The Bucknellian

Paige Bailey
Contributing Writer

Dr. John Fea, associate professor of American history at Messiah College, implored the audience to “avoid the politicization of history” and instead “think together” in a historical manner at a lecture on Sept. 18. Fea’s lecture was given in the Elaine Langone Center Forum to a full crowd of students, professors and Lewisburg locals. The University departments of history, religion and political science sponsored the lecture along with the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University Lectureship Committee.

The lecture title mirrored Fea’s most recent book, “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation: A Historical Introduction.” Fea’s recent book was one of the finalists in the George Washington Book Prize, one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the nation, among other awards. Fea is chair of the history department at Messiah College. Fea specializes in American history, with a special interest in how religion has manifested throughout the nation’s history.

While Fea conceded that most people come to such lectures with their minds made up about the role of religion in American politics, he challenged the attendees to think about the argument he outlined. His argument was critical of both the role of the political Left and Right in manipulating the “discipline of history” for political purposes.

Fea then gave a comprehensive overview of how the founders of the country viewed religion. The Founding Fathers did, in fact, believe Christianity was good for the republic. Yet, Fea argued that these men saw Christianity as one means to meet the ends of a society that promoted “virtue.” Virtue, for the Founding Fathers, was characterized by consistency in promoting the public good. Therefore, if people acted in line with Christian values of taking care of others, it was seen as an effective way to contribute to the public good.

Despite the Founding Fathers’ Christian values, Fea pronounced the Constitution as a “godless document.” This statement is one reason that both Democrats and Republicans are made “uncomfortable” by the argument that he puts forth in his book.

Assistant Professor of Religion Brantley Gasaway commended Fea for his criticism of both sides of the political spectrum in using religion to promote partisan agendas.

“I agree with Fea that answering the question of whether or not America was founded as a Christian nation requires not only a recognition of the complexity of the evidence, but also a commitment to not let our contemporary political biases distort our historical interpretations,” Gasaway said.

Both Christian nationalists and secularists can be guilty of manipulating the past for present political purposes. Gasaway, like Fea, teaches his students to “be wary of simplistic appeals to the religious beliefs and motivations of the founders when they are used as justification for current public policies and political positions.”

“I thought that it was interesting that Fea took on this task by focusing largely on history rather than politics. He wasn’t very polemical at all, I think he was just trying to make a historical argument and found his evidence within the Constitution,” political science major Laura Bergamini ’13 said.

 

Ali Napoli
Writer

The University held its annual Christy’s A Cappella concert in Rooke Chapel as a part of Parent’s Weekend on Sept. 21 and 22. The concert has been taking place for 22 years, and it began as a more casual “coffeehouse” type event. This year, the five a cappella groups on campus participated: The Offbeats, Beyond Unison, Two Past Midnight, The Silhouettes and The Bison Chips.

“We were especially looking forward to Christy’s this year. We really wanted to show our families and friends the great deal of work that we’ve put in over the past few months. Because we’re such a new group, this was the first year that we’ve done a full set and a skit at the concert, so it was really exciting for the Offbeats. It was definitely a lot of fun and we’re already looking forward to next year!” Jessica Isgro ’15, Musical Director of The Offbeats, said.

Each group preformed four to five pieces, ranging from Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young” to Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend.” Rooke Chapel was packed with family, friends, students and alumni appreciating the talent of those on stage.

“Christy’s is always a really fun event. I love being able to perform at a concert with all of the other a cappella groups, and I think it is really fun for the audience to have a concert with such variety. It was a lot of work to learn all of the music in only one short month, but I think the hard work paid off,” Beyond Unison’s Annie Schulenburg ’13 said.

Although most recognize it as a fun event, for some it was a more sentimental experience. Jenny Rosen ’13, a member of the Silhouettes, had her last Christy’s performance this year.

“I could not be more ecstatic to be sharing the stage with this amazing group of girls. The Sils love performing at Christy’s and it is a very special concert for all of us,” Rosen said.

Both nights were close to sold out, drawing a huge crowd for the performers.

Dr. Jeffrey Evans, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University, has been awarded a Fellowship at Churchill College, Cambridge University, for the fall 2012 and spring 2013 terms. He will be in residence there for six months during his sabbatical from the University.

What kind of process did you have to go through to get this fellowship?

“First, Professor Kenichi Soga of the University of Cambridge nominated me. He is a fellow in Churchill College. I then needed to secure letters of reference. Professor Soga suggested Professor Andrew Whittle, chair of civil engineering at MIT, and Professor Thomas O’Rourke, Thomas R. Briggs professor in engineering at Cornell University. Both are members of the National Academy of Engineering and both were previously Overseas Fellows at Churchill. The Fellowship Electors then considered the nomination and references letters and I was elected to an Overseas Fellowship.”

What are the terms of the fellowship? What are you required to do?

“As per my award letter, ‘It is expected Overseas Fellows will take part in the activities of the college and that they will have associations with appropriate [Cambridge] University departments.’ In this regard, I also have been invited by the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge to join them as an official ‘academic visitor.’ Thus, there are no specific requirements for me to fulfill, but rather my participation in the enterprise of [Cambridge] University is expected. Mostly, I will be working on research and working with graduate students in engineering.

The Fellowship also provides me access to on-campus Fellows accommodations for which I would be otherwise ineligible. It also includes, free of charge, all of my meals including dining at the High Table.”

How is the British style of teaching different than the American style? Will you have to make modifications to your teaching style?

“Since I will not be in the classroom in what might be considered the normal ‘teaching’ environment, teaching at Cambridge will be similar to teaching at Bucknell. That is, I will be meeting one-on-one with students to discuss their work, guide their thinking and answer questions as appropriate.”

