The Bona Venture, St. Bonaventure University’s only student newspaper,

published the following articles written by Ruth Harper. For more article samples, click here.

Headlines (click to scroll):

1. Ireland trip enhances American pride 2. Olean to host filming

3. Bona’s Ventures into the unknown 4. Million-dollar donors sue university

Ireland trip enhances American pride Issue date: 3/19/10 | Section: Opinion Who knew a service-learning trip to Northern Ireland could provide me with an even deeper pride and devotion to my country and its high value on civil rights and individual liberties. I didn't. But I know now. With 13 other students and two faculty members, I traveled across the Atlantic during midterm break through St. Bonaventure University's Father Mychal Judge Center. Father Mychal (1933-2001), a Franciscan priest and son of an Irish immigrant, worked to promote international peace, especially in Northern Ireland. While there, I participated in the usual Irish tourist attractions: I visited Dublin, shopped often, ate my fair share of potatoes and, of course, visited a plethora of pubs. While all of these aspects helped me understand Northern Ireland's culture, these experiences aren't necessarily what I'll take with me for the rest of my life. Instead, I've gained a greater understanding of Northern Ireland's political Troubles and a renewed gratitude for my own country's democratic freedom, no matter how politically polarized it may be today. The Troubles is a euphemism used to describe the ethno-political conflict and violence that took place mainly in Northeast Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998, when officials signed a peace agreement. Sporadic violence still occurs, though, according to Ulster University's Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) project. We listened to both a peace activist and a former Irish Republican Army member speak about their experiences. Hearing Dr. Mervyn Love, a soft-spoken history professor, discuss his experiences with the Troubles - including jail time for being in the IRA - really hit my heart. But I didn't really understand the conflict fully until I visited the city of Derry/Londonderry halfway through the trip. Residents refer to this city by both of those names depending on their side of the conflict. Nationalists (primarily Roman-Catholics) call the city "Derry," while Unionists (primarily Protestants) call the city "Londonderry." But that's just the beginning of the city's division. The Unionists' parts of town had red, white and blue street curbs to show their desire to continue in union with the United Kingdom. Nationalists tended to side with the Republic of

Ireland, displaying this alliance by painting their curbs green, orange and white. If the colors aren't enough to prove the division, massive, magnificent murals illustrate the conflict's history and hope for the future, and graffiti on brick buildings' walls read "U.F.F." (Ulster Freedom Fighters) and "R.I.R.A." (the Real Irish Republican Army). Without a doubt, America has its gangs, its violence and its political problems, and during our Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, many deaths occurred. Luckily, violence eventually calmed down, and the U.S. government passed legislation to end segregation and other racist laws. About 50 years after the end of the formal 1960s Civil Rights Movement, we have elected a black president. While racism, unfortunately, does still exist in our country, we have become more tolerant of each other as time moves on and as new generations move up. America's Civil Rights Movement holds a huge value not only for black people, but also the world. Our changes sparked movements in other countries, including Northern Ireland. Murals there hoping to spread peaceful messages even display a painting of Martin Luther King Jr. Because suppressed blacks spoke up in our country, people feeling stifled in other countries also felt they could speak up against their own governments. However, Northern Ireland hasn't made it quite as far as we have. Hopefully, the U.S. will continue to fight racism and act as a role model for the world. In conclusion, America certainly isn't perfect. But what we've done well is more important than many of us realize. In addition to direct peace measures, our country has indirectly shown other nations what can be done for freedom if it's missing. And no recession or climate crisis or health care reform can take that away. (Return to top)

Olean to host filming Issue date: 9/11/09 | Section: News Olean will see a tiny glimpse of Hollywood today, as cast and crew members from the feature film "Unstoppable" shoot a small scene featuring some of Olean's railroad tracks. The scene shot in Olean will show parents and students boarding a train near Olean Middle School on Wayne Street, according to a Sept. 8 article in the Olean Times Herald. "It's just a small scene we're doing there," Gabriela Gutentag, publicist for "Unstoppable," said "The stars are, unfortunately for you guys, not in that scene." The stars of which Gutentag speaks include Denzel Washington, Chris Pine ("Star Trek") and Rosario Dawson ("Seven Pounds"). Tony Scott ("The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3") directs the action thriller, due to release November 2010. In the film, the characters attempt to stop a runaway train containing toxic chemicals before it destroys a city, according to www.imdb.com. However, the lack of star power in Olean won't hinder the benefits filming could have on

