University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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Photos and copy by Peggy Riley, a UT senior! who attended the Sorbonne and the lnstitu re of Political Studies in Paris during Fall Quarter, 7976. 24 UT sponsors a variety of overseas study and tour programs in England Nicaragua, Denmark, the Soviet Union, and France. Between four and 70 programs are scheduted every year through the Division of tntemational Education. Students also get as much as 25 hours of credit for independent study projects. In addition to UT study abroad opportunities, students also enter programs sponsored by other universities, particutarty Stanford, Syracuse, Emory, the University of Michigan and Michigan State. An American in Paris Strolling through a steeI-blue, icy dawn. Watching the reflections of the dimming streetlights ripple and fade into the coal-colored Seine. Racing through a musty underground tunnel and piling into a stuffed subway car for the daily 45-minute ride. Absorbing the sights and sounds of a market street as vendors shout the merits of their wares and housewives critically inspect an unskinned rabbit or a boar carcass, or hunks 0f pungent cheese. This is the experience of everyday Paris. The City of Lights and Love has a reputation, especially among Americans, for being the hub of all that is glamorous and romantic. Paris pulsates with beauty, culture and excitement. But what does it mean to be an American student living in everyday Paris, the Paris that is not shown on the picture postcards? First off, Paris is the artist's mecca and the serious student's i $ Mia? i: 1 Kg; L w t i .x . ,. gym 5; can : gem WE, Eggs FR 1mm; u . w L gf guns .n a

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0mmge Squeeze , 1. When you pre-register for that final nostalgic quarter, pick up an application for a 3.8., check your well-worn senior standing sheet and pray you will get all your courses. If you are lucky, you will receive one of your last three required classes which means you will have to bribe andlor threaten only a couple of instructors. 2. When you receive the check- in - early - because-your -classes-are- too - full - to -admit-you postcard, don't panic. Run, do not walk, to your advisor lit could be a good time to get acquaintedl and use almost any information possible to blackmail hither into arranging your admittance into that crucial Underwater Basketweaving 1110. Advisors are generally helpful at this point and will kindly inform you of your possible alternatives or substitutions lif there are any.l Unfortunately, advisors also make mistakes and can recommend the wrong substitute courses. But more on that later. 3. Do not be surprised when the university holds its hand out to you several times during your last quarter. Do not mistake this gesture for one of goodwill, but recognize it as an uncompromising demand for one more fee - for the privilege of leaving. Do yourself a favor - pay it. Staying in school another quarter is more expensive in the long run. But don't worry, it won't be the last time you write a check payable to UT if you are planning to attend the graduation exercises. 4. Once classes have started and you have gotten your schedule straightened out, you may experi- ence a foreboding sensation. This is your last quarter and you CAN NOT put off your courses any more. You CAN NOT drop. This is it. You MUST pass. You may have worried about passing a course before, but that is nothing com- pared to the frantic feeling you have now. Now you must choose between passing the class or enduring the wrath of your parents. 5. About three weeks into the quarter, start hounding your post- man. You should be getting a form - an orange form - letting you know that yes, you are indeed scheduled to graduate. It will also politely hold all your fees over your head - traffic fees, library fees, invitation fees and cap and gown fees. If you do not get this form, start worrying. It could be that the Appalachian Basketweaving course does NOT substitute for the Underwater Basketweaving course, contrary to your advisor's sugges- tion. In that ease, you might have to pick up another class on the double. 6. About now, you probably will be concerned about getting a job. After all, you have to go some- where after June 10. You may suffer from an irresistable urge to go check out the placement center, since it's on the way to class anyway. Some employers may send representatives to your college to interview you, among others. This can be problematic, particular- ly if you are competing with some of your friends for the same job. But employment is employment, and you have been constantly reminded of the real world's dog-eat-dog nature. 7. The magical day is approach- ing and you had better send out some of those invitations. You may protest at first, but parents have a way of prevailing. 8. Graduation day has finally arrived, and chances are you will be sweltering under that gown. It is also 9 am. and you might be feeling the effects of your last collegiate night. Get in line one more time. Well, unless you are standing at the unemployment office tomorrow provided step number six did not work out. Walk across the stage to receive your blank sheet of paper, say cheese for your aunt with the polaroid, and swallow the big orange that may be choking you up a bit. by Susan Fink

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paradise. Besides the famed Sorbonne, twelve other colleges and universities are scattered throughout the City. The entire urban area, particularly around the Latin Quarter near the Sorbonne, can be considered an academic community. UT seems tiny in comparison. Just as in the days When Hemingway and Fitzgerald frequented the bars of the Latin Quarter for their literary discussions, students today still flock to the sidewalk cafes to discuss, often quite heatedly, almost every subject imaginable. Paris is frequently termed an international City since so many different peoples work or visit there. But knowing that others are in the same situation does not ease the feeling of aloneness, the awareness of being different. American tourists often bring home horror stories of the snubs and rudeness they received throughout Europe. And in some cases the stories may be true. Europeans don't like Americans who flash their money and their cameras as if the American Way is the only way. Parisians are especially well known for having an intense distaste for many Americans. But for a student Who tries to blend in and adopt the culture and the language, general acceptance is not hard to come by. Paris, and most of Europe, are a reflection of what life might be like if the world-wide energy crunch finally strangles the United States. The French don't leave lights burning or televisions playing to empty rooms. It's as simple as that. Each local telephone call must be paid for, even in private homes. Heating in homes and apartments is usually cut off after 9 pm. High prices have forced the people to conserve, but rising costs have also made the French consumer more appreciative of the luxuries Americans take for granted. Sky-high inflation and miserable poverty life just behind the architectural beauty and intellectual veneer of this exquisitely planned city; hunger is a reality. Beggars comb the subways every day, while the blind and handicapped huddle with their cups. Pickpockets work swiftly and expertly on thesubway lines near the railroad stations, as travellers usually carry money. Major crime, however, is not as widespread in Paris as it is in American Cities of a comparable size. The American student has little to fear when walking in most residential neighborhoods at night. But the student has many other worries. Besides laboring over courses taught in a foreign language, the American student may have to worry about day-toeday survival. Eating can become a problem, since prices in most restaurants make them off-limits to students. The famous bread baked daily has pulled many through. Student cafeterias are cheap but serve food sometimes a little too exotic for many Americans' tastes. These dishes that frighten some picky Americans include horsemeat, tongue, and fish still wearing head and tail. But life is simpler there. Though being one of the world's largest cities, Paris lacks the hustIe-bustle of her American counterparts. Rather, the city has an indefinable charm which reflects the quiet, gentle Character of the natives. The richness in the way life is lived there can be felt simply by smelling the smells, observing the sights, and listening to the sounds of everyday Paris in motion. g g g: 25