Southeast Missouri State University - Sagamore Yearbook (Cape Girardeau, MO)

Page 10 text:

TO MAKE SURE a cross-country feature fits his layout, Capaha Arrow Sports Editor Bob Bunton carefully checks the number of lines in the article. To give the Arrow a new look, the staff changed layout and type styles during the fall semester. KRCU DISC JOCKEY Polly Van Doren interviews Larry Beard about his job as Director of Career Services on the station ' s daily AM PM show. RED CROSS NURSE Barbara Myers helps Joan Wildeisen give the gift of life during one of the APO-sponsored blood drives on campus.

Page 9 text:

THERE WAS MORE than one new president inaugurated during the year. In his inaugural address. Dr. Bill Stacy stresses continued excellence at the university and a new mood of reassurance. .AS THE FIRST major capital improvement project of the ' 80s. the Serena Industrial-Technical Building addition provided needed space lor industrial arts courses. W(B ' M ]b(Bmnmmnmm On the local, national and international levels, most welcomed change for more than just the sake of being different. Behind every move, whether it was for the better or worse, people were looking for the dawning of a brand new day. Nationally, American ' s most apparent desire for change came on November 4. Amidst dissatisfaction over all levels of government, Americans switched their voting patterns of the last two decades almost 180 degrees: from liberal to conservative, from Democratic to Republican, from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan ' s landslide victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter on election day left a clear signal that the majority of Americans were not pleased with economic and political conditions at home or abroad. The inflation rate was too high, the consumer price index was too high, the prime lending rate was too high . . . and public confidence in government was too low. Dissatisfaction cut across party lines as Carter received only 69 percent of the Democratic vote, compared with 79 percent in 1976. Reagan gained a 50 percent share of the working class vote, a segment traditionally dominated by the Democrats. Carter ' s only stronghold remaining from 1976 was the Black vote, where he received 87 percent. But the switch to a Republican presidency was not the most unusual or unexpected story on election day. Senate elections stole much of the election night spotlight as Republican senators rode on the coattail of Ronald Reagan ' s landslide victory. The GOP gained control of the body at the expense of several long-time liberal senators, who included George McGovern, Frank Church and Birch Bayh. Locally, the 12-year term of Democratic Representative Bill Burlison ended as Republican Bill Emerson won the 10th District seat. On the state level, Christopher Kit Bond, after losing to Joe Teasdale in the 1976 governor ' s race, defeated him in 1980 to earn his second non-consecutive term as the state ' s top official. Bond promised to cut out wasteful state spending; however, many questioned whether or not he would be successful. During the campaign, he also promised to reduce the student teacher ratio in the early elementary grades to 15:1. Because of tlv additional funding necessary for this pr()[i ' educators praised it in theory, but questionp ' practice. , (conuimeaj vJpening

Page 11 text:

KSbxw Tb(B[ nimmflim[s For the losers of the 1980 election, it was not always their actions, but sometimes their inaction in dealing with current economic and political crises which led to their defeat. While most Americans may not have blamed them directly for the problems, the country had grown impatient waiting for government to find solutions. The anything is better than what we ' ve got now attitude caused many voters to cast their ballots for one candidate only because they were so against another. For incumbent Democratic candidates, their single biggest downfall was the handling of the economy. As the inflation rate hit 12 percent and the prime lending rate reached 20 percent, consumers found it more and more difficult to make ends meet. Conditions were especially rough for the graduating college senior who faced a tight job market and 7 percent unemployment. Young married couples found buying their first home a luxury rather than a necessity. The soaring interest rates combined with the effects of inflation slowed down the housing market. If the country was not preoccupied with chronic economic problems, it was probably thinking about foreign affairs instead. The holding of American hostages in Iran became an event unparalleled in history. The ordeal concerned all Americans, but those feelings of concern turned to ones of apprehension and uncertainty for many SEMO students as world problems triggered the nation ' s return to draft registration. Americans prayed daily for change in the Iranian hostage crisis. Encouraging reports which brought news of negotiation breakthroughs were ususally followed only days later with disappointing reports of more delays. Confusion and misunder- standing of the situation were often as distressing as the waiting itself. While national changes drew much attention from SEMO students, just as much concern was placed on events which touched students ' lives daily. At Southeast Missouri State, the single biggest change of the year could not be pinpointed with one particular event. The biggest difference was a change in mood — a change in attitude of students, faculty and community members toward the university. After a controversial year highlighted by ' Robert Leestamper ' s resignation as pre SEMO State was ready to settle back df