Category: News

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

The results of the Bucknell Student Government Election are in. Voter turnout far exceeded that of the past several years and generated a group of elected students whose goals for student government focus on fundraising, class unity and visibility.

A total of 1,361 students turned out for elections, including 439 in the class of 2013, 357 in the class of 2014 and 565 in the class of 2015. The turnout may reflect BSG’s new strategy of emailing students to remind them to vote, rather than posting a reminder on the myBucknell webpage.

“I feel the new method of emailing students was more effective than the previous method. The overall turnout shows that students are concerned about having their voices heard and are exercising their democratic obligations,” President of BSG Executive Board Dotun Odewale said.

The elected class of 2013 president is Katie Golub, vice-president is Teddy Mottola and secretary/treasurer is Kenzie Raymond. The representatives for the upcoming senior class are Tim Bergen, Jennie Ciotti, Jesse Dondero, Jessica Gettel, Kamran Khan, Robert Kurtz, Sviatoslav Lesko, Rachel Litt and Mahilet Oluma.

“We will decide on a Senior Class Gift to donate to the University, as well as give the University recommendations on a Commencement speaker for our graduation. In addition, we will organize several ‘Senior Nights,’ which are fun events that serve as a great way to promote class unity,” Golub said.

Secretary/treasurer Raymond added that the “class congress has spent the last three years fundraising [for these goals].”

For the class of 2014, voters decided on Jeffery Finegan for president, Rachel Franz for vice-president and Julia Smith for Secretary/Treasurer. Kelsea Alderman, Daniel Bonilla, Kunga Dagpo, Ken Inoue, Ally Kebba, Maura McVeigh, Olesya Minina, Daniel Narvaez, Kyle Sullivan, Sophie Van Pelt and alternate Tyler Mclamb will make up the board of representatives.

“I plan on increasing the transparency of BSG and making it more effective in terms of being a voice of the student body,” Finegan said.

The class of 2015 elected Colin Hassell as president, Jen Lassen as vice-president and Will Persing as secretary/treasurer. Representatives for the class are Walker Brady, Chloe Drennen, Julia Goldman, Gloria Lee, Jared Lowenthal, Kevin Miller, CJ Moy, Carson Quigley, Michael Sahagian, Whitney Tatem and alternates Ben Garner and Kenia Lobo.

Hassell emphasizes the importance of fundraising for future senior year events.

“Our Class Congress is currently brainstorming ideas for a product, which we hope will be on sale by the early fall,” Hassell said.

The Congress also seeks to hold more class unity events such as another S’mores Night or class BBQs. “As far as visibility goes, I plan to continue to send out our class newsletter, the B15ON BRIEF,” Hassell said.

“I would like to increase student participation and interest in student government in order for students to have a stronger voice on campus,” Persing said.

“Many of the positions were uncontested, meaning that there was far fewer campaigning this year because there was less of a threat of people losing. There were also some very close races where a few candidate won by only a few votes which illustrates how important it is for students to vote and voice their opinions,” Vice-president of Administration of BSG Executive Board Clinton Kittrell said.

By Connor Small
Staff Writer

The creator of the “It Gets Better” Project spoke about his experiences growing up gay and his motivation for creating the video project in a speech on Monday.

Author Dan Savage founded the campaign with his husband Terry Miller in 2010 following the suicide of 15-year-old Billy Lucas as a result of homophobic bullying. Savage and Miller decided to create a YouTube video explaining their own personal struggles with growing up gay in hopes of reaching out to LBGT youth. The couple encouraged others to create their own testimonials describing how it got better for them and at the time, hoped for 100 videos. By January 2011, the project had over 5,000 user-created testimonials.

Savage is editorial director of Seattle newspaper The Stranger. He has written four books, appeared on numerous television networks and writes his own syndicated column called “Savage Love.” On Monday, he described growing up as a gay teen and explained in his own unique mix of blunt, crass humor and sharp intelligence the details of the project. Many times, he said, it is the teen’s own parents who bully and abuse children, and religion often plays a large role in the attempts to assist LGBT youth with their struggles.

 

Students found Savage’s words inspiring.

“I saw my first ‘It Gets Better’ video while I was abroad in London last fall. Then, coincidentally, Bucknell participated in the campaign last spring. I thought that there would be no better way to raise awareness about LGBT bullying and the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign then to have Dan Savage himself come and share his story! So working with Lambda and FLAGBT, I believe he came and gave a moving–and very open–talk about what it means to be gay and bullied, and why it needs to stop. His honesty coupled with a bit of humor, I think, was an excellent way for students to connect and engage with him,” Phil Kim ’12 said.

