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Letters to the Editor Opinion

Stevenson’s article effectively addressed drinking problems

To the editor:

I was disappointed to see such a negative response printed to John Stevenson’s article in the last issue of The Bucknellian. The letter goes to great lengths to minimize the significance of facts and exonerate those involved from blame. For all its equivocation, however, someone is obviously responsible for the drinking problem on campus. John simply recognized the dire situation on campus and held all University students accountable for their actions. For this he should be commended, not condemned.

No matter the underlying demographics, a 300% increase in drinking-related hospitalizations is alarming. So long as the statistic is controlled for students only, it is serious. That an administrator claimed 35% of the hospitalizations were Greek bears no weight because Greeks are not the only students to attend registered events. In fact, Greeks regularly invite non-Greek students to their events. The issue is not “how many Greeks are abusing alcohol,” but “how many students are abusing alcohol, and why?” John correctly identified pervasive drinking among Greek organizations as a causal factor. Sadly, contemporary college culture glorifies alcohol abuse. In my time at the University, I cannot recall a single fraternity or sorority which was ever ostracized due to drinking excesses. Students should understand the dangers alcohol abuse poses and set some standards. If students truly avoided Greek organizations known for fomenting drinking, alcohol abuse would naturally fade over time and self-policing would be viable. Students, however, are not angels; hence the need for authority.

Public Safety and the administration should reacquaint themselves with the age-old concept of deterrence. A more aggressive policy of enforcing not only the University’s regulations, but also state law, would deter students from drinking, for fear of retribution. As inebriated students stumble home–whether from Bull Run, a Wednesday-night frat party or a dorm binge–Public Safety can and should intercept the visibly intoxicated. The administration can oblige by punishing students accordingly instead of coddling them, and toughening its drinking-point punishment system. For those students who live off-campus, Public Safety can coordinate operations with local law enforcement, informing them that students are prone to alcohol abuse–thus a high risk to themselves and others–and should be vigilantly policed during drinking hours. Making an example of these students will send a message to the rest that drinking infractions will not be tolerated. Such methods may seem draconian, but students have left Public Safety with little recourse.

As a fellow Brother of Mr. Stevenson, I can say with the utmost certainty that he harbors no ill will towards the Greek system. Rather, he simply stands for the virtues it has traditionally upheld rather than the den of iniquity into which it has recently degenerated. What Greek life is and what it should be are worlds apart. How the University answers this question will make a life-or-death difference on campus.

James Rutledge Roesch

Class of 2010

Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Liberal arts majors should not complain about E-Week

To the editor:

To quote an oft-used colloquial phrase, “haters gonna hate.” Engineers have been denounced as “oompa-loompas of science” on TV and are sometimes viewed as pretentious. I personally have nothing against the College of Arts and Sciences or the School of Management. In fact, my second major is management. I appreciate and enjoy being able to take classes in departments outside the realm of engineering. There is also no law stating that a liberal arts major can’t take an engineering course. Personally, I have never said that I am better than a liberal arts major simply because I’m an engineer. However, when I read that someone (who is obviously jealous, insecure about their major choice, or possibly both) was degrading my major, I became incensed. I’m not denying that there are some engineers who feel a sense of superiority over other majors, and as a result, flaunt it like there’s no tomorrow. Nevertheless, generalizing all engineers like this is simply uncouth. For the most part, engineers are trying to do what everyone else is doing: get through college so we can get a good job and pay our loans off.

It’s true, E-Week is incredibly competitive (not contentious) and engineers enjoy dreaming about winning the Golden Hammer. E-Week is also an outlet for engineers to express the right side of their brain. Poetry, painting, drawing and videography are all arts; they aren’t simply something we “associate with the liberal arts.” As such, these competitions are taken seriously; engineers are proud of their poems, drawings, banners and videos. We don’t scorn the engineers who enjoy these activities. We applaud them. However, I feel that E-Week also has an underlying theme, a theme that pervades all engineering majors: teamwork. A building designed by one person would almost certainly fall. A computer programmed by one person would probably crash. Teamwork is the failsafe that catches one person’s flaws and E-Week is a much more fun way of learning that than weekly group lab reports.

