Northeastern University - Cauldron Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Discs Also . . Sept. 20, 1977 - Vietnam admitted to United Nations. On Jan. 3, 1978 Vietnam occupies Cambodia Sept. 18, 1977 - Ted Turner aboard Coura- geous successfully defends America ' s Cup. Dec 2. 1977 - Leroy (Nicky) Barnes, 45, convicted in New York City of selling 40 pounds of heroin a montti from a Harlem garage. He was New York ' s Mr. Untouch- able for his ability to beat several raps in the past through acquittals. Jan 18, 1978 - Hartford Civic Center ' s roof collapses under weight of snow. March 6, 1978 - Hustler magazine ' s owner Look ... up in the sky! Faster than a speeding bullet, more power- ful than Amtrak, able to fly over tall buildings in a single swoop, the Concorde streaked to America amid much hoopla and protest over its expected ear-shattering noise levels. But the Supreme Court on Oct. 17, 1977 lifted a ban on the Concorde ' s arrival at New York ' s John F. Kennedy International Airport to allow test flights. Test results showed that the supersonic jet ' s decibel levels on take-offs and landings were lower than those of a Boeing 707. A few stubborn scientists insisted that the Concorde may have been ' eroding the Earth ' s ozone layer. Nevertheless, passenger service began Nov. 22. Words remembered: I never forget a face, but in your case I ' ll make an exception. — Groucho Marx and publisher Larry Flyht is shot. ■ May 8-11, 1978 - Iran has riots in streets in rebellion against government under Shah. June 5, 1978 - Resorts International Hotel, the country ' s first legal gambling casino out- side of Nevada, reports revenues of $2.6 million during first six days of operation in Atlantic City. July 25, 1978 - World ' s first test-tube baby is born to British couple. Aug. 4, 1978 - Plans for construction of nuclear plant in Seabrook, N.H. approved. June 6, 1978 - California voters passed Pro- position 13 by 65% majority to cut their property taxes by 57 % . Things we were into Jogging. Perhaps incited by Jim Fixx ' s Complete Book of Running or increased press coverage of Bill Rodgers ' marathon records, people of all ages began donning sneakers and jogging clothes and took to the streets. Morning, afternoon and evening, joggers were everywhere. America was on a health kick and jogging seemed to be the most popu- lar method of staying trim. One of the most in things to say on cam- pus was, Yeah, I ' ll meet you in the Cask in a few minutes. I wanna go do a quick five or six miles. Any J.R.R. Tolkien book. Watching for U. F. O. ' s. ' Buying Elvis Presley memorabilia. Thousands and thousands of diet books guaranteed to be the right one for you. People who died Elvis Presley, 42, singer Charlie Chaplin, 88, actor, silent comedy films Sebastian Cabot, 59, actor, (Family Affair ' s butler) Groucho Marx, 86, comedian Bing Crosby, 74, actor, singer Zero Mostel, 62, actor Robert Shaw, 51, actor Will Geer, 76, actor (Grandpa Walton) Aldo Moro, 61, Italian Prime Minister Star Wars Soundtrack Hotel California Rumours Star is Born Best of the Doobies ' Wings Over America Night Moves ' Songs in the Key of Life John Williams Eagles Fleetwood Mac Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson Doobie Brothers Wings Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band Stevie Wonder Pages JMToMen jt uisi iawpw The Thorn Birds Bloodline World According to Garp Looking Out for 1 The Women ' s Room The Silmarillion The Amityville Horror Films Animal House Buddy Holly Story Close Encounters of the Third Kind Coming Home Goodybye Girl An Unmarried Woman The Turning Point Boys in Company C

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The Year Well-done burgers A fire in tlie Ell Center cafeteria Nov. 2, 1 977 caused $30,000 worth of damage and forced the evacuation of the Ell Center and Ell Build- ing during midterms. The fire was discovered in the dishroom by Campus Police at about 9:30 a.m. The Boston Fire Department extinguished the flames with- in an hour and large panes of glass were broken to ventilate the smelly, smol e-filled building. A fire official said the blaze was probably caused by careless smoking and started in a trash container containing plastic materials. All food had to be discarded per order of the Board of Health. Smoke penetrated walls so extensively that students taking midterms in the Ell Building were forced to finish their exams in the front Quad when the smell became too intense. The cafeteria was reopened the following day. South African investments criticized As the apartheid situation in South Africa increasingly drew the attention of civic groups and societal spokesmen, student organiza- tions began criticizing the university ' s invest- ments in American companies doing business in that region. But Northeastern ' s Board of Trustees de- cided that the $6 million invested in those 12 American companies would remain, despite pressure from some students to withdraw the inv estments. In the June 7, 1981 issue of the Northeas- tern News, D. Thomas Trigg, then chairman of the board ' s Funds and Investment Committee said, We were satisfied that they (the com- panies) were acting responsibly in efforts to improve the employment situation in their plants in South Africa. President Kenneth G. Ryder said the univer- sity can have a greater chance for making an impression upon the corporations that are In- volved by continuing. as stockholders. He said that one-third of Northeastern ' s stockholdings were invested in companies that had plants in South Africa and that a divestment of those stocks would not have much of an influence on the firms ' hiring prac- tices. Scholarship day makes