Walla Walla University - Mountain Ash Yearbook (College Place, WA)

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The Brain Trust: A Growing Pain by Sherry Wachter

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sports day, punish themselves into good shape and good health. The very serious runner is rarely seen, however. This is the person who runs in the early hours while all is calm, all is bright. If “punish” can be used with the joggers, “torture” must be ascribed to the weightlifters. These people must hurt so bad that they simply can’t feel it anymore. Weightlifting got a shot in the arm with the opening of Sittner Health Club. It seems as if just about everyone “worked out” at some time this year. There is another solitary breed. The Six O’Clock Swimmer. One of the truly amazing feats on this campus must be getting up and making the trip to the pool at 6 a.m. every monring. Can anyone explain it? I think that covers just about the whole crowd of them. But what about all those events that weren’t held? What about the Sittner-to- Foreman Hot Air Balloon Race? Speaking of races, how about the College Place-Portland-Seattle- College Place Cannonball Run? There’s got to be a record on that somewhere. If you think that’s all a bit racy, then we’ll stick to the standards around here. They’re not half bad. Fall golf season (far left) was lamentably short but the ad¬ vent of good weather and spring golf classes brought about a remarkable resurgence in the sport. Under Coach Windemuth ' s leadership, in¬ tramurals (left) tookyet another step forward in both organiza¬ tion and participation. Son- nenberg ' 85 (below) boasted t-shirts, concession stands, private cheering sections, rabid fans and bloodthirsty (literally) gamesmanship, on the road to a Village victory. Mountain Ash 25

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academics Academics: who — or what — are they? How, and by whom, are they made? For most people, or at least most of the people I asked, the word “academic” conjures up visions of intellectual school standards. Often, the standards were viewed negatively, as in “It’s purely academic,” or unnecessarily fussy. For others, the words “academic” primarily applies to aging pro¬ fessors of history at big universities. For me, “academic” means some¬ one who has thin, floating white hair who translates classical literature. Contrary to popular concep¬ tions, academics are usually made, not born. Very few people come into this world as wrinkled scholars fluent in ancient languages. If this is the case, then, how are academics made? They are made with money. With very few exceptions, reputable colleges are not charity institutions. Those who wish to at¬ tend must somehow amass a cer¬ tain sum of filthy lucre which, at the beginning of each quarter, is handed over to Student Accounts. The first step to becoming academic, then, is to get money. Here at Walla Walla College, this Like all finer institutions of higher learning, ours is sup¬ ported by several pillars— among the foremost a fine faculty, loyal alumni, money, and ivy. Lots of ivy. Sometimes study (right) goes beyond books and the library. is generally done in four ways. First, (and it generally is the first one tried) the prospective student asks Mum and or Dad to support him in his intellectual endeavors. If Mum and Dad are average, they say they’ll do their best, but they’re not made of money. The amount that they propose to contribute often falls short of both the stu¬ dent’s hopes and the full rate of tuition. In all fairness to Mum and Dad, it must be noted that tuition at Walla Walla is considerable, and getting more so all the time. Ac¬ tually, it’s a wonder that more Mums and Dads aren’t giving up altogether, telling their children to either find their own way to college or else be happy pumping gas. Once the student-to-be has ac¬ cepted the fact that his parents will not be supporting him through col¬ lege, he is free to look around for other ways of getting money. He may fill out a basic grant form which, if he qualifies, will allow him to get either government aid or else work study. He may apply for the various scholarships and en¬ dowments available around campus. Or, as a last resort, he may apply for a job. Jobs come in two varieties: On- campus and Off-campus. Each group has special advantages. For instance, off-campus jobs tend to pay more than on-campus jobs, and the student gets the actual cash in his hand, rather than just a credit on his bill. However, on-campus jobs can be arranged around a dif¬ ficult class schedule, and Christmas break. For the dormitory student, on-campus jobs present less transportation problems. One additional resource that should not be overlooked is God. According to Cassie Ragenovich, director of Student Accounts and Employment, many students receive money as a direct answer to prayer, often from people they do not even know. Most students use some com¬ bination of the four financial sources to get themselves through school. With the proposed budget cuts in Congress, students will have to rely more heavily on sources other than government aid. However, the cuts — if passed — will not go into effect before the Mountain Ash 27