Millsaps College - Bobashela Yearbook (Jackson, MS)

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Ritual of a Population [ 10 ]

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The Millsaps population would never lend itself to a single caricature; its characteristic molds are many rather than one. No one is just a typical Millsaps student — He is, rather, a Sullivan- Harrell inhabitant, a player, a pseudo-intellectual, a bridge fiend, or a grill hound. He may be one, he may be several, but somewhere he belongs. The identity groups are numerous, interchangable, temporary and most uniquely equal. Strangely enough, no one group has yet become the right one and success remains an individual instead of a stereotyped goal. [ 9 ]

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Life at Millsaps is dominated by clocks. Clocks, those in the Christian Center tower, make up the picture most often used to publicize or symbolize the college. The rigid scheduling of classes, so very dependent upon time, becomes as a school year passes a framework upon which the individual student builds his own per- sonal version of the ritual of an ordinary week day at Millsaps. Schedules may differ according to the student ' s interests; but the daily routine of a freshman or a senior, a sociology major or an aspiring musician, is essentially the same for the very reason that it is a routine. An ordinary day at Millsaps begins in approximately the same manner for all students — with the insist- ent ringing of an alarm clock. And the pattern of sameness set into motion by its ringing continues throughout the day until the clock ' s owner resets it that night. The route to the cafeteria an individual follows each morning is unvarying: for the resident of Ezelle it is always a walk of 700 steps, for a Founders Hall resident it entails careful navigation of treacherous flights of stairs. Clocks become even more important as eight o ' clock approaches. The late-comer to the cafeteria glances constantly at the clock on its east wall and wishes the line would hurry; wrist watches are frequently consulted in the lounge to see just how long one has to smoke that last cigarette or look over those last five pages of notes. After eight o ' clock time becomes all important. Ten till the hour is eagerly awaited and anticipated by furtive glances at watches during lectures. The ten minutes between classes are precious and not to be wasted. It is during these minutes that one picks up his mail, buys a coke, or simply gossips with the members of his next class. Tuesday is almost reverenced for its free period; Thursday grumbled at because of chapel. Thus morning follows morning in the same pattern of classes, bells, breaks, and more classes. Noon is, in a sense, the holiest part of the Millsaps ritual. TTiis is the hour of a mass migration to the Union. No matter how many times one has checked the bulletin boards, they must be carefully reread just in case. Without even realizing it, the student usually has become a member of his own little luncheon club, and whether he eats in the grill or cafeteria his companions are the same as the day before. Conversation is not always stereotyped but whenever two Millsaps students meet there are conversational conventions that must be maintained. Among these traditions are the listing of how much one has to do, how bad the food is, and the time-worn declaration, I think I ' ll transfer next year. The Millsaps student, though frequently cited for his individuality, is in some ways a traditionalist and, despite all, will remain one as long as chapel is required every Thursday and classes resume at eight Monday. [ 11 ]