Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

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For those students who were married the University pro- vided apartments at Miami Manor. The facilities were capable of accommodating 108 couples and had been avail- able since 1955. The eighty one-room eHiciencies were occupied by newlyweds, while couples with Children sought the larger apartments with an additional bedroom. Statis- tics showed that during the ,64 fall semester, 125 of the Manoris residents were students and in seventeen instances both husband and wife were attending the University. Campus lives of the above variety were common know- ledge to upperclassmen, but for the disillusioned freshman the most diHicult problem was adjustment to group living. Freshman counselors did an admirable job, and soon the freshman worked his way out of the neophyte stage. Evidently some people could live in rooms with no curtains or bedspreads. These people also tolerated running the obstacle course of dirty laundry, soiled sheets, cigarette ashes and butts to reach their desk hvhich was buried in piles of books and notesi. Others managed to liVe in a more civilized fashion. They gathered together the neces- sary, but scarce, dimes in order to launder on Saturday. Their rooms ran the gamut from the luxurious tstereos and multiplex tunersi to the staid in decor and furnishings, but always they were neat. Perhaps a personis surroundings indicated his iiFreudianii character, perhaps not. The only sure conclusion seems to be that dormitory life brought the best and worst from the Miami student body. Problems did arise, and each dormitory had a resident advisor to offer assistance. He or she had to be at least a graduate student. Resident Advisors had to be oblivious to nocturnal noise, patient and quite often protective. In return, they received a $1,400 salary, room, board and fees including staff privileges. The primary task of an advisor was to preserve the iiindividuaP, and to help in academic problems and dormi- tory decisions. His most important function, from a stu- dentis point of view, was the assistance he rendered in scheduling, guidance, hints on study technique and disci- plinary measures. In menis residence halls especially, the advisor might serve much of his time as a referee. All things considered, though, the freshmen quickly found their place on campus and established their own routine and schedule. They soon outgrew the iibig happy family, idea of the freshman dorm and looked forward to the more sensibly lenient atmosphere of the upperclass residence halls. tF or Greek living, see pp. 42-431 ' 7-5

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RESIDENCES Three alarm clocks shattered the serene silence at Hamil- ton Hall. A groggy coed rolled out of her cozy bed and made her habitual silencing rounds. As the din ceased, her roommate turned over and again fell asleep tthis lucky one had no eight oiclocksl. 11A new day? the coed thought, ilshould always start with a yawn and two cups of black coffee? The yawn came naturally, but then she had to force herself to dress in order to suffer the mornings coffee. As disgruntled as any young lady should be at 7:30 in the morning, she managed to answer, iicoffeef, t0 the waitress,s query. Suddenly she realized how fortunate she was to be eating in her own dining hall with no bitter cold walk to make. Miamians were certainly fortunate in this respect. The issue is more extensive than convenience of meals; Miami was indeed lucky to have adequate food and food- service areas. Each day the Miami F ood Service had the frightening chore of feeding some five thousand students. The Food Service was founded in 1913 for just this purpose, however. Their building, constructed in 1933, today employs about forty people to arrange, order and ship food to thirteen dining halls. Each department worked at the same hurried pace. The bakery turned out some 400 loaves of bread, 518 coffee cakes, 335 pans of dinner rolls and sixty-five pies each day. The complaints of college students about meals were not uncommon, but perhaps they were just a venting of tension. The welI-meaning food service had a name for everything it served, but so did the students. Just before dinner one might have heard comments like these . . . 3C,mon dog food a la ticker-tape with marshmallow glopfi This mis- nomer was known to the Food Service as beef stroganoff with apricot ambrosia. They realized, however, that not every student would leave the table satisfied, even though they received quality and quantity in the food placed before them. Fresh fruit was purchased three times a week, meat and dairy products twice. All products were purchased locally to insure outstanding quality and freshness. A survey through the storage rooms showed representation from Campbells, Kraft, Sexton, Jello and numbers of other brand names and disproved student suspicions. 24 After two cups of coffee it was feasible to think of getting ready to go to that 8:00 Geology lab. Walking out onto the South Quad one saw hushed rows of colonial dorms with masses of green raincoats or madras shirts streaming past them toward the Hub. The dormitories on campus varied greatly with age, from the former mental institution known as Pines to new, ilHilton-like3 Hepburn Hall opened in the fall of 1964. Luxurious Hepburn was constructed on the suite system, two adjoining rooms con- nected by a bath. Each room had a private telephone ta new idea on Miamiis campusll. Two other dormitories using similar floor plans are proposed for 1966. Mrs. Blanche Thomas, the Universityis interior deco- rator, was totally responsible for the color schemes and furniture selections on campus. During 1964 Ogden Hall was remodeled. To its unusual color decor were added bolster beds in each room. These plush facilities did not extend to the 1,100 upper- Classmen living off-campus, whether because the University could not provide adequate housing, or because they wanted to escape from the regimented life of the dorm. However, even oH-campus housing could not escape the Universityis pervasive control; all off-campus housing had to be inspected before students might occupy it tto belay Fire hazards and stolen cornerstonesl.

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ATHLETICS C, ampus athletics have for generations served as a unify- ing factor at Miami. Although at times opposing arguments have been raised, intercollegiate sports have re- mained an important Miami image-factor. A winning Miami team did not mean a liner school, but a winning team did mean that its success would be equated with the name of Miami University. Sports were a mode of self- expression incorporating the qualities of desire, endurance and determination, prerequisites for success anywhere. This past year saw the 0Miami imagei, carried through- out the world. As Doug Shepherd, Sports Editor of the Miami S tudent mentioned, llThis year should return Miami to the level of superiority they occupied before 1958. A11 sports indicate that Miami should garner the coveted MAC All-Sports trophy held for so long by lyou-know-whoi? A repeated top showing by the wrestling squad looked promising. Basketball surprised the national sports writers. The llMermenW, season proved to be the biggest shock with a wet Hip to the IVIAC top and then what? Defeat notwithstanding, prestige had returned. 9.6 This year saw the death of John Brickels, Bob Schulls victory in the Tokyo Olympics, the completion of plans for proposed, new athletic facilities, a Miami basketball team that hnally whipped O.U. and a real Big Ten killer in football. All these accomplishments seemed to indicate that Miamiis place in national recognition could only go up. Bob Schul, a twenty-seven year old part-time student, brought a satisfying tlinternationalll victory to Miami and the country in the 1964 Olympiad. He llkickedl, his way to world acclaim with a searing 200 yard finishing burst that brought Miami to the minds of track enthusiasts around the world. His victory represented the first time an American had ever won the 5,000 meters. Bob returned to campus in December and was honored at a special Uni- versity convocation. Students avidly listened to his minute by minute recount of the tense moments of the historic race. Twenty-five years ago the Mid-American Conference was an unknown entity. Today it has a valid and highly respected reputation in sports circles. Miami,s standouts of the past and present would never have received the recognition due them if the MAC had remained in its state of lethargy. Athletes like Bob Jencks and Wayne Embry would undoubtedly still have played professionally, but their acceptance might not have been as swift had it not been for the efforts of one of the most influential men in the creation of the MAC itself. John Brickels was the man. His stature stood behind much of the growth of the MAC. The death of John Brickels in the spring of 1964 was a shock to Miami, the MAC and the sports world in general. His funeral saw such greats as Woody Hayes and Johnny Pont among the host of others that came to mourn.