October 18, 2004

• TOPIC: ARTICLE IN STUDENT LIFE

  
  

  For those of you who found this site from the article in Student Life, thanks for checking this out!!!  I’m writing from San Fran. Just arrived yesturday after 24 hours on a bus from Denver.  Tonight I’m having dinner w/ a book publisher, trying to get the word out even more, but in the mean time, I’m glad to have had an article in Stud Life, and to have my book available on campus. (I was actually quoted in a second article about student apathy, i’m posting that article at the bottom of this post…)

  
  

  I will be posting more, don’t have too much time on the internet right now.  I want to update people more on my project, as well as my visit to an Outward Bound Expeditionary Learning school in Denver, Co, which was an absolutely amazing experience and the school is doing some pretty amazing things.

  
  

  I should be back in St. Louis in about a week’s time.  Please leave comments on my site, or e-mail me at dan_lilienthal@yahoo.com (that’s dan, underscore, lilienthal @ yahoo.com) with any questions or comments.  I’ll be back in St. Louis for about 2-3 days, probably not enough time to organize a formal event, but would love to meet people, and discuss my ideas and my book.

  
  

  In the meantime, there are a limited number of copies in the campus bookstore.  It would be found either by the new academic section, or up by the register, or simply ask someone, “where can I find a copy of that book College Daze by the guy who went to Wash U.”  They’ll know, because I spent the last 3-weeks working in that very same campus book store at the register.

  
  

  Please share the article with people, and if you buy the book, tell people about it.  Believe it or not, this is actually my career right now, not making tons of money like some other Wash U. grads, but hopefully making enough to keep writing and to keep working on my overall mission of improving education for all students, to make it more fun, exciting, and meaningful.

  
  

  For others who don’t go to Wash U., I’ve posted it below, or you can read the article online.  Go to www.studlife.com and under the section “scene” is an article called “College Daze.” It may make you enter an e-mail in order to register, but that’s pretty easy. 

  
  

  Well…off to explore San Fran for the day.  Will update more soon about my week on the road, and look forward to some new visitors to my online journal. 

  
  

  cheers, (i’m a fan of England, what can i say)

  
  

  -dan

  
  

  Here’s the article:

  
  

  College daze

  
  

  By Adrienna Huffman

  
  

  Published: Monday, October 18, 2004

  
  

  
  Dan Lilienthal graduated from Washington University frustrated in 2003 and has recently returned triumphant. College Daze: The need for innovative education reform in America’s universities and colleges is Lilienthal’s first book based on the academic dissatisfaction he experienced during his four years at the University. This self-published memoir describes Lilienthal’s pursuit of academic direction and life experience.
  
  “This university and many like it put too much focus on academics and not experience,” said Lilienthal, describing College Daze. “This book was born out of my frustration that I didn’t know what I was here to learn…It was born out of the view that people pursue the wrong things in life.”
  
  During his four years, Lilienthal described himself as unexcited about the classes he was taking and his assignments.
  
  “I was wasting time and money,” said Lilienthal. “Socially I loved it, but academically I had no idea what I was interested in and what I wanted to do.”
  
  After two years in the Business School, where, “the professors were unenthusiastic, there was little class discussion; it was a horrible experience,” Lilienthal transferred to the college of Arts and Sciences and declared a major in political science. Still, he continued taking classes that didn’t meet his interests.
  
  “My junior year abroad in London was the best semester I’ve ever had,” said Lilienthal. “There was so much learning outside the classroom that I got more out of the experience than anything I had done at college.”
  
  Additionally, after graduation Lilienthal spent six months working with Outward Bound in South Africa. His experiences there greatly contributed to the content of College Daze.
  
  “In order to see improvements in these problems first requires change in the way we educate ourselves and live our lives,” said Lilienthal, whose goal is to create a campus-wide dialogue between faculty and students to improve the overall student experience.
  
  In an effort to create this awareness and promote his book, Lilienthal has returned to St. Louis, making frequent trips to campus and talking to students.
  
  College Daze: The need for innovative education reform in America’s universities and colleges is sold at the campus bookstore for $15. For more information about Lilienthal, go to www.xanga.com/dansjournal.

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  Polls find students apathetic towards election

  
  

  By Jake Fisher

  
  

  Published: Monday, October 18, 2004

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Media Credit: Emily Tobias Students from both sides of the political spectrum made their voices heard during the debate at the University. Despite high interest here, national polls suggest students are apathetic toward this year´s election.

  Polls have found that as many as 25 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are not yet registered to vote, raising the concern that young voters are apathetic towards the imminent election.
  
  Although the joke was that attendance would be rather low at an apathy meeting, the Project Awareness symposium on student apathy held at the end of September reached its cap of 30 participants. The program continued with speeches by three additional Washington University faculty members, followed by a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  
  The first speaker was Virginia Braxs, who talked about her experiences in Argentina as compared to the United States. In Argentina it took a great deal of effort to convince people that activists were disappearing to be tortured beneath the streets. She was therefore bewildered by what a large proportion of the population in the U.S. prefers not to vote. She asked her audience never to take democracy for granted, told them that “apathy is not the answer,” and closed by reminding her audience of the power of a few people who take action-a lady who refused to sit in the back of the bus, or perhaps a few students who stood up to a tank for their beliefs.
  
  Professors Jami Ake and Maxine Lipeles continued with two case studies, the first regarding gender awareness and the second regarding lead poisoning in the St. Louis area.
  
  They were followed by Repps Hudson, a reporter from the Post-Dispatch, who reminded his listeners that “votes do matter-ask Al Gore.” He continued to harp on the privilege of voting, pointing out that people lined up for miles to vote in the first elections in South Africa. A similar occurrence was seen when the free elections were held in Cambodia.
  
  However, young people often do not treasure their right to vote as much as the aforementioned speakers suggested that they should. One poll conducted by CBS News on behalf of MTV and the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), suggested that one out of every four respondents was not registered to vote. The poll tracked eligible voters aged 18 to 29.
  
  According to Project Democracy’s Teresa Sullivan, students at the University tend to buck that trend. Student response has been “incredible” this year, she said, and Project Democracy alone has registered close to 1,000 students to vote in Missouri this year.
  
  However, even those who are registered to vote sometimes seem to take a rather jaded view of the political process.
  
  Freshman Matt Adler complained that the first presidential debate was too staged, particularly with respect to the compliments the candidates paid to each others’ families late in the debate.
  
  Senior Cristina Fernandez believed that the questions were good, but felt the candidates often dodged them.
  
  “‘That’s a good question, but before I answer that I’d like to repeat the point I made 50 seconds ago,’” Fernandez said, mocking how she feels the candidates often responded.
  
  However, Fernandez went to the Democratic National Convention over the summer and believes that working for political campaigns or otherwise getting involved is common among students at the University.
  
  To combat apathy, Hudson suggested that students “be well informed, learn something… and volunteer for something.”
  
  Dan Lilienthal, a graduate of the class of 2003, was a participant in the symposium and contends that high school and college are designed to create apathy, in particular through courses that do not offer experiences. He has written a book on the subject entitled “College Daze: The Need for Innovative Education Reform in America’s Colleges and Universities.”
  
  For more information on Project Awareness, email beaware@artsci.wustl.edu.
  

  • 12:30 pm
  • 5 Comments