Tufts University - Jumbo Yearbook (Medford, MA)

Page 14 text:

Photo S. Wilner . . : ’ t J additions to the Medford campus held a great deal of significance for they continued to foster the on-campus activities and events which com¬ plemented academic life at Tufts. A careful study of economic developments in the 1980’s is not complete without noting the effects of the computer age. Throughout our country, the role of computers grew in impor¬ tance and prevalence, and this new phenomenon reached the Tufts administration. Instead of waiting in long, tiresome lines in Cousens Gym to register, we were assigned to appointments with the computer who efficiently scheduled our course requests. Rather than learning to type on typewriters, classes were conducted on personal computers so that students would be prepared for the imminent presence of computers in all aspects of life. Throughout the country, there were charges that the rise of the computer had replaced interpersona l contact. While this may be true elsewhere, computers at Tufts did not prompt the sacrifice of the intimate relationships between administration, faculty, and students which is the backbone of Tufts University.

Page 16 text:

Photo R. Beck ccompanied by America’s conserva¬ tive political fever came a shift to¬ ward more traditional social values. But that did not keep Tufts from con¬ tinuing its traditional inclination to end a strenu¬ ous week of academia with a weekend that began on Thursday night. Be it fraternity parties or Eaton parties, the Hong Kong or the Jumbo, we never stopped having fun. Even when they out¬ lawed Happy Hour in the Hub, we kept it up. When the administration revamped the Social Policy and became stricter with campus regula¬ tions, we still managed to party. Somehow Tufts successfully struck a balance between competi¬ tive academics and an active social life. In short, we worked hard but we partied hard. If the con¬ servative trend of the 1980’s has not changed that yet, it never will. he 1970’s was often called the decade of the “me” generation. This emphasis on individual appearance, achieve¬ ment and the quest for superiority car¬ ried into the eighties and nurtured the competitive spirit characteristic of college stu¬ dents. It often seemed as though we were overly obsessed with looking out for Number One. However, at Tufts we did not allow our self- interest deny us the friendships and comradery which are an integral part of campus life. With¬ out these friends, all the success possible would have meant nothing, no matter how special we thought we were. And the pain of failure was softened by peers who cared. The fashion industry also underwent a revolu¬ tion during the eighties and what better place was this illustrated than on campus? The latter half of the seventies was renowned as a time when students were dressing in predictable, “col¬ legiate” gear. Preppie was in. In the eighties, however, “funky” took over where preppie left off. Students were once garbed in similar styles, but in the early eighties anything went. These fashion trends suggested that despite the shift toward tradition, individuality was still an inher¬ ent institution within our society and our campus embodied this spirit. Photo S. Wilner