Lambuth College - Lantern Yearbook (Jackson, TN)

Page 12 text:

A characteristic pervades, engulfs Lambuth: A qual- ity that is so essential, so diverse that it remains almost indefinable. It is so ephemeral that some have never known it. M r£»- fejr.v v- i - ' ■ ' - ' • . -•• ' m .u ■■■ » .■ ' .■. ?■ ? ' ■ r r ■. ■ % This uniqueness gives rise to the desirable illusion of the kohionia. of community, it has opposed the best efforts of fraternities and cliques for autonomy. While it more readily is evident among the stu- dents, the majority of the faculty is affected by this unnamable quality. In every malicious or inno- cent sarcastic slam, in every sacrilegious joke, in every act of deviant behavior, in every relationship lacking m utuality, there still remains a remnant of this quality. m This characterizing quality can readily be described by most students. It is present in every student, every faculty member, in each organization and activity. Even though there be rivalries, displays of selfishness, declarations of self-righteousness, evi- dence of disloyalty and extreme disunity, the un- derlying unity and quality of the relationships at Lambuth nevertheless exists. ■ « - -» .%. ' V

Page 11 text:

Mornings at Lambuth are when the ' night people ' are separated from the ' day people ' in the cafeteria breakfast line. Eight o ' clock classes are looked on as an abomination by the night people. Day people adore to get up with the sun: seven o ' clock classes would suit them. After a generally quiet, painstakingly polite breakfast, most students trudge their merry way to the Student Center for mail — or, if her boy friend is a night people, for male. Around the mailboxes, at about 7:45, one finds mass confusion. The majority of the Breakfast Kids, as well as a sizeable number of eight o ' clock classed Night Kids jockey for position to see if mother sent money, or if the distantly based friend wrote his daily three pages. To add to the Town students also congregate in the Student Center before classes begin. Jane isn ' t too awake yet. But breakfast is a necessity. One couldn ' t make it without that pure citric acid — orange juice that is. long line classes coming up 8:00 a.m. confusion, the faculty are also present, digging in their letter boxes. Also, to watch the show, a delegation of town students. Lambuth joyfully sings an opening hymn of praise! At eight o ' clock the Bookstore opens and classes begin. These two phenomena are not necessarily connected by a casual relationship, but they serve to orient the day. The g in the book store are always so friendly and cheerful, so eager to wait on students that the slightest errand is dispatched with alacrity. And Mrs. Travis anxious- ly, efficiently and quickly answers the question of six stu- dents, asked simultaneously, while she gets the key to the Coke machine to recover someone ' s lost dime, while asking Mr. Helms about the state of his health.

Page 13 text:

Even though this is not true of all the students, it is true of enough to make it a real characteristic of Lam- buth. The possibility of self-revealing analogical rela- tionships remains for all students, present and future. Because a depth of self-knowledge is necessary for authentic existence, we call this possibility at Lambuth a good. Regardless of our reasons for attending Lambuth — be they reasons of family pressure, economic neces- sity, fear of loss of personal identity in a larger school, or a ' vocation ' — we all eventually realize that the dialogical relationships developed at Lam- buth have become our reasons for returning. We realize that what we miss during the summer is not our courses, or even the routine of classwork, but the relationships, even the casual or negative ones. Dialogical relationships: because the small rose- colored world of Lambuth creates an illusion of life, that students develop themselves within a ko ' i- noma. This atmosphere can be open to commuting students, and for some it is. Many dorm students unconsciously use this opportunity to explore and become aware of their limitations in developing re- lationships. This is a chief value of Lambuth: the opportunity for greater self-knowledge in order to develop a greater appreciation of relationships.