Author: Courtney Flagg

Categories
Arts & Life

Discovering Our Professors: Shara McCallum

By Mackenzie Halfhide

Writer

As students at the University, we are fortunate enough to have professors who are invested in our education as well as our personal growth. This is atypical for most universities, where the majority of professors focus primarily on their personal academic projects. The University has the privilege to employ professors who do it all, even though their contributions to academia are not always well-publicized on campus. In order to learn more about professors’ involvement on campus and their recent academic accomplishments, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shara McCallum, associate professor of English and director of the Stadler Center for Poetry.

As director of the Stadler Center, it is McCallum’s job to provide opportunities for poets and poetry lovers on campus. The most well-known function of the director is to organize the Writers Series, which brings acclaimed writers to campus so they can read excerpts from their latest projects. McCallum is looking forward to a reading from this year’s Sojka Poet, Tony Hoagland, whose poetry is exceptionally smart and funny, and surprisingly attainable for readers of all levels. He will read in Bucknell Hall on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. McCallum is also in the process of starting a slam poetry series that is slated to begin this year; for next year, she is organizing a “Poetry Path,” which will set up a walking trail that connects the landscape of downtown Lewisburg and campus through a series of poems. She also manages the Stadler Fellowship, which offers internships to two writers who are looking for an “opportunity to receive professional training in arts administration and literary editing.”

This last year has been particularly rewarding for McCallum as she is one of the recipients of the 2011 Fellowship for Poetry, which is a grant awarded by the National Endowment of the Arts to support her continuous work as a writer and to promote her future contributions to the poetry world.

Her hot streak of recognition began when President Bravman asked McCallum to write a poem for his inauguration in 2010, an honor that felt daunting since she had never been asked to write a poem for a specific event. She typically concentrates on personal connections to landscapes in her poems, and since central Pennsylvania does not evoke the same warm feelings as her homeland of Jamaica, McCallum began researching Lewisburg and the surrounding area, which helped inspire the poem “Susquehanna.”  She discovered she could write a history that was not hers, and in a fairly short time, though she knows poetry is not something that can be rushed.

“I’m very invested in revision,” McCallum said. “For me, that’s where the writing happens.”

It has been eight years since the publication of her second book, “Song of Thieves,“ and McCallum has been persistently writing and revising poem after poem for her third book, “This Strange Land.”  As a poet who prefers to write at night, it is difficult to find the time and energy while her attention is divided between classes and two young daughters. Luckily, her sabbatical last fall gave her the opportunity to finish editing her book of poems for the April release date.

In the midst of the book deal, Peepal Tree Press in the United Kingdom reached out to McCallum and offered her a chance to publish a collection of her poems. Scheduled to be released at the beginning of October, “The Face of Water: New & Selected Poems” includes her latest work and some of her best poems as selected by herself. McCallum will kick off the Writer Series for the fall semester with a reading of her poetry on Tues., Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in Bucknell Hall.

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Arts & Life Review Television

“New Girl” proves herself among famous FOX lineup

 

By Courtney Flagg

Editor-in-Chief

The most anticipated season premiere of the fall was the fan-favorite and Ryan Murphy brainchild “Glee.” To be completely honest, the season premiere didn’t blow me away. Yes, it was cutesy and full of show tunes and Sue Sylvester’s hilarious and politically incorrect one-liners. But the episode had very little substance. It seemed to serve more as a filler and preview of promising things to come than a real great episode. So when Glee ended at 9 p.m. and I was left wanting more, I was pleasantly surprised by Fox’s new series “New Girl.”

The premise is simple: a freshly single Jess (Zooey Deschanel) becomes the new roommate to three bachelors who are not at all competent in dealing with women. The show starts with Jess riding in a taxi in only a trench coat, ready to engage in some surprise sex with her boyfriend, only to find out that he’s been cheating on her. After this traumatic experience, and sick of sleeping on her model friend Cece’s (Hannah Simone) couch, she takes matters into her own hands and moves in with three “guy’s guys,” Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Nick (Jake M. Johnson).

