College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

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■ Second semester brought the long awaited opening of Jefferson. Although some former Commonwealth students who were used to private baths, large color TV ' s, and carpeting in each room weren ' t as excited as expected about the move, everyone eventually got caught up in the prestige of living in W M ' s newest and most modern dorm. ▼ These students look over their lottery numbers, delivered late this year because of foul-ups :?5P! miA MrkeNikolich Miko Nikolich

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for a pay raise. Meanwhile, as certain depart- ments increased enrollment, available funds were allocated to accommodate the changes, undermining our liberal arts tradition in the eyes of many. Still, to quote a Flat Hat editorial from early February, there was no avoiding that change: The rise of the business school, the growing prestige of the law school and the development of graduate programs in many dis- ciplines all have inexorably drawn William and Mary out of the realm of the liberal arts college and into the world of the university. Technically, William and Mary is a university, but in 1984-85, we began to see its first attempts to grow into its university status. President-elect Paul R. Verkuil, in an interview with the Flat Hat, set as a priority heightening W M ' s university status: My theme will be to bring together the under- graduate and graduate schools as much as possible. Without a doubt, expansion of the College ' s graduate programs was necessary to the en- hancement of William and Mary ' s reputation as a university. Like it or not, such a reputation became increasingly important in the fierce competition for first-rate students and state funds. Said Ken Smith, Associate Dean of Stu- dents for Student Activities and Organizations, Strengthening the graduate programs can only help us. I think the no growth posture has hurt us. Those schools that grew were rewarded with money. . .On this university question, I think it ' s time to move in this direction, but we can ' t lose the liberal arts thrust. Still, to go back to John Stewart Bryan ' s ideals, a strong liberal arts tradition and heightened uni- versity image were not mutually exclusive. The College, despite its growth and its shifting priori- ties, was undeniably linked with its past. Tradition

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Homecoming went as usual. Linda Lavin was the Grand Marshal; she and her daughter greeted cheering fans and judged numerous Mel ' s Diner floats as the parade moved through CW and down Richmond Road. ► President and Mrs. Graves presided over their last homecoming at W M. They left shortly after Christmas and returned briefly for graduation in May. ▼The football game was well attended even though we lost again. kMajorette Leigh Lawson performs her routine during halttime at the game. Leslie Barry pervaded the place. As corny as Bryan ' s praise of William and Mary seemed at times to the more competitive, practical — yes, even cynical — stu- dent of 1985, these ideals and traditions die hard The much maligned liberal arts tradition was, nonetheless, the reason v e all came here anyway, wasn ' t it? We somewhat self-righteously de- fended the tradition in the guise of our Honor Code by disparaging the University of Virginia ' s code during the Olden Polynice flap and the W M-UVA basketball game. So, with all this change, this transition from William and Mary the College to William and Mary the University, a new president was sel- ected. The selection process was long, arduous, and, at times, mysterious. The search committee, headed by Anne Dobie Peebles, began screening