Lamar University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, April 27, 1979 Page: 3 of 6
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UNIVERSITY PRESS April 27,1979*3
fair
/t lair .
Comment
Older students/Letters/Suicide
This Learning World
Never too old
DR. RICHARD MEISLER
“I have never seen so much hair and
denim all in one place before,” Sylvia said.
It was her first day of classes. She was
acutely aware of the differences between
her and the other students. Her haircut
was short and sensible, and she usually
didn’t wear denim in public. Sylvia felt like
an old lady. She was starting college, she
liked to say, after a 22-year summer
vacation. Like many women her age she
had decided to go to college after her
children had: grown up. It was a hard
decision to make, and she was scared.
Sylvia had many fears. After all those
years out of school she was afraid she
wouldn't be able to do the work. She was
afraid she wouldn’t be able to compete
with the kids who have been taking tests
all their lives. She wasn’t sure she’d be ac-
cepted by the other students.
Sylvia also knew that her desire for an
education and a career would be misun-
derstood by others. Her husband was sup-
portive, but when her mother heard of her
plans for an education she said. “There’s
no fool like an old fool.” And other people,
in Sylvia’s church and neighborhood,
thought she was strange.
Not all of the problems came from other
people. Sylvia had her share of doubts. For
years she had cared for her husband,
children and house. She was used to nur-
turing and caring for other people.
Organizing her life to meet her own needs
for growth and learning felt selfish. There
was a nagging guilt: Why couldn’t she be
satisfied like most of the other women she
knew? Maybe she was being an old fool.
Many of Sylvia’s fears and doubts
vanished quickly after a few weeks in
college. She kept a journal which she
Lamar University Press
Editor:
Tara Shockley
Managing Editor:
Greg Hale
Copy Editors:
Ray Brown
Helen Sohlinger
News Editor:
Ann Lavergne
Sports Editor:
Cynthia Shields
Campus Editor:
Hobby Karr
Entertainment Editor:
Tim Meece
Advertising Manager:
Tommy Newton
Advertising Representatives:
Linda Kirkpatrick
Vickie Bell
Graphics Manager
David Campbell
Graphics Assistant:
Sharon Irby
Composition:
Brett Thacker
Staff Cartoonist:'
Kelly Asbury
Photographers:
Mike Cutaia
Janis Doyle
Lenny Gibson
Vic Humphrey
Fernando Prado
Staff Writers:
Frank Conde
Cindy Dowies
Mark Knowles
Susan Marlow
Intramural Writer:
Manuel Moreno, Jr.
Office Manager:
Renita Johnson
Circulation Managers;
Abbas Masumzadegan
Mohammad Talaee
Typesetters:
Gloria Post
Lori Hull
Ingrid Faulk
Director of Student Publications:
Howard Perkins
The University Press is the official
student newspaper of Lamar Univer-
sity, and publishes every Wednesday
and Friday during long semesters, ex-
cluding school holidays. Offices are
located at P.O'. Box 10055, 200 Setzer
Student Center, University Station,
77710.
Opinions expressed in "Fair Comment, ” the editorial
section of the UP Friday edition, and in sports editorials
are those of the student management of the newspaper.
These opinions are not necessarily those of the univer-
sity administration.
called “The Diary Of A Middle-Aged Co-
Ed.” After the first week of classes, this is
what she wrote:
“It’s especially heartening to see other
Students taking me seriously. I never
thought I’d have the courage to participate
in class or, indeed, have anything to offer.
But several times, this week it’s been
possible, even comfortable. I feel en-
couraged by the ‘vibes’ coming from the
students. I know that older isn't wiser, and
so I've tried to be careful not to come on as
the know-it-all mother type. I listen; I
learn.”
Sylvia’s daughter, who was a year ahead
of her in college, gave her a few hints on
how to take exams and write papers. But it
wasn’t always a disadvantage to be older
and returning to school after a long in-
terval. Indeed college professors have
learned that women like Sylvia are often
excellent students.
They are interested and motivated. They
have self-discipline. They often have ex-
periences as adults that are relevant to
their studies. In class they are respectful,
but they have lived too long simply to ac-
cept the word of a college instructor who
may well be fifteen years their junior.
Many women are returning to college
once their children have grown up. They
realize that there are many productive
years ahead of them, and they intend to
use them well. Colleges have been respon- >
ding by creating schedules and special
programs that encourage the middle-aged
student. After years of paying lip-service
to the ideal of life-long learning, colleges
are taking steps to accommodate older
students.
It was beautiful to watch Sylvia make
her way through college. She formed fine
friendships with younger students. She
found that she could learn from them and
that they were eager to learn from her and
be her friends. The students treated her
like another person, not likesomeone’s
mother.
Sylvia’s confidence grew. She spoke her
mind more often. Her plans became more
concrete and realistic. She will go to
graduate school, and she will almost cer-
tainly have a productive career in which
she uses her abilities well. She says that
she’s at “that wonderful in-between
age—too old for free love (or maybe juat
disinclined) and too young for social
security.” But she is just the right age to
be a student.
