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Students and faculty have high hopes for campus climate initiatives

By Jen Lassen

Writer

President Bravman’s recent email to students about the necessary ‘next steps’ regarding the recent publication of the Campus Climate Report has made both students and faculty more confident in the proposed changes to be made on campus.

On Sept. 22, Bravman emailed students about the next steps on starting the process of making some of the changes outlined in the Campus Climate Task Force Report. Included in the email were sections about the President’s background with the University climate, the Task Force itself, the challenge the University is facing and the steps needed to move forward.

In his email, Bravman said that “the report has initiated an important campus dialogue, and I write to lay out our plans from here and where I hope they can lead.”

Some of the steps that Bravman outlined included holding discussions with various administrative groups over the course of the year, reflecting on student input through the BSG Committee on Student Engagement, asking the Greek system to hold discussions among members about the report and gathering University feedback through the Bucknell Suggestion Box or campusclimate@bucknell.edu

These steps are intended to jump-start the process of change at the University.

The task force covers several major areas including student intellectual engagement outside the classroom, student social life (including the role of Greek organizations), student alcohol consumption, social space on campus for non-Greek activities, student diversity and sexual assault.  Because these areas are all important yet complex, it will take time for changes to take place.

“I think it’s important to realize that none of the recommendations that were suggested in the Campus Climate Report are necessarily being enacted right now. These were recommendations that were sent to President Bravman, and whatever changes that may take place will be decided on collectively by Dean Lantz, Provost Smyer and President Bravman, with, of course, feedback from all levels of the University including students,” said BSG president Phil Kim ’12.

“It is half of the responsibility of the student organizations and half of the responsibility of the President and his task force to make students aware of opportunities for involvement with this. Students need to be active and knowledgeable to stay involved with this, and they need to involve themselves in this process if they want a say in the changes taking place,” said Clark Bogle ’12.

Dean of Students, Susan Lantz, a Campus Climate response coordinator, is working with Provost Mick Smyer to gain student insight on the report. They are currently reaching out to student organizations such as BSG, offering to meet with them directly in an effort to hear additional thoughts, questions, concerns and ideas.

“Keeping faculty, staff and students updated throughout this process is very important. I appreciate that President Bravman has continued to communicate so openly with the campus community,” Lantz said.

“[I think Bravman’s e-mail is] simply meant to make sure everyone is on the same page moving forward–to lay out all the cards on the table, so to speak. As he mentions in his email, I would much rather realize our faults and points of concern and straight-on address them. I believe that President Bravman was trying to do just that. And I respect that,” Kim said.
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News

Historian recognized as Janet Weis Fellow

By Alexander Slavitz

Writer

Robert A. Caro, who will be giving a talk Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, was recently named the 2011 Janet Weis Fellow in Contemporary Letters.

Caro is notable political historian. His work is admired by many, including President Barack Obama, who has cited one of Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning books, “The Power Broker,” as having had a distinct influence on his perception of politics.

Caro is the author of two Pulitzer Prize-winning biographies and has been the recipient of many other prestigious literary awards. He is currently working on a final volume of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s biography, provisionally titled “The Presidency.”

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Headline News

Community rallies against hate

By Sara Blair Matthews

Contributing Writer

The University and the Lewisburg community came together in support of the annual Stop the Hate: Unity Rally held on Monday. 

Students, faculty and staff gathered in front of the Elaine Langone Center at 6:30 p.m. with signs that read “Stop the Hate,” “In memory of James Byrd” and “End the Silence to Stop the Violence.” FLAG&BT and the Social Justice and Humanities Residential Colleges were among the student organizations that participated.

The Stop the Hate: Unity Rally was first held at the University in 1998.

“It started as a national movement to honor James Byrd and Matthew Shepard after their deaths in 1998,” said Tracy Shaynak, director of the Women’s Resource Center.
Byrd was an African-American man murdered by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas. He died after he was dragged behind a pick-up truck with a heavy logging chain around his ankles. Shepard was a gay teen who was beaten, strapped to a fence and left to die. His mother, Judy Shepard, became a well-known advocate for LGBT rights, founding the Matthew Shepard Foundation to support diversity and tolerance in youth organizations. She visited the University in 2010.

According to  its website, “The Stop the Hate program reflects our commitment to provide social justice tools for combating bias and hate crimes in all its forms. Stop The Hate is dedicated to provide the necessary resources and educational training to combat hate on college campuses.”

“Stopping the hate is not about tolerating but about respecting and getting to know each other on a personal level,” said Myrna Perkins, assistant to multicultural and international student services.

Shaynak thinks this is relevant to our campus because she believes we all have ownership in this community and our collective goal is to leave the University better than we found it.

