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Men Sports Track & Field

Men’s track dominates

By Cooper Mead

Contributing Writer

The men’s track and field team impressed at the Bison Open & Multi last weekend. The team posted record-setting numbers throughout the meet including a monumental performance by Andrew Powell ’12 who set a school record in the heptathlon, becoming the first Bison to break the 5,000-point mark with his score of 5,049.

Sam Brandstadt ’15 and Greg Barbier ’12 joined Powell on the record board, posting the school’s eighth and ninth best performances in the heptathlon with 4,176 and 4,071 points, respectively. Another top performer, Ray Holmes ’14, earned second in the triple jump with a career-best 40’ 0.75’’ which ranks seventh-best in program history.

Other notable Orange and Blue performances came from Leonard Joseph ’13 who claimed first in the weight throw and Patryk Najbar ’14 who earned fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.06 seconds.

“Overall it was a great weekend for Bison track and field,” head coach Kevin Donner said. “We had a number of IC4A/ECAC qualifiers as well as a couple of school records. The athletes competed with a lot of enthusiasm and that energy will continue through the next three weeks.”

The Bison will compete in the Crusader Classic on Feb. 3 and the Youngstown State Invitational on Feb. 3 and 4 as they continue to prepare for the Patriot League Championships, which are two weeks away.

“It was a great weekend for our team,” Barbier said. “We’re seeing school records fall and a lot of strong performances right now as we continue to train for Patriot League Championships in a few weeks.”

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Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball falls just short of first league win

By Thomas Walter

Writer

Still desperately searching for that one elusive win, the women’s basketball team fell 50-49 to Navy in a back-and-forth contest last Saturday at home.  The Bison lost for the third time in the last seven games by a margin of four points or less.

“We are so close to a win and I think we are going to make some big upsets in the second round of league play,” Shelby Romine ’14 said.

The Orange and the Blue had one of their strongest games of the year and held possession with a chance to win in the game’s final seconds following a five-second call against Navy. Romine’s shot with a second remaining in the contest came up just short, leaving the team winless in league play.

Rachel Voss ’13 led the Bison with 13 points and Christina Chukwuedo ’12 also added 12 points for the Bison.

The Bison held a six-point lead with 12 minutes remaining in the second half, but the Midshipmen quickly rattled off seven unanswered points to take the lead. During the second half, the Orange and Blue defense could not find an answer for Navy’s Alix Membreno who recorded 15 points in the second half alone.

The Bison ended up shooting 31% from the field while Navy shot 38% from the field.  

The Bison start the second round of Patriot League play on Saturday when they make the trip to Army.

“The key to our success will be turning up the defensive pressure.  We play our best at a fast pace. We capitalize off of turnovers, scoring baskets in transition,” Romine said.

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Sports

Men’s basketball extends league win streak

By Ajan Caneda

Writer

The men’s basketball team continued its dominance in Patriot League play with a 66-51 victory at Navy on Saturday, improving its record to 17-6 overall and 7-0 in conference action. Mike Muscala ’13 scored 27 points on 11 for 15 shooting, tying his career high, to lead the Bison to their ninth straight victory.

“My teammates did a good job of finding me, whether it was on pick and pops or in the post,” Muscala said. “It was a good win for us, and moving forward we have to stay hungry and focus one game at a time.”

Despite a one-for-six start from the field, the Orange and Blue climbed back behind a 17-2 first half run that gave the Bison an 11 point lead 12 minutes into the first half.

Bryan Cohen ’12 was the second leading scorer for the Bison with 12 points, including a jumper that extended the lead to 18, the largest of the game, late in the first half. Defense was a priority for the Orange and Blue as guards Steven Kasper ’15 and Ryan Hill ’14 both had steals that were followed by baskets, contributing to the Bison’s 16-9 edge in points off turnovers. The Bison led 38-23 at halftime.

“Navy doubled down on Mike and it opened up opportunities for the guards to penetrate lanes and open shots on the perimeter,” Cohen said. “I was fortunate to knock down shots early in the game and that got me into a good rhythm.”

Navy began the second half with two quick baskets that trimmed the lead to 11, but it would not be able to cut the deficit to single digits, as the Bison continued their balanced shooting and tough defense. 

Field goal percentage would end up being the difference as the Bison shot 51.0% to Navy’s 36.4%. Forward Joe Willman ’13 crashed the boards throughout the game with a team-high nine rebounds, four of those on the offensive end. The Orange and Blue finished with 13 second-chance points. The Bison were also a perfect 10 for 10 from the free throw line.

