Categories
Opinion

Citizens United should not be changed

Gillian Feehan

Contributing Writer

In 2010, the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case became a landmark decision by the Supreme Court that outraged many Americans. Essentially, this decision opened the door for corporations to funnel unlimited amounts of money into groups that support a candidate in federal elections, mainly through issue-focused advertisements. The Citizens United decision declared that governmental restriction on corporate spending in political campaigns violates the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Last month, Mass. Representative Jim McGovern proposed two Constitutional amendments that would overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. The first amendment would allow Congress and states to regulate campaign spending through finance reform legislation, while the second amendment would overturn Citizens United by no longer allowing corporations to claim First Amendment rights. But is a Constitutional amendment necessary, and would it even be possible to pass one?

Citizens United hasn’t had the horrible effect that many people assumed it would, and it may not even be worth passing an amendment to overturn it. No party has received major benefits from the Citizens United decision. While candidates are now able to access more funding for their campaigns, super PACs are funding both Republican and Democrat campaigns.

The enormous amount of money donated by corporations is used to run campaign ads. These ads are not discussed with the candidate before being run, so the candidate may not even agree with the ad. The increase in campaign ads does not do very much to win votes for a candidate. After all, how many of you really pay attention to campaign ads, and how much do these ads affect your vote? Probably not much.

Even if there were enough benefits to warrant a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision, chances are, an amendment would never be ratified. Two-thirds of the House and Senate would need to approve the amendment, followed by three-fourths of states. With the rising costs of running a campaign for a seat in the House or the Senate, it is unlikely that members of Congress and Senators would willingly allow their financial resources for campaigns to diminish.

The Citizens United decision illustrates the increasing importance of money in elections, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. Elections are still about a candidate’s beliefs and plans for the future. People are going to vote for whichever candidate’s views are closest to their own, and I don’t believe that any amount of campaign money can change that.

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Arts & Life

The Lying Bison: Your Weekly Dose of Satire

New Courses in the Works

By Ethan Weber

The latest sounds coming from the Sigfried Weis Music Building are neither opera recordings nor the plucked strings of harpsichords, but rather rumors and chatter of a new course to be offered to University students. The course? MUSC 147: “Introduction to Caf Music.”

“For quite some time now, we in the Music Department have been becoming increasingly aware of a disturbing trend among Bucknellians,” Dr. Irving Carmichael said. “The majority of non-music majors possess little knowledge of music history prior to the 1990s.”

“They’re incredibly egocentric,” Prof. Stevland Manilow said. “If it’s from before they were born, it’s as if it was never written or received airtime. This became all too clear at last year’s Chrysalis when it was learned that a large percentage of University students didn’t know who The Village People, the featured act, were.”

“It was really embarrassing,” Carmichael said. “The one that dresses like a construction worker even had to correct the students on how to do ‘Y.M.C.A.’ It’s like these kids have never been to a wedding reception or anything.”

After surveying University students about their knowledge of 20th-century popular music,  Carmichael and Manilow observed that Bucknellians do seem to be familiar with some of the older songs played over the radio in Bostwick Dining Hall.

“They like Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’ The Commodores’ ‘Brick House’ and most things by Michael Jackson. Some of them even admit to not hating KC and the Sunshine Band’s ‘I’m Your Boogie Man,’ which plays in there several times a week,” Carmichael said. “Still, most of them didn’t know who many of these acts were.”

“We hope that by opening an intellectual dialogue about these songs, we can lessen students’ need for auto-tuning and dubstep,” Manilow said.

Even though this course is still only in the planning stages, it has already prompted a parallel movement within the English Department. There, professors are designing similar courses, ENGL 236: “Films and Television Shows That Premiered Before You Were Born but Are Nonetheless Iconic and You Should Really Be Familiar with Them,” and ENGL 240: “Paper and the Printed Word: Where Are They Now?”

Both departments hope to offer these courses by next semester.

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Arts & Life

Trend Report: Spring jacket picks

Graphic courtesy of Bloomingdale's
Graphic courtesy of Bloomingdale’s

Trend Report: How to Look Good at the Gym (Without Really Trying!)

