Davidson College - Quips and Cranks Yearbook (Davidson, NC)

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students Display A Variety Of Skills A puzzled and thus, obviously freshman student, questioned a senior as to why she had been so exhausted spring term. P.E. requirement! came the panted re ply. This seems to be the Davidson syn- drome. Put it off is the motto of most students concerning the physical educa- tion requirement. By the time they are sen- iors, no one can quite believe that he or she is going to have to spend a required period of time in P.E. class. In the spring, quite a few of these procrastinators end up taking several gym classes at once. Yet the cruel facts remain. Every stu- dent at Davidson must demonstrate profi- ciency in three individual sports and par- ticipate in two team sports. There is a wide variety of sports offered for both jocks and those less athletically inclined. Swimming, tennis, and weight training are offered as well as less visible sports such as archery, fencing, scuba diving, ice skating, and bal- let. Some students even gain credit by teaching P.E. Diane Odom, David Evans, and Ann Williams taught tap dancing, clog- ging, and riding respectively this year. The riding program has been expanded this year and moved to the lake campus. Sail- ing and waterskiing are also offered there in fall and spring. Proficiency tests are of- fered in most individual sports and intercol- legiate and intramural sports and intercol- legiate and intramural sports each count as one team sport. . ji J SEEING EYE TO EYE? So far Gus Robinson and his steed are still at the stage of n utual suspicion. Getting to know one ' s horse is a major part of Davidson ' s Beginning Riding. VOLUNTEER TO DROWN. ANYONE? Brad Harrold puts into practice theories of lifesaving learned in W.S.I. PARTICIPANTS IN A WEIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM prepares Todd Kimsey to shoulder an unweildy academic load. Academics 23

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EXPLORING NEW MEDIUMS, swim coach Pat Miller doubles as a volleyball coach for the physical education department. BRUSHING UP ON GRACE AND POISE are the intent members of Davidson ' s ballet class. Both beginning and advanced classes are offered to students throughout the year. 22 STUDENT LIFE

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Davidson ' s Center For Special Studies Offers An Alternative To Curriculum The College ' s Center For Special Studies was established in the old Carolina Inn in 1970. In the eleven years that it has been a part of Davidson ' s academic life, the center has encouraged study in such diverse fields as The Midwestern Mind , Control of Scien- tific Research , and Individual Rights and State ' s Rights , among other even less con- ventional disciplines. In just over a decade, the Center has graduated about three hundred and forty students, a large part of whom have left Davidson with honors and have gone on to graduate schools in many, many fields. AN EXHUBERANT SPEAKER. Dr. Bob Manning is a member of the physics department who also teaches seminars through the Center. The programs offered by the Center for Special Studies are not for everybody. The institution ' s present Dean, Dr. Bliss, stresses that the Center is here for those students who find that traditional majors do not suit their needs or interests. We are here to provide appropriate opportunities for students who have interests that are just a little different, he said, adding that a degree from the Center is all impressive to some graduate schools that are interested in the depth of an appli- cant ' s academic commitment. The student enrolling at the Center for Spe- cial Studies designs his or her own curriculum with the help of a group of sympathetic advisors, as Dr. Bliss puts it. On the average about thirty-two students work through the Center every year in pursuit of various singu- lar majors. Dr. Bliss does not believe that the majority of them are motivated by a desire to find specific jobs upon graduation. Most of them are just interested in the subject, he reports. Davidson ' s Center For Special Studies is a unique concept to say the least. It offers stu- dents an unusual opportunity for self expres- sion, an advantage that most students in oth- er institutions never have in their educational experiences. -Mike Mason WHOLE-HEARTED ATTENTION and concentrated study are needed for intensive programs. P.J. Whit- lock committed herself to this study. WLm HHI H 1 ' k . . 1 K t. - ' ' 1 PARTICIPATING IN THE CENTER ' S PROGRAMS. Freshman Jeff Mann took advantage of the Center ' s opportunities early: students generally do not get in- volved with the Center until their sophomore year. PERSONAL LUNCHEONS in the cozy setting o f the Center for Special Studies building are regular func tions for Center majors, professors, and guests. AN EVEN BALANCE of discussion and lecture are customary for the Center seminars. Bill Appleton. John Richards, Tim Whalen and Elizabeth Brazell participate in Dr. Bob Manning ' s seminar. 24 STUDENT LIFE