Anniversary Edition
CELEBRATING
YEARS Spring 2018
BUnow is a student run, online news organization that covers the latest news and events in Bloomsburg, Pa, the University and the world! Established in 2008 by a group of media pioneer students, and founding faculty advisor Dr. Ganahl, BUnow is an independent, pure-play, multi-platform powerhouse of media innovation dedicated to giving voice to the human spirit. Our executive board invites you to celebrate BUnow’s 10th Anniversary. Explore our history through some of our best work during the past decade.
Joining BUnow as a freshman at Bloomsburg University remains one of the greatest decisions I’ve made in my time here. Working my way up from writer to editor to Editor-in-Chief is something I’m really proud if, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the amazing members in BUnow. Our organization is unique because it creates a space for those interested in media to gain experience in a completely digital space, which is fantastic as these students will venture into the workforce of an increasingly technological world. BUnow provides students the opportunities to follow their dreams and build a portfolio for their future careers. The organization prides itself on encouraging students to create whatever type of content they wish to and then share it with the world. BUnow has accomplished a lot in the last 10 years, and I can only imagine how much more it will accomplish as it changes and grows in the next 10, 20, maybe even 100 years. - Morgan Mickavicz, Editor-in-Chief
Table of Contents Revolutionary!.........................................................................................................................................1 (April 18, 2008) What Make’s Bloomsburg the Only Town in Pennsylvania.....................................................................2 (March 17, 2009) Established in 1993: Bloomsburg Block Party........................................................................................3 (April 28, 2009) 10 BU Places Uknown............................................................................................................................5 (February 14, 2011) April Fools’ Day Joke: Lock Haven shutting down. Students to be transferred to Bloomsburg..............7 (April 1, 2011) UPDATES: Bloomsburg Flood 2011.......................................................................................................9 (September 9, 2011) Natural Hair Series: Which Hair Type are You?....................................................................................10 (November 29, 2012) Twenty Years From Now.......................................................................................................................12 (April 24, 2014) 13 Ways You Know It’s Finals Week: Bloomsburg Edition....................................................................13 (May 5, 2014) The End of Block Party as We Know it.................................................................................................15 (Febrary 24, 2015) Know You’re Never Alone.....................................................................................................................18 (September 23, 2015) Later, BU: A Senior’s Last Look............................................................................................................20 (May 15, 2017) Bloomsburg Student/Local Native Posts Racial Slur on Social Media..................................................22 (Febrary 7, 2018) 10 Years of Video..................................................................................................................................24 10 Years of Memories............................................................................................................................25 10 Years of Reflection............................................................................................................................31 Online Magazine Access...............................................................................................................ISSUU
© 2018 BUnow
Revolutionary! By: Shannon Hoffman Hello everyone! How exciting is this?! Bloomsburg University is taking strides to keep up with the media trends of the rest of the world with the establishment of BU Now. Don’t get me wrong, our campus is no media slouch. We are home of the award winning Spectrum Magazine, “The Voice,” WBUQ-FM and BUTV, all with their own strengths and contributions to Bloom media. BU Now has strengths to offer as well – convergence and immediacy. A story can be brought to you in a complete package, using printed words, video, photos and podcasts, and it can be distributed as soon as a staff member can make it to a computer.
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The idea for the site originated with Dr. Richard “Charge!” Ganahl and Daniel “the cockerspaniel” Tallario, and somewhere along the lines I jumped
on board. After several meetings last semester to discuss our vision for this group, we were finally ready to launch this month. Although it is in its young stages right now, BU Now will develop into an outstanding publication that you can resort to for hard hitting news, entertainment and insight on current events. Feel free to leave comments on the stories and entries. We want to hear your voices! We will start building content immediately, so keep checking back. If you wish to find out more about the organization and how to join, please contact Dr. Ganahl
What Make’s Bloomsburg the Only Town In Pennsylvania By: Sarah Popple Shortly after driving past a rather large sign that read “Welcome to Bloomsburg: The Only Town In Pennsylvania” a question that’s probably rather common came into my mind. Why? A small class of students in my news writing class at Bloomsburg University confirmed my assumptions that others have wondered this same thing, and they too wondered what made Bloomsburg so special. I couldn’t understand that if Bloomsburg has the honor of being the only town in the state of Pa., why wouldn’t everyone be aware of the reason? I decided to take my question to the general population of Bloomsburg University students to hopefully find my answer.
a blank stare on his face and replied, “because it’s on all the signs,” a detail that apparently no one has missed around here.
area, usually smaller than a city and larger than a village, having fixed boundaries and certain local powers of government.”
In another attempt to uncover the real uniqueness of the town of Bloomsburg I stopped Mark Schroeder, a friend of mine who lives down the hall from me, who gave his answer a little more thought. “Probably because it’s too small in population to be a city,” Schroeder replied.
Although it wasn’t as exciting of a definition as I may have hoped, it still gave me closure that I was probably one of the only 12 Bloomsburg University students who knew. I thought to myself how confused and embarrassed the other seven random students who I had asked probably felt that responded, “I don’t know” or “I have no idea,” and ran off without giving me their name.
"Because it’s on all the signs"
Unfortunately, the students were just as uncertain as I was. My first victim, Jesse Betar, a sophomore at the university, shrugged his shoulders with
This information that I received from Schroeder did make sense. However, I felt as though there had to be more in order for Bloomsburg to be so different from everywhere else in Pa.
The person who I give the most credit to, however, is my roommate. After noticing my desire to find an interesting answer to my question she did some research herself. About two days later she ran up to me in excitement and said, “I know the answer to your question! Because it’s historic… and stuff.”
"...it’s historic... and stuff "
I decided to continue asking my question to random people on the streets but couldn’t keep it a secret from myself for much longer. I decided the most practical way to uncover the truth was to look it up in a good old fashion Websters Dictionary which read, “a thickly populated
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Established in 1993: Bloomsburg Block Party By: Tara Freeland
Police on horses, caution tape surrounding houses, and excited students roaming the streets. The sights and sounds of Block Party 2009. Block Party is an unofficial holiday to Bloomsburg University students and is celebrated within the streets of the local community. A few weeks before the spring semester comes to an end, thousands gather to drink and enjoy the outdoor festivities. In recent years, Block Party has moved from its traditional location of Sesame Street and Fetterman Avenue, to its new locale, East Street. According to Bloomsburg University’s Informational subject file, “in 1993, members of the Theta Chi fraternity threw a fundraising 3
party for the Women’s Center. The fundraiser turned into a ‘block party’ at the Sesame Street housing complex with students drinking heavily and sliding through the mud.”
Police on horse, caution tape surrounding houses, and excited students roaming the streets.
Dr. Walter Brasch, a journalism professor at Bloomsburg University, believes that a real purpose to this chaos is really just an urban legend.
According to Brasch, the Sesame Street Apartments were not adequate housing for students. However, Bloomsburg University’s future plan for this housing complex was to be rebuilt into the Honeysuckle Apartments. “I do not support the school’s buying of Sesame Street, disguising it as the CGA, to build Honeysuckle when Block Party was at Sesame Street,” Brasch says. “It was at least confined to an area, and by destroying Sesame Street, it forced Block Party into the community.”
However, there is also a bright “My concern is for the safety of side to this controversal yearly everyone who participates in celebration. At the end of the Block Party and, to that end, our semester, students need to police officers will be visibly on release the stress and pressure duty around town on Saturday, of finals approaching "It was at least confined and celebrate to an area, and by the arrival of warm weather. Of course, this needs to be done safely.
destroying Sesame Street, it forced Block Party into the community."
In 2007, police arrived in riot gear to break up a fight in which one person could have been seriously injured. This fight began when attendees started to throw glass bottles at a man standing on one of the roofs on a house on Federman Ave. Due to the events that occurred during Block Party 2007, security has now become a main concern for future Block Parties.
during Block Party has decreased significantly since 2007. The underage alcohol violations totaled 48, compared to 140 that were listed by the Bloomsburg Police in 2007. “Lots of students, lots of vibrance, lots of activity, very few problems. I think overall a successful day,” Chief of Police stated after the 2009 Block Party.
April 18,” said Chief Leo Sokoloski, Bloomsburg police. On the Thursday before the celebration, police officers of the Bloomsburg Police Department passed out fliers highlighting penalties for underage drinking, noise regulations, and open contained violations. This year, the number of underage alcohol violations
The rise of security during Block Party allows more safety for the students, visitors, and locals in the area. Party permits are now required by the town police if there will be a congregation of 150 or more people at a certain household. Prices of the permits vary depending upon how many are expected. Police are on horses, on foot, on bikes, and driving in cars during the event. According to BlockPartySafe. com more then 10,000 dollars is spent to have extra police patrol the entire weekend of the event. 4
10 BU Places Unknown By: Evan C. Katwids Bloomsburg University is a glorious place, when the sun is shining and the snow is gone. With some time on hand this reporter went on the hunt for places unknown. These are just the beginning of the uncovering of some of the many hidden, unknown, secret locations on the Bloomsburg University campus. 10. Art Studio hiding on the top floor of Old Science Hall. You should see what it looked like before they pulled all their paintings down.
7. Kehr Lounge. This hidden gem of a lounge is located in the Kehr union past the game room. Frequented rarely, this is a wonderful location for an afternoon nap.
9. Hidden Staircase. Forget to make a right turn walking from Roongos by Luzerne to the bookstore? This staircase is there just for that reason. A hidden winding staircase there just for you to avoid the crowds.
8. Basketball Court. Sandwiched between the backs of Northumberland and Columbia Halls this is an awesome spot for some afternoon pickup games.
