James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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y|r czn-niinaL J-C ous. f O ' ! some students, the idea of a pet isn ' t f a pleasant one, but for others, life with- out their animals seems unbearable. Sophomore Casey Hoipkemeier has had hercat,Smokev, for many years now. Smokey has grown from a small kitten that nibbled on toes to a full sized cat that considers the house his. Smokey is half Himalayan and half ' that dam tomcat ' . When askedhowshefeelsabout Smokey, Hoipkemeier said, I talk to him on the phone. He misses me. Freshman Kim Coyle also likes cats; in fact, she has four of them. Two of the cats are brothers from one litter and the other two are brothers from another litter. When asked about her cats, Coyle said, they can sense how I feel. Most students felt that their pets were part of their family or even like their best friends. Another student. Sophomore Sherri Hodge, brought her fish, Herman, with her. Un- fortunately, Herman passed away at the begin- ning of the school year. Hodge then got Benzene, who also passed away. Hodge declined to give any comments on the demise of either fish. Sophomore Patti Kunnmann has more than her share of pets. She has a wide assortment of animals, including Pepper the dog, a fish named Verde, and a cat and parakeet, who unfortunately are nameless. Pepper and Verde were named after their colors — Pepper is black and Verde is a Span- ish green. Patd ' s cat and fish don ' t have official names yet, but are generally called Cat and Fish, respectively. Senior Lauren Henn bought a Cocker Spaniel puppy and brought her, ver ' discreetlv, to her apartment. She ' s just visiting us for a vhLle, Henn explained, a very long while! Maddie, the puppy, has joined the ranks of other pets in Harrisonburg who stay hidden awav in apartment complexes, happily living with their owners. Freshman Kristin Philbin has a German Shepherd, Lady Scarlett O ' Hara—Lady for short. Lady came from no ordinary litter, but is a proud descendent of a purebred ' O ' litter. Philbin was legally bound to name her with an ' O ' because of her heritage. All of these students spoke highlv of their pets — admitting that thev would do anything for these animals, forever, in sickness or in health, till death do them part. — Nirav Chaudhari — ' Taking care of my dog is a big responsibility, but I would never trade her in. Plus, she ' s a great way to meet people. Junior Kim Hellman 19

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is student holds on to his two cats. Cats were another alterna- tive forstudents who liveoff cam- pus. C ish were a simple pet for stu- —§- dentstotakecareof. They were the perfect for students who ' li ' ed on campus. The only hassle was taking them home over the iu.;id.i - i 7 he Little Man, peers out from under the covers after beinj; ■ ■ ' rudely awakened from a nap. Students who had pets off campus had to be careful that management did not find out. | lanystudcnlsplaywiththeir ,,-W I I dogs on the Quad. This V y student gave his puppy some TLC on campus one afternoon. 18 Pets

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aaE± Different is Good I f hs scene at James Madison University I has changed a great deal since 1908 ■ when Madison College was founded in Harrisonburg, Virginia. At that time, the typical student was female and only female. My, how times have changed. The 1994 freshman class was only 50 per- cent female. For the entire student body 55 percent are female and 45 percent are male. JMU is still female dominated, but the difference is obviously not that large. Diversity is not only seen in the gender category. Age differences were more common than manv students realized. Some students were stav- ing an extra year or two to complete a double major, while other students took a year off or entered the armed service before coming to JMU. 1 felt like the world ' s oldest freshman when 1 started here, said Steve King, who served three years in the army before coming to JMU. 1 was as old as my English grad assistant. Religion provided students the opportu- nity to encounter students with different beliefs. Groups such as Hillel, a Jewish organization, the Muslim Coalition, Baptist ' s Student Union, and Catholic Campus Ministries formed to represent and support the different religious faiths present on campus. Senior Kirsten Flinton, hospitalitv cooridinatior for CCM, commented, It is great to see that JMU attracts such different individuals and that we all respect one anothers views. Individual differences on the campus went beyond age. The ethnicity of students at JMU continued to expand. The minority population, al- though still small, was increasing steadily from years past due to the efforts of the multicultural office and groups such as Students for Minority Outreach. JMU ' s student body was comprised of 7 percent African American, 3 percent Asian, 1 percent Hispanic, and .2 percent American Indian The African American population did not increase in numbers form last year, but efforts are bing made to change this situation. Assistant Director of Admissons for the Multicultural Stu- dent Recruitmcn, Tracy Porter, remarked that one of their recruitment weekends, ML iakca Look, An African American Perspective, attracted approxi- matelv 1000 perspective African American stu- dents, which is a positive step. Porter siad that this is part of his efforts to keep minorities informed that JMU is here for all ethnic backgrounds. Associate Director of Admissions, Gary Batey claimed that JMU believes strongly in the fact that students learn from students. This is especially true when students from different cul- tures, customs, and backgrounds are brought to- gether. It is ' ith this understanding that JMU has made a commitment to maintaining and enhanc- ing the diversity of the university. Diversity leads to an open mind, .ind leaves room for fesh and new ideas. Tbrough interaction with other cultures and beliefs stu- dents ' lives here asJMU were enriched immeasur- ably. Senior Holmes Yaqub concisely stated, People are realizing tha t the differnce between one another are not that great and we ' re all becoming more interdependent. Kathy Hawk — 4 20