With seven games left in the regular season, the Bison remain focused to acquire a second straight Patriot League championship. Their next game is a home contest against Army on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.The Orange and Blue defeated the Black Knights 75-59 Jan. 7 at West Point.

“I think we have done a good job all year just going out and playing game by game,” Johnson said. “This win was big for us because now we have a little lead going into the second half of league play and we have a full week of practice to refocus and prepare for our next set of games.”

Categories
Opinion

Radical Republicans fight against Obama

By Ashley Miller

Contributing Writer

The Southern Republican Presidential Debate that took place last Thursday, Jan. 19 was eye-opening for many voters. It was timed perfectly to give South Carolina’s voters a final look at each candidate before making their selection in the primary the following day. The results seemed to reflect each candidate’s performance in the debate. Senator Rick Perry dropped out of the race previously that day, so the remaining candidates were former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Texas Representative Ron Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

The evening started off with an explosive argument between Newt Gingrich and debate moderator John King. For those of you who hadn’t heard, a scandal recently broke concerning Gingrich, his ex-wife, a mistress and a requested open marriage. When this was the subject of King’s first question of the evening, Gingrich’s response was angry, and justifiably so. Not only has the election thus far been riddled with a disgusting amount of concern over irrelevant personal issues, but to have this be the first question in such a pivotal debate was a poor choice on King’s part. King was hilarious when he realized what he had done and tried to shift blame from himself to a furious Gingrich. Sure, the whole situation was entertaining, but it was definitely rooted in some serious issues. Even if the rumors are true, how is it even remotely related to Gingrich’s ability as a potential president? I know that I am sick of all the personal attacks the media, as well as other candidates, make on TV commercials and the radio. It just distracts from the important issues.

Apart from this notable event, Gingrich was involved in several arguments with Santorum and Romney, but seemed to defend himself well enough in all. Gingrich said exactly the right thing about the SOPA issue, that it infringes on personal freedoms and that companies have the right to sue for legitimate infractions with current law. No candidate who supports SOPA is going to get the nomination.

Romney, a front-runner for the primaries so far, flip-flopped on several issues, most notably abortion. One of the biggest downsides to Romney is his inability to back anything wholeheartedly. He will say just about anything for a clap. I realize he really wants the win, but the way to get that is to stand strong behind every issue and not to change his stance. If elected, would he flip-flop on promises in office? He also notably declined to turn in his tax return, and then, in an unwise move, talked about how he would look over each year’s return carefully before he decided which ones he would turn in. If he doesn’t have anything to hide, why not turn them in? His attempts to explain why he wouldn’t were mediocre at best.

Santorum came in third, running on an everyday family man type of stance–-an image which he pretty much beat into the ground. Okay, we get it. You came from humble backgrounds. His biggest issue is that he is not moderate enough. Both he and Romney mention religion far too frequently. The separation of church and state is there for a reason. Religion is great for a candidate’s private life, but it has nothing to do with politics and so has no business in the political sphere. Another issue with all of these candidates is their stubborn stance on social issues. For a party who preaches the rights of state government and limiting federal involvement, these candidates sure are adamant about federal control of issues like abortion and gay marriage.

Paul came in last in the primary following the debate, but he is my personal favorite candidate. A lot of the things he says make perfect sense. If we have had troops randomly stationed all over the world for decades, why would we continue to pay for them to stay there when we could bring that money home where we really need it? And who wouldn’t want a reduced income tax? It also seems like none of the other candidates really have a problem with him, so he doesn’t get to talk that much during debates because he never gets involved in the little scuffles the others do. It’s a shame, because I would have liked to hear more of his ideas. I don’t think he will win, only because he is too far right to get the moderate and dissatisfied Democrat votes any Republican nominee will need to defeat President Obama in the coming election.

One of these guys is going to be the Republican nominee for the White House. But will it really matter which one? As is, none of them are going to get elected over President Obama. Many of them even have pretty good economic ideas (perhaps a bit radical at times, but our country is in massive debt). But the bottom line is that if any of these candidates want to have a shot at Obama, they are going to have to be less radical about social issues. A moderate stance is the path to win your way into the White House this fall, and so far it looks like we are in for four more years of President Obama.

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News

University welcomes Columbia professor

By Carleen Boyer

Writer

Dr. Michael Greenburg M.D. hopes to gain a better understanding of how the neurons in specific areas of the brain react to saccades, or rapid eye movements that help individuals to better perceive surrounding visual stimuli.

Greenburg, professor of neuroscience at Columbia University and President-Elect of the Society for Neuroscience, discussed his research last Monday. He researches a question that many neuroscientists have studied over the years: how are cognitive processes formed and what does this tell us about decision making in individuals?

