zCHOICEw
Parlez-Vous
Public TV?
Apart from tasting your
way through Bordeaux
or Burgundy, one of the
most pleasant ways to absorb
French may be a new public-
television series. Produced by
Boston's WGBH and funded
by the Annenberg/CPB Proj-
ect, "French in Action" is a 52-
installment "telecourse"-
part love story, part lecture
for French beginners and part
"Sesame Street"-inspired
example, a clock striking 11
turns into a counting exer-
cise. The video is accompanied
by a French textbook and
workbook, audio cassettes and
an English study guide.
While some colleges allow
their students to take the se-
ries as a class, prospective
French speakers may call
1-800-433-4733 to inquire
about independent study cred-
are heard in night court before
senior Bruce Denson, perhaps
the nation's only chief justice
to wear high-top sneakers on
the bench.
The judges have ruled on
more than 16,000 tickets since
January. Fines, which run be-
tween $2 and $50, should total
about $400,000 by December;
the money is used to operate the
15-year-old court and improve
parking conditions. Adminis-
trators check up, but Denson
says there is no need for inter-
ference: "We run a pretty
good ship."
JOANNE WORTHINGTON
in Gainesville, Fla.
A Matchless
Tennis Player
Salem State. "I had never been
to college, and I always want- .
ed to go," Sweeney says.
Sweeney admits it's tough
keeping up with 18- and 19-
year-olds. Last season he lost
both singles matches but won
twice at doubles. He finds it
easier to play inside the base
line, reducing the amount of
court to cover. But his age can
in a way be an advantage.
"Some players are worried stiff
about playing me," Sweeney
says. "If I beat them, it's tough
BERNARD GOTFRYD-NEWSWEEK
French connections: Mireille and Robert in WGBH series
mixture of subtitles, cartoon
spots and movie clips.
Developed by Pierre J. Ca-
pretz, director of Yale's Lan-
guage Laboratory, and booked
so far on more than 40 stations,
the series is conducted entire-
ly in French. Each half-hour
segment begins with a 10-min-
ute episode revolving around
Robert, an American student
traveling through France, and
Mireille, a Sorbonne student.
As the plot unfolds, the couple
hits most major tourist attrac-
tions. A mysterious man in
black follows closely behind,
just to keep things interesting.
Capretz uses details from
each installment in his 20-min-
ute lessons. In lesson 14, for
34 NEWSWEEK ON CAMPUS
it. "French in Action" may
not be as addictive as crois-
sants in their native habitat,
but it sure beats 90 minutes of
un, deux, trois ...
Student Court:
Just the Ticket
n most campuses, scarce
parking space and plenti-
ful tickets are all too fa-
miliar. At the University of
Florida, the judicial control of
parking space is an extracurric-
ular activity. Anyone ticketed
can have the violation reviewed
by 10 student judges. Appeals
or Joe Sweeney, a junior
at Salem State in Massa-
chusetts, tennis has al-
ways been a passion. To keep up
his competitive edge, the
physical-education major hits
about 150 serves daily before
playing a match for the col-
lege's team. But Sweeney is
not just a typical dedicated
jock. At the age of 72, he is
thought to be the oldest man to
play a college varsity sport. "I
don't feel old," says Sweeney, a
grandfather of four. "I can't
sprint with the kids, but
there's a lot of things I
can do that the kids can't."
A lifelong athlete,
Sweeney still plays 10
sports, including ice
hockey. He coached tennis
after retiring from his job as a
cost estimator for an electron-
ics company, then enrolled at
Racquet scientist: Sweeney
romping on his 40-year-old
legs'at Salem State practice
RICK FRIEDMAN-BLACK STAR