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6. Hidden Staircase 2. Fastest way to get off campus? Try this staircase keeping itself tucked between the backs of the Commons and Carver Hall.
5. Fun Art. Enjoy hearing the sound of your own voice? Then you should be able to spend hours standing between these two odd contraptions listening to the echo of your own voice.
4. Trellis Gazebo. Perhaps you have seen it, but have you ever taken the time to sit and enjoy it? Quite a different, more enjoyable experience. The class presenting this likely was hoping to grow grapes on it but we haven’t done a good enough job with this global warming thing. Grapes still freeze on it every October.
1. Carver Hall “Oval Office”. Passing through a labyrinth of staircases finally leads you to the front of what seems to be the Carver Hall Oval Office. If you haven’t been here yet and have some time to kill, check it out, they dont mind visitors.
So the next time your curious as to “whats behind that door” dont be afraid. Open it. Your life will be one adventure after another from then on.
2. Bakeless Basement. Deep with in the confines of the basements of the peculiarly architectured building Bakeless hide labs that never see the light of day. There is much more hiding down here and someday the truth will come out.
3. Hidden Bakery. Ever wonder where those majestic cakes in the Scranton Commons come from? This is the closest the camera could get to the bakery hiding under the Scrommons. The Fort Knox-like security team keeps any and all recipe secrets from making their way to the hands of major cooking corporations.
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April Fools’ Day Joke: Lock Haven shutting down. Students to be transferred to Bloomsburg By: Dave Stanwick Late Thursday night Gov. Tom Corbett and PASSHE board officials held an emergency meeting to figure out the best solution to the Pennsylvania budget crisis. In an unprecedented move, officials have gone forward with a plan that will save millions and allow the state to balance its budget. The closing of Lock Haven is an economically successful move but the redirection of students to Bloomsburg University, Shippensburg University, and East Stroudsburg University will overfill classrooms and campuses. Starting in the fall roughly 3,500 students will be joining the crowded 10,000 at Bloomsburg University. “I am glad that I wont have to pay more to go to Bloomsburg, but I have no idea how I will be able to get food at the Scranton Commons.” said Candace Spencer when asked how the added students will effect her. Lucky for Candace she has secured housing off campus next year and will not have to suffer living quadrupled in the dorms. Two bunk beds per dorm room though cramped will likely still be a suitable environment for incoming students. The reconstruction of Sutliff hall seems to have come just in time, as Lock Haven’s business department is the largest of the Pennsylvania state universities. BUnow reporters are out in the field gathering data to see if more desks will be ordered to accommodate these new students. If this writer can have any input on the decision, the chairs with the folding table are not only comfortable but easy to get out of. Order more of those. 7
Editors Note: On Friday April 1, we ran this article as an April Fools’ day joke and it caused quite an uproar. How many of you were fooled?
Time will only tell what this means for Bloomsburg University. A completely new environment has students and faculty wondering what this will mean for the organizations on campus. Food services will surely be overcrowded. Not to mention walking around campus, parking, and even buses. The questions only keep rolling in. Officials did not say what will happen to the current Lock Haven campus but speculators believe that a local sewage plant looking to expand will purchase the lot. Much of the details to come out remain fuzzy and without clarification from officials; parents, students and teachers remain in the dark. Many students are hoping with the budget now to be balanced, plans for the university bowling ally underneath the quad may finally get back underway. Wait‌ Is today April 1st?
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UPDATES: Bloomsburg Flood 2011 By: Dave Stanwick Update: 9/10/2011 5:00 pm Crews are working tirelessly and as quickly as possible to restore the Bloomsburg Water Plant back to working order. An unidentified employee was not optimistic about the water being turned on anytime before Tuesday. Update 9/9/2011 2:06 pm: Water is slowly beginning to recede after cresting at 32.75 feet. The Susquehanna River is not expected to fall below flood stage (19 feet) until approximately Monday morning. Update: Power has been restored to many parts of downtown Bloomsburg. I-80 has been reopened and in both directions. Bloomsburg, PA remains in a state of emergency as the lower end (west main) of the town has been evacuated. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania will be closed through Monday, Sept. 12 . I-80 East from Bloomsburg is open, I-80 west out of Bloomsburg remains closed as is Downtown main street, parts of PA-42 and Iron street. No immediate access to Buckhorn Plaza. Giant and Weis remain open and are selling water and ice. Reporters are out now, check twitter, facebook. com/bunow or back here soon for more. Photo Update 2:30 PM 9/8/2011: Water is expected to rise at least another 4 feet on the Susquehanna river. From where these photos were taken, water will continue to rise and it is likely the where I was standing are already underwater. Again follow our twitter and facebook to remain updated. Check back soon to see what you can do to help the families who have been affected by this tragedy.
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Natural Hair Series: Which Hair Type are You? By: Lauren D. Smith Hair is one of many common characteristics of the human body. Due to cultural and biological differences between various people, hair also consists of several variations. Discovering one’s natural hair type can help one to not only gain knowledge about one’s hair but to also give ways to effectively keep one’s hair healthy and strong. In today’s society, it’s easy to see a person’s hairstyle and desire our own hair to be able to duplicate similar results. However, variations in hair types are a reason why everyone’s hair can’t achieve the same exact hairstyle or haircut. Although hair types vary, it has been categorized in four different classifications and 3 different levels of distinction to better understand advantages, disadvantages of one’s hair type, and how to take care of it. The first and simplest hair type is type one, Straight hair. Unlike the other three distinct curl patterns, type one hair has no variations due to the lack of natural bends and curls. Type two is wavy hair. It is better described as having an “S” shaped curl pattern. Type 2A has a slight bend in which the hair lies down against the face. Although it has a curl pattern, it also carries features similar to type one, straight hair. Both
type one and type 2A are very light (in weight), thin but doesn’t bounce. Type 2B is the same as Type 2A, but can be more resistant to styles such as curling or straightening. It’s also more likely to frizz. So rainy days may not bethe best. Unlike the other hair types that were previously described, type 2C has the most curly like texture out of the 3 levels of distinction. It is best described as thick, coarse wavy hair that resembles more Shirley Temple-like curls than deep waves. Due to its thickness, it is much more difficult to avoid frizz than the previous hair types. Some women who have type 2C hair, have a blended texture, which causes their curls to have a loose or tighter ringlet-shape. Light products work best with type two hair because it enhances the curls without adding weight to one’s hair. For those who are reading this article and think they know that their hair is definitely type 2C, you may not be so sure after reading the next paragraphs. Type three is better known as curly hair. Type 3 hair is not coarse but it’s very soft. The curl pattern is defined and can be easily compared to the shape of an iron spring. Continued on Page 11
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Type 3A has a similar curl pattern to type two, wavy hair types. However, the curls are very big and can be shiny as well. Although this hair type may seem difficult to style, it is said to be very simple to straighten. Type 3B has smaller curls that look more like corkscrews than springs. Due to its full and coarse texture, straightening this type of hair takes a lot of patience, so it may not be a good idea to make this an everyday task. Type 3C is much different than the other two previous hair types. It is very close to type four hair but it still has defined curls, which is why it falls under the third category. Type 3C is a cross between curls which resemble the shape of a loose spring and a loose corkscrew. Due to this blend, the curls can be tight or kinky. Good luck to trying to use a blow dryer to get this hair type to straighten! It’s not impossible but it is quite a challenge. One thing that type three hair lacks is moisture. Therefore, it is necessary for people with type three hair to make sure they use products that will moisturize their hair from the roots to the ends. Finally, the fourth and last hair type is kinky hair. Many ethnic or mixed individuals have kinky hair and it usually can be identified as a description of African-American’s natural hair texture. Although kinky hair looks like its coarse and untamed, it has a soft texture. Kinky hair also shrinks in length. This means the real length of hair can be shown by pulling down the ends. Once the strand of hair is released, it will bounce back and shrink again. Type 4A hair consists of tightly, defined, 11
coiled curls. However, the curls are very fragile due to its constant tendency to link together. Type 4A is my natural hair type and I am embracing it to the fullest. I have type 4A hair, which consists of really tightly coiled curls, but I must be very gentle or I can cause breakage. I don’t straighten my hair because the process is time-consuming but I usually wet it to show off my defined curls or twist it to make bigger curls. Type 4B is more kinky-like than type 4A. Kinky hair usually resembles a Z-shape compared to the S-shape, which is found in the wavy and curly hair types. Type 4C has a tight Z-shape and looks more bushy or fuzzy than any other hair type. According to Naturally Curly, a website that specializes in encouraging when to embrace their natural hair texture type 4C is the most challenging hair type to manage. Like type three hair, type 4 lacks moisture. It is crucial that the hair is moisturized and air-dried. No matter which hair type you are, each hair type shares one commodity: a desire to be healthy. In other words, take care of your hair. Brush and comb it when it’s wet, and make shampoo and conditioner a part of your regular routine. Find products that work for your hair and share them with others that may have a similar hair type. Learning about my hair type has helped me to pay more attention to what products are good to use for my hair. What works for one person, may not work for another. However, taking care of your hair is a working-process full of trial-anderror periods. Do your research and you will be surprised of what you can find. Hope this helps all you Beauty-lovers! Want more information? Check out this helpful site: www.NaturallyCurly.com
Twenty Years From Now
matter what year the students of Bloomsburg are in, what happens after dark is a major factor in students’ lives. From drinking, to By: Jaclyn Beltrami sex, to partying, to the fashion that The nighttime summer air party, a bar or just hang out on only comes out at night, to the surrounds you a sofa. You hilarious stories, to the drunken as you walk are going to texts and photos and to the nights down one of the have a drink, that you look back twenty years many infamous then have from now. This is why BUnow is hills that another one, proud to launch its new section Bloomsburg and then when After Dark. University of someone Pennsylvania dares you BUnow is proud to present After has to offer. to, you are Dark’s new logo. Encouraged by going take a After Dark will be a section the season, and shot. Soon devoted entirely to the students’ despite the hour the music is exploits as the sun goes down and of 11 p.m., the turned up or the moon is on the rise. Written by sidewalks are a friend says students and for the students, this crowded. The smell of cigarette something so funny you spit section will feature anything and smoke and cheap vodka hidden your drink out. Whether you everything to do with the nightlife in water bottles permeates the are in the midst of club dancing of the student population, from bar air. The soft glow of street lamps your heart out, specials to sex and the bright screens of cell in a living room tips, to drunken phones light the way downtown. chatting with tweets and The chatter of students, the close friends or fashion fails. To ping of smart phone notification dodging the cops be a part of After and the blare of party music in a side street Dark and to help infuse with the sounds of alley, you know your memories crickets as they broadcast the you are having twenties years warm temperature. Taking in one of the best from now, you nights of your life. the atmosphere, you wish time can send in can stop and live in the moment And twenty years stories, texts, photos and articles from now, you will look back forever, because you know given with a name or anonymously Let’s face it, Bloomsburg twenty years from now you will to BUAfterDark@yahoo.com University is a party school. look back or follow us on twitter at @ Twenty years from now what bunowafterdark. All information When the sun are you going to given will be treated respectively is away the and courteously, and we ask regret? sky is a play. the same for contributors when For many Unfortunately, sending or receiving stories, texts, incoming the clock is photos and information. freshman, this still ticking and is the perk you are not Twenty years from now are you of coming to going spend going to look back on the night college, for many sophomores the rest of this unforgettable you had eight hours of sleep or and juniors, this is a reason for night reminiscing. Instead, you the night the was so epic that you coming back, and for seniors it are going to meet up with your sent it to BUnow After Dark for is a well-earned privilege. No friends, you are going to go to 12 everyone to see.