“We encourage students to hold each other accountable for what happens on a res hall, at a party and even walking down the street,” Shaynak said.

“Studies have shown that campuses that have these marches are less likely to have anti-gay retaliation,” said rally founder and professor of English Saundra Morris.

Lewisburg mayor Judy Wagner and Provost Mick Smyer were among those who gave speeches in support of the rally.

“We gather here tonight to gather the best of ourselves to be apart of something bigger,” Wagner said.

She ended by suggesting that our voices may soon be heard in Harrisburg or Washington, D.C.

Smyer spoke about the beneficial effects of doing small acts of kindness throughout our lives.

“We all rely on the kindness of strangers. We are all strangers at some time or place,” he said.

Lakeisha Meyer, assistant professor of education, discussed her background with hate crimes and violence.

“I grew up where lots of attention was paid to differences, not in a good way,” Meyer said. She encouraged the audience to live by the motto, “If I truly love men, I can’t hate you.”

The rally ended with a candle-lighting ceremony and the singing of African American Civil Rights Anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”

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News

TKE upcoming philanthropy run to DC

By Carleen Boyer

Contributing Writer

The eighth annual Reagan Run, a fundraiser started by the brothers of the Beta Mu chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity will take place during Fall Break, commencing on Saturday Oct. 8.
The fraternity started an annual run titled the “Reagan Run,” named after President and fellow TKE brother Ronald Reagan eight years ago. The run takes place over three days and the brothers work together to run 180 miles in a relay-style race down to Washington, D.C. Since the fundraiser’s beginning, the fraternity has raised over $187,000, which is donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“It goes towards such a good cause, which is what we really rally behind,” said Matt Gruseke ’13, Reagan Run co-chair.  

The Alzheimer’s Association was founded in 1980, and since then has spread globally. The association reaches out to patients and families who suffer from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to reaching out to affected families, the association also works for the advancement of Alzheimer’s research.  

“I think it’s an unbelievable cause. For what little I knew about Alzheimer’s disease, I learned so much through Reagan Run last year. I feel like I’m actually giving back, and I think now with all the campus climate things, it’s very important to highlight all of the good things that Greek life can do,” Gruseke said.  

The run falls only a few weeks after rush, which gives new pledges an opportunity to become closer to the brothers of the fraternity.  

“It’s four days working together, but we’re also putting together something big and we’re all contributing to a huge goal that, at the end, is something we can be proud about,” Alex Debetencourt ’14 said.
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News

Panel discusses state of U.S. economy

By Olesya Minina

Contributing Writer

Six University professors addressed pressing questions of American public policy, economy and the debt ceiling crisis in a panel sponsored by the Bucknell Institute for Public Policy.
The panel took place on Monday, Sept. 26 in Trout Auditorium.

“I thought the panel was both interesting and extremely relavent, given the recent economic turmoil. I enjoyed listening to different facets of the debt crisis from professors of several disciplines and found their presentations to be thorough and throught-provoking,” Maggie O’Brien ’14 said.

Congress and President Barack Obama have been debating raising the federal debt ceiling and reducing future budget deficits for months. The debt ceiling was created after World War II to give the government more economic flexibility, but today it is used as a tool to enact policies that ordinarily would not have the necessary funds within the constraints of the budget, associate professor of political science Scott Meinke said.

The Congressional “super committee” is trying to “produce legislative proposal changes in spending and taxes and must have a package (cut 1.5 trillion in 10 years) to give to Congress by Nov. 23 or automatic spending cuts, that harm both the Democrats and the Republicans, go into effect,” Meinke said.

This committee shows that the United States is in dire need of reform, and decisions need to be made about taxes and spending issues.

John Enyeart, associate professor of history, discussed the history of debt in America. The government needs to stop “following economic wisdom and understand that since the 1950s, GDP has grown but investment is absent and that public spending is crucial for job creation,” he said.

“[The] engines for growth are education and the real problem is a wage crisis, not a debt crisis,” Enyeart said. “We have seen from our past depressions and recessions that income distribution does not have enough consumers and cutting spending does not fit historical reality, and we must invest in jobs.”

Greg Krohn, associate professor of economics, addressed the issue of the federal budget in the long run and pointed out that deficits recently are the highest they have been since 1945. He discussed different budget scenarios and alternative fiscal policies but said projections are highly uncertain since the United States has an aging population and increasing healthcare costs. By examining different sets of data and graphs Krohn said that “maintaining current policy will have a negative conflict and our debt will grow faster than our economy.”

“Healthcare costs are the main driver in increased spending, but the problem is not the growth in public healthcare spending (Medicare/Medicaid) but growth in healthcare overall,” said Amy Wolaver, associate professor of economics.