© 1978, Richard .Meisler
Pres to press:
4Do not disturb’
WASHINGTON (UPI) — Backstairs at
the White House:
Reporters are getting the impression
President Carter would be happier if they
were far away. He is not so different from
his recent predecessors in this respect, but
he is beginning to show his displeasure
more openly.
He also cherishes his privacy, and being
alone is a very important aspect of his life.
Even aides are shying away from distur-
bing him.
The White House traveling press was
struck by the number of sharply negative
comments Carter made against the media
during his U-day vacation trip to Georgia,
where he demanded and got total privacy.
On his walk down Main Street in Plains,
Ga., as his vacation was ending, Carter
told a tourist: “We had a good vacation
and the press had a good vacation. We
were on one island and the press was on
another.”
Acting upon warning signs
can prevent student deaths
Suicide was the second
leading cause of death on
American college campuses
in 1978, according to Marv
Miller, Ph.D., a San Diego
consultant in suicidology.
Statistics show that the
suicide rate for people aged
20 through 24 has almost
tripled in the last 20 years,
and that college students are
almost 50 percent more
likely to commit suicide than
their peers who don’t attend
college.
Given the pressures placed
upon students in today’s
society, these facts become
easier to understand.
Many students face long
days that are divided bet-
ween attending classes,
working *6n outside studies
and research, and working at
jobs to help them stay in
school. Concern about such
things as grades, the work
situation, relationships with
family, instructors and frien-
ds, and other pressures from
society can create stress and
anxiety, which can lead to
depression.
If not handled properly,
this depression could result
in self-destructive behavior.
The Center for Information
on Suicide, located in San
Diego, lists several
behavioral clues which serve
as warning signs of suicide.
These include typical
depressive symptoms such
as loss of ability to sleep, con-
centration, energy, sex
drive, appetite and zest for
life. Other clues might be the
giving away of valued
possessions, the sudden en-
ding of a relationship with a
spouse or lover, a drastic
drop in grades, being fired
from a job which the student
needs to remain in school, or
the loss of other financial
assistance.
One of the strongest clues
is a previous attempted
suicide, especially if it was
serious enough to potentially
have caused death.
Those who notice such war-
ning signs in the behavior of
a friend should persist in ob-
taining professional assistan-
ce for that friend.
Help is available in this
area in the form of such
organizations a$ the Mental
Health Association in Jef-
ferson County, Beaumont;
Suicide Rescue Inc.,
Beaumont' and Orange, and
the Lamar University coun-
seling center for students.
The campus ministries can
also serve as counseling cen-
ters for the depressed and
potentially suicidal.
Suicide has not proved to
be a problem at Lamar in the
past.
By being aware of the
danger signals and knowing
how to deal with them, we
can keep it that way.
Greg-Hale
(< SkJtft
I good
to M W& that
JeffoirsoA Coon+y
decloreA an official
disaster area l
collegiate crossword
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ACROSS
1 Luke of "Star Wars"
10 Elegant
14 Nickname for Syra-
cuse Univ. (2 wds.)
15 Turkish title 20 Exiles
16 Deep involvement 22 Verdi opera
17 Place of sacrifice 24 Pitcher's statistic
18 Pinky or Peggy 25 Natl. Coll. -
19 Lawyer (abbr.) Assn.
26 Famous volcano
28 Mr. Rogers
29 Hundred years
(abbr.)
30 Part of e=mc ■
33 Economics abbrevi-
ation
35 Parody
37 Under one's guid-
ance (2 wds.)
39 - Mahal
41 Clothing character-
istics
42 Ear bone
44 Basketball game
need
46 Kennedy and Wil-
liams
47 Tennis replay
48 Blanc or Jungfrau
50 Arlene -
Bullfight cry
Actress Perrine,
for short
Stogie, western
style
Setting for old TV
series "Hank"
Organization for
Mr. Chips
French article
"...partridge in
- tree"
Something that
Felix Unger has
GRE and SAT
Sailors' patron
(2 wds.)
68 Being: Lat.
69 Max Factor product
(2 wds.)
52
53
61
62
66
67
DOWN
1 French crossing
2 Official language
of Cambodia
3 Where San'a is
4 Misfortune
5 Shameless
6 Durable
7 Type of shirt
8 - trip
9 Provide, as a
service
10 - Alto
11 Exclude socially
12 In pieces
13 Severity
15 Tropical fruits
21 God of love
23 Fa£>le writer
27 Opposite of syn.
30 Lose
31 Playmates of deer
32 Lacking nationality
34 - avion
36 Legal ownership
38 Basket makers
40 Buddy Ebsen role
43 Smeltery waste
45 Attaches
49 Satisfy
51 Fireside
55 Trade organization
56 Prefix: wind
57 Plant again
59 Overdue
60 Ballet movement
64 Opposite of clergy
65 Suffix: region
Answers on page 4
-Letters to the editor-
L U offers driving course
Editor,
Referring to Alan P. Larue’s letter in the
April 6 edition:
Lamar does offer a course in driving. It
is called Defensive Driving and is taught
through the technical arts department. In-
formation about this course is available at
•38-8627.
