Last week on campus, the large classroom buzzed with conversation. An important project and presentation were due in statistical epidemiology. Two students greeted each other before gearing up for the project and entering the room, seeming to draw on each other’s strength, nervously.
“Hey man.”
“How’s it going?”
The two men clasped hands and bumped shoulders.
A little informal, given that one was 76 years old.
Some students are delaying their college experience because of the state of the economy. But a group of students are returning to college, even after having full careers lasting more than 25 years.
The age 65 and over program allows senior citizens to take a certain amount of classes for free. Tests are optional and the only cost to the senior-aged student is the book.
In other states, this program is already established. New York’s state legislature adopted the practice in 1974, according to New York Senator Tom Libous’ Web site. A number of states, including Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, and Virginia, had these statewide tuition waiver programs for senior citizens established by 2006, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Now, all states have some sort of senior or advanced adult program, according to the Senior Resource Web site. In Arkansas, these featured programs a
James “Jim” Johnson, 76, the oldest registered student at UA chose to attend classes because of the age 65 and over program. Johnson believes this is a great program because it enables seniors to take classes they enjoy, gives them a chance to help younger students and a way to stay active.
He now carefully balances his life as a senior and life as a student.
Johnson is involved in the Springdale Rotary Club, Kiwanis and the Lions program. He sends 600 personalized Christmas cards written with blue ink each year because he values keeping in touch with friends by writing letters, since “an e-mail will never be personal.” Johnson writes so often that he keeps the same grey envelopes and blue pens handy for note cards and other greetings. “We don’t say thank you enough,” he said.
He wears a sports jacket and tie when meeting someone on business or attending Rotary Club meetings, but is not afraid of dressing like and interacting with students much younger than him.
Tuesdays and Thursdays at the HPER, Johnson is dressed as the other students: gym shorts and white sneakers, as he talks himself up for the racquetball tournament. He can’t help but smile when people ask if he keeps up with the much younger players. “I play the same speed (as they do) because I’ve been playing for 50 years,” he said. “We hit each other and bump around.”
Some of his racquetball competitors say they don’t play full speed against him, but that “you can tell he’s a good player.” This said as Johnson hit the racquetball between his legs toward the opposite wall.
Johnson agrees that some players “take pity on me.” Even still, he believes the sport is a great way to stay active, a priority that people of all ages should have.
“Most of the seniors I know are old,” he said, reflecting on their patterns that make them seem their age in a negative way. “They don’t keep in shape.” Johnson places a high priority on staying healthy.
Johnson attended four colleges, nine military training schools and is now taking a statistical epidemiology course at the UA. When he leaves a class, he says he’s “as happy as if I’d had two doughnuts in the morning.”
After many years of education, Johnson acquired five years of teaching experience in chemistry, physics anatomy and physiology on the upper school level.
Not all of Johnson’s classes have been enjoyable, but he has tempered those interests with dedication.
On the first day of his Advanced Organic Chemistry class, Johnson said, “In the first minute I knew I was in trouble.” But he finished the course anyway and didn’t worry about the grade. He advises taking courses that invigorate and make the student happy.
The best form of education, through which Johnson learned the most during his lengthy educational career, was in an Army management school. There, he said the students and teachers would get in shouting matches and it was “more fun than a barrel of monkeys.” Johnson insists that people are too caught up in being politically correct and that gets in the way of learning. “I am the most non-politically correct person around,” he said.
Johnson's enjoyment of the courses is more crucial than the type of classes that seniors choose to take through the program.
Currently he has a list of 10-12 subjects that he’d like to take and turns to his son for advice on which one to take first. Some of the subjects are areas that Johnson has experience in, but would still like professional training. “I’d like to take ‘Intro to Tap’ and acting. But after Johnson taught profiling and lived in many different regions of the country, Johnson's son believed that his dad had already become an actor by figuring people out and adjusting to the local culture.
Johnson feels that the most pro-active part of the senior-students program is sharing experiences with younger students, interacting with them outside of class and setting good examples. “We all bring different things to the university,” he said.
Personally, he has the experience of two separate careers to bring to UA students, one in Marine Corps and the other in non-profit organization development each lasting 25 years or more.
After interacting with older students and collecting the wisdom of their experiences, Johnson says the student must do the rest of the work. “You get out of the university what you put in it,” he said.
Johnson’s helpfulness extends past students. He spent 30 years of his career in non-profit organization development, which is where he met UA’s current chancellor, David Gearhart. At the time, Gearhart and Johnson were working the same position in development for their organizations.
