Month: November 2010

Categories
Sports

Bison upset Navy

By Chris McCree

Writer

The men’s water polo team upset host No. 15 Navy en route to a second-place finish at the Southern Championships in Annapolis, Md. this past weekend. Coming into the tournament as the fourth seed, the Bison advanced to the championship game but fell to No. 17 Princeton by two goals in the finals.

After an 11-7 victory over Mercyhurst in the first round earlier in the day, the Orange and Blue took down Navy 13-12 on Saturday for one of their most significant victories of the season. Coming into the tournament, the Bison had lost to Navy twice this season. The two teams were tied at halftime and close for the entire game, but with just over five minutes left to play, Howie Kalter ’11 sealed the victory for the Bison with his fifth goal of the game. The loss was a shocking blow for Navy, who previously had an all-time tournament record of 53-5 and had never lost to the Bison in the Southern Championships.

Overall, the team looked at the victory as the result of a combined effort by everyone involved.

“We did well because we made an effort to work for each other. For both our offense and defense, there was a lot of communication and we were able to stick with and effectively run our game plan. Everybody was enthusiastic when somebody stepped up and scored; it created a good atmosphere,” Paul Reamey ’11 said.

“We were able to prevent our opponent’s counterattack and forced them to take outside shots that our goalies could easily block,” Brian Barron ’13 said.

The Orange and Blue took their momentum into the final matchup against Princeton, but fell to the Tigers 8-6 after leading by two at the half. The Bison offense stalled in the second half of the game as they only scored twice in the third quarter and had no goals in the fourth. Barron was the team’s only multi-goal scorer with two goals.

The senior class propelled the Bison to win two out of their three contests as Richie Hyden ’11, Kalter, Reamey and Sean Coghlan ’11 combined to score 18 of the team’s 30 goals. Goalkeeper Miles Gilhuly ’11 was another significant contributor to the Bison success as he registered 19 saves over the three-game stretch.

In the end, the team’s second-place finish was not only historically important because it was the program’s best-ever performance at this event, but also because it qualified the Bison to play in the Eastern Championships, which the team will host the third weekend in November.

“To prepare for Eastern Championships, we just need to remember what has made us successful in the past, and each person needs keep working to make the other guys on the team better,” Reamey said.

Categories
Sports

Volleyball splits league games

By Mike Wolf

Contributing Writer

The volleyball team ended a three-game extended losing streak with a great game against a tough Lafayette team this past weekend. The host Bison swept the Leopards on Saturday after slipping in five games to Lehigh the previous day.

After a tough loss on Friday, the Bison recovered well as they dominated Lafayette on Saturday night. The Orange and Blue won the match in three quick sets 25-22, 25-19, 25-14.

The team had needed a change of strategy after the Lehigh loss, especially with playoffs coming next weekend.

“It was a wake-up call to how hard we’re going to have to work this upcoming weekend in order to make it to the playoffs,” McAhren said.

Following a close first game where a late run let the Bison pull ahead, the team took total control of the match and never looked back. The win put the Bison back in the running for the playoffs, as they now hold the final playoff spot.

Friday’s game was close until the very end as the Bison went to five sets in the match. The Bison alternated winning and losing sets until the match was split at two games apiece. In the fifth set a quick start by Lehigh left the Orange and Blue unable to get a streak together. The match was lost 17-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-18, 15-8.

Kyleigh McAhren ’12 and Heidi Kamp ’11 led the team with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. The Bison also made a positive offensive step with 13 aces, which was a season high, including five by Kristen Titley ’14.

Though the Bison put together a very solid four sets at the beginning of the match, they fell quickly behind in the fifth. Lehigh’s Paige Kruse started the set with multiple aces and the Orange and Blue found themselves down 6-0, a deficit from which they could not recover.

The Bison have two huge matches this weekend that will decide whether they make the playoffs. Friday’s game against Holy Cross is at 7 p.m. and is also Senior Night. Saturday’s game is at 5 p.m. against Army and is themed “Rock the House,” where masses of fans come to make the court as loud as possible.

Categories
Sports

Bison Basketball Preview

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

After last year’s shocking loss to rival Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament opening round, the 2010-11 season could not come fast enough for the Bison men’s basketball team. The quick and surprisingly early end came just days after the Bison secured the number two seed in their conference and earned the right to play their first home playoff game since 2007.

