Wittenberg University - Witt Yearbook (Springfield, OH)

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Looking Forward with the Class of 1950 Along with the census-taker and the furor over give- away quiz programs, the Mid-Century Wittenberger has stepped into the picture of querying and questing. As each senior awaited the photo-snapping ordeal, a mimeographed sheet and a pistol were pointed at him. The weapon, of course, was to overcome any ontoward doubts or hesitation. The proffered paper %vas stuffed with questions run- ning the gamut of the students' opinions, desires, and hopes. There was some feeling that several of the items had a Rube Goldberg absurdity to them. Nevertheless, the questionnaire was fairly successful in probing the makep of the current senior class. Why bother with this? Well, we believe that this semi-centennial issue of the Wittenberger should pre- sent an accurate portrayal of the college and its graduating group. A close likeness is desired so that a true understanding of the present Wittenberg may be had by past and future students. So, a reaffirmation of a college concept: respect for the past and dedication to the future. In general, what v as aimed for was a look into the seniors' attitudes toward the future. This includes plans for living and occupation, and political and social ideas. There were two master sheets that told the story —one for women (96 of them) and one for men (161). Some interesting contrasts may be garnered by an ex- tended glance at the breakdown: Both sexes were overwhelmingly in favor of owning their own homes and of getting married before 1960. As to children, men wanted 3, while women thought an average of 3.6 youngsters would be just right. (Evident- ly the girls thought .6 of a child would be cheaper to feed than a whole one.) There was no such agreement in the matter of future wages desired. $133 per week was the masculine desired amount, while females came out for half that sum. This leads one to think that Wittenberg coeds are either more modest concerning their talents, or more realistic as to present-day wage scales for them. Each gender largely preferred a job that required settling down, and hoped for retirement ages ranging from 44.4 for women to 62 for men. On a choice of residence, half of those polled selected Ohio, with New York and California as poor runners- up. The rest of the votes were scattered among twenty other states and three foreign countries. Thirty-seven different occupations were chosen by the men, with business, education, and the ministry leading with their combined number added up to about one-half of the total. Housewifery and teaching received one-half of the female nod. with the remainder of the ballots spread among a diversity of jobs. These included such customarily non-feminine fields as accounting, law, and the ministry. Interestingly enough, a good portion of the males were undecided as to residence and type of work, while ALL the Jane Does had made up their minds. The overwhelming answer to one question provides a smoothly fitting key to the tenor of the values of these Wittenberg seniors. Quite hugely, the hope to be just content with life overrode the desire for riches or fame. This is an indication of an era of new standards with Horatio Alger and industry's robber barons leaving their pedestals. Loyally, the great majority of the stu- dents surveyed declared their intentions to remain working church members and actively interested alumni. (Note for future reference: Is this an encourag- ing trend or just an early, flickering promise?) Largely, too. participation in community politics was favored, though few planned to run for office. As regards the turn of the globe, the majority felt that benefits from atomic power will be seen in 10 years and that Com- munism will be on the wane. Yet, still, most believed another world war to be inevitable. Trimming the rough edges off this report, a brief sum- mary of the traits of these '50 seniors may be made. They are independent, unavaricious, God-loving, cau- tious, optimistic—and, yet. realistic.