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Page 28 text:
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PARK A long road to paradise It had been an awfully long day in the car and Christy had had a real rough time sharing the back seat with her sister (J eanne just wouldn’t stay on her own si de!) Mom quietly peered out the window while Dad was deep in concentration determinedly able to study the map, take in all of the signs, and keep the car out of the ditch all by himself (there was no way he was going to let HER get him lost again.) We hit Kansas City, Mom turned around. “Girls! We’re almost there. Here, take these handi-wipes and freshen up,” she said in a hoarse voice (too much yelling at the girls, you know.) She threw away her own used handi-wipe as she turned back to the front, pulled down the viser mirror, and pulled out a big, red tube of lipstick. A sign! Park College 1 mile! Christy couldn’t have been happier if it had said, “Welcome to Paradise!” Anticipation conquered her. Christy broke out in a cold sweat. What if it’s awful?! In a last minute panic she imagined how Parkville and th e college might be. First, knowing it was close to the historic Santa Fe Trail, she envi¬ sioned Parkville to be an old western town from a John Wayne movie. Right behind Big Bob’s Saloon would be a half dozen big, old, dusty buildings; off to the side would be a big wooden sign with the name “Park College” burnt into it. No, it can’t be like that! Next, she imagined a small, but very modern town of which Park College was an extension. Every¬ thing was immaculate and looked “just right.” The neat wooden buildings were varnished with “just the right” stain, the people walked, talked, and dressed “just right,” and the sidewalks were so clean one could eat off of them. But, luckily, perfect is impossible. Then, her mind created a picture of Parkville as the bad side of Kansas 24 BOON SIANG LEE .T it CAT t f s J ' ■ S ' V- r ■t . ' • V ‘ i ! • Mi k Christy Schaschl City. She saw saggy brown build¬ ings with paint peeling off the sides, every window that wasn’t boarded up had a crack in it, and the whole two blocks of Main Street looked like they had missed their spring and fall cleaning for the last 50 years or so. Park College, she imagined, was a block behind Main Street. It had bigger buildings but was in the same condition. Most of the trees had been cut down and sold, and ragged children from the town wandered on to the campus hoping a generous college student would give them something to eat. These nightmares vanished as the real college came into view. “Oh, honey, look!” croaked Mom, “Isn’t it beautiful?!” Christy was just breathless. The campus sloped upward in levels with quaint brick and limestone build¬ ings nestled into the hills and a sprinkling of trees to make it com¬ fortable. A forest surrounded the campus like a mother’s protective arm around her child. The cute little town lay at the base of the campus. Released from all of her fears, Christy sat back in awe as Dad cranked the wheel around and to the right, and the car nosed its way up the side of the hill. The car stopped in front of a red brick monumental building. Here it is. . .Hawley Hall! They all got out, tired, relieved, and content, taking in the beautiful scenery, except Dad who looked like he’s just completed his final exams, but even he was able to relax after taking a minute to look around. An RA came down and met them with a smile, “Hi! Welcome to Park College! If you back your car up to that door, it will be easier to unload. I will meet you on the third floor!” They all grabbed a bundle and ascended the stairs to find their RA and a cozy little room with a warm smiling roommate Christy was sure she’d grow to love. From that day forward, through tours and introductions, impressions only got better. And, even the tears from “good-byes” to Mom, Dad and Jeanne couldn’t dampen Christy’s high expectations for a wonderful year at Park College.
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Page 29 text:
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The Power of Freedom “1 used to follow, Ya, that’s true. Buut, my followin’ days are over, Now, I just gotta follow through.” Lou Graham No other words can detail the search for freedom throughout my life. I want to control my life, and here at Park College I am able to do just that. The freedom I exercise here influences me to where I can decide my friends, maybe my career, but most certainly, my life. The power of the freedom I have utilized here is greater than any other controlling factor which I might have experienced earlier. Because of the many freedoms I have at Park, I am sometimes forced to make decisions between alter¬ natives. For example, I could include studying or going to a party. In the week before a test, I feel that I have to study, and partying would be out of the picture. But after that test, I don’t think I would be stopped from going “out on the town.” This is only one conflict that I may encounter. Others might be participating in sports, who to choose as friends or foes, how much effort to put into schoolwork, going to a school function, who to dine with, watching television or cleaning my room and anything else I might do throughout the day or night. Adam Smith, a great philosopher and economist, spoke only truth when saying, “Man has control.” There is no other controlling factor for man in a free society, but there might be some guidance from an external factor. This leads to something else that he introduced, the concept of the “Invisible Hand.” He explains this an an outside factor which might guide us to using our freedom wisely. This might not have been too clear, so I can symbolize Park College as being an “Invisible Hand.” I can live my life here as free as 1 choose, but certain restrictions apply so I can use my freedom more wisely. Upon first arriving at Park College, I was advised on the rules of living in the dorm. Some of the restrictions I didn’t agree with, but I knew they existed to keep me out of trouble and to protect the rights of others who might agree with the rules. Other examples might be the restriction of wearing written profanities on tee- shirts, and anything else which might do me more harm than good while attending college. The power of freedom has always been a big influ¬ ence in my life, and by what I have written so far, it’s easy to see that here at Park College, I can express my freedom fully. After high school, I had the choice of making a career path for myself. I chose to enlist with the United States Navy, one of the biggest mistakes in my life, but still a choice I made. The word freedom was no longer in my vocabulary, and if freedom ever did exist, I couldn’t use it for the extent I wanted. Everything I did had to be in accordance with military regulations, on or off duty. I was trained and taught, their way, in many fields of expertise. After moving up in rank to a supervisory position, I still had no freedom. I now had to act and teach a certain way, their way, in order to set the examples for my subordinates. The Navy wasn’t an “Invisible Hand,” it was a steel arm, unbreakable. If one desired to test it, the consequences could be severe. To end my horrifying experience, I violated the rules and was severly prosecuted. It was quite the price to “pay the piper,” but it was my opportunity for freedom. I knew what I wanted, and would do anything I could to get it. But even today, I feel the aftermath of that choice I made in my life. Arriving at Park and being part of the community has let the best of my freedom It can be seen that there is a choice of freedoms, it just depends upon the person and how he she is willing to utilize it. Arriving at Park and being part of the community has let the best of my freedom show. I can be “me” for the first time in a long time, and no one can change that but me. There is only so much time in a day, a week and in a lifetime. Using my freedom wisely now can lead to a happy life ahead. It’s up to me if I want control of my life and to be an individual and here at Park College is the place to show it. David Cunningham 25
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