Author: Lauren Buckley

Emily Guillen
Editor-in-Chief

As a college female who participated in hallcest during my first year, I can honestly say that it was not one of my better ideas. It was convenient to have my boyfriend close by, not only so I could be around him most of the time, but also so I could keep an eye on him. However, convenience does not form the basis of a solid relationship.

Looking back, the relationship was mostly based on accessibility and fleeting lust. We didn’t have a lot in common, leaving us with little to talk about. Our personalities didn’t really click and we weren’t a good match, but since we lived on the same hall, we continued to date.

As the year went on, we both started losing interest in each other and we were fighting all the time. The dilemma was that I knew that if we broke up, it would be really awkward to live on the same hall and be forced to see each other all the time. The arguments culminated in a really bad breakup that happened to coincide with my moving to another hall (something that resulted from many different issues building up all year). I realized afterward that I felt relieved that I wouldn’t have to see him all the time, and I wouldn’t have to pretend to still be invested in a relationship that was obviously over. My initial first-year hall had about four hallcest relationships, but not a single one has lasted since then. My second first-year hall had one couple that is still together after one of them studied abroad, so it is clearly possible to make things work when there is a real connection, not just a convenient living situation.

Fast forward three years and now I’m living on the same hall as the guy I dated sophomore year. Not only is it awkward because we didn’t maintain a friendship after the breakup, but it’s also awkward anytime my current boyfriend comes over and happens to run into him or when my roommates get caught in a conversation with him.

I think it’s natural as a first-year to come to school, meet new people and find someone on your hall attractive. I think we’re always attracted to the people we spend the most time with, and during your first year, they are the people living in your residence hall. At the same time, I wish I’d thought further ahead about my four years at the University and made better long-term decisions. I’m not saying I shouldn’t have dated someone that I wanted to, but maybe I shouldn’t have let the relationship become so dependent on our living situation and let it continue when it was clear that it wasn’t right.

Overall, I think hallcest doesn’t work out and is more trouble than it’s worth about 98 percent of the time, but hey, that two percent that does work out can be worth the risk.

Joe Selvaggio, Josh Cohen, and Pat Whales
Contributing Writers

On Nov. 6 the American people will make a decision that will affect the future of our generation and generations to come. We will either continue to mortgage our futures on Barack Obama’s promise of continued change, all of which has been overwhelmingly negative to date, or we can forge ahead on a new path, offered by challenger Mitt Romney, toward smaller government, more individual freedom and economic prosperity. The choice is ours, yet many Americans have been taken by Obama’s strategy of character assassination focused on defaming Romney in order to deflect attention from his own abysmal job performance. Romney was 100 percent correct when he said we Americans value our rights to fire incompetents who work for us and replace them with individuals better suited to the task at hand, and we hope that voters will replace the arrogant, contemptuous and incompetent occupant of the White House with a new president next week.

Of course, Obama’s reluctance to run on his record comes as no surprise. That record of failure includes a pork-laden stimulus plan that promised economic expansion but resulted only in adding $1 trillion to our national debt (which bloated by 60 percent to $16 trillion by the 3 and 1/2 year point in his administration) and advancing the cause of crony capitalism. Unemployment has been significantly higher than the levels Obama promised us in the white paper by Christina Romer supporting his “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” and remains 2.2 percentage points higher than where we were told it would be today (7.8 percent vs 5.6 percent). In February 2009, Obama promised that he would be “held accountable” for his actions and that if he did not fix the economy, he would be “looking at a one-term proposition.” Given this, we wonder why he is running for reelection.

