Category: Headline

By Courtney Flagg

News Editor

University students, faculty and staff took part in the Sept. 11th Week of Community Service. The event commenced Friday, Sept. 10 with the annual remembrance ceremony and ended Thursday, the final day of community service.

Beth O’Brien ’12 opened the remembrance ceremony last week with a short speech emphasizing the importance of honoring the lives lost, followed by a prayer made by University Chaplain Thomasina Yuille that concentrated on new ways of appreciating one another.

The remembrance ceremony ended with popular campus a cappella group Beyond Unison sharing their renditions of “Hear You Me” by Jimmy Eat World and “Hallelujah” by Rufus Wainwright.

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed a law making Sept. 11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance. As a way of honoring the lives lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the University planned four community service activities spanning Sept. 14 to Sept. 16.

“The Week of Community Service was established this year. Obama declared Sept. 11 a day of service and remembrance, so we decided to try and uphold this by planning a week of service across campus in honor of the victims. The founder of VOICES of September 11th, Mary Fetchet, lost her son in the attacks. He graduated from Bucknell in ’99,” Isabelle Catalano ’12 said.

VOICES of September 11th is a non-profit organization that provides information, support services and annual commemorative events for 9/11 families, rescue workers and survivors. O’Brien interned at VOICES this past summer and worked very closely with Associate Dean of Students Amy Badal to organize the memorial.

The Week of Community Service activities started on Tuesday, giving students the option of helping with an after-school program at the Donald Hieter Community Center from 3 to 7 p.m.; harvesting vegetables at the Dreamcatcher Farm in Lewisburg from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday; and assisting with clean up and gardening duties at the William Cameron Engine Company (the volunteer fire department of Lewisburg) from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Also on Thursday, students wrote letters and thank-you cards to overseas service men and women in Walls Lounge in the Elaine Langone Center.

Students were excited to participate in the community service activities.

“I think the Week of Community Service is a great way to become involved with the Lewisburg community as well as pay homage to all those affected by the 9/11 attacks,” Alison Nahra ’12 said.

Local business owners were also pleased with the students’ enthusiasm.

“I think [community service] is great. It’s an important part of the University’s educations. I absolutely love the students and it’s wonderful when they come out into the community,” said Joe Detelj, owner of the Lewisburg Dreamcatcher Farm. He and his wife Jackie provided ice cream to all volunteers on Wednesday.

“My fraternity chapter’s community service chair told us about the opportunities for helping out this week,” Andrew Rath ’11 said. “It’s great to contribute to a sustainable mode of agriculture.”

Some members of the community think that community service should not be reserved for commemorating times of tragedy.

“Community service is important all the time, not just now. Sept. 11 is becoming politicized and it’s leading in a dangerous direction,” Detelj said.

Whether or not they agree, student volunteers have high hopes for the future.

“We are planning a very large event for the tenth anniversary next year. I really hope that Bucknell continues to remember Sept. 11 each year because it is extremely important not to forget to honor the victims as time passes. I hope that with the tenth anniversary approaching next year, the campus as a whole will honor the lives lost by dedicating our time and efforts in remembrance,” Catalano said.

By Courtney Flagg

News Editor

This past weekend marked the grand opening of the Barnes & Noble and University bookstore partnership in downtown Lewisburg.

The new Barnes & Noble boasts spacious floors, all of which are wheelchair-accessible, and sells everything from contemporary literature and textbooks to clothing and dorm room essentials.

“[The bookstore] is beautiful. It’s really great to have a large bookstore downtown. It’s very accessible,” Lewisburg resident Chris Exner said.

The decision to move the bookstore downtown—and subsequently off the University campus—was ultimately made by the University Board of Trustees. It followed several years of discussion, led by former University President Brian C. Mitchell, both on campus and in the community.

“The move off campus was made possible by grants from the Commonwealth, which under the leadership of Governor Rendell encouraged and provided grant money for small-town economic development projects, such as this one, and by the University’s desire to link more closely with Lewisburg and create more open space for students in the Langone Center,” said Tom Evelyn, senior director of News and Media Relations.

Despite the initial concern that a Starbucks Café in downtown Lewisburg would threaten local coffee shops, feedback for both the bookstore and café have been very positive.

“Based on the number of customers who have visited the bookstore, and on the comments they have shared with us, there is a significant interest in having a comprehensive bookstore and café in downtown Lewisburg. As a member of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership, the bookstore is working closely with that organization to help support and promote other downtown businesses. It is in the bookstore’s and the University’s best interest that downtown thrive,” Evelyn said .

Members of the Lewisburg community, including University faculty, agree that the bookstore is a great place for students and community members alike.

“The bookstore is a nice facility and it forces students to come into the community, which I think is great,” Lewisburg resident and University professor of sociology and anthropology Clare Sammells said.

Students are equally pleased with the new bookstore.

“I’m really impressed with the bookstore. I thought having it so far from campus would be an issue, but the University seems to be handling it pretty well and making it easy for students,” Eryn Nagel ’12 said.

Students were encouraged to participate in the Barnes & Noble at Bucknell University Bookstore Grand Opening Weekend.

The Grand Opening consisted of a ribbon-cutting; a street fair, which advertised free food, entertainment and prize giveaways; and “Children’s Day,” which provided the downtown community with free children’s entertainment on Saturday afternoon.

The opening drew a large crowd and involved all aspects of the downtown community.

Evelyn supported the idea that increased business at the bookstore downtown will subsequently increase the business for all of downtown Lewisburg.

“Of course downtown has room for all kinds of businesses, and the hope shared by the University and the Borough of Lewisburg is that the bookstore will serve as an anchor that will help bring more business to all of the area merchants and encourage other businesses to locate downtown,” Evelyn said.

Throughout the planning of the downtown bookstore, the University and Barnes & Noble have worked together to address concerns of both students and the community.

“These efforts have included the University’s adding a shuttle system for students and the option to order textbooks online and have them delivered to the campus post office,” Evelyn said.

He also explained that renovations are in the works to turn the space previously occupied by the on-campus bookstore into a place where “students can gather, socialize and take care of important business for student organizations.”

Renovations are expected to be completed by the end of the semester.

Bookstore manager Vicki Benion was unable to be reached for comment.

By Lenore Flower
Web Editor

“I just want people who are passionate about the message, and the concept and the process,” Bianca Roman ’10 said as she described her cast, punctuating each word with a pound on the table. The choreographer-turned-playwright’s devotion to her original play, “shading silhouettes of smaller ones,” has infected cast members and spread to the campus community.As of Monday, “shading silhouettes of smaller ones” had already sold out for Saturday’s debut performance.

Student-directed theater productions are not uncommon at the University. What makes “shading silhouettes” different is its originality-every detail of the production, from its poetry-inspired script to its costumes, has been conceptualized and created by students over the course of the past year.