These students aren't scarfing a leisurely meal al fresco. They're locked in a stone-cold battle of wills . . . or appetites, at any rate.

At Northeastern's third annual Spring Olympics, famished fun-seekers gathered on the Quad for an ice cream-eating contest. Whalen Chin, E'73, ME'79, polished off a quart of vanilla to place second.

Other events included an underwater relay race, logrolling, apple dunking, and a tug-of-war. Sponsored by Husky Key, the official school-spirit group, the wacky activities helpedstudents combat pre-exam tension.

Yet waning interest plagued many campus-wide organizations during the Vietnam era. In fact, according to an October 13, 1972, Northeastern News editorial, Northeastern was seen by many as ?Äúa hotbed of apathy." More specialized groups—such as Vietnam Veterans against the War and the Music Therapy Club—were the current flavors of the month on campus.

Such shifts in interest were only natural in an age of student revolution. And a suitably rocky road to a new awareness of the outside world.

— Magdalena Hernandez, MBA'02