Author: Amanda Ayers

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Univ. reaches out to community with BILL program

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

 

The Bucknell Institute for Lifelong Learning (BILL) continues to host “Lunch and Learn with BILL” and “Tea and Talk” programs this semester. These informal lunch programs, free of charge and open to the general public, have grown out of the institute’s larger objective of providing college-level learning opportunities to mature learners in the local community. The events are held in partnership with Buffalo Valley Lutheran Village and are held at The Village Common on Tressler Boulevard in Lewisburg. Refreshments and lunch are provided for participants.

“Lunch and Learn” and “Tea and Talk” are designed to take place outside of class times so that they do not cause scheduling conflicts for the members of the institute. The program’s presenters have been University-affiliated staff and retirees. Participants are typically in the over-60 crowd.
“We’ve had participants from 18 to well over 80,” BILL coordinator Ruth Burnham said.
The “Lunch and Learn” series includes discussions about politics, biology, language and aging. Also, “Tea and Talk,” a newer program, focuses broadly on the arts. This semester, BILL’s “Lunch and Learn” programs have featured associate professor of anthropology Michelle Johnson, who discussed “Islam on the Margins: Religion and Ritual Among the Mandinga of Guinea-Bissau” on Jan. 24, and associate professor of biology Marie Pizzorno’s talk, “Do Honeybees Get Sick? Viruses that Infect an Important Pollinator” on Feb. 9.
“With any science topic, the jargon and concepts can sometimes get tough to understand, but the audience seemed to follow the discussion and responded with great questions,” Pizzorno said.
On March 13 at 3:30 p.m. at “Tea and Talk,” associate professor of theatre and dance Paula Davis will present “In Search of Balkan Folk Dress: Revealing Identities.” Additionally, on April 10 at noon, presidential professor of classics Janet Jones will host “Alexander the Great and the Seven Wonders of the World.” It is likely that attendance will be high for these discussions, as the programs have been very popular with usually 60-140 people in attendance.
Although largely a program for older members of the Lewisburg community, opportunities for student involvement are always open.
“I could imagine students co-presenting in classes, depending on topics, schedule, etc. We’d welcome student ideas on how they might like to be involved,” Burnham said.
The program has reached its goal of providing the Central Susquehanna Community with educational and intellectual opportunities that reflect the University’s value of a liberal arts education and emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning.
“Just because people are retired doesn’t mean they want to turn their brains off,” Pizzorno said.
The BILL program goes to show the importance of giving anyone with an intellectual interest a venue to learn.
“[It] has succeeded in drawing in those who enjoy learning for the sake of learning, and sharing with others who have similar interests,” Burnham said. “The program has proved to be a great way for newcomers to the area to meet members of the community, and we have heard stories of people who have based part of their decision to retire to this area on the existence of this program.”
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Univ. to add two sororities by 2013

By Jason Pepe & Amanda Ayers

Contributing Writer & News Editor

Two new sororities will be added on campus within the next two years. One will be a multicultural sorority added in the fall of 2012, and the other will be part of a Panhellenic extension, planned to start in the fall of 2013.

Mu Sigma Upsilon will be the multicultural sorority. A group of young women on campus saw the need for a multicultural Greek organization and reached out to Mu Sigma Upsilon about starting a chapter at the University. The presence of Mu Sigma Upsilon is planned to help foster diversity among the nine current sororities.

Jackie Petrucci, assistant director of residential education for sorority affairs, is optimistic about the sorority’s potential.

“I think this group will be well received because they are fulfilling a need that is not being met within our fraternity and sorority community.  Having a multicultural organization on campus will continue to add depth to our community and enrich the experiences for students at Bucknell University,” Petrucci said.

Mu Sigma Upsilon is planning to host several interest meetings this semester. Women who are interested in joining are encouraged to attend.  For more information, contact Petrucci at jackie.petrucci@bucknell.edu.

For the Panhellenic expansion, the chapter to be added in 2013 has yet to be determined. In order to decide this, there will be an extensive interview process in the near future which will allow various organizations to present information to the University in order to demonstrate that they will be the best fit on campus.

