University of Georgia - Pandora Yearbook (Athens, GA)

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emmio Generation X stands alone. itl ( the future in its own hands sen mn w k. Dead at 30. buried at 70. reads the title of a chapter in Douglas Coupland ' s Generation X, the novel from which today s generation of students ' label was coined. Generation X, or Xers for short, represent 80 million people aged 1 1 to 3 1 who are, have been and will be on college campuses today and well into the next decade. The idea behind the classi- fication is that today ' s youth havenodirectionintheirlives. According to Mary Crystal Cage in The Chronicle of lltuher Education, popular books on the Xers portray that, the post-baby-boomers are stuck in low-paying ' McJobs ' , waiting for the Cold War pre- dictions of a nuclear attack to come true, and ambivalent about what to do until the blast. But are today ' s students really wandering aimlessly about, on a crash-collision course to become zombies by age 30, and living out the next 40 years with no direction or meaning ' . ' The answer is most definitly not. However, it does seemthat Xers have a larger wall to climb than their past counterparts. We are most likely the tirst generation that is fairly certain we will not 10 GENERATIONX We must strive to be successful and take advantage of opportunities, however limited they may seem. Jason Hatfield Junior Pre-Journalism do better than our parents. The almo st non- existent job market and a XWc increase of stu- dents coming from broken homes are both testa- ments to this. So, where does Generation X turn for support, vision, and direction ' The first to reach out and target this generation was Details magazine, named magazine of the year in 1992 by Advertising Age. According to Scott Donaton of Advertising Age. Details has established itself as a lead- ing media vehicle to reach Gen- eration X. Upon Defa(7s ' pre- miere in 1990. it was widely criticized for being too raw, too bold, too in-your- facc ...the exact description that Xers seem to be most fond of. Also horn out of the gen- eration was ' grunge, a inusi- cal fashion statement originat- ing in the Xer capital of Seattle, and quickly spreading throughout the United States and Eu- rope. The music of Pearl Jam and Nir%ana, among others, was latched onto by the genera- tion thanks to the aggressive lyrics of Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain. For the first time in quite awhile the youth of the nation had a voice to turn to. The fashion aspect of grange seemed 1 to begin out of the rebellious nature of some the Xers. One of the characters in Couplan book. Dag. hits rock bottom of rebellion. A angry young w hite male casually sits on the tru of an Aston Martin convertible and repeatedly places the lighted end of a cigarette on the cioiti roof. Finally, the cigarette bums through am fiames consume the vehicle. His reasoning be hind this was the fact that he resents people who brag about spending their children ' s inheritance;, so a dazzling racing green Aston Martin u ith aj bumper sticker that read Ask me about my grandchildren was a perfect target to vent his frustration. Besides music, fashion, and an intol- erance of the norm, Xers can be found treadingi on other common grounds. AIDS, health care.i taxes, and gay rights are all pressing issues that unite or divide Generation X. Whether or not the Xers will shake the Beavis and Butthead image given to them by former generations and soar toi new heights is a question only time can answer. The future awaits the outcome of a generation deemed lost, but actually only in hiding, waiting for the precise moment to act. -Kevin Raub Chcran Bodr ' and Angela Culvem both re;ili L- Xers must work harder and longer to achieve less success than their predecessors., Photo bv Marisa ForresI

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ilFE Although a small room with a couple of windows, a built- in desk, a metal closet, and a short walk to the bathroom may sound like prison to some people, but to others it ' s the best way to live. Residence halls offer a variety of features to numerous students at UGA. Brumby Hall has an exercise room where aerobics are taught by certified instructors .several times a week, Russell Hall has a weight room. Creswell Hall has a computer lab and a large study r(u)m, Oglethorpe Hall has suites with a bathroom connect- ing every two rooms, and most all of the residence halls are air- conditioned and have cable television. Also included in the residence halls are kitchens, laundry rooms, vending machines, mail boxes, and lounges. Many students feel the advantages of living in a residence hall greatly outweigh the disadvantages, especially of living in an apartment or a fraternity or sorority house. Tisha Simmons, a freshman majoring in social work, speaks in favor of the residence halls because had she not lived in a dorm, she would never have made the lasting friendships that the residence halls gave her an opportunity to make. I .auren Fetters, a freshman psychology major, and her roommate, Ashley Harris, a freshman focus- ing on pre-law, both agree that it was hard to adjust to living in the dorms at first, but getting used to it was a quick and enjoyable process. In fact, many people adjust so well to life in the residence halls that they continue to live in the dorms even after their freshman year. Resident Assistants are upper classmen trained to live on each lloor with residents. These Resident Assistants are availabe lor students with questions and pidblems ciiiiccmmg the University or life in general. Although many students complain about liv- ing in the dorms, the experience of sharing a room, a bathroom, and telephone conversations is not all that bad! [.iving in the residence halls is a part of the overall college experience that should not be missed by anyone. -Casey Mc ndoo 12 RESIDENCELIFE