Category: News

Jen Lassen

Director of Public Relations

A semester-long film series on issues of gender and gender norms hosted jointly by the Women’s Resource Center and International Student Services began on Sept. 12.

The film series aims to raise awareness regarding issues that women face around the world, said Tracy Russell, director of the Women’s Resource Center.  

The film screenings are on the second Thursday of each month at 9 p.m. in the IEA Multipurpose Room. Included in the series this semester are films that focus on stories and issues in the United States, Thailand, and Kenya.

“Through the sharing of stories of hardship and triumph, struggle and compassion, we hope to encourage students to think about ways in which progress has been made in their own countries, and where work still needs to be done in big and small ways in the United States and around the world,” Russell said.

The Global Women Film Series also functions as a supplement to classroom discussions.

“This is just what students want and need to fully benefit from their time here. For example, students in my Feminist Philosophy class and in my Gender Bender Foundation Seminar will attend these screenings,” said Sheila Lintott, associate professor of Philosophy and chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Department.

“It is our hope that the Global Women Film Series will engage the Bucknell community to watch, consider, discuss, and learn more about many women’s issues worldwide,” said Jennifer Figueroa, director of International Student Services.

Women’s Resource Center Book Club, another program which started last year, will continue hosting discussions this fall. Nearly 30 students, faculty, and staff have signed up for the first book discussion on Sept. 26, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” written by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook.

Next month, the Women’s Resource Center will host a series of events focused on issues related to sexual assault and dating violence. Projects and programs include the Clothesline Project, Take Back the Night, the return of the CRY HAVOC Company, and “Realer Than That,” a 25-minute play followed by a talk-back with the cast and crew.

Shannon Beauregard

Contributing Writer

A new composition studio will open this semester in the music building, giving music students the opportunity to work with advanced electroacoustic technology.

Right now the music department does not know when the composition studio will be available to students, although it will be sometime this semester.

The new studio is “a huge part of the reason why I’m here,” Assistant Professor of Music Paul Botelho said, “I love doing this kind of work.”

“Our new studio will analogue a recording studio,” Botelho said. “Right now we have an electric music lab that is focused on mini composition, but this studio will allow for much larger projects.”

The recording devices available in the new studio will allow students to simulate instruments not actually present. The new console in the studio is a large mixer that controls how the recorded sounds are combined.

“It’s the best kind of controller you can get,” Botelho said.

In the first phase of its completion the studio will essentially just be a control room. The University plans to eventually have all the music that is recorded in the studio remotely controlled through the concert hall. This way, microphones and other sound equipment in the concert hall can be transmitted to the composition studio for more advanced work.

Matthew Wyman

Contributing Writer

ConKerr Cancer, a group of student volunteers, is sewing pillowcases for children with cancer.

This year, the University’s ConKerr Cancer leader Rachel Healy ’16 plans to send the pillowcases to the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and the Susquehanna Valley Women in Transition program.

Healy will be running workshops in the Craft Center throughout the semester. The workshops are expected to have about five students each and will provide students with sewing lessons.

“No sewing experience is needed, the effort of trying will bring smiles to faces,” Healy said.

When asked how important she thinks the group is Healy said, “Number one, right up there with Relay for Life.”

Heather Lenker ’12 originally brought the ConKerr Cancer program to the University six years ago.

Erin Jankowski

Contributing Writer

Tanya Williams, the University’s nutritionist and dietitian, will be stationed in Bostwick Marketplace to help inform students about personal dietary choices.

Williams will appear each Wednesday in Bostwick Marketplace as perhaps the most accessible element of the growing nutritional health programs on campus.

“My goal upon the arrival of the Class of 2017 this year is that every student knows I exist before graduating,” Williams said.

Williams’ availability in the Bostwick Marketplace is only one example of her growing presence on campus.

This past January, Williams and her team introduced the Bucknell Nutrition Initiative Program. This initiative program includes first-year education courses, upperclassman cooking courses, guided shopping tours, and individual nutritional counseling sessions. The goal of this initiative is to inform students how to eat healthier for their entire career at the University.

The University’s dining services already use a variety of local and fresh products when available and make a large selection of food from scratch.

Rachel Healy

Contributing Writer

Two new psychologists joined the Psychological Services staff this past summer. Dr. Brian Schurr and Dr. Marina Shafran, both trained psychologists, will provide counseling services to students, and they hope to expand programs run by Psychological Services.

Schurr received his undergraduate degree from Lycoming College and his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Marywood University. Schurr’s area of specialty is alcohol and substance abuse as well as LGBTQ identity.

