Author: Courtney Flagg

By Olivia Seecof

Contributing Writer

The 12,500-square foot space in the Elaine Langone Center, previously occupied by the University bookstore, will serve as a student “hearth space” next semester.

The space will serve a variety of functions for students and student organizations. Sections of the new hearth space will hold lounge chairs and a television in addition to a conference/seminar room students can reserve for meetings. There will be chairs with desks for group work and tables that will serve as extra seating space for the Bison.

The space will also hold the offices of Activities and Campus Events (ACE) and Bucknell Student Government (BSG) and the Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) center. The updated student area will act as a hub for all student organizations.

The University post office and a University box office will move to the student center.

Members of BSG voted on the décor for the student center.

“My side won, and the space will be decorated in an extraordinary dark blue,” student body president Charles Kreitler ’12 said. “There will be nice lighting along with other great touches to turn this space into something unique for students.”

The idea to turn the space into an area dedicated to students was originally proposed by BSG. A committee composed of both faculty and students met over the course of a year to discuss the details of the student center.

“[The space] provided an excellent opportunity to help satisfy all of [the students’] needs,” associate dean of students Kari Conrad said.

“I think that it is great to have all of the student organizations in one place instead of spread out on different floors and on different parts of campus. This will allow students to have more input as well allow us to be more informed about upcoming events,” Patrick Carey ’12 said.

The student center will increase traffic through the Elaine Langone Center “mall” and will allow students to explore mall sales—from fundraisers to vendor and Management 101 products.

“Even though I’m only a freshman and haven’t been on campus for long, I feel like I’ve already exhausted every other hangout. The new space will be a fun and convenient new place to go with friends,” Brooke Barnhart ’14 said.

The space will be open for use next semester. Even though the final design is in place, BSG is open to all opinions and ideas about the new space.

By Ryan Wodarczyk

Contributing Writer

A Harvard psychologist and author discussed the importance of different types of minds in a future marked by informational and technological revolutions last Thursday evening.

Howard Gardner, author of “Five Minds for the Future,” spoke to an audience in the Weis Center about how each of the five minds he outlines in his book can be developed and effectively applied. The lecture marked the culmination of this year’s summer reading project for first-year students.

First-year students were required to read Gardner’s book as part of the Transition to College class.

Gardner explained the disciplined, synthesizing, creative, respectful and ethical minds, and then extended them into a real world context to help students visualize how the minds can have a positive effect on learning.

Gardner is most famous for his Theory of Multiple Intelligences and stressed that the Five Minds are completely separate from his previous intelligences.

Citing Darwin and Einstein as examples of great synthesizing and creative minds, Gardner pushed students to try to obtain each mind through lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity.

Gardner said that the benefits of lifelong learning are a key to becoming an expert and leader in a certain field. He also discussed the implications of good work and the use of ethical and responsible means to promote both individual and global welfare, a topic he also discussed in his first speech at the University last year.

After Gardner’s speech was over, several students took the opportunity to ask him questions about his work.

“I appreciated the fact that many students got up to ask questions, although I felt that they could have been shorter, more precise questions,” Emma Vitolo ’14 said.”I just think [the questions] could have been worded better. More precise. Less accusatory and more questioning.”

“I don’t think he really…engaged the audience in any way,” Maddy Liss ’14 said.

By Emily Harwood

Staff Writer

Anyone can harness his or her creativity with ambition and discipline, a renowned choreographer said Tuesday evening.

Twyla Tharp, distinguished choreographer, writer, director and winner of numerous honors, including Emmy and Tony Awards, as well as a Kennedy Center Honor spoke to an audience at the University’s Weis Center for the Performing Arts. Her talk was the first in the new Bucknell Forum Series “Creativity: Beyond the Box,” which will continue throughout the fall semester.

“I do think that everybody has something to say. It’s about whether or not they have the discipline to believe in oneself … some just don’t have the confidence to speak it very loudly,” Tharp said.

“Creativity has muscles. They can be trained,” she said.

Tharp said that we have control over our own creativity.

You must have a fantasy about your creative goal and then ruthlessly practice and educate yourself, she said.

“Preparation can become a shield for this fear that we go into…you give yourself a beginning,” Tharp said.

You also can’t be intimidated or afraid to fail. Most people, she said, are scared of the amount of experience that precedes them.

“People often do become intimidated by the past … the trick is not to be intimidated by the artists, by the knowledge,” she said.

“In our culture there’s a value on originality,” Tharp said, which is not completely the case. “The best art is deeply rooted just as the tallest trees are deeply rooted…You need to have information before context and you need to have context to have subject matter.”

Many students found Tharp’s talk on creativity helpful.

“Twyla Thwarp’s lecture was very inspirational to me as an artist, especially how she so clearly lived her art, from the way that she moved onstage to the way she welcomed the audience and even supervised an impromptu performance.” Brenna English-Loeb ’11 said. “I feel privileged to have seen such an influential artist and get a chance to see firsthand how she habitually creates success.”

“Tharp’s speech was evocative, and while her expertise may lie in the artistic realm, I believe she helped her audience understand the pervasive nature of creativity and the importance of embracing ingenuity regardless of profession,” Lindsay Machen ’11 said.

