Ohio Wesleyan University - Le Bijou Yearbook (Delaware, OH)

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July 1, 1943 .... a touch of the governmental scepter and 300 blue-jackets of the Ohio Wesleyan V-12 Unit arrive on campus. The corridors of fraternity houses echoed with the thunderous footfall of G.I. issue .... the halls of the Greek brothers now the stamping- ground of 57 Varieties of interfratemal inmates .... scrubbing decks .... scuttlebutt .... those tell-tale white glove inspections! The beginning of a new way of life for the boys of the unit and for Wesleyan, both ... gab fests about things back home .... mornings beginning at 5:45 .... calisthenics by the dawn ' s early light . . . skipper ' s inspection knows no season .... strength tests that did more than hint of Atlas .... chow .... sacks that have been short-sheeted .... classes that dwelled in the realm of physics, analytical and descriptive geometry made former pursuits of knowledge seem luxurious .... hard work lessened by the presence of coeds in class rooms .... no class cuts unless the professor breaks a leg .... Came the weekend, and .... dates .... display of talent at Saturday night dances .... gaily snatched trips to Columbus, the magnetic migration South .... scrambles over mixed-up liberty cards .... the Union, the place to check in and do some Checking .... a formal dance within walking dis- tance, or a long awaited weekend at home .... Rivalry with V-5s, verbal and physical. But none of this, should a Captain ' s Mast raise its horned head to proclaim some sailor ' s attention .... demerits and a mast become synomous terms .... twenty-six boys sharing their plight and a tune called Restriction Blues .... The feeling is similar to walk- ing the plank. Activities beckoned and the Navy responded .... When in Rome, do as the Romans , this goes for Wesleyan too .... Dramatics .... A cappella choir .... the gridiron or basketball court, all laid claim to boys in blue among their ranks .... and coed fans turned out to watch the naval maneuvers. Pledges of fraternities were now the Navy .... but the same fraternity men as before havoc .... rushing but strictly above board .... these are Betas and Sigs, who will man the rigs. The new men of Wesleyan had turned their tweeds and Stetsons in for jumpers and watch caps, their brogues for G.I. regalia of the non-fit type. They are welcome, these men of might .... welcome because they are working for the day when once more there would be fraternity houses instead of barracks, and tweeds would be once more in good taste. Ul2

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BELL BOTTOM TROUSERS AND COATS OF NAVY BLUE

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iuilL lan evi Civilian college men .... in ordinary times, that would be an odd and strange sounding phrase to our ears .... but now, in an age of types, we tend to label groups .... civilian college men is the only suitable class for a group on campus that not only lends life and gaiety to the family of Ohio Wesleyan, but also adds to the scholastic and athletic program of the student body .... they help us in our attempt to hold to a bit of yesterday until tomorrow .... to preserve the things that are typically American college traditions from becoming extinct in the times of eliminating all the extras of college life. To upper-classmen, they ore not only old friends, but are reminiscent .... for they bring back memories of hay-rides, dances, football games, tweeds and dungarees, fraternity pins .... to the freshmen, they are symbolic of pre-war college .... for they contribute in an impor- tant way to the atmosphere of the college; the pre-war atmosphere which has been denied the freshmen. These men have formed a clan of their own this year with the nucleus centering around the former A.T.O. house, which has been converted into a men ' s dormitory for the duration .... here they carry on in traditional collegiate form with nightly bull sessions and card games .... some have the unique privilege of partaking their daily bread at the former Beta House with a group of the freshman women .... others are contributing to the war effort in serving as bus-boys, dish-washers and waiters around town. In former years at Ohio Wesleyan University, the college man was versatile .... presenting a clash of colors and a flashing personality .... interested in all activities .... making the trek, as escort, to the hallowed halls of Stuyvesant, Monnett and Austin .... as for academic attributes, he was first in his class, but with so many outside activities, point standing was often shoved into the back-ground .... today, there is a new placement of values .... serious consideration for the needs of today and tomorrow are uppermost in his program. The present civilian college man places different empha- sis on the phases of college life .... the Libe is now a place for study first; chec king second first the scholar, he complements his life with on array of lesser activities .... still versatile .... still flashing .... but never flinching in his new line of duty .... he seeks to serve the highest .... to serve the best in the indefinite but inevitable future.