Category: News

Brianna Marshall

Writer

Students and faculty in the music department will continue providing music education to special education programs in the greater Lewisburg area.

Associate Professor of Music Kim Councill founded the program, known as Musical Universe in Special Education (MUSE), to create an opportunity for students to do important, charitable work.

“The satisfaction is immediate–as soon as you see these children’s faces light up when they are making and participating in music, you can’t help but be blown away with how wonderful it is to be a part of this,” Councill said.

MUSE participants from the University visit classrooms in both Selinsgrove and Mifflinburg school districts to work with 60 special education students ranging from ages eight to 21. The students have various special needs, including Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and other conditions.

Sophomore and junior music education majors participate in MUSE in conjunction with Music for the Exceptional Child, a major-related course taught by Councill. The course includes the planning and teaching of music lessons in special education classrooms and assisting the children in participation, such as playing musical instruments. University students also observe Councill’s lessons in order to gain expertise in instructing special education children.

Volunteers from any major or area of interest can volunteer for the program. Special education children are extremely receptive to the involvement of college students, Councill said.

“College kids are cool and these children just eat up all of their attention,” Councill said.  “Bucknell students walk away from this experience really feeling like they’ve made a positive difference.”

Ethan Zubkoff

Writer

Fifteen new leaders and representatives from the class of 2017 were elected this past week to the Bucknell Student Government (BSG).

Three of those 15 include class President Yacouba Sidibe ’17 from New York City, Vice President Mitch McBride ’17 from Erie, Pa., and Secretary/Treasurer Katie Chambers ’17 from Harvard, Mass.

“My goal is to bring the class together. The most important thing is for everyone to get to know each other,” Sidibe said.

Sidibe’s fellow representatives echoed his words, stressing the importance of bonding events for the freshman class. McBride and Chambers both suggested organizing a movie night for all 935 members of the freshman class.

First-year representative Mark Merino ’17 from Los Angeles, also suggested a restaurant night for a class unity event, in which 10 percent of the profits would go to the restaurant.

Sidibe and McBride are committed to being the voices of the class of 2017. They want to ensure that first-year students are heard within BSG, and want to speak for them about any serious issues that may arise. They want their fellow classmates to feel comfortable coming to them if they need anything or believe something could be changed.

The rest of the representatives for the class of 2017 includes: Yash Balasaria, Chris Shadek, Alex Breakstone, Lizzie Sheprow, Mark Merino, Gabby Gottschall, Alex Fox, Nina Nevarez, Madeline Kling, Victoria Karakis, Daniel Dudt, and Taylor McCready.

Ethan Zubkoff

Writer

International

• A deal has been reached between the United States and Russia regarding the control of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile. Although details about the deal are still forthcoming, both sides have agreed to allow the United Nations to authorize a resolution. It will be the UN’s responsibility to dispose of all of the weapons, which will take a few years to complete. (USA Today and Reuters)
• The fallout from Edward Snowden’s leak continued this week as Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff canceled a planned visit to the United States. Brazilian officials have objected to the National Security Agency’s ability to spy on other countries, including Brazil. Rousseff was scheduled to be at the White House on Oct. 23 as the guest of honor. (USA Today)

National

• Tragedy struck the nation’s capital on Sept. 16 as gunman Aaron Alexis killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. Alexis, a former Navy reservist who was given an honorable discharge in 2011, was military contractor at the Navy Yard. Alexis was 34 years old and acted alone. (The New York Times)
• Colorado evacuees returned to their homes after flooding began on Sept. 11. More than 3,000 people were evacuated as flooding threatened their homes and lives. National Guard crews have been working around the clock in the largest aerial rescue operation since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. As of Sept. 17, the number of people missing dropped to 580 with eight confirmed deaths. (ABC News)
• Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers withdrew his name for consideration for Chairman of the Federal Reserve, after several Senate Democrats said they would oppose his nomination. This has cleared the way for Janet Yellen, the current vice-chair of the Federal Reserve as the frontrunner. Current chairman Ben Bernanke’s tenure is expected to come to an end in January. (USA Today and CNBC)

State

• Potential Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Katie McGinty finds herself in second place behind Democratic Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz. McGinty commissioned the poll. According to the poll, Schwartz leads potential candidates McGinty, State Treasurer Rob McCord, and former Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf with 34 percent of likely Democratic voters in Pennsylvania. (Politics PA)
• Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania and Republican Primary candidate, officially endorsed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett for reelection in 2014. (Politics PA)

Nick Salvo

Contributing Writer

Local officials are considering making new policy changes to prepare for a changing downtown dynamic after the University announced an end to its participation in House Party Weekend.

With the on-campus activities during the weekend–which included registered parties and live musical performances–canceled, many students expect the festivities to move off campus and into downtown houses. Lewisburg Mayor Judith Wagner and East Buffalo Township Police Chief Paul Yost also anticipate this shift and plan to take action to ensure a safe environment.

“Word on campus is that there will be a big deal downtown. We have to protect our residents. Safety is our main concern,” Wagner said.

