Students 'wean' Dr. Harris off gently

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By Sarah Poulton

VINDY.COM CORRESPONDENT

YOUNGSTOWN — Students in Dr. Lou Harris' mechanical ventilation class wanted his last Halloween as a full professor at Youngstown State University to be special, so they made him a necktie.

He was grateful when Debbie Christmas, junior respiratory therapy major, presented him his orange and black "Hallo-wean cravat. She couldn't find one she liked in the stores, and thought spelling it Hallo-wean, like weaning someone off a ventilator, would be appropriate for her retiring professor who has taught them so much, she said.

What Harris didn't know was that the tie was only a diversion. While presenting the hand-made gift to Harris in the hallway of the first floor of Cushwa Hall, her classmates were sneaking into their classroom dressed as medical respiratory devices and other symbols of respiratory health.

Junior respiratory therapy major Tiffany Walsh dressed as a stethoscope, and other classmates came as an EKG monitor, cufflator, an oxygen molecule and even a cigarette.

Since this is Harris' last year, Christmas and Walsh thought it would be nice to dress up as respiratory equipment. The co-creators of this idea had been thinking about it for a few weeks, but last week the entire class jumped on board.

"He's going to be tickled, he seriously is," Christmas said. ""He's going to flip."

Christmas said the class has had him every semester since they were freshman and wanted to do something special for him. She also mentioned that there was the possibility of a quiz that day, and thought it would be neat to quiz Harris on what they were dressed as. Turns out, he got an 18 out of 20 on his quiz, giving him an A in the class.

"He taught us everything we know," Christmas said. "He's our therapist."

Katie Watson, another junior respiratory therapy major, said he is an amazing instructor that always put his students and learning above all else.

"He'll do anything for you, so were' doing anything for him," Watson said.

Terry Volsko, assistant professor of respiratory health, said she has known Harris since 1979 when he was her professor at YSU. He is an inspiring man and a lot of his students have gone on to do outstanding things in the field, Volsko said. She said some of his students have done amazing things in research, the academic field and some have even gone to medical school to become doctors.

"The students have so much respect [for Harris]," Volsko said. "That's something he definitely has earned after 30 years of teaching."

Volsko said he hasn't let the profession and tenure wear him out. In fact, she said, he's always looking for new and innovative ways to teach. She also agreed with his current students that he puts them first, always.

"Most professors, when they leave, they want a big party and go out with a bang," Volsko said. "He's one who's done so much that he remains anonymous."

She added that instead of a party, Harris wanted to host an event to raise money for their scholarship program.

Harris, who was shocked beyond belief when he saw their costumes, said this couldn't have come at a better time since they had just wrapped up "respiratory care week." After the shock wore off, he laughed and said that his students planned this as a diversion to get out of the quiz he had scheduled Wednesday.

"I can't believe this," Harris said. "This is so cool. My little equipment class."

Dr. Harris will be retiring at the end of the spring 2008 semester, but he loves teaching and plans to participate in YSU's part-time extended teaching program for the next four or so years, so his students won't lose him completely, he said.

"I tell them that they're going to have to take care of me someday," Harris said. "That's the most important thing, taking care of patients."

Thursday, November 1, 2007