Brown and White Vol. 125 no. 13

              Vol. 125 No. 13
Friday, October 25, 2013
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Football gears up for Bucknell
Page 12
ONLINE
Poll: Halloween
costumes
thebrownandwhite.com
Student-run
publications
Page 5
LIFESTYLE
A Whole Step Up steps out, performs in NYC
Parents visit, learn about campus living
B&W photos courtesy of GREG JACOBS
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Gabi Rosenbrien, ’14, and Mike Miele,’16, enjoy the view in scenic central park. Miele and Evyn Tarvydas, ’16, take a break by a fountain. The men of ‘A Whole Step Up,’ Lehigh’s all-male a cappella group, assemble in the park after performing at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides fundraiser walk.
Tackling the pink ribbon phenomenon
By JADA GREEN
The Lehigh campus was bus­tling with various events geared toward providing families with a first-hand look into Lehigh life during family weekend, Oct. 18-20.
After visiting the bookstore and receiving their “Proud Le­high Parent” buttons, families were given the opportunity to attend classes with their children on Friday during open class­room events. Walking tours, open houses and information sessions were also held to famil­iarize the visitors with campus.
College presentations and Q-and-A sessions on Saturday morning informed parents about topics such as major selec­tion and core curriculum across disciplines.
While many first-year stu­dents generally attend these events with their families, they also proved beneficial for upperclassmen.
“A Commencement Infor­mational Session is a new of­fering we [provided] this year, and we’re finding that it appeals to parents of seniors as well as underclassmen,” said Caroline Clifford, director of advance­ment and university events. “The College of Engineering does provide a track on the first-year academic experience, while simultaneously offering open houses for majors and their families in all the different departments.”
In addition to giving parents a view of the academic scene, the weekend included vari­ous cultural, athletic and social events.
University Productions spon­sored movie screenings Friday and Saturday night, as well as a comedy performance by Russell Hicks. A guided tour of the Le­high University Art Galleries in Zoellner Arts Center, along with LU Philharmonic and a cappella concerts showcased Lehigh’s appreciation for the arts.
First-year student residence halls also held socials where par­ents could meet their children’s gryphons, as well as the other students living in their building.
“I think this event really helps the parents, especially those that are struggling, be­come more comfortable and connected to their child while they’re away at school,” said Matt Raborn, head Gryphon in McClintic-Marshall House. “A lot of the parents that I’ve talked to are curious about my Lehigh experience as they are looking for guidance for their children. Especially with first-year stu­dents, some parents seem to get crazed with their son or daugh­ter not knowing exactly what they will be doing here.”
Eden Weinflash, ‘17, attend­ed the event with her parents
See PARENTS Page 2
By KRISTEN WILHOUSKI
The Women’s Center held “Pink Washing,” a group discussion about the media’s effect on breast cancer awareness, at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in the University Center.
Several students attended the dis­cussion, led by Jimil Ataman, ’14, in recognition of National Breast Can­cer Awareness Month. Its focus was centralized on pink washing, a term coined by Breast Cancer Action as: “A company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promot­ing a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.”
“Just because a product is pink and is meant to support breast cancer doesn’t mean it’s made of safe ingre­dients,” Ataman said. “Many of these products might be contributing to breast cancer, yet they’re labeled with a pink ribbon.”
Many students expressed disap­proval of companies with questionable motives in their breast cancer sup­port, who simply use the pink ribbon as a ploy to make money and gain customers.
Lyndsey Collins, ’14, questioned what was meant by companies who sought people’s support to raise awareness.
“I’m pretty sure people are already aware that breast cancer exists. I think companies need to specify what they mean by awareness,” she said.
Several students said they thought the money should be going to research and action.
“Many companies say they’ll do­nate part of the proceeds, but don’t say where the money is going or how it will be used. It’s deceptive,” Collins said.
The students discussed the impor­tance of doing research when it comes to donating to breast cancer funds and supporting companies that offer pink ribbon products. Ataman said that if people don’t want to support companies that are taking advantage
n Students agree all aware­ness, no action is not the best cancer-fighting method.
See PINK Page 4