Graduates set out to Teach For America
By Carrie Vincent
Fqt ih@ OfWffOP O&rty f.fw*fakt
Four recent graduates of the University
will be headed to California. Texas or
Louisiana next fall to teach for a Peace
Corps style education program called
Teach For America.
Matt Coleman. Dave Markin. Bryant
Howard and Dustin Stuhr have commit
ted two years to some of the nation's most
beleaguered schools that suffer acute
teacher shortages
The program, now in its third year,
seeks to recruit enthusiastic, high-energy
college graduates who will inspire inter
est in teaching profession and give all
children an equal chance to higher stan
dards of education.
In nn interview with Time magazine in
1990, 24-year-old founder Wendy Kopp
said she hoped the unorthodox approach
will boost the low status of the profession
and help alleviate the growing teaching
shortage.
A seed grant of S2G.CKM) in 1990 helped
turn TFA into a reality. Through an
aggressive letter writing campaign. Kopp
convinced more than 200 corporations to
donate $12 million, including $3 million
from Phillip Morris. Even Ross Perot con
tributed $500,000.
To In; a member of TFA. each applicant
must attain a bachelor's degree, have a
2.5 GPA or better upon graduation, pass
the National Teacher’s Exam, attend an
intensive six-week training course at
UCLA and maintain a high level of ener
gy and interaction with the children,
which is helped by weekend TFA semi
nars and a second-summer training
course.
New corps members are given posi
tions that relate to your degrees. Coleman
will teach secondary physical science
and Howard will teach elementary spe
rial ('duration in Oakland. Calif Marking
will touch high school English rural
Louisiana Stuhr will leach elementary
s|m>< ml edu« at ion in Austin. Texas
TEA tries to place applicants »« • ording
to the applii ant s request Stuhr admitted
he would have preferred rural Texas, but
he is still excited, if not a little nervous
alxiut the whole thing.
" t his is my hig life transition, inv soul
seeking opportunity." Stuhr said A lot
of my friends are still looking for it. so I
feel pretty fortunate I've had this oppor
tunity. I've gotten to the point where I
realize that things like this that scare me
are probably good for me "
TEA attempts to match indiv uluals to
locations that are similar to. or at least
familiar to the applicant's past living
experiences.
Howard, who is from northeast Port
land. said his taste of "inner-city" living
qualifies him for his assignment
"Even if 1 wasn't (qualified), tiiv enthu
siasm will carry me through." he said
TE'A pays for the six-week training ses
sion at UCLA this summer, the plane
ticket to the teaching destination and one
week compensation to find a place to
live. The program also offers short term
loans until the first paychei ks come in
TEA teachers ore paid on salary by the
district they will work in.
But money is not the issue for Markin
"I didn't come out of college with hig
loans to make $.10,000 a year,"said
Markin, who will pursue his ai i rediled
teaching certificate while in Louisiana "I
came out wanting to teat h
"I'm a little nervous and a little scared
to move away from everything that is
familiar to me. I'm intimidated by the
culture change." said Markin, who has
never been to Louisiana "But I've seen
it on the movies, and it looks neat."
Colytiijn also said that tho now Iot a
lion might ho intimidating
Tm a white middle-class A morn an
and I'm going into an tirhan sotting vs here
I will Ini a minority." ho said It vsill bo
a challenge in terms of rolating but I’m
vorv excited about the challenge "
Coleman said mm h of his fears hove
I won ullevioted Ihhouso TFA has placed
more than 100 of this year's f»(HI ineiufters
in Oakland
"Tile support base is good." he said
In the three-year history of the pro
gram. this is the first time TFA has
re< roiled out of Oregon John Miller, the
west coast regional dint tor for TFA. said
this is purely a logistical matter.
