Author: Laura Crowley

By Katie Monigan

Staff Writer

If, when reading emails from the University’s Message Center Digest, the number of surveys asking for participants gets a little alarming, don’t be too quick to press “delete.” Many student researchers in the psychology department use surveys for data collection. Their projects, which use University students as the majority of their subjects, are not only revealing about our campus community, but also generally valuable to the psychology community at large. Here’s a quick sampling of the many interesting honors thesis research projects currently underway.

One project comes from Kelsey Lisle ’11, whose honors thesis is studying whether having a learning disability affects others’ perceptions. Her participants took a survey which described a person in detail, sometimes specifying the existence of a learning disability. Although her conclusions are not finalized, the data seems to indicate that having a learning disability has a significant negative stigma, with those with disabilities perceived as less successful, less emotionally stable and less attractive. Lisle also found that, contrary to popular belief, women are no more compassionate towards those with disabilities than men are.

Another thesis concerning others’ perceptions comes from Lauren Cotter ’11, who looked at the “halo effect” in hiring situations. In the halo effect, the perception of one characteristic affects the perception of another, or several other, characteristics. Cotter’s survey showed two photos of people of different races with identical résumés and asked participants to rate the hireability, attractiveness and personality of the applicants. She found a significant halo effect for white applicants, meaning white applicants were generally rated higher, despite being identical except in race.

Ally Hopper ’11 is writing her thesis in “female facilitation of sexual assault,” situations when women encourage fellow women to engage in behaviors which put them at risk for assault. She issued a survey with questions about personality, risky behavior with alcohol, self-esteem and female facilitation. This is the first study in female facilitation, so Hopper admits that more research is necessary to make any significant conclusions. What she was able to say was that women definitely facilitate sexual assault and that there is currently a high risk of assault at the University.

Leigh Bryant ’11 chose to focus her thesis on the athletic and performing arts communities, rather than the campus at large. Her project looks at the psychological constructs of perfectionism, body esteem and social support, and their possible relationships to one another among women participating in collegiate sports and the performing arts. She also used a survey technique and found that higher levels of body esteem were significantly correlated with higher ratings of individual sport satisfaction. She also found a positive association between body image and social support in lean athletes, but not in non-lean athletes.

Kelsey Malone ’11 is in the midst of a project exploring the gender differences in emotional responses to different types of “hooking up” behaviors, which vary in familiarity of the partner and intimacy of the hook-up. Although she is not finished her analysis, she has thus far found that men experience more positive emotional responses to coital and non-coital hookups, whether with strangers or with acquaintances. She also found significant differences between the women’s and men’s ideas about their partners’ emotional reactions to hook up behaviors.

Another student exploring hook-up culture on campus is Jen Shukusky ’11, who is researching the impact of opposite sex parent-child attachment on students’ attitudes toward, and engagement in, hook up culture. Her findings were consistent with previous research, finding that 76 percent of students have engaged in a hook up and that poor attachment with opposite-sex parents leads to more risky behavior. Interestingly, she found that University status, or how many years a student has been at the University, is a better indicator of whether they have engaged in a hook up than their relationships with their parents is.

All of these students began their research in the fall and are now in the final stages of their formal write-ups. “I have received so much support and assistance from several different people in different departments of Bucknell, from Michael Weaver in ITEC creating the web-based survey to Professor Flack guiding me through each step of the way. Those of us at Bucknell doing undergraduate research are truly lucky to have such great resources at our disposal,” Malone said.

By Sonali Basak

Writer

Bicycles Against Poverty (BAP) is bringing “Bands and Bikes” to campus for its third year this Saturday, April 9 on Smith Quad from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Bands and Bikes is an outdoor event featuring music, food and philanthropy.

“It’s one of those events that brings the campus together,” said Odeke Ekirapa ’12, Vice President of Finance for BAP. “You don’t have to expect anything but a good time–-a calm atmosphere, friends, music, food and cheap bikes. What more can you ask for?”

Known as “It’s a Microworld After All” in its second year, the event has seen great success. Similar to last year, the event will be co-sponsored with the Microfinance Initiative at Bucknell (MIB). Last year’s event raised over $500 through donations and raffles.

This year’s event will also include a beach volleyball competition, a hot dog eating contest, a food relay and a silent used bike auction. Bikes will be auctioned at starting prices between $25 and $200, with values up to $500. T-shirts to tie-dye, Ugandan crafts and various merchandise will be on sale. Lunch and music will be provided for free. Student bands and performers, including Brian Brundage, the Michael Mattei Band and Two Past Midnight, will provide music.

All money raised will be donated towards BAP, which has donated over 290 bikes since its founding in 2008.

“This event is a culmination of our year’s efforts,” BAP President Krissy Brundage ’13 said. “It’s our last big fundraising event before our summer trip to Uganda.”

Some other BAP events include a soccer tournament, sales of BAP shirts and merchandise, a screening of “Invisible Children” this spring and periodic trips to Uganda to deliver the bicycles.

Ben Kellerman ’13, BAP Head of Communications, said the event helps people understand what BAP does.

“Most people don’t understand the impact of these bikes on local communities,” he said. “People living in internationally displaced person camps with no infrastructure are given greater access to education, healthcare, jobs and markets.”

Brundage explained that evaluations of the program in Uganda show the appreciation that bicycle recipients have for the program as well as the impact the bicycles have in Ugandan communities.

“Most incomes go up because of greater access to jobs. Lives have been saved because of greater access to healthcare and hospitals,” Brundage said.

BAP is looking to become a non-profit organization.

“It is unique because most other campuses don’t have a completely student-founded student group that does something of this caliber,” Brundage said.

