What is Beloit College?
What is Beloit College? Is it a place that we came to invent ourselves only to find out that it was just another term for life? Is it a college that changes one's life? Is it a college that accelerates or slows down one's life? Is Beloit College a place where you spend four years of your life simply earning a degree? Or is it a place where you really accomplish something that you couldn't have accomplished elsewhere? Is it a place that embodies the learning spirit? Is it a place where we learn and then return home to expound our new-found knowledge on our friends and relatives? Or do we escape from home and use our new-found knowledge to find new places to return to? Is Beloit College our way of getting back at somebody? Or is it our way of getting to know somebody more?
Is Beloit College a place where we can meet people we will never forget and stay close to as long as we remember them? Is it a place where we met people we never would have met otherwise? Is it a place where we met people we wish we never could have met? Is it a place where the teachers care about the students and get to know them as friends? Is it a place where sometimes the teachers get a little too close for comfort? Is Beloit College a place where we spent hours in the morning or afternoon sitting under florescent light gently being lulled to sleep by a lecture and the comfort of a hooded sweatshirt? Or is it a place where you watch the sun rise in the hours of the early morning while nearing the end of typing a paper that you put off until now?
Is Beloit College a place where you are excited to go to your favorite class only to turn the corner and be bogged down by cigarette smoke? Or is it a place where that first drag of the cigarette in the dead of winter is an exhilarating release from the last excruciating class that you were in? Is it a place that you read the same passages day in and day out, and they somehow remind you of how you'd like to go to Japan someday or how you want to find out how much AST really hates Sig Chi? Is it a place where you get so involved with other people's lives that you never end up leaving campus? Is it a place where you spend hours and hours planning a weekend getaway? Is it a place where the price of a bus ticket is just a small price to pay for freedom? Is it a place where skipping class to go to Janesville was worth the adventure?
Is Beloit College a place where people dress differently than you're used to? Is it a place that you would like to be more like the rest of world? Is it a place that you would like the rest of the world to be more like? Is it a place where you can drink a beer in the middle of the afternoon and everything seems perfect? Is it a place where at the end of the night you just need a beer because everything seems so miserable? Is it a place where we've lost friends or family? Is it a place where we've lost ourselves? Is it a place where we've discovered ourselves? Is it a place that taught you to love? Is it a place that taught you to hate? Is it a place where you found someone to love you for the rest of your life? Or just one night? Or a much longer time than anyone expected? Is it a place where you can tell that you hate someone even before you meet them? Is it a place where the food makes you sick? Is it a place where the food makes you smile,...sometimes? Is it a place where the food makes you say, "how the %*@$ did they mess this up?"
Is Beloit College a college where the President has somewhat of a distant relationship from the students he represents? Is it a place where you can enjoy the company of your friends in the only college-owned and -operated bar in the country, no matter how much you hate techno music or smoke or cheap beer? Is it a place where a small publication lets you say things to people you never would have talked to otherwise? Is it a place where you feel you can enforce justice? Is it a place where you feel justice is never enforced where it should be? Is it a place where you get sick of seeing some of the same faces over and over again? Is it a place where you can tell whether somebody is on campus or not based on whether or not you have "seen them around?" Is it a place that was worth the cost of being here? Is it a place that begs you to stay? Is it a place that encourages you to leave? Is it a place where the most common hangout is a brick wall?
The coveted truth is that Beloit College is a little of all these things. Beloit College is an institution that is full of different people. People that represent the college, people that attend the college, people that pay money to the school for its services, and people that get paid by the college for their services. All these people are trying to make Beloit, and in a small way the world, a better place. What I’ve discovered in my four years here, is that it really is a place full of great opportunities. Beloit College is what you make it. Be you a student, teacher, administrator, housekeeper, Beloit College is a part of you, and it is up to you to get what you want out of that part.
Before signing off for good, I would like to take this final opportunity to sound of on some off my favorite teachers and people at this school and pay my respects for the four years they have given me here at Beloit College:
Jerry Gustafson: Jerry is one of the best teachers at this school, and if you do not know that already, just take one of his classes. He’s a professor who has been here a while, and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s had to put up with the same bullshit that you and I have had to put up with as far as the administration is concerned, and no matter what barriers they put in his way, Jerry manages to keep on truckin’. And no matter how hard the college makes him work, he works harder in order to get the job done. The truth of it is: Jerry is a professor who loves to teach. He is the kind of professor that they write about in the books advertising Beloit College, because they are so rare in higher education. But Jerry Gustafson is a rarity even at Beloit College. There is nobody else like him. So my advice to you is to get to know him before you leave.
