Categories
Opinion

Happiness must be sought out

Elaine Lac
Writer

When you’re on campus buried in schoolwork and activities, it may seem impossible to find happiness. You may question your abilities, lust after clothes you can’t afford or despair over your appearance. We want happiness and sit still until it comes knocking on our doors. But, we can only become happy by actively searching for it.

First, be happy where you are. You can spend every second of your life wishing you were vacationing in Bora Bora or that you were a billionaire, but instead, you should make the most of what you have. You may be hundreds of miles away from home, but you can still be content with your surroundings and find happiness where it’s hidden. Watching a good movie, eating a nice meal or hanging out with interesting people can all make you happy. Even having peaceful solitude can make you happy. The key is a positive mentality.

Learning to love yourself can also make you happy. I’ve spent my formative years comparing myself to others largely because of my parents. They constantly nagged me about my weight, laziness and mediocre grades. It used to make me doubt myself, and I would always assume other people were better than me.

If you place unreasonable expectations on yourself, you will end up insecure and miserable. Everyone has a different skill set and some people are better in other areas than you, but you are also better at other things, too. You can’t take everything too seriously and must instead learn to appreciate your own talents.

Own up to your mistakes and take responsibility. You may be anxious over a bad grade, an argument with a friend or a mistake you made at work. Instead of moping about it, learn from it, apologize and move on. Dwelling on things only makes you more miserable. Dealing with your problems immediately and not blaming yourself clears your conscience.

Take some risks. Much like Jim Carey’s movie “Yes Man,” you have to say yes to the opportunities given to you. It can be small like a cup of coffee with a friend you don’t know so well or something bigger like trying out for a theater production.

By sampling different things, you can find your interest. The University offers a multitude of activities like zip-lining or food sampling. There’s something out there for you. Opportunities, like people, will not always appear automatically. You have to seek them out.

Lastly, maintain balance. We are allowed to determine how we spend our time: with friends, school, sleeping or having fun. Do no overload on one thing. Like William Ernest Henley said in “Invictus,” “I am the master of my fate.”

We are the ones in control of our lives, and you can’t blame externalities for your problems. Everyone is allowed to be happy, but only if we allow ourselves.

Categories
Arts & Life Campus Events

Molina-Guzman investigates “Latina y Latino” culture normatives re-defined by today’s media sources

 

Courtesy of Vincent Stephens

Jen Lassen

Arts & Life Editor

Media is a force not limited to words in a newspaper or images on a screen. It has the ability to pervade across cultures and backgrounds, portraying people differently than who they actually are and what they truly stand for. Knowing this, Dr. Isabel Molina-Guzman has uncovered the secrets of mass media and how different forms of media skew our perceptions of Latinos.

Molina-Guzman, a nationally recognized critic of Latinos in the media and author of the best-selling book “Dangerous Curves: Latina Bodies in the Media,” gave a speech in the Traditional Reading Room of the Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. Her talk, entitled “Performing Latina Racial Flexibility in the ‘Post’ Media World,” focused on the portrayal of Latin American persons in the media through images, television shows, interviews and online content. She also focused on how these various mediums collectively paint inaccurate pictures of Latinos in a “post” world, one supposedly looking past racial differences and becoming more progressive as a population.

“We’re being told by politicians in media that race, gender, ethnicity and sexuality don’t matter or shouldn’t play a role in our policies. Reality is, we’re living in a United States that is increasingly diverse,” Molina-Guzman said.

Molina-Guzman pointed out how in the United States alone, Hispanic student enrollment has increased year after year. Connecting this to her points about globalization taking force in the United States, Molina-Guzman’s passion lies in critically analyzing values our culture assigns to ethnic and racial minorities.

“Media functions as a normalizing institution. This means that the media reinforces dominant normatives,” Molina-Guzman said.

Basing her presentation off of these “normatives” about Latinos already present in the United States and the stereotypes possibly associated with these people and/or their culture, Molina-Guzman focused on three case studies of Latina women to enforce her argument. These women included actress Sofia Vergara, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and model and actress Zoe Saldana.