This decision was affirmed through a vote from each existing sorority chapter on campus. It reflects a desire to accommodate a greater number of undergraduate women who wish to affiliate. Another justification for the Panhellenic extension is that chapters have grown unreasonably large.

“With chapter membership over 120 women, the deep lifelong friendships all sorority organizations aim to foster can be compromised,” said the 2011 Panhellenic Evaluation, published by the Extension Exploratory Committee.

Additionally, the suites cannot accommodate all of the women who wish to live there, which can also inhibit the development of deeper relationships.

Women associated with the Panhellenic Council were not permitted to comment on the addition of this second sorority.

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Univ. welcomes esteemed historian

By Sara Blair Matthews

Assistant News Editor

 

Historian Robert A. Caro, the 2011 Janet Weis Fellow in Contemporary Letters, presented years of research on former President Lyndon B. Johnson in a talk on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. Caro is the author of two Pulitzer Prize-winning biographies on Johnson and Robert Moses. 
His talk, held in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, was entitled “Power in the Hands of a Master.”
“We [were] excited to have Robert. A Caro visit Bucknell in the midst of a presidential election. [He] is among the country’s foremost presidential historians, and his insight and expertise offer a valuable perspective,” said Andy Hirsch, director of media communications.
Caro explained that he wished to highlight the achievements of the accomplished political figures in his works.
“I never thought of [my works] as biographies. I thought of them as means of illuminating the lives of the people I was writing about,” Caro said.
Caro also discussed the importance of turning every page and not assuming anything when conducting research. He mainly discussed his research for the biography “The Years of Lyndon Johnson, The Path to Power.” Caro talked about how Johnson’s term was a “watershed presidency” because when it ended, the United States was a very different country than when Johnson assumed office.

“[Primarily,] America changed through Johnson’s use of political power,” Caro said.

Caro discussed how one of the main emphases of Johnson’s presidency was to drastically lessen poverty in America.

“He created a war on poverty, [but] no one understood why it meant so much to him,” Caro said. The historian began to understand why this was true when he went to live in Johnson’s native Texas Hill Country, a region in Central Texas, for three years while conducting research for his book.
“I’ll never forget the first time I drove out there. I saw incredible loneliness and incredible poverty,” Caro said. He believes that once he understood the place, he was able to better understand Johnson and his actions.
“I came to understand his ruthlessness to do anything to win, his desire to help the poor and his need to get out,” Caro said. “One man changed tens of thousands of lives. When I talked with people in the town, I kept hearing the same word, ruthlessness, over and over again. People said, ‘no matter what he was like he brought the lights.’”
He did so literally, as he brought electricity to the town during his term. Caro said he did not necessarily come to like Johnson by doing research on him, but he certainly did come to admire his achievements.
“He had a great desire to help poor people and people of color. [He was capable of doing so much.] It’s a tragedy for America that he ruined it [with the Vietnam War],” Caro said.
President John Bravman hosted a private dinner event with Caro at 5:30 p.m. prior to the talk. Students were asked to register, and the names of four students were randomly drawn to join Caro and other guests.
“We had thought that meeting the man who wasn’t afraid of Robert Moses, had won two Pulitzer Prizes and had been awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama would be intimidating,” said Margo Cain ’13, one of the students chosen to attend the dinner with Caro. “Robert Caro turned out to be a knowledgeable, humorous, fascinating man with a dedication to history and politics, and an interest in hearing how the younger generation views the world.”
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Bison Chips perform annual “Chipfest”

By Jenni Whalen

Staff Writer

 

The Weis Center for the Performing Arts was packed last Saturday at 8 p.m. with students, faculty and parents listening to the Bison Chips sing their annual concert, Chipfest. 
The Bison Chips have 13 members this year: Sean Gritters ’12, Mike Kurban ’12, Vince Mistretta ’12, Sam Stulberg ’12, Yann Wester ’12, Ryan Mextorf ’13, Brian Pei ’13, Justin Honigstein ’14, Harrison Mills ’14, Michael Strauss ’14, George Beatty ’15, Andrew Killman ’15 and Connor Small ’15.
The Silhouettes, the University’s all-female group, sang four songs in the middle of the performance.

