hall last Thursday, featured a speaker from the national SJP organization, and students asked questions about BDS on college campuses. During their time as a Rutgers University undergraduate, the speaker, who remained anonymous, was part of a larger effort seeking divestment from “fossil fuels, apartheid, [the] military-industrial complex [and the] prison industrial complex.” Rutgers agreed only to divest from fossil fuels, they said.

“The Zionist oppression of SA Congress has made students feel unheard, neglected, and extremely isolated,” SJP wrote to Pipe Dream, referring to the Student Association’s legislative branch. “Knowing that we are an integral part of a much larger and more powerful movement is remotivating and comforting to those who refuse to stop fighting for divestment and the freedom of the Palestinian people from apartheid.”

The session began with introductions by SJP representatives, who discussed the SA Congress’ Oct. 8 vote to rescind last semester’s BDS resolution. The SA Congress then passed five of six new pieces of legislation — parts of which were later struck down by the SA’s Judicial Board. One resolution to prevent outside organizations from co-sponsoring legislation was proposed and then tabled for the next meeting.

“Regarding the current SA situation, we do not believe that the SA Congress is a properly representative congress of Binghamton University,” SJP wrote. “Our current Congress is severely lacking in diversity and has shown themselves to be unable to put their personal political agendas aside to truly reflect the will of the student population. Last year’s resolution passed with the support of 20+ multicultural organizations — none of these organizations are currently represented in Congress.”

The stated mission of National SJP is to support student activists across North America advocating for Palestinians. The organization’s values center around collective liberation, acknowledging the interconnected nature of global systems of oppression.

The National SJP representative emphasized divestment as a tool “to materially impact the occupation in the imperial core at a university.” They listed the resources the organization offers to students, like analysis of current events, connections between chapters facing similar struggles and providing chapters with relevant support resources.

After a question about the factors contributing to a successful divestment campaign, the speaker highlighted the importance of taking incremental steps, as challenging larger institutions — public or private — is a long-term process.

“South African apartheid divestment did not come overnight,” the speaker said. “And so sometimes we find ourselves in cycles of, ‘Why isn’t divestment happening?’ It’s hard, it’s long, we’re challenging a really aggressive force, a repressive force. And so I think really, for us when we’re analyzing when we really understand the university context, when we go into a chat with a chapter — what makes sense to be an incremental goal for y’all? And then we measure success by those goals.”

The speaker described different methods of divestment, including academic boycotts and broader campaigns, like their efforts at Rutgers. They discussed smaller campaigns, like those requiring that SA funds not be used for military efforts and boycotting companies with ties to the Israeli military, and their potential as “first steps” toward divestment. The speaker urged students to find creative ways to organize divestment campaigns.

Divestment efforts in Canada were mentioned in relation to proposing socially acceptable investments to the boards of trustees in the hope of replacing boycott targets. The representative described the existing infrastructure that exists for ethical divestment and the ways in which students can use this framework — along with a strong support system — to further BDS.

“I think the Canada chapter made a full 20-page document where they were just, like, this is what you say is happening,” they said. “This is what’s actually happening. Here we have facts to prove it. This is what you should be doing instead. And so a lot of it is literally sharpening your toolbox and how to argue with them.”

SJP shared its goals for the event, writing, “We hope that attendees took away a new sense of hope, unity, and belonging in this large and powerful movement for human rights nationwide.”

“Despite the nationwide move towards fascism and Christian Zionist nationalism, we at SJP remain committed to the goals of human rights and anti-fascism for the United States and the world,” they added.

State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04, who defeated former Binghamton Mayor Rich David by just over two percentage points in 2022, won reelection against Republican Mike Sigler with 57 percent of the vote. Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 beat back a challenge from Lisa OKeefe with nearly 59 percent of the vote. And in the headlining race, the Associated Press declared Democrat Josh Riley the winner of a heavily contested race against Rep. Marc Molinaro for New York’s 19th Congressional District early Wednesday evening.

As of Thursday morning, control of the House of Representatives remains undecided, with several key races awaiting results.

The Broome County Republican and Democratic parties both held watch parties in Downtown Binghamton as election results trickled in on Tuesday night. Karen Beebe, the chair of the Broome County Democrats, celebrated the local victories while voicing her disappointment over former President Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest.

