THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 7, 1997 TAG: 9701070209
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 102 lines
Joe Browne turned almost rhapsodic during his opening remarks on the first day of his introductory biology class Monday.
``You guys,'' he said to the 30 students in the shiny green chairs in his class, ``are the real pioneers. Don't be afraid to make comments on what needs to be done. . . .
``We have created our own identity here. You all are it.''
The associate professor of biology can be excused for sounding a bit grandiose. It wasn't just the first day of class for the spring semester. It was the first day, period, for Tidewater Community College's new Norfolk campus.
Erasers and desks were missing from some classrooms. The library was still bookless. Granby Street, filled with ditch diggers and flaggers, was still an obstacle course. But overall, many administrators and students said, it was a relatively seamless beginning.
``Things are going unbelievably well,'' said John Massey, the director of the campus, who was wearing a T-shirt with the words ``Day 1'' on the back. ``We've had some students who needed to find where their rooms are, but aside from that, it's really going smoothly.''
Andrelina Polk, a physical therapy major from Norfolk, said: ``It looks nice; the buildings are pretty nice. It's kind of unorganized right now, but it's going to get together.''
Already, Massey said, 56 of the roughly 250 courses are ``filled to capacity. That's an indication that we're going to do well.''
TCC expects 1,500 to 2,000 students at the campus this semester and up to 4,000 in the fall. The campus consists of three buildings: the new Mason Andrews Science Building and the renovated Martin and Technology buildings.
Despite some long lines and hunts for classrooms, many students shared Polk's upbeat view. Kris Atkinson, a business student from Chesapeake, was taking a midday break outside the Science Building. ``It's real clean, the classes are state-of-the-art,'' he said. ``They have windows that give a lot of light.'' He didn't mind the clanging outside. ``I used to live in New York City so I'm used to a lot of noise and construction.''
A few others were less forgiving of the hassles.
Mary Alford, a Norfolk resident who hopes to transfer to Old Dominion University to study criminal justice, said she had to wait in line more than an hour for her student ID. Then she went to the makeshift bookstore in the Science Building, and ``they didn't have any of the books I need.''
More grumbling was overheard outside a computer lab in the Martin Building. Inside, more than a dozen computers lay on the floor. A sign on the door directed students in a microcomputer software class scheduled for that room to the adjacent room, which had no computers.
``How are we going to have a computer class without computers?'' groused one student.
``An innovative concept!'' said another.
Massey said the room would be ready, tables and all, by the end of the week. It will take several weeks longer to equip the empty library, but that didn't bother Dawn Hayden, an adjunct professor of English.
``I'm not sure we have books'' in the library, she told the students in her college composition class Monday morning. ``I was told we don't have tables and chairs there. But that's OK. We have the library downtown,'' she said, referring to the city's Kirn Memorial Library a few blocks away.
Browne, the biology professor, said students in his bio lab Monday afternoon would be unpacking crates of test tubes. He saw it as just another learning experience. ``They'll get a firsthand understanding of what it takes to get a lab up and running.''
When it's ready, Browne said, he and his students will be able to dabble in areas, such as DNA fingerprinting, inaccessible at TCC's other campuses. ``It's a dream come true,'' he said.
Hayden, who has taught at the college's Virginia Beach campus, said she thought Norfolk's student body was more diverse. An exercise during her first class illustrated the wide mix of students at the new campus.
She had students divide in pairs to get to know one another. After five minutes, each student gave the class a biographical sketch of his partner.
There were a Palestinian, a Puerto Rican, a Californian. There was a 19-year-old man and a few middle-aged women. An ex-Marine who wants to get a business degree and become a martial arts instructor. A mother of three with three jobs and a full class load who wants to work with disabled people. A Navy wife with a 2 1/2-year-old son who wants to work with ultrasounds.
Of course, there were many aspects of life at TCC-Norfolk typical of the first day of the semester at any college. Like the review of course requirements.
Browne had his students - at least one-third of whom were late - wincing with his list of demands.
Aside from five exams, there will be two-page papers on recent scientific news. ``You will need to do five of these,'' he said.
``What?'' moaned one student.
And there will be regular unannounced quizzes during the first 10 minutes of class. At that news, another student covered her face in disbelief.
``That does two things,'' he said of the quizzing. ``It gets you here, and it gets you here on time.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Teacher Ruth Brogan lectures students on opening day about course
requirements in an her Introduction to Psychology class. Monday, 56
of about 250 classes were full.
Busy students hurry past John Massey, left, as he takes a phone call
during Monday's opening-day frenzy. He's director of the new Norfolk
campus. .
KEYWORDS: TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPENING DAY NORFOLK
CAMPUS