Will teachers try to mold my brain to think like theirs?

Will teachers try to mold my brain to think like theirs?

Yes. All teachers are mad scientists who dream of creating their own minions, minions who will one day aid in a new world order in which teachers are the overlords and everyone else must provide the teacher overlords with an endless supply of apples. But not those squishy apples. The nice, shiny, crisp apples that make a loud crunching noise when you bite into them...or a good apple cobbler, but only if ice cream is supplied as well.

Okay, in reality, most teachers are not mad scientists. There may be a few mad scientists in The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, but we find that to be advantageous for our students who desire appropriate mad scientist role models.


A lot of students get the impression that their teachers are trying to mold their brains or brainwash them into a prescribed system of thought. And the reason that this erroneous impression occurs is that teachers speak with conviction. And teachers speak with conviction because they are knowledgeable and want to be taken seriously. Just as they want you to be knowledgeable and taken seriously.

No one who works at UTC wants you to be so malleable that you will blindly become and think just like them. All of your teachers want you to learn all that you can and think for yourself and speak with conviction.

Here is a lovely video that may help you understand what your teachers really want, besides shiny, crisp apples: 

                                                   

Professor Repentista


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelseaparkerphotography/6095101959/">chelsea.parker.photo</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hubmedia/402274680/">Andy Field (Field Office)</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

Where's the Football Field?

You've heard about the game tonight. You think you might want to go. But you're curious about one small thing:

Where is the Football Field?

  


What? You didn't see it? It's right in the middle of campus. You couldn't have missed it. Oh wait, that's where it used to be. When it was Chamberlain Field and looked like this

 

Ok, so if that's not it, where is it? It's Finley Stadium, and it's downtown-ish, so you'll need to catch a ride.  Here's some more info:

Mocs FOOTBALL vs UT-Martin @ 7:30 PM (Finley Stadium)

·         Tried & True Blue – Fans are encouraged to WEAR BLUE to ALL Chattanooga Mocs events this season!

·         FREE GIVEAWAYS

o    3,000 Tried & True Blue Shirts given away at the gates

o    2,000 Blue poms inside the stadium

o    1,500 Thundersticks in the Student Sections

o    2,5000 Seat Cushions courtesy of Tennessee Division of Forestry

o    2,000 Schedule magnets courtesy of Bi-Lo

o    “Go Mocs” Spirit Cards throughout the pavilion and stadium

·         McDonald’s Mocs Maniacs Tailgate Town – FREE for students!  The hub for UTC Student Tailgating! (right beside the First Tennessee Pavilion) Music, tents, tables, FREE giveaways, cornhole games, and ladder golf!!! Party in the Pavilion officially starts at 4pm. 

·         FREE Transportation for Students to and from the game – Student bus pick up at Lansing Court and UTC Place starting at 6:00pm and running until 30 minutes after the end of the game.

·         Postgame FIREWORKS!!!

She said Thundersticks.

Cheers,
Dr. Y

Who Are You?

Though we've been a bit quiet in the last week or so (college is hard, y'all), we are still here and about ready to really answer your questions. In the meantime, you may be asking yourself:

Who Are You?

The short answer is it's a mystery. You will likely never know just who we are. The long answer is that we are a team of UTC professors who know more than you will ever know. We're wicked smart, wickedly smart-assed, and somehow still interested in you. You know me already: Dr. Y. I've been here at UTC just long enough to be dangerous, and I'm cheeky. That's all you really need to know about me.

Periodically, you'll hear from my compadres, so without further ado, allow me to introduce:

I'm a jack of all trades.  I know a lot about a lot, and my motor mouth is happy to share it with you.  I'm nerdy but cool (or at least I like to think so).  If I don't know the answer to your questions, I'll hunt it down for you or point you in the direction where you can find it.  I can talk to anyone about anything. I'm Professor Chatterbox.

