Drake University - Quax Yearbook (Des Moines, IA)

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SAE's quarfei' sang iheir way fo applause and a frophy in APO's quari-ef confesf Candidaies for degrees and Hweir admiring relafives saf wifh faculiy and adminisfrafive officers: heard violin and organ solos before degrees were conferred during February com- mencemeni' ceremonies af Universiiy church

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Ticket buyers queued up EBF.. . .. Stan Kenton . . . PIIOTOGRAPIISZ J. K. BROXVX LL A 24 . . . and the loudest brass section ever unleased in university auditorium construction techniques used on the Drake buildings closely paralleled those employed by ancient Egyptian eontractorsg prefabricated concrete slabs set into place to form walls, hallways, and rooms. The pace of the construction ran along so smoothly that in February, l953, students were informed that they could apply for rooms in the three dorms for the coming school year. Union labor, however, had its mind on other matters, called a strike against its contractors and halted work for ten summer weeks. The labor stoppage crushed university hopes of having the units ready for a grand opening at the onset of the 1953 tall term, and, driven frantic by the approaching deadline, the university ap- pealed to all comers for help in completing the dorms. Among those applying for part-time work were ten fac- ulty members, who sought to bolster meager teaching in- comes with the dollar-an-hour recklessly offered by the school. The unruly side of the buildings was apparent soon after the first week they were occupied. Doors failed to close properly, and closet doors, in reality sliding panels, refused to budge. Although this condition was later cor- rected, many students had removed the doors in utter disgust. Carlsbad-like was the appearance of ceilings in the rooms, large droplets of once soft concrete had seeped be- tween forms and formed miniature stalactites. One room featured a unique bit of deeo1': a rusty nail protruded from the rough room top. AFROTC cadets lined up to hear a one-man brass section at retreat f ---- r -W-f-raw ffszzr-'-'w-'we'-vw-few W-L '- -w-vw--vmmroe V w

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J. K. BROWN 3 na -1 3 5 AY m 'F :- cn 'T 3 ni 0. cu n 0 o Q- : n nf 21 0 : in in 'U in 2. L -Z 3 0 I n co nf I cn BILL W Many unclerclassmen sought higher standing ,H , Eiiiil5 , mg I 1 , I hi 1 ggi LEE a it , ' +A Nfl? E N ll. ' y Ha! Qi 1 H, Hui. 1 5 gf l Mi' in X X, .v Ei D '?P 1 T H' .-id l'- F - V w N 1 -is aaa ' lg. F igs! . -,2 gg?, U ll xi tl -1 M M 1' 4m ,YM ,,- X 1 wml Clk , ' 1 .fa us 1 x N 37 E 1 bi ,Q 1 ,lj 'x N t it 1 - ' , 7. Yearbooks photographer was seldom unprepared With, the onset of cold weather, other defects appeared. Several radiators burst, Hooding the first-Hoor halls, and, in places, the basement. The radiators often seemed to emit a greater amount of cold than heat, until the heating system bugs were ironed out. Heat then became a minor issue as washroom drains, exhibiting balkiness, took the spotlight. Also in the spotlight was the project's dining hall, which gave rise to a series of legends about food preparation. Stu- dents' complaints about food quality have been loudly voiced -even to the extent of one leather-lunged protestor who was suspended for his protests. But veterans and dogtown eaters, connoisseurs of evil cookery, only smiled and coun- tered with descriptions of consistent diets of such horrors as hominy grits and cornpone. A rellection pool, providing the project's centerpiece, doubled as an ice rink during the cold weather until a sewer pipe burst and polluted the pond. The university, in its hucksterish way, was very quick to capitalize on the appearance of the units by burying the mid- west and inundating the east with promotional literature extolling the new project, and showing in detail all favorable aspects of the dorms. lvlany students say, l'm not quite sure why I came to Drake 5 I guess it was the nice pictures of the new buildings that they kept sending me. One thing that should be of interest to all male students: the dorms seem to draw coeds to the campus. ln 1951 the ratio of men to women was 2.1 to 1, while in the fall of 1953 it was 1.8 to l. Some publications select bests. Otlzers select worsts. We, stellar individualists, select mosts. This time it's the most frustrating situation of the year. On the evening of Thursday, Dec. 17, a star Drake bas- ketball player and his girl friend were on their way to do some pre-Christmas shopping. Before they reached their des- tination, the basketball player was hailed by the driver of a new model Lincoln sedan. The driver beckoned the athlete to get in. He complied. They drove around the block. What happened next was for the Grand Jury to decide, although the basketball player related the story to reporters essentially as follows: The d1'iver, swarthy F101-en Diljaglia, a 27-year-old Des lVIoines businessman, hinted to the athlete that it would be awfully nice if the boys from Iowa State could emerge vic-