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Bison Chips perform annual “Chipfest”

By Jenni Whalen

Staff Writer

 

The Weis Center for the Performing Arts was packed last Saturday at 8 p.m. with students, faculty and parents listening to the Bison Chips sing their annual concert, Chipfest. 
The Bison Chips have 13 members this year: Sean Gritters ’12, Mike Kurban ’12, Vince Mistretta ’12, Sam Stulberg ’12, Yann Wester ’12, Ryan Mextorf ’13, Brian Pei ’13, Justin Honigstein ’14, Harrison Mills ’14, Michael Strauss ’14, George Beatty ’15, Andrew Killman ’15 and Connor Small ’15.
The Silhouettes, the University’s all-female group, sang four songs in the middle of the performance.

“The Chips are pretty much the first group I really got to know at Bucknell, so they’re kind of like my original family here,” Gritters said. “This Chipfest was the best we’ve ever sounded as a group. We worked so hard on all of these songs over the past month and a half, and it’s really something to be up there and listen to all of that work come together. It’s a great way to end my Chips experience.”

The Bison Chips and audience agreed this was the best the Chips have sounded in years, mostly thanks to the incredible amount of time the members spent preparing for this year’s event. The group began working on new arrangements immediately after Christy’s, a long-standing tradition that takes place during Parents Weekend each fall. Kurban, the leader of the Chips, kept the group practicing three times a week until the week of Chipfest, when the members practiced for at least two hours every night.

As usual, this year’s concert began with a comic video of the Chips losing their suits and ties and running around campus in their boxers. The Chips then ran onto stage and performed 14 songs, almost all of which were arranged and performed by different members of the group. Two of the songs were traditional closing numbers and six were new arrangements. 

New arrangement “Fix You” was arranged by Sean Gritters ’12 and featured soloist Sam Stulberg ’12. “Otherside” was arranged by Yann Wester ‘12 and featured Justin Honigstein ’14. 

Other favorites included “Umbrella” and “Lady in Red,” a classic Chips song during which Johanna Moyer ’12 was serenaded in her red dress.

Overall, those in attendance agreed that the concert was enjoyable and demonstrated the talents and hard-work that University students put into the performance. 

“I think the night overall was awesome,” Damon Quattrochi ’12 said. “It was great to see so many Bucknellians fill the Weis Center in support of a student-led group. The whole show was so well organized and put together.” 

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News

First Global Conversations Dialogue Circle focuses on Africa

By Daniel Park

Contributing Writer

 

Dr. Stephen Appiah-Padi, a native of Ghana who studied in England for his masters, hosted a dialogue in Arches Lounge last Friday on modern Africa. It was the first of many discussions the University is hosting as part of the Global Conversations Dialogue Circle of 2012. It dealt with topics ranging from the workings of the economy to the seemingly ubiquitous corruption associated with African politics.

“Awareness has been growing due to the usage of internet,” Appiah-Padi said.
One of the problems Appiah-Padi pointed out that is plaguing the continent today is ignorance on the part of both foreign countries as well as African countries.
“One of my friends, who was from a populated city region within Africa, did not know of the troubles that her country was experiencing because she had always spent her time within the city, not knowing the vast poverty that existed on the outskirts,” a student in the audience said.
He explained that colonialism has left a deep impact holistically on the African mindsets and is partially the root cause to the vast political corruption in the “democratic government.”
“Colonialism is the biggest concept held in Africa. After Britain had left, Africans wanted to live like them by amassing wealth,” Appiah-Padi said.
The last topic discussed within the dialogue session was on other potential conflicts and resolutions that can reshape the inefficient governments in Africa.
“All educated Ugandans leave to other countries for jobs since the market opportunities in Uganda is miniscule. This ultimately dilutes a potential diverse economy,” Appiah-Padi said.
An example he brought up was a comparison between the number of Ugandan doctors in England, New York and Uganda. There are more Ugandan doctors in the United States than those in Uganda because the risk of being a doctor in Uganda is exponentially higher than being a doctor in the United States.
The majority of those who attended were University faculty members, including Dr. Xiannong Meng, professor of computer science, and Julie Rowe, assistant to the director of the Office of International Education.
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News

Chrysalis band announced

Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) has just announced that The Village People will be the featured artist at the 14th Annual Chrysalis Ball to be held on April 17, 2012. Hits include “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy.” The opening act will be Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hell Raisers, and a DJ will end the night. The event will be held in Gerhard Fieldhouse from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with doors opening at 8:30 p.m. Students can begin to purchase tickets on March 19th at a discounted price of $15. Formal or semi-formal wear is required and hors d’oeurves will be served, as well as beer and wine for those who are over 21 years of age. In order to encourage first-years who have never attended Chrysalis to come, there will be a promotion for these students as well as their Residential Advisers. Groups of 10 or more first-year students and their RA can get discounted tickets when bought from March 19th to April 6th in the CAP Center.

