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(Continued from pg. 7)
"They don't push you. They let you
take it as you go," said 18-year-old Mae
Terry from little Rock, Arkansas.
Arkansas native Luther Philips, who
was graduated in 1972 and is an
unemployed Lincoln resident, said many
graduates wish they had taken the
program more seriously.
Some students take improper
advantage of the program, Edmunds
said. "It's a natural reaction from
knowing they don't have to pay for
anything."
"They (UN-L) students are jealous
because we got it easy," Miss Nelson
observed.
"HEP students have more recreation
time. You know, party, party, party,"
Philips said. .
Students are provided a bus for
weekend trips if a dorm counselor drives.
Spring trips included concerts and
museum visits in Omaha. Next is an
outing to "Worlds of pun" in Kansas
City, Mo.
Counselors say they need no special
permission to take the bus on trips. They
do check out with HEP administrators
before leaving, Miss Roach said.
HEP students say some are in the
program to have a good time.
"Half come to get their diplomas. The
other half comes to party and have a
vacation," Miss Nelson said. "They get
tired and bored fast. It's a waste ol
money for the program."
Edmunds said the competition in HEP
. is probably not as great as in public
schools. "It would be to the program's
advantage to give longer assignments,
more work, more responsibilities."
HEP students often say the time they
spend in the program is the happiest
time of their life.
The classes and young staff (the oldest
of the 1 1 -member staff is 28) have won
the ardent approval of students. HEP
student Omahan Nich Rocha said his
Shakespeare class under teacher Robert
Guenzel was so interesting he completed
the course and passed the test in a week
and a half.
Guenzel is a UN-L graduate who
became acquainted with the program
through student teaching.
"If all public school teachers were like
HEP teachers there wouldn't be any
dropouts," Rocha said.
Miss Terry agrees. "In public school,
they tell you to look it up. Here, they
really explain things." t
But HEP administrators fear the
accelerated program may prove
inadequate scholastic training.
Workman says he feels the time
constraints implemented by the U.S.
Dept. of Labor will negatively affect the
quality of education the students
receive.
Last year there were 70 graduates.
This year Workman said HEP received a
quote-105.
An evaluation team from the
department visited HEP in January.
"They said, Yeah, you're going good
things here. But they thought we should
do them faster," Workman said.
HEP is financed by a grant that is
renewed annually.
"At one time, if. HEP. students said
they wanted to go to college, we would
keep them quite a bit longer so that we
could prepare them well enough to get
high scores on their tests," he continued.
Now, as soon as the proyam's
teachers feel a student can pass his GED,
they urge him to do so, Workman said.
The GED (General Educational
Development) is administered by the
Nebraska Dept. of Education and the
way students receive their High School
Tuesday, July 1,1975
roversy
Equivalency Certificate.
Before 1973, HEP was financed by
the Office of Economic Opportunity.
Since its placement under the Dept. of
Labor's direction, HEP administrators
say more emphasis is put on mumbers.
Students agree with Workman that
they can't get as much preparation for
college, vocational training or jobs if
rushed.
Henry Mata, a HEP graduate who now
sells surplus cars for the state, spent nine
months in the program. He plans to
attend UN-L this fall.
' Mata says the emphasis of HEP is now
on head count -getting as many through
the program as possible, rather than on
. personal growth.
"How meaningful is a three
s four-month program to deal with
problems you've been carrying around
13 years?" asked James H. Smith,
director of the UN-L Office of Minority
Affairs.
Smith also said he foresees problems if
HEP students decide to attend college.
HEP's accelerated program may result in
inadequate mastery of skills or
undisciplined study habits, he said.
Th i Office of Minority Affairs is not
connected with the HEP program. It
offers academic help to low-income;
minority UN-L students.
Only three or four HEP graduates
have sought the office's aid, Smith said,
adding that students cannot be pushed
to seek academic assistance, they must
admit their deficiency.
Placement Director John McVay said
he encourages students to enter CETA if
they want to attend vocational school.
CETA (Comprehensive Employment
Training Act) is a federally financed
state program providing training ....
employment. CETA began operations in
January 1975 with a $5 million budget.
