This year’s spring Commencement will award approximately 3,352 degrees to Binghamton University bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral candidates, four of whom were selected to speak at the ceremonies. Ceremonies will take place on Saturday and Sunday in the Events Center. Binghamton University will also recognize its 100,000th graduate at this time. The selected students applied for the speaker positions by submitting recommendations and their speeches to a committee consisting of admissions faculty and commencement coordinators. Tobey Lass will speak at the ceremony for the professional schools on Sunday. She will receive her Bachelor of Science degree in human development, with a…

Binghamton’s first Restaurant Week raised nearly $2,000 for supplies and materials to benefit children’s programming at the Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton. Restaurant Week took place from March 16 to 25 with participating restaurants including: Little Venice Restaurant, Kilmer Brasserie & Steakhouse, Lost Dog Café, Mad Moose Saloon, Sake Tumi, The Flan Club and Tranquil Bar & Bistro. During this fundraising event, which was coordinated by city of Binghamton, each participating restaurant offered a special menu that included a three-course dinner for $20. Percentages of purchases of exhibited dishes were donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton.…

The Binghamton University Foundation is launching its first Internet-based fundraising campaign that will allow viewers to connect with the school from their own homes. The two-hour “Bold. Brilliant. Binghamton.” comprehensive gifts campaign, which begins at 8 p.m. Thursday, is an opportunity for BU to acquire funding that will steer the University into the future despite “dwindling state support,” said Rebecca Benner, senior director of advancement services/campaign operations of the BU Foundation. The campaign will include live presentations about academic programs, after which viewers can interact with the professors featured in the videos. Viewers will also have the opportunity to pose…

Binghamton University sophomore Matthew Murillo is challenging his peers: If he completes an Ironman triathlon in the fall, his friends must either sign up to donate bone marrow or make a monetary donation to The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. “The reason I chose to support the bone marrow [registry] was because it seemed like a cause that not many people wanted to take part in because of the negative connotations it has with pain and the time it takes to donate,” he said. “I thought if I can show the amount of time I was willing to spend…

The School of Management at Binghamton University has moved up six slots in national rankings among public institutions to No. 12 and jumped 13 spots in national undergraduate program rankings to No. 35. Upinder Dhillon, dean of the School of Management, said the jump in rankings, which were released Wednesday in Business Week, comes after changes made to the undergraduate curriculum. “Three years ago, we completely revamped our undergraduate program,” he said. “We made it much more integrative and supportive to the students … in terms of starting early.” According to Dhillon, their initial vision was to be among the…

The Binghamton City Planning Commission has approved a site-plan that calls for the construction of a Downtown student housing complex of 119 apartments. The five-to-one vote, with one abstention, took place March 1. The vote allows the Newman Development Group, LLC, the company behind University Plaza Apartments, to continue acquiring the necessary building and demolition permits for the proposed College Suites of Binghamton. If all permits are attained, the suites, which which would house 392 students in fully furnished apartments, would be built on Washington Street adjacent to the Binghamton University Downtown Center. According to Robert Pompi, a BU professor…

The Dickinson Community Players will be returning for their annual spring semester performance of “The Vagina Monologues” from Friday to Sunday in the Dickinson Dining Hall. The performance is taken directly from Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, “The Vagina Monologues,” which is performed internationally to create awareness to fight violence against women and girls, and to raise funds to aid women worldwide who are in a crisis. The event is scheduled to have performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 11 p.m. Tickets will be sold for $3 on the nights of the performances. The monetary profit from the…

Despite cuts that have decreased the number of annual performances the group puts on, Children’s Dance Theatre is scheduled to present its showcase Saturday. The event will run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Osterhout Concert Theater in the Anderson Center. “This year, the dances include two hip-hop pieces, a tap, a Broadway, two modern, two barley dances, belly dance and many more,” Kate DeMarco, a junior majoring in English with a theater minor, and one of the group’s student managers and choreographers, said. The Saturday matinee performance gives CDT, an Student Association-chartered group, the opportunity to raise funds…

