University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

Page 5 text:

A University . . . is a University . . . is a University . . . and the University of. Kansas by any other name would be the same. No one can say exactly what that same is, not even a veteran Jay- hawker. It is many thin.gs, in many ways, to many people; but to all it is an entity, unique in itself, offering learning and living essential to the growth of the individual and the institution. Perhaps the University is just what it is to you, and what you are to it. On this common meeting ground, then, the Hill is nourished and thrives. And upon this Hill the footsteps tread .. . and others will walk the same. When a new student enters Kansas PREVIE University, his affiliation begins long before the first class meeting. For eighty per cent of the freshmen entering KU, a KU Preview was the beginning of life on campus. This year, previews took place in two-day sessions starting June 17, and continuing through July 30. During this time 1,996 new students attended a total of eleven previews. In 1954, the first previews were held, and a total attendance of only 382 people. The attend- ance and value of the preview program has increased since that time. The trial period is over. Pre- views have proven their worth to the new students and to the administration. Starting in 1963, a KU Preview is required for all freshmen. The primary consideration in the Preview Program is to enable the new student to more easily adjust to, and prepare for, the university situation. During his two-day stay, the previewer takes his placement tests and his physical examinations. This enables him to complete two entrance requirements before Orientation Week. The previewer may also confer with a faculty advisor and qualified student counselors in order to get answers to his numerous questions about the mysteries of enrollment and class schedules. Another of the objectives of the KU Previews is to make it possible for the new students to become acquainted with their future classmates. The previewer has a chance to meet, in a relaxed atmosphere, 200 other students just as lost and just as scared as he is. Friendships that last through four years of college are often started during previews. For this reason, it is difficult to be alone in the crowd when school starts in September. Another great advantage offered by the KU Preview is that of allowing new students to become better acquainted with the University campus and the city of Lawrence. For example, every year fewer new students attempt to enroll in Summerfield basement instead of the Union. Strong Hall, Watkins Memorial Hospital, and Watson Library are often discovered by the pre-