University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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SLURP! Five freshmen men pause in work- ing their way through juicy watermelons to talk a little at the YMCA sponsored water- melon feed held at the Potter picnic area. There was a show you wanted to see that evening, but your orientation schedule of required events proclaims that your presence is requested at Hoch auditorium — check the guidebook for a kick-off convocation. You find that you didn ' t have to check the guidebook at all, for shortly before the hour listed there ' s a whirling stream of humanity all headed stoutly in one direction. You join the laughing, talk- ing crowd and you ' re in Hoch. Someone ' s telling you how glad the University is to receive you. You won- der how high the ceiling is. Someone else is booming over the microphone what you ' re expected to do in the next few days, how to do it, why it ' s done. Look at those bald heads sitting on the stage! Wonder which one belongs to Mr. Murphy? But you sit and take it all in and think that they ' re very friendly, up there on the stage. How about that? faculty confabs Thursday. What next? Um-huh: visiting the school you ' re going to en- roll in to make appointments for in- dividual conferences with faculty ad- visers. Sounds pretty important. Bet- ter go. You do. Chances are you ' re in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to start off with, anyway so it ' s back to Hoch. Again you wonder how high the ceil- ing is. Again someone is up on the stage booming things out at you bet- ter pay attention. This sounds con- fusing. Fifteen hours in each of the first three divisions with at least five in two fields of each division. How was that again? Oh, there ' s more. . . . junior-senior credit hours . . . grade points . . . customary freshman work load . . . Western Civilization . . . language requirement . . . speech re- quirement . . . Gosh. Lunch - time. Lunch-time. Gang- way. Lunch-time. There ' s a great surge toward the Student Union. You ' re caught up in it, carried along, and deposited in a line. You ' re still won- dering about those fifteen hours in each of something or other. 1:30. Tests! There must be some mistake. There just must be. Tests— already? Back to Hoch, which by this time seems like a second home. Place your last name first, then your first name, and then your middle initial (five minute pause)—all done now ? Then—wait a minute, you there in the first row, stay with me place the A NIBBLING threesome shown at the Jayhawk Nibble are Beverly Crom- well, Carolyn Settle, and B. L. Redding. 8

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EVENTS, FM! Orientation It ' s Great! by JERRY KNUDSON first week of collegi- ate life who can forget it, who can describe it? Orientation week is a once- only venture, to which the newly ori- ented shout Praises be ! and their older colleagues—tending to become disoriented again simply smile nos- talgically. There you were: just graduated from high school with a whole summer to get keyed up over your new career as a college student maybe noncommittal, maybe wildly enthusiastic, maybe a trifle reluctant to tread on strange ground. And you were barraged all that summer with forms and leaflets and pitches. How to get into things, what to wear, where to stay. Vote Pacha- camac, join Don Henry Coop, don ' t miss rush week. Then you packed everything from tennis rackets to portable radios and headed for Lawrence: home of the University of Kansas and a glittering Mecca with a four-year lease. You ar- rive. You get situated in a private room or residence hall or dormitory. Maybe you come early and wear your best clothes and brave, fixed smiles as you go through rush week and are pledged. Then wham! the whole thing ex- plodes in your face as you ' re plunged into a weekly schedule of just learn- ing how to be a student. It ' s a full- time job, this orientation business. It all starts off innocently enough. You and your parents if they ' re in town are invited to an open house session at the newly remodeled Stu- dent Union on Wednesday afternoon. private initiative But before that you have some time of your own and you do some orient- ing on your own. With a guidebook to the University buildings in your hand you stroll up and down Oread avenue trying not to look like a new student —or green freshman, rather. And in those first few evenings you inspect the local theaters, test the local restau- rants, catch the wrong buses, and per- haps get snarled up in the Student Union cafeteria line. But the student-parent reception is at hand, and you dutifully—and with not a little pride lead your parents into the plushiness of the Union. Cof- fee, doughnuts, small talk, a tour of the building. That ' s that. Your parents are off and you ' re on your own. 7 1•

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A LARGE GROUP of new students shoots the breeze at the home of Laurence C. Woodruff, dean of students, during one of the many Apple Polishing parties. date, that ' s September 10. . On and on and on. The endless instructions and girls running up and down the aisles handing out pencils, lapboards, tests and more tests all seem to take twice as long as actually doing the darned things. Between sieges of test installments there is chattering back and forth: who ' s pledged whom, what all the home-town kids are doing. And final remarks: Well, that ' s over. First shot, anyway. There ' s more tomorrow. You ' re crazy. Says so right here. watermelon, girls Don ' t tell me we have a few hours off ? You check the blue folder of optional activities. Maybe you wander over to the Union to participate in a Meet Your Church hour. Maybe you head toward Potter lake to eat watermelon with the YMCA. Ah-ha! Some girls trying to crash the party. The YMCA president looks dubious but doesn ' t challenge them. Good watermelon. Evening. Still more to do. New women students meet in Fraser; men in—oh, no, Hoch. Men are lured by tales of ROTC with a few jokes thrown in. Women hear of closing hours and appended information. Friday morning already ? You ' ve been here almost a week. Lot of things happened, more to go. Conferences with faculty advisers that morning. He doesn ' t seem to know much what ' s going on. Now I heard. . . Afternoon. More placement exams. Period. Which is not mentioning some spe- cial exams you may be indulging in such as music theory test, trigonometry exam, language placement test. Noth- ing like getting into the swing of things. So now it ' s Friday night. End of the week and the heat ' s off. There ' s a Jayhawk Nibble slated for Potter lake. You consider catching it. Free food! You do. There ' s the dean of men, dean of women, dean of students all plunked down on the grass eating potato salad and baked beans. Their faces are familiar now. Chances are you ' ve been in to meet them or they ' ve said hello to you. Nice people. Hey, entertainment, too. The cheer- leaders are going to lead you in some of the yells. The head cheerleader is explaining one to you, can ' t remember how it goes. Laughter. He thinks of it you yell. Now the MC takes over, introduces some sports stars. You ' re impressed. 9