“While we feel deep despair and fear, we must also prepare to care for those who are first and most impacted,” Beebe said in a statement. “We must push back against the hatred that is emboldened by his leadership. We must plan for a better future to ensure we get this country back in four years and democracy continues.”

In the city of Binghamton, Rebecca Rathmell, a Democrat, defeated Republican Phil Strawn in a special election to represent the City Council’s 6th District — one year after the two tied in the last election. And though he ran unopposed, County Executive Jason Garnar won his third consecutive term in office.

Statewide, Proposal One, a ballot measure enshrining protections against discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex — including pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression — was passed.

“I think it’s absolutely great news that women have the right to choose their own health care decisions without the government interfering with it, and that that’s codified in New York state law,” Garnar said. “Women should have those rights across the country, and I’m glad that, at the very least, they have them right here in New York state.”

A Binghamton referendum, Proposal Two, which would change appointment authority to the Binghamton Human Rights Commission, was also passed. Since 2016, the Commission has sat empty, after a 2016 change to reserve all appointment authority to the mayor. Now passed, the referendum will allow the City Council to make four appointments and the mayor, three.

Rathmell emphasized the proposal’s importance of the proposal, saying it would enable the city of Binghamton to prioritize the rights of its residents. This commission will provide an avenue for recourse in cases of civil rights violations by connecting victims with relevant local resources.

Webb gave the final speech of the night at the Democratic watch party, thanking the members of her team and acknowledging their contributions to her victory. She shared a message of unity and a hope that the country will continue forward in a spirit of progress.

Sigler, a Tompkins County legislator conceded the race at the Broome County Republicans watch party.

“I do congratulate Lea Webb for running, obviously, a successful campaign,” Sigler said in his concession speech. “I’m not going to agree with her on a lot of the issues. I didn’t during the campaign, there’s no reason I should now. She’s still my representative, so I’ll be complaining to her early and often, and I hope you do too because, listen, I don’t want to live in a state where we just manage the decline of New York state. And I really feel that’s where we are. We are just managing the decline.”

OKeefe made a brief appearance at the Republican watch party, while Molinaro made an appearance late into the night. He did not concede the race, and his campaign released a statement on Wednesday that it would wait until outstanding ballots were counted.

At one point, Benji Federman, the Broome County Republicans chair, introduced elected county legislators. Republicans command a 10-5 majority in the chamber.

Webb emphasized the role that students and young people — many of whom voted in their first election — played in delivering Tuesday’s outcomes.

“It’s really important to me that people see not only how powerful their vote is in getting the person that they’re supporting in office, but also working in tandem together to address not only issues, but also identifying incredible solutions,” Webb said. “So it’s really important to me. I’m truly humbled and honored, and look forward to seeing everybody on campus.”

Ahead of the November election, local Democratic candidates Josh Riley and State Sen. Lea Webb visited Binghamton University for the New York College Democrats summit.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, College Democrat chapters from across the state attended the convention in the University Union this weekend. Riley, mired in a tight battle against Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro for the 19th Congressional District, spoke on Saturday, and Webb spoke the following day. The convention held canvassing and “Get Out the Vote!” workshops to encourage involvement in the upcoming election. After the speeches on Sunday, students attended canvassing training with Webb and Riley’s teams before getting out into the area to gauge community concerns and promote election-centered information.

“Students across the nation are one of the most passionate political demographics, and there’s definitely no lack of that passion here at Binghamton either,” Ryan Gaire, the president of BU’s College Democrats and a junior majoring in political science, wrote to Pipe Dream. “Additionally, students, who tend to skew left, are an important bloc of voters that need to turn out and vote given the nature of some of our elections happening in this area.”

The convention kicked off with a welcome reception and video addresses from state senators and assemblymembers. Following a voter engagement workshop led by Sophie Ascheim, an organizer with the New York State Democratic Party, College Democrat moderators introduced Riley, who emphasized the importance of the local congressional race — rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.

In 2022, Molinaro prevailed with 50.8 percent of the vote to Riley’s 49.2 percent — a margin of 4,495 votes. Riley said the race could be key in deciding the majority in the House of Representatives.

“This is obviously a very perilous time in American history and American democracy,” Riley said. “And the way I look at it is, how great of an opportunity it is and how cool it is that somehow, at this defining moment in the history of our country, fate has chosen all of us to be the people in the district that’s going to decide the future.”

He urged students to vote in the upcoming election for the 19th Congressional District, calling it one of the most competitive and expensive congressional races in the country. As of Sept. 30, Riley’s campaign has raised $8.1 million to Molinaro’s $4.8 million.