“The Chips are pretty much the first group I really got to know at Bucknell, so they’re kind of like my original family here,” Gritters said. “This Chipfest was the best we’ve ever sounded as a group. We worked so hard on all of these songs over the past month and a half, and it’s really something to be up there and listen to all of that work come together. It’s a great way to end my Chips experience.”

The Bison Chips and audience agreed this was the best the Chips have sounded in years, mostly thanks to the incredible amount of time the members spent preparing for this year’s event. The group began working on new arrangements immediately after Christy’s, a long-standing tradition that takes place during Parents Weekend each fall. Kurban, the leader of the Chips, kept the group practicing three times a week until the week of Chipfest, when the members practiced for at least two hours every night.

As usual, this year’s concert began with a comic video of the Chips losing their suits and ties and running around campus in their boxers. The Chips then ran onto stage and performed 14 songs, almost all of which were arranged and performed by different members of the group. Two of the songs were traditional closing numbers and six were new arrangements. 

New arrangement “Fix You” was arranged by Sean Gritters ’12 and featured soloist Sam Stulberg ’12. “Otherside” was arranged by Yann Wester ‘12 and featured Justin Honigstein ’14. 

Other favorites included “Umbrella” and “Lady in Red,” a classic Chips song during which Johanna Moyer ’12 was serenaded in her red dress.

Overall, those in attendance agreed that the concert was enjoyable and demonstrated the talents and hard-work that University students put into the performance. 

“I think the night overall was awesome,” Damon Quattrochi ’12 said. “It was great to see so many Bucknellians fill the Weis Center in support of a student-led group. The whole show was so well organized and put together.” 

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First Global Conversations Dialogue Circle focuses on Africa

By Daniel Park

Contributing Writer

 

Dr. Stephen Appiah-Padi, a native of Ghana who studied in England for his masters, hosted a dialogue in Arches Lounge last Friday on modern Africa. It was the first of many discussions the University is hosting as part of the Global Conversations Dialogue Circle of 2012. It dealt with topics ranging from the workings of the economy to the seemingly ubiquitous corruption associated with African politics.

“Awareness has been growing due to the usage of internet,” Appiah-Padi said.
One of the problems Appiah-Padi pointed out that is plaguing the continent today is ignorance on the part of both foreign countries as well as African countries.
“One of my friends, who was from a populated city region within Africa, did not know of the troubles that her country was experiencing because she had always spent her time within the city, not knowing the vast poverty that existed on the outskirts,” a student in the audience said.
He explained that colonialism has left a deep impact holistically on the African mindsets and is partially the root cause to the vast political corruption in the “democratic government.”
“Colonialism is the biggest concept held in Africa. After Britain had left, Africans wanted to live like them by amassing wealth,” Appiah-Padi said.
The last topic discussed within the dialogue session was on other potential conflicts and resolutions that can reshape the inefficient governments in Africa.
“All educated Ugandans leave to other countries for jobs since the market opportunities in Uganda is miniscule. This ultimately dilutes a potential diverse economy,” Appiah-Padi said.
An example he brought up was a comparison between the number of Ugandan doctors in England, New York and Uganda. There are more Ugandan doctors in the United States than those in Uganda because the risk of being a doctor in Uganda is exponentially higher than being a doctor in the United States.
The majority of those who attended were University faculty members, including Dr. Xiannong Meng, professor of computer science, and Julie Rowe, assistant to the director of the Office of International Education.
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Chrysalis band announced

Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) has just announced that The Village People will be the featured artist at the 14th Annual Chrysalis Ball to be held on April 17, 2012. Hits include “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy.” The opening act will be Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hell Raisers, and a DJ will end the night. The event will be held in Gerhard Fieldhouse from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with doors opening at 8:30 p.m. Students can begin to purchase tickets on March 19th at a discounted price of $15. Formal or semi-formal wear is required and hors d’oeurves will be served, as well as beer and wine for those who are over 21 years of age. In order to encourage first-years who have never attended Chrysalis to come, there will be a promotion for these students as well as their Residential Advisers. Groups of 10 or more first-year students and their RA can get discounted tickets when bought from March 19th to April 6th in the CAP Center.

