Ball State University - Orient Yearbook (Muncie, IN)

Page 33 text:

Left: Sleeping quarters in the Sig Ep cold dorm, as most other fraternities, consist of a large room containing wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling bunks. Below: Working in the kitchen can help brothers pay for living in the house. Below left: Most fra¬ ternities supply in¬ dividual rooms for brothers to study, relax in, and furnish themselves. Below: Kenny Wheat talks to a reporter about fraternity life at the Beta house. »»»» •;

Page 32 text:

Frat house offers more to members than just a place to sleep’ What makes fraternity life unique compared to other campus housing? Beta Theta Pi treasurer Kenny Wheat described some of the differences and explained why he and many frater¬ nity men live in the house. “I prefer living in the house because there are fewer restrictions than in dorms and approved housing. There is never any hassle over coming in late, no IDs, and no keys,” W heat explained. He said that choosing a roommate is important, compared to the dorm policy of arbitrarily pairing people to live together. “The house becomes more than just a rented space to sleep, for in a sense. the brothers partially own the house,” Wheat continued. The atmosphere created by owner¬ ship and desired companionship is more conducive to leisurely living, ac¬ cording to Wheat. The fraternity house has its disad¬ vantages too. Wheat said that each house has a quota that must be filled, and pledges are usually drafted to maintain financial obligations and upkeep of the house. Facilities often are not adequate for the number of men in the house, and privacy is at a minimum, but ac¬ cording to W heat, the advantages out¬ weigh the disadvantages. 26 Fraternity Living

Page 34 text:

Bookstore shows only small profit »Aif Right: New and used books for every class are stocked by the bookstore and sold for about 15-20 per cent profit. However, the store loses 5-7 per cent due to shoplifters, and only shows a 10-20 per cent overall profit, according to acting manager Walter Schaffner. Beginning each new quarter, the Ball State Bookstore bulged with impatient, short-tempered, weary students who hoped to purchase all their class supplies with only a minimum of confusion and money. However, long-lines prevailed and the books’ prices shocked and disgusted many. Complaining students speculated how the bookstore must be “raking in the loot. Outwardly, running such a concern looks like an easy way to earn a great profit, but Walter Schaffner, acting manager, said that there were big problems involved. If ordered books were canceled at the last minute, the bookstore would lose money because of shipment costs. The bookstore also suffered from competition from the Collegiate Book Exchange, and gained a new competitor, The Store. It received about 15-20 per cent profit from book sales, but other supplies, clothing, and toiletries were sold mainly as a convenience to the students, according to Schaffner. Above right: Art supplies, posters, toiletries, and clothing are sold at the bookstore, but it cannot compete with discount house prices, where larger quantities are ordered.