University of Idaho - Gem of the Mountains Yearbook (Moscow, ID)

Page 26 text:

Divine Presents More than their older or out-of-school counterparts, student newlyweds looked to wedding presents as 4 way to stock a new home until graduation allowed a career to begin. Randy and Emily Hayes discovered Pyrex at their gift table. (Spiker) 2? Weddings Itared Plans came with student marriages First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes midterms, and finals, and papers. This may not be the normal, white-picket-fence view of young newlyweds, but it became a reali- ty for scores of students who took the plunge into matrimony. Life- long commitment to spouses didn’t always compliment college commitments, though. “The toughest year was the senior year,’ said Jennifer Mah- ler. “‘If you can make it through those last semesters without seeing each other at all and studying all the time, then you’re home free.”’ The Rev. Jim Worsley of St. Augustine’s Catholic Church said he watched newlyweds confront similar problems. “ Students,’’ he said, ‘have concerns about their ability to balance school and a marriage, whether they will be able to spend enough time with their spouse to make the marriage work, as well as maintain their academic standards.”’ A number of students entering the marriage game looked only to their immediate goals of gradua- tion, Worsley said. According to Matt Bertagnolli, pressures sometimes kept him and his spouse from planning ahead. We just want to work towards getting out of school keeping whatever jobs we have to in the meantime,” he said. ‘‘We can’t be planning for a family or the ex- tended future until we know what that future might be.’’ Worsley agreed. Most of these students are ad- justing to a new way of life, com- ing usually from a group living arrangement of one kind or another. They only can plan for the next one or two years,’’ he said. Worsley said students worked hard to make marital relationships work. Amid rising divorce rates, they were also more practical about relationships than their par- ents may have been, he said. “ Students don’t want to repeat the scenario their parents went through with divorce,”’ he said. “ With the rate of divorce on the rise for the past decade, having separated parents is more the rule anymore than the exception. How they’ve dealt with divorce as chil- dren affects their feelings on how well a marriage will work out.’’ Young marriages can also be- come strained due to financial har- ships, Worsley said. For Mr. and Mrs. Joe Corsini, the birth of their first child in- creased the financial pressures the couple was already facing. We can’t plan for a future or a family yet. Matt Bertagnolli “It will all work out somehow,”’ Joe Corsini said. ‘‘A baby costs about $2,500-3,000, and we don’t have anything near that to spend, “There are programs to help pay for the medical expenses though, so that should be taken care of,’’ he said. ‘‘It will be hard to find the time though to go to school and raise the baby, and pay for it all on top of that.” The Corsinis and student cou- ples like them discovered few op- tions when faced with the realities of love and college. Said Corsini, ‘‘In this situation, though, what else can we do?’’

Page 25 text:

Picking up the SLACK UI students receiving financial aid 1986 - 1987 55% GRANTS 41% LOANS 4% WORK 1975 - 1976 80% GRANTS 17% LOANS 3% WORK In the Director’s Chair Dan Davenport, director of financial aid, warned that tightened budgets and new requirements for financial aid would make it increasingly harder for students to be able to pay their way without addi- tional parental contribution. (Dahiquist) Book Buying Blues Students young and old found triple-digit totals greeting them at the cash register. Fees weren't the only aspect of college that became more expensive for regis- trants braving the fall semester Book- store rush. (Hayes) Paying I

Page 27 text:

A Mother's Day Molly Walker needed the helping hands and guidance of her mother on the faith- ful day at the altar. Students found the support of their parents important for juggling a marriage and a college career. (Walker) A Familiar Ring Despite tight budgets and tighter finals schedules, Joe Corsini and his fiancee hit local jewelers in search of that per- fect ring for their May wedding. (Clark) Balancing the Books School and marriage provided a difficult mix for students as they tied themselves down to a family and a major. Keeping the ‘‘books balanced ’ academically and financially kept newlyweds on their toes. (Clark) Weddings 23