The Observer, February 15, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 17
Student Profile: Chuck Becker
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Katie Chioran: How did you come up with your combination of majors and minors?
Chuck Becker: I knew in high school that I wanted to go into medicine, and my parents told me not to be one of those biology or chemistry majors, because if you ever decide you don't want to go to medical school, you're going to be stuck teaching. They kind of forced me into going into engineering, and they left it up to me to decide which field to go into, so I chose BME because it was the closest. The minors were more for kicks.
KC: What made you decide to stick around Case for graduate school?
CB: I'm going into the masters of engineering management program, and it's a very tailored program. It's not just business for engineers; they even have a track for biomedical engineers, so it's more focused on my background. Plus, I get to do everything the same for another year and don't have to change any habits or anything at all, the only thing that changes are my course numbers.
KC: How has your role as the Case Spartan changed your view on Case's school spirit?
CB: I don't think it's really changed my perception of Case sports fans. I know trying to get a few waves started at football games is like herding cats – it's just not going to happen. It's just more reaffirmed that school spirit at Case requires much more than just one person acting like an idiot; It's going to require quite a few.
KC: How do you decide who inherits the Spartan helmet?
CB: It's run through the Student Activities and Leadership office. There will be applications coming up in the next month, and there will be a new [Spartan] through the application and interview process by April. I'll be done by Springfest.
KC: What made you decide to be the member educator for Sigma Nu, and what does that involve?
CB: It's something that I learned a lot from when I was a freshman. I pretty much didn't leave my room and was one of those introverted, nerdy students. But after I joined the fraternity and went through the membership education program that we have, I realized how much more you can get out of social and leadership experiences. If you're extroverted, you try to get to know people, so I became membership educator so I could give all the new members the same experience that changed me so dramatically.
KC: Do you have any advice for the billions of other BME majors at Case?
CB: BME is very concept-based, but never be afraid to ask others for help. Often, it's hit or miss as to whether people understand certain sections of materials, so maybe if you don't get it, someone else you know does. There's nothing wrong with asking for help because in the real world, engineers work in groups of five to 10 people, so there's going to be interaction that way.
KC: What's your biggest achievement?
CB: I think my biggest achievement has been learning to balance everything. Most people really delve into schoolwork and just focus on that, but there's so much more to college, and learning how to do all of it at the same time and still get eight hours of sleep at night is something that most people have trouble with. But I've been able to make it work.
KC: How do you feel about sharing a name with the first police officer to receive the death penalty?
CB: I don't think I'll have to worry because I don't think his nickname was Chuckles. I mean, Chuckles the killer cop really doesn't work – no, it works way too well.
KC: Any weird habits?
CB: I live off of my calendar. I'm addicted to Outlook and Google calendar's text message appointment reminders – it saved me in like three meetings in the last week.
