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USC's Mature By Debbie Rametta Betty Gaetan didn't know what to cxpcct. She had been out of school tor 20 years. She didn't know where any building was on the campus. She didn't want to walk into class "looking so stupid." So she scouted her territory ahead of time, finding the Gambrell Hall room where her first class would be. "I would at least know what room to go to," she said. Gaetan is one of USC's approximately 3,0(X) mature students, students 25-years-old or older. They have special fears and needs, but USC's Mature Students Program is designed to help them cope. THE PROGRAM is a transition semester for adult students who've never attended college before. They are offered core courses re quired for all majors in reserved sections. The purpose of the program is to give them an enjoyable freshman experience their first semester. "We give them outstanding instructors on campus and they get a chance to create a peer group," said Dorothy Fidler, USC's coorrlinntnr r?f tripr-isl nrnoramc "Thf> nppr group is important in retention. We want to be sure and retain our adult students." Fidler said taking classes with other adult students gives them a chance to make friends. They can get together to study or for coffee and not feel like they're the only older students on campus. "They're all real scared," Fidler said. "Not all of them do well, but most of them do. The ones who don't do well find that i hey simply had a misunderstanding of what a college education is. Wo mm intorl hie I IU I I IV/UI I IUU I IIU the Midlands. H( his message to a rmsr** m Wwattm, d Wtk. ^BBI vjiiiy jj NO APPOINTMENT NECESS ! HOURS: 10-8 MON.-S, I 772-0293 I Yoi ! I ( to 1 alv It doesn't take a to know just how i tant a Sheik eondc [ be. Measuring a thi one-thousandths c inc h. Sheik eondoi the perfect balance sirrnj?m anci sensi ' II Ihcv wen* anv you wouldn't led ( \ sale. Any thicker ; wouldn'i Icrl all ll led. [ \ Student Prograi "MOST OF them are very, very worried in about it, almost having such a high level of cn anxiety that they have trouble performing the st first semester. They're real concerned about to competing for grades with high school cc students ? the best and the brightest in the th state who are all brushed up ? just came out of their math and English classes in the best Fi high schools. in "They have i reason to be concerned w about that, because they re not brushed up, p( and they've been out of classrooms for years. b< They haven't taken exams for years. Their w concern is genuine." ec To help alleviate this problem, the pro- *r eram offers studv skills workshons Also thp at program lessens some of the stress of starting is back to school by offering services such as Fi academic skills assessment, orientation to the university, assistance during registrationand academic advisement. sc "We take care of all kinds of problems like tli getting through the maze of getting admitted, IV' getting advised, getting registered, those hi kinds of things that can absolutely floor d: them and drive them away from USC if we don't help them with it, because they're not used to our system." cl fr SOME MATURE students' fear are simple and short-lived. Sue Piazzola's biggest fear st on her first day on campus was parking her fc car. th "I had gone up and got a parking sticker ta for the Coliseum parking area but didn't know how crowded it would be." she said. tl" "People always said they rode around for sc hours trying to find a place to park. It was bi nice to know 1 could get there, and the park- st bay stallion and g ; rode all night, ex( II patriots ? "It's c LY PHOTOGRAPHER ~! Dutch Square Mall J weet Heart Special 2 ? 8xl0's I 3 ? 5x7's i I 15 ? wallet portraits I 1 jta ^ ? I ;ARY ? VARIETY OF POSES AT. CLOSED SUNDAY J good through April j I i don't hav an "A" stuc mow you rays be pr< n helps older si g lot was not filled up. 1 just parked the SK r...and really didn't know how to cross the cours< reet with the lights...didn't even know how finds find thp rlnccrnnm It vvn?; in^t like I Hri Hnvii une out of a cave and had to discover all ticula ese things." schoo The program appeals mostly to women, said, dler said. Middle-aged women who stayed Sue the home for many years are not going to specif :>rk full-time. Many did not have the op- teach< >rtunity to get an education earlier, having to w< come wives and mothers in an era when it discox [is considered unnecessary