Professor Repentista's heart sings when she can sit in her Abuela's kitchen and enjoy enchilada casserole, ice-cold Coca-Cola, and Tejano music. She spends her spare time reading, writing, and dancing in Wal-mart--just to embarrass her children. Repentista holds a Master's degree from The School of Hard Knocks and specializes in never giving up.

The Cynical Bastard. He's so cynical and such a bastard that he refused to give me a bio to post. Get used to it.

That's us. Watch for regular posts starting next week. How do you "watch" - follow us on twitter @UTCDoctorWhy. Warning: We folla' back. 

Cheers,

Dr. Y

Is College Worth It?

Whether you are on a scholarship (HOPE or other) or working your butt off to pay for it (or possibly both!), you know that College. Is. Expensive. Naturally, you wonder:

IS COLLEGE WORTH IT?

The short answer is yes, but there is a much larger answer. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we are oh-so-condescendingly-busy in this, the first week of classes, so we will let our friend John Green answer for us.  

PS: He does it better than we could. 
PPS: He's not really our friend.
PPPS: Yet.


Cheers,
Dr. Y

What Should I Bring the First Day of Class?

Apparently, we have competition. UTC Student Success has your best interests at heart, I'm sure. Howevah, in the interest of providing you with the best possible information (i.e. WINNING), here is our answer to

What should I bring the first day of class?

Pay no attention to the points granted our answer. It rocks way more than 1 measly point. Here's the list:

• Your Brain - That's right. We want you to think right from the very start. We want your to ask good questions and to engage with whatever we're doing (even if it is a boring lecture - boooooo).

• Your Voice - Have an opinion. Speak up. Raise it (respectfully), and your professors will always remember you. In a good way. Not in a walked-in-late-and-had-to-sit-on-the-front-row-of-a-huge-auditorium-way.

•  Your Energy - Yeah, sure, it's great to get a good night's sleep, but even if you don't, and even if it is an 8 am class and you're dying, grab you some Red Bull or whatever dangerous substance you prefer and get UP for class. I don't just mean get up for class although getting out of bed and not skipping the first day is highly recommended. I mean GET UP for class, so you actually can feel yourself investing in what a great semester it's going to be. I've got no research to support this claim, and even if I did, I wouldn't read it, but I'm pretty sure your energy level on day one has some sort of curving direct correlation to your success in December. Just sayin'.

• Your Pet Squirrel - He wants to learn too. Just make sure you bring him some coffee. 
  

Cheers,
Dr. Y

PS: If you've got questions you want answered, send them to utcdoctorwhy@gmail.com.

How Will I Find My Classes?

It's Friday night. You have had a great time at Welcome Week and are sure to continue the fun into the evening. Saturday will come and Sunday, and somewhere along about 11 pm Sunday night, you will remember that question you wrote down at orientation.

 

How Will I Find My Classes?




We have SO got you covered. The only problem is it requires you get up in the morning. Not sure how happening  that is, but here's the information anyway:

Join us on Saturday, August 17th at 9am in the University Center Auditorium, 2nd floor, and we will gladly take students on a tour to show them where their classes will take place. Students should bring a copy of their schedule with them.

That's the official word from the New Student and Family Programs Office.  Of course, let's just imagine for a moment that you stay up - idunno - somewhere past late tonight, and 9 o'clock is not an hour you want to be friends with just yet. What to do then? Here's an idea:

Take this map (you can download and print it at the link) or dig out of some bag the one they gave you at Parking Services or orientation or wherever.  Get a few friends and some flashlights and explore campus at whatever godforsaken hour you want. Take a phone (program Campus Security's number - 423-425-4257 - into it) to be safe and explore to your heart's content. You won't be able to locate the exact rooms, but you could sure find some decent shortcuts and routes. And come Monday, you'll know this place better than some faculty members do.

One final tip: On Monday, make sure you give yourself enough time to find parking if you live off-campus and to find those room locations. Or go to the 9 am thing if that makes you happy. We won't judge.

Cheers,
Dr. Y

Launch Code Initiated.

Let's hope it's more like this:

GIFSoup
Than this: