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Show The Thunder fiirtf Monday Fe6ruary 4, 1985 Page 7 Fitzpatrick aims to bring challenge, change to students by Nani Lii Staheli Although she is slim and petite, a pair of cowboy boots is not too rustic for her style. Sometimes, the only companions she needs are her Shetland sheepdog, Lad, and her farm on which she grew her own food. In short, she prefers to reflect her inclusive feeling for nature. Perhaps this is the reason that Elayne Fitzpatrick, once known as the lady farmer of Carmel Valley, aims to bring the pure experience of diversity and challenge to the SUSC campus this year. Fitzpatricks temporary teaching position at SUSC came about as almost a fluke when she was selected 7 like the attitude of students who thrive on challenges . Some feel threatened by new ideas , but some open up. to take over composition classes for Michael Cohen, who is on sabbatical leave this year. At the time she made this decision, she was an instructor of English, philosophy and humanities at Monterey Peninsula College in California. Flowever, time infringed on her freelance writing, which is another important aspect of her life. Im so busy just living there that I didnt have time to write, she explains. So I decided to hole up here in the cold to write. Entering her second quarter at SUSC, Fitzpatrick has found she enjoys the personal qualities of her students. I really like the school and the people. I like the attitude of the students who thrive on challenges. Some feel MIR 1R threatened by new ideas but some open up. Fitzpatrick also considers seclusion to be another advantage offered by the area. The college is one of the most beautiful settings I have experienced, she says. However, Utah is not new to Fitzpatricks experience. A native of Salt Lake City, she earned a bachelors degree in English and journalism from the University of Utah. In 1968 she again graduated from Utah, this time with a masters degree in philosophy. She also worked as a city desk reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune and taught English at the U of U, and from 1967 to 1974 acted as promotions director for KUED. In 1976, Fitzpatrick decided to buy some land in the Carmel Valley, Calif., thus realizing a childhood dream to live in a cabin near the mountains. Teaching at Monterey Peninsula College was only one of the ways in which she made life a hobby as she learned how to raise her own food and farm animals. She is currently working on a book entitled The Shepherds of Pan, which deals with people whose lives and writings have been changed by that coastal area. This includes such literary figures as Robert Louis Stevenson, Robinson Jeffers, John Steinbeck and Henry Miller. One of Fitzpatricks most enjoyable challenges is relating her open relationship with nature to classroom situations as she exposes her students to new ideas. I consider myself to be a catalyst, not a teacher, she says. I want to help them to communicate, but the hardest thing is helping them get through to each other. To help students overcome their emotional blocks against new ways of thinking, she requires them to read philosophy and then write these thoughts in their own words. Once you understand these MENS WEAR & TUXEDO RENTAL 74 SOUTH MAIN STREET 586-249- philosophies, you can express your own feelings and critical analysis. However, Fitzpatrick considers the most important aspect of teaching to be helping students appreciate alternatives in their own lives. I want them to see there are choices everywhere and how many options they have. Especially when it comes to how theyre going to live their lives. Its important that they know that what we do does make a difference. The lifestyle that Fitzpatrick anticipates after she leaves southern Utah reflects how she values her choices. She indicates that she could return to her teaching responsibilities and freelance writing at Carmel Valley. However, living close to nature among the Navajo Indians this summer and or lining and traveling by boat throughout the Greek islands, offer some appealing alternatives for experiences and her art. You might feel guilty about having adventures, but its all a part of making an art of your life, she explains. You write about what you experience. gunk-holin- S.NX"NVV' C- ' Elayne Fitzpatrick considers herself a catalyst, not a teacher. She strives to help students get over emotional stumbling blocks to learning dhd teaches them to communicate with each other. ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF SOUTHERN UTAH ST ATf COLLEGE 4 MONDAY FEB. 4, 12:00 - NOON SNOW ACTIVITIES 6:00 PM TO 9:00 PM - CLUB CARNIVAL (JAZZ BAND PERFORMANCE) 12:00 NOON MAKE THE RIGHT IMPRESSION WITH A TUXEDO FROM MR. R'S. TUXEDO SHIRTS ALSO AVAILABLE - OPUS 12:00 NOON TUESDAY FEB. 5 III JAZZ ENSEMBLE PERFORMS IN THE SNACK BAR WEDNESDAY FEB. 6 - JAZZ BAND PERFORMS IN THE SNACK BAR THURSDAY FEB. 7 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM TO 12:00 PM WOMENS BASKETBALL GAME FRIDAY FEB. 8 - SWEETHEART BALL - $5.00 PER COUPLE SATURDAY FEB. 9, 11:00 AM - WINTER FESTIVAL ROAD RALLY |