Riley shared key objectives of his campaign, like his support for reproductive rights and endorsement of Proposal 1 — a statewide ballot measure that would amend the New York Constitution defining, among other things, “pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy” as protected classes. He criticized Molinaro’s voting record on abortion and denounced him for “trying to convince voters that he’s all of a sudden pro-choice.”

Throughout his speech, Riley criticized Molinaro for being backed by corporate donors and said he refuses to take corporate PAC money. He argued for the overturning of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a 2010 Supreme Court case that blocked attempts to limit corporate involvement in elections.

“The real estate industry is one of the biggest donors to my opponent’s campaign,” Riley said. “I think we need way more housing, affordable housing, middle-income housing, but the housing industry doesn’t want to do that because, with supplies low, they’re getting really high profits. Then when the decisions get made in Congress, the politicians are doing what their corporate PAC donors want to do, and not what all of you want to do.”

After the talk concluded, the moderators opened the floor to questions from the audience. Following a question about U.S. foreign policy, particularly with the war between Russia and Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Riley said that he would prioritize both the United States’ democratic allies and minimizing human suffering.

Later that day, the College Democrats hosted a panel featuring two Binghamton city councilors — Hadassah Mativetsky ‘07, MS ‘12 and Nate Hotchkiss ‘12 — along with Jonathan Krasno, a political science professor at BU, and Margaret Giordano, the president of BU’s Abortion Advocacy Coalition and a senior majoring in psychology. The panel discussed the candidates and proposals on the ballot, stressing the issues at stake in the election.

Ari Hoffman, an undeclared freshman, said the panel offered inspiration for how to get involved in politics, even in ways that they did not initially think would make a difference.

“But I think if we are really strong in that and get the college vote out, that can totally change the course of elections, definitely make the students be heard,” Hoffman said.

On Sunday, Webb visited BU for a Q&A session. After sharing encounters with voters who said they would not vote for her, she stressed the importance of adopting policies to better all constituents.

“As you are doing this work — whether any of you in this room are looking to run for office, are looking to be involved in public policy in different ways — you are going to come across people who are absolutely on the other side of the spectrum as you will be,” Webb said. “As an elected official, you represent everyone. So, part of the challenge is figuring out how do you remain authentic to your values and your beliefs, but still maintain some level of dignity.”

Webb discussed initiatives passed in the most recent legislative session, including expanding the Tuition Assistance Program — raising grants for students’ college costs from $500 to $1,000 and increasing income eligibility to $110,000. She discussed legislation she plans to introduce if reelected, like a bill to transfer excess funds on-campus food cards to food insecure students and affordable housing developments.

She mentioned ways for students to get involved in local politics, like volunteering for campaigns or interning for government offices. At the end of the session, she encouraged student engagement in the upcoming election through canvassing and voter registration campaigns.

“The amount of students that were involved with voter registration during [the 2020] election, which was just four years ago, was some of the top levels of engagement that we have seen on campus,” Webb said. “And so with this election, we need that times 10 because of everything that’s going on.”

Israeli and Palestinian peace advocates shared personal stories and discussed the importance of intercultural dialogue and changing political discourse to achieve peace in a talk organized by several Binghamton University departments.

Held in the Fine Arts Building on Tuesday, the discussion featured peace advocates Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon, who are Palestinian and Israeli respectively. The event was a collaboration between the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, the Center for Israel Studies and the Center for Middle East and North African Studies. Students, faculty and community members were in attendance.

Moderated by Lior Libman, the Center for Israel Studies director, and Lubna Omar, the associate director of the Center for Middle East and North African Studies, the dialogue began with speaker introductions. Libman introduced Abu Sarah, an author and traveler who was 10 years old when his brother was killed by Israeli prison officials. He co-founded MEJDI Tours in 2009 — offering a “Dual Narrative” tour with local Israeli and Palestinian guides — to promote socially conscious travel and has received numerous awards for his peace-building work in over 60 countries. Omar then introduced Inon, an entrepreneur whose parents were killed by Hamas on Oct. 7. Inon has promoted peace and cultural dialogue through tourism initiatives like Abraham — a hostel and tour operation he co-founded in 2010 — that offer guided trips in Israel, the West Bank, Jordan and other locations.

