‘A-term’ debuts at TU

Staff Report
rambler@transy.edu

With August term officially over, and fall term in full swing, the Transylvania community is left to evaluate the inaugural three-week session meant to introduce first-years to campus.

“I thought it was a great success,” said August Term Director and Professor of Classics John Svarlien. “[August term] moved towards some of its goals and moving students from high school towards college.”

During August term, first-years underwent a three week course designed, according to Svarlien, to increase critical reading skills and bridge the gap between high school and college. The courses, which followed a credit/no credit grading system, had students looking critically at selected readings.

It wasn’t all academic, though. Students enjoyed concerts in Back Circle, a carnival and volleyball tournament, lectures about diversity and safety, and various other events.

First-years also spent a Saturday morning completing community service projects, in efforts replace the previous pre-orientation programs that took place before the start of fall term.

Transy traditions such as the Greet Line, still remained.

“There was a good balance between socializing and academics,” Svarlien said.

While the effect, and success, of August term will be tracked for months – even years – initial results are optimistic. The success rate for the August term course, according to Interim Vice President & Dean of the College Kathleen Jagger, was extremely high.

Anecdotal evidence, too, hints at success.

“All the teachers that I’ve talked to about it have been positive about it,” Svarlien said.

Work still needs to be done, though, and focus groups are currently being formed to discuss the details and opportunities for change, according to Svarlien.

“August term is potentially a new tradition at Transy,” said Svarlien.

 

10 things they didn’t teach you in August term… that you really need to know

Bonus tip: The sand may have questionable remains in it…

1. Pre-med and pre-law aren’t actually majors.
2. If you see someone coming, you hold the door open… or else.
3. Upperclassmen don’t bite… usually.
4. It’s The ‘80, not Sandella’s.
5. Sleepy is not a state; it’s a lifestyle.
6. Lanyards around the neck are not
fashion statements. This is not GSP.
7. You are allowed to eat with more than four people at the same time in the caf (if you eat there).
8. Some semesters you will have to get up before 8:00 a.m.
9. Pajama bottoms and leggings are not class appropriate attire.
10. If you get hit crossing Broadway tuition will not be covered, and The Rambler will write a story about it.

Brock embodies editor-in-chief lifestyle

Gary Deaton

Guest Columnist

THIS IS THE LAST ISSUE OF THE RAMBLER!  OK, so it’s not really the last issue

ever, but it is the end of an era, an important and crucial period in the long history of our campus newspaper; this is the final edition that will say “Erin Brock, Editor-in-Chief” (EIC).  It will not, however, be the last we will hear of Erin, nor the last time this moniker will apply to the way she lives her life.  Quality EICs are special people with superb talents and Erin Brock is that and so much more.

Candidate for graduation Erin Brock will attend Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio, in the fall to begin work on her M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition.

First, EICs should be great writers.  Erin has proven in many contexts and for many purposes that she deserves this descriptor.  Perhaps most immediately relevant, the Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association (KIPA) awarded her with the Top Sports Column Award for 2012.  The Southern States Communication Association (SSCA) also recognized Erin’s skills by selecting her WRC Senior Seminar paper, an in-depth analysis of the internal, external, and architectural rhetoric of a Muslim sect in West Chester, Ohio, for inclusion in their Undergraduate Honors Conference in San Antonio this spring.  Additionally, Business Lexington magazine was so impressed by Erin during her internship that they continue to hire her as a freelance writer.  In fact, the cover article in the May 25 edition will be Erin’s work.

Erin, like all good EICs, is not only focused on maximizing the present moment, but also always looking to the future.  In keeping with her optimistic outlook and opulent personality, Erin’s future forecast is sunny and bright!  In fall of 2012, Erin will begin her work toward an M.A. in Composition and Rhetoric at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (after rejecting offers from Purdue, Carnegie-Mellon, and others).  Better yet, Miami is paying her to be there!  Erin will begin her teaching career during this graduate experience, instructing first-year composition students.  Eventually, Erin plans to earn a Ph.D. and become a faculty member at a liberal arts college (Public Service Announcement:  Hey, Transylvania!  Keep this in mind!).

