Spring Break
Non-Traditional students find their place with CSU's NTS Club
L'Shawn lyle
"I was worried about getting in the social scene," she said. "Going out by yourself is not that fun."
Now, Williams, a junior in construction management, has a strong group of friends who share her experiences. She has found them in the Non-Traditional Students Club (NTS Club). NTS club is a social group for non-traditional aged students, defined as undergraduate students who are 23 years old or older.
"The NTS Club is a way to meet more people around the same age. I can relate more to someone who is around the same age, more so than I can relate to a traditional student," said Nathan Lichte, vice president of NTS Club.
Due to their busy lives, the members communicate electronically.
"We all e-mail each other," said Kerrie Griffith, a junior sociolo-gy/criminal justice major. "I can e-mail members and get assistance, scholarship information and re-sources we can use to help us adjust to coming back to school after so long."
The group is also responsible for bringing in speakers, sponsoring events, offering mentors for new non-traditional students, and doing community service, Williams said. The club also offers various get-togethers for new members, pro-spective members and veteran members.
The NTS club offered a "Sur-vivor's Reception" in January, where prospective members and new members got to know each other. Interested people had the opportunity to sign up for the club as well. Cheryl Parker, a junior liberal arts major, went to the Survivor's Reception in January and decided to go to other meetings after getting to know some of the members, she said.
Attitude Adjustments, a less formal get-together, gives members and interested students the chance to talk and get to know each other.
Twice a month on Friday eve-nings, the members meet at bars, restaurants and activity centers. Members unwind, converse and share their experiences with each other, their spouses and occasionally their children.
"It's definitely a winding down," Griffith said. "This is my twice-a-month, where I am able to hang out and have fun."
Anyone from the community can attend the Attitude Adjustments. Scott Newbold, a junior liberal arts major, came to an Attitude Adjust-ments because he was curious about the group, he said.
"It's nice to have the support of your peers," he said. "It's nice to know I'm not alone, I feel like, 'All right, I can do this'." Many members bring different experiences to the group. There are single parents, married students with and without children and single students. There are students in their late twenties and their early fifties.
"It's really interesting because we all have different lives," Griffith said. "It's fun to get to know people who are different from yourself."
