Category: Opinion

Justin Marinelli
Senior Writer

I am rather skeptical about the ability of politics to actually solve the problems facing us today. Sure, we’ve spent the last two years convincing ourselves that our candidate was the solution to our problems, and that the other guy would bring fire and brimstone down upon us. But you know what really fixes the problems of society? People who are fed up and tired of the way things are going who actually get up off the couch and do something, not our elected leaders.

Let’s start off by slaughtering a sacred cow. Your vote is not important. It really isn’t. Your one-in-200-million say in how this country is run counts for essentially nothing. If you’re going to enact change in our society, voting isn’t the way to go about it. You need to actually take it upon yourself to get out there and take action to make the world a better place.

Suppose you are of a more liberal persuasion, and you feel that our society should strive to do more to take care of the poor. Is it going to make more of a difference to vote for a candidate who will increase funding to welfare programs or to volunteer at soup kitchens yourself and give to charity regularly? Which will really have the most impact?

Or perhaps you possess a more conservative leaning and you feel that we should have a large military so you can feel secure. Is it more effective to use your minuscule say in how this country is run or will you feel safer if you learn martial arts and/or how to use firearms? Once again, greater results come from taking personal responsibility, not assuming that politicians will solve your problems for you.

It’s rather unimpressive how so many people sit around waiting for change, then get annoyed when the gridlock of our political system fails to provide it. We have the power within us to enact change in the world around us, but we never exercise it. Sure, it takes more effort to start a charity, join the Peace Corps or be a part of the neighborhood watch than to submit a ballot, but it yields more potent results.

When I look at the world, the people and organizations I see making a difference aren’t elected. Instead, I see the American Red Cross, Alcoholics Anonymous, researchers searching for new technologies that will benefit humanity and countless other volunteer organizations, NGOs and compassionate, driven people. These are the people who really make a difference.

Yes, it’s true that there are some things that can only be decided by the government (legality of gay marriage, tax policy, etc.). For issues like these, voting makes sense, but only if you can rally large numbers of people to support your cause. The onus is still on you to go out and win hearts and minds and try to change the popular attitude to suit your views (or even to run for office yourself, if you feel this is the best way to change things).

So call me a heretic and burn me at the stake, but if you didn’t vote, I don’t have a problem with that. If you did vote, awesome. Thanks for taking a little initiative to make the world a better place. But whether you did or you didn’t, the question to ask yourself now is: what can I do that will actually change not only my life, but the lives of the people around me for the better?

El McCabe

Writer

Hurricane Sandy was more than just a storm: it was a life-altering and destructive force that forever changed the lives of millions up and down the East Coast. Being a native New Yorker, this last week has been painful hearing off-hand the effects Sandy had on my hometown and people in my community. Personally, my family went without power for a week, but was safe from most of the wrath of the hurricane. Not everyone proved to be as lucky. New York and other states on the eastern seaboard have been referred to as a “war zone” in the aftermath of the hurricane. Over 10 days later, bodies are still being found–a fact that the media is doing a terrible job of reporting. Thousands of families are homeless and lost everything they had. After hearing all these horrifying stories, the obvious question appeared in my mind: how did the country let conditions get this bad?

To answer this, it is important to note the public attitude toward the storm prior to the disaster. The hurricane started off as an exciting prospect that almost guaranteed no school in most states including Pennsylvania. A few days before the storm hit, Hurricane Sandy was the subject of hundreds of exuberant Facebook statuses, memes and countless “SpongeBob”/“Grease” references. However, once the severity of the storm was realized, all the jokes and school closings were no longer funny. The mild effects of Hurricane Irene last year left the public feeling arrogant that this storm was “over-hyped” yet again, and many Americans failed to heed warnings to evacuate their homes. These individuals are paying for their choices now and truly have nothing but the clothes on their backs. Relief efforts are finally starting to be taken in damaged communities, but there is a long way to go before balance can be restored.