EICs also need to be broadly educated and multiply interested.  While we hope all Transylvania students could be so described, these are particularly apt descriptors for Erin.  In May, Erin will receive degrees in both English and WRC.  She has worked as a Writing Center consultant (a role she will continue at Miami as part of the Howe Center for Writing Excellence).  She has done research with faculty members.  She has team-taught with Transy teachers as well.  Erin was also a four year member of the golf team, despite having not played the last two years of her time in high school. “I didn’t like my coach in high school, and I didn’t enjoy the company of the girls on the team, so it didn’t seem like a good investment of my time, but college golf has been the complete opposite; I love my teammates and Coach Turner has been great,” Erin said.

Apparently, Erin has also been good for both her teammates and her opponents as she was chosen to the Heartland College Athletic Conference All-Conference Sportsmanship Team this year.  Even in journalism, Erin has shown her diverse interests and talents, having been a copy editor, a multi award-winning design editor, an opinion editor in high school, and an editor-in-chief for both her high school paper, Voice, and The Rambler.

Finally, “Editor-in Chief” means you have to be the ideal combination of authority figure, empathic friend, public relations expert, master motivator, organizational guru, and communication expert.  The Rambler has certainly benefitted from the fact that Erin Brock is all of the above (as exemplified by the 30 KIPA awards they received this year, including 11 first-place awards for Erin and her colleagues).  More importantly, Transylvania has been tremendously bettered by the fact that Erin chose to make her first move from Lakota West High School in our direction.  Those of us who have been in Erin’s presence are humbler for it, those of us who shared a classroom with her are better educated because of it, and those of us who have really gotten to know her are much happier thanks to Erin.

So, no, this is not the end of The Rambler.  But no matter how much confidence we have in next year’s staff, we friends and fans of Erin Brock can be forgiven for despairing a little bit (for a time anyway).  But we can all take heart by remembering that, for Erin, “Editor-in-Chief” is not so much a title as a way of life.

Ten Questions with a Transylvanian: Profesora Lisa Contreras

 

What’s your guilty pleasure?

A Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty!  (the only fast food I ever do – honest!).

If you could create a new Transy mascot, what would it be?

Not wanting to fall into the old cliché, but I think a really wicked-looking vampire bat would be a good candidate.  Something that would strike fear in our rivals’ hearts a little more than does a Pioneer.  (But no offense intended –I’m a Pioneer fan all the way!)

What was the last song you listened to on your iPod/last CD you put in your car’s stereo system?

This is kind of embarrassing, but it was “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama.

What’s the first thing you’ll do when you retire? 

(Gosh, I’ll be so old when I can finally afford to retire that I’ll probably only be good for teaching español to my fellow residents at the Sunshine Home).  But seriously, I would love to be able to do volunteer work with the Hispanic community, especially with children and young people, where I could still use my Spanish background and teaching skills.

In high school, were you a jock, an artsy kid, a prep, a band geek, or part of some other clique? 

Depends on the year.  My freshman year I was a too-cool-for-school band geek with blond bangs and white lipstick. (really!) The next two years were spent trying to figure out who I was (my Mom made me get rid of the blond bangs and creepy lipstick) and then in my senior year I was a biology nerd, thinking I was destined for medical school.

What is the craziest dream you have ever had?

It’s unfortunately a recurring dream (and someone over in Psychology really should analyze it for me some time.)   In the dream my office in Haupt is also my house and I’m always answering the door to students while wearing flannel pajamas with little pink rabbits on them. . .They (the students, not the rabbits) come in and have café con leche and arepa dulce with me while we engage in profound (!?) discussions in Spanish about all sorts of topics (often involving food…).