Shafran, who was born in the former USSR and grew up in Israel, came to the United States on a track and field NCAA scholarship and later earned her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in counseling psychology from Western Michigan University. Shafran specializes in trauma-related counseling.

Both are excited to work with the University’s Psychological Services team, and look forward to helping the students and implementing new programs.

“I am hoping to start a peer education group around alcohol/substance abuse concerns,” Schurr said.  “The group is called ‘Step Up, Bucknell’ and will hopefully be up and running in the near future.”

The Psychological Services program already hosts events including the therapy dogs that come to campus twice or more each semester and the newly implemented yoga program for sexual assault victims.

Tatham Elise Dilks

Contributing Writer

The University’s student population is becoming more diverse, and the class of 2017 serves as evidence.

The global presence on campus is now larger, with international students representing 9.8 percent of the first-year population, compared to the class of 2016’s 8.9 percent internationally affiliated students.

Another demographic that has seen growth this year is students of color, or students “who identify as Black or African-American, Latino or Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska native or two or more races.” Compared to last fall, the percentage of representation for students of color enrolled as first-years has increased from 15 to 17.5 percent.

Increases like these are the result of an admissions office that, as Dean of Admissions Robert Springall put it, is now aiming to “push the expectations of [how] the typical Bucknellian looks and speaks.”

Associate Dean of Admissions for Multicultural Recruitment Marylyn Scott and Admissions Counselor for Multicultural Recruitment Mohammed Ahamed are joining the University community alongside the Class of 2017 to help push expectations in the Admissions Office.

These additions to the admissions staff reflect a determination to make the University a place where, as Springall predicts, “more voices are heard and expectations about what an academic community looks like and does are higher.”

More impressive than the demographic diversity of the Class of 2017 is its academic achievement. The average GPA for the entering class, as well as its SAT and ACT scores, are slightly higher than those from recent years.

More notable still is the soaring increase in Merit Scholars. The Class of 2017 boasts 35 Presidential Fellows and 92 Deans Scholars compared to the Class of 2016’s 18 Presidential Fellows and 79 Deans Scholars. 

“We are particularly proud of these characteristics,” Springall said.

by Rachel Healy

Uptown, the University’s uphill student venue, will adopt several new changes following President John Bravman’s announcement of an updated alcohol policy.

The new policy will increase the number of Pub Nights and make the space at Uptown available to student organizations, according to Director of Campus Activities and Programs Laura Yeckley.

Any BSG, University, or Department-recognized group in good standing, without prior conduct incidents, is eligible to apply via the IN Network to host one register per year before the Monday, Sept. 16 deadline. The University will select three groups through a random drawing.

“[The] new policy is to help meet the demands and [is made] in response to feedback from our student population,” Yeckley said.

Students who are 21 and older will be given the same wristbands at the registers that are used on Pub Nights. The three tabs on the wristbands will be redeemable for an alcoholic beverage of beer or wine, which is funded by the dean of students. Dining Services or Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) trained Uptown staff will serve the beverages to students.

The number of Pub Nights will also increase from six to 12.

“We decided to double the amount in response to the popularity of the event and for the needs of our students over 21 who are looking for a casual, safe environment to drink,” Yeckley said.

The number of Pub Nights and registers will be equally balanced with an increase in dry events such as karaoke nights, concerts, and comedians.

“With this policy change, Uptown has more opportunities to put on events that students really want, and will hopefully attract more students from all ends of campus,” Greta Savickaite ’15, Uptown’s assistant manager, said.

by Brianna Marshall

A new costume studio is set to open in Coleman Hall by mid-September, just in time for the fall theatre season. The larger, well-lit room, a stark contrast to its cramped predecessor, will provide much needed space for design and fittings.

Paula Davis, associate professor and department chair of theatre and dance, hopes that the studio’s move from the backstage of Harvey Powers Theatre to an accessible academic building will contribute to student involvement and understanding of the many hours of work spent on costumes, lighting, and scenery.

Davis stresses that student participants are “not just theatre majors” and that this new space “demonstrates a commitment to the arts” on the part of the University, and she is hopeful that the costume studio will bring to the forefront the dedicated work and hidden aspects of production.

In celebration of the opening of the new costume studio in Coleman 255, an open house will take place during Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. It will feature a guest appearance and book signing by Eric Hart ’01, MFA and professional prop maker.

Pam Miller, costume shop manager, is excited to being working in the new shop.

