Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

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An aerial View of uptown Oxford in the 19805. The political activism 0f the 605 feared its head even at conservative Miami. Despite minor changes, High Street now appears much as it did at the turn of the century. Twcn t y-two gww 1968 Rcccnsio P. Koernitz

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tably football and coeducation. 11Football is now the rage at Miami? quoted an 1889 Miami Student. The young Miami President, Ethelbert Warfield, organized football and actively participated in the afternoon games. Miamiis first historic gamesagainst the University of Cincinnati ended in a scoreless tie due to rain, however, 8had the game been played to a finish, it is safe to say that Miami would have been victorious? tDecem- ber, 1888, Miami Studentj In 1902, President Benton announced the estab- lishment of a normal college tthe 1902 version of a School of Educationi geared toward liberal arts and coeducation. itThe girls are coming? he pre- dicted, and rightfully so. Hepburn Hall, a residence hall, for women was built and the 1909 student handbook boasted of its conveniences. 11This dormi- tory is the college home for the young women . . . the building is electric lighted, steam heated and in every way proves a modern home for its 96 women 1951 Recensio roomersfi The women didn,t fully succeed in distracting the men from their studies, however. Miami men con- tinued to carry a heavy course load and could often be heard talking about it. In fact, it was 11a relief these days to meet the student who does not begin his every sentence with Tm so busy, you see Pm carrying 22 hours this semester, and . . .,m accord- ing to a 1902 Miami Student. The integration of women into Miami University slowly became accepted. Even Hepburn, who had refused to acknowledge the first female student, later offered these kind words to coeducation. 61Guide, direct and bless these young men .2 and bless too these young women. Thou knowest, Lord, that 35 percent of them are women? tfrom a chapel prayerJ By 1914, the controversy of coeducation had tak- en a back seat to the political Woes of World War I. The university felt the trials of a world at unrest. :19851 Recensio , Douglass Mara tbon Service, what a full service stationsbbuld be. ' Thereis nothing like relaxing with an ice cold Pepsi-Cola, espe- cially When itis only a nickel. West on High Street in 1890. Twen ty-one

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1918 brought the end of the war and hope for the growing university in Oxford. According to Walter Havinghurst, in The Miami Years, llThe Miami Auditorium was the scene of a great mass meeting participated in by all the students, faculty and resi- dents. The purpose . . . was the celebration of the Allies and the signing of the armistice with Germa- nyfi As Miami grew in population and reputation, so did Oxford. Businesses, which had established their roots at the turn of the century, began to flourish. The co-op had been supplying university text books since 1908; in the early 305, this book store became the headquarters for the sale of campus sporting event ticketstand for newspaper enterprises. Across the street, the Snyder family, who had arrived in town in 1891, expanded their photographic business into gifts, art supplies and greeting cards. A young man courting a woman in the 19305 might treat her to a home cooked dinner at the Miami Restaurant, a 20st picture show at the Ox- ford theatre, and home made ice-cream at Folkeris Ice Cream parlor. A boyls night out would surely entail a stop at the Colonial Pool Room, which had been catering to the fickle stomachs of students since 1915. A student working his way through college could find employment at the Purity Con- fectionary or the Oxford Restaurant. Although the 303 had brought a great depression, students, social and recreational activities were in- creasing. It was at this time that Miamiis traditions of active social involvement began to develop. 1The social phase of college life cannot be neglected or the student will become one sided and not develop that intangible poise and confidence which can only come from knowing what to do when attending social functions and mixing in society? Septem- ber, 1931, Miami StudentJ However, administration feared that growing so- cial life might lead to vices and, therefore, they began placing restrictions on students. The 1940s brought regulations concerning acceptable attire for the dinner hour, 10 pm. curfews in womenls residence halls, and the forbidding of the consump- tion of alcoholic beverages by students. Even auto- mobile privileges were a cause of complaint. 11Long and loud have been the gripes of the undergraduate 1987 Recensio concerning the restrictions placed upon them as to the operation of motor vehiclesli 0944, Miami Stu- dentJ Despite student complaints, the administration upheld their regulations, offering this advice in a 1953 student handbook: lllf you violate university regulation, you will subject yourself to discipline. Ask yourself beforehand, lIs this worth the risk? 8 Students in the 19603 and 708 complained of visitation and escort policies in the residence halls and Vietnam protests scattered the campus. Following the Kent State University tragedy -- a Vietnam protest which had resulted in the deaths of four students on May 4, 1970 a- Miami studentis protests intensified. Thousands of students gath- ered for marches and rallies. On May 6, 6000 stu- dents met under the water tower and proceeded to march down Slant Walk to the sundial where the angry students met with Miamils president, Philip R. Shriver. Classes were suspended for two days for lldialogue and rational discussion? The students were not appeased, however, as three fires were set that night in Kreger Hall, Hall Auditorium and in a storage building in south quad. The next morning Shriver closed the university and all of its campus- es. When Miami opened ten days later, passions and tempers had cooled and the campus was at peace by Commencement. With the tapering off of U.SJVietnam involve- ment, the liberal student uprisings around the na- tion plummeted. By the late 703 and early 80s, students particularly Miami students, took a decid- edly conservative turn and Miami moved toward fulfilling its position as a l1preppy,,i public ivy school. Lisa Birnbach, author of the books The Preppy Handbook and CoIIege Book, wrote that at Miami 11the women wear makeup and set their hair. Guys wear Polo and smell of it too; cologne and aftershavefa As the university approached the end of the 19808, the conservative trend that Birnbach epito- mized had deteriorated. Pink and green Izod shirts were replaced by form free clothing in a variety of shades of black. Students still were listening to the rocklnlroll of the 508, but the music had taken on a 6lprogressiveii sound. Miami University ventured toward its bicenten- nial. But 200 years since its beginning, the pleasures and concerns of its students still rang familiar. Col- lege fads will continue to change; pub crawls re- placing college pranks, road trips replacing carriage rides. But Miami students have realized and appre- ciated the emphasis on tradition, the building block for this university. Every generation of Miami youth has a common thread of insight and under- standing who, in Havinghurstis words, llhave en- abled a frontier college to become a university of enduring character and distinction? I Kelly Albrecht Twen ty- three