13 Ways You Know It’s Finals Week: Bloomsburg Edition By: Abigail Willcox
1. Andruss is packed to the max This is when finding a cubby becomes a mission and you realize Where’s Waldo has secretly been training you for this exact moment. Trying to find a group study room? Give up now because it is actually impossible. 2. Starbucks is now your best friend, the hug you need,replaced the blood in your veins. Whether it’s from the library or by the commons it doesn’t matter. That cup of coffee keeps you held together… we all know it and we all do it.
3. Something is going to break Your headphones, car, favorite mug, immune system, cash flow, relationship… whatever it is something will break this week. It always comes as icing on the cake of this lovely week and is inevitable, but fingers crossed it’s something minor.
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4. It doesn’t matter what it is; you want to eat it That oatmeal your mom sent in a care package from the beginning of the semester? Sure. That entire bowl of queso? Bring it on! If it’s edible, you’re eating it. It’s called brain food for a reason…right?
5. Just the thought of packing freaks you out Where did it all come from and when are you going to have the time to put it all away? Getting it all in your car might just take a miracle. Plus, packing also means that you’re getting incredibly close to the end which is both exciting yet incredibly intimidating.
6. “Studying” on the quad makes you feel great The wind is blowing, birds are chirping, and the sun is out! So what if you planned to finish 50 flash cards and only churned out five? If you were semi-productive and enjoyed the nice weather on the quad, you did something right this week.
7. Late night becomes a regular meal time This may already be true for a couple people, but it’s especially true during finals. Late night is at the perfect time to give you a nice break from studying. It’s the after dinner meal that gives you the motivation to stay up and get work done.
8. Flex? Ha! Not this week People with $50 of flex are rare breeds of humans. If you’re one of these people, then the challenge to spend it is on; go nuts. If you’re lucky enough to be friends with them, then there may be a giant bag of candy in store for you. 9. You have a finals anthem It’s that song you blast every morning and night during study sessions. Maybe it changes every semester, but that’s okay. It’s the song that amps you up so that by the time you’re finished listening, you’re ready to kick those finals’ butts!
12. Just a couple more cat videos turns into hours of procrastination Procrastination is both your best friend and worst enemy all at the same time. You always tell yourself you’re doing it for “a totally healthy break” but we all know you’re avoiding work. So take breaks but then crunch out that work. I know it stinks, but unfortunately, your professor doesn’t care if you watched a cat get stuck in a box.
10. If you look nice during finals, you’re doing something wrong Now is not the time to worry about your wardrobe. If you have a presentation, okay; however, this week is the ultimate reason to break out those sweatpants, so go for it. After all, do you really want to be worrying about whether or not you chose the right shirt while also trying to decipher the questions you’re professor spent the whole semester creating in order to stump you? I don’t think so. 11. When all other motivation fails, your plans for summer save you Whether it’s the internship you got, that awesome vacation you’re going to take or being able to enjoy the sun on your face, it’s coming soon. In the back of your mind, you know it’s only a short way away and after this week you’ll be able to enjoy it.
13. We realize how much we love all the people around us It always hits you really hard that you’re going to have to leave your friends. You’ve created such great memories with these people that it’s going to be hard to say goodbye. After all, these people are more than just friends; they’re your Bloom family!
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The End of Block Party as We Know it
By: Kristen Rinaldi
On Monday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m., the Bloomsburg Town Council met to discuss the adoption of an ordinance that would amend Chapter 13, Part 4 of the Code of Ordinances of the Town of Bloomsburg Regulating Outdoor Social Gatherings. The room was at maximum capacity: filled with 50 people. Of those people were Bloomsburg University students, members of campus Greek Life, residents of town, members of the town police, a representative from Bloomsburg University, landlords, and a town lawyer. This was, no doubt, a diverse group. Members of Bloomsburg University Greek Life were not shy in voicing their opinions, giving suggestions and asking questions. One member, Anace Ahmed, said that he understood one of 15
the issues with Block Party is that it is a commercial event. “What if we just eliminated This was an unsettling answer to all of the hopefuls in the room. Still, many were determined to fight for the case.
the commercial aspect of the event?” he asked, suggesting that they donate all proceeds to a charity and “Just held a fundraiser in [their] backyard.” “Even if it’s not commercial, the ordinance would prohibit parties like this in residential districts,” town lawyer John Mihalik said, explaining that it would still be a zoning issue. “So what would make it ok?” Ahmed asked. “If the ordinance passes,” Mihalik said. “Nothing.”
Mihalik explained that there needs to be a connection between the guests at the party and the hosts, like if the occasion were a family reunion or a wedding, or if the fraternity were hosting a party for themselves and invited dates. But he explained that this connection between host and guest is not something easily defined. “If we provide a guest list, would it be alright?” Ahmed continued. “We’re trying to work something out… If we knew every single member in our event, you’re saying this would be ok?” Noting that there would not technically be an admission if it were a fundraiser and that people hold fundraisers all the time filled with people they don’t know.
Ahmed said they want to, “Give back to the town to kind of minimize the damage that has been occurring from block party. We’re not here to just argue.”
exist,” said Ahmed, pointing out the low percentage of arrests considering the amount of people who are actually present.
This is when Sandy Davis, Bloomsburg Mayor, brought up the issues that have ensued due to Block Party, including eight university students who died in fire due to excessive drinking at events like these. And as they’ve continued to grow, “We’re talking about parties of several thousand students.”
Another student, Joseph Divizio, said, “These controlled parties are keeping people in a fenced area with security guards where police are easily able to maintain them.” Divizio said that the thousands of other students scattered outside are the ones causing the damage. He said there’s no alcohol provided and people are “sobering up at these events.” By taking these kinds of events away, he said it will give police officers more students to look after.
She listed off the numbers. Ninety-five citations and arrests in 2012. Eighty-five citations and arrests in 2013. And last year, 2014, 244 citations and arrests, “most of which were not Bloomsburg University students.”
The next council member to speak, Carey Howell, said that the university should allow their own students to have a party there. “If they can have tailgating up there, they can have another party.”
"...You are releasing the animals."
One student, Steven Pask, asked for a correlation between the arrests and the parties with permits, “Because that’s what, it sounds like, is trying to be
That became the next issue: the fact that there is an estimated 6-8,000 outsiders who come to join in on the Block Party festivities, and that last year, it cost $50,000 in tax payer money. “Block party is gonna stay. It’s not going to go away. There will still be people that come here looking for that party, even if that party doesn’t
“You guys really are just getting rid of the cages,” said Ahmed. “You are releasing the animals.”
The first resident to speak out was Alex Dubil. He said his issue with block party is that he can’t sleep during the night or watch T.V. during the day. He wakes up to find nothing but broken bottles, condoms, and even some underwear outside. He said he saw a kid drop a bottle and just walk away. “Residents could care less about the permit parties, or not, they care about the garbage that they find in front of their house, and the glass.”
revoked.”
As students asked more questions about the police force, Sergeant Leonard Rogutski was up to speak, “I’m sure you have seen the YouTube videos, because we have.” The videos he’s referring to normally showcase hundreds of drunk students partying, drinking, and dancing. He said that many people packed together with alcohol, it is a “recipe for disaster.”
“It’s the overflow,” replied Davis, saying that people come and go from permitted parties.