Obama has also attempted to associate his Obamacare with Romney’s healthcare plan in Massachusetts. In the second debate, Obama correctly stated that Romney’s plan “hasn’t destroyed jobs” and “is bringing down costs.” However, healthcare at the state and federal level simply cannot be compared. At the state level, socialized healthcare appropriates money far more efficiently by allowing an individual state to care for its constituents based on their specific needs, which, in general, are far more detailed than the needs of the entire country. Managing information flow to and from Boston about the state of the Massachusetts healthcare market is far less costly than centralizing and acting upon such information for the United States as a whole. Obamacare will cost an estimated $2,500 more than current traditional plans despite Obama’s claims to actually reduce costs by $2,500 (a $5,000 spread). Cost estimates by the “nonpartisan” Congressional Budget Office have skyrocketed from $939 billion at the time of the bill’s passage to over $2 trillion by the time the Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare’s individual mandate is indeed a tax.

We will not touch upon the Benghazi cover-up scandal, the Obama apology tour, Solyndra, Obama’s trampling on the rights of religious believers nor the obvious corruption of his Justice Department in its handling of the Black Panther voter intimidation case in Philadelphia, not to mention the other scandals.

Although desperate leftists in Chicago and elsewhere are over the prospect of losing the presidency, it serves as a poor excuse to fire false ad hominem attacks at Romney and to the American people. These left-wing partisans have accused Romney at various times of causing the cancer of an employee’s wife, being a felon and belonging to a cult. This campaign has been one of the dirtiest ever with the incumbent devoting 85 percent of his ads toward debasing his challenger. This is not the American way. We believe in a country where the issues take center stage and republicans, democrats and independents move us forward through compromise. Therefore we reject Obama’s politics of personal destruction.

Romney worked with Democrats and Republicans alike as governor of Massachusetts and we are confident that he will continue to be a bridge builder as our 45th president.

Elaine Lac
Staff Writer

After the three presidential debates, students are only left with waiting for Election Day on Nov. 6. Are you for the big business-minded, conservative candidate, Mitt Romney, or the middle class-supporting, liberal candidate, Barack Obama? Obama’s first two lackluster deliveries during the debates struck a large amount of doubt in liberals and the undecided majority. However, in the last debate, Obama displayed his expertise in foreign policy, thus restoring confidence in his abilities. Ultimately, Obama is the better candidate suited for the current state of America.

Throughout the election, Obama has consistently stated that his economic policy will focus on job growth. The idea is to improve America’s overall economy through small scale job creation to improve America’s deficit. The focus is on clean energy, education and infrastructure. From an environmental standpoint, clean energy is a smarter alternative to trying to maximize use of US coal and oil that Romney believes in. Romney’s decision to turn away from foreign dependence on fossil fuels is correct, but using all of our coal and oil isn’t sustainable. The conservation of coal and oil can happen; however, there is an expiration date on that use. Investment in clean and alternative energy is needed before we run out of coal and oil.

Educational improvement is another area America needs to focus on. Our educational practices are outdated and obviously inadequate. We are continually moving down in our educational quality. Romney claims that when he was governor of Massachusetts, his state was a leader in educational performance. These practices were instituted by a governor before him, leaving little credibility for Romney.

Promoting improvements in infrastructure is important in creating jobs. The idea is to help the middle class to lower class make money and produce a turning economy. Romney, on the other hand, promotes helping the upper-middle to upper class by promoting business growth. He believes that this can be fueled by extending the Bush tax cuts and cutting government spending and bureaucracy. The Bush tax cuts were only to be implemented for a small period of time to begin with. They were initiated after Sept. 11 as a way to stimulate the shaken spending population. However, these cuts have been extended for far too long and ultimately are unneeded. Next, Romney believes that by cutting vital government agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he can stimulate the economy. This agency has proved vital, especially during Hurricane Sandy. Businesses can survive the taxes, the same way Romney can.

Romney’s consistency in policies also comes into question. It’s difficult to trust a presidential candidate who flip-flops as much as he does. One could attribute this to his lack of expertise. He was quoted on believing that Russia, and not the Middle East, is the most dangerous threat to the United States. He then flip-flopped again during the last debate by saying that he meant that the Middle East was the United State’s greatest threat. He has changed his stance many times in talking about the economy, health care and foreign policy. He has also been recorded disparagingly regarding lower class America, and saying they are not his priority. The president is supposed to represent the best interest of America, and disregarding them isn’t going to win him many points.

