The Lion’s Eye Fyve on Campus November 2, 2004 Big wheels keep on rollin’ on the Rio Delco In 2004, MGM released "Saved," in which Macauley Culkin played a wheelchair-bound high school stu- dent. For Halloween he dressed himself up as a rollerskate. It was a simple costume: a black T-shirt with a long white rope strapped down the front of his chest in the shape of an expertly tied shoelace, his wheel- chair playing the role of rollerskate wheels. His character's self-deprecating humor got a few kicks, but I failed to see the humor. Until I decided to take part in Disability Awareness Day last week, and spend an entire day in a wheel- chair. I felt embarrassed at first. As my peers and faculty became bent out of shape to awkwardly hold doors and generally accommodate my presence, I didn't think many of them realized it was Disability Awareness Day. My first class was especially ludi- crous when most of the entire room abruptly zipped shut the familiar chattering buzz before class. I had difficulty maneuvering myself at the front of the room and in between desks so I wouldn't be in the way. Finally, the girl next to me gave a sheepish smile and pulled out an adjacent desk, making it possible for me to parallel park as quickly as my motor skills would allow. I felt the eyes of 30 alge- bra students burning into me when the professor asked, "Why are you in a wheelchair?" I casually responded, "I was involved in a major automobile accident." Apparently she bought this, for her trembling hand shot to close her gaping mouth and I think her glasses lightly fogged over. Of course, I apologized and explained to her that it was actually Disability Awareness Day and noth- ing had happened during the inter- im of Monday to Wednesday. Some people found this funny, but I'm not sure I said it to be funny. After I attempted, and failed, to move a desk 180 degrees in order to utilize note-taking space, I found the desk was too tall for me so I was forced to use my lap. I knew that this was honor; this was what they meant when they said I had to walk a mile in another person's wheels. When my butt fell asleep, I was angry with myself for thinking such self-righteous thoughts. The handicapped button 1s very useful for a disabled IEEE someone to independently let him/her in or out of buildings. The main doors of the Commons building lacked this "I-can-open- these-doors-by-magic" button, but this is where I had to go. Upon exiting the Main building's doors, my jaw dropped, but it wasn't the distance as so much as it was the seemingly 80 degree slope that I forgot all about. That's when I real- ized that I had to go. Like a salmon fighting up river, I made my way through the sea of students to the lavatory. After forcefully pushing both doors open, so I may have enough time to wheel myself through, I knew the real fun would begin. I slowly made my way to the stall that looked like it was made for a sumo wrestler but was faced with a much graver challenge: the parallel bars. It take months or years of physical training and I had no idea how to use them. I had to go to the bathroom now. Then a student walked in and stopped dead in his tracks. I could feel him staring at the chair and its disembodied user gratefully stand- ing at the urinal. Feeling ashamed for not being able to hack it, I said: "I just could- n't go sitting down." Issues of the present, with an eye on the past Cimbala’s poli sci class is a valuable tool By JULIA HAGAN Lion’s Eye staff writer JAH1003@psu.edu The intense 2004 presidential election has spurred political inter- ests of American citizens and people worldwide. Fortunately, at Penn State Delco, Dr. Stephen Cimbala's comparative politics course (PLSCO003) provides the perfect rem- edy for students frustrated with the confusing and conflicting political climate. "I took this class," said sophomore Peter Volk, "because I feel that polit- ical science affects all of us. I will be able to use the knowledge gained here to sift through the propaganda that the news media shoves down our throats.” Cimbala, a distinguished profes- sor and Penn State alum, is author of numerous political and military his- tory books with research interests including international politics, for- eign and defense policy, and military history. It was his own undergradu- ate experience in a poli sci class that prompted him to switch his focus from becoming the "best sports writer the world had ever seen," to - the study of political science. Political science cannot use sim- ple equations to solve problems. Politics is full of "ambiguities and paradoxes," said Cimbala, but there Lion's Eye photo Lt. David Fleming, a Penn State Delco grad recently returned from a tour in Iraq, addressed Dr. Stephen Cimbala’s political science 003 class. are "no formulas. It's hard to study and hard to teach. Government is an art, not a science. It's like driving a car." To get better at it, one needs, "Judgment based on experience." According to Cimbala, political science, "is the most interesting and frustrating thing to study." He explained that instead of teaching a set of skills, political sci- ence provides the foundations for greater critical thinking and is designed for the "student with an intellectual curiosity about the polit- ical world outside the classroom." The constant circulation of nega- tive ads and media spectacle has made it difficult to form and decipher solid political standpoints. The pub- lic is bombarded with relentless, political advertisements. Cimbala explained that he wants all of his students to "become political news junkies." onsnssnsinsngs A A a A ST BAIT "The genius of American politics is its ability to compromise," he said. "Government is an ongoing conversa- tion and struggle." Unlike other scientific classes where students can use logic and for- mulas to find solutions, in political science there is no final answer and "issues are endlessly debated." Despite the heavy topics, stu- dents appreciate how the class mate- rial relates directly to what is going on in their neighborhoods, their nation, and the world. Cimbala's teaching method requires students to take an academ- ic initiative rather than become "pas- sive receivers" of information. Instead an hour's worth of lecturing and notes, students recite sum- maries of assigned readings and cur- rent events. The course is interactive and allows students to not only ask questions but also engage in inter- esting discussions. "Cimbala's political science class 1s a great place to keep up with important political issues," said freshman Devin Regan. “The combi- nation of a knowledgeable professor with an open discussion/debate for- mat makes of an interesting class every time." Cimbala encourages all of his stu- dents to vote and judging from the range of class material (including World Wars I and II, the Cuban mis- sile crisis, military strategy and political propaganda) the best tool that students and government lead- ers can use is the past. "If you don't know where you've been," said Cimbala, "how do you know where you're going?"
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers