Muhlenberg College - Ciarla Yearbook (Allentown, PA)

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Unfortunately, things were not so cheerful on the international scene. A silent killer in far away Bhopal, India left 2,000 dead in the worst chemical industry disaster in history when a toxic pesticide gas leaked from a Union Carbide plant. Terrorism once again raised its ugly head in December when four gunmen hijacked a Kuwaiti Airways Airbus for six days torturing the 166 passengers and killing two Americans; vice-president Bush called for us all to believe in “silent but certain justice,” but somehow justice never came. In the meantime, Muhlenberg was trying to enact some justice of its own in dealing with three students who broke into the college’s computer system. Of course, it seemed that not a day’s news went by without some mention of nuclear weapons. . . . The Shultz- Gromyko talks in Geneva proved to be a welcome step toward easing some of the cold war tensions of the last five years. (Not many, but at least they’re talking!) Similarly, at Muhlenberg, the first open Student Forums were held this year; they found students packed into 108 Union to address their concerns directly to the administration in a panel discussion format. (Once again, at least they’re talking.) One of the major issues confronted was the Admissions House decision to relieve itself of the Freshmen Orientation Program. Dr. Edwin Baldrige, history dept, head, graciously volunteered to serve as a “faculty anchor” for the program until a more permanent solution could be reached which would satisfy students and adminis- trators. In March, we witnessed the passing of yet another Soviet leader. Konstantin Chernenko, after being ill for months, was succeeded as the Soviet president by Mikhail Gorbachev, a young and more progressive leader. March also signified transition at Muhlenberg as new President Jonathan Messerli was inaugurated admist great celebration. Previously, fall semester had seen the installation of a new college chaplain, Walter Wagner. And these were just a few of the numerous issues that made national and campus headlines in 1984-85 — as spring drew near, economists continued to predict bright prospects for the Class of ’85. And if they played their cards right, — they all lived happily ever after

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It Happened One Year Hi nee upon a time there was a small liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. And at that college there lived 1500 boys and girls who were working very hard to prepare themselves for that elusive entity called the “Real World.” The truth of the matter was that our little world of Muhlenberg College, however isolated it may have been, seemed quite real while we were there — with campus issues often taking precedence over the trivial occurences of the outside world. Still, that world kept turning (faster than we could keep up with it) and some of its events even paralleled our own. Imagine that!! We witnessed the furvor of political conventions and Ronald Reagan’s re-election, making him the first president to achieve that distinction since 1972. However, the 1984 election created a bigger first for American women as Geraldine Ferraro became the Democrats vice-presidential candidate. Meanwhile . . . Muhlenberg women were busy making history of their own as three sororities successful- ly completed their colonization period to be installed as active chapters in the fall. So too, while aspiring surgeons spent countless hours in Muhlenberg labs with dissections, William Schroeder became the second recipient of an artificial heart. In music, Michael Jackson’s Thriller lp finally faded into the background and old favorties like Phil Collins and Bruce Springsteen just seemed to get better and better, playing to sellout crowds across the country. Irish sensation U2 also completed a highly successful tour while, right here at ’Berg, Concert Committee brought us the Psycodelic Furs and the Fixx. Excitement ran high when the Villanova Wildcats won the NCAA basketball title. Basketball fever was felt at Muhlehberg, too, when the Mules defeated Moravian to advance to the MAC playoffs. (Meanwhile, a group of enthusiastic Mule fans were lost on a schoolbus somewhere in Delaware.)

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