So as to not exclude those who are under 21 from more fun then they are already missing out on, here’s the gist. $2 Bob is an older man that goes to the bars and hands out $2 bills to girls that he encounters. He wears a $2 Bob hat, so you can’t miss him in the crowds, and carries tons of personalized $2 Bob trinkets with him. Most girls find him creepy, but after talking to Bob for a few minutes one night, I realized that he’s not a “creepy old man”, but in reality, he’s harmless and actually quite introverted.

$2 Bob poses with editor Heather Delp

After wondering about $2 Bob for too long, I decided to ask him if he would do an interview for BU Now. I knew that there had to be an interesting story behind this man and I wanted people to see that he’s not as bad as some might think. He had no problem with it, and after a couple months I was finally able to track him down on Thursday night at Good Old Days for a chat.

I found $2 Bob roaming around upstairs, so I brought him down to the table where my friends and I were sitting. As we passed the bar, Bob asked me if I wanted a drink. I didn’t think drinking another would be great for my interviewing skills, but I didn’t want to be rude, so of course I accepted. I got out my list of questions, pulled up a chair for Bob, and away we went.

$2 Bob is a 62-year-old man who has been married for 40 years. He is the father of three sons, and the grandfather of six grandchildren, with the oldest being five. He is looking forward to Christmas when his family will be reunited and he will be able to see all of his grandkids from Arkansas, Boston, and Pennsylvania. He is the president of a local insurance company and has a business degree from Penn State. Bob likes to go to the movies with his wife on the weekends, and when I asked him what his wife is doing right now, he said “reading”.

One of my big questions for Bob was what his wife thinks about him frequenting the bars. He replied, “as long as I don’t drink and only go out 2-3 nights a week, it’s tolerated”. Yes, you read right, $2 Bob doesn’t drink. You will almost always see him with a drink in hand, but it’s usually soda or cranberry juice. His drink of choice used to be gin and tonic with lime, or a Corona with lime. Fortunately, $2 Bob has been sober since August 30, 1998, which is over eleven years of sobriety.

The front of $2 Bob's business card

$2 Bob said his problem with alcohol started as a way to “self-medicate for severe OCD”, which is obsessive complusive disorder. It was his wifes idea for him to become sober, but he also agrees that it was a good idea. He voluntarily went to the outpatient alcohol program at Geisinger Medical Center, and after weighing the pros and cons, he realized that choosing sobriety was his only option.

Even though $2 Bob doesn’t drink, he says it’s still fun to go to the bar and talk to the students. His transformation from an average guy to a Bloomsburg staple at the local watering holes happened by accident. Bob revealed that he adopted the $2 Bob persona six years ago when he randomly stopped at Harry’s. After awhile, people expected him to have $2 bills and now he says that is part of the reason why he continues to be $2 Bob.

The biggest question I had for Bob was the most obvious, how do you get so many $2 bills and why? Bob says, “the bank orders them in lots of $1500 from the federal reserve”. He also told me that he has always had $2 bills since he was a boy because his grandfather worked at a race track. Bob spends between 40-50 dollars a night giving out his unique bills and says that he has never run out of money. If you have ever seen Bob’s wad of bills, you shouldn’t be surprised. I asked Bob how he can afford to give away money and he replied, “I don’t have any other expensive hobbies except my Penn State season tickets”.

$2 Bob is a relatively normal guy who might have more in common with you than you think. Bob takes one class a semester at Bloomsburg University to get away from work. He says he mostly takes history and pyschology courses, so you might even see $2 Bob around campus. Bob also has his favorite bill as a permanent part of his body. A huge $2 bill is tattooed on his upper back, so no matter what, Bob will always have a $2 bill with him.

Stamps with a picture of $2 Bob and his tattoo

All in all, $2 Bob answered all of my questions and was a great sport about me prying into his personal life. At the end of the interview, Bob left me with this quote, “if people get that much enjoyment out of it, then so do I”. Most people wouldn’t consider a bar the best spot for a recovering alcoholic to hang out, but it seems to be doing more good than harm for Bob. In fact, I give props to Bob for being able to resist alcohol for eleven years while spending at least one day a week at the bar! Hopefully, this article has shed some good light on a quirky but harmless man that you shouldn’t be afraid to talk to and get to know.