There are not as many schools in Ore
gon that have the same needs and prob
lems that face the twelve communities
that TFA serves, according to Miller
Miller admitted that TFA's limited
resources have also excluded Oregon in
the past from recruiting trips Hut Miller
seemed genuinely pleased by the interest
he saw in Oregon
"We hail to extend our interviews to
four days because we had so many apple
rants from Oregon," he said
TFA ret eived more than 2 AOO applu a
lions in 1993 and has an acceptance rate
of about 22 percent
Miller hopes the heightened interest
afiout TFA in Oregon will allow for a< live
rei roiling trips here in the future
About 40 pert tint of TFA teat hers i on
tinue to teach after their two-year < one
mitment is finished. Miller said Kven if
they don't continue to leach. Miller
seemed to echo the lielicf of many in say
mg that TFA alumni will continue to
offer their skills and energy to promote
equal opportunity education lor all chil
dren
STUDENT LOAN
REPAYMENT
If you're feeling the
pressure of student loans
the Army can help you pay
back up to $55,000.
For more information
contact your Army recruiter
US A/my Recruiting Station
Gateway Mail. SP MIS
3000 Gateway Street
Springfield. OR 97477-1071
747-0040
Unlimited LTD
bussen/ice.,
optional student fee That means refunds are
available.
Keep in mind, however, that your student ID
now enables you to ride the bus any time, any
where. all termI
Also remember that by supporting unlimited bus
service you 're helping alleviate traffic, reduce air
pofkjtton. ease the campus parking problem, and
provide transportation for thousands of students.
But K you stM want a refund, come to the EMU
Main Desk during normal business hours
June 21-25. Also available at the LTD
Customer Service Center during normal business
hours June 26 - 30.
Call 687-5555 (Voice) or 687-5552 (TDD)
for more information.
Express Yourself!
TACO
Continued from Page 1A
\.iul The fund pays debt on bonds
issued on student union construe
lion |iro|t*< is
Over the life of tins fund, the
KMU bus only m eived $1 4 million
for construction projells. Capital
needed in bi'jiin l!it' rest of t!n* KMU
renovation w ould i tisl more Ilian Sti
million. Miller slid
We ai llit> KMl! and University
need to l»’ mm b more aggressive in
ill i essmg that money ." Miller said.
"We really do need a massive infu
sion of i apital from the fund
He said the KMU has a very good
i ham e to get on the list for stale
funding
In the meantime. Miller said he is
looking at several non-physu.ul
improvements In the University's
food servil e that could lie imple
mented in the two or three years
prior to the planned renovations.
Ideas mi.Inde a breakfast buffet
bar and adding "extremely fresh,
nutritious food" to the current
menu
LAW
Continued from Page i A
Kiisuan li (Unitor, vvhu will lout h IIttt rights
of Ko.HMilllS 1 I.IHS
To ri'j’isicr for tho i oursu. students may
rlthor i all lilt* law sc hool al I or
coine lo llii’ lavs sc hool olfii i' a twill hour
ludon1 c lass starts Interested (htsoiis hi.iv
also attune! individual lot lures without
registering, Iiul only on a sjwho avail.ihh>
basis
Summer Recreation Classes
June 21 - August 12 (8 weeks)
CLASS
Abdominals Workout
Abdominals Workout
Aerobics/Bench
Aerobics/Bench
Aerobics
Aerobics
Weight Training
Yoga/Meditation
Yoga/Meditotion
DAY I1ME
UH 12 00 1 00 pm
UH 4:30-5:30pm
MW 7 00-8 OOarn
UH 7:00-8:00am
MW 5 30-6:30pm
UH 5 30-6:30pm
MW 4 00-5 00pm
UH 7 00 8 00pm
UH 5 30-6 30pm
LOCATION COSI
EsI 77 $20
EsI 77 $20
Ger 220 $25
Ger 220 $25
Ger 220 $20
Ger 220 $20
EsI 36 $20
EsI 77 $20
EsI 77 $20
OPEN RECREATION
EHUNSifi f Acmim
(rtcpdm gyms, rood* roccjuetpal ccAXti)
MUWH
f
Sot-Sun
IHfiHIQfcLflQQl
MUWHf
MUWHf
Sot-Sixi
t> 30om-1000pm
6 30am-500pm
ClOSfO
6 30am-7 30am
1200pm I 30pm
ClOSfD
HAMV JfcBOMl WLSHICiMM
MUWHf 7 00am « 30om
MUWHf 1130am-12 30pm
MUWH S 00pm 7 00pm
F 300pm-4 30pm
QMUNCMMXH
MUWH S 30pm 6 30pm
Registration begins this week, 8am-4:30pm
For more information call x4113 or come by
103 Gerlinger Hall to enroll