Brundage hopes that in becoming a non-profit, BAP will expand to other campuses and more villages.

By Laura Crowley

Arts & Life Editor

For those who find humor in the crude and grotesque, Family Guy is a godsend. In its 22-minute episodes, the animated television series confronts controversial cultural topics with humor that is consequently edgy and frequently offensive. As a result, the show’s shocking humor has resulted in harsh protests, lawsuits and periodic cancellations while simultaneously launching the show into immense stardom.

The show makes many daring references to sensitive topics. In “Quagmire’s Dad,” a character named Ida, formerly known as Dan, undergoes a sex change operation that is the object of disgust for protagonists Peter and Lois. In reaction to this episode, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation released a statement noting that the organization “has serious concerns being voiced from members of the community” that “GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Team is addressing these with Fox.”

In “Extra Large Medium,” director McFarline poked fun at Sarah Palin’s mentally challenged son, Trig. In reaction, Bristol Palin, Sarah’s daughter, said “If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks.”

Unsurprisingly, Family Guy has caught the attention of organizations that have no patience for stunts that offend. Most notable is the Parents Television Council, who in 2000, 2005 and 2006, listed Family Guy on their list of “worst prime-time shows for family viewing” and labeled the show the “Worst TV Show of the Week” 30 times. In a desperate effort to eliminate the show for good, the PTC has also filed two formal indecency complaints to the United States Federal Communications Commission regarding the show’s crude content.

Family Guy has also been protested and sued on the basis of anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, anti-LBGT and anti-feminist sentiments, among others, with few successes in court.

The offended reactions of many organizations beg the question as to whether Family Guy goes too far. While these organizations would say the show’s masterminds David Goodman and Seth MacFarlane undoubtedly cross the line, it seems this allegation would be, and has been, denied  on legal bases.

When Carol Burnett filed a $6 million lawsuit on the basis of trademark infringement, Goodman and MacFarlane were as self-assured as ever with the First Amendment on their side. With this, the lawsuit was entirely rejected and no apologies were issued.

In the wake of instances like this, it seems that Goodman and MacFarlane still don’t care about hurting feelings. Now in its 10th season, episodes are as shocking as ever. Goodman warns that the show is “absolutely for teenagers and adults” with its TV-14-DLSV rating but makes no apologies for crude content as he watches his offensive humor attract viewers and fill his wallet.

Even if Family Guy does hurt feelings, it seems that Goodman and MacFarlane offend in the name of indifference rather than in malicious hatred. The producers subject nearly all ethnicities, religions, age groups and genders to harsh ridicule and as a result, do not single out any particular group. With plans for future seasons, you may be offended next.

By Ally Kebba

Contributing Writer

Dr. Christopher Ellis is the epitome of a true Bucknellian, having graduated with the class of 2000 and returning to work as an assistant professor in the political science department. He was first encouraged to attend the University by his uncle, who was on the Board of Trustees. After visiting the campus with a particularly enthusiastic tour guide, Ellis was hooked.

“For a school of its size, there is so much going on here in terms of academic programming, cultural events, even programs designed to get students and faculty to work together. In addition to teaching, faculty here are also doing cutting-edge research, which makes this a very intellectually stimulating place to work. As a huge sports fan, I think that having Division I athletics is a really nice thing, too,” he said.

Ellis entered his first year unsure of what he wanted to study and laughingly recalls being a short-lived chemistry major. Ellis took a liking to both economics and political science, and eventually decided to double major. He said he “never took a bad class at Bucknell,” and appreciates the holistic education the University provided him.

Ellis was involved on campus in several ways, serving as editor-in-chief of The Bucknellian and as a member of the fraternity Kappa Sigma. He even met his wife, Carrie, who now works in Admissions, here during his sophomore year. They both lived in Smith Hall and were introduced by a mutual friend. Despite his account that she may not have been quite so taken with him the first time they met, he eventually charmed her and the two were married in Rooke Chapel. Ellis playfully labeled his family as “the kind they warn you about at Orientation,” because his brother also attended and met his wife at the University.

Though he had always thought teaching seemed like fun, Ellis had not necessarily planned to be a professor. Before returning to the University, Ellis worked in retail as a men’s clothing buyer for several department stores and received his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2006. He came back to his alma mater in 2008 after working as an assistant professor of political science at North Carolina State University.

Ellis studies the relationships between public opinion and public policy. He researches why the public wants certain things and whether or not the public can obtain them. He has been published in six scholarly journals, discussing and analyzing such topics as the dominance of scope-of-government preferences in party identification, individual association with particular political ideologies in the time before modern survey research, and the relation of policy preferences in voters and non-voters to differences between public desires and realized policies. Ellis is known for his research of heterogeneity in American public opinion and issues of democratic representation in the United States.

As a student, his favorite class was a public opinion course, in which he was able to take a political survey of his fellow students. The experience led him to incorporate political surveys of his students into the politics classes he now teaches, as well as discussion of the methods and applications of survey research. Ellis particularly enjoys teaching the introductory course American Politics because he says it allows him to cover a wider arena of information than he normally studies, involves a different pace and has a focus on current events and issues that face classroom debate and discussion.

When asked what sets the University apart from those comparable in size and caliber, Ellis commented favorably on his students.

“Students at Bucknell are very engaged in their academic work and are also interested to understand the practical implications of what they are learning. This combination makes teaching courses in American politics particularly rewarding. [They] also generally have a sense of humor and know how to put things in proper perspective, which makes relating to them much easier, at least for me,” he said. Ellis’ Bison pride, passion for the study of political science, and commitment to his students makes it easy to understand why he is such an appreciated professor at the University.