Up To PAR: Older and Wiser
At Juniata College there is a contingent of PARSO (Program for Area Resident Student Organization) students. These students are at least five years out of high school, have decided to return to school, and have obligations outside of the classroom that the typical on campus student does not face. They may have a family, a job, or just face making rent along with a standard load of credits. Scott Forbes is a prime example of an older student with responsibilities but also is an active member at Juniata, playing on the Men's Rugby Team and gives some insight into the life of a busy PAR student.
Question
Do you feel your experience as a PARSO student is different than a residential student?
Answer
I feel it is harder to become a part of the campus; not because of a lack of being welcomed or accepted; instead it's because of not living on campus and having so many more things going on. Also, as a PARSO student you come into a college atmosphere where you have acquired more life experiences than the traditional student which makes it hard for them to relate to your experiences, but easier for you to be able to relate to their experiences.
Q
How do you feel your experience is different?
A
I feel that it is easier to make a connection to the professors and other faculty. They are all educators but also peers who share some of the experiences that you are going through and have also lived that traditional life.
Q
Does your involvement in rugby help with peer interaction?
A
Rugby absolutely helps peer interaction. In fact if it was not for rugby I would probably still feel separated from the rest of the campus community. It was the rugby team that helped me feel like I was apart of something. I feel that I owe a lot to the team and everyone on it for everything that they've helped me with whether they realize it or not.
Q
Do you feel you have a different connection with the college and if so what would it be?
A
There's always that feeling that there is a different connection simply because of not being traditional in all sense and aspects of the term, but the reality is, is that there really isn't much of a different connection, but more of a connection. What makes it hard is having the time to solidify it.
Q
Are there any social outside class cultural differences for you?
A
There really are not a lot of social differences outside of class, largely because there isn't much time to have a social life outside of school. The little that there is, is with the local community, who you get to know through living in the area year-round where a traditional student doesn't have that opportunity.
- Courtney Hruska '08, student reporter