Scholarship Standards.
Students in the Class of 1995 found the standards for maintaining
their scholarships had changed from those for earlier classes. Effective with this class, students
needed a 3.25 average to maintain a merit scholarship, but only a 2.0 to maintain a need-based
scholarship.
Those changes reflected an increase in the GPA for merit students from 2.75 previously
required. The need-based scholarship was lowered to 2.0 from the 2.75 to allow students to
keep their scholarships so long as they are making progress toward their degrees. The 2.0
average is the minimum GPA required for a Clarkson undergraduate degree. Students who lost
their scholarships because of falling grades were allowed to regain them once their grades rose
to the required level.
Damon and Peyton Halls.
After the chemical and civil engineering departments vacated their
former buildings on the downtown campus, Peyton Hall and Damon Hall, to take up residence
in the spacious research and office facilities of the new CAMP building, the future of these two
buildings on the downtown campus was uncertain. Some of the suggestions included their
being used for more research laboratories, and a possible expansion of the electrical engineering
department's high-voltage experiments.
Within two years, Peyton space had been rented by an outside firm conducting high-
voltage experiments and a lab operated by Cornell University to conduct experiments on the
dairy disease, mastitis. Brian Doran, formerly operating in the Science Center, opened his own
business as a fabricator of glass devices for experiments by science and engineering professors.
The concrete lab in Damon was used by the various teams constructing the solar energy
car to enter in the national biannual Sunrayce. The rest of the building remained empty.
Culture Night.
In the hope of making the people of the greater Clarkson Community become
more culturally diverse, the International Student Organization presented Culture Night on
November 9.
Opening the ceremonies in the Cheel Commons area, Kerry Mitchell, from the
Canadian Consulate in Buffalo, reminded the audience that Canada not only coined the word
"multiculturism," but took the first steps toward diversification, and by so doing, became the
model for other countries to follow. Her remarks were followed by performances by a variety of
circle dances performed by Native American Children, all under the age of 10 and dressed in
traditional and contemporary costumes. Then Friends of India performed traditional songs and
dances, the Black Student Association sang a rap song, the entertainment ended with a song by
the Chinese Student Association. Cheel's Main Street was lined with tables, some offering
samples of foods of various cultures from corn soup to egg rolls to rice krispie treats, and others
displaying cultural works from landscapes to jewelry.
"Annual" Snowball Fight.
Occurring after the first significant snowfall, the "annual"
Clarkson-Potsdam State snowball fight was eagerly awaited by students on both campuses. At
about 7:30 p.m. on November 11, Clarkson students began gathering on the Hamlin-Powers
lawn, sporting cafeteria trays as shields. Led by a student with an American flag, the group
marched over to the State campus, gathering in size as it went. This group issued a "formal"
challenge to State students, and then marched back to the snow barricades awaiting them on the
"Pit" lawn.
