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

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Power to the People in the Pit GOODNESS, grant the high achiev- I ers, frat nuts and socialite stu- I dents love and peace. But if there is a different drummer at UNO his I audience is in a phenomenon known as the Pit. Ostensibly, the Pit is that place next to the bowling alley, where you find the pin-ball games, vending machines and huddled masses of diverse personalities. Historically, the Pit was never planned. According to Student Center Building Services Manager Bob Wolfe, the entire room was meant to be an eight-lane bowling alley. When the lanes were pur- chased after the former Omaha Packers professional bowling team dissolved, the deal included only four lanes. Hence, the strange juxtaposition of the Pit. Occupants sit talking above the roll of the balls and the roar of the juke box. Additional sound is provided for by some Neanderthal pounding on Paul Bunyan or some other pin-ball machine. Wolfe says the pin-ball machines were moved to the front of the Pit to avoid further abuse. Wolfe adds: Two years ago, the machines were in the back of the room and breakdowns were frequent. Now they are near the entrance where a lot of people pass by. Hopefully, more people watching will embarrass the pin- ball offenders. A window above them connecting the control desk with the Pit is also added inducement. All is to no avail! There is still a sportsman or two who beats meaning into the words of the song in the Who's rock opera. Tommy: That deaf, dumb, and blind kid Sure plays a mean pin-ball. Wolfe says that the Pit handles the overflow masses from what once was called the Ouampi Room. Expansion of the Bookstore into what was.the Ouampi Room made it difficult to handle the large influx of students. Two years ago students found perhaps their favorite corner occupied by new text books. But, the Pit is not filled with over- flow people. It has its regulars. Inch by inch, there may be more hair down there than in the neighboring nameless room. The style of dress ranges from fringed buckskin to no style at all. Fashion shows are not the accepted mode. Bridge games have moved from the game room to the Pit. Marathon card- playing takes place with replacements filling-in for those who must attend classes. If there are no replacements, errant cries for a fourth are sent out. Non-card playing tables are occupied by what often appears to be hirsute apostles discussing the gospels, over a good pipe. Smoke is not easily cleared from the room. A newly lit cigarette sends its smoke aloft to join the thick layer which hangs over the tables. Because of the cramped, elbow to elbow, conditions in the Pit and be- cause of its odd configuration, the ques- tion of fire safety was brought to Wolfe. There is a fire exit at the far end of the room and one behind the pin spotters. But, I hope they don't have to be used, he said, crossing his fingers. The crowding results in a near lack of movement. Some tables have as many as 10 to 12 people around them. Sometimes the fight to reach a trash can doesn't seem worth the effort. The result is endless piles of trash that is cleaned nightly by the Physical Plant staff. Wolfe says he is sorry that the Pit isn't cleaner, but, it is difficult to con- tinuously clean the place. Almost every- thing is disposable; it would help, greatly, if everyone bussed their own. Wolfe says he wasn't aware that there was a socially different attitude in the Pit than elsewhere in the student center building. There is, however, a seemingly uncommon air. It appears that there are mostly Independents in the room and fewer Greeks. Random sampling (by no means a perfect rule) shows more Liberal Arts students. Judging from the talk, you'd swear most of the philosophers, theologians, politicians, and maybe an administrator or two will someday arise from the Pit. 5

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p HERE is a thin, tough semi-permeable mem- brane covering each door of the meeting places in the Milo Baif Student Center. The membrane permits only like items to pass through. If an inadvertent foreign body breaks the protective covering, anti-bodies quickly form and ward off the invader with the very special antigen known as the 'Cold Shoulder. Similar to cells in the body these coffee room cells succor the 'types'' on campus. Reassurance is the by-product of this unique isolationism practiced by the commuter cam- pusiers. Lack of unity among the entire student body may be traced directly to these carefully selected holes in the wall.

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ROOM MEETING PLACE FOR THE HIGH ACHIEVER THE SLEEPY halls of Milo Bail Student Center awaken each morning with the clanks and clunks of kitchen help setting up the line for another day. The echo of a distant janitor whistling as he finishes off the last of the floors breaks the eerie silence. Another sound is familiar early in the morning. It's the mad race to claim a table for some sorority or fraternity. A large rural type mail box thuds on its usual table top. There's a three foot high sign with a Greek brand on it telling all who pass by: Alpha Beta Gamma Delta territory, stranger. No claim jumping. The bulletin board is loaded with little messages telling of teas, beer busts, flag football games and various social func- tions. Exquisitely tailored mannequins scitter about impressing everyone with their perfection of dress. Contrasting the well dressed set are frat rats simply clothed in a tee-shirt labeled with their pledged letter. In their own world are the Jersey jocks, east coast athletes who try their hand at sports in the less competitive midwest, juxtaposed to the jocks are a huddled mass of Black students near the juke box privately socializing with them- selves. A continuous blast of the Top Forty begins with the rapid assembly of regulars who jam themselves tightly around the well-guarded tables. All this occurs daily in the Room. Since the loss of its beloved name, some refer to it only as the Room. Others look to either side and carefully scan the area to see if there are any American Indians to offend, then boldly call it the Ouampi Room. Young pledges are carefully scruti- nized during the'day. Occasionally a sister may err and walk to the Pit with a new found friend. Her big sister is then obli- gated to inform her of her duties as a carrier of the letters. Smiles are the rule of the day. Crisp, clean, friendly grins are for everybody, but, especially for the brothers and sisters of the clans. There is security in being with your own kind. Chili consumption is at an all time high in the Room. Sounds of crunching crackers with confident conversation about the next sociology test. Self assuredness is the main staple in the life of the Room dweller. Its inhabitants thrive on being able to flaunt ones ability to have the situation under ones thumb at all times. Student senators abound from this room. Political activity is practiced fer- vently. Getting it right in student govern- ment insures the Roomy's finesse in real world situations. There should be no doubts about these people. They are the ones who will take the helm some day and chart a new course for mankind. These people have their eyes on the moon while their feet are firmly planted in the sturdy ground of tradition. The future holds for them the path- ways of their fathers and mothers. Noth- ing will get in their way to gain success. The start at UNO begins in the Room; a true guideline for the high achiever of tomorrow. •••