“We can understand behavior not by observation of what the black box does, but knowing what’s inside of the black box,” Goldberg said, referring to the brain as the “black box.”

Through observation of brain function, neuroscientists work to understand how brain function is related to actions of an individual. Goldberg mentioned that some aspects of his research may suggest more about whether or not free will actually exists.

Joseph V. Tranquillo Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical and electrical engineering, organized Goldberg’s visit to campus.

“[The speakers] interact with colleagues who they deem to be different from them, and here what they get is someone from a completely different field coming in and asking them a question that’s kind of out of left field,” Tranquillo said.

Goldberg’s exploration of free will during his presentation provided a connection among different majors.

“At dinner, we started asking the question of ‘What happened to the old liberal arts canons?’ It was a really interesting discussion between faculty from different fields,” Tranquillo said.

The presentation received support from diverse places, including the Brain, Mind, and Culture group and the University Lectureship Committee, as well as the biomedical engineering, psychology and neuroscience departments.

Categories
News

Univ. hosts first-ever two-day blood drive

By Lauren Buckley

Contributing Writer

 

Dedicated student coordinators of Alpha Phi Omega, the University’s co-ed service fraternity, collaborated with the Red Cross of Union County, Pa. to organize the University’s first ever two-day blood drive on Tuesday and Wednesday. There were 79 student donors that participated on Tuesday and 93 on Wednesday, all with the goal of providing patients in need with one of the most valued resources in the health field: blood.
“We had a better turnout Wednesday than we did on Tuesday,” Stephany Musgrave, Account Representative for the American Red Cross Northeastern Pennsylvania Region, said. “I think that fact that the career fair was taking place on Tuesday did have an impact on that but overall we collected more blood in the two day blood drive than we do on a one day blood drive so I think it worked better.”
Over the course of two days, 156 pints of blood were able to be collected. Of those 156, 58 whole blood pints and 9 for 18 double red cell pints were collected on Tuesday (totaling in 56 pints) and 65 whole blood pints and 8 for 15 double red cell pints were collected on Wednesday (amounting to 80 pints in the second day of the drive). These 156 pints have the potential to save 468 lives. In addition, there were 32 first-time donors over the course of both days.
“My dad’s a doctor so I’ve always been told about the importance of donating blood, especially in times of crisis. Also, I aspire to go into the field of public health, so organizations like the Red Cross that do relief work are particularly interesting to me,” said Katie Janda ’13, head coordinator of the blood drive and member of Alpha Phi Omega.
The event took place in Larison Dining Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. After receiving all of the necessary health clearances, donors were directed to give either a whole blood donation or a double red cell donation, a more complex procedure that allows qualified donors to safely give two units of red cells. Donors were rewarded by an assortment of sweets and juices after their donation to replenish their blood sugar. For years, University students have been donating generously to Red Cross blood drives. They have been responsible for one-sixth of the county’s donations. From 2005-2011, the Red Cross has collected 4,201 units of blood from this campus, helping to save up to 12,603 lives.
“The American Red Cross and the patients we serve really appreciate the support of the Bucknell community in collecting blood on campus. As a person who has family members who have received blood donations, and as a volunteer with the American Red Cross and a life-long blood donor myself, I commend the campus community,” said Nancy Libbey, Volunteer Coordinator for the Red Cross Chapter of Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties.
There is always a need for blood donations. According to the American Red Cross, the nation’s largest supplier of blood, 44,000 units of blood are needed every day in order to meet the needs of people in the United States.
“Winter is upon us and so is the need for blood. Currently, the blood supply is low, which has resulted in a critical need for all blood types. To prevent the blood supply from dropping even further, we are encouraging donors to donate as soon as possible,” said Stephany Musgrave, Red Cross Account Representative for the Northeastern Pennsylvania region.
The Red Cross urges all eligible students and faculty to consider donating in the next blood drive on campus which will be held on Wednesday, April 11th from 10AM to 4PM. Donors must be 16 years of age or older, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. For more information about becoming a donor, visit www.redcross.org.
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News

IFC proposes “Greek Orientation” program

By Siobhan Murray

Writer

 

