Author: Courtney Flagg

By Jessica Domsky

Contributing Writer

To use the Susquehanna River’s natural beauty, as well as create both outdoor academic and recreational opportunities for the campus community, the University has created a new dock behind the facilities shop at the end of River Road.

The dock opens direct access to the river from campus and is open from dawn to dusk, giving students, faculty and staff three-season access to canoeing, kayaking and fishing opportunities. Students and faculty also have access to the river for research and teaching.

“The dock is a wonderful place to land or launch a personal float trip as well as recreational trips for the Outing Club or other outdoor education and leadership supported trips,” said Poppy Goforth, director of outdoor education and leadership. “I can’t wait to see students, faculty and staff down there enjoying the river and all it has to offer.”

The Susquehanna River, host to numerous wildlife and water activities, has been an important aspect of the University since the early 1900s.

“I like the fact that the river is just a few yards from my office,” said Jim Hostetler, director of construction and design. “I can get a sense of remoteness and the tranquility that comes along with it.”

As a part of the master plan for the University, former President Brian C. Mitchell began pursuing the idea of a possible connection point between campus and the river at a 4.3 acre tract acquired from the Lewisburg Area Joint Sewer Authority. Soon after, Mitchell authorized money for the design.

The project itself became possible from donor contributions, particularly from long-time University supporter Ben Sampson ’69, and the Degenstein Foundation. Donor contributions made it possible to build the present phase during the summer.

Bucknell Landing is a way for the campus community to reconnect with the river, and students, faculty and staff eagerly anticipate its opening.

“The dock seems like it will be a great addition to Bucknell,” said Rebecca Coldwell ’11, environmental studies major and current Bucknell on the Susquehanna participant. “I hope to get a chance to use it for some of my classes!”

The grand opening of the new dock, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed due to poor weather. The grand opening will now be held next spring. Experienced students will give basic kayak instruction.

The modular dock will come out of the water prior to the start of winter and will be launched again each spring.

“We are hoping to start a new ongoing tradition in which students celebrate the oncoming of spring by putting the floatable dock into the river,” Hostetler said.

There has been discussion and debate over whether or not the Landing will be developed further and if so, what it will look like.

“It would be great if faculty and students took ownership of the parcel. Ideally, faculty and students might appoint an advisory committee to plan how it’s used, monitor the site and consider any further development. It could present numerous learning opportunities,” Hostetler said.

“I encourage feedback from members of the Bucknell Community,” Goforth said, “and I hope that whatever happens next at the Landing, if anything at all, is done with support and consensus from the University as a whole.”

By Ava Ginsberg

Writer

The notion that black identity stems from the Middle Passage is an idea that too narrowly defines the black experience and identity, said an author and professor Tuesday night.

Michelle Wright, associate professor of African-American Studies at Northwestern University and author of “Becoming Black: Creating Identity in the African Diaspora” gave the 24th annual Black Experiences Lecture that focused on black identity in America.

Referencing many acclaimed books and authors, like W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Gilroy and Henry Louis Gates, Wright said that many black writers have only discussed Africa as something of the past and have created the “notion that black is an object of history.”

According to Wright, the Middle Passage narrative, a reference to the passage of slaves from Africa to the Americas, is the widely accepted and one-dimensional characterization of blackness most Americans have today. Wright said that this concept too narrowly defines the black experience and identity.

There is a “notion that African Americans originate in the Middle Passage, and that is where [black] identity begins to form,” Wright said. “[There is a] general understanding and agreement that it is slavery that produces the ‘Black America.’”

The identity of “Black America” is extremely relevant today with the election of the Barack Obama and the constant discourse over his “blackness.”

Wright identified World War II as a better period to use to understand the formation of black identity. Wright affirmed that we should not understand World War II as the origin of blackness but understand it as a “mediating moment” in the creation of a black identity.

“We do not need to lose the Middle Passage,” Wright said. We can also start asking other questions like “what happened to black women during this time?”

“Slavery need not be the immediate touchstone” when contemplating black history and identity, Wright said. Since 1970, more Africans have arrived in the U.S. than ever arrived during the Middle Passage.

Wright spoke about the current media discourse over how Americans “read Barack Obama and his blackness.”

