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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1987)
Older students may find resources limited By Kelvin Wee Emerald Reporter Adult learners returning to college after a break from high school often find there are many obstacles that threaten to mar their move back into the world of education. Adult learners consititute about 25 percent of the total stu dent population at the Universi ty. according to Linda Devine, the internship coordinator with the Office of Student Development. In October of 1985 Ronald l^rsen, a graduate student with the Department of Sociology, conducted the “Survey of University of Oregon Attitudes and Experiences” that also dealt with opinions of adult students on campus. The survey found older students are less likely to attend any orientation activities, especially those of a social nature, and older students have a harder time making friends connected with the University. “It's inherent in adult learners to have a lot of different activities in their life that they have to balance,” Devine said "And because of that it is rare that you will find an older stu dent with the time and energy (to participate in such ac tivities)," she added In order to help adult students adapt to college life, the Office of Student Develop ment is encouraging them to organize informal lunches and meeting places where newer students can go to meet other returning students. "We’re trying to help them develop their own informal net work." Devine explained, "so that they can have a place to meet other people who are in same age groups, or others who have children the same age as their own. or even people who live in the same town so they may commute together." The group held its first unof ficial gathering during the Orientation Week where about 15 percent of the new adult learner population showed up These students got to meet returning students, who advis ed them on where they could find solutions to problems new students were facing "We are also seeing a lot more men get involved with these meetings," Devine added, “and this is mainly because there is no formal group on campus that serves the needs of older men who are coming bark to school.” The office of the Registrars' began a statistical breakdown of the student population by age last year. In the course of their work. It found that adult learners consituted over b495 of the total enrollment of 17050 students. "It is not presently possible to know how the older student population has grown becuase we only began to classify by age last year,” said Tom North, the statistition for registrar's office "But the report for this year will be released in a few weeks and we can begin to monitor that." he said. As with most students, adult learners frequently come across problems with finances. The Of fice of Veterans' Affairs has been working to help veterans obtain aid financially. "Financial assistance for veterans has become complex in the last year." said Hilda Yoe Young, Director of Veterans Af fairs, adding "There's now the old G.l. Bill and the new G.l Bill, then there's the veterans education assistance program (VEAP). which is also very complicated." Young added lhat Congress has also now added the Na tional Guard and the Reserves to the education program Veterans are on a stringent pro gram because they are only allowed to take courses that ap ply directly to their degrees, and this is checked upon regularly. Young feels that most of the activities are focused towards the younger students and therefore the older students do not feel there is support much for them here. "I don’t think that older students are looking for a sup port group." Young added, "but there needs to he a place in the student union which is set aside where older students can meet other students their own age. Like a center for the older students because they are really more mature and not really in terested in going to the next party." More information about special services for adult learners and veterans may be obtained by visiting the ap propriate offices in 3t>4 Oregon liall. or by calling tiHti-:t21b for the Office of Student Develop ment. or tiHti-:tl 1H for Veterans' Affairs. Student dies University honors stu dent John A, Hoc:ken III, an advocate for better campus access, died of complications associated with Musc ular Dystrophy on Sept 23, He was 19, A "brilliant student," according to Honors Col lege Director Richard Stevenson, Hocken came to the University with 53 advanced placement credits and was a junior physics major at the time of his death Hocken was a member of an architectural ad visory committee and helped in the planning for the placement of an elevator in Chapman Hall, where the Honors College is located When install ed, the elevator will bo dedicated to Hocken. A 1986 graduate of Churchill High School in Eugene. Hocken captain ed the chess team and earned a National Merit Scholarship, a Presiden tial Scholarship and a scholarship from the Foundation for Excep tional Children. Force Continued from Page 1 didn't, they’ve gone outside to the press with frequent derogatory remarks about in dividuals." Willard said. "What this raises to the com munity is that they aren't will ing to trust the governmental process." she said. Political beliefs and economic self-interests have played a role in the attempt by some members of the task force to limit the scope of the ordinance, said Kona Friend, a task force member. According to Friend, the pro posals initiated by the "pro business" faction of the task force would prohibit activities which would likely never occur in Eugene, such as the manufac ture or testing of a nuclear weapon, but would allow other activities, such as applied research and the manufacture of components and software Although Willard is affiliated with the Eugene Software Coun cil, and other members of the task force list business occupa tions (Robert Ellis, president of a high-technology company called CEO; Jim Piercey. presi dent of the Eugene-Springfield Metrobusiness Partnership; and Rob Bennett, city councilman and developer), Willard said economic self-interest didn't play a part in the proposals put forth by some members "There's no conflict of in terest." Willard said. Accusations of such motives by other task force members are "part of the name calling, the intimidation factor." she said Johnson said he is unsure what the City Council will do with the new version. "I hope the council will see this does address the issues that they had originally been con cerned about and that they will adopt it.” Johnson said. "I have no reading of the council posi tion on this ” “It's our hope that they would see this and understand that this is the legal solution and anything else is to go too far," he added. The council was expected to take up the task force's recom mendations at a Dec. 7 meeting after a public forum took place in late October and the task force met again “for the pur pose of clearing up certain unresolved issues." said Glen Potter, a staff assistant in the Ci ty of Eugene’s intergovernmen tal relations division. And according to Willard, there is another version in the works. Her own. "I’m going to try to come up with something that meets the needs of everyone.” she said, adding she wanted to meet the objectives of the five members who presented the version Wednesday without involving them directly. "I have a sneaking suspicion the City Council will get four (versions).’’ Willard added. Semester Continued from Page 1 The semester calendar for the academic year 1990-91, which was approved last spring by the State Hoard, shows classes beginning Aug. 29 and ending May 10 with Christmas break from Dec. 21 to |an.H Spring break will l>e a little earlier than usual; taking place March 9-17. Labor Day anil Thanksgiving vacations also will be honored on Sept. 3 and Nov. 22 through 25 respectively. Annual tuition will not be raised as a result of the semester change, according the the State System of Higher Education's conversion governing principles. One of the most challenging problems in making the transi tion will la’ dealing with one term only courses, such as some skiing courses offered only dur ing the winter term. "If you have a one quarter course you, have to decide whether to drop it. expand it or amalgamate it with another," said Mate. 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