Recently, William Morrow ’70 and his wife Madeline have committed $6 million in support of the University. This contribution will provide funding to the Academic West and to “University strategic priorities,” President John Bravman said.
The funding will also give to programs such as scholarships, “academic facilities, the annual fund, study abroad and athletics.” According to the University website, the Morrows’ gift will go toward “adding 70,000 feet of classroom, labs, faculty offices,” and more.
With the University adding such great expanses to the campus, one asks the question of whether our university is changing from a small, liberal arts school to a large, research-based institute.
This then starts to make the current student and prospective student weigh the pros and cons to the expansion.
The benefits to such an action would include things like improved infrastructure, greater resources and additional students who may have unique perspectives. I believe that all these things stated are necessary for any institution to thrive in this environment. Universities must not only have state-of-the-art facilities and resources in order to attract the brightest students, but also a diversity of perspectives in order to enrich student life.
The cons to such actions may include a higher student-to-teacher ratio. I believe what makes the University great is that ratio between students and professors is, in most cases, very balanced which makes it easier for students to seek help and thrive in this environment.
Although there may or may not be an increase in the student-to-teacher ratio, I believe that this funding will greatly improve and contribute to the University. This funding will not only contribute to the student life of current students but will also help prospective students seek financial aid if needed. The University is changing before our eyes and the outcome seems promising.
Recently, the White House released an official version of President Obama’s birth certificate after Donald Trump, a prospective Republican Party Presidential candidate, had questioned whether or not President Obama was born in the United States.
Obama, sounding greatly annoyed and troubled by these claims, said at the White House, “We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do. We’ve got big problems to solve.”
Trump, speaking in New Hampshire, said that he was “really happy” that this had taken place and was “ready to debate on other issues.”
The document that the White House released proves that he indeed born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. “The president believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn’t good for the country. It may have been good politics and good TV, but it was bad for the American people,” an Obama spokesperson said. President Obama traveled to Hawaii specifically to pick up the birth certificate.
I believe that this whole argument about President Obama’s birth certificate is nonsense. Not only has he been President for the past two years but also a shorter version of his birth certificate had already been released earlier this year.
Still, many Americans remain skeptical about Obama’s birthplace. According to a USA Today/Gallup poll, “only 38 percent of Americans are positive that Obama was born in the U.S., while 15 percent think he was probably born elsewhere.”
This statistic is outrageous because not only does it show a complete disregard for our whole government, but has racial undertones.
Many believe that those who don’t think President Obama was born in the United States may be prejudiced.
Now that the official copy of President Obama’s birth certificate have been released, I hope this birther debate will stop because our country truly does have more pressing and important matters to be concerned with.
Tracy Lum '11 was Editor-in-Chief for the Fall 2010 run.
By Tracy Lum
Former Editor-in-Chief
If you know me, you probably know that I rarely sleep for more than seven hours a night, that I can’t survive a day without drinking at least one cup of coffee and that I have an insatiable (and slightly unexpected) thirst for gossip.
Strange habits aside, joining The Bucknellian on a whim four years ago was probably the best decision I made. To say I was a timid first-year is an understatement. I could barely hold a conversation with a stranger without having an anxiety attack.
My time at The Bucknellian changed that. Reporting gave me confidence; it made me take risks and stand up for causes. It made me explore the campus that initially daunted me. If it didn’t bring me out of my shell, it at least left a substantial crack in it.
I can’t say that I remember the first story I wrote for the paper. Having no previous experience with journalism, I clumsily gathered quotes and facts, piecing together an article that likely lacked focus and elegance. On Friday mornings, I’d pick up the latest issue, scan through my piece and gasp with outrage that the editors dared alter my writing. The following year I became one of those editors.
As the Arts & Entertainment content editor, I learned the basics of journalism. Naturally, I was nervous about joining the newspaper. For the past year, I was in awe of The Bucknellian, mostly because I was ignorant about how it was produced each week. I thought it was untouchable, unchangeable and incredibly demanding. I wasn’t wrong about the demanding part, but I did eventually figure out how to leave my mark on the paper.
After a semester of assigning stories and photos, writing one or two pieces a week and handling writers’ attitudes, I wanted to quit. Managing criticism and minor disasters each week became unbearable. But pride drew me into the paper. Seeing my name in print, knowing that what I wrote would become a part of the University’s history made me stay. I loved crafting narratives and bringing the stories of niche groups to the campus.
