一个不想毕业的大学生

For One Student, a College Career Becomes a Career


一个以学为“业”的大学生



Nearly every college has some screwball who never seems to graduate, lingering year after year as classmates move on. And then there is Johnny Lechner.


几乎每一所大学都有一些古里古怪的家伙。他们好象永远也不会毕业，年复一年地混迹在学校里，而他们的同窗换了一茬又一茬。有个叫Johnny Lechner的家伙就是这样。



In his 12th year of college, Mr. Lechner has parlayed life as perpetual student into a lucrative personal brand.


Lechner先生在校已经有12个年头，他的“老童生”生涯成了自己赚钱的招牌。



He has appeared on "Late Show", "Good Morning America" and other shows, describing a roisterous campus lifestyle of beer and merrymaking.


他在“当今秀”和“早安美国”等等做秀节目中露过脸，大谈自己啤酒加快乐的热闹的校园生涯。



National Lampoon is promising to pay his tuition, and the makers of Monster Energy Drink deliver 30 cases a week to the house where Mr. Lechner lives and parties, in exchange for his endorsement of Monster as "the official energy drink" of his 12th college year.


“全民乱捧”节目承诺支付他的学费，而“猛士能源饮料公司”每星期发30箱饮料到他的住处和party，只为换取他在第十二个学年认可“猛士”作为其“指定的能源饮料”。



He has signed with the William Morris Agency, which is marketing a reality television series based on his life at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.


他还和William Morris机构签约，该机构正推销以他在白水城的威斯康星州大学生活为蓝本的现实生活电视连续剧。



The dizzying whirl of sudden celebrity has not been easy, Mr. Lechner said.


突然之间成了名人让他目眩神摇，不过Lechner先生说这一切并不容易。



"I'm really stressed out," he said. "All the money, the book deals, the agents. It's just crazy."


“忙坏了。这些钱啊，出书的签约啊，经纪人啊…我都快疯了。”他大叹苦经。



Some state officials are indignant that Mr. Lechner's record is attracting a spotlight.


然而，看到这位Lechner先生靠（并不光彩的）经历出了名，州政府官员不禁大光其火。



"The guy's been a student for 12 years, and he's bragging about it?" said State Representative Robin G. Kreibich. "I wonder how many kids can't get in because he's staying on so long."


州议员Robin G. Kreibich说：“这家伙当学生都12年了，还好意思吹？我怀疑，因为他赖在学校这么久，造成多少孩子上不了学？”



He was the beneficiary of a tuition subsidy given to all in-state students - until the last school year, when Wisconsin imposed a surcharge virtually doubling tuition for students who exceed 165 credits. (Mr. Lechner has 242.) This year his tuition is about $9,800.


他原本确实是个“本州学生”学费资助的受益者，直到上个学年威州对获得超过165个学分的学生征收双倍学费（Lechner都有242个学分了）。今年他的学费约为9,800美元。



When Mr. Lechner enrolled in college in 1994, the Internet was practically a baby and his current girlfriend was starting fourth grade. He has since drifted through four majors - education, communications, theater, women's studies - and watched hundreds of friends graduate, get jobs and marry.


在Lechner先生1994年入学的时候，因特网尚方兴未艾，其时他的女朋友是大四的学生。自入学起，他就在四个专业里晃荡，什么教育学、传媒、戏剧和妇女研究之类，而这段时间他看着他成百上千的朋友们毕业、就业和结婚。



Mr. Lechner has stayed on, pursuing a coffeehouse career as a singer-songwriter and accumulating more than twice the 120 credits required for graduation. His parents are divorced. During his first two years they helped pay his tuition, but since then he has paid his own way, working part time and taking out $30,000 in student loans.


Lechner没走。他继续着在咖啡馆当歌手和写歌人，而且又挣到了超过毕业所需的120个学分双倍的学分。他父母离婚了。最初两年他们还给他付学费，而后他自谋来源：打零工、争取到30,000美元的学生贷款。



Mr. Lechner said he hardly noticed the semesters flying by during his fifth, sixth and seventh college years because he had found a “comfort zone.” During his eighth year, he said, “I realized it's a great story, and I started thinking about my book.” He resolved to go for at least 10 years.


在第五、六、七个学年，Lechner因为找到了自己的“安乐园”，就这么看着一个一个的学期流逝而恍然不觉。到了第八个年头，他说“我意识到我的故事真是了不起，就开始考虑写本书。”于是下定决心至少混它十个年头。



But some students find Mr. Lechner annoying. “Johnny has his little core of buddies,” said Brian Wolfe, a political science major, “but a lot of people think, ‘Why doesn't he just grow up?'”


但也有学生觉得Lechner够烦的。“Johnny是有他的朋友圈子，” 政治学专业学生Brian Wolfe说，“但很多人也在想：这家伙怎么就长不大呢？”



词汇：screwball怪人，疯子 parlay下赌注，成功利用 perpetual永久的 roisterous喧闹的，风光的 lampoon戏谑，搞笑 endorsement支持，认可 whirl旋风，突然事件 indignant怒不可遏的 surcharge超额收费，额外收费 credit学分 enroll入学 resolve下决心