West Virginia University - Monticola Yearbook (Morgantown, WV)

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Second semester registration seemed just as confusing as ever and even some upperclassmen couldn ' t remember what degree they were applying for . . . Many got stuck with late labs and Saturday classes . . . Looks of worry and dis- gust over required classes and seemingly endless forms to fill out — lightened only by the awe and delight in the Senior ' s eye as he filled out expected date of graduation — June 1956. Mountainlair ' s TGIF parties became more popular than ever . . . Four Freshmen welcomed students back with en- thusiasm . . . The University became 89 years old on Feb- ruary 7 and received a birthday present from the State Legis- lature as the bond issue for building new engineering and agriculture schools was passed. Basketball took over the spotlight and Hot Rod became a favorite campus topic — remember the night he . . . and on and on it went . . . Lots of absences from class when the team took off for New York and the NCAA tournament. Little Man on Campus gained popularity when he pictured a prof saying And this is the most important class you ' ll have ... ... E veryone settled into a routine and the lucky ones went to the Lair for coffee — even at the expense of a cut in their 10 o ' clock classes. We dug in — or dug out — for the winter and Fraternity row climbed to the hill for a snowball battle as big men on campus became little boys again. The Stewarts threw a tomato juice cocktail party for campus leaders and foreign students ... a music major and a stu- dent from Formosa discussed classical versus jazz and others got free Spanish lessons. A professor commented : No one here won the new Ford — anyway, where would he park it? ' Then the Attorney general clarified the rules and the campus theme song became Oh where can I park my car? Anywhere! . . . Lhiiversity Senate took no action so the Council of Administration did and Mr. Gluck became a parking court judge and com- plained that someone was even parking in his space on a private lot. Courtesy weeks or hell weeks began and ended with big brothers giving up their pins for a few weeks . . . The Sig Ep door got painted white and the Delt rock red. and class became a place to catch up on sleep missed the night before. Bad cases of senioritus and spring fever and an epidemic of measles hit the campus with the warm weather late in February . . . Couples began to sit on porches and the wall in front of the library and more customers descended on Jimmies and the Spudnut Shop . . . there was a demand for ice cream at the dairy in Olgebay and the clocks went crazy in Armstrong Hall ... A few brave ones spent the after- noons at Cheat watching the lake and dancing . . . Gold- diggers Ball and a leap year TWERP week added to the fun . . . and there was always someone practicing softball in front of the Armory. New interests took over — the Jewish girls formed a local sorority, Mu Omega Tau. and Mountainlair started a Military Marriage class . . . Life Week brought Benjamin Reist to the students to discuss Who am I and in the interest of intellectual stimulation the ' Lair started a series of Sunday afternoon seminars and co-sponsored with Mortar Board the lecture series by professors on if this were the last lecture 1 should ever give . . . Organizations contributed toward a L niversity scholarship for a student from another country . . . Fraternity competition for the all- ear-cup became tougher. Twenty schools sent representatives here for the debates and high schoolers took over as tourney weekend approached . . . Tex Beneke and Les Elgart came and Mountainlair was filled with rustling dresses and complaints about the no tables rule. Fi Batar Minstrel was presented and warnings were heard that you better go the first night because they might not be allowed to present it twice . . . DG ' s won the traveling tro- phy from Sphinx at the talent show and the Sigma Chi ' s danced into first again . . . Students and town turned out and filled the field house for the Don Cossack chorus ... a class took up a collection to buy an alarm clock for a fellow that slept through his eight o ' clock. AWS took heart and gave the frosh women 9 o ' clock per- mission each night abolishing the old 7:30 code . . . Seniors got measured for caps and gowns and ordered announcements . . . We went to bed to dream of Cheat and woke up to find the ground covered with snow and cold weather seemed to be here to stay . . . Spring brought student govermiient elections and controversy over proportional representation and campus service planks . . . Interest lagged and it seemed to line up as straight ticket voting . . . Student Party brought out Athenaeum competition with the Daily Adenoid. Mid-semesters again and everyone looked forward to that week of Easter freedom . . . And April brought the promise of a Spring Spree with a field day of crazy contests and per- mission to wear Bermudas. Following Easter there was a general movement toward Jackson ' s Mill and Leadership Conference as the leaders de- cided what they ' d do with the students next year . . . New- officers moved in and seniors moved out and the strange feel- ing of no activities became a happy one. Spring formals and picnics and more students seemed to gaze out the windows than ever before . . . Song practice reached a peak as Sing competition drew near . . . and all the women gave thanks to Panhellenic for the bright blue robes that ended the fashion feud . . . Parents covered the campus and girls were awakened early in the morning by someone saying, You are being tapped . . . and Link Day became a day to remember forever ... It became a tradition to sing the Alma Mater and it was never more inspiring. It was almost over as work finished up and seniors prepared for the few finals they had and took off for a vacation or home and Senior Week while underclassmen seethed with envy. Then it was graduation and they lined up on Woodburn Circle to go to the Field House to hear Dr. Lawrence Stell give the baccalaureate address . . . but even those eager to be out will remember the little things that made up their four years at West Virginia lini ersity . . . Things like waiting at the mailbox to meet that sjiecial someone . . . memories of rainy mornings when it seemed you couldn ' t take Morgantown weather another day . . . a picture of High Street with the sidewalks rolled up for the night . . . and the inviting odor as you strolled by the Spud- nut Shop . . . Life in the dorm and frat houses ... or the night vour roommate got thrown in the shower for getting pinned . . . hearing the Alma Mater at football games and the pleasure of seeing the blue flag fly over the Armory . . . Birthday dinners . . . and long lines at the bookstore . . . going to Blue ' s for a shoeshine . . . flipping cards for the Spiriteers or watching Hot Rod shoot from one knee . . . The sound of chimes from the Ad Building or the blast of the Mountaineer ' s rifle . . . and that enlightening day when you discovered one of your professors was human too . . . all a part of this year at WVU. 19

