BU announces plans for law school
President Lois B. DeFleur confirmed during a November press conference that University officials were in the early stages of planning a law school at Binghamton University. In April, state legislators announced that $3 million would be set aside to cover the initial design and planning stages of the law school. A timeline for the law school, which would serve between 200 and 300 students, has yet to be established by BU officials, although at the end of the academic year the proposal was still in the approval phase. Different plans for the location of the school and its construction are being considered.
Patch Adams visits BU
Patch Adams, a world renowned activist famous for his alternative approach to medicine, spoke at the West Gym on Oct. 20. More than 1,000 people attended the event, during which Adams emphasized the love and compassion he shared in his career of aiding the sick and poor. He also gave opinions on the Iraq War, the actions of the U.S. government and the practices of pharmaceutical companies.
Student dies in freak accident
Anders Uwadinobi died Dec. 2, after he was hit in the chest by another student during a consensual boxing match in College-in-the-Wood’s Mohawk Hall. About 300 people attended a candlelight vigil held for Uwadinobi in the Tillman Lobby the following day. At the vigil, friends remembered Uwadinobi, who was from the Bronx, for his sense of humor, smile and love for life.
Multiple security breaches exposes students’ personal information
In mid-March, an adviser for the School of Management accidentally sent an e-mail containing the full names, Social Security numbers and grade point averages of more than 300 SOM students to 288 students. The e-mail, which was meant for another adviser, was supposed to be used to select students for an academic award. The University set up accounts with credit agencies for the affected students so that the students could receive free credit reports. Just three weeks afterward, WHRW, the campus radio station, received an envelope meant for the Registrar containing the Social Security numbers of some Turkish students, along with photocopies of their passports and immigration cards. Around the same time, an SOM student reported that his Social Security number had been visible in the window of the envelope containing his Dean’s List letter, but school officials said such information is not included in letters congratulating students. In late April, the University notified about 130 individuals tied to BU that their personal information — including their Social Security numbers — was leaked when a laptop was stolen from the company that is implementing the Banner Project, Binghamton’s new centralized student services Web site.
Frat mourns loss of brother in car crash
BU student Willie Poon was pronounced dead after the car his frat brother was driving went off the road in Tompkins County and crashed into a tree on May 2. Rolyden C. Liu, the BU student who was driving, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. Liu, Poon and three others were returning from Cornell. Liu and Poon are both members of the social fraternity Lambda Phi Epsilon.
Former BU student dies
William Gage, who attended BU until the spring semester of 2007, died on April 19 at a friend’s home in Jericho. Gage was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at BU, and friends who spoke to Pipe Dream remembered his smile and loyalty. A memorial service was also held in Gage’s honor at the Newman House. The cause of Gage’s death had not been determined at the initial time of press.
Campus protest leads to parkway, 9 arrests
On March 18, nine people — including eight BU students — were arrested in what escalated to a heated anti-war protest. The rally started on campus and eventually led to the Vestal Parkway, where police arrested protesters on charges included obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. BU administrators announced in late April that the students would not face any judicial charges from the University.
City orders students to be evicted
Six BU students, along with the landlord of their 8 Lincoln Ave. house, were found in early December to be in violation of the city’s R-1 zoning law. The students were subsequently ordered out of their homes by April 1, following a ruling by the Zoning Board of Appeals. The zoning law calls for only “factual and functional” families to reside on the west side of Binghamton, and the board ruled that the students did not meet family status.