University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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MAYBE not the best, but the noisiest booth at the Activities Carnival. TOUCHE. More Activities Carnival. ALPHA PHI OMEGA, National Service Fraternity, recruiting.

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New Displaying emotions ranging from exulta- tion to horror, nearly 600 freshmen women embarked upon one segment of the road of life by coming to college and moving into that perennial center of male attraction, the freshman dorms. The usual reception committee of college men playing the role of red caps is on hand to facilitate the transfer of clothes, shoe boxes, suitcases, and stuffed animals from automo- bile to room. But after the smoke clears away, each new student of both sexes makes an attempt to adjust himself to the way of life to which he i about to be subjected. Being a member of the University student body entails more than just paying fees, following instructions, and living on the campus. For believers in one school of thought it means choosing one ' s own va . ignoring the conventional, and living according to one ' s own rules and standards. But to the great majority, college adaptation involves the purchase of several Ivy League fabrics, white socks with a red band around the top. a beer here and there, and later hours than have ever been kept before. For a while, new students are as conspicu- ous as a three-dollar bill. The one who buys coke instead of coffee at the Hawk ' s Nest is ne . and so is that student who carries all his text lx)oks to class with him; but in a month or two most everyone becomes molded into the only club open to all students with no mem- bership qualifications the student body. Being a freshman in the greater student lody involves a few problems in itself. For many, one of the biggest difficulties is that of l eing alone with 9.500 chiefs and no Indians. Students from small high schools find them- -elxes on a 720-acre tract of land with more students than there are people in their home towns. Others live with more people than there are in their home towns. At the other extreme is the freshman who is used to crowds and to whom coming to college creates no more excitement than another day in prep school. Somehow, both find a happy medium, and college in general and the University of Kansas in particular presents to them an oppor- tunity to develop the mind while having the experiences and pleasures of a lifetime. Many devote almost full time to the bitter. But these are the freshmen that aren ' t around very long; the ones who can ' t quite grasp the meaning, sig- nificance, and importance of that much overworked term, a well-rounded education; those who, for the most part, will regret their inability to recog- nize the privilege that college really is. The great majority who make the grade can feel that one of the most difficult hurdles in their collegiate careers has been cleared. Many more remain, naturally, but the first one is all important, for the adjustment made in the initial year will remain until termination of one ' s edu- cation. After becoming accustomed to university life, being a fresh- man can be a great feeling. The term connotes few respon- sibilities, carefree evenings (no study halls for women), the acquisition of new friends, new customs, and new knowl- edge. The freshman year is the social highlight of many collegiate lives. Bigger and better parties than ever before imagined are evidenced. Foot- ball games on fall weekends provide incentive enough to party if the final score is right. As a matter of fact, no one really cares if the final score is right. Parties are inevitable. That first year discovery, dismay, or disport is a big one; one that will probably never be forgotten.

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THE FRESHMAN ' S first big test of wit enrollment. Country Club Week By Susan Shotliff Our first day as a student at K.U. was a maze of impressions a kaleidoscopic jumble of faces and luggage, arranging and rearranging into constantly changing patterns. We were one of nearly 3,000 new students, and yet w r e were alone unrelated observers, milling about on the sidelines. There was but faint evidence of the Jayhawker spirit within us as we drifted down the hill from the Campanile to the Stadium for the New Student Induction Ceremony. Yet we were increasingly aware of its presence about us. We were eager to imitate and anxious to get into the game. The week that followed was crammed with innumerable tests and meetings by day, and with picnics and parties by night. It was exhaust- ing and it w r as fun. As the week progressed, strange faces grew familiar, and the traditions of the University took on meaning. In a spare moment, we explored the campus its unbeliev- able hills and beautiful fountains, its barrack- like annexes and great ivy-hugged buildings. THE K.U.-Y. ' S annual watermelon feed.