The Bucknellian

By Kristen Allen

Chief Copy Editor 

On my first Wednesday night working in Roberts basement three and a half years ago, I somehow thought that The Bucknellian hadn’t yet made the transition to modernity. I brought different colored pens with me, thinking we would be editing printed versions of the articles with traditional editors’ markings. How naïve I was! Since then, I’ve seen The Bucknellian transition from working entirely on the server to working mostly online, the creation of a website for the newspaper, the proper format of that word change from “Web site” to “website” and, most recently, even the creation of a Bucknellian app. But my favorite feeling is still picking up a fresh copy of the latest issue from Robert L. Rooke Science Center on Friday mornings, knowing that I had something to do with its creation.

The Bucknellian has come a long way in the past four years, and so have I. As a first-year, I was shy, timid and not at all confident in my intellectual abilities. Using my newfound knowledge of AP style to edit my peers’ articles gave me confidence because I could use a skill set that very few people on campus had. Even though most of the technical things I’ve learned—strange state abbreviations, the “official” names for every building on campus and which way the apostrophes before class years are supposed to face—are things no one else would ever notice, knowing them made me feel skilled and therefore confident in my ability to edit, which eventually translated to confidence in other areas.

Now, as a soon-to-graduate senior, I have been chief copy editor for two years. My name has been on the masthead for 48 issues, and I’ve hired and trained many capable successors to my position. I’ve met some awesome people that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and had the opportunity to create something I was proud of each week. How many students can say that?

As a biology and psychology double major, I appreciate the chance The Bucknellian has given me to release my inner perfectionist when it comes to the written word. My favorite part of any English class has always been peer editing, and getting paid to do it on a weekly basis has practically been a dream come true. It’s incredibly hard to believe that this is the last issue of The Bucknellian I’ll ever work on, and probably the last time I’ll ever work for a newspaper, since I’m going into healthcare. Even though they made Thursdays difficult, I’ll always remember late Wednesday nights in Roberts fondly, because it was one of the few places on campus where I felt I was truly in my element.

By Courtney Bottazzi

Senior Writer

Constantly, we see students at the University becoming involved with projects outside of the classroom and beyond their homework assignments.

Kenia Lobo ’15went on the B.A.C.E.S. trip to the Dominican Republic this past spring break. As a biology major, Lobo found this trip changed her entire perspective as a student on this campus.

After hearing about the trip during orientation, Lobo decided she wanted to do something productive with her spring break. She left for the Dominican Republic with 15 strangers and came back with a renewed energy and 15 close friends. “You need a certain mentality to be able to face it; you would never see that amount of poverty here. But we didn’t want to leave. We had so much chemistry as a group,” Lobo said.

They packed medical supplies, gave out toys and helped paint the school they had raised money to open, while simultaneously creating a lasting bond together.

“During the food drive, we made teams. I was on ‘The Sugar People.’ It was so silly and so much fun. We also got to go around to classrooms in pairs and the kids were amazing. They had a talent show where one student knew all the words to Justin Bieber songs,” Lobo said.

Phil Kim ’12, who also went on the B.A.C.E.S. trip, was able to participate in the progress of the school from the very first construction stages.

“Four years ago, I went on the second B.A.C.E.S. trip and got a chance to assist in building the walls to the schoolhouse that today teaches nearly 200 students in a poor community called Cabòn. It’s an absolutely incredible feeling to literally see the school build itself up each year–a feeling impossible to describe in words,” he said.

Kim found that in order to make these trips successes, he had to hone every skill that he will need upon graduation, including leadership, communication, organizational and networking skills. When asked if he has any advice for other students, Kim urged them to travel themselves.

“Do it … at least once before you graduate. It doesn’t have to be B.A.C.E.S., but there is something so selfless and real about going on a service trip that forces you to rethink how you think and how you live. It’s a beautiful experience,” Kim said.

Lebo Letsie ’12 created her own philanthropic project when she went home to Botswana for this past winter break. She sent out a Message Center request and a few emails to professors, asking if they had any extra clothes of growing children that they could give away.

“I was only expecting a few responses, but my email was flooded with responses,” Letsie said.

In the end, Letsie was able to donate two cars full of clothes to a small orphanage, La Modimo or ‘Light of God.’ Letsie was able to help make a safe environment for orphans and neglected children to go to and be with people who will take care of them.

“I loved being able to see both the giving and the receiving sides of this project. Something that’s so small to you can mean so much to someone else. I hope to help inspire other people to help but also to inspire the youth in Bostwana; to tell them to stay in school and stay focused and then they can continue to do this type of work,” Letsie said.

Letsie received a Projects of Peace grant of $10,000 that she will use to fund youth camps. These camps will be a place where young kids can learn about culture and leadership.

Danielle Alaimo ’12 has traveled to Nicaragua three times with the Bucknell Brigade and also fundraises at the Student Calling center. She says that these have changed her perspective of how she wanted to shape her college experience.

“After the Brigade trip my freshman year, it changed my perspective of community, how I wanted to connect with and communicate with other people. It changed how I wanted to spend my time here–-I found I had a lot of resources,” Alaimo said.

By working at Student Calling, Alaimo was able to talk with alumni from many different backgrounds and varying age groups about what they got from the University and what we should do while we are here.

“It was amazing to hear stories from alumni. Everyone should take advantage of Bucknell’s resources to challenge themselves and grow. Pay attention to the little mailbox notices or to Message Center, stop by the Civic Engagement office. Everyone can benefit from these projects–you just have to be open to it,” Alaimo said.

These philanthropic projects have made all the difference for students’ experiences on campus and have allowed them to give back beyond the “bubble.”

By Devin Geary
Copydesk Editor

My name only appeared on the masthead for one semester. Before this reflection, I have never had any work published in The Bucknellian. I’m not a photographer or cartoonist. So why am I writing now, three weeks from graduation? Because I love grammar.

That’s what lured me in four years ago as a meek little first-year. I saw on the Message Center that The Bucknellian was looking for copy editors, and even though I didn’t know the difference between a copy editor or any other kind of editor, I knew I liked proofreading, and I decided to send in an application, just to see what would happen. The result? Four years of late nights in Roberts, seven different staffs and a whole lot of sour gummies. You know, the green ones from the Bison.

I never knew the intricacies of AP Style or the significance of an Oxford comma, but over the past four years, I have come both to love and hate every last rule. I can no longer read any kind of writing, journalistic or not, without noticing the direction of an apostrophe or whether numbers are written alphabetically or numerically. I can’t walk past the caf without remembering that it’s stylistically Bostwick Marketplace or go into Seventh Street without mentally noting it’s “café,” with the accent. I count down the semester by number of remaining newspaper issues, and I have to confess, I feel like I know a lot of people who I have never actually met just because I have fact-checked their names: spelling, class year and major.

I’m known to get angry at some of the articles that come through, and I officially hate sports statistics, but the weekly routine of chatting with the other editors, laughing at that specific week’s typo, and yelling at the old school Roberts computers has become a huge part of my Bucknell life. I’m not off to a fancy job at The New York Times, or even headed to journalism school, but my various copy editing positions have defined much of my experience as a student, a writer and a leader. While I can’t say I will forever miss the late night fact-checking, I can say I’m glad I did it, and thankful I had the chance. It all started with a nerdy love for grammar, and four years later, that hasn’t changed. So here’s to you, AP Style, and every article that had incorrect punctuation, misspelled names and evil words like “however” and “amongst.” ’Ray Bucknell(ian)!