Semester in review

"BUC$ and ATM plans

BUC$ is planned to be brought to off-campus stores and restaurants in the spring. Mike Smyth, the Student Association president, worked with University President Lois B. DeFleur, Sodexho and Blackboard — which owns BUC$ — to bring the project to fruition. Smyth met with the Blackboard marketing staff after Thanksgiving break to decide on which venues will be allowed to accept BUC$. Students were also given the opportunity to vote for specific stores in a poll held on the S.A. Web site. In addition, student demand for more 24-hour ATM access on campus was met with plans to move one of the machines from the New University Union to the Old Union.

Old Union renovation

Plans are underway to remodel the Old Union. The State University Construction Fund has allocated nearly $14 million to the project, which has to be completed in the next five years or the money will no longer be available. Concerns over the structural integrity of the roof will be a major factor in the plans, as well as asbestos abatement and electrical problems. Renovations of the Old Union started three years ago when the New Union was built, but lack of funds stopped the project. One of the focuses of the renovation will be providing more office and meeting space to student groups.

Save the South debacle

The Student Association’s Hurricane Katrina relief fund raising campaign was cancelled because its slogan had perceived connections with racist post-Civil War sentiments. The Black Student Union objected to the slogan of the campaign, “Save the South,” which was printed on orange bracelets and sold for charity. Some felt that the slogan was reminiscent of a Civil War hymn, “God, Save the South,” which calls for the preservation of the Old South and makes references to re instituting slavery. The campaign, which was headed by S.A. President Mike Smyth, took in $15,000 before it was aborted.

VPMA resigns

Ju-Sun Lee resigned his position as the S.A. vice president for multicultural affairs on Nov. 7 — two weeks after he had dropped out of BU to pursue a lucrative career in software programming. An election was coordinated to meet the deadlines set forth by the S.A. constitution and bylaws, which conflicted. Jesse Nathaniel Reed won the election with 42 percent of 769 votes, and was later approved by the Assembly. Reed promised to expand his office to address student body concerns about minority marginalization on campus.

Student information leak

The confidential details, including names and Social Security numbers, of 414 students were exposed on an insecure server in September, sparking University officials to recommend abandoning Social Security numbers in favor of randomly generated numbers as student identifiers. University officials said there was no indication that the leaked data was used inappropriately, but advised the affected students to file credit fraud reports to minimize the risk of identity theft. Over the last 12 months there has been a surge in the number of information leaks at universities across the country, furthering a national trend of adopting random student identifiers.

St. Patrick’s Four trial

Four local Iraq War protesters dodged a six-year prison sentence when a jury acquitted them of federal conspiracy charges; it was the first of its kind since the Vietnam War. On March 17, 2003, the Ithaca residents, known as the St. Patrick’s Four, entered a military recruiting station and poured their blood on the walls, floor and a U.S. flag. They then read a Bible passage criticizing the impending invasion of Iraq and laid down to symbolize the resulting death toll. The group defended their actions under international law, maintaining they had performed a “peaceful protest” against an “illegal” war.

Attempted campus rape

The campus police arrested freshman William Marulanda Oct. 15 after his neighbor in Dickinson’s Digman Hall accused Marulanda of trying to have sex with her after she said no. According to a police report, the victim fled before the assailant could complete the sex act. Marulanda, 20, was held in the Broome County Jail for 19 days and will be tried on the sex-assault charge, a felony. In the wake of the charges, the University highlighted statistics indicating that more than 1 in 3 women are sexually assaulted during their college careers and reminded students of a newly-hired counselor, paid for by a federal Justice Department grant, recruited especially to deal with sex assault.

Wrestler arrested in bar fight

BU’s varsity wrestling team — resuscitated by a $230,000 state grant after President Lois B. DeFleur killed the team a few years ago — suspended its only heavyweight wrestler, Edward Bordas, after the Binghamton city police accused him of punching a 22-year-old woman at the Rathskeller Pub, a popular downtown bar. The local Fox TV affiliate reported that the punch was an accident. The police added two more misdemeanor charges after, police allege, Bordas resisted officers’ attempts to handcuff him and damaged a holding cell at police headquarters later that night. Dean of Students Lloyd M. Howe suspended Bordas, 18, the day after he found out about the misdemeanor arrest.

Frat house vandalized

The former frat house of Alpha Epsilon Pi at 76 Conklin Ave. was the site of a violent invasion by a group of men, at least one of whom, Daniel J. Venditti, is a member of, as the police put it, “an opposing fraternity,” Alpha Phi Delta. The city police arrested and jailed Venditti on a trio of felony charges, including assault, burglary and criminal mischief. According to court papers filed the night Venditti was spotted by the police at the Conklin house, Venditti and others stormed into the house by kicking down the door. A witness said Venditti brandished a piece of wood, tried to attack another student and destroyed stereo equipment totaling more than $1,300. Venditti was released several days later from the Broome County Jail.