I loved it so much that I continued editing, later becoming features editor, associate editor of content and, much to my surprise, editor-in-chief. Pulling near-all-nighters (I’ve never actually gone a night without sleep) became commonplace. Developing a mild caffeine addiction didn’t faze me. Sometimes I’d walk home from Roberts basement at 3 or 4 a.m. after a night of production and hallucinate.
Last semester I organized my schedule so that I’d have my Tuesdays and Thursdays entirely free to field phone calls, answer ad questions, complete board edits, rewrite leads and catch the minute layout errors that would detract from the readers’ overall experience of the paper. The Bucknellian consumed every spare moment of my life. It even invaded my dreams, giving me nightmares about gaping holes in the layout, libelous statements or the nascent online version.
But no matter how much I suffered during the week, the final, freshly printed copy in my hands made up for it. My first week on the job, I reread every page probably 10 times before I sent the finished issue to the printer. That Thursday afternoon I collapsed once I reached my bed, and the same evening a friend burst through my door and handed me the first redesigned issue. It was sheer perfection, even in its imperfection.
After my term was over, I was elated. I probably screamed with joy and high-fived everyone I encountered. Wednesday nights were mine again. I could resume what I thought was my “real” life. As I looked over the last issue, I labored over every detail while sitting in the chief’s office, knowing that at some level I would miss the work. At times I do, and I don’t regret a single moment of my experience.
The Bucknellian has been so much a part of me and my life. It introduced me to some of the most brilliant, creative and hardworking people I will ever know. I will miss dearly my stalwart staff, especially Rob, Sarah and Kristen, who aided me throughout the summer while I planned the redesign and reorganization and who always kept the paper running. More thanks are due to my predecessors, especially Mike, who was a remarkable source of knowledge and advice. Courtney, you brought the news week after week, and you made production nights infinitely more entertaining. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next semester.
Jim, thanks for everything over the years. All that you have taught me I will never forget.
My friends, thank you for putting up with me, even when I conned you into working for the newspaper. John, without you, there would be no redesign. I am eternally grateful for our Thursday morning layout and venting sessions. Andy, thank you for publishing the online edition each week. I’ll miss WordPress filling my inbox with 30 emails.
To the writers and the new crop of staffers, I owe a successful run of the paper to you. I thought the art of print journalism was dying, but you resurrected it and exceeded my expectations in the process. Never again will I doubt the resilience of a college newspaper.
And Bucknellians, if you ever want to gossip over a cup of coffee, you know who to call.
Sarah Block '11 was Associate Editor of Layout (fall 2010) and is currently the News Layout Editor.
By Sarah Block
Former Associate Editor of Layout
Author and journalist Sally Quinn once said, “I can’t imagine life without a newspaper.” Well, neither can I. Thinking back on the past few years, within a few short weeks of graduation, I could not imagine my undergraduate experience without The Bucknellian. One would think that constant sleep deprivation, stress over filling space on the front page and being confined to a windowless room in the basement of Roberts Hall at least one night a week for the past three years would have driven me insane and turned me off from news and journalism in any and all forms.
Instead, all of my experiences working for the newspaper, both good and bad, are what have made my participation in The Bucknellian worthwhile. In fact, my time as a layout editor and on the editorial staff has been a major part of my college experience, and I would not have had it any other way.
Initially, I thought joining The Bucknellian as a layout editor would be a great way to meet people and get involved in something else on campus, and I never imagined the extent to which I would become involved, if not attached, to the publication. While I undoubtedly get a wonderful feeling when I see my work on newsstands around campus and downtown every Friday, being a part of The Bucknellian has been so much more than just layout, design and public recognition.
As I head off to law school next fall, I know that my encounters with controversy, politics and the quest for neutrality while working for the paper will benefit me greatly in my future career. In fact, many of these experiences have further inspired me to study the law. More importantly, though, some of my best friends and many of the people I admire the most have been my fellow editorial staff members. Late nights in the newsroom having boy band sing-alongs, yelling at the uncooperative printer or eating the food acquired on a spontaneous Sheetz run are only some of my fondest memories from the past few years. Getting to know these people has been a highlight of my time at the University, and knowing them has helped me to develop into the person I am today.
The Bucknellian is a family, and being part of it is one of the things I will miss most about college. So, don’t be surprised when you come to visit me next year and find a room in my apartment wallpapered in pages of The Bucknellian. I’m not quite ready to leave it all behind just yet.
Behind the water tower is the makings of a new quad and living area that will expand the University’s grounds.
