Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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The Cui by Olive Sullivan Picture a balmy spring day, not too hot, not too cold, with a light breeze. These are the kind of days that see Pitt State students migrating to the great outdoors. As spring approaches and the weather gets nice, most people find it harder and harder to make it to class. Anyone walking across the Oval has to be on guard for flying frisbees and, sometimes, kites. Around the dorms, one is liable to get whacked by a football during a friendly match. The Oval also provides a good place for a little sunning, and attempts at studying. Of course, if you allow your mind to wander with the breeze, you are likely to find yourself thinking about anything but Abnormal Psychology! The Oval is a central part of PSU. It provides a place for studying, games, and organized events. Any event on the —Oval must be scheduled through the - Certer Of Campus Life Information Desk in the Student Union, according to Jack Overman, Student Union director. If there is a problem, the office checks with the Student Affairs Office, and Larry Nokes, director of the Physical Plant. “We have to make sure these are the kind of events we want on the Oval,” Overman commented, but there are usually no problems.” This year, events included coffeehouses from SUB, a car show from Automotive Technology, SUB sponsored art sales, and the Ozark Folk Festival. The folk festival was sponsored by the Major Attractions Committee, and scheduled through Overman's office. Students may have noticed food and drinks being sold on the Oval, such as SUB’s Western Week Chuckwagon. This is done .through the food service. Overman said that the food service contract agrees that no food may be sold on campus, except through the food service. Any other sales, such as art sales or crafts must be approved when scheduled. BEFORE APARENTSDAY CROWD, Cadet Captain Ervin Neff gives an exhibition on rappelling off Russ Hall roof while Sargent 1st Walter Martin belays him.(photo by Kyle Cleveland) On enrollment day this summer, SUB sponsored a band on the Oval. The group played between two of the huge evergreens in the center, and both old and new students gathered on the grass to listen and rest up from the rigors of the enrollment procedure. It also made the atmosphere much more pleasant for those whose business took them walking across campus. There’s nothing like a little music to rejuvenate a person after a day of running around Pittsburg in August. A chance just to sit down and listen was welcomed eagerly. “In the summer we do a lot on the Oval,” said Overman. SUB sponsored several band concerts and coffeehouses. Almost any night you could wander by to the sound of some sort of music. Sometimes, classes will also be held on the Oval. Eric Abraham’s ceramic classes are held outside at least once a semester, 8

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PLAYING POOL is one to the more popular after study activities on campus. Joe Alexander takes a break from his hectic schedule to shoot a game, (photo by Kyle Cleveland) A MID-DAY SHOWER doesn't prevent Liz Burke and Tony Cedeno from getting out on the oval, (photo by Kyle Cleveland) Features: Wild wild week.......... Pits provide recreational area Season ends with big win. . . Home is what you make it. . . Where were you when..... 16 40 46 50 70

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THE OVAL CAN BE SEEN from any of the main buildings on campus, its sidewalks taking students wherever they need to go.(photo by Alan Ford) for experience in outdoor firing. Guitar classes also occasionally meet on the Oval, and the composition classes can sometimes be seen gathered around a tree discussing the day’s lesson. Even in the winter, the Oval is the scene of a lot of action. This year’s record snow brought snowball fights, snowmen, and smiling faces. Some people had never seen snow before, and it lifted the spirits of everyone, except maybe the few that wanted to get their cars unstuck. The snow saw lots more people walking to school, or even riding their bikes, which is no easy feat on ice. Try it sometime! The funny thing is that once the weather got nice again, people returned to their cars in droves. Once again, parking places were hard to find. Plans are being made for a few changes on our familiar Oval. A new sidewalk was already added this year, with a large concrete circle. Benches and lights are planned to be installed on the circie, but Director of Facilities Planning Gary Carlat said it may be awhile. We don’t have any money identified for that right now,” he said. The sidewalk, and others still in the planning stages, are part of a long range plan of sidewalk improvement. The current sidewalk is the culmination of approximately five years, and it is only the first phase. Facilities Planning is asking for money this year, but Carlat said if approved, it still would not be available for one and a half years. The long range planning will probable be worked on for the next 10 to 15 years, he said. It all depends on how soon the money becomes available,” he added. Carlat said he didn’t think the new sidewalk system would make much difference in the amount of use the Oval gets. I think it will be appreciated a lot more by the people who have to walk through the mud to get where they’re going, he said. The new benches should also see a lot of use when students want to sit outside, but the ground is too damp and all the rocks are taken. Whatever the plans are, the Oval will most likely remain the center of campus life. It may look a little different, but expansion will do that to you, and everybody’s got to grow. “I THINK HE SOMETIMES THINKS HE’S IN COLLEGE,” said David Lash of his three year old son. Ryan. Lash, a junior, and his wife Sandy, a freshman, carry the triple burden of going to school, working, and raising a family.(photo by Kyi© Cleveland)