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FEATURES MARCH 8, 2007 - Page 5 Father, son savor academic competition he says. learn, so that whole aspect of a dad. Stydtnger, Audrey, (currently CORI SIMPSON Like the common saying, constantly driven search for "Well, sometimes I bum attending North Carroll FEATIJRES EDITOR "The apple doesn't fall far knowledge doesn't seem out rides off of himsave some gas Middle School), conditioning A perfect Hollywood come- from the tree," Dennis' ambi- of the ordinary to me. It's just and money. But the best part is her way into the family tradi- dy: Father and son attending tious attitude towards learn-: sort of how he and I function, that since he's been going here tion of academics, who has the same college together. ing stems largely from the which is scary, I know. I defi- for a couple years now, he can also won her share of writing Imagine the things that could influences of his father. nitely admire my father's show me where things are, awards. go wrong. Nelson, decided to return to integrity, his work ethic, his certain offices I need to find, Only time will tell who will Actually, one doesn't have the school setting after he was ridiculous intelligence, and and he kind of knows the sys- be crowned victor of the aca- to look as far as California for offered the opportunity from the way that he always pushes tern, so I have a direct source demic challenge. Will it be this scenario, it exists here on the Veterans Administration. me to do really well," says of information," says Dennis. Nelson, with wisdom and Mcljaniel's campus. And so Now he in his senior year at Dermis. Pushing each other to work experience - far surpassing far, everything for them has McDaniel College and is Although his son accepts hard is certainly a good thing, that of his son? Or will it be gone just right. majoring in Communication hi':"B as a student, Nelson but when the "goat-getting" Dennis, inherently infused Nelson Srydlnger, 58, and while also completing a minor describes that the situation in starts going on at home, some- with an aggressive and com- his son Dennis, 18, have been in Writing. In addition to the classroom can be some- one's got to be there to defuse petitive nature? attending McDaniel College attending classes, he works as what isolated. He's actually the scuffle. As Dennis puts it, "I pre- together since last fall. the Executive Director of co-written an article on the Nelson explains, "I think tend the agel experience dif- A situation that many stu- Mountain View Bible Camp subject that was published in my wife, Esther, sometimes ference isn't there. Maybe I am dents would consider awk- for Children in Manchester, the College Quarterly journal. finds it a little exasperating, at a disadvantage, but it'll just ward, Dennis actually thrives MO. He explains, "Though some of but we have been married make it so much better when I under the pressure of the aca- Before that, he retired from my classmates accept me and over 25 years and I have own him." demic competition. the us Army after 22 years of even talk to me ... perhaps always been this way." "I love the competition," service, spending that time in [others] feel intimidated, or And there is another Dennis says, "but I'm con- Military Intelligence as a it's just too much cerned because I don't know if Polish and Arabic like talking to their my departments (Poli. Sci. and Interrogation Technician. He parents." German) hand out A-pluses, also spent two years in But Nelson is and that's what I need to top Vietnam. flattered that his summa cum laude non- As experienced as he is Dennis seems to sense. Of course, I want to top though, Nelson admits that he enjoy having him it. I naturally work hard, had to play catch-up with his around, and the because academics are really son's grades: "Unfortunately," feeling is mutual - all I have. I don't play sports he explains, "I am somewhat one instance in par- or anything, but yes, on a sub- of a perfectionist. At first, I ticular is when it tle level, it [the competition] was the one playing catch-up. comes to creating makes me work harder." Dennis has been a straight A laughs. Dennis is studying Political student since 9th grade, so "He might tell Science I In terna tiona I when I first started at you that Ido every- Relations and is hoping to cre- McDaniel, I guess I had to thing in my power ate his own major revolving prove myself." to obnoxiously around German. "I want to But the tables quickly embarrass him take my degree and maybe turned,. and Nelson has rsow vvhenever r see hi.m ",ork vvith the Foreign Service, set the "bench-.mark." After on catnpus. And or work for a human rights Nelson received the Aristotle that's true ... " organization, maybe be an Award, Dennis confessed it Dennis will not activist. Basically, I want to would be hard to fill his deny the other change the world, despite father's shoes. perks of sharing a how egocentric that sounds," "I inherited his desire to campus with his Small room, 'Sahara- like temps,' but this crib is just right projects. mask with gold decoration take the edge off. Sahara-like then again she's seen bigger EMILY SWEENEY Step two: Stock up on and red lips, and postcards of temperature aside, she seems rooms too. STAFF WRITER knick-knacks and posters. She Venice, Rome, and Florence on happy with it. The small size Guess this room is "just Step one: Figure out how says a lot of her pictures are the refrigerator. Remaining of the room isn't an issue right," to quote Goldie Locks. you want your space used. Pre-Raphaelite. There's room goes to a Care Bears cal- either. She says there are some It is cozy, despite any con- stranger- smaller or even endar, pictures of family and struction flaws, and it's deco- Rachael Stecyk ('09) has a rela- Waterhouse's The Lady of her boyfriend and tributes to shaped rooms in A&W, but rated well. tively small room, but she's Shallot and La Belle Dame college We, like a painted Phi making it work. Her standing Sans Merci, Leighton's The lamp is snug by her bed. The Accolade, and several other Mu brick. Step three: Find out what or knight-themed romance TV is so perfectly balanced glitch the room hides. Maybe over the fridge that it seems pieces. For contrast, and this is step two, but normally like it came built in. And even because she was in need of an you don't find problems until the printer over her desk dou- elongated poster to fit over the bles as a VCR stand. This closet, there ~s a triptych of you've set up. It's Murphy's Law. The quirk of this room is sa~es room fHPlhebooks. Monet paintings. The Stealer's heat. There is some strange Books for classes alone are pennant breaks up the theme stacked near head high on her even more. and unreasonable piping sys- tem oddity which dictates that The shelf part of her desk desk and free reading books a hot pipe must run through hide out under her bed along wall-covered: she holds there her room. Stecyk has talked to with assorted stuffed animals, her collection of sand castle someone about this, but she the most notable being a rose- figures and variety is thrown says she was told, "unless I bearing hedgehog. The rest of in with a Venetian glass turtle see steam coming out of my the floor space (aside from a like a sweeter version sand of wall," nothing will be fixed. Godzilla, terrorizing little walking space) is just Thus her room is titled "the enough for a: decorative chair fortresses. Th~ glass turtle oven." to hold more books and accu- comes from her parents' trip Her remedy is an open win- mulated materials such as to Italy, along with an amaz- dow and a fan, which does ing cream-colored Venetian yam, which is used for crochet