Students can attend a crash course in “causing a scene” this week, with the help of comedian Charlie Todd. Todd, of the comedy prank group Improv Everywhere, is set to visit Binghamton University this Friday to perform a show titled “How to Cause a Scene.” The group, which was founded in 2001, is famous for the “No Pants Subway Ride,” an event that takes place every January in New York City, along with many other organized pranks, or “missions.” “Improv Everywhere is an improv group that brings people together to do random acts of improv around NYC,” said Ashlee Yilmaz,…

A Hertz car sharing program will soon provide students with the option of renting cars on the Binghamton University campus on a short-term basis. Registration for the program, called Connect, is already open, and students can register online at www.connectbyhertz.com. The site will also be posted on the Student Association Web site at www.binghamtonsa.org. Students can reserve a block of time in advance, and payments are done by credit card. A mobile Web site and an iPhone application are in the works to allow students to register from their cellular phones. Elahd Bar-Shai, chair of the Student Assembly, has been…

At the start of the spring 2009 semester, more than 200 students were living in forced triples. One year later, all of the temporary triples from fall 2009 have already been broken up, and some students are finding themselves living in a single room. Each fall semester, incoming students are placed into temporary triples to ensure that Residential Life is able to find housing for those who wish to live on the Binghamton University campus, and accidental singles are the first places Residential Life looks when they need to break these triples up. Accidental single rooms occur when a student…

As the end of the semester approaches and students finish cramming for finals, they look forward to heading home to a month of relaxation, reunions with friends and much-needed sleep. However, there are some who remain after the campus clears out — those whose homes are farther than a bus or car ride away. They are the international students. And according to the admissions Web site, over 1,000 Binghamton University students come from 100 different international locales. Though some of these students go home for the holidays, many prefer to use their time in the United States to travel the…

With the school year approaching the halfway point, it’s crunch time for students looking into off-campus housing for next year. The Off Campus College (OCC) Office is available to help students with their housing searches, and ensure they have the necessary knowledge to get the right lease and make the move off campus. While the OCC does not help students actually secure a lease, they aim to make the search easier by providing helpful information. Officials recommend that students come in before they begin searching so that they know what to look for. “Students should look for a variety of…

From early this morning until early Wednesday, the skies will be filled with meteors during the Leonid Meteor Shower. At the shower’s start this morning, sky was exceptionally clear, displaying hundreds of meteors viewable every hour. The Leonids get their name from the constellation Leo, from where they appear to fall, said Andrew Telesca, an adjunct lecturer in the department of physics, applied physics and astronomy. The meteor trails are created when the Earth runs into a cloud of dust in its orbit, and particles in the atmosphere are heated, creating trails of light that can be seen from the…

A local salon will hold a charity event on campus where hair and profit will be donated to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces for children who have suffered hair-loss due to long-term illnesses. The Cutting Edge salon and Circle K, a student-run volunteer organization, are co-hosting this event, which will take place in the Hinman Dining Hall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The mission of Locks of Love is to restore the self-esteem of children who lost their hair. “This is not the first year that the event has come to…

This year marks the 150-year anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s book, “On the Origin of Species,” and to celebrate, the Evolutionary Studies Program (EvoS) will host a special guest to perform “The Rap Guide to Evolution.” Hip-hop artist Baba Brinkman will perform his award-winning presentation at 4 p.m. Friday in Lecture Hall 2. “Science and humanities are famously said to be different worlds, but in the real world the most important ideas are communicated through art, and fusing science and art is extremely important and interesting,” said David Sloan Wilson, a professor in the biology department and BU’s…

Binghamton University’s Outdoor Pursuits department is scheduled to hold an event Saturday aimed at educating others about the hazards of disposing medicine by pouring it down the drain. The event, titled “Save Our Stream,” is being held to gather old medicine people may have and dispose of it in an environmentally-friendly manner. Outdoor pursuits received permits from the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health to collect the medication. The disposal of medicine down the drain is potentially damaging to the water supply, as it can find its way into local rivers and streams. “Everyone is talking about…

Ahoy, maties! The Pirate Club at Binghamton University was formed last year by a few swashbuckling friends, and has just started to get up and running this semester. “[The club was formed to] be all about bringing people who love pirates together,” said James Murk, president and founder of the Pirate Club. Murk was inspired to start the club after a Pirates vs. Ninjas Capture the Flag event last year, according to the club’s vice president Chris Gaugler. Gaugler captured the spirit of the club with his description of their goals. “First: to educate the masses about pirate culture and…

The Safe Ride Escort program is an alternative form of travel for Binghamton University students who have to walk across campus grounds alone after dark. “Most people use the service because they are too lazy to walk,” jokes Safe Ride student supervisor Ryan Saluzzi, “but the intent is for it to be a safe ride for students.” The escort program, which is a free service for all students and faculty, started as a walking escort service and then grew to include driving. According to Saluzzi, the Safe Ride van is not a taxi and cannot be used to go off…

Over the past years, students who have gotten themselves in sticky situations were sent to Judicial Affairs, but this semester the office is taking a new approach, not to mention a new name. The Office of Student Conduct at Binghamton University, formerly known as Judicial Affairs, has taken on a revised, student-friendly outlook on discipline. The purpose of the office, located in the Tuscarora Office Building, is to enforce the rules of student behavior and educate students about the process. “We are framing our policies differently and hopefully that will get students to rethink the choices they make,” said Gabriel…