...this would be my new career....
Perpetual Student Wants One More Year
After 12 Years in College, He Wants to Study Abroad
WHITEWATER, Wis. (May 10) - Despite his 12 years as an undergraduate student, Johnny Lechner realized something was missing from his academic record: he'd never studied abroad.
Johnny Lechner says college is just too much fun to quit.
And so, the 29-year-old perpetual student who was expected to finally graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater withdrew his application for graduation Monday, five days before commencement.
"I realized that if I went one more year, I could study abroad," Lechner said. "That's one thing I haven't done."
Lechner's extended academic career has made him a celebrity of sorts. His never-ending student life has been featured in newspapers and on network television shows, not to mention campus publications across the nation.
By this spring he had completed 234 college credits, or about 100 more than needed to graduate, and was taking seven more.
That qualified him for the so-called "slacker tax," ins uted this school year by the UW Board of Regents to help cover the state subsidy for students who stay long past the usual four of five years to earn an undergraduate degree.
It calls for students who exceed 165 total credit hours or 30 more than their degree programs require - whichever is higher - to pay double tuition.
Lechner said he didn't start out to be a long-term student, but it just developed once he realized how much fun he was having at college.
Had he graduated, he would have earned a liberal studies degree in education, communications, theater, health and women's studies.
Mic e Eigenberger, an editor at The Royal Purple, said Lechner may have achieved celebrity status, but most students are tired of it.
"It's getting old," she said. "For the sanity of the rest of the campus, we want him to get out of here."
05/10/06 14:34 EDT
He's kind of cute, too.
Not a bad idea, but the subjects he's been studying are weak.
But I would actually get the degrees ... and I'd have at least a Master's in everything.
I loved college.
Money can't buy love...
but it can buy lots and lots of stupid things for white girls, and in turn ass for you.
The sanity of the campus? Give me a break. More like the face of the administration. Lets put things in perspective here.
Believe me, I'm not one who can cast stones at the number of years somebody stays in school.But I would actually get the degrees ... and I'd have at least a Master's in everything.
I loved college.
But I think it's one thing to do something that legitimately takes a long-ass time to do (like get a graduate degree). It's quite something else to actively and persistently make up illogical just so you can stay in school.
Seriously. I wonder how he's getting the money to pay double the tuition. I would think after 8 years, he'd want to actual put some of what he learned into the real world for use.
If I ever won the lottery, I'd do two chicks at one time. I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.
You can do that in Cozumel for $300 bucks.. you don't need a million.If I ever won the lottery, I'd do two chicks at one time. I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.
I think he meant minus the disease factor.
I know someone who managed to stay at UT for like 12 years simply so he could stay in the Longhorn Band.
He must really love those three songs they can play.I know someone who managed to stay at UT for like 12 years simply so he could stay in the Longhorn Band.
The Royal Purple really has a hard-on for this guy getting out (and a poorly designed site)
http://www.royalpurplenews.com/disar...eid=2006-05-03
Editorial - Clock runs down on slacker’s fifteen minutes
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Johnny Lechner looks to be ending his 12-year college career May 13 for reasons he claims to be beyond his control.
Having already expended enough money on college tuition to buy a two-story home, the local “celebrity” appears to have finally run his course.
Never too shy to tell you when he’ll next visit the Big Apple, Lechner, who once requested to be identified by the le of his Web site, claimed recently he can no longer afford to attend UW-Whitewater because of amendments requiring him to pay twice the cost of in-state tuition.
The fact that Lechner actually intended to further extend his college career is topped only by his inability to support himself in the pursuit of what can now only loosely be defined as an education.
In the end, Lechner’s fame has apparently brought little fortune. So little in fact that he can ill-afford the price tag of the seven credits he takes each semester. It appears selling used deodorant on Ebay is a less lucrative venture than one might think.
Lechner’s requests for donations, while an intriguing entrepreneurial ploy, appear to have bore just as little fruit.
Evidently embittered by his failed business ventures, Lechner looks to be tiring of his limited fame - we tired of it long ago. He recently dodged any interviews with Royal Purple reporters, directing the reporters to his publicist. Johnny offered them little more than a sigh, saying, “I feel like the story’s been done,” in as snide and overburdened tone as could be imagined. Oddly enough, Lechner was willing to share the story that’s been done to the national publications that will forget his name and existence sometime tomorrow evening, neglecting those few who may care where the future takes him.
Apparently nowadays fifteen minutes of fame comes at the cost of modesty and dignity, both of which are fading fast for the man once referred to as a real-life Van Wilder.
Lechner, who by most standards has received limited public scrutiny given the cir stances, has seemingly forgotten that the status of public figure is not all sunshine and candy. As any athlete, public official or officer of the law could tell Lechner, criticism is a part of the fame game, especially after appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Last Call with Carson Daly.
After bragging on Letterman that he had not received worse than a C grade in a few semesters Lechner’s aura dulled significantly, leading to a flurry of letters to the editor denouncing his status.
Referring to the Royal Purple as not being kind, Lechner has asked that his name be kept out of the paper as the level of criticism continues to climb.
Unfortunately for Lechner, he is now solidifying his status as an unapproachable and easily aggravated William Hung, devoid of any mentionable talent or accomplishments.
Donald Rumsfeld once said, “If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.” Lechner has somehow managed to attain his criticism without doing much at all for more than a decade. For that we say “good riddance.”
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The guy has a publicist?
Sorry, he's a .
You do realize his publicist is probably Shaggy, the liberal arts sop re with posters of Che Guevara, Pink Floyd, two women kissing and "4859329204 Reasons a Beer Is Better Than a Woman" on his wall, right?
There was one organization on campus who tried to send my reporters through their publicist only. I one day took the president of the group out to lunch (Chik-Fil-A in the Student Center) to ask why.
He explained he was busy and all the like and my response was how many media requests did he get outside of my paper's.
He chewed on that for a minute or so, then told me to pass his cell number to my reporters.
A publicist...meh.
If you want the fame, handle it yourself.
Maybe his publicist is also his padawan.
And what's sad is that those are the exact same posters that the Shaggies twenty years ago had.
Selling used deodorant??? Gross.
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