Month: February 2012

Categories
Headline News

Kappa Sigma and 23 University Ave. raided by Public Safety

Jenni Whalen

Staff Writer

At around 1 p.m. this afternoon, Public Safety officers set off the fire alarm in Kappa Sigma Fraternity. All fraternity members were instructed to leave the house on the premise that the officers were conducting University searches. The house at 23 University Avenue was also raided in the same fashion.

In addition to Public Safety officers, officers from the Lewisburg Police Department also arrived at the scene with specially trained drug dogs. Kappa Sigma members assume that this raid occurred because officers were searching for illegal substances and drug paraphernalia, although none can be sure because the three-hour search was conducted while the members were cleared out of the house.

“At 1:00 p.m. today, members of the University and local law enforcement searched 23 University Avenue and Kappa Sigma Fraternity based on an ongoing investigation of illicit drug use and seizure of contraband,” dean of students Susan Lantz said in an email sent out to the parents of all residents. “The University is concerned about the health and safety of our students and our community, which is why we decided to investigate further today.”

At this moment in time, no student arrests have been made.

 

Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Scholarships will help Univ.

To the Editor:

While the football scholarship issue is one where reasonable people can differ, I think you’ve overlooked a few things.

Many strong academic schools offer far more athletic scholarships than does Bucknell, with no damage to their image. Looking just at Patriot League schools, Bucknell has given out the fewest athletic scholarships for years–which has caused a number of BU teams/coaches to have to compete on an uneven playing field.

Do you have any evidence that the money for football scholarships will come at the expense of academic-based scholarships? For a number of reasons, I think it is unlikely that any academic-based scholarships will be cut. It is likely, however, that a significant amount of the additional expense of scholarships will be raised by additional donations from alumni who support football as well as the University in total.

Had Bucknell not followed the lead of its peer schools in the Patriot League, the short-term effect would have been to destroy the football program’s competitiveness, while the likely long-term effect would have been the disbanding of the program. No matter your opinion of football, there would be serious consequences of such a result. One would be that a number of Bucknell donors–-those who have built up the school’s endowment and its ability to give need-based scholarships–-would cut back their donations significantly. As one piece of evidence, consider that when Lafayette’s president took certain anti-scholarship moves less than two years ago, it cost Lafayette a number of its top donors.

As for academics, when Colgate added athletic scholarships for many sports other than football about eight years ago, they expected that action to improve the academic profile of CU athletes. After a few years, the University confirmed that scholarships had indeed improved academics. That should come as no surprise, since it allowed CU to recruit student-athletes who previously would have gone to Ivy League schools or other strong academic schools with athletic scholarships. Other Patriot League schools who have added athletic scholarships in various sports (soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, swimming, etc.) have also found that the academic profile of their athletes was improved.

While you worry that somehow football scholarships may “diminish the standards of the University,” the reality is that they are almost certain to improve Bucknell’s academic profile for the reasons cited above.

No one who values sports over academics is ever going to consider Bucknell or any other Ivy/Patriot League school, so that surely cannot be a concern. However, many of the most successful alumni to come out of every Ivy League and Patriot League school have been those who valued both academics and athletics. Bucknell for years has given out more merit scholarships in dance, music, art, etc. than it has in athletics. Has that hurt the University or decreased the value of a Bucknell degree? If not, then why would athletic scholarships –which many people, depending on their own point of view, would argue have a more positive effect on the University’s image.

With the addition of scholarships, it would be possible to fund part of the cost by playing one game a year against a FBS school such as a Rutgers, Army, UConn, Wake Forest, etc. Maybe even Penn State at some point. The current payday for such a game is typically $300,000 to $500,000, although it sometimes can run as high as $1 million. Colgate and Fordham have already scheduled this sort of money-maker and there are reports that Lehigh and Lafayette are not far behind. However, this sort of money-maker, by NCAA rules, is only possible for a school that has at least 56.7 scholarships or their equivalent.

One last thought. If you google “Bucknell” for the last week (or any other time period), you will find that the great majority of the publicity BU receives all over the country is due to the University’s sports program. Like it or not, that is how most people hear of Bucknell and its brand, and that is what keeps the Bucknell brand out there in front of this national audience. The only question is whether the exposure consists of Bucknell having a winning program and stronger student-athletes or a losing one and weaker student-athletes. Frankly, almost no one in the community-at-large cares what kind of aid a given student is receiving.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Doak ’71

Categories
News

Spring Concert announced: Nelly

By Courtney Flagg

Senior Editor

Bucknell Concert Committee will bring American Grammy Award winning hip hop artist Nelly to campus on Friday, April 13. The mash-up duo TimeFlies will open for Nelly. The doors will open at 7:00 p.m, and the show will start at 8:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 20 in the LC Mall, and will cost $25 for students. General public tickets will be available for purchase on Feb. 20 at $30 a piece.

