Gettysburg College - Spectrum Yearbook (Gettysburg, PA)

Page 16 text:

Dontt think. Just keep typing. Remember, make the margins big. Coffee and cigarettes are indispensable. No, no-o-w-w, remember, ce qui ntest pas clair n'est pas . . . what? Thatts eet! Francais! ENDLESS HOURS Eager, anticipating Freshmen are the first to deluge ttSarge with requests for everything from dissecting kits to French verb-wheels. The zeal suddenly disap- pears with one look at the voluminous C. C. book. Several weeks later the composed and ttexperiencedtt upperclassmen straggle in for the bare necessities. The first day, and the first day only, all hurry to classes to grab the favored back row seats or the ones in the front, whichever the case may be. As the door opens, curiosity is written on all faces, and first im- pressions register in the minds of professors and stu- dent alike. The students scrutinize the professors; the professors draw a deep breath and leaf questioningly through the stack of IBM cardseftthe birth certificates of academic existence? Resolutions for immediate action are made as term papers mount and outside readings are assigned. Time passes. Diversions are constant and proscrastination gains control. Deadlines come and bring all-night cramming and last-minute typing of term papers. Stu- dents can be found everywhere from Hanson boiler room to Glatfelter Annex. The hour of reckoning ap- proaches as grades are posted, averages calculated, and celebrations held for various reasons. And the semester closes.

Page 15 text:

MONDAY FALLS WITH A DULL THUD Groggy, unshaven, half-dazed students, cursing a Spartan faculty and all advocates of early to rise? stagger to eight olclocks. Some are stimulated by cof- fee, some breakfast well on three cigarettes, others just stumble. Thoughts of the coming day cause qualms to a few, who seek refuge in the infirmary. However, most struggle bravely through lectures, convocations, and labs. Guided by the professors, students study every- thing everywhere. In the Bullet, linguists mumble translations to the tune of uPlease Mr. Custer. Psy- chology majors eye one another carefully for signs of neurotic tendencies and biology majors carry with them the faint scent of formaldehyde. Music majors pound out harmony assignments whenever they hap- pen upon a piano, and the familiar blue phys-ed uni- forms dart from place to place. As the classes drag on, that meager breakfast gnaws out its revenge. The bells must be on the blink again. At the signal, reprieve is at last granted and com- posure is lost as a horde of students race to lunch. The dining-hall lobby soon becomes a mass of humanity, while those already eating are absorbed in analyzing the repast. The food might not always have been sa- vory, and the service not always rapid, but the dining hall will always be remembered as a place where friendships were made and problems were hashed and rehashed. Mail call brings either elation or dejection for eager students who trek to their mailboxes. Itls hard to tell whose dejection is greater-the ones who got no mail at all or the ones who received mail but forgot the key. After the wear and tear of the morning, most stu- dents succumb to somniferous temptations, but for the brave souls who resist this allurement, a rendez-vous in Schmucker Library awaits-a rendez-vous with erudite scholars of old. Concentration becomes difficult because of the rustling of pages, the scraping of chairs, the shuinng of footsteps, the muffled ringing of telephones . . . the person at the next table. Thus the would-be intellec- tuals join their contemporaries in succumbing to a quick snooze before plunging into an evening of meet- ings, supper, meetings, studying, meetings, meetings 13 X; we? 'r' Take your choice, itls either fuchsia pudding that trembles all over, or these little butterscotches. What an imagination! Now just excuse me . . . if youlll just move your elbow a tiny bit I can get that letter . . . it looks important too . . . Oh, a church bulletin.

Page 17 text:

OF STUDY AWAIT Another ten pages and then time for a break. I can tell this is going to be a battle between sleep and Caesafs capture of Gaul . . . Beautiful days are not always conducive to study, but oh the noble efforts that are made! 47 1 ? With an ounce of ingenuity and plenty of patience, a student can be quite creative. 165 all in how you look at it . . .