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

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Alter waiting so long for the big day to arrive, some graduates won ' t let anything stop them from receiving their diplomas. Despite her injuries, Lynda Weichel attend- ed graduation ceremonies on May 7. Photo by Debby Kerr Graduates nie into Lamkln Gym to accept their diplomas during the two-hour ceremony. Jubilation was accompanied by apprehension as 739 seniors looked toward their futures. Photo by Debby Kerr Summa Cum Laude graduate Lisa Smeltzer awaits the traditional turning of the tassel. She returned for fall semester graduate courses. Photo by Chuck Holley With four years of college behind him, Pat Flynn finds a reason to celebrate. Flynn received a bachelor ' s degree in broadcasting. Photo by Debby Kerr Graduation 9

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Worth the wait Grads cap off a year of anticipation by Cara Moore ■■■: i ' ' : ' Sym m Graduating with my friends was important to me. I even returned early from student teaching in London so I could walk across the stage. -Julee Dubes Waiting was never easy, but it always paid off. When naive fresh- men moved into residence halls, they couldn ' t wait for their par- ents to leave so they could attend their first college party. As Christmas break rolled around, freshmen eagerly awaited going home to see high school friends. Throughout college, priorities changed. Students left the resi- dence halls for a taste of life off campus. At Christmas, they spent most of their time with college friends, staying home as little as possible. After four or five years of the college scene, students who were once anxious to start college were impatient to get out. Waiting for senior statements, passing that last general education require- ment and completing internships or student teaching were only a few obstacles between college life and the real world. Waiting for graduation was especially difficult when spring fever hit and students were traveUng for job interviews. Students faced decisions of getting married, moving out of state to work or decid- ing where to attend graduate school. The month before graduation was long and scary, Teresa Carlile said. ' ' But before I even had my diploma I was considering returning to school to pick up some extra classes just for fun. Perhaps the longest wait of the year was Graduation Day itself. Even though many had celebrated since their last finals, there was something about 12:01 a.m.. May 7, that triggered mixed feelings of anticipation and reluctance. While some quietly reminisced about college days or excitedly planned their futures, others be- gan an all-night countdown. I was still awake at 3:30 a.m. , feeling nervous and excited about graduation, Julee Dubes said. Graduating with my friends was important to me. I even returned early from student teaching in London so I could walk across the stage. At 9 a.m., 739 graduates began lining up at the Student Union. Black gowns concealed everything from boxer shorts and cowboy boots to suits and sneakers. Graduation candidates grumbled as they paired up to march into the gym, completing their last task in preparation for graduation. They filed into the crowded gym where they were greeted by key- note speaker and alumnus Dr Beryl Sprinkel, chairman of Presi- dent Reagan ' s Council of Economic Advisers. With diplomas tightly clutched in their hands, alumni had ac- complished their goal. The waiting was not over for all the gradu- ates, however, since many left Maryville for the outside world without jobs. But they had passed the test of patience during their senior year They knew that no matter how long it took to find employment, good things did come to those who waited. 8 Graduation

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Working out school year stress Summer jobs mean a change of pace by Debby Kerr I wanted a mindless job because I was so burned out on school. It gave me a chance to find myself again. It was the last week of classes, and students stalked the cam- pus like zombies. Stress had set in as they made their last-minute attempts to boost grades. It was difficult to concentrate on finals when bronze bodies, bikinis and beaches were so close. But for many students, the arrival of summer didn ' t mean a break. Instead, it was a season to continue working. Sara Leib walked five miles a day carrying a 50- to 70-pound mail bag for the United States Post Office. Working for the post office gave Leib the chance to meet peo- ple, and her time with the elderly made her job worth the hard o I u work. -Sara Leib OW people wouW talk to me and give me tea, Leib said. One lady couldn ' t get her mail, so I had to take it to her door. I was her only outlet to the world. While delivering mail gave Leib the chance to bring the world to shut-ins, it also gave her the opportunity to tune out the world and think about her life. ' ' I wanted a mindless job because I was so burned out on school, ' ' Leib said. It gave me a chance to find myself again. Julie DeLong ' s job working at the Kansas City Zoo selling Friends of the Zoo packets was similar to Leib ' s in that she worked outside in the extreme heat and met many different peo- ple. The job gave her good experience to apply to her public rela- tions major Just as beneficial as learning how to deal with people was learn- ing to deal with certain situations. While DeLong was working one day, Molly, the zoo ' s ape, escaped and chased two women to the front gate. Although DeLong calmed the women and dealt with the situation as professionally as she knew how, she admitted, It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Terry Petersen also worked around animals, but instead of zoo animals, he worked around race horses all summer Petersen helped beautify Ak-sar-ben ' s grounds by landscaping, spraying, mowing, trimming trees and cutting wood. I enjoyed working outside, Petersen said. It was satisfying to know I had made Ak-sar-ben more attractive. During the summer, Petersen also worked at a grocery store, at Golden Corral and finished 12 hours of college credit. ' T wouldn ' t have been satisfied working at something that wasn ' t challenging, Petersen said. For Dulcie Hanson, working at Grundy County Jail was not only challenging, it was also unusual. Besides helping the pohce by dis- patching, Hanson served the convicts their meals. Summer rescued some students ' sanity, but for many it was a time to earn money to return to another year of books and bills. By the time students earned a degree, they had also become jacks- of-all-trades. totalI 0 T ; JBiL . .- ' si :t lA 10 Summer Jobs