By Kate Jansen

Scenario: You decide to finally start your New Year’s resolution and go to the gym. Among the many decisions you must make while at the gym (Which machine should I use? Should I run upstairs to avoid seeing people I know?), you’re also faced with the issue of what to wear. You’re sporting your too-short Solows from sixth grade, your senior class t-shirt and dirty Keds.

We’ve all been there, which is why I’ve compiled a list of chic gym attire from the bottom up.

Graphic courtesy of Bloomingdale's
Graphic courtesy of Bloomingdale’s

Bright sneakers: One of this spring’s hottest looks is the neon athletic sneaker. These shoes are fantastic for any sort of outdoor adventure and are a great excuse for pretending to go to the gym. I was in desperate need of new running shoes, so I recently ordered a pair of multi-colored Asics on Zappos. I have fallen head over heels in love. I wear them as often as I can, even if I don’t make it to the gym.

Leggings: I would say that leggings are a staple in the closets of many University women. To avoid the biting winter wind, wear a pair of leggings when you’re jogging to the gym. Although LuLu Lemon seems to be the go-to store for buying leggings, I have also bought great pairs from Gap Body and Athleta for half the price!

Tanks: Don’t be afraid to show off some skin this winter! Leggings look great paired with a sport tank top. Check out the Barnes & Noble Bookstore for some super-cute and spirited Under Armour tank tops.

Zip-ups and pull-overs: When I do make it to the gym, I always layer a pull-over or zip-up over my tank top. Patagonia and The North Face offer a variety of high-quality fleeces and quarter-zips.

Categories
Arts & Life

Silver Linings Playbook deserves to be “feel-good” movie of the year

Director David O. Russell’s latest film “Silver Linings Playbook” (based on Matthew Quick’s novel of the same name) walks a fine line between psychological drama and romantic comedy but does so with such exuberance that if you blink you’ll forget to question the unusual juxtaposition.

Pat Solitano, Jr. (Bradley Cooper) has just been released from the Pennsylvania State Mental Hospital after eight court-ordered months on the understanding that he will live with his parents and continue taking his medications. The reason he was locked up to begin with? He recently beat his wife’s lover nearly to death, and she has since divorced and filed a restraining order against him. Pat’s new plan upon getting back home: win her back.

His return to his working class Philly suburb is not that simple. His parents, though enthusiastic for his recuperation, are unsure of how to treat Pat’s violent mood swings and unrealistic expectations. His father, Pat Sr., (Robert De Niro) is a dedicated Eagles fan who has been issued a lifetime ban for fighting at games. Since then, he has been working as a bookie from home, an arrangement which has gotten him into some financial straits which play out later on. His wife (Jacki Weaver) tries to juggle the superstitions and unexpected similarities of the two men but is met with mixed success.

Change comes in the form of Pat Jr.’s unexpected friendship with a fellow social misfit, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow living nearby in her parents renovated garage. Tiffany is something of a Hollywood stock character: a blunt, practical, female lead who forces our hero to come to terms with reality. Lawrence manages to breathe some life into Tiffany’s familiar personality which definitely helps to quiet automatic associations with other similar characters (Amy Adams’ bartending college dropout comes quickly to mind). One of the absolute best scenes in the film includes Pat and Tiffany exchanging thoughts on antidepressants and other behavioral medications to the evident discomfort of their tablemates at a dinner party.

Eventually, the general search for silver linings comes to a head with a massive gamble involving an Eagles game and a dance competition that Pat and Tiffany plan to compete in. And though the deus ex machina is cranking pretty loudly at this point, it’s hard to deny the quirky heart at the film’s center.

“Silver Linings Playbook” has been extremely well-received by critics and fans alike for its tragicomic approach to love and stability.

“[It was] an emotionally engaging film about mental illness and recovery that works to show the public the intimacy and struggles associated with psychological disorders. It was raw, honest, touching and cringe-worthy at moments,” Kate Wilsterman ’14 said.

Clearly the Academy was similarly impressed, as the film has been nominated in eight categories, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. As De Niro’s character says in the film, “When life reaches out with a moment like this, it’s a sin if you don’t reach back.”

“Silver Linings Playbook” is this year’s feel-good movie and a real contender at this weekend’s Oscars.

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Softball Sports Uncategorized Women

Softball opens season

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

After winning its season opener, the softball team dropped three straight during its road trip in Cleveland last weekend. The final scores were an 8-7 victory against St. Bonaventure, two losses (3-0, 6-2) to Cleveland State and a 4-1 loss to Canisius.

