( , The Exodus I Load 'elDup and move '.Itt out Walking around campus on a Friday afternoon one may have glimpsed a familiar occurrence. The location of the campus and its nearness to Little Rock, Memphis and many other cities, and towns allowed students the opportunity to travel, and many did. The mass exodus usually began around one o'clock Friday afternoon. Students often cut their last classes and as soon as suitcases were packed and car trunks loaded, they were off. By Friday evening t~e campus seemed deserted. The reasons for leaving were as varied as the places traveled to. One common reason, especially among freshmen, was homesickness. For many, college was the frist time to be away from home for an extended period of time. Several students left a special someone when they came to school. Boyfriends and girlfriends 28 The Exodus that were back home provid ·d new label could be tagged to Haranother motivation to leave f r liwtfing to describe weekends: the the weekend. "suitcas_e college." After the busy Another aspect that was a hustle and busde during the week, shared cause was just the need to the pace of the weekend was much "get away." The mounting pres- slower. A calm, peaceful quiet setsures of dorm life, classes and tied over the campus and it almost testing often buHt up so much ten- seemed deserted . sian that students just wanted to To some t~e cart'Pus may have get away from campus for a cou- been boring, but' others enjoyed pie of nights. Relatives or close the serenity ana used the time to friends living nearby extended get caught up on studies, do launopen doors to visiting students. dry and even throw frsibee!; on Some, who did not have the he £ront~awn. The cafeteria lines time for an entire weekend off were consmerably shorter and campus, would just spend all of parking spaces weren't much of a Saturday in Little Rock, Heber problem to find. Seme students Springs or perhaps, Petit Jean even had dates, while others enMountain. An afternoon out at joyed the entertainment provided Wyldewood riding horses or by the Student Association. climbing B-rock often provided a Although this was no new tramway to escape from campus. tion, it was nevertheless irnporThe causes for leaving were tant to the students who exited the endless and the ef{ects it left on campus, to escape the tensions of campus life were numerous. A the-week. ~ _ Penny Bible
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