Western Kentucky University - Talisman Yearbook (Bowling Green, KY)

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live in residence halls. Beginning in the fall of 1975, sophomores will also be required to live on campus. After a year of mandatory freshman housing, there have been comments made pro and con about the ruling. These com- ments have ranged from opinions like ‘It’s good to require student residence for at least one year,” to views that ‘The rule is dictatorial.” According to Ronald Byers, a Louisville senior, “The University made a wise de- cision in requiring freshmen to live in the dorm.” Byers said in addition to monetary reasons (the University said it was losing money on unfilled dorms), it is a good ex- perience for students to stay in dorms at least for a year. “Freshmen need dorm life,” said Byers. “Too much freedom can do more harm than good for most new students in studying.” A freshman from Louisville who did live in a dormitory for the first time in the fall was Debbie Renfrow. She said, “By living on campus, one is given a very good oppor- tunity to make new friends.” She described her dorm mates as ‘really friendly.” Asked about the mandatory rule, however, she said freshmen should be able to choose where they want to live because some stu- dents can afford apartments easier than they can dormitories. “Sophomores are broken in to college life and especially should be given Handicrafts while away hours, but supply utilitarian products when finished. Afghans, however, can be used for warmth before their completion. Freshman Barbara Goodall crochets a multi-colored afghan in her room in Rodes-Harlin Hall Exposed wires, bare pipes and overloaded electric sockets are hazards endured by some apartment dwell- ers for their off-campus freedom. With a corner of his basement apartment doubling as a bedroom and a study, Phil Turner reviews class notes in prone position 19) Housing

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} Privacy for a telephone call sometimes requires stretching the cord into the hall. Cheryl Davis finds the only comfortable position is to just sit on the residence hall floor while she enjoys her phone conversation Housing Bare walls and dusty desks face the dorm occupant after he has completed the tedious process of moving in. Polishing up on his domestic duties is Gary Kanter, a sophomore from Covington. Staggering under the load of boxes and suitcases, Dad mumbles under his breath as his wife and daughter struggle with the key to the new coed’s dorm room. Stumbling into the cubicle, he deposits his burden and himself on the bare mat- tress. He then tries to catch his breath as his wife and daughter exasperatedly stare at the blank walls. The coed’s vision of her dorm room looking exactly like the decorating jobs in Seventeen magazine fades before her eyes. Meanwhile, dis- enchantment with living accommodations also abounds in the men’s dorms. AI- though not expecting color coordination of bedspreads, rugs and curtains, males are also somewhat surprised at the bare look of their new home. Typical of fresh- man indoctrination into dormitory life, the first day brings the realization that some adjustments are in order. First of all, the student has to learn to make a bed from one side, because in all except one dorm, furniture is fastened to the floor. Finding a place for every posses- sion is the next almost insurmountable task. Next, something has to be done about the blank walls. Usually a trek to the bookstore for posters results in some improvement. Within days, fish nets, blacklights or mobiles grace the dormi- tory rooms. Faced with the choice of eating out every meal or learning to cook, the ad- venturesome freshman decides to utilize the dorm kitchens described in the hous- sing pamphlets. A refrigerator can be rented for a “nominal” fee. In spite of the kitchens in each dormi- tory, ingenious students utilize illegal popcorn poppers for cooking, in order to avoid the 6 o'clock kitchen rush. Actual- ly, the intended purpose of the popper is rarely put to use because of the distinc- tive odor of popcorn. The cook runs the risk of being sniffed out by a rule-enforc- ing resident assistant. Amateurs usually stick to heating soup, while gourmets whip up ravioli, bacon or fried eggs. Moving off-campus into an apartment does not solve all the problems either. What seemed to be the perfect off-cam- pus haven during the summer does a turn- about as soon as the fall term begins. Faucets drip, floors creak and hot water does not exist. After all, some con- veniences must be sacrificed for freedom. Dishes soon begin to pile up in an al- ready overflowing sink, while dirt rings decorate the bathtub. The off-campus dweller finds his ‘free’ time taken up by housecleaning chores. f Even though dream homes are seldom found for student living, both dormitories and apartments offer their own peculiar advantages and disadvantages. Before the beginning of the 1974 fall semester, students could choose whether to live on campus or off. A mandatory housing rule now requires freshmen to

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A PLAGE TO CALL YOUR OWN ... Open house in the dorms does not always mean loud parties. Annie Embry and Bill Jackson work together on a pair of leather moccasins When it was announced that deans would help en- force dormitory visitation rules, students were dis- gruntled because of this supervision. Charles Keown, dean of student affairs, fits in with the Central group. OWA —ommammen Housing the choice,’ said Miss Renfrow. Some complaints about the mandatory rule and dormitories in general were par- tially eliminated by an improvement program initiated by the University. In an attempt to get students to think of the dormitory as more than just a place to live, renovations were planned and executed by the student affairs and housing offices. These renova- tions were made in several areas. One change consisted of putting multi-purpose rooms in all the dormitories. Kitchens were also installed in dorms which did not already have them. These kit- chen facilities were installed on the ratio of approximately one kitchen for every 40 students. Other improvements included the instal- lation of paneling and carpeting and the establishment of study rooms. For study rooms in the dormitories, the University put insulation around the doors. The rooms are not entirely soundproof but are established away from the noise centers. With the new lounges and multi-purpose rooms, activity programs were also planned. According to Larry Berry, assistant dean of student affairs, “The University hopes to get away from words like dormitory and hall and substitute the word ‘community’. Other major changes in dormitory policy were in the areas of visitation, security and rent. Visitations were increased from six to 12 per year and length of visitation was ex- tended from four to five hours. Women’s halls voted to distribute the open houses equally between Friday, Saturday and Sun- day, while men’s halls voted to have visi- tation only on Friday and Saturday. Security measures were also increased for dormitories. In January, the exit and wing doors in all women’s halls were locked per- manently as an extra security measure. Ac- cording to University officials, the action was taken only as a precautionary measure. One men’s dormitory, Barnes-Campbell, was also affected due to the existence of an entrance which persons can enter unseen. In the area of rent, the Board of Regents voted to increase dormitory rent $15. The rate hike was the second increase in a year, and was to take effect with the 1975 a