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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2003)
An independent newspaper http://www.dailyemerald.com .A Growing pains for young Ducks Page 5 Wednesday, October 22,2003 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 105, Issue 39 OPEN TO BIG IDEAS In his first term as a full time instructor, law Professor Tom Lininger spices up his classes with a few unconventional tools. Here he plays the host of The nominating game’ on Monday. Tim Bobosky Photographer Old stuff, new tricks Professors turn to innovative teaching styles to keep students’ attention and help them learn material By Jennifer Marie Bear News Editor For many students at the Universi ty, large lecture classes are considered the meat and potatoes of college learning. But a number of professors aren't content with traditional teach ing techniques and are spicing up their lectures with a wide variety of unconventional teaching methods. The creativity to teach old stuff in a new way isn't confined to any one de partment. Professors from different departments all over the University are taking risks and daring to do things differently. In the anthropology department, Dr. Frances White sprinkles her Evolu tion of Human Sexuality lectures with sex jokes, while at the law school Pro fessor Tom Lininger teaches his stu dents the principles of legal ethics wi th clips from "The Simpsons" and "Sat urday Night Live." In the School of Journalism and Communication, Pro fessor Bill Ryan is famous for varying the volume of his voice in erratic pat terns during lectures, speaking softly one moment and yelling the next. Almost every student has a story to tell about a crazy professor they have had, but White said some of the un usual things professors do, like telling jokes in class, are a great way of keep ing students' attention. "You've got to do something differ ent — you can't just stand up there and talk," White said. "1 need to use every avenue possible to get into stu dents' brains." She added that she only tells sex jokes that have an important connec tion to the biological concept she's trying to teach in class. Junior Mili Wilkinson is currently taking Evolution of Human Sexuality, and said she appreciates White's effort to make the class more bearable by injecting humor into the lecture. "Sometimes you're just like 'make it end,' but when she tells jokes it re focuses my mind," Wilkinson said. Ryan said maintaining students' at tention in class is a constant struggle Turn to PROFESSORS, page 8 International students face new challenges International students encounter everything from discussion barriers to unknown terms, but professors, as well as American English Institute staff, are happy to help them adjust By Chelsea Duncan News Reporter When German University graduate student Solveig Heinz learned that from time to time American students have coffee with their professors to discuss classes, she was shocked. In Germany, she said, students and professors almost never connect personally, adding that in her country students do not re gard their professors as friends but rather look up to them more like they are "gods" or a "a king." "Here, it's a much more personal level," she said. International students face a myriad of challenges when they come to the University, but many agree that the difficulties do not always lie with language barriers. They must also learn to adapt culturally to their classroom environments. I leinz said that she is getting used to the type of relationships University students have with their professors. "I feel like a good connection to the professor — that motivates me, "she said. She added that adjusting to the way classes are structured and taught has also been challenging. She said students here have much more homework than in Germany, but she feels it is mostly repetitive busy work. "It's redundant sometimes," she said. "You feel like you have to do the same thing again and again and you understood it the first time." Senior Siska Tjhin, originally from Indonesia, agreed that the teaching styles at the University are different from what she is used to. She said when she studied in Singapore, the pressure to succeed was much stronger. "The teachers are just pressuring you; if you don't do well they make you go to extra classes," she said. She said that here she can choose her own study habits and how much she participates in a class. She said she is also adapting to discussion-based classrooms, adding that her language abili ties also factor into how comfortable she feels talking in groups. "At first I was just quiet" she said. "I don't really feel comfortable Turn to CHALLENGES, page 4 Frohnmayer has come a long way’ during his career The University president says that his job is satisfying, even when facing such problems as state budget crises and political turmoil By Chuck Slothower News Reporter University President Dave Frohnmayer's office is filled with mementos from his career the quill from the first U.S. Supreme Court case he argued — and worn pictures of him with politicians ranging from the fust President Bush to Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski; and bookshelves brimming with tomes on constitu tional law, politics and leadership. Frohnmayer, 63, said he has come a long way since U.S. Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger called him "that German boy." Now in his 10th year as University president, Frohnmayer still smiles when talking about the pleasures of his job. "Every once in a while, I have to sit back in my chair and say, 'For an unexpected calling, this cer tainly has been richly rewarding,'" he said. Frohnmayer, the University's 15th president and among its longest-serving officeholders, is proud of the job he has done during a time of sharp changes at the University and lagging economic health. "Earlier this year, I looked out my window and saw two building cranes on campus," Frohnmayer said. "That warms the heart of a university president." While Frohnmayer maintains an extremely busy schedule, with numerous meetings and up to eight speeches a week, he tries to make time for his family — Lynn, his wife of 30 years, their two sons and their daughter. "(My job) does have its costs for my family," Frohnmayer said. "My family thinks I travel too much." And in his family life, Frohnmayer has survived a great deal of personal tragedy with the death of two of his daughters. Now, his 16-year-old daugh ter Amy is being threatened by the same rare dis ease — Fanconi Anemia. Frohnmayer refused to say when he will retire but he hinted it will not be before the University's com prehensive campaign — a drive to raise hundreds of millions to offset budget cuts — succeeds. "If there comes a point when I think I'm not be ing effective, then that's the point to consider other options," Frohnmayer said. "But I think I still have Turn to FROHNMAYER, page 3 Tim Bobosky Photographer Dave Frohnmayer is in his 10th year of busy schedules as University president. WEATHER LOW 48 INSIDE .7 Nation & World.3 .2 Sports.5 Classifieds. Commentary. NEXT ISSUE The LaVerne Krause Gallery hosts student art collections
