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Academic integrity
vs.
academic dodgeball
When I was in college I was interested in sports,
booze and chasing girls—not necessarily in that order.
I also read books, took courses and found academic
regulations to be at best a necessity, at worst an ob
stacle to be overcome.
Now more than twenty years later I look back on
my college experience and still remember the sports,
booze and girls and to a lesser extend the books and
courses. It seems to me in retrospect that my in
clinations at the time I was in college were my worst
enemies and my instincts my best friends. My instincts
got me fat, secure and married. My inclinations gave
me grief. I still fight old demons and dragons born of
my inclinations.
My inclinations told me to avoid difficult courses,
work on academic subjects only when forced and
generally regard college as something interfering with
piy social life. When a teacher said this is important, I
graoned and translated it as this is more work. When
The school said this is necessary, I read nuisance.
Above all, when anyone older than I said this is
valuable I felt that they were too old to know any
better.
There are today in college similar traps and pit
falls, similar to those I experienced. I think however
that these are even more severe and intensified than
when I went to school. There was the guy who said
don't study, let's drink, have pizza, etc. Today there
are more of them and they have better persuaders. The
last thing in the world I wanted was a serious,
demanding teacher who said this is important,
necessary and valuable and you will do it. Today some
teachers say the same thing and your survival in
academic and economic terms depends on your
response.
Eventually what happened was that I read enough
books so that I acquired a professional position trying
to get other people to read books. Students today know
how to play the Catch 22 game, Drop a course, Find the
easy prof, Cram, Avoid difficult courses. This is a way
fraught with peril. Although this way may not lead to
perdition it will certainly lead to recrimination,
misgivings and the kind of Monday morning quar
terbacking formulated as "I told you so."
Survival, if that's the name of the game, depends
upon one upmanship, alertness and knowledge of the
lay of the land. Comfort, security and advantage
depend upon wise choice, relevant background and
excellence in character and performance. If com
petition is so keen, and it is worse than you think, you
can't afford to follow your inclinations, in
discriminatly. I am sure this sounds like the typical
hypocritical sage who says—do as I say not as I did.
Confession may be good for my soul and bad for your
eyes but if the way is hard—evasion, avoidance and
similar strategies only postpone the problem. And the
problem is you—not the teacher, the school, the rules.
You have to learn and learn to discipline yourself,
learn to write, read comprehensively and study. No
less is demanded of you, down the line in education and
in a career. TO' gait, evade and dodge the problem of
education no Jrnatterilow clever the self deception is to
commit oneself, to th'e perennial gathe -Of catch up.
Survival and the advantages do not go to, the quick
drop, the easy A or the practitioners of academic
dOdgeball. You are the only game in town—the player,
the ball and the object.
;.. a., *3-. 3. ;a § ~a x'ls `: t :'F'~: - ...-
by M. A. SANTULLI
. F A 1" X" P .- Or
Kafka is
remembered
The Highacres Collegian would
like to pay tribute to Professor
Andrew K. Kafka, a retired
English and speech
communications teacher at the
Hazleton campus, who passed
away recently. His 44 years of
dedicated service to the teaching
profession, 20 of which were
spent at Highacres, ended on
Professor Kafka's 71st birthday.
Professor Kafka came to the
Hazleton campus in 1955 as an
English instructor and, during
his 20-year teaching period at the
campus, was promoted several
times. Kafka retired in June of
1975 as an Associate Professor,
teaching both English and Speech
Communications.
In addition to teaching at
Highacres, Professor Kafka
taught Speech Communications
to many area organizations and
groups including nursing
students at the Hazleton State
General Hospital, the Rainbow
Girls, and the Greater Hazleton
Jaycees.
What Professor Kafka is best
known for among former
students of Hazleton campus is
his involvement in various
student activities throughout his
teaching career. He served as
advisor for B ell e-L ettres
Literary Society, the New
Horizons Literary Magazine, and
the Highaeres Collegian
newspaper. He also founded the
annual Tri-County High .School
Interpretive Reading Festival,
which is celebrating its twentieth
anniversary this year. He was
also active in the community,
serving as moderator for the
Greater Hazleton Great Books
Society for over 20 years, and
working for the Art League's
Theatre of the Muses for several
years. Professor Kafka was well
known in the area for his writing
of play reviews, many of which
were published in the Standard•
Speaker when a local group
presented a play.
Professionally, Kafka was
recognized by various local,
state, and national organizations
as a judge and critic for speech
and writing contests. He judged
the National Council of Teachers
of English Achievement Awards
for over 15 years and many
forsenic competitions throughout
the Eastern United States.