“We chose Nelly based on availability and what we thought would work on campus. We’ve had a little bit of a challenge this semester with availability, pricing and who is touring. We actually put in a few bids that didn’t work. So finding such a great artist this late in the game, we just jumped at the opportunity,” Zack Beltran ’13 of the Bucknell Concert Committee said.

Nelly was born Nov. 2, 1974 as Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr., in Austin, Texas, but grew up in St. Louis, Mo. In high school, Nelly formed the rap group St. Lunatics, which consisted of Nelly and other hip hop artists Murphy Lee, Ali, City Spud and Kyjuan. The group failed to attain a record deal and Nelly decided to go solo.

Nelly was signed to Universal Records in 1999 and the label released Nelly’s debut album “Country Grammar” in 2000, which debuted at the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 1. Recognizable singles from the album include “E.I.” and “Ride Wit Me.” “Country Grammar” was certified as having gone nine times platinum in April of 2004 by the Record Industry Association of America.

Nelly’s sophomore album “Nellyville” was released in 2002 and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Music Albums. The lead single, “Hot in Herre” was a number-one hit and won Nelly the Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2003. Other popular singles off the album include “Dilemma” featuring Kelly Rowland, “Work It” featuring Justin Timberlake, “Air Force Ones” featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics and “Pimp Juice.” “Nellyville” was certified as having gone six times platinum by the RIAA.

Nelly contributed the single “Shake Ya Tailfeather” featuring Diddy and Murphy Lee to the “Bad Boys II” film soundtrack in 2003. In 2004, the single won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

In the fall of 2004, Nelly released dual albums entitled “Sweat,” a rap-based album and “Suit,” an R&B-based album. “Suit” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart while “Sweat” debuted at No. 2. Nelly broke barriers with his ballad “Over and Over” from the album “Suit” due to his unlikely duet with country music star Tim McGraw. In the winter of 2005 Nelly rereleased a compilation of tracks from “Sweat” and “Suit” called “Sweatsuit.” The new album had three new tracks including the No. 1 hit “Grillz.”

“Brass Knuckles,” Nelly’s sixth album, was released in the fall of 2008 despite several delays in production. Notable singles from the album include “Party People” featuring Fergie and “Body on Me” featuring Akon and Ashanti. 

Nelly’s most recent album, entitled “5.0,” dropped in November of 2010. Artists featured on the album include T-Pain, Chris Brown, Akon, Plies, T.I., Kelly Rowland, Birdman, DJ Khaled, Avery Storm and Diddy-Dirty Money. The most popular song off the album was “Just a Dream,” which is Nelly’s highest charting song since “Grillz.”

Nelly is also known for his status as an entrepreneur. In 2003, Nike and Nelly agreed on a one-year deal to release a limited-edition sneaker called the “Air Derrty.” He later signed a shoe deal with Reebok. Nelly has been a part of the advertising campaigns for Got Milk? and Ford Motor Company. His energy drink “Pimp Juice” was very successful, selling one million cans during the first two months after it’s introduction in the summer of 2003. Many people, however, criticized the name of the drink, mainly for it’s misogynistic name connotation. Nelly owns the female clothing line Apple Bottoms popularized by Flo-Rida in his song “Low” in which he mentions the brand. Nelly also owns Vokal, a clothing line catering to men.

Nelly runs the non-profit organization “4Sho4Kids Foundation.” The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with developmental disorders. Nelly also began the “Jes Us 4 Jackie” campaign in 2003 with his sister Jackie, who was diagnosed with leukemia. The campaign looks to educate African-Americans and other minorities about the need and importance of bone marrow transplants. Sadly, Nelly’s sister passed away from the disease in 2005.

“I think for our age group, Nelly is a really popular artist. He is a Grammy winner and had a lot of hits that Bucknell students are familiar with. I also think that it will be a really fun, upbeat and exciting concert for the community,” Beltran said.

Nelly tried his hand at acting, taking part in the 2005 remake of “The Longest Yard” with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He also appeared in episodes of “CSI: NY” and “90210.” 