 

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BSG celebrates Class of 2012 with Senior Nights

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

Last Thursday night, Bucknell Student Government (BSG) 2012 organized the first senior night of the year at Parkview Catering behind The Bull Run Inn. The Mardi Gras-themed event was stocked with free food and was meant to celebrate the last 97 days the class of 2012 has left until graduation.
The event lasted from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and featured a live DJ, drinks and prizes for the first 120 people that came through the door.
“The beer will be flowing, the beads will be flying, and all inhibitions will be discarded!” BSG’s promotion for the event said. “It’s not like we need to give you any added incentive to party, but the BSG class of 2012 thought we’d do it anyway.”
Events such as these are meant to mark the last days of the senior class’ final year, as well as provide an opportunity for the class to reunite before graduation in May. Senior events have been a long-standing tradition at the University, and last year’s cancellation of the 100 Nights event came as a shock to many students. After the abrupt announcement of the cancellation, members of the Office of Alumni Relations and members of the BSG senior class worked to develop new events to provide an alternative to 100 Nights. 
“I was glad to see such a big turnout from our class at Senior Night,” John Luce ’12 said. “It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends over good food and drinks.  Since commencement is right around the corner, I think it’s important to have events like this to bring the senior class together.”
“Although this event, and others like it, may not nessecarily be meant to completely replace 100 Nights, they are still meant to bring our class together with the funds we have for these purposes,” Larry Leggett ’12 said. “I’m definitely glad to have the opportunity to reconnect with my classmates.”
More events like this one will occur in the upcoming months as the class of 2012 counts down to graduation.
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ACE responds to Campus Climate

By Nicki Briggs

Writer


Activities and Campus Events (ACE) is a student-run organization that specializes in bringing entertainment to the student body by planning all different kinds of events. At the start of this past semester, the club decided to make changes to its programming in response to the Campus Climate Report’s results which demonstrated that many students were unaware of the social options available to them on weekends besides partying.
“The Campus Climate report really highlighted for us the fact that students don’t know about the options they have on the weekends for events that don’t involve alcohol. This made us want to step up not only our publicity, but the size of the events. Instead of spreading ourselves thin with five events every weekend, we’re putting all our energy into one huge event each weekend,” ACE President Lauren Rambo ’12 said.

“One of the reasons we decided to enact this change was we felt that our old structure and organization just wasn’t meeting the needs or wants of the campus. When you have tons of people showing up to events like BU After Dark, but only a few to the smaller events like Late Night performances, that says something about what the student body enjoys,” Elena Latzen ’14 said.

Some of the new events that have been well received by the student body so far were Bingo Blingo in Bostwick Marketplace and Just Desserts in the Terrace Room, with over 600 students attending both. Coming up is the always-popular BU After Dark which features a spectacular turnout every semester.

“I always try to stop by BU After Dark regardless of what else I have going on those nights,” Neil Dold ’12 said.
Later this semester are the Spa Spectacular event on the second floor of the Elaine Langone Center and an Arcade Night in the student hearth space. ACE is also working hard to try to bring a block party to campus for the spring as well as planning Chrysalis. All of these events are run in collaboration with different groups on campus.

The response has been phenomenal to the new method of having students perform at Seventh Street Café each Friday night instead of hiring professional artists. This has produced an increase in popularity, as students show up to support their friends and fellow classmates each week. Anyone interested in performing should stop by the CAP Center to set up a time.

ACE’s new planning initiative has proven successful so far, and will likely continue to please students for the remainder of the semester.

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Public Safety raids Kappa Sigma and 23 University Ave.