 

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News

BSG celebrates Class of 2012 with Senior Nights

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

Last Thursday night, Bucknell Student Government (BSG) 2012 organized the first senior night of the year at Parkview Catering behind The Bull Run Inn. The Mardi Gras-themed event was stocked with free food and was meant to celebrate the last 97 days the class of 2012 has left until graduation.
The event lasted from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and featured a live DJ, drinks and prizes for the first 120 people that came through the door.
“The beer will be flowing, the beads will be flying, and all inhibitions will be discarded!” BSG’s promotion for the event said. “It’s not like we need to give you any added incentive to party, but the BSG class of 2012 thought we’d do it anyway.”
Events such as these are meant to mark the last days of the senior class’ final year, as well as provide an opportunity for the class to reunite before graduation in May. Senior events have been a long-standing tradition at the University, and last year’s cancellation of the 100 Nights event came as a shock to many students. After the abrupt announcement of the cancellation, members of the Office of Alumni Relations and members of the BSG senior class worked to develop new events to provide an alternative to 100 Nights. 
“I was glad to see such a big turnout from our class at Senior Night,” John Luce ’12 said. “It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends over good food and drinks.  Since commencement is right around the corner, I think it’s important to have events like this to bring the senior class together.”
“Although this event, and others like it, may not nessecarily be meant to completely replace 100 Nights, they are still meant to bring our class together with the funds we have for these purposes,” Larry Leggett ’12 said. “I’m definitely glad to have the opportunity to reconnect with my classmates.”
More events like this one will occur in the upcoming months as the class of 2012 counts down to graduation.
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News

ACE responds to Campus Climate

By Nicki Briggs

Writer


Activities and Campus Events (ACE) is a student-run organization that specializes in bringing entertainment to the student body by planning all different kinds of events. At the start of this past semester, the club decided to make changes to its programming in response to the Campus Climate Report’s results which demonstrated that many students were unaware of the social options available to them on weekends besides partying.
“The Campus Climate report really highlighted for us the fact that students don’t know about the options they have on the weekends for events that don’t involve alcohol. This made us want to step up not only our publicity, but the size of the events. Instead of spreading ourselves thin with five events every weekend, we’re putting all our energy into one huge event each weekend,” ACE President Lauren Rambo ’12 said.

“One of the reasons we decided to enact this change was we felt that our old structure and organization just wasn’t meeting the needs or wants of the campus. When you have tons of people showing up to events like BU After Dark, but only a few to the smaller events like Late Night performances, that says something about what the student body enjoys,” Elena Latzen ’14 said.

Some of the new events that have been well received by the student body so far were Bingo Blingo in Bostwick Marketplace and Just Desserts in the Terrace Room, with over 600 students attending both. Coming up is the always-popular BU After Dark which features a spectacular turnout every semester.

“I always try to stop by BU After Dark regardless of what else I have going on those nights,” Neil Dold ’12 said.
Later this semester are the Spa Spectacular event on the second floor of the Elaine Langone Center and an Arcade Night in the student hearth space. ACE is also working hard to try to bring a block party to campus for the spring as well as planning Chrysalis. All of these events are run in collaboration with different groups on campus.

The response has been phenomenal to the new method of having students perform at Seventh Street Café each Friday night instead of hiring professional artists. This has produced an increase in popularity, as students show up to support their friends and fellow classmates each week. Anyone interested in performing should stop by the CAP Center to set up a time.

ACE’s new planning initiative has proven successful so far, and will likely continue to please students for the remainder of the semester.

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News

Public Safety raids Kappa Sigma and 23 University Ave.

By Jenni Whalen

Senior Writer

Officers with the Department of Public Safety searched the residences of 23 University Avenue and Kappa Sigma Fraternity last Thursday, Feb. 16. The searches took approximately three hours apiece.

During the investigations, individual room searches were only conducted when one of the highly-trained K-9 units indicated that illegal drugs or related contraband might be located in that room.

