Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Family and friends enter Lamkin Gym for spring commencement exercises during intermit- tent rain showers. -Photo by Nancy Meyer Puddles prove an obstacle to Brian Brum and other graduates as they head to Lamkin Gym to line up. -Photo by Nancy Meyer A student at spring commencement chose a unique way to express her uncertainty about the future. -Photo by Kevin Fullerton After obtaining a business degree, Student Senate member Ginger Weir smiles with accom- plishment at summer commencement ceremo- nies. -Photo by Nancy Meyer Graduation 13

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The ceremo- ny actually didn ' t seem big enough for the accomplish- ments. ' ' Tom Cairns Grad-ification A new degree of accomplishment Commencement Day. The date was marked on students ' calendars for months--perhaps years. It was a day many had worked for all their lives. They had envisioned a per- fect spring day on which to celebrate their accomplishments, but instead they got pouring rain. The weather added to the confusion of lin- ing up more than 560 graduates in alpha- betical order. Originally, the students were to line up outdoors, but the downpour drove them into the basement of Lamkin Gym. Here the students dealt with heat and humid- ity, wet caps and gowns and a variety of other difficulties. One problem was trying to find where to put my umbrella, Julie Tavernaro said. 1 couldn ' t exactly put it under my cap and gown. But all the confusion and bad weather couldn ' t overshadow the mixed emotions graduates had about the day. Most of the people around me said they couldn ' t even listen to what was going on, Tavernaro said. They were just thinking about the future, their friends and what life held for them from that point on. Many realized, though, that meeting the future meant leaving old friends. We were excited, but we were also sad be- cause we knew everyone would be going their separate ways, Joyce Espey said. Espey agreed that friendships made the accomplishments even more special. It was pretty exciting to see friends walk across the stage who had struggled through those four years with me, because I knew we had shared the same experiences, she said. Mow the graduates shared their last ex- perience together as college students: the graduation ceremony itself. They listened as President Dean Hubbard announced funding had been received to transform Northwest into an electronic cam- pus. They laughed as Dr. Shaila Aery, who addressed the graduates, jokingly expressed the hope that the next funding approved would be for a multipurpose building where graduation could be held without roasting the participants. In some respects it was much like past years. However, unlike past years, com- mencement was held in the morning instead of the afternoon in order to avoid excessive heat. This also allowed students with long distances to travel to leave earlier. For the spring graduates, the long journey toward a degree was over. However, some students were just entering the last leg. For them, summer commencement, Aug. 7, was their night to celebrate. Unlike the spring graduates, summer degree recipients had no trouble with rain or heat. Air conditioning kept almost 270 graduates comfortable during the evening ceremony at Mary Linn Performing Arts Center. Despite the differences, though, it was still a day to say good-bye and celebrate achieve- ments. It was also another opportunity to honor those who had served the university. While the university honored those who contributed their money, graduates remem- bered those who had contributed their love. 1 remember being very glad it was finally over and thinking of all the stuff a lot of peo- ple besides me had gone through, like my wife and kids, said Tom Cairns, who received his master ' s degree. The ceremony actual- ly didn ' t seem big enough for the accomplishments. However, both speakers and students real- ized that accomplishments didn ' t end with graduation. It ' s really a starting point rather than an ending point, Tavernaro said. Formal education was over; life ' s education was just beginning. D Dawn Williams 12 Graduation ■

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I loved not having classes on Friday so I could cruise out of here. Clara Martison 4 Summer studies Books instead of beaches - inals came to an end. Belongings were packed and books were traded in for sun- tan lotion. Most stu- dents headed for the pool, started a sum- mer job, or caught up on favorite soaps, hap- py to escape the class- room for a carefree summer. Other students, eager for their degrees, settled in for summer sessions. I basically wanted to get caught up on my credits, Carol Freeman said, so 1 wouldn ' t have to take as many hours in the fall. Because most of the on-campus students lived in Franken Hall, they met students who were not usual dorm residents. There were teachers living in Franken who were going to school to get re-certified, Toni Anthony said. I lived next door to two older ladies. It was interesting. Some students found themselves having to roll out of bed early in the morning in time to make it to 7:15 classes. These brave souls conquered this inhumane hour and trudged onward to classes, even though the average student on summer vacation usually did not see the light of day until late morning. My chemistry class was at 7:15 and it was hard to get up, Stan Greenwell said. But I just forced myself to get up and go. Some students did not see their morning classes as a great obstacle and even grew to like them. I didn ' t think the early classes were too bad, Schackelford said. I was done by 1 1 and had my afternoons free. The quiet night life of Maryville caused some students to go home for the weekends. I loved not having any classes on Friday so I could cruise out of here, Clara Martison said. But not having classes on Friday dur- ing the summer made it hard to stick around during the regular school year. With limited options to choose from, stu- dents tried to create their own fun when the sun went down. There weren ' t a lot of things to do on- campus at night, Anthony said. We went for bike rides, on long walks or to the mo- vies. We sort of had the run of the campus and the town, but there wasn ' t much to do. Students who took first block courses were able to take advantage of the remaining sum- mer months. Because I went first block I had time to take a trip to California for my summer va- cation, Freeman said. So when it was time to come back in the fall, it was no problem. Those who went second block had little time to relax before the fall semester. Summer school went at such a leisurely pace and classes seemed easier, Greenwell said. It was hard to come back to the rou- tine and pick up the hours again. As summer came to an end, the suntan lotion was put away and the books were brought back out. For some, however, the books were only shuffled around a bit.D : 14 Summer