Month: February 2012

By Riley Schwengel

Contributing Writer

While many students here at the University are from nearby locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a good amount, like myself, are far from home; this brings certain advantages and disadvantages.

I am from Rhode Island and must endure a seven-hour drive every time I wish to go home. I have learned to battle any homesickness that may arise by participating in a variety of activities. When I was deciding which college to attend, I knew I wanted to go somewhere far away as I wanted a change of scenery. Many of my friends went to schools relatively close to where they grew up, but I wanted to explore new places and meet new people from different parts of the country. That being said, I was still concerned about being seven hours away: I thought I would get homesick and have trouble adjusting to my new environment. Surprisingly, I really did not have that much trouble getting used to school. I immersed myself in the many activities the University has to offer and surrounded myself with new friends. Whenever I felt a bit homesick, I had the technological innovations of Facebook and Skype to keep me close to my friends and family back home. With how busy I was at school and the chats online with family, I really did not have time to be homesick.

I believe the key to staving off homesickness is complete immersion in what the school has to offer. I knew I would have a lot of free time between classes, so I joined as many activities as I could: club tennis, pep band, ski team and The Bucknellian.  This allowed me to meet a lot of great friends and compensate for all the activities I left back home. While for the average student this advice may prove invaluable, many do have situations that may make this move to college quite difficult.

One challenge that some students face is dealing with a chronic illness so far from home and leaving the medical care they grew up with. I myself do not have any chronic illnesses, but I have been sick here and can attest that it is not fun to be ill far from home.

Students with chronic illnesses may have a harder time adjusting to their new home because of the medical care they require. I read an article in The New York Times by Lily Altavena, a junior at New York University who has Crohn’s disease. Her advice was to plan ahead; she advised finding a doctor, getting medical information together and telling the school early on to get the best and easiest treatment when the need arises. She also advises to not be afraid to go home if you are really having a bad experience with your illness and school. Luckily for us, the University does have Health Services to assist with any medical emergencies. They provide help with simple maladies, like colds or flus, and have services that allow chronically ill students to receive the guidance and treatment they need. My only complaint with Health Services is that it is a rather long walk. Not to worry–they have a solution for that too; they provide those too ill to walk with a ride to Health Services or to the hospital at no cost. While they may not be as comforting as your mom’s homemade chicken soup, Health Services can be a huge help for a variety of ailments.

Coming from one who is far from home, the University can easily help you overcome any homesickness if you throw yourself into the many activities and clubs this school offers. If there are any situations that may make this transition harder, like chronic illness, then plan ahead and seek assistance and this school can easily become your home away from home.

By Josh Haywood

Contributing Writer

Marijuana is–and should remain–illegal for all Americans, except for those who use it medicinally. I stand firmly behind this belief, as I just do not feel that we, as a society, need another drug on our retail shelves. Tobacco and alcohol are bad enough; I do not see the purpose in legalizing marijuana. I recognize that it has never killed anyone or promoted cancer growth, but people are just going to keep on using and growing the plant anyway, no matter the legality. What is the point in changing its legal status? The only thing I would change is to decriminalize the substance so if you are caught with possession, all you face is confiscation and a fine based upon the amount you have. This punishment would save tax dollars when it comes to enforcement.

To those who believe marijuana will stimulate the economy: you are wrong. Any tax revenue will be counteracted by the cost of industry regulation. Marijuana will have to meet certain quality standards. Any plant that does not meet these standards is a waste of money in terms of water, food, land, workers, electricity, screening the plant for contaminants and the technology needed to check for certain standards, such as THC concentration. The list goes on and on because you are going to need to add the cost to regulate the substance either through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or the Food and Drug Administration, which means opening up a new division in one of the organizations and paying each agent’s salary. On top of this is the cost to revolutionize laws: making sure underage sales do not occur and establishing drug influenced driving laws and technology to enforce that law. Employers are still going to have to pay for pre-employment drug tests, as I suspect a majority would still do drug screens. This will counteract legalization from the economic standpoint because people who would otherwise buy it will choose not to out of fear of employer-mandated drug tests.

As for medical marijuana, I believe the drug should be rescheduled to a Schedule II substance so it can be researched and used medicinally. Medical marijuana proves beneficial in cancer patients going through chemotherapy not only by counteracting nausea, but also stimulating their suppressed appetite and thus, extending their lives. It also serves as a better means to suppress pain without as many side effects in individuals with debilitating injuries. If the United States were to allow for medicinal marijuana, I would want a tighter set of restrictions on who can receive it and how easy it would be to get the prescription. I feel as if the situation in California is out of control as people continuously fake symptoms just to get a medicinal card. This needs to be stopped because all it does is make it harder for people who are actually ill to be aided.

There is a time and place for everything, and that place is college. We are all going to be entering the job market soon and need to be focusing on our careers and life goals. Marijuana gets in the way of this by clouding the mind. Marijuana legalization provides nothing for this country other than furthering the perception that the United States is a nation of drug users.

By Jasmine King

Contributing Writer

For the past few years, there has been much controversy surrounding the Supreme Court and the policy of replacing a Justice who has retired from the position or died. In this respect, if a Justice is in need of replacement, the replacement should have the same political, social and economic values as the person she or he is replacing. Right now the Supreme Court has four liberals (Ginsberg, Sotomayor, Kagan and Breyer), four conservatives (Alito, Roberts, Scalia and Thomas) and one who is the “swing vote” (Kennedy). There is currently a sense of balance between liberals and conservatives that the United States did not have in previous years.

