Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

Page 19 text:

Although those changes may not be standard fare, there are some universal adjustments—like learning the r joys of laundry. The sluff no longer mysteriously vanishes V only to reappear clean and folded. (There are, however, a few exceptions here: Happy Birthday, Mom. Guess what ; brought ya ' ? Our checkbooks begin to require balancing. (Most begin to require balances). And now the fight for bathroom time commences with 40 or 50 opponents In- stead of three or four. Freedom. Independence. The move to college brings those ideas to the fore. And rules disappear—for a while. Then it becomes painfully obvious that if we party Tues- day night, the mid-term on Wednesday morning will look pretty gruesome. And when too many mid-terms look too gruesome, deans begin to get nasty and, well, we make our own rules. And they aren ' t nearly as much fun to break as Mom ' s and Dad ' s. Freedom. Independence. The ties are severed ... and then there ' s money. Blessed be the tie that binds. The green is often the last traditional bond between student and parent. It ' s a difficult, often awkward situation. It ' s that last lever, for money talks even in families. It says, You ' re still dependent, little one. So we fight for financial In- dependence—parents willing or not. Or at least we con- struct an elaborate rationale: It ' s just a loan. They want to do it. They can afford me; I can ' t. Then, almost without noticing it, we take the final step, Well, I guess I ' d better be getting home. Outwardly our parents sigh; inwardly they groan. Because to them we ARE at home. We grew up in that house, didn ' t we? How can we stand there next to our bronzed baby shoes and say. I ' ve got to go home ? Freedom. Independence. Once we ' ve got it, really got it, we can once again call Mother and Dad: I just got elected to Student Senate. I ' ve decided to try out for the Univer- sity musical. I just got accepted to medical school. And It seems right. No battles; those are finished. No em- barrassment for phoning. We Just wanted to tell some special friends what ' s happening In our lives. Of course, we still don ' t tell all. Independence - - 17

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The last exodus: break with bucks, bridge to reality by Pat McFadden Independence was a big word during the Bicenten- nial—a little too big according to some. But what the na- tion celebrated Is repeated 5,000 times each year at K- State—on a slightly smaller scale. Each fall, 5,000 Incoming freshman move out of the house—some into a new house with strange letters on the front and some into brick-and-concrete highrises. Out of the arms of Mother and Dad and Into the warm embrace of R.A.s, S.A.s, pledge fathers and house mothers . . . . For everyone the experience is different. But for most, the separation Is probably more physical than spiritual. Most of us gained a certain amount of freedom from our homes during high school. God, Mom, at least let me stay out until midnight! Parents long ago ceased to be the soothers of sore knees the confidantes of deep secrets (where the frog was hidden) and the chief moral counselors ( You know you shouldn ' t stick bubbiegum in Billy ' s hair. ) The mileage between home and school merely solidifies what had been happening for a long time. Reac- tions to the new freedom vary from I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing tonight? to I ' m gonna get drunk every night this week. The second reaction may be more com- mon. Other odd things begin to occur. That frequent ex- clamation, Geez, begins to lengthen into Jesus. That pack of cigarettes stuffed under the car seat becomes a carton on the desk. That hidden six-pack gives way to a fake ID—passport to a new world of Vodka Gimlets and Harvey Wallbangers. 16 - - Independence

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Welcoming an epidemic of apathy by Scott Kraft Student a•pa•thy (stab ' d ' nt ap ' e-thi), the state of not car- ing about homecoming, student government, gay counseling and other campus-related activities and ser- vices. Stunlent zeal (stab ' d ' nt (zel), the state of extreme or ex- cessive devotion to above-mentioned activities and ser- vices. Stu•dent e•go•I sm (slob ' d ' nt 6• ge-tilm), the state of self-conceit characterized by a superficial involvement in campus-related activities and services which will look Im- pressive on a resume. Since the early 1970s. K-Staters have looked back to the late ' 60s—the age of revolt on campus—as the peak of student activity. That age. some like to believe, all but buried Student Apathy (SA) In its explosiveness But in 1977. SA had crept into virtually every walk of student life—a permeation that should have been lauded rather than berated. As a pure catalyst for all that is good in student govern- ment and campus life, SA had probably raised the level of student consciousness and quality of life more than any other single campus epidemic. Rather than mass innoculation against the spread of SA, the dosage should have been doubled to make every student susceptible to the rampant virus. Of course, many would probably disagree, particularly those Infected with other strains of student visuses. name- ly Student Zeal (SZ) and Student Egotism (SE). Student body presidents, student senators, student committee chairmen and other active students were among those often infected with SE and SZ. Those Involved in significant research and study. who often couldn ' t see the need for frivolous student activities, were among those happily infected with SA. Frustrated victims of SZ and SE professed pity for those engagingly infected with SA. claiming they were missing a total education. Faced with near-saturation of the student population by 18 - - apathy