Obama is “exceptionally adept at picking up the fact that there are different types of blackness,” Wright said. He “separates himself from Black Americans” through the Middle Passage. His disconnect from the typical “black identity” of slavery, oppression and the Civil Rights Movement partly explains why he has achieved success as the first African American president in a white America.

“This concept of the ‘Middle Passage’ has been as empowering and as limiting as the Jewish emphasis on the Holocaust,” said Michael Drexler, associate professor of English.

“I think that one of the great lessons of the talk is the idea of the post-WWII transformation of the black identity,” he said. “White Americans have a very static view of blackness.”

Wright’s lecture, though mainly focused on black identity, also discussed the formation of identity in general, and how much of it is defined by history.

“We are so insistent in wanting the other person to see our history, to understand our identity but we will never change history to see others’ identity,” Wright said.

Students who attended expressed interest in Wright’s ideas about the history of black identity but wished that she would have devoted more discussion to the present and future.

“I found Wright’s talk thought-provoking, but it seemed that her discourse ended where I thought it would begin. She spent the majority of the time explaining the centrality of the Middle Passage narrative to the African-American identity and the importance in acknowledging alternative constructions of ‘blackness,'” Meg Erkoboni ’11 said. “This was an interesting and necessary launch point, but I thought she would explore more into present/future.”

Other students enjoyed Wright’s explanation of the origins of black identity. “I really enjoyed her discussion of how as a society even today, we are unable to comprehend how our historical identity as Americans can be rooted in the original democratic ideals of the Founding Father’s and at the same time have such negative connotations with the enslavement of Africans through the Middle Passage.”

Wright ended with a strong and contemplative question about the complexity of black identity: “So, what does it mean to be an African-America or a Black America today?”

Wednesday, Sept. 15

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Vaughan Literature Building: Unfounded.

Thursday, Sept. 16

PROPERTY/FOUND

Rooke Chapel: Report filed.

PROPERTY/FOUND

Biology Building: Report filed.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Lowry House: Caused by employee.

MEDICAL REFUSAL

Elaine Langone Center: Refused treatment.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

Friday, Sept. 17

ALARM/INTRUSION

Botany Building: Caused by employee.

ALARM/FIRE

Breakiron Engineering Building: Caused by electrical equipment.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Elaine Langone Center: Cause unknown.

Saturday, Sept. 18

DRUG VIOLATION

Vedder Hall: Report unfounded.

ALARM/FIRE

Swartz Hall: Caused by cooking.

EMS TRANSPORT

Larison Hall: Hospital transport.

ASSIST/AGENCY

Smith Hall: Assisted by sheriff’s department.

WELFARE CHECK

Larison Hall: Report filed.

ASSIST/AGENCY

Sigma Chi Fraternity: Assisted by Lewisburg Police Department.

ALARM/INTRUSION

West Fields: Caused by employee.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium: Caused by employee.

MEDICAL REFUSAL

Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium: Refused treatment.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON

Kress Hall: Unfounded.

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION

Elaine Langone Center: Judicial referral.

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION

McDonnell Hall: Judicial referral.

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION

Roberts Hall: Judicial referral.

Sunday, Sept. 19

WELFARE CHECK

Larison Hall: Student located.

PROPERTY/FOUND

Campus: Owner contacted.

Monday, Sept. 20

PROPERTY/FOUND

Art Building: Report filed.

PROPERTY/LOST

Unknown: Report filed.

TAMPERING WITH FIRE EQUIPMENT

Trax Hall: Under investigation.

THEFT

Breakiron Engineering Building: Under investigation.

HARASSMENT

Trax Hall: Under investigation.

Tuesday, Sept. 21

THEFT

Roberts Hall: Under investigation.

ASSIST/MEDICAL

Dent Drive: Student assisted.

THEFT

Roberts Hall: Under investigation.

ALARM/FIRE

Kappa Delta Rho: Cause unknown.

ALARM/FIRE

Ziegler Health Center: Caused by steam.

By Olivia Seecof

Contributing Writer

A whirlwind of color will soon decorate the white wall hiding the construction of the student hearth space in the Elaine Langone Center (ELC) as part of the “Paint Your Space” campaign initiated by Bucknell Student Government (BSG) and Activities and Campus Events (ACE). The wall will be divided into four parts, and each class will have the opportunity to showcase its creative talents and display Bison pride.

Each section will represent an individual class, but the four sections will come together to form a unified symbol of the University as a whole.