Mallory Lyons ’14 led the Bison with three hits and three RBIs, as the Orange and Blue defeated St. Bonaventure 8-7 in 10 innings. Caryn Connors ’14, who pinch-ran and scored the go-ahead run for the Bison in the ninth inning, was pleased with the Bison’s performance.

“Our first game win was a great start to the season. We battled through 10 innings to get the win so that made it that much more special,” Connors said. “However, there is still a lot more work to be done and we have not lost sight of that.”

The Bison dropped their next three games, two to Cleveland State with a game against Canisius in between. Connors, who also pinch-ran in the fourth and final game of the weekend, said that the team will continue to just focus on the little things as the season gets underway.

“Winning our first game of the season proves that we have a lot of potential this year. It also gave us a perspective on what was successful and what wasn’t which will help us tremendously in the practices and games to come,” Connors said.

Lyons has a team-leading .375 batting average, as well as three RBIs. The Bison will be back in action this weekend as the travel to Farmville, Va. to compete against Stony Brook and Longwood in the Longwood Spring Classic.

Categories
Opinion

AP credits allow students to put themselves ahead before college

Mary Morris

Contributing Writer

According to a report by Bill Chappell on National Public Radio’s website, Dartmouth College has decided that “beginning with the class of 2018, AP [Advanced Placement] exams will be used to place students in the proper classes, not to replace college credit.”

The change comes after debates over whether an AP course should really be considered on the same level as a college course. Now with Dartmouth taking a stance in opposition to the value of the AP curriculum, other institutions of higher education may be considering similar courses of action.

I ask Dartmouth and those that criticize AP programs this: shouldn’t college students be able to put themselves in the best position possible to succeed? College is expensive. In order to make the most out of their time in places of higher education, students should be able to get the most bang for their buck, which means they should be allowed to take courses that interest them.

Many times, colleges require certain courses to ensure that their students are well-rounded individuals. If a student is willing to put in the extra work required by an AP course, then why hold him or her back? By knocking out some of these credits through AP exams, students achieve the institution’s goal of a well-rounded education and are able to spend their money and time continuing that process as double majors or by exploring more academic opportunities.

AP testing is also to the advantage of these institutions. Each student taking an AP exam is subject to the same test and held to the same standard. Comparing students based on AP grading should be more valuable than comparing them by the standards of their high school honors classes, where the curricula and grading scales vary between teachers and classrooms.

Students taking these AP courses are typically more prepared to succeed in places of higher education. While brain dumping is a problem, it happens both in and outside of college, so why make someone pay thousands of dollars for a semester-long review of what he or she has already learned? Instead, use the AP exams in conjunction with SATs and transcripts to achieve a more detailed picture of the students being admitted, and continue to reward the students who have worked hard to get a head start on pursuing their college degrees.

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Arts & Life Rees' Pieces

Rees’ Piece: “Eureka?”

Ben Rees

Ah, science, the ivory tower upon which all discourse rests its gentle chin. Thank goodness for the tremendous power and insight this miraculous tool grants us. If at this point any of my readership senses a faint sense of sarcasm, they would be genuinely mistaken. While I am not always the most serious, I believe that science possesses great value for our society, without which, things like bathing and flossing would still be taboo. (This is also not a joke; bathing was looked upon as unhealthy for centuries in Europe).

Aside from these glorious feats, science has provided mankind with a plenitude of vaccines, medical practices, chemicals and weight loss pills–yes, even Anna Nicole thinks science likes her body. Men can enlarge whatever they please and women can give birth far beyond the once dreaded biological finish line that is middle age. To quote Patton Oswalt: “We’re science! All about ’coulda, not ’shoulda.” Although through the lenses of science some seriously profound ideas come to fruition, occasionally science is misguided. There are some things science provides that are not finite or even remotely beneficial, and we as a critical race should look upon them skeptically when suggested.

Disclaimer: science provides more fruitful objects and pursuits than most disciplines could even imagine, but as I am a cynical, pesky person unable to produce anything more intelligent than bashing a profound and productive process, I shall continue with my tear.

Let us begin with the social sciences. Even the phrase “social science” sounds misguided. There cannot be any way to completely prove social phenomena, as you have to deal with people. A lot of the time, the general populace is not a predictable group. They riot, pirate, litter and speed. Conversely, the general populace may sometimes be far too predictable. They sit, watch “Wheel of Fortune,” spend and eat–a lot. I’m no statistician, but this sounds like a hypothetical nightmare.

Also, economics is simply not science. I enjoy my fair share of market watching, but every 10 years or so the bottom falls out much to everyone’s surprise. If this happened in disciplines like chemistry, our worlds would fall apart or, more appropriately, combust. The S&P can implode and pensions will eventually rally, but if physicists found out that their predictions on inertia were wrong, humans would have some serious re-tinkering to do.

Quick thought: a side effect of the massive scientific energy spent creating rubber and plastic is the super-ball. Mull that over.

Medical science, while immensely beneficial, is simply an educated guess. For example, aspirin and its chemically similar predecessors have been used for centuries. The first patented drug called aspirin hit the market in 1897, but it was not until the 1960s that anyone actually knew how it did what it did. Fear not though, your flu shot can always prevent you from getting the … well, never mind. Also, I simply cannot understand the potential positive impact of the following: false fingernails, sea monkeys and studies showing that men can self-induce lactation.

Being ambitious is nothing to scoff at, yet when a discipline possesses as much power as science, perhaps there should be some sort of censoring mechanism in place. As Oswalt stated, just because one has the power to do certain things does not mean that one should.

Categories
Opinion

More Competitive world Has Led to ‘most stressed out generation’

Riley Schwengel

Writer

I recently came across an article on The Huffington Post that shared some interesting facts about the up and coming Millennial Generation, the name for the generation currently in college and high school. According to a study from the American Psychology Association, “Half of all millennials are so stressed out that they can’t sleep at night, and 39 percent of millennials have stress levels that have increased in the past year.” As I finished reading these alarming numbers, I sat back in my chair and thought, “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

The world we grew up in is remarkably different than the one our parents and grandparents did. Ours is a fast-paced world filled with technology, communication and higher expectations for its residents. Colleges are becoming harder to get into and businesses are expressing higher and higher standards for applicants, and this increasingly competitive environment has begun to stress out young adults. We have more responsibilities at younger ages and must leap higher to accomplish what is expected.

Starting in the first year of high school, we are told we must start building up our resume and keep our grades up so we can get into a good college. I can’t remember how many times I was signed up for some new activity or project and was told that it would “look great to prospective colleges.” Everything we did had a consequence to it. The stakes were raised and every exam felt like it would determine our future.

The amount of stress that we are subjugated to on a regular basis today is unhealthy and is beginning to have negative consequences, as evident in the aforementioned study. I think the problem lies with the many institutions that set the requirements and expectations for the average person, like schools and businesses. As our scientific knowledge grows and technology becomes more advanced, these institutions believe that humans should be getting smarter and more productive along with them, but that is unfair to assume.

We are no different than our parents, yet it seems that for their generation it was much easier to get into good schools and acquire a profession; all it took was hard work. Nowadays, one is expected to have perfect grades and do community service equal to that of Mother Teresa in order to even be considered for medical or graduate school.

I think it’s about time that the many organizations that control our future realize that their expectations need to be more reasonable. Humans are not computers nor machines who can be judged and ranked by their ability to recite numbers and memorize facts and figures. We are imperfect and always will be.

Instead, we should be judged by our dedication, attitude, creativity and persistence. If more human standards and requirements are placed before us as we grow, then a less stressed and healthy generation will be created and only then will we get the better doctors, lawyers, businessmen and scientists that we are looking for.

For more information on this topic, go to the article on Huffingtonpost.com titled, “Teens And Stress: Millennials, Experts Talk ‘Most Stressed Generation’ On HuffPost Live.”

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Opinion

Club sports should be given precedence over intermurals

El McCabe

Staff Writer

If I were to take a poll of the University’s student body, I would be willing to bet that at least 90 percent of students have played on a sports team at some point in their lives. Yet, only a small percentage of these individuals are actually able to compete on the Division I level, leaving many strong and experienced athletes missing competing and being a part of a team. As someone who played sports my whole life and competed on two varsity teams in high school, I was worried I would never get to experience organized sports again. Once I found out that the University had a club volleyball team, I was ecstatic.

