It’s 8:20 a.m. The students enrolled in Glenn Antizzo’s Government 250 class walk in, sit down and shuffle through their books. While some of the lively students walk in laughing and talking, others stagger in, as if they have just gotten out of bed or stayed at Rene’s too late to make it to bed.
The shuffling of papers continues until 8:30 when the pink oxford shirt and jeans of Antizzo come into sight in the hall. As he strolls in the room, books in hand, the class becomes silent, waiting for instructions just as troops await orders from their commander.
“Don’t laugh,” Antizzo says, laughing. “This is the Antizzo look. It has been the same since 1985.”
Antizzo shuts the classroom door and jumps straight into one of his favorite subjects – television.
“I tell you what; I have been getting into the show ‘Rome.’ It is one heck of a show,” Antizzo says. “It is getting better and better every week. They have been showing ‘Cleopatra’ on TCM on Wednesdays. It is a four-hour long movie, but it is a great movie. ‘Rome’ is the flip side of that. In ‘Cleopatra’ you want Anthony to be the hero, but in this one you just want Anthony to die.”
The movie discussion runs a little longer than expected, so Antizzo slowly walks behind the podium, opens his book to the chapter and begins.
“Adams…Aucoin…Boswell…Brue…”
After calling roll, Antizzo briefly thanks the students who attended the baseball game for their support. Antizzo is also the Southland Conference faculty representative at Nicholls and encourages his students to attend the games and support the sports teams.
And now he begins the lecture.
Antizzo starts off with a brief recap of what was covered in class – the Magna Carta and how it works. He swiftly glides across the room, making hand motions to get his point across. He walks back and forth from the front to the back of the podium as he lectures.
The Magna Carta lecture soon turns into one on private property.
“Think of it as selecting a new car,” Antizzo Says. “I see these Scions on the road and you couldn’t freaking pay me to ride as a passenger in there. It looks like somebody took a shrinking ray to a school bus.”
While off-the-wall comments may surprise some people, students in Antizzo’s class have grown accustomed to his colorful teaching techniques. Antizzo has been teaching at Nicholls for 11 years and has added his own twist since Day One.
“This is by far one of the most interesting classes I have had in college,” Kade Ordoyne, government senior from Thibodaux, says. “I look forward to seeing what he has to say next.”
Antizzo walks back to the podium and shuffles through his notes. He continues his lecture while cracking jokes and receiving chuckles from several students.
The next topic of discussion is freedom of speech involving public figures.
Prattling on in a Texas twang-like accent, Antizzo mocks the Dixie Chicks’ lead singer, Natalie Maines, who criticized George Bush years ago.
(With the accent): Just to let you know, we’re ashamed George Bush is from Texas.”
While the accent sounded nothing like the real thing, Antizzo, a New York native, receives even more chuckles from the class. He goes into his own opinion of the Dixie Chicks.
“That came from the talented, not-so-attractive one in the middle,” Antizzo says. “She stands in between the not-as-talented-but eye-candy girls. I’m serious. You can’t make this up. Every singing group has that one ugly member and the one pretty member.”
A few students raise their hands and begin asking questions. Antizzo laughs at one question and says: “Don’t ask me that, you’ll get me in trouble. My mouth has gotten me in enough trouble.”
The student replies: “I’m sorry, it is a habit, maybe I need to go to rehab.”
Antizzo retaliates: “I will drive you.”
The respect Antizzo has for his students and vice versa shows. Antizzo takes time to make sure each student understands the lecture, and he answers every question he can. The students show their respect by getting involved in discussions and holding heart-to-heart conversations with Antizzo after class.
Stepping out from behind the podium, Antizzo starts a section on business and the effects of money. Antizzo livens things up, poking fun at himself.
“I was a waiter at a restaurant and every morning I would have to get up at five to be at work for six. I would stand in the shower and bang my head against the wall [banging his head on the chalkboard] and say, ‘I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job.'”
The sound of Antizzo banging his head against the chalkboard makes students flinch. The students laugh, but continue to listen. As the class continues, Antizzo keeps his students’ attention by moving on to what he calls a touchy subject – pornography.
The minute he says pornography, one student shouts – “Oh no. Here we go.”
Almost right on cue, Antizzo walks side to side, pauses for a second, looks up and says:
“Not that I read the magazine or anything, but apparently Playboy is doing a spread called Girls of the SEC. They are on LSU campus and some people are upset. The people who are upset are the same people who packed the auditorium at Nicholls [last semester] to watch a play about vaginas. I would like to see [Playboy] try to get a girl at Vanderbilt. That could be interesting. I just don’t think that is exactly what Washington, Jefferson and Madison had in mind when they wrote the Bill of Rights.”
The students give their different opinions about pornography and a 15-minute discussion continues until Antizzo notices the time.
“Bear with me guys,” Antizzo says. “We’re almost done.”
With the class winding down, Antizzo speeds up to finish the lecture.
Antizzo constantly looks at his watch as he continues to lecture. He reaches the end of his lecture two minutes before the end of class.
“Woo-hoo,” Antizzo says, jumping up and down with his fist in the air. “I cannot believe we just finished the entire chapter. Thank you all for staying with me. I will see you on Wednesday.
