My grandpa is my classmate

My grandpa is my classmate

At Ohio State, grandfather and grandson learn together and from each other

When Whetstone High School student Oliver Yetman began taking classes at The Ohio State University, he was a little apprehensive.

"As a high schooler, even if you look like you're in college, you feel self-conscious," he said. "You feel like you might stick out."

Last fall, Yetman took three classes through the Ohio State Academy, the university's implementation of College Credit Plus. In Math 1150, he wound up with an unlikely classmate: his grandfather, Randy Marker.

Marker joined the class through Program 60, an initiative that allows Ohio residents 60 and older to audit courses tuition-free. Marker is also an Ohio State alum, graduating in 1979.

"I felt energized being on the campus again," he said.

Marker describes himself as a lifelong learner with an aptitude for math. Yetman found math to be an intimidating subject. Taking a college math class was outside of his comfort zone, he said.

"I talked to Randy about it, and he encouraged me to take the class," Yetman said. "I think that sparked his interest in it, too."

Marker and Yetman worked on assignments and studied for exams together. There was a feeling of friendly competition, they both agreed. Occasionally, Marker would receive a call from his grandson about a homework problem while he was in a meeting.

"He'd say, 'Have you figured out problem 5?' and my head is a mile away from problem 5," he said. "And now I'm feeling pressure because he's so much further on the assignment!"

Marker recently retired from the family business, Marker, Inc., an Ohio construction company. Walking to and from class, he shared the real-world applications of what they were learning with Yetman.

"I'd venture to say that I learned just as much in class as I did walking with Randy," he said. "He has so much business acumen and world knowledge. It was almost worth taking the class just to have that time with him."

The learning went both ways, according to Marker. His grandson helped him with new tools, like AI.

"I saw how Oliver could plug things into a system and suddenly, a door opened for me," Marker said. "You can do so much more with it. Next thing you know, I'm using it in meetings. I would not have picked up on it as quickly had it not been for Oliver opening my eyes."

"At Ohio State, they want you to learn about AI and how to take advantage of it," Yetman said. "My grandpa and me, we taught each other a lot about AI - how do we use it for math? We'd be plugging figures into it an hour before an exam, so we'd better learn how to solve equations I would not have figured out otherwise."

Yetman's confidence in his math skills grew over the semester, he said.

"After talking with Randy and taking this class, realizing I can do this," he said, "I applied to Ohio State to study business economics and I got in."

The end of the semester was bittersweet, Yetman said.

"Most people, they're coming to the end of a rigorous math course, there's relief that finals are done," he said. "But for me, it felt like an opportunity I might not have again and I was almost sad it was ending because I'd had so much fun and he'd made the class exciting."

Yetman might have the chance to study with Marker again, the grandfather said. He plans to take more classes.

"Ohio State has done a great job with this program," he said. "I'm surprised there aren't more people using it."

Marker has more grandchildren, he said. His youngest is 2.

"Now we joke about how old I'll be when I'm taking classes with them," he said. "I have to do it with all of them!"

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