Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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RICH IN SENTIMENT, OLD MAIN REMAINS THE HEART OF THE UNIVERSITY Tom Jones he walks along the mall were quiet beneath the hovering plethora of Norwegian Elms. The sky was dark, almost velvet, illuminated only by the in- cessant street lights lining the intercampus drives. A student hurrying home from the library stood out against the darkness, his clothes and style a clue to the year in the Universityls seemingly timeless environ- ment. As the student approached the expan- sive colonade front of Old Main, he quick- cned his pace. The surrounding floodlights had transformed this limestone edifice into a glowing beacon, visible for miles around. But this imposing facade was deceptive. Beyond Old Mainls arched front doors are pictures and objects that tell the story of Penn State-its early struggles, its lead- ers, its history from the very beginning. Not only is it our administrative head- quarters, but it has been a historical land- mark since 1857, when construction first began. Comprised of 69 students, the first class arrived in bobsleds from Spruce Creek on February 16, 1859 and found the building to be sadly incomplete. All of these stu- dents and most of the professors resided in Old Main. There was only one entrance and at each floor, a heavy door about three inches thick was placed for the purpose of locking students in at night. The environment was cold and dismal; a superintendent was in charge and there was no president to welcome the adventur- ous youths who would be the first to gra- duate with a Bachelors and Masters of Scientific andiPractical Agriculture from the Farmers' High School, a pioneer agri- cultural college. Each student was required to complete three hours of work on the farm each day. Mandatory work hours did have their ad- vantages, though. The sum of $100 was DEPICTING THE SIGNING of the Morrill Land Grant Act. the frescoes in the lobby of Old Main were painted by Henry Varnum Poor between 1940- 49. 16 Old Main Feature fixed as the charge for tuition, boarding, washing, fuel and lights for one session which began in the middle of February and ended in the middle of December. One of Penn Statels greatest traditions is turning potentially dull situations into an extravaganza of student ingenuity by discovering original ways to have fun. In the early days of Old Main, students brought farm animals home with them as pranks. One mule, Old Coaly, was a fre- quent late night visitor to the building. Some have said that he had been up in Old Main so many times that he could antici- pate the creeks in the staircase. Old Coaly eventually succumbed to the students, pranks when he was painted with a zebra- like coat of green. Although fire did destroy parts of Old Main in 1892 and 1896, the building never burned down. It was reconstructed in 1930 due to general dilapidation from its con- stant use. Using the same floorplan and materials, Charles Klauder designed the linew Old Main. One of Penn Statels best known and beloved works of art is not found in the Timekeeper 0f Traditionl work is the Land Grant Frescoes done by probably the worlds greatest frescoe lg painter, Henry Varnum Poor 0888919701. .1 The frescoes occupy three of the four walls . , in the lobby of Old Main. ,1 Paid for by the students and alumni, the 1 frescoes depict the history of the Morrill ; .1 Land Grant Act of 1862. Signed by Abra-l ham Lincoln, the act allowed each state to establish a college dedicated to giving an 1- education to the sons and daughters of the MI; common man. Many of the characters de- picted on the north wall are actual stu- dents who attended the college. Poor was; Musuem of Art, but in Old Main. The! ; i might observe the painting in progress. Old Main truly has a history as rich as .. the students who have walked down the 1,1 malls of Penn State. In the years ahead, it T will continue to represent the rebirth and: survival of generations in the Penn State tradition. t -Kim Kubitsa'; -Judy Jansen Steve Mnnuc

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etrospect Edited by Angie Nuss Penn State became the na- tional champions after beat- ing Georgia 27-23. d Changes. January was a month of changes. Whether events occurred interna- tionally or locally, all levels saw turmoil, violence, and change. A changed Happy Valley greeted students as they returned from break. An abrupt change to many students was the new drunk driving laws in Pennsylva- nia which came into effect on January 14. Unlike the old law where the blood level of .10 was only a factor for incrimination, the new law stated that the person was automatically guilty of a criminal violation for the same level. And, newly introduced to University students was an optional 111 1th linell to obtain dormi- tory contracts. Called the lllottery system, this option required the student to submit his contract to the Assignment Office in Shields instead of waiting in one of the lines. There was also another change in living arrangements. The Panhellenic Council sent out let- ters to nine national sororities who did not have cam- pus chapters in an attempt to establish another soror- ity at Penn State. Because of increased student inter- est in sororities, the Council allowed a new addition to be made. The HUB also changed part of its food services. uDough to 0011 made its debut in the HUB basement. The addition served coffee, pastries, etc. -Traci Deraco Action. February was filled with activity. Blizzards, budgets, battles, a foot- ball contract, and even a visit from a queenaall oc- curred in February. A busy Happy Valley was bus- tling with events. ALERT tAwareness of Losses in Education in Recent Timesl week became part of students education. The USG and ARHS introduced the program on campus in a strike against the pro- posed Solomen Amendment. Under the amendment, men could receive financial aid only if registered for the draft. Opposition also surfaced on campus against a proposed housing arrangement for football players in the fall. University housing officials planned to house football players in Shunk Hall for ten days in August. ARHS objected and pointed out that the 125 students who would occupy the floors would not be able to move in until 4 pm. of the day before classes would begin. In sports news, Todd Blackledge an- nounced his decision to enter the NFL draft, forego- ing his final year of eligibility at Penn State. Engi- neering students at Penn State were also busy and made the news this month. Twenty-eight students de- veloped four scientific experiments to be conducted by astronauts during a 1984 space shuttle mission. The project was part of the NASAls Get-Away-Spe- cial program designed to provide access to research in space by individuals or groups. And in the middle of all the changes, Penn State settled down to study for the end of a long winters term. In the last week of February, students traveled home for break. They were home when the final episode of MtA'tS'lH was aired, but even before they left, Ml'AtS'll-I llmaniall had hit Happy Valley. One hardly walked down Col- lege Avenue without seeing pictures of M'lA'SdI-l stars in windows. -Karen Nagle 18 Retrospect INTERNATIONAL The hope of inter- national peace soared as the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact mem- bers proposed a nonaggression treaty with NATO members. The treaty called for an agreement between mem- bers to not be the first to use nuclear weapons against each other. And. Vice-president George Bush be- gan a tour of seven U.S. European al- lies to try to assure them that the Rea- gan administration was trying to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union so medium-range missiles in Europe could be reduced or eliminated. After two weeks of peace talks, Israel and Lebanon announced an agenda agreement: arrangements were made for Syria and the PLO. to remove troops from Lebanon and end the 11state of war? But, not all was well in the Mideast. Iran and Iraq continued to attack and countcr-attack one another. Also, Is- raeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon re- signed after an Israeli commission ac- cused him of blunders leading to the Beirut massacre in September 1982. Painful memories for France revived when former Gestapo officer Klause IN THE 196th State of the Union address to the United States, the centerpiece was the budget President Reagan submitted for Fiscal 1984. Barbie was expelled from Bolivia and flown to Lyon for his trial on charges of 11crimes against the state. Barbie al- legedly executed 4000 people, tortured thousands, and deported 7500 French Jews to Nazi concentration camps. NATIONAL President Reagan set the agenda for many national headlines when he presented his 1984, $848.5 bil- lion budget to Congress. It contained a $30 million increase in military spend- ing and cuts in many social programs, including cuts in financial aid for edu- cation, and forecasted a $189 billion deficit, which would bring the national debt to $2 trillion by September 1986. And in Washington, Elizabeth Dole replaced Drew Lewis, who retired as Secretary of Transportation. Dole was the First woman to head a Cabinet agen- cy in the Reagan administration. The Independent Truckers Associ- ation went on strike, protesting issues including a highway tax increase. The THE 4077th M2A25'H was able to go home and say goodbye to its television audience after 11 years of daring good humor February 28. Later. in March. M'A'StH got its flfth-straight Peo- plels Choice Award for the favorite comedy tele- vision program. J: