Ball State University - Orient Yearbook (Muncie, IN)

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Despite housing policies, parties were a frequent weekend event, as kegs and unmarked bags from Bob’s Bottle Shop were snuck up back stairwells. Peggy Awbrey and Scott Karney celebrate the open- ing of fall quarter at a Shales Hall party. (JAG) A ‘there comes a time’ kind of story Samenes we forget that few of us suffer the trauma of going away to school for the first time alone. We seldom stop to think of how our leaving home affects those who raised us. Jeff Snyder was a freshman. And like other matriculates, he had to break away from home and adjust to a new environment. His father, Jim Snyder, a broadcaster on radio WMaAL 63 in Washington, D.C. used his radio show to express some thoughts about son Jeff's first trip to college. INTRO: Jim Slade (radio name ) took his son to college the other day. He reports: This is a “there comes a time in every person's life” kind of story. Anyone who has ever done it will recognize it and anyone who may do it someday has thought about it. I took my oldest son to college. Jeff is nearly 18 years old now and wants to be an archaeologist. For that reason, he chose a university out in Indiana which has a very good program. It wouldn't have mattered where he went, though, because the story would still have been the same. You get used to a kid in 18 years. Each new thing he does is something different in your life, as much a new experience for you as for him. There was the first pair of real shoes, the first haircut (it took three men to hold him down), the first day of school, the first pair of glasses, the first part-time job, the first solo on a brand new driver’s license. But there is nothing in that to compare with his and your first day at college. All the others were okay because when the novelty wore off, the youngster was still there. Right? Not this time. This is different. Now you come to the jolting realization your son or daughter has taken the first step away; that from now on the return home is more or less temporary. Maybe you put it out of your mind, or maybe you just don’t think about it until the last minute. But those are the facts of the matter, and ironically, what you have been planning all these years. Well, we huffed and puffed over the trunk, the suitcases, the duffle bag, the bicycle, the radio, the magazines, the posters and what have you; we toured the campus, my wife, my younger son, Jeff and me. We ate lunch, and we dallied. But there were 500 miles or more back to Virginia and there was no way around it. Finally, we pulled away from the curb, leaving one of the party behind. Funny how blurry a windshield can be on a sunny day in Indiana. Now let’s see...how many days until Thanksgiving? This is Jim Slade. (Used by permission) At times an unfamiliar situation just over- whelms a person. New to Howick Hall, freshman Scott Loper seeks some solitude in his new room as he silently ponders his new and untried college environment. (WEV) Moving In, Dorm Rules, A Parent's View x Hassles 27

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hot and horrible days Sex visitation hours prevented members of the op- posite sex from openly going up to the rooms of boyfriends or girlfriends after hours. Mindful of the tules, Goshen freshman Jeff Parker loiters outside the Wilson Hall elevator after an evening with Seymour freshman Linda Owen. (TAH) good job trying to decongest it, but the main problem was that Mommy and Daddy didn’t want to leave their little girl.” Once Mommy and Daddy finally did return home, the portable televi- sion sets warmed up and Harbrace handbooks landed in place on shelves. Students took advantage of the brief, post-moving in free time. It wouldn't be long before they were informed of the hall rules and warned of the long lines that awaited them. (CMB, ALM) Rules and windows to be broken Life in a residence hall meant life with rules. Each hall had a unique way of ex- pressing itself, within hall rules and without. There were no rules con- doning the Hose King’s waterfights in Edwards Hall or the obscene Palmer Whitcraft yodeling that flut- tered from window to window. There were no specifics regarding shopping carts in closets or greased doorknobs. But the law was specifically and sincerely laid down regarding alcohol consumption, drug usage, and visita- tion rights. Violators were subject to social probation, a label tagged to stu- dent records. 26 Living x Hassles Ren Tuer? We Ope Rules were made to protect the in- dividual and the group but often caused friction between residents and staffs. Residence hall staffs were not necessarily out to play narc, but more often than not, when residents swag- gered in with that one-too-many beer bottle stuffed into his pants, the staff would do his job by making a bust. The director was there to do just that: direct—not to play mama or dic- tator. “I am not here to be a policeman or a parent; I am here to help the girls learn to live in a society and to abide by that society’s laws,” said Liz Bran- non, director of DeMotte Hall. Visitation policies changed, as many Illegal substances flourished in the rooms of those with green thumbs. Few people had luck with mari- juana plants, as they required constant light and delicate growing conditions. This particular plant died from mite infestation before yielding any highs. For successful harvesters, homegrown was cheap and worth risking the staff's knock at the door. (WEV) halls went to a 24-hour lounge con- cept. Residents of Noyer Halls and Botsford Swinford could watch the Tomorrow show with whomever, whenever. However, disciplinary action was enforced when a resident was caught openly drinking, smoking marijuana, or allowing members of the opposite sex in the room after hours. Any activity which endangered