How do you think your teaching career at the University has prepared you for this fellowship?

“While teaching at Bucknell University, I generally have an open door policy and often meet with students one-on-one to discuss coursework as well as broader topics such as employment opportunities, research and professional issues. This will be similar to my role at the University of Cambridge.

It is worth noting that the scholar part of the teacher-scholar model at Bucknell University was an essential component to my election as an Overseas Fellow. I’ve been fortunate working with good students and faculty colleagues as well as in securing NSF grants during my time at Bucknell University. Without this scholarly productivity, an appointment at a university such as Cambridge would be highly unlikely.”

What do you think the biggest adjustment will be in terms of living in England?

“Having lived in England during two previous sabbaticals, I’m rather familiar with most aspects of life in Britain. Of course, everything is more expensive here so that is always a consideration. Also, I do not plan to have a car, so there will be considerably more walking and biking than in Lewisburg. I certainly won’t miss the many committee meetings and administrative duties I had at Bucknell, but I’m sure I’ll quickly adjust to their absences.”

What are you most excited about in regards to being at Cambridge?

“The city of Cambridge is one of the most beautiful cities in England and the walk from Churchill College to the engineering building is delightful. The University [of Cambridge] is consistently rated one of the top five in the world and the opportunity to work in such an environment is exciting. After work, the cultural opportunities for concerts, plays, music and the like are seemingly never-ending. As Bucknell’s Professor Howard Smith (originally from Wales) stated to me this summer, ‘Cambridge; it doesn’t get any better that that.'”

Do you think this experience will change how you approach engineering at the University?

“I certainly believe it will bring fresh ideas and approaches to the classroom and to the research I carry out with our students. There is a lot happening in civil engineering in the UK and Europe, and undoubtedly I’ll be sharing this with our students when I return.”

 

Elizabeth Bacharach
Senior Writer

In an effort to expand its horizons in terms of members, volunteers, etc., the Lewisburg COOP held an Open House on Sept 24. In a recently refurbished garage on Cherry Alley, the members of the COOP welcomed passersby and potential members, illustrating what has been termed as the LOOP’s initiative, processes and partnerships.

The LOOP has been operating since May 2005, and it started with the goal of simplifying food shopping and consolidating peoples’ access to healthy and local options.

“It doesn’t make sense to have to drive to nine different stores to get your groceries,” member Sam Pearson said.

“The LOOP was formed to fill a niche in the community, working in a sustainable and green way,” member Phoebe Faden said.

Membership begins with a $50 deposit that is refundable, in addition to four to 12 volunteer hours per year depending on the scale of purchases or a cash out at $15 an hour instead of labor. Orders are made at each delivery, which vary depending on interest. Members can order cases of groceries, produce from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), local dairy and eggs or local meat and fish sources.

The LOOP prides itself on ordering and providing members with the ultimate local goods at manageable prices.

“The prices for packaged foods are comparable with grocery stores, but more connected to the local economy. We cannot compete on price with discount big box stores,” Pearson said.

Nevertheless, members still embrace the LOOP as it connects them to “farmers they would otherwise only be able to access at intermittent farmers’ markets,” Pearson said.

“It appears to me that the LOOP does a great job connecting the Lewisburg community to local farmers, enabling the society to work together positively,” Ali Lafferty ’16 said.

Although students like Lafferty find the LOOP enticing, it’s fairly difficult for University students to contribute in membership. A majority of members are those, as Faden states simply, “with a pantry.” The LOOP requires buying in bulk; orders are by the case, but members can mutually split and share cases at the time of ordering.

According to “Bucknell Facts 2011-2012”, 85 percent of undergraduate students live on campus. This means that a majority of students do not have access to his or her proper kitchen, or rather a pantry. Furthermore, most students are on a meal plan, thus their daily eating is taken care of.

“I would order food as long as it was an easy process and they offered types of food I like and would consume on a generally daily basis,” Julie Hendrickson ’14 said.

“It is pertinent that we, the community or students that are able to, work with the LOOP, as local farmers work hard at what they do and buying from them is an easy convenience to eat healthier and stimulate the local economy,” Lafferty said.

The LOOP has made it far since its beginning seven years ago. The Open House took place in a garage, which, according to Faden was quite the improvement.

“The LOOP is moving forward, becoming more centric, concentrated to one place,” Faden said.

This isn’t to say that the LOOP team is not looking towards the future.

“The pie in the sky is a storefront. Operating as a full service store with staple goods as well as local foods,” Pearson said.

However, this is premature, as the LOOP needs more members to generate a larger team as well as an increase in capital. Thus, with the hopes of “getting their name out there,” as Pearson put it, the Open House was hosted.

“The Open Houses seem to be a good option because the idea of the COOP is hard to grasp without seeing the site,” Pearson said. “In addition to such events, we mostly rely on word of mouth to publicize.”

The future is not possible without the volunteer work of the existing members of the LOOP and others.

“[Students] can just get involved by volunteering to help out either with deliveries or the upkeep of the facility,” Pearson said.

“Students will be more enticed to contribute if there are possibilities of volunteer experience or internship positions,” Phuong Nguyen ’15 said.

“Greek members should work with the COOP for community service hours,” Hendrickson said.

In addition to the understood volunteer experience and positions, Pearson welcomes anyone that “could help create a WordPress or Blogger site for us [the COOP]” as they no longer have a website.

In Pearson’s eyes, being a member of the LOOP is all about eating in season and caring about fuel, energy and the environment.

“Students can make a point of learning about the region and finding out what the area and local climate produce, as well as supplement their book learning with lessons in practical arts like canning and preserving–something the Craft Center does offer,” Pearson said.