A presentation on campus featured a doctor who addressed the sex life of heterosexuals, with an emphasis on women. “What Women Want,” which was held in Lecture Hall 9 on Friday, was organized by Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity, the pre-medical fraternity that is part of the Professional Fraternity Council (PFC) at Binghamton University. The group brought Dr. Evan Goldfischer to campus for its annual Gelfand Lecture. The Gelfand Lecture was started to promote high scientific standards in medical fields, discussion of current issues related to medicine and the art and humanity of medicine. Goldfischer, a urologist from Poughkeepsie,…

On-campus housing at Binghamton University is in high demand, but Residential Life is taking precautions to decrease the number of freshmen placed in triple rooms. According to Residential Life, a high number of returning students have chosen to stay on campus. Also, with enrollment rates for public universities on the rise due to the downturn of the economy, there are more freshmen attending BU than ever, all of whom are required to live on campus. This increased number of returning students and incoming freshmen moving onto campus has created a bed shortage, forcing the school to place three freshmen in…

On Christmas Day in 2008, Dr. John Pryor, a Binghamton University graduate, lost his life during his service as a trauma surgeon for the United States Army Reserve Medical Corps’ first Forward Surgical Team (FST). To honor the lost medic, a memorial service was held in the Memorial Courtyard on campus on Saturday. “Dr. Pryor was serving as a trauma surgeon in Iraq with the first Forward Surgical Team, and on Christmas Day he was killed by a mortar fire. A mortar struck near his quarters in Mosul, Iraq, where he was living,” Paul Meddaugh, chief of Harpur’s Ferry, said.…

Throughout the years, there have been minor construction renovations in Lecture Hall. The start of this summer marks the debut of a major alteration to the building. “There is a schedule that regularly updates the lecture halls and classrooms across campus. The Lecture Hall in particular has been receiving seating and floor upgrades as well as the installation of new projects,” said Karen Fennie, communications specialist for Physical Facilities at Binghamton University. “However, there has never been a major renovation, especially in the corridor area of the hall, and this summer renovation starts including this area. Minor work is going…

Broome County Transit acquired six hybrid diesel buses that Congressman Maurice Hinchey, D-NY, in conjunction with Broome County officials debuted on April 16. To obtain these buses Hinchey secured more than $3 million in federal funds over the past several years with his seat on the House Appropriations Committee. Binghamton University students are free to ride B.C. Transit buses with a flash of their student ID. “The bus life is longer, and of course, it is green,” Lori Rolison, B.C. Transit director of operations, said. “Buses are distributed amongst all the bus lines; there is no specific bus line. We…

Evan Franca graduated from Binghamton University in 2007 with a vision: starting his own business. The theater major has had to jump through many hurdles to reach his goal. But today, Franca is the owner of Cafe Oasis at 142 Washington St. in Downtown Binghamton. “Fear of the unknown is a great obstacle, but you need to believe in your strengths, speak to people and do a lot of research,” said Rob Ruggiero, the co-founder of Cafe Oasis. Have no fear, entrepreneurs. BU’s Small Business Development Center is hosting its Small Business Training Program, a three-day event that runs from…

As the dust rose from the brooms, the most popular phrase of the day rang out: “All hands on deck!” Binghamton University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) hosted a clean up on Saturday to better the environmental and physical development of the city of Binghamton. “This experience was a moment for Binghamton University as a whole to bond with a major part of its community, the city of Binghamton,” Jess Maslin, a junior chemistry major, said. On this bright Saturday afternoon, Maslin was part of a group of three that gathered in front of Old World Delicatessen on Court Street…

In honor of Women’s History Month, the first ever interfaith forum was held at Binghamton University. “Faith is what we feel inside, faith is what is right and faith is what we think is right,” said Albin Mathew, the president of the Binghamton University Indian International Student Union. The event place on Thursday, March 12, in Lecture Hall 7 from 8 to 10 p.m. The event was hosted by the IISU in conjunction with the Sikh Association, the Hindu Student Council, the Muslim Student Association and the Indian Christian Fellowship. The idea began when Aneeta Rai, the president of the…

On the coast of West Africa lies a place where the wind that blows in the middle of a warm February carries the sweet smell of hibiscus flowers, mingled with that of the amaryllis and bright orange lilies around town. Binghamton University students have a chance to go there, to Ghana, to study abroad this summer. Students have until Monday, March 16, to submit their applications for a three-week program in Ghana. The trip offers six credit hours and allows students to partake in a research project that can be developed to satisfy any degree program at BU. It runs…