Tai Chi instructor lets intuition guide her path
R. Ashley Smith Emerald
Strawberry Gatts recently led her students in a Tai Chi Chuan exercise on the lawn outside of Gerlinger Hall.
Your Summer
Check Out the SEPTEMBER EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
September 4-14, 2001
• Short on your group requirements?
• Need a few more upper-division credits?
• Searching for interesting lower-division credits?
• Looking for a unique way to wrap up your summer?
• Enthusiastic about getting a jump on fall?
• Does $550 for 5 credits sound like a deal to you?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions you need to find out more about the
September Experience Program. Through the September Experience Program, resident and
nonresident students can take a morning course coupled with an afternoon workshop* for
the low price of $550. That’s a total of up to 5 credits in nine days for just $550! The
University of Oregon’s September Experience Program has the courses you need, the
courses you want, and the courses you ought to be in. Courses offered are listed below:
Course No. Course Title
Instructor Credits CRN Grading Option Time
Room
ASTR121 The Solar System Zimmerman 4 43314 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 30 Pacific
ANTH170 Introduction to Human Origins Nelson 4 43312 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 104 Condon
ANTH314 Women and Culture I Halberg 4 43313 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 360 Condon
CHEM199 Math Skills for Science Svanevik 4 43315 P/NP 8:00-11:50 102 Deady
GEOG206 Geography of Oregon Baldwin 4 43316 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 106 Condon
MATH 95 Intermediate Algebra TBA 4 43317 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 122 Esslinger
PS 207 Intro. Contemp. Political Theory Wahlstrom 4 43318 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 122 Grayson
SOC 301 American Society Hunt 4 43319 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 123 Grayson
WR 49 Developmental Composition Mariner 3 43320 Graded or P/NP 8:00-11:50 184 PLC
EDLD 408 Leadership DeGidio 1 43324 P/NP
CPSY199 College and Career Success Wilsey 1 43322 P/NP
SAPP 199 Drinking Decisions Mace 1-2 43323 P/NP
WR 199 Reading, Writing, Using the WWW Cusack 1-2 .43325 P/NP
*Enrollment in the afternoon workshops is optional
13:30-14:20 203 Chapman
13:30-14:20 104 Condon
13:30-14:20 107 Esslinger
13:30-14:20 1 84 PLC
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON SUMMER SESSION SEPTEMBER EXPERIENCE
Register by DuckWeb (http://duckweb.uoregon.edu/) or DuckCall (346-1600) today!
Information: 346-3475 or septexp@darkwing.uoregon.edu
■ Strawberry Gatts uses
lessons from her life to bring
meaning to her practice
By John Burkart
for the Emerald
In the heat of the day, Strawber
ry Gatts meets her students on the
green lawn near, the University
cemetery. It’s a quiet afternoon and
the grass is hot under the students’
feet. Gatts greets her students, then
begins her healing art. Gatts, a doc
toral candidate in the Department
of Exercise and Movement Sci
ence, teaches classic Tai Chi
Chuan, an ancient martial and
healing art that uses flowing, circu
lar motion to combine a series of
postures. As part of her research,
Gatts looks for ways to use Tai Chi
to help people overcome mobility
problems.
“Strawberry is an expert instruc
tor in Tai Chi. She comes at motor
control from a different angle and
it’s interesting to have her perspec
tive,” said Dr. Paul Van Donkelaar,
a professor at the University motor
control lab. Many students in
Gatts’ physical education classes
enjoy her style of teaching.
“Strawberry really impresses the
importance of Tai Chi for personal
health and development,” said Jes
sica Butler, who is taking her third
class with Gatts.
Bryan Kolaczkowski, who is tak
ing his fifth class in Tai Chi, also
spoke positively about Gatts.
“The class is great. If you are at
tentive and willing to practice out
side of class, it can be a great expe
rience,” he said. Gatts’ students
said they also benefited from her
varied experiences and world trav
els.
In her early twenties, Gatts spent
six years in New York City experi
encing life as a “starving artist.”
There she met Andy Warhol and
attended his parties. She heard
bands like The Velvet Under
ground, where the admission price
included two glasses of wine and a
spaghetti dinner.
Gatts designed stage clothes for
jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannon
ball” Adderley and his band, es
tablishing a reputation as a design
er. She then 'took her skills to Los
Angeles, where she stayed with
jazz musician Herbie Hancock at
his house in Beverly Hills.
Through Hancock, she met jazz/fu
sion pioneer Wayne Shorter and
British rock star David Bowie.
Gatts said she has always relied
on intuition to guide her decisions.
One evening in 1969, she attended
the opening night o*f “Easy Rider”
with some of her friends. Near the
end of the film she got an inexpli
cable case of goosebumps when
she saw Bobby Walker practicing
Tai Chi on the screen.
The incident didn’t make sense
until 14 years later, when she met
Walker’s teacher, Dr. Marshall
Ho’o. Working with him inspired
4 4 Strawberry is an expert
instructor in Tai Chi. She
comes at motor control
from a different angle and
it's interesting \o have her
perspective.
Dr. Paul Van Donkelaar
professor,
motor contro
her to study Tai Chi herself. Gatts
entered into a discipleship in 1985
and studied with Ho’o until his
death in 1993. During this time,
Gatts began to fuse aspects of her
previous experiences. She earned
a bachelor’s degree in psychology
at the University of California
Riverside and a master’s degree in
public administration at California
State University.
After being accepted into the
doctoral program in the Depart
ment of Exercise and Movement
Science (EMS) in 1998, Gatts be
gan teaching introductory Tai Chi
classes. She also fell in love with
the city of Eugene.
“If I think of myself as Dorothy
from the Wizard of Oz on the yel
low brick road of life,” she said.
“Eugene is home. It feels like a
very special place.”
Upon receiving her doctorate,
Gatts hopes to write a book and
produce educational videos high
lighting the key elements that
make Tai Chi an exceptional mar
tial and healing art. Until then, she
intends to continue teaching Tai
Chi I at the University.
Calendar
Wednesday, May 30
Wellness Consortium University
Walkabout 2001: In recognition of
Oregon Fitness Day, faculty and staff
will join the Oregon Duck mascot and
President Dave Frohnmayer to walk a
campus circuit. There will be a draw
ing at 1:15 p.m. for various prizes, in
dudinga one-year membership to
the Student Recreation Center. Par
ticipants will receive free coupons
good at several campus eateries for
participants. Noon-1 p.m. EMU Am
phitheater. Free. For information,
call 346-2962.
Center for the Study of Women in So
ciety Wednesdays at Noon: Kristina
Tiedje, Anthropology graduate stu
dent, discusses “Ethnicity and Gender
in the Sacred Space of Nahua Ritual
Healing, Mexico.” Noon-1 p.m. 330
Hendricks. Free. For information, call
346-5015.
Caregiver Support Group: Confiden
tial and educational support for Uni
versity community members who are
caring for loved ones with any form
of senile dementia, facilitated by the
Alzheimer’s Association Cascade/
Coast Chapter. Special guest is Dr.
Donald England, Oregon Research
Group medical director and expert
on senior health. No registration re
quired; new membersalways wel
come. Noon-1 p.m. Rogue Room,
EMU. Free. For information, call 346
2962.
Russian Filin Senes: “Little Vera,”
about a 17-yeaf-old girl's dramatic re
lationship with her husband and her
father, in Russian with English subti
tles. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 115 Pacific. Free.
For information, call 346-5051.
University Ensemble Concert: The
Campus Band and Campus Orchestra
perform. 8 p.m. Beall Concert Hall,
961 E. 18th Ave. Free. For informa
tion, all 346-5678.