Bethel University - Spire Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

Page 19 text:

The overworked music major inhabits a warm, claustrophobic cubicle for an hour each day. Do you see that lonely, scarred piano and a bench that doesn’t match? Those soundboards of white spaghetti echo the words, “Do it again.’’ Bad notes shatter lights, scratchy voices shake the walls. Even sweet melodies soak into the unexcited carpet. There are no clocks in practice rooms. Minutes disappear with the first chord. Someone always knocks to ask the time. Or they inquire, “Have you seen Joyce?” as if in the middle of the coffee shop. A coffee shop it isn’t. Musicians are a unique breed of masochists. But when chords come correctly and fingers move finely (and finally), the agonizing hours of labor arc forgotten, locked behind the practice room door. JONATHON PEPPER

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The dedicated IM athlete participates somewhere in the hazy land between stark reality and grandiose fantasy. To ignore the five per cent shooting percentage or the eleven consecutive serves into the net would be sheer folly, but to morbidly dwell on this prevailing ineptitude could turn participants into spectators. So, for the sake of sport and sanity, IM participants play in an arena that is neither real or unreal, neither concrete nor ethereal. Thus, Cervantes’ hero rides again, as seen in the dozens of Tarkcntons and inumerable World Series games that make up the intramurals. BILLTROLLINCER

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Teachers. Arc they the opposition or teammates, a hinderance or a reinforcement, the district attorney or the counsel for the defense? Or are they just beige, part of the college backdrop, a take ’em or leave ’em proposition? The answer to that question may depend on the student or teacher or even the college you have in mind. Butaboveall, the answer depends on the situation in which you get to know them. We all know the classroom lecturers, paper-assigners and test-givers. They arc a part of our daily routine. But if we, by chance, get to know a teacher outside of the classroom situation, we’ll find that teachers can be more than a stepping stone or stumbling block on our way to a bachelor’s degree. The key is in getting to know them in a variety of situations. I first met Randy Johnson back in his T.A.ing days. Now he is a part-time teacher and has done everything from subbing as my advisor and showing me how to organize a paper to selling me a desk at bargain prices. Another friend in my early semesters was Jim Johnson, a friend of the family. It would be great if everyone could have a “Jim Johnson” during those first few weeks of college -someone who says “hello to you by name, someone who will stop and talk about family and old times, someone who makes you feel like you fit in at Bethel. I first met Art Lewis at a summer camp. He taught me to say “hello” in Hebrew and listened appreciatively to my ragtime piano. Ever since he has been a true friend. Last year, when I could have gone off the deep end spiritually, the Lord used Dr. Lewis to stop me. Although he didn’t always have the answers to my questions, he did always show concern. Simple things like listening and lending me a helpful book kept me from giving up on Christianity. Besides the friendship angle, teachers are a valuable source for help in college requirements. A1 Glenn is one of my favorite libraries. At the A.G. L.R.C. there are no overdue fines and no two-hour limits on crucial sources. Then there is Stanley Anderson, my advisor. Always available to sit and talk, Mr. Anderson is willing to listen to my viewpoint but also willing to set me straight when I’m not quite on track. He had the wisdom to let me drop out of school when I couldn’t cope with it any longer, the patience to head me in the right direction when I came back the next semester, and the concern to sec that I would have the opportunities to try to reach my goals. While there’s no getting around the tests and the papers, there is more to a teacher than a gradebook. To a student, a teacher can be a giver-of-advice, a valuable resource person, and, most importantly, a friend. It seems that Bethel will only be Bethel as long as its students and teachers hold on to the special friendships that have characterized Bethel for so long. CARLA HAGE