With every new season come new goals, and this season is no different. Even though last season has come and gone, its bitter end still lingers for the Orange and Blue.

“The one aspect of last season that I will remember going into this season is the emotions I was feeling when Holy Cross defeated us in the Patriot League Tournament last year,” said Bryan Cohen ’12, the projected starting small forward this season. “It allows us as a team to realize that we have the ability to be there again this year, but also that we must stay focused and motivated to attack every day of practice with intensity.”

That focus and motivation to attack will be on display right away for the Bison as they face two major conference opponents in their first weekend of the season. The Orange and Blue travel today to Villanova, the sixth-ranked team in the nation, and on Sunday to Marquette, another Big East power. But even though the Bison take on a few of college basketball’s blue-bloods early in the season, the early games are not what the Orange and Blue are focusing on.

“There is no single game that is important this year,” starting point guard Darryl Shazier ’11 said. “We will build off of each game and look to get progressively better as the year goes on.”

“As a team, we’re very passionate about not looking ahead,” Enoch Andoh ’12 said. “We strive to take one game at a time, one possession at a time. Nonetheless, our ultimate goal is the Patriot League Championship and a March Madness berth. Each game until then is an equally important test on our long journey to success.”

Picked a close second behind American in the Patriot League preseason polls, the Bison return all five starters from a team that won nine conference games in 2010 and lose just one player who tallied significant minutes last season. Despite the appearance of having the same team, the 2011 roster is much different than last year’s team.

“The main difference between this year’s team and last is our depth,” starting shooting guard Bryson Johnson ’13 said. “Everyone on our team will be able to contribute this year and that helps when guys are having an off night.”

“I think the biggest difference this year is experience,” said Mike Muscala ‘13, this year’s starting center. “We had a young team last year and are still relatively young, but a lot of guys, including myself, were able to get that year of experience and go through the process. I think we then did a good job of using that experience in the off season to work on weaknesses that we discovered throughout our season.”

As it is every season, the goal for the Orange and Blue this year is to take home the Patriot League Championship trophy and advance to where only four other Bison men’s basketball squads have been before—the NCAA tournament. But with a tough conference and non-conference schedule, winning the title will not be easy this year.

“We plan to hoist up the Patriot League Championship trophy at the end of the year, but talk means next to nothing,” G.W. Boon ’11 said. “There is an old proverb that says, ‘All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.’ We have worked hard, so I know we will be have a great season. Now we just have to prove it between the lines once the ball gets tipped up.”

With the Villanova and Marquette games this weekend, the Bison will have to waste no time showing off all their hard work in the offseason and proving that they belong in the conversation for the Patriot League Championship.

Categories
Arts & Life

Mary Ruefle holds poetry reading

By Sarah Bookstein

Writer

The comic and mundane mingled with the humorous and the sad when visiting poet Mary Ruefle gave a reading of her poetry on Nov. 2 in Bucknell Hall.

In a poetry reading hosted by the Stadler Center for Poetry, Ruefle mixed comical elements with mundane ones, as in her piece “Mary’s Hot Dog,” which Ruefle described as “the earliest extant example of my writing.” The work was a recipe for preparing frozen hot dogs for dinner.

Ruefle read two poems about childhood entitled “Provenance” and “Middle School.” While some poets comment between readings, Ruefle joked that she likes to save all her banter for one shot. This made the poetry flow pleasantly and without disruption. Her poetry has a repetitive feel.

Ruefle also read from her more recent books, including poems “The Bunny Give us a Lesson in Eternity,” “Hold that Thought,” “The Day” and “Dodo.”

“Hearing Mary Ruefle read her poetry gave her works a unique, distinct voice,” Mary Coyne ’11 said.

Ruefle has published 10 books of poetry, one of prose and a comic book titled “Go Home and Go to Bed.” She has received many awards for her writing, including an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Whiting Writers’ Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ruefle published her work in such magazines as “The American Poetry Review” and “Harper’s Magazine,” and in the anthologies “Best American Poetry” and “Great American Prose Poems,” among others.

Ruefle read from a “sample exam” for her students, inspired by a nineteenth-century penmanship workbook. Instead of rewriting the sample sentences, she followed them up with imaginary exam questions for her students. For the sentence, “Every cloud has a silver lining,” Ruefle wrote, “Think of exceptions to this statement, and write about them in an upbeat tone.”

She is known for her quirky style, as in her poem “The Estate of Single Blessedness,” written on the shell of an egg. She currently teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College.

