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"NOLA and Other Random Items"

October 18, 2006

Greetings R-Journal Readers!

Steve with a statue at the hotel in NOLA

Before I begin with this scintillating update, please let me take the time to sincerely thank all of you for the deluge of emails in the past couple of weeks. It is great to know that SO many of you are considering Rollins as your college home. I consider it a privilege that I am able to help you all on your educational journey. Keep the emails coming in—I’m more than happy to help!

So, I promised an exciting update—and an exciting update you will get. This past Wednesday, I returned home (notice that I call Rollins home—it’s amazing how quickly the transformation takes place) from a “fun-filled” (extremely busy) four days back in the Bayou known as New Orleans, Louisiana. Professor of Mathematics Dick James and I flew out to prepare for a future trip in January for more than sixty people from Rollins! Coordinating logistics for a group of twenty or so (in previous Rollins Relief trips) has been difficult, so Dick and I wanted to ensure that all of our ducks were in a row, so to speak, as a group of 60 requires more than just a modicum of preparation. While in NOLA (New Orleans, LA—get it???), Dick and I visited local attractions, tested large restaurants (what a tough job), and even managed to get in a few good days of work. It is amazing to see how there are so many more people back in St. Bernard Parish even since our last trip in May. I simply cannot wait to see some of the amazing progress that will have been made by the time we all visit in January. Nevertheless, I can say one thing definitively: there will still be work to be done!

The swimming pool of a home in St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans

Back at Rollins, I have kept extremely busy as well. My involvement in Student Government keeps me “meeting-hopping” most afternoons, and my role as a student organization liaison ensures that I rarely get a free afternoon at the pool. Not that I would want it…groups at Rollins are doing such amazing things this year! Rollins provides a great support structure for any group of students wanting to start, sustain, or grow a student organization. It is as easy as finding a few students and an advisor to start an organization. Presently, we have more than 80 organizations on campus—and more than $100,000 to support their activities! I really enjoy my role as a liaison between different student organizations because it allows me the opportunity to dabble in a variety of different groups on campus. Trust me, it is very hard to pick only a few.

Steve dons a hard hat and protective mask while gutting a home in New Orleans.

My classes are progressing quite well also. In the next couple of R-Journals, I’ll try to briefly outline most of them. One class that I will highlight in this entry is my class on US-Cuban relations. (I am actually not sure of the exact name of the class—I actually rather impishly refer to it as “Cuba class”.) The class is taught by Dr. Paolo Spadoni. This year is Dr. Spadoni’s first at Rollins. He comes to us from the great Latin American Studies program at the University of Florida. Dr. Spadoni is an incredibly interesting expert on Cuba. An Italian citizen, Dr. Spadoni visits Cuba frequently and provides a very objective view of US-Cuban relations. In addition, Dr. Spadoni is regularly quoted or published in a diverse set of media outlets ranging from The Christian Science Monitor to Al-Jazerra. The class structure is very interesting. Like many of my upper level politics classes, there are no tests. Yes, you read correctly—no tests! However, you’ll more than make up those hours in the library with hours spent on researching a mammoth research paper on modern Cuba-US relations and on writing a two-page summary each week. In addition, as part of the class structure, a different student actually teaches the class each day, giving a presentation on the assigned reading. Obviously, Dr. Spadoni will add his sage insight at the end of class and answer any of our lingering questions. The class is certainly a challenge, but extremely interesting. I’m guessing that it sounds a bit different from one of your high school classes—and if not, I wish I had attended your high school!

Well, that looks to be all for this edition! I know that we’ve been all over the place (and country) in this journal. The next one will be no different…I’m headed out to Boston this weekend to do a couple of Rollins receptions. In the Boston area and want to come? Jot me a quick email—I’ll get you the details!

Have a fantastic week! My dad called last week and told me that it has already snowed in Ohio—so stay warm if you are in the Great State of Ohio or elsewhere in the north. We aren’t having too many cold problems down here!

Steve

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