Heal’
world
poetry
By Pier Kooistra
* The Dartmouth
Dartmouth College, NH
Listen my readers and you shall
hear of the midsemester’s struggle of
Carl Career:
Twas a promising young lad who
returned from vacation, refreshed by
the visits with friends and relations.
He brought with him to school a new
charcoal-gray suit and some brown
leather wing tips instead of his boots.
His hair was cut short, and each
day he shaved twice, to make sure
his face looked especially nice. He
flossed with a vengeance and
brushed after snacks, and he end
lessly picked at the lint on his slacks.
His collars were white and his neck
ties sedate, and he no longer had
time to go out on dates.
With hectic evenings and busy
days, Carl took to writing the perfect
resume. Young Carl was filled with
hope and ambition to make his
career aims come to fruition. He
dreamt of consulting, accounting
and banking, and sent applications
to firms of high ranking.
He waited to see what became of
his credentials. Oh, how he hoped,
for success was essential. With an
interview slot, the chances were de
cent, according to graduates long
gone and recent. How could he get
ahead of the mob while trying to
worm his way into a job?
Pie graphs and stock
charts he absorbed by the
ream, as he quickly
approached the big day of
his dreams.
He made lots of phone calls and
hounded recruiters; they found mes
sages and memos at their desktop
computers. He gave every detail,
from his past work experience to his
whole education, which he felt qual
ified him for administration.
At long last he saw daylight: He
broke through the ice when a big
Wall Street firm thought his record
was nice. They gave him an inter
view and paid his airfare; he read
their brochures with great care.
See KOOISTRA. Page 19
COMMUNITY
Signs of the Times
l>eam about the third
most common language in
the Unit'd States.
Page 16
YOUR MONEY
Know what you owe
Shelly Dumont offers
some helpful tax tips for
college students
Page 16
TUITION
Pay now, learn later
Responses arc mixed to
prepaid college tuition plans
across the nation
Page 18
CAREERS
A promising future
A bright job forecast is
predicted for 1989 grads,
one report states.
Png© 18
Fired Up
Female firefighters thrive
on deadlines, pressure
By Christina Cerano
■ The University Star
Southwest Texas State U.
A Southwest Texas State (SWT)
graduate sometimes left classes
abruptly Her professors did not stop
her.
She often left a restaurant in the mid
dle of a meal, hut the waitresses under
stood
She has even left a theater during the
best part of the movie, but her date
didn't mind.
Kris Mayfield is a volunteer firefigh
ter, and when her pager starts beeping
she gets to the fire station as quickly as
possible.
The 22-year-old was one of 10 SWT
students who are members of the South
East Hays County Volunteer Fire De
partment. The department is response
hie for fire protection in a 140-square
mile area around San Marcos. Texas.
“Some friends of mine were already
VFD members and they wanted some
girls to join. I thought it would be in
teresting, a real challenge," Mayfield
said.
“We have had quite a few female
members and they are real good." said
Hays County Fire Marshall A.I) Car
roll. “Most of the college professors have
been more than cooperative. If we have
a hig, major fire and need the students,
the professors let them leave class and
make it up when they get back ."
Jeri Skrocki, a 1988 SWT graduate,
has been a firefighter for the past two
and a half years She said the best part
of being a female firefighter is surpris
ing people when she takes off her hat at
a fire. “You really see some red faces."
she said.
When Mayfield, who graduated in
December, volunteered during the sum
mer of 1987, she quickly learned that
not all the volunteers were as fond of
girls being a part of the department as
her friends were. She had to work hard
to prove that she should not be judged
by her age, sex or size. “At first they
didn’t take me very serious I'm only
5-feet tall on a good day m the morning.
“It was tough at first, there were a lot
of older men in the department that had
certain viewpoints toward women.
They thought we should be at home,"
she said.
Like ail new recruits, Mayfield was j
placed on probation. During this period,
she had to prove herself by attending at
least 80 percent of the weekly
See FIREFIGHTER. Page 19
•(
s
f
i
i
i
Jeri Skrocki, a 1988 graduate ol
Southwest Teias State U., is one of
several volunteer female firefighters
In the San Marcos, Teias. area
%
4'
*
s
Michigan Slate U sophomore Chris Schultz. junior Jacquie
Crane and sophomore Bill Feeheley serve as House pages al the
Capitol in Lansing Mich Their duties include running mes
sages. photocopying information and getting doughnuts
Pages
Students gain contacts,
knowledge while ninning
through the state Capitol
By Chris Murphy
■ The Slate Nows
Michigan State U
Shuffling papers and shagging doughnuts may not sound
like career experience for a resume, but il depends on what’s
on the paper and who’s eating the doughnuts, according to
several Michigan State 1' students who work as pages and
interns at the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich
Pages are full-time students who work 20 hours a week for
either the House or Senate They do everything from re
laying documents and messages between offices to getting
lunch so legislators don't miss floor discussions or votes
“Some people think the work's beneath them, hut tf you
have the right attitude you can meet the people you need,”
said Senate Page Dana Newsome, a public affairs senior
“We get a firsthand look at everything the state has to
offer," added Monique Harnett, a senior House page
Many students also intern in a legislative office, doing
work as intense as researching issue oriented committee
reports and a* simple as office gopher work.
Pre-law student Noe lie Schiller spent last summer hand
ling constituent problems for State Senate Majority Leader
.John Kngler. and now clerks for the (Government (Jperations
Committee, of which Kngler chairs
See PAGES, Page 19