e Clackamas P rint
newsed@clackamas.edu
W ednesday, Feb. 15, 2 0 1 2
Scholarship specialist offers advice
B y P a tty Salazar
News Editor
W inner, winner, chicken dinner! You could be a
w inner or free education. A t Clackamas C om m unity
College, m any scholarships exist for new arid return
ing. students. D arcie Iven, financial aid and scholar
ship coordinator, has a few things .to say to help you
know w hat you need to be a scholarship recipient
The Clackamas Print: H ow m any students apply
for scholarships?
Darcie Iven: Between 500 and 700.
TCP: H ow m any scholarships are available?
DI: T h e num ber is always changing because the
foundation is always adding more. T his is 2011-12,
num bers; we received 561 applications for 321
scholarships and 247 individuals got awarded. T he
odds are really good. So far this year we have awarded
$592,000 and th at will be m ore by the end o f the
year, we will be over $600,000.
TCP: W hen are the scholarship applications due
for 2012-2013 and where should they be turned in?
DI: April 30. T hey [students] can type 1ft the
lication online, b u t it still has to be printed out.
en they [students] subm it it, they have to have
their essay and letters o f recom m endation'and their
transcript. Just turn them in the front counter o f
Rook HaU.
■
T C P : W hat is the largest scholarship offered by
the foundation?
DI: T h e largest dollar am ount is the James Streeter.
T C P: D o local high schools w ork w ith the college
to offer scholarships?
DI: H ow o u r program works here is our college’
offers each o f the nigh schools in our service district
three scholarships; we have all o u r high school
seniors tu rn their Clackamas applications into their
high school counseling and career office. T hey get a
group together and they decided who gets those three
scholarships. W e offer an honor, opportunity and
academic incentive, scholarships. T hen they let me
know w hat their decision is and also give m e all o f the
applications and they all go into the running for the
rest o f the scholarships here.
TCP: W ould you highly recom m end for any and
all students to apply for schblarships?
DI: I absolutely w ould because there is som ething
for everyone. All you need is a 2.0 GPA or higher. You
could be going six credits or more. There’s is some
thing for the autom otive students, there’s som ething
for the theater student there’s just general scholarships
no m atter w hat you’re taking. Some are specific and
some are general. So yeah everyone should apply.
TCP: Does getting scholarships affect you getting
FASFA?.
D I: You can get them both. W e have a couple o f
grants th a t comes [through] FAFSA and som e, o f
them run out before since there is only th at am ount
o f money. Students norm ally fill it in w ith loans so
scholarship m oney can go in and make it so th at you
don’t have to take out so m any loans. It’s a m uch
better deal. , t
T C P : Is there anything else you w ould like to,
add?
DI: Scholarships are ju s t the sm art thing to
do. It’s free m oney you don’t have to pay it back.
Anybody who is com ing to a com m unity college try
to keep cost low as m uch as you can cause it’s going
to cost you so m uch m ore w hen you move on to a
four year,
1_____
Iven also suggested that students start w ith a
search engine such as fastweb.com, w ith festweb
you fill o u t some dem ographic questions and then
you are sent emails offering scholarships th at are fit
to yourself. Although using such a website a person
is in a pool o f everybody in the nation. Iven’s next
suggested step w ould be to apply to the O regon
Student Access C om m ission [OSAC] w here the
pool o f applicants shrinks to only O regon students.
A nd o f course apply to scholarships offered by the
school you are attending, such as C C C . To check
ou t o ff the scholarships that are up for grabs go to
www.ciackamas.edu/scholarships.
Online classes help busy students load credits
B y J o sh u a D ille n
Associate News Editor
Frustration, disappointment and confusion are commonplace
emotions on campus when registering for classes. The logistics can
be overwhelming when working education into a busy lifestyle.
W inter term is halfway through and its time to think about
spring. Pre-registration for spring enrollment at Clackamas
i Ge m a ttm iy
"beg i ns "tin1 Tuesday, "fefa r . "281 ’forre rurHliTg'
students. New enrollees can begin the process a week later.
