This week has been dedicated to the nontraditional students of Iowa State; several activities are being held to celebrate Nontraditional Student Awareness Week.

On Wednesday, a panel of nontraditional students were part of a forum titled “We Gotta Talk” to discuss the typical day of a nontraditional student.

Ellen Fairchild, program coordinator for the office of adult learner and commuter student programs, chose three diverse students to discuss the differences between nontraditional students and traditional students.

“I don’t know if we can talk about typical nontraditional students,” Fairchild said.

Tonya K. Long, a senior in political science, described her “typical day.”

“I get up at 5:45 a.m. to start getting myself ready. Then I will wake up my 10-year-old son and 21-month-old daughter and get them ready for the day care center,” Long said.

“I commute to Ames from Des Moines, so I get here at 8:00 a.m. and stay until around 5:00 p.m. Then I go and pick up the kids.”

After Long picks up the kids, she said she prepares supper, gets the children ready for bed and then studies until midnight. Long is also a part-time employee at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

The second member of the panel was Robert Franco, a graduate student in art and design.

Franco, 32, was a tax analyst for seven years before returning to school. He did his undergraduate studies in Chicago.

A “typical day” for Franco consists of getting up, going to campus, which is close to his apartment, and going to class. He is a member of the American Society of Designers and the Institute of Designers.

“There are ups and downs, and lots of struggles, but overall, it has been pretty good,” Franco said.

Franco said he usually leaves campus between 4 and 5 p.m.

He then returns to campus at 6 p.m. and, depending on the project, he may go home by 10, or pull an all-nighter.

Liz Wagstrom, a graduate student in veterinary medicine microbiology, immunology and preventive medicine, worked at a company in Minnesota before she decided to go back to college and get her V.M. and Master’s degrees.

A “typical day” for Wagstrom is very different because her family lives in Minnesota.

“I have a class from 8 a.m. to noon, but it is not a lecture. We are given problems to solve, and the time is spent solving them,” Wagstrom said. She also attends afternoon and night classes.

Following the three panelists’ introductions, audience members were encouraged to ask questions.

One question was how do the students explain to friends and family why they chose to return to school.

“My first year at college right after high school I learned how to party,” Long said.

After the first year, she quit, got a job, then decided to go back.

“In a way, my parents weren’t supportive, but when they realized it was a dream of mine, they became supportive,” Franco said.

“There are opportunities I can’t achieve without a V.M. degree, and I can see myself there,” Wagstrom said.