As college students, we are inherently isolated from the rest of the world without our parents informing us or overhearing the news, so it is likely most of you are unaware of the state of parts of the country outside of the “Bucknell Bubble.” The east coast needs help, and it needs it fast. Donations are strongly encouraged, as is spreading the word about the nightmare some Americans continue to face. Thousands of people lost everything they owned, so even donating basic supplies such as toiletries, old clothes and even small cans of food can seriously make a huge difference. I know that as soon as Thanksgiving Break hits, I will be doing my part in helping the recovery process. If you are looking for ways to get involved, just try reaching out to relief organizations. Small efforts are all it takes to make a world of difference, and educating yourself on happenings outside of campus is the first step in helping our nation restore the damage done by Hurricane Sandy.

Justin Marinelli

Senior Writer

An important part of college is not just learning to adjust and make friends, but also learning to make the right friends. One of the keys to not only success but to having an awesome life in general is having a varied friend set. In my experience, here are some of the friends that are either essential or incredibly important.

First off, you need a friend that is really comfortable talking with people, especially to members of whatever sex you may be attracted to. Having one of those fearless friends who can just walk up and strike up a conversation with almost anyone is an utter boon to your social circle, provided that you either actively join them or passively let yourself get dragged along for the ride. You never know who you might just meet.

Second, it’s also incredibly helpful to have a friend who is always able to dish out incredibly wise advice. Even the brightest and most self-sufficient person will eventually run into situations that are difficult to handle alone. It’s those times that you need a friend who can always figure out the best course of action. Life always has a few bumps in the road and having someone who knows how to ride it makes it a lot easier.

In a similar vein, another essential friend to have is the one that you can tell anything to.  Keeping things in and shouldering your burdens yourself isn’t impossible and there are some things that need to be kept secret, but being able to get things off your chest every once in a while is immensely cathartic. Additionally, knowing that you’ve got someone who will be a source of support no matter what is a fantastic confidence booster when facing just about anything.

A lot of the time we end up spewing a river of statements that can be … inaccurate.  Whether it’s an off-color joke, an argument not rooted in fact or just acting like an idiot in general, oftentimes we tend not to realize when we’re not living up to our intelligence.  Having a friend around who will call us out on these things is way more important than we tend to realize. I would argue that it’s a necessity.

Finally, I would say it’s incredibly important to have a friend with a nose to the ground when it comes to things going on around campus. Oftentimes, you hear about really cool events that don’t get enough publicity or unique opportunities that not too many people know about. You can also stay abreast of who’s hooking up with who, and other things like that. A friend with a finger on the pulse is a worthwhile friend to have.

Life is a lot more fun when you know a bunch of great people, and I’ve found that these are the people who are great to know. This is nowhere near an exhaustive list of people worth knowing (because frankly, almost everyone is worth getting to know on some level). If you ever find yourself in need of a new friend or two, try to find someone with one of these strengths. It’ll pay off handsomely for you in no time.

Ben Kaufman

Presentation Director

The first word that comes to my mind when I think of hallcest is “ew.” But first, hallcest should probably be defined. In my opinion, hallcest is the act of either hooking up or dating somebody on your residence hall. Although there are rare times that it works out to date someone on your hall, from what I have seen, it usually only ends badly. Here is an example as to why I think that.

I have a friend–we’ll call him Joe–at Binghamton University in Upstate New York. He and his girlfriend met because they lived on the same hall their first year. The story sounds really cute up until the point when they decided to live on the same hall sophomore year as well and broke up at one point. Joe began planning his normal routine around the fact that his girlfriend lived on his hall. For example, he would always get coffee from his girlfriend’s room and then go to class, as well as form other plans with her when he would return from class. However, when they were broken up, that obviously wouldn’t happen, and he therefore had to find a new routine.

I actually told my girlfriend that if we went to the same school, I would not want to live on the same hall as her. It always seems to turn out that if you are in a relationship with someone on your hall, you literally have no time to yourself. It is almost like living with your girlfriend or boyfriend, because whenever you go back to your hall your girlfriend or boyfriend will be there too.

However, I will not completely bash hallcest because sometimes it does work. For example, there is a guy in my fraternity who started dating a girl from his first-year hall, and they are still together despite having always lived in very close proximity. I will acknowledge that hallcest is something that can be successful, but I just don’t think it is something I could do.

On this campus, I feel like hallcest mostly ends in awkward situations. It most likely starts as a hookup at a party, which then progresses to an awkward morning realization that you hooked up with somebody on your hall and then you go from there. And if it’s your first-year hall, you don’t even know the person that well and then you start hooking up or dating him or her.