Especially, when you have 2,000 16 Continued on Page 17
people and a dozen officers, “We’re outnumbered.” He took a survey of the room, asking who’s been at block party one, two, three, four, five years, and a number of hands were in the air. He continued counting, six, seven, eight, and all the way up to 20. Only the two officers in the room still had their hands in the air. “There’s your experience,” he said. “I appreciate the fact that you’ve been there for three years, but collectively, we’ve been here for 30.” There may not have been issues in the past years he said, but there have in the past 17 or 18 years. “You say you want it to be safe, well let me tell you, I want it to be safe too, because I’m the guy on the front line,” said Rogutski. He told the students that it’s not up to them to try to control it, it’s up to the law enforcement. When accusations were made by some members that the university was not cooperating in the efforts to move forward with block party, Jim Hollister, Assistant Vice President of External Relations for the university, was ready to speak. “The university’s 17
not sloughing this off,” he said, explaining the number of meetings he’s sat in this year discussing the potential options for block party. “This started in the 1970’s, and what we do is we continue to repeat the problems and we repeat the conversations.”
with the eight deaths that the mayor talked about. Do you want to talk to a parent and tell them you’re dead? Your kid’s dead.”
"2,000 people and a dozen officers, We’re outnumbered."
“You can’t just throw it up there on a bunch of athletic fields and say it’s gonna be a big party. It’s simply not legal. And we are going through all the steps we possibly can,” Hollister continued.
“Don’t look at me and say I’m some stupid administrator who wants it to go away. I don’t… I personally think block party would be great if people would party civilly,” said Hollister. “And I’m not going to sit there and talk about the next dead student.” Not much more could be said after a statement like that one. William Kreisher, the only member of the town council to originally oppose the ordinance, asked the rest of the council, “Where would they be able to have a block party in Bloomsburg if this ordinance passes?”
He discussed the issues that come along with block party, he said, “Guys, love ya. You’ve given me a job for the last 35 years, but you’re a problem. Block party is out of control, and my concern is for safety.” What he said next was chilling: “I’ve been intimately involved
The answers: upper campus and the fair grounds. Now, it was time for the vote. In the end, Kreisher was the only member of the council who opposed the ordinance. The motion carried.
Know You’re Never Alone By: Courtney Lynch It’s one small word, seven letters with many different affiliations; suicide. This is something that whether we realize it or not, we are all affected by. While it is Suicide Awareness Month, it is important to be aware of not just suicide, but mental health in general throughout the year. Becoming educated on this topic can actually be quite scary, especially when statistics show you how common it is amongst our peers. In today’s world we find ourselves being pushed past our limits, while society consistently shows us all of
the different ways we are imperfect. We force ourselves to be in more and more difficult situations, increasing stress
are diagnosed and treated for depression. Now for the hardest facts to face; there are more than 1,000 on campus suicides each year. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among 2534 year olds and 3rd leading cause amongst 15-24 year olds. and anxiety levels; whether it be playing a competitive sport or overworking our brains to exceed a professor’s expectations. Statistics will show you college students don’t in fact have it easy. As of today, one in every four young adults (18-24 years old) have been diagnosed with mental illness. Almost 73% of students living with mental illness conditions have experienced some form of mental crisis on campus. Out of that 73%, 34.2% didn’t know that what they were experiencing was a mental crisis. More than 11% of college students are diagnosed with anxiety, while more than 10%
Now let that sink in just for a minute. Every day, we sit in rooms full of strangers, each and every one of those strangers has a story. Some may be scared to tell their story, while others are willing to bring you into their world of vulnerability and struggle. Sometimes these people are the ones you least expect to be struggling, but they end up having the darkest story of the battle they fight every second of every day. You may or may not understand their struggle of how difficult it is to take part in society every day. If you don’t, think of the Continued on Page 19
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person you love the most, living each day in pain because they battle their own demons. Maybe you think of a parent, sibling, boyfriend, girlfriend, or even your best friend. You would want to help them right? Because honestly nothing hurts more than seeing the person you care about the most suffer. They won’t tell you, but they are constantly thinking of giving up because they are defeated and feel hopeless. They can’t find the good in life, don’t like the way they look, or maybe have something else that makes them keep thinking of finding ways to end their life. Trust me when I say this; we are all fighting a battle with our own demons and we must win. Whoever you are, you are never alone and you are worthy enough to win your fight. It wasn’t long ago that I was the girl fighting her own daily fight with demons. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. It affected my school work, and everyone thought it was just an attitude change, but no matter how many people surrounded me, I felt alone. I ended up feeling completely alone in the world, like there was no hope for me. I began to stop eating because I didn’t like 19
the way I looked after being told over and over again that I was “too fat” or “not pretty enough.” It wasn’t until a person I’m glad to call one of my best friends
I would think to myself, “This is it, I’m really going to do it.”
approached me on one of my worst days , and I realized I needed help. They saw I was defeated, losing more weight than would be considered healthy, and they looked me in the eyes and saw a vulnerable, broken girl.
through on the inside because on the outside, I was still that cheerful tomboy always making jokes and hanging out with friends. Today, I’m lucky that my best friend saved my life, for I might not be here today if it wasn’t for them.
They only had to say one sentence to me, “You are not alone, nor will you ever be, I will fight your battles with you.” That one sentence saved my life.
Thank you to two of my best friends, I never knew what some of my heroes might look like.
Here I was, a girl, who had turned to self- harm, starvation and building walls around myself. I can’t think of how many nights I spent crying, wanting everything to end. I spent days in my room, struggling to even get out of bed because of my demons. There were a number of occasions
Nobody ever knew what I went
It’s okay for me to admit I suffered with mental illness and battled with it for a long time. If I can overcome the fight and seek hope in life, you can too. Know you are NEVER alone, you are always loved. Suicide is not your only option because life will get better and asking for help does not make you a weak person. If you or someone you know needs help, don’t be afraid to take action. You never know when you may save a life. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is a 24/7 service dedicated to giving help; you can reach it at 1-(800)-2738255.
Later, BU: A Senior’s Last Look By: Nicole Keiser This isn’t going to be a cliché “these were the best four years of my life” article. Yes, college was better than high school. I had a lot of fun and I met a lot of amazing people. There were bad times and there were good times. With my undergraduate college career at an end, I am reflecting on my time at Bloomsburg as an experience. Bloomsburg was a last minute decision. I got into two major schools in big cities with programs that interested me. When I looked at the big picture, I sadly couldn’t afford them. I’m from East Stroudsburg and with half my high school staying local, ESU was not an option in my mind. I decided to look at other PASSHE schools and applied to Bloomsburg. I figured I could always transfer in a year or two. There were times this place felt terrible. Many times during freshman year, all I could think of was going home. I was shy and didn’t have many friends. I don’t party, so weekends seemed boring. Without a car, I felt trapped. I struggled with having high standards for myself, making some classes stressful during my
didn’t work that year and I felt bad that I didn’t. I became a lot more insecure and negative. I felt like I was reverting to my high school behaviors and the same mentality: just make it through, better days are coming. Better days did come and I didn’t even have to wait until after graduation. sophomore year. Junior year was a rough patch. I lived with random people and though they were nice, I felt like they didn’t like me. I lived on upper campus while my friends lived downtown. I felt extremely out
of place amongst my friends, and even more out of place among the Bloomsburg community. I started taking my art classes for my minor and although fun, they were very time consuming and stressful. I
Senior year, although a bittersweet year, was probably my best year. I changed my attitude completely. I found a nice place to live that suited me. I worked at an amazing oncampus job. I stayed in Bloomsburg during winter and I got a feel for living completely independent. Having my car here gave me the
freedom to explore the area and do whatever I felt like. I’ve made some of my best artwork and I Continued on Page 21
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have published writing. I feel healthier and stronger from going to the gym. I’m more sociable, friendly, and I feel like I’m accepted here. Downtown is nice and living there this year was great. The Fog and Flame is my favorite gem, having spent much time reading books and drinking their delicious chai latte. Being close to the Big Chill, local restaurants like Ready Go, Filet 18 or West End, even the Dollar General, was so nice. Going to the town park, the sun shining on the fountain, and being a short walk from campus made life here so much better. The weekends weren’t boring anymore. Even when times seemed hard, I pushed through and I feel like a better person now. My first roommate, Tara and my friend Nick, you were my first friends here, so thank you. Joe, thank you for choosing Bloomsburg too, otherwise I wouldn’t have found my best friend here. Annemarie, Shannon, Justin, and the BUnow squad, senior year was the best because of you all. There’s so many people I could thank for even the smallest things. 21
I met some amazing people that I’ll miss dearly, but this isn’t the end. I’ve had some amazing professors and classes. I’ve done so much in so little time; I felt like what I’ve done here actually mattered. Like that last minute decision to come to Bloomsburg, I made the last minute decision to walk during graduation during the final week of classes. I realized, as boring as it is to sit through another 500+ graduation (my high school was 511), this is a nice bookend to this chapter in my life. Walking is that final closure, that moment where I can accept that I worked hard for four years to come out a better person than I came in. Thanks Bloomsburg.
Bloomsburg Student/Local Native Posts Racial Slur on Social Media
Warning: This article contains language some may find offensive. BUnow included the language because it is integral to the story.
By: Kyla-Smith Brown BLOOMSBURG, PA – On Sunday night in an argument on Snapchat, Bloomsburg University sophomore Marc A. Malkoskie took a partial photo of his face, wrote the caption “You Philly niggers need to go back to where u came from we don’t want you in our town,” and sent it off to an unidentified female classmate. Offended, the classmate took a screenshot of the photo and posted it on her Snapchat story for the world to see. From there, students began to screenshot and re-post the photo, adding their reactions with each re-post. “Ive never been so disgusted,” remarked one student. Asa Whiters, a junior and Community Assistant, expressed her disgust for this photo though an e-mail. “Seeing
this is disheartening,” she said. Whiters went on to speak from a CA perspective about how important it is for students to feel safe at Bloomsburg. She feels that using slurs like “nigger” creates an Us vs. Them mentality that makes
it impossible for students to prosper in such a hostile and uncomfortable environment.
and Twitter. Even CGA President Joar Dahn took to Instagram to repost the photo. Joel Baker, a member of the Bloomsburg Concert Committee, spoke in an e-mail about how he saw the photo in the concert committee
GroupMe. GroupMe is an instant messaging app that makes it easier for groups of people to chat together.
