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Jan Elizabeth (Roncke) Mooney graduated in 1967 with a degree in Speech and Drama/Art History
Jan Elizabeth (Roncke) Mooney graduated in 1967 with a degree in Speech and Drama/Art History
Attending UW/Madison in the first half of the 1960s was extremely difficult. It was just so massive that a freshman, such as me, was totally overwhelmed by it. Finding my way around to classes was enough stress for an eighteen year old, plus having trouble finding an advisor. Those big lectures with smaller teaching assistants also was not easy. The pre computer age was especially hard when one had to use the card catalog system then and freshmen were not allowed in the stacks of the library. Research was challenging. The registration system each semester was a nightmare as one had to stand in line in each department to get a slip for a class (if available) and then go to the Armory at the end to stand in line and turn them in. Getting a livable schedule was almost impossible. This entire process could easily take two days, which was so much fun especially in January. Dorm living was also noisy and full of stress. The food was terrible and they only offered one selection in those days. Needless to say walking up Bascom Hill in cold weather was also memorable. Courses were on the whole difficult and very few students got A’s. We also had to deal with the protests from the Vietnam War on campus. I never knew what to do about this.
Over the years I wonder now how I ever made it through as it was such a stressful four years. No one has ever congratulated me since on getting a BA from UW, but they did on my MA from the University of Chicago and then more work on my PhD from the Courtauld Inst. of Art in London. Now why was this? I really need to write a book about my experiences at UW as I left a lot out here.
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