By Allie Mongan

Contributing Writer

The new downtown shuttle system installed by the University at the beginning of this semester offers students, faculty and staff a new way to get around campus.

The Office of Card Services and Student Transit issued surveys to students last spring regarding their interest in having a campus shuttle system.

“Last spring, when I was handed a survey in the Bison, I did not think the shuttle would be necessary on such a small campus, but after learning more about it, I think it is actually a very beneficial addition to our school,” said Brenna O’Neill ’12.

Enough interest was generated to motivate University officials to create the new shuttle system. It offers nine different stops, runs seven days a week and allows students to travel to the University bookstore and other places in downtown Lewisburg.

The shuttle bus alternates between three different loops throughout the day. The loop paths and times for each stop can be found using the Administrative Offices link on myBucknell under the Card Services and Student Transit tab.

The University shuttle runs similarly to a public transportation bus but is completely free to students, faculty and staff members with University identification (BUID). If a guest of a student or faculty member wants to ride, they must be accompanied by a BUID holder.

The bus stops at locations on the uphill and downhill University campuses as well as the downtown bookstore, Evangelical Hospital, Walmart and Weis Markets.

The shuttle runs on schedule from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, the shuttle runs from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. A one-hour break is scheduled from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. each day to permit a driver change.

An additional bus will be used at the beginning of each fall and spring semester during the textbook rush periods and will run directly to and from campus and the bookstore, according to the office of Card Services and Student Transit.

The Office of Card Services and Student Transit hopes this new shuttle system will cut down traffic on and around campus and will reduce parking issues. The downtown shuttle will also allow students without vehicles easier access to off-campus shopping.

The transit office has plans to continually evaluate routes, timing and ridership until the University’s fall break in mid-October, during which they will make necessary adjustments as they “strive to continually improve transportation services for students, faculty and staff,” said Glenn Fisher, director of Card Services and Student Transit.

In addition to aiding students, the University hopes the new shuttle will become a means to bring the University and the surrounding community closer.

By Courtney Bottazzi

Contributing Writer

A teleconference was held on Tuesday, Aug. 31 to help spread the word about the recent opening of a privately-owned garment factory in the Dominican Republic.

The Alta Gracia factory, owned by Knights Apparel, is becoming known for its anti-sweatshop regulations. Employees are paid three times the Dominican minimum wage and are supported in their right to unionize. The Barnes & Noble at Bucknell

University Bookstore currently carries apparel manufactured by the Alta Gracia factory.

This marks the first time regulations of this type have been implemented in the apparel sector.

“By purchasing the company’s clothing, students can help support the factories’ employees by providing clean water, food and education to company workers,” said Gena Madow, a spokesperson for the project, in an e-mail released last week.
During the teleconference, Knights Apparel C.E.O. Joseph Bozich emphasized the importance of providing education to workers, saying “Education can be the long-term path out of poverty.”

Bozich also stressed the importance of not taking advantage of workers who are willing to work for less because it helps business.

“From a business standpoint, we have an obligation to do more than what’s required of us. Doing good can be good for business,” Bozich said.

The question is whether or not the company will be able to prosper or simply turn out to be an idealistic experiment.
Another speaker at the teleconference, Teresa Cheng, International Campaign Coordinator at United Students Against Sweatshops, hopes that with the help of the community the former will be true. “Once students become aware of what Alta Gracia means, they will support the project,” she said.

Consumers would be supporting the factory’s “living wage”—338 percent more than the minimum wage.
“It’s not based upon the law but based upon calculating and doing a living wage study. We asked, how much money do employees need to receive in order to provide?” Bozich said.

Theresa Haas, Director of Communications at the Worker Rights Consortium, verified that Alta Gracia has earned the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) tag of verification for the living wage and healthy working conditions.

In the final minutes of the teleconference, Maritza Vargas, employee at the Alta Gracia factory and president of the union, answered questions from college students about her experience working on the project. Vargas was asked to compare her past work experiences to working at Alta Gracia.

“The difference is huge, because it doesn’t just offer us a place to live but a home and a living wage. It’s given us a chance to continue our children’s education. This is an opportunity we didn’t have at other factories, because wages were so low that we only had enough to cover food and rent and that was it,” Vargas said.

Vargas was also asked to describe her present work conditions.

“At Alta Gracia we have so much more space, better ventilation, extractors to make sure there’s no dust in the air, properly marked exits and escape routes in case of emergencies, new bathrooms in good condition, and more importantly, we have management that treats us with a lot of respect.”

The anti-sweatshop project has helped many people like Vargas provide a brighter future for themselves and their families. Students can help keep the project alive by purchasing Alta Gracia clothing.

When asked if they would buy an Alta Gracia t-shirt that may be a bit more expensive, students responded positively. “Yes, I would definitely buy it. I think if enough people knew about it, the Bucknell community would support it,” Daina Allison ‘12 said.

Carolyn Breden ’12 agreed. “If I knew the story behind the brand, I would definitely buy a shirt,” she said.

Some students are more skeptical. “I would only buy a more expensive shirt if I knew where the money was going,” Emily Willig ’12 said.
“For this to be effective, it has to be very well advertised,” Sara Palmer ’12 said.