Returning students find home

Junior Amber Cline probably wouldn't stand out in a group of students shuffling across campus; her petite frame and trendy clothes help her blend with the collage of people. \nBut Cline isn't what most would consider a traditional college student. The 26-year-old isn't fresh out of high school, and she must balance academic pressures with meeting the needs of her 2-year-old daughter.\nAfter high school, Cline attended Southwest Missouri State University but wasn't quite ready for the challenge.\n"I lacked the academic mindset for college, and I didn't take it seriously," she said. \nWhen she discovered she was pregnant, it reinforced it wasn't the best time to be in school. But when her daughter was 2 years old, Cline found herself struggling to make ends meet. It didn't seem like going back to school would be financially possible.\n"After having my daughter, I realized the importance of a college education," Cline said. "I knew I couldn't raise her comfortably on nine or 10 bucks an hour, but I didn't think I could afford returning to school."\nShe discovered she was eligible for money from the University and from government-sponsored programs in Bloomington. \nThe dream of coming back to finish what she started was coming true, but another obstacle lay in her way -- getting in.\nCline was denied admission by the University Division. She said she was frustrated and worried. \nBut there were other avenues to pursue. She applied and was admitted through the Division of Continuing Studies. She is one of thousands of students returning to college through this program. \nThe division provides IU services to students in the Bloomington community and surrounding areas. It offers non-credit course programs and off-campus classes. \nRSS is made up of three programs for nontraditional students -- those at least 25 years old. \nReturning Women Students (RWS) has provided support for more than 20 years. It sponsors monthly luncheons and a weekly support group, as well as a scholarship program for returning female students. \nSally Jones, program developer and counselor, said this is one of the most inspiring programs.\n"The students who apply," Jones said, "have such affirming stories to tell about challenges they have to overcome to return and finish their degrees."\nThe Returning Students Association is the second program. The organization provides advocacy and social networking opportunities for returning students.\nThe IU Student Parent Support Network, started in 1999, is the newest feature. It is designed to provide information about child care and parenting issues to student parents.\nOne of the projects on which the network is working is an evening child care program on campus. This would serve parents with evening classes or study groups.\nResults of a 1999 survey conducted by Returning Student Services found more than half respondants had children and that child care was a major issue, especially financing it. 53 percent used their financial aid to pay for child care.\n"I find the two biggest obstacles facing returning students are the lack of time and financial resources," Jones said. "Many must balance the responsibilities of caring for family members, working, and being active in the community with that of being a student. It can be very stressful."\nJones said the No. 1 reason students reported they quit school in the first place was lack of financial resources. \nDon Heintzman, a 41-year-old former business owner, is also benefitting from RSS.\nHeintzman attended the University of Louisville after high school but wasn't able to adjust. When asked why he didn't make the grade, he laughed and said, "It was the '70s."\n"There was a lot of social change and uprising at the time," Heintzman said. "I found a few fraternity brothers and did a lot of partying."\nHeintzman earned about 40 credits before he quit school to work construction. At the time, the money was competitive, and he was able to purchase his own remodeling business.\nHe ran the business for nearly 17 years, putting his wife through college while she gained rank in the U.S. Navy. But three years ago she was relocated to a local naval base, and Heintzman found himself in an area with a weak economic market. Though he tried starting anew, the opportunities so readily available in Kentucky were nowhere to be found. \n"I had always wanted to come (to IU), since day one," Heintzman said, "but when it came to technology, I realized I was a dinosaur!"\nAfter taking some classes at Ivy Tech State College, Heintzman was denied admission through the University Division, but was able to get in through the Division of Continuing Studies.\n Heintzman finished his first semester, he noted, with a 3.85 grade point average. He is in his second year of an associate's degree in general studies, which he views as a "stepping stone" to the College of Arts and Sciences. This is a type of "probation" period during which returning students prove their desire to get an education.\n "The Continuing Studies program is more openminded and accepting," he said. "They provide to returning students a way to get back into college life and academia."\nHeintzman is working towards a degree in computer science, though he is exploring a way to mix his interest in computers with his newly-discovered passion for art.\nCline is working as a peer adviser in the continuing studies office, helping with programs and planning activities. She plans to graduate in August, 2002, with a degree from the Kelley School of Business; she said she wants to go into pharmaceutical marketing.\nCline -- like many other nontraditional students -- said she feels the program offers her "a place I can go and be around people in the same position as I am."\n"I just felt old," she said, "and I also had a kid. There is so much support here, such inspirational people. It's a great place"