Ohio University - Athena Yearbook (Athens, OH)

Page 33 text:

fish), poetry, meditation, dance, music, massage, liter- ature, crafts, jogging, renovating log cabins, publishing a daily dorm newspaper (the Rag) or even outdoor survival and gourmet cooking. For the 144 students in the program last year, R E was a learning experience in ways unrelated to the ac- tual academic course work. All decisions, whether for allocating dorm money or throwing a party, were de- cided at town meetings where every member had one vote. But somehow, meetings and classes don ' t convey the spirit of the program and those who compose it. No grades were given for collecting food, clothing and money for victims of the tragic flood at Man, West Virginia. The disturbed and retarded children who visited from Beacon School were no part of an organized class. Neither were the all-night stairwell concerts, the multi-media presentations, the art show or any of the other dozens of things which happen in a community of friends instead of roommates. In many respects, it was a difficult year, with many growing pains. A totally new environment, where one is responsible for him herself, with no one over your shoulder yelling grades or study. Ideas and energies produced conflicts and problems, yet always with the realization that this is to be expected when searching for something new and different. Sometimes, when it was going well, you could al- most forget you were a student in a dormitory and be- gin to feel free and alive in the company of good neighbors. And get involved. Painting the basement walls, making a movie, going camping or dancing or just sharing a cafeteria meal at the semi-communal tables in Nelson Commons.