Categories
Featured News

Car crashes after basketball game

By Lauren Buckley

Contributing Writer

Six cars were damaged on Seventh Street Saturday evening when an out-of-control driver plowed through the Smith Lot after the men’s basketball game. The driver was a 30-year-old female resident of Lewisburg. Her car, as well as one other student vehicle, was severely damaged. Luckily, no individuals were hurt in the incident.
The driver ran over the curb of Smith Lot, collided with a parking sign and continued to hit a car parked on the street. The driver did not slow down and side-swiped five additional cars, badly impacting the final vehicle. The driver remained unresponsive with the engine running as student witnesses attempted to break her window with a window-scraper. Students immediately notified the East Buffalo Township Police Department through the 911 dispatch. Public Safety was extremely helpful on the scene as well.
The local police are still investigating the cause of the driver’s wild swerve.
“We can say with certainty that there was no alcohol involved. However, it is possible that the driver may have had a medical condition based on her actions and loss of memory,” Sergeant Hetrock of the East Buffalo Valley Township Police Department said.
“I was stunned. I had never seen, in person, such damage caused all at once. Once I realized the severity of the situation, I realized someone had to be notified,” Kelsey Sauer ’13 said. “The driver’s eyes seemed glazed over and they were not  paying attention to the road. Something was not right.”
Categories
Arts & Life Sleeping Around

Sleeping Around: The V-Card

By Stacey Lace

Columnist

With Valentine’s Day just passing, let’s talk about another big V in our lives.  I’m talking about the biggest V you can think of that pertains to your late night indiscretions.  I’m talking about virginity, and, yes, this is about to get a little personal.

You can probably all guess that I’m not a virgin.  I’m pretty sure The Bucknellian wouldn’t let me write this column if I was, but that’s not to say I was sexualized too young or anything like that.

I lost the v-card after coming to college.  I was in a steady relationship with a guy who was not as chaste as myself.  I don’t regret the guy or the circumstances, but at age 18, I thought we needed to have “the talk.”

I don’t mean the “where do babies come from” talk, I mean the “I need to know this is the right decision and that I’m not going to regret having made it with you” talk.

Honestly, I’ve never stopped having that talk.  Prior to every new sexual encounter, I’ve had “the talk.”  I just think it’s important to know where both partners are physically, mentally and emotionally when it comes to having sex.

With STIs, STDs and STFs (sexually transmitted feelings) going around campus, understanding your partner’s sexual history or lack thereof is just as important to your emotional stability as it is to your fear of herpes.

One day last week while I was at lunch with my girlfriends, my peppy cheerleader friend Reilly* was filling the group in on James*, the guy she’s been seeing.

Her hookup concern of the week?  Reilly was beginning to think about taking the next step and actually sleeping together.  However, Reilly’s feelings weren’t the problem.  Before any canoodling, Reilly wanted to know if James was a virgin, but she didn’t know how to bring it up.

This prompted all eight of the girls to start talking about how you ask your partner if he or she is a virgin. We all agreed it’s awkward to just flat out ask, yet it seemed like having that talk was so important.

I know that talking about the v-card can be almost as awkward as asking your mom to refill your condom stash next time she’s at the pharmacy, but it seems to be something we’ll all have to overcome at least once.

I wish I had advice for you, but all I can really say is that the brief moment of humiliation that comes from asking the question is almost always cancelled by the resulting conversation and activity.

If you still think it’s too awkward, take my roommate’s advice: “If you can’t have the talk, just don’t have sex.”

*Names have been changed.

 

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial: Administration too power-hungry to realize realities

The University prides itself on its extremely high alumni salary ranking: fourth among liberal arts schools across the nation, according to the Huffington Post. In many senses, it is doing what it is designed to do in a social context—prepare students to succeed in a capitalist culture. Why, then, are they implementing rules and regulations to degrade this dynamic?

In a recent study conducted by University seniors Chandler Hoopes and Morgan Beeson, a direct correlation between socializing and post-graduation income levels was found. These findings leave us to wonder why the administration would continuously attempt to minimalize the Greek presence—the most prevalent social outlet on campus—and to make stricter rules against holding parties on campus.

While we are not saying that students should go out every weekend and binge drink, we are saying that going out on a Friday or Saturday night does, in fact, cultivate important life skills. In light of this fact, The Bucknellian staff cannot help but notice an exponential increase in busted parties this past school year.