Besides, you might even make a few bucks.

Do you have a professor that is exceptionally outstanding? Show your appreciation!

If you will be graduating in December 2009, either undergraduate or graduate, you are invited to nominate an outstanding professor. From now until December 11^th at 4:00 p.m., students can nominate their favorite professor for the Outstanding Teaching Award, sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center (TALE).

Two professors will be selected by a panel after careful consideration of the entrees. Nominations will be combined with May/August graduate nominations and the two winners will be announced at the May 2010 graduation ceremonies.

The two selected professors will receive a plaque that is awarded to them, and their name will be added to a plaque in the TALE Center. The professors also receive a monetary award that may be used toward any professional development, including, but not limited to, attending a conference, furthering education, or supplies that will enhance their programs.

Students who nominated previous award winning teachers expressed that the professors are enthusiastic and have excellent instructing style, sincere concern with students’ success, and have served as role models as professionals for students. The panel for this selection consists of a professor from each college that has previously received this award and a co-chairperson from the TALE Center.

All nominations and essays will be kept entirely confidential. A professor may only receive the award once every ten years.

Go to http://iit.bloomu.edu/award now to start your nomination!

If you have any problems with the form for submission contact, contact Lisa Stallbaumer-Beishline at lstallba@bloomu.edu or 570-389-4310 in the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center (TALE), located in 1231 McCormick.

The fall dance show was added to the ensemble’s calendar this year in hopes of promoting the spring show.  As the first ever fall showcase, the November 15^th performance will act as a teaser to the larger show in the spring.  Dance Ensemble Co-President, Shannon Stahl, says, “So many people go to the see the show at the end of the year we thought it would be a great idea to give them another opportunity to see what the dance ensemble does ahead of time.”

Those who attend the performance will see a one to one and a half minute dance performance from each class in the ensemble. Each class will perform a choreographed dance on stage. With 15 styles of dance, there is sure to be something for everyone: hip-hop, Latin, musical theatre, ballet, African, tap, modern, jazz, Irish soft and hard, acro, competition, Country, and couples country.

With 160 members involved, the Dance Ensemble is one of the largest student run organizations on campus. Stahl uses the ensemble as a place to hang out with friends while doing what she loves.  Stahl says, “Dancing has always been a part of my life and I love that I have had the opportunity to continue it here at college.”  She helps to run all meetings and organize events the ensemble takes part in.  Along with the duties of being president, Stahl also teaches Advanced Jazz, is in the Latin and Ballet classes, and competes with the competition team.

The university’s competition team is composed of a group of 20 committed girls from the ensemble that compete every year at the Garden State Invitational.  For the past two years, the BU team has taken home first place at this competition, as well as a “Most Crowd Appeal” award at last year’s event. In addition to the invitational, the team has performed at the Special Olympics and in the Homecoming parade.  In upcoming weeks they will perform at Treefest, a local charity event that donates trimmed Christmas trees to less fortunate families.

If two competition titles and a “Most Crowd Appeal” award cannot convince you to come to the show, then maybe some brownies will! In addition to the dances at this fall showcase, the ensemble plans to raise funds by selling baked goods and Bloomsburg University Dance Ensemble t-shirts on the night of the performance. Come out and enjoy the music and performances Sunday, November 15, at 7 pm in the Kehr Union Ballroom!

Front page photo courtesy of http://organizations.bloomu.edu/dance/

Check out this video from last year’s spring showcase!

Professor Witte's empty Feature Writing class, Friday 9:00 a.m., photo courtesy of Matt Hartman

The obvious response to this question is why are you in college if you aren’t going to put in full effort?  If you are really here to continue your education, why would you short yourself by skipping class?  Attending class is obviously important and can be a huge help, not only to your grade, but to what you actually take out of the class- the real learning that takes place.  But let’s face it; some of the classes we take are only because the curriculum forces us to take them.  I have zero interest in science and math, but I had to take 12 credits, almost an entire semester’s worth of classes.

Bus stop, corner of Glenn Ave. and North Iron Street, photo courtesy of Matt Hartman

I decided to try to find out how some other students felt, so I put together a small little survey.  The survey included a couple simple questions about attendance and I received about 25 student responses.  Not surprisingly, the results ended up being a lot like my thoughts.  Only 1 out of 25 students thought that attending class in college should be mandatory.  Most of the 25 students said that they attend class often, but not every class.  I feel like that is typical, sometimes there are circumstances when a student cannot (or chooses not) to attend: sickness, work, studying for another class, or other circumstances.