Ian Nie: Ian is one of the most supportive people I have ever known. Chock-full of life experience, his way of making you feel welcome and loved at this school is something that I have not seen duplicated. He works the hardest I have ever seen, running from place to place, doing a hundred people’s jobs at once, and he has hardly gotten any recognition in all the multiples of years he’s been at this school. I wondered recently why Ian does not have any children of his own, but then I realized that every one of his students is basically his child. He is a resounding father figure to so many people on this campus, because he befriends his students, while at the same time giving them responsibilities to keep on their own. Ian is a treasure at this college, and it is about time somebody recognized that.
Kosta Hadavas: Kosta is probably the most intelligent person I know. It is a delight to sit down and have a conversation with him. I highly encourage you to do that sometime. He is a very thoughtful individual and has a great deal of foresight to offer on any situation. He just knows so much about everything! It’s uncanny! Kosta is well-read, well-cultured. He is the epitome of a Greek scholar, which makes sense I guess. But anyway, get to know Kosta; I doubt you’ll regret it.
Pat Polley: Another man who is just extraordinarily intelligent, Pat Polley is one of my most respected professors at this school. The man is a Vietnam veteran. He combats malaria at least once a year, among other illnesses, and he still has the guts to come back and teach us the intricacies of upper-level physics or a Grecian urn. Pat is so full of information; he has to teach a smörgåsbord of classes because it is just oozing out of him. The knowledge he has to share is far beyond the capacity most of his students can handle. But it is worth it just to try to get as much as you can. Pat Polley is a huge advantage of this college, and every student deserves to know that.
Paul Stanley: Paul Stanley is another example of a great genre-crossing professor. Though he shares his name with that of the heavily made-up guitarist/singer for KISS, Dr. Paul should relish much more influence on Beloit College students. He is well-recognizable in his all-season leather hat, though he is almost impossible to track down, because as soon as you turn your head, he is playing trumpet in a band or a symphony orchestra, or he is off in some distant country, learning the language. One of the most interesting and fun professors to take a class from, Paul Stanley is one from whom you will surely learn something.
Phil Straffin: Phil Straffin is a very interesting professor as well. He is smarter than all get out, and he teaches with a smile on his face. Like these other professors I have mentioned, Phil is interested in what you learn. He has lovely singing voice, as well. What got me was when we were both singing in Carmina Burana last year, and not knowing me at all, he told me what a delight it was singing next to me in the choir. I was floored with gentlemanly kindness, and have since returned the compliment, but it led me to believe that Phil Straffin is just a great guy, and I really wished that I had not dropped his class two years ago and gotten to know him more.
Steve Wright: Steve Wright is an amazing professor and a wonderful man. He represents Beloit College to me more than anyone else. What is so great about Steve is that he cares so much for the college and its students. Steve Wright goes to virtually every music performance, poetry reading, lecture, dance show, theatre show that students at this college have to offer. Not only does he go, but he goes multiple times! He is so interested in everything that Beloit College students do, and he never has a discouraging word to offer. I have never been introduced to Steve Wright and he has never been introduced to me formally. I have never taken a class with him, yet we will bump into each other, and he will compliment me on whatever I was doing that he saw. It amazes me that he takes such an interest in his students, and it really makes me regret not ever taking a class that he taught. Don’t make the same mistake I did in the four years at Beloit College. Take a Steve Wright class, and get to know him more than just through association.
Not nearly enough can be said about the unseen institutions of Beloit College. Two in particular have gained an enormous amount of my respect over the course of my four years. The Physical Plant department of Beloit College has some of the hardest-working, no-nonsense, down-to-earth people working for them. Even though they don't teach any classes, there is an unlimited amount of knowledge one could gain by befriending any of them.
In addition to the physical plant, the ladies in the financial aid office are some of the most pleasant and hard-working people I know. They take their jobs seriously, and they treat students and their families with respect. Much more respect than other areas of the administration. They are willing to work with you ceaselessly in order to find solutions to problems and to help you out. And their collective attitude, as least to me, has never been unpleasant.