"Just having (Johnson) in the classroom brings a diversity that students aren't used to having," said Chancellor Gearhart.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
the Lewis and Clark Adventure Race
Contestant #41 squinted into the sun as the officials directed him towards the canoe. Already at a disadvantage, he was the only single-participant team; the others were made of two and three racers. Sweat drenched and panting, he gathered his bearings while sorting out the rules: had he been to the checkpoints in order? Confirmed. Within seconds, he sprinted toward the water, canoe in hand and determination at heart.
“This is where it gets interesting,” said Brandon Butler, business owner of Ozark Extreme Adventure Sports. Butler had provided the inflatable canoes, but knew they were much less reliable than hard material canoes.
The man pushed and nudged the canoe into the water and began to paddle.
The canoe angled sharply, back and forth, like a praying mantis that hasn’t quite sorted out how to handle his abdomen.
“They’ve been called medieval torture devices,” said Brandon Butler. The device is an inflatable canoe without rudders and is exactly what the adventure racers will use in attempting to cross the lake today, as the wind tries to persuade them otherwise. Butler said it was a little like putting a float raft in the water and trying to direct it with oars, making it a difficult feat even before the wind came along.
Canoeing is only one section of the Lewis and Clark Adventure Race, an annual event for hiking, biking, orienteering, rope and water events. Prizes included products and gift certificates to the Lewis and Clark Outfitters, as well as money and qualifications for the national championship of adventure racing, the USARA competition in 2010.
“The race location is a surprise each year. We always announce it the evening before the race begins,” said Mandy Blackwood, the Lewis and Clark Adventure Race director. This ensures that no adventure racer has the advantage of practicing the course repeatedly when other contestants do not.
There were few first-time participants in this year’s Lewis and Clark Adventure Race, but for adventure racers, there is never an “only” adventure race experience. All return to the race or find other adventure races around the country.
“I can’t remember how many I’ve done,” said Fletcher Hamel. “The mental endurance it requires for an 18-20 hour race is the most challenging part.” Hamel prepares for the races by spending his time cycling, running and working out in the water.
“This is my tenth or eleventh race,” said Scott Eis, part of the “Bent Rims and Band-Aids” team. He began adventure racing as a crossover from mountain biking and found the canoeing event the most challenging section. “We picked a professional canoeing instructor to help us improve,” he said.
“Most of my team has been in eight or nine adventure races, but one of them has done 19,” said Mike McDoniel, of the “Team Cross 1” team. “The dynamics of teamwork are tough in balancing the strength and weaknesses of so many people and having to stick together.”
“I’ve done several adventure races, but this is the first time (the weather) has been warm,” said Jeff Erikson. In one of Erikson’s previous adventure races, the evening temperature low was 37 degrees. His race partner, Matt Fox explained that the weather wasn’t the most challenging part of the race.
Erikson trains for the race by doing a lot of bicycling and running, and recently began running half marathons. After all the preparation, the biggest challenge he has in the race is simply “not getting lost.”
Adventure Racers are given plot coordinates and they are to graph the checkpoint locations during the first section of the race. This is extremely important, since all checkpoints must be reached and reached in order for the participant to complete the race. People at checkpoints ensure the order chronology by putting a stamp on the contestant’s card.
“Maps and plotting…is the purpose of the race,” Blackwood said. “You have to make sure you go in order and stay on track.”
To help improve the navigation skills of race participants, several navigation workshops are given during the week of the race.
A group of people huddle over topographic maps, most of them readjusting their wire rim glasses. Poised on dark leather couches, the men lean over their knees, trying to get a better view of the map and the women wait patiently, clasping delicate hands and daintily crossing legs. Expensive watches peek out from under button up shirts when group members point toward the map questioningly.
They look as if they are reaching deep into their college experience, grasping for that freshman level geology class in desperate last minute preparation.
Among the first checkpoints this year was the Fayetteville Athletic Center. There, contestants had to lift a total of 1000 pounds, not all at once, but through reps on bench weights, free weights or lifting the iron weights without the use of bars.
“Here they come,” called a crew member of the Fayetteville Athletic Center, sending employees scurrying from their break in front of the building to set up in the brightly lit room, something resembling a racquetball court.
Adventure racers and FAC employees united in near futile efforts to keep count of reps and do the simple math “40…that would be twenty…ugh...can she lift weights too?” asked one team member.
This is the fifth year for the event in Northwest Arkansas, but the first to allow minors in the race. The newness of the rule was shown in the age groups of the participants, since only one contestant was a minor and accompanied by his dad. Of all the groups, the father-son team seemed the most adjusted and content during the competition.
