A Tulane Professor You Must Take

Have you gotten bored from taking mundane core business school classes? Are you looking to change up your academic schedule and add some spice into your curriculum? Well, look no further than Professor Reginald Parquet, a renowned Tulane School of Social Work professor.

 

Professor Parquet teaches one of my favorite classes at Tulane called Guns & Gangs.  Every time I have his class, I know I will come out learning something about real life scenarios.  His classes do not seem like “class” because you are learning about real-life scenarios that capture every students attention.  For instance, we learned about weapons, drug markets, gang membership, and gang problems.  All of the material in this class is unlike any class offered at Tulane, and Professor Parquet makes a serious effort to make us aware of these inner city issues.  Several students of Professor Parquet call his classes “hidden Tulane gems.”

 

Professor Parquet even went to a great length and surprised our whole class by bringing in former gang members one day.  We were all surprised because at the beginning of the year Reginald warned us that he rarely can get the gang members to come speak in class because they tend to stay out of the public eye. The former gang members first told their story to the whole class and told us their lessons learned from their unique experiences.  Hearing their life-path was actually really motivational, inspiring, and interesting.

All of these unique experiences with Professor Parquet bring us back to the question of “Where else can you get this experience”.  The answer is probably very little other places, which means every Tulane student should take full advantage of this opportunity to take Reginald’s classes.  He is hilarious, and outside of Tulane he is an expert in his field.  On the popular website, www.ratemyprofessors.com, one student commented on Reginald’s page that “they should replace the ugly modern art in the academic quad with a statue of Parquet.”  Clearly, his students love him he even rewards his students each semester with a pizza party.  So, when registration comes this spring in April, keep Reginald Parquet in mind.

Do you have any memorable teachers similar to Reginald Parquet?  Even though they could not possibly be better than him, let us know about your picks in the comment section below. 

Mikey Flynn

Southborough, MA

mflynn7@tulane.edu

A Greek Letter

How many siblings do you have? I have one brother, and about 250 sisters.

Coming to Tulane, I knew I wanted to participate in Greek Life. I had spent my whole life going on family vacations with my mom’s college sorority sisters, and wanted to be able to drag my future family on the same types of outings.

Luckily, Tulane has a spring rush system, which means everyone gets a chance to settle into freshman year as one collective group. I had my dorm friends, my class friends, my laundry room friends, and was so excited to add sorority friends to the mix.

They say rush is one of the most stressful parts of college, and I can’t say I disagree, but the outcome is well worth it. Come bid day, I found myself screaming and jumping up and down with a bunch of freshman that were about to become my sisters.

The best part of the spring rush system is that you already have friends, and some will most likely end up in a different sorority than you. Suddenly, the opportunities to meet new people and expand your friend group will multiply. Walking down Broadway, it’s impossible not to run into someone you know, never mind the letters on their t-shirt.

While I expected being in a sorority would be fun, I never really thought about exactly what it would mean. It gives me a support system at Tulane, across the country from my family, friends, and home. There is always someone that can help you with a homework problem or who just wants to hang out. I have a family within my sorority (my “big sister” and “little sister”), and that makes Tulane feel even more like home.

Mixers with rhyming themes, t-shirts with sparkly letters, and painless community service hours are what I thought being in a sorority would be about. And while those are definitely enjoyable perks, have an automatic group of 250 people you can consider sisters is so much greater than I could have predicted. And, if nothing else, a lot more people wave to you on the way to class. What would you do if you had 250 sisters?



Alex Feigenbaum
Wellesley, Massachusetts
afeigenb@tulane.edu

Studying Abroad in Granada

Guest blogger: Brandon Faske

As if going to school in New Orleans wasn’t good enough, the opportunity to study abroad during your junior year makes your Tulane experience even better. Many people say that New Orleans is the most European city in American and with its deep French and Spanish influences, they are right. From the food to the music and outlook on life, New Orleans is unique in the United States. Yet, there is no substitute for living another culture first hand. That is why, there is nothing I can recommend more than study abroad.

