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

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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

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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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71e ar t t ' nat was supposed at to a,-pear Dear r, with this article was not available press time, a flyi probably because the st:-..ff artist (30RFtt% t give r.g donut about a quality yearbook as long as he ckln pick up his paycheck rvery month. :ie rep: fortunate circu rec. Vat- urlast W., SA, however, student activists slowly embarked on the weed-covered path to bridge the gap and bring their fellow students home. But home was not necessarily desirable. SZ and SE were conditions to be avoided, for they were often accompanied by severe symptoms of self- importance and wasteful expenditure of energy with minimal results. But student activists were trying to change. Only change, they found, would bring the serious student burdened with SA out of that despicable state. A plan of action was devised. First, re-evaluation—a favorite word of student ac- tivists—was conducted. Do we need a homecoming, or a women ' s resource center, or a drug education center, or a yearbook, or a concert, or the money necessary to provide any services? It was good start. They found the answers varied, but the qualifiers were always the same: we don ' t need them in their present forms. Those afflicted with SA rarely even made alternative suggestions. Other things were more important to them, as well they should have been. With national affairs, scien- tific research and philosophical contemplation available as topics for argumentation, who needed student ac- tivities to quibble over? Slowly student activism was bringing its programs into line with the students, rather than coercing students Into its sacred activities. The results were promising, but the Student Zealots and Egotists could not be cured. They clung to their favorite activities and pet programs; the stu- dent body was left to find more important topics for their virile minds. And when it came to the point that a beer In Agglevlile was more Important than any student activity, SA had reached epidemic proportions. We hope the activists ' warfare will not arrest its foe .. . and that SA will remain contagious, continuing to Infect and enlighten student minds with matters of consequence rather than the mundane affairs of traditional campus ac- tivities. apathy - 19