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

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KSU Parachute Club alumni Tim Argo, top, and Jesse drift down to the crowd at the Welcome Back Concert in Memorial Stadium. Members of the parachute club have Manhattan crowds for years at the concert and home football games. (Photo by Gary Lytle) ROYAL PURPLE Studies in Cellular and Developmental Biology. Only two other universities in the nation were to participate in NASA ' s new program for space life sciences. This type of experience, supplemented by research from professors, kept the school on the cutting edge of technology. During the summer, three K-Staters attended the prestigious Washington Internships for Students in Engineering. For the past six summers, at least one K-State student has earned this honor. The 1990 Fall Issue of Money Magazine ' s Money Guide praised K-State for efficient education, a bright spot in the tide of state legislative budget cuts. Ranked 38th among public universities and first in the Big Eight Conference, K-State was deemed a great value for the education dollar. President Jon Wefald proposed a sweeping plan for school-wide reorganization. Sticking to generalities, he called for fund reallocation and merging programs to eliminate waste; he also emphasized the importance of arts and sciences. Not one of our professional programs can be excellent without strong programs in the natural sciences, mathematics, the social sciences, the arts and the humanities, Wefald said. If we want to improve the quality and academic standing of Kansas State University, we must improve the college of arts and sciences. Exactly two weeks later, Thomas Isenhour was fired as Dean of Arts and Sciences and reassigned to the Deparment of Chemistry. Isenhour said the action may have resulted from his decision last spring to drop 24 sections of basic classes when the state cut $2.1 million from K-State ' s budget. Enrollment edged up with an increase of 1,027 students, topping all previous enrollment highs. The quality of incoming students was evident as the freshman class included a record 40 National Merit Scholars– two Hispanic finalists, seven semi-finalists and 31 finalists. The $100 million Essential Edge Campaign passed the $60-million mark by the first day of classes. The campaign, supported by gifts and pledges, was designed to give higher education in Kansas an edge of excellence it won ' t otherwise have, according to Governor Mike Hayden. However, Hayden ' s failure to approve the Margin of Excellence for a second term resulted in severe budget crunches. Questions of program restructuring did little to affect enthusiasm for pursuing interests. Standing at the fringe of a new state, K-Staters looked forward with both anxiety over change and ambition for the possibilities it brought. Through decisions and activities, the University achieved THE EXTRA EDGE. OPENING 7

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Practicing with the water ski team at Tuttle, Chris Tucker, senior in journalism and mass communications, skies off a ramp and shoots over the water. Tucker competed in jumping, trick, and slalom skiing events. (Photo by Brian W. Kratzer) Cindy Burke, health educator at Lafene Student Health laughs with a passing student during fall registration. Lafene sponsored a booth that distributed cold drinks tofight the heat. (Photo by David Mayes) Before joining the festivities of an end-of-school party, Todd Searls, freshman in journalism and mass communications, fishes on a Tuttle Creek cove in May. (Photo by Brian W. Kratzer) 6 OPENING

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ROYAL PURPLE ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES STUDENT LIFE In the water. At the theater. On the road. Anyone who complained of boredom just wasn ' t looking hard enough for action. When Aggieville burnout set in, mountain bikers and rappelling daredevils headed to Tuttle. Lazy afternoons spurred spontaneous jaunts across Kansas or ventures out of the state. For a departure from the usual, Broadway hits and world-renowned musicians came to campus at McCain But when it came time to get serious, groups tackled sensitive items like racism and date rape head-on. When the situation demanded it, students by the severe budget cuts trekked to the capitol in Topeka and their concerns. It was a time to make choices and define some of the rougher edges of our lives. K-State fans knock a beach ball through the crowd in the student section during the New Mexico State football game. (Photo by Brian W. Kratzer) Glorying in a K-State win, Dion Gengler, senior in computer science, cheers after a KSU touchdown against Western Illinois. (Photo by Brian W. Kratzer) 8 STUDENT LIFE