Our host family for a day in Morocco

I am a Spanish minor who believes in the importance of knowing more than one language. Accordingly, I decided to study abroad in Granada, Spain in the Andalucia region of the country. This program allowed me to fully immerse myself in the Spanish culture—taking classes in Spanish with Spanish students at the University of Granada and living with a host family all while living in a smaller city in which not all residents spoke English. The experience was a challenge and a learning experience that shapes the way I think about the world now that I am back home.

Myself with all of Granada
 in the background.

When you study abroad, you engage in conversations with people with completely different lived experiences and outlooks on life. They often challenge your commonly held beliefs and viewpoints which will broaden your outlook. You learn new cultural values—some you will like and some you will not—that you can try to implement back home and discuss with friends. In Spain, the culture is significantly less competitive than the United States and embraces the community and time with the family. The traditional siesta is embraced; stores close in the late afternoon as families gather for a long lunch (which always leaves you in a food coma) before restarting the day. This eliminates stress and shortens the day. After work families will rejoin each for a smaller dinner late in the evening or to get tapas at the local café (and maybe a beer or two). These are just a few of the lifestyle nuances that everyone should get to experience and no matter where in the world you choose to study, you will have the chance to live a new lifestyle.

My roommate Adam Hoskins and I
with our host parents in Granada

While abroad, you will also have the opportunity to travel outside of your host country. I personally got to see Oktoberfest in Munich, the sights of Paris, the hills and villages of Northern Morocco, and the historic mosques and landscape of Istanbul all in my four months. There is no substitute for experiencing the world’s history and most interesting people. Travel is easy and relatively affordable while in Europe, so keep that in mind when choosing a location to go abroad. You really cannot make a mistake when selecting a destination though.

As Tulane often advocates, the best education takes place outside the classroom. When you study abroad you have the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned throughout your school years and apply it to the world at large. What can be more valuable than that?

Talk Politics with a Living Legend

 One of the best parts of the high school to college transitions is the ability to take the classes you want and you are passionate about. Throughout your four years at Tulane, you’ll take classes you like and dislike and there will be a certain few you never forget.

Each spring semester famed political mind James Carville, the brains behind Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential Campaign, gives students a hands-on, in the trenches look into politics unlike anything else on campus. Professor Carville spent years as a political analyst on CNN before recently being hired by Fox News and now brings that candor, excitability, and unpredictability to the classroom.

When I took the course last spring, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I knew I had a nerd-like passion for politics as an international relations major, but knew this would be a far cry from my Intro to American Government course. You can’t help but be a little star-struck by the “Ragin’ Cajun” sitting in front of you in class with his signature accent talking about the politics of the day. The central theme of our class was the Republican Party’s need for change after the 2012 Presidential election.

Professor Carville leads the class as ABC News’
George Stephanopoulos listens intently

In order to give us the full spectrum of perspectives about the Republican Party, Professor Carville invited some casual guests to our class: Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Former Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of RedState.com Erick Erickson, and Mitt Romney’s lead pollster Neil Newhouse were just a few of the notable voices who lent the class a hand.

The best part is that all the speakers are off-the-record meaning they will pretty much say anything and add an element of honesty you don’t always get when you read about them in, say, The New York Times or Politico. Bobby Jindal gave us a test run of a speech he was planning to give to a national audience the next day. Eliot Spitzer got frank with us about political scandals. You can’t replicate what you get in this class.

Professor Carville has no qualms about giving his thoughts on an issue and riling up the class. He’ll divulge lessons learned from a career and politics and be upfront about the issues he sees in today’s political world.

Professor Carville speaking at Tulane Commencement

Lastly, you might be thinking to yourself “Wow, this sounds amazing, but intimidating!” Don’t worry about that. As long as you come to class prepared Professor Carville doesn’t care what you think, “as long as you think.” After all, isn’t that what college is all about?



Brandon Faske
Haworth, NJ
bfaske@tulane.edu

New Orleans is Always the Place to Be

New Orleans is a unique and vibrant city, there is so much to do and see. One weekend is not enough time to really immerse yourself into the New Orleans community. That’s why coming to school here is a must! You really need a lifetime to get to know the Crescent City, but coming to school at Tulane is a great start.

