All components of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s emergency notification system – e-mail, voice mail, text messages and campus sirens – will be tested on Friday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. The sirens, installed on Elwell Hall, McCormick Hall and on the upper campus, will alert the campus community when vital emergency information is available via e-mail, voice mail and text message.

All BU students and registered faculty and staff will receive a test e-mail message on Friday. Test voice mail and text messages also will be sent to those who opted to receive notification in these formats.

BU tests the emergency notification system once each semester.

The cast is a group of fun loving and passionate individuals who love to perform and educate the students of Bloom about the realities of being a young individual. There were two Acts, each act consisting of 4 scenes. The scene names in this episode were Secrets at the Cemetery, The Vitamin and Her Voices, Karaoke Bingo Night, The Sad Stigma, (Act Two) SGA Meeting, Intimate Glee Clubbers, A lesson, a Lie and The Guys’ Reality.

Each act was interesting and kept you intrigued because they were very relatable to the every day student, just not at Bloom but in general. The acts brought awareness to many topics that I, and any student, could relate to. Topics such as drinking and how fun it can be, but how if abused can ruin even inseparable loving relationships.

This episode also included situations involving teen pregnancy-how to deal with it in the most responsible way, family struggles-who to talk to when you feel like no one can understand, not even your closest friends. Also racism was spoken about, and how it still sadly exists today and the obvious reasons why it shouldn’t be.

Being a young adult at college is stressful in itself, let a lone when there are outside sources affecting your life too. Busted is a great performance to see if you want to be able to feel like you’re really not the only one going through something stressful. They lighten up the mood with their humorous acting, upbeat music, funky dancing and positive attitudes.
The cast of BUSTED will perform again December 7th. Come watch!

Front Page Photo Courtesy of http://www.bloomca.org/BUSTED/index2.html

The Rum Runners pose for a picture after capturing the title at their home tournament, photo courtesy of Lamar Seger

Callahans, flicks and hammers all grouped together have no apparent connection, however ask an ultimate frisbee player and you will get a very different response. Ultimate frisbee is one of the fastest growing sports on college campuses all across America. Though a majority of the teams are club or intramural that do not discourage people from playing the game.

Bloomsburg University’s Ultimate frisbee team or The Rum Runners as they are known, are led by three junior captains: Tim McConnell, Lamar Seger and Jon Palumbo. The team holds a 1-1 tournament record this season after winning their home tournament and taking second at the East Stroudsburg tournament, earlier in the season.

At the home tournament, The Rum Runners went 6-0 defeating all of their opponents in pool play and earning a victory over Wilkes University in the championship game 15-2. Proud of his team’s accomplishment was Palumbo stating, “This was the first tournament where we won every single game.”  Seger agreed with Palumbo stating that the team “played amazing, the chemistry was good, and I was very happy with the team.”  At East Stroudsburg, the Rum Runners advanced to the championship game, but fell to a New Jersey team by a score of 13-4. “The other team was really, really good,” said Seger, “but we still played hard.”

As stated earlier, ultimate frisbee is growing in popularity on college campuses. According to Palumbo, “The object of the game is to score more points than the other team by getting the disk into the end-zone which you are attacking; it’s a lot like football.”  The players who generally throw the disk are known as handlers while the receivers catch the frisbee, but there are no real set positions in frisbee. For the most part, everyone plays the same positions and has the same responsibilities. There are seven players from each team on the field at one time and two out of the seven players should be girls. Ultimate frisbee is co-ed, therefore encouraging participation by all.

The prime seasons for frisbee are the fall and the spring. The fall season runs from the end of September through the beginning of November, while the spring season runs from the end of March to the beginning of May. The Rum Runners are a club team here at Bloomsburg, they “take it (ultimate frisbee) seriously, but not to the point where people don’t enjoy it,” according to Seger.  Both Palumbo and Seger agree, “the best way to learn how to play frisbee is by playing the game and practice, lots and lots of practice.” The first three weeks of the season are designed for learning the basics to the game. Gradually the practices become more technical and advanced, incorporating drills designed to improve: throwing, catching, offense, defense and speed.