"I’ve never been so disgusted"
Through re-posts, the photo eventually found its way to both Instagram
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“I really found this sickening,” Baker reacted. He feels that a place such as Bloomsburg that is growing in diversity and love is no place for such hateful speech. “A person like this does not deserve to be a student here,” said Baker. “Stuff like this WILL NOT overcome what our university stands for.” There was an outcry from students on Twitter towards Bloomsburg, demanding that they deal with the situation at hand and respond accordingly. Bloomsburg’s official twitter never made a stand-alone tweet condemning the photo, but they responded to each student that tagged them in tweets about the photo. Malkoskie took to twitter Monday night to issue an apology. In the fourphoto apology, Malkoskie explained that he was infuriated by a fellow student for defending the destruction of the town following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win.
"In the heat of the moment, I wrote the most hateful word I know... I used a word that I never say nor will I ever say again."
“In the heat of the moment, I 23
wrote the most hateful word I know in my reply.” He went on to apologize for his “illogical comment” and assured readers that “if you ask people that know me through school, work, church, or sports they will tell you I am a caring, well-minded, and intelligent individual who made a very, very stupid mistake.” BUnow did receive a comment from Malkoskie after reaching out. “I would like to apologize to everyone I offended and to the University for misrepresenting them… I was sad to see students causing reckless damage to the town I’ve grown up around my whole life, and when the student sided with the riot instead of the town/ university, I was angered and in the heat of the moment I sent her that snap and used a word that I never say nor will ever say again.” Malkoskie went on to say that since the release of the photo he has “received multiple threats”, and does not want this incident to define him or his future. This story has been edited for accuracy. Malkoskie has since revealed to BUnow that he had not intended for the post to become public. He initially sent the picture to one female classmate, and she made the post public.
10 Years of Video Ecstatic Obama Crowd Marches Shannon Hoffman 2008
BUnow’s 5th Birthday Sean Roth 2013
Homcoming Dance Forum Shannon Hoffman 2008
We Love Bloomsburg University Nicole Farr 2014
BU Students React to Mo’ne Davis Tweet Nicole Farr & Rosie 2015 BloomU Strike Interviews Katie Travers 2016
Pizza Madness Finals BUnow 2011
Low-Res Review #1: Kingsman:The Golden Circle Eric Barlow & CJ De Leo 2017
BUnow After Dark Jenna Lemmoncelli 2014 Dear Bloom Fashion Police: EP 1 Lauren Grose 2012
Steve- An NBS Digital Short CJ De Leo & Drew Fox 2017 24
10 Years of Memories PROFESSOR SHARON SANTUS (2008-2014) BUnow Co-Advisor: I have so many great memories of BUnow from the first meeting in Bakeless with Dr. Ganahl, Dan Tallarico, and Shannon Hoffman. We can go back before that when Neil Young came up with the name BUnow. He and his wife, Vonnie, have always been tremendous supporters. Shannon left an indelible mark when she grabbed a video camera on Nov. 4, 2008, and captured the excitement and drama the night Barack Obama won his historic election. More than a thousand BU students, connected by social media, gathered in the downtown at about midnight when Obama’s election was announced. Two months later, Shannon covered the inauguration in D.C. Don’t forget Dave Stanwick’s controversial April Fool’s Day story when he wrote that Lock Haven U was closing its doors and all students would be transferred to Bloomsburg’s already overcrowded campus. Lock Haven administrators went berserk fielding dozens of calls from stunned students and parents. Dr. Ganahl and I were in the provost’s office that day explaining that April 1 hoaxes were a time-honored journalism tradition. We defended BUnow and never backed down. I could write three volumes on everyone who has made great contributions to BUnow. I’ll have to close with Justin McDonald, CeeJay Shultz, Paul Rosa (so many more) who made our first Media Summit one that could not be matched at any university. Last but not least, I must mention, again, BUnow founder, Dr. Richard Ganahl, who has fought for BUnow from the beginning when others fought just as hard against it. It thrives today because of Dr. Ganah’s vision and the contribution of all of our dedicated student editors, reporters and photographers, technical experts, and supporters. 25
DARIAN BRENNER (2015) PR Director: My favorite memories of BUnow have to be planning the Late-Night Madness food contests, and all of the end of the year parties at Dr. Ganahl’s house where we could all bond! :) Currently I work in Group Sales at Hershey’s Chocolate World. I hope everyone is doing well! NICK CELLUCCI (2016) Head of Radio Production and On-Campus Editor: My Freshman year was the perfect time to join BUnow - we took a trip to meet Arianna Huffington, launched BUnow Radio, and capped off the year with our 5th anniversary at the Moose Exchange! From there I went on to become an editor and was part of many a great discussion around the exec board table. By my senior year, I was hosting Hoagie Madness. There’s a good reason I stuck around my full 4 years - thanks for the memories, BUnow! DANIELLE COLUMBO (2014) PR Director: Wow, 10 years already, huh? It feels like not long ago I was in the midst of planning BUnow's 5-year anniversary celebration. As I fondly recall it, BUnow was a warm, welcoming atmosphere that enabled students to engage in hands-on journalism, advertising, and public relations, whether for personal or professional growth. I attribute much of what I learned about the mass communications realm to BUnow, and I am forever grateful to have broadened my horizons by joining the organization my sophomore year through graduation. My wish for BUnow is that it'll continue to be an organization that helps students grow, create, and belong. Charge! NICOLE FARR (2016) Video Production Manager: I joined BUnow my freshman year because I had an interest in writing and video, and wanted to meet new people. Little did I know that
the decision to show up to a Thursday night meeting in Bakeless would turn into gaining a family! Over the four years as a member of BUnow, I developed my writing skills, produced awesome videos and built my resume. HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, BUnow! Wishing continued success! NICOLE KEISER (2017) BUnow Mag Editor: Congrats to BUnow for 10 years! All I can say for the future of BUnow: Charge! I don't know if I have a "best memory" of BUnow, but rather I remember all the people I met and how I always found something to laugh or smile at during the meetings. When I first came to a meeting, I only really knew one person, but by the end of the year party my senior year, I felt like I had friends there and I actually had a place there; I was going to miss it when I graduated. Plus, you can't beat all the great writing and editing experience you get from BUnow. I got to be in charge of a magazine, how many people can say that when they graduate? ROSIE LANGELLO (2016) Video Director: BUnow made me want to be a journalist. It was where I was first published and it's where I made my 'on-screen debut' covering a story that went viral about Little League World Series Star, Mo'ne Davis. Looking back, without BUnow, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thanks, BUnow, Congratulations! JUSTIN McDONALD (2012) Managing Editor: Back when there was 5 of us sitting in the studio (2010) in McCormick where the highlight was updating the photo of the week on the right side of the page. Growing the team from 5 to over 40 members (2011-2012). Going to New York! Having the opportunity to present our online publication and demonstrate what it takes to conquer the digital world. Standing in the middle of Times Square with the entire team gave me the feeling that I was a part of something bigger than we ever thought we could imagine from the day it was 5 people. I remember when we published that controversial article (April Fool’s Day Lockhaven closing) and our site got shut down. It was a little taste of crisis comm and I loved every second. I remember when Osama
Bin Laden was taken down and getting a phone call at 11 pm at night from CJ. We had to get something up quick and I just felt my blood racing. The excitement to edit, to publish and to be THE FIRST to break the story on campus. We had that competitive edge being online and loved that we owned that. More importantly, my favorite part was making the connections that I still have today. The connections that are still strong that has me meeting Dave for coffee, has me flying to Texas to see CJ, and still has me keeping in touch with DrG and Bonnie. Those connections are probably the most important part when you look back. You come together as a group with a common bond and that bond is so strong and unique with the memories it holds. CHRISSY McDOWELL (2013) Social Media Chair: Happy 10 Year Anniversary, BUnow! I am so thankful for every member of this incredible organization and the opportunities it provided me during my time at Bloomsburg. Some of my favorite memories were co-presenting at the CMA conference in NYC, and handing out lemonade in the quad with the PR team. Nothing makes me happier than seeing BUnow continue to grow and succeed. Cheers to the next 10 years! MIKE NACKO (2012) Advising Developer: As a Computer Science student, BUNow was my first deep dive into installing and maintaining a server for a large-scale project. The opportunity has given me invaluable experience and skills that I use daily, whether it be BUNow, at work, or even in personal web projects. I can't believe it's been 10 years already! Thank you for the opportunity, congratulations, and best wishes moving forward! KRISTEN RINALDI (2015) Editor-in-Chief: During my time at Bloomsburg University, I made so many wonderful memories with BUnow. What stands out to me most was the time spent in New York City at the College Media Association conventions. I was fortunate enough to attend two different times, and both were such great experiences, professionally and socially. I loved getting the opportunity to network with other campus media from across the country—it truly Continued on Page 27
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put so much meaning to all of the hard work we were doing back in Bloomsburg! And I remember how inspiring it was to watch former magazine editor Bonnie Fuller speak, dreaming that one day I might be in her shoes. The conventions were also such pivotal bonding moments for the BUnow team, bringing us even closer together and solidifying lasting friendships. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating BUnow’s five-year anniversary, and I am incredibly proud to see how far the organization has come since I graduated in 2015. I can’t imagine what will be accomplished during the next ten years, but I am sure that we’ll be celebrating the 20-year anniversary in another blink of an eye. Of course, it’s all thanks to our fearless leader, Dr. G! XO JUSTINE RODOLICO (2014) On-Campus Editor: During my junior-year I decided to attend a BUnow meeting while I was taking a media class. Not only did BUnow encourage me to double major with Public Relations but to be part of the team as well! During those two-years I worked with the writing and PR teams. One of my favorite projects being involved in was helping and promoting BUnow's 5th anniversary! I wish all the future students and professionals good luck! PAUL ROSA (2013) Sports Editor and Ad Manager: My best memories from BUnow are: Being around at the beginning of BUnow when it first made a splash with the April Fools’ joke! It was so much fun to see how it all played out and also reinforced our right to freedom of speech! I really enjoyed writing for the sports section and meeting one of my good friends Sean Roth who I would eventually co-found the Sploops App with!Another of my best memories was working with the BUnow team to plan and organize the first PASSHE Collegiate Media Summit! This showed what determined students could accomplish, and I was very proud to be a member of that team! Among my favorite memories is just being part of a wonderful group that challenged the norm and pushed people out of their comfort zones! BUnow helped mold a lot of us into successful adults and professionals! 27
