Emerson College - Emersonian Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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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

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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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In Praise of Expression by Terry Waller Since October 1981, there had been a self-imposed muzzle preventing Emerson administrators from discuss- ing issues with students. When con- fronted by students with pertinent questions concerning the status and future of the college, their ambiguous replies only compounded student anger and frustration. Whether it was discus- sing the shortage of performance space for student organizations or the con- founded student activity deficit, the ad- ministration did not give students ac- cess to information. However, that epoch of silence ended Tuesday when eight administrators and the President of SGA held a press conference. Organization of the session was spearheaded by Phi Alpha Tau member Peter Mones who collated the schedules of the participants and brought them to the Union’s Faculty Lounge. The selection of the panelists was to represent a cross section of the Emerson community. Those par- ticipating were: President Koenig, Vice-President and Dean of the Col- lege, Dr. John Zacharis, Vice-President for Administration and Student Ser- vices Dr. Suzanne Swope, Chairperson of the Massachusetts Communication Department, Dr. Frances Plude, Direc- tor of Athletics Coach Jim Peckham, Professor of Theatre Arts Harry Morgan, Professor of Social, Behavioral and Applied Sciences, Dr. Edna Ward and President of SGA, Michael Mendenhall. They brought out the minicams, con- nected the microphones and turned on the tape players, as Emerson students finally began to practice what they had learned in class. Representatives from the Berkeley Beacon, WEIV-TV, and WECB were there to record the con- troversial and sometimes heated dis- cussion. Unlike the Open Forums, where the panelists had to dodge student invec- tive, Tuesday’s press conference was organized and exemplary moderated by Communication Studies Instructor Nick Burnett Yet, this conference did have its mo- ments of tension. It occurred when Alpha Pi Theta President Andrew Lawrence was addressing the ar- bitrary revocation of the Tavern’’ to Dean of Students Ron Ludman. For a split second, there was an instan- taneous “deja vu’’ of past Open Forums. However, both parties realized that resolution of that par- ticular problem would come at subse- quent hearings. Though viewed successful, there were some faults to this conference. One of these was the poor student at- tendance. Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, students had unrelentingly aspersed the administrator ' s policies. Yet, the es- timated thirty-five students who did at- tend, should be commended for their concern. Perhaps one reason for a low turnout was the time of the conference. Many students had to choose between attending the conference or missing a crucial class before final exams. Let’s hope the brothers of Phi Alpha Tau schedule the next session at a more convenient time for students. Also, the sixty minute time limit did not permit everyone to ask his or her question. Possibly expanding the time limit to ninety minutes would eleviate the problem. There had been emerging a growing antithesis of the communication ethic among the administrators, but it was encouraging to see and hear the bureaucrats of the nation’s leading communication college asservate their policies. So it appears the motto of Emerson College, “Where expression is neces- sary to evolution’’, may have some validity. Let’s hope this metamorphosis of student administrator dialogue will continue. It’s prolongation will une- quivocably benefit the entire Emerson College community. Berkeley Beacon December 13, 1982 27