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