University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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»ummer Sch ool The purpose of the 1944 summer session was to provide opportunity for some students to accelerate their college pro- gram, and for others to prepare for en- trance into professional school and spe- cialized work. This session consisted of two six-week terms, from June 5 to August 26. One hundred and seventy- two students were enrolled, including an entering class of thirty -five freshmen. Of this number, one hundred and sixteen students returned for the fall semester. Under this two-semester plan, a student could enroll for one or both semesters, and was expected to carry six semester credits during each term. Each three semester credit course met for double periods five times weekly. Most labora- tory periods were scheduled in the after- noon. The curriculum was diversified and inclusive, offering specialized courses in eight major fields. The faculty consisted of the regular college staff. Students were housed in college dor- mitories, the women living in the Abbey and the men in North College. The Dra- per Hall cafeteria was used by all stu- dents. On July 5, a group of three hundred and thirty-three ASTRP students entered Mass. State, and a second group of fifty- four, on August 2. They were housed in Lewis and Thatcher Halls. A wide range of social activities was promoted by a student-faculty com- mittee composed of Mr. Larry Briggs and Miss Jean McNamara representing the faculty, and Pat Jennings ' 45, Joanne Freelander ' 46, Swiftie Johnston ' 45, Janet Bemis ' 46, George Gray ' 48, and Arnold Murray ' 46 representing the students. Among the highlights were Softball and tennis tournaments; vie parties; a picnic; a chimes concert; a hay ride and corn roast, held at the rifle range, at which the male members of the faculty cooked, while the students enjoyed a swimming party; a pops con- cert on the Abbey lawn; and Hale Wood- ruff at Social Union, speaking on Art in a Democracy. On weekends, the students and cadets frequented ye olde swimming hole (popular name for the ice pond). Early in the morning, they packed picnic lunches and bicycled to North Amherst, getting cokes and candy at the corner store. After swimming and diving for some time, everyone was ready for lunch. After- wards, the campers often lent their canoes; and though some were always tipped, everyone reached shore safely and pedalled back to campus to arrive in time for supper. The attitude of the students was ex- cellent, and scholastic achievements were very satisfactory. Because of the con- centrated plan of study, there was less opportunity for distraction than during the winter semester, and a more thorough working knowledge of subjects was at- tained. 24

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last and only Spaghetti Bowl game in Florence, Italy. Lieut. Colonel Al Gricius ' 37 has served, on special assignment, in almost every theatre of operations throughout the world. Now, in China, he has written, I ' ve gone to several Chinese parties and am quite an expert in my manipulation of chop sticks. I have only fifty grease spots on the front of my blouse from food that didn ' t stick to the sticks. Lieut, (j.g.) Herbie Click ' 39, USNR (son of Professor Click), wrote from an island in the Pacific, I wish you could have been here on Christmas Eve (1944). You would have seen Massachusetts State men assemble: Lieut, (j.g.) Herbie Howes ' 39, Ensign Johnny Bemben ' 39, and Lieut, (j.g.) Frank Stanne w ' 40. We had a grand old time talking of college days. Lieut. Bob Allen ' 35 is in France. At Thanksgiving time (1944) he and his men invited all the kids in their village to share Thanksgiving dinner with them. Each youngster had all he could eat of turkey, and a candy bar to carry home. Bob thought it was a wonderful Thanks- giving. T Sgt. Dick Smith ' 45 is overseas. His father, Dr. C. A. Smith ' 11, has written that Doric Alviani would get a kick out of learning that Dick was a member of an Army choir and glee club organized from the personnel within his particular outfit. Major Al Irzyk ' 40 received a battle- field promotion to a lieutenant colonelcy early in 1945. Al ' s justified pleasure in the promotion was completely overshadowed by his joy when on the very day of the promotion his younger brother, Lieut. Arthur Irzyk w ' 44, was assigned to his Al ' s, outfit. The brothers had not seen each other for nearly two years. Lieut. Nancy Luce ' 40, WAC, has been overseas for more than year — on opera- tional assignment in the Army Air Corps. She has written, I don ' t believe I will ever forget the day of our Men ' s first trip to the big ' B ' — none other than Berlin, nor the day they flew the ' double- header, ' the occasion when our bombers went over enemy territory, dropped their loads, returned to the base, reloaded and were off again on their second mission of the day. Lieut. Gil Santin ' 43 who was co- captain elect of the football team at College before he left State to join the Marine Air Corps has flown more than 90 missions against the Japanese. He is a member of what has been called a very hot Marine squadron, the famed Fight- ing Corsairs. 23

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Frosh Hazing Paddles and parades, sidewalk scrub- bing, and pond pushing combined to start another year of green frosh on the right path. Despite a drastic lack of sophomore supervision, the freshman boys were kept well in hand through the combined efforts of all upperclass men. Although these newest Statesmen were a little flip at first because of superiority in numbers, they were soon dismayed to learn that the upperclassmen were very adept in the social graces such as giving parties, particularly those situated in the vicinity of the College Pond, as they demonstrated at the rope pull. An invita- tion to these great occasions as guest of honor was easily obtained by disobeying a few of the upperclass whims. During the fall, the annual blossoming of the maroon caps added color to the campus scenery. According to the coeds, the feature of greatest delight was the musical hour conducted every morning for a week at six o ' clock in front of the dorms. The freshman girls were by no means forgotten this year. They, too, lightened the atmosphere with snowy white berets emblazoned with maroon class numerals. For three miserable weeks, they were forced by maroon beribboned sopho- mores to do any small tasks required. Certain taboos, such as no makeup un- less specified, keeping off the center walks of Stockbridge and the Libe, hop- ping the numerals on the sidewalk, and wearing identification pins all served to give the frosh the necessary feeling of humbleness. They quickly learned to detour around the upperclass hangout, the College Store, for fear of being forced to demonstrate their dramatic talent from table tops to a deriding audience. During the week of concentrated haz- ing, the freshman women were required to wear special clothing on three days. Monday was Baby Day, and the frosh acted accordingly, wearing their hair in pigtails, sucking lollypops, and lisping. Moron Day fell on Wednesday, when the girls wore violently clashing clothes back- wards and unmatched socks, and carried umbrellas, which they opened upon the upperclass yell of Air Raid! On Friday, everyone decked out in navy longs, crew caps, and sports equipment to carry out a motif of Sports Day. The most useful piece of equipment required, from an upperclass point of view, was the huge cardboard plaque around each fresh- man ' s neck with her name and home town printed upon it. The following week came the climax: the Torchlight Parade. Most of the col- lege turned out, marching behind the ASTRP band to the Amherst Common. College spirit was high, and except for the lack of organization and leading of the crowd, the parade set a promising prece- dent. [25 1