Former Yankees Front Office, Sploops App Cofounder, Professional Baseball Player for Napa Silverados. A. ZOE (BALDWIN) SCHLOTT (2013) Managing Editor: BUnow was the most influential experience of my college career. The organization is a hub of ingenuity and passion. The group was (and I am sure still is) comprised of energetic, purpose-driven students who worked together to grow the publication and their skill sets simultaneously. My experiences with the group encouraged me to change my major to Public Relations. From the beginning it was a ride to be part of the group. BUnow was organizing the first ever PASSHE Collegiate Media Summit on the BU campus. A group of us spent an evening on the floor of our college apartments stuffing swag bags for the attendees. We presented in New York City, exploring Central Park, the NHL store and Times Square in our down time. At BUnow’s five-year mark we had a party at the Moose Exchange. Danielle Columbo and I went to the venue to scope it out and ended up getting a tour of the whole facility, old-school bowling lanes and all. Not too long after that we acquired our basement office. BUnow leadership pushed for rebranding around that time and I spent many hours in the office working on possible new logos and slogans. Those are the milestones from my time with BUnow, but the little moments are what make me treasure my time with the group so much. Watching volunteer judges become doused in varying wing sauces for Wing Madness, seeing new leaders rise up in the group, the meeting where so many people attended that it was standing room only, the muddy volleyball game at Dr.G’s house, Justin McDonald’s goodbye video (that we struggled to play), the Big Event where we all huddled together in the cold spring air, photographing the concerts, brainstorming the April Fools’ articles and of course, having Dr. G get us “fired up” at meetings. CARL ‘CJ’ SHULTZ (2013) Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations, BUnow, on yet another milestone! For the last decade, all content contributors have been a part of shifting the very landscape of student-run media across the
state. Each and every one of you should hold a great deal of pride in being involved with such a groundbreaking and fearless organization. When I was Editor-in-Chief of BUnow, I was most proud to assist in providing an educational advantage- leveraging our connections across campus in order to provide experiences that would otherwise not be seen in a classroom. My hope for the coming decades is that BUnow never loses that twinkle in its eye and continues reaching for the next accomplishment. The world is yours! Take up the battle and make this world a better place! CHARGE ABBY SNYDER (2015) Web and Graphic Designer: Glad to hear from you. One of my favorite memory’s is late night madness where we had contestants vote on the best late night foods in Bloomsburg. Of course, staff got to eat the delicious leftovers. I hope BUnow continues to flourish! This memory is also a tie with Relay for Life and end of the semester parties hosted at DrG’s house! DAVE STANWICK (2013) Editor-in-Chief and Executive Board Adviser: It is amazing how BUnow teaches if one believes it possible, one can will an idea to life. With at least an ounce of effort, writers capture moments of time in words; photographers freeze snapshots of history. When one has an idea for a podcast, a pizza madness, a blog series, or a TV show, they take what was nothing and birth it into existence. This new something has a life beyond their time. Future students mold it and hold it, using the new vehicle to record more moments and launch new ideas. So too, BUnow was once just an idea. And look at all it has created. FRANKIE STOKES (2015) Managing Editor: Congratulations on 10 YEARS!! BUnow sure has come a long way and I am so grateful for you allowing me to once more play a pivotal role throughout BUnow's journey. I remember my first BUnow meeting in Bakeless. I was a new student at Bloomsburg and didn't know anybody at the meeting. I sat in the back of the room and listened to C.J. and Justin address the room with a welcoming introduction. They proceeded to describe what their first experience was like when
they joined BUnow. It resonated with me heavily as they explained that they didn't know anyone as well. They encouraged us by saying "This could be you one day," regarding to holding the Managing Editor and/or Editor in Chief position. Fast forward a year and a half later and there I was. Standing next to one of my best friends and former Editor in Chief (who I met through BUnow), Kristen Rinaldi, as the Managing Editor. As the Managing Editor, I attended every meeting and countless on campus events. However, my favorite moment was attending the College Media Association conference in New York. That experience was something I will forever cherish as it taught me the importance of networking and professionalism. My advice to all who are reading this, if you have the opportunity to attend a conference, whether it be for work or pleasure... GO! To all of the new members of BUnow, trust me when I say take full advantage of your resources and make the most of your time there while you can. For those who are preparing for graduation in a few short weeks, do not hesitate to apply what you have learned from BUnow in the real world. Lastly, to the person who has been the backbone of BUnow since day one, thank you for your never ending commitment and support. Dr. G, you are an inspiration and a forever member of the BUnow family. Charge! DANIAL TALLARICO (2008) Managing Editor: Hi there! Wow, BU Now. It’s something I still talk about with pride during my time at Bloomsburg. In fact, I see it as one of my greatest digital accomplishments. Getting BU Now was hilarious in hindsight. I’m not sure where the idea came from but I do recall that back in 2007 there was no online presence - Twitter was just getting started, I was logging into Bloomsburg’s specific Facebook page and blogpost was thriving. To me it was ludicrous a college didn’t have a superior online presence. At the time I was taking classes about Dreamweaver and WordPress with Dr. Ganahl. This was the opportunity to strike. I talked to Dr. Ganahl about the situation and he was very encouraging. One road block - we had to get the print news team on board. They were Continued on Page 29
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worried a digital presence would cannibalize sales! How would they determine which articles went where? Would we staff rival news teams? The idea that this was being held back by print was wild to me. None the less, we pressed on. We put together a committee to determine what the website would be. How many updates? What was the mission? We knew we wanted this to be a current, fresh, fun website. Someone tossed out the name “BU Now” (to capitalize on speed of publishing) and we never looked back. While most of BU Now was created after I left, I was so happy to see it thrive in my wake. With great leadership and intelligent articles, BU Now has blossomed into a great and informative website. Keep on CHARGING ahead! JUAN FLORES (2014) Staff Writer: BUnow continues to be a success and I am so grateful to have been part of this student organization. Everyone involved is so talented and wish nothing but the best for the magazine - here’s to another 10 years and more! ASHLEY KURTZ (2014) Staff Writer: My favorite memory was all the lifelong friends I made, and how a common interest brings so many people together. I hope that all those who take part in BUnow form everlasting friendships and memories!! MARIE AFIYA LEWIS (2015) Staff Writer: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUnow! Cheers to another year of unprecedented content creation! This platform was extremely instrumental to mine, as well as so many others’ careers! Looking forward to seeing what the future holds! JUSTIN MILES (2014) Staff Writer: I never really had much talent in my life. I’ve been good at a lot of things, sports especially. But I’ve never really had a true “talent”.That was until Dr. Ganahl told me he would like to talk to me after class for a few seconds. I was worried immediately. I figured that the blog I made for class didn’t cut it. But the opposite occurred, I received praise. “Did you write all that yourself?” asked Dr. Ganahl. I answered yes and he went on to 29
tell me how blown away he was by the blog I created for class. He said I would be able to get an internship wherever I wanted and he was kind of right.Shortly after that meeting with Dr. Ganahl, I started attending BU Now meetings and writing way more often than I did before. To this day his words still ring in the back of my head, “Writing is your meal ticket”.If it weren’t for BU Now and Dr. Ganahl, I still wouldn’t have a talent. But now, I am a writer and I will be no matter what job I ever have because that’s my meal ticket. ANTHONY MORALES (2013) Staff Writer: My best memories from BU Now were the end of the semester parties at Dr. Ganahl’s house. It is a celebration of everyone’s hard work during the semester. Having that time to kick back and relax with some of the hardest working students on campus was great! Happy Birthday BU Now, continue being an outlet for students to express themselves! RACHAEL SHELLER (2017) Staff Writer: I guess you could say I have two favorite memories about BUnow. I loved sitting in the writing circle laughing and conversing with my friends and going to Dr. G’s house for the end of semester party. If we didn’t have those two, I would not be as close to the BUnow staff. This was a great club to join and I miss it dearly. I wish all of the students luck in whatever they choose to do and hope we can work together some day. TAYLOR SPRENKLE (2013) Staff Writer: One of my favorite memories is being a judge for the 1st Pizza Madness Challenge! It was a great event and delicious, with a great group of students! Keep up the great work BUnow Happy Birthday!! KEVIN RANDOLPH (2016) Staff Writer: I had a ton of fun in my time at BUnow, and the experience has been immensely helpful to me since graduating. Happy 10th birthday, BUnow! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next 10! ETHAN SWIECH (2015) Staff Writer: Whenever I think about BUNOW, I reflect on the overall experience. The work I’ve done, the relationships I’ve built, the meetings I’ve gone to, the gatherings at Dr. G’s and the overall feel of accomplishing something you love to do. It was
a step in the right direction, not just for career goals, but for life. It was a nice ride to be a part of. SARIE EILEEN TOCKET (2013) Staff Writer: When I look back at my time at BU, I smile. It was a time filled with friends, laughter and learning. One of the places I was able to learn, grow and stretch my creative muscle was BUnow. It gave me an outlet to express myself through writing which has followed me into my life and career. I am thankful for the friendship, laughter and lessons that came out of that Mac Lab in Bloomsburg! I hope each student who sits down with a fire in her belly and her fingers flying across the keyboard remembers that she is part of something much bigger than herself. CHARGE! ASHLI TRUCHON (2010) Staff Writer: I loved that BUnow let me explore the things I loved and were interested in. My absolute favorite story was a Halloween story about whether the Jim Thorpe Jail was haunted. I still tell friends about how I basically ran out of the jail because I was pretty freaked out! And, to this day I still haven’t gone back. Another avenue BUnow let me explore was my interest in going green and how important recycling is. Today I work at Lafayette College and head its design for sustainability and work closely with the sustainability director to promote recycling and staying green at Lafayette. Go BUnow!
