Butler Community College - Grizzly Growl Yearbook (El Dorado, KS)

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Fitness, fitness, fitness... Physical fitness is in vogue all over the nation and Butler students are with it. Aerobics are part of the mania, and class enrollments include both men and women. Students doing their synchronized exercises on the gymnasium floor are shown. Donna Marier 28 Fitness

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Contemporary Business is one of the classes Emad Hajeer is taking this semester. Hajeer is a freshman from Saudi Arabia. ships tend to end in divorce. Alcoholism is sometimes a factor as well as the inability to support the family. Those who divorce can remarry . . . in the Islamic religion. The biggest industry, of course, is oil or oil-related companies. It is responsible for 90-95% of the national income. The cost of living is comparable to the U.S. However, luxury items are more expensive in the U.S. Hajeer further explained that the average income of a Saudia Arabia citizen is $40-50,000 a year. An American ' s salary is usually more. A Palestinian ' s income is around $24-30,000 annually. Medical and technical professions make considerably more. Nurses can make up to $50,000 a year. What may be considered as chauvinism, Hajeer explained, in Saudi Arabia it is considered to be protecting their women. However, women can only work at women ' s jobs, such as teachers, nurses, etc. Why Butler County? The same basic reasons Americans attend. The smaller class size and the cooperative staff are factors, which make the transition easier, especially for freshmen. For Hajeer, this is not his first trip in America. He has travelled ex- tensively throughout Europe and the midwestern United States. But he still likes the personableness of a community college. Hajeer considers his in- dependence and broad- mindedness as the biggest changes he ' s made since living in this country. When asked what he doesn ' t like about the U.S., his an- swer was the prejudice and ignorance some Americans have for him as a foreigner. Even though Hajeer, like many other foreign students, is from a different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds than most U.S. citizens, there are many similarities. One important similarity is the desire for an education to better himself and his life. Story and photo by Susan Burgess Foreign Student 27

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Activities 29