Best of Education

Best Professor: Tibor Palfai

By: Paster, Katherine

Posted: 4/18/07

Class: human sexuality
No other class gives the teacher the freedom to talk about thrusting, erectile dysfunction and infant masturbation. Professor Joseph Fanelli adds animation to the always full, three-hour lecture. The textbook even has sex positions, and if anyone asks, it's assigned reading! When parents view report cards, however, they may worry that you received an A in human sex.

Excuse to skip class: hangover
So you had a good night with some friends. Clearly, your 8 a.m. lecture got in the way of living college life to the fullest. Professors don't want students with nasty colds or stomach bugs in class, so they definitely don't want sluggish students who are about to spew last night's party all over the lecture hall.

Place to pretend you're doing work: in class
The ultimate ploy: if you're in class, people must assume you're being productive. The disguise of doing work behind a desk makes professors happy their students are in attendance, and even notebook doodles can pass for vigorous notes on the Civil War. The only challenge is deciphering which professors call on those who make or avoid eye contact.

Computer cluster: Kimmel
Computer labs don't allow food or drinks, yet Kimmel is in the heart of food and drinks! Students don't have to venture to the vending machines or the Mount's Junction; they merely have to walk two steps to get a junior Whopper or a scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream.

Study spot: Bird Library
Though usually packed, Bird Library has five floors of nooks and crannies to find study space. The wireless access, vending machines and ample supply of books allow students to spend all day working. The main study room also allows for social butterflies to get their work of visiting friends accomplished.

-Heather Mayer

Despite what you may be thinking, it's not just the appeal of studying drugs that fills the seats of Dr. Tibor Palfai's lectures each week. According to his adoring students, it's Palfai's exceptional teaching style and personal flare that keep thousands of Syracuse University students on the edge of their seats and coming back for more.

"Even though he has had so many students during his career, Palfai teaches his classes like he is close to the student body," junior psychology major Dave Lumpkin said. "He calls his students 'my loves' and uses vocabulary to make students comfortable during hard subjects. I think that may be his best feature, then throw in his experience and knowledge on top of all that."
Palfai's overwhelmingly popular classes cover everything relating to substances that affect human behavior, including their history, effects on the nervous system, uses and abuses, short and long-term effects on individuals and the potential side effects. While many students are under the impression they know all there is to know about the illegal substances that reign over college life, Palfai believes many are misinformed about the dangers of drug use and the effects it could have on human bodies.

"The goal of teaching a course like this is for students not to make mistakes and to become informed about the side effects of drug use," said Palfai. "That way, students can make their own judgments in deciding to use drugs. The reason that many people get involved with drugs is because they are ignorant about the effects, and what their peers say goes. The goal is for my students to become the spokespersons of the people, because they are better informed."
Palfai's lectures include lessons on alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, narcotics and hallucinogens. While one might assume these relevant topics are enough to appeal to college students on their own, students insist it's Professor Palfai's teaching style that brings the science of psychopharmacology to life.

"The class is really fun," said junior mathematics major Monaz Kanga, who is taking drugs and human behavior with Palfai this semester. "While jotting down notes, Palfai adds his own stories and applies what we learn to a class activity. I'll never forget how Palfai always says in the beginning of class, 'Ok class...let's get ready to rumble!'"
Despite popular belief, it was not a personal history of drug use that inspired Palfai to devote his life to the study of substances and their effects on human behavior. Before becoming one of SU's greatest treasures in 1969, the Hungarian native studied in both Germany and Canada. While studying at McGill University in the 1960s, Palfai's fascination with psychopharmacology was born.

"When I came to Canada, I worked in a pharmaceutical company," Palfai said. "I became fascinated by one of the young Ph.D. female researchers who was doing drug work, and I realized that that's what I wanted to do."
Palfai conducted various research experiments at McGill to study the adverse effects of drugs on behavior in animals, and he continued his research with graduate students at SU. His startling findings inspired Palfai to share his knowledge with the most vulnerable and na've constituency: college students.

"When I came to Syracuse, I did all kinds of research," Palfai said. "When I was learning these things, and experiencing these things, I realized I could transmit my knowledge to students first hand. It's beneficial for all of us. When you have that experience with these drugs in the lab and can see how it works, you are then able to relay it to the students. When you can transmit information that you're confident about, it is important to do so."

By observing the chemical changes that occur in individuals as a result of drug use, Palfai obtained a first-hand understanding of how dangerous various substances can be. The most dangerous drugs, he discovered, are not the ones that many students assume to be the most detrimental to their health.

"Heroin and ecstasy are probably not as harmful to your body as alcohol is," said Palfai. "That is probably the most shocking. Alcohol can actually damage your body more than heroin can."
After decades of studying the vast array of drugs that tempt individuals who are unaware of their potential dangers, Palfai is now equipped with the necessary information to warn his students.
"There are two drugs that I would not recommend anyone touching," he said. "One would be angel dust (PCP). The other is methamphetamines, because they are extremely addictive for some people. Before you know it, they end up affecting your behavior for the worse."

While Palfai devotes much of his lecture time to educating students about illegal drug use, he also takes the time to emphasize the fact that even legal, prescription drugs can have different effects on different people.

"It's impossible to make any drug 100 percent safe," Palfai said. "There are tremendous individual differences in how people react to drugs. You start with the baseline of health, and a drug which is perfectly harmless for a perfectly healthy person may kill someone else. It's impossible to make all drugs safe, so it's up to the individual to find out what they ought to take, what they ought not to take, what are the side effects, and what the potential dangers are."
Whether he's teaching students what actually happens in the body when you inhale marijuana or lecturing on the history of hallucinogens in America, professor Palfai approaches each class as if it were filled with his own children. Having taught at SU for the past 38 years, Palfai said he feels blessed to have affected the lives of thousands of students and said he is honored to be considered 2007's best professor.

"I have always liked it here; I like Syracuse very much," he said. "After a while it becomes like your family. I follow the Orangemen and Orangewomen, football games, basketball games, field hockey games, etc. They are all my children; I teach 1,000 students per semester, which is 2,000 a year. So after 30 something years, that's like 70,000! That's a lot of children."

Dr. Palfai provides his kids with the little-known facts of drug use in order to equip them with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. For him, opening students' eyes to the reality of drug use and its effect on human behavior is what makes it all worthwhile. He plans to continue opening students' eyes at SU for the foreseeable future.

"Shocking their socks off is the best part about teaching," Palfai said. "When you can transmit information that students hadn't heard about or known, it is very satisfying."