Brown and White Vol. 121 no. 3

              Vol. 121 No. 3
Friday, September 16, 2011
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Football to play Princeton
Page 16
ONLINE
Check out our
new site
thebrownandwhite.com
Business offers organic fare
Page 7
LIFESTYLE
By MEGAN KIRSCHNER
Marching 97, Lehigh’s student-run marching band, is ringing in the new school year on the best of notes. For the first time in almost 30 years, the band has hit a full complement of 97 members – and they’re “psyched.”
With a record of 40 new freshman musicians, the marching band embraces the opportunity to bring back one of the school’s longest-standing traditions.
In doing so, they hope to gain more recognition from the Lehigh community and encourage all who may be interested to join the effort.
“We’re still looking to grow and accept new mem­bers,” Cristiano Lima, ’13, said. “After 97, we’ll go for 197, then 297 and beyond.”
On Friday afternoon, the day before the first home football game, Cristiano sat astutely, dressed in a ninja turtle suit and floaties. It was “psyche day” for the marching band, and the freshman managers had decid­ed on an under-the-sea theme. Lima, a trombone player with an impressive 12 years of playing experience, is one of two elected managers. The role requires a strong set of organizational skills in order to effectively guide the underclass students and arrange recruitment events. Possessing an element of humor doesn’t hurt either.
Cristiano and his counterpart Madeline Beck, ’13, possess a steadfast focus on recruitment and retention.
“This is kind of our baby,” he said. “Ninety seven members has always been the goal, so finding out that only 60 were returning [this year] was discouraging.”
Not discouraging enough, though. The band made its presence known at multiple candidates’ days this past spring in hopes of sparking some potential interest.
“I wasn’t even considering playing [at Lehigh], but seeing how enthusiastic everyone was during candi­dates day changed my mind,” said bass drummer Doug Solowey, ’15.
Despite all the apparent talent in the group, March­ing 97 does not hold tryouts for new members.
“It’s a learning experience — playing with people at all different skill levels,” Beck said. “It’s exciting!”
Fostering an environment of diverse talent is one of the band’s key recruitment strategies.
On the topic of retention, enthusiasm is definitely the glue that holds this group together.
On Tuesday nights, members can be found sampling diners around the Bethlehem area. Wednesdays are designated for kickball games. Special “psyche nights” promote bonding within the individual ranks through activities from shirt-making to laser tag.
For those in class the day before the Lehigh-Lafay­ette game, don’t be startled if they burst into the room with instruments blaring for the annual Ecoflame.
Marching 97 welcomes band of 97 players
By ADINA ROTHFELD
The Women’s Center is breaking the silence about sexual violence by taking back the night dur­ing the silent march on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. which will conclude at Lamberton Hall, where survivors will speak out and tell their stories.
This year marks the 40th year of women at Le­high and the 20th year of the Women’s Center, as well as the 25th anniversary since Jeanne Cleary’s murder in her dorm room in Centennial II.
The tragedy inspired Cleary’s parents to act.
“Jeanne’s parents, Connie and Howard, discov­ered that students hadn’t been told about 38 violent crimes on the Lehigh campus in the three years before her murder,” said a representative from e2 campus, an emergency notification system.
The first Take Back the Night event in the Unit­ed States took place in Philadelphia in 1975. The Cleary Act initiated the policy of Lehigh ID cards allowing access to buildings.
The event has two legs this year, a change from prior years. It will start with a silent march begin­ning at Sayre Park and Lower Cents. During the silent march, two members of the Marching 97 will make a noise every two minutes, representing how frequently women are raped in the U.S. The second leg is the speak out at Lamberton. Keynote speakers, students, faculty and staff will talk about experiences and read creative pieces. After the planned speech­es, the floor will open up.
“It’s very therapeutic for a lot of people,” said Ka­tie Johnston, ’12, a member and event coordinator from the Women’s Center. She also said the event is a supportive environment on campus, and everyone is very respectful.
“A lot of people are ashamed,” Johnston said. “Survivors of sexual violence are afraid they will be judged if they seek resources. Break the Silence tries to stop and provide a non-judging outlet.”
See NIGHT Page 3
Take back the night to lead annual march
See BAND Page 3
Lehigh degrees to pay well in the long run
By EMILY ROTHKRUG
The Huffington Post, an online publication, published an article in July regarding the release of PayScale’s list of the colleges with the highest mid-career salaries, on which Lehigh ranked 10th, with an average mid-career salary of $112,000.
The data site gathered informa­tion from more than 1,000 schools and excluded students who earned higher than a bachelor’s degree.
Also listed were various presti­gious universities, such as Princeton University ($130,000), Harvard Uni­versity ($116,000), Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($115,000) and Duke University ($113,000).
Donna Goldfeder, director of Career Services Office, said this is not unusual as Lehigh graduates are always ranked higher on these types of surveys.
“You could literally use the word ‘always,’” Goldfeder said. “We have amazing faculty at Lehigh. Because it’s a smaller school, students have much more personal relationships, and they can get assistance with research or even be a teaching as­sistant, which, at an undergradu­ate level, is unheard of at most schools.”
A number of factors go into the
See SURVEY Page 5
B&W photo by JOSHUA BAGLEY
Representatives of The Boeing Company speak with Lehigh students at Wednesday’s Career Fair in the Rauch Fieldhouse. Career Fair gives students the opportunity to network, and find job and internship prospects.
Career choices
n A report from PayScale puts Lehigh graduates among top ten highest earners at mid-career.