Article December 18, 1971 Issue

"How come you don't smoke?"

KAREN CORNELL WILSON

I was in a hurry—mostly because I had my worst exam coming up (economics) and partly because everyone else was in a hurry. The preexam jitters had already hit the campus and, like everyone else, I was anxious to hurry with lunch and get back to my studying.

It's funny how mesmeric exam tension can be. The whole Campus sort of stretches, as if it were going into its last lap. You can't get away from the sounds of typewriters, and people don't usually stop and talk much. If you don't go into a spin about four weeks before exams, something's supposed to be wrong with you!

I grabbed a tray and a glass, poured myself some milk, and took the nearest sandwich. It wasn't hard to find the kids from my dorm —they had a place waiting for me, right down at the end of the table. They were all juniors and seniors, all driving hard in that last final push for freedom. The hall was so smoky that you could barely see the girls at the other end of the room.

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