“As president of the class of 2014, I am personally very excited for the ‘Paint Your Space’ project,” Lindsay Smith ’14 said. “I think it is an ideal opportunity for the freshman class to collaborate on a project that is truly going to benefit the entire Bucknell community.”

While this wall gives first-year students a chance to express their early impressions of the University, it also grants other classes the opportunity to display their memories and growth as University students.

“I’m excited to see what the seniors paint on their section of the wall because they have the opportunity to show how they have grown and developed as a class here at Bucknell,” Nicole Diamantides ’14 said.

Creating the mural showcases student feelings and opinions about what it means to be a University student.

“It’ll be cool to see how different people reinterpret the mural,” Samantha Lara ’13 said. “Each class has different talents that will be exemplified from the new mural.”

Planning meetings took place the week of Sept. 20 and official mural proposals are due today. The actual painting of the mural will take place Sept. 27 to Sept. 30 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Elaine Langone Center mall.

The official presentation of the completed mural will take place Oct. 1.

By Courtney Bottazzi

Contributing Writer

Many students spent last summer in Lewisburg working alongside their professors to further their learning experience. Subject matter, experiments and research varied across the board as students took on projects and studies. Not only did the students break new ground in their chosen fields, they also came one step closer to answering that ever-present question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Various departments were represented on campus this summer as University students explored different areas of research pertaining to their respective interests.

Computer science engineer Aurimas Liutikas ’12 worked on an Apple application for the University during his time on campus.

“I was working on the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad application for University students and visitors. It [will be launched] sometime this fall. It has such features as campus map, Bucknell Directory and dining menus,” Liutikas said.

“It was really exciting to get hands on experience with a project that involves the entire Bucknell community. I got a great feel of [what] a real-world job is going to be like as I had to deal with Bucknell administration, testers and team members (my professor),” Liutikas said.

When Liutikas applied to the University, one of the possible application questions was how to bridge the University community with the world. Liutikas hopes that students will be able to better bridge the gap between the University community and the surrounding world.

An important part of summer research on campus is the opportunity students have to explore their interests and learn to apply them in a real setting. Ally Hopper ’11 also hopes to bring the knowledge she has gained from her summer research project to the world within and beyond the bubble.

“I was doing research with Professor Flack in the psychology department, helping him with his research on sexual assault as well as getting a head start on my thesis proposal for this year,” Hopper said.

Music and religion were also prominent subjects being studied this past summer on campus.

“My research this summer was focused on John Coltrane’s musical development post-1965 and how his spiritual studies effected this development. Almost all of his music in this two-year period—he died in 1967—was spiritually oriented and is linked into the various religious and spiritual traditions he studied, including but not limited to Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and some forms of Cosmology,” Nick Horner ’11 said.

Summer research projects at the University give students a chance to pursue knowledge in a chosen field that may one day help them decide their plans for the future, as well as connect them more so to their surrounding communities today.

“[Summer research] has given me the chance to develop a keen understanding of this music and to solidify a path of scholarship that I may be taking into my graduate studies. Likewise, knowing this biographical information and musical repertoire has allowed me to communicate more effectively with artists and scholars within the jazz realm,” Horner said.

Hopper agreed and is grateful for her experience and is excited for what the future may hold.

“By doing research over the summer and continuing with it during the school year, I’ve begun to figure out what I want to do with my life. I’m not sure that I necessarily want to continue on with research in psychology as a career path, but I am hoping to get a job where I can apply my knowledge of sexual assault on college campuses and in the real world,” Hopper said.

Wednesday, Sept. 8

ALARM/FIRE

Sigma Alpha Epsilon: Caused by cooking.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

Moore Avenue: Report filed.

MEDICAL REFUSAL

Ziegler Health Center: Report filed.

ANIMAL COMPLAINT

West Fields: Report filed.

Thursday, Sept. 9

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Fraternity Road: Under investigation.

THEFT

Delta Upsilon: Under investigation.

CRIMINAL TRESPASS

Taylor Street House: Citation issued.

PROPERTY/LOST

Marts Hall: Under investigation.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

Friday, Sept. 10

ASSIST/MEDICAL

Larison Hall: Transported to Evangelical Community Hospital.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Parking Lot: Under investigation.