Kyle Hanley makes a diving catch for the disk, photo courtesy of Lamar Seger

What made the Rum Runners captains Seger and Palumbo want to join frisbee their freshman year? Both played frisbee in high school gym class or with friends at home for fun. When they got to BU they wanted to find a more competitive way to play. Off the field both captains see the team as sort of a family. “We eat meals together, have pasta dinners to prep before tournaments, go out to eat and play games whether they be pick-up games, kickball or capture the flag on the weekends,” said Palumbo and Seger.

The Rum Runners, (1-1) tournament record, will see action again two weeks from now as they travel to Wilkes University on November 7 for a tournament. For questions about the Rum Runners or to learn more, please contact the team email: bloomultimate@gmail.com or check out the team website: http://organizations.bloomu.edu/ultimatefrisbee/.

Austin Robbins, owner of Ceylon Studios, photo courtesy of Kristey Mascaro.

Austin Robbins, a 23-year-old photography business owner (Ceylon Studios) who grew up in Bloomsburg wasn’t convinced the location of a small town would produce enough profit to sustain his new business. “Main Street feels like it’s been dying off and I wanted to bring something back to the downtown area where people could just hang out and watch the interaction,” Robbins says.

His new location, Elizabethtown, Pa, is a college town similar to Bloomsburg. Although it doesn’t have as much foot traffic, the downtown shop owners hold monthly meetings with the agenda of improving the downtown area in hopes of trying to get people to interact more with their town and notice the local businesses. The primary goal of these meetings is to consider options to make positive influences and have a positive impact on the student life.

Though the effects of the recession have been particularly hard on artists, gallery owners and hopeful entrepreneurs, Robbins was determined to prevail in a time of economic dismay. Although his business seemed to pick up quickly, Robbins has recently discovered that many people would rather have a friend take their pictures, rather than spending the extra cost in a professional studio. The price of a SLR (single lens reflex) cameras has been dropping at an increasingly high rate, making it possible for most anyone to own one. “It’s risky in my opinion. Wedding pictures, senior pictures, they are things that only happen once in your life, and its an experience everyone should have. Pictures last forever. Memories are something you should always invest more in,” Robbins concluded.

The New York Foundation of the Arts recently conducted a statewide survey on how the recession is affecting artists and found that many have lost their jobs and are struggling to afford studio space and materials as well as covering their daily living expenses. To make matters worse, many artists have lost representation, as more galleries have tightened their belts or shut down altogether.

As galleries close and art nonprofits suffer from cutbacks in funding and the loss of support from private institutions, artists must look for new outlets and resources in order to sustain themselves. Many have discovered alternative options for showcasing their work and staying afloat financially.

While it is easy to focus on the negative, many artists are transforming their struggle into opportunity, proving tough times can also be a period of remarkable ingenuity. Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics (FEAST ), a reoccurring communal dinner in a church basement, is a means of democratically supporting emerging local artists. Open to the public, diners pay for their meal on a sliding scale and vote for one of the proposed artists projects, which is then funded by the proceeds from the dinner and presented at the next FEAST.

The economic downturn might not make profits any easier or sustainable for artists, but they continue to look ahead.

Swine Flu vaccine, courtesy of ktar.net

Although the regular winter flu is mostly common for people over the age of 65, H1N1 is mostly striking the young. Since most college student fit within 24 years of age they are among the priority groups for the H1N1 vaccine. This may be good news for Bloomsburg students, and other college students who are interested in receiving the Swine Flu vaccine. According to the CDC, Center for Disease and Control, the Swine Flu is circulating in all 50 states.

The Health Center has recently received 2,400 doses of H1N1 vaccine and administered the Swine Flu shots on

Nursing Major Brittany Martin gives the H1N1 vaccine to Sophomore Sarah Cheatwood during the Student Health Center Clinic, photo courtesy of Connor Showalter

November 2, 2009 between 9am to 5pm to students only. The Voice reported that only 1,100 students received the H1N1 flu vaccine. At the Health Center H1N1 vaccines will still be available to students by appointment only until they run out of the vaccine. In order to make students feel safer with issues regarding the Swine Flu the Bloomsburg Health Center has set up a Q and A page regarding most commonly asked questions from students such as: what are the symptoms of the Swine Flu, and how to remain healthy.

