University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

Page 33 text:

Commencement: A Dying Tradition At the sound of Pomp and Circum¬ stance memories form tears in the eyes of a few hundred parents and friends who watch a small portion of the 101th class file into the bleachers of the Razorback Stadium. The view¬ ers, in their dresses and suits, sit fan¬ ning themselves with their programs. The atmosphere is filled with a mix¬ ture of dignity and ' absurdity, irony and sincerity. Some emotionally take pictures of the backs of a mass of black caps and gowns so they can later say this is my John. The deans parade in colorful and distinguished hoods down the astroturf onto a portable stage decorated with fake columns. As the program starts, the nostalgia dwindles and feet begin to shuffle. To some the occasion is important — others wish they had done like the majority of their classmates and not attended. As the candidates for degrees stand for recognition by col¬ leges instead of individually, parents wince in disappointment when they can ' t see their son or daughter in the rows of black mortar boards. When the program is over, some feel relief from their impatience, oth¬ ers feel empty and take their program home to pack with their other mem¬ ories. Student Life 31

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UPPER LEFT: These graduates represent the shrinking number of participants in commencement exercises at the Uni¬ versity. Out of 2535 who received degrees, only 499 went through the cer¬ emony. UPPER RIGHT: As the hot air and long speeches dulled the attention of many, even the deans appeared to be daydreaming, but one boy found some action at the stadium (LOWER LEFT). LOWER RIGHT: Ken Kidd and Marian Keough search for their names in the program, the only place where gradu¬ ates receive singular recognition. 30 Student Life

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Concerts: It ' s Not All Glitter 3 t M, ' ' 1 r r -r yg . W j The concerts. A time and place to go with your friends to relax and enjoy the music and the show. You arrive and sit down. In front of you is the stage with all its glittering equip¬ ment, huge speakers, and maybe a technician or two adding a final touch to something. It is quite an impressive display. Most people don ' t realize the amount of time and energy put into a concert. February ' s Black Oak Arkan¬ sas concert, for example, took 23 hours from the time the first person arrived Saturday morning to begin setting up until the next morning when the last person left after taking everything apart. Trucks must be unloaded, pieces fitted together, frames tested, sys¬ tems checked, and endless other things must be done prior to the arrival of the band. Then, power is applied as lights are aimed and set, as amplification systems are turned on and sound levels are adjusted for voice and instrument pickups. Peo¬ ple crowd around the building as the band holds a final warm-up session before the concert. Now any bugs must be smoothed out before the show. Suddenly, it is quiet again. The doors open and people are coming in. It is time for the show to start. The stage crew is tense because things often go wrong at the last minute. This time, though, nothing does. The band begins playing and the crews relax during the show because they know there is work to be done yet. Afterwards, everything has to be taken apart and loaded back into the trucks. But who runs all this? The group responsible for most major concerts on campus is the Celebrity Showcase which is part of the AU Program Council. Celebrity Showcase is made up of about 15 student volunteers and a staff advisor. These people start the year with a $3000 budget. They select groups, set the concert dates, and organize everything. ' Everything ' includes arranging for publicity (i.e. media, posters, etc.), ticket printing and coordinating ticket sales, hiring ushers, and arranging for the physical setup. The actual stage work is done by Physical Plant and by hired equip¬ ment movers. jack Bodie, Chairperson of Celeb¬ rity Showcase, explained, People don ' t really appreciate the work that they do . . . they deserve more than they get. 32 Student Life