148 Harding students were scholars of more than just academic know~ ledge. The stated goal of the administration, faculty and staff was to "educate the whole person ," and because of it, there was a unique relationship established between the students and the hierarchy of educators. The faculty and administration at Harding were not afraid of losing "respec t" by becoming involved in the lives of their students. From hosting life sessions to eating in the cafeterias with the students, they proved to be friends and counselors as well as teachers. Perhaps it was most evident in the way they opened their homes to students. They accommodated the overflow from the dorms in the fall semester and welcomed students who had no place to stay when dorms were closed for holidays or intermissions. In spite of the fact that administrators and teachers at Harding received less pay than could be expected for people of their educational status, the majority of them were nevertheless ready to "go the second mile" for the students. Conducting study sessions , sponsoring organizations and organizing fie ld trips, teachers sought to make the academic experience a meaningful one. The curriculum lab, writing lab and speech clinic provided practical experience for the respective majors and services for other students. Yet, learning was more than just an on-campus experience. It occurred as well in sma ll country church buildings preaching; in a Little Rock hospital feeding a newborn baby or changing bedsheets; and knee-deep in a mud hole chasing insects. The learning process, based in the classroom was aided and cata - lyzed by the experiences of "doing it " outside the classroom. While the Student Association was the main bridge between the administration and students, there was a rapport between the two Scholars Introduction groups that was established outside the mediation of the SA. Although there was a big move to the Benson Auditorium, the tradition of an administrator conducting the chapel programs did not change. President Clifton L. Ganus Jr. maintained his "open door policy" to hear the complaints and suggestions of individual students. Academic Dean Joseph E. Pryor remained an active sponsor in several student organizations. Dean of Women Maribeth Downing became a counselor and friend to coeds by teaching a Bible class for the College church. Other administrators likewise expressed concern for students needs. Students were definitely on the receiving end of the relationship most of the time. While the students of the Home Economics department cooked lunch for the faculty one day each week and the SA hosted faculty families for trick-or-treating in the dorms on Halloween, there were actually few services performed by the students for the faculty and administration. Perhaps the balancing factor, however, was expressed by Associate Professor William Rushton who said, "It 's the enthusiasm of the young that keeps an older person alive." Wi th the switch to university status, there were organizational changes. Several of the "departments" became "schools"; several "heads of departments" became "deans of schools." Suddenly those obtaining a degree from Harding were graduates of a university instead of a college. In spite of the name changes, however, the basic relationship between students and faculty, and students and administrators was an aspect of Harding that remained the same. It was a relationship that was deeper than the superficiality of Student and Teacher Appreciation Days; it was a relationship that went beyond the walls of the classroom. ~ Lora Fleener and Carolyn Flinchum. Editors
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