Faculty and students fight first-day jitters

As classes commenced at the University yesterday, those familiar first-day-of-school jitters surfaced for freshman students and faculty members alike. The nervousness and excitement that accompanies new challenges and responsibilities lingers for both groups of freshmen, although they are at opposite ends of the lecture hall. History and Sociology of Science lecturer Myles Jackson described his first class yesterday as a "wild and crazy" graduate seminar. "It was pretty much what I expected," he said. "There were seven people, which is a good turnout for a graduate class." Jackson likened his first day of classes to the "opening day of football season." "You have a lot of butterflies, but you're not allowed to hit anyone," he said. "You have a lot of energy to use up in the classroom." Before starting classes, College freshman Johanna Matloff said she was worried about a lack of classroom attention from University faculty members. Yesterday morning her fears were alleviated in History Professor Bruce Kucklick's "Recent American History" class. The only freshman enrolled in the course, or the only one brave enough to raise her hand when asked, Matloff's first-year status provided Kuklick with an avenue for reminiscing about his first year at the University, when male freshmen were still required to wear "dinks," or beanie-style hats. Matloff said she was slightly unnerved by the unorthodox way her first college class began, but being the focus of fellow students' interest did not dampen her enthusiasm for History 164. "I really like history and I wanted to take this class," she said. "I was kind of shocked when he asked [if there were freshmen in the room]. I was hoping maybe there would be some other freshmen in here, that's why I raised my hand. "I could follow everything [Kuklick] was saying," Matloff added. "I probably took too many notes, but I'm really interested in the class." She admitted, however, that she is uneasy about being the only freshman in the lecture. Assistant History Professor Frederick Dickinson characterized his first day on the job as "a marvelous experience." Dickinson said he taught "a little bit here and there" before coming to the University, but never structured a whole class himself. Aside from anxiety about procuring books and bulkpacks, and organizing a syllabus, Dickinson said he is eagerly anticipating teaching an East Asian diplomacy course and a freshman seminar this semester. "[The East Asian diplomacy course] was a fun class and the students seem responsive," he said. "We'll see how many show up for the second session." Assistant Psychology Professor David Knill, who arrived at the University about a month ago, said teaching his graduate seminar is not the overwhelming part of his new job. "I came back from a long weekend and was a little bit swamped with all of the work from my department," he said. "This is different from being a peer researcher. "I know my first undergraduate class is going to be nerve-wracking, but that's not 'til next term," Knill added with a laugh. College freshman Eva Dohanics said her calculus and German classes provided some surprises. "I expected a lot of people, and there were a lot of people," she said. "But I expected the professor to be a little bit more professional -- he was wearing a pink t-shirt!" Apparently, the flexibility of a college schedule -- the opportunity to start studying at noon or take two hours for lunch with friends -- also agrees with this year's freshmen. "I had a great day -- it was what I expected," said College freshman Carin Kaplan. "I was nervous until I got to the first class. "[College] is just like high school, but you're walking outside," she added. "It was fun -- I don't know why I thought it would be -- but it was."

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