Author: Amanda Ayers

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Opinion

Society is past the days of street preaching

By Connor Small

Contributing Writer

Outside the Elaine Langone Center earlier this week, many passersby heard a man with a microphone reading Bible verses and preaching Christianity. The street-corner preacher was met at first with stares, then resistance. His presence and the opposition that followed raised the idea of freedom of religion. Across the street a student held a spiral notebook with the words “Hail Satan” etched onto a page. The student and the preacher traded words, and as I walked by, I was asked if I had “worshipped Satan yet today.” Personally, I saw this as no more than a joke; in my view, it was somebody simply calling attention to himself. But his actions very well may have offended a large group of people on this campus.  

I understand that the University prides itself on strong community and increasing diversity, and protests have historically been a part of many colleges, but as I thought more about the events that occurred earlier that day, something just didn’t sit right with me. It was not so much what the man said that upset me, but rather how he went about getting his message across.

The real question here is this: was there a better way for the preacher to get his beliefs across? Preaching on the streets has its pros and cons: you reach everyone who happens to walk by, but you risk persecution, as is the case here. When I talked to my fellow classmates and heard their opinions on the matter, I came to the conclusion that maybe the University is not as accepting as many think. Many I talked to were hostile towards the idea of a Christian preaching on a corner: “I really don’t want to have somebody telling me that ‘God is the only way’ over a microphone while I’m trying to have a conversation with my friends,” one student said. “He should keep it in the church,” another said. Others were more pragmatic about the issue: “He can do say whatever he wants, as long as I have the right to argue against it.” Any belief system is going to be met with some form of resistance, but in my opinion, there is a better way to reach college students than standing on a corner reading scripture.

College is meant to be a time of experimentation, of challenging your ideas and of self-exploration. There are many options available to fit pretty much any interest at the University. Everybody is different: some know what they believe, others are still searching. To me, it seems we are past the days of street preaching. While the preacher feels it is his duty to spread his beliefs (and he has that right), he might have been met with less resistance had he chosen a more passive approach. Everybody has the right to his or her beliefs, and everybody has the right to challenge those of others. People are encouraged to formulate their own opinions, but in letting them out, one should be aware of how others are affected by their methods of expression.
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Opinion

Music pirating is unethical

By Connor Small

Contributing Writer

A hot topic of discussion lately has been whether downloading music illegally is okay or whether it is detrimental to the music industry. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center in 2005, about 36 million Americans admitted to illegally downloading music from the Internet, and with today’s rapidly developing technology, I suspect that figure to be higher in 2011. But who is to blame here: the people who operate the hosting websites, or the users who download the music? While illegally downloading music may be considered socially acceptable by people of our generation, that does not make it right.

The availability of free music on the Internet is impressive, and there are many options at a user’s disposal: YouTube-MP3 converters, torrent websites such as the Pirate Bay, and P2P (peer-to-peer) databases such as FrostWire; the list goes on. Getting music for free is easy, even for someone who isn’t tech savvy. Think about it: if an individual could download all the music they wanted for free in the comfort of their own home, why would they ever buy music again? The illegal downloading of music seems to be commonplace for people of our generation.

As one University student put it, “It’s no big deal because everybody does it.” That does not matter, however, because it affects peoples’ lives. By downloading the new Jay-Z and Kanye West album illegally, you not only reduce the artists’ pay, but also the engineers, producers and a plethora of other individuals lose a piece of the pie as well.

Other people claim to have justified reasons for downloading music illegally.

“While it may be illegal, for the reasons I use it for, I can’t buy it off iTunes. I make beats and sample, so I can’t do that using iTunes because of copyrights,” one student said.

Even with a legitimate and productive use for the music, is it acceptable to steal music from the Internet?

This trend has drastically affected the music industry. Record sales are down, as are sales of concert tickets. So far, the top-selling album of 2011 (as of July 5), Adele’s “21,” has sold only 2,517,000 units. Compare that to just seven years ago when the number-one record of 2004, Usher’s “Confessions,” sold 7,978,594 copies. In 2010, worldwide concert ticket sales dropped over 12 percent from 2009.

