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

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'Itis Not Easy Being Green ne of my roommates O was a tall, dark char- acter named Win- ston. He had a cheerful air about him and was well-liked by most of my friends. He was quiet, sensitive, and en- joyed basking in the sun- shine. Since he was such a health food nut tmostly into water and nitrogem, it took us by surprise when his normal- 1y green complexion started turning yellow. tNo, Winston was not a Martian, a new wave punker, or an otherwise alien lifeformJ Winston was a plant. You know, one of those creatures with leaves, roots, chlorophyll . . . Anyway, my other room- rnate, Joyce, and I, really wor- ned about Winston. He not only appeared pale and tired, ut was quite droopy and Weak as well. He lost so many leaves, visitors thought we had a green rug on the floor. And he no longer cheered up after his double shots of wa- ter. Some of our friends came UR With helpful ideas. I t. Ink you need some more limestone balls in the potting 5011. He probably needs more water and sunlight too, sug- gested one. We moved Win- ston over to the window, and gave him three shots of water. No he needs some of those whatchamacallits and stuff, for . . . you know, a neighbor said, with an air of authority. Despite all the knowledgeable advice we were given, we de- cided to seek professional help. I called up Ritenour Health Center and described Win- ston's symptoms. He may be dying, I added for emphasis. Well, how about next Tues- day at 8 a.m..? Uh, never mind, I told her. Winston could be salad by then. May- be he's getting too much light, she said hopefully. We moved Winston into the closp et. It soon became clear that Winston was not going to survive another Happy Valley winter. We took drastic ac- tion. No, we did not cremate, bury, or flush Winston down the toilet. We decided to do- nate his body to science. Some biology majors were probably ecstatic when we anonymous- ly left Winston on the front steps of Buckhout. We Jim Swanlk mourned his death quietly, missing his unspoken sarcas- tic comments. But C'est La- Vie, as they say, life must go on. And, no, we did not get a 4.0! Most students seemed to find plants companionable roommates. They really liv- en up a room, said Annette Mann 01:, BIOLJ. Besides brightening up a place, they act as natural air fresheners, Jennifer Smith tsr ENGLJ informed. Jodie Yost tsoph. SPEC. EDJ liked her plants because You can tell them anything and they won't tell anyone else. Why did college students take on the added responsibil- ity of caring for plants during their already busy and over- burdened lives? Monica Walker tsr., Frenchi suggest- ed, They bring out your ma- ternal instincts. I like water- ing and taking care of my plants. For many students, plants took the place of pets . . . and even friends. E T his tropical assortment of plants has taken over the storemom at Plants by Suzanne on Beaver Ave. Article - Monica Shah Layout - Beth Doluisio Denni- O'Connor A result of neglect by the student, a one time friend dies because of a lack of water. his concerned plant lover care- T fully attends to his collection of jade plants. 19 Plants

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ia Pazzaglia feeds her plan! the latest in miracle-grow plant food. P lanls are found everywhere on campus. Altheda Arnold works next to this plant in the map room in Panee. . ,3 L; Dennis O'Connor C teative plants and plantexs deco- rate and brighten up any dorm room. hese plants in the greenhouses T are just a few of the many variet- ies grown and studied on campus. Denni: O'Connof 18 Plants

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display of pride covers a swim- mer' 5 modesty The outdoor A . 0 study may not be the ideal way to spend the summer, but grad- uation is the goal. 1 H ree time and a mutual interest in ; L juggling bring friends together on Old Main lawn. pool is a scoper's paradise. a TATE WPIUNS 1982 pring finals. Hustle, S bustle, cram, cram, then bam. School was out. Summer was here. There were empty parking spaces on College Ave. and no lines at the MAC machines. Help wanted signs appeared in store windows downtown. It looked like a scene from The Day After, and silence set- tled in the streets until the in- vasion of the construction workers. They tore up the sidewalks with jackhammers at seven in the morning, fixed old buildings, and worked on new buildings. Another group of people continued to work together through the break. The stu- dents taking intersession courses spent four weeks studying one subject, doing work that was normally spread over fifteen weeks, and earning three or four credits between spring and summer sessions. Martha Breuster tsr , Food SciJ took an accounting class during intersession. The small class tabout twenty peo- plel met from 8:00 to 10:15 ev- ery morning and was worth three credits. I liked it. A lot of the classes I've taken went slowly over fifteen weeks, but this was easy material and was presented in a very straightforward manner. Not all students shared Martha's optimistic outlook, however, and they breathed a sigh of relief as intersession ended and summer session began. Experienced summer students tried to schedule classes in the morning and saved the afternoons for play- ing in the sun. I tried to get all my classes in the morning so I could lie out in the afternoons, Teri Hoagey 0L, MIST said, but it didn't work out. I had to take a computer class that was only offered in the after- noon. s Lisa Borkowski tsr., Print JournJ also enjoyed summer session. I liked the classes because the teachers were a little more easy-going, and since classes were smaller, they had more time to devote to each of us. I also liked go- ing to the bars. I met a lot of people-you see the same faces and over and over. It was sort of like a big family. One interruption of this summer smallness came during the week of July 6 - 12 - the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. To cele- brate the 20th anniversary of this annual spectacle, hun- dreds of people volunteered their time and put their tal- ents together to make it the biggest and the best ever. Crowds were still found in bars, at the outdoor pool at the Natatorium, and occas- sionally in a classroom, but otherwise things were back to the slow small summer scene. Only familiar faces remained, together again, to enjoy the last few weeks of summer. Students were sad when it came to an end. Martha Breuster summed it up. Summer's great. In the spring and fall everyone's rushing around, but in the summer there' 5 a slower pace. The people slow down, and everything' 5 a little more re- laxed. Everyone comes to- gether, and there's a little more time for sunshine. E Article - Laura Lenze Layout - John Walker 20 Summer