Obama has stayed consistent in his plans. He has been our president for four years, and he has made America a little better since coming into office. Economic growth has increased slightly, and in the face of adverse obstacles, he is still trying. America has to focus on progressive socialized ideas which many countries such as Sweden and France use. They have the best education, healthcare and happiness rating because the government takes care of them. The era of capitalistic control died after the Industrial Revolution spurred innovation. Care for the majority of America comes first, and Obama will deliver that.

Mary Morris and Gillian Feehan

Contributing Writers

Trying to find a good roommate is like taking a shot without a chaser. Some people can do it, and some people cannot. Then there are the many unfortunates who think they can, only to find out later when their head is hanging over the porcelain throne of regret that they were so very wrong.

The relationship between roommates is meant to be one of mutual respect. One would think this might mean doing your best to keep from waking the other up or giving each other some privacy when in a bad mood, but some roommates just don’t see things from your perspective. You try your best to be quiet when she’s napping, but she invites some friends over when you’ve pulled an all-nighter cramming for an exam.

After having your roommate selected for you your first year, many students assume that living with friends will be a more pleasant experience. But in some situations, this dream come true can turn into a nightmare before closing your eyes on the first night. Rooming with your friend prevents honest communication about habits and living styles that become problematic to the relationship. You may fear that confronting these issues will strain, and maybe even ruin, your relationship. Is telling her she’s a slob in the hopes of her cleaning up really worth the attitude you’ll be getting for the next few days?

So you try to subtly get your point across (hints about being woken up yet again this morning or writing funny notes about the dirty dishes in the sink), but your pleasantly oblivious roommate does not get the hint. After months of little annoyances, you are about to completely lose it. What do you do now?

First, take some time for yourself–go for a run, buy yourself a coffee or go to the Freez. Treat yourself like royalty! It’s hard to be rational when pushed to the brink of insanity. Once your jets have cooled, calmly approach your roommate, sit down and talk it out. Mention your problems without becoming too accusatory, listen to each other, think of some solutions and come to a compromise. You will be thankful that you took the time to sort your issues out.

There may be no relationship more demanding and fragile than the one between college roommates. Despite believing that everyone has the same experiences and background as you, it is important to keep in mind that no matter how good of friends you are, living with someone reveals all the little quirks and peculiarities that have developed over 18 plus years that your grooming cannot override. There will be rough times ahead for many future roomies, and when those times come, remember: compromise is always better than a screaming match.

Justin Marinelli
Staff Writer

As we pick up and recover from the effects of our good friend Sandy, we also find ourselves faced with the detritus from another disaster: all the hurricane parties we threw while the rain poured down. Let’s be honest, the second we found out that classes were canceled, we started partying. But these parties can’t satisfy us all the time.

Despite how we students sometimes act, we are multifaceted individuals with complex needs and desires that can’t be satisfied by non-stop parties. We might want committed romantic relationships, intellectual conversation or classical music, but we certainly don’t get any of those at registers, mixers and impromptu hurricane celebrations. What we get is a bunch of people crammed into a hot, sweaty basement, and we’re told that this is fun.

Why are we told this? Many theories abound. Here’s mine: Parties are great fun for a lot of people. Sure, they may not satiate all our needs, but they aren’t supposed to. There is no one single activity that can satisfy all your needs. Expecting parties to do so is ridiculous.

We party because it’s a nice release from classes, schoolwork and all the other things we do. That’s all that it’s meant to do. Partying is not the only way of going about getting this release, and its not the only one that students utilize. It’s just another option that can be partaken in if one wishes to relax after a long week.

