Month: February 2012

Categories
Arts & Life

Tiempo Libre creates foreign experience for audience

By Jen Lassen

Arts & Life Editor

Sure, we live in Central Pennsylvania, but it only takes a bit of believing and a whole lot of music to transport us to Cuba.

This is exactly what happened on Friday, Feb. 3 when the three-time Grammy nominated, all-Cuban timba band Tiempo Libre performed at the University. The Weis Center for the Performing Arts was transformed from Lewisburg’s best concert hall to an Afro-Cuban celebration where audience members could not help but join in on the fun.

Right from the start, pianist and musical director of the group Jorge Gomez said “this isn’t going to be a regular concert; it’s going to be a Cuban party!”

And boy, was he right. The group, comprised of Gomez, Joaquin “El Kid” Diaz (lead vocals), Tebelio “Tony” Fonte (bass), Luis Beltran Castillo (saxophone and flute), Leandro Gonzales (congas), Raúl Rodríguez (trumpet) and Armando “Pututi” Arce (drums), confidently began performing with such intensity and flavor that audience members had no choice but to tap their feet, snap their fingers and jump out of their seats to dance along to the beat. University students danced down the aisles shaking their hips to the melodies, while older couples swayed to the music together in the balcony and audience members hopped out of their seats to bust out moves of their own, creating a uniting cultural experience for all.

It quickly became apparent how well the group collaborated together to form their own unique, high-voltage, Afro-Cuban sound. The group started their performance with an upbeat instrumental piece; then Diaz joined in and began singing beautiful and impassioned Spanish lyrics that captured the audience’s attention. Although the majority of the audience probably had no idea what was being said, Diaz’s soul, passion and dedication to his vocals were mesmerizing.

The group’s Cuban roots certainly were showcased on stage; all members of the band–including the drummer–were dancing in classic Cuban style and singing in Spanish throughout the entire show.

“[They] listened to Cuban music and grew up with the culture,” Gomez said.

Above all, Tiempo Libre exuded pure joy while performing. Their enthusiasm for their music was infectious: shortly after they began playing their instruments the audience seemed to get up, one by one, to participate in the “Cuban party” created by Tiempo Libre.

“The upbeat rhythms and passionate vocals really reflected the energy and dynamism of Tiempo Libre. Their entire performance was inspiring–I loved every minute of it!” Emily Heller ’15 said.

Even though our “bubble” is small and fairly isolated from foreign places like Cuba, Tiempo Libre’s performance had the power to take us there within minutes. The artists seemed to invoke “mucha felicidad” (much happiness) into the lives of the listeners,transformed into Cuban dancers. Those who attended would agree that the experience was a positive “culture shock” we all need once in a while.

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial: Football scholarships threaten Univ. integrity

The new proposal to allocate athletic merit based scholarships to Patriot League football programs has many on The Bucknellian staff worried about the direction of the University. First and foremost, we know it is not primarily the University’s decision to add these scholarships, and we understand that the impact will not necessarily have a huge impact on our school. With that said, we do worry about the image of our school if we add even more athletic scholarships than we already have.

This university aspires to be known as one of the most academically challenging and prestigious universities in the country—in fact, every Patriot League school does. The Patriot League was built for scholarly institutions, in the image of the Ivies, which begs the question: what is motivating this move to add scholarships?

Of course, as is the case with everything, we find the answer in capital. The better the football team, the more money a university (and the league that school is in) brings in.

In this endeavor, the Patriot League is clearly favoring money over what is truly important in a university setting: an education.

As President Bravman said in an email sent out to the faculty, “I believe … that there will be a decisive majority vote to permit football scholarships. Should the Presidents’ Council reach this conclusion, it likely will become unavoidable for Bucknell to add merit-aid scholarships in football.”

It seems at this point the fate of our school’s sports programs is undeniable. If we add three to five scholarships in football, we will be forced to add to other sports because of Title IX requirements. What’s more, that money will have to come out of academic based scholarships, decreasing the value put on academics at the University, ultimately decreasing the value of a Bucknell University degree.

More than just the material losses the University will suffer, it will also be overshadowed by its athletic program, and change the meaning of what it truly means to be a University student-athlete. Faculty and students alike have expressed their fear that what it means to be a student-athlete here will change—no longer will that person be a student, who also happens to play sports.

While there is no problem with a university who specializes in sports over academics, we simply don’t see this university as that place. We see this university as one that prides itself with work ethic both on the field and in the classroom, where a student can’t hide behind his or her athletic abilities.

