HONEY: BLIND COED TO SHARE HER DEGREE

Decked out in her cap and gown, Honey will graduate Saturday from Southeast Missouri State University without having taken a test.

University officials say they plan to give her a "diploma." After all, it's not like she didn't attend class.

In fact, for 4 years, the German shepherd guide dog has accompanied blind student Angie Carnell to class.

Carnell, 26, who is from Portageville, will graduate Saturday with a bachelor of science degree in computer science. As always, Honey will be by her side.

The two have not only gone to classes together, they've shared a dorm room.

Carnell said Thursday that since she arrived on the Southeast campus in the spring of 1989 she and her friends had talked of Honey taking part in the graduation ceremony.

The university came up with an old cap and gown. Carnell, with the aid of her mother and a fellow student, altered the cap and gown to fit Honey.

Decked out in the black gown and mortarboard, Honey took it all in stride Thursday as university and newspaper photographers snapped away in the lobby of her campus home Myers Hall. But she seemed clearly more at ease once all the graduation trappings had been removed.

"Honey is the first guide dog to ever be at Southeast," Carnell proudly pointed out.

Some blind students prefer canes, but not Carnell, who has been blind since birth. "I never use them," she said.

The 7-year-old Honey weighs about 50 pounds. She has been Carnell's constant companion for five years now. She sleeps in a bean-bag chair in Carnell's fourth-floor Myers Hall room.

But Carnell said Honey is "just like any other dog."

"Right now, she is dying to play," said Carnell as Honey lay at her feet.

"She likes to play Honey sports in the hallway," a smiling Carnell observed. "We go out in the hall and play ball with her."

Carnell said Honey has been a hit in her classes. "Everybody always thought it was interesting to have a dog in class."

In one of her classes, Carnell said, Honey would stand up near the end of the hour and the professor would automatically dismiss class.

So just what was Honey's favorite class? "Honey's favorite class is probably walking across campus," Carnell replied.

"She has a definite personality," said Carnell. "When she gets bored, she groans." She has been known to groan loudly in class, much to the amusement of fellow classmates.

Honey isn't the only one who likes the outdoors. So does Carnell. "I like camping and hiking and water skiing."

Honey not only has a cap and gown, she also has an Angel Flight uniform, complete with a name tag.

Carnell is a member of Angel Flight, the non-military, honorary service organization affiliated with the Air Force ROTC unit on campus.

She said she joined the organization for its "excellent leadership experience." As a joke, she has applied several times for an Air Force pilot position. Naturally, she's been turned down.

Carnell has also been involved with the Handi-Capable organization, as well as Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity. She will graduate from Southeast with a 3.4 grade point average, having completed an academic honors program.

Carnell said she obtained Honey partly with the idea of going to college. "I wanted to go to a normal college and get a normal degree like anybody else."

In her years at Southeast, Carnell said, she has seen a change in how the institution deals with handicapped students.

"I think the attitude is more positive," she said.

Not shy about asserting her rights, Carnell two years ago filed a federal civil rights complaint after the university stopped making payments on the leasing of special computer equipment for her computer science classes.

The issue was resolved when the university agreed to purchase the special equipment.

Carnell said she decided to major in computer science because "it was challenging" and gave her "a sense of accomplishment."

She will soon be moving to Bloomington, Ill., where she has obtained a job with State Farm Insurance. As always, Honey will be with her every step of the way.