Hallcest is a tricky situation. I think if it is managed well, then it could probably work. Although it can work, it is not an endeavor I would personally want to go through. Knowing the nature of hallcest, I feel like it would only end in awkwardness and not actually be something practical. If you are currently dating someone on your hall and it is going well, then good for you. I just personally don’t think that I–and I probably speak for many others–would be able to do it and have it end well.

Emily Guillen
Editor-in-Chief

As a college female who participated in hallcest during my first year, I can honestly say that it was not one of my better ideas. It was convenient to have my boyfriend close by, not only so I could be around him most of the time, but also so I could keep an eye on him. However, convenience does not form the basis of a solid relationship.

Looking back, the relationship was mostly based on accessibility and fleeting lust. We didn’t have a lot in common, leaving us with little to talk about. Our personalities didn’t really click and we weren’t a good match, but since we lived on the same hall, we continued to date.

As the year went on, we both started losing interest in each other and we were fighting all the time. The dilemma was that I knew that if we broke up, it would be really awkward to live on the same hall and be forced to see each other all the time. The arguments culminated in a really bad breakup that happened to coincide with my moving to another hall (something that resulted from many different issues building up all year). I realized afterward that I felt relieved that I wouldn’t have to see him all the time, and I wouldn’t have to pretend to still be invested in a relationship that was obviously over. My initial first-year hall had about four hallcest relationships, but not a single one has lasted since then. My second first-year hall had one couple that is still together after one of them studied abroad, so it is clearly possible to make things work when there is a real connection, not just a convenient living situation.

Fast forward three years and now I’m living on the same hall as the guy I dated sophomore year. Not only is it awkward because we didn’t maintain a friendship after the breakup, but it’s also awkward anytime my current boyfriend comes over and happens to run into him or when my roommates get caught in a conversation with him.

I think it’s natural as a first-year to come to school, meet new people and find someone on your hall attractive. I think we’re always attracted to the people we spend the most time with, and during your first year, they are the people living in your residence hall. At the same time, I wish I’d thought further ahead about my four years at the University and made better long-term decisions. I’m not saying I shouldn’t have dated someone that I wanted to, but maybe I shouldn’t have let the relationship become so dependent on our living situation and let it continue when it was clear that it wasn’t right.

Overall, I think hallcest doesn’t work out and is more trouble than it’s worth about 98 percent of the time, but hey, that two percent that does work out can be worth the risk.

Joe Selvaggio, Josh Cohen, and Pat Whales
Contributing Writers

On Nov. 6 the American people will make a decision that will affect the future of our generation and generations to come. We will either continue to mortgage our futures on Barack Obama’s promise of continued change, all of which has been overwhelmingly negative to date, or we can forge ahead on a new path, offered by challenger Mitt Romney, toward smaller government, more individual freedom and economic prosperity. The choice is ours, yet many Americans have been taken by Obama’s strategy of character assassination focused on defaming Romney in order to deflect attention from his own abysmal job performance. Romney was 100 percent correct when he said we Americans value our rights to fire incompetents who work for us and replace them with individuals better suited to the task at hand, and we hope that voters will replace the arrogant, contemptuous and incompetent occupant of the White House with a new president next week.

Of course, Obama’s reluctance to run on his record comes as no surprise. That record of failure includes a pork-laden stimulus plan that promised economic expansion but resulted only in adding $1 trillion to our national debt (which bloated by 60 percent to $16 trillion by the 3 and 1/2 year point in his administration) and advancing the cause of crony capitalism. Unemployment has been significantly higher than the levels Obama promised us in the white paper by Christina Romer supporting his “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” and remains 2.2 percentage points higher than where we were told it would be today (7.8 percent vs 5.6 percent). In February 2009, Obama promised that he would be “held accountable” for his actions and that if he did not fix the economy, he would be “looking at a one-term proposition.” Given this, we wonder why he is running for reelection.

