It wasn't until I spoke with a 35-year-old student that I realized there's an entire population of Miami University students that gets lost in the shuffle. We see them in classes and we pass them on the Slant Walk. They may not be out uptown on the weekends or pulling late hours at King, but they are nonetheless a part of this campus.
Their technical term is "nontraditional students." But you might know them as the mom-looking woman in class with a wallet full of kids' pictures, the middle-aged man coming back for that degree that just never got finished, or the retired man working on his third degree just for the sake
of learning.
Unfortunately, these students get lost in the shuffle. Have you ever considered what these students add to our campus? The things we can learn from them? And perhaps the ways that we unintentionally distance ourselves from them?
Your friends are likely between the ages of 18 and 22. Maybe a few pushing 23 or 24, but for the most part, just around your age. Other than professors and family members, how much do you interact with people outside your age group? We talk about this bubble we're in, but all around us we have these students who aren't in the bubble. Their age and experiences bring valuable diversity to our learning - both educationally and socially.
These students make great efforts to be here because they truly want to learn. I've observed that they're likely the ones asking questions, clarifying lectures and really absorbing the material. They are here because they choose to be and not because it was the logical step right after high school. For them, college isn't a playground. It isn't a four-year holding tank to hopefully make them mature enough to enter the real world.
They're already in the real world. They probably work a 40-hour week on top of these courses. Instead of heading to the dorm after class, they likely return to a spouse and kids. For us, college is life. For them, college is just a part of life.
When was the last time we appreciated their diverse perspectives? Or truly embraced them as fellow classmates? We're not exactly an easy social group to break into, folks. When our conversations are dominated by wild nights, Greek functions, internships and relationship drama, it's not easy for that mom in the front row to break into
casual conversation.
After speaking to my new nontraditional student friend, I realized that our disconnection from this population goes far deeper than just age. It's about respect. It's about inclusiveness. It's about seeking the relationships that will truly make us well-rounded students.
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