Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Bearcat Update anchor Jeff Dickson talks about sports scores and highlights. Dickson Bive up living in Chicago to move to Maryville because of Northwest's television roadcasting program. Photo by Christina Ketler “When I first got here, I had the new kid on the block syndrome and was quiet and not knowing what to expect. During the second semester, I jumped in with both feet and hadn’t stopped swimming since.” —Jeff Dickson Transfer Student ¢ 25 gou

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eff Dickson moved to Maryville from Chi- cago, the third largest city in the country. At first it was a culture shock, but he soon realized that a small city had big advantages. “School-wise I was happier at Northwest,” Dickson said. “The program here was a lot better. There was more room for expansion because at my old college, all they had was a radio station.” Dickson majored in business management and minored in broadcasting. Throughout high school people told him he had a good speaking voice. They always critiqued him on his good qualities and raw talent, and Dickson finally started to believe them. Dickson went to North Central College in Naberville, Il., and joined the radio station there. During his second year of college, he started his own DJ company. The business went well,and Dickson left college for two years to run it. When Dickson decided to go back to college, he chose Northwest because he thought the mass com- munication department was great, his sister was here and it was a good price. “When I first got here, I had the new kid on the block syndrome and was quiet and not knowing what to expect,” Dickson said. “I just sat back and watched what happened. I didn’t want to step on any toes. The first semester I started on television and moved up quickly. During the second semester, | jumped in with both feet and hadn’t stopped swim- ming since.” Dickson anchored the 1996 Homecoming parade at Northwest. He also hosted and produced “Bearcat Update,” the KNWT Channel 8 broadcast that aired Monday through Thursday nights, and traveled with the football team. Dickson also wanted to get on the air at the University’s public radio station, KXCV. He said he would have really liked to get back into radio before he graduated. Dickson said his mom and sister were his two biggest fans. They always called him to ask when he would send the next tape of his broadcasts. “My mom was the most influential person in my life,” Dickson said. “She did so much with so little. I would have voted for her for sainthood if I was Catholic. She thought I would be the next Peter Jennings, but I didn’t want to do news.” Dickson’s career goals were to start with a morn- ing radio show in Chicago, then host a comedy sketch late night talk show. “T would have to work my way up there by starting in small towns, but! was willing todo that to get back to Chicago because I loved the city and the people. If Icould have gotten back to Chicago, I would have been happy no matter what I was doing.” People often asked him why he left a city like Chicago to come to Maryville, but for Dickson, it may have been the best move of his life. h)1ckhso72 Ss Change of Frequency eC 0 by Beth Dorrel 24 ¢ Special Section Va Pawns ei nn

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magine how you felt when you packed up and left your family and friends to begin a new life in college. Scared and a little unsure of what was in store for you, you knew that even though you might get homesick at times, home sweet home was just a short drive away. Although this was a true scenerio for most stu- dents, Eri Hikida was an exception to the “suitcase campus” of Northwest. Hikida was from Arai, a city of about 20,000 people in Japan. After going through school all her life in the Japanese school system, she decided to pursue a college education in the United States. “T went to California and stayed in San Diego with a host family for two weeks my second year in high school,” Hikida said. “I couldn’t communicate with my host family because I couldn’t speak English very well, so I decided to study abroad after high school.” Hikida had many reasons for choosing Northwest as her place to obtain a higher education. “T wanted to learn English in the United States and I chose Northwest because it was smaller and more like in the country,” Hikida said. After arriving at Northwest in June of 1995, Hikida went through P.E.P. (Preparatory English Program), a set of classes required for all foreign students, consisting of grammar, listening speaking and reading classes. When the end finally came in December, Hikida took a test similar to the SAT called a TOEFL test in order to be eligible to enroll at Northwest. She began her first semester as a freshman in spring 1996 and wenton to take summer classes. After being away from her family for a year and a half, Hikida looked forward to spending her winter vacation in Japan. “I was so homesick,” Hikida said. ‘Most Ameri- can students went home every weekend and on special holidays, but I couldn’t. At first I didn’t feel homesick, but around summer I got very homesick.” Being away from those who were close to her made Hikida realize how much her friends and family meant to her. However, she only called home once or twice a month because it cost her approxi- mately $1.30 per minute. Cultural differences, like communication be- tween students and faculty, surprised Hikida when she came to Northwest. “America was different because there was a lot of communication with the teachers and there wasn’ta lot of communication with the teachers and the students in Japan,” Hikida said. “Most Japanese were afraid to express their opinions in front of a lot of people, but Americans were good at that.” Although she got homesick at times and envied those who were able to pack up and go home at a moments notice, Hikida enjoyed being in America and was thankful for her Northwest experience. Frat aAida’s Homesickness Remedy Co o by Kelsey Lowe 26 © Special Section