What is your favorite Crayola color?  

It’s a three-way tie between Cerulean, Magenta and Razzle Dazzle Rose.

Answer this question: Why did the chicken cross the road? (“To get to the other side” is NOT an acceptable answer.) 

Apparently it was to give philosophers (pseudo and otherwise) through the ages an unanswerable existentialist question to ponder.

If you discovered a star, what would you name it?

Perelandra, after a beautiful mythical planet in the story by the same name written by one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis.

What piece of clothing/accessory defines your wardrobe? 

Black pants, black jackets, vests, etc. ,and silver jewelry; especially silver hoop earrings.    (Anyone who knows me could have answered this one ☺!)

Ten Questions with a Transylvanian: Dr. Carole Barnsley

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Salty snacks.

What’s the first thing you’ll do when you retire?

Retire? How old do you think I am?

If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?

Choosing a Muppet: Animal.

In high school, were you a jock, an artsy kid, a prep, a band geek or part of some other clique?

Not sure. Probably a combo of jock and prep.

What celebrity would you choose to play in a movie about your life, and what would be the most fitting title?

Tina Fey. (I know, a little arrogant on my part, but if we can dream). Stealing a title: “My Family and Other Animals.”

What is your favorite Crayola color?

Blue.

Answer this question: Why did the chicken cross the road? (“To get to the other side” is not an acceptable answer.)

The turkey was busy.

If you discovered a star, what would you name it?

Unlikely to happen.

What piece of clothing or accessory defines your wardrobe?

OK, I’m really laughing now.

If you were trapped on a desert island for three weeks, what are the three things you would pick to keep with you?

Annika, Abbey and one of our lucky or not so lucky pets.

Ten Questions with a Transylvanian: Dr. Amy Maupin

SportsWhat’s your guilty pleasure?

“Downton Abbey” every Sunday night.

What was the last song you listened to on your iPod or the last CD you put in your car’s stereo system?

“Whole ’Nutha Thang” by Keb’ Mo’.

If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?

Snoopy.

In high school, were you a jock, an artsy kid, a prep, a band geek or part of some other clique?

I really didn’t belong to a clique, but I was one of only two or three from the “country,” so I was a farmer’s daughter in a city school.

What is the craziest dream you have ever had?

Encountering a black panther on my closet shelf.

What celebrity would you choose to play in a movie about your life, and what would be the most fitting title?

Geena Davis, “Tenderheart.”

What is your favorite Crayola color?

Indigo.

If you discovered a star, what would you name it?

Amy (duh).

What piece of clothing or accessory defines your wardrobe?

Hats.

Other than your current job, what other profession would you like to pursue?

I would like to run my own bed and breakfast, a blues club or some kind of retreat center on the farm. Maybe all three rolled into one.

10 Questions with a Transylvanian: Dr. George Kaufman

1. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Definitely FreeCell. I got addicted back in college and let’s just say I play it more often that I’d like to admit.

2. If you could create a new Transy mascot, what would it be?

Don’t get me wrong — I like the Pioneers and wish we would use it visibly more often — but if I were to create a new mascot, I’d choose the Thoroughbreds. Sure, there’s a tie to the horse racing that defines our part of the country, but … there are also connotations of speed, agility, spirit and power, which are all good for sports teams. Their shades of brown and black would go well with crimson. Oh, and I was born in the year of the horse, so I’m biased. Still, the lack of perfect alliteration with Transylvania bugs me.

3. What was the last song you listened to on your iPod or the last CD you put in your car’s stereo system?

“Movement in Still Life” by BT.

4. What’s the first thing you’ll do when you retire?

I tell people that I love my job enough to never retire, but I’m not that naïve. I’ll probably spend a good amount of time traveling to who knows where to visit my grandkids. I also would love to head back to the Amalfi coast of Italy — one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been — to learn from the masters how to make genuine, homemade limoncello.

5. If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?

The Road Runner — meep, meep!