Molina-Guzman focused on how each woman was pressured to conform in different ways to the American normative for Latina women. For example, she highlighted how the pressures on reality television show “Modern Family” forced Vergara into the normative of a Latina “spitfire,” how relationships with white and black celebrities made Jennifer Lopez conform to different Latina racial connotations and how Saldana’s blackness as a Latina pressured her to fit into–and become defined by–a unique group of Hispanic women.

Her three case studies proved her point that media also constantly feels pressure to conform to a certain standard of normatives present in a country.

“Media is under a constant pressure to conform to the same model,” Molina-Guzman said.

Molina-Guzman also pointed out how there has been a significant increase in Latino actors in media overall. She also makes the point how the demand for these professionals has caused most of them to compromise their cultures for profitable gain.

“Media consumption is more partisan than ever before. This highly selective media consumption influences how we see the world,” Molina-Guzman said.

Students had differing reactions to Molina-Guzman’s speech.

“I disagreed with most of what [Molina-Guzman] talked about. We also need to consider other things like the creative team for a celebrity’s image versus just looking at the artist themselves,” Kiara Huertas ’14 said.

“I liked that Bucknell brought a speaker to talk about Latino culture and social problems. I thought that was very important,” Angel Hernandez ’13 said.

Molina-Guzman concluded by discussing how media portrayal of Latinos leaves us blind to how we should view the reality behind these cultures.

“The poverty levels [of Latino culture] in the United States are striking, and the reality of it all is hard to avoid,” Molina-Guzman said.

If there is one thing to take away from Molina-Guzman’s talk, it is that media has the striking power to distort and deceive.

“I argue that post-media and post-gender and post-ethnic notions matter in our ‘post-race,’ progressive world than ever before,” Molina-Guzman said.

Categories
Arts & Life

Interview with Professor of Education Sue Ellen Henry

 

Courtesy of Sue Ellen Henry

Anna Jones

Writer

Associate Professor of Education Sue Ellen is an anomaly: she not only works inside the classroom, but outside as well, making her love of education known with everything she does.

Henry plays a number of roles at the University. This is her first faculty teaching position; however, she did a little teaching as a graduate student at the University of Virginia. Here on campus, she is a senior fellow of the Social Justice Residential College and takes care of tenure for staff members.

She has been at the University for 16 years and she says she’s stayed so long because of the people and the potential that people have on this campus.

“I experience this place as a place that wants to be better. I appreciate working with colleagues who are dedicated to good thinking, relevant thinking and enduring thinking,” Henry said.

Henry sees many places at the University where students can make an impact, and she appreciates that. 

“I enjoy having really good conversations about a social institution that is so central to our society,” Henry said.

Her view regarding the importance of education classes shows how dedicated she is to professing the value of this privilege.

“In the United States, we don’t all share the same language or the same religion; we don’t all eat the same food or watch the same TV shows. The two things I can say with relative certainty that you’ve experienced, if you grew up in the United States, are going to the mall and public schools,” Henry said.

She feels strongly that the public education system is a central institution of our society that connects people, relating to her role as a Senior Fellow of the Social Justice Residential College.

“Once you’re done with your education in the public schools, you can’t avoid people who have been educated by the public schools,” said Henry.

Henry also discussed the importance of majoring in education and its impact on the people who study the system.

“There are two kinds of education majors: those who have known that they want to be teachers since third grade–and that’s lovely–and those who wish to get involved with education at a different level. The first kind of people see a connection between schooling and society and want to be integrally involved. The other type can get a B.A. and work on education from a policy-making level, a guidance level, a higher education level or a children’s publishing or advocacy level. We still have an opportunity to reach education majors at a lot of different levels,” Henry said.

In addition to her main role as a professor, Henry has been on the University Review Committee for three years, and this year, she’s the co-chair. This committee is a group of elected faculty and administration that conducts university-level reviews for retention, tenure and promotion of the University’s faculty. 