Obama has also attempted to associate his Obamacare with Romney’s healthcare plan in Massachusetts. In the second debate, Obama correctly stated that Romney’s plan “hasn’t destroyed jobs” and “is bringing down costs.” However, healthcare at the state and federal level simply cannot be compared. At the state level, socialized healthcare appropriates money far more efficiently by allowing an individual state to care for its constituents based on their specific needs, which, in general, are far more detailed than the needs of the entire country. Managing information flow to and from Boston about the state of the Massachusetts healthcare market is far less costly than centralizing and acting upon such information for the United States as a whole. Obamacare will cost an estimated $2,500 more than current traditional plans despite Obama’s claims to actually reduce costs by $2,500 (a $5,000 spread). Cost estimates by the “nonpartisan” Congressional Budget Office have skyrocketed from $939 billion at the time of the bill’s passage to over $2 trillion by the time the Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare’s individual mandate is indeed a tax.

We will not touch upon the Benghazi cover-up scandal, the Obama apology tour, Solyndra, Obama’s trampling on the rights of religious believers nor the obvious corruption of his Justice Department in its handling of the Black Panther voter intimidation case in Philadelphia, not to mention the other scandals.

Although desperate leftists in Chicago and elsewhere are over the prospect of losing the presidency, it serves as a poor excuse to fire false ad hominem attacks at Romney and to the American people. These left-wing partisans have accused Romney at various times of causing the cancer of an employee’s wife, being a felon and belonging to a cult. This campaign has been one of the dirtiest ever with the incumbent devoting 85 percent of his ads toward debasing his challenger. This is not the American way. We believe in a country where the issues take center stage and republicans, democrats and independents move us forward through compromise. Therefore we reject Obama’s politics of personal destruction.

Romney worked with Democrats and Republicans alike as governor of Massachusetts and we are confident that he will continue to be a bridge builder as our 45th president.

Elaine Lac
Staff Writer

After the three presidential debates, students are only left with waiting for Election Day on Nov. 6. Are you for the big business-minded, conservative candidate, Mitt Romney, or the middle class-supporting, liberal candidate, Barack Obama? Obama’s first two lackluster deliveries during the debates struck a large amount of doubt in liberals and the undecided majority. However, in the last debate, Obama displayed his expertise in foreign policy, thus restoring confidence in his abilities. Ultimately, Obama is the better candidate suited for the current state of America.

Throughout the election, Obama has consistently stated that his economic policy will focus on job growth. The idea is to improve America’s overall economy through small scale job creation to improve America’s deficit. The focus is on clean energy, education and infrastructure. From an environmental standpoint, clean energy is a smarter alternative to trying to maximize use of US coal and oil that Romney believes in. Romney’s decision to turn away from foreign dependence on fossil fuels is correct, but using all of our coal and oil isn’t sustainable. The conservation of coal and oil can happen; however, there is an expiration date on that use. Investment in clean and alternative energy is needed before we run out of coal and oil.

Educational improvement is another area America needs to focus on. Our educational practices are outdated and obviously inadequate. We are continually moving down in our educational quality. Romney claims that when he was governor of Massachusetts, his state was a leader in educational performance. These practices were instituted by a governor before him, leaving little credibility for Romney.

Promoting improvements in infrastructure is important in creating jobs. The idea is to help the middle class to lower class make money and produce a turning economy. Romney, on the other hand, promotes helping the upper-middle to upper class by promoting business growth. He believes that this can be fueled by extending the Bush tax cuts and cutting government spending and bureaucracy. The Bush tax cuts were only to be implemented for a small period of time to begin with. They were initiated after Sept. 11 as a way to stimulate the shaken spending population. However, these cuts have been extended for far too long and ultimately are unneeded. Next, Romney believes that by cutting vital government agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he can stimulate the economy. This agency has proved vital, especially during Hurricane Sandy. Businesses can survive the taxes, the same way Romney can.

Romney’s consistency in policies also comes into question. It’s difficult to trust a presidential candidate who flip-flops as much as he does. One could attribute this to his lack of expertise. He was quoted on believing that Russia, and not the Middle East, is the most dangerous threat to the United States. He then flip-flopped again during the last debate by saying that he meant that the Middle East was the United State’s greatest threat. He has changed his stance many times in talking about the economy, health care and foreign policy. He has also been recorded disparagingly regarding lower class America, and saying they are not his priority. The president is supposed to represent the best interest of America, and disregarding them isn’t going to win him many points.

