Month: January 2011

Categories
Arts & Life

Monologues raise issues

By Sonali Basak

Writer

How much do you like the word “vagina”? Can you scream it out on stage?

The women of V-Day Bucknell will perform the Vagina Monologues on campus Feb. 4 and 5. The show begins at 8 p.m. on both nights at Harvey Powers Theater. Tickets will be on sale the week leading up to the performance.

V-Day is a global organization to set out to promote awareness and take action against violence toward women. The production is organized and performed entirely by V-Day Bucknell. This year marks the 10th annual performance of the Vagina Monologues at the University.

The production is pertinent to the campus environment and a global scale at large. National focus on the issue for the past two years has been centered around dilemmas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2011 campaign against violence focuses primarily on Haiti.

This year’s performance stands apart from other years partly due to changes in character and dialogue to reflect issues in Haiti as well as local issues concerning campus climate.

“The show can open your eyes against violence towards women across the globe, but you can’t walk away and pretend that it’s not about here. These issues don’t only pertain to women 1,000 miles away,” organization coordinator Allison Mayhew ’11 said.

Due to recent issues of sexual assault and violence on campus, the organization hopes that the monologues will resonate amongst members of the campus community. Both Mayhew and show director Caryn Clark ’11 agree that recent campus climate issues make the production not only real, but also personal.

“It’s easy for the audience to understand these women because they are real,” Clark said. “Not all of them have had formal training in theater, but it makes the performance more relaxed and open to interpretation and change each year.”

According to Clark, the women in the show experience a journey, providing the audience with “a transformative experience” in which both the audience and cast learn a lot about themselves and each other.

Mayhew joined V-Day Bucknell after seeing the performance for the first time her first year at the University. “I saw these girls that were outgoing, blunt and moderately vulgar, and I realized, ‘I can talk about vaginas on stage,’” she said. “Since then, I’ve realized how talking about vaginas in such an outward way can be used to reach people and locate deeper societal issues.”

Mayhew and Clark state that the monologues, along with all V-day efforts, address a problem that requires an ongoing dialogue.

“I hope that the show keeps people talking,” Mayhaw said. “It’s not the type of thing where you can snap your fingers and everything will be OK.”

The campus can help the cause by making a donation, buying a tagline in the program and buying a ticket to the show. The organization is also selling t-shirts and flowers. Ninety percent of funds will go to Susquehanna Valley Women in Transition. The remaining 10 percent will go to the National V-Day foundation.

Categories
Arts & Life

‘It Gets Better’ project combats LGBT bullying

By Maggie Schneiderman

Contributing Writer

This past August and September, America was alerted to a number of tragic instances of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth suicides following years of bullying. In response to the bullying and subsequent suicides, a video advocacy campaign called the It Gets Better Project was launched. The It Gets Better Project has turned into a worldwide movement that has inspired over 5,000 user-created videos and over 15 million views, and is now inspiring a new program at the University.

To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), Adam Lambert, Anne Hathaway, Colin Farrell, Matthew Morrison of “Glee” and Ke$ha, to name a few. In these videos, both LGBT individuals and heterosexuals relay the simple yet crucial message to troubled LGBT youth: that life does get better.

The website prompts those who visit to sign a simple pledge that reads as follows: “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I’ll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that ‘It Gets Better.’”

In coordination with the office of Residential Education and Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the It Gets Better! Snap Shot Project at the University was founded based on the efforts of the It Gets Better campaign.

Statistics from the It Gets Better website demonstrate the critical situation that many LGBT youth are in, the struggles they face everyday, and why this project is so important to our campus. According to the website, LGBT students tend to be tormented by those around them: as teens, they are bullied two to three times as often as their straight peers, and nine out of 10 have experienced harassment at school. They are four times as likely as their straight peers to attempt suicide, and more than one-third of LGBT youth have made the attempt. LGBT youth with “highly rejecting families” are in an even worse situation, making them eight times more likely to attempt suicide than LGBT youth with more accepting families.

From Monday, Jan. 31 to today, students, staff and faculty have been invited to have their photos taken with a personalized sign of support to those who have been or are currently being bullied for their sexual orientation. All of the photos and signs will then be turned into one large display of support and encouragement in the student center. The project coordinators also hope to film the process and create a video to put online to represent the University’s support.

This is the University’s “opportunity to stand up and be the secondary education leader when it comes to LGBT bullying,” said Daniel Murphy ’11, the program’s mastermind.

