| By KAREN HEINSELMAN, Courier Staff Writer
WAVERLY --- Freshmen starting classes at Wartburg this week shared more than the typical first day jitters.
Because of a unique summer reading assignment, the first-years have a basic knowledge of the world of quidditch, sorting hats, magic and wizards.
The class, which has about 550, read the latest novel in J.K. Rowling's widely acclaimed series. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is the fifth book in the wildly popular children's fantasy stories.
Whether an avid Potter reader or something less, students discovered the text generated lively discussion at an orientation class Monday.
Potter zealots already acquainted with the lives of Harry, Hermione and Ron said the homework was a treat. Those less familiar with the world of muggles and magic faced a bigger challenge.
"For some, like myself, it's a struggle," Jessica Bloom of Muscatine said.
During the debate, some suggested a literary classic, like Homer's "The Odyssey," might have served as a more respectable choice. Bloom, though, hailed Rowling's novel as a gutsy choice.
Some chiseled out a week in their summer to wade through the heavy text. Rachel Shellabarger of Blue Grass, however, chose a more intense approach. She plowed through the 900-page novel in 24 consecutive hours between sleep and milking chores at her dairy farm.
Many of the Wartburg freshman said they described Rowling's innovative vocabulary and list of intriguing characters with even more intriguing names as a fascinating-but-dark text.
"Once you start reading, it's easy reading," Erin Sponheim of Osage said. "It doesn't take much longer than a 300-page hardback."
During a Sunday orientation session, faculty and upper classmen portrayed Rowling's characters. The session was designed to introduce freshmen to the Wartburg way of life. As in the book, students were divided into houses --- Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
Vicki Edelnant, a senior lecturer and Pathways director at Wartburg, said asking the entire incoming class to read the same book over the summer was a first. She led the Potter discussion during orientation class Monday.
Debate included the controversy stirred up in some religious circles, touching on First Amendment issues, youth, witchcraft and wizardry.
Andrew Salvaterra of Dubuque draws the line between fiction and real life.
"I think the wizardry is a backdrop for real life and situations people get into, " he said. "It's set in a different realm."
Yet, like many of his college classmates, Salvaterra found he was learning from the make-believe students at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"You can enjoy it on so many different levels," he added. "No matter how you look at it, you get something out of it."
http://www.wcfcourier.com/content/articles/2003/09/11/news/regional/dee2e4a396a8a90f86256d9e004cb0fc.jpg
1: Wartburg professor Dr. Ann Henninger, playing the part of Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, and her student orientation assistants Colin Buzza, playing Harry Potter, Adam Haight, playing Ron Weasley, and Jenni Tigges, as Hermione Granger, play skits that freshman students will encounter during their studies at Wartburg. 2: Professor Dr. Ann Henninger of Wartburg College portrays Professor McGonagal,l from the Harry Potter series, as a fun way to get freshmen students acquainted with the college during orientation night Sunday. | |
