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Show WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 Features WWW.WSUSIGNPOST.COM WSU offers club for Wildcats 40 and up By Tucker Garrett features editor I The Signpost Many students older than 40 have friends and family to offer social support, but some of them may be looking for a peer group to relate to - not simply people their age, but people their age dealing with similar situations. Weber Wise is a group for WSU students ages 40 and older. The founders intend to eventually make it an official part of Weber State University Clubs and Organizations through the Nontraditional Student Center. Martha Autrey, who finished her bachelor's degree in gerontology last spring, came up with the idea to have a group specifically for students older than 40. She said coming back to school wasn't difficult for her, but she realizes it could be for other nontraditional students, so she suggested the idea to the Nontraditional Student Center staff. "We just want to make campus life conducive to that age group, because they have a tendency to feel like they're isolated and they don't have anyone to relate to," Autrey said. Weber Wise hosted an open house on Sept. 12. Autrey said the attendees provided evaluations, and that the feedback was helpful in determining the group's current needs. Debbie Cragun, the coordinator for the Nontraditional Student Center, said the open house turn- PHOTO BY RAYCHEL JOHNSON | THE SIGNPOST Weber Wise is a group for students ages 40 and older. Students interested in joining or supporting the club can contact the Nontraditional Student Center in the Shepherd Union Building. out was surprising because so many attended. "I'm recognizing that is a real need on campus, to have support for those students who are older - maybe coming back to school or just starting school," Cragun said. Additional meetings will be held on Oct. 3 and Nov. 14, both from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room 316 of the Shepherd Union Building. Each attending student will receive a resource packet. The founders of Weber Wise plan on the group doing the same things other clubs and organizations do, such as meetings and social events. The first meeting will feature a guest speaker from the Counseling and Psychological Services Center who will discuss coping with campus life. "I think it's an exciting group, and we hope to support them academically; it's really scary for many of them to come back to school," Cragun said. "Math changes, the library - everything's online. I mean, there's so many things that are different, even if they had attended a university." Cragun said Weber Wise hopes to let its students know about resources such as math study groups, the Writing Center, tutoring opportunities and financial aid. "We want to make sure they know all the resources that everyone else knows," Autrey said. Cragun mentioned specifically the Health Center at WSU as something many nontraditional students may not realize is available to them. According to the Health Center's website, insur ance is not required to take advantage of its services. Autrey said she would like to get a career fair at WSU specifically for Weber Wise students, because some members of the group are concerned about what they'll do with a degree once they earn it. Cragun said she encourages students who See Weber Wise page 8 Attendance credit: A call to reason i s Tucker Garrett • The Signpost columnist Imagine a mother of three who has returned to Weber State University to finish her degree. She has car payments, a mortgage and even a teenager. What if one of her children suddenly gets sick at school and she has to leave before her next class to take care of them? No big deal, right? But what if her courses at the university have attendance policies? Her grade would be negatively affected for tending to more important matters. Contrast that situation to a young sophomore who plays football for the university. The team has an out-of-state game, so he misses class to play a game he's enjoyed since third-grade recess. The attendance policy is not allowed to interfere with his hobby. Have you ever heard the term "excused absence"? It's a term usually associated with high schools and junior highs, and is typically related to athletic events or school- sanctioned organizations. It means that somebody in a special group gets to miss class without academic punishments. So if you don't belong to one of these distin guished groups, you never get the chance for an excused absence. This is, of course, assuming your class has an attendance policy. When I bring up attendance credit with students from other universities, they react as though I'm telling them about my Huggies: "You're 24 years old. Why on earth do you have attendance credit?" Note: Not every class has an attendance policy. I understand that in- class discussions are important, and there are also in-class assignments. But, as adults, if we choose to skip class, we also choose the consequences. There shouldn't be a double jeopardy. Missing class has natural consequences, so we don't need to be docked points from our final grade for missing a lecture. And most of us want to be here - that's why we empty our bank accounts each semester. Removing attendance policies won't suddenly empty the classrooms. Last semester, I had one course where I understood the textbook much more than the professor. So I skipped most of the classes to read the text. I did all the homework, did well on the tests and did well on the final exam. Thankfully, See Attendance page 8 Weber in Motion works to keep Wildcats fit By Thaina Cavazotti correspondent I The Signpost Four years ago, Nancy Weir walked her first half- marathon. She had trained and prepared for months. A few days before the race, she drove her car around the course, mentally preparing herself for the 13.1 miles she was soon to run. The day of the race arrived, and she was ready. The friends she had made in the training program were there with her, ready to walk alongside her. The race began and, just like that, she was participating in her first half-marathon. Hallway through the walk, she started getting tired. But she had done all of the training and she was not going to give up. As the runners passed by her, they shared words of encouragement. "It made a huge difference, hearing the runners pass by us and say, 'Good job, girls! Keep it up!'" Weir said. 'And I knew that if I just made it down the canyon to the Ogden Parkway, I could finish from there." Weir is an athletic trainer at Weber State University. Between lanuary and May, she is also one of many women involved in a program called Weber in Motion, formerly known as Women in Motion. Cunently, every participant in the program is a SOURCE: JULIE HANSEN Members of the all-women program Weber in Motion pose for a photo. The program helps its member stay active and train for marathons. woman, and many of them are WSU employees, but the program is available to anyone in the community who has a BMI higher than 30. "It is very useful to have Nancy with us," said lulie Hansen, one of the founders of Weber in Motion. "Most of these women in the program have never participated in formal exercise before, so small injuries are common." As an athletic trainer, Weir works primarily in handling injuries for the WSU women's volleyball and softball teams, and she fills in with helping other teams whenever she is needed. Because of this role, she is able to use her skills to help women in the Weber in Motion program. Most of the injuries Weir encounters are shin splints, blisters and small sprains. Although she has been involved in the athletic program at WSU for 30 years, Weir realized four years ago that she needed to make a change in her life for her own well-being. "I've tried to stay healthy my whole life, but you get involved in your life and you start to push that aside," Weir said. "The program has made a huge dif ference in my life." Hansen and Dr. Donna Milivitz started the program at a women's clinic at the Ogden Intennountain Health Care Center in 2006. It began as an exclusive program for patients who were struggling with their health, but it soon began welcoming women from the entire community. Hansen helped the program migrate to WSU in 2007. It is an 18-week program designed to educate overweight and obese individuals and train them to walk the Ogden See Motion page 8 |