Feature Editor- Jana McBride |
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| Volume 26, Issue #1 |
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September 8, 1999
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Feature Editor- Jana McBride |
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| Volume 26, Issue #1 |
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September 8, 1999
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| TUTORING AT NIACC... Articles by Laura Ostrander, Opinion Editor |
| Tutoring at NIACC offers students
both an opportunity to earn extra money and get help with a class.
Tutoring is available on campus for almost every class NIACC offers, and utilizing a tutor can prove to be the deciding factor in the level of a student’s success. Sometimes the best thing for a student struggling with a class is to get tutoring, according to Jessica Putnam, tutor coordinator/instructor. “The more tutoring that goes on here at NIACC, the more students will see it as an opportunity,” Putnam said. Many students struggle with more advanced classes, and Putnam said that getting a tutor for that class could make the difference between a passing and a failing grade. “It does not matter that the learning is not in a conventional way,” Putnam said, “as long as it happens.” Jason Stroup, a tutor in the Independent Study Lab, said that tutoring can be as rewarding as it is frustrating. “I like to tutor because I like to help people learn,” Stroup said, “but like any other job it can be frustrating and time-consuming.” Stroup said that tutoring is a good asset for NIACC students because it helps the student further understand material that is covered in the class or in the book. “Tutoring helps solidify the fundamentals of the subject in which you are tutoring,” Stroup said. Putnam said that tutoring entails more than just the student furthering his or her understanding; the tutor learns along with the student. “Tutoring keeps the content fresh for the tutor and it teaches him or her the differences among people and their learning styles,” Putnam said. Although science and math tutors are the most in demand, anybody who wishes to tutor or needs a tutor can contact Putnam in her office in the NIACC Library. According to one NIACC tutor and his tutoring student, it is a common misconception held by students that people who need tutoring are unintelligent because they struggle with some classes more than other students. Tutoring is not solely for unsuccessful students. In fact, some of NIACC’s better students succeeded with the help of a tutor. Adam Richard, a sophomore tutor in the ISL, said that students who could benefit from tutoring often feel reluctant to seek help because they do not wish to appear stupid. “People who are considering seeking tutoring but are wary because they think only unintelligent people need help should really give it a try because sometimes all it takes is that little bit of extra help,” Richard said. Often, students who need tutoring in one area are capable of tutoring in another. Jessica Putnam, tutor coordinator/instructor, said that tutoring gives students a new approach to learning as well as assistance with a difficult class. “It is interesting seeing students who were reluctant to ask for tutoring become tutors themselves. It speaks of growth,” Putnam said. Richard said that often tutoring is a more effective method of helping students learn than the traditional college lecture. “Tutoring is a more informal atmosphere in which to learn because the tutor and tutee are both students,” Richard said. Richard said he encourages all students in need of help to seek tutoring, and that there is nothing to be ashamed of about needing extra help. “I have a lot of respect for people who get tutoring,” Richard said. “It shows a lot of maturity.” |
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| SWING DANCING REVIVAL... by Jenn Litterer, Assistant Editor |
| In 1932 Duke Ellington’s song,
“It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing,” launched swing music.
During the 30s and 40s, swing dancing took over dance halls across the
country. Now in the 90s swing dancing has made a comeback, and NIACC
students have a chance to learn to swing.
NIACC’s Continuing Education hired Dillon and Josie Olson to teach East Coast and West Coast swing dancing. “It’s a great aerobic exercise,” Josie Olson said. There are three types of swing: East Coast, West Coast and Lindy Hop. According to Dillon, West Coast started during WWII. In this form, a couple dances in an area the size of a door because during the war the dance floors were so small that dancers had to dance in small areas.. The guy dances the rails, which would be the width of the door, and the lady dances the slot, which is the length of the door Dillon said. East Coast is where the jitterbug originated, while Lindy Hop started in England and is the aerial swing many people see on TV where the guy throws the girl over his head and between his legs. According to the Olsons, East Coast and Lindy Hop are really popular. About three and half years ago, the Olsons saw swing dancing on TV, and thought it looked fun so they found someone to teach them. Josie said they want to get a core group started in North Iowa because they don’t want to see anything die out. According to Josie, no one dances around here, even though there are places to dance. Josie said once a person learns a dance, it stays with him or her for awhile. Right now the Olsons belong to a swing club in Minneapolis. “We like to dance. We think it’s a lot of fun,” Josie said. Last fall at the Surf Ballroom, the Olsons taught swing dancing two nights a week. On Tuesdays it was West Coast and Wednesdays East Coast. According to Baraba Eisenmenger, the dance coordinator from Continuing Education, last fall 22 people took West Coast lessons and 37 people learned East Coast. Josie said the ages of swingers ranges from junior high students to 70 year olds. “It’s for every age,” Josie said. According to Josie, West Coast swing is not very difficult for the girls to learn because all they do is follow. However, it can be difficult for guys as they do all the work by thinking of the move and remembering the steps. Yet, once a student learns the basic steps than the real fun can start as he or she can show off the swing style that is making a big comeback in North Iowa. If a student is interested in taking lessons, he or she should contact Continuing Education (ext. 4358). This semester four sessions of East Coast are being offered starting Wednesday night September 15 from 7-8 pm at the Clear Creek Elementary in Clear Lake. Cost is $16 per person and students should be registered a week before the 15th. |
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| MOVIES HELP SWING DANCING... by Rua Pokladnik, for the LOGOS |
| Have you heard about the latest craze
that’s been “swinging” the nation? You would have had to have been
living under a rock for the past year or so not to.
The craze is swing dancing. Its a style of music and dance that’s a throwback to the 1930s and 40s and has become so popular that it has popped up in movie themes. One example is the movie Swing Kids, directed by Thomas Carter and starring Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale and Barbara Hershey. The movie takes place in Nazi Germany during 1939. The swing kids are a group of people that would rather dance to swing music and have a good time than partake in the present political situation. As a result, the swing kids get in multiple confrontations with the Hitler-entranced youth. “The screenplay is so murky, indeed, that I was never sure whether the kids hated the Hitler Youth because they were Nazis, or simply because they didn’t swing,” said Roger Ebert in a review of Swing Kids, which appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times. Another example is the film Swingers. It was directed by Doug Liman, written by Jon Favreau, and starred Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick VanHorn and Alex Desert. Swingers takes place in Hollywood, and is about a group of friends who are attempting to get their break in the entertainment industry. The plot follows this group of friends in their quest to find the best nightclub. Swing dancing is featured in some of the nightclubs that they visit in the film. Trent (Vaughn) takes Mike (Favreau), who is mourning the separation from his girlfriend, on a midnight trip to Las Vegas to pick up women. Swingers could easily be cut from the same cloth as such films like Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs. Swing Kids and Swingers are both available for rental on video. |
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