“Night at the Autoshop” features lessons on vehicle repair, maintenance
葡萄牙韩国足球断交沃伦威尔逊学院大四学生萨凡纳·利文古德和大二学生夏洛特·皮斯特和科琳娜·施泰因鲁克发起了一项活动，帮助女性、跨性别者和非二元性别校园社区成员获得基本的汽车维护和维修技能。Photo: Reggie Tidwell
玛丽莎·托梅于1993年获得奥斯卡最佳女配角奖。Tomei won for her performance as a former mechanic and automobile expert in the movie, “My Cousin Vinny.” A woman in that position is rare in film and real life. That worries three Warren Wilson College students. Together, they are on a mission to help their fellow female, transgender and non-binary classmates and staff and faculty members learn how to repair and maintain their cars.
“当我第一次加入Autoshop Crew的时候，我没有太多的经验，”资深的萨凡纳·利文古德说。“我认为这是有必要的，因为校园设施部门是男性主导的。女性、非二元性别和跨性别者没有很多机会去探索这类事情。对这些人来说，有一个不被评判的学习空间很重要。”
多年来，沃伦·威尔逊学葡萄牙韩国足球断交院的高年级学生萨凡纳·利文古德一直在寻找同学帮助她创作“汽车商店之夜”。2017年，二年级学生Corinna Steinrueck和Charlotte Surface终于找到了合适的伴侣。Photo: Reggie Tidwell
While research is limited, Livengood’s assessment is supported by some data.The U.S. Department of Labor reportswomen make up 1.2 percent of “automotive and service technicians and mechanics” across the country. A 2014 survey of 2,000 people reported by the websiteInsurance.com claimsless than 50 percent of women have changed a tire. Roughly 15 percent of women surveyed said they did not know how to check tire pressures or oil compared to 4 percent of men. The lack of knowledge jumps to 26 percent when it comes to women who cannot jump-start a car, according to the website.
有了这样的理解，利文古德决定举办一个研讨会，帮助特定群体学习如何保养自己的汽车。但她永远找不到人来帮她策划这件事。2017年春天，负责维护校园车辆的“汽车商店”(Autoshop Crew)的新成员欣然接受了这个想法。
“It is frustrating because it’s such a basic safety issue,” said Charlotte Surface, a sophomoresocial workmajor. “We live in a vehicle driven world, and a huge percentage of our population isn’t given the skills to take care of themselves, to take care of cars or to keep themselves safe, knowledgeable and independent. That is a real problem.”
Warren Wilson College sophomore Corinna Steinrueck helped create “A Night at the Autoshop.” Photo: Reggie Tidwell
利文古德和Surface与大二学生Corinna Steinrueck一起创作了《汽车商店之夜》(Night at the Autoshop)。这次4月中旬的活动为女性、跨性别者和非二元性别学生、教职员工提供了“学习路边紧急维修”的机会，其中包括更换轮胎和启动电池。其他基本的保养——换油、检查液位、更换灯——也在学习中。
Livengood’s degree is focused onenvironmental education. She believes the real way to empower people and communities is to share knowledge. This workshop is an extension of her academic work as she hopes it will help her fellow campus community members gain experience and learn new skills they can share with others.
“I have helped so many friends with car problems since I started at the autoshop. I have also had to work on my car, which included some massive repairs. That feeling of empowerment and the continued request for help made me realize the idea for this event was a good one,” Livengood said.
Warren Wilson College sophomore Charlotte Surface calls the need for everyone to have more automotive knowledge “a basic safety issue.” Photo: Reggie Tidwell
Surface and Livengood both credit Janson Bowman, who manages Warren Wilson College’s Motor Fleet and the Autoshop, with teaching them everything they know. His mentorship and instruction helped them gain the confidence to create “Night at the Autoshop.”
“This is my third semester on the Autoshop Crew. Last semester, I replaced an intake manifold by myself. Once I was finished with that project, I realized that anybody could do this kind of work as long as they can get to the information. There is nothing anyone has over anyone else except for access. That’s why this event is so important. Everybody can work on their own car,” said Surface.
While Bowman opened the door to the information and taught the crew how to do the work, he does not have an official role in the “Night at the Autoshop” event.
“詹森是一种极其稀有的资源。即使在项目进行到一半的时候，他也会停下来帮助我们理解一些事情。我们怎么夸他都不为过。他告诉我们，我们需要他做什么，他都会做。他的天赋就是站出来让我们这么做。”
大二学生Charlotte Surface和Corinna Steinrueck以及大四学生Savannah Livengood在学院的汽车商店里制作一辆汽车。Photo: Reggie Tidwell
In the film, Tomei’s character is put on the witness stand as an expert in “general automotive knowledge.” Despite a litany of qualifying experience – tuneups, oil changes, engine and transmission rebuilds – a suspicious prosecutor asks outlandish questions to prove she could never be an expert in auto mechanics. Nevertheless, the character demonstrates expertise, embarrassing the prosecutor along the way, and saves two innocent people from a guilty verdict. The doubts harbored by the prosecutor are familiar to Surface and Livengood, but now they are the experts in the room.
“It never fails,” said Surface. “If I pop the hood at a gas station, a man will come over to me and ask if I need help. My answer now is ‘no.’ I’m a mechanic. They seem to think I don’t know anything, but I probably know more than they do. It’s incredibly gratifying. I want to give that same feeling to my friends through this event.”
“A Night at the Autoshop” is slated forWednesday, April 12, at5:30 p.m. For more information, call 828-771-5890.