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) has proposed a six-week “Greek Orientation” aimed at providing first-year students with an early introduction to Greek Life. The main goal would be to reshape the notion that Greek Life’s only purpose is to provide social opportunities.
The IFC and the Panhellenic Council are working together to make these changes to the process of “going Greek.” The initiative would give first-year students a better understanding of what membership in a Greek organizations entails.
“[We want it so that] decisions about Greek Life go beyond the stereotypes that the social culture connects with them,” IFC President Pat Zailckas ’13 said.
The change comes as a response to the University’s recent Campus Climate Task Force Report, in an effort to improve the image of the Greek community on campus.
“The recruitment process for Greek Life needs to be improved,” Zailckas said.
IFC looks to help rising sophomores to avoid coming back to school and literally being “rushed” into their decision about where they feel they belong. IFC is working hard to ensure that students make balanced decisions and transform the campus climate into a healthier environment.
The initiative could help prospective members answer imperative questions such as:  Is Greek life for me? What should I look for in an organization? Which philanthropy organization does each chapter support? Will Greek life impact my academics? Are there Safe Space organizations on campus? What diversity opportunities can Greek life offer me? How can I prove to my parents that joining a Greek organization can open windows of opportunity, and that it isn’t all about the partying?
These types of questions are legitimate for many first-years.
“As of now, I know there’s a bunch of fraternities, but I don’t actually know much about them,” Mitch Kulczycki ’15 said.
“Right now, information about Greek organizations is based solely on social reputations, word-of-mouth, and the frat guys themselves. Any effort to change this situation can’t hurt, because even those who think they know a lot about a fraternity may need to know more before making a decision,” Anthony Gingerelli ’15 said.
The proposition is still in the early stages of planning and lacks a formal plan, but IFC plans to work throughout February to develop its ideas. Faculty members Amy Badal, associate dean of students, Kevin Foster, assistant director of residential education for fraternity affairs, and Jackie Petrucci, assistant director of residential education for sorority affairs, have been involved in the process.
Many have raised concerns about the program and its development.
“Any organization has to be careful whenever it mandates any kind of programs,” said Michael Davis ’13, member of Chi Phi Fraternity. “If it is not pushed in the most effective and appropriate manner, the goal of a proposal can get lost. This program needs to keep in mind the many opinions of those involved in Greek organizations in order to get people excited about participating.”
Change will be difficult, but may be nonetheless necessary.
“Bucknell is certainly on the cusp of a new era,” Zailckas said.
Categories
News

Noted calligraphist shares culture

By Christina Oddo

Writer

One of China’s greatest painters and renowned calligraphists, Fang Zhiyuan, joined University students and faculty Tuesday night in Trout Auditorium to share his lifetime experiences as a calligraphist. Zhiyuan, a descendant of the royal family of the Qing Dynasty, began his interest in calligraphy at the early age of four and was chosen by the Chinese Central Government to attend a school associated with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
He began his presentation by explaining that the instruments he brought with him are no longer used today, but that calligraphy is still practiced among a group in China. In fact, the evolution of calligraphy cannot be understood without the instruments. Zhiyuan insists on using the old brushes and he understands his collection of brushes to be his own sort of “computer.”
Zhiyuan explained that there are 4,000 different kinds of writing brushes and that he has collected three times the amount of brushes offered in stores. He gave examples of types of brushes in terms of what they are made of. Some bruses use bear hair, the hair of goat beards and even skunk hair. Tiger tail hair, for example, was often used during the Qing Dynasty for making comments on imperial documents, while weasel hair was used for small scripts. For regular script, short-tipped brushes are easier to use.
Liquid ink was not traditionally used; rather, ink sticks were. Zhiyuan brought small, light sticks to share with his audience, although very heavy ink sticks exist. Some of the ink sticks are different colors, including red and white; the red sticks are used today for paintings.
Another form of ink is a type created from burnt pine trees and spices, while another is created from burning vegetable and animal oil. In Zhiyuan’s opinion, both are good to use for calligraphy and for paintings. The ink stone itself, which is similar to an ink stick, is very expensive in China.
Zhiyuan spoke about two types of paper: plain rice paper and processed paper. He showed images of semi-cursive script from the Qing Dynasty, and described regular and standardized script. Zhiyuan shared his knowledge regarding silk and calligraphy and how, because silk is so expensive, the characters completed on silk are shortened in height so more characters can fit onto the piece of silk.
Zhiyuan displayed his own impressive work as well. This included images with very large characters, and a fascinating image that showed the same character portrayed in several different styles side by side.
The presentation closed with a special gift presented from Zhiyuan to the University. Part of the gift was an official seal of the Qing Dynasty reconstructed by Zhiyuan himself. He also created a script of characters that reads the expression “to benefit the world with broad learning,” as a description of the University as a whole.

This event was sponsored by the President’s Office, the Provost’s Office, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the University Lectureship Committee, the Departments of East Asian Studies, Art and Art History, Comparative Humanities, the Language and Culture Residential College, MacArthur Chair Program in East Asian Politics, the Bucknell University Press, Chinese Cultural Association and the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia.