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T last. AKE A LOOK at the year . . . fur freshmen, perhaps their first look at the Ihiiversity . . . for Seniors, perhaps their A LOO Freshmen invaded the campus early in September pre- ceded only bv the boys from fraternity row coming back to scruli and paint . . . Guides assigned to keep the dorm quiet were reported by the freshmen for making too much noise . . . Rush week — when only the most daring or uncaring frat man appeared without a tie and jacket — came and went with only a little confusion over party nights and pledge pins . . . Women settled down — not to study but to a rush of afternoon parties and evening parties with showboats and circuses . . . Class cuts began to add up to skit practice sessions . . . After a day of silence — tears and triumph for pledges. Mums and alums and Homecoming — and drenching rains turned floats and house decorations to masses of wet paper but didn ' t dampen the enthusiasm . . . Kris Svensson reigned with poise as queen. Parking meters climbed High Street and student protests cost the town money. AT T IB E ] V E A D8 I ! II B ] V I B{ 1»V An understatement — enthusiasm ran high before the Pitt game . . . parties turned to a pantie raid at Terrace and sorority houses . . . Several studious boys made a pre-game excursion to the Pitt campus leaving mementoes of their visit on the walls of the stadium and returned with kind thoughts about Pitt ' s athletic director . . . The bank above the drill field was filled with fans as the team left, followed by an exodus en masse of the student body ... it was a long game and an even lon ger ride home to Morguetown. Reynolds was filled for the appearance of Pearl Primus and the Phi Betes did things up in a big way as Senator Hu- bert Humphrey spoke at the celebration of the 179th anni- versary. ISA was successfully organized for the first time and took on ambitious projects . . . building the Mountaineer for the stadium, a formal, and sponsorship of Bernadine — and advocated a policy of no politics. Bigger and better was Mountaineer Weekend with everyone turned out in traditional mountain dress to see the game and Oueen Ann . . . we almost had to parade around the sta- dium but the Morgantown merchants came through with $.50 and saved the tradition of marching down High Street . . . Students seemed to have more enthusiasm than before . . . the dance was crowded and carnival gained new life as visitors tried to shave balloons or send telegrams to friends in the dorms. Mid-semesters came all too soon and a three-day Thanks- giving break was more than welcome . . . overheard con- versation: Don ' t feel bad about making 40 — I got a 19. It was a long pull to Christmas . . . hours were cheered by Men ' s Pan and Cadet Hop and presentation of Caine Mutiny Court Martial. . . . Everyone declined to work on term papers till the holidays . . . Practice began on Christ- mas carols and the women did a turn about and serenaded the men . . . Parties for children and dates and Christmas spirit filled the air as teachers turned their classes out early for the long trip home. Glad to be back but just one more week would have finished that studying . . . and here are finals already . . . Library became more crowded and houses quieter but the bridge games went on as ever . . . Story is spread about the student who asked to leave 15 minutes after a 3-hour exam began. 18

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