James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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Adieu, Madison College. I am ready to succeed, and I will. « 4 4 1»H-V- -: I ' i « J! i ' «,. ' .i.jL.i.,

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[■1 H vi l 19 m r . t ' i bhII I WUm ' M vB - ' k 1 ' M H K ' i f 9 K, WILLIAM WINDOM f f, f■ f lft tl f■rt Jtl t r4-■■4 r4-- - — - - - — — -• ■ . -A— A- -A- -A— A— A— A— A— A— A. -A-A— A— A— A. -A. -A- -4. - As students, we are parasites on society; soon we will join the massive host. During the 1973-74 school year, necessity has forced us to become aware, perhaps more than ever before, of the state of the world ' s affairs. Each of us has been af- fected by the gasoline shortage, either by having to pay outrageous gasoline prices, or by having to postpone returning to campus after a weekend because of Sunday gas station closings. Many of us rode the shuttle bus to and from Showalter Apartments to save gasoline. Perhaps for the first time we have been able to see a connection between an international event, such as the Arab oil embargo, and our daily lives. As children of an extremely affluent age, we found it difficult to conceive of a real, critical shortage of something so commonly and extravagantly used as gasoline. The energy crisis has invaded the normalcy of our lives. The dining hall ' s shorter hours, the reduction in the number of lights on campus at night, the initiation of Daylight Saving Time in January, and the reduction in the temperature of dormitories and classrooms have all made us aware of the need for energy conservation. We have complained about going to class in the dark and about the chilliness of our rooms, but we have survived, gaining an appreciation for the energy that we have so blithely taken for granted. Along with the energy crises, we have been observers of other historical events. For only the second time in the history of this country, the question of impeach- ment has arisen with regard to a United States Pres- ident. The Watergate situation has been both fas- cinating and awesome to many of us. As observers of the disintegration of the charismatic aura surrounding the Presidency, many of us became disillusioned with the U.S. Administration and politics, in general. We wit- nessed with surprise Agnew ' s abrupt resignation and plea of nolo contendere to a charge of income tax evasion. We could only hope, by exposing the scandals, to make it impossible for a similar series of events to occur in the future. iA s college students it is inevitable that we de- •4 velop an awareness of the relationship between our- • selves as individuals and the world in general. Our • commitment to the campus life-style, combining pred- ■ ominantly study and socializing, implies this commit- ■i ment to self-awareness. Our individual programs of H Study, ideally pointing us toward some goal or role to ■i fullfill in the so-called cold, cruel world, thrust us into H decision-making positions in which we begin to realize H that our futures are being specifically determined right H now. We come to know, with some trepidation, perhaps, that we shall ail too soon leave the womb-like ; atmosphere of Madison. We have such a haven here, if we desire it. During our four years at Madison it is conceivable that some of us may completely isolate ourselves from unpleasant current events. We may all too easily fall into superficial routines of social activities, classes, homework, and weekends. We may never think deeply about anything more than the approaching weekend or the state of the dining hall food. None of us ever has to read a newspa- : per or listen to a radio news broadcast. Instead, we can broadcast or flaunt our apathy. However, as we approach our senior year, this apathetic attitude that we may project becomes less and less a protective facade. As seniors we begin to become aware that we will soon no longer be able to classify ourselves as carefree, guileless college students, but will be expected to become responsible and aware contributors to society. Our excellent variety of visiting speakers gave us an opportunity to hear the opinions of nationally-known figures first-hand. Frank Mankiewicz, 1968 press secre- tary for the Robert Kennedy presidential campaign and 1972 campaign manager for George McCovern, revealed some lesser known political scandals which have been occurring in Washington. Dick Gregory, noted comedian, civil rights advocate, and political crit- ic gave an entertaining and informative commentary on Watergate, taxes, the energy crisis, racism, Vietnam, » ' » ' ' r y r y r ' ♦ ' ♦ ♦ ' ♦ ' ' t ' ' y» ' » ' » ' ' » ' » ' ' r ' ' » » ' ' y » » » » y ' f y » ♦ ♦ rf r f » y» - yy f »