One student, Lauren Roberto, a 20-year old female has decided she will be getting the Swine Flu vaccination in precaution to the Swine Flu. She has already gotten the seasonal flu shot for the year and is continuing to be cautious of possible flu like symptoms. She received her shot on November 2, 2009 administered by the university.

While many students may agree with Lauren in taking this precaution to the H1N1 virus, Jessica Picciotti is sure she will not be getting the Swine Flu vaccine. Jessica feels washing her hands often, and getting plenty of sleep is enough in order to stay healthy. She does not believe in injecting a small dose of the flu into her body since she already has a strong immune system. She has not gotten the season flu shot vaccine and does not feel vaccinations for the flu are necessary for her. Both girls are doing as much as they believe is enough for them to stay healthy.

The most common reported side effects of the H1N1 vaccine consist of muscle pain, nausea, headache, fever, chills, and vomiting. However, there have been no significant safety concerns from the H1N1 vaccine so far. To learn more about the H1N1 flu and the Swine Flu vaccine check out the CDC’s website.

The Temple of Dendur, photo courtesy of Courtney Martin, junior year Art History Major

The drawings at the left (inside the back temple) show a section and plan of the entire Dendur complex as it stood in Nubia until 1963 and was rebuilt in New York. The shrine within the cliffs (cliffs were not brought to New York) was probably made first to symbolize the burial place of two brothers who drowned in the Nile River during Roman times. We decided to take a picture of these temples because we were fascinated by the reconstruction of the temples, and we could walk through them and look at the art on the walls within the temple.

Marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis

In its original location this column stood over fifty-eight feet tall. The delicate foliate carving on the capital is unique among extant capitals from the temple, and the vegetal scale-like pattern makes it exceptionally elaborate. Shockingly, this particular capital is slightly smaller than others that were found at the same site.  This indicates that this column did not belong to the outer colonnade. This is my favorite because of the detail on the top and it’s amazing how clean it is with the little amount of tools they had at their disposal.

Wall painting with garlands and object related to Dionysiac rites

Walls of the exedra (a square alcove open to the peristyle of the villa) were decorated with richly colored panels that imitate expensive marble revetments. The center of each wall was marked by a bull’s head from which heavy garlands were suspended.

Wall painting from the villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, photo courtey of Courtney Martin

This particular panel came from the left hand wall. The light paint colors would give off the impression that the objects were illuminated by actual daylight from the entrance.  I decided to use this picture because I have zero artistic ability and I think this wall painting is absolutely gorgeous.

City Adventures

Now for the really fun stuff, not that I don’t enjoy a good art museum but we were in New York City! After we left the met my brother took us to a small Irish bar called “The Rogue” where we indulged in a smorgasbord of appetizers and drinks. One of my biggest problems while we were at “The Rogue”   was when we were drinking Guinness. The price was the same as a regular pint but the beer itself was significantly smaller, but that didn’t stop us. After satisfying our stomachs we got into a taxi and went on a shopping mission.

My friends, myself, and my brother in the Irish Pub: "The Rogue." This picture was taken by our lovely bartended Irene

In all honesty, I expected the shopping to be much better than it was. The stores were the same stores that we have here (maybe not HERE in Bloomsburg, but at regular malls) and the clothes were more expensive. Why? Just because we were in New York City? 

So after about an hour of not buying much we decided to meet up with my brother again and that’s when we took us to So Ho. I’m not sure what it stands for but it’s a part of New York City. He raved about a pizza place called “Arturos” so that’s where we went next. While we were there we had some really good pizza, along with a liter of wine.

The most interesting experience for me was when my brother got up to the bathroom there was a group of 4 guys sitting behind us who offered my friend and I “purple haze”. I was absolutely shocked. Overall I had an amazing experience in New York and wish I had more time, it is really a completely different world, even compared to Philadelphia (I’m from around that area).  I would strongly suggest to everyone and anyone of all kinds to visit New York City at least one time in their lifetime! It is an awesome experience!