We sincerely hope this new rule, if it gets passed, does not diminish the standards of the University. And, if negative impacts are seen, we hope the University will take steps to improve the status of the student-athlete on our campus.

Categories
News

Breaking the Bubble

By Amanda Ayers

News Editor

National:

– A voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, also known as Proposition 8, was repealed by a federal appeals court in California on Tuesday. It concluded that the ban violated the constitutional rights of gay men and lesbians in the state.

– Rick Santorum won the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses and a nonbinding primary in Missouri on Tuesday. Santorum, now with four victories, including Iowa, is looking like the chief alternative to Romney, the present front runner, as opposed to Gingrich who only claimed a victory in South Carolina.

– The Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation to authorize a tax on the shale gas industry. Many have been critical of this since it was passed on Tuesday, claiming that municipalities will have little control over the use of their land if the government sets uniform standards of development.

– The vice president for policy for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation resigned Tuesday after the foundation decided to end financial support for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood affiliates.

International:

– After spending 10 years drilling through solid ice, Russian scientists reached a freshwater lake the size of Lake Ontario at the Vostock Research Camp in Antarctica, the coldest spot on earth.

– The State Department is planning on slashing the Iraq Embassy Staff by as much as 50 percent. This comes less than two months after American troops left the country, demonstrating the administration’s goal to have less and less U.S. presence there.

– Efforts toward passing an austerity package in Greece were stalled again by political leaders there. In order to pay back billions in loans and prevent default in March, the government must come to an agreement on cuts in base pay for workers in private companies as well as loosen public sector job protections.

Categories
Headline News

Cracking Down

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

In the fall semester of 2011 (Aug. 24-Dec. 15), 17 drug law violations were committed, according to the Public Safety Crime Log. These offenses come in the first year of the University’s new, stricter drug policy. Drug use violations numbered 27 in all 2010, up almost 70 percent from the previous year. There were six drug arrests in 2010, five more than in 2009.
The University established a new drug policy at the beginning of the year that gives marijuana users “three strikes” and permanently expels any possessors, sellers or distributors of large amounts of illicit drugs. This results from the efforts of the Illicit Substance Policy Committee, a panel appointed in the spring of 2011, by the Committee on Complimentary Activities (CCA). The new policy is the product of three years of efforts by the CCA and addresses the use, misuse, possession and distribution of drugs, illicit substances and paraphernalia. 
“The substance policy committee was made up of students, faculty and staff and looked at state and federal laws in addition to the policies of our peer institutions,” said Lewis Marrara, assistant dean of students and judicial administrator.
The policy’s full effectiveness of decreasing drug use and drug violations remains to be seen. However, the 17 offenses in one semester projects the year-long total to be higher than than the 27 under the lenient policy a year earlier.
As the Drug-Free Schools and Community Act Amendments (Public Laws 101 – 226) to the Higher Education Act of 1965 dictates, the University must comply with legal drug sanctions as a recipient of federal support. Government laws provide the minimum standards for drug policies, and if an institution under federal aid fails to comply with such standards, all federal support rewarded in grants and financial aid is at risk.
“If a university knowingly ignores behavior on campus that misaligns with federal law, that’s a serious issue,” said associate professor Elizabeth Evans, faculty chair of the committee that appointed the ISPC. “We weren’t just stamping down on student behavior.”
Evans says the process for strengthening the drug policy has been in the process for years, and the new rules reflect the committee’s long-term efforts.
The new drug policy maintains the University’s “no-tolerance” stance on drug use. The policy clearly states that “Bucknell students are not to use, possess and/or distribute illegal drugs on or off campus.”
If a student becomes aware of a drug offense, he or she is to inform the Department of Public Safety or the Deans of Students Office. The guidelines apply to all illicit substances, including, but not limited to, depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, cannabis, performance-enhancing drugs, party drugs and “date-rape” drugs. The new policy makes a point to crack down on marijuana users.
First-time offenders face a $350 fine for possession of marijuana or paraphernalia and $500 for possession of both. They also face a minimum of two drug-counseling sessions, Level I probation for remaining time at the University and a note to parents or guardians. First-time offenders must also complete mandatory service hours. Offenders caught with marijuana or paraphernalia face 10 mandatory hours, while offenders caught with both face 20. Violators also face possible loss of a priority housing number, study-abroad privileges and off-campus housing privileges. Second-time offenders must take a leave of suspension for at least one semester, go through off-campus counseling sessions and complete 40 hours of community service. The message of zero-tolerance is clear for third-time offenders, who are penalized with expulsion from the University.
In addition to the sanctions for possessors of marijuana or paraphernalia, the new drug policy also calls for administrative hearings for the misuse of drugs, such as snorting or sharing prescription medicine, and for the use of synthetic drugs including K12, Spice and Salvia. Any possession, distribution or sale of large amounts of an illegal drug results in permanent expulsion.
Former Associate Dean Commerford brought attention to the significant number of students smoking marijuana who were not being penalized under the University’s past point system. The CCA chose to respond accordingly in their efforts to comply with federal law. Bucknell Student Government (BSG) was also involved in the effort, and was asked for feedback and approval throughout the process of development.
The most important part of the policy may be in providing students with knowledge of the rules so that they can act accordingly. Because many students may not be aware of the recent changes in the school’s rules awareness, rather than punishment, could be the key to decreasing the misuse of drugs.
“The BisonPedia handbook will be coming out soon to inform students of drug policies,” Bucknell Student Government president Sara Girmay ’14 said. “I will be sending out a letter to students urging them to know their rights in these matters, especially in the wake of House Party Weekend.”
Only time will tell if the newly strengthened policy will be effective at cutting down drug use at the University. 
Categories
News