Yes, we as a campus can party hard at times, but I like to think that we work hard enough to earn it. Between problem sets, papers, clubs, sports, community service and all the other things we do that stimulate and enrich us, satisfying certain needs for accomplishment and intellectual stimulation that we have, we manage to pack a lot of activity into our lives. If partying was the only thing we did, I would probably be writing a scathing article denouncing our lack of involvement. However, it’s not. It’s another piece of the puzzle, another thread in the mosaic that makes up the colorful image of a student at this University.

Some students like to party more than others and take more delight in such activities.  Good for them. Others, not so much. Good for them, as well. This just highlights the need to provide a diverse offering of social opportunities, and if people will participate in something, I see no reason why it shouldn’t happen.

Caroline Schaeffer
Writer

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. As cliché as that saying might be now, it’s true. For the most part, your relationship with your family becomes stronger once you leave for college, even if only because now a more conscious effort is involved in maintaining the relationship you already had.

College is typically the first time in your life that you don’t live with your family. Mom and dad are out of your hair and siblings aren’t around to steal your clothes or hog the TV anymore. This is all great news; it dramatically cuts down on the things you have to fight about with them on your weekly telephone calls back home. The distance does actually help your relationship with your family get stronger because you’re not constantly around each other and the petty things or minor annoyances that used to cause colossal arguments are no longer present.

Also, the simple fact that so much more effort has to be put into the relationship actually strengthens it. When your only way of talking to someone is over the phone or via Skype, it makes those interactions more important for everyone. To be honest, I share more details about my day-to-day life with my mom now than I ever did when I was still living at home. This includes even the most mundane stories, like what my schedule is looking like for the week. Likewise, I ask my family for smaller details about their lives when I’m talking to them–it makes me feel like I’m less far away than I actually am. When you live in the same house as someone, it’s obvious that you’re not going to sit down together for hours and hash out every detail of what went on during your day, but when you’re miles away from them, you’d be surprised how important those minor details become.

Of course, the downside to this strengthened relationship is the amount of effort you have to put in to it. It’s easy to forget to call someone Monday, then Tuesday and then eventually just put it off until next week. The problem with this is the relationship with your family can only be as strong as you make it. If you put in tons of effort to call, Skype or even text your mom, brother, dad, sister, etc., then you’ll get that stronger relationship easily. But if you get caught up in your own life and forget about those calls and conversations, it’s very possible that your relationship with your family will stay the same, or worse, weaken over time.

No matter how annoying and tiresome your family can be when you live with them, it’s safe to use another cliché and say that you couldn’t live without them. Leaving for college may mean leaving the home you grew up in and the family you grew up with, but it doesn’t have to mean you leave that stuff behind; it just means that you have to try a little harder to keep it with you.

Elaine Lac

Staff Writer

The foreign policy debate this round focused on several key countries and the United States’ relationship with them: Libya, Syria, Iran, Israel and China. In this last debate, President Barack Obama had to redeem himself after two lackluster debates against Mitt Romney. I believe he proved himself in his foreign policy expertise.

The current issues in Libya began with an attack on Sept. 11, where armed Islamic combatants entered the U.S. Consulate in the city of Benghazi. In the attack, a U.S. ambassador and three others were killed. Obama focused on his success in Libya. There was an effort to secure American safety, liberate Libya and assist rebels affiliated with the United States. He displayed more tact than Romney, and even though Obama could have been criticized for his response to the attack and intelligence failure, Romney didn’t press the issue.

On the issue of Syria, Obama has made it clear that he will provide assistance to rebels, but no arms. Romney, on the other hand, supported arms, but there was no clear evidence why he felt this way. Obama cautioned Romney and described him as reckless. Romney had little to respond with and merely repeated the need for arms distribution.

The Iran argument centered on Obama’s lack of crippling sanctions and military involvement, as well as getting rid of nuclear weapons. Romney criticized Obama on not placing sanctions on Iran, and once again Obama successfully countered by explaining that those sanctions on Iran were crippling. He also managed to get other countries to agree with these regulations which made them more powerful. Romney was left without a counter, and for the most part agreed with Obama’s stance.

