14
Friday, February 27,1976
University Daily Kansan
Middle-age students enroll to learn, aid careers
Bv FLORESTINE PURNELL
Staff Writer
You're never too old to learn. Many people more than 30 years old believe that to be true and have recently enrolled in college in increasing numbers to prove it.
Although the average age of a University of Kareas student in fall 1975 was 21, national figures seem to indicate that students are generally older, Marshall Jackson, an assistant director of admissions and records, said last week.
"The office of admissions tries to meet the needs of all students," he said. "And problems of adjustment faced by older students have been taken into account."
Orientation sessions for the older students were held in the fall, he said. Generally, old students are having problems are referred to other areas of the university.
MAX GRIFFIN, assistant director of admissions and records, said older students weren't treated any differently because the student handled only the admittance of students.
PERIHAS ONE REASON for the in-
venture, age, Griffin said, is the tech job market.
The agency most often referred to by the Office of Admissions, the division of continuing education, handles most older students.
Vivian McCoy, director of student services in continuing education, said there were a variety of reasons for older people being in school.
"For women, sometimes it is an economic necessity to support themselves and their families," McCoy said. "Often, after the new job comes home, there is a need to get into new areas."
"FOR MEN, THERE are often chances for career advancements or a change of career that make it necessary to return to school. Then there are some who return for the sheer learning experience with no intention of using it for a job."
McCoy said a study conducted by her office in 1975 indicated that the average age of older students in the Kansas City area was 37. Females make up 77 per cent of the group whose average schooling was 15.6 and just more than the junior year in college.
Traditional patterns of women marrying at a younger age than men, and women helping men through school, account for the imbalance, McCoy said. As more degree programs become available, the ratio may change.
ONE-TO-ONE counseling, group coun-
selling, career workshops and seminars are
used to deal with problems facing older students. Such topics as "non-traditional routes to learning," "creative retirement" and "life career planning" are used to orient the students to their new role as a student.
"We have counseling to help assess the students' interests, aptitudes and values."
Marriage . . .
From page 13
He said that among the factors important to a successful, working marriage were a healthy self-Image, a sense of one's own identity and the ability to accept interdependence.
"Interdependence does not mean dependence or independence," he said. "It means submissiveness and assertiveness—using effectively for fruitful problem-solving."
Karpowitz said that, if he had to name one thing that was important to a healthy marriage, it would be "plain, effective communication."
*I expect couple to have problems—life brings them. The key is whether they can cope with it.*
The presence of more mature people in classes with younger students has various implications. For example, their history, said their presence made a real difference in his cultural and educational life. He is from Philadelphia.
Occupational testing and referrals to good advisers in academic arenas also helps the student know what is expected.
teachers or professional," Griffith said. "Their presence injects a person who has had real, practical experience into the field."
Griffith said older students, along with him, in his classes, tended to help class problems.
McCoy said, "The idea behind this is that once a person decides to come back, he also decides he has no time to lose and he needs the correct direction."
--found a stimulation of interest in the times when more mature students were in his post-Civil War history class. There tends to be a greater ability to detect trends in history, he said, and relating these trends to personal experiences helps.
"It means something for a great many people," he said. Sometimes it's the first time people hear things from a different person. Then people are more likely to discuss.
W. Stitt Robinson, who has been in the KU history department for 25 years, said he had
HOWEVER, John Clark, professor of history, said he saw little difference in his characters.
"IHAVE A LOT of people who have been
"There was a lot more give-and-take in my classes between 1068 and 1972," he said, than before "88 or after. 72. Today is a lot less activity." I came here there. There is a lot less activity."
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THRU
MARCH 2, 1976
OPEN EVERYDAY 7a.m. to 12p.m.
26th Annual
ROCK CHALK REVUE March 5,6
A BICENTENNIAL PARODY
- a great comedy variety show
- with over 300 performers reliving famous stories with some hilarious changes.
This glorious five-show package, enhanced by a 25-piece live orchestra will include appearances by Paul Revere, The Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, Mount Rushmore, Cecil B. DeMille, and portions of the Continental and British armies.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Tickets available at the S. U.A. ticket office and at every bank in Lawrence.
Fri. March 5: '3 $ ^{\circ}$ and '2 $ ^{\circ}$ (second balcony)
Sat. March 6: Sold Out
Performance Begins at 7:30 p.m. in Hoch Auditorium Theatre
Rock Chalk Revue is Sponsored by the KU-Y and Partially Funded by the Student Sena