Yale University - Banner / Pot Pourri Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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X v , A is .Jo15nas. y .. i i fi! X .2 r a I 41? expected to derive little or no benefit from future military service that to bring back those happy, golden, bygone days of Yale's ascendancy on the gridiron and the other fields of athletic endeavor would neces- sitate a sacrificing of the traditionally amateur character of Yale's sports, most were unwilling to make such a sacrifice in the form of athletic scholarships. Social One of every four Yale men belongs to one of the nine social fraternities on campus. There seems to be general satisfaction with the fraternity sys- tem itself, particularly among the members them- selves: 85? of fraternity men believe that there are enough men in fraternities, 75622: that they would join the same fraternity if given the oppor- tunity again. The prestige value of these organi- zations is low: most Yale men f60Zj are never impressedv by a man's membership in a particular fraternity. The white buckv school of thought concern- ing proper dress is witnessing a sharp decline in Eastern collegiate circles, but a new synonym for in the know, the right guy, etc. has derived its name from this movement which has spas- modically swept the country. Only 4261 wear white buckskin shoes, only half that number feel that they are shoe, Two-thirds think that 10-30? of Yale men are shoe, but the percent who consider themselves members of this group estimate the figures higher. Twenty-two Colleges ' The most striking fact about the Yale manls reaction to his college is his passivity. Location is the largest 09705 single factor in determining choice of a collegeg four-fifths say a student's membership in a particular college never affects an estimate of him. This lessening importance of the college in university life is further manifested in the facts that: aj only 15? feel that acquaintances with the faculty member and fellows of the college is as great as desired: bj half the students feel that the social pro- gram provided by the colleges is inadequate cj only 43? feel that the colleges could suc- cessfully replace the fraternities. The general dissatisfaction with the college sys- tem as it is presently conceived infects administra- tion as well as students. How long will the colleges continue as glorified dormitories, the fraternities as glorified barsv? These were questions in which were to be found the seeds of discontent and the demand for reform. Many found neither colleges nor fraternities adequate, crying for a plague o' both your houses. Habits Half of Yale smokes, four-fifths drink. The figure for non-drinkers in 1948 was 13mg this decreased imbibing is perhaps attributable to the departing of the veteran sector from the Yale scene. Apparently the Yale influence does not tend to increase either smoking or drinking appreciably, only one quarter of the smokers and drinkers began indulging after entering Yale. Rarely does the Yale man have time to do everything he wants to do, or even a small part of it. His leisure time is, however, a sacred por- tion of his life-he manages to maximize the opportunity for leisure, to set it, in many cases, above academic or intellectual striving. He reads only four novels a year but sees almost as many movies every month. Only 1327 read more than twentyi novels a year, approximately the same percentage see 120 movies per year. Visual enter- tainment is very much a part of the Yale scene, whether it be the Blackbeard the Pirate at the Roger Sherman or the Marciano fight on the college TV set. When he does read, it is usually a magazine. As in previous polls, the Luce publications were most popular by a comfortable margin with Life somewhat more, popular than Time. Jerry the newsie's cry of New Life, New Time, New York-

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uemsusr r warresane Six or more movies per month played a similar tendency as the prep-school sector fell to a three-fifths dominancyg a steadily rising flux of high school trained applicants seemed to indicate a continual leveling-off process in the immediate future. HE THINKS AND DOES . Academic More and more the Yale man, like other mem- bers of the college generation, was usinghis edu- cation with the idea of a future career in mind. The search for some sort of future security was reflected in the increased enrollment in the spe- cialized coursesg in its centennial year the En- gineering School was engaged in the training of over one-fifth of the student body. The greatest number majored in history, in 1953 there was less of the attitude, so prevalent in recent years, of making a success in the world of business simply because one was a Yale graduate. Only SW had averages under 70W, and one-third were members of the intellectual elite -the dean's list. lnflated grades had sent the gentleman's averagel' sky-rocketingg but the mark-lowering policy which was soon to come into effect bode no good for borderline cases. In- tellectual curiosity seemed to be on the down- grade, as less than ten percent audited courses. The Yale man spent an average of five hours a week studying for each course, and found the greatest enemies to study noise in rooms and laziness. Only one in three polled felt that he studied sufiiciently, and almost as many answered uyesv when asked Do you Hnd it easy to 'beat the game' and receive marks higher than you think to yourself that you deserve? fReferring to cram- ming, etc.j,' Studies seemed to be declining in importance in the undergraduate's mind, and few found that consistent work produced any appreciable results: in no grading area were those who studied less than four hours per week per subject less concentrated than those who studied up to nine hours per