Justamom.....if you can believe it, there is some of that (thought certainly not to the extent down there) at Kent State. We are a "legacy" school particularly with the hometown kids. Just in my family alone, my parents, my husband's parents, my husband's brother, my cousin, my sister-in-law (for her MBA only) and countless kids who passed through my husband's class attended KSU. Kent has had to battle a very specific image for a long time....31 years to be precise. Who doesn't automatically think about May 4, 1970 when they think of Kent? (Incidentally, 5/4/70 was the very day that my mother-in-law found out she was having twins!!! Fortunately she was at the OB's office and nowhere near campus at the time. I guess my father-in-law was running up and down the street with a shotgun.) Kent was thought of throughout the 70s as a hard-core hippie school (the greek composites of the era further demonstrate this. A chapter was lucky to have 10 members.) In the 80s, a push came to change that position. Enrollment skyrocketed and when my mom was getting her MA in the late 80s there were over 30K students and the greek system was huge. For me, going to Kent was as natural as breathing. My mom didn't start college until I was 4....I can still remember walking around campus with her, sometimes at night, with her friends (she was drawn to young people always, and they gravitated toward her) and just loving it. This was not long after May 4 and there were still a lot of activist events there.....they had "Tent City" when they were going to destroy a beautiful, tree-covered hill to build the new gym. All these hippies camped out on the hill with their families....it was unreal. I hated going to the babysitter while my mom was in class, so finally she just started taking me along. The professors loved me because I was so good (not to mention breathtakingly adorable!!!LOL)...I would pretend to take notes, or draw pictures for them, or sometimes just listen. I was always fascinated by history and art (two subjects she took a lot.) In fact, one of her favorite professors, with whom she developed a friendship (that turned into a mutual love interest but this isn't the time or place for that!!!!) was MY professor a couple of times!!! I actually skipped out on orientation week, because I knew campus like the back of my hand and I felt no need to waste my time.
Brent and I are supporters of Kent. His grandfather taught there for 30 years and won the distinguished teaching award and the president's medal. Before he died he endowed an award to be given to a deserving business professor every year and my husband always presents it. He belongs to the Blue & Gold club, and he is a season ticket holder to the basketball games (ranked #15 nationally......yea!!!!!!) I would love nothing more than to have my kids go there. (Brent would like it too, but he has dreams of them going through Annapolis too.....big Navy family.)
By the way, did you guys see the thread on Indiana rush???? Good lord, 1600 rushees!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine!!!!!!!!! (They do it over 2 semesters!!!!!)