Wolaver evaluated possibilities of controlling spending and raising the medicare eligibility age.

“We need policies to address system-wide healthcare expenditures and where our priorities are, and what could be the distributional effects,” Wolaver said.

Professor of economics Nancy White examined the different tax revenues and showed that Democrats and Republicans disagree on tax programs. White addressed the possibilities of raising taxes, letting some tax cuts expire and looking at a broader tax base if  the United States wants to decrease preferences, which were over $1 trillion last year.

Chris Ellis, assistant professor of political science, said that there is a broad disconnect within the public because citizens “endorse conservative principles and liberal policies.” The U.S. has vast party polarization and cannot find a common ground on tax increases and program spending cuts, he said.

“The debt discussion panel offered those who attended a glimpse of the economic, historical and social aspects of the debt ceiling debate, something often lacking in American political discourse but something nevertheless important for a proper understanding of the issue,” Jeff Finegan ’14 said.

In addition to offering a broader understanding of these issues, panelists raised questions on the economic and social issues college students need to face as a growing generation that will soon vote on these policies.

 

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News

Paint Bucknell Pink 5K raises money for cancer research

By Meghan Finlayson

Writer

Over 150 participated in the 10th annual Paint Bucknell Pink Walk/Race and together raised over $6,000 for the American Cancer Society.

The event, hosted by the University’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer took place on Sunday, Sept. 25 and was dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness. Many families, students, faculty and administration came together for the event.

“The event did a great job of raising money and awareness for a very important cause. It was wonderful to see so many students and their families supporting the fight against breast cancer,” associate dean of students Amy Badal said.

Colleges Against Cancer is a national student organization that works with the American Cancer Society to raise money and awareness on campuses across the country. The Paint Bucknell Pink Walk has become a tradition of Family Weekend.

“Everyone was really excited to be there and felt a strong commitment to the fight against cancer. It’s always a great way to end parents weekend,” said Heather Lenker ’12, Relay for Life chair.

Many students have been seen on campus wearing the “Think Pink” shirts, which were sold the week prior to the race in the lower lobby of the Elaine Langone Center.

Colleges Against Cancer also hosted a “caf” night, featuring a cake provided by Dining Services, to provide information about the event.

On Sunday, participants gathered in front of Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at 8 a.m. to register for the walk and race. They could honor survivors or remember loved ones by writing their names on balloons at the start and end of the race.

“Everyone was thrilled to have an opportunity to honor those who are still fighting cancer and remember those who lost their battle,” Lenker said.

The loop went around campus, starting at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, going past the Gateways, down Moore Avenue and Loomis Street, then warpping back around to the stadium. Although listed as a 5K, the race was technically 4.06 miles.

Over 50 people raced and were timed along the way. Jake Eaton-Hall ’13 came in first place, finishing in less than 24 minutes.

“The race was a great way to raise awareness. I love to run and doing it for a good cause made it even better,” Lucy Swank ’13 said.

Everyone involved with the event was happy with the end result.

“We could not have asked for a better turnout this year. We got beautiful weather, and had a great showing. The whole organization really came through and we all worked so hard to make the event a memorable one,” said Katherine Griffith, president of Colleges Against Cancer.

Colleges Against Cancer Club coordinates many events on campus, the most well-known being Relay for Life in April. Currently, they have plans for a “pink” homecoming weekend in October, in order to honor breast cancer awareness month.

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Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Brandon Wesley

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

Player Profile:

Brandon Wesley

Sophomore

Quarterback

Hometown: Plano, Texas

Major: Undeclared

Statistics against Princeton:

Completions: 16-23

Passing yards: 138

Longest completion: 22 yards

Rushing yards: 76

Yards/carry: 5.1

Touchdowns: 3

During the Bison’s 34-9 win over Princeton this past weekend, quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 headed the Bison offense with three touchdowns and over 200 yards of total offense. Wesley played a crucial role in both the passing and running games, allowing the Orange and Blue to beat the Tigers for the first time in 13 attempts. He completed 70 percent of his passes to four different receivers, and tallied a total of 138 yards. His biggest contribution, though, came in the ground game. Wesley led the team in all rushing categories, averaging 5.1 yards per carry for a total of 76 yards and three touchdowns. After scoring his third touchdown during the final minutes of play, Wesley became the first Bison player since the 2007 season to record three rushing touchdowns in one game.