“I knew the information and did well on the assignments, but sometimes attendance brought my grades down,” said Nick Searles, a recent BU graduate.

Another question that I asked in the survey was whether or not students thought that attending classes in upper level classes in their major was more important than attending a 100 level gen-ed intro course, and 20 out of the 25 people said yes.

I cannot speak for others, but I think that students want to be at the upper level courses, because one day, they will hopefully be a professional, working and using the information they learned in these upper level courses.

Even though I do not think attendance should be mandatory, I think that students that do not come to class should not be able to make up missed work or hand in assignments late.  If you decide not to come to class, you should not get the benefits that students that attend get, but you should not get penalized for missing.

One student waits for bus before 11:00 a.m. Friday morning, photo courtesy of Matt Hartman

According to Bloomsburg University’s policy on class attendance, “Regular classroom attendance is expected of all students.”

Bloomsburg’s policy on attendance does excuse a student if he or she misses class as a result of extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control, including personal illness, death or critical illness in the immediate family, participation in a university-sponsored activity, or participation in a short term, obligatory military or military reserve activity.  In these cases, a student that misses an assignment should be allowed to make-up the work within a reasonable amount of time.

“I believe that it is the teacher’s responsibility to make class more valuable for the student than whatever else they could be doing,” said Professor Oliver Witte, an instructor in the Mass Communications department.

I understand why the university and professors would want us to attend class; if students attend class more often, participation will be higher and classroom discussions can be held creating a better learning environment.  But, as long as the students are doing the homework and passing quizzes and tests, should they really receive a lower grade for not being in class?  I don’t think so, at least not until the professors or university start paying the students’ tuition bill.

What do you think?

Here are a couple links of other people’s opinions

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/01/absent/

www.csmonitor.com/2002/0129/p15s01-lehl.html

Becoming a D.J. is very simple and no experience is required and you do not have to start as a freshman, you can join when you are an upper classman. The staff of WBUQ will teach you how to work the equipment and give you the confidence to become a D.J. You can even pick your own program.

WBUQ D.J. Kelly Barnett, Photo Courtesy of Julianne Cozens

One D.J. who has been working at WBUQ- The Revolution since her freshman year is Kelly Barnett. She started as a freshman and has been on the executive board at WBUQ- The Revolution since Spring 2008, and has her own program at the radio station. In asking her a few questions about the radio station, you can realize that she is a committed and loyal member of the radio station and really wants it to thrive!

She wants to convey that anyone can become a D.J. and to understand it is not as scary and nerve-racking as it might seem. When the question arose about what you would tell a student who wants to join but is too afraid, Barnett said, “I was the exact same way. I was so nervous, but I guess I kind of sucked it up and just went for it. It’s really not scary at all – we don’t yell at you and you get to do things the way you would like to on air (for the most part). It’s really a great experience – surprisingly minimum pressure.”

Another question that came up was how working for the radio station could help you in the future? As a Mass Communication major and Marketing minor, “having broadcasting experience will be a great addition to my resume,” she said, and it will help her find a career after she graduates. Being a part of a program like this might cause stress in the beginning but in the end it will be worth it when you have a job and you enjoy what you are doing.

At the conclusion of the interview, Barnett was asked what advice would you give someone who wanted to join the staff of WBUQ- The Revolution? Barnett answered the question with this simple response: “JOIN! It looks great to have a real position in a club on your resume, and it looks even better when it’s a club that makes you unique. I mean really, how many people really can say they have been a DJ on the radio? We are looking for new members for next year and next semester- I would love to meet them!”

So if you had any concerns about joining the WBUQ staff, go and ask them! They are always willing to sit and explain everything they know and want to make you feel comfortable there. Any questions please contact Kelly Barnett at klb33104@huskies.bloomu.edu.

Maggey Bloskey

Maggey Bloskey’s (Danville/Danville) goal in overtime gave the Bloomsburg University team a 2-1 win over Shippensburg in the championship game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) field hockey playoffs. The title is the 16th overall and third straight in the great career of Huskies head coach Jan Hutchinson who has announced her retirement at the end of the 2010 softball season (a sport she also coaches).

