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

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P.E., were already filled, and | ended up with an English class at 5:10 on Monday nights.” At the other extreme was sophomore Billy Thompson, a predentistry major from Nashville, who registered in the next-to-last group. “| was all ready to get bombed out, but | was quite shocked. No troubles and no hassles!” Thompson's roommate, A.T. Step hens, who registered only a half hour before, had the same story. “It wasn’t that hairy,” Stephens said. ‘The classes | wanted in English were closed, but | just went through ‘drop-add’ later.” A person's side of the story depended on his side of the table. Teachers, deans and department heads endured the heat, too, but they gave instead of took computer cards and heard instead of improvised sob stories. Dr. James Heldman, English department head, saw climactic events at the English tables. “Fall registration is always bad for us, but it was the most hectic registration I’ve been through,” Heldman said. “We were so swamped the students were backed up to the business administration tables and we had to get Dean Jenkins a theatre rope to keep the lines separated.” Heldman said the situation was caused by three factors: the pre-registration from fresh- men, the unavoidable schedule changes and the new English 055 requirement. A non-credit course entitled ‘Introduction to College English,” numbered English 055, was required of all freshmen who scored below 14 in the verbal section of the ACT test. Over 300 students enrolled in the 24 sections which were not listed in schedule bulletin. Heldman also explained his maneuvers and responsibilities as a department head at registration. “| keep an eye on the en- rollment in each section and try to keep it uniform,” he said. “| also try to anticipate about half-way through if we need more sections opened. If so, that means finding a room, teacher and cards for the new class. The whole time I’m just hoping | don't make any mistakes | can’t solve later.” Also on the other side of the table was Karen Durham, a senior from Harrodsburg. Miss Durham worked for the Office of the Registrar taking up packet envelopes and information sheets on the upper concourse. “This was my sixth consecutive semester so it was pretty routine,” she said. “| think it’s the best table because we're not so busy that we can’t stop and talk to people.” Like good literature, the memories of another registration live on. Although every person registering for classes is touched by different experiences, the stories that result from those hectic August days remain on the required reading list at Western year after year. @ Lines were backed up at the mass communications table as students tried to squeeze into classes already filled by preregistration. A total of 479 mass com- munications majors was enrolled in fall 1975 as com- pared to 444 in the 1974 school year. the | Registration in the fall had a different meaning for everybody. For nine-month-old Brandy Shelly, it meant boredom as her mother Barbara, who commutes every other day from Franklin, signed up for 12 hours of general classes. An article in the Aug. 25 issue of Time magazine about the low literacy level of incoming college students caught the attention of Catherine Ward, who teaches English O55 — a non-credit course for freshmen who score below 14 in the verbal section of the ACT test. Jill Chandler and Megan Bradford experienced frustration as Miss Chandler could not get a needed art course. Although Miss Brad- ford got all the classes she planned and completed registration quickly, she lent moral support to her friend. i Registration