“This project extends beyond just this group, providing a sense of confidence and hope for all who face bullying, regardless of reason. This is a chance for the Bucknell community to come together and support each other,” Murphy said. “This project will help Bucknell further foster an environment of mutual respect, one that encourages everyone to just be who they are.”

The snapshot concept was chosen because it allows for the greatest amount of personal contribution from the largest number of people possible. The hand written messages are a symbol of the support that the LGBT persons on campus have from their peers, a unifying and uplifting aspect of the project.

The organizers of the snapshot program hope that its simple message could offer profound support for members of the LGBT community.

“This project is about sending a strong message against bullying in the hopes that it can help someone,” Murphy said. “If this project helps just one person, then it’s done its job effectively.”

Categories
Arts & Life

New art exhibit comes to Samek

By Michelle Joline

Contributing Writer

The 2011 season at the Samek opened Jan. 28 with two exhibitions: “Works on Paper” by Deng Guoyuan and Rosalyn Richards in the main gallery and “Collection Focus III: In Chicago” in the Study Gallery. University professor and artist Richards and Chinese artist Guoyuan find the link between Eastern and Western art by individually deconstructing nature’s composition.

Although only two floors from the loud bustle of the Bostwick Marketplace, the Samek Art Gallery is a quiet place of reflection currently filled with organic images of sea foam and prairie grass.

An unlikely pair, Guoyuan and Richards were matched to work together on the exhibition after the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts sponsored Guoyuan to travel to the University in 2008. Richards then visited China in 2009, where she was able to view Guoyuan’s sculptural work and exhibit her own pieces.

At first glance, the two artists seem to create in fantastically different styles. They still manage to form complementary elements in their opposing pieces to create a cohesive and visually pleasing start to the Samek Gallery’s 2011 season.

An image void of color but filled with interesting textures and rhythmic patters greets visitors to the gallery. “Footprints,” a piece by Richards, covers the majority of the wall opposite the entrance doors, and consists of multiple panels that hold the magnified images of organic subjects.

Richards said “Footprints” is her favorite of her work in the exhibition. “I want [guests] to come and look at my big piece (“Footprints”) because I like to explore scale in drawing,” she said. “I really think of drawing as a complete thing in and of itself. I really believe in drawing as an important medium, not just a way to prepare for work in another medium. A lot of people think of drawing as a lesser art form, where you just do a sketch for a painting and that’s its function. I think he [Guoyuan] does too, think of drawing as an important art activity.

As Richards’ most recent piece, “Footprints” seems to pull the viewer in to find the minute details formed with ink and graphite. The sporadic representations tease the eye with vertical and horizontal patterned markings. The energetic quality of the piece and many others throughout the gallery capture the essence of nature’s qualities, eventually forcing the viewer to realize that the ink marks that draw attention really make up a splash of oil.

This magnified and detailed view of organic forms contrasts with the works by Guoyuan, who uses gestures to expressively portray his vision of natural subjects. The Samek Gallery is currently functioning as a portal into contemporary Chinese art, still representing and reflecting the influences of ancient Chinese ink drawings.

“I would say I am drawn to the paintings of [Guoyuan’s] that use some of the white of the paper in a very energetic way,” Richards said. “Like ‘In the Garden 2010.II. No. 12,’ for example, the passages of air or mist that flow through the marks because some of his pieces are more densely painted. I think because I am very interested in un-drawn spaces on the page, I find myself gravitate to certain ones he’s done, where the white of the paper takes on an important part.”

This exhibition will remain in the Samek Art Gallery, free of charge, until March 30.

“I think [audiences should] spend time with the show, and I think it is a very quiet, contemplative type of work for the both of us, meditative,” Richards said. “When people come to the show there may be a lot of people here and they may enjoy the show but I think they should come back and spend some time here. I think for both of us it is not a type of work that shouts out at you, it takes a slowing down, and everything in life is quick. I would want everyone to experience the gallery as a quiet and contemplative place to be.”

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Arts & Life Columns Cooking Corner

Cooking Corner: Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta Chicken

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

By February, most people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions. But if yours was to eat healthier, there is still hope. This recipe is delicious and healthy, too. Serve it with a baguette and a side salad of mixed greens and you’ll have a delicious and complete meal.

Ingredients:

2 ripe medium tomatoes, cored and chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 scallion (white and green parts), thinly sliced

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp kosher salt

Dash of black pepper

1/3 cup fresh torn basil

3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

To prepare the bruschetta topping:

1. Peel and smash the cloves of garlic, then chop to avoid chunks of smashed garlic in the topping. To chop the herbs, place them in a bowl and cut them with clean scissors–it’s much easier than chopping them on a cutting board.

2. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, scallion, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs in a medium size bowl.

To prepare the chicken:

3. Tenderize the chicken. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat tenderizer or heavy skillet until each is about half an inch thick.

4. Brush each chicken breast with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

5. Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat until the inside is no longer pink and the juices run clear. You won’t be able to fit all of the chicken in a skillet at one time.

6. Serve the chicken topped with the brushetta.

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Categories
Arts & Life Movies Review

‘Black Swan’ a box office hit

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

“Black Swan” is a breath of fresh air, and a strong follow-up to Darren Aronofsky’s last film, “The Wrestler.” The film is tense but still compelling and enjoyable, and the plot deals thrillingly with elements of the bizarre without going too far.

The movie revolves around Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a delicate china doll of a ballerina dedicated to her role as a member of the New York City Ballet. Although in her twenties, Nina still lives with her mother (Barbara Hershey), a bitter ex-ballerina who was forced to leave the company after becoming pregnant with Nina. Out of guilt or disinterest, Nina allows herself to be dressed and petted by her mother, whose repetition of her favorite endearment for Nina, “sweet girl,” becomes frightening by the end of the film.

Vincent Cassel is well-cast as Thomas, the dance company’s demanding, licentious director. The plot is set in motion when he announces that the company will be putting on the classic “Swan Lake,” but the new version will be a “visceral” adaptation to differentiate itself from the now stilted original.

Nina, soft-spoken and exactingly fastidious in regards to her own dancing, longs to be cast as the Swan Queen, but the dancer who takes on the overwhelming role must be able to embody both the virginal White Swan and her antithesis, the provocatively sensual Black Swan.

Her casting as the lead comes as a surprise, but the challenge of the role begins to wear on Nina’s fragile psyche. In order to become the Black Swan, Nina is forced to contradict herself personally, and the internal struggle is both horrifying and extremely compelling to watch. Haunted by visions, hallucinations, and an unexplained rash on her back, Nina begins to fall apart. Meanwhile, her understudy Lily (Mila Kunis) flaunts the rules Nina so stringently adheres to, yet seems to be born to play the Black Swan: a fact that torments the fraying Nina. Nina’s compulsion to be technically perfect combined with the pressure from her mother, director and competitor culminates in the climactic opening night of the ballet, on which everyone’s expectations hinge.

“Black Swan” is a psychological thriller. There are several highly-charged, flinch-inducing scenes. A notable example is when Nina tears her cuticle, with stomach-turning results. The graphic and surprising shocks throughout the film are enough to frighten most moviegoers.

The movie’s weakest point is its dialogue. Both Portman and Kunis deliver irreproachable and, in the case of Portman, Oscar-worthy performances. Most of the scenes have little or no dialogue; some of the conversations between characters appear forced and break up the otherwise wonderfully tense atmosphere of the film. Nevertheless, the beautiful Rodarte costumes and an excellent score distract from the movie’s minor script flaws.

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Sports

Super weekend begins

By Justin Cohen

Writer

As the nation prepares to shine its spotlight on Dallas for Super Bowl XLV, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are hard at work, each seeking to add another title to its respective franchise.

In a season of parity throughout the league, it seems fitting that the Packers are the first No. 6 seed from the NFC ever to make it to the Super Bowl. Conversely, Pittsburgh is looking to put some distance from its competitors by bringing home a record seventh Lombardi Trophy.

Both teams have been seeing spectacular play from their defenses, but while Pittsburgh brings many familiar faces, such as Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, Green Bay has been successful with a core of young defensive stars, many of whom are not yet 30 years old. The road to Dallas has not been easy for either team.

Pittsburgh started the season with franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the bench due to off-the-field issues from last summer. Through the first four games, the Steelers had to use two different back-up quarterbacks. They managed to stay at the top of the league with a 3-1 record after four games and did not look back as they went on to a 12-4 record, earning another AFC North championship and the No. 2 seed in the conference.

After a first-round bye, the Steelers went on to a comeback win against division rival Baltimore by scoring 24 points in the second half and racking up three takeaways. The next week the New York Jets, fresh off an upset win in Foxboro against the Patriots, were kept in check by Pittsburgh’s 24 first-half points.

