Missouri State University - Ozarko Yearbook (Springfield, MO)

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Record turnout for '81 by Pamela Seid For a variety of reasons - despite rain, heat and a hectic pace - students turned out in record numbers for summer school '81. Enrollment totaled 5,998 students, an increase of IOM: over the previous summer session, and the summer graduation class numbered more than 300. This year's enrollment is at an all-time summer high for SMSU, Ed Pierce, director of admissions and records, said. Summer school students were greeted by rain torrents and thunder on the first day of classes. Despite continuing rains there was a summertime atmosphere on campus different from the one many students left only a month before. Flower beds all over campus were ablaze with color and scent, as recent plantings began to bloom. The new John Q. Hammons Fountain spouted for its first summer on campus, providing an attractive place to study. Tent Theater activities created an air of excitement and anticipation, as summer students watched the erection of the tent and heard the sounds of rehearsals and set-building. Asked why she attended summer school, freshman Karen Sanders said, 'Tm going so I can be a sophomore at the end of this semester. Other students used summer school as a means to lighten their regular semester load, to fill empty free time or to enroll in courses not often available. Teachers seem to be a lot more relaxed in the summer, Rexanna Ipock said. There are less students in the summer. Those who are here really want to be here, so the classroom attitudes seem to be much better, she added. The four-day week also received overwhelming approval by students attending during summer 1981. I like the four-day system better, Teresa Gail Phillips said. On Fridays I can concentrate entirely on something else. Considering the pluses and minuses of attending summer school, most students said it added up to a positive experience. And for those attending in '81, lots of rain, great movies, paint fumes in Craig Hall and the building of the Grand Street underpass were among the things that made it a memorable summer. .-.1

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Tent adds receive her masters degree, having a substitute family may have been nice. Mrs. Lear lived with her sister in Springfield for most of the summer and said, 'tMy poor husband hardly remembers me, and my dog doesn't remember me at all. It took time, effort, and quite a bit of work, but the Tent Theater cast and crew provided entertainment which looked effortless. It was a treat for those who sat before them on warm summer evenings between June 24 and August 1, when the season ended. Dames at Sea was a light-hearted musical comedy in which a cast of six members directed by Leslie Irene Coger gave the impression of a large Broadway chorus line. It was an overnight success story about a smalltown girl who danced and sang her way to stardom. Under the direction of assistant speech and theater professor Pam Bongas, eight cast members brought forth laughter with the contemporary British comedy, Bedroom Farce. Never leaving one of three bedroom sets on stage, the relations between four couples were repeatedly and humorously strained by the inflicted marital problems of one couple. In a more serious tone, a much larger cast of 25 put tears in the eyes of more than one audience member in Working, directed by speech and theater department head, Robert Bradley. Working was a production portraying the people in the work force of America and how these people felt about their jobs. The humor and truth hit close-to-home. For those who participated in the summer Tent Theater, some on scholarship, some paid, and some for college credit, the major reward seemed to be - what else but - applause. I'll never see another play without appreciating it more, Mrs. Lear said.

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q9! ,WW fABOVEj JENNY CRAMER, assistant professor of English, holds her develop- mental reading class 's atten tion. THE EXCITEMENT OF TENT THEATER begins as students work hard to erect the green and orange tent outside of Craig Hall.