“I believe it is an important function of the University to review faculty and make recommendations to the president and Board of Trustees about something as important as tenure. Tenure is important because it makes sure faculty remain active and free and are available to do the critical thinking that we need in this age,” Henry said.

Categories
Arts & Life

Trend Report: Lace it up!

Kate Jansen

Writer

Trend Report: Lace it Up!

I think the first time I wore anything lace was Easter of 1997. My mom forced me to wear an awful floor-length frock that looked more like a white Christmas tree than it did a dress. With my hair done up in pink ribbons to match my atrocious loafers, I vowed never to wear anything lacy again.

While shopping at Free People a decade and a half later, I was able to put my personal vendetta aside. For those of you who don’t know Free People well, their look is a unique marriage of bohemian chic and edgy designs. I immediately picked out a knee-length frock with lace embroidery. Since then, lace has been one of my favorite materials. It is girly, flirty and, unlike your grandmother’s doilies and decorative curtains, it can be worn many different ways.

If anything, you should have a lace dress in your wardrobe. Lace dresses are yet another hot trend this fall; visit any major department store and they’ll probably have a specialized section dedicated to lacy frocks. I’d definitely advise any fashion-lover to invest in a lace dress, mostly because they’re the easiest outfit to put together. Throw on a pair of flats or loafers and you’ll have an elegant ensemble.

Contrary to my previous perspective, I am now in love with anything lace. Last summer I purchased a pair of lace Toms, which added a feminine flair to my everyday outfit (jeans and a plain t-shirt). I have found that lace shirts are perfect for layering under cardigans or pairing with dark-wash jeans, and scalloped lace shorts are adorable with a solid-colored oxford shirt or simple blouse. Lace scarves are also subtle enough accessories to jazz up any outfit.

So where are the best places to buy lacy clothing? Excuse my bias, but Free People, Urban Outfitters and Nasty Gal probably have the best selections of lace collections. Shop on.

Categories
Arts & Life Books Movies Review

“Safety Not Guaranteed” keeps audience guessing

Carolyn Williams
Senior Writer

Director Colin Trevorrow’s first foray into the realm of feature films makes quite a splash with the irrepressibly offbeat “Safety Not Guaranteed.”

Jeff (Jake Johnson), an irritatingly cocky Seattle magazine editor, encounters an unusual anonymous want ad which inspires a story. The advertisement reads: “Wanted: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed.” With the help of two less-than-enthusiastic interns, the dour, sarcastic Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and the meekly disinterested Arnau (Karan Soni), Jeff heads off to Ocean View in search of the ad’s author.

After an unpromising start (Jeff, in his smugness, manages to alarm the target of their investigation within seconds), Darius grudgingly takes the investigative lead, winning the very paranoid Kenneth’s trust (Mark Duplass) with a combination of deadpan and black comedy. Once she passes the test personality-wise, extensive training ensues. Kenneth, who believes he is being followed by government agents, also claims to have built a time machine, and plans to return to 2001 to stop his girlfriend from dying. Scenes of target practice and stamina building between the new partners continue, but even as the pair begins to grow closer, Darius strictly maintains her undercover role.

Jeff, meanwhile, has revealed that the real reason he wanted to go to Ocean View after all was to track down an old high school girlfriend. Though initially disappointed that two decades have aged her, their romance actually serves to humanize the otherwise intolerable Jeff character. He is further improved when he helps the painfully shy Arnau finally get some much-needed action.

Audience members connected with the film’s storytelling and overall message.

“‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ proves that good movies don’t need to have big name actors,” moviegoer Steve Kluemper said.

“[It was] an unexpected and quirky film that had the audience rooting for the underdog to do the impossible,” said Emily Conners ’14.

