Birmingham Southern College - Southern Accent Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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THE ' WHOLE COLLEGE

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' SOUTHERN SOCIETY: Union of Mind and Heart At BSC, dating is an extension of seriousness: less than passion in the parking lot by the tennis courts, it is more often a study date in the darkened recesses of the library or a period of contemplation behind Yielding Chapel. Apollos and Venuses drink of that potent mead— the BSC Social Mixer (2 parts-Southern Conformity, 2 Greek olives, 3 genteel mint sprigs, little water) -and promptly love ' s labor is lost in that grand illusion, promulgated by the P. R. department: that social life at a small southern school is a many-splendored thing. Thus, publicity broc- hures present a traditional view of social relations at Birmingham-Southern College: hospitality, mint juleps (sans alcohol), et al. But the College is not a social mecca, at least not in the conventional sense. The caliber of students reflects seri- ous pursuits and an attraction to the school primarily for its academic excellence. Most Autumn Visitors come to recognize the constant reminder of broken P. R. image in the term suit-case college — for rumor has it that many freshmen pick up a one-way ticket to Auburn or Alabama, where the action is. It ' s very easy, though, to write off ' Southern as the Date- less Capital of Alabama, when in reality it is so much more. Lettermen performing for the Accent pageant, bridge in snackbar or dorm, chess clubs, pool in the rec room. Cinema 298, mailbox conversation, weekend SGA movies -all disprove the common tango theory of so- cial life on campus: that it requires two of opposite kind to have fun. Nonetheless, the College, of course, provides a purely academic approach to social development: rhythms class, Cinema 10, etc. The union of mind and heart is liberal arts education ' s contribution to social life; and it is a relatively easy thing to achieve, especially with the num- ber of basketball, tennis, and baseball scholarship reci- pients coming to ' Southern.