ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 TAG: 9608270151
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MIKE LINDSEY STAFF WRITER
"Don't think that profanity, cigarettes, drinking 'booze,' and wearing loud socks makes you a true college student!" This was some advice to incoming freshman at Tech in the 1920's student handbook. And believe it or not, things haven't changed all that much ... well, maybe the socks part.
Here are some up-to-date, helpful hints on how to get through the first unbridled, parental-guidance-free, blur of a freshman year.
While you're here, you will be exposed to all those things and people that your mama warned you about. The odds are good that she also forgot to mention a few don'ts. Most mothers never imagine their little darling trying to top the inverted-keg-stand world record.
Today is the first day of what could be the rest of your life, depending on if you hit snooze one too many times. Those first eighteen or so years - they were just a warm-up. This is where it counts.
Going to class is essential for graduation, one of the few little hang-ups about Tech and Radford.
For some Radford freshmen, the weekend starts Monday and ends Sunday. This is fine for the first week or so, but any more than that and they won't be back the following semester.
There are a few typical freshman blunders that some poor young'un always commits without fail. Don't let it be you. When crossing the Drillfield at Tech, don't bother looking both ways before crossing, like all the rest of the mama's boys. It's a one-way street.
There are about a thousand and one ways to get into trouble in the dorms, but one sure-fire way is the infamous hall slip-and-slide. This came about when a few first-year students in Pritchard Hall got in huge water fight. One of the students threw down some soap, got a running start and away they went. The hall had never been so clean.
Many students have found that biking is the quickest way to get to class in record time after just waking up, showering and brushing their teeth - all just 15 minutes before class starts. No weaving in and out of people or cutting across the Drillfield at Tech, however. The only place you're allowed to pedal is on the streets, fending for yourself among the buses and cars. The campus bike-cops have snagged many a cocky freshman cycling on the sidewalks. And, unless you were in the Tour DuPont, forget trying to outrun them.
One easy way to tell the difference between upperclassmen and freshmen at Radford University is the simple act of smiling. Typically, new arrivals on campus are a little timid, while the old pros openly greet and smile at whoever crosses their path. So the quicker the grin, the sooner you'll fit in.
On a more serious note, both Tech and Radford have had more than their share of alcohol-related deaths and accidents. As big a part of the collegiate life style as alcohol is, it's easy to lose sight of when enough is enough. Just remember that everything here is yours to use and grow from, but it can easily be taken away if it is used irresponsibly.
That's about it. Oh ... and don't forget to floss twice a day, zip your fly and tie your shoes. The rest will all fall into place in time. But above all else, have fun.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC:by CNB