Tuesday, October 23, 2001

Be Inclusive
Nontraditional means fresh perspective

Like a majority of students on campus, we worry about upcoming papers and tests as though they were the most important issues surrounding our lives.

There are representatives of a minority in our classrooms, however, who worry about when they have to pick up their children from school or how to get them to a doctor’s appointment, all while trying to balance their schoolwork.

We turn to our neighbors in our classes and ask them what party or other activity they went to over the weekend. Rarely do we inquire into the lives of students classified as nontraditional, those undergraduates over the age of 25, sometimes married, sometimes with children.In neglecting to include these students in our circle of attention, not only do we make them feel isolated, but we deprive ourselves of an enriching viewpoint. Class isn’t limited to listing to lectures and taking tests. Learning takes place when we get to know the people we sit next to, people who have to think about more than just class schedules and social activities.

Maybe we will not be married or have children during our time in college, but we will be adults with real-world responsibilities like finances and a career. What a unique opportunity to gain insight into our future and possibly gain a friend in the process.

We need to recognize that this minority of students (469 nontraditional students in 2000) are a significant part of this campus and our peers.

Recently Mary Cunningham, a 31-year-old mother, began an on-line discussion group to find other students she can identify with. After posting a message about the group on TCU Announce, she received 18 responses confirming that these students need a forum of commonality. Cunningham is to be commended for taking the initiative to provide such a medium. Everyone needs support from their peers.

Diversity is a common anthem on campus, but ethnicity need not be the only concern. Lifestyle choices, particularly the decision to return to school several years after high school graduation, are also key ingredients to a diverse campus.

Now, students in the majority need to realize that there is a world outside of their own spheres of influence.

The sooner we do that, the more we will learn about being members of a larger society.