Students had written their goals on pieces of red and white paper trimmed to look like feathers and placed them around the school’s mascot, Sammy the Hawk. No names. Just hopes and dreams of what they will do in the future.
The handwritten goals were what you expect from college students. They wanted to graduate, get a job in their chosen field, or go on to get a bachelor’s degree. And it all brought back memories from my first day at the University of Iowa.
The joke at the time was nearly every freshman was either prelaw or pre-med until they got their first midterm grades. Then most had to set their sights on other degrees or go home. No one wanted to go home.
I remember being excited about all the new people I would meet and the things I would learn. I was also a little intimidated. I was suddenly in a large lecture hall filled with students who were at the top of their high school class. Would I be able to compete?
Back then, the cost of college wasn’t what kept kids from attending. I remember my first semester cost about $300 in tuition. You could take as many classes as you wanted, and the cost would be $300 for the entire semester’s tuition. Today, that kind of money won’t even pay for one credit hour at a community college.
In the early 1970s, you could still work your way through college. Today it is impossible to do with a minimum wage job. According to College Data Initiative (collegedata.org), on average, a credit hour for a public four-year college is $411. When you add in the cost for room, board, and books, the cost per credit hour is $966. A typical semester might have 16 credit hours.
I don’t envy today’s college students. The cost for school is so much that you can’t plan to spend a couple of semesters trying to decide who you want to be. On the other hand, as a college student, you are in a state of arrested potential; waiting to graduate and take on the world.
I hope all the dreams written on those red and white pieces of paper come true. But since I’ve seen smart people not do well in school because they lost their focus, I have a suggestion that was passed on to me when I was a freshman.
On the first day of class, one of my college professors introduced us to Spoonerisms. A Spoonerism occurs when the initial sounds of two words are switched, changing the meaning. For example, saying “lack of pies” instead of “pack of lies.”
After explaining Spoonerism, he warned us not to “taste a werm.”
And then some….
My wife and I really enjoyed the free music during the summer months on Friday evenings at John Dixon Park in Dixon. Every week, there is a different music act. And Culver’s provides free treats for those who attend.
We are going to miss those Friday evenings in the park. I just wanted to thank all the performers and the businesses that support the night of free music. We are looking forward to when it returns next summer.
