The Bucknellian

Jackson A. McCarron and William M. Fierman

News Editors

Many student-rented properties downtown closed their doors this past weekend after rumors circulated of a potential police crackdown.

South Sixth Street, usually buzzing with the sounds of students walking to and from parties and music emanating from houses, was eerily quiet on Friday and Saturday nights.

“Everybody was talking about the police being out in force,” said a student who owns a house downtown and wished to remain anonymous. “We had a mixer planned and we called it off. Apparently everyone else made the same call.”

The Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department (BVRPD) claimed no responsibility for the relative silence downtown.

“It was quiet last weekend,” BVRPD Chief of Police Paul Yost said. “But there was no policy change–nothing I can take credit for. We didn’t change anything.”

Three members of the Pennsylvania State Liquor Control Board were walking around downtown Lewisburg this weekend, Chief of Public Safety Stephen Barilar said.

“Because it is outside of our jurisdiction, they don’t consult us,” Barilar said. “They hit almost all college towns. I know they were already at State College this year.”

Faced with 19 University students already hospitalized due to dangerous alcohol consumption, leaders of the campus’ fraternities and sororities decided to ban hard alcohol at any greek function, official or otherwise.

The decision only included last weekend, according to Dean of Students Susan Lantz.

“I would certainly like their efforts to continue this semester and feel these student leaders have the potential to seriously make a difference with our high-risk drinking issues,” Lantz said.

For the first time this term, not a single University student was hospitalized due to excessive drinking, Lantz said.

Ethan Zubkoff

Writer

Cadets from the Bison Battalion finished their field training for the 2013-2014 academic year early on September 21 in Cowan, Pennsylvania.

At the Forest D. Brown Conference Center, the cadets consisted of students from Bucknell University, Susquehanna University, Bloomsburg University, Lycoming College, and the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Cadet Drew Taylor ’16 said that the training they completed included basic drill ceremony techniques, which included facing movements, saluting, and commands. The training also consisted of land navigation and individual movement techniques.

“It was all the basics this time,” Taylor said.

The training that the cadets received is equivalent to what is commonly used by soldiers in combat situations.

The training concluded with question and answer sessions with junior cadets who will be attending the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) capstone summer training event.

Although the event was originally planned to last all weekend, excessive rain and weather issues cut the trip short, Taylor said.

Kerong Kelly

Staff Writer

On Sept. 24 in Trout Auditorium, Peter Warren Singer, senior fellow at The Brookings Institute, discussed the impact technology has had on how the United States wages war as part of the University’s ongoing series “Tech/No.”

Singer is the director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institute, as well as the author of the recent book “Wired for War, ” which examines the effect technology and robotics has played in 21st century politics, war, and law. He graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and received his PhD from Harvard University.

Entitled “NextWar: Trends and Technology Shaping the 21st-century Battlefield,” Singer’s talk focused on how technology has impacted both international diplomacy and domestic politics.

Singer highlighted the reasons why the United States has not declared war since 1942 and how it can be attributed to an increase in technology while the economic and financial incentives have been on a steady decline.

Singer’s research is primarily focused on the issues of the future of war, the current U.S. defense situation, and the future of U.S. defense. He is also an expert in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

“I think we’ve seen it [technology] play an incredibly disruptive role to the established powers,” Singer said.

In addition to his work on many government projects, Singer’s has also worked closely with the video game Call of Duty.

“Both the Pentagon and the Call of Duty series were interested in what kind of technology will dominate in the future, what the conflicts will be about, who will be the key actors fighting,” Singer said.

Ethan Zubkoff

Contributing Writer

On Sept. 22, University President John Bravman said that providing for the health and safety of students downtown will prove to be difficult after making the decision to cancel House Party Weekend as an official University event.

In a speech before the first session of the Bucknell Student Government (BSG) Congress, Bravman spoke about the possible effects of his Aug. 1 decision to cancel House Party Weekend and the feedback he has received so far.

Bravman also said that he is concerned for the safety of the students if the activities typical of past House Party Weekends are taken off campus.

Any attempts to hold an event the size of House Party Weekend downtown could result in a riot or encounters with local police, Bravman said.

“There is literally not physical space [downtown],” Bravman said.

Bravman also answered questions from Student Government representatives about the new medical amnesty policy.

“[There is] some concern … that this will actually promote a substantially higher degree of dangerous drinking, but even if it does, I want to come down on the side of health and safety,” Bravman said.

Madeline Diamond

Contributing Writer

The University will soon begin construction on a new wrestling center and athletics leadership facility east of the existing athletic center complex.

As part of his May 1 update to the Board of Trustees, University President John Bravman included information regarding a $9 million gift to the University from trustees Bill Dearstyne ’62 and Bill Graham ’62. The donation will completely fund the project, which will be finished in December 2014.

The facility will house a new training space for the men’s wrestling team and will total 16,887 square feet and two stories, according to plans recently approved by the East Buffalo Township Planning Commission.

“I am excited about the facility and this will provide a huge boost for our wrestling program,” wrestling head coach Dan Wirnsberger said.

In addition to the wrestling space, the project will also include an athletics leadership facility. This area will include gathering space for co-curricular activities, as well as room for seminars and classrooms.

“The most exciting piece is the leadership portion of the building, which provides a fantastic opportunity for our student athletes to grow into future leaders in their athletic and professional endeavors,” Wirnsberger said.