To combat this, labels have come down hard on offenders. Lawsuits have been filed for over $150,000 per song, and there seems to be no restrictions as to who they will go after. In fact, the Recording Industry Association of America recently sued a 12 year-old girl for copying music from the Internet. Although these measures are extreme, this is the only defense mechanism labels have against music copying.

As someone who has worked in the music industry and has written and performed my own music, I understand how these sites affect artists. There is less money to spend on signing new artists and promoting and sustaining tours. We all love music, and it is an essential part of our culture. The music industry provides jobs to millions of people, so next time you decide to click on that torrent, think about the repercussions.
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Opinion

Some first-years are not ready for intense college workload

By Elizabeth Bacharach

Contributing Writer

Despite my fear, I approached the first day of classes positively, reiterating to myself words of encouragement. I thought, “I can do this; I got into this school, didn’t I? That must mean I am prepared for the academics.” Ten a.m. came around and it was time to enter my first class: Spanish. It all seemed simple enough: a guiding syllabus, basic class rules (no cell phone, food, etc.) and finally, my first assignment. I proudly took out my planner, ready to be the best student I can be. The 52 minutes passed rather quickly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I had made it through my first college class.

Returning to my dorm room, I decided to get a head start on my work. However, the only thing I got was a rude awakening. I found myself puzzled by the syllabus; initially a simple assignment guide, this packet of work took on a new life. I was so accustomed to receiving my course work on a daily basis in high school that I did not even know where to begin. I was lost in a sea of assignments, unsure of how to complete them and what their due date actually was. Apparently, I was not as prepared as I thought I was; thanks a lot, high school.

Four years of monotonous studying and preparation, and you would think I would be equipped for the next level of learning. However, college is a whole new world in which I am finding my rudimentary high school practices inconsequential to the actual studying, reading and writing I have to complete. As the first week progressed, I found myself burdened by a night’s reading of 30 pages. That was not my only assignment. Add to that a workbook full of Spanish grammar and conjugations, a “short” story by Chekov, a poem to write and a blog entry about my beliefs. Hours later (the next morning) I slowly climbed into bed, weak from the night’s work.

That night I was painfully alerted that I do not know how to read properly; high school never truly taught me how to actively read, highlight and take proper notes. Not only that, but as my first paper assignment approached, I did not even know where to begin. Without a simple prompt, I was lost as to what to write, how to write it and completely perplexed by the APA format.

This past week I had my first college exam. It was a nightmare, to put it simply. I spent dawn to dusk Sunday in the library, trying to manage all of the information I learned in the past three weeks. I was trapped by the panicking in my head, worrying about the unknown of what college tests constitute. I reread chapters, took even more notes, copied diagrams and memorized parts of the brain like it was my job. I stumbled out of the library feeling like Jello. There was too much information, and none of it was sticking. At that point, it was obvious that high school did not prepare me for the extensive information I was going to receive, nonetheless teach me the importance of processing it.

 Another story is time management. I am finding the only true way to learn to manage my time correctly is by trial and error. The more I get accustomed to my work load, the easier it is to designate certain times in the day for certain assignments. Conversely, this process is just another added weight to my shoulders as I try to manage my time as well as my school work; so much managing, so little understanding. My mind is a mess, and it is all thanks to high school, or rather the lack of preparation that my high school provided.

Despite my inexperience, I have come to a realization that it will all take time. Yes, it would be far easier to be prepared and to be good at time management. But for now, I just have to feel my way around and accept the trial and error learning experience that is to come. Nonetheless, it is official: high school did not prepare me for college work. So four years later, here I am trying to learn how to be a student, while trying to manage good grades.
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Opinion

Unbiased news sources do exist

By Riley Schwengel

Contributing Writer

As a young adult, one thing that is very important to me is independence.  I like to make my own decisions, participate in the activities that I want to take part in, form my own opinions and choose my own path in life. Many my age interpret this independence as freedom from their parents to do whatever they want. Once they come to college, they relish in the fact that their parents no longer hold the sway that they once did in high school. For example, they can drink and party as much as they want. What many students do not realize is that this newfound freedom applies to other aspects of their lives as well, not just their actions. To me, independence means that I can form my own opinions about all areas of my life, especially regarding politics. Although many news sources are biased, I have found alternatives that make it possible to get just the facts so I can make my own judgments.

