Newspapers / St. Andrews University Student … / Oct. 2, 1981, edition 1 / Page 3
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OCTOBER 2, 1981 THE LANCE PAGE 3 Dr. Blackburn - chemist extraordinaire By ELLEN ANZALONE With all the new exciting, faculty members at St. Andrews, we tend to overlook the achievements of some of the faculty already on staff; many of whom are still busy pursuing their fields of study while teachng at St. Andrews. One of these outstanding professors is Dr. Thomas Blackburn. Dr. Blackburn received his B.A. in Chemistry from Carleton College in Minnesota and went on to receive his Ph. D. in Chemistry from Har vard. From 1962 through 1978, he taught at various colleges such as Carleton, Wellsley, and Hobart in New York. It was in 1978 that Dr. Blackburn was awarded the McGaw professorship and came to St. An drews. His fields of interest are physical chemistry the investigation of the laws of physics in chemical fields, and geochemistry, the study of the chemistry of planetary en vironments. Because of Blackburn’s study in both of these fields, he was invited, in 1977, to work on the Mars project at Harvard. Until 1976, nothing was known about the environment on any other planet outside of the Earth The first few expeditions to Mars were fruitful, but it was not un til the more recent Viking landings that more accurate results were ob tained. For instance, it is much col der, there is more sunshine, and the years are much longer than those on earth. The Viking landers were init- tially sent out to look for already ex isting life forms on mars, and to test whether or not life forms could exist in its environment. For example, it tested for the changing C02 and the fixing of carbon, as in photosyn thesis. After his initial work at Harvard, he was invited last summer to work in Houston at the Johnson Space Center testing the reaction of key chemicals under a simulated martian environment. The results, you ask? Dr. Blackburn explains that with this new knowledge it will give scien tists a wider base of expectations for future trips to Mars and “the more you understand about planets in general, the more you understand about the Earth as a planet.” Outside his scientific attributes. Dr. Blackburn is an excellent cellist and short story writer. StAndrewsis fortunate to have him on its staff, and the admiration seems to be mutual. Dr. Blackburn stated that St. Andrews is the nicest place he has ever worked because the students here are more serious. St. Andrews students should take this as a true compliment coming from such an accomplished professor. Here’s to you Dr. Blackburn, and here’s to St. Andrews. Professor Tom Blackburn, a prime example of interdisciplinary academics. Sister Bernetta Quinn: '*God*s own butterfly** By KIM BECKNELL “Poetry reveals the world within the world,” says Sister Bernetta Quinn, a Franciscan nun visiting St. Andrews as a professor of EngHsh. Sister Bernetta, the critic, poet, scholar, and teacher, teaches Modern Novel, Expository Prose, SAGE, and helps with the G.I.S. program. She is an extremely busy person, who has been to Europe five times, has taught in Japan and various places in the U.S., and has published numerous books and essays. A few of her books are: Randall Jarrell, Ezra Pound: An Introduc tion to His Poetry, and To God Alone The Glory. A beautiful exam ple of her writing follows: “I will ac cept you as the sea accepts/Snow falling into its gray-green ex- panse/Till there is neither you nor I but we/Waiting for sun to drink us back again,” Of literary criticism. Sister Bernet ta believes in metamorphosis - “the idea that the author’s imagination transforms what is into a vision of what might be, an ideal thing somehow truer than the earthly, the soul behind the skull, the swan in side the duckling.” She loved Randall Jarrell, with whom she corresponded. Of him, she said, “His whole approach was metamorphic - you get the idea of resurrection in his work. It’s a way of facing death.” She wrote a book on the subject. The Metamorphic Tradition in Modern Poetry. A wonderful person has grown out of trying times, as Sister Bernet ta has had a paralyzed leg since she was a child. Unable to play with the other children much, she was often found reading in libraries. She was brought up with the Catholic religion in her family, but never saw a nun until after her high school graduation. On Good Friday 1934, as she passed the Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels - Sister Quinn says she felt “an inspiration of the Lord.” Faith is looking back and seeing a lot of wonderful things have hap pened, and looking ahead with the expectation of a lot more to come. The dangers and the joys didn ’t Just happen. As we get older, we see the design more and more. Sr. Quinn St. Andrews is honored to have such an inspiring teacher amongst us. William Ruehlmann (writer for Norfolk, Va.’s Ledger Star) called her “God’s own butterfly.” We welcome her to the college. •Thanks to Ledger Star for infor mation* ATTENTION! I S.A. ACTION LINE Dear Action Line, As a new transfer at St. Andrews, I find the mail system somewhat lacking. Not knowing many people here, I enjoy getting mail from fami ly and friends elsewhere. I was shocked to discover that no mail is put in the boxes on Saturdays. If the U.S. Mail didn’t deliver on Satur days, 1 could understand this. Why does St. Andrews not delivery? I know that many students get homesick and that any cor- ^espondence from outside S.A. is looked forward to. h there anyway we can initiate changing of this prac tice? Signed a Lonely Student, S.B. Action Line will print your letter If you have a request, problem, or a statement to make, send it to Box 535 - Kim