week per subject. The mark- ing system seemed to place a premium on I.Q., and relatively little value on diligent study. Extra-Curricular The Yale man has a strong desire for balance, for proficiency in many things. Yale, always an activity-ridden school, was more blessed-or cursed-than ever in 19535 F. Scott Fitzgerald,s observation that Princeton was for the social- minded, Harvard for the intellectuals and indi- vidualists, and Yale for the ambitious seemed to be just as accurate now as it was in 1920. Less than 40? felt that extra-curricular activities occupied an amount of time out of proportion to the benefit received from them. Three of five Yale men thought that extra-curricular activities were a measure of success in later life. Only one-fourth of those asked had no opinion either pro or con concerning the question, Do you feel that the contributions of Torch and Aurelian justify their existence? reflecting, perhaps, a lack of awareness of, or interest in, the activities of the honor societies. Over half felt that senior societies should be allowed to continue in their present form. Some degree of dissatisfaetion was increasingly evident, but, in general, the apex of the Yale triangle of success remained unshaken by the Vitriolic at- tacks on the umumbo-jumbov behind which their activities were largely cloaked, and on the ancient tribal rites of Tap Day. Athletic Over 90170 feel that athletics at Yale are prop- erly emphasized, but considerably fewer partici- pate. The most striking increase in recent years has been in the interest in inter-college and intra- mural athletics: 7075 call them essential and im- portant activities. A substantial majority of Yale men are opposed to increasing intersectional games on the varsity athletic schedule. Most students seemed to realize Twenty-one

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ii, . af! V 3 er seemed admirably suited to his customers' tastes. The pocket-sized sex chronicles l.kewise had a rapid turnover on the shelves at Liggetts. One of five owns an automobile, while only 14'Zp consider the possession of a car useful and necessaryf' Cross-correlations conclusively indi- cate that car ownership has no appreciable effect on grades. The question of dating was a dominant factor in the series of crises which seemed to char- acterize life at Yale. Women, liquor, and no lights, was the description the Radclife News gave to a Yale weekend, and there were few who would argue its validity. The majority had two dates a month, smokers and drinkers, adding a third vice, had slightly more extensive dating activity. Almost half favored a weekend in New Haven to a date at a girls' college or in New York or Boston. The parietal regulations were the object of some tight squeezes and some notable violations. Two of three Yale men prefer Smith or Vassar to any other women's college, and the Bermuda shorts, so conspicuous on York Street in the spring, testify eloquently to this popularity. Military Service Five years ago three in five Yale men were veterans, today this figure is between 1 and ZW. Almost half of all students are members of one of the three branches of R.O.T.C., with the Depart- ment of Air Science alone representing nearly one quarter. About 75? see a khaki-colored fu- ture, which, in light of the present situation, would seem to indicate a fundamental acceptance of reality. But the characteristic attitude seems to be one of desire to remain out of the service as long as possibleg this desire, perhaps, is less a lack of patriotism than a disillusionment with the world with which they are faced after graduation -a world in which Americans are fighting a limited war, but a war in which death and injury seem remarkably unlimited. Few have illusions about the service: 8512 think two years' service in the armed forces will be of moderate or of little or no value. At the same time more than two-thirds favor universal military training. The results of the questions on this subject are a strange mixture of acceptance of the world situation with all its implications, and a desire to forego the heavy responsibilities and obligations left to this generation by those who have gone before. In a sense, this confusion and uncertainty seems to be characteristic of much of the attitude of the Silent Generation. Goals There was little evidence of any clearly defined set of goals in the Yale man's plans for life after college. Work, advanced study, marriage, a family -these were uppermost in his mind, but, like many of his ambitions and his hopes, his plans and his projects, they were sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought. The impending danger of war and military service seemed to be throwing ice water on the traditionally impetuous and tempestu- ous aspirations of youth. More than a third were undecided on a future career. There was little romanticism, little of the rushing into marriage which had become almost an expected part of the American scene in war time. The pollees were asked: Assuming you are engaged before leaving college and expected to enter the service immediately thereafter, would you . . . g almost half checked the alternative wait until after your service was done. Only one Yale man in a hundred thought that the best time for a college man to marry was during college. His goals at Yale show a considerably greater degree of decision and definition, but the cleavage between what he wants and what he is willing to go out and get is striking. Almost one half think that studies will be, in later life, the most valuable aspect of the Yale experienceg the same Bacchus holds sway with Venus-Drinking men averaged more dates I I I- ' Q - 1 P I -X All J'-4-fi' 'T ,gg , affair. ,fi 1g..i if .5 'v E-Effrfzf j 2 ef. fffgavr-'Q-r 'P' f34a-ff , 1- '57 1153.--...Pl 11 pgy Twenty'-lbrve