Categories
News

Teach for America

Jenni Whalen

According to Sara Metzger, a Recruitment Associate for Pennsylvania and Delaware, Teach For America actively recruits individuals who demonstrate leadership, high achievement, strong critical thinking skills, organizational skills, interpersonal skills and a desire to work relentlessly in pursuit of the organization’s vision. This year, Teach For America has found many of their new corps members in the University’s Class of 2012. Exact numbers will not be released until the end of the recruiting season, but at least 20 members of the Class of 2012 have been offered positions to work with Teach For America for the next two years.

Alicia Wheeler ’12, Kara Cheever ’12, Jaclyn Kirna ’12, Madeline Quirk ’12, Kayla Czajkowski ’12, Clark Bogle ’12, Kaitlyn Smith ’12, Hannah Zachary ’12, Eric Soble ’12, Phil Kim ’12, Michelle Doak ’12, Lizzie Kamins ’12, Erinn Flandreau ’12, Colin Doggett ’12, Mollie Morris ’12, Adam Andersen ’12 and other unidentified students have been offered placements across the United States. This number of accepted corps members is substantially higher than last year’s number.
“I decided to apply for Teach For America after going on alternative break trips where I witnessed the huge disparity that exists throughout the world,” said Doak, who has been placed with grades K, 1 or 2 in Miami-Dade. “It didn’t make sense to me why I was lucky enough to grow up with so many opportunities, educationally and otherwise, while children born in other areas are on a trajectory to remain in the cycle of poverty. I see education as such a powerful tool to close these gaps and help to give children the chance to succeed.”
Teach For America recruits heavily during the fall and early spring semesters at universities across the nation. There are five application deadlines, each of which offers students an equally weighted chance at the opportunity to become a member of Teach for America’s qualified staff. The final deadline for this year’s recruitment season is Friday, Feb. 10.
“You are not entering a classroom by yourself as a first-year teacher to tackle the issue of educational inequity on your own; you have a powerful support network of other corps members and veteran educators who are doing the same thing as you, are passionate about the same thing as you and are working to become the best, most transformational teachers possible. It encourages you to be your best, every day, for your kids,” Metzger said.
The recently accepted corps members share Metzger’s excitement and are anxious to begin their training in May.

“I am pretty pumped to be in the Bay Area and, as nerdy as it sounds, I’m super excited to put lesson plans together,” said Kim, regarding his general science and biology placement in San Francisco.

For more information about applying to become a corps member of Teach For America, interested students should contact Quirk, Teach for America’s Campus Campaign Coordinator and intern.

Categories
News

Dinner kicks off Black History Month

By Esra Sardag

Contributing Writer

On, Monday, Jan. 30, the University hosted the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. “Beloved” Dinner to commemorate his legacy as a courageous speaker and leader. The dinner was the first in a series of events held by the University’s Multicultural Student Services to honor King during the month of February, which they have dubbed as “Break the 28.” 
Because February is a short month, they have decided to include a day in January and March as well. Their aim is to devote this extended month of February to community service activities to honor King’s legacy by giving back to society. The dinner was located in the Terrace Room of the Elaine Langone Center and was largely organized by students for other students on campus.
“I thought it would be very attractive for students to hear the voice of students. Our goal is for contemporary citizens to understand that Dr. King’s movement is relevant to any major social movement today,” said Vincent Stephens, director of Multicultural Student Services.
The keynote speaker for the event was Abraham Khan ’12, who spoke on the importance of realizing King’s ideals.
Khan, a biomedical engineering major, discussed many of his personal life mistakes and related them to the importance of following in the footsteps of King’s bravery.
“The main lesson that I hope everyone gains from my speech is that you can’t stop people from doing anything; you have to stand up for what you believe in and that’s how you move on. Even the little things matter in life and make a difference,” Khan said prior to speaking in front of the group.
The night also featured a poetry reading by Jason Brown ’13.
“This is the first time I’m writing a poem for a specific topic and a specific event but I have really enjoyed it. I think the most important message from tonight is that we should feel motivated to take a stance, make a change. King was able to become a great leader despite all challenges, almost like an underdog stepping up. We should learn from his courage and motivation,” Brown said.
Two songs on the theme of change were performed by Morgan Davis ’12. This, in addition to the speech, were meant to encourage people to think more about what King was fighting for and how we can learn from him to deal with the issues of today.
“I believe this dinner was a big accomplishment because it helped raise awareness about who Martin Luther King was, the ideals that he stood for, and the ways that we can incorporate those into our daily lives,” said Lebo Letsie ’12, one of the event organizers.
Look out for the many community service opportunities available this month to commemorate King. For more information, visit the University’s website.