“The University was compelled to act based on the frequency of prior incidents by students affiliated with the two residences and the assortment of illicit drugs discovered within a short period prior to the searches,” said Andy Hirsch, Director of Media Communications.

At approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday, fire alarms were set off at 23 University Avenue and the 14 residents were instructed to evacuate the house.

Public Safety officers and members of the Lewisburg Police force arrived on the scene with K-9 units and students were informed that they needed to leave the residence for approximately three hours on the premise that officers would be conducting University searches.

At around 1 p.m. on the same day, a fire alarm was also set off in Kappa Sigma Fraternity, at which point Public Safety officers instructed fraternity members that they would not be allowed back into the building for an extended period of time.

Hirsch noted that these searches were consistent with the policies of the Student Handbook.

“Officers from other law enforcement agencies assisted Bucknell Public Safety officers to allow an expeditious search, but this was not a criminal investigation,” Hirsch said. “Students were not notified beforehand. For the searches of 23 and 64 University Avenue, the University did not obtain a search warrant, nor was it obligated to, since these were administrative, not criminal searches.”

The Student Handbook details certain conditions under which a full search of residences owned by the University is authorized. These conditions include situations where there is evidence of contraband or ongoing illegal activity and the residences can be searched only with the approval of the Dean of Students, Susan Lantz.

Following Thursday’s searches, the residents of 23 University Avenue received a notice stating they would no longer be able to live in the house due to Thursday’s search and more than a dozen related incidents that occurred on the premises since last September. Students were instructed to report to Housing Services for new housing options and were required to move to their new homes by Tuesday. The residents will not be allowed to return to 23 University Avenue for the remainder of the semester.

Because a student from 23 University Avenue was arrested two weeks ago due to his involvement with illicit drug use, many of the displaced residents assume this arrest brought about the searches at both Kappa Sigma Fraternity and 23 University Avenue. 

At this point in time, all residents of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and 23 University Avenue remain on campus. As of Tuesday, Kappa Sigma Fraternity’s temporary suspension has been lifted. Drug paraphernalia was confiscated during the search and the University will be handling the issue internally by punishing students according to the University’s drug policy rather than state laws.

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News

Brigade raises money for Nicaragua community

By Christina Oddo

Writer

 

The Bucknell Brigade hosted a raffle and silent auction on Feb. 17 in Larison Dining Hall for University students and faculty to benefit the Nueva Vida community in Managua, Nicaragua. Attendees enjoyed live entertainment by Dave Miller as well as hors d’oeuvres. Tickets were $5 for students and $10 for general admission.
“In the months leading up to the date, members of the Bucknell Brigade worked to collect donations from local vendors and friends of the Brigade in order to have a mix of items to raffle off or put up for bid as silent auction items,” Carolyn Breden ’12 said.

Some of the items auctioned include a five-night stay at the Palm Ocean View in St. Thomas and four months of home cupcake delivery. There were also many raffle prizes, including gift certificates and video rentals.

The Bucknell Brigade is a group of students, faculty and staff dedicated to aiding the people of Nueva Vida.

“Each year, we send two to three delegations to the community of Nueva Vida in Managua, Nicaragua to do service work and we spend the rest of the year raising awareness and supporting the community,” Breden said.
Each year, the Bucknell Brigade is committed to raising $40,000, in order to support the health clinic in the community.

“There was a steady crowd of about 50 people with people constantly coming and going, so in the end, I’d say we had 85 to 100 people in total show up to the auction. We made just under $2,500 with our auction prizes,” Katie McAvoy ’13 said.

The proceeds raised by the raffle and auction will go directly to the Nueva Vida community.

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Featured News

ACE proves successful at first “Just Desserts”