6. In high school, were you a jock, an artsy kid, a prep, a band geek or part of some other clique?

That depends on the sports season. In the fall and winter, I was totally a preppy geeky nerd — the kind who was in charge of the chess club and could quote from “The Simpsons” or “Star Trek.” I played soccer, but I was terrible at it. In the spring, I was a nerdy jock. It was pretty fun being the fastest kid on the track team of my miniscule school, but boy did I get a wake-up call when I ran in college.

7. What is the craziest dream you have ever had?

Do you remember the statues of dogs that came to life in “Ghostbusters”? Yeah, those scared the living daylights out of me as a kid. So in my dream, they chased me up to my attic. … The strange thing was that it wasn’t the attic of my house, nor any place I’d ever been, yet I knew that attic well because I’d dreamt the exact same dream several times before.

8. What celebrity would you choose to play in a movie about your life, and what would be the most fitting title?

It would have to be Daniel Radcliff. I get people calling me Harry Potter all the time, so I might as well embrace it, right? Title? Yeah, I don’t think I’ve lived enough life to have a title yet.

9. What is your favorite Crayola color?

Torch Red. I think they renamed it or don’t make it anymore, though, because it’s not in my kids’ crayon box.

10. Answer this question: Why did the chicken cross the road? (“To get to the other side” is not an acceptable answer.)

It didn’t. The chicken was always on both sides of the road at the same time. Your looking put it on the other side of the road.

BONUS

11. If you discovered a star, what would you name it?

Jammis. (Spelled from my kids’ initials. … It’s also “jam” or “iam,” Latin for “already,” and “mis,” Spanish for “mine,” … as in my kids are already mine.)

12. What piece of clothing or accessory defines your wardrobe?

My belt. I just don’t feel comfortable unless I’m wearing one, unless I’m exercising or in a pool.

13. Other than your current job, what other profession would you like to pursue?

I watched a lot of “Star Trek” as a kid, so a small part of me would love to be an astronaut, but really, who wouldn’t? I also wanted to be a paleontologist and later an archaeologist as a kid, and not a small part of me still longs to be Indiana Jones some days.

14. If you were trapped on a desert island for three weeks, what are the three things you would pick to keep with you?

Rum, rope and a sea turtle. … Oh wait, no, that’s Jack Sparrow. Umm, … is my wife a “thing”?

Bubble in the Box

-ANDREW WILLIAMS

Mi Mexico receives “three ramens” for hispanic fare

Mi Mexico is a very festive and spacious Mexican restaurant. It has three locations in the Lexington area and one in Georgetown. Here’s a shout-out to my friend Dakota Pelton for taking me to this place, because it was worth the drive. If she hadn’t talked me into going with her one night after work, I never would have ventured to this delicious and inexpensive restaurant.

One of the things I look forward to at a Mexican restaurant is the free chips and salsa. I know that sounds so cheap, but you can honestly tell how authentic a Mexican restaurant is by its chips and salsa.

What I loved about Mi Mexico’s chips and salsa is that the chips were freshly fried; they didn’t taste like they had been sitting out under some heat lamp for an hour or like they were from a bag. Also, the salsa was really fresh and just spicy enough for your taste buds to get a kick of heat, although it was a little cilantro-heavy for me.

Due to my past experiences, if the chips are good, I will gorge myself on them and will usually order off the à la carte menu — just so I don’t order a massive amount of food and end up not eating half of it.

Thus, while at Mi Mexico I stuck to my standard meal: two chicken soft tacos and a side order of rice. The chicken had been simmered with peppers and onions for what seemed like all day, because the chicken just fell apart. It was so tender and well seasoned that I could have eaten a bowl of it alone.

However, one thing that I didn’t like about the taco was that the cheese they used was Monterey Jack. I don’t dislike Monterey Jack cheese, but I would rather have queso fresco if given the option, especially on a chicken taco.

-Andrew Williams