“School Spirit”
York College has always been not only a great place to learn, but a great place to meet new people and experience new things. Frank Mussano, EdD, current dean of administrative services, and student activities director in 1979, believes one of the keys to the College’s success over the last 30 years has been the community or “school spirit” on campus.
“I remember walking across campus – which was half the size – in 1979 and seeing students hanging out between classes or playing a game of flag football on the lawn,” he said. “Campus was the place to be, even when you weren’t in class.”
One of the few times Mussano remembers the campus lawn being empty was during basketball games in the old Wolf Gym. Many of the 2,004 students that attended York College in 1979 would pack onto the bleachers and floors of the gym – with painted faces and felt pennants in their hands – to show their “school spirit.”
“When the games were over, everyone would head over to ‘The Pub’ (known today as the Spart’s Den) and the game room (known today as the William Walker Room),” he said.
Mussano worked closely with the Student Senate booking local bands in The Pub and larger concerts in Wolf Gym. For some concerts, such as James Taylor and Peter Frampton, they needed an even larger venue.
“Because some performers were so popular at the time, we had to rent the York Fair Grandstand to accommodate all of our students and the community,” he said.
He admits, at that time, selling tickets to campus events was easy.
“Every event, from concerts to formals, was sold out almost immediately,” he said.
Some of the other well-known performers that came to campus in the late ’70s were David Brenner, Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. Student organizations, including many of the fraternities and sororities on campus, pitched in to help during concerts by selling tickets or acting as roadies or security for the performers who came to campus.
Keith Brown ’79 (Plano, Texas) can still remember Billy Joel’s visit to campus.
“My fraternity, Omega Theta Chi (known today as Kappa Delta Phi), helped set up the stage, and I was able to meet him,” said Brown.
Brown also recalls when the comedian Robert Klein came to campus. Klein signed Brown’s cast, which covered a broken wrist he sustained while playing floor hockey, one of the intramural sports in which his fraternity participated.
“Greeks were involved in just about everything,” Mussano said. “This included intramural sports, which was booming with interest, and community service, which is still a huge part of Greek life today.”
Despite the perception of Greek life in movies of the ’70s such as “Animal House”, Mussano believes that students in 1979 were “reasonable” and were aware of the effects of alcohol abuse because of campus programming.
“Greek life was a great way to network and make lifelong friends,” he said. “I saw more positives than negatives.”
Did you know…
The Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XIII against the Dallas Cowboys in 1979 and Super Bowl XLII against the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.
Fostering Interaction Today
The Internet can be a blessing and a curse on a college campus. On one hand, it allows students to have useful information at their fingertips. On the other hand, it can sometimes limit face-to-face interactions, making it more difficult to get students’ attention.
“Much of today’s communication occurs through the Internet,” said Terri Cooke, current director of student activities and orientation. “In order to get students involved and eventually interact face-to-face, we need to make the initial contact through the communication vehicle with which they are most comfortable.”
Because students are more likely to browse Facebook or MySpace pages to get their information rather than the College’s Web site, the Student Activities Office relies on student committees such as the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to post information about campus activities on the social networking sites.
“CAB does a lot to promote events online through Facebook,” said Alison Werdt ’10 (Harrisburg, Pa.), CAB publications chair. “Because this social networking site is so popular, it’s a great medium to reach students.”
According to Werdt, CAB members create Facebook events and invite all of their friends, who are then welcome to invite their friends.
“It has a viral effect,” she said.
While Werdt admits there are many perks to having the Internet at her fingertips, she believes it can sometimes make students lazy and impatient when dealing with other methods of communication.
“We are unlikely to read an article in the newspaper about a cool event coming up on campus because we want to know what’s going on in one or two sentences,” she said. “That is rarely possible, so students miss out on that information. We often trade potential knowledge for speed.”
To help organizations and clubs reach students quickly and effectively, Cooke and her staff offer advice to the groups’ leaders regarding the best methods to reach their audiences. With over 90 clubs, organizations and teams at York competing for students’ time, groups must stand out to draw interest.
“The marketing has to be more attractive and creative,” she said. “They cannot just rely on two-dimensional posters or the Internet.”
Greek life, which has experienced a national decline over the last decade, recently saw a spike in popularity at York College partly due to the presence of Greek organizations on many social networking sites, and partly due to a series of well-designed posters geared toward college students today.
“We are definitely generating more interest than a few years ago,” said Cooke.
Cooke doesn’t know the exact reason for the increase in popularity in Greek life at York, but believes it is a result of the marketing and the need for students to be a part of a group of like-minded individuals, as was the case 30 years ago.
“Fraternities and sororities comprise nine percent of overall York College students,” said Cooke. “We hope that percentage steadily increases.”
Cooke believes many other student organizations will continue to increase in popularity as they learn to market themselves in various ways.
“The activities are definitely here,” she said. “We need to give students the information in the ways that they want it.”