Yost expressed similar concerns, noting that the lack of an official House Party Weekend creates uncertainty regarding when and where downtown parties will occur. Communication between University administration, students, and the borough will allow for the township police department to properly allocate resources to help keep students and residents safe, Yost said.

Yost’s main concern is “student resistance,” which has resulted in downtown riots as recently as 2008. Rioting will only occur if students refuse to cooperate with local officers, Yost said.

Yost referenced changes adopted by the town of Bloomsburg, home of Bloomsburg University, when speculating about possible Lewisburg council ordinances to control downtown parties.

Bloomsburg Town Council instituted an ordinance in 2010 in an attempt to regulate the student-sponsored Block Party Weekend, a weekend noted for large downtown parties and high numbers of arrests. The ordinance required any student at Bloomsburg who is hosting a party involving alcohol and more than 150 people to obtain a permit from the town. The ordinance also instituted strict rules concerning time, security, restroom facilities, and post-party clean up.

While instituting ordinances to curb downtown partying has been debated in Lewisburg Borough Council meetings in previous years, Wagner said that she wants to avoid making a knee jerk decision and instead hopes students will communicate with the borough to determine the best course of action.

The borough will ask for help from students to gather data and allow the council to have an informed debate and reach a reasonable solution, Wagner said.

“We have enjoyed a very good relationship with Bucknell University students,” Wagner said. “It would certainly be great if something really productive came out of this dialogue.”

Shannon Beauregard

Contributing Writer

The technology team in the library will soon open the Digital Scholarship Center, which will introduce new technologies to students as soon as next semester.

A $700,000 grant awarded to the University this summer from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided funding for the center.

Sometime during the spring semester, students may have the opportunity to work with the MakerBot, a user-friendly 3D printer that will be located at the Digital Scholarship Center. The engineering department already owns a 3D printer.

The 3D printer spits out real, three-dimensional plastic objects. Students can go to thingiverse.com and design the plastic object they want to create.

“Maybe if a student was in a sculpture class and needed something to look at while sculpting, he or she could use the printer,” Digital Scholarship Coordinator Andy Famiglietti said. “Or, if a student was in a management class and wanted to give a class presentation about a new device to market, he or she could actually hold the device in his or her hand.”

Along with the 3D printer, the Information Technology (IT) department wants to have 3D glasses available at the Digital Scholarship Center.

The 3D glasses would allow students to “access information that they would otherwise only be able to access by looking at a screen,” Famiglietti said. “Using the glasses, you can channel information to particular places.”

The 3D glasses essentially display information or search results, in front of your right eye. This eliminates the need to “double screen” and makes multi-tasking substantially easier.

“We want to see how students will use them in classes, and how both students and professors will use them while completing their research,” Digital Scholarship Coordinator Diane Jakacki said.

The IT department has already conversed with faculty members about the new technology and will soon start to talk to the student body as well.

“The goal is to see how the technology can be brought into a humanities or social science context,” Jakacki said. “For lots of humanities folks, technology is straightforward, yet this new technology could transform their coursework.” 

The IT department is currently running trials to explore the effectiveness of the new technology in the classroom and hopes to utilize student feedback when the new Digital Scholarship Center opens.

Erin Jankowski

Contributing Writer

The Griot Institute for Africana Studies will host an event encouraging students to take a break from technology on Oct. 5.

The Dancing Mind Challenge will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and participating students will be asked to put down their cell phones, laptops, and other technology and read without distraction.

The program was created with assistance from the Library and Information Technology Department. The Dancing Mind Challenge can be accomplished independently, but there is also the option to unplug and read with others on the second floor of Bertrand Library or the third floor of Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Hannah Paton

Contributing Writer

A third trip in a series of research-based, National Science Foundation-funded excursions conducted by three professors in the University’s geology department will take place near Franz Josef, New Zealand in March 2014.

Geology professors Craig Kochel and Jeffrey Trop, and Assistant Professor of Geology Rob Jacob first traveled to Franz Josef, New Zealand in January of 2013, and then continued their research in McCarthy, Alaska in July 2013.

Upon their arrival in New Zealand, the professors met up and collaborated with engineer Keith Williams from the non-profit organization UNAVCO to conduct joint research on glacial decay. During their two-week stay, the team specifically studied the formation and decay of “icy debris fans,” fan-shaped landforms made up of deposits of glacial ice and rock sediment, on the Douglas, Mueller, and La Perouse glaciers.

The professors studied the method through which ice comes off the tops of ice caps and makes its way down glaciers to form these icy debris fans, Jacob said.

By examining the landform evolution and depositional processes that create icy debris fans, the professors hope to gain an understanding of the effect of future and past climate change on geological structures.

“We want to understand what has happened in the last 200 years and see if we can associate it with specific markers in the geological record,” Jacob said.

A typical day in the field began with a 10-minute helicopter ride to the icy debris fan, where the team would unload approximately 400 pounds of equipment and begin terrestrial laser scanning to construct a 3D surface topography of the icy debris fans.