Everything that I’ve said in these few short sentences about each of these professors and staff is not nearly enough to do them justice for what they really contribute to this college. It is merely my way of saying thank you to those individuals who have made the past four years so much more enjoyable. Of course, I’m sure that I’m missing a few people, but it’s time to wrap up. If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for having the patience and interest to keep reading. Thank you to the Round Table for publishing my writing these past few weeks and that of all young, aspiring writers at this college. And most of all, thank you Beloit College for four wonderful years!
Is Beloit College a place where we can meet people we will never forget and stay close to as long as we remember them? Is it a place where we met people we never would have met otherwise? Is it a place where we met people we wish we never could have met? Is it a place where the teachers care about the students and get to know them as friends? Is it a place where sometimes the teachers get a little too close for comfort? Is Beloit College a place where we spent hours in the morning or afternoon sitting under florescent light gently being lulled to sleep by a lecture and the comfort of a hooded sweatshirt? Or is it a place where you watch the sun rise in the hours of the early morning while nearing the end of typing a paper that you put off until now?
Is Beloit College a place where you are excited to go to your favorite class only to turn the corner and be bogged down by cigarette smoke? Or is it a place where that first drag of the cigarette in the dead of winter is an exhilarating release from the last excruciating class that you were in? Is it a place that you read the same passages day in and day out, and they somehow remind you of how you'd like to go to Japan someday or how you want to find out how much AST really hates Sig Chi? Is it a place where you get so involved with other people's lives that you never end up leaving campus? Is it a place where you spend hours and hours planning a weekend getaway? Is it a place where the price of a bus ticket is just a small price to pay for freedom? Is it a place where skipping class to go to Janesville was worth the adventure?
Is Beloit College a place where people dress differently than you're used to? Is it a place that you would like to be more like the rest of world? Is it a place that you would like the rest of the world to be more like? Is it a place where you can drink a beer in the middle of the afternoon and everything seems perfect? Is it a place where at the end of the night you just need a beer because everything seems so miserable? Is it a place where we've lost friends or family? Is it a place where we've lost ourselves? Is it a place where we've discovered ourselves? Is it a place that taught you to love? Is it a place that taught you to hate? Is it a place where you found someone to love you for the rest of your life? Or just one night? Or a much longer time than anyone expected? Is it a place where you can tell that you hate someone even before you meet them? Is it a place where the food makes you sick? Is it a place where the food makes you smile,...sometimes? Is it a place where the food makes you say, "how the %*@$ did they mess this up?"
Is Beloit College a college where the President has somewhat of a distant relationship from the students he represents? Is it a place where you can enjoy the company of your friends in the only college-owned and -operated bar in the country, no matter how much you hate techno music or smoke or cheap beer? Is it a place where a small publication lets you say things to people you never would have talked to otherwise? Is it a place where you feel you can enforce justice? Is it a place where you feel justice is never enforced where it should be? Is it a place where you get sick of seeing some of the same faces over and over again? Is it a place where you can tell whether somebody is on campus or not based on whether or not you have "seen them around?" Is it a place that was worth the cost of being here? Is it a place that begs you to stay? Is it a place that encourages you to leave? Is it a place where the most common hangout is a brick wall?
The coveted truth is that Beloit College is a little of all these things. Beloit College is an institution that is full of different people. People that represent the college, people that attend the college, people that pay money to the school for its services, and people that get paid by the college for their services. All these people are trying to make Beloit, and in a small way the world, a better place. What I’ve discovered in my four years here, is that it really is a place full of great opportunities. Beloit College is what you make it. Be you a student, teacher, administrator, housekeeper, Beloit College is a part of you, and it is up to you to get what you want out of that part.
Before signing off for good, I would like to take this final opportunity to sound of on some off my favorite teachers and people at this school and pay my respects for the four years they have given me here at Beloit College:
Jerry Gustafson: Jerry is one of the best teachers at this school, and if you do not know that already, just take one of his classes. He’s a professor who has been here a while, and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s had to put up with the same bullshit that you and I have had to put up with as far as the administration is concerned, and no matter what barriers they put in his way, Jerry manages to keep on truckin’. And no matter how hard the college makes him work, he works harder in order to get the job done. The truth of it is: Jerry is a professor who loves to teach. He is the kind of professor that they write about in the books advertising Beloit College, because they are so rare in higher education. But Jerry Gustafson is a rarity even at Beloit College. There is nobody else like him. So my advice to you is to get to know him before you leave.
