Category: Featured

By Jen Lassen

Writer

President Bravman’s recent email to students about the necessary ‘next steps’ regarding the recent publication of the Campus Climate Report has made both students and faculty more confident in the proposed changes to be made on campus.

By Sara Matthews

Contributing Writer

Construction on the Academic West quad is set to begin in late March or early April of 2012, assuming the trustees and senior administration give the go-ahead.

According to Project Manager Angelo Vieceli, the University looked long and hard at how best to use the 50 acres on site. The Academic West structure will be the first building constructed in the new quad and the first housing step taken on the farm property as it will double as a learning and a living environment.

Master planning for construction began in 2006, and specific plans for Academic West started in 2009. 

“We call the construction of Academic West an enabling process,” said Dennis Hawley, Associate Vice President for Facilities.

Some faculty members are currently isolated from their departments, and the administration hopes the new construction will bring entire departments under the same roof.

The site will also feature apartment-style living halls. The current design for the new housing involves four four-story apartment-style buildings that will house 89 students each. This housing is mainly targeted toward upperclassmen.

“The goal of this project is to make everyone happy. We want to satisfy the needs of the University, and at the same time we want these buildings to be inviting and timeless,” said Jim Hostetler, Director of Construction and Design. Hostetler also wants the project to finish on time and under budget.

“[Academic West] is the first building for the new quad, and it will set the stage for future architecture and the growth of the University,” Hawley said.

The construction is set to be a 15-month project. Workers will work from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during the week and will only add extra hours if they are behind schedule. Hostetler believes that around 100 workers will be working every day. He thinks they will cycle through a few hundred workers over the course of the construction process.

Hostetler said that there were some setbacks because of the recent flooding in the area. Because the ground was wet, they were unable to move the soil to shape the ground for construction. They were also unable to get materials onto campus during the flood.

Project coordinators have planned in advance for seasonal weather disruptions such as snow, sleet and hurricanes.

This construction is deemed a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project. This is an internationally-recognized green building certification system, and it is the first project for the campus that conforms to LEED orders.

According to its website, “LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.”

During the construction decision-making process, the final decision was made with the environment in mind. Natural plants will also be implemented to help clean runoff rainwater.

“The University wants to make sure it is spending money wisely and meeting academic needs,” Hawley said.

By Nicole Briggs

Writer

On Sept. 7, President John Bravman released the results of a year-long Campus Climate Task Force Report. The 68-page report comments on a variety of campus issues such as excessive alcohol consumption, dominance of fraternities and sororities and lack of intellectual discussions taking place outside of the classroom. The report concluded with a list of recommendations for the future that addressed these issues.

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, a forum was held in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts for the entire University community to discuss the findings. On Wednesday, Sept. 14, another forum, Students’ Open Forum on Campus Climate, was held with only students on the panel.

Bravman began the session on Tuesday by stating that it is often difficult to admit to faults in the University.

“This report presents many challenges to us. It challenges our students and organizations, it challenges our faculty, and it even challenges me,” Bravman said. He then proceeded to introduce members of the task force, including co-chairs George Shields, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Beth Evans, associate professor of biology and animal behavior. After some explanatory remarks, they opened the forum up to its attendees, who were primarily students.

Most of the hour was taken up with comments from numerous University students of different gender, race and beliefs. Students spoke on issues ranging from the intellectual environment to campus diversity. The two most-discussed issues were sexual violence and the portrayal of Greek life in the report.

“If you take away the Greek system, you take away all the leadership positions it provides,” Sam Hopkins ’12 said.

Comments on the Greek system were both positive and negative. Some cited the variety of philanthropic events hosted by Greek chapters and the atmosphere of community and togetherness. Others discussed the perpetuation of gender roles as well as the exclusivity and secrecy that the institution thrives on.

One of the other issues presented was sexual violence on campus. Everyone who spoke seemed to agree there needs to be changes, whether it be more education or harsher punishments.

“You can teach girls to say ‘no’ a million times, but if you don’t teach men to respect it they’ll have to keep saying it.  And therein lies the problem,” Clark Bogle ’12 said.