Bloskey’s goal came on a rebound of a shot by Erin Hench (Loysville/West Perry) that was saved by Shippensburg goalie Amanda Houser 13 minutes into the extra period.

Bloomsburg had a couple of scoring chances in the first half getting three corners in the first 20 minutes of play, but were not able to convert. Shippensburg scored the first goal of the game on its first penalty corner of the game. Taylor Jones scored off an assist from Ashley Jones at the 21:11 mark to put the Lady Raiders on top.

The Huskies did have three more penalty corners and managed two shots on goal, but no goals leaving it a 1-0 game at the break.

Breanne Tobin

In the second half the Huskies kept the pressure on getting three penalty corners in the first seven minutes of play. On the third corner of the half Breanne Tobin (Perkasie/Pennridge) took a pass from Bloskey and tied the game with a goal at the 42:03 mark.

In the closing minutes of the regulation play Bloomsburg had a great opportunity to go in front on a couple of penalty corners, but Houser made two saves while one shot was blocked forcing overtime.

Bloskey has come up big against Shippensburg in the playoffs before. In last year’s NCAA semi-finals she scored three goals to help the Huskies down the Lady Raiders and advance to the NCAA title game.

For Bloomsburg, goalie Caitlin Koczynski (Yardley/Neshaminy) made six saves in the win.

Bloomsburg, 20-1, will now await word on Monday about the NCAA playoffs which begin on Nov. 7 with quarterfinal games.

courtesy of http://www.campustheatre.org/

Why are all of these people dressed in strange clothes in a line outside of a movie theatre? Because they’re waiting to buy tickets for the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

For those Rocky Horror virgins out there, this Halloween cult phenomenon is a musical comedy that parodies horror and science fiction films. The premise of the movie tails a couple in distress. They get a flat tire and knock on the nearest door for help. The couple is then thrown into the house of a bizarre doctor, where they observe a strange and sexually ambiguous atmosphere.

The movie is usually a big hit with audience members.  The general consensus is that most people are aware of the film’s existence.  However it’s not very safe to say that most people have seen the film, or experienced it at midnight on Halloween.

There are some who have simply rented the DVD and watched it at home, but that might not be the way to go. Penn Tech student Rachel Putterman has some experience with this issue.  Putterman made last year’s Halloween her first trip to see the movie in theatres. She had rented it and wasn’t the biggest fan, but all of her friends told her she had to see it in theatres.  Putterman said “I thought I still wouldn’t like it, but it was so much better participating in the whole thing when you’re in the movie theatre.”

Courtesy of http://www.campustheatre.org/

A seasoned veteran Mike Andrews, who has attended for three consecutive years, is planning on making this year his fourth.  Andrews is a college student at Susquehanna University who’s been going to this event with friends ever since his high school years.  He said, “You really have to go in with an open mind and just try to have fun, cause the whole thing is pretty chaotic, but in a good way.”

Andrews is bringing a few of his college friends along, and most of them are first-timers like Kyle Header.  Header said “It should be pretty funny, my girlfriend’s lending me some of her clothes.” Header won’t be the only guy there dressed in female’s clothing.  The show doesn’t start until 11:00 pm, but the line starts to build about an hour before.  The entire block fills up with people who look like they might be working the corner.  It may be a shocking visual for the uninformed by-passer.

Once you get into the theatre and the show starts, there is a lot more to get used to.  Every theatre has their own specific rules and regulations to keep things from getting out of control.  But aside from that, you’re free to do things you might not be able to any other time in a movie theatre.  The event is interactive and allows for some pretty outrageous behavior. Andrews explains that “You can yell profanities out at random times and throw rice around the room, it’s pretty much a given that things will get sloppy.”

There’s a list of items the newcomer to the Rocky Horror scene should bring along to be properly prepared.  The more popular items on the list include rice and toast for throwing, water bottles or water guns for obvious purposes, and newspapers as a defense mechanism from all the chaotic elements of the show.  As Andrews explained earlier, thing’s really do get sloppy in the theatre.

So for the adventurous college student out there looking for something new and different this Halloween, the Rocky Horror Picture Show might be just the ticket.