11-29-00 Eastern Echo

Farewell and thank you

This season of thanks giving reminds me that soon my time at Eastern will be over, and I should recognize those people who have contributed to the outstanding experiences I've had here. I've had wonderful professors, many in my area of study, but others who inspired me in areas I never had much interest in before. Thanks to professor Robert Citino, who made the basic studies History course I took so interesting I wondered why I ever thought history was boring. He was excited about history, and inspired me to look deeper into past events to understand the repercussions of those incidents that resound in today's world. Thanks to professor Margaret Crouch, whose Philosophy of Women class forced me to reevaluate my own philosophies and consider what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. Thanks to lecturer Julie Frentrop of the chemistry department. Without her sense of humor, her dedication to her students, and her willingness to reach out to non-science majors (read: science-dumb students) I would have never made it through Chem 115. She embodies the word "teacher." She gets paid chicken feed, but continues to serve a lavish banquet of information and enlightenment to everyone enrolled in her classes. Thanks to professor Paul Howard, who allowed me to register for his Math 110 class without the required prerequisites. Like science, math feels like a foreign language to me and I entered his class on the first day with great apprehension. By the end of the semester I realized that I wasn't math-dumb---merely math-atrophied. Professor Jeff Duncan of the English department deserves my thanks for many reasons. His honor's autobiography class was the most enjoyable writing class I've ever taken, he's my honor's advisor and has recommended my work to the Undergraduate Symposium. He took a personal interest in my writing, and taught me that learning is, first and foremost, about living. Professor David Geherin might not realize what a great teacher he is, so I think I should tell him. You won't often see his class sitting glassy-eyed and bored---he facilitates class discussions that foster an atmosphere of acceptance---every student's viewpoints are respected. It's hard to put into words how he accomplishes this&ldots;but I've never had another class where I had a hard time getting a word in edgewise. (I talk a lot.) Professor Lori Burlingame's wealth of knowledge of all things "literature" made the two classes I took with her extremely interesting. She always had time to continue discussions after class and was happy to speak in depth about any topic we were studying. Her critiques of the papers I wrote for her not only made me consider WHAT I was writing, but HOW I was writing it. No teacher was ever so vigilant with the red pen as she. Professor Gilbert Cross is a character. He proclaims his job as a professor is a thankless one and he speaks lovingly of the time when he will retire and be free of the annoyance of the bothersome young people who know so little of literature and grammar. And yet I feel he takes great pleasure in bestowing upon his students the abundance of knowledge he has acquired over the centuries. (Kidding, I meant decades.) I have learned much from him, but mostly that you cannot judge a book by its cover. He may not remember me in twenty years, but I will remember him. Professor Steven Krause shoved me into the 21st century against my will. I didn't want a class about writing and the Internet----I wanted Style and Language. Luckily it was too late to drop the class by the time it became clear I'd have to design my own web page. I'd only used a computer as a word processing unit before his class---afterwards I could boast that I knew the basics of web design and HTML. It's the wave of the future (eh, present) and I'm glad for his persistence in opening that particular door for me. I've talked about professor Joe Csicsila in other columns. He was a lecturer when I took a class with him, now he's been hired as a professor. (Good job, English department.) The best thing about his class was that he treated the students like adults, set guidelines for our progress through the material, and expected nothing but our best efforts. Professor Carol Schlagheck of the journalism department knows her stuff. She has nurtured the Echo staff members with the dedication of a mother and is well liked and respected by the Echo-ites who invade her classes every semester. She also understands the demands of trying to balance family and career---kudos to her for being a great role model for the next generation of journalists. There have been other people at the university who have given me opportunities to learn and broaden my horizons as a student. Dean Barry Fish invited me to sit on his Basic Studies Task Force, David Klubeck (former Executive Assistant to President Shelton) and Rita Abent (Director of Marketing and Media) invited me to sit on their Web development committee. Participating in these two projects allowed me to meet and work with some very talented and dedicated people in EMU's administration and faculty. I thank them for their regard and the honor of seeing the other face of the university. There are individuals at EMU that I've met briefly but was very impressed with their dedication to the university. They include Larry Vaughn, Bill Tucker, Annette Martin, Mary Jo Desprez, Willie Cupples, Linda Rider, Ed Sidlow, Janet Kauffman, Wendy Gouine, Jennie Meyer McCafferty, Bill Miller, and Russ Larson, to name only a few. My thanks to the Echo staff, past and present, for the camaraderie and support. Thanks to Cathy Hill, advisor to student media, for picking me up when I crashed and keeping me inspired. Thanks to all the people who have read my columns and felt compelled to write to me about them---your feedback, praise, and commiseration has been greatly appreciated. I'll look back fondly on the time I spent at Eastern Michigan University. Thanks for three wonderful years!