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

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66 f- .e.. When the letter arrived from the uni- versity I tore it open with a great lump developing in my throat. The return ad- dress stated 'Admissions Officef We regret to inform you your ap- plication has been rejected . . Cooly and calmly I lost my mind. How could they possibly reject me? I had been assured admittance if my SAT's were 500 or better. I had made special arrangements while serving overseas with the U.S. Air Force to take the exams and have the results sent to UMass. I telephoned the Admissions Office and when I explained my situation the person on the phone said, Under the circumstances we will consider you en- rolled for Fall 1972. Send us your copy of the SAT scores and a check for tu- ition and fees. I knew from that day forward, at- tending UMass was not going to be dull. But once accepted, enrolled, and in residence in Amherst, what was it I wanted to do? Because I hadn't been in school for four years I really hit the books as a freshman. Except for a disastrous math course the first semester my grades were satisfactory including a 4.0 second semester. I knew I was going to do well. But getting the grades was not enough. I was restless to get involved with something more challenging. With all the posters and notices around im- ploring me to get involved for one cause or another I knew I'd find something. xxkx We regret to inform ou.. Iv..-g '?-- .va s 1 1 5 5' ' fm. il- ..lL' if, ' ' 4 Xi, v J L ..,., Q'A 5'fT f'-P Q na I Itii I Daniel Sm One day in Dickinson Hall outside my History 151 discussion group a sign on the wall caught my eye. It asked if I wanted to spend a year off-campus working in a poor neighborhood as a counselor, paralegal, or program coor- dinator? In addition to a monthly sti- pend I could earn a full 30 credits at the same time. .lust what I needed. A chance to get some pre-professional experience doing something useful and earning credits si- multaneously. But, as they say, getting there is half the fun, or in my case half the misery. In order to go into the University Year for Action QUYAJ program I had to get a professor's recommendation, a sponsor for a 15 credit practicum and be ap- proved by the Action people in Wash- ington D.C. Anyone who has ever tried to get off campus knows what I'm talk- ing about. After endless door-knocking and all the perserverance I could muster eventually I found a sponsor and was on ith was a very special place for me and never before or since, with one excep- tion, have I devoted more time. energy. and caring to an avocation or a job. That exception being my work with the infamous Massacliusetls Daflji' Colle- gian. When I returned to UMass I decided to continue with a newfound interest in newspaper work which sprang from my work developing the South Worcester newsletter. So I volunteered my services to the Collegian. When elections rolled around, after only having contributed as a commenta- tor and issue editor I was nominated for and elected News Editor. I suppose it was more desire than a trough of exper- ience in news that paved the way for such a thing to happen. And then to top it all off, the UYA people asked me to work as their Project Manager about 40 hours a week. My junior year kept me hopping at UYAby day and the Collegian by night. The thing that really glued every- thing together was my entry into BDIC tBachelors Degree with Individual Con- centrationj. This two year academic program allowed me to logically inte- grate the practical and theoretical ex- perience of field work and classroom learning. For example, part of my BDIC special problems course was a nine credit evaluation research of the UYA management scheme for interns. The interrelationship of the classroom and workday skills was more education- al than either could have been separate- ly. UMass has been personally much larger than exams, syllabuses, and bor- ing professors. It wasn't dorm living, the dining commons and Hatch for me ei- ther. I got that in the Air Force. Instead it was a personal challenge to demand of others and myself the kind of desire, my way to the South Worcester Neigh- borhood Center in Worcester, Massa- chusetts. At the Center I had the chance to work with community people and professionals who had a collective en- thusiasm that sparked in me an insatia- ble desire to excel and work hard. Sixty to seventy hour weeks were common for me and many others at the Center. It ambition, and performance that distinguish us from each other. - Richard Wright Retro p ct

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