Monday, 8/25/97 Rivlarly, Schmivarly PROFESSOR: Trojan joins
ranks of Bruins, teaches summer classes at UCLA
By Frances Lee Daily Bruin Senior Staff From the picture window
in his office, Dr. Eric Schockman gets a clear view of the hustle
and bustle that accompanies the "awakening" of a campus from its
summer hibernation. Students stand in long lines, administrators
(himself included) scurry back and forth between meetings and the
occasional campus tour passes through, stopping at various points
of interest along the way: the student union, the sports "hall of
fame," Tommy Trojan. Tommy Trojan? There is not a bear in sight
here, in this sea of cardinal and gold, because Schockman is a
political science professor-turned-associate dean of student
affairs at that other school in Los Angeles – USC. But during the
summer, in between writing books, Schockman taught a class on L.A.
politics at the better cross-town school – UCLA. Schockman laughs.
"Rivalry, schmivalry," he says. At the professional level,
according to Schockman, rivalry gives way to the exchange of
information and ideas. In fact, the chair of UCLA’s political
science department, Ronald Rogowski, personally invited Schockman
to teach the summer course. "For me to teach (at UCLA) is an
extension of my relationship (with the school)," Schockman says,
explaining that those relationships were built working on
collaborative public policy and research efforts with UCLA faculty.
"My colleagues at UCLA have been (my) intellectual cheerleaders."
After the initial amusement of finding a Trojan in their ranks wore
off, the students in Schockman’s summer class were more intent on
keeping up with the reading than anything else. Occasionally, the
professor would make references to USC, such as when he hinted that
the midterm could be indefinitely postponed if the class took up a
collection to send him to Hawaii (because that’s what the students
would do at USC, he joked). It was a course that piqued the
interests of the students, who described the class as "challenging"
and "fascinating" because it dealt not only with the historical
aspects of L.A. politics, but touched on present-day issues as
well. Schockman’s personal involvement with the city and state
legislatures added an extra dimension to his class. His knowledge
of the inner workings of city council allows him to teach what he
"practices." Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski met Schockman when they
were both staff for council members a few years ago. "I always
thought he was incredibly insightful on a lot of public policy
issues," she said. "I admired him, and I admired his mind," said
Miscikowski. He has worked as a political consultant in the city
council and in various political think tanks, has been nominated
for a commission appointment in Sacramento and was an adviser to
Councilman Michael Woo during Woo’s 1993 bid for mayor. "He’s very
caring, very understanding," said Clare Walker, an administrative
assistant who has worked with Schockman for five years. "He loves
teaching and he loves working with students." In the classroom,
whether at USC or UCLA, Schockman says, "I hope (students) get to
be their own teachers. My goal is not to be the teacher, but to
make teachers." He enjoys seeing students "get a light bulb going
in their heads, (that signals a) harmonic convergence with the
material. "Overall, I’ve been somewhat surprised by the caliber of
students at both institutions," Schockman says. "The caliber (of
the students) seemed to me … bookends of knowledge, holding up
all the weighty points of the disciplines." A transplanted New
Yorker who is the product of a public education himself (he
received his doctorate degree from UC Riverside), Schockman taught
at public institutions such as the University of San Francisco and
California State University, Long Beach before landing at USC in
1990. He was recruited to USC to run the Jesse Unruh Institute
while teaching about state, urban, racial and sexual politics. In
1992, he helped found the Center for Multiethnic and Transgender
Studies (CMTS) after the Civil Unrest, where he served as associate
director until his recent appointment to associate dean. April 29,
1992 was a memorable day for Schockman, not only because it
signaled a major turning point in political theory, but because it
was his birthday as well. He can joke about it now, saying he was
"flattered that the city rioted on my birthday. There were more
candles than I could have hoped for." But, says Schockman, "It was
a sad night." People were prohibited from leaving the USC campus,
and Schockman spent the night in his office. "There was the shock
of being in the middle of it and watching students go through a
metamorphosis," says Schockman, of going from isolation to seeing
that they could affect change in society. Back at USC after his
teaching stint at UCLA, Schockman is packing his things. He’s
moving from his third-floor office in the CMTS to the Topping
Student Center. He jokes that his new first-floor office lets him
be on the same level as the masses. Schockman is excited about his
new position because "it’s great to be closer to students," he
says. He admits that it is a challenge, changing ranks from faculty
to administrator, but it’s one he is looking forward to. At least
one person doesn’t think it will be too much of a stretch for
Schockman to make the transition from faculty to administrator,
especially since the new position involves working extensively with
students: Brandon Shamim, a former student, called Schockman "the
most student-friendly instructor I know." As the associate dean for
student affairs, Schockman has his hands full organizing freshman
orientation, an orientation that will probably include an informal
introduction to the friendly rivalry that exists between UCLA and
USC. "The rivalry (among students) gets carried away," Schockman
explains. "It’s healthy, but at times, it’s not healthy. There
could be more sharing between the two institutions." As long as
there is the Rose Bowl and college football, however, "sharing" on
a mass level is unlikely to happen any time soon. Dr. Eric
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