EMU
employees, enrolled children balance proximity,
independence
One day early in the fall semester, Eastern Michigan University
freshman Decker Schott-Noonan was hanging around the Eastern
Eateries, waiting to meet someone for lunch. A friend asked
who he was waiting for.
"Oh, I've got an appointment with the associate
dean," Schott-Noonan said.
Which sounds much cooler than, "I'm having lunch with
my Mom."
 |
EMU FAMILY: (above, from left) Decker
Schott-Noonan and his mother, Linda
Schott, associate
dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences, pose
in Schott's office
in Pray-Harrold. The two make
up one of
some of the campus scenarios in which
an
EMU employee has their son or daughter
attending
EMU. |
Schott-Noonan, son of Linda Schott, associate dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of several children
of EMU employees who've chosen to attend Eastern. And while
everybody likes the half-price tuition EMU offers the children
and spouses of employees, many say the price break is only
part of the attraction. The students also rank high specific
academic programs, the proximity to home, the affordability
and familiar surroundings.
And yeah, it's nice to stop in for lunch with Mom or coffee
with Dad now and then, too. Their parents like all of that,
plus the way working at their child's school helps them
manage the delicate balance between holding on and letting
go. The following is a glimpse at the employment/enrollment
adventures of six EMU families.
Schott-Noonan, who moved to Canton from Texas four years
ago, says he wasn't interested in moving to yet another
new town. He likes the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area and likes
being close to friends. He lives on campus and, though
most of his classes are on the same floor of Pray-Harold
as his mom's office, they don't cross paths too often.
However, she has been known to walk into one of his classes,
tap him on the shoulder and say, in her best authority
figure voice, "I need to speak with you."
But not so often as to wear out the inside joke.
More on this story...