The ability to work in teams is a useful skill for anyone to have in their artillery. I think hosting a College of Arts and Sciences Week is a great idea. It might even be fun to call it “Sciences and Arts Week” so it can be abbreviated SAW 1, SAW 2, etc. However, when someone says that they “do not desire a pity party,” writing a column complaining about not having a week of their own proves that a pity party is exactly what they want. They feel left out and want attention. The same can be said when banners are posted pre-emptively offering acceptances of a thank-you. Math is fundamental, Olin-ites, but it was first used to construct structures properly (in other words, to engineer).

What bothers me the most, though, is how people want to compare apples to oranges. Majors such as education and engineering are almost polar opposites. I for one could never teach a classroom with 20 screaming, booger-filled children. An education major can’t design a highway. However, it doesn’t matter because the two have nothing in common in the first place. One isn’t better than the other; it is merely different. Both have aspects that make the respective major difficult at times, and easier at other times. A major should not have to feel like it needs to defend itself. If the liberal arts want their own week so badly, organize it, get it approved by the University and have a blast. Until then, leave E-Week alone.

Brian Shoener ’13

Civil Engineering and Management major

Categories
Arts & Life Restaurants Review

BJ’s dishes out satisfying comfort food

By Michelle Joline

Contributing Writer

Sometimes all someone needs to pick up their day is a little comfort food. It happens to the best of us. There are dozens of options to satisfy the multitude of possible cravings in Lewisburg, but there is one local restaurant that seems to incorporate all indulgences. BJ’s Steak & Rib House, located just a short drive from campus in Selinsgrove, has become a favorite for many of the students and faculty at the University.

This past Saturday night I visited BJ’s Steak & Rib House with friends and had all my cravings fulfilled with their large menu. There are eight appetizer options, and each is distinctly delicious. One appetizer that the restaurant is known for is their “frickles,” or fried pickles–an option not so common at other restaurants. Although the frickles are good for a little taste, the restaurant’s nachos are a perfect combination of BJ’s chili, cheese and chips. The Tex-Mex Nachos are $9.75 and could feed a large table of hungry college students. The Bongo Bongo Dip was a choice many of the surrounding tables made, an $8.95 spinach dip served with garlic bread.

Along with these more filling appetizers, there are three options for entrée salads that are the perfect pair to BJ’s starters. The salads are slightly pricier, but well worth the money given their proportions.

A staple on the menu at BJ’s is the burger, offered in seven mouth-watering styles. A favorite among my friends was the Chicago Beer Burger, with cheddar cheese, braised onions and beer mushroom ketchup, with French fries and coleslaw served on the side. The Chicago Beer Burger will run you $10.75, but there are burgers that are priced slightly lower.

The eight steak options are the priciest on the menu but surely served to please. For the more modest eaters there is the “Petites” Steak, which is a smaller version of the classic BJ’s steak.

If visitors still aren’t stuffed from their main dishes, there is a dessert menu that recently had the addition of a chocolate soufflé, along with a peanut butter chocolate cake.

BJ’s is not only a restaurant with a fun and welcoming atmosphere; it is also a full service bar. The TVs that constantly play live games and ESPN are an addition that many of the male visitors love, with local college students packed around the bar during big games. The bar serves wine, beer and spirits to customers of age and has a long list of specialty drinks.

If you are planning on dining at BJ’s on Friday or Saturday, a reservation is recommended. Walk-ins are welcome on weeknights.

For your next night out visit BJ’s Steak & Rib House at 17 North Market Street in Selinsgrove, Pa. and make a reservation either by calling at 570-374-9841 or online at www.bjsribs.com. Bon appétit!