THEFT

South Sixth Street: Under investigation.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Taylor Hall: Unfounded.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Elaine Langone Center: Unfounded.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION

Delta Upsilon: Judicial referral.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library: Caused by students.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Golf Course Club House: Caused by employee.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Golf Course Club House: Cause unknown.

Saturday, Sept. 11

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Seventh Street/River Road: Under investigation.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

THEFT

Sojka Lawn: Under investigation.

Sunday, Sept. 12

EMS TRANSPORT

Smith Hall: Hospital transport.

ALARM/INTRUSION

West Fields: Caused by employee.

PROPERTY/FOUND

Vedder Hall: Property found.

PROPERTY/FOUND

Ward House: Owner located.

ALARM/INTRUSION

Elaine Langone Center Gallery Theatre: Cause unknown.

ALARM/INTRUSION

West Fields: Employee activated.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

ALARM/FIRE

Swartz Hall: Caused by cooking.

CRIMINAL TRESPASS

Taylor Street House: Under investigation.

Monday, Sept. 13

TAMPERING WITH FIRE EQUIPMENT

Trax Hall: Under investigation.

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

ALARM/FIRE

Gateway Vidinghoff: Faulty detector.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Vedder Hall: Report filed.

Tuesday, Sept. 14

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Detector malfunction.

PROPERTY/FOUND

Roberts Hall: Report filed.

By Christina Oddo

Contributing Writer

A panel of professors discussed the relationships and conflicts between science and faith Friday, Sept. 10 in Walls Lounge, coming to the conclusion that science does not necessarily have to do with morality, and that it is not cold-hearted. The solution to this controversy, they said, is to consider respect and compassion while teaching subjects relating to faith and science.

Professor of psychology and neuroscience David Evans began the lecture stating that some scientific and theological ideas are mutually exclusive; in other words, either a god created the universe or a god did not create the universe. Evans explained people may adapt or adopt particular aspects of an established religion (i.e. “Cafeteria Catholics”), and not all religions conform to the general and commonly acknowledged definitions of religion.

Evans believes the religion a person follows has a great impact on policies like global warming, stem cell research and vaccinations. He said religious and supernatural beliefs hold similar aspects in common. They “elude scientific evidence and do not welcome empirical scrutiny,” he said.

“Science is not just another form of faith, but the process by which we test our assumptions to determine whether our beliefs about the world are more or less accurate,” Evans said.

Evans believes anxiety and uncertainty lead people to “false positives.” “It only makes sense that humans cling to such beliefs that help them during uncertain periods of time,” he said.

Richard Crago, professor of civil and environmental engineering, spoke as a devoted Christian. He said faith and science are compatible and enrich each other.

“Knowing God is real knowledge, and God is a friend that will never let us down,” Crago said. He explained that science has to do with the material world. “However, God did, indeed, create that world,” Crago said.

Crago said people may disagree on interpretations of scientific evidence, but differences (and acceptance of those differences) in beliefs and religion come into play.

According to Crago, the statement “God is separate from the physical world” is a false dichotomy. Crago claimed God created us with a purpose: love. He also said people must learn about nature, a separate purpose, through science.

David Fletcher, a member of the biology department, clearly separated science and faith.  He defined natural law as the knowledge we can all agree upon (i.e. chemistry), and said there are no equivalent laws of faith.

Fletcher raised many controversial questions, such as “Who created God?” He also questioned God as both a Creator and as a sustainer.

Fletcher finished his speech with the idea of tolerance. “Everyone and anyone can chose what to believe, what to take part of, yet with religion comes responsibility,” he said.

Associate professor of English Alf Siewers, the last of the panel, said that the secret of life is experience, and that Creation is a beautiful concept, not corrupt, and renewed everyday.

Siewers framed scientific metaphysics as the opposite of experiential and empirical. Siewers believes through the arts, sciences, and most importantly through love, we must embrace the mystery of the world that is both symbolic and real.

Jason Leddington, assistant professor of philosophy, spoke on the necessity to critically reflect on our own beliefs.

“As part of a liberal arts education, it is pedagogically irresponsible for us to not take up this topic of religion and science, and to discuss and teach. Dogmatism and relativism are dangerous, especially when chosen over critical thought, for relativistic viewpoints stunt learning. We need balance, humility and mutual respect. Most importantly, it is more than necessary to continuously have our ‘critical faculties engaged,’” Leddington said.