Its difficult for some to work put the right schedule while opti
mizing their educational goals. It can be particularly hard to coor
dinate an effective class load that fits into a student’s everyday life.
Single parents, full and part time workers and those who may have
a substantial commute often find it difficult to effectively juggle a
busy lifestyle and, school. Whatever the hindrance, distance learn
ing may be the solutionthat overcomes these and other obstacles.
Taking online courses removes the attending part o f the
educational equation* They could possibly alleviate some o f the
time wasted trying to make a class schedule work. Travel related
expenses can be substantially cut or eliminated. W ith the definite
advantage o f freeing up large chunks o f time, these courses look
very attractive to some, b u t nave they aré a. disadvantage for others.
“Distance learning requires self regulating skills,” said Steve
Beining, department chair o f distance learning. “If you’re not that
kind o f student, you probably won’t do well with distance learn
in g ”
f
W ith four years at his current position, Beining stresses that
someone who is “good” at being a student is the best candidate for
this m odem style o f teaching. A student should be studious and be
able to seek help via the virtual classroom setting, he explained. O f
course, a computer, preferably less than four years old and a reliable
Internet connection are necessary.
.“O ur gOal is' to make educational resources available to more
and more pebple,” Beining said. “It provides convenience and
flexibility.”
Last term there were I 1'9 online courses offered at CCC, in
which, a total, o f 3,570 students enrolled. Beining explained that
is generally where-he sees enrollment statistics staying for the
foreseeable future. W inter term in 2011 had 131 courses.with
3,235 enrolled.
Students that are apprehensive about such nontraditional learn
ing environments do nave resources at the college to encourage and
support their success. Beining highly recommends taking classes
like EL-90 (Applied Study Skills for 3 credits which is not available
as an online class). T he course emphasizes the building o f study
skills, organization and time management with an introduction
to distance learning and Moodle. Moodle is the virtual classroom
environment students use to access lessons, turn in assignments
and even interact with classmates via discussion forums. H e also
said hybrid courses can be a great option for those who want to
test online education. Hybrid courses have less real class time than
regular courses a n d ’offer many o f the aspects o f completely web-
based classrooms.
Dátifél Réfed", “CC!<Su'Sffidéti^K"'ialaH^*{?lSS‘sé§Tfí*bdth formats.
She works in the call center at the college and would not have
the time to manage the 17 credits she is taking this term
if not for distance learning. In spite o f this advantage
she expresses that you will not get the same experience
without a real classroom.
‘You’re not getting the face to face interaction
you need to get it and really understand the les
son,” she said. “People need that interaction with
teachers and classmates to see their viewpoint and
understand moré. Y>u have a better experience in ,
a classroom.”* T
Reed admits it is hard to balance the benefits
o f freeing up time versus her obvious respect for
good old fashioned teaching in a classroom. She
admits distance learning is a necessary thing for her
and plans to enroll in more online classes next term.
Trista Cornelius, English instructor, has taught sev
eral distance learning courses at the college arid believes
it is a great way to learn. As an English instructor-at
C C C for 10 years, she said she has taught at least one
online class for each term she has worked here.
“They’re different, but I really enjoy teaching
online courses. I get to be organized. It’s like hav- 1
ing a lot o f pen pals,” she said, “B,ut I do miss the g
spontaneity o f a real classroom, no m atter how lively
your discussion board is.” ' ‘
Cornelius also feels it takes the right kind of-
learner to be successful in a virtual environment. If
the energy o f a classroom isn’t necessary and a student
has the right study skill or there are other inhibiting
factors, the curriculum works'very well.
“As long, as you are totally motivated-and disci
plined it’s great,” she said, “but'it’s not the same? *
Cornelius likes the contemplative and creative
natures o f the teaching style. She enjoys the cultural
diversity that online classes seem to have, in her experience.
CORNELIUS
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