Arkansas Tech University - Agricola Yearbook (Russellville, AR)

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Mail, you ' ve got mail? Nobody writes me! r Letters, especially it they are from home, generate enthusiasm tor those lucky enough to receive one by Kristi Voelkerding On any given day if you take the time to stop in at the post office you will find multitudes of students hanging around just waiting for the mail to be unloaded. This is not one of the most exciting ac- tivities on campus, in fact it compares to going down to Safeway to watch them unload the produce off the trucks! Most students come into the post office with their faces lull of hope. If they are rewarded by receiving a letter that day von will usually be informed by the shrieks of, I ' ve got mail, I ' ve got mail. On the other hand those students who do not receive mail can ususally be spotted by the long faces and occasionally the floods of tears streaming off their faces. It is a truly pitiful sight to see a big, strong football player reduced to a snivilingbaby because his mother didn ' t write to tell him hello. It is difficult for those of us who do not receive mail to walk by all those rows of boxes with ten or twelve letters stuffed inside. I figure these people are either putting their used envelopes back into their boxes or they ' ve got names on every mailing list throughout the country I bet the people in the post office have to get a crowbar to get the letters wedged into the boxes of these people. My box has been opened very few times since I ' ve been here. In fact, it ' s getting dusty in there. Some green mold has started along one wall and the spiders have found it to be an ideal place to build a web, especially because they won ' t be disturbed. Have you noticed how some people go to the trouble of opening their boxes up to check and make sure there is nothing in- side? It might be stuck to one side, or the light causes a glare on the glass. At least they keep in the practice of getting into their box in case one day they do get mail But it ' s no wonder that our parents won ' t write to us when every letter we write home starts the same old way, Dear Mom, How are you? I am fine. Please send money. If anyone asked me for money in every letter they wrote I sure wouldn ' t want to write back. Of course, it is not often that I find any money in my mail. 1 have learned though that if you buy certain things you can get a rebate on them and this is like getting money in the mail. I ' m talking big bucks, like two or three dollars. Whatever happened to those parents who used to write us daily when we went off to camp for a week? They didn ' t want us to get homesick so they started writing letters the week before we left so we ' d have some mail when we got there. Now we can ' t even get one or two a month I ' ve figured out a sure system for get- ting my parents back for not writing, I call collect! It costs them four times as much and although I don ' t get any money out of it at least 1 can hear about all those long lost relatives that I never knew existed. But, I ' ll still keep checking ray mail every day or two. If I keep it up I ' ll soon have my name on a few mailing lists. Then I ' ll sit back and watch the stuff come rolling in. Postmistress Mary Sue Bowden is ready to help you with a smile. Here, she is getting a letter that is ready to be mailed Doretha Thomas was fortunate enough to get a letter. She lingers here to read it before going to her next class Post Office 19

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Along the beaten path . . . post office Eventually, any student that attends Arkansas Tech will need to go to the ATU post office. Whether a student lives on or off campus, he will at one time or other go into the post office to pick up mail, mail a letter, or read the announcements on the bulletin board. The post office window is open Mon- day through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. and from noon until 3 p.m. On Saturdays, the window is open from 8 until 10 a.m. Anyone who wishes a letter to go out the same day of mailing must mail the letter before 4 p.m. Otherwise, the letter will be sent with the next day ' s shipment. According to Mary Sue Bowden, post- mistress, the post office processes enough mail for approximately two to three thou- sand people daily. This process not only includes the mail delivered to the 1408 separate boxes in the post office, but also the mail delivered to each department, building and the various clubs. k« I •1 t ar; Ron Harkins asks Jamae Brown if she happened to pick up his new magazine tor him Most Tech students have a post office box This year students have had to double the occupancy of the boxes- Timi Harp and Gail Caulk check their box. 18 Student life ■ . BJ i (i t y i M

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Along the beaten path . . . bookstore Expensive prices on textbooks are reaching new heights Elaine McGee writes a check for her books Besides textbooks, the bookstore has imprinted cloth ing. Roger Oakley finds something in his size. ATU ' s bookstore carries any item they think a student could use In addition to the usual items, they also stock popcorn and marshmallows. backpacks and paint Virtually every student goes to the ATU Bookstore where required books and other supplies are bought for classes. Mr. Ron Parks, bookstore manager, when asked why books were so expensive said that inflation was attributed to the problem. Publishers control the prices and paper shortages also contribute to the problem. Ev- erything is expensive and books are no ex- ception, said Parks. He also said that prices for books bought back by the bookstore are set by an industry standard. The student gets one half of his money back, according to the cost of the book. Used books have market guidelines also. The student receives one- third to one-fourth of the original book price back. The bookstore carries many other supplies besides textbooks and class materials. Im- printed clothing, sundries, general reading best sellers, and other general supplies are offered for the student. Kereigh Foster grudgingly purchases some required read- ing material for a class 20 Student life