Nov. 5, 2007
The News Argus
Op-Ed/Features
Long journey brings talented teachers to Winston-Salem State University
By Erik Spencer
ARGUS STAFF
w
hen Ludovic and
Doina Kovalik
graduated from
college in Romania, they
were unaware of the road
that lay before them. Both
had a love for language
and literature, and most of
all, for each other.
The Kovaliks arrived as
part of the faculty of
Winston-Salem State
University after a long and
arduous journey, one that
brought them halfway
around the world to teach in
the U.S. Since 2004, they
have been teaching in the
Department of English and
Foreign Languages.
Ludovic and Doina grew
up in Arad, a city in western
Romania. "It's a region we
call Transylvania, and
Americans are familiar with
Transylvania from Bram
Stoker's novel [Dracula],"
Doina said.
"We are what Americans
call, 'high school sweet
hearts'," she said. The cou
ple met in the spring semes
ter of their junior year. After
high school, Doina enrolled
in college in Romania.
Ludovic explained that he
got drafted for 10 months of
military training. This serv
ice was required by law, at
that time, in Communist
Romania. Before going to
college he had to take a uni
versity entrance exam.
"If you did well you got
drafted for 10 months of
military training, and if you
did poorly you got 18 ^
months," he said. At any
rate, when Ludovic enrolled
in college, he was a year
behind Doina.
Having graduated from
college in Romania with
bachelor's degrees in
English and French lan
guages and literatures, the
Kovaliks went on to teach
English as a foreign lan
guage in Romania for sever
al years at Baia Mare
University.
At the time, teaching
English was a considered a
dodgy subject. English
teachers in Romania were
often considered to be spies
because they could speak
the language of the enemy.
"We were not allowed to
speak the language to any
one except for our students,
and if a rare American
tourist had asked us for
directions in the street, we
were to respond in
Romanian that we did not
speak English."
All that changed in
December of 1989, when a
series of riots, known as
the Romanian Revolution,
led to the violent over
throw of the Communist
regime. The revolution
breathed new democratic
hope into a country that
had long been stymied.
"Metaphorically put, that
[revolution] was the equiv
alent of a new sunrise in
the lives of the
Romanians," Ludovic said.
Prior to arriving in the
U.S. in 1998, the Kovaliks
had begun research in cog
nitive linguistics for their
doctoral degrees. The novel
subjects they chose were
difficult to research in
Romania, and they had all
but exhausted their search
for new sources before
applying to graduate pro
grams in the U.S.
"We just weren't able to
retrieve enough sources for
a doctorate's dissertation,"
Ludovic said. They came to
America out of academic
needs and not some roman
tic notion, Ludovic said.
"America offered me the
opportunity to become a spe
cialist in an area I was inter
ested in, and that was cogni
tive linguistics," Doina said.
After both were accepted
into the graduate program
at Oklahoma State
University, the Kovaliks left
Romania for America,
where their studies kept
them very busy. "We didn't
have any breaks for five
Photo by Eric Spencer
Ludovic and Doina Kovalik have taught at Winston-Salem State since 2004.
years," Doina said. During
this period the Kovaliks
completed master's and doc
toral degrees—a monumen
tal task, considering most
students take three years to
complete a master's degree
and between five and six for
a doctoral degree. In May
2004 they graduated from
OSU.
"When we came here, we
were not sure if we would
be staying," Ludovic
explained. "We didn't know
if we would succeed or not."
However, by this time, the
Kovaliks were deeply rooted
in America, with a son who
had just graduated from col
lege himself and was about
to get married. Ultimately,
their decision to move to
North Carolina was to find a
place that had a low cost of
living and wasn't too far
from their son, who had
landed a job in Cleveland,
Ohio.
After moving to North
Carolina, the Kovaliks land
ed teaching positions at
Surry Community College
in Dobson, N.C. While they
enjoyed working at SCC,
they eventually felt the need
to move on. The lack of
research opportunities
prompted them to search
out new positions, eventual
ly leading them to WSSU.
"They weren't encourag
ing us to do research in our
interests. There is more
opportunity for research
here," Ludovic said.