Categories
Arts & Life Featured

The man behind the e-mails: Rob Guissanie

By Tracy Lum

Senior Editor

When it comes to technology on campus, no name is more recognizable than that of Rob Guissanie. In times of critical systems outages, phishing scams or other technological issues, his name fills your inboxes, warning of impending changes or even danger.

As the Senior Technology Support Specialist of Library & Information Technology (L&IT), Guissanie focuses on boiling complex technological issues into simple advisory messages for the campus at large. Though Guissanie does not have a hand in all the projects he tells the campus about, the e-mails come only from him to establish credibility and trust. While informative, Guissanie’s e-mails also convey a subtle humor that will elicit a chuckle from any reader.

For instance,  this Valentine’s Day, Guissanie sent a message to the general campus about an imminent critical systems outage. “The Library and IT Enterprise System Team will be ‘showing a lot of love’ to some critical University systems later this week that will impact your relationship with them for a short time,” he wrote.

“I wondered how often people were reading the e-mails,” Guissanie said in his office in the labyrinthine Computer Center. “I wanted to liven it up a little to see if anyone was truly reading it.”

At first, some of his coworkers thought that his methods were unprofessional, but most have adjusted to his style since then.

“Rob’s e-mails have a consistent humor and a consistent tone,” said Mary Ann Burkland, Assistant Director of Technology Support at L&IT. With the consistency, “the campus then can know that it is not spam or a phishing attempt,” she said.

Guissanie says his humorous messages make it more interesting for everybody, including himself, but that the most important thing is to communicate critical information to the campus. For the most part, his strategy has worked.

Sara Grubb ’11 always reads Guissanie’s e-mails and even lets them accumulate in her inbox because she likes them too much to delete them right away. “I love his e-mails because I think they’re hilarious,” she said. “Because I know he’s funny, I always read his e-mails instead of just skipping over them like I do other official but largely unimportant-looking e-mails,” she said.

Guissanie has now been at the University for nearly 10 years. After graduating from Penn State in 1990 with a general business degree with a focus on computers and information systems, he served in the navy. He then worked in technology at Penn State for almost eight years before an opportunity opened up at the University.

For Guissanie, technology is both a blessing and a curse. “While it allows us to do so many things we could never do before, it raises the bar higher than it’s ever been before,” he said. In some ways it’s like an arms race, he said; people expect more and more of technology.

“People are reaching for that technological solution that’s going to be the solution to everything but never is,” Guissanie said. “A lot of it just comes down to process and applying what technology you need for the process … It’s the tool, not the solution,” he said.

A volunteer assistant coach for the women’s track and cross country teams, Guissanie believes the best part of the University is its community feel. “You can really get involved in anything you want to,” he said.

Even in the somewhat isolated Computer Center, he experiences this sense of community, largely because of his coworkers.

“When I communicate things, it’s not me; it’s really the people that work around me that create the great things happening on campus,” Guissanie said. “They’re just very talented and probably the most intelligent people I’ve ever worked with,” he said.

Guissanie says he has no reason to leave anytime soon, so we can expect more witty e-mails from him as soon as the next critical systems outage or technological issue hits.

 

Categories
Arts & Life Books Review

Rachman explores bleak realities of journalism

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

Journalist Tom Rachman’s debut novel “The Imperfectionists” is a triumph. It’s the story of a struggling international English-language daily newspaper based out of Rome. The book is comprised of a series of vignettes, each starring a member of the newspaper’s staff or an auxiliary person involved in the paper’s operation. Heading each chapter are headlines of an article produced in that section, including such entries as “World’s Oldest Liar Dies at 126,” “Global Warming Good for Ice Creams” and “Europeans are Lazy Survey Says.”

