Author: Chris Paine

By Nicki Briggs

Writer

Thursday Nov. 10 began with “The Double-Take Project,” a performance directed by Christina Cody ’12 that told personal stories from students who had approached her earlier in the semester. These students offered different perspectives of life at the University and of their experiences with sexual violence on campus. The room was somber when President John Bravman stepped up to the microphone after the last story was told.

“Look what’s happened just 70 miles from here, in the last 10 days,” Bravman said, referring to the recent incidents at Penn State and how they occurred as a result of powerful men choosing not to speak publicly of the mistakes made by their colleagues.

“[The truth] always comes out in the end,” he said.

By Alexander Slavitz

Contributing Writer

For many students, the thought of graduating brings a lot of fear. Questions like, “What if I can’t get a job when I graduate?” or “What if the best job I can get isn’t good enough?” become constant obsessions. For Anthony Pompliano ’12, these thoughts are irrelevant. As of Nov. 1, Pompliano and three friends have launched a company called The Community Corkboard. Instead of looking for a job, he has created one.

“[The Community Corkboard] brings the face to face interaction people have into an online community,” Pompliano said.

The Community Corkboard is an online business that compiles an index of students, alumni and university supporters. It allows private schools to sign up for free and the Corkboard will build the directory themselves. Parents, alumni and other supporters can join this community by paying a monthly fee and a majority of the profits are then donated back to the school. The community also has a job board where the school and supporters can post new work opportunities.

To many students, the idea of creating a business might seem a bit daunting, but to Pompliano, this should not be a concern.

“I wish more students took the time to try to start a business. People have good ideas. You never know unless you try. When I started out, I had no idea how to run a business, but I’ve learned more in the past seven months than I have in any classroom,” Pompliano said.

Pompliano admitted that starting a business does require certain “life skills.” For him, serving in the military for two years between his sophomore and junior years led him to develop those qualities. He said his important skills are “leadership management skills, the ability to think outside the box, and not second guessing [my]self.”
“Students learn the same things on campus. All you have to do is take what you know and do it. The best way is to learn by doing it. The worst-case scenario, you fail miserably. Then, you can try again or apply the knowledge you gained from your experience to your future job,” Pompliano said.

Creating a business doesn’t always have to take a long time. In May, Pompliano and his three friends realized they were going to need jobs, so they began to look into a variety of industries with the question of how to raise money while also ensuring business in their minds. As of Nov. 1, 2011, the site is up and running.

Pompliano attributes the idea of The Community Corkboard to identifying a problem that they wanted to solve.

“A lot of people are part of a community and they’re proud of it. This community fosters unity [with its members], who might begin to do business together. It allows people to market themselves in this way,” Pompliano said.

By Jen Lassen

Assistant News Editor

This past week, Pizza Phi and the Bull Run Inn collaborated with Management 100 Company A and Alpha Delta Pi sorority, respectively, to support University students in their philanthropic endeavors.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Management 100 Company A sponsored their “A Perfect Pair for Foster Care” night with Pizza Phi. Students were able to dine at Pizza Phi from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and order pizza until 4 a.m. for delivery. Ten percent of all funds raised during these hours went toward the company’s service project with Concern, a local foster care agency.

“We advertised all week and had an amazing turnout,” Haley Thomas ’14 said.

“The event was such an overwhelming success; we were able to give over a $200 donation,” said Rick Thomas, co-owner of Pizza Phi.

Last Friday, Alpha Delta Pi sorority held a “Dining for a Difference” night at the Bull Run Inn from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. All proceeds during that time went to the Shining Stars Adapted Dance Camp created by Alpha Delta Pi sister Lindsay Zajac.

“It was great working with Bull Run. It was so busy that around 6:00 Bull Run was turning groups away saying that they couldn’t seat them until 8:00 or 8:30 pm,” Melissa Fox ’13 said.

The purpose of these events was to raise money for charity organizations while simultaneously advertising some of Lewisburg’s downtown businesses. The events were a win-win for the local businesses and the student groups who co-sponsored the events.

“Because of [Alpha Delta Pi’s] advertising and their promotions, the number of people eating in our restaurant increased,” said Lois Purcell, manager of the Bull Run Inn.

“From events like these, we always get new costumers and exposure to Bucknell students that are willing to try our products,” Rick Thomas said.

Despite the extra work and time required to put on these events, both Pizza Phi and the Bull Run Inn gladly accepted the invitation to co-sponsor these events.

“The benefits of helping the community and Bucknell students certainly outweighs the small loss of revenue our business experiences from one night; it makes me feel good hosting an event like this,” Rick Thomas said.

“I’m always happy to support Bucknell in a philanthropic way, and it was a pleasure getting to work with the students from Bucknell,” Purcell said.