Frosty 5K draws large turnout

By Jason Pepe

Contributing Writer

The inaugural Frosty 5K took place the morning of Feb. 4 as part of the Lewisburg Ice Festival. It was sponsored by the Lewisburg Sunset Rotary Club, and proceeds will benefit the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership. A diverse group of approximately 280 runners participated in the race, accompanied by many supportive spectators.
“It was a fantastic turnout for a first year race to get 280. For around here, that’s a great number,” race organizer Tara Michaels said.
Michaels was also quick to thank the unusually pleasant February weather for encouraging such a turnout and allowing the race to run smoothly.
“We’re really excited about it; we’ll plan to do it next year,” Michaels said.
Over 20 volunteers of all ages contributed to the preparations that made the first year race a success, including members of the University field hockey team.
The race began in front of the historic Campus Theatre in downtown Lewisburg and spanned St. Louis Street and St. George Street before finishing outside of the Lewisburg Police Department.
The top overall finishers were Andrew Steely and Tina Bailey, who posted times of 17:29 and 21:10, respectively. An awards ceremony was held inside the Campus Theatre following the race where the top three finishers from each age group were announced and called to the stage.
One particular group of runners drew a great deal of applause as they crossed the finish line: three members of the University ROTC ran the race with fully packed rucksacks.
“It was good for team building within the ROTC organization and also for creating good relations between Bucknell ROTC and Lewisburg in general. It’s always good to build those types of connections,” Stephen Bessasparis ’14 said.
For more information, a full list of the results and photographs from the race is available on the Frosty 5K’s website: http://www.fitforfunds.com/frosty5k/
Categories
Featured News

Question and Answer: Potential Pet Friendly Community

By Ali Napoli

Contributing Writer

Maegan Winkelmann ’13 is trying to break the mold of conventional dormitory living by introducing pet-friendly housing for those who are interested in living with pets. This could range from fish to caged animals like hamsters or gerbils to larger, domesticated animals like cats. In an interview with Maegan, she describes exactly what this offer is about.
The Bucknellian: How did the idea for pet-friendly living come about?
Winkelmann: The idea came about because I am an animal behavior major. I have many pets at home and I love animals. I know how important animals can be to people. Last year I had some problems with depression, and something that was really helpful was having something alive in my room other than myself. I went out and bought fish and they really helped with stress. Having an animal can really be a comfort in this high-stress environment.

The Bucknellian: Where on campus would this living with pets be available?
Winkelmann: Right now, we are trying for this through the Affinity Housing Program, so it would most likely be in a small house. Where it would be would depend on how many people we would get. Everyone who commits to living in this program would have the ability to apply to have his or her pets live there. We would check the applications and make sure the pets have cleared vet records and are social. The application process will also help us have a variation of pets in the house, so we wouldn’t end up having a majority of cats or something of that nature. Not everyone necessarily has to have a pet.

The Bucknellian: What kinds of animals would you accept?
Winkelmann: We are really looking for smaller, caged animals. Animals like hamsters, rats, birds and small lizards are acceptable. Cats are acceptable, but again we would review applications before accepting any pets. Dogs at the moment don’t seem practical because the administration is having some problems with allowing dogs into the program. Smaller animals that can be contained are the best because you don’t really have to worry about them wandering. They are easier to control and maintain.