The stories themselves are sometimes sarcastic and wry and sometimes poignantly sad, but they are always dynamic, multi-faceted and well-written. The novel begins in Paris with that city’s correspondent, Lloyd Burko, a man on his fourth marriage, estranged from all his children but one. He is struggling to conceal from his disinterested and unfaithful younger wife that he has fallen hopelessly behind in terms of technology. Having become obsolete to the already overstretched paper, he is looking at an old age of dependency upon his son.

Kathleen Solson, the paper’s editor-in-chief, has returned to the paper where she first began as a copy editor. Pegged for success, she spent several years working for a more prominent paper in Washington before taking on the challenge of pulling the old paper back together. Things are spiraling out of control in all aspects of her life, however, as she learns that her husband is having an affair while her attention is turned on the 24-hour-a-day job of keeping the paper from self-destructing. Considering an affair herself, Kathleen turns to her ex-lover from her years prior in Rome, only to be reminded that her policy of putting work first and her no-nonsense attitude, tanked that relationship as well.

Dickens’ Miss Havisham is revisited in Ornella de Monterecchi, the mother of Kathleen’s ex-boyfriend and the paper’s most devoted reader. An eccentric and lonely elderly widow, she reads each edition of the paper from start to finish like a book, taking days at a time and in turn falling more than 10 years behind from the present.

None of these characters get a happily-ever-after. Rachman’s writing reinforces the realities of the field but maintains a sense of levity and a clear love for journalism. All of the stories are artfully intertwined, adding layers of depth to the already intricate separate plots of an eclectic group of individuals. The lead characters from other stories appear casually in those of their fellows, creating the impression of getting to know the paper from the inside out. By the finish of the novel, the reader has explored thoroughly every corner of the offices of the little paper and is emotionally invested in its precariously balanced future.

As a traveling journalist himself, Rachman makes use of his extensive knowledge of the trade, while translating his own prose into a terrific example of contemporary fiction. More than anything, “The Imperfectionists” speaks to the changes the field of journalism has undergone since the advent of new technologies and the reluctant and the painful transitions which such advances inevitably create.

Categories
Arts & Life Columns Cooking Corner

Cooking Corner: Chicken Cutlets and Herb Sauce

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

Chicken Cutlets with Herb Sauce

This recipe comes from “Real Simple: Meals Made Easy,” and it actually is very easy to make. You need very little culinary ability, even when it comes to making the sauce. The sauce is a simple wine sauce made from white wine, butter and herbs. There are even four different herbs you can choose from to make the sauce, so you can make whatever you’re in the mood for. Happy cooking!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, chopped

1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tsp chilled, unsalted butter

2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, chives, parsley or tarragon)

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat and add potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking dish and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees F.

2. Rinse cutlets and pat dry. Season on both sides with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook in a skillet on medium-high heat until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.

3. Add wine to the skillet, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and whisk until completely combined. Add additional tablespoon of butter and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and add herbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

4. Add potatoes to the plate and spoon sauce over top.

 

Source: “Real Simple: Meals Made Easy”

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Featured Sports

Women’s basketball takes fourth seed

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s basketball team rallied in the second half to beat Army 44-40 on the road on Saturday. The win gave the Bison the No. 4 seed for the Patriot League Tournament, earning the Orange and Blue a home game for the tournament’s first round.

In one of the most important games for the Bison all season, it seemed early in the second half that all would be for naught. Down 11 with 14:15 to play in the game, though, the Orange and Blue leapt into action. Over the next six minutes the Bison held the Black Knights scoreless while narrowing their lead to just one.

The Bison continued their scoring assault until they found themselves with a 38-31 lead. Army crawled back later in the game, but the Bison made sure to keep the score securely in their favor.

“I think the fact that we were still in a pretty close game and had come back from deficits larger than this one really helped us to dig our way out of a hole,” Rachel Voss ’13 said.

Shelby Romine ’14 helped anchor the Bison offense as she drained 15 points, leading all scorers. Cosima Higham ’11 was also dynamic, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 rebounds for an impressive double-double.

The Bison will next be in action in the Patriot League Tournament and will play their first game on March 5 at home.

