Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben, a former Binghamton University men’s basketball player, was sentenced to five years of probation on July 13 for felony drug charges. The former point guard was indicted on drug charges for selling cocaine twice on June 29, 2009. Additionally, when he was arrested on Sept. 23, 2009, Troy police allegedly found 3.4 grams of cocaine on his person. On Sept. 24, 2009, Mayben was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies. According to a report by…

Drake will headline Binghamton University’s fall concert as part of his “Light Dreams and Nightmare” tour. According to Aaron Cohn, Student Association vice president for programming, Drake was one of the most requested acts from the student survey the SA sent out last November. “Drake is definitely a really hot act right now, especially after this summer and his new album,” Cohn said. “This is probably the biggest hip-hop act we’ve ever brought to Binghamton.” The fall concert will take place on Oct. 1. Sponsored by AT&T, Drake’s upcoming tour will begin on Sept. 20, on the heels of his…

The lawsuit between Elizabeth Williams and Binghamton University has been settled. Williams, a former major gifts officer for Binghamton athletics, will receive $280,000 from BU and the state of New York in a settlement. She will keep $140,000 after legal fees, which is more than twice what her salary was, at $61,800. Williams accused two athletic department officials of sexual harassment. Louis DiLorenzo, a New York City labor lawyer who represented BU, said the majority of the money, $218,200, is provided by the New York State Comptroller, while the remainder of $61,800, comes from BU through the payroll division. Williams…

The New York State Legislature passed the state budget August 3, but a bill that would give SUNY and CUNY campuses more autonomy was ultimately not included in the final budget. The bill, called the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA), was designed to lift certain regulations on SUNY and CUNY institutions. PHEEIA would have given individual campuses, including Binghamton University, the ability to vary tuition among programs. This could have made certain programs more expensive than others, but proponents saw it as a means of bringing in more money for schools. It would also allow campuses to…

The academic year is only just beginning, but the Student Association Executive Board has been working through the summer on projects and programs to benefit the campus community. Some new initiatives they have set in motion include a student carpool program, a website where students can access the formerly confidential Student Opinion of Teacher (SOOT) surveys and a textbook rental service. With the new high occupancy vehicle (HOV) carpool program, an upperclassman commuter who carpools with two or more other students is eligible to buy a special HOV parking pass. This pass, which all of the students carpooling in one…

Binghamton University has adopted a free mobile application which will allow students to gain access to important information and media about BU. The device, called bMobi, is available for Apple devices and BlackBerrys with a connection to Wi-Fi or 3G and features maps of the campus, class schedules, class locations and instructors’ contact information. The app also provides students with up-to-date BU news, as well as the schedules and scores of soccer, basketball and lacrosse games, along with many others. bMobi also includes photos and videos of different aspects of BU, under the categories of academic, campus life, athletics, facilities…

The Binghamton University Presidential Search Committee announced its criteria for the University’s next president. Members of the committee want the new president to able to address the long-term goals of the University, and the criteria shows an emphasis on the development of research and graduate programs, as well as proven success in fundraising. According to the published list of criteria, the search committe is looking for a candidate with, “an appreciation for the importance of maintaining a healthy, productive balance between research and high-quality teaching [and] a commitment to professional and graduate education and relevant experience in strengthening graduate level…