What’s more, this increase certainly does not reflect students’ actions; Public Safety has grown more aggressive, but students have not become more obvious. For example, a Greek date party should not be busted for reasons such as, “we heard clinking bottles” (over the loud music of the party? Really?).

Even though the house is registered, Public Safety still possesses the power to come in and break up a social event that without a doubt teaches students valuable lessons about interacting with people. That is something they will need later in life just as much as knowledge of engineering or biology.

With the heightening of these strict policies, the administration is only harming itself. In an effort to cleanse this university, it is in fact watering down the life skills students will learn.

Consider the school ranked as number two on the alumni salary list, Colgate.  According to collegeprowler.com’s college report card, Colgate’s Greek life receives an “A+.” It also provides comparable Greek life in other schools. First on the list reads “Bucknell University, A+.”

Clearly, there exists a strong relationship between socializing and success in the real world. We are not implying that students should forgo studying for partying, but they should be allowed to go out on the weekends without endless pursuit from police and Public Safety.

The University needs to ask themselves soon what is actually important, and what its role really is in developing students. Is it to impose totalitarian order, or is it to prepare students for success? The answer is easy, but the administration has become too powerful to accept it.

Categories
Opinion

The infamous college sexile: She Said…

When it comes to navigating the complicated role of being a good roommate, the conflict of “sexiling”—being exiled from your room due to a roommate’s rendezvous— inevitably comes up. To me, it generally seems that girls tend to be less accepting victims of a sexile than guys, but just as there are a variety of roommate relationships there are as many varied feeling towards sexiling. Overall, the general rules seem to be as such:

No school night sexiling. As someone who likes to do late night work in my room, my roommate’s hookup should not get in the way of my studies.  Similarly, if I have a big test or presentation the next day, I want to be able to get the good night’s rest that only sleeping in my own bed provides. One of the most annoying parts of being sexiled is not being able to get back into the room to get my things without having to see my roommate spooning or doing the nasty with some guy. Trust me, having to interrupt to get something you need from the room can be extremely uncomfortable for both you and your roommate.

Forewarning must be given. I really don’t want to see anything of the hookup nature; it is best if I don’t know what’s going on in my room. Late warning is more acceptable on the weekends when I don’t really have anything to do until the afternoon, but 12 a.m. on a Wednesday night tends to be rude. It is also nice to get some warning so that I can leave before the partner returns, as the awkward small talk with my roommate’s hookup is just plain painful—we both know what is about to go down in my room. The roommate relationship is one based upon open communication and awareness of each other, so a long as my roommate asks for the room and we have open dialogue on what is and is not acceptable when it comes to sexiling, I say get your sex on.

The hookup better be worth it. It has always struck me how I tend to be more accepting of being sexiled if I know the guy is cute and not an ass. If I am going to be kicked out of my room, I would rather it be for something that is going to be good. I am more readily accepting of my roommate’s boyfriend staying the night than a random hookup, but to an extent. I could never handle having that roommate whose boyfriend sleeps over, sans fooling around, almost every night. Something about sleeping a couple of feet away from them cuddling is just plain uncomfortable.

But overall, my biggest rule is I just don’t want to see, and preferably hear, anything.

Categories
Opinion

The infamous college sexile: He Said…

By Ben Kaufman

Sports Layout Editor

To be blunt, being sexiled is a part of college. It is something that either everybody does or something that happens to you.

Personally, I have not been sexiled frequently. It has only happened a few times to me, and only once has it actually affected me. This was due to the fact that my roommate’s partner stayed the weekend and did not leave until Monday and I had to be in a physics lab at 8 a.m. that morning. To put it frankly, that sucked. When it comes to being sexiled, as long as it does not affect my schoolwork during the week, then I honestly do not care.

I grew up sharing a room with my older brother, who had a girlfriend until my junior year of high school. That was the first time I was actually sexiled. I did not mind the situation, as I am close with my brother, and the circumstances surrounding the relationship were different: he was in a long-distance relationship and therefore did not see his girlfriend often. So in this case, I did not really care about being sexiled, especially since my parents had a rule that our girlfriends were not allowed to sleep over if they were home. 

Here is the thing: as long as it does not affect my schoolwork then I really could not care less. It is what is known as “Bro-Code.” It is an unspoken rule in which you try to help out your friend, or “bro,” as often as possible. If that means sleeping on a couch or on a floor for one night, then so be it, life will go on. If my roommate at school decides to bring someone back to our room, I would have no issue sleeping on my friend’s floor for the night, or on a couch in my fraternity. As long as the person who is sexiling people does not take advantage of their roommate, then it is really not a big deal.

It frustrates me when people get so annoyed about being sexiled since it is usually just for one night every once in a while. Your life will go on if you sleep on the floor for one night, so be civil and accepting.

Categories
Arts & Life Featured Study Abroad

Memories of Italia!

By Zack Beltran

Contributing Writer

Last semester, I had the privilege of studying abroad in Florence, Italy. Being Italian, I was so excited to “go home.” I could not wait to eat pizza, pasta and gelato every day, visit all of the major sites and “be Italian!” And that’s exactly what I did.

I studied abroad at Syracuse University in Florence, with eight other University students. During my experience, these students (and many other young adults on the program) became some of my best friends. We laughed together, ate together and traveled to eight countries and twenty-five cities together.

While in Europe, I visited Italy (obviously), France, England, Ireland, Malta, Germany, Austria and the Vatican. I ate crepes in Paris, pasta in Italy, schnitzel in Austria and pretzels in Germany. We visited the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, just to name a few. I went shopping in Paris and toured the very green hills of Ireland. I had the perfect European semester abroad!

While I can look back now and say that studying abroad was one of the best experiences both during college and in my life (I want to go back!), it definitely had its challenges. Going to Italy, I had never even taken an Italian class and was nervous to interact with the locals. I eventually began to learn more and more of the language and felt comfortable in Italy.

Like anything that pushes you out of your comfort zone, studying abroad has challenges that reap great rewards. After my return to America, I feel so much more cultured and have a new appreciation for the luxuries we have in America and at the University.

I’m studying economics and sociology here, and I believe that studying in Europe has further enhanced my education. I can use my knowledge and experiences from abroad in the classroom and extra-curricular activities as well as my job search. For anyone considering going abroad, I think that it is definitely one of the best decisions you can make. No matter where you choose to go, whether it’s Italy or down under in Australia, you will learn so much about a new place, a new culture and yourself. You may never want to leave, but coming back to the University is always great! Going abroad literally gives you the best of both worlds.

 

Categories
Arts & Life From the Mind of Wiley Jack Humor

From the mind of Wiley Jack: Bucknell Girls

Jack Wiles

Columnist

The typical “Bucknell girl” has multiple personality disorder. For those of you without a PhD in psychology, this is a serious concern. It has taken me four long and arduous years to gain anything remotely close to an understanding of this creature, and this is what I have compiled.

Personality 1: The in-class “Bucknell girl”: Here, she is attentive, constantly scribbling down notes and sitting with good posture. Never will she disagree with her professor, and if she disagrees with him, it is because the teacher is encouraging disagreement, so she’s still technically agreeing with him. If the “Bucknell girl” went out, had a boy over or was too busy having a passive-aggressive pillow talk with her roommate the night before, she is wearing a baseball cap. Oh, and leggings, a sweatshirt and UGGs. (Typically black, gray and brown, respecively). She conveys to her peers that she truly cares about the world, politics, her classes, etc. She is responsible and would rarely do anything wrong.

Personality 2: The “Bucknell girl” after dark. Here, she is dressed up. Whether it is in the theme of the night, or a “dress,” she is scantily clad, leaving little to the imagination, trying to look hotter than all of the other girls that are out that night. Just like the in-class “Bucknell girl,” the nighttime girl often incorporates a table into her routine. While the in-class girl is studying on it, the night time girl is dancing on top of it, double-fisting mixed drinks. She is hammered. Nighttime girl has no problem cursing loudly, dancing suggestively or being completely inhibition-free. She also may head back to a male’s bedroom … but I’ll leave that for Stacey Lace to cover in “Sleeping Around.”

There’s a reason girls get better grades–-they have figured out how to beat the system. They can be complete idiots at night and have fun just like guys while Personality 1 does their homework for them. It’s like they have a clone that does school for them. The “Bucknell guy” is not good at hiding that he is hungover or doesn’t care about the class while in class. ­He often stupidly disagrees with the professor and loudly talks about what he doesn’t like about the professor while standing right next to him. Generally, the “Bucknell guy” is honest, brutally honest in fact, so much so that he can come off as a dick. But he’s not a dick. He also does not have multiple personality disorder, but maybe he should. “Bucknell girls,” you’ve figured it out; you know how to win here. Have some pity on us guys, we’re just simple people trying to make it out here on these hard, hard streets.