Northeastern State University - Tsa La Gi Yearbook (Tahlequah, OK)

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Preparing for the Realities of Life Work-study. That’s what it’s called and that’s what you have to do: work and study. Whether or not you’re on the work study program, working and studying is part of almost everyone's daily routine. There are approximately 800 students in the program at Northeastern, doing everything from decorating cakes, to picking up trash, to taking pictures, for money. Bob Rogers, counselor for the Financial Aid Office on campus, is in charge of finding the right kind of job for students eligible for the work study program. Anyone eli- gible for student aid is eligible for work. “What | try to do is match Students with a job in their major field of study or a personal interest,’’ said Rogers. ‘And the best jobs go first, but if the student is lucky, there are some pretty interesting jobs available.” Work study students are not confined to the campus. ‘‘We have commuters working in the Muskogee library, in Hastings Indian Hospital, and in some area schools around Tahlequah,” said Rogers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working on campus, off campus, or on your own, the reasons for working are the same — for bucks, mainly, and perhaps a little experi- ence. 20 Working Students Babysitting Next time you’re in Granny’s Attic and need a listening ear, or a soft shoulder, look for the smiling face of Gary Sweeney, senior from Burbank, Calif. “!’m a bartender, suds slinger, and | do a little bit of everything,’’ said Sweeney. Sweeney works up to 30 hours a week, depending on whether or not he’s involved in a play. The job to Sweeney is a lot more than just tending bar. “Actually, I'm a great big babysitter,’’ he jokes. ‘‘Some- times people will start talking to me about something that happened in 1968, like the Vietnam War, or God knows what. | have to pretend I’m interested and know, what they’re talking about.” Sweeney also helps keep Granny’s Attic a safe place to relax, and tries to anticipate problems. “If | sense a problem, | try to talk people out of fighting. | get a deck of cards or sit down with them a few min- utes,’ said Sweeney. ow

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While the Post Office may not be expected to persev- ere through rain, snow, sleet and gloom of night, most commuter students are. Commuters are a type of college student that is a prod- uct of the Automobile Age. They live at home (be that Tulsa or Peggs) and drive back and forth to NSU for Classes. The reasons for commuting are as varied as the individuals who fall into that category. Perhaps it is cheaper to live with parents, or the student might be a housewife who takes morning classes, or a school- teacher working on a master’s degree at night. Of the 5,117 students attending NSU during the spring semes- ter, only 693 lived in the dorms (not taking into account married student housing because no figures are kept on the total number of students in the apartments). Mother Nature was not very kind to commuters for most of the winter months. Heavy snows and icy roads Ce, ce oie sateen — ea Ee Lge He. SP on ee ae eg aie tae ie es erat ss = Fepye pad a il forced the university to close classes for one day. Classes continued during the rest of the foul weather, and many students did their best Sergeant-Preston-of- the-Mounties impressions and mushed through. As the spring semester drew near an end, the com- muter students’ other arch foe, the Organization of Petro- leum Exporting Countries, hiked the price of gasoline ever nearer to the one dollar per gallon mark, putting a bigger crunch on the pocketbooks of students who drive. As fuel shortages and long lines at gas pumps appeared in some parts of the nation, the future of the commuters’ ability to keep rolling towards a degree looked cloudy. 1. Early risers who attend the 8 a.m. morning classes usually have one advantage: they get a parking space. 2. Cars, cars, cars fill up the parking lot beside the University Center. 3. It takes timing and nimble feet to arrive at classes on time, as com- muters trek across the parking lot. Commuters 19 I nn eee errr—“siCSsSCsCSCSCSCSCt—sCSQQS

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Moonlighting Moonlighting is not uncommon for students who need extra money for extra expenses. Becky Brewer is one ambitious moonlighter who manages to find time be a full-time student, work two jobs, and also have some time for herself. “With two jobs, | have to discipline myself, and put things into their priorities. | try to put my school work first, then my job, then my love life,’’ said Brewer. Brewer, a freshman from Seminole, works 15 hours a week as a desk attendant at Ross Hall on work study, and also works 17 hours a week in the shoe department at Wal-Mart. “Really, I’m not that crowded for time. | have my sched- ule all worked out. | go to class in the mornings, work afternoons at Wal-Mart, then work late evenings as a desk attendant, and while I’m working at the desk, | can do my studying,” she said. “The bad thing about working two jobs is that | don’t get to go home on weekends very much. But the extra money | get makes it a lot easier,’’ Brewer said. Getting Experience Matt Gentry, a sophomore from Poteau, doesn’t like giving parking tickets any more than people like getting them. “| don’t like giving parking tickets at all, but it’s part of my job and | have to do it,’’ said Gentry who works for Campus security. “| really don’t think people should be charged to park anywhere on campus if they have a decal. It’s only a quarter, but it’s still on campus,’’ complained Gentry. But writing parking tickets is not all that Gentry’s job entails. His main reason for working is to make money to get through school, but he also feels the job experience will help him to find a job related to his political science major after graduation. Working Students 21 a