St. Edward's University [Newsletter] (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 1, 1981 Page: 3 of 11
eleven pages : ill. ; page 18 x 12 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
2
Volunteer Edsmen Provide Service, Spirit
b
i
»)
—
n
The Hilltopper Chorale leads Christmas Songs at the Celebration of Light.
Determined Student Gets Community Support, Degree
)
trips, Freshman Orientation, the Bac-
calaureate service, the 1980 Phono-
thon, campus cleanup, a Thanksgiving
canned food drive and Opening Mass.
This past December, the Edsmen
gave its first Christmas gift to the
University: “The Edsmen Celebration
of Light and Sound.” Luminarios, little
paper bags of sand containing burning
candles, were placed along the front
drive from Congress Avenue to East
Hall. A religious service was presented
with readings by community members
and the singing of Christmas carols.
The name “Edsmen” was chosen to
honor the history and tradition of
service to St. Edward’s. Although many
female Edsmen have been asked how,
as liberal young women, they would
consent to such a “chauvinistic” title,
most reply that the tradition of St.
Edward’s and the concept of volunteer
efforts is to be carried with pride.
The small group of 15 individuals
banded together last spring has since
grown to include over 80 students. “Its
biggest merit,” comments Josie, “is that
it builds community spirit on campus.
Given that it’s less than a year old, the
Edsmen have done a remarkable job!”
The Edsmen have contributed time
and labor to admissions recruitment
Yet the love and dedication to St.
Edward’s is apparent again with the
resurgence of the Edsmen of the 80’s.
Last March a group of students were
united by Margie Kintz of the Develop-
ment Office and Josie Luna of the
Admissions Office at a student leader-
ship workshop. Brother Stephen Walsh
gave an introduction to the workshop
and in it mentioned the concept of
volunteer contribution as a great sign of
student leadership. Students listening
to Brother Stephen’s brief history of the
Edsmen became enamored with the
idea and decided to band together with
the same goals in mind. Margie and
Josie were asked by the students to be
faculty advisors.
“I hope the Edsmen organization
helps students develop the positive
nature of service to the community;”
she said, “doing service not for reward
or thanks, or to accrue a scoreboard of
merits, but to give because it is better to
give than to receive.”
The advisors are pleased and proud
of the Edsmen’s successes. Josie finds
it especially rewarding to see students
set goals and accomplish what they set
out to do. She also expressed the desire
to see the concept of volunteerism
carried on, past graduation, by the
students into their adult lives and
careers.
by Elizabeth Dean
Edsmen — Students Organized for
Service is a group of individuals who, in
Spring 1979, decided to join forces and
volunteer time and effort in service to
the University. Having no constitution,
no by-laws, and no officers, the Edsmen
operate with amazing success on a
“network system” which communi-
cates needs of the St. Edward’s Com-
munity to over 80 volunteers. In less
than a year of existence, Edsmen have
aided many university functions from
the president’s office to the grounds-
keepers, by responding whenever
anyone called.
The Edsmen, although new to this
generation of students, is actually the
reincarnation of a similar group advised
by Brother Simon Scribner during the
late 50’s and early 60’s.
“The students were interested in
giving because they loved St. Ed-
ward’s,” said Brother Simon. “We were
not interested in a lot of publicity or a
pat on the back, we were simply a quiet
kind of organization interested in
getting things done.”
This group, like present-day Edsmen,
had no constitution, by-laws or officers.
Meetings were held irregularly, when-
ever a project needed completing, the
Edsmen gathered to discuss the situa-
tion, a temporary “boss” was ap-
pointed, and the job was done.
But, according to Brother Simon,
with the advent of student employment
came the desire for payment and the
Edsmen suffered a loss in membership.
“The Edsmen died a slow but natural
death — when profit motive developed
and money calculus took over, it
destroyed us.”
During the summer several Edsmen
produced a handbook available to all
students describing University offices
and their functions and needs for
volunteer aid, and all student clubs and
organizations on campus to which a
student might belong. Several other
students worked on an Edsmen Direc-
tory listing names to be contacted by
University members in need.
When Connie started back to school,
her daughters, Rhonda and Margie,
were 11 and 5.
“At first it was chaos,” Connie
remembers. “Mother had always done
everything — this role had to change a
little.” Her family rallied to the chal-
lenge, although her husband Johnny
had trouble adjusting at first.
“He didn’t think I could do it. When I
first started, I was gone all of the time.
He’d forget where I would be and
where the kids would be. He laughs
about it now. He couldn’t keep up with
me.”
Connie’s mother-in-law, Letha
Mathews, often kept the girls and
helped with household tasks such as
cooking and washing. “She never had
any education,” Connie said, “but she
wanted me to get mine. She made it
more comfortable for me.”
Connie’s mother, Jimmie Freeman,
helped, too. She sometimes cooked for
the family, and she helped financially
with tuition and expenses.
