1980_12 The Daily Collegian December 1980

              THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 15, 1980
Profs
Continued from page 1
memorandums condemning efforts
on tho part of tho 'businessmen"
to apparently emasculate student
evaluations. O'Brien indicated
that student evaluations put him
and thoee he calls "us professors"
in a good light while they are
harmful to the "businessmen.*
In addition to scholarship,
O'Brien jogs five miles s day and
coaches the Baird Bears Soccer
team for children under 12. Hi*
team has boon in contention for the
top of the league title, which would
entitle it to play in the California
Slate Cup Championship. O'Brien
once played soccer for the British
Army.
"I used to be kind of an amateur
boxer too," he said. "All these
things are to give me power to
make me study," ho added.
A "scholar in search of truth,"
O'Brien said he hasn't changed
his principles since ho came lo
CSUF in 1965 because concrete
principles are required lo maintain
moral stability.
O'Brien met his wife, Janie,
around a swimming pool at the
apartment complex whore he lived
shortly after coming to Fresno. The
couple now have four children.
'I always tried to get a job in
California because I like tho sun¬
shine," said O'Brien. He declined
to state his age.
Like O'Brien, Kouymjian, has
taught abroad and could also per¬
haps De classified an ovcrachiev-
er. Ho has been nominated for out¬
standing professor tho second year
in a row. His wife la French
Armenian and livos in Pari*. v
'I live in Peris, France, and
commute to classes. You don't be¬
lieve me, huh," said Kouymjian, a
grin spread across his face,
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DR. DICKRAN KOUYMJIAN
Actually, Kouymjian, t6, lives in.
Fresno while school is in session
and returns to France when the
class ends.
His wife, Angele, taught French
language and literature at CSUF
until Proposition 13, which slashed
property taxes was passed by the
electorate, Apparently she wasn't
all lhat happy in Freano anyway.
"I mean what does a French
woman do in Freano other than be
the professor's wife," said Kouy¬
mjian.
For that matter, Kouymjian is
not all that satisfied wilh Freano.
He loves 'the visual perceptions,"
the architecture, and the planning
and care with which Paris was
built. But ho has his own program
at CSUF in his favorite area of
study. His Armenian language and
Armenian culture program has
grown to tho point whore he has
200 students every semester, five
times tho  amount of students in
COLLEGIAN HUMOR
RUNS IN CYCLES
BY MARSHALL PAUL SMITH
Humor in the Daily Collegian
seemed to run in cycles, very little
in the 30s, then more in the late
40s   with   such   columns   as   Bar-
Captain: "Men, the boat is sink¬
ing I Is there anyone hero who can
pr*y?'
Parson: (eagerly) I can!
Captain: 'All--right, you pray.
Tho rest of us will put on life belts.
such programs at other univer¬
sities, he said.
CSUF also holds title to the larg¬
est circulation Armenian news¬
paper, outside of the Soviet Union,
Armenian Action, with s press run
of more lhan 10,000 copies. Kouy¬
mjian is the advisor for the Armen¬
ian student staff.
Armenian language is especially
significant, according to Kouy¬
mjian,. because of the part it'*
played in human culture. It wa* the
fifth language used to translate the
Bible, ho noted.
Kouymjian and his wife taught
at the American University in
Beirut, Lebanon until the civil war
between Moslems and Christians
became too intense. They'd spent
their summers in Paris ever since
they were married in New York.
in February 1976, Kouymjian
was forced to resign his post at the
university in Beirut because he
insisted on remaining in Paris until
he couid be assured it was safe to
rido in a laxicab from the airport to
the university. Later that year, he
was hired to teach English at tho
American College in Paris. That
same year he applied at CSUF.
Kouymjian, an American bom in
Rumania, had not lived in the
United States for 10 years. He was
raised in Chicago after he and his
parents left Rumania at the start of
World War II in 1939. Before
becoming a professor, he was a
foreign correspondent for Interna¬
tional Pre** Service, a music critic,
and a restaurant owner.
Since accepting his position at
CSUF, Kouymjian has become
involved in a wide variety of activ¬
ities. He is advisor lo tho Armen¬
ian Studenls Association, a mem¬
ber of the Academic Senate and
the Academic Policy and Planning
Committee, and a liaison between
tho General Education aubcommit-
tee and A.P. and P. He is also Ihe
sdvisor of tho Lebanese Student
Club and helped start tho Palestin- I
ian Students Organization.
