[qwerty49]

Back in the late 60s we were called “sponsors,” one or two of us on each floor in Wilbur. The “tutor” was a grad student who was never around, and the “RA” was a junior faculty member who lived in one of the little  units next to each dorm.

I was a sponsor my senior year in one of the last all-male frosh dorms on campus. A real zoo fueled by an abundance of testosterone and various illegal substances. The lack of female-influenced civility was telling.

I got elected by my fellow sponsors to give the opening day “the only rules are that there are no rules, and please don’t ask us to buy you beer or weed” speech.

Everything else was totally laissez-faire.  Thankfully nobody OD’ed or got in any trouble.  I socialized a lot with my frosh because three years earlier my sponsor had been a great mentor and inspiration to me. To this day I’m still in touch with 6 or 7 of them and we periodically get together for a “boys’ weekend” on a lake in the Midwest.

I’m guessing there’s a lot more pressure on the students these days.  At least they don’t have to put up with Oakland cops tossing tear gas and charging thru White Plaza. But I sure don’t remember anything as terrible as the Katie Meyer and Brock Turner incidents.  

But like they say, if you remember everything from the 60s, it just proves you weren’t there. :)

[qwerty49]

Back in the late 60s we were called “sponsors,” one or two of us on each floor in Wilbur. The “tutor” was a grad student who was never around, and the “RA” was a junior faculty member who lived in one of the little  units next to each dorm.

I was a sponsor my senior year in one of the last all-male frosh dorms on campus. A real zoo fueled by an abundance of testosterone and various illegal substances. The lack of female-influenced civility was telling.

I got elected by my fellow sponsors to give the opening day “the only rules are that there are no rules, and please don’t ask us to buy you beer or weed” speech.

Everything else was totally laissez-faire.  Thankfully nobody OD’ed or got in any trouble.  I socialized a lot with my frosh because three years earlier my sponsor had been a great mentor and inspiration to me. To this day I’m still in touch with 6 or 7 of them and we periodically get together for a “boys’ weekend” on a lake in the Midwest.

I’m guessing there’s a lot more pressure on the students these days.  At least they don’t have to put up with Oakland cops tossing tear gas and charging thru White Plaza. But I sure don’t remember anything as terrible as the Katie Meyer and Brock Turner incidents.  

But like they say, if you remember everything from the 60s, it just proves you weren’t there. :)