Classics students rank nationally on Latin exam

Bryan Butts and Kevin Quain, both sophomore Classics majors, ranked nationally among students from 30 colleges on the Classical Association of the Middle West and South Intermediate College Latin Exam. Butts is the winner of a Book Prize Award, as he scored in the top 15 students nationally. Quain will receive a letter of commendation for scoring in the top 35.

Butts, a double major in Classics and Philosophy, plans on applying to law schools after completing his undergraduate studies at Wayne. Quain, a Classics major, hopes to get his Masters in Reading, Language, and Literature from the College of Education with the goal of being a teacher.

Quain notes that Latin is the "lingual basis for Western civilization," and Butts explains that studying Latin has reinforced his skills in English, as well as his critical thinking skills. Yet the students' love for Latin goes beyond the pragmatic. Butts says that learning Latin is "thrilling," noting that "Latin is beautiful in ways that English cannot mirror, and it grants one access into the minds of a great civilization that flourished over two millennia ago, as well as the works of some of the greatest thinkers to date."

Butts appreciates the high level of commitment and the exceptional quality of the Classics faculty at Wayne State: "In high school, students are told that teachers at the university level will not care whether students pass their classes, or even show up for them. This, however, is simply not the case here. The Wayne State University Classics department is home to some truly great professors."