the area, Gutentag said. "I would say for the entire time we're here … Olean will definitely be feeling the effects," Gutentag said. In Olean, lodging and eateries will probably benefit more than other businesses. Most of the cast and crew will stay in hotels in Bradford, but a small portion plans to stay in Olean, Gutentag said. "They just don't have tons of hotel rooms," she said. "We took all the available hotel rooms in Bradford." Meme Yanetsko, events/marketing director for the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, agreed the filming will positively affect Olean's economy, especially hotel and restaurant/catering businesses. She also said the success of this filming could affect Olean's economy years in the future. "Showing other movie companies that we are easy to work with… might in turn have other companies coming in to Olean to film (parts of other) movies," Yanetsko said. The movie offered more than economic opportunities, though, as the production team e-mailed theater programs from many local universities and colleges, including St. Bonaventure University, inviting theater students to participate in production, Becky Misenheimer, assistant professor of theater design, said. "It's a great opportunity to get a foot in the door with the film industry," Misenheimer said. Unfortunately, most of the St. Bonaventure students asked were unable to become involved for various reasons, including being too far from St. Bonaventure during the summer months. The e-mail sent to the students said anyone involved with the film would have to put in long hours, which was another reason many couldn't join the cast or crew. (Return to top)

Bona’s ventures into the unknown

Bonaventure community members share their stories about Francis Hall Issue date: 10/24/08 | Section: Features

When campus ghost stories at St. Bonaventure come into conversation, minds usually turn

toward Devereux Hall, but Francis Hall is not without its supernatural happenings.

Senior computer science major Laura L'Esperance lived in Francis Hall for about a month her

junior year before moving to Devereux Hall, where she lives this semester.

"Francis and Dev are both supposed to be haunted, but I've never had any problem in Dev,"

L'Esperance said. "I've been to the fifth floor in Dev, too. It was kind of disappointing. Francis,

from the beginning, kind of gave me the creeps."

L'Esperance said she used to avoid Francis as much as possible, and she isn't the only one who

doesn't like the feeling she gets there.

"To me, it's a very spooky building," said Judy Barton, a housekeeper in Robinson Hall who

worked in Francis Hall during the summer. "Even before that experience I didn't like it. I was

always uneasy in that building. I just don't like it."

Barton's "experience" occurred on the second floor of Francis Hall last summer. She went down

the hallway, and a man was standing by the stairwell, so she said hello to him but felt a little

strange.

"What struck me funny was his clothing," Barton said. "He was a young guy, and he had this

shirt on that reminded me of something we used to wear back in the 60s and the 70s, a yellowish

plaid shirt."

She went in the bathroom, came back out and returned to the hallway where the other

housekeepers were. She asked them if anyone had seen the man, and no one had.

"I had seen him come through the stairwell and go down the hallway out of the corner of my

eye," Barton recalled. "I come back, and I ask the other girls, 'Did you see a guy come down

here?' No one saw him. I thought 'Oh my God.'"

Barton said later a security guard told her other people had seen a man with the same clothing.

Jacob Fintak, a second-year graduate student and housekeeper, also saw a man in a plaid shirt

during the summer when he worked on the second floor.

"Me and one of the workers over the summer were moving stuff out of the rooms," Fintak said.

"We looked down the hallway, and we see this figure down there. He looks at us, he tilts his head

down … and starts walking slowly across and moves down the one hallway. We didn't

understand how he's there; nobody's supposed to be in the building. So we walk down, we look,

nobody's there. Everything's locked up. There's no way this person, or whatever it was, could

ever get out."

Fintak continued, "The person I was working with told me they'd seen it before, same thing -

jeans, (brownish) plaid shirt, tilted head, walks down the hallway … he's kind of like the second

floor ghost."

Fintak lived on the third floor of Francis Hall during his junior year, when he had a few smaller

spooky experiences.

"There would be no wind in the hall, my windows would be closed (in my room), but my blinds

would be moving or papers would kind of be moving a little bit on my desk," Fintak said.

He added a former resident assistant who lived on the fourth floor would often return to her

room to her glass cups scattered, some broken, everywhere in her room. Senior political science

major Adam Sorokes, who shared a wall with the resident assistant's room, said some people

believe the resident assistant's room is the most haunted room in Francis.

Sorokes, who lived on the fourth floor his freshman year, said he has also experienced breezes

when no windows were open. One time, he said he was in the bathroom when a stall door

slammed shut. Also, like many other students in Francis, Sorokes said his faucet would spew

water for no reason.

Phil Winger, associate vice president for facilities, wrote in an e-mail that he had not heard

reports of faucets turning on, and he wasn't sure why it would happen. Winger also wrote the

breezes were strange, too.

"There is not much mechanical ventilation (fans, that is) in the building, so I can't blame them,"

Winger wrote.

Fintak also reported hearing strange noises.

"The walls in Francis are paper thin, so sometimes you hear things, but every now and then I

would just hear weird whispering noises off in the corner of my room, which I would never

understand," Fintak said.