“To bring home the Patriot League Tournament Championship, we are going to have to continue to stay focused, keep getting better each day, and take it game by game,” Voss said.

 

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Sports

Semifinal matchup pairs offensive powers

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Boasting arguably the two most talented and productive players in the Patriot League in 2011, the match-up between the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Bison men’s basketball team Sunday night for a spot in the league championship game has all the makings for an exciting contest. These two rivals will meet for the third time this season but certainly with more on the line than either of the regular season games.

After beating Army Wednesday night by a 27-point margin to extend their current win streak to eight, the Orange and Blue look as confident as ever heading into the match-up. Led by a balanced front- and back-court as well as a great mix of youth and experience, the Bison have muscled their way through the Patriot League to a 13-1 conference record.

In their first meeting this year back in late January, the Bison and Mountain Hawks squared off at Lehigh in a game the Orange and Blue left victorious, 81-68. Five Bison recorded double-digit points, including leading scorer Bryson Johnson ’13.

The two teams met again just one week ago, with the Orange and Blue once again edging Lehigh, this time by a score of 72-55. Bryan Cohen ’12 was all over the stat sheet with 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks, giving the Bison a regular season sweep of the Mountain Hawks.

In both games and throughout the entire season, recently-named Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala ’13 has made his presence felt in the paint on both ends of the court. Averaging over 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots per game, Muscala poses a difficult match-up for Lehigh forward Gabe Knutson.

All year, the only defense that has slowed Muscala has been the double- and triple-team. However, Muscala has still managed to work through the extra defenders to make shots. Unless Lehigh can effectively double-team Muscala when he receives the ball in the post, Muscala’s athleticism and ability to pass to open shooters when covered will be the difference in a tight contest.

On the other side of the ball will be Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, who won Player of the Year last season and came in second in this year’s voting. McCollum has averaged over 20 points per game, the highest in the Patriot League, but is more of a one-man show for the Mountain Hawks. In both games against the Bison this year, McCollum has tallied over 20 points but has not gotten much production out of the rest of his team.

With a defensive stopper like Cohen, who defended his 2010 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award with another one for 2011, McCollum should find each of his shots Wednesday night contested and difficult. The all-around stellar defensive play by a Bison team who allows the second-fewest points per game in the conference should put pressure on other Lehigh players to step up, something they have not done all season.

As always in the Patriot League and especially in the conference tournament, the match-up Sunday night should be a tough and scrappy battle for the berth in the tournament final. The Bison must come ready to play–otherwise, as the saying goes, any given team can win on any given night.

Categories
Featured Sports

Men’s basketball advances to semifinals of Patriot League Tournament

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Streaking into the Patriot League Tournament as the conference’s best and hottest team, the top-ranked Bison men’s basketball team dominated the eighth-seeded Army Black Knights, 78-51, in front of a loud and raucous Sojka Pavilion crowd on Wednesday night. The victory was the first postseason win for the men’s basketball program since its dramatic triple-overtime win over Navy in the first round of the conference tournament in 2008.

Youth was on display for the Bison against the Black Knights, as the three leading scorers for the Orange and Blue were two sophomores and one first-year. Cameron Ayers ’14 recorded 19 points off the bench and Bryson Johnson ’13 added 17, including hitting four from beyond the three-pointer arc.

But it was Mike Muscala ’13 who set the tone on both ends of the floor, registering 11 points but also grabbing seven rebounds and seven blocked shots.

Early on, the game seemed like it would be a defensive struggle. Turnovers and missed shots marred the first few possessions for both sides in the opening four minutes of the contest.

Despite the early struggles, the Bison settled down offensively and exploded with a 32-8 run in the final 16 minutes of the first half, taking a 22-point advantage into locker room. The half was capped by a fadeaway three-pointer from the corner by Johnson, killing whatever momentum Army had been clinging to.

