Where will you be in thirteen years? It sounds like one of those annoying questions your parents ask before you leave for college. One of the most sarcastic answers you may think up would be to tell them you'll still be partying hard in college.
Johnny Lechner enrolled in 1994 as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and decided that thirteen years of college isn't that bad.
This should be good news to those of you who still haven't found a career path and have a desire to be famous. Lechner's bizarre college career has provided him the opportunity to appear on "Good Morning America," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "CNN" and have a Web site devoted to him. He was supposed to graduate May 13, but withdrew his graduation application five days before the ceremony when he decided to study abroad in Africa.
Lechner has completed three majors and three minors and a jaw-dropping 250 credit hours. How do you pay for the college adventure of a lifetime? You guessed it, on your personal Web page, where you have a donation link where any loving person should be compelled to donate anywhere between $1 to $10,000. If you can scrounge up $10,000 Johnny will personally thank you, and how sweet would it be to personally meet an individual with thirteen years of college experience?
I'm sure he would be able to offer some relationship counseling, tell you how to mix the best drink of your life, offer advice on how to survive what you might call the toughest class of your life, and offer you a personal concert. Yes, Lechner has even traveled the United States with his musical talents. OK, this all sounds great, but what is a guy with talent in multiple areas accomplishing?
Living in a generation that has been called apathetic or technology-dependent, Lechner's actions can be chalked up as another example of living a complacent lifestyle. Don't get me wrong: A little complacency isn't bad, but thirteen years of college is a little extreme. I understand the lifestyle of a college student can be difficult at times and it's nice to lounge on the couch, enjoy a bag of Cheetos and watch the football game of the decade or an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
Lechner has accomplished a streak of seven years without a grade lower than a "B", he has written a play that was performed at the university and volunteered for a variety of other things. His lifestyle choice is a prime example of not wanting to grow up and face those so-called "stressors." It is almost unrealistic to tell yourself your life is going to be one big party and you're the only one invited.
Sure, you're going to encounter some things you might not like in life, but it's part of growing into the responsible adult that college is supposed to help shape you into. The lesson is that it's OK to step out of bounds, or in Lechner's case, out of college to learn, take risks, and advance in your respective duties.
Dan Ladig is a sophmore psychology major and writes 'The Peanut Gallery' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Dan at daladig@bsu.edu.
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