 |
| One of Michael Swickard's 1968 photos |
© 2016 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Old folks joke about walking to school
in snow, uphill both ways while their grandkids roll their eyes. But those
words have some truth about the changes in a couple generations.
Take myself: I went to college in a different
world than kids today who live in the same town and attend the same college. In
1968 I packed my suitcase at my parent’s house in Alamogordo and moved to my
uncle’s house in Las Cruces a mile from the New Mexico State University campus.
My uncle allowed me a bedroom since
I barely had enough money saved to pay tuition and fees and then books. There
were no student loans so I paid my way through college and could because
tuition and fees were about $180 a semester which adjusted to 2016 inflation is
$1,200.
Compare that to $4,400 a semester
now charged at the same college and you see that loans are required.
My possessions were a couple pair of
jeans, some shirts and clothes and shoes. I had a four dollar Timex watch, a
wind-up alarm clock and a 1930 Underwood #5 manual typewriter borrowed from my
grandmother.
It is no longer 1968 and college
students have personal wealth items today in values I didn’t have for the first
five years after I graduated and began working professionally. The only thing I
didn’t have was debt which young people now have lots.
I had the choice of going to college
or having a car, my ability to earn money would not support both so I came to
college on foot. The good of it was I had almost nothing for anyone to steal
from me. The first couple years I lived a very small life that did not use much
money.
Luckily my father taught me
photography when I was in junior high school so I had a trade to bring which
allowed me to make money… typically two dollars a published picture. That was
enough to keep me in school and allowed me enough to eat. But eating was another
story.
The first week I was walking to
campus one Sunday afternoon to study at the library. As I walked by the Methodist
student center just off campus I smell food and it smelled good. So I walked
in. The campus minister, Don Murphy was standing there and asked, “Come to eat
with us?”
I replied that I didn’t have any
money. He said, “Then you can wash dishes.” The food was great. They say that appetite
is a great seasoning. My uncle was a bachelor and didn’t keep much food in his
house.
As I was leaving Reverend Don said, “Did
you know that tomorrow the Church of Christ has a dinner, Tuesday the
Presbyterians, we feed Wednesday night and the Baptists serve Spaghetti on
Thursday.” He gave me a couple other leads to free food and I lived a fine life.
Every Tuesday was Air Force ROTC
which was a requirement for freshmen and sophomore men to take. I enjoyed the
classes and actually enjoyed marching. They found that I was a photographer and
I was appointed student photographer which meant I went to many functions.
For a couple years I walked to and
from campus once or twice a day through sunlight, dark, rain, dust and gloom of
night. Not any snow that I remember but it would make a better story. Those
days I had what I called the number but I didn’t share that with anyone.
The number involved how soon I would
be completely out of money and have to quit college. I got down to sixty days but
never closer. Importantly, I left college without any debts.
My graduation was a semester late
since I was the first production director of KRWG-TV and helped put it on the
air in February 1972. That was an unpaid position and I dropped hours to have
the time which I made up to graduate the next semester.
Yes, it is a different world for
college students with computers, smart phones, designer clothes and cars along
with a consuming life. Their choice, not mine. I wonder how a couple more
generations will change.
Posts