I knew this show was a winner when Coach and Nick made Schimdt put money into their communal “Douchebag Jar” after he makes an arrogant and idiotic comment about how “ladies love the Schimdt.” The show also impressed me with its accuracy in portraying both the obvious and subtle intricacies of both male and female behavior. Of course this idea isn’t revolutionary. How many times have we seen TV shows where guy and girl roommates engage in various shenanigans? This show comes with something different. Like its main character, “New Girl” is quirky, funny and quite the breath of fresh air. The pilot showcases the witty writing and the actors’ clever performances, all of which add to the show’s culturally relevant theme of the sexual politics between men and women.

Congratulations, Fox, you’ve made a fan out of me.

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial: Campus Climate

The recent release of the Campus Climate Task Force Report by President Bravman has many students up in arms about the suggested changes to the University’s current academic and social conditions.

At The Bucknellian, we have been in communication with students, faculty and the administration throughout the past year about issues concerning campus climate. Last fall we dedicated the majority of an edition to the sexual assaults reported on campus. While we understand where the administration is coming from, and we can agree with the task force in some areas, we believe that some of the results may have been skewed out of proportion to highlight the negative aspects of our campus community.

One of the concerns we have with the report is lack of diversity from the pool from which the administration pulled statistics. According to the report, the task force used data majorly collected from members of the 2007, 2009 and 2010 graduating classes on a voluntary response basis. A large amount of the students polled in these surveys were also incoming first-years. Why wasn’t there a fairer representation of the student body in the task force data? How many sophomores, juniors and current seniors were polled during this time period? Obviously first-year students and outgoing seniors will have radically different perceptions of their time at the University. It only seems necessary to fill that gap to get a clear picture. Although data collection is hard, especially when a very limited amount of students participate, it is important to get a broad spectrum of statistics. That means encouraging students to answer these surveys truthfully or else no one can really take the statistics seriously.

In addition, the Sexual Experiences Survey was administered to an overwhelmingly female majority. Only 114 students out of the 1,023 surveyed were men. This doesn’t leave a large response bias. It would have been more accurate to include more male students. What was the non-response rate of these surveys? The fact that the task force only polled those students who were willing to go out of their way to submit their responses creates a response bias that cannot be overlooked.

We also think the task force has skewed the statistics towards a more negative angle. The task force places a heavy emphasis on the negatives of drinking, but it should be noted more clearly that drug use at the University is lower than comparable institutions. In addition, first-year students were over-represented in these samples. College freshmen tend to experiment with drinking a lot more than sophomores, juniors and seniors. We would have appreciated a more diverse statistic.

Through the climate report, President Bravman and the task force have expressed their severe dissatisfaction with Greek life and the way it impacts campus. Yes, Greek life can split the campus and create social divisions. However, an overwhelming amount of the philanthropic activities conducted on and around campus are done by Greek members. Although members of the Greek life here at the University are required to complete a certain number of ‘hours’ for philanthropy, the fact of the matter is, this is how it gets done. If it were not for the Greek system, philanthropy at the University would almost cease to exist. Although the Office of Civic Engagement offers many opportunities to students, many people aren’t aware of how to utilize it to its fullest.

We agree with the task force in that the University should be advertising more student-based activities, like Bingo, karaoke and other events at Uptown and in the ELC. However, it’s often the case that students don’t find going to Bingo as appealing as going to a fraternity party. While we know that there are students on campus that don’t participate in Greek life, the majority of them do, and the majority of them drink. This is not surprising in the least considering students drink when in college and there is a certain party atmosphere on campus. We don’t think the administration can change this. Even if the administration decides to eliminate Greek life all together, students who want to have fun by partying will find ways to do so. What’s more is that a large amount of alumni donators were members in Greek organizations on campus. If the administration gets rid of Greek life, alumni will stop donating to the University and the University’s College Rankings will lower.

