Agnes Scott College - Silhouette Yearbook (Decatur, GA)

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I can tell when my mother has a headache because she gets grouchy and she has black lines under her eyes. I tell her to take three hours to study and call me in the morning.

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RETURN TO COLLEGE The Great Tug-Of-War I guess the hardest part of being an RTC is the tug-of-war one ' s life becomes — the school work on one end, the family on the other, and me stretched to the snapping point between the two. An RTC ' s intellect, eyelids, and bottom have dropped con- siderably and alarmingly since her former school days. Her spir- it, however, remains mysterious- ly young. I will never have to give my children a lecture on the value of an education. I will never make the mistake of pressuring my children about grades — not when I know they will insist on seeing mine! My first quarter here, I in- dulged in some sticky self-pity. I was going through a divorce and I felt no one could be suffering as I was. Then one day I saw a freshman coming apart with homesickness, and I realized that I wasn ' t the only one with a struggle. If I hear one more time, Oh but just think how valuable your years of experience in living will be in your studies; I will do something irrational S unlady- like.

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RETURN TO COLLEGE Realizing That We Can RTC ' s are any non-traditional age students who return to college after an interruption of their formal education. The RTC at Agnes Scott goes through an application and interview process much like that of any prospective freshman, and she must meet the re- quirements for proven academic abili- ty and commitment. An RTC may take as little as one course at a time or she may plunge in with a full course load. depending on her readiness, financial situation, and the demands of her fam- ily and or career. Some RTC ' s are sin- gle, some are wives, some are mothers, some are already established in a ca- reer. Some have previous college cred- its some have never before set foot in a college classroom. The common de- nominators in all RTC ' s are that they want to learn, they want to grow, and they ' re scared out of their wits for the first quarter or two at Agnes Scott. RTC ' s possess the unshakeabie convic- tion that everyone else at Agnes Scott is astoundingiy brilliant, orga- nized, and unswervingly set on the path of the work of the college class- room. They feel that 5, 10, 30, or 30 years out of a classroom is a handicap — and there is certainly some initial justification for this fear — but by the end of their second quarter here, most RTC ' s have computerized the sorting of dirty laundry, polished and oiled rusty study skills, learned to cook 30 lb. turkeys (with all the trimmings) in just 15 minutes, and have brought home at least one A — to the amazement (and occasionally, the consternation) of family and friends alike. Like every other student, RTC ' s have goals; however, there is an essen- tial difference in the approach to goals. Traditional age students (note how one never says younger students ' - older students or, God forbid, ma- • ' ! it ' denrs) think of goals like a long h ' ghway lazing across the onal age student thinks, ' ' - e in Kansas-, maybe I ' ll igp Pip to North Dakota to r ? ' » ' ' - therei then I ' ll get back on the road somewhere around I987i but if I meet Mr, Right along the way, I ' ll adjust my itinerary according- ly ... The RTC, on the other hand, may have already been to Kansas and North Dakota. Her plans are made around the constant threat of running out of gas, and her itinerary is laid out in single pages rather than large units, instead of thinking in terms of 1984, she tends to think of how to get through Monday before Tuesday ar- rives. RTC ' s usually do not have much time for socializing, but they do form close friendships on campus. They hold weekly support group meetings. These meetings are informal, and the time there is used in anyway the group chooses or needs to spend it. Atten- dance varies with people ' s needs and schedules. Topics range from some- thing as mundane as where to find a Xerox machine to something as heavy as how to work through personal cri- ses. The meetings are always attended by Mrs. Miriam Drucker, who has made and kept a commitment to be with the RTC ' s in any way that she can be of service. Mrs. Drucker has been a loving shot of B-12 to many a run-down psyche. RTC ' s may attend college for enrich- ment purposes only, or they may be on a tight schedule to achieve a specific career goal. They may come to Scott knowing exactly what they want, or they may vacillate until the last possi- ble moment before making a decision on a major. In general, though, RTC ' s are hampered not by indecision, but by a deep, all-encompassing enthusiasm for learning. They tend to enjoy a the courses they take. RTC ' s get no special favors in the classroom) they fulfill the same requirements as traditional age students. RTC ' s have a superb track record at Agnes Scott. They get good grades, despite children who wake up the night before an exam with the flu. Many complete their college work and earn the Bachelor ' s Degree, for which they should receive a minimum of four curtain calls and a standing ovation. RTC ' s have made the Honor Roll, Phi Beta Kappa, Dana Scholars, Mortar Board; they have made contributions to their campus in many ways. One might wonder why, if these women are so capable, they failed to complete their educations sooner. The individual reasons vary, but in my gen- eration, they seem to boil down to lack of support for any ambition that led away from home. Those who did com- plete college were either hard-core cases or doing it simply for enrich- ment purposes — often meaning, as a prop for the career of a college-edu- cated husband. It is difficult to convey to present-day young women how the systems of society cooperated in keeping women out of school. An RTC presently attending Scott tells a tale of attending high school during World War II — and being forbidden to take math, because there were few math teachers available (the math teachers were male and had put down their pen- cils to take up arms.) The rationale was that the available math resources were best invested in boys! Furthermore, the woman who wanted college or ca- reer had a bitter choice to make — either career orfgimily. With little day care available, resistance from veter- nas who returned from the war to re- claim their rightful place in the mar- ket, and an array of low-paying, mo- notonous, dead-end jobs reserved for women, it is little wonder that most opted for a gilded cage in the suburbs. The challenge taken up by the RTC is awesome. She must overcome the ex- pectations and restrictions of the past, ignore or compromise the pressures of the present, and beat a new path into uncharted territory. If you think her struggle is hers alone because she is older and a product of an archaic sys- tem, look again . . . and take your place in line, because that old lady is you. Jane Zanca