Brown and White Vol. 118 no. 21

              Vol. 118 No. 21
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Birds of
a feather
Page 12
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in our image?
Page 5
LIFESTYLE
Lehigh Valley cites highest unemployment in 20+ years
By DEANNA MCLAFFERTY
A report released by the Penn­sylvania Department of Labor and Industry revealed Lehigh Valley’s unemployment rate hit 9.8 percent in February, which is the highest rate since 1983, ac­cording to an article in The Morn­ing Call.
The labor force in the Lehigh Valley – employed persons as well as those actively looking for jobs – has actually increased by 1,400 people, accounting for the higher unemployment rate.
“We don’t have fewer local jobs, but there are more people in the work force, so that’s what helped push our rate up,” Mike Moore, Allentown communica­tions coordinator, said.
This increase in the work force can be considered a positive indi­cator for the area.
“Nationally, a lot of people have dropped out of the work force because they are discour­aged at their prospects of finding a job,” Thomas Hyclak, professor of economics, said. “To the extent that there is less of that going on locally, people seem to be more confident about their prospects, so that would be a slightly positive sign from the point of view of how potential workers are looking at the labor market.”
Robert Thornton, professor of economics, also noted small in­creases or decreases in the unem­ployment rate can be misleading.
“As things get better, new jobs are created and discouraged workers start looking again,” Thornton said. “This increases the labor force, so the unemployment rate goes up at the same time there are more jobs out there and more people looking.”
Hyclak said the increase in the work force could be linked to the Lehigh Valley’s strong education and health service sectors.
“We have a high proportion of local employment in education and health care, and those two industries are the only two indus­tries at the national level that con­tinue to grow in terms of number of jobs throughout the recession,”
See EMPLOYMENT Page 2
University clues in on Facebook advertising
By MICHELLE RUMSEY
Since 2006, Facebook has been known primarily as a social networking site, but uni­versities such as Lehigh have recognized its value as an ad­vertising outlet to their most important clients: students.
When Student Senate was asked how students on campus find out about events, an over­whelming majority mentioned the social networking site as the main source of campus news.
Brynn Buskirk, assistant director of marketing for Busi­ness Services, expressed her support for Facebook advertis­ing. She stressed the impor­tance of getting the word out about events and the resources available to students on many different platforms.
Since September, Busi­ness Services has taken full advantage of Facebook. All university departments, in­cluding Transportation and Parking, Printing and Mailing, the bookstore, Stabler Arena and Trademarks and Licens­ing and Purchasing, have benefitted from the avenue of marketing on the site.
In particular, the Trade­marks and Licensing depart­ment has used the site to regu­late trademark use.
In the past, there was a lot of confusion regarding the proper and legal use of the Lehigh logo on jerseys and other merchandise. Advertis­ing on Facebook has made the department’s Web site easily accessible to teams and clubs, forming a bridge of commu­nication so to avoid misuse of the logo.
According to Buskirk, the general awareness campaign departments are pursuing with Facebook has made students more proactive in reaching out to Business Services.
Buskirk, an avid Facebook user, describes Facebook as an avenue that combines social media with an advertising ap­proach that is not in-your-face but is user-friendly.
Although students use Face­book already, which reduces the cost of drawing them to the site, some students such as James Facey, ’11, do not see these ads because of the multitude of ads displayed on the side of the screen at any one time.
“I haven’t seen the ads, and if I did, I wouldn’t think much of them,” he said.
“It’s a good way to reach a large number of students,” Leah Evans, ’11, said. “I don’t personally pay much attention to ads on Facebook, though.”
Despite the lack of time spent concentrating on each particular ad, the exposure seems to have helped Business Services.
Facebook advertising al­lows users and companies to display an ad and either pay
See FACEBOOK Page 2
B&W photo by EMILY SETTLE
Vice President Joe Biden attended the groundbreaking of the 47,000 sq. ft. addition to Ben Franklin TechVentures last Thursday in an effort to promote job creation in the Lehigh Valley.
VP calls for ‘new chapter’ in local economy
By ANNAMARIA ANSELMO
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Den­nis Hightower, among Bethlehem and state officials, celebrated the ground­breaking of Ben Franklin TechVen­tures2, which is being partially funded by stimulus money, at Mountaintop Campus last Thursday.
Biden and Hightower presented the $6 million grant provided by the Eco­nomic Development Administration American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will expand Ben Franklin TechVentures and create more than 100 technology jobs.
“What we’re doing here … is lit­erally authoring, god-willing, a new chapter in American history and a new chapter in the American economy,” Biden said.
Ben Franklin TechVentures, a tech­nology incubator facility, supports bud­ding firms by providing them funding, research, technology and people.
The construction of the 47,000 sq. ft. and four-story TechVentures2 build­ing will enhance the facility by adding incubator and wet lab space.
“All around, right here in Bethle­hem, it’s already turning into not just ‘this used to be’ to ‘this is going to be,’” Biden said, before insisting, “This is already a hub for innovative research.
“This is where we’re going to find the next Ebay,” he added.
Biden addressed both the problems and prospects facing the Bethlehem community in an economy in which people lost their jobs “for no fault of their own” during the “worst recession short of a depression in the United States.”
The vice president, born and raised in Scranton, Pa., remembers a similar scenario from his childhood. His father had lost his job and left to find work with Biden’s uncle.
It was during this time that Biden’s father imparted a piece of advice to him.
“A job is more than a paycheck; it’s about dignity and respect,” he said.
And since the implementation of the Recovery Act, more than 2.5 million jobs have been created in an economy that, according to Biden, “had shrunk 6.4 percent in the first quarter.”
Biden said Bethlehem has the po­tential and all of the elements for a successful market, including “one of the leading colleges across the coun­try” and the “finest workforce in the world.”
“There’s no reason why this city can’t lead in the new age like it did in the past,” he said. “You have all the ingredients.”
- Additional reporting by Liz Martinez
n Joe Biden visited Lehigh to promote stimulus-funded job creation in the valley.