Other students appreciated Savage’s talk, but questioned whether he was preaching to the choir.

“It’s truly amazing how logical he was as he explained his motives and his success stories. However, the talk would have been more useful if more bigots had come,” Evan Kaufman ’12 said.

During the Q&A session, one student asked how we as students can get involved and help LGBT students on campus, to which Savage said: “You’re doing it by being here.”

For more information on the “It Gets Better” Project, go to www.itgetsbetter.org

 

By Amanda Ayers

News Editor

 

Randy Roberts Potts recounted his emotional story “Growing up Gay and Christian: How I Lived to Tell the Tale” in Trout Auditorium Wednesday night. Potts spoke about coping with being gay as the grandson of the first world-famous televangelist, Oral Roberts. He specifically delved into his quest to piece together the life of his gay and mysterious Uncle Ronnie, a tortured soul whose story mirrored Potts’ in every way except that Ronnie ultimately chose to commit suicide.

“[When I was young] I was told that God hates [people being gay] so much that he burned entire cities because of it. I knew this related to me but not how,” Potts said.

Potts told many stories of his childhood and explained the family dynamic. His grandfather was a worldwide celebrity, so well known that people from India could write only “Oral Roberts” on an envelope and the letter would miraculously get delivered to the family compound, one of their many homes.

“[My grandfather] was the kind of man that when he walked into the room, everyone knew he was there,” Potts said.

Potts’ parents made sure to instill their strict Christian values in their children from a young age. They sensed that Randy was gay early on, and because  they could not reconcile it with their religious beliefs, they  tried to eradicate any behaviors that reminded them of his deceased uncle’s.

“We were allowed to listen to the Beatles until after the album ‘Help’ where apparently, according to my parents, they went weird,” Potts said. 

Despite pressures from his family and self-denial, Potts admitted to being the “seventh-grade gay kid at an evangelical Christian school.” He had five crushes on boys in middle school. If he had felt this way about girls, he would have been welcomed and understood by his family. But to like the wrong gender was an “abomination.”

“Feelings is all they were. They were unasked for, unwelcome and unknown,” Potts said.

His parents got rid of Potts’ stuffed animals, for example, except one that Potts was able to hide and “keep in the closet,” and did everything they could to keep Potts from following in his uncle’s footsteps, which they could see he was unintentionally but undeniably doing. Potts did not know about his uncle’s sexuality until after the suicide. Both Potts and his uncle were married at 20, had children who they were terrified of leaving, became teachers, came out as being gay and then became suicidal. Their paths diverged when Potts made the decision not to end his life.

“I knew I wasn’t going to turn out like my uncle because I wanted to live,” Potts said. “I do not want to be wasted underground. This is not for me.”

Potts shared a letter that he wrote to his uncle and read aloud the night before he officially came out to his family. In it, he expressed his anger at his uncle for leaving him alone to cope with his sexuality and not considering the repercussions of his selfish decision to take a pistol to the heart.

“I would have held you in my arms if I had been a man at the time,” Potts read. “Why must that bullet be the only example you left me?”

After having officially come out six years ago, Potts is in a happy place in his life. He divorced his wife but still has custody of his children and gets to see them regularly. He has dated many men and will be officially married in May after a judge in New York signs his paperwork.

“I’m happy, I’m gay, but I’m not defined by my sexuality. I’m just another guy living his life, raising his kids, who happens to be gay.”

The talk was free and open to the public, and was sponsored by Chi Phi Fraternity, the Office of LGBT Awareness, the Office of Multicultural Student Services, the Dean of Students Office, Bucknell Protestant Ministries, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council.

In addition, Potts has recently become involved in the “It Gets Better Project,” recording a video for the campaign and contributing to their recent book containing a compilation of successful coming out stories. He will be actively touring the country, starring in a new performance art piece entitled, “The Gay Agenda.”

 

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

Recent reports from administrators indicate that while fewer fraternities hosted events during this year’s House Party Weekend, the number of individual citations increased. Only four or five fraternities were allowed to have parties at a give time in comparison to past years, when up to 10 or 12 fraternities could host House Party Weekend events. This year’s situation allowed the Department of Public Safety to focus its efforts more narrowly and for alternative, non-alcoholic events to have a greater presence on campus.

