Many rumors had been circulating about the upcoming retirement of one of Transy’s longest-serving Professors, Dr. Don Dugi. Dugi has made a name for himself as one of the most well-known and respected professors on campus (or most feared, depending on who you’re asking). After hearing about his pending retirement, I wanted to sit down with Dugi to ask him a few questions about his experience here at Transylvania. The following section contains the interview where he gave insight into his life and his time at the university:

Cam: How long have you been teaching at Transy, and what have you learned from your experience here?

Dr. Dugi: I started teaching here in the fall of 1975. So, next year will be my 50th and final year. As for valuable experiences, my goal as a professor has always been to empower people. One of the things I’ve always done is keep a garden because when it comes to teaching, you can’t take credit for the success of others. But when you garden, with a little luck, you can take some credit for the produce you get from the garden. So whether or not one fully achieves the goal of empowering others is obviously somewhat problematic, but you keep trying. Perhaps a bit like Sisyphus sometimes. 

I think one of the great things that has happened here is we still get a fair amount of first-generation college students. And I think one of the problems that first-generation college students have is a lack of cultural capital. I know that there have been a number of faculty members, and I hope I could include myself there, who have helped people who are first-generation develop some cultural capital that will hold them in good stead in whatever occupation they choose after they leave us.

Pride is not a concept I abide by. I always do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Not because I have any desire to enhance my reputation or anything else. In fact, I think my reputation here has not always been great among faculty in particular, but perhaps even with the students. I think they have the misguided idea that I’m hard. Well, to some extent, that is true, but I am harder on myself than I am on anybody else. I don’t think you achieve excellence without some demands. If you simply leave things as they are, there’s no improvement. So you have to ask for excellence.

Cam: What would you say has made you the happiest as a professor, whether at Transy specifically or in the general teaching profession?

Dr Dugi: I always said I have a limited range of occupational choices. I couldn’t sell anything because I don’t buy anything, and that limited it severely. I always said I’d rather be helping people escape their ignorance than be a bartender and help them drown their sorrows. I hope that escaping ignorance has been achieved to some extent. 

One of the things that I’ve been happy to see is the success of a lot of our former students. By now, as you might guess, some of them are already nearing retirement age. So, hopefully, they’ve had fruitful careers. At any rate, I tend to be a person of duty. I do think, like I said, I do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. And the idea of happiness or pleasure, the only happiness I would probably consider I have about this, is more in the classical Greek sense, Eudemonia rather than satisfaction. I think that’s probably it, you know.

Cam: Could you explain more what you mean by that? Eudemonia?

Dr. Dugi: Well, it’s a great concept of happiness being fulfilling one’s humanity and making the most of things. Let me give you a formal definition: It has no one-word translation in English, but it’s a combination of well-being, happiness, and flourishing, the ultimate goal of a human being. So, it’s more about fulfilling one’s humanity and one’s purpose in life.

Cam: What has kept you here at Transy rather than somewhere else?

Dr Dugi: Well, there have been a number of factors. Early on, it was the fact that we had moved a few times, and I felt that stability was important for my family. As time went on, there were offers from other places, but things were going well here, and you know, students would sometimes say, “Why aren’t you at Harvard or someplace like that?” And I’d say, because I’m here, my goal was to make this place the best that it could be. 

As to personal or academic goals of, you know, enriched reputation or something like that, I just frankly didn’t care. Mostly, over the years, it’s been family. I know I’ve turned down an offer for an honors program at a place that was pretty cold, and my wife doesn’t like cold places. So, those sorts of considerations largely kept me here, I suppose. And when I hit 45 years here, I decided, well, why not make it 50 and then call it a day?

Cam: Do you have any advice for students? How to succeed?

Dr. Dugi: Well, clearly, I think working hard is a good thing. I don’t have a problem with students playing hard, but I think it’s a good idea to work hard first. You can work at play, but you should not play at work.

Cam: As a final, more fun question, who are your favorite artists or favorite bands?