There was a time, during her last year
of classes, that Connie began to believe
she wouldn’t make it through. Her
mother-in-law died after a six-week
hospital stay. Then, Christmas, 1979,
Connie became ill and had to undergo
surgery. All this time, she was taking
courses, doing her student teaching at
East Side Elementary and continuing
work full time.
“Everything had deadlines,” Connie
remembers. But her friends and col-
leagues stayed behind her. Her super-
vising teacher, Judy Ely, was under-
standing and easy to work with. Her
principal, Eugene Baumann, also
helped her through.
“I would get uptight,” Connie said,
“and he’d say, ‘slow down, don’t worry
St. Edward’s New College. The New
College program, designed for people
25 and older who wish to earn a bache-
lor’s degree, allows credit for college-
level experience gained through work
and life situations and allows for flexible
scheduling of coursework. Connie
decided to look into it.
“Actually, Besie Wise (also from
Hearne) prompted me,” Connie said.
“She went to St. Edward’s in Austin to
find out about New College and I went
along for the ride!” That ride resulted in
Connie’s applying for admission.
The first step in entering New Col-
lege is to prepare a portfolio outlining
previous learning experiences, includ-
ing skills and concepts learned through
work and life experiences. This port-
folio determines the amount of credit
awarded to each student who enters
the program. People from the school
district wrote letters for Connie’s
portfolio documenting her experiences,
and Leon Wilson, owner of The Demo-
crat, documented the writing and
layout skills Connie had learned in her
two years as a newspaper staff mem-
ber.
Her portfolio accepted, Connie
drove to Austin weekly to attend
classes for about three months, then
more infrequently. “Now I could drive
the road blindfolded,” she laughed. “I
could get in my yellow 1974 Nova and
say, ‘St. Edward’s,’ and I think it would
go!”
All New College students must at-
tend two seminar classes and some
colloquiums on campus. In addition,
Connie took correspondence courses
through St. Edward’s, continued sum-
mer classes at Texas A&M and at-
tended Blinn Junior College.
Connie Mathews, a woman of de-
termination, received her bachelor’s
degree and began a professional career
at the age of 33. Her success is a
reflection of her spirit and dedication.
And a reflection of the spirit of a lot of
caring people.
Connie, who has lived in Hearne all
her life, attributes the successful attain-
ment of her goal — earning a bachelor’s
degree so that she could teach — to her
own hard work and desire to meet the
challenge of higher education, and to
the openhearted support given to her
by family and community.
“I had a lot of people pulling for me,”
the energetic brunette confided.
After two years of working as a
teacher’s aide in Hearne’s North Side
Elementary School, Connie decided to
become a certified teacher. She made
that decision after she was made
responsible for teaching 10 third and
fourth grade children their phonics.
“I saw it was a great accomplishment
to see the kids learn to read. The more
responsibility I got, the more I wanted
to do. I didn’t want to be an aide
anymore.”
She was encouraged by the teachers,
the principal and the superintendent to
get her degree and return to the class-
room as a certified teacher. So, in the
summer of 1976, Connie enrolled in
summer classes at Texas A&M. It was
the first time in her life to attend college
classes. “It was hard,” she remembers.
“But it was a challenge I loved.”
A&M offered no evening under-
graduate classes, and, working full
time, Connie was limited to attending
school only in the summers. Then,
through an article in the Democrat
about another Hearne resident, Mary
Jane Pursley, Connie found out about
h 2
C
3 '
about it.’ He knew I’d get it all done.”
It was a difficult two-and-a-half years
getting the degree, but Connie believes
it was worth it.
“When you have to do something,
and you want to do it, you can do it. But
you’ve got to want to WORK for it,” she
said. “The desire to teach kept me
going. In order to teach I had to have a
degree.”
Connie feels she worked harder for
her degree than a traditional student
has to work. “To me, when you’re
having to write a paper or gain insight
without a professor and lectures... well,
I dug a lot. I actually spent more hours
on the work than if I had been attending
classes. I might spend five hours work-
ing out a problem or concept on my
own. With a professor lecturing, it
would have taken an hour.
“But I don’t think the program should
be any less strict. If it were easy, anyone
could enroll, get credit and teach. But
you don’t want incapable teachers. I’m
glad I had to work hard for my degree. I
can always be proud of it.”
And indeed she can. Connie gra-
duated Cum Laude in August, just in
time to accept her first certified teach-
ing position in the town where people
had helped her achieve her success.
She works with second graders at East
Side. In the mornings she teaches basic
reading skills and then top-level second
grade math. In the afternoons she is the
Title I teacher, teaching educationally
and economically disadvantaged child-
ren math and reading skills.
Now the bright, confident teacher
says: “I enjoy what I’m doing. I love to
teach. It makes me feel good when I go
home. I love the kids — I love the
rewards I get when I’m teaching.”
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View 10 places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
St. Edward's University [Newsletter] (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 1, 1981, newspaper, January 1, 1981; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1528660/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed May 31, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting St. Edward’s University.