The Bucknellian

By Mislav Forrester

Contributing Writer

Bring sexy back? Sexy never left, and if it did, it never left the University. A good friend of mine visited once and commented about how many pretty women there are here. Sexy, pretty, cute–whatever the choice term—all get at the same idea. So, what does it mean to be sexy? We grow up in a society where images of men and women are shown in contrast to each other. We focus on differences and overlook glaring similarities. It’s men who control these messages, telling women to be sexy and make themselves attractive for men.

It is great if a woman is dressing in a way that makes her feel powerful and proud of her self and body, but conforming to men’s expectations without thinking about the reason can be dangerous. If men host social events to which women must wear short skirts and revealing tops to attend, they are forcing women to fulfill their desires without regard for the women’s desires. We, as a society, are bombarded by images of women’s bodies, while men’s bodies are emphasized much less often.

Sexiness may appear to give women an advantage in some social situations, but it is often for the purpose of attracting men. In Disney movies, for example, female roles only appear powerful through their acquisition of men as marriage partners. In “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel gives up her voice so that she can marry Prince Eric. In “Mulan,” Mulan has to dress like a man in order to be allowed to fight, and her family only values her as a woman when she brings home a husband at the end; thus cementing a woman’s social role as a submissive partner whose importance is secondary to that of her mate. The problem is that a false sense of power is created; men still have more physical strength and top positions in most businesses and companies, as well as religious and political organizations, in our society. The power of attraction pales against the power of physical strength in a sexual context.

Cosmopolitan’s October 2011 issue promises a way to “shrink your inner thighs” following with an inside statement, “We’re psyched to see that P!nk isn’t rushing like mad to lose the extra pregnancy pounds.” Magazines for women simultaneously encourage women to be uncomfortable in their bodies while also being friendly towards women who are not. These contradictions are not coincidental and surely confuse readers. One thing is clear: women have to make themselves attractive for men. The very same Cosmopolitan issue promises “Times he wants you to be jealous” and “Four words that seduce any man. Any time.” Many magazines marketed to women are produced by men; Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Magazine are both published by Hearst Corporation, whose chairman and vice chairman are men.

In our male-dominated and centered culture, we are taught to view men as the norm and women as the exception, even though the physical and psychological differences we perceive between men and women are mostly socially constructed. This gender and sex binary, with only men and women, excludes anyone who doesn’t fit its narrow definitions and teaches women to see themselves through the eyes of others, particularly men. Our relations with others can only define who we are within the context of our own personalities; to only see ourselves through the eyes of others is to ignore our individuality and create an artificial void.

Students can regularly hear men talking about how “sweet” a particular woman’s ass is in our school cafeteria, and it’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing for the woman because she is being turned into an object of sexual desire for that man, and for the man who has accepted such a shallow point of view that he can no longer see sexually attractive women as people.

Sexy should not be a tight-fitting, body-accentuating outfit that catches the eye of a man in search of sexual gratification. Sexy should be an individual who is confident, aware of her and his sense of self, and not something involving pleasing others. It is up to us as a community to make sure our University includes an environment that accepts people for who they truly are.

By Josh Haywood

Contributing Writer

We have all been in class working away when “that guy” does something so annoying that you want to scream at the top of your lungs. Being at an institution for higher learning, it would be easy to assume that students follow certain rules of etiquette. Sadly, this is not the case at the University. This is a composite of the three most annoying things students do in class and how to self-alleviate the pain of looking like a fool, which we all are guilty of at one time or another.

First up is arriving to class late. This is possibly the most annoying failure of classroom etiquette. I can justify being four or five minutes late, but that is where tardiness is cut off. When you are rolling in 10 or 15 minutes late, you might as well not even come to class at all. Do you think you are Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell and can sneak past 20 other students without being noticed? It is extremely rude to arrive this late; I would even go to the extent to say that flipping the professor the bird is more polite than coming in as such. What are you going to do when you have a real job outside the “Bucknell Bubble”?  Excusing yourself by saying “my bad” won’t cut you a break in the real world. 