Cooke is confident students will leave the comfort of their residence halls or apartments to enjoy everything the College has to offer. Like the graduates who walked in their shoes 30 years ago, students today still have that same sense of “school spirit.”
“During the women’s basketball playoffs this year, thousands of students lined the bleachers of the new Wolf Gym with painted faces and Spartan T-shirts,” Cooke added. “They showed so much pride for their school and each other.”
Did you know…
When the Three Mile Island accident occurred in the early morning of March 28, 1979, local news downplayed the incident, leading Mussano to move forward that evening with scheduled campus performances by Pure Prairie League and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The performances were not cancelled, but near the end of the show the bands’ management relayed national media reports that a partial core meltdown had occurred.
The Country Now and Then
More than 700 proud students received their diplomas during this spring’s commencement ceremony. Similar to the 370 grads who received their diplomas in the spring of 1979, they are entering a world full of crisis at home and abroad.
Over the last year, the economy has become the number one topic of discussion, from the kitchen table to the senate floor. With college grads facing the worst job market in years, it is hard for many of us to believe things will ever get better. But in fact, if history repeats itself, our best bet may be to exercise some patience.
“While the job market was stable in 1979, the country was dealing with double-digit inflation,” said Peter Levy, PhD, history and political science professor and chair. “It needed to be reduced quickly despite the consequences.”
In October of 1979, a new chairman of the Federal Reserve, Paul Volcker, took office with the intent to bring down inflation. He created a package that was criticized by pundits – and the struggling construction sector – for not having an immediate impact. (Does that sound eerily similar to today?)
Despite a rise in interest rates and unemployment in 1980, inflation, which surpassed 11 percent in 1979, fell to under five percent and has continued to remain low since that time.
“This was an example of how public policy can get the job done,” said Levy.
The 2009 economic turndown is said to be the most severe since the Great Depression. The government believed that the only way to avoid a full-scale depression was action by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Congress and the Obama Administration in the form of a $787-billion stimulus package designed to create and retain jobs.
Though the immediate impact of the plan was weak, it is still possible that the country will see the economic changes it desperately needs.
“The similarities in both years lead me to believe we may have a few more bumps in the road before the American people get results,” he said.
Fortunately for President Barack Obama and the American people, former Chairman Volcker agreed to brief the President and his economic team on how the stimulus package is working. Volcker, perhaps one of the world’s most respected economists, also agreed to lead Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board charged with injecting fresh, outside ideas into policy debates.
“Despite the challenges both years faced, there were moments that allowed for some optimism,” Levy said.
As was the case in 1979, when the United States and China established diplomatic relations, 2009 began positively when Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States.
“1979 marked a significant turning point with Ronald Reagan ushering in the Reagan revolution the following year,” said Levy. “There are those who think Obama’s election portends a similar shift, so they haven’t lost hope.”
In the midst of the economic chaos of 1979, the early stages of the computer revolution were beginning when Atari introduced the first personal computer with a disk-operated system (DOS).
“In the midst of our current economic crisis, it is possible that many of the industries of the future are being born, and we don’t even know it,” Levy said.
Did you know…
In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister in the UK, while in 2009 Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the United States.
by Alicia A. Brumbach
Joseph Prebula ’79 (York, Pa.): 1979 Senior Class President, Student Senate, Intramural Director, Chi Gamma Iota (Vet’s Frat), Varsity Wrestling
The first day I arrived at York College I was thrilled to start my new life. As a freshman, I lived on the second floor in Manor Hall North known to many as “the zoo.” I lived with a great bunch of guys and had more fun than I could possibly put into words.
I had many memorable times at YCP, but meeting my future wife, Katharine Gossweiler, who attended YCP in 1977 and 1978, has to be the best. I can still remember walking up to her in The Pub and introducing myself. We have a fantastic life together because of that meeting.
I still talk with my wrestling teammates more than I would like to admit. I think the older we get the more embellished the stories get!
York College was a big part of my life back then and molded me into the husband, father, brother and friend I am today!
Joseph is currently a national account executive for Old Dominion Freight Lines Inc. in Carlisle, Pa.
Mindy Hursh Smith ’79 (Richland, Wash.): Alpha Sigma Alpha
Because I was a commuter student, it wasn’t as easy for me – as it was for those living on campus – to meet people and get involved in college life. My friend Ruth Herring Loose ’79, who I am still in contact with today, convinced me to get involved in Greek life. It turned out to be one of the best choices I ever made. When I became a member of a sorority, I was able to make connections and lifelong friends. Campus became a sea of friendly faces. A lot of the lessons I learned from sisterhood I took with me into the business world. I learned about teamwork, trust and relying on others.
Over Christmas I was in town to visit family and had the opportunity to drive by campus. Despite being blown away by how the campus has grown, it still felt like home. Now living through college with my kids, I realize what a wonderful and life-changing experience it was.
Mindy is currently an office assistant at Kadlec Medical Center Diabetes Learning Center in Richland, Wash.
Commenting is closed for this article.