Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Advantage ' 94 • 19

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I0n llairtDu ADVANTAGE HELPS NEW STUDENTS COPE n o Mike Stephenson builds a loft in Wilson Hall. Many upperclassmen volunteered to help fresh- menmovein. Photo by Jon Britton. Boxes filled the hallways, parents and fresh- men made endless trips to their cars and verifica- tion lines grew longer as the hours ticked by. For freshmen, Advantage ' 94 was five days of unpacking, testing, computer training, meeting new people and adapting to college life. While many halls were swarmed with anxious parents and belongings, for Carrie Smith the hassle was absent. Smith and her roommate were among the few undergraduates living on her floor. Nobody was there yet, Smith said. It was very quiet in our hall and very bare. Advantage schedules were read over and over for last minute obligations. I thought we would be really busy like every second of the day, but we weren ' t, Smith said. I thought we ' d have no free time, but I found myself sitting in my room a lot. For others. Advantage was a great opportunity to become fa- miliar with new surroundings. It helped me because it made me familiar with the cam- pus before the upperclassmen got here, Jeremy Browning said. By Amy Duggan Even though learning where classes were was important to students, the leisure time caused many to think of home. When I wasn ' t doing anything, that was more time for me to get homesick, Smith said. I knew a couple of girls who went home those first few days because they were so sad. For Shelly Pfister, a resident assistant at Dou- glas Hall, it was her job to lend a helping hand to her neighbors. She answered questions ranging from how to use computers to when guys could and could not be in the rooms. It was a little difficult because we couldn ' t have a floor meeting until the second day, Pfister said. So nobody knew the policies when they got here. Comedian David Naster along with hypnotist Jim Wand both were returning favorites to give freshmen entertainment opportunities. While many activities were available for freshmen to attend, many found simply being with people was important. I was really nervous and I worried about meeting new people, Smith said. Pfister found that freshmen added to the ex- citement of the new year. They always brought so much energy when they got here, Pfister said. It was a good time of the year. I got kind of stressed out, but then I saw them having so much fun, it brought me back up. Along with the excitement came making new friends, meeting new people and experiencing life in a different way. J 8 • Student Life

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Record number of friends and relatives attend annual carnival for football, food and fun Only one event brought hundreds of parents, grand- parents and children together for a fun-filled day of Sumo wrestling, goldfish races and football: Family Day. On a warm fall day, students and relatives flocked to campus to get involved in the various activities of the big day. Students found Family Day was a good event because it gave them a chance to introduce their family members to friends and college life. Family Day was a great way for my mom to check out the University and meet all my friends, Sarah Derks said. It was great because it gave parents a chance to experience their child ' s home away from home. After parents visited the residence halls in hopes of finding their child ' s room spotless , they journeyed to Mary Linn Performing Arts Center, where they were welcomed by Student Senate and treated to a perfor- mance by the University Chorale singing a variety of songs. The Chorale concert was a nice, upbeat way to kick off the festivities, Joniel Worley, mother of Stacia Worley, said. Families then found themselves wandering to the union parking lot for the carnival. Children enjoyed games from guessing the weight of the Northwest linemen to speedball to horizontal bungee jumping. Fun Flicks added to the celebration by allowing students to make their own music video. My favorite part of Family Day was when I got to compete with my 10-year-old brother in the bean bag toss, Bryce Atkins said. I think we tied. After the carnival, everyone packed the stands of Rickenbrode Stadium to watch the Bearcats take on the Emporia State Hornets. Families enjoyed the game despite Northwest ' s loss. My parents came up from Pennsylvania for Family Day and the football game, Eric Wentzel said. It was too bad the football team lost, though, because they actually played one of their best games after the first quarter was over. Some students took advantage of their parents ' visit, by asking for extra money for food, books or other personal items. While some students ventured out on the town with their families, others treated their parents to dinner in the union to use up their extra Aladine money. I especially liked Family Day because my mom took me grocery shopping, Joe Godfrey said. Some believed the lines were too long and the sched- ule was packed with too many events. They should have stretched out the agenda, Stacia said. Everything was crammed into a short amount of time, and it made me feel rushed. Although some things did not run quite as smoothly as planned, the reunion of family members was enough for most. It was a nice social activity, Anna Derks, mother of Sarah, said. Unfortunately, families didn ' t seem to spend as much time together anymore, and Family Day was a good opportunity to keep communication open between parents and kids. Complaints about lines dwindled after families be- gan to get wrapped up in the activities and saw first hand what kind of education their child was getting. Response showed it was a resounding success. ly Keple 20 • Student Life