The Bucknellian: You mentioned earlier about how having a pet helped you through a hard time. Could this option of living be connected through Psychological Services, so kids could maybe use this as a therapeutic method?
Winkelmann: I would love to do that. One of the things that I want this program to do if it goes through is to do outreach. We could have open house hours where people could come and visit the animals for whatever reasons they might have. They could come play with them. We would also have educational events about pet care. I think it is very important that this be something that benefits the whole campus and community.

The Bucknellian: Are there any rules for the application? How could one go about applying?
Winkelmann: The application doesn’t really have any rules. We will accept applications from first-years through juniors. We don’t have any bias against owners. It would be easier if you had the animal for some time already, so you know it pretty well and are comfortable with it. As of right now, we need people to commit to living in the house, and then the application would follow. Everything would be via email, so applications could be submitted over the Internet. People with any questions are more than welcome to email me. I would be happy to meet with anyone if they are interested in living in the house. Right now we have about seven people and we need in total about 20 people. If you commit to the house and the pet community doesn’t end up going through, you aren’t bound to the house at all. You can still receive a raffle number [for the regular housing lottery].

Please contact Meagan Winkelmann (mew031@) for any additional questions or interest in this original residential experience.

Categories
News

FAPC presents new Univ. policy on student-faculty relationships

By Alexander Slavitz

Writer

The University’s official policy on student-faculty intimate relationships received a major addition at Tuesday’s University faculty meeting. The Faculty and Academic Personnel Committee (FAPC) presented the updated policy at the meeting which, due to difficulty in settling on the right wording, took an extensive amount of time to write.

The newest policy contains a section that forbids non-consensual relationships between students and faculty, a section that forbids student-faculty intimate relations if academically related and a final section which is intended to extend to the areas not previous covered.

It reads: “Any sexual or romantic relationship between a faculty member and a student may damage the integrity of the academic and living environment at Bucknell, and is therefore strongly discouraged.” The presenter of this policy, Ben Marsh, professor of geography and environmental studies, emphasized that the main goal is not to guarantee enforcement but awareness.

This vague writing in the definition of what a student is was the topic of much controversy for the majority of the faculty meeting. The question was raised whether the definition of a “student” should include only undergraduates or whether it should extend to graduates as well. An amendment was proposed to limit the policy just to undergraduates, as graduate students can vary in age. The speaker pointed out that his wife was currently a graduate student, so in theory this policy would be forbidding their marriage.

To answer this, an audience member evoked the idea that if a 42-year-old graduate student meets a faculty member and there is no academic relationship between them, then there should really be no reason that a relationship cannot develop between these two people.

Eventually, an amendment to the policy was offered, reading “a full-time residential undergraduate” in place of the general word “student.” After a series of discussions ensued from this proposed amendment, it was decided to eliminate this amendment due to the possibility for loopholes and controversy. The final decision was to accept the initial, unmodified policy that was initially proposed at the beginning of the meeting.

This decision to deem intimate relationships between faculty and students inappropriate was based on the policies at many other comparable universities. When drafting the new policy, a list of U.S. colleges in a similar rural setting to the University was compiled and their policies on faculty-student relations examined. Out of all of the policies, most schools have declared the development of relations between students and faculty to be highly discouraged. If there was a concurrent academic relationship between these two parties, all of these policies deemed this a violation of their school code of conduct and deserving of disciplinary action.

While most schools do prohibit intimate relations between faculty members and students, this is not a uniform policy for all schools, as some have exceptions. Those who don’t directly discourage intimate relations between students and faculty still make a point to emphasis the huge risk that a faculty member is taking by engaging in intimate relations with the student. If a complaint is made by a student or employee about the relationship with the faculty member, the faculty member immediately becomes liable to disciplinary action.

Categories
Featured News

Students and community take plunge

By Jenni Whalen

Writer

The 41-degree Lewisburg weather didn’t stop University students or Lewisburg residents as they plunged into the Susquehanna River last Saturday dressed in everything from bikinis to Halloween costumes. The Polar Bear Plunge, an annual event organized by the University’s Office of Civic Engagement, has been around for seven years. Every year, the number of participants grows. This year, Lynn Pierson, the Assistant Director for Community Service, estimates that about 300 individuals jumped into the icy water.
“This was the first time that I’ve ever plunged,” Nick Pistone ’13 said. “The water wasn’t actually that bad, but the rocks on the way into the water were the worst part. Someone in the crowd kept yelling, ‘Embrace the pain!’ so I just kept going and then my feet were numb on the way back and I couldn’t feel anything.”
The Plunge’s entrance fees help to raise money for the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership. This partnership is a non-profit organization founded to bring together the community in various ways by promoting economic vitality, architectural heritage and cultural vibrancy in the downtown commercial district of Lewisburg. The funds raised by the Polar Bear Plunge will help the community to put on other events similar to the Heart of Lewisburg Ice Festival.

