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

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Playfair coaxes students from halls and into the fun of FRIENDS when Biaja Teal began the A new dancing style was one of the playfair activities on the Derby Courts, she made a promise to each of the participants. She promised that 10 people would fall madly in love with them and follow the m across campus. Playfair, sponsored by K-State Alcohol and Drug Education Services at the beginning of the fall semester, was organized to help students in residence halls get acquainted. Playfair is an experiential where the show happens in the audience, Teal said. It is designed to create community in a quick way. Matt Weinstein, Playfair ' s originator, began Playfair 10 years ago. His has grown to a staff of seven. From mid-August to the end of September, the members travel to approximately 200 schools all over the United States. Teal said the activities provide ways to break down the negative barriers that keep people from communicating effectively. Playfair is also designed to give people an alternative to dealing with the mental stress of meeting others, Teal said. activities Teal used in her program to encourage new friendships. Couples stood back to back and locked arms to dance. At the sound of the whistle, participant s changed partners by linking arms with someone else. Teal said it was designed so that the partners would never have to look at each other. This alleviated the stress of watched while dancing. Playfair ' s activities stressed the of trusting in the people around you. After those participating were divided into groups of three, two partners would place their hands on the third ' s elbows and, at the count of three, lift the middle person as high as they could. Playfair also lends itself to the edification of others. To this, Teal told the crowd that at anytime, anyone could ask for a standing ovation. The only rule wa s it had to be requested by the individual; no one else could ask for him. When someone asked for an ovation, everyone standing close to him lifted him above the cheering crowd. Teal has been helping students to get acquainted through the Playfair for five years. She was a theater major in college and has a degree in nursing. I thought of it (Playfair) as a way of combining my theater with being an RN, Teal said. The games included everyone and periodically Teal called a halt to the so that the participators could run out and encourage the people watching to join in the fun. No one felt out of place, said Maureen Cummings, senior in family life and human developement. No matter who you were, you belonged. Many students that had just arrived at K-State without knowing anyone outside of their hometown found that through the Playfair activities, they made friends in an easy way. It never fails, Teal said. I feel like it (Playfair) really provides a service for incoming students. What usually happens in six months happened in 60 minutes. Persuasion was the key in the Playfair activities. Biaja Teal, Playfair coordinator; Steve Locke, senior business administration; and Angie Shoup, junior in fashion marketing, encourage onlookers to join the fun. (Photo by Brad Nading).

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Biaja Teal Playfair coordinator, explains to of Playfair originators was do it now, talk about it later. (Photo by Brad Nading). original style dance was to help students make friends. More than 100 hall residents took part in the Playfair activities on the Derby (Photo by Steve Mingle).

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24 — KU K-State Fans express their opinion of the losing footbal l season by painting messages on sacks and wearing them on their heads during the Parents ' Day weekend game against Oklahoma State. (Photo by Chris Stewart). Yelling like hell at the annual Homecoming pep rally and bonfire, Jeff Jewett, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, pairs up with the Gamma Phi Beta sorority for a second place finish in the overall spirit competition. (Photo by Allen Eyestone).