We also have to disagree with the idea that Greek life is unsafe for men and women on campus. When fraternities decide to host parties on or off campus, they are legally responsible for all those attending. It is their best interest to keep things safe. The same goes for sororities and events that they host. It is in both organizations’ best interest so they can stay clean in the eyes of the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils. And closing Greek Life parties to first-years? Doesn’t that counteract Bucknell’s mission state of community? How are first-years supposed to feel a part of campus when they are forbidden from attending certain parties or events?

We understand the task force has good intentions and that there are issues on campus that need to be addressed. That being said, the skewed statistics and goals the University is proposing are extreme. Punish members of the community who need to be punished. The administration did that with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Kappa Delta Rho fraternities. All others, those Greek organizations and students who are following the rules, should not be penalized.

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Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: How Can We Heal?

To the editor:

A pair of opinions articles published in a recent issue of The Bucknellian reflecting on the legacy and lessons of the attacks of Sept. 11 touched on an issue that, in my opinion, is the most critical to the future security of our country—the deep flaws in our nation’s foreign policy. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes the remembrance of an event as tragic as the attacks 10 years ago to call attention to the matter. After reading Gabriella’s piece and Amanda’s response, I’d like to address a fundamental disagreement I have with the Editor.

The view that the true motivation for our involvement in the Middle East was “to ensure the future domestic security of our nation from extremists … that espouse beliefs that are fundamentally in opposition to the United States and the American way of life” may very well have been the intention of some policy makers, but the results of our actions could not bring us further from such a goal. For the better part of the 20th century to the modern day, our actions in the Middle East have led to the region’s instability and only serves to make us less secure. I’d like to cite our history with Iran as a prominent example of such unsound policy that will be extremely relevant to the future of our own generation.

The 1979 hostage crisis in which Islamist students took control of the American Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days marks what many people view as the beginning of our acerbic relationship with Iran. It was 26 years earlier, however, that conflict began. It was in this year that Operation Ajax, a coup d’état orchestrated by the American CIA and British MI6, overthrew the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and installed Mohammad Shāh Pahlavi, a pro-U.S. dictator. It was during the Shah’s 25-year rule (upheld by U.S. support) that anti-American resentment throughout the Middle East was cultivated. Our CIA helped to create SAVAK, an Iranian secret police that was used to instill fear in the hearts of dissenting Iranians. SAVAK imprisoned and tortured the Shah’s political enemies. Near the end of his reign, the Shah ordered troops to massacre protesters, an event that would spark the fire of the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis a year later.

Though it would be horrible to suggest that we were responsible for the attacks on our fellow Americans then or 10 years ago, or somehow invited or deserved them, it is no great mystery why radical Islamists are upset. They do not hate us because we are free or because they oppose our “way of life.” They target us because our government has meddled in their nation’s affairs and sovereignty for over a half century with often-injurious results to both sides. It’s time we looked seriously at the justifications given for our action in the Middle East and realize that we are no safer for it. We are only more endangered as we continue to invade, bomb and intervene in the Middle East. Every day our actions produce more extremist militants who see our actions as an attack on their way of life and independence. We must realize even as we celebrate the murder (Gabriella was right here) of Osama bin Laden, he has in several ways accomplished exactly what he wanted. Our government’s faulty response to the attacks on our country has led us to spend a total of $1.2 trillion on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention the unconstitutional “time-limited, scope-limited military action” under our newest war president. Just as militant Islamists sought to bleed-out the Soviets in Afghanistan, they now seek to have us spend our way into financial ruin in several unsustainable wars. The attacks have frenzied us so that we are now starting to give up what makes America truly great—our founding principles. We turn the rule of law on its head by giving our president the authority to decide who deserves to die and order an operation to kill rather than capture and give due process to a criminal. What would have been so horrible about executing bin Laden after a trial that would have surely found him guilty? Instead we delve deeper into a foreign policy that may well lead us into a sixth needless war in the Middle East. Our generation should be concerned. There is still time to show the world how great America truly is. There is still time to heal.

