Eastern Kentucky University - Milestone Yearbook (Richmond, KY)

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RALLY DRAWS SUPPORT Never before have represen- tatives from every public and private college and university gathered with distinguished citi- zens to express support for edu- cation, said KY Gov. Martha Layne Collins. With this unity of purpose and this spirit of co- operation, we cannot fail in our resolve to move higher education forward. This upbeat statement by Col- lins had similarities to the enthu- siasm expressed by the estimated 5,000 people who attended the Rally for Higher Education at the Convention Center in Frankfort on Feb. 5, 1986. The rally was a joint cooperative effort between Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education, the Council on High- er Education, the eight public universities, 13 community col- leges and 21 independent col- leges and universities in Ken- tucky. Their purpose was to ap- ply pressure for more money for the universities. Included in the crowd were an estimated 700 Eastern students who cheered loudly whenever the opportunity arose and waved their EKU paper fans proudly in the air when Eastern ' s name was announced. I thought it was great the way Eastern students cheered togeth- er, said Marci Strange, junior Special Education major from Bardstown, KY. Eastern doesn ' t do that much together as a stu- dent body. Usually when we do something, it is with a separate organization within Eastern. This time it was the whole stu- dent body working for one goal. I thought it was great the way Eastern stu- dents cheered togeth- er said Marci Strange from Bardstown, KY. Collins remarked that the high school and university bands, bal- loons, and pompons reminded her of a political convention, pep rally and old-time tent reviv- al all rolled into one. Collins ' speech to the crowd was preceded by guest speaker James Hunt, former governor of North Carolina who gained na- tional attention for his support of education. He stressed the idea that Kentucky today is on a roll. Collins agreed with that idea in her speech. It ' s exhilarating to see such a large and enthusiastic crowd come out to support edu- cation. Special incentives were of- fered to Eastern students who at- tended the rally. A Capital Col- lege Caravan of students and teachers went to Frankfort to- gether and were led out of Rich- mond by a police escort. The Kentucky Advocates purchased a van that was given away dur- ing the rally to a Midway College student. A banner contest was won by the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and a $600 party at the Mulebarn was won by the Eastern group who had the most participants — the Panhellenic and Interfrater- nity Council. I ' m glad we had the rally be- cause it shows they ' re putting more emphasis on education, and I think that ' s important, said Strange. Maybe they ' ll start to develop better programs since there seems to be more emphasis being put on education. If the enthusiastic crowd in at- tendance at the Rally is any indi- cation of the state ' s attitude con- cerning education, then pro- grams will be developed to improve higher education and Kentucky ' s status in the nation will be improved. 24 Student Life

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IftJIL His philosphy of non-violence exhibited by the thousands who participated in rallies, marches, and boycotts melted the icy hearts of the racists and separat- ists and allowed justice and truth to prevail in this land. It was ob- vious to all who knew him and revered him that Dr. King was a God-fearing man who believed that America would one day live up to the creed proclaimed in the Untied States Constitution. The first observance of Dr. King ' s birthday at the University Left: A candlelight service was held on campus in honor of King. Above: Services in observance of the King holiday involved many members of the academic community. was a memorable and an educa- tional experience. The week ' s events included movies about the life and work of Dr. King, a candlelight service, commemo- rative luncheon and an evening tribute entitled Living the Dream. There were many par- ticipants from the Richmond and University communities. During this week many indi- viduals signed pledges to dedi- cate or rededicate their lives to living out the true meaning of brotherhood and to doing what is necessary to make Dr. King ' s dream — a reality. Student Life 23

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Top: University students display enthusiasm by hanging banners at the rally claiming their support for higher education. Above: Students proudly showed their fans and buttons as they rallied for higher education. Left: The Ken- tucky Advocates for Higher Education pur- chased a van which was given away during the rally. Photos by Paul Lambert Student Life 25