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1G Long lines, filled classes and scorching temperatures combined to make August registration... A Not-So-Shert Steer R egistration resembled a literature anthology: a collection of varied stories in- volving numerous characters, roles and situa- tions. Like literary pieces, the registration tales range from adventurous to melodrama- tic, and from routine to ridiculous. But the stories all had a common setting—95 degree Diddle Arena. Two factors influenced the role played by each character: last name and classification. Seniors, graduate students and transfers in a-to-z fashion got to sweat first. “| was so hot that | would bend over a table and the sweat would roll off,” said Dan Meadows, a graduate assistant from Lebanon Junction. Besides the heat, Meadows complained about confusing signs at the car registration tables but admitted that as a graduate student, “it was the easiest of all registrations.” After this opening scene, the unprepared, unsuspecting, un-preregistered freshman was introduced into the plot. ‘| didn't pre- register because of my summer job,” said Terri Pesoat of Paducah. ‘There were two Registration classes | wanted real bad but were closed. | thought | was going to suffocate or faint in the English department line.” To appreciate this drama, some back- ground material is needed. For the first time, Western offered freshmen a choice of a summer or fall OAR (orientation, advisement and registration). If the beginning student preferred a summer headstart, the Office of Admissions assigned him to either June 18 or June 25, the days on which the summer OAR program was offered. Beginning with a general orientation in Van Meter auditorium, students finished off summer OAR in one day. Parents were also invited and open house was in effect across campus. After an advisement session from the student's assigned adviser, easy registration took place in Garrett Conference Center. The only resemblance to the real thing in Diddle Arena was the packet and the alpha- betical scheduling. There were no class cards. The students merely completed the yellow-striped registrar's card, went to three stations to wait for the hours to be totaled, then ambled to the registrar's office where they were registered by computer. “It was a big load off my mind,” said Nancy Booker, a Bowling Green freshman who took advantage of summer OAR. “There were plenty of people there to help you. When you begin college, you've got enough hassles without registration. In the spring, I’m going to feel green,’’ she continued. “I’m going to be one big nerve when | register then.” With the A-Br’s in the lead, the under- graduate scramble came at 1 p.m., Tuesday, August 26 after the exit of the first-time freshmen. “| didn’t expect any trouble since | was at the beginning of the alphabet,’’ said Chuck Beckman, a sophomore from Evans- ville, Ind. “But two classes, English and Problems with arranging a schedule prompted Bill Kiessling to do some heavy t hinking at fall registra- tion. The junior accounting major from Edison, N.J., said he got stuck with too many early morning classes. He has an 8 a.m. class every day of the week. ie i Pa er i 0 ¢ 43 hi jana

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18 For freshmen encountering a new experience, the first week of school fostered plenty of... The first week of college for the freshman blended into a garbled mixture of finding the best buy on books for the semester, learning gourmet ways of preparing grilled cheese and peas in the dormitory and finding out the hard way not to mix the colored clothes with the white ones at the laundry. Freshmen, ones who were both familiar and unfamiliar with the city of Bowling Green before enrolling, came to campus and had experiences the first week of school, Aug. 23-30, they will not be able to forget. Ever. According to studies taken through the office of Dr. Ronnie Sutton, dean of scholas- tic development, 4,000 freshmen enrolled in the fall semester, approximately half men and half women. The figures showed the average student came from a home within 100 miles of Bowling Green, was 18 years old and had a high school grade point average of 3.0, or “B.” To top it off, the freshmen all shared primarily the same problems when they came the first week. For instance, freshmen had the new ex- perience of foraging for their own meals, and the recently remodeled dormitory kitchens proved to be useful in this. area. The general procedure for most freshmen the first week appeared to be fixing meals at the dormitory as much as possible. Benna Pryor, a resident of South Hall from Leitchfield, said she and her roommate got groceries right away and split the cost down the middle. ‘We fixed our food, so buying groceries ended up saving us money,” Miss Pryor said. Three freshmen males, Dave Gregory, Richard Crumbie and Brad Simpson, pur- chased meal tickets to eat in Garrett cafe- teria. Gregory described the food as ‘‘typical, fair lunchroom food.’’ Crumbie said he did not like walking all the way up the hill from the men’s dormitories, and Simpson said, “The food is okay, but those employees aren't really out to satisfy you.” Activities on campus were varied for students coming for the first week of school. Roommates Donnie Thomas and Teddy Burfict went on one of their bi- weekly shopping trips to a chain grocery to compen- sate for what they failed to bring from home. The two said they shared the cost. Students gathered after the first day of classes to watch the football team practice under the night lights to avoid the heat. Coach “Butch” Gilbert said the team returned on Aug. 13 and began practicing after two days of briefing and instruction. Leslye Wallace wrote the first of her weekly letters home to her parents as she waited for her boyfriend to accompany her to the laundry. Miss Wallace said she does her laundry about once a week and it costs her approximately two dollars each time. First Week [nch-high feelings and second thoughts