Senior computer science major Grace Trzepacz, who lives on the second floor, wrote in an e-mail

that she often hears thumping and things moving around in the third-floor storage area above

her room. No one lives in the large room, but it's scattered with a few mattresses, bed frames, a

broken piano, cigarette butts, dusty beer cans and a green chair with wheels. The room is kept

locked at all times.

"We peeked through the window of the door that goes to that place and saw there is a chair with

wheels up there we think gets rolled around by the ghost we've nicknamed Chuck," Trzepacz

wrote.

Trzepacz added that the noises woke up an out-of-town friend staying overnight. She wrote she's

gotten used to the noises, and they don't bother her.

Sorokes experienced a noisy presence the second or third week of his freshman year when he

was trying to sleep. He heard an annoying tapping noise, and looked up and realized it was his

cable cord, which ran across the ceiling. He turned off his fan so the noise would stop, but it

didn't.

"I turned the fan off, but it kept happening, but there was no wind coming into my room,"

Sorokes said. "I got kind of weirded out. I just kind of figured it was my mind playing tricks on

me."

Sorokes said he tried to go back to sleep but couldn't, and then felt a cold chill run down his

back. He tried to calm himself down by splashing water on his face.

"As I was over (at the sink), my clock radio turned itself on, and so I immediately was like, OK,

something really weird is happening here," Sorokes said. "There was just static coming through

the radio, and when I unplugged it, the static sound started coming through my computer

speakers."

He acknowledged the presence by speaking, and the static stopped.

Sorokes had another experience while working on a paper at his computer one night. He had the

overhead light and a desk lamp on.

"I just caught something out of the corner of my eye, and I just saw this kind of black, misty,

shadow thing. I don't really know how to describe it other than that," Sorokes said. "It moved

from the sink into my closet and then just kind of vanished. I know it couldn't have been a

shadow. That really rattled me. I had to jump up and try to take a walk for a while."

Fintak described nights when it was extremely difficult to sleep because he felt like he wasn't

alone.

"There would be some nights where it would be really, really tense to sleep, like there was just

something in my room, and I just didn't know what it was," Fintak said.

L'Esperance said she experienced something similar. She said she was talking on the phone to

her mom when a strange feeling overcame her.

"I was going to turn off the TV, turn off the computer, but I couldn't do it," L'Esperance said. "I

didn't go to sleep until about 3:00 (a.m.), and I just felt like there was something at the sink, just

looking at me."

L'Esperance added she heard that other people often feel like there's something near their sinks,

and her sleepless experience was part of the reason she decided to move from Francis to

Devereux.

Barton has heard stories about the San Damiano room.

"I've heard stories about (a housekeeper) setting up downstairs and things will go flying, down

in the chapel," Barton said.

Sorokes said although he has often felt some kind of "presence" in Francis Hall, he has never felt

threatened, and sometimes the presence has even made him feel safe. He said those who

experience the paranormal should question the validity, but at some point it just becomes real.

"You know there are certain things, like a stall door slamming or closing or whatever, it could

just be that the window's open just enough for me to not notice," Sorokes said. "There are some

things that could be explained, and you don't want to just follow things blindly because you

heard that weird things happen there. You don't want to believe all of the urban legends and

stuff like that, but you get to the point where you really experience things." (Return to top)

Million-dollar donors sue university Issue date: 3/28/08 | Section: News Paul and Irene Bogoni, who have donated over $3 million to St. Bonaventure University over the course of approximately six years, filed a lawsuit against the university Feb. 5, according to the summons from the New York County clerk's office. The Bogonis filed the suit because they feel the university violated signed agreements and did not provide proper accounting documentation and information. However, the university said it felt it provided proper documentation and information on the donations, Emily Sinsabaugh, vice president for university relations, said. "We did not proceed with the project until we had full agreement on the plans from the Bogonis," Sinsabaugh said. The Bogonis, of New York City, informed the university they had intentionally defaulted on the rest of their pledges in October 2007, according to a letter to the faculty and staff from Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president. The couple originally pledged $1.5 million in 2005, and they have paid $1.1 million to date to fund the Friedsam Memorial Library "Paul and Irene Bogoni Library Addition," according to complaints the Bogonis filed. In November 2007, the university informed the Bogonis that the naming rights for the library addition would be modified because of their default, according to Sister Margaret's letter and a university press release. In May 2003, the couple donated $50,000 for a feasibility study, which would determine whether or not the addition would be practical and affordable, according to the filed complaint. The university commissioned Cannon Design, Inc. to conduct the study. Cannon charged $29,500, leaving $20,500 that was neither returned to the Bogonis nor used in accordance with the agreed terms and conditions, according to the filed complaint. The Bogonis claim they never received a copy of the library feasibility study, and they claim the university told them the cost estimate for the addition was $1.5 million.