for them to be major lucated beyond the high school level. Unl The program was started in 1974, don't lecifieally lor housewives. "It was started career the request of some women who said USC Stude not really doing much to help women," help t dler said. Fid "WHAT WE'VE evolved into is wom< mething not-just-for housewives. Some of liked e men really need and want this program. or sii laybe a third of them are men." We also home n/i) cr\m/? n/hr\ \i<r\rl 'if n i n h t on/-l fol/n 11 f P - r* * * v ,iv/i iiv iiivii "iiu r\ ui 1115111 uiiu 1 c* r\ v_ ly-time classes, she said. kind Fidler said one such man is a musician. He has gigs at night, so he wants to take asses during the day. He needs those who < eshman-level courses." alive. There are basically two types of mature retire udents, Fidier said. One group is looking Wh >r a degree for job promotion or to get into or no e job market. Others however are simply succe: 1,: r ,1 1, _ ? 1 ? r Mllg luuncs 1UI IIIC MICCI piCclMJIL Ul II. * HJI^I "Some of those get the degree, because grade ey just want it for self-satisfaction, and Ap ime of ihem really don't need the degree, with i it they want to take Russian literature or their >mething like that," Fidler said. to be lalloped across claiming with joy , :oming. " 3r* nflStfll h ^ Delicious ( PH and America f I SALAD rnfi nc |n SPECIAL du THESE Greek Salad A delicious blend of feta choc ('.reek peppers. & onions with Constantino's spi Julienne Salad Turkey, ham & American c! i Constantine's Special A delicious blend i_r.- I feta cheese and provolone cheese. Creek olives , ; 1 - I Pnnstantinps's siipfinl Creek dressing". Sif vv"* r ? ? - ?. Sp? 420 Meeting West Columbis !;. | I ]():()() to 10:00 Monday thru Saturday Ownt e to be lent should ?nn rftri. seven different time's by advanceci scientific tech niciues ? including individ Iual electronic testing. Yet. with all their strength. . i-i . i , i 11 lev ieei so naiui at youu swear von weren't wearing a eondom at all. Always be prepared with Sheik eondoms and prove just how smart you really are. i_L_J1LUIU?M?? i?miiniii i ?? ?m?n~~ udents IP SIPPLK is one who takes only es that interest him. He audits them and them "exhilarating and stimulating." il' recently retired. Sipple was not partly apprehensive about returning to I. "It just kept my mind active," he Piazzola, on the other hand, has a ic career goal. Having been a substitute :r for two years, she decided she wanted 3rk with the learning disabled. She /ered her best course of action was to in English and minor in education, like Piazzola, many mature students know what to major in or what their objectives should be. The Mature nts program offers career counseling to hem grapple with that. ler said this is particularly true of ?n who have faced some kind of crisis eath of a spouse, divorce, loss of a child mply the children moving out of the . They have a lot of extra time to do lanning, plus they've come to some of transition in their personal lives. VK WORKFI) with a lot of widows. say 1 need something to keep my brain Tidier said. "Quite a few people who come back to take courses." lether the program is responsible for it t, most mature students are making a ssful transition to college life. In fact, said adult students have a higher -point ratio than younger students, parentlv the older studen' needs help more mundane mailers: where 10 park car, how 10 find I heir classrooms, how a student again. Portfolio nnmirin Qnnn ^ I n Food FWITH AD ? U S EXPIRES N#i SALADS 4 18 84' gpg?| se. anchovies, (iroek olives. M I ] rial Greek dressing. B9qHj . . . small Re#. Price 2.95 Jj | loose with choice of dressing. . . . small Reg. Price 2.7*3 of ham, turkey, roast l)oof, I find Greek peppers with t MM . . . small Keg. Price 3.25 rv 1 Phono 796-0336 e&Ml >d by Constantino (Gus) Capilos |?[ p ] The (iAMKCOC'K is the student newspaper of the t'nivvrsity of South Carolina and is published three times ? week on Mondays. Wednesdays and Fridays during the fall and spring semesters and weekly on Wednesdays during hoth summer sessions, with the exception of university holidays and examination periods. Opinions expressed in the (iAMKCOCK are those of the editors and not those of the I ni\ersit\ of South Carolina. The Hoard of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of the tiAMKCOCh. The Student Media Department is the parent organization of the (iAMKCOCK. 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