University of Nebraska Omaha - Tomahawk / Gateway Yearbook (Omaha, NE)

Page 28 text:

Wellington Batth, an independent, says black stu- dents try to help one another through school. Night student Ronald Hall figures it will take him about 10 years to earn a business degree. Chance, an agency for mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed children of low income families. Miss Russo feels the national trend is toward more independent participation and less Greek affiliation. Most move- ments started on campuses today are started by independent students, often outside of any formal structure. Straddling the borderline between Greek and independent is Miss Terese Hudgins. A member of an off-campus sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Miss Hudgins says she considers herself an independent since her sorority does not have campus recognition. Miss Hudgins serves on the steering committee of the black student organi- zation and was formerly a candi date for Homecoming Queen. She sees the dying out of the Greek tradition as the reason for increased activity on the part of independent students. It used to be that black students didn't even vote, Miss Hudgins says, because we didn't have anything to vote for. But proportionately there are more black students on campus now, and we feel more secure and are willing to run for office. Not all of the independents can be written off as involved or non-involved. There is a third type of independent. He's the part-time student who works full-time during the day and goes to school nights in order to pick up his degree. Ronald Hall is such a student. He has been attending night school at UNO for the past four years and has accumulated 37 credit hours. Hall figures it will take him six more years to graduate. He is seeking a degree in business administra- tion, but since many of the required business courses are not offered at night, he will probably end up with a Bachelor of General Studies degree, with a strong emphasis on business. Hall, Miss Hudgins, Miss Russo, Batth, Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Huggins and Kil- patrick all have their own life style, their own time schedules and their own prob- lems. Some of them, however, feel that to be an independent necessitates coping with a few common problems. Kilpatrick spoke of the disadvantage independents are at in playing the game as they compete with Greeks and bootstrappers whose organizations keep test files. He says the game starts during counseling when the word gets around on each instructor. You find the easy in- structors and work them into your schedule, says Kilpatrick. He also feels that assignments are seldom an individual effort for group members since you can get the same grade by using someone else's work. But this doesn't mean Greeks and boots are the only ones to use this method. To suggest I get through strictly on academic prowess is false. I only wish I could play the game better, he adds. Batth and Miss Hudgins spoke of the similar problems facing black students — the problems of bucking the organiza- tions and of trying to solidify an organi- zation of their own to help each other through school. Miss Russo conceded that the Greek organization tends to lessen the academic burden, but she feels that in exchange for this relief one must sacrifice a certain amount of freedom. Basically, the independent attitude re- flects one of freedom of movement, change and choice. Despite the ad- vantages of organization, independents choose to be free from weekly meetings and any other complications arising from involvement in the other two organized factions on campus. Perhaps this is be- cause of their varied interests, person- alities, ambitions or even motivations. Perhaps this is because they share no common bond with other members of their peer groups other than the amorphous label of Independent. By KAY BROWN 26

Page 27 text:

Another exception to the independent non-involvement trend is their increasing prominence in student government. Up until a few years ago, the class officers were almost always Greeks, and the Student Senate was predominantly com- posed of fraternity and sorority members. For the past two years, the student body president has been an independent, and the Senate has maintained an almost equal balance of independents, Greeks and bootstrappers. One of the students who helped lead the way toward independent partici- pation in student government was Mari- lyn Russo. Miss Russo has managed to maintain a high grade point average, pay her way through school with a part-time job and be very involved in both on- and off-campus activities of a wide variety. Her involvement at UNO began in her sophomore year when Miss Russo was active in Angel Flight, Young Democrats and Chi Omega's. In her junior year, she became involved in student government and gradually dropped out of everything else, in order to devote all her spare time to the Student Senate. Miss Russo attended the National Stu- dent Association Congress the past two years. I became very concerned with what was going on in the nation, world and community and decided to get in- volved at the community level because of the congresses, she says. This community involvement caused Miss Russo to give up student govern- ment. She now works with Project Nancy Mitchell (right) studies with fellow student Betsy Rezek before a political science class. With five inquisitive children, Mrs. Mitchell has few uninterrupted daytime study sessions. Off to a late afternoon class, Mrs. Mitchell gets a fond farewell from one of her daughters. 25

Page 29 text:

Performers rehearse a play scene in the Magic Theatre, one of several Omaha theatre locations that permit and encourage student try-outs for parts. UNO AT THE THEATRE UNIVERSITY theatre goers can choose from a wide variety of offerings from the Omaha area. Dick Walters' Attractions sponsors many Broadway and off-Broadway shows brought to Omaha by traveling road companies. Drama and light comedy are presented by local residents and stu- dents of both Creighton and UNO in the Magic Theatre in the old market. The Omaha Playhouse and Council Bluffs' Chanticleer Theatre not only present fine productions but also offer an excellent opportunity for student participation. New attractions to Omaha this year are the Westroads Dinner Theatre and the Sweetness and Light troupe in the market. At UNO this fall students and faculty presented William Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba. Directed by speech instructor Robert Moore, the perform- ance was held in the Studio Theatre, a new addition to room 207 of the ad- ministration building. The most contemporary of the semester's three major productions was Sergeant Musgrave's Dance, by British playwright John Arden. Although written in the 20th century, the play takes part in the latter half of the 19th century and centers around a soldier's ironic and violent retaliation against the violence of war. Although somewhat lengthy, the performance was executed skillfully. Record attendances marked this fall's University Theatre production, A Mid- summer Night's Dream. Audiences were enchanted with the double-purpose set, the exquisite costuming and the overall quality of acting. in one of the settings, what appeared to be a woodland scene consisting of a waterfall, rock formation and hanging University Theatre performers practice for one of the summer productions, A Cry of Players. 27