State University of New York at Fredonia The Issue No. 13, Volume XXV LeaderWednesday December 4, 2013 Diers hosts a cappella workshop Remembering Lou Reed B-1 b-2 What the frack is going on? The debate and impact of converting the NRG plant from coal to natural gas WENDY MAHNK used during natural gas extraction that dates was deemed a less productive source of been unobtainable by traditional means Special to The Leader back to the 1940s. The procedure involves extraction. It was not until the 1980s did (vertical drilling) — is now accessible by the pumping of water, chemicals and sand shale gas extraction really develop due to horizontal drilling. Traditional vertical wells What the frack is going on? slurry into a gas well at tremendously high the combination of new inventive drilling drill downward, in more or less a straight If NRG’s Dunkirk facility is repowered pressures in order to fracture and prop open techniques and the practice of hydraulic line, until it reaches the rock formation as a natural gas refinery, the question that shale rock formations. This then stimulates fracturing. which is then “fracked” to stimulate the will be on many people’s mind is where the release of the gas trapped within the Great advancements have been made flow of gas in the areas that have been is the natural gas coming from? More rock formation. in drilling technology in the last two exposed by the drilling. specifically, will it be coming from the This procedure has been at the forefront decades that have made shale gas a more With Marcellus Shale estimated by controversial hydrofracking processes? of issues in states such as Pennsylvania, advantageous energy alternative. New the U.S. Geological survey to have 500 Currently New York State has a New York, West Virginia and Ohio due technologies, such as horizontal drilling trillion cubic feet of natural gas, shale gas moratorium on the issuance of permits for to the large shale deposit known as the techniques adopted from deep sea drilling extraction has seemly become a productive high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF). Marcellus Formation that straddles the operations in the Gulf of Mexico, are what and profitable answer to the question of Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known borders of these states. have really made it a lucrative operation. as hydrofracking or fracking, is a practice Previously shale gas extraction Historically natural gas — which has Continued on page A-2 Lecture discusses ethics in business Adjunct S.L. FULLER Spotlight Staff Writer CARL LAM Staff Writer Dr. Rich Robinson, a professor in the department of Business Administration, is on Often times, there are many alumni sabbatical this semester, but he returned to give featured in these articles highlighting a lecture he titled, “Positive Duty in Business outstanding adjunct professors. While and its Practical Limitations?” The lecture was they were here on campus, many of based on the Kantian philosophy of ethics and them were a part of different aspects how it relates to the world of business. of campus media. And certainly, Robinson described himself as a Kantian. The Leader has quite an extensive Niccolo Machiavelli’s philosophy that “the end history with a large pool of former justifies the means” is the basis of the Kantian staff members — and Stuart Shapiro philosophy. However, unlike Machiavelli, Kantian happens to be one of them. belief is that people should be considered an end “I was a yellow journalist and instead of a mean. This calls for all humans to did some exposé type of articles and be treated with dignity. I also drew cartoons for The Leader. “If you treat someone as an end, you’re Any of this stuff you can do when … using them to benefit yourself,” said Ryan you’re in college is great experience Newell, a senior public accountancy major, Melissa Rechin / Photo Editor and it serves you well in the real after the lecture. Newell said he has taken many Dr. Rich Robinson, a professor of business administration, lectures world,” he said. classes with Robinson and that was a theme students on the philosophy of ethics in business. Shapiro, an adjunct professor of commonly brought up in class. Music Industry, graduated from SUNY The lecture started with Robinson describing Sally was a real asset to the business but had “Have you been in any way enlightened Fredonia with a bachelor’s degree in two important aspects of his lecture: positive a troubled life. tonight? Well maybe not,” said Robinson, in communications. He later went on to and negative duties. Going along with the idea “At what point might that company have conclusion. “But you know what? You’re going earn his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from of treating people as ends, the means should be intervened in some way to provide some help?” to be walking across campus someday, and the University at Buffalo and began to based around positive duties, not negative ones. asked Robinson. “Is that a positive duty that you’ll see some flash of insight because you’ll practice law. However, this decision to “They’re absolute,” Robinson said of negative they owed?” be thinking about positive duties.” go back to school came after having duties. “In business it means no fraud, no coercion, “They obviously didn’t have the same ends,” But in fact, the lecture ended with a friendly a career that wasn’t closely related no theft.” Of positive duties, he said “They’re said Vujovic after the lecture. “She was helping back-and-forth between Robinson and Dr. Stephen to law at all. not absolutes; they have practical limits. Those out the corporation, and they were doing really, Kershnar, chair and professor in the department “I did for a while stand up comedy, duties are things we should do.” really well but she ended up committing suicide of philosophy. According to Vujovic, Robinson music as a solo performer and in “We see business as a moral community,” because she wasn’t getting the same benefit that attended a lecture Kershnar recently gave and different bands. Basically, I wrote my continued Robinson. “And this motivates our they were receiving.” “they almost had a difference in opinion.” own material and at one point, I was sense of duty.” Vujovic and Newell said they weren’t “I’m not seeing your argument though,” combining the two,” Shapiro said. “I It became clear that obligation was at persuaded by the lecture to become Kantians said Kershnar from the audience as he and had a quasi-successful career but not the core of Robinson’s lecture. What ethical like Robinson. Newell said he needed to study Robinson went back and forth about duties of the kind of thing I could really make obligations do firms have to their workers, and Kantianism more in depth before he could say stakeholders in small businesses. a living at.” workers to their firms? One example of the either way while Vujovic opposed it all together. Robinson responded, defending his Kantian When Shapiro says “quasi- “moral community” that Robinson gave really But neither was sorry they attended the lecture. views. This continued for a majority of the last successful” music career, that’s a bit stuck with Nikoleta Vujovic , a senior public “It’s nice to hear the other side,” said Vujovic. seven minutes of the lecture. Robinson and of an understatement. He’s performed accountancy major. “It’s something we don’t see in day-to-day Kershnar still went at it — drawing stick figure A restaurant in a casino had hired a woman business classes either,” added Newell. “It’s not models and diagrams on the board — as the Continued on page A-2 named Sally who ended up committing suicide. something you can read out of a book.” audience left the event. A-2A-2 TheThe LeaderLeader,, WednesdayWednesday AprilDecember 11,2 2012 4, 2013 Adjunct Spotlight: Continued from page A-1 For Fredonia alumnus Shapiro, three jobs is no problem all around Buffalo, at The Troubadour and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, The Wrecking Yard in Toronto and internationally at the 500 Club in London, England. Not to mention, he’s been the opening act for people like Paul Anka, Michael Martin, J. Geils, John Cougar Mellancamp and more. That sure sounds like more than just a “quasi-successful” career. Shapiro’s interest in law piqued when some of his friends were caught in a bit of a sticky situation. He saw this as an opportunity to not just help his friends but members of the music community in Buffalo. “I had an experience just prior to going to law school where some friends of mine, who were street musicians, were arrested in Buffalo. Being a street performer at the time in Buffalo was illegal and I ended up doing some research to figure out what other cities were doing,” Shapiro said. “I drafted the legislation to change and legalize street performing and lobbied the Buffalo Common Council to get it passed. Just prior to getting into law school, I had some experience with actually creating law.” Even with his busy schedule, he still finds time to perform with several different bands. He is a member of three bands and plays guitar or drums in each. One of the Melissa Rechin / Photo Editor bands he plays in is a country western band; Stuart Shapiro, adjucnt professor of music industry. another can be categorized as a “hippie” band. There is one band though that may trial lawyer. Litigators are kind of a specialized does during the day and that’s a nice change and his daily practice of entertainment law.