Representing the NFC, the Green Bay Packers faced a much more difficult journey than their AFC opposition. In their very first game this year, starting running back Ryan Grant was lost for the season due to an ankle injury. Several weeks later, up-and-coming tight-end Jermichael Finley suffered a knee injury and was lost for the season as well.

The Packers finished the season with 16 players on injured reserve and many others, including star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, missing some playing time over the course of the season.

Even with all of the injuries, their will and determination helped propel them to a wildcard berth in the last week of the season. In the team’s three playoff games, Rodgers has a total of six touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back James Starks has come out of nowhere to give the Packers a much-needed rushing attack, and the Packers defense has five picks, two of them returned for touchdowns.

This year’s Super Bowl has everything a football fan could ask for in a critical game: talented players with something to prove and two passionate fan bases riding on one game with the highest stakes. Even if the game is a defensive struggle and ends in a 3-0 finish, it should still be a great game as two of the NFL’s most storied franchises clash for the honor and right to be called world champions.

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Sports

Nicholson continues dazzling rookie year

By Chris McCree

Writer

The men’s swimming team closed out the regular season with a tough loss against UConn on Friday night at Kinney Natatorium, 177.5-116.5, the team’s second largest margin of defeat this season. Despite the loss, Mike Nicholson ’14 provided an amazing end to his first year, coming in first in all three of his events. The Bison finished out the season on Saturday with a non-scoring meet against UConn and American.

“Coming into the meet, we knew that UConn was going to be good,” Matt Hadley ’14 said. “We were expecting tough competition, but we were too hurt by injury to beat them.”

However painful the loss may have been, the focus of the night was on Michael Volpe ’11 and Brendan Wills ’11, who, as seniors, were swimming their final regular-season races as members of the Orange and Blue. Volpe finished third in the 100 fly and was part of the 200 medley relay squad that finished in first. Wills went out impressively by posting two season-best times. He earned a third-place finish in the 50 free with a time of 22.01 and a fourth-place finish in the 100 fly with a 52.92.

“Losing those guys will hurt,” Hadley said. “Volpe was our only captain, so we are really losing key leaders.”

Though the team struggled, Nicholson put on a spectacular individual performance. Nicholson won all three of his events by at least 2.5 seconds and posted career-bests in both the 200 fly and 200 breast. With his time of 1:50.99 in the 200 fly, he moved up from seventh to second on the University’s all-time list. Nicholson ended the season with 23 first-place finishes.

On Saturday, the Bison played host to American and UConn in an unscored meet that featured another dominating showing by the Huskies. UConn compiled 12 first place finishes to the Bison’s five. Eric Sokolosky ’12 posted two first-place finishes for the Orange and Blue and his time of 50.76 in the 100 fly was a season-best for the team.

The Bison finished the regular season with a record of 6-5 and now look forward to the Patriot League Championships, which will be held at Kinney Natatorium Feb. 17-19. The team plans on beginning to taper its practices soon to prepare for the meet.

“The goal going into championships is to close the gap between us and Navy,” Hadley said, referring to the 85-point loss that the Bison suffered earlier in the season. “Anything short of second would be a big disappointment.”

Categories
Sports

Lady Bison end season

By Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer

After facing the University of Connecticut in a 191-109 home loss on Friday, the women’s swimming and diving team hosted the Bison Invitational and had several top finishers.

The meet against UConn was the final dual meet of the season for the Orange and Blue. Liz Porcellio ’13 finished first in the 200 free, 200 IM and 200 free relay with Molly Goebel ’11, Emily Wright ’14 and Kaityln Utkewicz ’14. Wright also had a first-place finish in the 100 free.

Though she placed second, Kelly Pontecorvo ’14 finished the 1,000 free with a time of 10:27.91, the third-best time in school history. Pontecorvo also finished second in the 500 free.

The Bison women participated in the Bison Invitational the next day, an unscored meet with Connecticut and American University. Porcellio and Kelly Purcell ’13 had second-place finishes in the 100 breast and 400 IM, respectively.

Before the meets this weekend, four senior swimmers were recognized for their efforts over the past four years, including Goebel, Macey Keath, Sinead O’Dwyer and Laura Twichell.

“The UConn meet was a kind of bittersweet time for the six seniors, since it was our last dual meet ever. But it was great to have all of our parents and lots of our friends there cheering us on,” Twichell said. “Looking back, the past four years have really flown by, and although swimming is a constantly demanding sport, I know we’ll all miss the thrill of competing and the camaraderie of being on a close-knit team.”

