University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

Page 9 text:

from both these worlds have been on campus during these years. The 1970-71 school year marked the passing of the first full undergraduate generation since staterelatedness, and this Yearbook will try to relate how and why the University of Pittsburgh is a different place now than it used to be. A university presents its students with two kinds of environments within which each individual selects what is personally important. One of these is academic, and the other is social. The kinds of things a student selects depends on what each person wants in the way of intellectual and personal involvement, and the alternatives for the expression of such involvements which are available at the University.

Page 11 text:

When considering how Pitt is different now than it used to he, two separate but related processes can be observed. Change is one such process, and the composition of the student body has been radically altered. Within the academic environment a student may want an opportunity to sharpen analytical tools for creative thought, rigorous job preparation, only a passing grade, or may not really be sure of what is desired at all. What is critical for the University in terms of change is that the number of values being expressed has increased, and that these, and a whole bunch more, coexist in the same classroom Similarly, within the social environment, a student may want to get deeply involved in bringing about change in the distribution of power; or, to spend only a few hours a day at school and the rest of the time with the same group of friends that had been together since high school; or, to concentrate on finding someone of the opposite sex to hold on to; or, to stay pretty much alone and pay attention to the business at hand. Again, what is important is that the number of desires being expressed has increased, and that all these desires, plus many variations, seek expression on the Pitt campus. The impact of state-relatedness was felt most directly on the kinds of students who came to the University. The following table illustrates how the geographical distribution of the Freshman class has looked before and after state-relatedness: 7965 7970 Pennsylvania 62% 93% Other States 38% 7% Allegheny County 36% 55% Other Pennsylvania Counties 26 38% In addition to there being differences in the kinds of commitments students make to themselves and to the institution according to where they come from, the backgrounds of students, both economically and socially, has become much more varied. In terms of the college experience, the Freshman Year is of special significance, and the percentage of freshmen who share the common denominator of dormitory residence has decreased from 70% in 1965 to 48% in 1970. Again, this means that there are fewer widely shared frames of reference among students.