East Carolina University - Buccaneer Tecoan Yearbook (Greenville, NC)

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Meet Me Austin When The Sun Shines Millie an absurd drama in one act Characters: Rudolph Alexander — Associate Dean of Student Affairs known affectionately as Rudy John P. East — Professor of Political Science Louise Collins — a junior, native North Carolinian and sorority member Dynamo Dave Cybul — Connecticut-bred, veteran of three years in the academic wars, etc. Narrator — your friend and humble servant, played by himself Narrator: Well, friends, what is your personal definition of a university? And does dear ol ' ECU with unified walls fit this description? Alexander: In my opinion, a university is a center of learning free from political and other type restraints that you normally find associated with different governmental and non-governmental institutions of the day. It ' s a place where people, both young and old, can come and explore all aspects of knowledge, can seek answers to questions that they have and engage in educational endeavors in an atmosphere of freedom. Well, I think ECU has made fantastic strides over the past few years. I think great emphasis has been placed on constantly improving our faculty, im- proving the climate for academic pur- suits here. I think a spirit of freedom exists on this campus. We have the fa- cilities for serious-minded people to engage in academic endeavors to meet the ends they seek. Collins: A university is the complete and ulti- mate formal education experience, very simply. East Carolina does not fit this definition very well. It is limited in the opportunity to achieve academic excel- lence and the opportunity to have a different social experience. East: I consider a university to be a com- munity of scholars and teachers who are joined in their common desire to learn and grow and develop. I look upon a university as being composed of students who likewise share this com- mitment to scholarship and learning. I think that East Carolina does fit within this definition. I think it has come a long way, but I think we would all agree that it has a long way to go. We should never be satisfied with the status quo in this definition. It is noth- ing that you can really hope to obtain here or attain there in this short life that we have. But it is, I think, an ideal that we can work for and should work for — this committment to scholarship and teaching. I believe that East Carolina will con- tinue to grow and develop in the future and will become a center of learning.

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CARLESTER CRUMPLER Southern Conference Player of the Year h -yJL . -». SONNY RANDLE 50uthern Conference Coach of the Year

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Dynamo; This Is, what is my definition of a university, right? Well, I ' d have to say that a university should be, first and foremost, an institute of learning. By this, I mean not solely books but cul- tural exchange. There should be expen- Tientation with life styles and different nodes of grappling with the problems Df What is life? or something like that. It should be a time when you can try things out, when you can learn different things. It should be a time when you are al- owed to think, a time when you are al- owed to reflect and be stimulated by new ideals. I think stimuli is the most mportant thing. I don ' t believe ECU measures up very well in these things. As far as culturally stimulating, they seem to be trying very lard to keep the out-of-state students 3ut of here, eliminating many different 3utlooks. The emphasis at ECU is ob- iously not on books or learning. I don ' t now too many places it is, but it sure 38 hell isn ' t like that here. Most of the Deople run home on weekends, so there s almost nothing for the weekend stu- dent to do except for the Friday night Tiovie and an occasional Sunday con- ;ert. People seem more relaxed and more willing to get involved with you, :han say for a big city. But, for the most Dart, everybody in Greenville is into :heir own trip. Narrator: Now can you tell me what you like Tiost about ECU with its blue sky and Greenville with its red of neck? East; I think the thing I like best about the entire community, including East Caro- lina as well as Greenville, is the whole attitude of people in eastern North Car- olina. I ' m originally a native of Illinois and I find that eastern North Carolin- ians are good people, solid people. They accept people who move in from outside in a very gracious way. They make you feel at home. Eastern North Carolina, whatever faults it may have and it has them as any area does, has the great virtues you find in a more traditional rural area where people are friendly, families are close and there are the ties that bind. Things haven ' t been torn asunder. This IS not often the case in large urban cen- ters where life is very impersonal, very mobile and very quick-changing. All of this then, I think, makes for a healthy setting for a family, for a home, for a city and also, for a university.