Emerson College - Emersonian Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Berkeley Beacon September 22, 1 982 Not The Same Old Emerson “Excuse me, could you tell me where the bookstore is?” “The bookstore? Sure. It’s. ..well, last semester it was in 100 — I don’t think it’s been moved but, well, check the basement at 100. I think it’s still there. ” by Diane M. Butler Imagine the confusion of a graduate returning to Emerson and trying to find his her way around. Imagine the confusion of a freshman asking upperclassman for directions and getting less than definitive answers . And don ' t trust the signs posted on the swittchboard booth to guide you, because even they are not up-to-date with the latest relocations. Over the last three years Emerson has been undergoing a major facelift and almost no feature has been left untouched. The school has been revamped, reconstructed, and reno- vated - and the results are dazzling. Remember when the Registrar’s office was in 130 and resembled a Fotomat booth? The only difference was that there was no guarantee for fast service. And when I first came to Emerson the bookstore was in a tiny comer to the left at 100. I located it by chance when I stumbled onto a line winding down the steps and out onto Beacon St. The next time I looked for it, it was in 148. In those days lines were everywhere and patience was a required virtue if one was to accomplish anything. My first pre-registration took nearly an entire day and was held at Brimmer St. (Talk about confusion — what’s a Brimmer St.?) Now don’t get me wrong - 1 made a lot of friends waiting in those lines. But I couldn’t help wondering if Emerson’s organizational skills didn’t need a bit (?) of sharpening up. And I know my boss was getting tired of those “Well, I may be a little late for work’’ phone calls. Well happily, those days are gone! With the exception of the bookstore, almost everything is settling into a permanent place at Emeiscxi. The administrative offices are no longer scattaed up and down Beacon St., but share common housing in 100. Imagine the Regjstar’s, Butsar’s, Admissions, Continuing Ed., and Career Services offices all located under one loof! Brimmer Sl has been redone and polished until it gleams. Saga is noe located at Fensgate (which just happens to be where most of the students live), and the word on campus is that the facilities and food are better that in past years. The music nxxns are now in the Union, the English dept, on the 10th floor at 100 (elevator please!), and Humanities at 1 26 on the third floor. Yes, it looks like Emerson is getting organized And how do the Emerson students feel about this? I took a little survey on campus and posed the question, “What do you think the most important change at Emerson is since you have been here?” The overwhelm- ing response-The Library. Yes, the library was voted the most important, most aesthetic and most useful change in the last few years at Emerson. Emerson College now has a library that any student would be proud to show mother. It is located at 150 Beacon St.(for those of you still wondering), and features spacious rooms, plush chairs, individual study cubicles, bay wiiKlows, and a totally new media center complete with computer room. It is truly a work of art. Another welcome addition is the computer screen in the Registrar’s, which was reportedly called “a real time saver.” A change of attitude seems to have taken place at Emerson as well. One student stated that, “Emerson seems more organized. People aren’t going around calling it ‘Camp Emerson’ anymore. Students are finding it easier to locate instructors (could the days of chasing down advisors be gone forever?), and more formality in course structure has been noticed. Emersonians are appreci- ative of the positive alterations taking place at their school, but also had a few suggestions to offer. The need for parking facilities for both students and faculty remains a problem, and one student suggested that Emerson pay for her boot. Other suggestions included more adequate fxjsting of current affairs in the Union for commuter students, and more prtinent required and prerequisite courses (some students apparently feel that “big” money is being wasted on courses irrelevant to their majors). The lack of elevators was another issue ,but a litde physical exertion never hurt anybody. And of course the bookstore. Most students interviewed felt that space should be provided in the new library for a walk-in, permanently located bookstore. Emerson has certainly progressed a great deal since I first came here, and I’m sorry that I won’t be around longer to enjoy all this newfound efficiency. Oh, by the way, has anyone seen the mass comm office? I hear it’s moving to the first floor of 130...