Heavy equipment was moved in this week to prepare for development of the 50 acres of farmland the University purchased in 2003 behind Fraternity Road. The construction will add four apartment-style buildings, similar to the Gateways, in the field behind the water tower. Also, the new Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) and Lambda Chi Alpha houses will be built so that a new academic quad can be built where they now stand. The new quad will feature a building called Academic West, which will house both classrooms and faculty offices for the social sciences.
“At the moment, contracts have been formally awarded and the contractors are beginning to proves the paperwork that is necessary before actual on-site construction begins,” said Jim Hostetler, Director of Construction and Design.
Construction for the new KDR and Lambda Chi Alpha houses is scheduled to begin on June 1.
“Academic West is the number-one priority building,” Provost Mick Smyer said. “Over the last eight years we have added 60 new faculty but added no new academic space.”
This has led to cramped classrooms and makeshift faculty offices. Academic West has come to be called an “enabling building,” which will spark a series of changes within campus organization.
“The construction of Academic West will have a cascading effect where it opens up lots of other spaces for either their original purpose or something new,” said Tom Evelyn, Senior Director of News and Media Relations.
With this construction, the main quad can be designated for humanities, the new quad for social sciences, and the engineering quad for natural sciences and mathematics.
This summer, construction will be done on South Campus Drive, a road that will loop around behind where the new dorms will be built, connecting to both parking and the current roads. The ultimate goal is to close the interior campus roads to cars altogether by making some changes to parking.
“We want to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly and accessible,” said Dennis Hawley, Associate Vice-President for Facilities.
The new dorms will feature 350 beds in apartment-style housing, targeted towards the seniors. There will also be a common room building featuring study rooms, a café and much more. The goal is to have about 200 to 250 people move back from downtown houses and to redistribute about 100.
The construction will cause as little disruption as possible, with most of the construction going on both over the summer and in the field behind campus where no students currently live.
A word of caution to all of the students, though: “Construction can be dangerous,” Hawley said. “People need to respect that.”
A date will be set for the construction of Academic West once fundraising for the building is complete.
[Editor’s Note: The print version of this article incorrectly identified Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity as “Lamda Chi Delta.” The Bucknellian apologizes for this error.]
The University has recently asserted the right to tell all employees how to use their own personal Facebook accounts. Last Wednesday, Vice President for Communications Pete Mackey posted “Social Media Guidelines for All Personnel” to the Message Center directing our attention to this webpage: http://www.bucknell.edu/x68141.xml. The page lists a series of policies and guidelines about the use of social media by branches of the university, and it says “… if your personal site identifies you as a Bucknell employee, you are representing the University and these guidelines apply accordingly.” [Emphasis in original.]
So I may say what I wish only if I do not identify my professional affiliation? This is pointlessly demeaning to all employees, of course. But for the faculty this policy violates two bedrock principles of the University: 1) academic freedom, wherein the University seeks to protect the right of the faculty to express themselves however they think is important and appropriate, and 2) shared governance, which says that the faculty will be involved in adopting the rules for their own role at the University.
I asked Pete Mackey several times how he justified this rule, and he would only point to a statement from AAUP (a national professors’ organization) that says faculty have an obligation to avoid appearing to speak for the University. How this professor-to-professor statement of a self-evident principle justifies the University unilaterally claiming oversight powers on private faculty speech is unclear to me.
A number of untenured faculty have told me already that they have removed their University affiliation from their Facebook profiles because they fear they will overstep some line. This is a harmful stifling of free speech, and it feeds destructive paranoia about the nature of the University among the people who should become future faculty leaders in the institution.
Ben Marsh
Department of Geography & Program in Environmental Studies
Playing in orange and blue was not even on first-year basketball star Shelby Romine’s radar in high school. Before she was recruited, she had never even heard of the University. What she has found since then is a place where she can immediately take control of a program, providing the most explosive force on her team, even as a first-year.
In her first year for the Orange and Blue, Romine, point guard of the women’s basketball team, started all 28 games, leading her team in scoring with 13.5 points per game, a full six points above the next-highest scorer on the team.
“Shelby had a tremendous freshmen year, making an immediate impact not only on our program, but on Patriot League women’s basketball,” women’s basketball head coach Kathy Fedorjaka said.
From her very first collegiate game, Romine made her presence clear. Against Rider in the opener, she was the highest scorer for her team with 17, leading the Bison to a 53-48 win.
This was not a rare occurrence. In the 28 games played this season, Romine led the team in scoring an astonishing 16 times, going for more than 20 five times. On Jan. 22, she led her team to a huge league win on the road at Colgate in overtime, dropping a dazzling 28 points. No other member of her team would eclipse that single-game mark in the 2010-2011 season.