“When people will tell you it’s impossible, it’s naive, there’s no way Israelis and Palestinians can make it work, I would ask them to look at what we are doing,” Abu Sarah said. “Maoz lost his parents, I lost my brother, and yet, not only are we here because we want a better future, not only are we here because we have to be here, but we see each other as brothers.”

After sharing a hug, the speakers acknowledged the suffering of those in Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They then recounted how loss pushed them to pursue peacemaking and consider different perspectives surrounding the historical conflict. Abu Sarah and Inon connected after the Oct. 7 attacks and began planning efforts to promote peace between Israel and Palestine. After holding a TED talk together in April, the pair met Pope Francis in May, who later spoke on their behalf at the 2024 G7 conference to advocate for an end to the crisis.

Inon presented a bottle of sesame oil to the crowd. His father, a farmer, created a five-step plan to develop a sesame seed capable of machine harvesting and mass production by 2025 — which was completed two weeks after his death, a year and a half ahead of the goal. Inon commemorated his father by attributing the basis of his and Abu Sarah’s plan for peace by 2030 to his father’s model.

“His dream is in this bottle, and we’re going to use the same five steps in order to achieve [and] harvest peace, between the river [and] the sea, because peace is possible,” Inon said. “Peace is possible, we just need to sow the seeds of hope, of the future and the seeds of forgiveness, and to cultivate those seeds in order to harvest peace by 2030.”

The speakers emphasized the importance of forgiveness in moving forward to find solutions. Acknowledging his initial desire to “seek revenge in those who betrayed and failed to [stand] to their promise” after the death of his parents, Inon shared that forgiveness is “the most powerful and effective power and emotion that we can use.” He explained that by forgiving those who harm you, you can free yourself of anger and work toward peace.

Both speakers highlighted the lack of interaction between Israelis and Palestinians. Inon noted that he did not have a Palestinian friend until he was 30. Abu Sarah explained that his first regular interaction with an Israeli who was not a soldier, settler or his employer occurred while studying Hebrew after high school. He was the only Palestinian in the classroom.

Abu Sarah shared an anecdote from his work with the Parents Circle — Families Forum, a group of Israeli and Palestinian families who experienced immediate family death. He recalled how his father asked if the Holocaust had actually happened, leading the group to travel to both a Holocaust museum and a Palestinian village abandoned during the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians.

After the discussion, the moderators opened the floor to questions.

The dialogue is the second of three events organized by I-GMAP and the two academic departments to address the first anniversary of the Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza. Last month, speakers from the departments held a roundtable discussion to deliberate the language and narratives used surrounding Gaza. The final event will be held on Nov. 6 and will discuss the role of American foreign policy, culture and society in the Middle East.

“The first time I heard Maoz and Aziz speak, the first quote I heard from was one that they repeated today, where they said, ‘People can try to divide us all they want, but what I say to them is, if you want to divide us, divide us by those of us who believe in peace and those of us who don’t yet,’” said Rebecca Cohen, a senior double-majoring in psychology and comparative literature. “And it’s been something that’s played in my mind over the last year, with everything that’s been going on, that I want to be someone who consciously takes the side of peace, and for me, being here today and engaging in these conversations is how I actively choose peace.”

Cards promoting peace and hope — including a Hebrew quote from Inon’s mother shaped into a ring — were distributed as attendees left. The talk was also part of the LOCO festival, a weeklong series of events and activities to celebrate the campus community’s diverse backgrounds and points of view. Originally organized in Spain and in partnership between the Center for Middle East and North African Studies, the Global Studies program and the Center for Civic Engagement, this year’s festival focuses on understanding and advocating for solutions to human rights issues — particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.

“For a long time, we were not able to have these conversations on our campus, as you could perceive,” Omar said. “There’s a lot of conflict and division, so we thought it could be a seed to start having those difficult, unpleasant, uncomfortable dialogues and issues being discussed, and maybe find a way to have these discussions, rather than just going after each other.”

To demonstrate their continued solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Students for Justice in Palestine led a walkout and rally on Monday, the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent beginning of the continued humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Amid a heavy police presence, the rally commenced at 1 p.m. in front of the Engineering Building. After the attacks one year ago, Israel began a new wave of military offensives in Gaza, killing at least 41,600 Palestinians as of Oct. 7, 2024, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Israeli military began bombings, air strikes and a ground invasion in Lebanon this September. Speakers at the rally called for a “complete divestment” of Binghamton University funds from defense companies and an arms embargo of Israel.

