I seem to be the invisible student and it seems I an not alone. I have been signed into the Non-Traditional Student Organization for one year now, and I fail to see any efforts on their part to help me, or others like me, with any means to get together. This Fall semester I have talked with many students (age 30+) who have just enrolled at SIUC for the first time. They all have the same complaint. Where are all the other non-traditional students? Why is there no forum for us? Even the course curriculum here at the University is not geared for us. The traditional incoming freshman have the resident advisors to help them with the transition of coming to a major university; why not us? The non-traditional students I talked with said that many times they considered dropping out because they felt all alone and invisible. We make up a third of the total student population and I feel there should be more programs and services geared toward making our transition to this university easier. Why are there no get-to-know-you brunches or potluck dinners to bring us together?

The Student Programming Council seems not to notice we are here either. When they program functions for students such as concerts and movies, we may attend, but they are not specifically geared for us. Personally, I am 40 years old, and I love my children, who attend college here, but sometimes I would like to talk to people my own age. It would be interesting to meet people with the same concerns, problems, and life experiences that I have had. It seems that the Non-Traditional Students Organization is non-functioning in this regard. I think its a shame that the only time I get to meet students my own age is when we invisibly bump into each other in class. I would just ask the Non-Traditional Students Organization to keep us in mind; we’re still around, even if you can’t see us.

Non- Traditional student majoring in social work.

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