The team also measured the size of ice particles and rocks daily and used ground-penetrating radar to create an image of the subsurface. The subsurface image allowed them to determine the thickness of the fans, glaciers, and sediment deposits, and gave them a view of the sub-architecture of the icy debris fan.

Finally, they set up a series of four time-lapse cameras set to take pictures twice a day during the daylight hours for the rest of the year, and two time-lapse cameras set to take pictures every 15 minutes for three months.

Inspiration for the idea came from two separate events in Kochel and Trop’s lives, Jacob said.

While flying over New Zealand to visit his son, Kochel noticed these glacial structures and began to consider them as a topic of study. Similarly, Trop noticed comparable structures while flying over Alaska a few summers earlier.

The three professors teamed up in 2012 and wrote a proposal to the National Science Foundation, were granted funding on Jan. 1, 2013, and began the research right away.

The trip in March will consist of three undergraduate University students, Erica Rubino ’15, Mattie Reid ’15, and Chris Duda ’15, as well as the three professors. They will return to the same location and check the camera content, conduct more fieldwork, and collect new data. The team will also take various helicopter trips to look for more icy debris fans, as they are always looking for more potential sites to conduct research.

Nicole DiRussa

Contributing Writer

The Concert Committee will combine the fall and spring concerts this year into one larger show with twice the budget. The committee is hopeful this will make the overall experience of one grander concert preferable for both the performers and the audience.

The goal for the new budget will improve everyone’s experience by putting more time, effort, and money into the preparation of the concert.

The concert committee will consider feedback from online surveys, which will be placed on sites like Facebook.

Options offered in the most recent survey included Ed Sheeran and Young the Giant this fall. The results have yet to be released, though without support for either candidate the concert will instead be held in the spring semester with different options for artists.

“I like the idea of having one big concert, as long as it’s worth the cut of the second one. I’d like to see a prevalent band to justify the change,” Amanda Waller ’16 said.

Last year’s concerts were plagued by issues with performers and weather.

Swedish DJ Avicii cancelled his appearance for the fall concert last year due to illness, and Hurricane Irene ended a second attempt to bring the artist to campus. American rapper Lupe Fiasco walked off stage a few songs into his set complaining about poor sound equipment.

Gigi Flynn

Contributing Writer

Josh Hartman has become the new director of residential education at the University this year.

Previously, Hartman worked in residential life at New York University, Dartmouth College, and George Washington University. Hartman said he was drawn to the University by President John Bravman’s leadership.

Hartman’s role is in part to oversee the Residential Assistant (RA) program on campus.

“My job is not a one person position,” Hartman said.

Hartman wants to give RAs budgets to plan more events for their halls. Events such as Swartz Sports and the Gateway BBQ were held in the past few weeks.

Hartman will also oversee changes to the residential landscape of campus caused by new residential buildings, the first of which are slated to open in 2015.

“We want to promote independent living,” Hartman said.

At the beginning of the semester Hartman created an RA council. The council is made up of two RAs from every part of campus and meets every two weeks to discuss issues in residential halls as well as events that they hope to execute.

“I want to learn the culture and the students here at Bucknell,” Hartman said.

Kerong Kelly

Writer

University student and budding entrepreneur Bryan Richman ’14 launched “SharedSpark,” an online dating website open only to University students, on Sept. 15.

Richman, a management major at the University, in collaboration with his friends JJ Augenbraun, a recent graduate from Williams College, and Russell Toris, a Ph.D. student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, developed the idea.

In the fall of 2012, Richman proposed his “sharedspark” idea in front of a panel of alumni judges. As the winner of the first annual Business Pitch Competition, sponsored by the University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Richman and his friends were able to use the $1,500 prize money to create a working prototype for what they had envisioned.

Before entering the competition, Richman ran a market research survey. The results of his survey showed that out of 250 University students, 53 percent said they would be interested in a dating site such as the one Richman proposed.

SharedSpark is a registered not-for-profit business, though eventually Richman and his team would like to transform SharedSpark into a for-profit business. As of now, the total cost of this startup-up was less than $5,000.

“We are not trying to make money off of a product people haven’t seen before and are skeptical about. We’re just trying to make the product better and the only way to do that is to get users. The way to get users is to make it accessible,” Richman said.

The website itself is exclusively geared toward current University students and recent alumni. Users create a profile using their student e-mail addresses to ensure their authenticity. After entering general information such as class year and major, the user then proceeds to find a person. After selecting a profile, the options “fling” or “date” appear.

This simple process keeps both parties’ phone numbers locked unless they show mutual interest by selecting the same combination of either fling or date. A “shared spark” results when there is a mutual selection of both parties involved. The website then suggests local venues, such as downtown Lewisburg restaurants or Bison sporting events.

“What makes SharedSpark different is that it helps you enhance relationships you already have rather than just browsing until you find someone you think is attractive,” Richman said.

In the first two days following its launch, the site attracted over 100 users.