–Scott Lunde

Categories
Arts & Life Featured Study Abroad

An immersion in Italy

By Courtney Flagg

Editor-in-Chief

I can take away a lot of things from my time in Italy. I remember sipping espresso at a bar in a forgotten alley behind a magnificent basilica. I remember wandering the rows of fresh produce in the daily markets in Piazza dei Signori and Piazza Erbe in Padova. I remember getting hopelessly lost in the streets of Siena and miraculously making it back to catch the correct train home. My memories are laced with beautiful images of classic Italian architecture, rolling hills and snow-capped Alps. But my most important abroad experience can’t be expressed in a picture or in a simple, but pretty, description.

The Italian town I studied abroad in was not like Rome, or Florence, or Milan, where English is just as common as the national Italian language. In Padova, a small fraction of the population speaks English. Many shopkeepers, restaurant owners and coffee baristas don’t know English at all, so speaking Italian is absolutely imperative in order to function as a regular member of society.

I had been warned before leaving the United States that the program I was to participate in was a real immersion program. But it took nearly my whole five months abroad to completely understand what that meant.

Of course, the first few hours I spent with my host family when I arrived in late January were uncomfortable. It seemed like the Italian I had been studying the past two and a half years had completely escaped me. I couldn’t form coherent sentences and found myself speaking a mixture of Spanish and Italian in my jittery state, leaving my host family very confused and myself completely frustrated.

I spent the first few days in Padova timidly avoiding having to speak Italian at all for fear of making grammar and vocabulary mistakes. I would craft grammatically perfect sentences in my head so that I could whip them out at my host family’s dinner table while eating gnocchi alla romana or melanzane alla parmigiana. I carefully planned my studying of the street graffiti peppered around town so I didn’t have to interact with locals. These habits lasted approximately four days.

After only a few days, I saw a dramatic change in my speaking and understanding abilities of the Italian language. It didn’t happen on purpose, and it wasn’t planned on my part. It just happened. It was like a switch in my brain had turned on. Slowly I found myself thinking in Italian. I no longer had to think about what I wanted to say in order to say it. Words left my mouth confidently, and I was surprised to find out that I was forming coherent sentences with them. I was finally able to understand my hyperactive, fast-talking host sister, who, according to my host mom, Italians couldn’t understand.

When my parents came to visit me in early April, I brought them to meet my host family. I was deep in conversation with my host dad and was addressing my American dad throughout the conversation, asking for his input. Frustrated by my father’s lack of participation I turned to him only to realize I had been speaking Italian the whole time and my American parents had no idea what I was asking them.

I can’t count the number of times I have invented new English expressions because I forgot the corresponding English word. I once told friends from my program that I had to ‘do a brain appointment’ so I wouldn’t forget to ‘do check-in’ on a RyanAir flight. English translation? “I need to remember to check-in online for my flight to Istanbul.”

Yes, I will always remember the crystal blue waters of Capri, crossing the Ponte Vecchio at night, and first laying my eyes on the Coliseum. But what remains engrained in my mind is the way I was able to haggle over the price of a leather jacket, avoid the tourist fee for museums and gossip with my host sisters because of my ability to speak the native language.

It has been said multiple times, by multiple people, in multiple ways, that spending a semester abroad ‘changes’ you. I refused to believe the cliché that so many people affirmed and hopped onto the airplane to Italy last January convinced I would come back the same brazen, sarcastic and jaded girl that left the United States. I proved my stubborn self wrong.

When I arrived back in the United States in June, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. I was having issues communicating with my American mother and father during the 40-minute car ride from JFK airport to my home in Westchester, N.Y. I was frustrated because I couldn’t say what I wanted to. Except the language I was having trouble with wasn’t Italian, it was English.

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial: Flooding Response

There are two times during the year when campus experiences a ridiculous amount of flooding: during the fall, typically in September, and during the spring, typically in late March to mid April. Each time the campus and the surrounding downtown Lewisburg area floods, it poses an enormous inconvenience to students, faculty and staff. Granted, the flooding has not been this bad in a long time, but the fact of the matter is it happens like clockwork every year.

