University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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IT Hitt ' s B G SHOW hump in be- coming a student at KU—confusing, noisy, exasperating enrollment — was smoothed out this fall when a simpli- fied enrollment procedure was inau- gurated. The new process, completely housed in the air-conditioned Student Union, was given an initial run during sum- mer session enrollment, but for two- thirds of the 6,817 students who en- rolled in the three-day period, it was something new and greatly wel- comed. The revisions were sweeping. All students enrolled in the Union except graduate students who remained in Strong hall. All classes were printed in a combined class schedule. Stand- ardized class cards and enrollment cards were introduced. Telephone networks relayed infor- mation on closed classes from the ballroom floor to the mezzanine. NEXT, PLEASE—Enrollment workers at the first stop relieve a student of some of her registration forms. LINE UP—In photographing some 7,000 persons in three days, no works of art are produced—but mug shots are. IF I WERE YOU —One wonders how faculty advisers live through the enrolling process, but they seem to thrive on it. UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS C01.1.IS( Y. UNIVERSITY uF 2959

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But the main thing which impresses you this evening is the beauty of the campus as you look out over it from the sloping hillside above Potter lake. There ' s the campanile, which looks as much a part of the scene as if it had always stood there. The luxuriant- leaved trees now just beginning to be touched with brown. The warm, rich silence of a fall evening. You think you ' re going to like this place. first game And now it ' s Saturday afternoon, and the atmosphere is entirely differ- ent. You ' re in Memorial stadium to watch the last intra-squad game before the Big Red Team opens against TCU a week from that day. There are the cheerleaders again, leading you in the yells again. Must want you to learn them. Collectively you meet the coaches of the various sports, get some pointers on the new rules, and get a preview of an after- TESTS ALREADY — In Hoch auditorium the new students sweat out those dratted place- ment exams. noon splashed with the color of a game day. So that ' s the first week. Whew! A lot of fun, though, in addition to the unpleasantries. All over but the shout- ing now, though. Just a few little things left: registration and enroll- ment and physical exams. Did you say little things ? Half a day for the physical examination at Watkins hospital. Will you make ROTC? Your blood pressure goes up to 1.50 just thinking about it. Then registration and enrollment! Really wasn ' t so bad with everyone helping you, but with all those people and the noise and closing classes and not knowing where to go next—well, it ' ll be easier next time. Two social events the first part of the week, too. On Monday night are Apple Polishing Parties at homes of faculty members, sponsored by the YWCA. You meet in the Student Union. Everyone is holding up signs with faculty members ' names on them. You pick blindly, not knowing Zara- bodowski from Smith. If you choose right, you laugh heartily all evening; if you don ' t, you smile politely. And then a Last Nighter dance sponsored by the Independent Student Association on Wednesday night, held in the parking lot across from the Stu- dent Union. A sound truck with re- corded music, soft drinks. Lots of dancers. Wild snake lines doing the bunny hop. Nice. the final step So it ' s Thursday night and you ' re all enrolled and (supposedly) orient- ed. You ' ve even got one day of classes and the opening convocation under your belts. You ' ve passed all the requirements, attended all the must ac- tivities — and you ' ve got a punched card to prove it so now you ' re all set to be inducted. You meet in — you guessed it Hoch. And there are skits telling you of University traditions. You laugh when the man says we should be proud to have the Cornell alma mater melody for our school song since 67 other schools have it. Steeped in tradition, you leave Hoch and four abreast march down past the campanile to the far end of the sta- dium. As you walk along you notice little vignettes along the way: Jay Janes chasing some stragglers back in- to line; a fellow trying to stop to light a cigaret but being swept along any- way; a Japanese exchange student jogging to the band music. (Continued on page 92) AND FINALLY comes the moment that ends orientation week and augurs in four years of fun and work for almost 2,000 students.

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IN ORDER—Three sophomores hold their collective breaths as checkers give them an okay or send them back to their advisers. THERE IT IS—A panorama of heads bent diligently over enrollment cards, of hurried consultations, of worried scannings of closed classes: Enrollment, 1953. Closed class boards ringed the balcony, so all students knew as soon as a class closed. And the pressure of time was eased as the registration forms could be ob- tained and filled out at leisure three to five days before enrolling. In the past, sweating over the yard-long reg- istration forms in Strong hall base- ment with visions of classes closing by the minute in Robinson gym was a major complaint. A new time schedule permitted any student to finish enrolling once he was in the process. Previously, an enrollee caught during the lunch hour had to start all over again. The enrolling student entered the south door of the Union according to the customary alphabetical schedule. In the main lounge area, portions of his completed registration forms were taken, fees were collected, and ID photos shot. Then up to the ballroom where he filled out the enrollment cards at his school ' s area. From there he went to the balcony to have class cards filled out, and it was all over. After sailing through the new pro- cedure, most students were doffing their hats to planners James K. Hitt, registrar, and George B. Smith, dean of the University. 0 I