The contestant groups, mainly pairs of friends and the occasional brothers or sisters team, struggled with life jackets and toting canoes while anxiously questioning all authorities any chance they got. But the father-son team floated past, enjoying the weather and moving their canoe seamlessly into the water.
“This is where it gets interesting,” said Brandon Butler, business owner of Ozark Extreme Adventure Sports. Butler had provided the inflatable canoes, but knew they were much less reliable than hard material canoes.
The man pushed and nudged the canoe into the water and began to paddle.
The canoe angled sharply, back and forth, like a praying mantis that hasn’t quite sorted out how to handle his abdomen.
“They’ve been called medieval torture devices,” said Brandon Butler. The device is an inflatable canoe without rudders and is exactly what the adventure racers will use in attempting to cross the lake today, as the wind tries to persuade them otherwise. Butler said it was a little like putting a float raft in the water and trying to direct it with oars, making it a difficult feat even before the wind came along.
Canoeing is only one section of the Lewis and Clark Adventure Race, an annual event for hiking, biking, orienteering, rope and water events. Prizes included products and gift certificates to the Lewis and Clark Outfitters, as well as money and qualifications for the national championship of adventure racing, the USARA competition in 2010.
“The race location is a surprise each year. We always announce it the evening before the race begins,” said Mandy Blackwood, the Lewis and Clark Adventure Race director. This ensures that no adventure racer has the advantage of practicing the course repeatedly when other contestants do not.
There were few first-time participants in this year’s Lewis and Clark Adventure Race, but for adventure racers, there is never an “only” adventure race experience. All return to the race or find other adventure races around the country.
“I can’t remember how many I’ve done,” said Fletcher Hamel. “The mental endurance it requires for an 18-20 hour race is the most challenging part.” Hamel prepares for the races by spending his time cycling, running and working out in the water.
“This is my tenth or eleventh race,” said Scott Eis, part of the “Bent Rims and Band-Aids” team. He began adventure racing as a crossover from mountain biking and found the canoeing event the most challenging section. “We picked a professional canoeing instructor to help us improve,” he said.
“Most of my team has been in eight or nine adventure races, but one of them has done 19,” said Mike McDoniel, of the “Team Cross 1” team. “The dynamics of teamwork are tough in balancing the strength and weaknesses of so many people and having to stick together.”
“I’ve done several adventure races, but this is the first time (the weather) has been warm,” said Jeff Erikson. In one of Erikson’s previous adventure races, the evening temperature low was 37 degrees. His race partner, Matt Fox explained that the weather wasn’t the most challenging part of the race.
Erikson trains for the race by doing a lot of bicycling and running, and recently began running half marathons. After all the preparation, the biggest challenge he has in the race is simply “not getting lost.”
Adventure Racers are given plot coordinates and they are to graph the checkpoint locations during the first section of the race. This is extremely important, since all checkpoints must be reached and reached in order for the participant to complete the race. People at checkpoints ensure the order chronology by putting a stamp on the contestant’s card.
“Maps and plotting…is the purpose of the race,” Blackwood said. “You have to make sure you go in order and stay on track.”
To help improve the navigation skills of race participants, several navigation workshops are given during the week of the race.
A group of people huddle over topographic maps, most of them readjusting their wire rim glasses. Poised on dark leather couches, the men lean over their knees, trying to get a better view of the map and the women wait patiently, clasping delicate hands and daintily crossing legs. Expensive watches peek out from under button up shirts when group members point toward the map questioningly.
They look as if they are reaching deep into their college experience, grasping for that freshman level geology class in desperate last minute preparation.
Among the first checkpoints this year was the Fayetteville Athletic Center. There, contestants had to lift a total of 1000 pounds, not all at once, but through reps on bench weights, free weights or lifting the iron weights without the use of bars.
“Here they come,” called a crew member of the Fayetteville Athletic Center, sending employees scurrying from their break in front of the building to set up in the brightly lit room, something resembling a racquetball court.
Adventure racers and FAC employees united in near futile efforts to keep count of reps and do the simple math “40…that would be twenty…ugh...can she lift weights too?” asked one team member.
This is the fifth year for the event in Northwest Arkansas, but the first to allow minors in the race. The newness of the rule was shown in the age groups of the participants, since only one contestant was a minor and accompanied by his dad. Of all the groups, the father-son team seemed the most adjusted and content during the competition.
The contestant groups, mainly pairs of friends and the occasional brothers or sisters team, struggled with life jackets and toting canoes while anxiously questioning all authorities any chance they got. But the father-son team floated past, enjoying the weather and moving their canoe seamlessly into the water.
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