USD Magazine Summer 2009

[ s y l l abu s ] Course: Creative Writing/Poetry Instructor: Jericho Brown UP WITH PEOPLE: It’s a warm spring afternoon. Once the students have settled into a comfortable circle, the instructor sighs, “I’m so happy. It’s such a wonderful life we live.” It seems like everyone in the room wants to be here, which isn’t always the case in poetry classes. ARE YOU NOBODY TOO? The discussion ranges from a critique of L.A.-based performance poet Douglas Kearney to whether Emily Dickinson should ever have been born. One presentation is prefaced by a memorized recitation of Wallace Steven’s “Anecdote of the Jar.” Although the student forgets the ending, he makes a graceful, rhyming save: “It took dominion everywhere / And I think I’ll stop there.” POETS KNOW IT: The professor takes note of two students who’ve started a side conversation while another holds the baton: “Please for- give them. They don’t mean to be disrespectful to you, because they love you. Also, they don’t want me to throw them out the window.” EVERY DAY HE WRITES THE BOOK: Asked why one repeats experi- ences — watching TV reruns or re-reading books — one student con- fesses he returns to Catcher in the Rye because “every time I read it, I’m older.” Brown is delighted: “You should say that in a poem! You better hurry up and use that or I will ... and then I’ll dedicate the poem to you.” IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS AFTER ALL: A student makes passing reference to a particular volume that the professor is unfamiliar with. Visibly shaken, Brown confesses, “There’s a book I don’t know about, and that makes me nervous!” ALL WORK, NO PLAY: A boy flirtatiously writes in a pretty girl’s notebook. Brown tells a student, “I meant to scare you! It makes things better!” Don’t let the laughter fool you: These pupils are deadly ser- ious about the material. Critiquing and cultivating each other’s poetry is no joke. — Stefanie Wray

“These don’t apply to us,” Sullivan points out.

But cost containment is one thing that USD does have in common with other schools. In March, employees learned that annual raises have been frozen for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. They were also urged to be much more vigilant in their spending. “It’s probably the single largest improvement I’m asking for, and I think we’re better for it,” says Tim O’Malley, vice president of University Relations. “I think we’re more accountable. People are being more cautious and think- ing twice before expending uni- versity resources.” But USD has to keep focused on the big picture, regardless of the vagaries of the marketplace. The Student Life Pavilion remains on track to open this fall; when it does, it’s certain to be the hub of student life, a home away from home that’s been sorely needed for years. Even in an economical- ly challenging time, O’Malley says that the building’s completion is important to the overall health of the university. “The Student Life Pavilion and the renovation of the University Center will help us be competi- tive with other institutions under consideration by prospective students,” he says. “Our obligation is all about attracting and retain- ing students.” Provost Sullivan knows that for many students considering USD, their ultimate decision will hinge on financial aid assistance. While more money will be made avail- able for financial hardship appeals, the impact of the eco- nomic climate on the institution itself remains uncertain. “As people learn what kinds of financial aid packages we can provide, the big test is going to be what kind of loans or support they can get for their families,” she says. “We’ll have to wait and see how that’s all going to trans- late to students actually coming to USD.”

TIM MANTOANI

tively young university.” Sullivan has spent a consider- able amount of time getting the word out to employees. She held open forums in late March, including one in Spanish, to ex- plain the university’s financial challenges and answer questions about possible future scenarios. “We’re not hurting as much as some universities, and that’s because we don’t fit the profile,” she says. “There are three types of universities that may be suffer- ing most.” She’s talking about smaller uni- versities with tenuous demand for enrollment, state universities who are at the mercy of dwin- dling state monetary support and universities whose operating budgets rely too heavily on endowment earnings.

PETER BAXTER

7

SUMMER 2009