ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, September 3, 1996 TAG: 9609030026
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Reporter's notebook,
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE
I'm fairly certain I might not respond accordingly if a 19-year-old ordered me to square my corners as I strolled the upper quad of Virginia Tech's campus.
Still, after spending several days over the last two weeks with Tech's Corps of Cadets, I believe they're onto something here that the rest of us might could use.
Just look at what you get during a disciplined, toe-the-line cadre week:
Get up early (5:30 a.m., to be exact) for sunrise exercise, while the air's still cool and mist covers the mountains. Eat a well-rounded breakfast. Then on to a busy but fully scheduled day where meetings aren't allowed to go over time. At every meal, somebody makes sure you drink plenty of water and eat enough fruit.
People pay big money to health spas for routine. Maybe, in these days of fee-based government services, the corps could earn a little extra scholarship endowment spending money by setting up a looser, cadre-style week for adults who are constantly on the run. This would slow them down, and put them on a defined schedule. Remind them to pay more attention to detail, and get a good night's sleep. Plus, no phone calls! No distractions at all! As a bonus, you wouldn't have to worry about what to wear, because because they'll tell you.
And then, of course, after one week we'd all be free again. Free, but invigorated. The new cadets I interviewed on the first day of classes seemed exhilarated by what they'd learned about themselves - how much they could do in one day, all while feeling healthy.
With classes just started on local college campuses, there's a lot going on.
Over at Virginia Tech, the big enrollment reportedly is crowding classrooms. One student I talked to last week said students are sitting on the floors in some of her classes.
Radford University has some new administrators who've come on board this summer, key people for the school.
Ann Ferren is now vice president for academic affairs, replacing Charlie Owens. Her academic credentials are impressive: Magna cum laude from Radcliffe College, master's from Harvard's Graduate School of Education, and doctorate in education from Boston University. She was American University's interim provost 1993-1995.
Director of Admissions David Kraus is another key addition. During the Radford restructuring of two years ago, the position of admissions director was merged with the job of registrar. When Doug Covington became president last year, he took one look at the declining enrollment figures and decided the school needed an admissions director.
In a brief interview last week, Covington said, "It didn't make any sense to me that a university experiencing enrollment decline ... would do away with that position."
Kraus, formerly of the University of New Hampshire, was hired following a search held during the last school year. He arrived in Radford this summer, after completing the school year in New Hampshire, Covington said.
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