Page 6 Connecticut Daily Campus Friday, September 24, 1976 PhD candidate tunes up attitudes with course By KATHE ROGERS She's a politician. She has Jimmy Carter's winning smile and President Ford's easy going manner. But you won't see her name at the polls this November Rene Schcin conducts her kind of politics as manager of the Storrs Texaco Station. She's a teacher. She has worked as a University teaching assistant and instructor and is a candidate for her P.h.D. in Sociology. Rene Schcin teaches in the garage of the Storrs Texaco Station. Her next course begins September 28. and is entitled "Understanding Your Auto." As manager and teacher Schcin believes she is overcoming the sterotype which considers the male as the only automotive employee and mechanic. When a man drives into Schcin's station and innocently inquires. “Hi Sugar. who works here?” Schcin politely asks how much gas he wouldilikc. Or maybe to his surprise Schcin will discover the cause of his car's lingering transmission problem But most importantly. in many cases the man leaves the station having changed an important policy - his attitude toward the ability of women to service cars. “Being at the station is a political act since it affects a change in the attitudes of persons in my society." claims Schcin. In an effort to change attitudes. Schcin says she must do two things. First. she must convince the customer of her automotive knowledge. Secondly. she must transfer her knowledge without alienating the male customer's ego. Schcin finds it a challenge to make her point in a lasting was. A man will come into the station to have his car repaired. and. according to Schcin. when he learns a woman is employed as the mechanic. he doesn't relax. Instead. he anxiously watches over her. When he finds she is competent. and knows the spark plugs from the points. then he has found Schcin the politician effec- ting change. But what about the man who doesn't even know how to change a tire‘! Surely. UCONN has these kind. Well. maybe not for long with the help of Schcin and the l7('onn Women's Center. "'l'raditiona|ly women just break down and cry when there car Meatless Meals A Unique Atmosphere Handcrafted Pottery Nature’s Place Restaurant 65 Church St. Willimantic, Ct. 423-2338 We Offer You AN ALTERNATIVE RESTAURANT Fresh Baked Breads International Dishes OPEN DAILY ll-9 FRlDAY 8- SATURDAY Til. l0 CLOSED SUNDAY 8. MONDAY Rene Scheln, manager of the Storrs Texaco Station, gets into her work as she prepared for the Sept. 28 start of her course, “Understanding Your Auto.” Scheln hopes to break the stereotype of all auto mechanics being male. quits." says Bessy Reyna. co- coordinator of the UC Womens Center. In order to help familiar- ize women with the workings of their car. Reyna enlisted Schcin to teach the course in automotives as part of the Women's Center summer workshop. A car has stopped being a foreign object and has become part of the personal belongings of the six women who completed Scheins summer classes. Jamie Longe. an area resident who completed the course this summer. says. “I have no qualms about traveling long distances. I feel comfortable with my car, and doing things such as changing a tire or checking the oil." Schein enjoys teaching the course especially being able to explain the options customers have when part of their car breaks down. She begins her course explaining to the students how the car's systems work. including its electrical system. ignition. cooling. guel, transmission. brake and exhaust.’ in subsequent workshops her students learn how to change the oil, tires. head- lights. bulbs. fuses. fanbelts. hoses. and wiperblades. Ten women have enrolled for her A coming workshop which will meet four times in the next two weeks. What do they hope to get out of the class? Randy Fayser. a seventh’ semester psychology major. who has enrolled for the workshop. says she wants to take the course for the basic experience. just in case her car gets stuck. Due to the enthusiastic demand for this course. another has been scheduled to begin in mid-Oct- ober. upon the completion of this fall's first workshop. But this workshop too has already been filled to maximun. Since area women are now getting automotive education - maybe the next time a not very mechanical male gets stuck - he better look for women drivers. not avoid them. Scottish curse doesn’t scare thief LONDON (UPl)— A newspaper offered a case of whiskey Sunday as a reward for information leading to the return of the cursed footprints. “It is an eerie story." said the Sunday People newspaper. and it is'at least odd. The tale concerns one Finlay Munro. a fiery evangelist who preached Scotland some I50 years ago. At one service Munro was heckled. and he put a curse on the spot where he stood. No grass ever would grow on his footprints. he intoncd. and the wrath of heaven would descend upon anyone who desecrated the spot. For I50 years nothing grew on &Desserts .\'.\1\'_\.‘Y.\.’\’\..':\i\C‘-\Z\“\;\Z\.”\‘.\ZY.\:\_\\ «xx\:\'\.'\.\.'\:\:\\_\x\:\.\'>' LATIN and AT THE Puerto Riean Center Sept From 9:00 pm until ? SOUL DISCO 24th “also” LATIN DANCE CONTEST -anda .. SOUL DANCE conrssr Adm: With UConn l.D.-S.-75 General Public-$1.50 at Midnight cash prize $20.00 each couple 9° ‘$6 in the open air of ‘ 5. '\’.‘C\Z\Z X.\1..'\"\..'\“\' the spot people said were Mun- ro's footprints. Awed people in Glen Moriston put a fence a- round it and seldom went near. Last week somebody stole the footprints. The fence was broken down and the earth dug up. “it must have been tourists who did this terrible thing." said resident Hugh Gordon. “We pity them." The People said its reward was “for information leading to the return of the footprints." though “the winner must not be afraid to face the Curse of Preacher Fin- lay." Fragile Hartford exhibition to open with show devoted entirely to glass “Glass From Six Centuries," an exhibition opening at the Wads- worth Atheneum in Hartford Wednesday. will be the largest exhibition devoted to glass ever held at the museum and is drawn entirely from the Atheneum's own collections. Works from the 15th to the early 20th century will be shown. including many which have only rarely been shown before. Appropriately for the Bicen- tennial year. the exhibition's strength is in American glass. but also includes some of the finest Venetian and Venetian-style pieces to be found anywhere in this country. Among the outstanding works are a delicate early 19th century beaker decorated by the previous- ly unrecorded engraver Felix Ramos. FACES LOUNGE PRESENTS ‘TD [5lll2lIU‘W? SEPTEMBER 20~26 Continuous Entertainment From 8=OO p.m. THE FINEST DISCO SYSTEM AND LIGHT SHOW IN THE AREA. ROUTE I95 - 875-9082 - TOLLAND