Page 67 - ThePhoenix1995-96

On the Hill Thursday, November 16, 1995, Page 7 Carpenter aims to spark interest in literature Letter from abroad ttors?" questioned Dr. Carpenter with By BECKY COCKERILL Pam Barry writes from Mexico Sla/fWriler a smile. It was in London, England, where Such devotion and enjoyment a formal conference dinnerprovided the also helps to keep students in- BY PAM BARRY pretty patient, but I've decided to opportunity for Dr. Rebecca Carpenter volved. ContribulingWriter ease her burden a little and stop to hear about a small, liberal arts col- Dr. Carpenter's main objective I've just begun something that playing musical farnilies-I have just lege located in the town of Westmin- in her class is to enable her students very few students at WMC do-I'm rented my own apartment. srer. to achieve sharper critical, reading, studying abroad. As for the cultural differences- Years later, WMC welcomes Or. writing, and thinking skills as they I arrived in Merida Yucatan, yes, there are many. I wasn't quite Rebecca Carpenter to its staff of En- learn to develop their own opinions Mexico in August and the program sure what to expect of Merida. It glishprofessors. on a mature level. ends the first day of June. I'm here has a population of at least 600,000 Receiving her BA from Amherst Her goal includes aspiring that as part of a pro- ~~~----------, Collegeandher Ph.D from the Univer- her students will take away some gram called sity ofCalifomia at Berkeley, Dr. Car- kind of interest in literature, the AIFS-Ameri- penter traveled across thecountry to the kind she expresses of herself in her can Institute for house she and her husband, a Philoso- classes. Foreign Ex- phy professor at WMC, boughtin West- Dr. Carpenter feels one of the change. They minster. The small, personal atmo- greatest aspects of being a profes- have semester sphere was what attracted Dr. Carpen- sor is to experience students com- and year long ter to WMC. ing back to tell her they continue programs all "It's a real community;' she ex- "1discovered how much I love poetry." to read more books by an author over the world. plained. Dr. Carpenter enjoys sharing this they had studied in her-class. Our group In comparison, Dr. Carpenter said love with her students, and receiving "Accepting responsibility for consists of 17 she feels the bigger colleges do not al- responses back from them. It is when your actions is one of the most im- students from low professors to ''have the sense of a student views an issue from a differ- portant things you learn [in col- the U.S.-most from the East Coast. people and I had read that the each studentasan individual." Discus- ent perspective than anyone else that lege]," stated Dr. Carpenter. There are also students here from Yucatan Peninsula, until 20 years sions provide regular opportunities for she finds her job so rewarding. Through her own experience a program at Rutgers and others ago, had more contact with the out- learning in Dr. Carpenter's classes, re- ''People read things in different and the knowledge she continually from another program in Florida. side world (because of their ideal garding each student as a separate per- ways ... for example, [when talking gains from students, Dr. Carpenter Our program provides housing and location for trade) than the rest of son with their own insights and ideas. about the] psychology of a charac- hopes she can instill this value in meals with Mexican families, Mexico. So, reading about "Mexi- Her courses include freshman Compo- ter," offered Dr. Carpenter. "I like to her students. Spanish classes, speeial classes or- can" culture wasn't going to give sition and Reading courses, as well as have students challenge each other." The challenge of critiquing lit- ganized by AlFS (in English and me the complete picture. 1 don't a freshman seminar, incorporating the In the process, Dr. Carpenter also finds erature and its ideas is just one of Spanish) and classes at theAnthro- think anything could have prepared theme, "Marriage in the Modem Era" herself challenged to see ideas in vari- the ways Dr. Carpenter encourages pology division of the Univei-sidad me for Yucatan males, though. Originally planning to major in ous ways. her students to grow. How true, Autonoma de Yucatan. We also They whistle, cat call, stare, make ~ology,Dr.Carpenterbeganherpur- "What better life could there be though, she. finds that there is just, receive a stipend for photocopies weird noises-anything and every- suit of the English field after, as she said, than to read and talk abOut these au- "so much literature-so little time." (few classes actually require the thing they