Most striking about this year’s House Party Weekend incidences was Public Safety’s report of 28 liquor law violation judicial referrals, six disorderly judicial referrals and nine total DUI citations. These numbers are a stark contrast from last year’s House Party, when there were only nine judicial referrals resultant from liquor law violations and three from disorderly conduct. 

“What’s really concerning is the number of DUIs, which has been steadily increasing in recent years. This has a lot to do with students going downtown parties and driving back and forth between uphill campus and downtown,” Chief of Public Safety Jason Friedberg said.

Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department reported 13 underage arrests, up from the eight last year.
As less official options were available to students because of multiple fraternities being on social probation, many events migrated downtown, and lines at official events grew longer.

“Students tend to find a balance between parties on different parts of campus. If fewer events are uphill, on Fraternity Road, more will appear downtown. That’s the reality, where venues change to being downtown,” Friedberg said.

Security presence on campus throughout the weekend was a key characteristic of the duration of House Party. Public Safety officers stayed on constant patrol throughout campus as they usually do, mainly focusing on Fraternity Road, as well as the Elaine Langone Center, Uptown and Seventh Street Cafe. Buffalo Valley Regional Police largely occupied downtown areas. Since there were less parties, Public Safety officials were able to oversee parties more efficiently.

“The big focus was keeping lines outside parties at least in check,” Friedberg said. “Academic buildings are always a priority as well, to guard against any theft or vandalism that may occur.”

Students definitely noticed increased levels of security around campus.

“I would say that we experienced a heightened amount of security inhibited students’ freedoms relative to last year and their choices about where they wanted to spend time. You do need the security, but it was way too out of hand. There were so many hired security personnel that they didn’t even know what to do,” Josh Leighton ’14 said.

Students also noted that the interactions they had with Public Safety on House Party Weekend were generally positive.

“I thought things were handled really well, and that security was really polite to me,” Anna MacAlister ’12 said.

Public Safety appreciated the alternative student programming offered during this year’s House Party Weekend, including Bison Fest, a collaborative effort by the Deans of Students, Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) Center, Interfraternity Council (IFC), Panhellenic Council, Office of Residential Education, CHOICE and Bucknell Student Government (BSG). Bison Fest, along with events hosted at the Campus Theatre that Friday night, were meant to provide students with alternative, non-alcoholic options for the weekend.

“First and foremost, we wanted to provide students with fun, exciting options for those who were not interested in House Party activities. All students were welcome and encouraged to come, and given the high attendance everyone seemed to enjoy the food, friends and amazing atmosphere.  In addition, we wanted to help students who were participating in House Party to be safe and smart,” said Laura Yeckley, assistant director of campus activities and programs.

“Alternative student programming made our job a lot easier,” Friedberg said. “I haven’t heard any anecdotal stories of students calling their parents to be picked up for the weekend, to escape the events of House Party.”

By Lauren Buckley
Contributing Writer

Bucknell Student Government (BSG) 2015 is raising money for their class through “President’s Press,” an event in which BSG representatives are ironing clothing on campus.

The fundraiser occurred on April 12, April 13 and yesterday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The final session of “President’s Press” is today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Any student can drop off shirts, pants, dresses or any wrinkled item with first-year BSG members, and they will have them ironed and ready for formals, Chrysalis or any other formal event. BSG 2015 will charge $3 for a single item and $5 for two. 

BSG 2015 representatives are working hard with these creative events to promote unity among their class and fundraise for future class events, including their senior gift and Senior Nights. First-year BSG members also hosted a free root beer float event on April 17 outside of the uphill entrance of the Elaine Langone Center.

“Our short term goals include unity and bonding events, such as the root beer floats event and the s’mores event which we hosted earlier in the year. Our longer term goals include purchasing a class gift, as well as hosting a variety of Senior Nights to celebrate our time at Bucknell,” Colin Hassell ’15, BSG 2015 president said. 

“Our job as members of BSG is to bring our class together, so naturally we try to raise money in any way that we can so that we can then give it back to the class of 2015 in the form of entertainment and events,” Chris Jarvis ’15, a BSG 2015 representative, said.

These events have also been fantastic opportunities to advertise BSG elections for the 2012-2013 academic year which took place yesterday.

By Christina Oddo

Writer

IFC and Panhellenic hosted Wingfest as part of “Go Greek Week”
 on Wednesday evening in Larison Dining Hall. This event supported the Million Penny Project, benefiting the 2012-recipient, The Hand-UP Foundation of Milton. Students ate wings donated by Bucknell’s fraternities, as well as wings donated by local eateries. Participants also voted for their favorite wing.

