Augusta College - White Columns Yearbook (Augusta, GA)

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iSi ■— ifimr mB- , J W ,. . j h. Hk $ ' 3S- fi it 1. Joan Crosby sophomore 2. mark fagan freshman 3. clift hull senior 4. gary kirkman junior 5. Joseph sharp junior 6. robert turner sophomore ychemistry-physicschemistry ' physicschemistry ' physL . .

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IJ barbara metier 19. nancy meloan 23. glenna prieto 27. sheila timmons freshman freshman sophomore 20. yolanda denise mccants 24. robert russell 28. William todd junior freshman freshman 21. beverly nnyers 25. j gregory smith 29. donna trowell sophomore freshman sophomore 22 stacie novak 26. tony thaxton jr 30. sherry waltz freshman sophomore sophomore biologybiologybiologybiologybiologybiologybiologybiolog

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JEAN Jean, a 22 year old senior, has set a particularly exacting career goal for herself which differs considerably from that of the business or education major; Jean ' s desire is to be a medical doctor — perhaps a plastic surgeon. And for those students who aspire to the medical field, it is not a matter of four years, a so-so g.p.a., and in time a masters, but a matter of discipline, hard work, and complete dedication. Like many pre-med students, Jean has all of those qualities. What sets Jean apart from most other college students is the work she does to finance her college education and to save for medical school. Jean is an exotic dancer — or less politely, a stripper — in a downtown Augusta night club. Five evenings a week Jean, rotating with several other girls, removes her clothes down to pasties and a G-string in front of an audience comprised mainly of soldiers and young guys. The club in which Jean works is not an atmosphere conducive to higher education or Victorian manners and morality; it is, instead, a room of flashing colored lights, banal words, and dusty, jaded glitter. And Jean has no illusions about this. She says, I do not, as some girls do, consider exotic dancing an art form; but I do find the work enjoyable, and most of all lucrative. More than that, she continues, the people who frequent the club ususally are easy going and the atmosphere is not disturbing to me. On occasion, as in clubs which cater to a predominantly male clientele, there are incidents, mostly in the form of not-so-nice remarks and innuendos. Jean says, matter-of-factly, One just learns to ignore them. Of course, if it ' s anything more than a wise-crack, the manager steps in. She added, He ' s very protective of the girls. Of course, she continued with a laugh, I have heard worse things just walking down the street. When society thinks of women who take off their clothes for money, they automatically assume that such girls are the products of broken homes, misguided childhoods, and possess loose moral characters. For Jean this stereotype does not fit. Instead, she is from a Christian home and, from her conversation, it is clearly understood that Jean ' s childhood and upbringing were as normal and upright as the average child ' s. In fact, she says, my upbringing was what led me to enroll in Stetson University. Stetson University, in DeLand, Florida, is a private Baptist college which emphasizes Bible teachings in its curriculum. There, she said, I studied Judeo-Christian heritage, which I enjoyed tremendously; in fact, at that time I considered changing my major to religion. I ' m still extremely interested in furthering my studies of the Old Testament, but now science and work take all of my time. After talking with Jean, an obviously intelligent woman and a Phi Beta Kappa, one wonders aloud; What ' s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? She says, quite frankly, I am making an honest living; I ' m not taking welfare or financial aid. She concludes firmly, I plan to go to medical school, and if dancing in this club will help make it possible, I ' ll dance. Photos by Moncrieffe