16 In the beginning. • • T he year began as many years do; moving in, setting UP. exploring the campus, encountering new faces, and of CQurse, starting classes. But 1980-81 was to continue to be a year of beginnings. For freshmen, the very pursuit of college life was a beginning. Many adjustments were required in the step. '7he biggest change was from being home all the time to not seeing yOUf parents for two months," commented Ken Bissell. "It's kind of depressing at first." "Another thing is you have to start at the .....>-Qottonn," he added, ''Sometimes you take a of I thought everyone would be equal, but it 's like being in the ninth grade again." But even as there were adjustments to be made. there were opportunities for positive change as well . "When you go to college, you can completely change your lifestyle," Kay Williams observed. "I never imagined the girls would be so good lookingl" chipped in Bissell. Jim Murphy concurred, "The best thing about going to college is the independence and females." For upperclassmen . the advent of college was likewise a time of beginnings. The classes tended to be harder, albeit more interesting. Friendships deepened into the lifelong variety. Becoming more adventuresome, students tried an assortment of activities. "I taught a Bible class which was very rewarding," revealed Skip Bradley as he discussed his firsts. living accommodations were also more versatile. From the highly supervised dorms, several students moved to the more relaxed atmosphere of a campus house, and a few experienced their ftrst truly independent accommodation - an apartment. Spiritually, new beginnings were sought. "It's easy to stagnate spiritually," one junior commented. lilt's all around you, and you can get so caught up in 'spiritual' activities that you forget that it has to be a personal thing," Another added, "I learned that males should be the spiritual leaders. I never knew that before." Through the year. beginnings seemed to be limitless. After a weekend, Manoays heralded the return to classes . -Red eyes vouched for students' past activities at the beginning of each four weeks. "Everything went smoothly until I received my mi<kemester grades. Then I reaIized how terrible my study habits were," noted one student. "I'm just beginning to learn how to study. There's a lot of difTerence in the hours you take in college and the ones you take in high school." Financial strains caused some students to begin working to have a little spare cash. "It helps if you have a little money - socially and physically. That way you can go out to eaU" observed Murphy wryly. World events did permeate the sheltered atmosphere to affect the lives of the students. The Republican slogan "A New Beginning" was prophetic. The country began four years under a new leader who promised a new era of spirituality and decisiveness. Weather talk was on the lips of everyone as the unusually hot summer was followed by an unseasonably warm winter. The hostages were finally released from Iran introducing a time of patriotic fervor and - JimMwpIq ABO,,£: BEGINNING 1M cycle over again, Jill Maddox. daughler oj Tom Maddox. Accounting tetzCher. became Q HQrdingit~ at birth. RIGHT: BISON MASCOT Bobby Slok.. burslS oul O/IM foo/ball p;1IQta at the firs/foo/ball game. - Yo KII~ In Ihe Beginning hope . For the University. the year was also a year of firsts, of beginnings. A gymnastics club, fencing club, a men's and women's soical club, and a new little Ganus were born. It was the first complete year of chapel in Mount Benson. The announcements in chapel became creative and stuntful. Steve Awtrey presented a slide show - without the projector - adding comments such as, "And this is a picture of .. ," A spelunker descended rapidly, U~~1~::'~.;~~:~:~, much aid from her rope, from onto the stage and a hapless cheerleader. A. new mascot, a great galloping Bison, graced the fields of athletic events. Excited by his efforts, several Harding men got in on the cheerleading act. A Choral Fest composed of some eight hundred voices resounded in the Benson Auditorium. The Academy was torn down, and the new Business building was begun. It was the first year for the Family Ufe Center, for Girls' Softball, the College Bowl, and for Stepping Out, an evangelistic outreach program. Journalistically speaking, it was also a year of firsts. The Petll JeaD had no Business Manager, the Bison sported two editors, and the Credille. a religious publication by students, was begun. When the year was over, it had truly been a year of beginnings. And in the final analysis, the end was just another beginning. - Melllnie McMUlen
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