Mother and Daughter Compare Campus Life 25 Years Later

Campus is alive with students. Conversation and construction sounds are heard in the background. One student runs, looking down at his watch, obviously trying to make it to his next class. It is noon and the cafeteria is overcrowded with bustling students. Shouts--"Hey, what's up," and "I haven't seen you in a long time!"--are heard by those trying to pass.

I look over at my mom. She leads me to the Hub where we order a piece of cinnamon bread with butter from Hazel's.

"I have had fond memories eating down here at the Hub," said my mom, breaking off a piece of bread and putting it in her mouth. "Mmmm, my favorite is the cinnamon with butter, just butter. It is the best thing; I think I lived off of the bread while I was up there. It was only about 50 cents. I would always carry about $1.25 in my pocket everyday so I could eat something to get me through the day. But don't worry, I only had one piece of bread a day."

We sit down on the sea-green chairs in the downstairs Hub area and reminisce about this place, but a different time; a time my mom attended Utah State University.

Lynda Burton Blau decided to come Utah State University in 1975 from Salt Lake City. She chose to come because it was away from home but close enough that she could go home if she needed to.

Registration began at least two weeks before school started in "the dome," now called the Field House. Lynda remembers not knowing where the line of students began or where it stopped. In order to register for certain classes she had to wait in the line of that class and hope that she could still get in. Juniors and seniors were always the first to get their classes and sophomores and freshmen were out of luck.

Lynda majored in elementary education. Izar Martinez was dean of the college at the time and worked very closely with all of his students. Her counselor was Dr. Carigan, a nice older lady that Lynda said was really "cool."

Lynda remembers summers being the best time to go to school. She recalls her favorite summer class was Reader Theatre. Her teache'rs name was Art. She can't remember his last name because he wouldn't tell his students.

"Art would take us out on the grass and buy us Aggie ice cream, which was in the Animal Science building at that time. We would always talk him into taking us down to get ice cream and we would have class out on the grass and then he would let us go early," she laughs.

She loved attending her summer classes. During the summer, the education department required students to go to an elementary school and aid the teacher. During her sophomore block Lynda would help the teacher with simple classroom duties. She also completed her junior studies working for the teacher and aiding the children.

"We had to be at the school full time and work with the summer school children. For my senior year I did student teaching, which was at Hillcrest Elementary. All the Utah State students were split into different grade levels, so we were in two separate classes. Some worked with the older class and some worked with the younger class during the entire semester."

The department did not base comprehensive grades on tests, but graded on the way USU students worked with the children during their junior and senior assessment. The grade was based on the evaluation of the interaction students had in a work-like environment.

Besides the requirements and demands of the Education major, the USU requirements have remained pretty much the same. Lynda remembers having to take a history class, and admits she only went to look at her cute teacher. She also had to take a science, English, and family human development class. The English classes had the option of taking a test in order to pass the class without attending the rest of the year.

"Though I passed the English test, I took a lot of classes that were associated with English. I thought they were fun. Then I had to take 'Teaching Math as an Elementary Ed Teacher' as well as 'Teaching Art as an Elementary Ed Teacher.' It was hard and I had to be there," she said.

Lynda compares her educational experience to what it is today and confesses that things were a lot easier when she went to school.

"I think school is a lot harder now. I think it is more intense now with the advances in technology. Because of the computer age, you have a lot more information available and now the classes and the workload is much more demanding for the students."

Lynda remembers struggling with technology and hated the long, tedious hours trying to copy or write papers.

"When I went to school, copy machines were not cheap. So I had to use ditto paper. I remember working with ditto machines. There was a special kind of paper available with a carbon copy paper underneath it. I could write or type what I needed and it would come out on blue. When I looked at the other side it was blue ink. Then I would put it back in the machine opposite side around a little drum and turn the wheel. The machine would copy ink onto the other side. So all of my copies were blue," she said, shaking her head.

During the late 1970s computers hadn't advanced all that much. She remembers having a stack of cards when she went to the computer lab. There would be cards all over the floor when she would walk in.

"I had to get a card and punch little numbers in, just like they do in ballots. Just to have one little program required a stack of cards, I would have to use all these 8x3 cards and make sure all of them were in the proper order or else the computer wouldn't work. I would put my card in the machine like a typewriter and it would punch a hole in a certain spot so the computer could read certain information. So, I never got into computer because it was so tedious. I didn't like that class at all," she laughed.

Lynda used a typewriter when she could. The keyboards were so old that the keys were hard to press in and mistakes were hard to avoid. To make the process easier, she used a paper called onionskin paper.

"I would use this kind of paper when I was typing because I could erase the ink if I made a mistake," said Lynda. "By the time I left, Utah State got new computers that would automatically correct mistakes. But I was used to correcting my own papers by then. Most of the time I would handwrite my papers. And the teachers preferred handwritten things."

Many things have changed since 1975. Lynda remembers the education building was located where the family life building is today. The nutrition and food sciences building used to be where the English building is now.

"They used to have a bowling alley where the cafeteria is now," she recalled. "There used to be 6-8 lanes. It was a small bowling alley and wasn't as big as the one downtown. They used to offer bowling classes, which was one of my favorite classes. In that class, I really learned how to bowl. I loved going."

We walk out of the student center. Gripping her coat and clasping her fists together, my mom blows warm air into her hands, hoping that will reduce the cold.

"The classrooms were always so cold. We only had iron heaters and the linoleum made it even more cold," she said, shivering. "The first thing that comes to mind when someone says Utah State are the cold winds that come out of the canyon, because I lived at Reeder Hall right below the canyon. When it snowed or when it was cold, the wind would go right through you. I learned to buy hats and scarves and bundle up before I left."

Some of the fun times of today are part of Utah State history. Lynda's fondest memories live long when she thinks of snow. With a group of friends, she would slide down Old Main Hill on huge tubes or sleighs. Sliding down the hill in 1975 was a lot more dangerous because the road at the bottom went through to 400 North, and there was always heavy traffic. Some of her friends would spill out onto the road, dodging cars.

When I say I am from Utah State University, I get looks of bewilderment. Many ask me if I ever study because USU has a reputation of being a party school. Lynda recalls the same "party school" stereotype.

"The stereotype and rumors started because of the large fraternities and sororities. In fact, my roommates and I became little sisters to the sororities so we could get to know more people," recalled Lynda. "Most of the time I wasn't comfortable with what happened at the parties, so I didn't go very often. There was a lot of pot going around and gambling. Once I walked in and saw my history teacher. The parties were big, but they were never out of control. The cops never came because it wasn't an issue."

Lynda graduated in 1979 and loves coming back to campus to see all the physical and academic changes.

"It is fun to come back and see the growth and the different classes available. I wish we had some of the options you do today. But now you get to experience what I missed out on," said my mom, smiling.

By Lindsey Blau