The Clarion No\«ii.' '''• 22. 1988 Pa‘^o
A visit with the Burger of Austria
by Beth Seagle
C.lariini Hvfupnvr
Mountains are all around you. Mozart’s
home town, concentration camps and salt
mines are places you might visit. Where
are you? You’re in Austria.
On August 26, seven Brevard College
students and Peter Burger, associate pro
fessor of history, left for Vienna, Austria.
According to Burger, who returned just
before fall break was over, the students
have seen some interesting sights.
A typical day in their lives is having a
morning class from 9:30 to 11:30. “I taught
the students American Government in the
morning and Ms. Zednik will be teaching
Ethics now,” said Burger.
Faculty member Maggie Zednik is the
coordinator of the study abroad program.
After lunch they would do their shopp
ing, then spend the afternoon studying
German. The students take 10 hours of
German a week.
In the evening the students have free
time. Burger said, “They’d study, do their
laundry, go our or visit with friends they
had made.”
“I would just sit around and read. I also
listened to a short-wave radion to find our
what was happening in the States.”
Class schedules varied when the
students would go on field trips.
“Classes were real informal,” said
Burger. “We’d sit around the kitchen
table, drinking coffee, and have class.”
Holding up a stack of papers. Burger
said, “The students keep journals and Mr.
Zednik sends them to me.”
The students visited Salzburg, the
hometown of Mozart. Burger said some of
the scenes from the movie “The Sound of
Music” were filmed there.
“They also went to Hallstatt to a salt
mine. Burger said the salt mine had
wooden slides, and they slid down them.
That was some fun,’he said.
Burger described the visit to Nazi con
centration camp at Mouthausen as
“depressing but interesting.”
“The biggest problem was the language
difference. The Austrians speak German,
but each region has a different dialect,”
said Burger.
“When I went to the meat counter at the
grocery store, I had to write down earlier
what I wanted and show the piece of paper
to the clerk,” said Burger.
“Some of the students went to buy
groceries. They went to the meat counter
to get a chicken, but when they got home
they found out they’d gotten a duck.”
“At the local grocery store there were
two girls. One was the produce clerk, and
the other was the diary clerk. I didn’t
realize they were twins. I’d walk in and
speak to the one working in the produce,
whom I called the ‘Vegetable Girl,”’ said
Burger. “Then I’d go and get some milk
NEWS BRIEFS
Intramural Billiard Tournament
An intramural billiard tournament will be held on Wed., Nov. 30 and
Thurs., Dec. 1 in the Student Union Gameroom. To enter the single elimina
tion tournament, sign up in the SU gameroom or Room 105 in McLarty-
Goodson by Tuesday, Nov. 29. Tournament winner will receive an in
tramural champion t-shirt.
Concert Band to perform
The Brevard College Concert Band will perform their annual fall concert
on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8:15 p.m.
Assistant Professor Steven Kelly and guest conductor Dr. John Locke of
the University of North Carolina at Greensboro will share the podium in
directing the band.
Intramural Basketball Officials Needed
Anyone wanting to officiate intramural basketball next semester should
sign up now. Officials will be paid $3.50 per game. Sign up in Room 105 in
McLarty-Goodson or call extension 236.
PTK announces M.O.M for November
Phi Theta Kappa has elected Susan Wright as their member of the month
for November. Wright is the corresponding secretary for the honor society,
and has been involved in the PTK can drive for Thanksgiving. She also used
her culinary skills at the PTK party on Nov. 13.
Clarion Corrections
V'/ip (hiriiiii inadvertently identified Nathan Fearrington from North Surry
High School. Fearrington is from Chapel Hill High School and averaged 17.0
points a game and 7.4 rebounds a game.
11,.. ( I„ri„n left out Anna McCormick in the jazz band. McCormick plays
the flute and is also in the percussion section.
I III-  iiirinn regrets the errors.
Compiled from staff reports
Sitting on top of the world—of the Austrian Alps, that is, student abroad
Holly Andrews, surveys the view. She’s one of seven BC students spen
ding the fall semester studying in Austria. (Photo for the Clarion by
Peter Burger)
and there she was again. I thought that girl
really worked hard. I finally realized they
were twins. The students joked with me
about my vegetable girl.”
According to Burger the Austrian people
are in general more “laid back” than
Americans. On Saturday the stores close
at noon. They speak softer then
Americans.
The Austrains like to get out and excer-
cise. They are more physically conscious.
Burger said, “People you would think
could hardly move are out there exercis
ing.”
“I missed things we take for granted.
They had peanut butter but not JIF.”
The television shows are run by the
government. Burger said, “The Austrians
really like Miami Vice.”
"Items readily available here are scarce
or not in existence there. They have lettuce
but not good old U.S. lettuce.”
The Austrians admire what they
perceive the United States to be. Burger
said, “Most were interested in getting to
know our students. The Austrians liked to
practice their English.”
“The mayor of the town we were in and
the head of the visitors bureau had a recep
tion for us when we arrived,” said Burger.
“The town was small, so our being there
was noticed and felt. A town the size of
Hendersonville was just two miles away.”
“I enjoyed teaching and being with the
students,” said Burger. “They are a good
group of students.”
S Uplans moving slowly
by Kenny Monteith
Hililur
Final plans for the new Student Union
are in the finishing stages, but the date of
completion is still up in the air.
According to President Billy Greer, the
coming months are the worst time for con
struction. “We’re just not sure with the
rain or snow,” said Greer, “I hope for
clear weather in January.” Greer added
that “we’ll be very, very lucky if we’re in
it next fall.”
Greer expects the bids for construction
to go out to contractors around Thanksgiv
ing. After six weeks, the contractors will
gather at Brevard College where BC of
ficials will open the bids.
Greer said that things could be turned in
to a tailspin if the bids come in higher than
expected. “Then we’ll have to go back to
the drawing boards,” said Greer. The
finalized plans must then be sent to
Raleigh, and be checked for safety, suffi
cient spaces for the handicapped and other
required specifications.
Dean of Student Affairs Norm Witek said
that a growing need for a centralized
building is the reason behind the construc
tion. “This facihty (the existing SU) isn’t
as well designed to deal with particular
student activities,” Witek said. “We can’t
really utilize the building.”
Pending the final product of the new Stu
dent Union, the Coltrane Art Building will
move mio wnat is now Sims Student
Center.
And they couldn’t be happier.
Art Instructor Bill Byers believes that
the switch “will enhance our program and
the new space will enhance our ability to
put on exhibitions of quality work.”
“It will bring a greater variety of work,”
Byers said, "and will be more inviting to
the general public.”
Byers added that the art department has
a very good permanent collection, but it is
scattered across campus in places such as
the cafeteria and the library. "It will
secure our collection as a whole,” said
Byers, "rather than a fragmented body of
work that’s here and there.”
With the finalization of the plans and
with the bids being sent out soon, the new
Student Union will become a reality, but
not in this fiscal year.
Poets Corner
The dolphin swimming.
Almost without dread of death.
Flies love — wet and free.
Brian L. Howell
Sophomore