Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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SPRIN6 FEVER STRIKES Class attendance is obviously a requirement that college students must meet in order to do well in school. However, most of the students here on the Pittsburg State University campus agree that discipline in this area is sometimes difficult to maintain. Attendance can be a very difficult discipline problem for incoming freshmen especially. Although at- tendance in high school was much stricter, some freshmen find it very hard to handle such leniency in this area when they get to the college level. ‘‘It’s really hard at first to make yourself go to class, especially if you live in the dorm and you don’t have someone coming in to make sure you’re out of bed in time to make your first class,” said Karen Wills, Osage City freshman. “It’s also easier to stay out later the night before because you don’t have someone sitting at home waiting up to see what time you come home,” she laughed. There are a lot of different reasons why students cut classes. After a student has been confined to a very few activities during the winter months, he is ready, willing and able to take the opportunity to go fishing or sunbathing when a bright and sunny day happens along. After all, doesn’t that sound more appealing than listening to a biology lecture on the anatomy of the amoeba? “It’s really hard sometimes to drag yourself out of bed in the morning in order to make it to an 8:30 class, 12—Cutting class

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 Student life—11 Beginning in the exceptional heat of August .1980, new faces and old popped up in Pittsburg. Moving in and settling down occupied the first week of school, and in addition to getting back together with old friends, students made new ones. One old “friend” that some weren’t so glad to see was the university bookstore. Long lines and high prices found students complaining about empty pockets. But there was enough money left to socialize a little! Faces changed nationally as the hostages came home and President Reagan took over the White House. Closer to home were Student Senate elections in the spring. In fashions, the year started out with Country and Western as the big look, but with late fall and spring, the preppy look from the East hit the Midwest. Students still headed for the Saddlehead and Rocking K in their blue jeans and cowboy hats, however. Some things will always be the same. More students spent their spare time in front of the television as soap operas gained popularity with men and women both. They rushed home after class so as not to miss this week’s villian in an ever-changing world. It’s a university. Every year, there will be another change of face. Lnarrging faces are what campuses are all about. Every year new ones come and old ones go, but student life remains pretty much the same. There is still Homecoming in Oc- tober, Christmas break, Spring Break and beer at Hollywood's. CIRCUS, CIRCUS was the 1980 Homecoming theme. John Emery and Deborah Mills ham it ■k xVP i n clown suits to help carry out the theme fJSa ri'ng the downtown parade.—photo by Kyle Cleveland

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SKIPPING CLASSES to study for mid-term tests is a very common practice. Rob Lessen and Kathy Merrell sip cokes and study for their American History exam in the Gorilla Grill.—photo by Dot Koehler especially if your’re active in a lot of extra-curricular activities that keep you out late the night before. The nice change in weather has a lot to do with it too,” said Jeff Poole, Overland Park junior. “I cut class every once in a while, but never to the extent that it would have any great effect on my grades. It’s just real easy to do,” Poole said. Even though cutting classes is not to the benefit of students, some feel that there would be a lot of negative student feedback if a stricter at- tendance policy was instituted by the university. “I don't see how they could put any more restrictions on class attendance because if a student doesn’t want to go to class, he won’t go. Besides, the student is the one paying fees to be here so he’s only hurting himself by cutting classes,” said Susan Speiser, Chanute junior. “I don’t think there is any way that the university can demand class attendance. Besides, the student is expected to be able to take care of himself and he shouldn’t have to have guidelines set by the school to make him go to class. He should just be expected to be there. If he’s not, it’s nobody’s fault but his own,” said Lisa Sutcliffe, also a Chanute junior. Even though students may take a dim view of class attendance, in- structors have a little different concept of it. According to Dr. Joanna Freeman, associate professor of English, at- tendance requirements differ depending upon the format of the course. “I require that students attend my Technical Writing 301 course every day because the information we cover on class days is vital to completion of the course. We write almost every day and those assignments must be completed in the class time,” she said. Brian McGuire, third year advanced auto body repair student, says- that attendance is also required in the Vocational Technical Institute. “We have real strict requirements. We’re only given five absences and even when we’re gone one hour it counts as a day. When we do have to miss we have to have it excused with a doctor’s note or something like that in order for it not to count against us,” said McGuire. Some classes have almost no at- tendance regulation at all, for example, ROTC by appointment. In this course, a student enrolls and is given a list of what the course requires in regard to assignments. The student can then complete these requirements on his own time and at any time during the semester. Even though some students take advantage of the leniency given them by the administration in regard to attending classes, some do suffer from neglecting to go to class. On the other hand, some students have disciplined themselves to such a degree that class attendance presents no problem at all. “I try to attend every class period for every course I enroll in and most of the time I do unless I’m sick or there’s just no possible way I can get there. I couldn’t make my grades if I didn’t go. Some people can but I can’t,” said Linda Butterfield, Pittsburg senior.— by Jacque Porter TAKING TIME OUT FROM the pressure and everyday routine of classes, students head to the local bars for relief from lectures.—photo by Kyle Cleveland Cutting class—13