I have always been interested in forming my own opinions of current events and political concerns without anyone telling me what to think.  Naturally, I first declared myself independent from my parents, forbidding their political leanings from influencing my personal opinions. Enjoying my newfound freedom, I began to look at news sources, ready to consume facts and produce my own thoughts and ideas. However, as time passed, I realized that many trusted “news” sources had no interest in providing unbiased facts. Instead, they only seemed interested in giving their personal opinions on events and political goings-on.  FOX, CBS, NBC, CNN and CNBC all seem to be content with reporting their personal slants on news stories, assuming that we are able and willing to just take their opinions as our own without questioning them. Whatever happened to unbiased news? Whatever happened to the idea that a news company’s responsibility was just to give us the facts? When did the ability to form opinions get taken away from the citizen and given completely to the news corporation? Discouraged from the large news corporations, I tried to find an unbiased news source.

I was able to find a few methods of getting unbiased reports. News wire services are helpful: this is where the large news corporations like FOX and CNN get their facts. Services like AP News send out short reports that include no opinions by writers or reporters, which gives them a way to get facts and a general, unbiased idea of events. Foreign news is also an option in addition to these services, especially the European news companies. These companies are much less biased than their American counterparts and their opinions on a story are usually saved until the end of a report, leaving the bulk of the story to be an exceptional resource. Finally, a superb method of getting unbiased news is to look and compare all the different sources on a particular event. For example, if CNN and FOX both report a news story, look at both reports. While the opinions will differ between the two sources, the facts should be easily identifiable because they should be the only part of the story that remains constant. By following these rules of obtaining news, the average college student can be free to make his or her own opinions and thoughts without the interference of news corporations or parents.

 

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Opinion

With time, healing from 9/11 is possible

By Amanda Ayers

Opinions Editor

After reading Gabriella’s remarks regarding the healing of our nation now a decade after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, I cannot help but respectfully disagree with some of the points she raises.

First, Gabriella talks of the Bush administration’s focus on revenge and how this motivated and justified U.S. intervention in the Middle East. The act of revenge can be defined as “avenging (oneself) by retaliating in kind or degree; Inflicting injury in return for.” U.S. involvement in the Middle East was not simply for the purpose of “getting back at” Muslim extremists. President Bush’s intent was not to give the Middle East a dose of its own medicine just because we could or to first and foremost heal the American people. Rather, the aim was to ensure the future domestic security of our nation from extremists (never implying all Muslims) that espouse  beliefs that are fundamentally in opposition to the United States and the American way of life. I agree with Gabriella’s observation that revenge is cyclical; however, in this case, I do not think that the United States was acting out of revenge. Intervention in the Middle East had a purpose far greater than getting “rid of a bad guy … and his terrorist group.”

When Gabriella spoke of the night when the “hoards of the most patriotic Americans took to the streets in celebration of Osama’s death,” I could not help but smile and vividly recall partaking in those events myself. The merriment for me, however, came not from a sense of finally “getting what we wanted,” but rather from knowing that we as a nation had taken a step forward in combating everything anti-American that Osama bin Ladin stood for. This was exactly the kind of forward movement that, as Gabriella observed, is necessary for a nation to heal from a collective trauma like the Sept. 11 attacks. Yes, we only killed one man, but he was symbolic of something larger than just himself.