At first everything on the volleyball team was going great. We would practice two times a week at reasonable hours and it was the perfect way to meet new people who shared a love for the game. After just a month of practicing, suddenly all the available gym times were booked for intramural sports games. We started attempting to practice at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, but many of our team members were either asleep or studying at that point. Without the majority of the team present, it was hard to go over rotations, field two teams to scrimmage and learn how to play cohesively and consistently with one another. After numerous phone calls, meetings and complaints, our two co-captains fought tooth and nail with the sports administration for more reasonable gym times. To their dismay and our disappointment, no headway was made and as a result the women’s club volleyball team has not practiced since late November.

The fact that intramurals take precedence over club sports is absolutely ridiculous. Having been a part of two intramural teams this year (volleyball and basketball), I have witnessed firsthand how many teams simply fail to show up to games just because the members “don’t feel like it.” Just because intramurals affect a larger part of the student population, the teams that actually compete against other colleges should not fall by the wayside. Frankly, without practice time, it is nearly impossible for the club sports teams to stand a chance at tournaments and games. This past weekend, our club volleyball team competed at a tournament in Bloomsburg and came in last in our bracket simply because we hadn’t played in months.

The lack of available gym time is the sole reason why the University has so few club sports teams. People assume the lack of club teams is due to laziness and lack of interest, but this is hardly the case. Club sports attract students who have a passion for sports and want to compete on the collegiate level, but members get frustrated with the lack of help and support from the administration. Every once in a while new club sports teams will pop up with big hopes and aspirations, but sadly there is very little chance they will be able to compete competitively with no practice times. Please help break the cycle of the rising and falling of club sports teams and let the administration know that its policy is misguided. Hopefully then more club sports can be formed to bring sports back to the lives of many talented students.

Categories
Opinion

Elimination of wrestling as an Olympic sport violates tradition

Justin Marinelli

Senior Writer

Recently, the International Olympic Committee decided that it has no respect for competition, tradition and sport. I am referring to the recent decision to drop wrestling from the roster of core sports for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Wrestling was one of the original events in the Olympics, added after the foot race. There’s a reason for this decision. Greco-Roman wrestling is pure competition, a contest in which you have only your strength and skill to rely on. There are no excuses. You either win or lose. This was one of the reasons that wrestling was such an important fixture of the ancient Olympics.

To pull wrestling from the Olympics shows a certain amount of disrespect for two ideals: direct competition and historical tradition. These two ideals are supposed to be fixtures of the modern Olympics. To make decisions incompatible with these values shows that the Olympics are becoming a hollow shell of what they once were.

For the ancient Greeks, the Olympics were a sacred ritual that they would stop wars for.  If you’re having trouble comprehending how monumental that is, imagine US soldiers and Al-Qaeda taking a week off from killing each other to have foot races and wrestle. None of the hatred, animosity or desire to kill one other goes away, but they still come together for the glory of competition and athleticism. That’s the kind of emotion the Olympics is meant to instill.

What prompted this decision to drop wrestling? Money, ratings and politics. Wrestling isn’t as big of a money-maker as many other sports, nor does it necessitate the building of big, fancy stadiums. Not as many people watch wrestling as other sports, so you can’t charge corporations as much to show their advertisements during wrestling. Combine all this with the lack of people effectively lobbying the International Olympic Committee to keep wrestling aboard (let’s just ignore the fact that even having to lobby the IOC is disgraceful) and you have a perfect storm of mediocre reasons to abandon the entire history of Olympic tradition, as well as the principles upon which it was founded.

What we are left with is a naked admission that everything the Olympics once stood for means nothing nowadays. By admitting that the only real thing driving the modern Olympics is money and advertising, we disgrace the drive and effort of athletes all around the world, as well the noble history of the Olympic Games. If that’s going to be the case, I’d rather we just abolish the Olympics outright. No Olympics would be far better than a meaningless Olympics.

When you think about it, this isn’t such a far-fetched idea. For many sports, the Olympics isn’t really the most important competition, but rather just a nice break from the usual cycle of tournaments and contests. The Olympics are a huge security risk (last summer was the most militarized London has been since World War II), and as we’ve established, it’s no longer about competition, sport and the pursuit of glory. The decision to abolish the Olympics would be highly controversial, but without doubt it’s a discussion worth having.