Duke University - Chanticleer Yearbook (Durham, NC)

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jobs and rrips, a spring: vacation spent in Nassau, on Florida beaches, or in the old home town. 1 hen final exams come all too soon, and another year has vanished. This is the cycle tor four years — the freshman arrives with cre- dentials in hand, the senior leaves with man ' more and modified ones. And the classes in between move a step ahead in the college years. I hesc are perhaps the usual thoughts, whether one looks back over a single ear or four. The place and events seem to merge, w ith flashes of remembered emotions and reactions. Yet look more closely ... It is more than a cycle. Duke is not what it used to be: new- buildings have spread beyond the Chap- el, and old ones given an interior face lifting; plans for an expanded library and new medical complex are soon to be realized. Free buses have been provided with the proviso of a car registration tee. Drinking in West dormitories is permitted, where there was none allowed even at registered parties just a few years ago. Judicial rules have been made increasingly lenient, and class attendance has be- come voluntary. With these changes, new seminar courses, taught by dis- tinguished professors, have been intro- duced; student government structures have been revised; and a Student Philosophy has been compiled evaluating a multitude of phases in Universit ' life. In all of these changes, the individual has contributed to a growing institution. And the relationship is perhaps recipro- cal. As Duke moves into new spheres of change and action, the student who has worked toward his own goals in college is no longer the same. He has moved from freshman enthusiasm to the traditional sophomore slump, from organization head as junior to the senior who is eager to pass his otfiec down. Yet there is a more constant change than the yearly shift from class to class. Fach day may bring the beginning, or the close of some chapter. Each individu- al attempt to change or maintain the status quo or to find a new direction, has its final meaning in the tangible issues, events, and people of day-to-day living. When one evaluates the college life in these terms, the years at Duke come to mind as something more than those 23

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quickly . . . transcripts, recommenda- tions, and applications sent to grad school, Med school, and Law school. These are the symptoms of perhaps the most vital part of college life. Throughout the days of classes, study, and activities, the years seem to repeat themselves. Fall brings the brilliant change ot the North Carolina forests, the occasional cloudless sky for an afternoon of football — more often a Durham downpour or smells of tobacco across the heavy campus air. With the beginning of the academic year new plans are laid out, for individual, group, and University. Fall merges into a winter cold, with term papers and exams following closely on the heels of Christmas tinsel and carols by candle light. A semester break is filled with partying, skiing in the mountains, or battles in the usually late, but heavy snow. Then the whisper of spring brings the ap- pearance of wisteria in the Duke Gardens, and suntans are mixed with booking it in legal places and other- wise. Frantic plans are made for summer r r . «♦ j mgfk- , 22

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of a sheltered student who enters college green and naive, and after hasty preparation, is thrown to the outside world. These four years are perhaps a bridge from dependence to standing on one ' s own feet. Yet a random glance through the substance of just this past year may show that it is also a bridge of constant two-way traffic: the in- dividual and the University are day by day involved in a very real approach and meeting of persons across the campuses and across the walls. This will remain the college life. Yet consider once again: the problems met, solved or still waiting, the accomplishments made and disappointments felt, the pro- test voiced or support given, authorities heard and ideas exchanged. Each year and each person can find these elements in concrete experience. Ihis is a part of college life. Yet more — it is a part of living. 24