RateMyProfessors.com is a review site founded in May 1999. The website allows college and university students and even anonymous people to assign ratings to professors of American, Canadian and British institutions. The site contains more than ten million ratings, for about one million professors.

The main criticism of RMP is that there is little reason to think that the ratings accurately reflect the quality of the professors rated. RMP itself admits that the ratings are “not really” statistically valid.

Bloomsburg University has a total of 610 professors on the website. The top five highest professors were found using the ‘total ratings’ and ‘overall quality’ options. Here you can find the top five highest rated professors on campus, anoymous comments and a comment from the professor themselves.

1. Thomas Aleto – Anthropology

Anonymous Comment: “Cultural Anthropology with Aleto was a very interesting class. He gave assignments where you had to read articles about different cultures, and they were all interesting. There was no textbook. We also watched a lot of video clips. You need to go to class in order to get the notes, since there is no text, and take notes on the videos. Very fun.”

Professor Comment: Not Available

2. Eileen Astor-Stetson – Psychology

Anonymous Comment: “General Psychology was a lot of information for a one semester course. She makes it fun and keeps you interested. You need to workbook in order to do assignments. I used the book sparingly. Make sure you take down all her notes. And you have to study for the test, or else you will not do well. You need to go to class in order to get the notes.”

Professor Comment: Not Available

3. Peter Bohling – Economics

Anonymous Comment: “Extremely nice guy, funny, and helps you a lot over the course of the class. Class is actually fun, and he goes out of his way to make sure you understand it. While the material is somewhat hard, he makes sure you understand it so you can get an A if you do some work and pay attention. One of the best teachers in Bloom, hands down.”

Professor Comment: “As far as that website is concerned, it is a very bad website in my opinion. It allows people to put comments and rating in even if a person is not in the class. Also, I think people use it only when they are either pleased with a class or upset with a class so the ratings are not representative of the class or the instructor.”

4. Cynthia Surmacz – Biology

Courtesy of BU Communications Department

Anonymous Comment: “Having her for A&P1 and A&P2 she was extremely helpful! Even though the class was difficult, including the tests, she made the class fun and easy to learn new concepts. She was ALWAYS available and was willing to help! She takes attendance randomly and puts it towards your grade so you need to go. Make sure you take it with her and no one else!”

Professor Comment : Not Available

5. Kurt Smith – Philosophy

Anonymous Comment: “This guy is funny. I did not want to miss class in fear of missing him say something funny. Good teacher has a story to explain everything… Grades somewhat tough but its easy to get a B or better.”

Professor Comment: “I believe that it’s a good idea for students have a forum (consisting of just students) to vent their frustrations and it’s not a bad idea for there to be some resource they can tap to see what their fellow students think of professors. But, if the only students who are evaluating professors are those who take themselves to either really love or hate the professors being evaluated, then the resource isn’t going to be all that informative. That, I’m afraid, is really what we have with Ratemyprofessor.com. The voice of the LARGE majority of students (in the emotional-middle) simply isn’t being heard.”

* Honorable mention: Alan Baker – Music

Anonymous Comment: “From a music-illiterate person’s perspective: SO MUCH FUN. The atmosphere is great and I feel as though my lack of skills does not matter anymore and I could possibly be learning something…”

Professor Comment: “I know of the website but I, intentionally, stay away from it. I have colleagues and friends (even a wife) who look at the site with some regularity, but I don’t. My reasoning is that I don’t really know what kind of sample one is getting of their entire class, nor does one really know what criteria is being used to make the evaluation. Perhaps I’m rated the way I am because my class is considered “easy.” If so, that’s not  particularly flattering. Do the disgruntled “weigh in” on their professors more than the complimentary? I know I am more likely to “go the extra mile” to complain about something than I am to “praise” something. Not a great self-realization, but we’re all busy and I suspect lots of others behave in much the same way.”

All photos courtesy of Google Image Search