With a full year of experience under his belt, Wesley has returned this year improved from his first season. Despite being named the Patriot League Rookie of the year last season, Wesley lacked the consistency that has served him so well this season. After last Saturday’s game, Wesley is already just one touchdown shy of his 2010 mark of eight and has thrown eight fewer interceptions. With the season now fully underway, the Bison will rely on Wesley to keep up his strong play if they hope to compete in the Patriot League. Wesley and the Orange and Blue will get their first taste of Patriot League competition this weekend when they take on Georgetown at home this Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Sports

Field hockey suffers two big losses

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

The women’s field hockey team lost two straight home games to Rutgers and Rider this past weekend, bringing them to 2-6 on the season. The Bison managed just one goal and nine to their New Jersey counterparts over the two games.

Against Rider, the Bison kept it fairly close in the first half, but let up four second-half goals to fall 6-0. Despite recording a career-best seven saves, Erica Perrine ’14 took the loss for the Orange and Blue after surrendering five goals in her 54 minutes of play.

In the following day’s matchup against Rutgers, the Bison could not overcome an early 2-0 deficit and fell 3-1 to the Scarlet Knights. Kate Bowen ’12 scored the only goal of the weekend for the Orange and Blue off one of the team’s 10 second-half penalty corners.

“Our two major areas of concern are playing with consistent effort for 70 minutes and scoring,” Bowen said. “We have been working on finishing the play and scoring at practice and we know that is where we need to improve. Ultimately, you can’t win if you don’t score.”

Over the next two weeks, the Orange and Blue will take on Patriot League rivals Holy Cross and Lafayette in their first league contests of the season.

“We definitely have had a tough schedule so far this year, but our schedule is set up the way it is to prepare us for Patriot Leagues.  American is a top 10 team that has won the Patriot League the past eight years.  Playing ranked teams during the season helps us to prepare for league play,” Bowen said.

This weekend,  the Bison will continue their home stand against Holy Cross and Villanova.

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Sports

Men’s golf struggles in Ithaca

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

With a total score of 918, the men’s golf team claimed 10th out of 14 at the Cornell Invitational in Ithaca this past weekend. The Bison struggled over the three rounds of play, finishing 47 shots behind tournament champions Binghamton and 18 strokes behind Patriot League opponent Colgate.

“The results at Cornell were not as great as we had hoped for,” Will Bachman ’12 said. “It seems that we all had one good round or a good stretch of holes, but we were unable to put it together for the entire tournament. The goal for these tournaments is to have a level of consistency across the team where we all play well and are within a few shots of each other.”

Bachman and Jon Hartman ’13 claimed top honors for the Orange and Blue, tying for 32nd individually with scores of 228. After two shaky rounds of 79 and 77 on Saturday, Bachman rebounded with an even-par 72 on Sunday and was the only Bison player to record a round of par or better for the weekend. Hartman was by far the most consistent player for the Bison, finishing with rounds of 75, 77 and 76.

For the team, this weekend’s performance represents a stark contrast last weekend’s season opener. Although finishing in fourth last weekend, the Bison had all five players finish with scores under 230, and this week they had just two.

“We are definitely disappointed in our overall performance. As a team, we all struggled with putting and this led to few big numbers over the course of 54 holes,” Hartman said.

The final result might not be perfect, but the Orange and Blue remain optimistic.

“As a team, I think we have to have more consistent play, but it seems like we are on the verge of playing good team golf,” Bachman said. “We have yet to break into that dynamic and all we can try to do is prepare to improve on our performance and build on our frustrations.”

This weekend, the Bison will try to improve on their results when they travel to Williamsburg, Va. for the Joe Agee Invitational.

 

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Sports

Women’s golf finishes sixth

By Thomas Walter

Contributing Writer

The woman’s golf team finished in sixth this past weekend at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wis.

The Bison opened with 321 in the difficult conditions of the first round, but battled back over the next two rounds to jump from ninth to sixth. On the second day, with 40-degree temperatures and a steady rain, the Bison rallied with scores of 314 in the morning round and the 313 in the afternoon. The team’s round of 313 was the second-best round of the day by any team.

Lauren Bernard ’14 was the medalist for the Bison, tying for seventh, shooting 78-75-77, and Kasha Scott ’14 following Bernard with a score of 235 and an 18th-place finish.

“The true character of this team was shown in the way we battled and fought our way back,” Bernard said.

“The weather was some of the worst we have ever played in. However, I was really proud of how the team kept it together and put up a good round despite the weather. It truly was a character building‘experience,” Scott said.

As for the rest of the squad, Bridget Wilcox ’14 added a third-round 78 and Minjoo Lee ’11 had a second-round 79 to help round out the Bison’s strong second-day scoring.

This weekend, the Bison will look to continue this positive momentum heading into the Nittany Lion Invitational this weekend in State College, Pa.