When the sun rose on the Harding University campus on the first day of the 1984-85 school year, there was a certain glow in the faces of those who had returned from the previous year . The number of the "first time at Harding students" peaked at 821. Most had just graduated from high school and were away from home for the first time. After a brief period of homesickness , they soon caught from the upperclassmen a deep and genuine pride in "their university." The school pride that the upperclassmen had really began to take form in the Spring of 1984 in their support of the basketball team. The pride was best summed-up by Floyd Smith, a senior point guard on the basketball team who started the "Rowdies."At first , the "Rowdies"was a small group of Bison idealist. They believed the past was past, but the present was now - that anything can be done and any goal can be reached through practice, faith in God, and determination. The men's basketball team fell just one game short of capturing the NAIA District-17 Championship . This only seemed to ignite the rowdies and their numbers began to swell. Spring sports really benefited from the "Rowdies" and the tennis team was the first to feel the presence. In several key conference games students were strongly supportive of every Harding player throughout every match. Several of the "Rowdies" traveled with the team to support it away from the friendliness of the Bison "Compound." This support helped the baseball team to win the conference championship, something it had not done since 1938. The women's softball team also won the conference championship, in the first season the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference had sponsored women's sports. It was only the third year that Harding had fielded a women's team. With the beginning of the 1984 fall semester, "this new spirit" was evident in the fall intercollegiate sports. The men's cross country team was probably the strongest team that Harding had fielded and was favored to win the conference championship for the fourteenth consecutive year. The football team began its season with back-to-back victories. In the second year o~ conference participation in women's sports, the volleyball team, with strong fan backing, was much im· proved. As basketball practice began, both the men's and women's teams showed promise of much improved records over previous year and the beginning of winning traditions. Although "a new beginning"may have been most readily apparent in intercollegiate athletics, there were other areas of the University that were changing with the times. Change took place in the social club structure. The Delta Omega men's social club disbanded and the first coeducational social club - Echad - for single students was organized . A major goal of the club was continuous service and the founders believed that "through the different talents of men and women the goal could be achieved better by men and women working together." Induction of members into social clubs underwent major changes for the second consecutive year as the Interclub Council attempted to resolve major problems of the past. The induction period was shortened to two weeks and began two weeks later in the fall semester. A carefully planned and structured schedule of events was followed by every social club. 4 Sunrise Twenty Questions. Dee Tomlinson and Lori Cole try to answe r Charisse C lark's every question about S han tih Social Club. Shantih was one of the women 's social clubs that participated in the annua l ope n house on the front lawn. photo by' Todd Glover. '-
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