While it would be ignorant of me to suggest that the nation is completely healed from the atrocities that occurred a decade ago, as evidenced by the polemic surrounding the building of the Mosque near Ground Zero, I think that this healing is absolutely possible in the future. What our nation needs is more time. To use Gabriella’s reference to the Christian Crusades, the majority of the population is probably not upset about those simply because they occurred centuries ago. It has nothing to do with the fact that they were carried out by Christians. While I don’t think that it’s necessarily “moral” to associate all Muslims with the extremists that carried out the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, I can sympathize with those who are sensitive to the building of a mosque in such close proximity to Ground Zero.  I don’t think that these people are plagued by “Islamophobia”–they can perfectly well distinguish between an average Islam-practicing American citizen and a fanatic terrorist. The Sept. 11 attacks occurred 10 years ago, which is a relatively small amount of time. The problem is that the terrorists were so overtly and radically Islam that people still, having only had 10 years, automatically associate the beliefs of loyal Islam-practicing American citizens with those of  the far-out terrorists. It’s not that they are being immoral, but rather need more time before they can subconsciously discern between the two. In bringing up this point, I am neither praising nor admonishing their way of thinking; rather, I am saying that it is for this reason that I can understand why they are uncomfortable with the idea of the Mosque.  I do think there will come a day when this will no longer be a reality, made possible by events that move us forward like Osama bin Ladin’s death did. We still need more time, but we’ll get there.

Categories
Opinion

Past decade marked by regression, not healing

By Gabriella Fleming-Shemer

Contributing Writer

With the monumental 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks fast approaching, I was anticipating how this commemoration may look different from those of years past. It’s only the second anniversary since the proposal of a mosque built near Ground Zero and, more importantly, it’s the first anniversary post Osama bin Laden’s death. The events planned for this coming Sunday include the opening of a National 9/11 Memorial in New York City and a Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. All around the world, schoolkids will make “peace cranes” and adults will say prayers to those lost. The memorial will feature the largest man-made waterfalls that will drop into two pools, serving as a reflection of where the towers once stood.

Since 2001, Americans have been receiving contradictory messages about how we should be feeling in the wake of the attacks. While former President George Bush emphasized action, revenge and polarization of good (us) versus evil (Muslim extremists), the media has adopted a pathos of peace and healing. But what really is this “healing” we’re all supposedly doing? I don’t believe there’s such a thing when it comes to a nation’s collective trauma. In the first years following the attacks, there was great fervor coming from the White House explaining to Americans that there is a bad guy and that only by getting rid of him and his terrorist group, this country can find peace again. And yet, revenge is cyclical, and doesn’t healing imply forward movement? If anything, these past few years have been marked by regression.

In the middle of the night when hoards of the most patriotic Americans took to the streets in celebration of Osama’s death, the sentiment in the air was “finally, we got what we wanted.” I found the whole event pretty disturbing not only because we were drinking to someone’s murder, but also because of the complete ignorance on most people’s part as to the repercussions. What we missed out on was a good chance to look inward; while one man is dead, a million others are walking the streets of the United States intolerant and Islamophobic. Last May, New York City passed a proposal to build a mosque near Ground Zero that caused a huge controversy bringing up the questions of religious freedom and tolerance. The plan won a 29-1 vote and was moving along until angry Internet activists, bloggers and politicians got wind of it and began the “It’s a Slap in the Face” protest (first stated in a speech by good ol’ Sarah Palin). The anti-mosque protesters rally around a few ideas, focusing mainly on the fact that the building is insensitive. What many people have not bothered to look into or have chosen to ignore is that the mosque isn’t solely a mosque, but a community center that includes a pool, gym, dining area, play area for kids, etc. It is also not at Ground Zero but two blocks away at a complex called Park51 that cannot be seen from the previous site of the World Trade Center.

So what does this say about us as a “healing” people if we cannot tolerate a Muslim center in our midst? It says that we live in a fear-based society poisoned by the demonizing of non-westerners, specifically Arabs. What saddens me the most though is that these Muslim New York citizens who want the complex built are just that, New Yorkers, who were also affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. Since 2001 they have continuously faced fear and discrimination based on their religion. No one is discriminating against the Christians, holding them responsible for the Crusades. Clearly there are a hundred differences between these events but my point is that it is immoral to hold an entire people and their religion responsible for the actions of a few people.

Nevertheless, this Sunday will come and Americans will still be faced with a dilemma: how can we move past this? How can we feel safe again and not haunted by the tragedy that feels so fresh but now is a decade past? I can only hope that relatives of victims and everyone else affected can always find the support they need, whether it be from the words of carefully executed political speeches or a six-year-old’s peace quilt. With enough compassion, I think we’ll get there.