The next issue is strictly generational: cell phone use during class. What would you say if your professor just whipped out his or her phone and started texting President Bravman asking which he likes better, Lin-Sanity or TebowMania? It is honestly a dead giveaway that you are texting if you are looking down at your crotch smiling like it told you a good joke. You do not need to be checking Facebook to see if that random girl you poked at 3 a.m. last Friday has poked you back. Just leave the cell phones in your pocket or—better yet—your bag.

The third classroom annoyance is talking to your friends during class, specifically whispering. I seriously doubt that you cannot wait until after class to discuss which fraternity is throwing down this weekend. Whispering is the absolute worst as it accomplishes the total opposite of what it is meant to do; instead of a private conversation, it is as if you are giving a public service announcement. Ladies, we do not care what type of rain boots you just bought. Men, we do not care that you just bought a sick pair of vintage Sperrys. Sit down, shut up and take notes; it’s simple as that.

Hopefully you will be able to pass this knowledge on to your fellow friends and classmates, because obviously they are lacking in this area. Go to class prepared, sit in the first three rows—not the back row with all the other people who went to the bar last night—and pay attention. For all you know you might learn a thing or two.

By Riley Schwengel

Contributing Writer

While many students here at the University are from nearby locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a good amount, like myself, are far from home; this brings certain advantages and disadvantages.

I am from Rhode Island and must endure a seven-hour drive every time I wish to go home. I have learned to battle any homesickness that may arise by participating in a variety of activities. When I was deciding which college to attend, I knew I wanted to go somewhere far away as I wanted a change of scenery. Many of my friends went to schools relatively close to where they grew up, but I wanted to explore new places and meet new people from different parts of the country. That being said, I was still concerned about being seven hours away: I thought I would get homesick and have trouble adjusting to my new environment. Surprisingly, I really did not have that much trouble getting used to school. I immersed myself in the many activities the University has to offer and surrounded myself with new friends. Whenever I felt a bit homesick, I had the technological innovations of Facebook and Skype to keep me close to my friends and family back home. With how busy I was at school and the chats online with family, I really did not have time to be homesick.

I believe the key to staving off homesickness is complete immersion in what the school has to offer. I knew I would have a lot of free time between classes, so I joined as many activities as I could: club tennis, pep band, ski team and The Bucknellian.  This allowed me to meet a lot of great friends and compensate for all the activities I left back home. While for the average student this advice may prove invaluable, many do have situations that may make this move to college quite difficult.

One challenge that some students face is dealing with a chronic illness so far from home and leaving the medical care they grew up with. I myself do not have any chronic illnesses, but I have been sick here and can attest that it is not fun to be ill far from home.

Students with chronic illnesses may have a harder time adjusting to their new home because of the medical care they require. I read an article in The New York Times by Lily Altavena, a junior at New York University who has Crohn’s disease. Her advice was to plan ahead; she advised finding a doctor, getting medical information together and telling the school early on to get the best and easiest treatment when the need arises. She also advises to not be afraid to go home if you are really having a bad experience with your illness and school. Luckily for us, the University does have Health Services to assist with any medical emergencies. They provide help with simple maladies, like colds or flus, and have services that allow chronically ill students to receive the guidance and treatment they need. My only complaint with Health Services is that it is a rather long walk. Not to worry–they have a solution for that too; they provide those too ill to walk with a ride to Health Services or to the hospital at no cost. While they may not be as comforting as your mom’s homemade chicken soup, Health Services can be a huge help for a variety of ailments.

Coming from one who is far from home, the University can easily help you overcome any homesickness if you throw yourself into the many activities and clubs this school offers. If there are any situations that may make this transition harder, like chronic illness, then plan ahead and seek assistance and this school can easily become your home away from home.

