Ball State University - Orient Yearbook (Muncie, IN)

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Three hot and horrible iH Ps ena OSs ee BR 99 A 22 Living xr Hassles

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ee 1b? is LaFollette, and over there is the cow path. . . That huge building over there—the one that looks like a stack of books—is Bracken Library. “To our immediate left are the Architecture Building and the College of Business. Yes, that’s right. People actually study in there. But they ll be tearing it down soon. The new College of Business will be located right here, between Bracken and the Architecture Building.” The Student Orientation Corps (SOC) leader had to yell to be heard all the way to the back of the long procession of Orientation students that followed her. Like cattle, the group followed, hanging on her every word. For 12 weeks, the process continued. T-shirted SOC leaders, red folders in hand, threaded their way through the campus, pointing out to their followers objects of interest, or importance, or both. Touring the campus occupied only a fraction of the time the 400 to 500 incoming freshmen spent in their campus introduction. Visiting with curricular advisers and selecting new Overnight insight classes for fall dominated the importance of orientation, but organized activities went further than that. Rap sessions for both parents and students, led by SOC leaders, broadened the image of the university. Where the handbooks and campus pamphlets stopped, the rap sessions began. “No, girls do not have to be in by 9 o'clock,” said Lucy Hitzfield, Orientation parent coordinator, to an inquisitive, possibly over- protective mother. Disco dancing and Domino’s pizza chomping topped off the first day of Orientation before retiring to Noyer Complex dorm rooms for a quieter- than-usual night in a BSU residence hall. “For many of them (freshmen) it was the first time away from home and certainly for being in a dorm setting,” stated Orientation director Richard Harris. “We did what we could to relieve anxieties that were caused by this.” The majority of the freshmen thought the orientation was worthwhile, although a few felt it WBST Tower, Recreation, Summer Theatre, Orientation x was boring, especially if they lived near Muncie. Bob Holdforth, from Forest Heights, Maryland seemed to like the two-day stay. “Orientation helped me to meet a lot of people,” he said. “It also helped me to get used to the area and living in a dormitory.” Anxieties, questions, and answers fell into place for the green BSU students and parents. SOC groups aired vital information about the university and not-so-vital insights like where to eat on Friday nights or why to avoid the Health Center—things only upperclassmen could relate to the groups. With schedules in hand for fall quarter, the freshman left his campus stay looking forward to September. “It's not as bad as I thought it would be,” stated Jill Barrett, Selma. “A few of the administrative talks were a bit long, but overall it was pretty good after I got there.” (KJG) Orientation was just as much for new parents as for new students. Student Orientation Corps parent coordinator Lucy Hitzfield eases the apprehensions and curiosity of ap- preciative moms and dads. (DRT) Summer Events ZI

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days in September 7? 7 Crowded cars and crabby cops Those who chose off-campus living also had to con- tend with the hassles of moving their own furniture. Lucy Reagan and Tom Kuepper shuffle a heavy chest-of-drawers into an apartment. (DRT) Imagination helped when creating makeshift luggage such as orange and milk crates and plastic garbage bags. Anderson sophomore Julie Shaw and Sandy Marsh combine strengths to transport a cumbersome load to their Palmer Hall room. (MJI) They came marching back to Mun- cie, more than 17,000 of them. They came pulling U-Hauls and in battered Volkswagen bugs, bringing portable television sets, throw pillows, and Har- brace handbooks. Industrial Trust Time Temperature remembers September 4, 5, and 6, 1977 as hot and horrible. Despite the heat, moving in at Ball State University was a fall ritual as traditional as Benny. Campus Cadet Brad Woods, New Castle junior, worked during the mov- ing in. “There were no real hassles,” he said, “and the university police should be commended for a fine job.” Woods was almost amazed that there were no really bad traffic tie-ups. Director of Traffic, Safety, and Security Tom Osborn saw moving in from a different perspective. “People seemed to forget they were one in a thousand moving into a par- ticular area,” he said. “They would unload and then just leave their cars. “We used increased personnel to handle traffic,” he continued. “The ci- ty and county reserves helped tremen- dously.” Police reports showed only one on-campus accident occurred dur- ing the moving in time. Scott Killings, member of Delta Chi fraternity, avoided the moving in rush by returning to Muncie earlier in the summer. As a former hall resident, Killings was overjoyed not to fight the traffic or bother with check-in pro- cedures. “T don’t miss the strictness of dorms. There’s not always someone looking down your shoulder to see if you are doing the right things,” the Kokomo junior said. Campus traffic ebbed and flowed, but really crowded conditions existed in the dorms. Residence halls normally house 6,837 students, according to housing office figures. However, an ex- tra 361 residents were sardined into what the housing office called “tem- porary housing” and what the students called “study lounges.” “The temporary housing was not an ideal situation,” said Karen Hoefs, director of administrative services at the housing office, “but the students coped with it as well as they could. MovingIn x Hassles 23