Oberlin College - Hi-O-Hi Yearbook (Oberlin, OH)

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The following interview with Dorothy Smith took place in February, 1974, and was occasioned by the yearbook's recognition of the many years of service Dorothy Smith has given to the Office of Graduate Placement as its Director. Dorothy Smith grew up in a small Ohio town, the daughter of a clergyman who also graduated from Oberlin. Since she was small she says she remembers her father talking about Oberlin, and when it came time to go to school she also chose Oberlin. After graduating she attended a secretarial school in Cleveland, but returned a few years later to serve her school in yet another role.-Ed. tlnterviewerzt You've been working in this office for many years now: could you tell us how many years its been and how you came to work here? tDorothy Smithj Well, we had a joint ofiice of admissions and I got shifted from the admissions side in the fall of 42. So I've been in the placement side since then. The person who was the director at that point died in the spring of '47 and they decided to divide the two offices after that so I stayed on doing what I had been doing, and after a while they decided to give me the title as well as the work. tInterviewerQ Is it much harder to find jobs and placement in graduate schools for seniors now? tDorothy Smithj It's varied, we've had ups and downs five years ago employers were Geming to the college looking for candidates and this has changed completely over the last two tears. tfmrviewertt Seeing as you lived through the Second World War and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, is it hard for you to understand the student reaction to the Marine recruiters coming onto the campus during the past few years? tDorothy Smithj The whole climate of the Vietnam War and World War II were so completely different . .. then everybody'was anxious to do their part . . . It gives me a different perspective on it . . . I can sympathize with them, but I couldn't agree with them because they were trying to say if you don't agree with me you wont have freedom of speech.. antervmweri Ive heard a lot of talk since I ve been here from my classmates saying that they didht want to go into the establishment after they graduated. Is there any evidence that those ies. Say those that graduated in the last live years found jobs that were signihcantly different other classes? IDorothy Smithzi Yes, they've been different at least in the first years out, partly because the pressure to stay away from the draft . . . For a long time graduate school was an acceptable way of going and when that dropped out and they no longer had to use that as a way out. We saw a very sharp drop in the number of people going immediately to graduate school And for two or ,Qree years there was a substantial part of the class that did not want to take regular long- -range 16b plans and had done things in the various types of political and social change .. .the Peace Cams was very popular.. it s not so popular now, . . .Last year 5 class. .werent getting into metal change type of things as much. -:ghterviewerrt What have been some of the more unusual occupations that students have gone into? tDorothy Smithzi Well, a boy in a recent class is a bee-keeper . . . he had some bee-hives around hereSo he might make that his Iong-range business. tlnterviewerzt What is the most enjoyable experience youive had during your years here at taberlm? IDorothy Smithzi I think the thing Ive enjoyed most is the continued contact I've had with students and graduates throughout the years.

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