Becknell. Maybe if it’s printed, you'll get some action However, we make no promises. Go ahead and blow off steam; it helps All letters are subject to editing. Strictly speaking, language is changing By SHARON STANLEY Language is perhaps man’s supreme creation, supplying him with a tool for unlimited com munication. However, currently overshadowed by popular substitu tions and severe alterations of words, this language has become, according to Edwin Newman, author of Strictly Speaking, “equivalent to the background music that incessantly encoraches on us” (p. 30). Newman’s observations are astute, humorous, insightful, and sometimes a bit depressing. His are comments which indicate a con fidence in past standards, encourage a simplicity of communication, and which attempt to raise the image of proper English language above that of a classroom discipline. Perhaps, though, the greatest value of Newman’s observations for this author has been the con sciousness I have gained of the new language of Laurinburg, for even the St. Andrews campus cannot escape the “inflationary spirals” of words. Gone are the simple days of walk ing to class. Now, instead, a student may be viewed jukin’, bookin’, cruising, bumbling,boppin’, or, for the musically oriented, rockin’ on across the causewalk in anticipation of hitting the books to complete his mega homework assignments in DeTamble Library. Greeted along his “road-trip” across the causewalk by shouts of “Hey” and “What it is!” (hello is virtually obsolete), the student may quickly become ragged and bummed out as he contemplates his research paper, deciding instead to blow it off, return to his dorm, put on his pumps and go shoot hoop at the gym torelievehis academic ten sions. “Hit me with the ball” (a painful proposition!), he yells to his teammate as he fake.i his opponent out of his jockstrap and blows by him for a quick two. Exhilirated by his exercise and defeat of the scabs (incompetent players) of the other team, his Bad Dude (or Dudess, in the name of equality) would assuredly next walk to the Cafe and proceed to grease and munch-out. Following his din ing, the student might desire to “head” for the evening. However, depression sets in as he discovers that his freakin' jeans are all munk- ed up. (It should be explained here that “munked” is not intended to be a religious term descriptive of life within a monastery, bul is synonymous with the ancient words "dirty”, “spoiled", or “messed-up”). The evening is salvaged, however, when the man discovers other dap per clothes hanging in his closet, and is reminded of a Granville blow-out (here, not a punctured rubber tire) al which he will certainly become buzz ed, smashed, floored, torn up, blasted, blitzed, hammered up, plowed under, totally “dees-troid” and/or bombed—a term popular on ly during peace-time. This bridge party is no disappointment, for while there he does a few drugs (what can you do to them?), gels stoned (an expression common to early Christians. . .what if people literally became petrified?) and then mellows out, flashing an illegal smile as he finishes his lefl-handed cigarette. Exhausted but very laid back, the college man collapses in his dor mitory cubicle in anticipation of a baseball cap morning. Reflecting upon his active March day, his thought'are filled only with sunshine as he dreams of Springtime's impen ding promises of catching a few rays “laying” in the sun (a warm sexual pastime??) while entertained by his musical yam box. Dull, Edwin? Depersonalized ? Threatening? Overused? Background music?? Yes, Mr. Newman, despite its gaiety and spontaneity, language has improper ly blasted its limits. But, well, like. . .strictly speaking, in the terms of America--you know what I mean, you know how it goes. But that’s life, man!! Farago near completion Sister Bernetta Quinn adds life to St. Andrews. By SHARON STANLEY Farrago will have a new ap pearance very soon, thanks to Jor don Construction Company of Laurinburg and the St. Andrews maintenance department which have worked since mid-August to renovate the campus social building. Acting upon recommendations from the college’s Long Range Planning Committee and using money .donated by the college’s Renova tions Fund, the construction and maintenance crews have recently painted Farrago’s floor, added Ver mont wooden siding to the outside of the building, and moved existing equipment from the old Red Lion snack bar to form a short-order kit chen to be operated by SAGA food service. Also, an additional restroom has been constructed, the original restroom has been converted into a single area, and both bathrooms have been supplied with new vinyl floor covering. Each of the bathrooms now have wider openings for wheelchair students, and a con crete entrance ramp and patio have been constructed to increase the ac- cessabilily of the facility. Finally, a new large film screen has been pur chased, and 25 cafeteria tables and 100 chairs have been bought to fur nish the building. According to Parks Mullis, superintendent of Jordon Construc tion, ihe project is finished except for exterior trim painting and minor wiring to be completed by the St. Andrews staff. He admitted that he had “never seen a building that col or” before, and that the renovated building is “quite an improvement” from ils previous condition. Dean Robert B.Claytor stated that considerations are currently being made for future expansion of the building to increase ils present 240 person capacity, and to convert the side room into a video game center for students.
St. Andrews University Student Newspaper
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Oct. 2, 1981, edition 1
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