Professor afraid fo alien abduction
Statesman: Why did you choose USU?
Bates: My wife (Melanie Domenech Rodriguez) got a job here and so I followed her. I was a trailing spouse. And then a position opened up that fit my skills pretty well, I thought.
US: So she works at the university, too?
Bates: She’s actually in the psych department. We are a psych department couple.
US: What made you choose psychology?
Bates: Initially, it was about helping people. I thought I was going to be a therapist and then I discovered on the research end of the field that it’s easier to help more people. So, the research that I do is sort of targeted on that idea. It’s really about service, I guess.
US: Had you ever been to Utah before moving here?
Bates: Once for a conference. It was a skiing conference. But I moved here having never been anywhere other than Park City.
US: Do you ski then?
Bates: I do. But I’m not very good at it.
US: If there was a motto or quotation that you lived by, what would it be?
Bates: Recently, my motto and quotation has been, “Think small.” I think it’s a little bit of a personal motto because I do a lot of really large tasks, so to me, it’s about breaking them down into smaller tasks to accomplish things. I get so busy and if I look at the big picture, it’s overwhelming. So I’m constantly reminding myself, “Just write a page and you’ll be fine” or “Get this lecture done – don’t be thinking about the entire class.”
US: What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
Bates: I don’t know that. I’m not really much of a risk taker, actually. I’m pretty sure of things before I try them.
US: You’ve never been bungee jumping or something?
Bates: No. Not really, I just don’t. I test things out first. When I started dating my wife, we actually had lunch first because I thought lunch was a good way to sort of see if there was something there. Dinner seemed so much like a date, but lunch just seems like it’s lunch. When taking a risk, I try to limit it as much as I can with my mind by collecting data.
US: What are you afraid of?
Bates: Alien abduction. It’s a completely, completely irrational thing and honestly I don’t camp very much. And I like camping. I like everything about camping except for the part where you go into a tent and stay there at night. So if I could do all the camping stuff and then go home at night, then I would be a happier camper.
US: Does that have to do with being abducted?
Bates: I think so! I think when you’re camping you’re isolated and especially if it’s near a clearing where a UFO could land. It’s an irrational fear and it’s not something that’s debilitating, but I don’t camp. (laughing) I enjoy nature other ways.
US: If you had five hours of free time right now and money wasn’t an issue, what would you do?
Bates: I’m very food oriented, so for sure there would be a great meal in it and it would probably be outside of the valley. Although there are fine restaurants here, I would probably head to Salt Lake for a meal. And I like to have sushi, especially when money is no object.
US: What was the last movie you saw in theaters?
Bates: (laughing) The last one I saw in a theater was “The Devil Wears Prada.” We actually don’t see movies because with kids that are 5 and 1, we don’t have very many movie opportunities. When we do, it’s about going and seeing whatever’s playing.
US: Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?
Bates: I’ve been around some professional baseball players, but I wouldn’t say I’ve met them. I’ve met Colin Powell. That’s a famous person. I was at a conference and he was the keynote speaker, so I met him. But he probably doesn’t remember me. I shook his hand, but I didn’t get to talk to him.
US: What’s your favorite part about teaching here?
Bates: I like the student interaction aspect of teaching. And it’s funny because in big classes it’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but the interaction with students is the key reinforcer for me. It’s the spark that makes teaching worthwhile. It’s not making presentations; it’s literally smaller interactions.
US: Do you have plans for the future as far as teaching and research?
Bates: I try to make my classes better every single semester. I’m trying to constantly improve and make it better than it was last time. My goals in research remain that helping people thing. I do drug prevention research, I do some environmental psychology research and some higher education teaching research.
US: Have you written books, too?
Bates: No, I’ve had some articles published, but I haven’t written a book. They’re published in academic journals and are largely about prevention – journals about substance use and misuse.
US: What’s something unique about you?
Bates: I think I have really broad taste in terms of music. I like lots of different styles and flavors of music. I played cello for 10 years, so I’m a classical music guy and I also like a lot of contemporary stuff. I also have broad taste in food and art and in television. I like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” I like “The Sopranos,” I like “The Simpsons.” Some people would say that’s not very refined, but I enjoy high quality and high quality exists all over the place. -mnewbold@cc.usu.edu