Dave Blanks, University Communications' most likely to interrupt, and UComm intern Alyssa "So Extra" Rodriguez wander around Sanford Mall interviewing Appalachian students to find out what class they would retake and why.

Transcript

Dave Blanks: Hi folks. It's me, Dave Blanks, from University Communications, here with Alyssa. Hello, Alyssa.

Alyssa R.: Hello.

Dave Blanks: We're doing a Dave by the Bell, so we're actually walking through the echoey part of Anne Belk Hall, making our way towards the bell. Wow! You weren't lying, Alyssa.

Alyssa R.: I told you.

Dave Blanks: It's like 4 million people on Sanford Mall.

Alyssa R.: 4 million, minimum.

Dave Blanks: There are at least 4 million. Here's the bell. Yeah, let's walk around and talk to people.

Alyssa R.: OK.

Caleb Owen: I'm Caleb Owen.

Dave Blanks: All right, Caleb. What year are you?

Caleb Owen: I'm a freshmen.

Dave Blanks: Cool. If you could retake one of your classes, which class would it be and why would you retake it?

Caleb Owen: I think I would retake Sustainable Development, because it was such a great class.

Dave Blanks: Who'd you have?

Caleb Owen: Cody Miller. Shout out. Good guy. I just love the content and the class material and the group exercise we did, and also the global perspective he also put on it as well. Definitely recommend.

Dave Blanks: Nice job, Cody Miller.

Camille Roth: I'm Camille Roth. I would retake Social Deviance. I think it was really cool and really interesting, and we learned a lot about crime. I also really liked Jerrod Yarosh. He was pretty cool and fun.

Sydney Coleman: I'm Sydney Coleman. I would probably retake Sociology, like the Intro to Sociology class, just because it was really fun and I loved it.

Dave Blanks: Cool! Who'd you have?

Sydney Coleman: I actually took it back home.

Dave Blanks: But you could do it again?

Sydney Coleman: Yeah, but I would love to take it here.

Dave Blanks: Different vibe.

Sydney Coleman: Yeah, definitely.

Taylor Wilson: I'm Taylor Wilson. I would retake my Intro Sociology class.

Dave Blanks: Cool, and why?

Taylor Wilson: I really liked the professor and the class itself was good.

Dave Blanks: Did you also have it at the same place that she did?

Taylor Wilson: No, I took it here.

Dave Blanks: Oh, OK. Well, who'd you have here?

Taylor Wilson: Jonelle Husain.

Dave Blanks: All right. Right on. Well, you should take Jonelle.

Sydney Coleman: I'm planning on it. I have a soc minor.

Dave Blanks: Awesome. I was a soc minor. Look at me now! Well, thank you all for your answers. I really appreciate it.

Sydney Coleman: No problem.

Alyssa R.: Look at me, not interfering at all.

Dave Blanks: I know, you're doing really good.

Alyssa R.: I'm doing amazing.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, you're not like blah, blah, blah, Dave. Blah, blah, blah.

Alyssa R.: Yeah, I do that a lot.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, you do. You know some days you're —

Alyssa R.: I'm going to take these quality pictures and mind my business.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, you're doing some good work. All right, we need to find someone else.

Alyssa R.: Will we go down in here?

Dave Blanks: Yeah, we can do that. What about this guy?

Josue Espino: My name is Josue Espino.

Dave Blanks: So, Jos ... and say it one more time for me.

Josue Espino: Josue.

Dave Blanks: Josue, Josue, Josue. So, Josue, I've never met a Josue.

Josue Espino: It's OK, for 14 years of my life I've been called Josie, Josway, one time Winston.

Dave Blanks: What?

Alyssa R.: What? Winston?

Dave Blanks: That was way off.

Josue Espino: And then another time Justin, so it's OK.

Alyssa R.: Whoa.

Dave Blanks: I will never call you Justin, Josue.

Josue Espino: It's not my first rodeo.

Dave Blanks: All right. So, what year are you? We should start with that.

Josue Espino: Senior.

Dave Blanks: OK, congratulations! Ah yeah, the end is near —

Josue Espino: It is.

Dave Blanks: That sounds ominous. So, if you could retake a class, you've taken many, if you could retake a class what class would you retake and why?

Josue Espino: Hmm ...

Dave Blanks: Could be a good reason like I loved it, could be like that class was terrible and I would retake it with somebody else.

Josue Espino: If I could retake a course series, I would retake Japanese class again.

Dave Blanks: Oh yeah?

Josue Espino: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Did you not apply yourself or something like that?

Josue Espino: No, I had the time of my life. The teacher was the nicest lady I've ever met and I'm advanced Japanese, but there was no more courses after her and I'm just going to be really sad not to be in her class anymore.

Dave Blanks: Aw, bummer.

Josue Espino: I know, so that's the only class I would really love to retake.

Dave Blanks: Yeah.

Josue Espino: Because I really love that professor, she's really nice.

Dave Blanks: Well can you tell me her name?

Josue Espino: Her name is Misa Yamamoto.

Dave Blanks: OK. Misa Yamamoto, shout out to Misa. All right, cool. Well, Josue, Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

Jack Calbi: I'm Jack Calbi. You know I enjoyed Product Design, Intro to Product Design. It really taught me how to organize, how to be creative, and it was a lot of fun learning about all of the history of all the items that I've used throughout my life and how someone might have thought about how to invent that.

Dave Blanks: Well so, who did you have for that class?

Jack Calbi: I don't remember his name.

Dave Blanks: Putting you on the spot.

Jack Calbi: I know. It was like freshmen year; a long time ago.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, a lot has happened in those years, right? So what are you now?

Jack Calbi: I'm a senior.

Dave Blanks: Well hang in there man, not too much longer.

Jack Calbi: Thank you, yeah.

Dave Blanks: Thanks for your answer Jack.

Jack Calbi: Yeah, appreciate it.

Alyssa R.: Good talk.

Dave Blanks: Good talk.

Alyssa R.: That's cool, I didn't know that was a class.

Dave Blanks: Yeah I didn't know Product Design was a class either.

Alyssa R.: I don't regularly design products.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, but you use lots of products that are designed by people —

Alyssa R.: That is true. That is true.

Dave Blanks: — every day.

Christin Rivera: I'm Christin Rivera.

Dave Blanks: So, are you a freshmen?

Christin Rivera: Yes.

Dave Blanks: OK, cool. But you have taken classes?

Christin Rivera: Yes.

Dave Blanks: All right, so if you could retake a class, what class would you retake and why would you retake it?

Christin Rivera: Probably Sociology 1100 because my professor, Jonelle Husain, was amazing. She taught the class very well. She gave us good insights of real situations that we'd see in life, and I think it's just an amazing way to see the social problems in today's society.

Dave Blanks: Is this like, did I wander into a sociology class? Because you're the second person that's brought this Jonelle person up.

Christin Rivera: She's amazing. She is amazing.

Dave Blanks: She must be incredible! Wow that's awesome. Cool, thanks for your answer.

Christin Rivera: No problem.

Dave Blanks: Man, Jonelle Husain must absolutely rule, so —

Christin Rivera: Yeah, she's amazing, I love her.

Dave Blanks: Cool, all right. Well shout out to Jonelle.

New Speaker: edited out stuff

Arianna Carrero: I'm Arianna Carrero. I would take Romance with a Cross Culture Perspective. It was my freshmen UCO, and it was just extremely interesting to hear perspectives of other cultures. Their idea of what romance is and that romantic love isn't a thing that everybody has. It was just really, really, really interesting to know, that these things are still going on.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, yeah. So, what department is that? Where did you take it and who did you have it with?

Arianna Carrero: I took it in Anne Belk. It was a UCO.

Dave Blanks: What is a UCO? 'Cause I don't know what that is.

Arianna Carrero: So, it's what all freshmen have to take it, and it's kind of like, it's a more miscellaneous class, you can kinda pick something you're interested in, and it helps us to kind of get used to the idea of what a professor is, what college is, how it's different from other public schooling that we've had so far and meet new people. It's small classes.

Dave Blanks: Cool, so you would do that again?

Arianna Carrero: Yes, I would do that again.

Dave Blanks: Did you meet anybody in that class that you're still friends with?

Arianna Carrero: Yes, I made friends with this girl, and then we ended up having Scottish Country Dancing together. It was weird. We had the weirdest classes first semester.

Dave Blanks: Your college experience is very different than mine was.

Arianna Carrero: Yes, very very strange.

Dave Blanks: Scottish Country Dancing, and what was the first thing? The other class?

Arianna Carrero: Romance Cross Culture Perspective.

Dave Blanks: Damn. Have you declared a major?

Arianna Carrero: Yes. I'm a communications major. My focus is advertising.

Dave Blanks: Cool, yeah.

Arianna Carrero: So, I can kinda take little crazy things on the side in between my other, like, my communications classes.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, yeah. Thank you very much for your answers.

Arianna Carrero: Yeah, no problem.

Dave Blanks: Everybody's so upbeat and positive.

Alyssa R.: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: So, Alyssa when we were talking about these questions initially, and I was ... you know where I'm going?

Alyssa R.: Oh my ...

Dave Blanks: I was posing the idea to you —

Alyssa R.: You're gonna do this? You're gonna do this to me right now?