All that remains to be seen is what happens with the supposed time machine. “Safety Not Guaranteed” keeps you guessing until the very end, successfully utilizing a cast of mainly television actors and a script full of comical dialogue to evoke a real-life sort of science fiction which, like its characters, is definitely worth the benefit of the doubt.

Categories
Arts & Life Columns Cooking Corner

Cooking Corner: Double Chocolate Mini Muffins!

 

Katie Mancino | The Bucknellian

Katie Mancino

Staff Writer

Double Chocolate Mini Muffins!

38 calories, 1g fat, 9 carbs, 1g protein

These little muffins are a perfect healthy snack and will really satisfy that chocolate craving! They’re quick and easy to make in a total of 20 minutes and keep well in the freezer. I like to toss a few mini muffins in small Ziploc bags and freeze them so I always have healthy treats around. They’re excellent when warmed in the microwave, too!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Land O’ Lakes Light Butter
1 egg white
1/4 cup Vanilla Silk Light Soymilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C) and spray mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add soymilk, egg white and vanilla.
4. Mix in everything else.
5. Add 2-3 teaspoons of batter to each mini muffin cup (about 3/4 of the way full).
6. Bake for 15 minutes.

Categories
Football Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Brandon Wesley ’14

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

Player Profile

Brandon Wesley ’14

Plano, Texas

Geology

 

Season stats:

27 pass attempts, 20 completions

190 passing yards

Two passing touchdowns

Six rushes for 29 yards

Brandon Wesley ’14 played an instrumental role in the football team’s opening 19-17 victory over Marist on Sept. 8. Despite inclement weather that delayed the game for over an hour, Wesley didn’t let the pressure of the quarterback position get to him.

“I did not do anything special to prepare for this game at all; I usually just try to stay pretty relaxed and calm before games. Funny thing is, I almost fell asleep before this game while we waited in the locker room because of the rain delay. That might have been a little too much relaxation,” Wesley said.

It appears the relaxed approach worked, as Wesley completed 74 percent of his throws, en route to 190 passing yards. His most clutch throws came in the fourth quarter 14-play drive that culminated in the game-winning kick by Sean Cobelli ’14.

“I also think a large part of my success came from the great blocking of the offensive line, who often times receive very little credit for our success as a team. Without them, we wouldn’t have been in position to make that game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter,” Wesley said.

Wesley and the football team will continue their 2012 campaign at Delaware tomorrow.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Julian Dorey

Writer

The most damning stat from the 2011 NFL regular season is 8-8.

That was the final record of the so-called “dream team”–the Philadelphia Eagles.

The dream team was as doomed as a runaway train from the very beginning. The moment an unproven squad puts the proverbial target on their back, that’s usually it.

The Eagles were no exception. They stumbled out of the gate to a 1-4 record, and a couple of Michael Vick injuries and brain freeze moments later, they fell flat on their faces with an out-of-contention, 8-8 finish.

You could say this year is the “make-or-break” year for the Birds. It could be Vick’s last shot to prove he can stay healthy and lead a contending team deep into January. It could be Andy Reid’s disappointing curtain call after 14 years if the Eagles aren’t around for the postseason. It could be DeSean Jackson’s one and only chance to win back some of the “haters” he garnered in the city of brotherly love because of the many issues he carried onto the football field amidst his contract dispute last year.

It could even be a season ending with a parade down Broad Street.

A week one win over the Browns doesn’t score the team anything more than a pat on the back and a “good luck next week,” though. Besides, after a bumpy preseason featuring two Vick injuries and the death of Andy Reid’s son, Garrett, the team looked very sloppy in victory.

For the first time in many years, Philadelphia fans don’t have any idea what they have.  When this offense clicks, it’s hard to find a better one in the NFL. They can beat you with speed, they can beat you deep, they can beat you on the ground and they can beat you with off-the-wall play.

But if the mental mistakes creep in like they did last year–dropped passes, tons of turnovers (something that happened once again against Cleveland), poor third down play calling, Vick’s unwillingness to slide at the end of plays)–they could be just another disappointing means to an end.