“Going into the championship meets in February, our capability to win titles and break records is a direct result of the gains we have made in our personal relationships both on the team and in this community,” O’Dwyer said.

Twichell gave a speech before the UConn meet, where she quoted Pericles as saying, “What you leave behind is not engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” The Bison women, especially the soon-to-depart seniors, will clearly reflect on this as they prepare for the Patriot League Championships which will take place in Kinney Natatorium from Feb. 17-19.

Categories
Sports

Women’s track hosts home meet

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

This past weekend, athletes on the women’s track and field team had successful performances at both the Bison Open and Multi and the Penn State National Invitational.  Sasha Hornock ’13 led the Orange and Blue at the Bison Open and Multi, winning the long jump and the 60-meter dash.  At Penn State, Emily Liggett ’12 and Caroline Tolli ’13 both finished with impressive times.

At home in Gerhard Fieldhouse, Hornock recorded her personal best time in the preliminary 60-meter dash, and then ran even faster in the finals. Her final time of 7.77 seconds is not only the best in her career, but it also ranks her second in program history. Erin Horleman ’14 also earned a gold for the Bison, winning the 500 meters and beating her personal best with a time of 1:18.77.

Hornock finished first in the long jump as well with a jump of 5.49 meters. Casey Krause ’11 finished right behind her in second.  Krause also took silver for the Bison in the triple jump.

At Penn State, Tolli placed third in the 1000-meter run with an impressive time of 2:57.06. Liggett ran a 5:01.14 time in the mile.

Jennifer Zymet ’14, who was previously deemed Patriot League Rookie of the Week, ran a 1:16.20 in the 500-meter at Penn State.

“Everyone who went performed very well, and the high caliber of competition in each of our events played a big part in our success,” Liggett said.

As the critical part of the indoor season is approaching for the Orange and Blue, Liggett said, “I think we are in very good shape going into the championship part of our season.  Going to Penn State definitely made me realize that I am faster than I thought I was, and I hope that my teammates realize this in themselves.”

On Saturday, the Bison head to Yale University for the Geigengack Invitational in New Haven, Conn.

Categories
Sports

Men’s track performs well in three different meets

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

The Bison men’s track team shined at three different venues this past weekend. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team finished fourth at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York. Closer to home was the Penn State Invitational, where the Orange and Blue took first in both the distance medley and 1,000 meter run. In this year’s Bison Open at Gerhard Fieldhouse, the Bison also claimed first in the heptathalon and shot-put.

At Madison Square Garden, Jacob Eaton-Hall ’14, Jordan Donaldson ’12, John Picardo ’11 and Robert Arent ’12 clocked in a time of 3:25 in the 4×400 relay. The quartet was the first relay team to compete for the Bison at the famed Millrose games in 21 years.

Evan Novakowski ’11 ran a 2:28 1000-meter run at Penn State for a first-place finish at the invitational. Christopher Boyd ’11, Dennis Logan ’14, Clayton Smith ’11 and Chris Sacks ’14 were victorious in the distance medley. The squad clocked in a time of 9:55, which was not only good enough for the victory but also placed them third in school history behind the 1979 team, which holds the top two spots.

On campus, Quinten Marcott ’13 had a huge weekend for the Bison in shot-put. Marcott threw 15.71 meters, which gave him first place and a personal record. The sophomore competed at both the Bison Open and the Penn State Invitational. Marcott threw 15.09 meters at Penn State on the second day and currently sits third in Bison history for shot-put.

“The consistency through my three throws on Saturday is a great sign and adding that to my PR [personal record] Friday has me feeling very confident about the league meet coming up,” Marcott said.

At Gerhard Fieldhouse, Andrew Powell ’12 entered day two of the heptathalon in second place but rallied on the second day to take first.

“I was a little disappointed with my height in high jump, but I knew I could make up the points in the hurdles, which is usually a good event for me,” Powell said. “Going into day two I wasn’t really focused on winning or losing but just performing my best and seeing where I ended up.”

Powell went on to take first in both the long jump and 60-meter hurdles. He compiled enough points to win the heptathalon and move into third place in school history for that event.

This performance gives the Bison confidence going into the Patriot League Championships, which are just a few weeks away. The next meet for the Bison is on Feb. 5 when the team competes at Yale University in the Giegengack Invitational.

“I’m excited to see how my teammates do and am confident that together all of us can put on an impressive performance at Leagues,” Marcott said. “We all have our sights set on winning that championship, and we will be doing everything necessary over the next few weeks to ensure that we do.”