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| Photo provided by Dr. Nathan Munn |
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT:
DR. NATHAN MUNN
By: Angela LundaAngel.Lunda@mail.umhelena.edu
As students of Helena College, we all know how great the teachers are. We thought sharing some of their stories and inspirations would be fun, and students would get to know them a little bit outside the classroom. Each month we will have a question and answer session with one teacher. This month we chose Dr. Nathan Munn. He is our resident Psychology and Consciousness Professor.
Q. What is your educational background?
A. Bachelors in Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Washington, Post-Doctorate Residency in Psychiatry from the University of Colorado, Chief Resident of Consultation Liaison.
Q. Describe your teaching style.
A. I make sure students understand the material and have fun while learning. When you decrease the stress level, students learn more.
Q. Who has inspired you in your life and why?
A. A lot of people but one stands out. His name is Chuck Leguealt, and he was my band teacher from grade school through high school. He taught me music and philosophy. He had a good perspective on life. One memory that pops out is when I was a senior in high school and I was editor of the school paper. At that time the band KISS was very popular and I wasn’t a big fan. I wrote an editorial called Kiss off, and it went out on a Friday. When I came back to school Monday my locker was covered in KISS graffiti! Chuck walked by, laughing, and said; “How does it feel to be part of the establishment”?
Q. What are you currently reading for enjoyment?
A. Octavia Butler “Xenogenesis” an Afro-futurism science fiction series
Q. What interests do you pursue outside the classroom?
A. Running, weight lifting, music, and quantum mechanics.
Q. What is your favorite class to teach and why?
A. One day a monk was walking through a market. He asked the butcher, “Give me the best piece of meat you have.” “Every piece of meat in my shop is the best,” replied the butcher. “You cannot find any piece of meat that is not the best.” and then the monk became enlightened.
Q. What is the greatest success you have had in teaching?
A. I feel successful when students recognize they are smarter than they think they are and achieve more than they think they can.
Q. What do you think is the greatest challenge facing students today?
A. Paying for the cost of education. Loans and textbooks are both expensive.
Q. What kind of music are you into? Who is currently your favorite?
A. Good music, and I am the judge of what music is good at any particular time. I am currently listening to a reggae-funk-jazz motif.
Q. What is the funniest thing to have happened to you recently?
A. Getting sick is amusing: Evolution and the importance of a virus in the grander scheme of life is interesting and humorous.
Q. What is your favorite saying?
A. “Existence before essence.” It means we exist and who we are is up to us.
Q. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you have and why?
A. A seaplane, GPS, and enough food to get me home. So I could get off the island, find my way home, and not starve.
Q. What is your favorite memory from childhood?
A. My parents and I were out picking wild blackberries, and I came across a hollowed-out tree stump full of them.
Q. What would you do if you won the lottery?
A. I wouldn’t tell anyone!
Q. What is one thing you will never do again?
A. Never argue with a cop over a speeding ticket!
Newspaper to Newspaper
By: Kiera MarshallKiera.Marshall@mail.umhelena.edu
When anyone starts on a new path, they seek out those who have taken similar paths and gain advice from them. The Helena Helm is no different. Six members of the staff traveled to Missoula, Montana to visit the Montana Kaimin, a student run newspaper located on the University of Montana campus.
Karen Henderson, advisor to the Helm, drove the group that included Editor-in-Chief Joy Wiggins, copy editor Kiera Marshall, advertising and business manager Dalton Johnson, and reporters Angela Lunda and Thea Ostwald.
The staff of the Montana Kaimin provided invaluable information and advice. Some of which include how the staff communicates and keeps track of their progress, how important an online presence is , and how to develop new ideas for articles.
The Helena Helm members traveled to each department and discussed what their task in the newspaper was. Each department gave advice that benefitted everyone.
The editors showed how they edited each article and the process it goes through before it is approved for publishing. They stated that the AP Style Guide helps keep all articles uniform and assists with the formatting.
The Design department discussed how they make each page for the newspaper and how they worked with the editors to make the changes that are needed. A good relationship between a designer and an editor is crucial. Design also does artwork for covers and elsewhere in the newspaper since most articles have art or photographs.
Each department is needed for a newspaper to work smoothly and every person works hard to make the best product they can. The Helena Helm hopes to follow the Montana Kaimin’s example and make the best product they can.
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