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Featured News

Small houses show community their interest, themes

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.

Categories
Opinion

College lifestyle doesn’t have to be unhealthy

By Jen Lassen

Contributing Writer

Mongo Bongo, an ice cream station with the works and pizza every day … oh my! I came to campus only a few weeks ago and being dazzled by the array of dining options in Bostwick Marketplace. I tried to keep my mouth from watering as I walked past the fried food station, the racks of pizza, the display of decadent desserts and the ever-so-popular stir fry area. My favorite treats all in one place? I thought nothing could be better. But then two words popped right into my head: “freshman 15.” More than any other combination of words out there, these were the ones I feared most. I knew I did not want this to happen to me. With the huge variety of dining choices available at the University, some may wonder if it is possible to stay healthy on campus.  The University makes this absolutely feasible. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle at college simply depends on personal determination to do so.

I wondered how I’d keep those pounds off with so many tasty food options in Bostwick Marketplace, coupled with my unlimited food plan. I quickly realized that avoiding the less healthy dining options on campus did not pose as big of a problem as I thought it would. I have befriended the egg bar, where egg white omelets have become my staple. The dining hall does a great job of making fresh fruits and vegetables available for students. Many of the entrées are also very healthy; dishes like grilled chicken, tofu and salads are actually just as common in the dining hall as some of the unhealthier foods.

Yet aside from unhealthy food, something else commonly seems to pose a problem to bypassing the “freshman 15”: alcohol weight. Many students come to college excited to go out each weekend and drink, but they never seem to remember the effects alcohol can have on their weight. Luckily, the University sponsors many fun non-alcoholic social activities for students. Dances, performers and game nights are hosted in Uptown and the Seventh Street Café, giving students an alternative to “drinking on the pounds.”

Along with the availability of healthy food and non-alcoholic activities, the access students have to a gym on campus is a great way to stay healthy. Fun workout classes are offered at the gym at convenient times throughout the day. There is everything from kickboxing to power yoga, and I have found these classes to be a great way to stay in shape and socialize.

It is one thing to treat yourself to a huge brownie sundae every once in a while, but it’s another to eat one after every meal. Choosing healthy food, not drinking excessively and going to the gym regularly will keep excess weight off and will make you feel great both inside and out. The University does a good job of making all of these things possible for its students. And let’s be honest: walking around this campus will certainly keep your calves in shape as well.

Categories
Opinion

Bucknell prepares students for the real world

By Tom Zhu

Contributing Writer

I had the most amazing summer of my life working at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for the past three months. I not only gained financial service knowledge from the training program and daily work with financial advisors, but also made a lot of new friends, learned culture and discipline and, most importantly, realized how much my knowledge from one year of study at the University could be applied to Wall Street.

Our first task as interns during the Merrill Lynch training session was to learn professional etiquette. Every day was like an interview day: always presenting a neat, well-groomed and professional appearance at work, staying positive and having strong character and being conscious of one’s body language. I worked at the World Financial Center, the flagship office, which has the highest net-worth clients coming to visit every day. For this reason everyone, including interns, was required to make a positive impression on clients. According to my manager, Merrill Lynch has “the classiest culture on the Street.” Thanks to the Career Development Center (CDC) at the University, I was able to learn a lot about professional etiquette before the start of my internship. The CDC was a great resource for me to prepare for writing cover letters and resumes, and especially to develop my interview skills.

Besides learning professional manners, I discovered how my coursework at the University could help me in my daily work. For example, I was assigned a specific demographic segment (“baby boomers”) to thoroughly research during the summer with my team. I led a team of eight people to create a 15-minute presentation that was presented to over 150 financial advisors and interns, as well as the Office Management Team. This specific project provided practical experience related to a theoretical concept from my statistics class at the University. Professor Donner’s class taught me how to analyze data to study real life cases. I worked with my team to plan the project, including interviews, case studies and further research through secondary resources from Bank of America Research Library, newspapers and Bloomberg Terminal. Eventually, we used data, graphs and even sample cases to present our research on baby boomers’ values, concerns and characteristics related to industry, age and gender. The office manager praised our team after the presentation, saying that our statistical analysis particularly impressed him.