The defense could be a lot better with Pro Bowl middle linebacker, DeMeco Ryans, there to sure up the middle of the field. Or, it could be much of the same if the 28-year-old Ryans truly isn’t the same player after his 2010 Achilles injury. For what it’s worth, he looked very comfortable against the Browns’ inept offense.

This year is pretty much a mulligan for the boys in green. After failing miserably last season, no major changes occurred. In fact, quite the opposite. Reid has been given a “do-over,” straight from the mouth of owner Jeffrey Lurie. Players like Trent Cole, Evan Mathis, Todd Herremans, LeSean McCoy and even Jackson were given the extensions and financial security they all clearly desired. Even Juan Castillo, former offensive line coach and now defensive coordinator, has been given second life.

That’s a lot of leeway to go around, which makes this season all the more important.

The preseason already seemed to have an underlying ominous tone, as Vick couldn’t even stay on the field for a quarter at a time–let alone a game at a time. It’s a “live-and-die-by-the-quarterback” league, and the Eagles can’t afford to have Vick out for a few games at a time. Great teams need continuity and Vick has to find a way to give his locker room that this year.

The Eagles might be equipped with the best all-around running back in football: McCoy. Despite the blow of losing All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters to an Achilles injury in the off-season, Eagles fans can expect big things out of the electrifying 24-year-old they call “Shady.” However, it’s DeSean “all eyes on me” Jackson who fans are really going to be judging this year.

Jackson exploded onto the scene immediately during his rookie campaign in 2008. Within a year he was a triple-threat Pro Bowler who could beat just about anyone in a footrace. Last year, he had serious problems because of his aforementioned contract dispute. As a result, his season stat line was the worst since his rookie year and his mind-blowing mental errors cost the Eagles dearly throughout the year.

Despite the negative press Jackson brought upon himself, the organization decided to believe in the usually up-beat 25-year-old and gave him a five-year, $51 million contract.  With his financial worries behind him, it’s time for Jackson to light up the highlight reel like he did for the first three years of his career.

It’s talent like the combination of Vick, McCoy and Jackson that makes analysts continue to show some faith in the Eagles’ Super Bowl chances. But talent only takes you so far; they need to win.

The Eagles are still “on the clock,” but it’s time for them to nut up or shut up–because this roster will assuredly be clocked out if they can’t make some serious noise this year.

Categories
Golf Golf Men Sports Women

Men’s and women’s golf mediocre in open

 

Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian
A Bison golfer looks to capitalize on the short game. Unfortunately, inclimate weather kept the Orange and the Blue from defending their win streak at home.

Chris McCree
Sports Editor 

The men’s and women’s golf teams kicked off their seasons with third and seventh place finishes, respectively. This past weekend, the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y. gave the men a team score of 618 or 42-over par, leaving them 20 strokes behind tournament champion, Youngstown State. The women’s team had a tougher time during its host tournament, failing to extend its event winning streak to three straight years.

For the men, Dan Bernard ’13 led the team with a 36-hole score of 153, earning him a top-10 finish in a field of 54 competitors.

“The team performed pretty well,” Bernard said. “It was good for the freshmen to get some tournament experience in the tough conditions over the weekend.”

The Bison started two first-years this weekend, Luke Edelman and Nick Geissler, who finished T-21 and T-36, respectively, in their first collegiate tournaments. Edelman posted scores of 80 and 76 over the two days, while Geissler finished with two rounds of 83 and 80.

“Personally, I was disappointed with my performance on both days and will not take it lightly,” Edelman said. “I plan to work very hard in the coming weeks to ensure better performances in the future. Although I was very upset with my performance, I must say that the entire feel of the tournament was great between our team, our coach and the tournament itself.”

Rounding out the top five for the Bison were Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15 who finished T-13 and T-18, respectively. At the end of the tournament, all but Youngstown State’s Bill Gaffney were over-par. Gaffney held a seven stroke victory at one under par.