“Ruefle was humorous, refreshing and creative. The way she ended the poetry reading showed the audience that she could work humor into her poetry as well as sadness and everyday events,” Elizabeth Macmillan ’12 said.

Categories
Arts & Life

Children’s book author makes guest visit

By Nicole Della-cava

Contributing Writer

Many University students and Lewisburg children got their versions of “How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World” signed by a popular author last Friday evening.

Marjorie Priceman, children’s book writer and illustrator, held a book signing at the Barnes & Noble at Bucknell University bookstore last week. Priceman, originally from Long Island, now lives in downtown Lewisburg.

“How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World” features an array of colors, and the informative yet fun plot makes this children’s book enjoyable for all readers. A little girl travels around the world looking for ingredients to make an apple pie. On the inside cover, a printed map shows the destinations the little girl visits throughout her travels. Each destination shows the ingredient that is native to and available in that area.

Priceman has been illustrating children’s books for 20 years and is still in the business. Some of her other illustrated books include “Paris in the Spring with Picasso,” “Hot Air,” “Emeline at the Circus” and “The Brand New Kid.”

“Illustrating has a lot of freedom in it–the authors hand me a manuscript, then I use my imagination to draw the sketches,” Priceman said.

According to Priceman, the illustration process takes a long time; after Priceman sends the writers her illustrations, the authors send back the sketches with Post-It note comments. More and more illustrators are turning to the computer to save time in the work process, but Priceman draws her illustrations freehand.

Her hand sketches make the books look vibrant and robust. She thinks illustrations done on the computer look flatter.

The Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Bucknell University frequently holds book signings. On Family Weekend, the University welcomed two other authors.


Categories
Arts & Life Featured

B.R.A.I.N. club raises money for neuroscience charities

By Carolyn Williams

Writer

The Bucknell Researchers, Advocates & Investigators in Neuroscience, or as they are more commonly called, the BRAIN Club, was created by Jacob Schaeffer ’10 in 2008. Since the club’s beginnings, members have focused attention on expansion, activities and trying to make the student body aware of their presence on campus. The club’s goal is to “to promote and involve the Bucknell community in the advancing and fascinating field of neuroscience,” according to the club’s University website.

“The club began as an academic interest group. Meetings consisted of neuroscience-related lectures, videos and activities. However, within the past two semesters, we have really tried to change the direction of the club to become mostly philanthropic,” said Alper Dincer ’11, the club’s president.

As a charity organization, the group has become a means by which students can give back to the cause that interests them.

“The club’s new purpose is to be a central fundraising source for organizations that are trying to help cure nervous system diseases,” Dincer said. “Essentially, the club finds new ways to raise money and donate to various neuroscience organizations, such as the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. For this reason, prior background [in neuroscience] is not needed to become an active member because anyone can help.”

The club meets every other week, and is looking specifically for “creative and passionate students of any major or interest who would like to become involved in fundraising for a good cause,” Dincer said. “There are not many commitments or obligations, but coming frequently to the meetings and participating in the club is enough,” he said.

Monica Burney ’14, an undeclared major, agrees that the club allows students from all fields to explore neuroscience. “I feel that the BRAIN club’s new approach will serve as a useful resource for students who are still exploring their options. Many people are often intimidated by the prospect of majoring in neuroscience—this is a great way to ease them into that field,” she said.

The BRAIN club typically gains members through its activities on campus. “We try and recruit through our activities and add those who are interested on a mailing list, where we frequently update members on meetings and news,” Dincer said. “Otherwise, joining and becoming involved is really maintained through current members telling their friends or other neuroscience majors about the club and our activities.”

The next big project the BRAIN club has planned is a t-shirt campaign called “Bucknell Brains against Tumors.”

“Currently, we are in the design stage but we hope that within the next few weeks we can start selling t-shirts in which proceeds will go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation,” Dincer said.

The club has received a great deal of help from the biology and psychology departments, notably from their faculty advisor, David Evans, professor of psychology.  “Since we are a fairly new club, we are still evolving quite a bit. I’m not sure in what direction the club will go next, but I’m really happy with what we’re doing now,” Dincer said.

Categories
Arts & Life

Community college scholars excel at University

By Laura Crowley

Writer

Since the Community College Scholars program began at the University in 2007, 83 students from local community colleges have come to campus.  This fall, 17 students were admitted to the program.

