Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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A man's best friends Loyal friends aren't always people After a long day of classes and hard work, students are usually ready for a relaxing atmosphere free of the every- day routine of college responsibility. For some, it means having a beer with a few friends, catching a movie or just watching some television, but for others it means spending a little time with some very special and loyal companions—their pets. Keith Shively, Girard junior, doesn't own your average, run-of-the-mill dog or cat. Instead, he has three cockatils, two parakeets and a 40-gallon aquarium which houses everything from black knives and angelfish to glass cats. Cockatils are small parrots which measure about nine inches in heighth and have cowlick-like head feathers that are usually gray or all white in color. Shively has two albino cockatils and one gray with a white stripe down its back and they all have bright yellow head feathers. The smaller cockatils are supposed to be the easiest to get to talk, but they haven't yet, so I'm still trying. I have a record that I play to help them along a little bit, but so far I haven't had much luck, he said. Shively keeps his birds in cages in his bathroom and bedroom and also has a real tree in his living room for them to sit in when he turns them loose in the house. My aquarium is also in the living room. They prove to be good conversa- tion pieces when people come over and I get a lot of comments about them, he said. J have all the basic equipment needed for the upkeep of the aquarium so I only have to clean it about once a month and the birds are really no problem. I only spend about $10 a month, on the average, for pet food, he said. Burl Powell, Granby, Mo., senior, finds not only companionship but some rather comical entertainment in his PARAKEETS ARE GOOD for people who cannot keep cats or dogs in their apartments. They are relatively easy to take care of and can be taught to talk.—photo by Jo Black 24

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it's a good experience. You learn an awful lot ' McKibben said. Some roommate situations are not always girl-girl and boy-boy, and for many different reasons. The living con- ditions that have to be endured are also of a different variety, according to Christy Drake, Erie sophomore, who lives with her brother David, Erie junior. We share a house, and by living with a relative it's a lot easier because we've already developed the relationship needed in order to really know a person because we've lived together all our lives. It also proves to be better economically for the family, Drake said. Attitudes between a brother and sister are a lot different than those you have with a good friend. It's so much easier to say how you feel, especially when you're mad, because you know each other so well. Anger is definitely directed differently. Drake said that about the only thing that's not shared between them is the housework, which she said is usually all piled on me. The bathroom situation proves to be very difficult in that with a girl and a guy sharing the same facilities, someone is going to have to wait. Sometimes there is very little privacy. If Dave has someone over and I'm taking a shower, it's a different situation than if I was living with another girl, Drake laughed. She added that neither of them see much of each other at all and if they do, it's usually only for about an hour a day. I usually have to be Dave's alarm clock, so mornings are about the only time we're home together, she said. Cindy Cowan, Pittsburg senior, and Richard Burrows, Columbus junior, also share a house but are obviously not brother and sister. Cowan and Burrows are planning to be married in the near future and don't find it economically feasible to live in two separate houses. By living together now, we can both save and pool our savings together for our future, Cowan said. We can also combine our paychecks to cover the bills and expenses, which helps, and whatever is left over, we share. Cowan said that house duties do vary when living with a guy as compared to living with other girls. Guys are messier. They take off a WASHING DISHES AFTER the evening meal is one of the responsibilities of living in a fraternity house for Jeff Ar- note, Prairie Village sophomore, —photo by Brett Roberts shirt, throw it on the floor and that's the last they see of it until it just happens to magically appear in their closet again, she laughed. Cowan added that living with a guy also tends to limit her wardrobe and cosmetic supplies. Richard doesn't exactly share my taste in clothes and his make-up is definitely limited, but, that's something I guess I can live with ' Cowan mused. She said that by being able to see each other everyday and by being able to do a lot of things together, she and Burrows have had the chance to really get to know each other well. We're able to see now what it's go- ing to be like when we're married, which is a definite advantage. I guess you could say it's like a sneak preview of coming attractions. —by Jacque Porter Roommates Living

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pure black feline friend, Sam. I didn't really find Sam, he found me ' Powell said. I went to the front door one morning because I thought I heard something on the porch and there he was climbing on the screen door. He was only about two months old. He's been a lot of company when no one else is around and he's a lot of fun. He's pretty laid back and mellow but he's real affectionate for a cat. You can also tell when his mood changes by the way he acts. When he's mad he whips his tail real fast ' he said. Sam also acts as an alarm clock and Powell said he has his own way of wak- ing him up in the morning. My bedroom door is usually always open just a crack and Sam will put his claws under the door and bang it back and forth until 1 come and open it ' he said. I didn't really find Sam, he found me. Powell said that having a cat is not a big expense even when you have some unusual vet bills. I was messing around with a fly and some fishing line for my rod one day and Sam ran through the line and got hooked, so I had to spend about $40 to get him out of that one, but for what you get in return from an animal, they're worth the expense ' Powell said. Anna Golob, Pittsburg senior, like Shively, also owns a parakeet, Gripper. Even though Gripper stays in his cage most of the time, Golob said he still proves to be amusing. He gets real excited in the morning and will just fly around in his cage and squawk until I get up and take the cover off of his cage ' she said. Whenever he gets hyper, he'll grap the top wires of his cage with his beak and just hang there ana swing back and forth. Even though most college students wouldn't go as far as to say that their pets are their best friends, most agree that they come pretty close,—by jacque Porter BY PLAYING A game of keep away, Rick Wrightswam, Westwood sophomore, enjoys the fail weather and Lance, owned by Robert McCrary, Overland Park junior, gets his daily exercise, —photo by Mike Pruett Pets o p Living