University of Oregon - Oregana Yearbook (Eugene, OR)

Page 33 text:

And back in the dorm, in the invariable post-function hen party, she will at last come into her full glory, relating to eager-eared listeners amusing details of the evening, like when the house president dramatically announced at the height of the festivities that he was going to Scotch- tape 146 pigeons to his arms and fly oft the third floor fire escape. And while it was quite sad that he had to go that way it all turned out all right in the end, because in the ensuing emergency house meeting, her date was elected as the new house president. Then, flushed with victory, she can go to bed, leaving her stepsisters in corporate iealousy. One might ask, what is the purpose of it all? That, my friend, is obvious. And today there is another use for freshman dating, indispensable to the Great Society. Freshman dating can be a very emcient mechanism for dispensing of McNamara fellowships . . . two years with patl and a chance to see the world. Some get it wild

Page 32 text:

A FRESHMAN'S FIRST HOUSE DANCE Some get it mild There are two kinds of house dances. First, we have what is called the 'ltormal house dance. Since the most exciting part of such an affair is watching the bond try to collect its fee, we might as well skip this one and go on to the l'informal variety, which is where the fun begins. But first we should follow our hero and his freshman date to what is known in the trade as a Hpretunction, where he gives his date more coke, which, just for old time's sake, is liberally stocked with Seagram's 7. After this process has been repeated several times, the assembled company heads for the house dance itself. Assuming that this is Molly's first experience with such a gala oftair, she will probably be somewhat startled by the fact, among many others, that the music is so loud that in the apartment building across the alley, four separate parties are going on simply to take advantage of the free noise that is being offered them. But she will probably have a moderately wonderful time, and though by midnight her head will feel like it's turning into a pumpkin, it really isn't, and her coachman, with luck, will still be around at the end to drive her home. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAX REID 28

Page 34 text:

APATHYa big problem for the freshman girl Freshman girls come to college anticipating a variety of things. What some of them discovered during the first days of this years New Student Week was what they probably least expected: that they had nothing to do. In spite of numerous orientation events and preparatory advice on how to cope with the supposed pressures of the first few days of college, many found them- selves bored. Few attended scheduled addresses of University otticiais and student leaders. Many of those who did attend at first were not interested enough to return, as the progressively diminishing size of the audiences indicated. Others say either that they did not understand what these activities were or that they did not think them worthwhile. Some freshman girls have found that the situation they encountered during New Student Week was indicative of what they would encounter throughout the first term. These are girls who plainly do not like it at the University of Oregon. They neither enjoy their classes nor show any enthusiasm for any of the extracurricular activities of the University. Many of these girls have come to the University via a process of elimination. They do not want to go to work and they feel unprepared for marriage. These girls often come with no clear conception of what they wish to get from college. By the end of the first term, many are forced to confront fundamental questions: Why am I here? What do I want to do with my life? The dilemma is that a large portion of these students have no sincere interest in anything either outside of the University or within it. Another group of freshman girls who have a similar disinterest in college are those whose principal interests lie outside of the University. These are the girls who go home every weekend, whose lives center around high school friends and past experiences. They are so preoccupied with the past and with their activities at home that they can never become a part of the University. Their main activity seems to be biding time, waiting for the weekend, for the holidays, for the end of the year. For a large number of freshman girls, however, the decision to come to college was a positive choice. Of course, they are here for a variety of reasons. Some view the University as a social proving ground, a means whose end is, as one girl put it, marriage -as soon as possible. While many of these girls may be apathetic about campus issues, activities, and studying, they are Finding at the University what they came tor: social contacts.