Manager Dale White said he and his
21 -member staff monitor, on-the-job
training and work experience for the
unemployed and underemployed
(persons with earnings below the poverty
level).
White said HEP students often enter
vocational schools with reading and
mathematics deficiencies.
One aspect of CETA is subsidized
education at Lincoln's Southeast
Technical College, Northeast Technical
in Norf olk, Central. Nebraska Technicsl
in Grand Island and North Piatt's Mid
Plains Vocational Technical.
CETA pays tuition, plus an allowance
of $2 for each hour spent in class, White
said. A transportation allowance of five
cents a mile is also provided, he added.
And if the student has dependants, he
receives up to a $20 stipend .ch vcck,
White continued.
Eight HEP graduates entered CETA
since its inception and White said he
expects more after a contract with HEP
is completed. The contract states there is
money and classroom space available for
HEP graduates, White explained.
Admission into CETA depends on the
student's reading ability, he said, but
added that acceptance was "pretty
blurs
M5V.
Still, some may have difficulty in
those schools which do not provide
courses to correct deficiencies, Wlute
said
But Southeast Technical employs a
counselor to help CETA students with
problems, he added.
Nevertheless, most college and
vocational school aspirants did not
believe they were at a disadvantage and
seemed conficent they could overcome
any academic obstacles.
"If I can make it here, I can make it
there, (nursing school)," Miss Rose said.
summer nebraskan
McVay said post-graduation education
is a new trend. "There were more
Job-oriented students in 1 972."
HEFs Director Workman says that
further training beyond high school is
, essential. . , : ;..
"To really be successful, they (HEP
graduates) probably received some kind
of skill in addition to what we offer
. here." .
McVay attributes this change to the
creation of the placement service and
. federal assistance available to
college-bound students. '
Those not attending college before
1973 are eligible for the Basic Economic
Opportunity Grant (BEOG) j which
supplies $1,050 per year, he continued.
And the College Assistance Migratory
Program (CAMP) began in 1973. CAMP,
pays one year's room and board and
tuition for seasonal and migrant farm
workers who are below poverty levels.
The four CAMP schools are: Adams
. State College at Alamosa, Colo.; Pan
American University in Edinburgh, Tex.;
St. Edward's University in Austin, Tex.,
and San Diego State University at San
Diego, Calif.
McVay said schools choose those best
qualified, but, because each year about
30 openings are available in each school,
being accepted has not been difficult.
"But if students want to attend the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we try
to help them get financial help."
The placement office also helps secure
jobs for those wanting to stay in
Lincoln. But, according to McVay, job
retention is not high.
They quit to start college, go home, or
maybe they have "dead end" jobs like a
dishwasher so they drift to something
else, McVay continued.
He said employers willingly hire HEP
graduates: "It's good for their image to
hire minorities."
To ease classroom-to-job adjustment,
McVay said HEP may buy a house next
fall where graduates can live together.
HEP's Project Lincoln program pays
up to $70 of a graduate's apartment rent
for two months.
But they must have jobs or attend
school, said Placement Specialist Mrs.
Adelita Traudt.
"We also try to find jobs and
apartments for students who aren't going
to make it in HEP."
Mrs, Traudt said she did not think
those who elect to drop out of HEP are
eligible for Project Lincoln, Thirty to 40
' students have received aid since
. September, she added.
When Luther Philips graduated in
1972 he .knew what he wanted to be-a
11 111 VI.
"I pictured myself standing in front of
a press putting out papers and knowing -the
news before anyone else."
But reality didn't quite fit his
imaginings. Philips said he was placed at
Boomer's Printing Co., but grew
dissatisfied when he discovered odd jobs
and clean-up chores would be a two- or
three-year assignment before he was
; promoted to printer.
After he quit, stints at CENGAS,
construction work and driving a bus
followed, : .
Now Philips said he will attend UN-L
in August.
"I haven't decided what I want to do,
but it's not labor."
- After living on the UN-L campus as a
HEP student, Philips said he has realized
all the opportunities available.
"HEP was the. best thing that
happened to me," he said. "Everyone
has dreams but keeps them inside
because you don't think" you can do it
The teachers make you think you can." '