By Jenni Whalen

Senior Writer

Officers with the Department of Public Safety searched the residences of 23 University Avenue and Kappa Sigma Fraternity last Thursday, Feb. 16. The searches took approximately three hours apiece.

During the investigations, individual room searches were only conducted when one of the highly-trained K-9 units indicated that illegal drugs or related contraband might be located in that room.

“The University was compelled to act based on the frequency of prior incidents by students affiliated with the two residences and the assortment of illicit drugs discovered within a short period prior to the searches,” said Andy Hirsch, Director of Media Communications.

At approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday, fire alarms were set off at 23 University Avenue and the 14 residents were instructed to evacuate the house.

Public Safety officers and members of the Lewisburg Police force arrived on the scene with K-9 units and students were informed that they needed to leave the residence for approximately three hours on the premise that officers would be conducting University searches.

At around 1 p.m. on the same day, a fire alarm was also set off in Kappa Sigma Fraternity, at which point Public Safety officers instructed fraternity members that they would not be allowed back into the building for an extended period of time.

Hirsch noted that these searches were consistent with the policies of the Student Handbook.

“Officers from other law enforcement agencies assisted Bucknell Public Safety officers to allow an expeditious search, but this was not a criminal investigation,” Hirsch said. “Students were not notified beforehand. For the searches of 23 and 64 University Avenue, the University did not obtain a search warrant, nor was it obligated to, since these were administrative, not criminal searches.”

The Student Handbook details certain conditions under which a full search of residences owned by the University is authorized. These conditions include situations where there is evidence of contraband or ongoing illegal activity and the residences can be searched only with the approval of the Dean of Students, Susan Lantz.

Following Thursday’s searches, the residents of 23 University Avenue received a notice stating they would no longer be able to live in the house due to Thursday’s search and more than a dozen related incidents that occurred on the premises since last September. Students were instructed to report to Housing Services for new housing options and were required to move to their new homes by Tuesday. The residents will not be allowed to return to 23 University Avenue for the remainder of the semester.

Because a student from 23 University Avenue was arrested two weeks ago due to his involvement with illicit drug use, many of the displaced residents assume this arrest brought about the searches at both Kappa Sigma Fraternity and 23 University Avenue. 

At this point in time, all residents of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and 23 University Avenue remain on campus. As of Tuesday, Kappa Sigma Fraternity’s temporary suspension has been lifted. Drug paraphernalia was confiscated during the search and the University will be handling the issue internally by punishing students according to the University’s drug policy rather than state laws.

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Brigade raises money for Nicaragua community

By Christina Oddo

Writer

 

The Bucknell Brigade hosted a raffle and silent auction on Feb. 17 in Larison Dining Hall for University students and faculty to benefit the Nueva Vida community in Managua, Nicaragua. Attendees enjoyed live entertainment by Dave Miller as well as hors d’oeuvres. Tickets were $5 for students and $10 for general admission.
“In the months leading up to the date, members of the Bucknell Brigade worked to collect donations from local vendors and friends of the Brigade in order to have a mix of items to raffle off or put up for bid as silent auction items,” Carolyn Breden ’12 said.

Some of the items auctioned include a five-night stay at the Palm Ocean View in St. Thomas and four months of home cupcake delivery. There were also many raffle prizes, including gift certificates and video rentals.

The Bucknell Brigade is a group of students, faculty and staff dedicated to aiding the people of Nueva Vida.

“Each year, we send two to three delegations to the community of Nueva Vida in Managua, Nicaragua to do service work and we spend the rest of the year raising awareness and supporting the community,” Breden said.
Each year, the Bucknell Brigade is committed to raising $40,000, in order to support the health clinic in the community.

“There was a steady crowd of about 50 people with people constantly coming and going, so in the end, I’d say we had 85 to 100 people in total show up to the auction. We made just under $2,500 with our auction prizes,” Katie McAvoy ’13 said.

The proceeds raised by the raffle and auction will go directly to the Nueva Vida community.