Students and Lewisburg residents alike enjoy events like the Polar Bear Plunge because they bring together communities that are usually separated.

“I’m a returning plunger,” Jordan Sukys ’12 said. “My first experience was in the frozen winter of 2010. The event is not only incredible because it gets hundreds of people into a freezing river, but also because it provides an opportunity for Bucknell students and members of the local community to interact in a sociable, electric environment. The event seems to grow in popularity every year, and I hope that as it grows, relations between students and so-called ‘townies’ will improve as well.”

“I love the Polar Bear Plunge because it’s a really great way to bring the University and community closer. You really bond over losing the feeling in your feet!” Tory Cutting ’14 said.
If you haven’t checked the Polar Bear Plunge off of your list yet, make sure to jump on the frozen bandwagon next year.
“It’s definitely a one-of-a-kind experience,” Mike Pressl ’12 said. “I feel like everyone should try it before graduating.”
Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

Here’s a shining example of Bucknell courtesy. A few days ago, I invited a friend to work with me at the Bertrand Library. My friend lives in Lewisburg but is not affiliated with Bucknell. She drove up to campus and parked on Fraternity Road near the fraternities and library. A group of students, mostly male, stood nearby monitoring traffic. After some hours in the peaceful reading rooms at the library, my friend returned to her car.

Imagine my friend’s shock when she found this belligerent note tucked under her windshield wiper:

“Learn how to park you fucking douch [sic].  I’m watching.“

We were dismayed by the crassly sexual language and by the threat implicit in  “I’m watching.”  The writer of the note could simply have walked over and said, “Excuse me–you parked over the line.”  But no: this road-rage artist went through all the trouble of pulling out a three-ring notebook and writing an anonymous note (in red ink to boot, as if to compensate for the puerile penmanship and spelling).

My friend reported the incident to the local police and I reported it to campus security, but I have little hope that anything can be done.

I am infuriated by the humiliation my guest faced on our campus, and have to wonder about the mentality that produced such gratuitous vitriol.  Did the writer feel powerful or manly by lashing out at an innocuous woman who is twice the age and half the size of the average student?

I  am well aware that drunken crudeness passes for social life on our campus, and that some of my students might be animals when they are not in my classroom.  This much has not changed in the 20 years I’ve taught here.  However, I’m appalled that a random visitor was treated so abusively.  That’s a new and shameful low.

Meenakshi Ponnuswami
Associate Professor of English

Categories
Arts & Life Sleeping Around

Sleeping Around: V-Day in Every Way

Stacey Lace

Columnist

For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend from high school used to send me a dozen flowers for each year we’d been dating. By our last V-Day together, I managed to get 36 gorgeous red roses out of him.

I’m not trying to sound spoiled (although I clearly am), but even I think that might be going a little overboard. I’m just not sure that Feb. 14, and Feb. 14 alone, is the only day in a year that chicks should whip out the see-through red lace lingerie or guys should plan romantic dates with chocolate and flowers.

I know that the whole origin of V-Day was for St. Valentine, the martyr. That’s great and everything, but now it feels like an excuse to find somebody to fool around with for a couple weeks in the middle of the winter.

For someone lucky enough to have a date to a party tonight, I realize I sound pretty cynical of a holiday all about love. I just don’t know why we have to save up all our romanticism and passion for one night.

It’s not as if V-Day is even the sexiest day of the year. Seriously, think about it. There’s New Year’s, when you can ring in a new sex partner. July has Independence Day, where fireworks can get anyone hot. St. Patty’s day is a great time to “Kiss me, I’m Irish.” My personal favorite sexy holiday is Columbus Day, you know, so you can discover a “new world.” To each his own, I guess.

Regardless of being a poorly-placed holiday seemingly meant for bundling up and not stripping down, V-Day is just so purposeless.

I’d like to think that we could all just tone down V-Day so it can be v-day instead, but I realize that a lot of people won’t stand for that. Cutting back doesn’t have to be a big deal. A couple could easily skip the big night out for a cozy night in together and save the fine wining and dining for a night in April when we don’t have to wear parkas.

Also, I live in a dorm room; where am I supposed to put three dozen roses? I’m also a plant killer. Honestly, I look at plants and they die. The cost-to-benefit analysis of V-Day roses just doesn’t prove to be worth it.

Give me a simple box of chocolates and I promise I won’t be just a V-Day fling. I’ll stick around until Columbus Day for a little late-night lovin’.