“I was impressed immediately with her work ethic, skill level and level of conditioning, and she showed tremendous poise and confidence as a freshman,” Fedorjaka said. “She was a tremendous addition to our team in terms of giving us another strong ball-handler and lead guard, as well as a great scorer and creator on the offensive end of the floor.”
Offensively, one of Romine’s strongest aspects this year was her shooting. From beyond the arc, she was by far the most potent Bison shooter, hitting more than 40 percent of her shots. With 47 threes on the season, Romine finished more than 31 ahead of the next player on her team.
From the free throw line, she also posted team bests in percentage and shooting. Her percentage of .734 edged out that of her teammate Rachel Voss ’13 at .733. She outscored the second-place member of her team in free-throw points Joyce Novacek ’11 80-47.
Romine is more than just a scorer. As a point guard, she also led the team in assists with 101 and steals with 37.
Despite her incendiary individual statistics, Romine remains focused on the team as a whole.
“The most exciting moment of freshman year was being picked last as a team in the preseason polls but getting the fourth seed in the tournament,” she said. “It was so great to win the first round game and move on to the second round of the tournament. This experience will definitely help the team to get better next year.”
It was this kind of attitude that garnered Romine respect beyond the court, winning over both her teammates and her coaches.
“Outside of her production, Shelby is extremely coachable and was very well-liked by her teammates,” Fedorjaka said. “They had a great deal of respect for her and confidence in her on the floor.”
Romine navigated her first year of college basketball so well both on the court and in the locker room that it should come as no surprise that her most challenging obstacle this year came from outside the realm of athletics. At heart, this budding basketball superstar found the most difficulty in being away from home.
Holding family values close to heart, she found it difficult to be away from her family, especially during basketball season. According to Romine, her family has been a key component in all the success she has found.
“I think a huge factor that played into being successful during the season was the preparation I did in the summer months with my dad,” she said. “He was always willing to help me. Countless times I remember him leaving work early to go to the gym and shoot with me, and he’d even time my sprints. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today.”
Clearly, Shelby’s hard work with her father has paid off. With only one year of college under her belt, she has already cemented herself not only as one of the most dangerous players on the Bison, but also one of the most explosive in the entire league. And with a strong work ethic and a generally positive attitude, she seems poised to achieve much more.
Just one year into his collegiate career, Mike Nicholson ’14 has already achieved more for the Bison swim program than few individuals, let alone a first-year, can ever hope to.
“Mike had a tremendous impact on the team this year right from the start,” Head Coach Dan Schinnerer said. “He was a great meet performer throughout the season, but also showed the ability to raise his level in the big meets.”
This season, Nicholson amassed 24 first-place finishes and, with his consistently stellar performance, distinguished himself as a top-tier competitor among his teammates and the rest of the league.
“He scored the most points for us over the course of the season and also scored the most points for us at Patriot League Championships. It’s not common that you see a freshman join the team and right away have a huge impact like that,” team captain Mike Volpe ’11 said.
Most notably, Nicholson always seemed to perform best when the stakes were the highest. Starting with the first meet of the season against UMBC, Nicholson gave his teammates a glimpse of what was to come during the season. In the meet, he followed a second-place finish in the 100 IM with two first place finishes in the 200 IM and 400 IM.
“In that meet, we saw for the first time what he was capable of. He won his events and set the bar for everyone else on the team,” Volpe said.
Later, in arguably the most important meet of the regular season against Patriot League rival Army, Nicholson carried the team with first-place finishes in all three of his events. Then, at the Patriot League Championships, he claimed a third-place finish in the 200 IM and later went on to take the title in the 400 IM by breaking his career-best time by an unprecedented 7.17 seconds. Despite the impressive performances put forth by Nicholson, the Bison were not able to defeat the Black Knights during their two attempts this year. However, Nicholson has turned his full attention to making sure it doesn’t happen again next season.
“My goal for next year is to beat Army,” he said. “Any individual goal I have is trumped by my desire to beat them. They disrespected us twice this year in our home pool, and I know for a fact we are going to bite back. Every guy on our team cannot wait for our date with them at West Point next year. It was our motivation this spring, and will be our motivation all fall as well.”
Ultimately, it was through this competitive attitude that Nicholson had his greatest impact.
“As an athlete and a person, Mike is pretty ‘low-key.’ You wouldn’t guess him to be a tenacious competitor. That being said, he really raised the team’s intensity this year,” Schinnerer said.