Coming away from the weekend, the Bison can be satisfied that they were able to finish ahead of host team and league rival Colgate, who finished with a 639.

For the women, Bridget Wilcox ’14 led the team with a 54-hole total of 231. Wilcox was the sole player for the Orange and Blue to record three-straight rounds under 80, allowing her to finish in the top 10 at +21.

Coming into the event, the Bison were the two-time defending champions, but could not find the consistency to win this year. At the end of the three rounds, Boston University stood atop the leaderboard after squeezing by both Rutgers and Seton Hall by a stroke. The Orange and Blue were able to finish strong, posting its best round of the tournament on Sept. 9 to move from eighth to seventh in the 15-team field.

“Well the tournament was a little disappointing.  We’ve won our home tournament for the past two years, but this year it just didn’t happen for us.  None of us played our best, but it’s a building year for us and we know what we need to work on,” Lexi Klein ’15.

The men’s team will return to play today when they host the Bucknell Invitational, while the women will take the week off before heading to Michigan to play in the Wolverine Invitational.

 

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football opens with close victory

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Calvin Garrett ’16 kicks the ball in preseason practice. The Bison were well prepared for their season opener against Marist, emerging with a 19-17 win.

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

Coming off the momentum of their turnaround 2011 season, the football team opened up the 2012 campaign with a hard-fought 19-17 win over Marist. The offense was led by quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, who was 20-27 for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Wesley put together a masterful game-clinching drive, which spanned 14 plays, seven minutes and 23 seconds. The drive was capped by a 36-yard field goal by Sean Cobelli ’14. Jeremiah Young ’13 ran for 35 yards on seven plays after last year’s leading rusher, Tyler Smith ’13, left the game early with an ankle injury.

Marist was able to close the gap to 19-17 after quarterback Chuckie Looney led them on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, but the Red Foxes were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick with 31 seconds remaining.

The Bison took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter on a touchdown pass from Wesley to fullback Travis Friend ’14. The drive was set up by a fumble recovery returned 55 yards by safety Ryan Morgan ’14. Marist responded by tying the score at seven late in the first quarter, but the Orange and Blue regained the lead on a 22-yard Cobelli field goal to take a 10-7 lead. The Bison extended their lead late in the second half to 16-7 on Wesley’s second touchdown of the game, this one to Jake Flaherty ’14, capping an eight-play, 43 yard drive.

Quite possibly the most impressive part of the win was that the offensive line, featuring four new starters, did not allow a sack and was able to give runners enough space to run, as the Bison averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Head coach Joe Susan attributes the offensive line’s success to composure and a balanced offensive attack.

“Our offensive line did a good job maintaining their composure. That is critical in their first start together,” Susan said. “Our effectiveness was enhanced by being able to balance the offense.”

Susan also noted how Wesley and the line worked together to make each other’s jobs easier.

“They did a very good job in protection, especially against a pressure front,” Susan said. “Brandon was smart with the ball and our passing game is based on timing. Hence, we did not give up a sack.”

Despite being outgained offensively 366 to 332 by Marist, the Bison were able to use a balanced attack to efficiently break through the Marist defense. The Bison racked up 142 rushing yards and 190 passing yards.

On defense, the team was led by Morgan and Evan Byers ’15 with eight tackles each. On offense, receiver Victor Walker ’14 had six catches for 81 yards.

The Orange and Blue, leading the nation in turnover differential last season, were even in the category on Sept. 8, with two turnovers a piece for each team.

The Bison next travel to Newark, Del. to take on the Delaware Blue Hens tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. before opening at home on Sept. 22 to open Patriot League play against Lafayette. Susan expects the team to be ready to face the challenges Delaware will create.

“We will continue to improve as a team and make necessary adjustments in scheme and personnel to do so. Delaware poses different challenges as they have excellent skill offensively and a very good defensive front,” Susan said. “We have to be more secure with the ball and control it to keep their offense off the field. Field position will be a critical factor in this game.”