By Olivia Seecof

Writer


The first-ever “Just Desserts” event was hosted last Friday night in the Terrace Room of the Elaine Langone Center. Sponsored by Activities and Campus Events (ACE), the women’s soccer team and the residential colleges, the event allowed University students to socialize while sampling different desserts provided by Parkhurst Dining Services.
“It was incredible to see so many students from a variety of different groups on campus come together over something as simple as desserts!” said Callie Frieler, assistant director of campus activities and programs (CAP).
A total of 726 students attended the program.
Four desserts were available and students could try any two of the four choices.  Everyone who attended was given a wristband with two tickets attached to regulate the number of desserts each guest could take.
The desserts included dessert pizza, dirt pudding cups with gummy worms, cheesecake pops and candy sushi. The candy sushi station was set up in the middle of the room so that students could either roll their own sushi or have a Parkhurst professional do it for them.
Feedback for the event was extremely positive.
“I was pumped for the dessert pizza since I’ve never had one before.  I loved the toppings like the pond of chocolate sauce and the Oreo crumbs, but the bagel-like pizza dough left something to be desired,”  Aylin Dincer ’13 said.
Raffi Berberian ’14 developed the idea and was in charge of all the planning, from logistics of the event to advertising and managing day-of specifics. Most of the advertising was done by placing posters with a cupcake logo around campus.
“Planning the event involved the careful budgeting of funds towards specific things to make sure we had enough money for everything we needed.  I enjoyed the organizing of this event and we [ACE] will probably have more events similar to this in the future,” Berberian said.“It really was a learning experience that turned out to be very successful.”
The event was an overall success and could not have happened without the large contributions of the members of ACE and dining services.
“I think Raffi and I would agree that this event became far more than we had expected!”  Frieler said.
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Headline News

Police activity increases

By Jason Pepe

Contributing Writer

For the most part, the transition of merging the Lewisburg Borough Police Department and the East Buffalo Township Police Department to form the Buffalo Valley Relgional Police Department (BVRPD) has been seamless, but University students have noticed an increased police presence downtown, specifically on Friday and Saturday nights.

Many students have complained about what they believe to be overly aggressive policing downtown.

“There is talk of general tension between police and students. These first few weeks haven’t gone well, which means that the next few weeks will be very strict,” Clinton Kittrell ’14, Vice President of Administration for BSG, said.

One incident that exacerbated tensions between students and the police occurred over the weekend of Feb. 10. An unidentified individual threw a brick through a police vehicle window, and pieces of lumber were reportedly thrown at police officers. It is unclear whether the individual was a University student. 

Paul Yost, chief of the BVRPD, stressed that incidents such as this will be treated as an assault on a police officer and dealt with in the most serious manner. Yost added that patrols will continue to be increased as necessary to provide safety and security to the downtown neighborhood area, and the police presence will be determined by the conduct of students off campus.

“I believe you will find our agency tolerant of off-campus activities, to a point,” Yost said. “However, large off campus-gatherings, underage consumption and general disorderly conduct will not be tolerated. If students call attention to themselves or cannot control their events, the police will become involved.”

Kittrel also stated that BSG is planning to implement an alert system which will allow students to report incidents in which they believe police officers have acted inappropriately.

Student behavior downtown over the next few weeks will likely influence police presence for the remainder of the semester. If students are resistant to the standards set by the BVRPD, they should be prepared to see a continued effort to suppress partying downtown. Students are encouraged to be aware of their rights as well as their expectations for downtown behavior. Inappropriate behavior should be reported.

 

SIDEBAR

The Lewisburg Borough Police Department and the East Buffalo Township Police Department merged to form the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department (BVRPD) on Feb. 6. The recently consolidated force consists of 15 police officers and combines both departments’ previous jurisdictions. The BVRPD’s new headquarters will be located at 2009 West Market Street, Lewisburg, and the only change in uniform will be a redesigned patch.
The merger will benefit the police from both a fiscal and an operational standpoint. Reductions in administrative and operational costs will result in long-term savings to both the Lewisburg and East Buffalo municipal governments. The combined police force will also allow for better training and specialization of its officers, who will be able to respond more efficiently to specific issues across both communities.
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Kappa Sigma and 23 University Ave. raided by Public Safety

Jenni Whalen

Staff Writer

At around 1 p.m. this afternoon, Public Safety officers set off the fire alarm in Kappa Sigma Fraternity. All fraternity members were instructed to leave the house on the premise that the officers were conducting University searches. The house at 23 University Avenue was also raided in the same fashion.

In addition to Public Safety officers, officers from the Lewisburg Police Department also arrived at the scene with specially trained drug dogs. Kappa Sigma members assume that this raid occurred because officers were searching for illegal substances and drug paraphernalia, although none can be sure because the three-hour search was conducted while the members were cleared out of the house.

“At 1:00 p.m. today, members of the University and local law enforcement searched 23 University Avenue and Kappa Sigma Fraternity based on an ongoing investigation of illicit drug use and seizure of contraband,” dean of students Susan Lantz said in an email sent out to the parents of all residents. “The University is concerned about the health and safety of our students and our community, which is why we decided to investigate further today.”

At this moment in time, no student arrests have been made.