Dr. Dugi: Oh God, I have a lot. I’m an omnivore about music across lots of genres. I mean, I like Vivaldi and others in classical music. One of my favorites always was Leonard Cohen. I still resent the fact that Dylan got a Nobel Prize when Cohen is a better poet and songwriter in general. He actually did literature. Oh, then I always liked Johnny Cash. So, the list is pretty long.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals heard three cases in Carrick Theater on February 6th. I had the opportunity to attend the third case of the afternoon, which began at about 2:45 PM. I was a bit worried considering the subject matter, but I thought it was an engaging and interesting hearing.

In the case I heard, the appellant, the Kentucky State University Foundation (KSUF), an organization that operates in conjunction with the Kentucky State University, sought to overturn a lower court’s decision that the KSUF was a public agency as was, therefore, subject to Kentucky open records legislation. Each side was given fifteen minutes, with the appellant having to split their time between an opening statement and a rebuttal to the defendant. The Defendant, Frankfort Newsmedia LLC, wanted access to KSUF financial information.

The judge would occasionally interrupt proceedings to explain procedures and other rules to the audience, which, as someone who is not entirely familiar with them, was greatly appreciated. It was also entertaining when he would stop one of the parties and ask them to clarify what they were saying, with a tone somewhere between dumbfounded and fed-up. The most entertaining part was, towards the end, when he told the audience that this whole case was based on financial records regarding a birthday party held by KSUF employees, a revelation met with bewildered laughter among the audience.

While a decision was not made on campus on any of these cases, this hearing was a fascinating look into the Kentucky court system that one would otherwise have to travel to Frankfort to witness. And how many college students have the gas money or time for that?

On February 1st, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) provided the campus community with two events celebrating World Hijab Day. Founded by Nazma Khan in 2013, the worldwide event is dedicated to educating and showing support for Muslim women and girls who choose to wear the hijab. 

MSA invited individuals to experience wearing a hijab with a try-on event. Transy Junior & MSA Vice President Sarah Ahmad supplied the try-on event with many of her hijabs ranging in color and fabric. Ahmad commented on the reason she wears one, saying, “In Islam, the hijab is seen as something that’s modest, but you’re also doing it for God. Personally, for me, it feels very empowering – Walking and everyone knowing that I’m Muslim and that I’m able to represent Muslims in a good way.”

Later in the day, MSA hosted a presentation and panel discussion surrounding the hijab and its significance to those who wear it. Panel members included Ahmad, UK Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies Dr. Ghadir Zannoun, and community member Saphia Isa. All panel members agreed that their hijab is an external symbol of empowerment.  

Regarding challenges that hijabis face in the United States, Sophia Isa responded that it isn’t about where she lives but rather the “political atmosphere that is oppressing me from doing what I have to do.”  

When asked how Transy students can show their support outside of World Hijab Day, Ahmad replied, “Come to MSA! Try to educate yourself if you do hold any misconceptions about Islam. Please don’t keep them. Try to change them.”

Transy sophomore and MSA Secretary and Faith Relations Chair Fatou Bojang added that she’s happy to be a part of MSA to “spread more knowledge about Islam and help people learn more about our religion.”

MSA’s next meeting is in the multicultural center on February 15th at 5 pm. You can follow them on Instagram @transy_msa for more information and learn more about the movement of raising awareness of the hijab here.

If you’ve been inside Carpenter Academic Center, you have probably seen Charlene Harris. As the Humanities Administrative Assistant, Charlene works with professors and staff to ensure everything runs smoothly. On January 5th, she became the published author of an interactive travel guide titled U.S. Capital Cities Bucket List. The book gives readers places to see, eat, and explore in all 50 capital cities across the country, accompanied by journal pages to document their memories. I had the opportunity to talk with Charlene about the process of writing and publishing the book:

When did the idea of this project first come to you?

I had the good fortune of knowing a couple of authors in my town, and they made it seem doable and exciting. People were very interested and encouraged me to go on and make a book.