A written statement from SJP to Pipe Dream referenced an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report published in June that said 96 percent of Gazans “face high levels of acute food insecurity” and other studies reporting that 97 percent of water from Gaza’s main water source is undrinkable.

“October 7th marks one year of Israel’s continued genocide of Palestinians,” the organization wrote. “In the last year, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been martyred by the Israeli regime, most being women and children.”

Designated safety marshals distributed food, water and masks to those assembled. The rally’s leaders said they would remove anybody who was sexist, racist, antisemitic or Islamophobic.

Representatives from other student organizations, including the Black Student Union, Dissenters, the Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine and the Latin American Student Union, condemned Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza, which have since expanded to other countries like Lebanon and Syria.

Speakers compared U.S. domestic policy to its continued military support of Israel. One added that while victims of the recent Hurricane Helene received minimal financial support, the United States has given billions in military aid to Israel — $17.9 billion since last year, according to the Associated Press.

A representative from BSU read a pro-Palestinian poem by Marcellus Williams, who was executed on Sept. 24 in Missouri despite objections from prosecutors, the victim’s family and advocacy groups because of a lack of reliable evidence proving he committed the crime he was sentenced for. A Palestinian American student read poems written before Oct. 7, and others led the group in prayer.

Speakers criticized the University’s lack of response to calls for divestment, condemning the collaboration between the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science and weapons manufacturing companies like Lockheed Martin. Demonstrators then chalked the entrance to the Engineering Building with statements like “Watson Kills Kids” and “Lockheed Kills Palestinians.” Signs reading “Engineers Should Build Not Destroy” and “Students for BDS” were visible from the adjacent sidewalk.

“Stationed outside the Watson engineering building, SJP has organized this rally to expose Binghamton University’s complacency in the genocide of Palestinians,” the statement from SJP read. “We demand Binghamton’s divestment from weapons manufacturers facilitating the genocide in Gaza. There will be no business as usual until Palestine is free!”

Students also said University administrators have ignored Palestinian, Muslim and Arab student voices, emphasizing the harassment and doxxing students have faced for expressing their views.

In response to a request for comment about the protesters’ concerns, a University spokesperson referred to a Monday morning B-Line to the campus community — co-authored by Provost Donald Hall, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Karen Jones and Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose — that highlighted the importance of respecting free speech throughout the week.

“October 7 and the days that follow will undoubtedly be remembered in different ways by different communities on campus, but will certainly be an emotional time for most,” the B-Line read. “Please value the community and campus we share in your words and actions.”

Several counterprotesters waved large Israeli flags, with one individual wearing a “Bring Them Home Now” shirt. Some demonstrators moved closer, stepping onto the brick ledge in front of the Engineering Building, with safety marshals blocking them from the crowd. To prevent people from falling, University police officers asked counter-demonstrators to step down off the ledge.

Later that day, SJP held a “Year in Perspective” event that focused on political education surrounding the crisis in Gaza. The speakers began by discussing Palestine in 2023 before Oct. 7 and the following military offense. Gaza has been under a military blockade since 2007, with movement in and out heavily restricted. One individual said preexisting Israeli efforts to settle in Palestinian territory were amplified after the Oct. 7 events.

Speakers drew attention to the atrocities committed by Hamas a year ago and during subsequent Israeli counteroffensives, while acknowledging conflicting narratives. They mentioned the reported human rights violations committed by the Israeli military, like the destruction of hospitals, religious and heritage sites and educational facilities, targeted attacks on journalists and U.N. aid workers, and sexual violence in Israeli prisons.

The rally was part of SJP’s “Week of Rage,” which consists of several events this week. A candlelight vigil will be held on Wednesday in collaboration with the Arab Student Association, the Muslim Student Association and the Islamic Organization of the Southern Tier. Throughout the week, SJP will hold a bracelet sale, with all proceeds going to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a culture poetry night and a Palestinian peer support group meeting.

“At the end of the day, we don’t have the ability to affect direct change immediately because we don’t have the reins of power,” said a rally spokesperson who requested anonymity. “But institutions and higher [education] institutions like Binghamton University and then, by larger extension, more directly, the United States government and the Israeli government — those who actually have the power to change what’s going on — have to listen to the populace. That is the aspect, the cornerstone of what a democracy is — listening to the people chanting — and that’s what we’re doing.”