can think of that could (female) someone Two of a kind touch down on hill you buy a book) and at least three possibly make or self-conscious. I weekend trips during the semester. uncomfortable taken one of these a Yucatan Male- already We've have been told-by BY NICKI Kxssous lege, both twins applied to and were Andy is changing locale, Amy does trips-we visited the Maya ruins at that I am supposed to understand as flattering. this "attention" Ithink Chichen Itza (less than two hours StaffWriler accepted by WMC. not see herself transferring anytime this is one of those things they la- They share a common birthday, Also, Amy and Andy share all in the near future. away) and those at Tulum (about shock" and I am hometown, and hair color. They both of the same classes. a coincidence Amy is a field hockey player five hours away on the Caribbean bel as "culture in this respect-I do coast). We spent two nights on the very egocentric are currently undecided as majors that was not planned. The two speak who did not play this season, but Caribbean Ocean at Playa del not view this attention as flattering leaning towards communications. to one another about twice a day, yet hopes to play at WMC next year. Carmen in between seeing these in any way and I don't think 1 will They are Amy and Andy Fox, fresh- spend little social time together since Amy looks at her brother's upcom- sites. In November the program is ever believe being treated like an man twins who inhabit the WMC they each have their own unique ing departure with "mixed emo- paying for us to go to Uxmal and object is acceptable. In almost all campus. identities. tions." She is used to "going through other sites in the Puuc region. other respects, though, I am enjoy- Amy and Andy have spent eigh- Now that they have spent some every year of [her] life with him." The program to Yucatecan cul- doesn't itself ing my exposure teen years of their lives together. time on the campus, Amy and Andy Amy knows that she will miss her seem too bad-it's a bit disorganized ture. The food is great-as long as They were raised in the town of Pit- look with mi~ed emotions at their brother, yet she ''want[s] him to be for a U.S. based program, but from you like your food hot and spicy- man, located in the south of New Jer- futures at WMC. At the end of this happy." and the sey. Five hundred people attended semester, Andy plans 10 transfer to a Amy and Andy Fox have spent their high school, leading the twins community college closer to his eighteen years together in the same people are friendly-no to share many of the same classes and home. From there, he again hopes house, the same schools, and the one has the same friends. Throughout her to transfer to a larger school rather same classes. Next semester.Andy's made fun of childhood, Amy was comforted by than returning to WMC because he departure from WMC will put an end my at- the knowledge that having a twin finds it "too small for [him]." Though to furthering those years. tempts at brother meant "there was always Spanish someone there for [her]." (yet) and The relationship between Amy The Department of and Andy reflects ordinary brother- that's say- ing a lot for sister relations. Both of the twins Residence Life would like any culture. agree that childhood with a fraternal For any twin was much the same as child- potential hood with a elder/younger sibling. to thank the Resident Spa n ish Amy doesn't "think of [Andy] as what I can see, just as organized as majors or minors (especially some- [her] twin," and Andy believes that Assistant staff for all the the other programs down here. We one interested in Anthropology/So- life with a twin isn't "any different do nave more perks than other pro- ciology), I would definitely recom- than growing up with a brother or grams like our trips, parties, and mend this program-so far. Some sister [of a different age)." time and effort they devote photocopy allowance (I don't think: of the financial aid does transfer , Yet not every brother and sister share the same features, and not ev- to their jobs. any of the other programs do this and the program is half the cost of 10 learn no way The families. There's WMC. for their students). ery brother and sister attend the same as a whole, are very nice. My what I'm learning at WMC and college. The mutual decision by the Keep up the good work! roommate and I have had a few that's the way it should be when Foxes to come to WMC "just worked problems, though, and we've left you study abroad-it's not just out that way," according to Andy. two families. Our director has been classes-it's a whole other world. With no intent to go to the same col-