The dreaded 7:30 AM finals are apon us!
The dreaded 7:30 AM finals are apon us!
Karl Sebelius
Online Editor/Webmaster
So todays the last day of classes, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Itll be another month before we have to sit through another lecture, and another day before finals start. Time to party! If youre good, you can party, study, sleep, and still be ready for that 7:30 AM final! Of course, if you were really good you would have avoided all the classes with this dreaded finals hour, but theres nothing you can do about that now.
You probably dont believe me that this can be done, so Ill walk you through it step by step. Thursday afternoon, you have your last class. Go back to your pad and relax - eat, watch TV, listen to some music - whatever, just dont work! When you feel sufficiently recovered from classes, take a quick look at your final exams schedule, and make a rough estimate of how much work youve got to do for each. Then forget it - well dont forget it, but put it in the back of your head, and turn your thoughts to more important matters: partying! At this point Ill dispense with the details, as the subject of whats the best way and place to party is a whole other editorial. Ill merely suggest that you do whatever you need to loosen up, maybe take a shower, throw on some other clothes, etc.. Then go out and have a blast. Stay out late, this is actually part of the plan, and believe it or not, can help you prepare for that 7:30 Saturday morning.
You probably followed me to the last statement, and then decided I was off my rocker. But read on, and discover the wisdom of my advice. You see the best way to deal with that 7:30 final is to stay up all night Thursday, sleep a good several hours Friday, then spend Friday night studying. Study straight through till 7:00 AM, then go to the final exam location. You can bet on a few of the better prepared people being already there, and you can nonchalantly bounce those last minute questions off them. Your professor may be there as well, and if you go up and ask him and intelligent question, chances are hell give you a good answer and a few quick tips on his test. This are often very helpful!
Take that test, take it down and out, and show it whos boss. When you leave, dont worry about it. Whether you think you did well or not, put it out of your mind, as its over and you should be turning your mind to your other finals. When you get home, look over the next days test materials, then sleep. Your best bet is to become a creature of the night during finals, when you have a slew of those 7:30 and 10:30s. Once youre into that cycle, keep it till finals are over. And dont spend all night with your nose in your books, as this will physically drain you. Take short breaks to relieve the monotony. Eat real meals, dont snack the entire time. And finally, dont do everything I just told you - find the best way for you, and go with it. And good luck!
President, trustees discuss job contract which might keep Muse in Auburn
Terry Bowden has one. David Housel has one. Why shouldn't the president of a major state university have a contract to guarantee certain aspects of his employment?
The trustees are on campus today to discuss offering a contract to Auburn President William V. Muse who has been selected as one of three finalists for the top job at the University of Minnesota. The suspected contract comes after Muse told the Associated Press a guarantee of his employment for the next five years might sway him to tell Minnesota no if he is selected as their new president.
Why shouldn't Muse be offered a contract?
He stepped into a terrible situation at Auburn and has turned things around.
Auburn, which is no longer on athletic probation, has been taken off the American Association of University Professors' black list and has seen tremendous steps taken to bring the faculty and administration closer together.
Muse has privatized the health center and offered about 200 employees early retirement in an effort to reduce costs and get back on track. Though many of his decisions have not been popular, the job of leader is not always one of smiles and cheers.
Tough decisions have to be made to try to keep Auburn running. Not to keep Auburn building new buildings or planning new programs Ñ just to keep Auburn running. Muse has genuinely done what he thought was best for Auburn, regardless of how popular it might have been with students or trustees, and he deserves respect for that ability.
The Plainsman feels he also deserves a contract. He is not a professional baseball player or a million-dollar prize fighter. He is an educator at a higher education institution and should be placed at the top of the list when the doling out of contracts takes place.
To the trustees today, we say keep Muse at Auburn. Write that contract and let him do his job for the betterment of this University.
Though Muse might want to leave for the purpose of going to a bigger school, surely the status of higher education funding in the state has been a factor.
The University of Minnesota runs on a budget in the billions of dollars while Auburn has seen cuts by the state government during the past several years that would sink any educator's heart.
One of the reasons is Gov. Fob James and the legislature's unwillingness to get rid of one of the major political vote getters in the state Ñ the community colleges.
The Plainsman feels it is time the governor stands up and calls for a reduction in the duplication of schools which suck the life from the state's education budget.
In a 50-mile radius of Auburn, there are at least three schools that offer a nursing program. Why not let AUM concentrate on nursing while Southern Union and Auburn focus on other, stronger programs AUM does not have?
If James and the legislature would reduce the number of community colleges by half there would still be 16 schools open in various parts of the state.
The Plainsman does not want to limit education for any potential student, but the entire system suffers because representatives and senators want to keep community colleges in their districts to maintain popularity.
Not only does the system suffer, but so do the educators and students Ñ those for whom the system is set up.
The Plainsman feels it does not speak well of the educational situation in the state when it takes a university president considering leaving to draw the governor's attention.
But now that Auburn does have James' attention, he needs to realize the problems at Auburn are not going to be solved by trying to put a Band-aid on a fatal wound.
It is time to make the tough decisions that need to be made and reduce the number of two-year schools before major, four year institutions begin closing their doors.