Thank You BUnow!!!
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10 Years of Reflection By: Dr. Richard Ganahl, Founding Faculty Advisor, BUnow
Hey, Dr. Ganahl, is BUnow really 10-years old? Imagine creating, capturing, and storing in real time every word, graphic, picture, video, comment, and all shared moments of more than 1,000 collegiate content creators. Then, imagine being able to instantly access, share, and react to all this textual, audio and video content in real time from anywhere in the world on your phone, tablet, laptop and desktop devices. Finally, imagine this explosion of media innovation originating in 2008 from Bloomsburg, Pa., and then radiating to all corners of the globe through April 2018.If you can imagine all this, then you know BUnow, a studentmanaged, fully independent, stand alone, multi-platform, pure play news site really is 10-years old.
So, what is BUnow? Most specifically, BUnow is the almost 4,000 multi-media stories, the 22,000 pictures, and nearly 200 videos all stored off-campus that have been created by over 900 collegiate content creators since 2008. Nearly one million visitors from over 135 countries have engaged with almost two million pages since 2008. Further still, BUnow is more than its three social media accounts and their 4.000 followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And, most certainly BUnow is even more than the 35-50 students across all colleges engaged with BUnow throughout the year in multiple capacities since 2008. On the grandest of levels, BUnow is that ‘here-and-now’ space on the collegiate timeline that starts just after high school’s ‘good old days’ and ends at the adult’s “real world’ which starts just after college ends. These collegiate content creators are digital natives of all ages, genders, races, orientations and affiliations. They live in BUnow’s ‘here and now’ space, and they have created their very own form of storytelling that is immediate, fierce, deeply personal, and unbounded by the traditional limits of privacy.
When was BUnow born? Remember the 2007-08 media scape? It seems pretty dreary by today’s standards. Land line telephone were ubiquitous, texting was the new and expensive rage, CDs and radios battled iPods, iPhones were scarce, Facebook had just opened to everyone, few knew about Twitter, and even fewer trusted Internet commerce. With ‘my ear down to the ground,’ I knew seismic changes were under way. These forces of innovation were undeniable. Compelled to engage my students, I approached BU Vice-President of Technology Wayne Mohr in fall 2007 with the idea of starting an ‘Internet site to publish content’ in all formats. He was immediately supportive and enlisted the assistance of Sam Josuweit, BU’s manager of network services. I initiated our first meetings in early spring 2008 with several students including Shannon Hoffman, Dan Tallarico, and Neil Young, along with Mass Communications Professor Sharon Santus. Immediately things began to happen. Neil suggested 31
the name BU Now, Dan presciently suggested the blog platform WordPress over Dreamweaver, and Shannon began organizing the site with Mike Nacko, a computer sciences major from Sam’s office. We organized BU Now as a CGA-recognized student organization, and adopted the slogan, ‘BU Now: Faster Than Today!’ ‘Revolutionary!’ is how Editor-in-Chief Shannon Hoffman described BU Now in its premier post on April 18, 2008. While acknowledging other campus media’s contributions, Shannon declared BU Now’s uniqueness will be ‘convergence and immediacy’ through ‘printed words, video, photos and podcasts…distributed as soon as a staff member…make(s) it to a computer.’
BU Now’s first two years are explosive. More than 75,000 visitors from 123 countries recorded nearly 166,000 ‘page views’ of the more than 600 student-authored, multimedia stories published by April 2010. Ashley Scioli and Katie Taylor served as co-editor-in-chiefs during BUnow’s second year. On the site’s second anniversary, my post titled ‘GANAHL ON MEDIA: Happy B-day BU Now!’ and dated April 18, 2010 celebrated BU Now’s editorial milestones, and summarized the findings of 23 e-interviews that I conducted with the campus media’s advisors and student journalists (now archived on BUnow). While the promise of ‘convergence and immediacy’ had been largely met, the interviews described a growing frustration with media turf wars nurtured by other campus media advisors and journalists. The editorial milestones were impressive in their breadth of coverage and viewer engagement. Three major news topics emerged among the 600 stories published by 2010. First, the successful media convergence partnership among BU Now, the campus newspaper and an independent local blog covered the 2008 election of President Obama through 71 multi-media stories that attracted 26,600 viewers. The coverage includes a 13-minute video titled ‘Ecstatic Obama Crowd Marches’ published on Nov. 6, 2008 and hosted on Vimeo. The video records the spontaneous eruption of the students’ euphoria at the announcement of Barack’s historical victory as they stream from their dormitories and parade down College Hill through downtown to celebrate at the Town Fountain. Next, this same media convergence partnership covered the controversy of BU’s 2008 Homecoming marred by racism through nine-stories, three videos, and two editorials. BU Now was the first to publish a complete copy of the final report ‘Panel to Investigate Campus Climate and Security’ released on Feb. 2009. The coverage engaged more than 13,300 visitors on BU Now. Finally, BU Now organized a ‘Campus Block Party Information Session’ that included the mayor, the campus and town police chiefs, and other BU staff and student representatives as part of its Block Party 2009 coverage. Other coverage included 10 stories, four videos and pictures, and a ‘gonzo style,’ on-the-scene blog report that attracted 10,800 visitors. Still, even though the experiment in media convergence resulted in nearly 100 stories posted by the campus newspaper, many students mentioned in the e-interviews the ‘perceived tension between BU Now and some faculty members…(and) the lack of support and even criticism…(and that) the clash between certain faculty hindered (BU Now’s) growth.’ While BU Now’s influence grew, the dream of convergence dimmed and was eventually extinguished. It remains extinguished today. BU Now’s media pioneers were undeterred. ‘Our future is almost something unimaginable,’ one student claimed. ‘BU Now WILL be multi-billion-dollar website,’ another promised, ‘because BU Now is the very model of Media Convergence.’
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How BU Now became BUnow. The four-year cycle that defines college life is both a bane and a boon for collegiate media. The cycle’s downside is the continuous student turnover that demands a perpetual training cycle. Conversely, the upside to this continuous turnover is the steady stream of new faces with new ideas, new talents and an impatience with the ‘way things have always been done.’ This steady stream of fresh, digital natives works especially well in BU Now’s ‘here and now’ space. At BU Now students constantly challenge the ‘way things have always been done.’ Living in the ‘now’ means there is less reverence for the ‘then.’ And, Now is the ultimate expression of immediacy. Such was the case when Dave Stanwick visited BU Now’s recruitment table at the Activities Fair in August 2010. His earlier Internet entrepreneurial successes bolstered his confidence to explore the emerging world of online media. His jaunty exuberance was infectious and encouraged a spirit of experimentation among BU Now’s staff. As Editor-in-Chief Dave and BU Now’s growing staff embarked on a cycle of continous innovation that created a new name, a new logo, and a new WordPress format. And, that’s when BU Now became BUnow.
BUnow becomes an online innovation incubator. Things began to happen quickly. BUnow grew a social media presence that reached more than 4,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The PR and social media teams developed engagement strategies that built awareness and branding campaigns for BUnow, site traffic, and non-profit events sponsored by BUnow. Soon, BUnow was promoting week-long contests that utilized site-based, interactive brackets and offered $100 cash cards to the winners. The first of these contests was Pizza Madness. Contestants picked the winner among 16 area pizza places via an online bracket during the multi-week campaign culminating in a video of the pizza finals. These online contests expanded to include wing madness, hoagie madness, late night madness, and NCAA March Madness over the years. The launch of the BUnowTV channel on Google’s YouTube in 2011 extended BUnow’s video digital footprint. Students quickly experimented with multiple studio-based programs including news, interviews, sports, fashions, and special contest shows. Field packages of events, news stories and student interviews were also produced. Today nearly 45,000 viewers have watched the almost 50 videos on BUnowTV.When Bloomsburg’s Flood of the Century literally turned off the lights and water in the town and the university, BUnow singularly updated the community through live Tweets, on-the-spot videos, stories and multiple-picture slideshows of the devastation.