Both candidates agreed that Israel was America’s greatest ally in the Middle East. When a hypothetical situation was brought up where Israel was about to bomb Iran, Romney refused to reveal his actions in the matter. He strongly believed that he would never be put in that situation. Romney’s refusal to answer showed me his inability to respond to high-stress situations, and made me doubt him more about this ability.

China became an opportunity for the two candidates to bring up economic policies again. Obama stated that China was to be treated as an ally and an enemy. They need to start following trade rules, and the import of Chinese goods needed to stop in order to create jobs. Romney tried to counter and say that cheap goods would save Americans money. Obama countered, saying that by stopping Chinese production of goods, there would be more American jobs created, which is the ultimate goal. Obama further criticized Romney for shipping jobs overseas because it was a cheaper alternative to the domestic workforce. He highlighted Romney’s contradictory business practices.

This debate ultimately did little to highlight the candidates’ differing policies. Romney lacks experience in foreign policy and focuses on touting his business expertise instead. While he may have this, he lacks well-roundedness on all of the duties of a president. During most of the debate, he agreed with Obama and only seemed to differ slightly for the sake of creating an argument. Obama has more consistency in all of the debates, and especially on topics of foreign policy. He was constantly fact-checking Romney and calling him out for discrepancies. I trust Obama more with the country. He knows what he’s talking about, and he has more experience considering his past term as president. Romney only appeals to me because he claims that he knows how to work with Democrats and Republicans to create policy. This is the type of change needed in the legislature, but how much of that is true? Only the election will tell, but as of now, Obama seems to have the clear advantage.

Elaine Lac

Staff Writer

Affirmative action is well-intended, but it undermines the ability of hard-working Americans. It was meant to help historically discriminated and disadvantaged races gain footing in higher education and better employment. Minorities tend to come from lower economic backgrounds, blocking them from opportunities and perpetuating their economic status. To level the playing field, many universities, for example, are partial to minorities during admission processes.

The recent, heavily debated Supreme Court case of Fisher v. University of Texas will likely redefine higher education preferential racial policies. Current policies allow universities to count race in admission policies holistically. This was previously determined by Grutter v. Bollinger after it was ruled that race could not be a quantified factor in admissions. In other words, affirmative action was overruled, but racial preference in admissions was not.

America was founded on the idea of equal opportunity for all. Affirmative action contradicts this by providing certain races an advantage over other races. It undermines the hard work of all students.

Affirmative action also often places students from lower class backgrounds into entirely different and unfamiliar surroundings where most students are from middle- to upper-class upbringings. This creates issues of integration, and students might struggle socially and make them feel isolated and depressed. Is it worth it?

Introducing diversity is an important goal for many institutions. For many students, college could be the most diverse place they are exposed to. Students from diverse backgrounds provide different perspectives that would be otherwise ignored in homogenous campuses. Students may not understand the issues of people outside of their social class, and understanding these issues allows people to be productive and sympathetic members of society.

The University tries a great deal to introduce diversity through multicultural events, the Posse scholarship program and the like. This is a much needed goal for its development. The University is an excellent educational institute, but the students primarily attracted to the school come from the same backgrounds and areas. Affirmative action seems like a good solution at this point.

It is difficult to consolidate students from diverse backgrounds and academic merit. Students with similar academic credentials tend to have the same upbringing whether they are minorities or not. Racial preference should not be done away with completely, but there needs to be an understanding between those admitted and those rejected. Minority students should be clear about the conditions of their acceptance. Was their race a factor? How do they compare academically? Will they be happy?

The gap between the admitted minority students and non-minority students’ academic performance should be closed. This can be justified either by the quality of their extracurricular activities or potential. Was it comparatively more difficult for one student to achieve honors than another student from an advantaged background? Does this equal harder work?