Ian Nie: Ian is one of the most supportive people I have ever known. Chock-full of life experience, his way of making you feel welcome and loved at this school is something that I have not seen duplicated. He works the hardest I have ever seen, running from place to place, doing a hundred people’s jobs at once, and he has hardly gotten any recognition in all the multiples of years he’s been at this school. I wondered recently why Ian does not have any children of his own, but then I realized that every one of his students is basically his child. He is a resounding father figure to so many people on this campus, because he befriends his students, while at the same time giving them responsibilities to keep on their own. Ian is a treasure at this college, and it is about time somebody recognized that.
Kosta Hadavas: Kosta is probably the most intelligent person I know. It is a delight to sit down and have a conversation with him. I highly encourage you to do that sometime. He is a very thoughtful individual and has a great deal of foresight to offer on any situation. He just knows so much about everything! It’s uncanny! Kosta is well-read, well-cultured. He is the epitome of a Greek scholar, which makes sense I guess. But anyway, get to know Kosta; I doubt you’ll regret it.
Pat Polley: Another man who is just extraordinarily intelligent, Pat Polley is one of my most respected professors at this school. The man is a Vietnam veteran. He combats malaria at least once a year, among other illnesses, and he still has the guts to come back and teach us the intricacies of upper-level physics or a Grecian urn. Pat is so full of information; he has to teach a smörgåsbord of classes because it is just oozing out of him. The knowledge he has to share is far beyond the capacity most of his students can handle. But it is worth it just to try to get as much as you can. Pat Polley is a huge advantage of this college, and every student deserves to know that.
Paul Stanley: Paul Stanley is another example of a great genre-crossing professor. Though he shares his name with that of the heavily made-up guitarist/singer for KISS, Dr. Paul should relish much more influence on Beloit College students. He is well-recognizable in his all-season leather hat, though he is almost impossible to track down, because as soon as you turn your head, he is playing trumpet in a band or a symphony orchestra, or he is off in some distant country, learning the language. One of the most interesting and fun professors to take a class from, Paul Stanley is one from whom you will surely learn something.
Phil Straffin: Phil Straffin is a very interesting professor as well. He is smarter than all get out, and he teaches with a smile on his face. Like these other professors I have mentioned, Phil is interested in what you learn. He has lovely singing voice, as well. What got me was when we were both singing in Carmina Burana last year, and not knowing me at all, he told me what a delight it was singing next to me in the choir. I was floored with gentlemanly kindness, and have since returned the compliment, but it led me to believe that Phil Straffin is just a great guy, and I really wished that I had not dropped his class two years ago and gotten to know him more.
Steve Wright: Steve Wright is an amazing professor and a wonderful man. He represents Beloit College to me more than anyone else. What is so great about Steve is that he cares so much for the college and its students. Steve Wright goes to virtually every music performance, poetry reading, lecture, dance show, theatre show that students at this college have to offer. Not only does he go, but he goes multiple times! He is so interested in everything that Beloit College students do, and he never has a discouraging word to offer. I have never been introduced to Steve Wright and he has never been introduced to me formally. I have never taken a class with him, yet we will bump into each other, and he will compliment me on whatever I was doing that he saw. It amazes me that he takes such an interest in his students, and it really makes me regret not ever taking a class that he taught. Don’t make the same mistake I did in the four years at Beloit College. Take a Steve Wright class, and get to know him more than just through association.
Not nearly enough can be said about the unseen institutions of Beloit College. Two in particular have gained an enormous amount of my respect over the course of my four years. The Physical Plant department of Beloit College has some of the hardest-working, no-nonsense, down-to-earth people working for them. Even though they don't teach any classes, there is an unlimited amount of knowledge one could gain by befriending any of them.
In addition to the physical plant, the ladies in the financial aid office are some of the most pleasant and hard-working people I know. They take their jobs seriously, and they treat students and their families with respect. Much more respect than other areas of the administration. They are willing to work with you ceaselessly in order to find solutions to problems and to help you out. And their collective attitude, as least to me, has never been unpleasant.
Everything that I’ve said in these few short sentences about each of these professors and staff is not nearly enough to do them justice for what they really contribute to this college. It is merely my way of saying thank you to those individuals who have made the past four years so much more enjoyable. Of course, I’m sure that I’m missing a few people, but it’s time to wrap up. If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for having the patience and interest to keep reading. Thank you to the Round Table for publishing my writing these past few weeks and that of all young, aspiring writers at this college. And most of all, thank you Beloit College for four wonderful years!
posted by Leland J. Fischer at 1:42 AM
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