BUnow adopts dot com domain. The story’s headline shocked both me and the student I was advising that Friday morning. It read, ‘Lock Haven shutting down. Students to be transferred to Bloomsburg.’ It was posted by Dave, BUnow’s editor-in-chief. The story reported the governor and PASSHE decided to close Lock Haven as a solution to PA’s budget crisis, and move some 3,500 students to BU. It suggested a local sewage plant might purchase the soon-to-be-shuttered campus, and that BU may proceed with its plans to build a bowling alley underneath the quad. The public’s reaction to the headline was swift. BUnow’s social media metrics reported that more than 1,000 had shared the story on Facebook by noon. Apparently, Lock Haven’s switch board was overwhelmed by worried students and parents. But wait! Hadn’t the readers read the story’s last line: ‘Wait…Is today April 1st?’ Surely this was an April Fool’s day college media prank. Maybe so, but Lock Haven’s leadership wasn’t laughing. Lock Haven published a two-line, yellow-highlighted headline across the top of its website, ‘An April Fools prank has involved a rumor that LHU is closing. This is false information.’ And, apparently, LSU’s leadership 33
threatened legal action if our site was not ‘taken down’ immediately. And so, by late Friday afternoon the university had ‘taken down’ BUnow. While college media are notorious for April Fool’s Day pranks, these pranks are still protected by the First Amendment. And that was the message Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, relayed to BU’s administration within an hour of the site’s take down: BUnow was protected by the First Amendment. BUnow was back in full operation within two hours of its shut down. And within seven months in November 2011, BUnow and all its content from its launch in April 2008 was moved to off-site servers. BUnow’s relationship with BU and its dot edu domain had been immensely beneficial for all. And while our relationship with the university remains productive, BUnow is now a dot com.
BUnow pioneers a state-wide media summit. Students responded dramatically to BUnow’s editorial projects and campus events, and quickly it was standing-room-only at the year’s opening meeting. The students were energetic, their talents and interests were varied, and they started organizing into groups including an editorial team, a fledgling video team, and a PR team that included promotions and social media. The year’s calendar filled fast. Traditionally, BUnow’s leadership rises from its ranks. Students start as staff writers, videographers or PR folks and ‘work up the ladder.’ The editorial leaders during 2012-2013 were Editor-in-Chief Carl ‘CJ’ Shultz and Managing Editor Justin McDonald. The two were friends (and remain so) and complemented each other. CJ emphasized the editorial aspects, and Justin was able to galvanize the various teams around a particular project. BUnow’s editorial output had grown significantly. Over 400 stories were published in 2012, and more than 500 were published in 2013 based on the nine-month academic calendar. Regular editorial departments included entertainment, fashion, music, news and politics, on campus, and opinion and editorial. The BUnowTV channel debuted on YouTube were a wide range of shows including Dear Bloom Fashion Police, a nascent studio news show, and various student interviews on Uncovering BU Talent. Everything was in place for a really big event. At a meeting of campus media with the State System’s media relations director, BUnow proposed a media gathering of the state’s ‘future media moguls.’ Soon, the 2012 Collegiate Media Summit was a reality with significant support from the State System, PSECU, the College of Liberal Arts at Bloomsburg University and BUnow. Over 200 collegiate media practitioners from 14 state campuses met with more than 40 media professionals during the two-day Media Summit. Five years later, the 2017 Collegiate Media Summit returned to BU. And BUnow remained a sponsor.
BUnow Rebrands and Launches After Dark. Five years in, and BUnow’s new leadership team was ready for something new. Soon, there was talk about a new look, a new logo, a new slogan and a new editorial section. What was BUnow? Who were its visitors? How can we graphically capture this essence? Would a site redesign better engage our visitors? Managing Editor Zoe Baldwin and Editor-in-Chief Kristen Rinaldi initiated discussions to answer these questions. The quest to re-imagine BUnow was exclusively a student enterprise, and 34
it ultimately resulted in a visual transformation of BUnow’s promise. The team agreed that at its core BUnow openly challenged its visitors to ‘Open Your World’ and “Be You.’ A stylized version of the name BUnow incorporated two colors and a type-size globe to graphically depict this challenge. The name BUnow was superimposed over a larger globe, and the slogan ‘Open Your World’ was tucked underneath NOW reinforcing the sense of immediacy. BUnow’s challenge to ‘open your world and become you’ was expanded to include the whole you… your daytime you and your night time you. And so, BUnow’s After Dark editorial section went live. An editorial ‘section devoted entirely to the students’ exploits as the sun goes down.’ Because ‘what happens after dark is a major factor of the students’ life.’ The section’s new logo visually challenged the readers to ‘be you after dark.’ BUnow’s home page, day-light globe morphed into the night time version of the world, and ‘After Dark’ replaced the daytime tag ‘Open Your World.’ The After Dark section has grown tremendously over the years, and now includes 86 stories with over 130,000 page views.
Soon, BUnow reaches its sweet spot. The newly launched Facebook and Twitter skyrocketed in popularity and drove page views to all time highs. And BUnow’s growing editorial team continually created content for its voracious readers. Nearly 600 stories were produced in 2014 and nearly 500 stories were produced in 2015. Clearly BUnow had found its groove. Editor-in-Chief Kristen Rinaldi and Managing Editor Frankie Stokes were friends when they joined BUnow in their first year at Bloom. Their friendship, which continues today, grew deeper through their media participation. They had a thorough understanding of what made BUnow work, and became close friends with the whole team. They streamlined the editorial process and solidified the organizational structure during their tenure. The dawn of mega-view-stories came of age. The stories were big, and the number of viewers huge: Husky Update, Finals Week, Mo’ne Davis video interview, Block Party…are all stories with more than 10,000 views. Regularly stories racked up 2-7,000 viewers. The End of Block Party as We Know It topped the list with more than 35,000 page views! BUnow’s PR team professionalized its special event activities, and initiated a tradition of partnering with other campus organizations’ fund raising campaigns. These partnerships remain in full force today. BUnow became a full-time partner by helping raise more than $20 thousand for various community organizations including Make-A-Wish, Ronald McDonald Camp Dost, the Special Olympics, the Women’s Center, the EOS Riding Center, Camp Victory, and Students Against Hunger.
BUnow Launches Magazine. By 2015 the BUnow team had experimented with a wide range of media innovations including multi-platform text-based stories; studio and field video packages; podcasts and BUnowRadio; live Twitter, Facebook and Google social media events; interactive bracket-based contests; a live, indierock-band fund raiser; state-wide media events; and multi-picture slideshows. Now, the BUnow team was anxious to experiment with the magazine format.The staff, led by Editor-in-Chief Monica Grater and Managing Editor Cailley Breckinridge, decided the magazine’s premiere issue should incorporate BUnow’s online content rather than generate original, magazine-only content. This first 35
issue would be a review of the leading online stories published that year. The BUnow Magazine: 2015: A Year In Review editorial team reviewed all 500 articles published in 2015 across the eight editorial departments: On Campus, Music, Fashion, Opinion & Editorial, Sports, U.S. & World News, After Dark, and Entertainment. The editors analyzed the stories, chose the top two stories from each section with a combined total online viewership over 65,000, and published the full color, 36-page magazine in May 2016. Editor-in-Chief Cindy Johnston and Managing Editor Matt Mastrogiovanni published BUnow’s second edition magazine in Spring 2017. This second edition, titled The Strike Edition, includes 15 stories, four videos and dozens of pictures originally published on BUnow of the firstever, state-wide, faculty strike in October 2016 by APSCUF, the faculty union. Nicole Keiser was the chief designer of the full color, 24-page magazine. The third edition, titled the Anniversary Edition: Celebrating 10 Years, is published by Editor-in-Chief Morgan Mickavicz, Managing Editor Dallas Kriebel, and Special Projects Editor Kyla Smith-Brown at BUnow Mag and includes 13 significant stories, 11 awesome videos and reflections on, and memories of, BUnow’s first ten years. Sarah Gottschalk is the chief designer of the full color, 37-page magazine. All three editions of BUnow’s magazine are published at BUnow Mag on ISSUU.com.
BUnow’s Future is ‘Almost Something Unimaginable. Eight years ago, a BUnow editor predicted, ‘Our future is almost something unimaginable.’ Her prediction became reality, and remains true of today’s future. Looking back, it was impossible to imagine BUnow’s journey to the here and now. Looking forward, it’s equally impossible to speculate on what is ahead. BUnow is not bound by the limits of legacy media and the traditional rules of storytelling. It is not constrained by print media’s time and space limitations, nor is it restricted to traditional broadcasting’s time boundaries. BUnow’s method of communication is intuitive, immediate, interactive, and authentic. BUnow will remain a state of mind, and a place of being. Its exuberant quest of continuous collaboration and constant experimentation will endure. BUnow will endlessly reimagine itself. New and energized media pioneers will perpetually reinvent BUnow. Of course, BUnow’s future will be fraught with frequent and formidable obstacles. Recruiting innovative storytellers and keeping them involved will always be a challenge. Creating compelling content in ever-evolving formats that is relevant to our followers will remain BUnow’s absolute standard of judgement. Maintaining our role as a responsible community partner, while inspiring our members to become their absolute best will remain our mission. But most importantly, BUnow’s future will be fun and filled with unlimited opportunities. And, it will remain, always, a time and place to, “Be You, NOW!” AUTHOR’S NOTE: Many hundreds of students, faculty, staff, friends and organizations are true celebrants in BUnow’s Tenth Anniversary. While it’s impossible to name them all, all are remembered. We are forever grateful for your support and friendship. Thank you. -The BUnow Family ©Richard Ganahl 36
Designed By: Sarah Gottschalk