Texas State College for Women - Daedalian Yearbook (Denton, TX)

Page 31 text:

Issues! Features

Page 30 text:

As with any group or community. Texas Woman's University is affected by, or is instrumental in creating, various issues and events that directly affect components of the University community. This year brought about an increased national awareness - and distress - concerning our politics and gov- ernment, our role as women tfor we are still the major empha- sis of this Universityl. and bitter frustrations rooted in infla- tion, recession. and war. Concerns over the decreased spending power of the dollar were evident on the campuses, with students and faculty becoming increasingly conscious of their monetary limits. Distress and disillusionment over the political retributions of Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon were reflected in campus elections calling for greater direct respon- sibility of student government representatives and officers to their constituents. The collapse of Viet Nam was poignantly brought home to us. when some of our students lost contact with their families - the agonies of Cambodia and Laos, and the turning away of allies such as Thailand - the anxieties stirred again by threats of war in and around Israel, with Arab oil a blot on our economic policies. Campus events were a part of the concern. Various groups continued to call for action about their problems and con- flicts. One of the loudest and most persistent calls came from the commuter and male students, who combined on political action to give them more representation in the Campus Gov- ernment Association and more attention to their grievances. But not all action taken this year was negative or so serious. The colleges and departmental components of the University made a greater effort this year to bring speakers into the aca- demic and extracurricular activities of TWU. International acclaim for the University came from a USO tour around the Orient by TWU's Liberation of Sound. Students, faculty and administrators traveled near and far. sharing their talents and expertise with their peers. at seminars and conventions, in the halls of the Legislature, and presenting the positive aspects of life and educational opportunities at TWU. Statewide, TWU received attention as a result of its efforts to attain a medical school as its next expansion of advanced edu- cation, noting the need for women in medicine and for doc- tors who would be concerned for the thousands of Texans who have no medical resources close at hand. After three years of planning, TWU presented its proposal to the State Coordinating Board, a group which recommends academic programs to the legislative bodies of the state. The proposal was rejected by this Board, so the University took its proposal to the Legislature itself. calling on all TWU alumnae and sup- porters to join in a concerted effort to plead the need. As the school year ended. the final arguments were being heard on the floor at the State Capitol, and optimism was the watch- word. On the Denton campus, student government elections were a major topic, along with graduation.job-hunting, and see you next year.

Page 32 text:

BELOW. LEFT: Sheri Wyles looks solemn in a quiet cast moment. BELOW. RIGHT: Sally Smalley prepares for performance time. BELOW: The cast at the end of one of their musical numbers.