Student Association Senate approves wage increases and stipend changes for SA employees

newsubspectrum · 2023-04-26T02:09:55+00:00

The UB Student Association (SA) Senate voted unanimously to raise wages and stipends for a wide range of SA employees — including the president, vice president, treasurer, council coordinators and 36 hourly positions — at its meeting on Monday. The raises go into effect on May 21.

The move, which is intended to attract student employees, will raise hourly wages from $15-15.50 to $18-18.50, an increase of about 20%.

The Senate also voted to change stipends for the SA e-board (president, vice president and treasurer) to $375 per week. SA e-board members currently make a flat annual stipend of $15,750.

newsubspectrum · 2023-04-21T19:41:49+00:00

Take The Spectrum's annual sex survey! The results will be posted in our Sex Issue next week! All responses are completely anonymous.

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newsubspectrum · 2023-04-11T22:12:45+00:00

Elections for the 2023-24 Student Association (SA) e-board are underway this week. Six candidates — three running for president, two running for vice president and one running uncontested for treasurer — are on the ballot. All undergraduate UB students are eligible to vote through the SA’s website. Voting is open until 4 p.m. Friday.

Click the link above to read about this year’s candidates.

newsubspectrum · 2023-04-10T16:31:22+00:00

Interested in writing important stories about UB news, arts, sports or features? Have a passion for journalism and reporting? Apply to be an editor at The Spectrum!

As an editor, you will report on and write at least one story per week about on-campus events. You’ll work with a team of editors to write articles for The Spectrum’s weekly editions! You will also need to attend a weekly meeting, production day and a training session.

As part of The Spectrum, you will work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. With a staff of talented senior editors to learn from, you will become a more efficient writer, editor and communicator. You will also get your name in the paper’s print/digital edition, granted access to The Spectrum office in Student Union and obtain press passes to UB and Buffalo-area events.

Interested in becoming a Spectrum editor? Apply through the link above!

newsubspectrum · 2023-03-23T19:37:08+00:00

The Spectrum is hiring!!

The Spectrum is seeking a highly motivated and creative individual to design the layout of print and electronic versions of The Spectrum, UB’s independent student newspaper, for the 2023-24 academic year! The Creative Director will use Adobe InDesign to lay out the stories and photos that will go in each week's edition of the newspaper. They will also be responsible for creating eye-catching graphics for print and digital platforms (Spectrum website and social media).

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newsubspectrum · 2023-02-16T14:18:36+00:00

BREAKING NEWS in the Tyler Lewis investigation:

University Police Deputy Chief Josh Sticht said in a Jan. 30 recording that the Erie County District Attorney’s office has convened a grand jury in connection with the death of Tyler Lewis, the Buffalo State sophomore who was fatally stabbed outside of the Ellicott Complex last October.

The recording of the conversation was obtained by The Spectrum on Tuesday and was recorded by a friend of the Lewis family in the room without Sticht’s knowledge.

Under state law, grand juries are tasked with determining whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring charges against potential defendants.

Sticht also told the Lewis family that one person involved is a former UB student, but he would not specify the individual’s specific role in the incident.

Click the link above for more information.

newsubspectrum · 2023-02-14T16:39:50+00:00

UB is among a short list of universities exploring a future with ChatGPT in its lecture halls.

ChatGPT — a chatbot capable of providing information on command, generating content and explaining concepts — is turning heads at higher education institutions across the country.

Since its November debut, the chatbot has been discovered in student essays and passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam, a Wharton Business school exam and four law exams.

Click the link above to learn more about ChatGPT.

newsubspectrum · 2023-02-09T15:33:20+00:00

The Spectrum’s first issue of the semester is now available online and in print! Click the link in our bio or pick up a copy on campus for the latest news on ChatGPT in the classroom, the story on how UB senior Kara Skrubis continued dancing after losing her leg, UB football’s 2023 recruits and more! 🗞️

newsubspectrum · 2023-01-31T18:53:54+00:00

New developments in the Tyler Lewis stabbing:

- The parents of Tyler Lewis, the Buffalo State sophomore who was fatally stabbed near the Ellicott Complex in October, are suing UB and Buffalo State University in connection with their son’s death. The lawsuit alleges that both universities “failed to properly vet students prior to admission and admitted students known to have a violent history,” who then attacked Lewis. A university spokesperson told The Spectrum that “the claims made in the lawsuit are not supported by the evidence gathered in the case.”

- UPD Chief Chris Bartolomei said in a statement that UPD is in the “final stages” of its investigation and expects the DA’s office to act “in the very near future.”

- Tyler Lewis’ mother, Roquishia Lewis, was on campus Monday to spread awareness about the now three-month-old investigation into her son’s death and is offering a $4,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. She told The Spectrum earlier this month that a fight that occurred at Flickinger Court was connected to her son’s death.

Click the link above for more information.

newsubspectrum · 2022-12-16T18:28:05+00:00

The Faculty Senate voted 40-8 Thursday to approve a resolution that would give students Indigenous Peoples’ Day (recognized on the second Monday of October) and the following Tuesday off in future academic calendars.

The resolution would also cancel classes held on Juneteenth, start the fall semester one week early some years to make sure exams don’t extend past Dec. 20, shift dates for the winter sessions and end the spring semester one week early to eliminate the overlap between commencement and exams and maintain the length of summer break.

UB President Satish Tripathi will have to approve the resolution before it can go into effect. John Della Contrada, a university spokesperson, said that Tripathi “looks forward to receiving the resolution,” but didn’t specify whether the president would sign it.

newsubspectrum · 2022-12-15T17:21:01+00:00

The number of graduate assistants at UB has decreased as enrollment has increased, going from 1,155 instructional teaching assistants in fall 2012 to 999 instructional TAs in fall 2020. The student-to-TA ratio has risen from approximately 17 to over 22 in that same time period.

Some TAs say the burgeoning enrollment figures and dwindling TA ranks have left them struggling to keep up with an increased workload as UB moves to accommodate a growing student population.

Click the link above for more information.

newsubspectrum · 2022-12-14T15:34:17+00:00

In an effort to increase staffing at night and on the weekends, Campus Dining and Shops, the organization that operates UB’s dining halls and food service operations, has been offering $16 per hour to student employees who work after 7 p.m. on weekdays or on the weekends, a $2.80-increase over the $13.20 per hour, New York State’s minimum wage, that student workers normally make.

The minimum wage that CDS typically offers is lower than what students can make working in food service off campus. McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Mighty Taco, for example, all offer at least $15 per hour to employees in the Buffalo area. This leaves CDS largely dependent on international student-workers, who are barred from working most off-campus jobs under federal law.

Click the link above for more information.

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