President Stenger: A-
After three semesters on the job, President Stenger has solidified his presence on campus. We like that we see him around, getting healthy salads in the dining halls and jogging with students. He’s accessible and that’s not something to be taken for granted in a university our size.
President Stenger has also done a thorough job reexamining the University’s priorities, not leaving a stone unturned. His Road Map holds great promise of making Binghamton the “premier public university of the 21st century.”
He isn’t superman, so we can’t give him an A. But for President Stenger to fulfill the potential we know he has, all he must do is continue on the trajectory he’s started. Binghamton will be the better for it.
SAPB: C
Sorry Bri Fri, but really, sorry BU students, because the SAPB blew it this time. We left for winter break feeling great about the variety of big name acts we got first semester. But we were also slightly worried we cashed out early, and we were so right. We can forgive the lack of a soiree, but Yellowcard is where we draw the line. No joke, our Spring Fling show was simply an embarrassment. We know pointing out the obvious is overdone, but the fact that no one in the programming board ever stopped and said, “Wait, this isn’t right,” is just a bad reflection on the SA. It’s a shame because we’re ending a reasonably good year of programming with a bad show, but instead of harping on it, let’s just enjoy the library rave and call it a year. M&M, you’re up.
Student Association: B+
Overall, with one notable exception (see above), the SA E-Board has done a phenomenal job this year. Under Eric Larson, the VPF’s office was the most efficient it’s been in years, Aaron Ricks secured future funding for the Times Readership Program, Daniel Adeyanju was a presence around campus and was well-liked by all of his constituent groups, Derek Gumb successfully launched a new conflict resolution center and Mark Soriano pushed forward with efforts to incorporate.
Our main problems actually stem from the legislative branch. The constitutional changes were underwhelming — serving mainly to clean up the text and reduce the size of the newly renamed student congress. We think it was a missed opportunity not to rename the Vice President for Multicultural Affairs office and disagree with limiting the Vice President for Programing to only SAPB insiders. After all, Friia was a member of SAPB.
Elections, as usual, were not run without multiple violations of SA bylaws that were only fixed after Pipe Dream starting asking questions. But we should note that they were successfully held online for the first time.
Construction: C
Opacity and sluggishness have colored construction on campus.
After months of detours and debris, the Harpur Quad — the area with the fountain outside the library — hasn’t lived up to expectations. It suffers from the same problems as all of Binghamton’s landscaping — it only looks nice during the summer months when most students aren’t around. We think it was a missed opportunity to demonstrate a new direction for campus.
We’re also dismayed by the lulling rate of the University Union Food Court renovation. The Food Court, the veritable heart of student life, has been out of commission for a full year now. It wasn’t clear that renovations were entirely necessary in the first place. Now that we’re knees deep, no one seems to know when we’ll be out. And when we asked about it, we initially received conflicting answers.
The University has also brazenly ignored the say of the Committee for the University Environment (CUE), a group meant to review major projects affecting the University’s natural environment. The landscaping and tree removal around the former Dickinson Dining Hall was conducted with no prior notice and zero regard for CUE’s input. This oversight has become typical of the construction on campus.
Sports: B
Not every university can say two of its sports teams won conference championships, but Binghamton can. Volleyball stunned Albany with a 3-0 title-game victory and men’s tennis captured the America East crown for the sixth straight year. We also saw softball’s most successful Division I season, and wrestling sent four individuals to the NCAA tournament.
Next, we would like to see the major sports — basketball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse — regularly compete for conference titles.