The second half was a similar story for the Orange and Blue. An early Army run cut the lead to 11 with 14 minutes left, but a strategic time-out by head coach Dave Paulsen refocused the Orange and Blue. After the stop in play, the Bison outscored the Black Knights 22-5 over the next seven minutes. There was nothing Army could do to keep the Orange and Blue from yet another stellar conference victory.

Before the game, several Bison were honored for their outstanding 2010-11 campaigns. Muscala was announced as the Patriot League Player of the Year to the Sojka crowd, beating out last year’s winner, C.J. McCollum of Lehigh. Muscala averaged 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game in the regular season and was always the go-to guy on the offensive end of the floor for the Orange and Blue. Among his highlight reel in 2011 were two game-winning buzzer beaters, one at Richmond and one at home versus Holy Cross.

Reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Bryan Cohen ’12 made it a two-peat by winning the award again, and Paulsen was rewarded for leading the Bison to a near-perfect conference record with the league’s Coach of the Year.

The victory over Army ensured a spot in the Patriot League semifinals for the Bison. After Lehigh beat Navy Wednesday night in the quarterfinals, the Mountain Hawks will travel to Lewisburg and take on the Bison Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. With a berth in the conference finals on the line, Sojka Pavilion is sure to be loud and a tough atmosphere for any away team.

Categories
Sports

Women’s water polo seventh in ECAC

By Scott Padula

Contributing Writer

The women’s water polo team has a record of 5-5 after losing two and winning one in the ECAC Championships in Lewisburg last weekend. The Bison lost their first two games to Iona and Brown but were able to end the weekend on a high note, defeating a seasoned Marist team 10-7.

In the first game, the fell to a well-prepared Iona team, 16-9. The Gaels dictated the tempo from the onset, scoring six of the game’s first seven goals and jumping out to a 7-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. Iona continued to rattle off goals, scoring four more in the second to take an 11-3 lead in the first half.

The Orange and Blue mounted a small comeback in the third behind the play of Haley Prickett ’11, Kandis Canonica ’11 and Amanda Skonezney ’12, but they could not overcome the deficit.

The Bison fell to 4-4 on the season. Despite the losing effort, Prickett netted three goals while Canonica registered two of her own and added an assist. Skonezney also matched their point total, finding the back of the net once and tallying two assists.

“I think this weekend showed us that we need to learn to play 100 percent together, 100 percent of the time, with 100 percent effort and intensity,” Prickett said. “We have the potential to be a great team, but first everyone on the team needs to make the decision to put it all on the line, play without fear, and have fun.”

The Orange and Blue squared off with Brown in their first game in the consolation bracket. For the second time in as many games, the Bison fell behind early. This time, the Bison were down 7-2 heading into intermission. Although they outscored Brown by a goal in the second half, the Bison were unable to gain momentum and steal a victory.

The final score was 10-6. Prickett scored a team-high two goals, while Skonezney had a pair of assists and Hallie Kennan ’12 posted a goal and an assist. They were the only three Bison to register more than one point in the game. A primary area of concern for the Bison was their six-on-five offense. The Orange and Blue were only able to find the back of the net three out of eight opportunities with the man-up advantage. In contrast, the Brown six-on-five attack went five for nine.

The Bison faced Marist in the seventh-place game Sunday morning. The teams remained close in the first two quarters, but the Orange and Blue offense exploded in the third, netting four straight goals. The Red Foxes rallied in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to one, but the Bison responded by scoring two goals of their own to clinch a 10-7 victory.

Heather Smith ’14, Julianne Valdes ’14 and Kennan led the way, scoring a combined seven goals. Nine different Bison registered a point in the well-distributed affair. Rena Heim ’14 also had a solid performance in goal with nine saves in 16 minutes of action. Six of those saves came in the third, a quarter where the Red Foxes could not post a single goal.

The Orange and Blue’s next test will be in their annual spring break trip to California where they will compete in the Claremont Convergence.