The most challenging part was learning to digest new knowledge every day. Because Merrill Lynch is a one-stop shop, I had the opportunity to access various investment products. Since we usually built our clients’ proposal by their own preferences, I researched mutual funds, private equity funds, hedge funds, stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds, municipal bonds and other tools as potential investment opportunities. The first step was to learn those investment tools. The most challenging part of my work was to apply them in order to enhance clients’ portfolios through risk reduction, asset allocation and investment diversification. Fortunately, my supervisor took time out of her busy schedule to teach me how to use them. I learned that the key to learning is to ask. I wouldn’t just ask any questions, but rather would ask questions after searching for answers first myself.

While academic training aided me in the internship, the experience I had at Merrill Lynch this summer is also directing my future academic choices. Because of reading and analyzing data from clients’ balance sheets, income statements and statements of cash flow, I have realized the importance of accounting. I am going to take the advanced accounting course in my sophomore year.

My 10 weeks at Merrill Lynch initiated a new level for my college study as well as my career path. It was a summer without beach trips and vacations, but was the most productive summer of my life, and the University prepared me for it.

(Tom Zhu is currently the Liaison of Bucknell Finance Network (BFN). Please feel free to reach out to him if you have any questions about BFN or his internship at Merrill Lynch.)

Categories
Opinion

Greek Life: not all it is cracked up to be

By Gabriella Fleming-Shemer

Contributing Writer

This past week I went through two rounds of rush before confirming the idea that sorority life isn’t for me. I don’t want to insult any members or potential new members of sororities on campus because rushing gave me the opportunity to hear about all the positive results of joining, such as giving more to the community and supporting other girls’ school activities. Nevertheless, what was revealed to me during the process was more than my lack of enthusiasm toward crafting. It was that Greek life is a university’s religion. During those long hours spent sweating in the staircases, I thought about the plethora of similarities between these two institutions. Joseph Campbell said that humans need beliefs and stories, such as that of Christ or Hercules, in order to tie together humanity and give us examples of how to live. I believe that Greek life is a set of stories to live by that is both a social and psychological fulfillment.

Consider the rituals, such as the initiation ceremony and Big/Little gifts. Consider the beliefs of each sorority or fraternity that set them apart from the others. Consider the specific guidelines, morals and practices. Consider the conformity necessary to truly belong to the group. This kind of institution provides people with their need to belong to something greater. Both solidify our existence and our place in the world by belonging to a higher power. By becoming part of a symbol and partaking in those rituals, your individualism is put on hold for the sake of group identity.

With that established, I have to say that as well as most religions, I find this institution problematic. While I support the community service initiatives and social connections, I think the system as a whole is founded on false pretenses. All students rushing receive the Panhellenic Recruitment book with the subtitle “empowering women from college onward.” As I stood in the staircase shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of heavily eye-lined girls, all compulsively flattening their hair and searching for any type of reflective surface in which to examine their reddening faces, I wondered where the empowerment part came in. Personally I felt like a pretty crappy feminist. Here I was on a Saturday afternoon sporting short shorts and red lipstick, repeating the same answers to each girl’s identical questions, (I row, I’m from Texas, I’m utterly undecided about my major, I’ve traveled a lot), all in the hopes of fitting into a certain group’s standards. Where are our own standards? While we are supposed to “be ourselves,” we are also supposed to be immediately engaging, physically attractive, confident, etc.

In a place such as college where people grow to accept and appreciate diversity, Greek life encourages conformity and the juvenile desire to always fit in. But perhaps this is important, even crucial, because isn’t college just a microcosm of the real world, and shouldn’t we throw on our pearls and get used to the female competition that dominates our patriarchal society? Maybe the problem actually lies in people like me, the sassy and cynical who are perturbed by the NorthFace trend and have a deep rooted fear of mass ideology.