Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

Page 18 text:

r It is a parent ' s favorite saying: These are the best years of your life. Well, they may not be the best, but there are events we will always remember. The Texas tradition of drinking an alcoholic bev- erage in a open container while driving came to an end when the State Legis- lature passed the open container law. Hazing re- ceived a lot of attention. The university made clear their strong stand against hazing. Pope John Paul made a historic visit to San Antonio, Texas, where thousands flocked to San Antonio to see him deliver mass. SFA began to get more recognition. Jo Thompson won the title of Miss Texas and competed in the Miss America pageant. Head football coach Jim Hess got his 100th win. Some things never changed. Tuition increased and Crossroads was the Friday afternoon hangout. Maybe these were vv the best of times. Section Editor FRANCES HINSON Erik Karlsson

Page 20 text:

Teaching in the U.S.S.R by Chante ' Mazy Cabbage soup with sour cream, a glass of yogurt to drink and an occasional apple for dessert was his daily evening meal. During the past year a single cold shower per week and an over exposure to bureaucracy and bribery were frequent exper- iences in his life. While teaching both students and faculty, the professo- lived with his wife in a one-room apartment in a 20- story ingh-rise. During his one year scholar exchange to the Soviet Union, Dr. James Speer, asso ciate professor of psychology, and his wife Pat ate absolutely horrible cafeteria food. They could not read most of the newspapers available. There were not any restau- rants. As part of the Fulbright scholarship exchange program, Dr. Speer taught at universites in Tbilisi, Georgia and Yerevan, and Armenia in the Soviet Union. Dr. Speer had several reasons for applying for the communist country. The Soviets have developed a particular psychologi- cal theory I wanted to learn about. They call it Activity Theory, Dr. Speer said. My other reason is the one any westerner would have -- it ' s really a mysterious country to us. There have been relatively few contacts with them, and I was just curious. The Soviets were not sure what to do with Dr. Speer upon his arrival in Yerevan. They were only told days before about the program. Housing and work scheduling had not yet been planned. Once settled into a cramped apartment in Yerevan, the scho- lar learned the university did not even have a psychology de- partment. There were not any psychology majors. They taught a service type, low level introductory course. He gave lectures to the 10 faculty members who made up the college ' s psycholo- gy choir. Tbailisi University, where Dr. Speer taught during the spring semester of his exchange was a different experience. At Tbailisi, which has one of the three most active psychology departments in the country, he taught a class of advanced undergraduates. Twice a month the professor also lectured to faculty on sub- jects such as cognitive American psychology. When not lectur- ing, Speer studied Soviet psychology with the faculty. Dr. Speer and his wife lived in a dormitory for foreign gradu- ate students in Tbailisi. Living in a dormitory, eating in the univer- sity cafeteria and teaching classes gave Dr. Speer a chance to experience many of the college procedures. He was able to observe the university system. Going to a university is fairly unusual in the Soviet Union, Dr. Speer said. I think it ' s about one percent of the student-age population. The basic message Dr. Speer ' s Soviet friends wanted to send home with the American citizen was, You Americans must realize we don ' t want war. Dr. Speer said he and his wife were surprised at how happy they were to be home. They have been welcomed back with much warmth. Dr. lames Speer, shown here lecturing his class, said his curiosity was one of the Pictured above are some of the various artifacts that Dr. Speer brought back: reasons he wanted to teach in the Soviet Union from Russia.