Middle Tennessee State University - Midlander Yearbook (Murfreesboro, TN)

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This food is rotten. That ' s the best hamburger I ' ve had in a long time. These are just a couple of the comments heard occasion- ally about the basic product of the University Center Grill. But many people consider the food services at the grill secondary to its unwritten function — a hang out. You have now entered the legendary grill. Be prepared for the worst. After fighting your way through the line, you need to find a place to sit while you eat and hang out. This is when you are able to tell the professional hangers from the amateurs and individualists. Usually you will see KA ' s, Kappa Sigs, ATO ' s, and SAE ' s sitting close to the outside entrances. This position allows them easy entrance and exit, large sitting capaci- ties, and a good view of the feminine passerbys. Also it allows many opportunities to grab a last minute date. Hey you, blondie, You ' re going out with me to- night. Across the grill you may notice the AKPsi ' s, AHP ' s and AGR ' s. They seem to enjoy the warm, serene atmosphere provided by the juke box going full blast more than the outside view. The neutral corner of the grill is usually occupied by the Vet ' s Club. They appear to like being across the room from the fraternities, freaks, and frisbee teams. This is

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will keep their sanity. Economics dictates the sacrifice of privacy of those in off-campus apart- ments also. Because of inflation and the high rents a student must pay, an apartment dweller can rarely live alone. The second major area of concern was the lack of respect for student rights and freedoms. This issue was discussed rather frequently on cam- pus this year as it was challenged on several levels during the year. Many became involved in the squabble over visitation between members of the opposite sex in J and K apartment complexes. A verbal promise of visitation rights in public areas extended by the ad- ministration was misinterpreted by students to mean the individual apartments, and before the mess was defined (much less resolved) both sides were stalemated and nowhere close to an understanding. Students felt that their basic rights as free adults were being infringed upon. They wanted to be treated as mature members of the university community. The old bugaboo ques- tion rose again: Does attendance at a university negate a student ' s rights as a citizen? In the freshman dormitories, wom- en were subject to the rule requiring that first-semester women be signed into their dormitories by 2 a.m. Prac- tically all university students are above legal age, and should not be re- strained, pointed out critics of the hours system. They also pointed to the total absence of hours for fresh- man men as evidence of the justice of their cause. However, they didn ' t point to the strict hours system for all women that has slowly been jetti- soned over the past years, making the cause more and more minor. Still, the whole matter was a classic case for the women ' s liberationists and the civil libertarians to work over. Meanwhile, students who lived at home were often plagued by en- croachments on their freedoms from their parents rather than any ad- ministration hassle. Well-meaning parents often forced their offspring out of the house so they could live their own lives. Everyone finished the year with their own impressions of their partic- ular housing situation, bearing their own peculiar scars from their person- alized crises. Some carried bad im- pressions that would last as long as any fond memories of the university; others remembered the good times shared with the friends they had gained through their own particular housing experience. The optimistic ones will recall popcorn parties, panty raids, trick- or-treat escapades, etc.; pessimists will remember hassles with utility representatives, drafty houses, cramped living quarters, car trouble and whatever. It ' s all a matter of perspective.

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the best place to see the professional card players swin- dling each other. The typical Vet can be heard saying, I bet my next month ' s G. I. pension check that I ' ll draw my inside straight. Such is the determination of a Vet. The center booths and tables belong to the amateurs and the individualists. The amateurs are easy to spot — they don ' t stay long, prop their feet up, or have much company. Some even try to study or read a book. The in- dividualists are just the opposite and don ' t mind turning their backs on the other grill hangers. Moreoften than not, they will refuse another invitation to join a group. Because of their GDI attitude, the males usually have the best luck of any grill hangers picking up girls. The faculty occupies the far section of the eating area. They usually take notes, eat, and talk among themselves, hiding behind the partition which seems to act like the generation gap. Beyond them you find the leftover section. This is the area for people who don ' t know how to grill sit or who just can ' t find anywhere else to sit because of all the grill hangers. So, depending on your own way of life, you can use the grill as you see fit. If you ' re like most, chances are you ' ll find hanging out is more profitable than eating there.