Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

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seemed like it would not be many years until we, too, would not recog- nize the old hill. Biggest feature of the post-war building spree was the new dormitory. Lehigh sidewalk su- perintendents on location reported that the dorm is something to behold, and each day as the stone and mor- tar were piled higher, we readily agreed with them that the utility of this badly-needed housing w ould be closely proximated by its beauty. A new frame dispensary with the latest in equipment sprouted by the Physics Building, and Packer Hall received a new neighbor as another frame structure was erected close by to serve as office space and auxiliary classrooms. The space once utilized by the Health Service in Christmas- Saucon Hall was redecorated, and the Veterans Administration moved in. The Industrial Engineering De- partment moved into offices of its own that were partitioned off in the east wing of Packard Laboratory, and the once drab interior of the Physics Building had a new look under the influence of pastels and other gay colors. This new cheeriness added greatly to the old atmosphere. Coxe Laboratory was relined with paint, and amazed students returned to Taylor and Price Halls in Sep- tember, 1947, to find their rooms redecorated. The two temporary dorms at the lower edge of Sayre Park finally were completed in time for occupancy in September, 1947, after being under construction for fourteen months. The lag in upkeep and mainten- ance necessitated by the war was being compensated for by this great activity, and under the guidance of Andrew W. Litzenberger, Lehigh s Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, many other improvements were in the offing. To the accompani- ment of air compressors, trenches were dug all over the campus to ac- commodate the installation of the 12

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REGISTRATION at LeKigK is a strange thing tKat brings us together, shuffles us, ana deals us around for another play at the hooks. For all its madness and con- fusion, the days of a Lehigh regis- tration period are times of action and excitement. It is the beginning of a new semester, and there is something about the uncertain days to follow that adds tenseness to all the hap- penings. Registration hgures showed that the majority of us were veterans- veterans who had a definite idea of why we were at Lehigh. Those of us who had seen no war service had passed a thorough screening and represented the cream of the current secondary school crop. Perchance, a scant few of us had been attracted to South Mountain in quest of col- lege life for its own sake, but for the most part, whether we admitted it or not, we all had a sincere desire for book learning. Regardless of our mo- tives for being here, we all were thankful that we were in college and not awaiting admission like so many or our friends. The 1947 registrations were dif- ferent from those the old timers ex- perienced. Where once it was pos- sible to talk ourselves out of eight o ' clocks on our schedules, a malad- justed I.B.M. class scheduler dictated all kinds of weird class hours, and there was no back talk. Gripes were prevalent and numerous as we all speculated about the semester s courses. Some insisted that snap courses were passing out of existence, that all courses were rougher than before, that it would be impossible to last the semester. However, there was always that great boost in our morale when we each found some- one with a lower average than that we had made the previous semester. The strangest sights of all to be- hold were the green frosh who certainly did not know what to ex- pect next. An advanced guard of the Class of 1Q51 that entered in March, 1947, gave the Class of June, 1950, veterans of one whole semester, its first chance to look important and to scowl on someone. The remainder of the Class of 51 that entered in September, 1947, was received with ten days of Freshman Orientation, the first such extended orientation that had been given since the w ar. The wide-eyed newcomers were wooed and coddled by the adminis- tration and fraternities, so that the end of Frosh Week brought wel- comed relief from these unusual at- tentions. A shiny new frosh lost in the be- wildering strangeness of his new South Mountain surroundings would be joined by many an old alumnus who also would be amazed at how the campus had been changed by post-war improvements. The old grads told us that Lehigh just ain t what it used to be, and right they were. With all the building that has been accomplished and planned, it

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new underground power and tele- phone lines. Tne swimming pool took on a different appearance, and we no longer got tnat slimy feeling after eacK dive. WitK changes on South Mountain rapidly occurring, we wondered how many years it would take for future construction to make the old contours unrecognizable to us. Another change on the campus was in our increased interest in stu- dent government as we scrapped the old Arcadia constitution and adopted a new one. The change- over represented the combined efforts of those of us who took an active interest in the redrafting of the new constitution. Hearings were started early in 1947, and we all were en- couraged to express our views and to give suggestions for an improved form of student government. A ten- man committee consolidated our opinions into four different proposals for reform. As a result of a referen- dum in May, 1947, campus-wide proportional representation under the Hare system of balloting was selected as the form of government we wanted. With our expressed opinions in mind, the Constitution Revision Committee drafted a new constitution over the summer and presented it to us for deliberation in September, 1947. Another referen- dum was conducted in early October and the new constitution was rati- fied by a definite majority. Arcadia conducted its first elec- tions under the new constitution in late October after a week of campus- wide politicking . Campaign signs were everywhere, posters screamed the candidates merits, and even a loudspeaker blurted out the good word for a potential Arcadia mem- ber. Forty-five candidates were whittled down to fifteen on election day, and these fifteen chose Charles W. Boig, 48, as Arcadia president. With the new machinery in opera- tion, a loud clamor for belter student government and an improved con- stitution was finally silenced. As a 13