Beyonce won’t cover up for Malaysian fans
Kai Beasley
MCT WIRE SERVICE
Beyonce Knowles, the R&B singer
known for flaunting her voluptuous
curves, decided to cancel a concert in
Kuala Lampur, a city on the eastern
border of Malaysia. To the disappoint
ment of many Malaysian fans, the
singer will instead perform Nov. 1 in
Jakarta, a city in neighboring
Indonesia, where the censorship laws
aren't as stiff.
Although about 86 percent of the
Indonesian popu
lation is Muslim, a
figure greater than
Malaysia's 60 per-
Opinion
cent, its regula
tions regarding
dress and behav
ior are much less
stringent.
Malaysia's censor
ship laws require that female perform
ers cover themselves from the top of
their chest to their knees including the
shoulders.
Apparently this is where Beyonce
draws the line. You can talk about her
mother, you can criticize her acting
abilities, you can even talk about her
singing, but don't you dare ask her to
wear clothes. But I suppose everyone
has a limit. There's only so much a
woman can take, right?
Malaysia has some of the strictest
censorship laws in the world. It's
known for closely following the strict
values of Islam. In recent years, the
Malaysian government has banned
such TV shows as Fox's animated sit
com "Family Guy" and NBC's
"Friends" (there has been speculation
that they already knew that Ross and
Rachel were going to get together at
the end of the show, so they didn't
really miss anything).
They have also banned movies
including Mel Gibson's "Passion of the
Christ" (2004), Ang Lee's "Brokeback
Mountain" (2006) and George Miller's
"Babe: Pig in the City" (1998). I
thought "Babe" should be banned
also, but "Brokeback Mountain"?
Come on.
Beyonce isn't the first singer to run
into the brass knuckles of Malaysian
censorship. In 2003, the American rap-
rock band, Linkin Park, was banned
from wearing shorts,
jumping up and
down, or screaming
during its concert. It
was pretty much
like going to a
Wayne Newton con
cert sans the Las
- Vegas showgirls. In
" 2004, singer Mariah
Carey was asked to
cover up as well, and in 2006,
Malaysian concert organizers were
fined for organizing a Pussycat Dolls
concert £ind promoting indecent
behavior ("Don't you wish your girl
friend was a freak like me" equals
indecency).
Even Gwen Stefani made what she
referred to as "a major sacrifice" this
past August when she complied with
Malaysian dress-code regulations dur
ing her concert at a stadium in Kuala
Lampur. Her decision to cover up
came after student activists called for
Stefani's concert to be canceled due to
her sultry reputation.
Many protesters believe that the
sexy dance moves, skimpy outfits and
the "bootylicious" bodies of many of
today's pop stars may corrupt
Malaysia's youth. Indeed, Malaysia
isn't ready for that jelly, and its lack of
readiness cost them one of the greatest
spectacles in pop music.
There are a few things that we need
to take from all this. First is that
Beyonce should be invited to every
party on every college campus in the
country, because if this incident is any
indication, she won't show up unless
she's allowed to wear a skimpy outfit.
Second, if you ever have the oppor
tunity to date Beyonce, or any
woman who won't do anything
unless she's allowed to be half naked,
marry her!
All joking aside, I must say, I am a
little confused by Beyonce's decision.
I've heard of plenty of women not
doing things because they didn't want
to take their clothes off, but what
woman doesn't do her job because she
has to keep her clothes on? Some
women even look better with their
clothes on (Liza Minnelli for example).
It seems like backward thinking to
me. And why cancel a concert over
something so small? Having to be cov
ered from chest to knees so that you
can perform in front of thousands of
people who appreciate your talent
doesn't really seem like that big of a
deal. I'd still go see Beyonce if she was
completely covered up. As a matter of
fact, I would see Beyonce any way I
could ... It's Beyonce!
At a time when sexual harassment
lawsuits run rampant through the
workplace - and Isaiah Thomas' office
— Beyonce seemingly embraces being
objectified. When singers like Diana
Ross and former video vixens like
Karrine Steffans denounce the sexual
exploitation of women in music,
Beyonce stands tall, and preferably
half-naked in front of adoring fans.
Move over James Dean, Beyonce
Knowles is the rebel for a new generation.
Photo courtesy of MCT Wire Service
Beyonce Knowles took "Dreamgirls" flash a little too
far into reality with a gold dress plus shimmery skin.
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