Going to college in a city like New Orleans means there is never a dull weekend. Any free time on the weekends is a great time to take a break from studying and take the street car downtown into the French Quarter. Taking a walk into the less touristy part of town gives you a slightly different perspective of the Quarter. Just walking through the streets you are able to see the beauty of the architecture and you can really get a vibe for what New Orleans is really all about. The quieter and peaceful streets of the French Quarter are not far from the famous Bourbon Street, yet you feel like you are miles away.

Some people say there are also more festivals in New Orleans than there are days. Every weekend there is something going on either at a music club, in City Park, or somewhere around the city. As a student at Tulane there is an endless lists of things to do on the weekends. Festivals can range from Po Boy fest to Jazz Fest or to something a little smaller like the Barbeque and Blues festival. New Orleans has something for everyone to enjoy, no matter what your interests are or where you come from New Orleans has it.

Becoming a New Orleans food expert is also a very good way to get involved in the local community. There are Cajun cooking classes available that teach the ins and outs of everything you need to know about cooking the New Orleans way. One of the great places to go is the New Orleans Cooking School. Also, if you are interested in music there are hundreds of more intimate gigs that are perfect for music lovers. Places like Tipitina’s, the Spotted Cat, or the famous Preservation Hall are just some of the great places to really get submerged in the New Orleans culture.

If you are planning to visit Tulane soon to take a look at the campus, try to check out some of the music clubs, or just take a walk around the French Quarter. I am sure you will stumble on something that you won’t see anywhere else. I am sure visiting Tulane and New Orleans will be a very memorable experience. Just think, you could spend the best four years of your life in one of the most unique and vibrant cities in America. Just think about that for a second.

If you have any questions about visiting Tulane or coming to school here, please don’t hesitate to reply or contact me!



Gemma Dryburgh, from Aberdeen, Scotland, gdryburg@tulane.edu

50 Years of Desegregation: How Tulane is Celebrating

Guest blogger: Alex Williams

50 years ago, Tulane admitted its first Black students. This school year is a milestone for the university as it celebrates this very important anniversary. As the semester winds down, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on everything Tulane has done so far to celebrate. In just the first semester of this year, Tulane has had 6 very distinguished speakers, which is almost unheard of. Among them are Michelle Alexander, legal scholar and author of The New Jim Crow, the book that was chosen for Tulane’s first year reading project; prison reform activist Jackie Sumell; and Angela Davis, Freedom Activist and former Vice Presidential candidate. As a freshman, it made me really happy to see how much Tulane does to commemorate important occasions. For more about the actual desegregation, check out this link from Tulane magazine: http://www.pageturnpro.com/Progress-Printing/53269-109569_Tulane-Sept13-Ptp/index.html#16

In addition to featuring a number of speakers, Tulane has held many events to commemorate the anniversary. On November 20, the Tulane Law School held a re-enactment of the court cases that led to Tulane’s desegregation. Current law students played the lawyers and judge. It was moderated by Tulane Law School professor Robert Westley; Laura Adderley, the chair of the African & African Diaspora Studies department; and Carolyn Barber-Pierre, the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Mrs. Barber-Pierre is the head of the committee that is sponsoring these events, which includes panel discussions and documentary screenings. 

“We have so much to learn from our history about race relations, justice, equality and the vestiges of desegregation we are still dealing with today,” says Barber-Pierre. “This re-enactment is designed to get our students thinking about the great injustices of the past and to help them navigate similar situations that are unfortunately still a part of our society in many ways.”

This year, special attention is being paid to the first Black students who attended Tulane, including the ones who filed the initial lawsuit that led to the desegregation. Stephen Martin, Sr. was the first Black scholarship athlete to play at Tulane, and the first Black athlete to play in the Southeastern Conference. Pearlie Hardin Elloie and Barbara Guillory Thompson were the two original plaintiffs in the desegregation case, and are featured in an upcoming documentary about Tulane’s desegregation. This documentary features many other groundbreaking Black students at Tulane, and is slated for release next year. A preview of the documentary as well as a short article about it can be found here: http://cooperproject.org/doctulane50preview/. Marilyn Bernard, a 1968 graduate of Newcomb College and one of the people featured in the film had this to say:

"It’s really interesting. When Carolyn called me and said, ‘It’s been 50 years and we’re doing this documentary.’ I’m thinking it never occurred to me that 50 years later somebody would want to know, ‘How did you feel when you did that, when you went to that school?’ because it was just part of my life. It was just a part of my entire 66 years." -Marilyn Bernard (photo from Tulane Jambalaya, 1968)

Although so much was done this semester, next semester is going to be just as great. More speakers, more events, and more awareness about the issues that we still face today. I will definitely update as the year goes on, so stay tuned!