By Josh Haywood

Contributing Writer

Marijuana is–and should remain–illegal for all Americans, except for those who use it medicinally. I stand firmly behind this belief, as I just do not feel that we, as a society, need another drug on our retail shelves. Tobacco and alcohol are bad enough; I do not see the purpose in legalizing marijuana. I recognize that it has never killed anyone or promoted cancer growth, but people are just going to keep on using and growing the plant anyway, no matter the legality. What is the point in changing its legal status? The only thing I would change is to decriminalize the substance so if you are caught with possession, all you face is confiscation and a fine based upon the amount you have. This punishment would save tax dollars when it comes to enforcement.

To those who believe marijuana will stimulate the economy: you are wrong. Any tax revenue will be counteracted by the cost of industry regulation. Marijuana will have to meet certain quality standards. Any plant that does not meet these standards is a waste of money in terms of water, food, land, workers, electricity, screening the plant for contaminants and the technology needed to check for certain standards, such as THC concentration. The list goes on and on because you are going to need to add the cost to regulate the substance either through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or the Food and Drug Administration, which means opening up a new division in one of the organizations and paying each agent’s salary. On top of this is the cost to revolutionize laws: making sure underage sales do not occur and establishing drug influenced driving laws and technology to enforce that law. Employers are still going to have to pay for pre-employment drug tests, as I suspect a majority would still do drug screens. This will counteract legalization from the economic standpoint because people who would otherwise buy it will choose not to out of fear of employer-mandated drug tests.

As for medical marijuana, I believe the drug should be rescheduled to a Schedule II substance so it can be researched and used medicinally. Medical marijuana proves beneficial in cancer patients going through chemotherapy not only by counteracting nausea, but also stimulating their suppressed appetite and thus, extending their lives. It also serves as a better means to suppress pain without as many side effects in individuals with debilitating injuries. If the United States were to allow for medicinal marijuana, I would want a tighter set of restrictions on who can receive it and how easy it would be to get the prescription. I feel as if the situation in California is out of control as people continuously fake symptoms just to get a medicinal card. This needs to be stopped because all it does is make it harder for people who are actually ill to be aided.

There is a time and place for everything, and that place is college. We are all going to be entering the job market soon and need to be focusing on our careers and life goals. Marijuana gets in the way of this by clouding the mind. Marijuana legalization provides nothing for this country other than furthering the perception that the United States is a nation of drug users.

By Jasmine King

Contributing Writer

For the past few years, there has been much controversy surrounding the Supreme Court and the policy of replacing a Justice who has retired from the position or died. In this respect, if a Justice is in need of replacement, the replacement should have the same political, social and economic values as the person she or he is replacing. Right now the Supreme Court has four liberals (Ginsberg, Sotomayor, Kagan and Breyer), four conservatives (Alito, Roberts, Scalia and Thomas) and one who is the “swing vote” (Kennedy). There is currently a sense of balance between liberals and conservatives that the United States did not have in previous years.

The next Justice foreseen to retire is Ginsberg, the Court’s most liberal member, and the President in office during her retirement must replace her with another liberal. Keeping the balance that our Court has had for the past few years has worked well. The diverse natures of the Justices allow them to bring their own unique experiences and values to the Court. With this balance, Americans may not be happy about every verdict, but they will not be able to say that our court system favors one side over the other. I believe that the Supreme Court does well at keeping to the law and recognizing both sides of the spectrum.

In previous years conservatives have undoubtedly overruled the Court. This may not have posed a problem in the past, but American society is changing in the way that we view issues; conservative is not always better now. In the recent case Maples v. Thomas, it was decided 7-2 that death row inmate Cory R. Maples, convicted of murder, should get a new hearing in Alabama. This ruling was overwhelmingly liberal-based. The two Justices who opposed this ruling, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, dissented, maintaining that “Maples did have some form of representation from the N.Y. firm and from a local Alabama attorney retained solely for procedural reasons” (Death Penalty Information Center). The fact that Scalia and Thomas voted against this verdict makes sense in that conservatives tend to favor the death penalty.

If the Court was full of raging conservatives like Scalia and Thomas, our justice system would not give second chances. The Supreme Court would be unforgiving and be one-sided, and so would our entire country. But then, conservatives could say the same thing about liberals–the key to a successful Court is balance.