Kafka was an avid writer,
whose articles have appeared in
such publications as the
Pennsylvania English News
Magazine, the Jourtral of Higher
Education, The Concourse
Discourse, and New Horizons.
Since retirement in 1975, Kafka
was working toward the
completion of two books on
philology, the study of words and
their origins.
Hi ghacres
Collegian
Welcomes
Letters
to the Editors
_r • t. t
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter as I am
preparing to leave Highacres. I
have been here for the past five
terms, and during my stay I have
encountered things that I did not
expect to encounter. One thing I
found difficult to believe, was
that it costs $30.00 each year for
an individual to park a car on
campus. I'd say roughly and
conservatively that 600 cars are
registered here this year, and
about that same amount was
registered each term last year
also. This means that
approximately $18,000.00 was
collected each year I attended
this campus. The Administration
tells the students that it costs
each of us $30.00 to "maintain"
the parking lots. I don't think the
people in our Business Office,
however, could show us records
verifying $18,000.00 is used each
year to maintain the parking lots.
If there was, show me! I
seriously doubt they could,
though.
I recently talked to my cousin
who attends Bloomsburg State.
His charge for parking a car on
campus for a year—nothing.
Furthermbre, the charge at
Mansfield—s2.oo, and at
Williamsport Area Community
College—sl.oo. I realize that
Penn State is huge compared to
8.5. C., Mansfield, or W.A.C.C.
However, does this account for a
difference of $28.00? No way!
Why do we have to pay to go
bowling?
Why is the Gym closed on
eekends?
Why can't we use all of the
activity rooms in the Gym?
Why are higher price stickers
placed over the (lower)
publisher's price on the books in
the Bookstore?
Personal Ads
Trapper, I'm glad Henry gave
Frank the pass for 2-2-80 so we
can have the Swamp to
ourselves!
Hawkeye
Suzie Creamcheese: "Whoah
baby, what's got into you?!"
Beware! F.P. has the Tenzor
effect—for further developments
watch on April 15.
Come to St. Alfonzo's Pancake
Breakfast. 2-10410 7-11.
Nanook of the North
Frank Zappa lives!
THE HIGHACRES COLLEGIAN
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Charlene Scheib • Co-Editor
Ken Skuba Co-Editor
Nora Reichard
Ed Plyerick Sports Editor
Debbie Williams Business Manager
Carol Maker Production Manager
Bill Shaman Feature Editor
Artists Mary Stump, Mark Peterson
Staff Writers Jane Bolish, Lori Kunkel,
Lisa Ragazzi, Finn Petersen, Faith Petrovich, JoAnn
Kulp, Brenda Serino, John Gormley, Scott Semmel.
Photographers Bob Nagle
and the Photography Club
. Advisor
Dr. Michael Santulli
. 3_ Er.),:s-1.:11.1.111.1 I:, U 141: t. 4et
Why does the Library have
limited hours on weekends?
Why can't people over 21 drink
alcohol in the dorm?
Maybe there are legitimate
answers to these questions,
maybe there aren't. But I think it
is time some of these policies are
explained. After all, don't we, the
students, have a right to know?
Jim Ambrose
Dear Jim,
I believe you bring up some
good points. However, I'm
curious to know whether you
really tried to find the answers to
the questions which you have
posed. Each of the questions
could have easily been answered
by a member of the
Administration or the Faculty.
The personnel in the Business
Office have always been very
helpful in answering my
questions, whether I have been
doing an article for this
newspaper or simply trying to
satisfy my own curiosity.
Sometimes we as students must
take the initiative to seek the
answers to our questions.
However, considering the good
points you have raise,d this may
suggest to the Administration the
need for some type of publication
answering this kind of question.
The Highacres Collegian would
be more than willing to print the
information students want, if the
Administration is willing to work
with the Collegian in this way; by
supplying us with the
information. After all, the
Collegian's main objective is to
provide the students with the
articles they are interested in.
Nora Reichard
News Editor
Highacres Collegian
I love you Dawn—Glenn
Soccer players do it for 90
minutes.
The Steelers do it again!
Frank says, "Brown shoes
don't make it."
J.R. The Fat man loves
youll!!!!!!!!!! May Loni be in
your dreams forever!!!
Beautiful Michelob girl—just
love your capsule—how about a
rendezvous in space?
"Naught now Kato, you stupid
fuel!" _
. News Editor