Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

Page 30 text:

EEEGEEEEEEEEEGEGEEEEEEEEEEGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEI A NEW PERSPECTIVE STUDENTS SEE OXFORD IN DIFFERENT LIGHT ome things in life are inevitable; death, taxes, final exams and, oh yes, the end of summer vacation. Summer is the ultimate reward, the light at the end of the long academic tun- nel. Each student looks forward to summer like a soft bed at the end of a hard days work. When some reach the soft bed they may choose to sleep soundly until morn- ing, others stay awake to learn and absorb new knowledge. As each summer draws to an end, Mi- ami students leave their three month expe- riences to migrate to Southern Ohio and move into an Oxford environment. For some the environment is familiar, for oth- ers it is new. Regardless, summer experi- ences always greatly affect student atti- tudes toward moving in. As a result, Miami never seems quite the same when August rolls around and the campus takes on a completely new per- spective. For many Miami students, the summer is an international experience which broadens their horizons. Opinions vary, but many student travelers feel that going abroad has made Oxford seem small and 24 MOVING IN sheltered compared to the llrealll world. Senior Jeff Greenberger, who spent a sum- mer in Luxembourg, felt just the opposite. iII think that spending a summer in Eu- rope just made me appreciate the security and stability that we have over here, and I was glad to get back to itf Greenberger related. ilEurope is such a volatile, fickle envi- ronment, and many times Americans are targets rather than visitors? Greenberger enjoyed the comfort that Oxford offers, and returning for one last year was a task that he looked forward to after his European experience. Other stu- dents, who had traveled in different parts of the globe, agreed that exposure to the outside world is necessary, but that therels no place like home. Sophomore Damian Green, upon re- turning from his summer vacation, found his Elliott Hall dorm room small, but se- cure. He spent the summer in Johannas- berg, South Africa, witnessing what he called lithe government sponsored racismli known as Apartheid. lll think that you definitely have to trav- el to other parts of the world to appreciate just how good welve got it over here, he said. llWhen I got back, I just wanted to get down and kiss the ground in Oxford? Green explained that as Americans, we often take for granted our freedom and rights, things that people in places like South Africa canit begin to conceive. llI had mixed emotions when I got back, be- cause I was happy to see my friends and Oxford, but I also wanted to stay and learn more? Despite these students educational ex- periences, it didnlt take traveling halfway across the world to get a changed perspec- tive on Miami. Students who worked at home or in some other part of the country also felt differently about Oxford when they returned. Some students, like junior J oe Leonard, worked all summer, five days a week, eight hours a day to pay for school or just to make some extra cash. llI worked two jobs; as a construction worker during the day, and then as a wait- er at night? he said. llBelieve me, by the time classes started, I was psyched to get back to school? After a hard summer like Leonardis, Oxford seemed like a nice re- laxing place to return.

Page 29 text:

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

Page 31 text:

P. Koerwitz Sometimes parents were the ones most eager to get moved in. Freshmen sweat it out at their annual mixer. P. Koerwitz MOVING IN 25