The Million Penny Project (MPP) is an initiative of the Panhellenic Council and IFC that has the goal of raising $10,000 (a million pennies) to benefit one particular nonprofit service organization in the community each year. Stephanie Thomas ‘13 of Panhellenic and Nick Pistone ’14 of IFC selected Hand-UP from a group of six nonprofits that were considered to be MPP recipients.

“We visited all six of them to learn about who they are and what they stand for and get a sense of their vision.  They were all great organizations and it was a difficult decision, but we chose Hand-UP. We really wanted to promote their philosophy of a hand up rather than a handout,” Pistone said.

With the money raised from MPP, Hand-UP intends to build a Crisis Shelter.

“MPP is important to us and this year we really want it to be more than just a $10,000 check.  We want to partner with Hand-UP and spread the word about what they do and the people they help in Milton,” Pistone said.

The Hand-UP Foundation is a faith-based, non-profit organization based in Milton, Pennsylvania. This foundation has helped families and individuals in the community overcome crisis situations since 2003. Hope, encouragement and support are offered through Hand-UP. Those helped are expected to volunteer to give back to the community and to the organization. Hand-UP provides clothing, food, vehicles, counseling, homes, and financial assistance to those in need.

“Their goal is to empower the poor to live better lives for themselves,” Pistone said. “Our goal is to spread that message, as well as highlight Hand-UP for all the good they do in the community.”

Students can further help this initiatve by donating directly to MPP through Penhellenic or IFC at events like Wing Fest, Greek Iron Chef, or the Zombie Walk. Also, students may want to consider volunteering with Hand-Up. Those who want to volunteer can visit handupfoundation.org or call Hand-Up at (570) 742-3000.

By Sara Blair Matthews
Assistant News Editor

Pennsylvania’s new voter ID law requires voters, beginning in November of this year, to present a photo ID with an expiration date every time they vote. Pennsylvania driver’s licenses, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID or a photo ID from an accredited Pennsylvania public or private college will be accepted.

This could be problematic for University students without a Pennsylvania driver’s license or passport, as the University does not have any immediate plans to add an expiration date to its ID cards.

“I think that the new law has the potential to decrease campus voter participation significantly … [Out-of-state college] students will not be able to register and vote at Bucknell as things currently stand—despite the fact that the law still otherwise permits them to do so,” said associate professor of political science Scott Meinke.

Many students have demonstrated concern that the University will not give students enough advance notice before ballots are cast in November.

“It should be stressed well in advance of the election that BUIDs won’t be accepted, to make sure no one who wants to vote is disenfranchised,” Wade Payson-Denney ’13 said.

Talk over this new law has brought up the larger issue of the importance of voting for young people.

“I do believe it is important for students to vote. We are fortunate to live in a country where we can openly express our political perspectives. Voting is one the best ways to express one’s political views. We are given the chance to play an active role in how our government operates. Not all people around the world can say that,” Tim Bolte ’12 said.

Another student expressed similar views.

“If you vote once, you are more likely to vote again. Voting will push people to start paying attention to the news, and it will push people to care about the issues they are voting for. Later in life when you start paying the bills you will start caring about these things, so you might as well start caring about them now,” Josh Wilson ’15 said.

Meinke believes that the young voter turnout has much room for growth. He said although many college-aged Americans are politically engaged, the youngest segment of the electorate participates at the lowest rate. Even in 2008, when the youth vote increased substantially, college-aged voters turned out at a lower rate than older voters.

“One potential consequence of this imbalance is that elected officials may pay disproportionately more attention to the particular interests of older Americans who vote more,” Meinke said.

In order to improve University students’ voter participation, Bolte belives there should be more open political discussion among students.

“There have been recent cases (the shut down of the affirmative action bake sale and the halting of Obama health care dollars distribution) where the University has actively sought to suppress political speech on campus. The University should encourage the spread of political ideas among its students, not suppress them,” Bolte said.

“I think the most effective way for Bucknell to gather more student voters would be for student groups such as the College Democrats or the Bucknell Conservatives Club to orchestrate voter registration drives,” Payson-Denney said.

When asked what a good resource was for gaining knowledge about a candidate’s platforms, Meinke pointed out that the websites of major newspapers usually have detailed candidate profiles and issue information that can be very helpful. For those who are interested in digging even deeper, Project Vote Smart gives non-partisan issue information on both incumbent and challenger candidates.