“It’s a dream come true,” Miller said.

By Hannah Paton

Following a joint decision by The University, Bucknell Student Government (BSG) and Bucknell Dining Services, the 7th Street Café will no longer be opened 24 hours a day.

The café’s new hours are 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.

After many semesters of discussion, the decision was made based on much student input and data indicating that few students utilize the 7th Street Café after 2 a.m. and before 7 a.m.

The University concluded that it made little financial sense to staff the café during these hours, and determined that cutting back the hours would allow them to re-distribute the funds in ways that would be able to meet the needs of more students.

One option fueled by the shift of funds was the extension of operational hours in the Bison. According to Associate Dean of Students Kari Conrad and General Manager of Bucknell Dining John Cummins, the change was made in response to student input requesting more late night dining options and 24/7 gathering space.

The administration is very excited about the new dining options and welcomes student feedback.

“Late Night in the Bison and 24/7 hearth space is a direct response to student feedback and we are excited to give it a try. We will certainly look at how the semester progresses and make changes as needed,” Conrad and Cummins said on behalf of everyone involved.

By William M. Fierman

News Editor

In an email to the University community on Aug. 1, President John Bravman announced several new policy changes including the cancellation of House Party Weekend.

An almost century old tradition at the University, House Party is a weekend of events during the spring semester, most hosted by the campus’s Greek organizations. The weekend annually includes exceptionally high rates of hospitalizations due to high-risk drinking as well as a large spike of encounters between students and University Public Safety or local police. During the 2013 House Party Weekend, 15 students were admitted to the hospital.

The decision to cancel House Party Weekend by Bravman came to most members of the University community in the almost 3,000 word email that highlighted Bravman’s growing concerns with student behavior during House Party Weekend over his three years as president.

“I can no longer support an event that tacitly enables–and seemingly encourages–our students and their guests to be at their worst,” Bravman said in the email.

For most of the University’s history, House Party has steadily grown in size. Spending by the Inter-Fraternity Council totaled between $50,000 to $60,000 during the previous few years, though registration fees for students and their guests more than cover that cost. Proceeds are split between an IFC-sponsored educational event and a donation to a charitable organization.

In recent decades, involvement by the University grew with the hope of providing for student health and safety. During last year’s House Party Weekend, the University provided fencing, spotlights, security and safety personnel, on-campus events, and catering service through funding for the Department of Public Safety, the Dean of Students Office, the Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) Center, and the Inter-Fraternity Council.

“I think it got to be that this grew over time and the University tried to step in and be helpful–spotlights, port-o-potties, free food–trying to address issues, first and foremost, of health and safety,” Bravman said.

“They cannot mount House Party Weekend as it’s been [without a University contribution]. We provide logistical support and financial support to non-trivial degrees,” Bravman said in an interview with The Bucknellian. As it existed until last year, House Party was unquestionably “a University-sanctioned event–it’s on the academic calendar,” Bravman said.

“The size and scope of House Party Weekend typically required us to have all of our officers on duty for at least a portion of the weekend. To put that in perspective, that’s about three times the coverage of an average weekend on campus,” Chief of Public Safety Steve Barilar reported in an email to The Bucknellian.

In 2012, the Department of Public Safety spent $15,000 more on staffing on House Party Weekend than the average weekend, though this figure does not include the contributions of salaried employees. The Dean of Students’ office staff spent well over 250 hours planning for and volunteering.

When asked about the possibility of a student-led house party this spring, Barilar said the department has the ability to “adjust and adapt” to new circumstances in order to support the health and safety of students this spring.

Considering the breadth of such involvement, University administration acknowledge that it is difficult to gauge what will become of House Party Weekend without University aid.

Bravman also expressed concern that because of the unusual dynamic created by off-campus housing, the event may simply shift downtown, where University Public Safety officers have no jurisdiction. Past University-organized events and catering during House Party may have had the effect of drawing students onto campus and nearer to the safety measures provided for them.

Bravman claimed that he is not blind to the likelihood that students will most likely organize a House Party of their own during the 2014 spring semester, without the health and safety measures provided for them in the past by the University.

“I expect this to be a very bad spring–I do. And that grieves me. Maybe I’ll be wrong, but we’ll do the best we can,” Bravman said.

Despite these concerns, Bravman was clear that support for House Party Weekend equated to condoning the worst behaviors of students and young alumni during the event, and that such an approach by the University could not continue.

“We’ve sent a message in almost every way that this is almost like suspended reality for a weekend–we’ve said that this is ok,” Bravman said.