The second forum on Wednesday was led by Bucknell Student Government president Phil Kim ’12.

“The discussion today is primarily meant for students to be able to voice not only their thoughts, but suggestions,” Kim said.

Evans and Shields gave some remarks, this time on the purpose behind the formation of the task force itself.

“We wanted to assess what it’s like to be here outside of the classroom,” Evans said.

Once again the forum was open to comments, but this time they were directed to the eight members of the Committee on Student Engagement. In addition to the students speaking at the forum, statements were also made through an anonymous online comment box.

The tone of this forum was slightly different from the first. Students told stories about why they either agree or disagree with comments made in the report. One student discussed his own personal struggle with alcoholism, what keeps him sober, and understanding the real problems students have with binge drinking.

Again, many people chose to remark on the impact of Greek life on the campus climate. This time, it was more about how being in a fraternity or a sorority has changed students for the better.

“Greek life helped save my life,” said Damon Quattrochi ’12, who recovered from a rough first year with the help of what he referred to as his “non-legal family.”

The other strong opinion that came out in both forums was the need for a good alternative to Greek life that provides the same opportunities of living environments and common experiences.

Overall, the forums’ wide attendance and the strong opinions expressed in them are a good start to discussions that could help Provost Smyer and Dean Lantz decide on a course of action.

Anyone with more comments on the Campus Climate Task Force Report can email bsg@bucknell.edu or make an anonymous comment at www.bucknell.edu/BSG.

By Meghan Finlayson

Senior Writer

Over 1,000 University students were evacuated from their places of residence last Thursday, Sept. 8,  and University officials are working on finding alternate places of residence for those still inconvenienced by the historic flooding.

The Emergency Management team met Tuesday through Friday afternoon to deal with the crisis. This team includes President John Bravman, Provost Mick Smyer, Chief of Public Safety Jason Friedburg, Deans of Students Susan Lantz and other senior administrators.

“Last week, the biggest challenge was to ensure that students downtown were moved out of harm’s way, and to ensure that students in residence halls that might be impacted by the storm had alternative places to stay,” said Pete Mackey, Vice President for Communications and Community Relations.

The communications staff got word out to the University community as quickly as possible during this critical time.

“We wanted to be sure that we were communicating often and effectively. We used texts, emails, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter …  and direct conversations with students by phone or through Residential Education professional staff and RAs,” Lantz said.

“A big challenge was coordinating responses to a rapidly changing situation, and the need to communicate our plans to students, faculty and staff as quickly and coherently as possible,” Smyer said.

Students were evacuated from buildings that had the greatest potential for flooding. Most evacuations occurred Thursday morning.

Approximately 600 students were evacuated from on-campus locations, and about 500 students were evacuated from off-campus housing primarily because of flash flooding.

“Evacuating 1,000 students in a short time and in an orderly fashion went very well, in part because of our emergency planning prior to this event,” Smyer said. 

Gerhard Fieldhouse, the Elaine Langone Center and the Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library were kept open 24 hours so that all students had safe places to stay. Dining Services also ensured access to food throughout this emergency.

“They gave out free food in the cafeteria to all students who had to evacuate their dorms, which was really nice,” Kristina Patrk ’13 said.

The flooding was the worst on Sixth Street and St. George Street, and in the Harris parking lot between St. George and Loomis Streets.

Mayor Judy Wagner declared a curfew on behalf of the Borough of Lewisburg to keep people out of harm’s way as the downtown flooding threat grew. The curfew was in effect from 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8 to 7 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10 in areas prone to flooding downtown.

Despite the adversity, students seemed to make the best of the situation.

“I talked with 10 students evacuated from their house on Wednesday night and they were all doing great … quickly finding friends to stay with … I was in Bostwick Marketplace on Thursday night and it was fun to see everyone with their pillows and sleeping bags with them, laughing and enjoying each other’s company,” Lantz said.

“While it was awful and a lot of my friends were misplaced, it was refreshing to see how helpful and caring everyone was toward each other,” Meghan FitzPatrick ’12 said.