Kelly McKenna ’12 came to the University this fall in pursuit of a psychology and anthropology degree.  Prior to attending the University, McKenna worked a number of jobs in retail that she found unfulfilling.  As a massage therapist, she said she was simply “pampering someone’s life” when she really wanted to be a “champion for autonomy.”

McKenna realized that she could fulfill this desire by working with the disabled population as an occupational therapist. “As an occupational therapist, you really help to create a greater sense of self worth and self-reliance in your clients,” McKenna said.  She said that her education at the University is setting her down the path to fulfill this dream.

With the price of higher education so high, McKenna said that “a financial elitism” is created.  “This scholarship is amazing because it allows [individuals to receive an education] who could never afford this caliber of higher education but who are beyond mentally capable to achieve their academic aspirations,” she said.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation selected the University in 2006 as one of 80 selective colleges in the Community College Scholars program.  The foundation has given the University $800,000 in the past four years to fund the program.  It offers full-tuition scholarships.

Students in the University’s program are recruited from five local community colleges: Lehigh Carbon Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, Garrett College in Maryland, Harrisburg Area Community College and Montgomery County Community College.

Admission into the program is competitive.  Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 at their community college.  Those admitted must first attend a six-week summer program to acclimate themselves to the demands of the University.  Of the 30 students enrolled in the summer program this year, only 17 were admitted to enroll full-time at the University.

Tricia Suveg ’12 graduated from beauty school in 2006 and enrolled in classes at Lehigh Carbon Community College after she became disinterested in the field of beauty.  One of her professors at LCCC suggested that she apply to the University’s scholarship program due to her high academic standing.  She is now a sociology major with a certification in education.

Suveg is thankful for her opportunity. “[The University] offers a broad education, enabling students to study a wide variety of subjects, rather than just one specialized field,” Suveg said. “[This education] is a gateway to be involved in almost anything you want as far as internships, organizations, research and so forth.”

Suveg hopes to attend graduate school to earn a Masters degree in Sociology.  “I see myself being an educator. I truly love to learn, and I think my passion for education will translate to students,” she said.

The Community College Scholars program benefits the University as well as its members. McKenna believes it brings diversity to our community.  “Even if you didn’t know my background, it comes out in the interactions I have in class and with fellow students,” she said.

The Community College Scholars program provides students like McKenna and Suveg the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. “Bucknell will open doors I could never have imagined,” Suveg said.

Categories
News

News Briefs 11/5

Students must pick their dining preferences for next semester by choosing their meal plans by Nov. 29 on myBucknell.  First-years have the option of choosing from the Silver, Gold or Platinum plans. Upperclassmen can choose from the dining dollar plan or the block meal plan. The Dining Dollar Plan allows students to use their money at any campus dining location including the Bison, Seventh Street Café, Bostwick Marketplace and more. The block meal plan is based upon a limited amount of meals at Bostwick and the Terrace Room and a standard amount of dining dollars.  Additional dining dollars can be added at any time androll over every semester until graduation.

Last week, The Bucknellian reported on a sexual assault case involving Reed Dempsey ’13. On Sept. 5, Dempsey was accused of physically and sexually assaulting a 19-year-old student. The criminal charges against Dempsey have since been dropped.

The Bucknellian received two Gold Circle Awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association this year. Greg Stevenson ’12 earned a Certificate of Merit for Sports page design for color broadsheet. Erica Schiffres ’10 won a Certificate of Merit for First Person Experience for her study abroad piece about France.

Correction: In last week’s article about the Bison Stomp Out, the “Hip Hop style performance groups” were actually Step Teams that perform to hip hop music. The Bison Stomp Out was the first show of its kind at the University, so there were no returning champions. The Howard University Step Team referenced was actually the New York A-Team, including members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. The team did not dance like gorillas, but stepped like apes since apes are the symbolic animal associated with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. The member of the Howard University Step Team who bled on stage was hit in the nose by a member of his fraternity. The informal dance-off at the end of the event was not associated with the Step Competition.

Categories
Opinion

Stewart/Colbert rally fails to restore sanity

By Pranav Sehgal

Contributing Writer

Recently, the U.S. political system has been in disarray: Democrats fight with Republicans, Democrats fight within their party and radical Republicans have also caused divisions in their own party.