The flooding this week has shed light on some topics that we have discussed pertaining to the University’s support of students living downtown. Should the University provide for those students who need to be relocated, either due to flooding or any other type of natural disaster? A flooding of this magnitude doesn’t typically happen, but whether we like it or not, it is happening right now. Should the University be prepared to house students who are evacuated from downtown houses and misplaced for days, even weeks at a time? While we understand that students sign a contract and agree to live downtown on certain conditions, is it their responsibility to find a new place to live if this occurs? While it’s great that the University is supporting it’s students in the short-term, should students and the University be working together to form a long-term plan?

The recent flooding hasn’t only caused us to question the University administration, but students as well. We don’t quite understand why students, after having been told to move their vehicles from certain ‘high risk’ parking places, such as Sixth Street and Harris Parking Lot, continue to park their cars in said areas. We understand that there are a limited amount of parking spaces on campus but is it worth risking your car?

For those who don’t have access to cars on campus, the recent closure of the tunnel under Route 15 connecting Bucknell West with the main campus has been forcing students to cross the highway, something the administration has directly advised against. How are students supposed to cross the highway at night if they are coming home late, say, from the library? Should the University provide a shuttle transportation services to the main campus to Bucknell West, especially for circumstances like these?

Furthermore, students seem to have taken the wrong attitude towards the flooding. The prospect of having no classes for a few days is certainly exciting, but it should not in any way be a point of rejoicing when people–other Bucknellians–are losing their houses. This is not an event to take lightly.

Flooding is a natural event that we have literally no control over. However, it is possible to mitigate the toll that it has on the campus community.

 

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Featured News

Renovated Campus Theatre opens

By Carleen Boyer

Contributing Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Featured News

First-Years give back to Lewisburg community

By Meghan Finlayson

Writer

The first annual Day of Service for first-year students was held last Saturday, August 27. Students were invited to different sites around Lewisburg to learn about the community service opportunities in the area.

The Dreamcatcher Farm, Sunbury YMCA, Milton YMCA, Essex Place, Meadowview, Donald Heiter Community Center and Elijah’s Bowl all hosted students.

Jenna Weaver ’15 said, “It’s really neat to see all the different ways you can get involved in this Lewisburg community. There are so many people that want to reach out to those in need and it was really apparent that Bucknell students can help make a big difference.”

About 40 faculty and staff members volunteered.

“We thought this would help newcomers … see some of the opportunities to be involved in non-profit areas and local enterprises, and recognize the value of civic engagement while working with a group of peers to make a difference,” said Lynn Pierson, assistant director for community service.

Many first years agreed. “Participating in the first year day of service was a great way to meet members of my class and do some good for the local community around Lewisburg. I would definitely recommend it to incoming freshmen for next year,” said Daniel Ambrose ’15.

The idea for the Day of Service came from recommendations from the Faculty Advisory Committee on Teaching (FACT), which hopes to inspire first-years to be more active in the Lewisburg community.

“We want to emphasize opportunities to be engaged in meaningful activities throughout their educational experience in and out of the Bucknell classrooms,” Pierson said.

Jeffery Campbell, event technology specialist, was assigned to go to the Sunbury YMCA with a group of students to paint a day care room.

“Not only is the Day of Service good for town relations, it exposes the students to situations and environments that they may not have ever been exposed to. In that sense, I think it provides a valuable learning experience and maybe will show the value of community service,” Campbell said.

Lynn Breyfogle, associate professor of mathematics worked with students to clean, decorate and prepare the Donald Heiter Community Center for after-school care.

Susquehanna University students also attended the event. “With all the students there, there was a festive and wonderful feeling of everybody volunteering and helping out the center,” Breyfogle said.

The day also gave faculty and students a chance to meet and connect. “It was nice as a faculty member to meet students I might not have otherwise met,” Breyfogle said. “The students worked very hard, and they were interested and engaged in what they were doing.”