The next Justice foreseen to retire is Ginsberg, the Court’s most liberal member, and the President in office during her retirement must replace her with another liberal. Keeping the balance that our Court has had for the past few years has worked well. The diverse natures of the Justices allow them to bring their own unique experiences and values to the Court. With this balance, Americans may not be happy about every verdict, but they will not be able to say that our court system favors one side over the other. I believe that the Supreme Court does well at keeping to the law and recognizing both sides of the spectrum.

In previous years conservatives have undoubtedly overruled the Court. This may not have posed a problem in the past, but American society is changing in the way that we view issues; conservative is not always better now. In the recent case Maples v. Thomas, it was decided 7-2 that death row inmate Cory R. Maples, convicted of murder, should get a new hearing in Alabama. This ruling was overwhelmingly liberal-based. The two Justices who opposed this ruling, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, dissented, maintaining that “Maples did have some form of representation from the N.Y. firm and from a local Alabama attorney retained solely for procedural reasons” (Death Penalty Information Center). The fact that Scalia and Thomas voted against this verdict makes sense in that conservatives tend to favor the death penalty.

If the Court was full of raging conservatives like Scalia and Thomas, our justice system would not give second chances. The Supreme Court would be unforgiving and be one-sided, and so would our entire country. But then, conservatives could say the same thing about liberals–the key to a successful Court is balance.

By Molly Brown

Contributing Writer

When a student hears something about downtown Lewisburg, the first thought that most likely pops into his or her head is probably related to a party at one of the houses on Sixth or Seventh Street. It only takes a stroll down Market Street on an early Saturday afternoon to see a different relationship between students and downtown. The bookstore’s downtown relocation has acted as a catalyst to lure students downtown, and now their support of the local businesses is strong and steady.

Obviously the University bookstore’s placement, which moved to the corner of Market Street and Fourth Street last year, was an initial drawing force to bring students downtown. Even if students order their textbooks from other online vendors, the allure of this season’s spirit wear and perhaps a notebook or two necessitate the pilgrimage. The University makes it easy for students to do so with the regular campus shuttle service. It should be noted, though, that students are extending beyond the gleaming tables of the Barnes & Noble paperbacks and Starbucks-fueled caffeine source to the smaller, independently owned stores of downtown Lewisburg.

As someone who grew up with an independent bookshop that was taken away from me by a big-box chain store, I was delighted beyond measure to see a large group of students walk right by the new Subway and head instead into Pronto. Coincidentally on the way there myself, I opened the door to Pronto and saw that not only was every table full, but also every table held students, happily laughing and sharing a nice Saturday lunch away from the Bison for a change. It was wonderful. I began to observe Market Street a bit more closely. I saw students with bags walking out of thrift stores, two friends deliberating underneath the Campus Theatre marquee about which times worked better for their schedules and a group of three turning the corner with coffee, doubtless coming from the charming Cherry Alley. After I returned to my dorm later that day, I asked my friends if they shopped downtown often, aside from the bookstore. My artist friends told me they stop in Brushstrokes often, and other friends head to Bull Run whenever there’s a big game on the weekend.

As a first-year student, I cannot assert if this is a recent phenomenon. Every student goes through “Welcome to the Neighborhood: Lewisburg Day” during Orientation, so students are aware of the local businesses. I do not think that the downtown survives solely on the patronage of University students. On the contrary, I see the same people sitting in Cherry Alley on Saturday mornings, the same people waiting in line at the Campus Theatre on Sunday afternoons, the same faces at CVS and the same people carrying pizza out of Pizza Phi. I do think the decision to move the bookstore has ultimately proved beneficial to the local economy because more foot traffic, no matter who’s doing the walking, means more business. So for those of you who have yet to make it downtown, the next time you want to spice up your normal Bostwick Marketplace routine or need to find a birthday gift, take a stroll down Market Street and see what you can discover.

By Jen Mok

Contributing Writer

When President John Bravman first initiated the Campus Climate Task Force, he received positive and enthusiastic feedback. The University community had openly embraced the need for change in the social environment. This plan evidently entailed new regulations on Greek Life, but recent actions against Greek Life have begun to worry students, including myself.

A month ago the Interfraternity Council (IFC) released a proposal for a “Greek Orientation” to educate first-year students on the purposes of Greek Life and to emphasize the wide range of opportunities Greek organizations provide besides social ones. This additional four-week program was proposed in hopes of enhancing both the recruitment process and the image of Greek Life.

It is true that many first-years are less informed and many are led to form inaccurate and unfair judgments about the Greek system. Does this necessitate a potential class for incoming Greek members? I think not.

The integration of an official class is, in theory, a great suggestion. It will provide those interested and those in doubt a greater understanding of what is required and expected of a Greek member. The class could also potentially improve the overall outlook of the Greek system for both those in favor of and opposed to sororities and fraternities. Despite the conceivable positive outcomes, such an approach could tarnish the school’s image and voice quite contradicting and differing campus opinions and lifestyles.

It is no secret that our school is heavily dominated by Greek Life. A class designed for first-years would, however, imply a staggeringly high percentage of the student body involved in the systems. There are plenty of students not involved and this class would unjustly not reflect that there are students not engaged in Greek Life. The Greek system is already so heavily emphasized that other activities are often overlooked. Having a class dedicated to the Greek system would only solidify such an unreasonable and prejudiced perspective of our campus.

Not only does this provide an inaccurate image of the school, but it also voices a contradicting concern of the school board and faculty. I leave you with two final questions:  What exactly does the administration want from Greeks, and is a simple class going to provide the necessary satisfaction?