With television stations like Fox, MSNBC and Comedy Central, the media has heightened these tensions between Democrats and Republicans to an extent never seen before. The hostility between these two parties has grown so much that conciliation and compromise between them is infrequent and unlikely.

These political tensions have spewed over to the social structure of American society. TV shows like “Glenn Beck” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” have polarized American society, with a great deal of conservatives watching TV shows centered on the right like “The O’Reilly Factor,” while liberals tend to watch programs like “The Colbert Report” and “Hardball with Chris Matthews.”

In order to quell the recent upheaval of political tensions that have led to such divisive policies and relations, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert hosted the “Rally to Restore Sanity” in Washington, D.C., hoping to restore fractured relationships between party lines and between voters of the respective parties.

Stewart and Colbert, selected as candidates in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” poll, tried to downplay any political intent, as did the supporters, saying that their reason for supporting the rally stemmed from the fact that they wanted to promote a more “common-sense” politics.

Many rally participants agreed that politicians, members of the media and citizens must all “take it down a notch” in terms of political rhetoric. Numerically, the event proved widely successful with an attendance estimated to be well over 200,000. Glenn Beck’s “Rally to Restore Honor” was only estimated to have an audience of between 78,000 and 96,000. The Huffington Post also chipped in by hiring a fleet of 200 buses to shuttle people from New York to Washington, D.C.

Although the creators of “The Rally to Restore Sanity” intended to be apolitical, there is no doubt that a great number of participants were in fact liberal and tended to side more with Democrats. When figures like President Obama and Oprah, an ardent Democratic supporter, endorse this event, there is no hiding the fact that this event is indeed political.

As this year’s midterm election have come to a close, Republicans have gained more ground in congress with 239 seats in the House of Representatives, giving them a majority, and 46 seats in the Senate compared to the Democrats who have 52. It seems as if voter resentment has grown because of the lack of progress the economy is making and the prevalence of unemployment that still exists among Americans.

This brings me to the following questions: did “The Rally to Restore Sanity” in fact restore sanity to our political system, and to what extent was this rally effective in promoting “sanity”? Although many would argue the intentions of this event were to lessen tensions between parties and their constituents, this ideal may no longer stand. The Republican majority in Congress will likely widen the divide between parties and make it more difficult for progressive legislation to be passed. Democrats may have lost their chance to push their policies due to ineffectiveness and infighting, while Republicans are steadily gaining more ground. The only certain thing is that with difference comes divisiveness, which is the last thing our country needs.

Categories
Opinion

Private prisons use inmates for profit

By Chris Giglio

Opinions Editor

The privatization of jails and correctional facilities should end.  In the United States today there are 264 private correctional facilities, which house nearly 99,000 inmates.  Privatizing this “industry” has become popular because it has saved states money.  In fact, an independent study conducted by the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy estimated states could save up to $15 million by using a mix of public and private correctional facilities. As the economic recession drags on, this cost-saving option will become all the more tempting.

But at what cost do we let the drive for profits dictate our actions?  Our goal as a society should be to limit the number of people who end up in jail.  By providing public schooling, welfare to poor families and alternative community activities, we hope to provide a bright future for as many youth as possible.  I worry that the privatizing of prisons is a backwards step in this effort. The goal of any private firm is to maximize profits—for a prison that means cutting costs and getting as many inmates as possible.  I can’t see how either of these goals will better society.

Private prisons will always have the incentive to cut accommodations to prisoners just to the point where civil rights lawyers could bring a case against them.  This has the very real possibility of cutting essential programs that may have otherwise helped prisoners get their lives back together.  The continual drive to bring inmates to prisons leaves a lot of room for corruption.

This has actually happened.  Cases brought to light include one in which two judges received up to $2.6 million to send children to certain juvenile facilities.  At times these children were brought before the court without a lawyer and sentenced to extended lengths of time. Another prime example is the recent immigration laws in Arizona.  This absurd law was originally written by the prison industry of Arizona, which hoped to ensure a steady stream of illegal immigrants into their prisons.

Maybe these are extreme cases or maybe this is only the tip of the iceberg.  Either way, the tendency to view prisoners as a commodity isn’t right.  The idea of profiting over someone else’s misery is sickening.

In the capitalist world, everything seems to be up for grabs.  Prisons, universities and volunteer efforts have all started to fall under the “for-profit” model.  But some things shouldn’t be driven by profit.  It’s time for us to seriously evaluate what those things should and shouldn’t be.