DR. JOHN C. O'BRIEN
General education is one of
Kouymjian'* primary concerns.
He mainijiina that students are be¬
ing cheated al CSUF. Students
need more liberal arts education so
thoy do not simply become cogs in
a machine, he contends.
CSUF's traditional emphasis on
vocational rather than "intellec¬
tual* training needs to be changed,
according lo Kouymjian. Right
now, ho saya, thore is "no sense of
intellectual fabric you have a right
to foster.'
"Though I have taught in a uni¬
versity with no graduate program,
I have never taught in a university
with so poor * bachelor's pro¬
gram," Kouymjian said.
"It's woeful what's going on,"
he added.
Kouymjian complained that he
has lo leach students the English
language in his Armenian lang¬
uage classes.
"Students come in as functional
illiterates and leave as functional
illiterates plus,*
He maintains students should
have to read "great works' to
footer thinking and debate. In¬
stead, concentration is placed on
"the sponge routine," he said, in
which students aro primarily lec¬
tured at.
Kouymjian has a bachelor's
degree from the University of Wis-
ARNE NIXON
consm, a master' a degree from the
American University of Beirut, and
a Ph.D from Columbia University
in Now York.
In contrast to both Kouymjian
and O'Brien, Nixon appear* to be
a quiet, reserved, almost meek
man. He said he ha* worked with
five university presidents without
any problems. Teaching, storytell¬
ing, and children'* books are hi*
life.
'It'* * lifelong Interest," said
Nixon, a couple of dolls pinned to
the wail above hi* head and Th*
Real Mother Gooee book on th*
shelf behind him. "I suppose child¬
ren'a stories and children'a litera¬
ture are one of the few link* lhat
reach from childhood inlo adult¬
hood."
'Winnie the Pooh, for instance,
probably has as much ldentifica:
lion with adults as well as child¬
ren."
In addition to courses in story
telling and children'* books, Nixon
teaches education psychology and
curriculum. Primarily librarians
and teacher* lake his story telling
and children' • book* classes.
Nixon's fascination wilh story
telling and children' a books devel¬
oped out of his childhood, when his
grandfather, a Finnish Immigrant,
lold him stories that originated in
his family'a  homeland.  Storytell¬
ing Is an art out of which other art*
were born, Nixon (aid.
Every year, hundred* of teach¬
ers and librarian* attend the Festi¬
val of Children's Books in Ihe
apring at CSUF. The event, which
wa* initiated by Nixon, draw*
world-famous author* such a* Leo
Politi of Fresno. These author*
have inscribed many of their book*
for Nixon, who file* them away op
the shelve* of hi* office in the EdP
building. Hi* little library b
'unicrue' to the country, he aaid.
Nixon, 64, began teaching Id
1945 at ag* 19. Ho taught high'
school subject* lo Indiana at Cape
Flattery in North western Washing,
ion near Neah Bay. The Indian*
enriched hi* storytelling know-,
ledge.
Still being adventureeomo, be¬
came to Tulare 32 year* ago, after,
spotting Mount Whitney on a map
and deciding he'd like to climb it,
He did rlimh it, and he eventually
became superintendent of instruc¬
tion for Tulare school*. During the
summer, he taught course* stf,
CSUF. .;.
Then 20 year* ago, be wa* invit¬
ed to join a North Africa Education
Team from CSUF. He acted a* s
teacher advisor for the Republic of
Sudan's Ministry of Education,
While there, be encountered Arab
storyteller*.
'They have th* capacity to be
the most dramatic ctoryteilers on
earth,' he said aboul their use of
body language and other *orm**of
expression.
After returning to CSUF, Nixon
became a full-time faculty mem¬
ber. Whether at the university
level or the iocondary or eUmen-
tary level, Nixon scorns to be at
home in the classroom. Ever since
ha wa* a little boy, be ha* wanted
to become a teacher, he said.
Teaching 'challenge* the very
best of which human nature Is cap¬
able," he said, for it involve* work¬
ing with the human spirit, tren*-
mitting human culture, -,
MERRY CHRISTMAS