Many students reached out to the Lewisburg community through the Office of Civic Engagement. Among many others, students from a foundation seminar, Theta Chi fraternity, the lacrosse and basketball teams, the Bucknell Brigade, Student Emergency Response Volunteers (SERV) and the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship stepped up to help out Lewisburg residents that were affected by the flooding.

“The last few days reminded me of the best of the Bucknell community, staff and students, who intentionally reach out to help others in a time of need,” said Janice Butler, Director of Civic Engagement & Service Learning.

Faculty and staff also kept their spirits high. “There were lots of staff members in facilities in particular that spent many hours cleaning up residence halls and other buildings, and making sure the campus was ready for classes on Friday. Even though many of them came from flooded areas, they stayed and worked on campus to make sure students were in a safe environment,” Executive Director of Human Resources Marcia Hoffman said. 

The Office of Housing Services is offering assistance to those who still are without housing.

“We had limited spaces available [for on-campus housing] this fall, but are being as creative as possible to find safe, comfortable housing for students in need,” Lantz said.

 

By Olivia Seecof

Writer

Professors, families, students and community members were all in attendance at the September 11th Tenth Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony, with an overflow of attendees sitting in the aisles and standing behind the seats.

The September 11th Planning Committee, originated by Dean of Students Amy Badal, began work on this week’s commemorative events last spring. The events included many community service opportunities and a commemorative ceremony.

Student speakers gave accounts of what the attacks and aftermath meant to them. “Ten years later, it is still as important as ever to always remember those we lost on that day and to continue to work together to make the world a better place,” Isabelle Catalano ’12 said in her speech.

Many of the students on the committee were interns at the non-profit VOICES of September 11 headquarters.  VOICES of September 11th, provides information and support services, as well as annual commemorative events for the families, rescue workers and survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks. The organization, founded by Mary Fetchet, mother of a University alum who perished in the attacks, promotes public policy reform on prevention, preparedness and response to terrorism by building bridges among communities that have been affected by terrorism all over the world.

Students sold t-shirts, handed out pins and signed a personalized flag.

“After working at VOICES of September 11th this summer with Megan Lenihan, I was happy to get involved with the planning committee,” said Alison Dyott ’14, one of the committee members.

The week of community service events gave campus members the opportunity to serve others while remembering and reflecting on the September 11 attacks.

“Doing service for 9/11 helps to honor those that were lost and those who rose to serve in response to the attacks,” said Lynn Pierson, assistant director for community service.

Service opportunities included volunteering at the Red Cross, painting and scraping the fence at the Lewisburg Cemetery and blanket-making for local children in need.

“In the wake of the flooding this area experienced, we were able to send some volunteers to the Red Cross to assist with different efforts that would help those affected. In addition, the blankets will greatly benefit area children and families that may have lost their belongings due to flooding,” Pierson said.

The Bucknell University Conservatives Club placed flags lining the field outside of the uphill Elaine Langone Center.  It is their tradition to place 2,996 flags every year. University students crafted a large American flag to be hung in the Elaine Langone Center Hearth Space. Students could sign their name or write a memory on this flag to demonstrate the tie each one of us has to the September 11 events.

While the event was originally supposed to take place on the science quad, weather forced it into Trout Auditorium. The Rooke Chapel Choir opened the ceremony and committee member Megan Lenihan ’13 and Rabbi Serena Fujita gave opening remarks. President John Bravman gave remarks full of inspiration, understanding and comfort.

“As a New Yorker, I never felt more like a New Yorker than I did that day,” Bravman said.

Phil Kim ’12 presented a replica of a plaque that will be placed in the Memorial Garden located east of Rooke Chapel.

“It was really nice to see the campus community come out to support each other,” Kaitlyn Utkewicz ’14 said.

Biographies of four University alumni who died in the attacks were read by current students. These alumni were Bonnie Shihadeh Smithwick ’68, Keith Coleman ’90, Mark McGinley ’97 and Brad Fetchet ’99.

Beyond Unison concluded the ceremony with a performance of Jimmy Eat World’s “Hear You Me.”