“In all, I think [the students] enjoyed their day and thought that the Day of Service was a valuable and important asset to the community,” Campbell said.

The Office of Civic Engagement hopes this will be a tradition that continues in the future.

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Featured News

Students and Lewisburg residents take part in weekend arts festival

By Christina Oddo

Writer

Arts. Everywhere, a three-day festival of the arts, featured free events open to campus and the public. The festival began last Friday, August 26, with the official opening of the Campus Theatre.

The events that followed were just as important. Visual artist Nancy Cleaver created a mandala chalk exhibit outside Smith Hall with the help of festival participants. The creation signified ideas of peace, joy and community.

The Weis Center for the Performing Arts housed a handful of spectacular events throughout the weekend. Saturday morning, jazz artist Phil Haynes partnered with associate professor of dance Kelly Knox to produce a twist on jazz dance, percussion and improvisation.

By night, the Weis Center was hopping with Hector Rosado y Su Orchestra, accompanied by salsa dance lessons taught by the University’s Latino Dance Corner (LDC). University students and faculty, and Lewisburg residents joined together to learn four simple but classic salsa steps.

“It’s really nice to be able to pass on a small piece of information and to watch people have so much fun,” said Luciana Salles ’14, president of LDC. For those interested in learning more about salsa rhythms and dance, look out for auditions for LDC coming soon.”

The Elaine Langone Center was honored to have Luke Chohany ’10 perform a preview of the classical guitar pieces he performed in Bucknell Hall later on Saturday.

Students were more than willing to aid the University and contribute their artistic ways to the festival.

“I am so happy to see the liberal arts so accessible and promoted by the University and its students, and I am honored that I got to perform in two of the many events,” said Matt Dranzik ’13,  “Arts.Everywhere was a huge success and the spirit of creativity will continue throughout the year and into the future.”

This weekend-long collaboration of arts, theatre, dance and music is an indication that the University’s stated commitment to the arts is coming to fruition.

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News

University highly acclaimed in national rankings

By Olivia Seecof

Writer

Last month, the University received high rankings from SmartMoney Magazine as the fifth-best private undergraduate institution in “Colleges That Help Grads Get Top Salaries.” In addition, Forbes Magazine recently ranked  the University in the top 50 among many institutions as one of America’s Top Colleges. Lastly, the University was ranked 34th in the 50 Best Colleges and Universities according to The Best Colleges’ 2011-12 review.

Many well-respected publications produce lists ranking everything from the best undergraduate institutions to the best schools in each specific major to the best dorm rooms, but these three rankings are especially prestigious.

“I feel honored to go to a school that was recently ranked so high among many other schools,” Meili Sohl ’15 said.

The SmartMoney ranking listed the University 24th overall, fifth in private institutions and second in private non-Ivy League schools. To calculate this ranking, SmartMoney divided the median alumnus salary for each class by tuition and fees, then averaged the results to measure the return on tuition investment in higher education, according to smartmoney.com.

Forbes Magazine ranked the University 48th in its annual ranking of the 650 best undergraduate institutions. This ranking ignores school reputations and focuses on graduation rates, debt levels, quality of teaching and career prospects. This ranking, according to forbes.com, was produced for Forbes Magazine by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, which is a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

According to the The Best Colleges ranking, the University is known for its strengths in engineering, environmental studies, ecology and the biological sciences. This ranking goes beyond typical indicators of academic quality and student satisfaction, and instead focuses on total economic value and the quality of life in the town where the school is located.

“By emphasizing economic value and quality of life, we not only offer a new angle from which to evaluate college options, but one particularly relevant to our current economic and educational situation,” said Micah Sparacio, senior editor at The Best Colleges.

The website also describes Lewisburg as “a historic rural borough on the Susquehanna River with a youthful population and low cost of living.”

Students are proud and not particularly surprised by the University’s newfound status.

“As an international student, I am always proud of [the University], especially now that [the University] was ranked [as one of the] top 50 colleges,” Tom Zhu ’14 said. “I think with the high rank, [the University] will receive more attention in the future.”