Northern Oklahoma College - Roundup Yearbook (Tonkawa, OK)

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Adults enter college in quiet revolution As costs of materials and labor have soared, as attitudes on the roles of men and women have changed, as Americans have amassed more and more leisure time, a quiet revolution has been transpiring in our nation. Millions of mature Americans have been filtering back into schools-especially craftand trade schools. And quietly the faces that dot the campuses around the country have assumed a more mature look, as older people seek out the courses in carpentry, plumbing, electronics, auto repair, metal- work and printing, among others. It has been a quiet revolution that has reached the Northern Oklahoma College campus. There are 1194 full time stu- dents at Northern and 59 per cent are over the age of 21. 84!Academics 1 ' ..- nf .. -,M i null'

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I C 3 I l Who's Who selections use careful revievvi Sophomores selected to Who's Who Among Students in America Junior Colleges from Northern undergo careful evaluation by a ten-member committee of faculty and students. Those selected from the large number nominated to the com- mittee have achieved academic excellence while being in- volved in total campus activity. KLef0 Steve West, president of the Community Mental Health Club and a Who's Who member, presents a check representing the profits from the campus Sock Hop to a worker from the Opportunity Center. fBeIowJ Other students in Who's Who were: Gil Morris, Mel Perez, Susan Schiltz, Radonna Shorb Johnetta Turney, Roxanne Weir and Roger Williams. I l l ., it i i ,,, , Y , at 1 w Academics!83

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lVlr. Clifford Jared, head of Northern's lndustrial Education Department, indicates that older students enrolled in skills classes, either full- time or parttime, have in- creased some1O-15 per cent over last year's enrollment. Jared pointed out that many of those enrolled in these classes are retirees who are faced with leisure time. They want some- thing to do with their time, he explains. The students themselves give the best picture ot the re- volution that has altered the face of the Northern student population. lVlrs. Ruth Steichen, Ponca City, is taking several classes, in- cluding a class in constructing of picture frames. The mother of five says that she never had a chance to go to college when she was younger due to parental attitudes toward higher education. Nlrs. Steicher's motivation for returning to school was a sen- sitive response to her children. She found her children were educated beyond her. Erma Ailshire is a retired teacher. She taught science in a local high school for some 18 years. She holds two mas- ter's degrees and has returned to Northern to study. lf you sit still, you will wither up and blow away, she asserts. Stirling Gilbert's motivation for returning to Northern is a bit unusual. I live on the edge of the campus, he ex- plains, and l didn't have an excuse not to come. The 66-year-old retired re- search technician has taken oil painting and has expressed an interest in a new photography class. Some couples bowl, some dance, we do woodworking, explains LaVeta Ja ntz who, along with her husband, is enrolled in a woodworking class. The affable 31-year-old Dick Simon is by day a Tax Coordi- nator. By night he is enrolled in an evening class. Simon says that he works with his mind all day and enjoys working with his hands-class for him is therapy Money indirectly brought Don- ald Foxworthy of Newkirk to Northern. A maintenance tech- nician for Gruner, his wife and children attend Northern. Why not see that was going on, if I pay the bills, is the way he explains his entry into Northern. ln the past, before the revo- lution, older students were sometimes worried about their place on the campus. But with programs that are being devised, older students should feel there is definitely a place for the older students here. Academics!85