As an introduction to student life, the Petit Jean felt that to thoroughly couer the year of 1979 (or any year for that matter) , we should d iscuss an eleme nt of life at Harding which must be faced by every student at least once a day. rom atop the Ad~ min is tr a t ion BU ilding it looks like a thin snake, stretched from the portals of Pattie Cobb to the lily pool. From the beginning of the lu nch line, looking back, it ap ~ pea rs to be endless. From the end of the line, looking ahead, it ap ~ pears that you won ' t make it to you r 12 :30 class . During the month of November (known in Ark a nsas as the M onsoon Season), it is quite a colorful sight. as it is covered by a ca nopy of umbre llas held by the patient studen ts who are standing ankle deep in water on the flooded sidewalks. It would be expected of the average person to be very irritat ed in such a situation. However, in addition to receivi ng endurance skills necessary for pl edge week, all~nighters, taking notes in Linda Davis' classes, memorizing Jimmy All en's books , finding a parking place (closer than Wal ~ Ma rt ) and paying bills with money that is never seen or held in the hand , students have developed passive, matter -of-fact attitudes toward the many long tines for anything at Harding . To be fair in our coverage of this campus phenomena , the Petit Jean interviewed students at random. The average student felt that he waits approximate ly 30 to 45 minutes in lines around campus on the average day . It was the general consensus that the supper line was the one most necessarily frequent ed. "Anytime you go to supper between 4:30 and 6:00 , there is a line in which you must stand, " said one senior student. (Coin - cidenta ll y, it was discovered that about 40 percent of those interviewed skipped lunch because the cafe teria line was 100 long.) The Petit Jean asked what lines were most irritating to students . Many of the expected answers ... LINES for the Student ASSOCiation Book Sale the first week of school begin about two hours before the actual sale begins . were given: lines for a phone, for SA movies , for registration , in the bookstore , in the student center between classes, for washers and dryers in the laundry. However, most students seem to have accepted these lines as necessary "thorns in the fl esh ." Interestingly. several other lines were suggested as being particularly irritating. More th an once, the lines out of chapel were mentioned. (Sorry, Dr. Ganus , the one -minute fire drill evacua - tion of chape l doesn't happen everyday,) "What gets me," sa id one senior , "is that I have to stand in line to pay my bill. I even missed a class one time! I mean, after a while. you lose the desire to pay it anymore , Mel anie Watson said the line that perturbed her most was the one to the club boxes: "I mean, there could be a really impo rtant message for you in your club box and you'd never get it because of all the people crowded around trying to get to thei r club boxes. The meeting could al ready be ove r by the time you get to the club box." Other such surpr ising lines revealed in the survey were: to water fountains, to check out library books, to take morning showers, to use the Xerox machine . to get change from the dorm mothers and to fill out chapel excuses. Even graduation lines were ment ioned . Before this article is closed, some mention should be made of the dreaded villains associated with the se sit uati o ns: line breakers, They can be found near (or in) every line anywhere on campus. They are chastised by the Student Association and despised by those in line behind them. There has been recent discussions on punishment of these offenders. However , in all fairness it should be s ubmi tt ed tha; perhaps these "criminals" are victims of social circumstance ; driven to their fe lon ies by hunger , ti red feet , pressing sched ul es or perhaps by the encouragemen t of their club buddies who a re break ~ lng. However , if eventually line breakers are prosecuted, those who let line breakers break should be considered guilty of misde~ meanors. If , indeed, nothing ca n be done about the long lines on campus, the Petit Jean suggests that Har~ ding make the best of a bad situa ~ tion, Adding to our feat of the World's La rgest Pizza, we could assemb le the World 's Longest Line , f,\.-5 low line Team coul d be formed for competi tion against Ouachita , H enderson and the University of Central Arkansas. (Fans could be c all ed lin e backers.) Standing P ,E. classes could be offered to get muscles in tone for the long waits. Support hose should be the on ly type of hosiery worn by female students. This survey has raised man y questions for considerati on: SirtCe students appear to be more ir - ri tated by short lines than long lines , should a ll lines be made long? If 40 percent of stude nts skipped lunch in 1979 because of long lines , what percentage will skip in 1980 when there is one "What's my line?" -the Harding phenomenon chapel and ove r 2 ,800 st udents converge on the cafeterias at one time? Should class skips be al ~ lowed for students paying their bills? Should the doors of the new auditorium be made wider? Should club meetings be sc h e d ~ uled a month in advance! Would grade point averages be higher if students studied while wai ting in lines? Finally, what effect will Har ~ ding becoming a universi ty have on lines? These and other questions related to the line issue must be investigated by a future volume of the Petit Jean or the "Fifth Col~ umn" of the Bison . In summary , it is sufficient to close with a question raised by one student who was interviewed: "What is the shortest distance bet - ween two lines?" Life Insights ~ 15
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