Unfortunately, too many Defensive
Driving students are referred to the class
after a run-in with John Law. The judge
recommends the DDC class to offenders,
requires it of others.
Lamar’s Technical Arts College also of-
fers a course in truck driving. Truck
driving students are required to take the
Defensive Driving Course and the in-
structor heartily recommends it to anyone
who takes to the highways. He says his
truck driving school students show an in-
crease in road safety after taking the cour-
se. Courtesy is stressed.
The truck driving school uses the
perking lot south of the stadium for
becking, parking and shifting practice.
They use the road behind the stadium as a
shifting concourse.
Truck driving school students leaving
the parking lots at class dismissals. These
future truckers refer to these daredevil
drivers as “Kamakazes.” They seem to
dare the truckers to hit them.
Truck driving school students include
people from all walks of life and very few
Of them are accustomed to the
maneuvering involved in driving a big
truck when they enter class.
Stopping a diesel not only involves
proper use of the brakes, but a reaction
time that is much longer than that needed
in automobile driving. Stopping 10 tons of
truck is hardly similar to stopping a small
car, yet departing students race in front of
the big rigs, pass on the wrong side, stop
suddenly in front of them, and dash across
the lot through pylons set up for backing
practice. They seldom even use a turn
signal to indicate their intentions.
Truck driving school students wonder if
they are being invited to play “chicken”
.before they reach the highways. We’ve
even had automobile drivers hurry up to
the pylons, reverse and back into the space
while the truck is in motion toward them.
A trucker uses his mirrors to maneuver
his trailer. Because of the height of the
cab, and because mirrors do not offer a
panoramic view, there are blind spots that
occur. A small car passing a diesel rig on
the wrong side chances being lost for about
10 feet of the 55-foot span of the rig. This
may be just the footage needed for reac-
tion time when he is finally spotted.
An automobile driver takes his own
safety in hand when he leaves the accepted
courtesies of road driving at home.
We urge safe, thoughtful defensive
driving. We especially urge Lamar studen-
ts to maneuver cautiously when en-
countering an 18 wheeler in the stadium
parking lots.
Patricia Peari
Secretary
Tenure needs scrutiny
Editor:
It is time for the university as a whole to
look at the double-edged sword of tenure.
The purpose of tenure is to protect
teachers and professors from unnecessary
firings caused by personality conflicts,
politics or unnecessary cutbacks within a
department. At the same time, tenure
helps to protect the jobs of professors who
should be fired because of their in-
competency within the classroom. Due to
the double-edged nature of tenure, the
university both benefits and suffers from
the results.
Today, we need to take a hard look at
tenure and make some decisions con-
cerning it. To leave tenure in the same
manner it is in today is a costly mistake.
The university needs to make changes in
tenure so the competent are protected in a
fair manner, but the imeompetent are no
longer able to use it to their advantage.
If it is not possible to make changes
within the system of tenure to accomplish
this, perhaps it should be eliminated.
W.L. Roth
Thanks for the help
Editor:
At this time, I would like to thank all of
the Lamar University Community for all
of their support for the Cystic Fibrosis
Benefit Basketball Game. I would like to
single out a few people in order that they
may receive due credit.
Some of these people are: Bud Leonard,
Susie Fortenberry, Mr. Rode, Dean
Kelton, Greg Freeman, Joel Hanneman
and many, many thanks to Mr. Pete Plot-
ts.
I would also like to thank the faculty who
played in the games: Robert B. Lee,
Charles Hawkins, William Burkett,
Michael Santiago, Larry Kennan, Dave
Beckman, Carl Smith, Johnny Barr,
Kenith Pope, John Payton, Bob Finklea,
Tarlton Daigle, Denny Walsh, Les Stern-
berg, Phil Robertson, David Nelson, David
Cabell, Ron Wesbrooks, Wayne Seelbach,
George Woodward, Cliff Clarke, Jerry
Berthiaume, Jimmy Simmons, Calvin
Smith, the referees—Ivan Jones, Jay
Warrick, Tom Rogers, and Dr. Sue Horne.
Also, I am forever indebted to the Sigma
Phi Epsilon fraternity and the Alpha Chi
Omega and Gamma Phi Beta sororities for
all of their help with the game and for also
sponsoring the game. It never could have
been pulled off without people like Kathryn
Fitzgerald, Katherine Streetman, Peggy
Ryall, Sammie Fertitta, Beth Stripling,
Greg Linney, Kelly O’Brien, Larry
Eastepp, Darrell Hobbs, and many others.
I’ih sure I have left out some very im-
portant people who worked hard on the
game. It's not that I didn’t appreciate your
help, but it’s very hard to remember all
the names.
I also want to thank all the people who
went to the games and gave donations to
the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I hope
everyone enjoyed the games. The Cowboys
put on QUITE a game.
Thanks again for all the help and thanks
to the UP for all the great publicity.
Angle Romano & Jeannie McGee
Co-Chairpersons
Cystic Fibrosis
Benefit Basketball Game
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Shockley, Tara. Lamar University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, April 27, 1979, newspaper, April 27, 1979; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth500333/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lamar University.