things were different then

This morning I was thinking about my time at Oakton Community College.  In Morton Grove, the "interim" campus, on Nagle Avenue.... 1978.  

There was limited parking, so students were allowed to park in the forest preserve, across Oakton Street from the campus.  A full size school bus was used to ferry students from the forest preserve to the school buildings. 

My attendance began in August of 1978.  In that first week of school I managed to get the flu.  I had a high fever, at school.  I also had a meeting with my advisor, which I could not miss.  So I went to his office, despite the fever.  That was a mistake simply because the man smoked cigars, and the odor made me extremely nauseous.  Also, I missed the bus and decided to walk to my car.  But truly I just wanted to get home.  I think I missed a couple of days of classes,.... I don't remember that part....

The "interim" campus was comprised of a handful of old factory buildings converted into classrooms.  When I attended there were still "hippies" around campus...barefoot, blue-jeaned, guitar strumming folks, sitting under trees in front of the buildings.  

I had no idea in the world what to do with my life.  I took liberal arts, which meant the basics, and classes I would have needed to complete no matter what path I took in my future studies.  English, Math, Sociology, World Religions.... the latter being an elective in the Philosophy department.  

I attended school for two reasons. One was because my mother wanted me to. The other was because I could continue to collect a monthly social security check, which I received because my father had died.  Community college did not cost more than one month of that social security check.  More to the point, it cost $12 per semester hour, which was $36 per class for most of my classes.  A semester hour was equivalent to a credit: 3 credits per class,... that was about 3 hours a week for each class, not including any homework.  

I worked in the school library, in the periodicals department during the first 2 years I was at OCC.

I attended the liberal arts curriculum for 2 years, and followed it by taking medical transcription and medical office practices.  For the medical office practices class I was supposed to get a job in a medical office.  That never happened, because no one would hire me because I had no experience.  That led to me quitting school, and getting a holiday retail job, which became a permanent job... and eventually I was assistant manager of a retail store in a shopping mall.

A far cry from where I sit today.