University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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was Above: The Egg-Drop Contest in process at West Engin. Next right: The winner and its creator, Randy. Following: Contestants with their devices hoping the egg doe s not crack. Well, maybe next year. Physics students have known of this antic long before they introduced it to the student body. Left: Competing in the Marathon Dance Contest held in the basement of Markley, couples began to spin their wheels at three in the afternoon. Below: Houses Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma [the victors] battle in the- annual event the Mudbowl. Far left: The beginnings of a parade called All those potatoes and no meat.

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Homecoming the old and new Homecoming, once pre-eminent among social events at Michigan complete with Queen and formal dance, now seems a custom strangely withered and lacking in vitality. Homecoming, by somewhat royal decree, is set aside to shake our preoccupa- tion with the here-and-now. It is an excuse for placing the cares of our lives in temporary abeyance and experiencing the joy of living in a simple r age, if only for a few days. October nineteenth and twentieth was such a time. True, unlike Homecomings of days gone by, the parade was sponsored by Ozone House, which lent it an unusual feeling of modernity. Yet while lack of monetary support may have made the parade less polished, there was a feeling of togetherness on the part of the spectators, and the excitement which any spectacle can produce. And in the Egg Drop contest at the West Engin building earlier in the day, there was a feeling of spontaneity and the community that shared laughter can give. Saturday ' s Mudbowl, the best ad for a laundry detergent ever dreamed up, was another such moment. Another hallmark was the Judy Collins concert. Touched by the beauty and simplicity of her singing, the audience sang Amazing Grace witn her softly and then remained to demand a second encore which she graciously gave. All in all, Homecoming was a weekend of togetherness and relaxation. Parties, con- certs, the alumni band at the game, all contributed to the delight and carefree happ- iness which all who participated felt. And it was in this participation that the real spirit of Homecoming was evident. 78

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t h e y e a r In America, political involvement takes many different forms. A few dynamic indi- viduals totally immerse themselves by cru- sading for certain issues, campaigning for their candidates, or marching in the streets. Others are content to donate money and some just keep up with the issues so they can vote intelligently. Finally, many dont even bother to vote. At U of M, all these levels of political involvement are easily found. Incidents with the Nixon Administration and the Mideast War triggered diag rallies and marches to Congressman Esch ' s office. Students work at the Ecological Center and for the various political parties. But the students involved in these activities are a small fraction of the student population. On the whole, student involvement in politics is very poor. In the April 1973 city elections, according to various estimates only 5-25% of the students even bothered to vote. HRP coordinator for January 1974, Betsy Engel commented, Student involvement in politics? There is none! What are the reasons for such a low turnout? Will the apparent student apathy persist through the 1974 city elections? A few possible answers come to mind. The defeat of George McGovern in the fall of ' 72 may have turned many students away from electoral politics. All the student effort and involvement didn ' t even make the race close, and a feeling of political impotency resulted. Perhaps, many students do not vote because they haven ' t registered in Ann Arbor. Most U of M students turn eighteen before they come to Ann Arbor. A good number may register at home and never bother to change their registration when they come to campus. Registration difficul- ties especially affect the Republican student turnout. Ward Kuhn, chairman of Young Republicans in Ann Arbor, notes, Many stu- dent Republicans don ' t think that registering in their college town is right. Whatever the causes of the low student turnout in the ' 73 city election, it ' s difficult to imagine that the Watergate and Agnew scandals won ' t have an effect on student Darticipation in the April 1974 election. But 80.