Alums Celebrate Homecoming Weekend; Reflect, Admire Changes at Manchester
Avis McGovern
Manchester Alumni enjoyed a day full of Homecoming activities on campus last Saturday, October 14, 2017.
While students admired the cosmetic sprucing up that the campus had undergone
to prepare for its visitors, many alumni checked out the transformations that have occurred at MU since their time on campus.
Joel Eichenauer, a 1991 elementary education major, noted: “A lot of things have changed at MU, including the name.”
He particularly recognized the domestic changes. “Some of the biggest differences include phones and computers,” he said. “We used to have a single phone for each wing in the dorm. During my four years, there was a very exciting expansion to including phones in each room. That was a big luxury. And now to think those aren’t even necessary.”
Eichenauer also reflected on the accessibility of computers when he was a student here. He remembered having to wait in line and go late at night to write a paper when all the computers were located in one building. Students now have access to their personal computers, or computer rooms located in their dorms halls.
Homecoming was not only about the football game for alumni. Many attendees were able to reconnect with former classmates and professors. Dr. Lori Zimmerman, an alumna who majored in biology and chemistry with a minor in psychology, said: “Homecoming is always a great time to see people. Since my dad was a professor and I grew up around the campus, I have many former babysitters and students of my dad’s that I get to reconnect with. Former students often like to tell me stories about when my dad would bring me to his child psychology class.”
Zimmerman continued her memories with people on the campus recalling times with her peers. “My favorite memories were hanging out with my girl friends late at night playing cards and eating junk food in Oakwood,” she said. “Oakwood was a very old dorm and had lounges in each corner of the building. They made for great hang out areas to congregate in.”
Zimmerman also added that she enjoyed two January Sessions off campus. “The medical practicum in Costa Rica and another class in Hawaii helped me decide my eventual career,” said the doctor of osteopathy.
Although many things at MU have changed since Eichenauer and Zimmerman were students, Manchester will always be the place where they met. The couple eventually married, and delivered two current students to MU—Connor and Carly—to carry on the family tradition.