His ability to bring the same intensity to practice that he does to meets is uncanny for such a young athlete, and his teammates undoubtedly noticed.
“Mike is one of the hardest working kids I’ve seen in our pool,” Volpe said. “His attitude during practice is that nothing can stop him. He does the most difficult sets and does them to the best of his ability every time he swims.”
Certainly, all his hard work has paid off. As a first-year, Nicholson already holds two school records in the 200 and 400 IM, and will be the reigning 400 IM Patriot League champion going into next season.
“He definitely had an outstanding first year, but we believe he is capable of even more in the years to come,” Schinnerer said.
Although he is proud of his accomplishments this season, Nicholson has set even loftier goals for the upcoming years.
“For the rest of my career here, my ultimate goal is to make the NCAA championship,” he said. “I was able to make some progress this year by making a ‘B’ cut for the meet in my 400 IM, but I have to drop some serious time in order to be invited to the meet.”
Leaving the pool in favor of the court, The Bucknellian’s Female Athlete of the Year, women’s tennis co-captain Lauren Lucido ’11 played in her first competitive tennis tournament at 10 years old. Lucido’s decision to play on land rather than in water paid off: she leaves the University with more wins than any female Bison tennis player before her.
When Lucido first stepped on the court for the Orange and Blue, it was the power behind her hits and her strong background as a USTA junior player that made the biggest initial impact on the team. Starting off strong, Lucido was also a Second Team All-Patriot League selection her first and second years. After going a perfect 11-0 her sophomore year, Lucido was selected as the Patriot League Player of the Month for September 2008.
Lucido’s dedication to the game and her team stems from a true love of the sport and the feeling of just being on the court.
“When I’m on the tennis court, it’s as if nothing else matters. For that bit of time, it’s just me and the ball,” Lucido said. “It’s therapeutic and a rush all at the same time.”
During her junior campaign, Lucido was named First Team All-Patriot League, finishing second on the team in overall wins in singles and leading the team in doubles victories. She ended her junior season with 14 straight singles wins for the sixth-longest single-season winning streak in program history.
“It’s very exciting and well-deserved that Lauren has been chosen for Athlete of the Year. After being her teammate for the past four years, it has been great to see her top the charts before completing our senior season,” teammate Dara Dwojewski ’11 said. “Her immense success as an athlete at Bucknell is certainly something to be proud of.”
Over Lucido’s four years, Head Coach Rebecca Helt said Lucido is one of her “most coachable players” and has watched Lucido not only improve but also demonstrate the drive and determination to develop into a totally new player. Her athletic ability has allowed her to internalize feedback over the years and pick up new skills quickly.
“She would be happy about a win, but never satisfied with her performance. She wanted to become a better player every single day,” Helt said. “She not only learned new skills, but as a junior and senior, Lauren took all her skills and became a brilliant competitor.”
Lucido’s competitive nature has driven her to win other awards and recognition along the way. After breaking the tennis all-time record for total wins this year, Lucido was granted her second Bison Athlete of the Week award. In March of this year, Lucido was named Patriot League Women’s Tennis Player of the Month for the fourth time in her career.
Her ability to self-motivate has proven invaluable throughout her career.
“You’re on the court by yourself, so if there’s anyone who’s going to motivate you and get you through the match, it’s you,” Lucido said. “I hate to lose, so when I’m out there on the tennis court, I’m going to try to do whatever it takes to win that match.”
Lucido has worked hard to earn the title of all-time leader in singles and doubles victories with 83 wins at doubles and 87 singles victories. She will finish her career as the winningest player in program history with 170 all time victories.
“One of my biggest goals for all players who come through my program is to help them learn to play ‘fearless’ tennis,” Helt said. “Over the years, Lauren became one of the most fearless competitors I’ve ever coached. It was an amazing experience to watch Lauren mature into an all-court, solid player who never held back.”
Her accomplishments are a testament to her great talent on the court, but her commitment to her teammates is a testament to the type of player Lucido has become.
“The girls on my team aren’t just my teammates, they’re my friends. It’s not just you out there on the court. You have your teammates, and I think that’s a huge part of what made the whole college tennis experience so awesome for me,” Lucido said.
Her drive on the court has only been matched by her desire to push her teammates to be the best they can.
“Lauren has been an amazing co-captain, teammate and friend the past four years,” teammate Lauren Rottkamp ’11 said. “On the court, Lauren has always had great focus. Off the court, Lauren exudes a fun and energetic energy for the team and brings it to everything she does. Lauren is truly a wonderful teammate and friend.”