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hot and horrible days fellow residents, such as shooting bot- tle rockets into the open window across the courtyard, was also prohibited. Acts of vandalism were also discouraged. Popular late-night ac- tivities such as fire alarm-pulling and floor-flooding were frowned upon by directors, staffs, and often residents alike. A common complaint by directors concerned their disappointment in residents who openly denied breaking a rule even when caught in the act. They believed it was fairly obvious that something was wrong when a size-11 tennis shoe protruded from under the bed of a petite sophomore who demurely stated, “There’s no guy in my room.” Students learned to live with the fact that life in a residence hall meant life with rules. Hall rules were just one of the small irritations students learned to cope with upon moving in. (REB, ALM) Doing the red tape tango It’s 8:10 on a warm September mor- ning. Your green class sheet has you signed up for “Classical Culture 165,” your Ephram Zimbalist Jr. FBI Scholarship hasn’t come through, and your yellow validation sticker still lacks the smiling ID card that was sup- posed to arrive three weeks ago. So, you've dragged yourself out of bed an hour early, wolfed down a couple of luke-warm, wet and runny, “over- well, please” eggs, and now you Te re- living that familiar September curse: standing in line. In September, as at the beginning of each quarter, the Administration Building sported more lines than graph paper and became the center of a red- tape whirlwind. Students descended on the building for everything from jobs to class changes to financial aid. To support rising fees and the ever- popular pizza habit, many students needed jobs. Thanks to a new and un- tried centralized student employment 28 Living x Hassles Poker games and parties started off the back-to-the- books grind. Mike Woodruff comes up with the win- ning sweep in a full-house hand against Kirk Martin, Mark Downhan,, and Randy Poisel. (JAG) procedure, the process of finding stu- dent employment was even more com- plicated than usual this year. First, a suitable job had to be selected from the bulletin board in the Office of Student Financial Aid. Next, an application for employment and the necessary tax forms had to be filled out. Finally came appointments with financial aids office personnel, at which time eligible students were given introduction cards. Only after the all-too-sacred in- troduction cards were secured could students actually go to employers to ask about a job. For employers, especially those that hired a number of students, the process was equally complicated. A complete listing of available jobs and their descriptions had to be posted with the financial aids office. All students who inquired about jobs had to ask for their introduction cards. Those who didn’t have one had to be sent to financial aids to get one. When students were hired, their introduction cards had to be attached to a student employment authorization form, which was to be sent to the financial aids office before the student could go on to payroll. At the same time, employers had to keep the financial aids office posted as to what vacancies were filled so that job descriptions could be removed from the office’s bulletin board. Once lines shortened outside the Financial Aids Of- fice, tax forms and employee introduction cards were filled out. Those who sweated out the lines usually found a job on campus or nearby. (CSK) “It was really a confusing situation that was abetted by an overwhelming lack of communication,” said one stu- dent employer who wished to remain unidentified. “The new employment procedure was outlined in a handbook which we didn't receive until we were well into the employment process. “After spending the summer hiring a large number of students, we had to send them all to financial aids to get introduction cards after they arrived in September. Many of them couldn't get their checks for the first pay period because they were not able to schedule appointments in time,” he added. Jeff Franz, a Centerville, Ohio sophomore, found brazenness to be the best policy.