How long were you working on this book? 

One of the interesting things is most people didn’t know I was working on a book because I never thought I’d complete it. The process began in 2020 when we were all locked down and were supposed to do creative things. I would pick it up and set it down and work on it a little bit all the time. But, again, I was never sure if I would completely finish the product.

So, you said you knew people who were authors and had some assistance with publishing and how that process works. What was the publishing experience like?

It was very eye-opening because there are a lot of steps and people involved, from editors to the final product with book layout and publishing to having the physical hard copy. And now I’m at the marketing stage, which is a whole new area to jump into. There are a lot of things that if you’re enjoying them, you can just spend hours and days on them. 

 The format of the book invites you to write about your visits to city capitals. How did you decide on this layout?

I went back and forth with people I knew who worked on bucket list-type books and other authors. They wrote books where it was a combination of a memory book, a journal, and an interactive book. This book starts with you reading it, but then you’re writing and recording your memories as you physically visit places. With the use of social media, everyone is supposed to communicate through tagging information. The book is a manual to go with having a good time and getting out and doing things. I feel like, not to dwell on COVID, but there was a point where we couldn’t fly and travel that way, so this was focused more on road trips. The combination of road trips, visiting with your kids, and trying to do affordable things that get you outside. 

You wrote that your visits to state capitals began after you moved to Lexington. Would you be able to give us a Lexington bucket list?

I think with the location of Transylvania, there’s so much to see right downtown., Everyone knows Rupp Arena and UK, but the architecture of Gratz Park shows how our city was developed. The Mary Todd Lincoln House and Henry Clay Estate show how far back we go. There are so many things you could do.

A lot of students at Transy have goals of creating and sharing their work, especially through a physical medium. Having accomplished that yourself, what advice do you have to give?

I think one piece of advice would be not to be afraid to ask other people if you’re interested in something. Inquire as to how they got involved or if they would help you. Just be curious about everything, and it’s not like you have to completely commit, but gather as much knowledge and information as you can from someone because someday you may want to use that. 

There is something really neat about having a physical book, even from being a reader. A book can be something that can showcase your work if you’re going for a job interview or something; it would really set you apart. I also feel like a book shows that you have an interest and you can inspire other people through that.

Anything else you would like to add?

I’ve been very pleased with how supportive and encouraging the faculty, staff, and people at Transylvania have been about this.

On Monday, January 15th, the Transylvania Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Student Government Association (SGA) hosted a brunch and discussion celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. The brunch was catered by Great Bagel, and the discussion was spearheaded by Diversity and Inclusion Liaison Dr. Krissalyn Love and SGA President Ysa Leon.

The discussion centered around questions such as: Have MLK Jr.’s goals been accomplished? Would MLK Jr. be proud of us now? What aspects of MLK Jr.’s words resonate with us the most? For each question, people were encouraged to rotate around the Pioneer rooms and talk with people they may not have spoken with before. As a participant in the discussion, I found it interesting to talk about my thoughts with different people and learn their opinions as well. While the suggestion to move around the room was not heeded by all students, the vast majority were getting out of their comfort zones and sharing their honest thoughts about the questions asked.

Another interesting facet of the event was the discussion of the story of Bayard Rustin. Dr. Love divulged the history of Rustin, who was MLK Jr.’s right-hand man and the principle organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. However, Rustin often had to stay away from the public eye and distance himself from Dr. King because he was gay. Dr. Love made the point that MLK Jr. had his own prejudices despite all the good he had done and that it is up to us to continue the fight for equality and marginalized groups.

The event was initially planned to end with Transy students walking to downtown Lexington to join the annual MLK JR. Day march, which has been a tradition in Lexington for several decades. Unfortunately, most in attendance were unable to make it downtown afterward due to inclement weather and road conditions. Despite this roadblock, the event was a major success. It brought people together and educated them that the fight for equality is still ongoing and that the students of Transylvania can continue to push for what is right.