Dave Blanks: I was like, I was like, "Hey Alyssa, what do you think about this question? What class would you retake and why?" And what was your answer?

Alyssa R.: I don't have a class that I would retake. I have no why.

Dave Blanks: What the heck? But you like Appalachian.

Alyssa R.: I love Appalachian.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, yeah. It's just all over, like, there's going to be good classes in the future, so why would you retake a class in the past, right?

Alyssa R.: Maybe I just haven't gotten that class yet.

Dave Blanks: Maybe you're like a shark and you have to keep moving forward.

Alyssa R.: I just, I just need to keep moving forward.

Dave Blanks: Right. OK, is that it?

Alyssa R.: That's it. Like, honestly, I've been thinking this whole time, I'm like, "No" —

Dave Blanks: What is wrong with me?

Alyssa R.: Nothing comes to mind, literally nothing.

Dave Blanks: All right, well should we get some more people?

Alyssa R.: Literally nothing.

Molly Donovan: I'm Molly Donovan. I would retake Environmental Ethics. I really enjoyed the professor. It was fun. It taught me a lot and, yeah.

Dave Blanks: Who did you have for it?

Molly Donovan: Richard Elmore.

Dave Blanks: All right, cool. What was cool about Richard Elmore?

Molly Donovan: Well, he just made it really interesting, like he's really passionate about what he's talking about and just the information, like you know it's all about environmental ethics, and so, the information that we're talking about is important, and he always kinda said like if we didn't know something he was always kinda like, "Who benefits from you not knowing something?" And so I really like that.

Dave Blanks: I've never considered that. Wow, that's cool. So, wow, yeah, that's great. Thanks for your answer.

Dave Blanks: Well we've got a lot of answers, but they've all been super positive.

Alyssa R.: You want a negative?

Dave Blanks: Well, yeah it would good. I'm not looking to push somebody toward something negative.

Alyssa R.: Say no more, say no more.

New Speaker: edited out stuff

Chance Barton: I'm Chance Barton. So, I'm retaking Foundations II for Art right now.

Dave Blanks: Wait, what is it? Foundations II for Art?

Chance Barton: Yes. I'm retaking it now because I dropped it freshmen year. But I wish I could go back to that time in freshmen year and redo it and actually take it seriously. But now I'm taking it seriously and I've caught back up to where I should be. So everything's fine but —

Dave Blanks: Good.

Chance Barton: I wish I had of taken it more seriously.

Dave Blanks: So, what do you think it was? Was it the time that you selected it or that you were new at college?

Chance Barton: I didn't have a lot of money to spend on the projects —

Dave Blanks: Right, right.

Chance Barton: — like supplies. I was really bad at budgeting my time. I'm way better at it now.

Dave Blanks: How did you get better? ' Cause I wanna know your secret.

Chance Barton: I took as many credit hours as I could this last semester and this one —

Dave Blanks: No choice.

Chance Barton: — and I just had to make myself do it.

Dave Blanks: Well thanks for your answer, Chance, I really appreciate it.

Chance Barton: Of course, of course.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, nice to meet you.

Chance Barton: Nice to meet you.

Cameron Hunter: I'm Cameron Hunter. I would retake Biology 1802 with Doctor McCleneghan. One of the best professors I've ever had — so inspirational. The way she teaches makes you wanna take her class again.

Dave Blanks: Wow.

Cameron Hunter: Perfect teacher.

Dave Blanks: Awesome, that's amazing.

Cameron Hunter: Perfect teacher.

Dave Blanks: What's her name one more time?

Cameron Hunter: Doctor McClenaghan. Doctor Mac.

Dave Blanks: All right, cool. Shout out to Doctor Mac, nice job. Well, thanks for your answer Cameron.

Cameron Hunter: Oh anytime, thank you for having me.

Dave Blanks: Enjoy this day.

Alyssa R.: Thank you.

Dave Blanks: Oh my gosh, everyone was so super positive.

Alyssa R.: That was really positive.

Dave Blanks: I think the only one that was negative was like ... you.

Alyssa R.: I mean, I have awesome professors.

Dave Blanks: No, and I don't doubt that. They're all so awesome it's hard to choose, right?

Alyssa R.: Agreed.

Dave Blanks: OK.

Alyssa R.: Hard to choose. I can't pick one.

Dave Blanks: You can't narrow it down.

Alyssa R.: I can't just pick one.

Dave Blanks: You would retake all of them, if you could.

Alyssa R.: I would redo it all over again, if I could.

Dave Blanks: Alyssa, thank you very much for taking pictures.

Alyssa R.: Of course.

Dave Blanks: All right, everybody, join us next time, where we'll ask another super lighthearted question and get a lighthearted answer back, potentially, on Dave by the Bell!

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About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.