By Alex Van Meir
This week William Peace University appreciates two awesome professors at the university. The first is Eliza Laskowski who is an adjunct professor in the English department at William Peace University. Laskowski previously worked at the institution full time but she has now come back as an adjunct English professor teaching classes from Advance Topics in Writing to Shakespeare.
Eliza Laskowski
The person who appreciates all of Eliza Laskowski’s hard work within the English department is senior Tyana Rumbeau. Rumbeau has had the opportunity to get to know Laskowski over the past few years by having Laskowski as a professor for her liberal educational requirements.
When asked reasons why Laskowski is an awesome professor Rumbeau states, “Laskowski is really sweet and very smart in her field of study. She has a great sense of humor and you can tell that she is very caring about her students as she gives one hundred percent of her time at Peace to her students. She even has flexible office hours and you can go sit in her office and talk to her about not only classwork but also really anything that is on your mind. Also I love the fact that she is not afraid to go off topic in class. It seems as if she really enjoys doing this because she is trying to make the material relatable to everyone in the class.”
One event Rumbeau is thankful for with Laskowski is one of her last class periods in her Advance Topics in Writing class. Rumbeau recounts, “Last class that we had she was explaining the upcoming writing topic. She talked about the subject and gave us some examples but sure enough we ended up off topic. It was the funniest class period as we ended up talking about random things. We talked about Jurassic Park, Brett Favre, and divorce. The divorce topic was especially interesting as we ended up using divorce as an example of textual analysis as women are now seen to use divorce as a means of financial gain. Needless to say she can always make us laugh in this class and I love that we are learning in a fun way.”
When asked what Tyana Rumbeau would say to Eliza Laskowski right now if she could Rumbeau says, “It all started with your help as the dramaturg, which is a person who comes in and gives background information about the play and the time period, in Spring Awakening. You took the time to explain why the writer wrote the play and you were really sweet. Since then you have been there for me to talk to about everything. You have heard my countless rants about people and how I am constantly drowning myself in school work. I really appreciate you because not a lot of professors would do half of what you have done for me. Thank you!”
The second person William Peace University Appreciates is Wade Newhouse. Newhouse works as an associate professor in the English department. Newhouse has influenced many students over the past years at Peace not only through his thought provoking English classes and the laughter he brings with the Raleigh Village Idiots but also in his work with the Theater productions.
Wade Newhouse
The person that appreciates all of Wade Newhouse’s hard work within the English department here at Peace is senior Rachel Pottern. Pottern has grown close with Newhouse over the past four years through her English classes and theater practices.
When asked reasons why Newhouse is an amazing professor Pottern states that, “He always works overtime to make sure that the students are getting the best quality education at Peace. He is always there to help me see different aspects of a topic we discuss in class. Even when I think I truly know a work of literature he opens my eyes to new possibilities on the subject. For example, when he directed Much Ado About Nothing he constantly gave me insight on the text.”
One event which Pottern is very thankful for with Newhouse is Newhouse’s directing Much Ado About Nothing.
Pottern states, “He was always supportive of us as actors and guided us in making our own acting choices rather than spoon feeding us the direction to take our characters. I remember there was a difficult scene in which I was struggling with the comic timing and he worked the scene with me over and over again until I felt comfortable within the comedy.”
When asked what Rachel Pottern would say to Wade Newhouse if she had the chance, Pottern states, “I know that you hate mushy stuff like this but too bad. You are an extremely important piece of my education and undergraduate experience here at Peace. I am truly grateful for all that you have given me over the past four years.”