On April 1, 2005, the Bogonis prepared to sign the "gift commitment" for $1.5 million. In the agreement, the parties agreed that the addition would be called The Paul and Irene Bogoni Library Addition, the Bogonis would finance the entire project alone, the cost of construction would be limited to $1.5 million and if construction costs went over the $1.5 million limit, the university would re-analyze and rebid the project in an attempt to find ways to cut costs, according to the filed complaint. On July 15, 2005, the university asked the Bogonis for an additional $500,000, and the Bogonis agreed. Also, according to the filed complaint, the gift commitment agreement would be raised to a $2 million cost limit. By Aug. 21, 2005, the university signed a Professional Service Agreement with Cannon Design, and the total project cost would be $2 million, according to the complaint. The university held the groundbreaking ceremony June 19, 2006. In September 2006, the university informed the Bogonis that the cost would be at least $250,000 more than the $2 million set cost limit, but the Bogonis told the university to find ways to cut costs. The Bogonis claim they have not received any information about why the addition would cost more, and the university never re-analyzed or re-bid the project, according to the filed complaint. As of Feb. 5, the Bogonis had donated $1.1 million of the total $2 million commitment. The university had obtained an additional $750,000 to put toward the addition from other donors, even though the project was supposed to be funded solely by the Bogonis, according to the filed complaint. An unidentified university administrator acknowledged that $13,000 from the Bogonis' restricted $2 million gift had been used for "purposes unrelated to the library addition," according to the filed complaint. The university refutes the Bogonis' claim that they have received no accounting or documentation for the construction. "We are very pleased to provide information to donors about the progress of projects and in the case with the Bogonis, we were very happy to respond to requests for very detailed information about the expenses of the project," Sinsabaugh said. "We provided everything from copies of invoices for materials and services to copies of the general ledger of accounts for them to be able to see that level of detail, and we're happy to do that." Sinsabaugh said the Bogonis were making demands the university could not meet and that were not in the signed agreement. "They were interacting with the board of trustees in such a way that was attempting to have them engaged in day-to-day decision-making that is not appropriate for either trustees or donors," Sinsabaugh said. Sinsabaugh declined to elaborate on exactly what the Bogonis were trying to get the trustees to do.

Sinsabaugh said she hopes the Bogonis will re-evaluate their decision. "It's very unfortunate," she said. "It's not something that a university ever wants to have happen to them, but we really hope that the Bogonis will reconsider and meet the terms of the pledge that we made together for a place to house and present and preserve our very important rare books collection." If the Bogonis don't bring funds back to the university, Sinsabaugh said the university plans to continue with construction, which is on schedule and plans to open in fall 2008. "We've made a commitment to that project, and we're going to complete it," she said. Sinsabaugh would not give specific details on where the funds to pay for the remainder of the project will come from, but she said the university plans to re-allocate undesignated resources from the $90 million Capital Campaign. "We are fortunate that some money is being donated to the university for us to use in the way we think is most important," she said. The filed complaint also mentions the case involving the Bogonis' donations to create a gerontology program at the university. Gerontology is the study of the aging process. In May 2004, the Bogonis donated $1.5 million for the Gerontology Research, Academic Preparation and Community Enrichment (GRACE) Project as well as $10,000 for a feasibility study for the program, according to the filed complaint. In early May 2004, the Bogonis signed the conditional endowment gift agreement but were not given the "fully executed copy" at that time. Also at that time, they gave the university a $100,000 check, according to the complaint. The Bogonis had requested the full copy, and they found out that the gift would "consist of $1.4 million, not $1.5 million, and a separate $100,000 thereof was to be used for 'start-up funds,'" according to the complaint. The Bogonis claim they never agreed to this change, and it violated the restrictions and conditions of the endowment gift. However, the Bogonis have paid the full $1.5 million. Also, the Bogonis claim they "have not received any complete and accurate periodic financial reports about the restricted and conditional endowment gift," according to the complaint. "Upon inquiry, an agent of the (university) indicated that the reason the (Bogonis) did not receive complete and accurate periodic financial reports was that the agent was told that the (Bogonis) had requested not to receive such reports, but the agent did not say who on behalf of the defendants had told the agent not to send the (Bogonis) such reports. The (Bogonis) did not give any such instruction to the defendants." The Bogonis said the university's continuing to withhold information and practice of unilateral decision-making has interfered with the goals, objectives and purpose of the

GRACE Project, according to the complaint. Paul Bogoni said he wanted to meet and talk with professors and others involved with the gerontology program at the university, but the university would not let him. "We want to help the university," he said. "Why aren't we permitted to talk to anybody?" Sinsabaugh said the university, represented by Damon and Morey attorneys at law L.L.P. of Buffalo, N.Y., plans to send a reply to the Bogonis' complaint directly to the Bogonis' attorney, Beattie Padovano, LLC, of Montvale, N.J. (Return to top)