“[I think it’s important to stress] that you don’t have to be a political science major in order to be interested in politics. In theory, a democracy won’t function if there are too many people who don’t care about its issues,” Wilson said.

By Jenni Whalen
Senior Writer

In addition to the well-known drunk driving simulations, students can participate in University events for a total of 20 hours in order to eliminate one point from their record. This spring, students were invited via the Message Center to help set up and clean up for the Spring Concert and/or Chrysalis in order to help clear their records.

Although the concert has already passed, students can still help the University from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 and from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m on Friday, April 27 at Chrysalis.

“The Nelly and Chrysalys cleanups are great ways to eliminate points. It’s not too much work, and it’s a good way to lend a helping hand,” Hayden Yancey ’14, a participant, said.

While at the University, students may acquire points as a result of participation in illegal activity, most frequently associated with underage drinking. Punishments can range from a one-point penalty for carrying an open container of alcohol to a nine-point penalty for driving under the influence at dangerous levels of intoxication. At the most, students may receive a 10-point penalty for drinking that is associated with violence and results in physical injury, according to the University’s Alcohol Policy. Most points are also accompanied by a fine of some sort.

Many University students receive a point or two during their undergraduate careers due to their presence in a room with alcohol paraphernalia or some other minor offense. But all students are able to remove a point per year from their records. According to Forgiveness IV of the Alcohol Policy, “A student may receive a one point reduction by attending scheduled alcohol programs throughout the academic year.”

Many students choose to attend drinking and driving simulations on campus as a way to eliminate points from their record each year.

“I did a drunk driving simulation freshman year and had to write a little blurb about it,” said a senior who chose to remain anonymous. “It only gets rid of one point, but I only had one, so it went away completely.”

In addition, a student who completes a full calendar year from the date of the initial incident without another alcohol violation will receive an immediate reduction of one point, and a student who accumulates six or fewer points through September 15 of senior year will have those points removed from his or her student record.

According to Assistant Dean of Students and Student Conduct Administrator Chip Marrara, the work students do to erase their points will be physical and students will be expected to move heavy objects. It should be noted that all students who wish to eliminate points are invited to register as soon as possible. Students who sign up and do not work the hours indicated will be cited for “Failure to Comply” and will receive an additional fine in addition to the hours they do not complete.

By Esra Sardag
Contributing Writer

The brothers of Delta Upsilon Fraternity wrote, directed and performed in their 92nd annual Demie Play, entitled “DU Goes to Frat Camp,” on April 14 at 8 p.m. The comedy, a philanthropy event to benefit the Charles Pollack Memorial Scholarship Fund and Global Service Initiative, told the story of the brothers being sent to “Frat Camp,” a fraternity rehabilitation camp, after getting caught breaking many campus rules during a night of hazing. The brothers went through several challenges such as a trivia game to prove that they learned the true values of brotherhood and save themselves from the embarrassment of getting kicked off.

“When writing this year’s Demie Play, the writing team strove to draw out many of the controversies surrounding the Campus Climate Report and the administration’s reaction to it,” John Fowler ’14 said. “The report has been one of the biggest topics on campus, and we wanted to display our reaction to the report in a comedic fashion.”

Donations have historically gone to the Charles Pollack Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is awarded every year to students at the University who have demonstrated financial need. It was founded by Pollack’s wife, Gayle Pollock, to honor his memory. Pollock was widely regarded as a role model in his leadership positions at the University as Assistant to the President, Vice President for Student Affairs and Vice President for External Relations. Pollock also impacted Delta Upsilon fraternity’s successful reinstatement to campus on during the 2006-2007 academic year.

“We raise money for philanthropy through two methods. The first way is through traditional ticket sales. The other is by selling ad space in our playbill,” Jason White ’12 said.

Donations also went to the Global Service Initiative, Delta Upsilon’s national philanthropy organization. Members engage and fundraise to help developing nations while uniting their actions with the principles of the fraternity. For example, brother and playwright Connor Beach ’14 will be participating in a trip to Jamaica to be building extra classrooms for a local school.

The brothers showcased their various talents in the performance.

“We have many talented actors, writers and set designers who just need an event that they can work toward,” Matthew McAnear ’13 said. “We had a decent showing at this year’s play, but we’d love to expand the tradition into the future.”

The brothers of Delta Upsilon fraternity were pleased with the result and are hoping for an even better turnout in the future.