Learning for the Aged

"What are you doing for us?" the old man demanded of Bruce Bauer, director of community services for North Hennepin State Junior College in suburban Minneapolis. The answer was simple: nothing. Unlike most community colleges, however, North Hennepin decided to offer tuition-free courses specifically designed for the elderly, including, for a start, seminars on lip reading, physical fitness and organizing for "senior power." The response was spectacular. Expecting only 100, the college enrolled about 400--some on crutches, others in wheelchairs.

That was last year. By this summer, North Hennepin had some 800 older people (ages 55 to 81) enrolled in courses ranging from creative writing to gardening to astronomy. Moreover, the idea of academic programs for old people is spreading to other campuses --partly because of grants being offered by the Federal Older Americans Act. At Stanford, a professor has begun preliminary planning for an "emeritus university," and programs for old people are already under way at colleges in Milwaukee, Sacramento, Calif., and St. Petersburg, Fla.

How to Cope. The latest one opened last week at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., which registered some 200 students for its College of Older Americans. Like the others, Mercyhurst offers a curriculum of both cultural courses and practical advice. Not only can its students study French or art; they can also learn how to live on a fixed income, cope with the illnesses of old age and adjust emotionally to growing older.

"The purpose is not to just fill their time; they're supposed to take this knowledge and use it," says Judith Wieczorek, 37, who directs both Mercyhurst's sociology department and its program for old people. Indeed, many students did register with practical goals in mind. For example, Mrs. Martha Czito, 62, hopes the course on fixed incomes will teach her how to live within her budget ("I know it's late, but I'm still going to try"), while Joseph Nowak, 72, has a more political reason. "We have to find out if our Social Security payments are too low for a decent life," he explained, "and whether we should fight to get more."

At North Hennepin, where 80% of the "senior" students had never gone beyond the eighth grade, there is still a certain ambiguity about the purpose of education for the elderly. Some of the new applicants have asked for such prospective courses as "Sex over 65" and "The Psychology of Dying," but others prefer simpler offerings like "Film Time: the Oldies but Goodies." Explains Mrs. Harriet Heesen, who has taken creative writing and whose grandson is enrolled at the same college: "I'm just doing what I enjoy. If I learn along the way, fine, but I'm going on 80, and who needs more education at my age?"

Some old people, by contrast, are active both in studies and in regular college life. Dan Sundquist, 61, the retired owner of a drive-in restaurant, was elected to the student senate with the help of younger students who posted signs reading VOTE FOR SUGAR DAN. He and his wife Loretta completed high school equivalency courses at the college and now are among about 40 people who have graduated into the col lege's regular curriculum. "They don't want to be patronized," says Bruce Bauer. "They really do their homework and some of our kids are hard put to keep up with them."

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