The Rochester Review, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA

The Moveable Classroom

That's the idea behind a residential college campus--behind this college campus in particular, as you'll see on the following photos.

Internship: Miina Siekkenan '97 (right) at Wilson Commencement Park, a transitional housing program for single-parent low-income families. The job helped her decide on a career in social work, she says. "I saw how effective people can be when they help other people."

Student-teaching: Nazanin Barzideh '97 at work as a teaching assistant for freshmen and sophomores in Physics 114. "In trying to answer their questions, I learned something, too," she says. "And it made me much more comfortable with the material."

Advisee/advisor: Chemical engineering major Shannon Phillips '00 talks with Professor Harvey Palmer. His most memorable bit of advice? "Don't stress out too much," she says. "He told us to make sure we're having fun."

Time out: Joanne Cosiol '97, Dan Goldsmith '97, and Katie Peters '97 play cards in Gale House. Says Cosiol, "When you leave the library and come home, you see how much more there is to life."

Sisterhood: Gamma Phi Beta sisters celebrate victory in a Greek Week tug-of-war. Skye Morey '99 (right) thinks that Greek life "teaches you a lot about yourself socially--what kinds of qualities you look for in close friends."

Dance class: This kind of activity "opens your eyes to different art forms, " says Nadia Davidson '98, treasurer of the African and Caribbean Culture Club. "Dancing isn't just aesthetic beauty: There's meaning behind certain movements."

Team spirit: Rejoicing over a three-run homer by Bobby Versacci '99. "Being on our particular team is like having a second family," he says. "If I had problems, I wouldn't hesitate to ask someone on the team for personal advice."

Where the acting is: Ryan Overbeck '98 calls performing "an exercise in mental discipline. I've gotten a feeling for what it's like to do professional work--and I think I can use those skills in pretty much whatever I try."

Paperwork: Observing a Campus Times tradition--time out to watch The Simpsons. "I learn a lot by working with other people as colleagues," says managing editor Jason Hammersla '99. "The rest of my academic life requires individual achievement, but at the CT there's an emphasis on teamwork." Groupthink: "The easiest way to study for an exam is to describe to someone else exactly what you've learned," explains Brian Beauchamp '97, a microbiology major. "If you can do that, you'll probably ace the exam."

Pride of D'Lions: Krista Hanypsiak '00 and Chris Cuccia '99, who was "Big Brother" to Haynpsiak for her freshman year. The experience benefited him as well, he believes: "I used to be not at all outgoing--and this really helped me learn how to relax."

R.A. training: Being a resident advisor taught Andrea Leyland '97 to honor people's feelings, she says. "You'll have someone running to you, yelling because there's a bug in their room. You just want to laugh--but if it's really bothering them, you have to take it seriously." Class assignment: Build a car that both climbs hills and floats on water (specifically, the Genesee). Project leader Scott Bartholomew '97 says the group learned "a handful of practical skills--welding and all kinds of stuff--that you just can't get in a regular classroom."

Quiet time: Going to class is just the first step, says Marissa Kuhn '97. "I'll sit in a lecture hall and hear the professor talk--but I don't truly understand it until I sit down in some quiet place like the Welles-Brown Room and go through it by myself. I have to digest the material."

Pick-up chess match: Tim Beach '97, Zach Loavenbruck '99, Ivan Troy '97, and Jacob Pyne '99. The game teaches you to think strategically, says Troy. "It can be a nice escape, too, because you can't think about anything else if you want to win."

Stacking and sorting: Not only does his part-time job in the Office of University Public Relations help pay for his studies, it also teaches him the value of "good communications skills, teamwork, responsibility, punctuality," says Manny Ramirez '00. "All those skills you take with you, with every position you hold."

Candle-lighting: Aaron Weber '97 and Valerie Levy '98 lead Shabbat services at the Interfaith Chapel. "If you go to school only for academics, I think you're missing out on a lot," says Levy. "The whole university experience is one of spiritual seeking and self-exploration."

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