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Berkeley Beacon October 25, 1982 Students Form Escort Service by Eileen McDermott Resident Assistants at Charlesgate, Ruth Twichell and Janet Jennings are in charge of a new project here at Emerson, a Safety Escort Service. Stu- dents who were concerned about their safety at night in Boston, felt they needed escorts. The Safety Escort Ser- vice will provide those escorts. After preliminary planning with Leslie Luft, Director of Programming at Charlesgate, the format for the program was set up. The Service will be available Monday through Saturday nights, from 7.00 p.m. to 2;00 a m. A place has been set up where people who want escorts can call and speak to a dispatcher. The dispatcher will ask a series of routine questions and call one of the escorts on duty. The Safety Escort Service will be coed, since both males and females need escorts. There are volunteer positions available for students who wish to par- ticipate. Escorts, Phone Dispatchers and Shift Supervisors art needed. Escorts will be “on call from four to eight hours per week. They will be paired or tripled up to lead students to or from their destination. They live in either Charlesgate or Fensgate It is hoped that once a specific work space is set up, students • not living in Charlesgate or Fensgate will be eligible to work. For the time JJ being, the positions will only be open to Charlesgate and Fensgate residents. 3 Telephone Dispatchers will answer 3 phones, ask questions and call the es- corts Another position available is q that of the Shift Supervisor. The will be g responsible for making up schedules f for both the escorts and the dis- patchers People are needed to fill these positions. There will be interviews for those interested. The week trial period for the service began on October 18. Overall reaction to the service has been favorable. Harriet Mohr, Direc- tor of Housing, is looking into the pos- sibility of the Escort Service becoming a Work-study program, much like the Escort Service at Boston University, but for now, the program will be com- pletely volunteer. Kathy Manning, Assistant Dean of Students, is also enthusiastic about the program. She offered the possibility of using the desk at the Student Union as a work area. She would like to get reflecting vests and indentification cards for the escorts. Although some students feel that it may be difficult to get students to call the service, most think it is a good idea. Everyone is concerned about their safety and many students said they would use the service. If any student would like to volunteer their time to the service, ask questions or give suggestions, they may call Ruth Twichell at 247-3798 or Janet Jennings at 247-9217. The Escort Ser- vice number is 247-8408. It is hoped that many students will use the Escort Service ' to get from place to place. It is for your own safety. 24

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Berkeley Beacon November 8, 1 982 Part Of A Continuing Tradition Dr. Kenneth Crannell “You can reconize an Emersonian anywhere,” he states with certainty. “There’s an inner something. ..a bizarreness that a lot of people would find frightening. They’re very individualistic. They say just what they mean, sometimes they are frightfully wrong, but they still say it.” by Barbara Szlanic When Professor Kenneth Crannell began teaching at Emerson a quarter of a century ago, he became part of a con- tinuing tradition in speech and perfor- mance. Like Professor June Mitchell (also known as Momma Mitchell) and Frances LaShoto, who did their un- dergraduate work at Emerson, Dr. Crannell fell in love with teaching and performing Crannell, who was recently honored at a reception for his service, is described by other faculty members as ■‘warm,” “dedicated, and wonder- ful His students in written and oral evaluations, offer high praise for him and his teaching, but note the degree of difficulty of his oral interpretation Courses. A dedicated teacher,” “chal- lenging,” and “very critical” typify these evaluations. But Crannell considers his student evaluations to be only one part of diverse class reactions. “I’m not in- terested in being popular, he asserts. “When students talk about a teacher and say ‘I love him or her ' or ‘I hate him or her,’ that’s a good response. To say ’She ' s OK ' or ’He’s O.K.’ is the biggest put down a teacher can get. If you’re a teacher who causes excite- ment, you ' ll demand a strong response.” Crannell views his students and his teaching in terms of the “Emerson Ex- perience,” which, he says, is different from any other college education Hav- ing been a student at Emerson in the 1950 ' s (during which he was an SGA President) and having decided to re- main here as a teacher, Crannell characterizes Emersonians as students who are energetic, inquisitive and creative ”1 know it sounds Poppinesque,” he offers, “but I stay here for the kids. They do have a quality that’s Emer- sonian “You can recognize an Emersonian anywhere,” he states with certainty. “There ' s an inner something. ..a bizar- reness that a lot of people would find frightening They’re very in- dividualistic. They say just what they mean sometimes they’re frightfully wrong but they still say it.” For Crannell, teaching is the cons- tant development and improvement of the “Emersonian” in all of his students. “1 let them have it the first few days,” he explains. “I give them the business, and I’ll bet they go home say- ing, ' My God, this man is crazy!” “Some get out and others stay. It’s the one who stay who will work and will realize that I’m just an actor.” A self-described old time school teacher, Crannell believes in the traditional teaching methods. ”1 wear a coat and tie, no sneakers, and 1 take at- tendance. You learn by being present and by hearing and watching other kids The only aspect of the student body that is disappointing to Crannell is the decline of speech quality. He cites the “junior speech exam” from the days of yore,” which used to be an impor- tant part of Emerson’s graduation re- quirements. It forced students to ex- hibit proficiency in extemporaneous speaking, oral interpretation and public speaking before a panel of three or four professors. “The speech exam pushed the com- munication process to the forefront of one’s education,” he explains. “It worked beautifully, but some depart- ments had problems with it Some stu- dents couldn’t pass it. 1 would love to see that inaugurated again ... for the kids.” Besides teaching Crannell also loves directing shows and working with stu- dents outside of the classroom. His love for performance stems from his childhood radio and T.V experience. “An old song and dance man,” as he calls himself, Crannell is currently directing the oral interpretation production of St Joan In selecting a cast, he looks for the “good kid,” not necessarily one with a lot of performing experience, he stres- ses, but one with strong academic and artistic skills. Describing his goal as a director, Crannell says, “I want to have an im- pact on these kids on some level. 1 listen to their input and if it ' s a good idea, 1 steal it. But. I give them credit.” “I don’t deal with stars. I don’t relate to them. We work together as a unit and we develop a good rapport.” “I’ve always said that if you trust me, we’ll at least put out a ' triumphant faiire,’ which is a respectable show. It’ll never be a ' conventional disaster ’ ’’ Like those before him, Crannell is continuing in the tradition of Emerso- nians. Energetic, inquisitive and creative, his only goals in life are to continue learning from students and to be healthy enough to perform and teach. “It’s the kids,” he says, “That’s why 1 stay That’s why I come back for more 26