Obama has stayed consistent in his plans. He has been our president for four years, and he has made America a little better since coming into office. Economic growth has increased slightly, and in the face of adverse obstacles, he is still trying. America has to focus on progressive socialized ideas which many countries such as Sweden and France use. They have the best education, healthcare and happiness rating because the government takes care of them. The era of capitalistic control died after the Industrial Revolution spurred innovation. Care for the majority of America comes first, and Obama will deliver that.

Mary Morris and Gillian Feehan

Contributing Writers

Trying to find a good roommate is like taking a shot without a chaser. Some people can do it, and some people cannot. Then there are the many unfortunates who think they can, only to find out later when their head is hanging over the porcelain throne of regret that they were so very wrong.

The relationship between roommates is meant to be one of mutual respect. One would think this might mean doing your best to keep from waking the other up or giving each other some privacy when in a bad mood, but some roommates just don’t see things from your perspective. You try your best to be quiet when she’s napping, but she invites some friends over when you’ve pulled an all-nighter cramming for an exam.

After having your roommate selected for you your first year, many students assume that living with friends will be a more pleasant experience. But in some situations, this dream come true can turn into a nightmare before closing your eyes on the first night. Rooming with your friend prevents honest communication about habits and living styles that become problematic to the relationship. You may fear that confronting these issues will strain, and maybe even ruin, your relationship. Is telling her she’s a slob in the hopes of her cleaning up really worth the attitude you’ll be getting for the next few days?

So you try to subtly get your point across (hints about being woken up yet again this morning or writing funny notes about the dirty dishes in the sink), but your pleasantly oblivious roommate does not get the hint. After months of little annoyances, you are about to completely lose it. What do you do now?

First, take some time for yourself–go for a run, buy yourself a coffee or go to the Freez. Treat yourself like royalty! It’s hard to be rational when pushed to the brink of insanity. Once your jets have cooled, calmly approach your roommate, sit down and talk it out. Mention your problems without becoming too accusatory, listen to each other, think of some solutions and come to a compromise. You will be thankful that you took the time to sort your issues out.

There may be no relationship more demanding and fragile than the one between college roommates. Despite believing that everyone has the same experiences and background as you, it is important to keep in mind that no matter how good of friends you are, living with someone reveals all the little quirks and peculiarities that have developed over 18 plus years that your grooming cannot override. There will be rough times ahead for many future roomies, and when those times come, remember: compromise is always better than a screaming match.

Justin Marinelli
Staff Writer

As we pick up and recover from the effects of our good friend Sandy, we also find ourselves faced with the detritus from another disaster: all the hurricane parties we threw while the rain poured down. Let’s be honest, the second we found out that classes were canceled, we started partying. But these parties can’t satisfy us all the time.

Despite how we students sometimes act, we are multifaceted individuals with complex needs and desires that can’t be satisfied by non-stop parties. We might want committed romantic relationships, intellectual conversation or classical music, but we certainly don’t get any of those at registers, mixers and impromptu hurricane celebrations. What we get is a bunch of people crammed into a hot, sweaty basement, and we’re told that this is fun.

Why are we told this? Many theories abound. Here’s mine: Parties are great fun for a lot of people. Sure, they may not satiate all our needs, but they aren’t supposed to. There is no one single activity that can satisfy all your needs. Expecting parties to do so is ridiculous.

We party because it’s a nice release from classes, schoolwork and all the other things we do. That’s all that it’s meant to do. Partying is not the only way of going about getting this release, and its not the only one that students utilize. It’s just another option that can be partaken in if one wishes to relax after a long week.

Yes, we as a campus can party hard at times, but I like to think that we work hard enough to earn it. Between problem sets, papers, clubs, sports, community service and all the other things we do that stimulate and enrich us, satisfying certain needs for accomplishment and intellectual stimulation that we have, we manage to pack a lot of activity into our lives. If partying was the only thing we did, I would probably be writing a scathing article denouncing our lack of involvement. However, it’s not. It’s another piece of the puzzle, another thread in the mosaic that makes up the colorful image of a student at this University.

Some students like to party more than others and take more delight in such activities.  Good for them. Others, not so much. Good for them, as well. This just highlights the need to provide a diverse offering of social opportunities, and if people will participate in something, I see no reason why it shouldn’t happen.