Plymouth State University - Conning Tower Yearbook (Plymouth, NH)

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“Activities haven’t been given the credit they deserve, they’ve been given a back seat” I sec the college community lacking in arts and culture—which is why I'm involved in student activities. I fell into it by accident but it's given me a direction and I hope it's been beneficial to the college community. I think there is a definite friction between the departments on campus as far as activities go. i. e., the music department and theatre don't seem to get along or whole hcartedly support outside cultural entertainment --maybe they feel intimidated that students are providing something they could'nt. There arc now more individual organizations fullfilling minority areas, i.e. Jabberwocks, Psychology Interest Association, etc. I feel these groups should work together more. However, the student senate should be involved to prevent over saturation in certain areas. More organizations should sponsor things together. It would cost less money in the long run and would improve the quality. Plymouth has given me the lad -tude to explore areas that a larger college could'nt have given me. If I had given more time to ac-cdmics instead of activities I probably would'nt be here now. I have'nt lived up to my own acedemic standards but I feel, I hope, I've influenced a lot of people through programming. I hope I've made other students more aware of what's going on around them. Learning does'nt end in the classroom. I've learned a great deal through activities. Activities and organizations have'nt been given the credit they deserve, they've been given a back scat. Activities arc important in bridging the gap between college and the outside world. College is an incubator and activities ease the change from one environment to the other. It gives you an earlier insight to what you would like to do. In the classroom it's easy to survive without interacting with other students. In activities you meet students from all walks of life and sec all sides of their personalities. As we make contact with the business world which you can aquaint other students to through your experience and help them learn more about whats going on out there. Activities at Plymouth are not respected or appreciated for their full value by both acedemic departments and the administration, although the administration secs activities as a complimentary force to appease the students. At this point in my life I would love to be getting paid for the job I am doing now, and getting student feedback at a large university as an assistant or director of student activities I like people, young and old, I like to sec them grow but it's important for me to have an environment that I can grow in too. I think that I've almost exhausted my growth potential here at Plymouth. Hello world. Sue Rummel 26

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“The stagnation factor of the valley bothers me”. “Here as much as anywhere I’d say quality is relative”. GD (Z H z w Q O H c 3 W o cn I've had a drastic change in philosophy about Plymouth in the past three monthes. Changes arc in the power of the individual to go beyond the power of recognition. There used to be some super high people here who were'nt interested in letting other people know about them, they were doing it for themselves. Perhaps the change is just a further evolution of my ability to see. I'm mostly affected now by one individual in particular. The stagnation factor of the valley bothers me. People are still dreaming and thinking of the same. (I'm talking about Be Here Now dreams). Between apathy and stagnation it's not quite the center I thought is was. Perhaps I was by a theory, I thought more was going on here than is. Now I see it's Just a small New England town in a state headed by Thomson, which says a lot. Speaking geographicly rather than sociologicaly the valley has a power to create anything, given the right group or bunches of input; an area like this can really blossom. In a place like this you have such a movement of beings. It's constant evolution of people. I think that helps in the aspect of Keeping the town going. For one who tries to step out of the flow you see recurring patterns in a short period of time. I think there arc two types of patterns. Ones you arc aware of and your more supernatural or sophisticated ones. There arc patterns that reoccur in a day and lifetime patterns. I'm a believer in self awareness. It's good to be aware of as much as you can. With recognizing patterns and almost predicting them and keeping with them you keep the harmony in your system. Pattern is connected to balance--in keeping a pattern balance it covers pnysical and mental balance. If you're moving correctly, ou'rc keeping the balance which is ecping the pattern which evolves back to your total oneness. There is a relationship between actions that all come back together. What one person does is what he is; it's rare to find one person who is another person, or does another person, regardless of what the Psychology department may say. Here as much as anywhere I'd say quality is relative. The accdmic quality is a bit lacking though the apparent conceptual quality is a very high standard. Regardless of the obvious lack of acedmaic quality there is still a good number of intelligent people here, I don't know why .... Chris Hassig 25 ChrisHassig

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“I have a love-hate relationship with Plymouth” Out here in the country you get a chance to expand. Here in Plymouth I have found an honest steady eyed approach in my dealings. I like the idea of knowing the local merchants by name, on the other hand everyone knows you and what you're doing with whom. College is very idealistic--cs-pecially up here in the White Mountains away from the city. I have a love have a love-hate relationslup with Plymouth. I love the area, the feeling of home and security, yet I hate those same securities that arc turning against me and keeping me here. What can you do up here? It's very frustrating for me to think about it. A majority of my learning experiences are outside of the classroom—living, sharing with people — the art of compromise is one of the most difficult lessons one must learn. The shared and varied emotions of everyones moods triggered on by the pressures of classes and exams is a brutal experience but you learn about you which is the root of education. You sec yourself reflected in many different lights, many of which are enlightening. Kathy Russell The most repeated phrase I've heard during my four years here has been I gotta get out of Plymouth , but most come back to suck off the sanctity of the mountains that is the home of man. Classroom life has varied incredibly from routine clock watching to an almost sensual experience. I feel worthwhile in upper level course, challenging and questioning my professors. I get off on learning--the feeling of total absorbtion in one problem, the persistence in finishing it, yet laiowing there is always more. The realization that your mind can contain so much and still yearn for more and the knowledge of all that's left to be learned (in and out of the classroom) is what I've learned from PSC. I intend to pursue this education to the fullest. 27