debut Offering topics such as The Decline of Epi- demic Disease, The Language of the Deaf and Why We Repress it, It, Issues of Crimi- nal Administration, and What are Oraks? , Scholarship Day made its debut at Northeast- er in the Spring of 1978. About 1,000 students decided not to split the school scene on the free day to hear 19 professors discuss a variety of subjects. Sponsored by the Phi Kappa Phi honor so- ciety. Scholarship Day apparently drew enough attention to become an annual Spring event at Northeastern. Dorms at the Y To shorten the waiting list for university housing, administrators struck a deal with the YMCA in August of 1977 to have 150 students move into the top two floors of the building where Northeastern got its start in 1898. Comprised mostly of singles, the place where you can hang out with all the boys was generally clean and offered students the privacy they lacked in most dormitories. But, as one student who lived there the pre- vious winter told The News, The rooms were clean, but it was the people who got to you. You should see the loonies they got there, Students got used to calling YMCA home in the fall quarter of 1977. Rising enrollment combined with shrinking housing space forced university ad- ministrators to lease the top floors to accommodate a portion of the waiting list for dormitories.

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That first day Getting ready to go away to college can be a monumental task — especially if it ' s the freshman ' s first time away from home. Mom probably began in July putting boxes in the middle of the living room floor, filled with the essentials of life; sheets, towels, underwear. You made sure the stereo and television set were properly packed. Dad looked at it all and wondered how he was going to fit it into the Toyota. But somehow, it all fit, even if you did have to leave the couch at home. (It could always come up next trip.) Everyone got up early on Sunday morning, Sept. 18, 1977. It was a nice day, unseasonably warm, unfortunately, it would rain most of the next week. All summer long, you had been excited about going away to college, watching enviously as all of your friends left school before you did. But now that the moment was finally here, there was a little bit of apprehension, as you contemplated, for a split second, if it wouldn ' t be better to go to school near home and commute. But your housing at Northeastern had already been paid for and your little sister had already moved into your old room. There was no turning back. After packing, unpacking and repacking the car a few times, you were ready to go. Packing the car could have been done the night before, but then none of the neighbors would have seen Mom and Dad getting ready to take their little scholar to college. At last everyone was ready, everything was in the car and you were about to leave. It was 7 a.m. you only lived an hour away from Boston and the dorms wouldn ' t even open until 9 a.m. Boston. America ' s number one college town. After getting lost and driving by Harvard, MIT, Boston College, and Boston University, you finally found Northeastern. Mom asked if there wasn ' t some mistake. It didn ' t look like the pictures in any of the catalogs they sent you and you began to realize why. Finally Dad found a parking space a half mile away from your dorm and you began to unpack. You walked up the steps, entered the lobby, your arms loaded down with cartons. The pleasant girl at the table looked your name up, gave you your room key and asked for a dollar for the dorm fund. Undaunted, you gave her the money without question. After all, it was only a dollar. It would be a portent of things to come. You got to your room. Your roommate had already moved in. With horror you realized you now had two stereos, two refrigerators, two television sets and two matching sets of bedspreads. Mom hung up all your clothes in the closet, made up the bed and sprayed the room generously with Lysol. At least you had a place to sleep that night. Next came an important step in your initiation into life at North eastern. You waited in line for the first time, this time at Cabot Gym to get your ID card. Over the course of the next five years you would wait in line many times for many things. At times it would seem like you had to wait in line to do anything at Northeastern. While you were getting your picture taken Mom was back at the room occupied with the finishing touches, putting the family pictures on your bookshelf and making sure for one last time you had enough underwear. Then it was time for your first meal in the cafeteria. You vaguely remembered reading something in a Northeastern catalog, (the same one with a picture on the cover that made the Quad look as big as Boston Common) that boasted about the quality of dorm food. How bad could it be? You couldn ' t possibly get sick from it. Well it looked okay anyway. It was roast beef and the whole family got to eat for free. Mom asked if they served roast beef every Sunday. The cafeteria manager looked at her like she was crazy. She liked the idea that you could go back for seconds. You liked the ice cream machine and no one around to tell you to eat everything on your plate. In fact, at first impression cafeteria food didn ' t seem that bad. First impressions are sometimes wrong. It was time for Mom and Dad and all your little brothers and sisters to leave. Mom tried not to cry and told you to be sure to write. Dad pressed a $20 bill in your hand and told you to have a good time, but to be sure and stay out of trouble. You said you would and crossed your fingers behind your back. Then they were gone and you were alone, with 400 other people.