The Supreme Court will probably reform affirmative action, but not do away with it. It is valuable for diversity, albeit contradictory to American ideals. Sometimes exceptions have to be made for the greater good. In the interest of enriching the overall development of collegiate students, racial preferential policies are needed in higher institutions.

Spencer Ivey

Writer

Do you want good grades? There’s a pill for that. Adderall is an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug that is becoming increasingly known to be a remedy for more than just this ailment.

If increased academic performance and Zen-like focus is as simple as swallowing a pill, then why not? The underlying issues here, which many 4.0-seeking college students might not choose to consider, pertain to unfair advantages and unclear medical consequences. The widespread availability of ADHD drugs like Adderall, in conjunction with a highly competitive college environment like the one on campus, is suppressing many students’ sense of good judgment.

To illustrate the ethical issues behind this matter, let’s take a look at the recent issue of Lance Armstrong with doping. Armstrong was taking performance-enhancing drugs on a regular basis and was able to gain an unfair advantage over the rest of the field. Of course, this is completely illegal and Armstrong is now suffering the consequences. The unsanctioned use of ADHD drugs to get ahead in schoolwork raises similar red flags, but colleges can only do so much to try to prohibit this behavior. Students who complete their work under their own power can do nothing but compete against the cheaters. Furthermore, kids and adults are now prescribed these drugs at an increasing rate, which creates widespread availability on college campuses. When the work piles up, as it often does, many students consider ADHD drugs to be the go-to study aids rather than a quiet, distraction-free study environment. Unfortunately, intense academic competition at the University can drive students to resort to these extremes.

Beyond ethical concerns, we must also consider the physical consequences of using ADHD drugs without the consent of a doctor. These drugs can cause both physical and mental addictions, and the scientific community has yet to complete many conclusive studies on the effects of their long-term use. Students without prescriptions waste a great deal of money buying these medications and may even go as far as faking a disease to get a prescription.

In the short term, students might get great grades using ADHD drugs and feel perfectly content with their decision to participate in this illicit activity. However, this approach seems shortsighted to me. I believe that these students will regret their decision in the long run when they are struggling to find a natural way to complete their work. Yet, the use of ADHD medications without a prescription to get ahead in school will not fade easily. The reward is too enticing, and a school with the University’s prestige is not going to ease up on academic rigor anytime soon.

El McCabe

Writer

Fall at the University is not only the time when academics are heating up, but it is also a time of beautiful trees, leaves and brisk air. When walking around campus, it is impossible not to notice the numerous shades of the rainbow in the leaves of our picturesque trees. After all, the University is ranked among the most beautiful colleges in the nation. There are also perks to living in the town of Lewisburg itself this fall season.

For example, Ard’s Farm is an opportunity unique to Lewisburg. Ard’s Farm is a restaurant, mom-and-pop shop, pumpkin patch, corn maze and market all in one. There are shuttles from the University that take students to the farmer’s market every Friday, making it an easy and perfect way to start a weekend. You can purchase pumpkins to carve for hall bonding or even just to decorate your room. Finally, Ard’s Farmer’s Market is a fun change of pace and offers an easy way to take a break from Caf food. The menu features delicious pulled pork sandwiches, fresh burgers, shepherd’s pie and countless other delicious items.

Additionally, downtown Lewisburg offers many fun fall- and Halloween-themed events. This Saturday there is a “Rocky Horror” showing at the campus theatre–admission includes a prop bag–and the ticket itself is only $10. This event highlights Lewisburg’s spirit during fall and excitement towards Halloween.

Lewisburg is the ideal place to live this fall because of the town’s dedication to and appreciation for the arts. Between performances at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts by musicians, singers and groups, and art galleries in town and along the Poetry Path, it would be an understatement to call Lewisburg “cultured.” Not many college towns offer such diverse ranges of expression in the arts, and students should definitely take advantage of what our town has to offer.