When I’m not blogging, I enjoy the company of my dog and getting into shenanigans. Follow me on Twitter as I make my way through freshman year! @TulaneAlex

10 Things We'll Miss About Tulane This Holiday Break

Guest Blogger: Walker Daniel

WOOHOO! Whether you are on your last day of finals or have already packed your suitcase, home is just around the corner. I can almost smell the hot apple cider and hear the nagging of my siblings. For many of us, it has been almost four months since we’ve seen our hometown: our family and friends, our old stomping grounds… Heck, it’s been months since we’ve slept in the comfort of our own bed! As much as we are looking forward to going back, we’ve got to admit that Tulane is also our home. You can’t just ignore the place you live 9 months out of the year! So as we say hello to our “home” home, we also say goodbye to our “school” home. Here are some things we’ll all miss this coming month:

1.  Tulane Cats: They’re just like our pets at home – minus all of the actual care. We see them, and they are cute. We pet them, and they purr. However, we do not spend our time cleaning their litter box or spooning questionable smelling cat food into their dinner bowls.

 

One of the famous "Tulane Cats" lounges around the Academic Quad

2.  How acceptable it is to eat microwaveable foods: If I walked to my kitchen at home, pulled out an Easy Mac, and preceded to microwave it and shovel it into my mouth… my mother might kill me. But walking around my hall at 11am with a Cup-O-Noodles? Totally acceptable.

3.  Warm weather: This is a courteous reminder that the average daily temperature lately in New Orleans has been about 60 degrees. Though this may feel like the artic to us, the harsh truth is that wherever you are going (unless it’s Florida) is going to be much, much colder.

4.  Bruff: You might say, “Haha, well, I’m sure happy to go home to some home-cooked food!” Think again, my friends. Bruff is like a fully stocked refrigerator; you can always find something that is satisfying. Even if it comes down to cereal or salad… there is a fabulous array of brand name cereal and a full salad bar. I don’t know about you, but my cupboard at home isn’t stocked with Cap’n Crunch, Reeses Pieces AND Lucky Charms. Trust me, around the second week home, when the novelty of you being home vanishes from your moms mind… you’ll miss it.

Make-Your-Own-Cupcake day at Bruff, Tulane's dining hall

5.  The Boot: Just kidding. I’m sure we can all use a break.

6.  Everything being in walking distance: There is no better motivator to go to the gym than knowing it is less than a 5 minute walk from your dorm. Good luck with your workouts over break, everyone.

7.  The Faculty and Staff: People are so nice here. Whether it be your professors, the Bruff workers, the maintenance people, the people who drive SafeRide… It is rare to find such smiley people all in one place.

8.  Wavebucks: If you didn’t run out of Wavebucks a month ago (if you did, you are not alone), you will miss getting endless food and drink with you student ID card. It’s funny, it doesn’t quite seem like real money, as is with a debit card. “Wavebucks, please” is such an easy, simple, phrase for those late nights at Mac Mart or splurge lunches at the LBC.

9.  Saying “Y’all”: As a southern school, we pretend we can actually say “y’all.” If you are not from the south… please do not try this at home.

10.   Friends: The real reason we come to college. We’ll miss the all-nighters in the common rooms, the 3 hour long meals at Bruff, the movie nights in, the silly nights out, the jokes that have accumulated over the past 4 months… That’s what we’ll miss. 

A group of students goof off with their professors

But don’t fret, 3 and a half weeks will pass more quickly than you think! Enjoy your time at home, and sooner than you know, you’ll be right back home.

Follow @TulaneWalker on Twitter for some hilarious (in her opinion) insight into life as a freshman at Tulane!