“Overall, I thought the ceremony was beautiful. Way more people showed up than expected which really shows how much Bucknell students care,” Dyott said.

By Elizabeth Bacharach

Contributing Writer

The University’s Small Houses, located behind Vedder Hall along St. George and 6th Streets, opened their doors to the campus community on Saturday Sept. 3, exposing interested students to the individual interest-based houses and their respective themes.

Sean Fortney ’12 said that the Small Houses program is “unique to any other housing option at Bucknell” for three reasons: availability, student initiative and community building.

At the Block Party, each house had a special activity or enticing refreshment for those visiting. These activities included sustainable bracelet making at Taylor House, the sustainable cooperative house; bingo at Galloway House; canvas creations at the Seventh Street House; and voter registration at Edwards House, a venue for political discourse and investigation. At Carey House, students put their handprints and construction paper hearts on posters to send to child soldiers. In addition to theatrics, lemonade was handed out at Cap and Dagger in the Hulley House, a house with a performance-based theme.

Just this year, Cap and Dagger relocated to Hulley House. According to Ethan Van Buskirk ’13, the purpose of the Cap and Dagger house is to “spread art through the campus.”

Some houses are solely for community living. Others are fully open to the community, such as the Seventh Street House for the Study of the Black Diaspora. “Everyone is welcome. There are programs throughout the year, and it is a great study place! Feel free to stop by,” said Doneeca Thurston, the Resident Adviser in Seventh Street House.

The houses can be customized based on the interests of those living there. If the group continues to live in the Small House community, they become eligible for upgrades such as new flat screen televisions, kitchen supplies, refurnishing of the living room and repainting of the exterior or interior of the house.

Becoming a part of the Small House community differs from house to house. Some houses serve as alumni housing for Residential College members, like Carey House for the Social Justice Residential College students, but others are based solely on interest. For example, at Galloway House, also known as Fran’s House, in honor of the late director of the Office of LGBT Awareness Fran McDaniel, the only requirement is interest.

The night concluded with a variety of musical and theatrical performances at 23 University Avenue, or “Das Musik Haus.” Galloway House hosted a drag queen to further advertise their community. Additionally, a DJ and a band provided music.

As music played and entertainment was displayed, students played games such as Frisbee and corn hole. When asked whether the afternoon was a success, Fortney responded, “Absolutely.” He further proved his point by saying that over 150 people attended the Block Party.

Each Small House encourages students and faculty alike to stop by and visit.

By Carleen Boyer

Contributing Writer

Last Friday, Lewisburg’s Campus Theatre reopened its doors after a $2.5 million renovation. 

Renovations on the theater, which has been a part of downtown Lewisburg since the 1940s, began last year. “It’s pretty special to have this nostalgic theater in walking distance,” said Ellen Flacker-Darer, Executive Director of the Campus Theatre.

The 70-year-old building, originally owned by a non-profit organization, was bought by the University last year and modifications began seven months ago. Some of the changes in the theater include new seating and a concession stand that offers traditional movie favorites in addition to healthier choices from local businesses.

The theater is unique in more ways than one, and the renovations highlight some of the traditional aspects of the building. Thanks to John Hartmann ’79 and a group of other community members, the original atmosphere of the theater was maintained throughout the restoration.

“It was amazing to see all the team players from the theatre to Bucknell associates; from contractors to the John Hartmann’s wonderfully skilled group take this task on and really have fun with it,” Campus Theatre Board of Directors Chair Mark O’Brien.

The theater’s schedule is packed. “I’ve heard people who have graduated from Bucknell tell me that they never even knew the Campus Theatre was there,” Flacker-Darer said. She hopes that the theater will appeal not only to locals but also to students as well.

In addition to showing well-known movies for the student price of six dollars, the Campus Theatre has also teamed up with the film professors at the University. Now, on Tuesday nights, the University film series will offer screenings for only two dollars.

“I think one of the nicest things about the Campus Theater is that Lewisburg is such a college town, and the idea of the town and University being brought together at this historic place is great,” Jeff Finnegan ’14 said.