Harding College - Petit Jean Yearbook (Searcy, AR)

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20 ult was worth all the money I put into it. I wish I Could some- how describe how good it is. . . HThe sad part about it is that you just have to go so fast. . . thereis not time to stay and enjoy it. . fl These were some comments made by typical Harding students. But for them, Harding was very different - because it was situated 'in the ancient city of Florence, Italy. In thersummer of l979, Presi- dent Ganus went to Florence to examine the possibility of begin- ning an International Studies Pro- gram. His stay was brief, but Florence was inviting and the idea was appealing. In May of 1980, Dr. Ganus returned to Florence to aid in preparations for the fall opening'of Harding University in Florence. Upon his arrival, Dr. Ganus was met by Dr. Don Shackelford, director of the International Studies Program, whotwas in Italy with campaigners. The two were joined by Gianfranco Sciotti, the Italian church member who acted as the programs administrator Harding in Florence - Courtesy of Publicit y 0f Doorway into tomorrow, A step to ward 1 International Education and Italian government and busi- ness liason, in addition to teaching the Italian language to Harding students. Sciotti was also in- strumental in securing the build- ing which served as the branch school. i Located on ' the border of Florence and Scandicci, the school was a former apartmentcomplex, now owned by the church in Scan- dicci. The building was used for several years to house young ltalian Christians as they studied the Bible and finished school. The facility comfortably housed thire ty, and the italian students, who were very few in number, left much space unoccupied; The building was three blocks from a bus station, which in turn was only fifteen minutes from downtown Florence. ultaly has a very good public transit system, observed Ganus. ttStudents bought bus passes one month at a time which was very economical. Hourly trains and buses allowed students to do much independent touring, and there was much to see. For example there are forty- two art galleries in F lorence alone. Several sightseeing trips were planned each semester for the en- tire group of Florence students. In the fall of 1980, they traveled by train and boat through the route the apostle Paul traveled on 'his second'missionary journey. Ganus made the tour himself during his twoaweek stay abroad; lfl think it was a wonderful experience for those who understood Paulls journeys and accomplishments in Greece, said Ganus. Nineteen students, ranking from freshman to graduate level, attended Harding in Florence in the fall of 1980. Each class was related to the Italian environment; Dr. Gary Elliott taught human- ities, Dr. Shackelford supervised studies in the Biblical world and archaelogy, and also in the life and writings of Paul. Gianfranco Sciotti taught the students the Italian language. Up to eighteen hours could be earned, with the cost roughly equaling that of one year on the Searcy campus. The group flew to Amsterdam first, where they stayed for two days before boarding a train Which t00k them on a magnificent journey through the Swiss Alps, en routeto F lorence. Upon arrival at the Bible School, the group was, according to Dr. S-hackelford, rgffpleasantly - sur- prised to find how niceeyerything is here at the school. . . The school had a fresh coatdof paint insideggg'all of the beds were made and ready for the weary travellers; a hot meal had been prepared, iWhot showers were ready. . . The day after arriving the group went sight-seeing around thefcity. They also received their Eurail pass tin- cluded in the cost of, the tripi which enabledtthem toigo al't'ttost anywhere on the Continent. Thus, after a four-day week, individual students 'were free to take a train to any country they desired for a threeaday weekend. ,, Although plans tentatively call- ed for a three-year trial period, in- itial response seemed to be highly favorable for students who wished to study in a Christian environ- ment, but alsoin historic and'ettl. tural surroundings. H

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spent directly in town went for food and gas. ll the average stu- dent spent only $l0 a week, an ad- ditional $128,000 was spent each month. Prime examples of indirect businesses created were the fast food chains. There was only one reason to justify the proliferation of fast food stores and that was - Dun II: IlltlHIl 1. WESTERN SIZZLIN em- ploys many Harding students. Assistant Manager. Mike Douthirt, readies the cash register for a busy evening. 2. HELPING keep the campus meticulously groomed, Matt Markley is one of the many Searcians that makes up the majority of Harding's work force. 3. THEpledge week con- cert billing this full, The Thrasher Brothers, drew both students and Searcians alike to an exciting evening of bluegrass and pop music. 4. CARS stream dawn Race Street Iowards town in search of a jhst-fooa' restaurant. a Don Holland A Dun Holland Harding students. An average town of comparable size could not support the number of restaurants found in Searcy. Some students felt that Searcy liked their money but not the stu- dents themselves. Rick Sisk, a senior marketing major from Memphis said, llMany students feel that the townspeople resent . .. them. The townspeople seem to think we are a necessary evil that has to be tolerated. Was this feeling justified? Don Diffine said no. According to Dr. Diffine, llOf all the college towns in which I have lived, the atmos- phere here is by far the best in respect to the relationship between the local people and the students. Of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been raised here in town, there would have been none raised if the townspeople did not like Harding. There may have been some truth to the rumor of resentment however. For those conducting business relations the ugly prob- lems of abuse and misuse occa- sionally reared their heads. Dennis Winnett reported, Many apart- ment owners feel that students do not take adequate care of rented property. Students too have periodic complaints about such details as leaking ceilings and paper thin walls. Rosemary Wil- son, Assistant Director of Admis- sions remarked, ul hear about the problems of the townspeople with the students. Bad check writing is a common example. However, proportionally students do not write as many bad checks as other patrons. And Harding aids the businesses in redeeming those that are written. Jaywalking on the way to church also generates a great deal of anger. ul just want to know why the students don't have to obey the law, one resident was heard to remark. Though a barrier might have ex- isted, it was not as tall or as thick as it could have been. The stu- dents and the townspeople got along much better than in times past. An open mindedness had de- veloped due to active involvement in each othersl affairs. Many of our faculty, such as Lott Tucker, served on the Searcy Chamber of Commerce. One hundred and thirty economics students col- laborated on a one hundred and fifty page book entitled, Locating in Searcy, Arkansas - Facts for Business and Industry, which had a direct influence on the decision of Wal-Mart and several other companies to locate in Searcy. Town participation in American Studies programs and concerts brought many to the campus that had never visited before. Increased involvement, open mindedness and charity opened the door to better integration and cooperation between Harding and Searcy. But Heaven on earth? Hardly. Just because Harding was the buckle of the Bible belt was no reason to expect to Find a Heaven on earth. Jack E . Zeigler - Don Holland 19 Harding in Searcy

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Courtesy uj Puhlu'uy Office I. POSING for a group shot, several Harding studenls shop for treasures in a foreign markerplace. 2. ANC IEN T archilecmre delineates Ihe Harem? scene from comparable Searcy simc- lures. 3. BRICK Streets and playful pidgeons become familiar scenes lo the new international sludems. 4. WANDERING the streets aflhe oily, Searcy escapees observe the dif- ferences of Italian cosmopolilamsm. Courlesy of Publmly Office - hurlmy UfPuhlu'm Qlflu' Harding in Florence