Technician
friday february
3
2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Mystery of student loan emails uncovered From finances to ethics, a look into student loans. Eric Rizzo Staff Writer
If there’s one thing college students have enough of, it’s deleted studentloan emails. It seems our inboxes are getting so full of these emails you may start to wonder whether or not the University is leaking student information as it raises tuition. However, that’s not the case according to Colleen MacDonald, assistant vice president at Simple Tuition, a comparison site for student loans. “Students must give their email either to us or our partner organizations in order to receive emails,”Macdonald said. Now that the conspiracy theory has been debunked, you may still be wondering why your inbox is suddenly full of student loan emails. According to MacDonald, there’s a marketing strategy behind the times when
students start receiving more emails. “We know that there is seasonality to when people take out student loans,” Macdonald said. “The summer and the winter are peak seasons.” So why are more and more students taking out student loans? According to Melissa Hart, professor of finance, the demand for higher education has increased as well as its supply. In 1940, only 5 percent of the population received bachelor’s degrees; now it’s up to 35 percent, according to Hart. The problem is there is no way that 35 percent of the country has the funds to pay for a college education without some assistance. When paying for college, student loans may be necessary for many students to fill the gaps. However, these loans shouldn’t deter anyone from getting a college degree. There are three main types of student loans: Federal Subsidized Loans, Federal Unsubsidized Loans and Private loans, according to Hart. The difference between Federal Subsidized
Loans versus Federal Unsubsidized court rules you have no way of paying Loans, Hart said, is the government back the loans, you do not have to pay pays the interest while you’re in school back your loans. The fact that Student Loans are put for subsidized loans whereas you pay the interest otherwise. The difference in a category along with criminal fines between Federal Loans and Private leads some to believe the system is not just. Loans, accord“It’s criminaling to Hart, is izing the urge to mainly that Priget an education vate Loans are and better onebased on credit self,” Tara Beck, and usually have senior in internahigher interest tional studies and rates. a member of OcA n i nterestcupy N.C. State, ing thing about Tara Beck, senior in international said. According Student Loans studies and a member of to Beck, having is you must pay Occupy N.C. State people become them back even more educated if you are bankrupt. Hart said she didn’t know why stimulates the economy and, therefore, should not be criminalized. “So that was the case. “The only thing I can think of is long as you’ve worked hard enough to that the idea is that with the education be accepted to a university,” Beck said, you have a greater ability to pay off “your education should not be withthe loans,” Hart said. There’s one rare held due to your inability to pay for it, exception. According to Hart, if the and you should not be punished for it.”
“It’s criminalizing the urge to get an education and better oneself.”
Career fair attracts students Fourteenth annual fair joins students and employers for various jobs in engineering fields. Juliana Deitch Staff Writer
The 15th annual Engineering Career Fair took place Thursday at the McKimmon Center. Hosted by the College of Engineering and the Engineers’ Council, 200 companies and government agencies attended the fair yesterday, along with almost 3,000 people including students, alumni and the general public. The Engineering Career Fair, which was first held in 1998, attracts people from all over the country in addition to N.C. State students. Held twice a year, it’s one of the largest career fairs of its kind in the country, according to Dean of the College of Engineering, Louis Martin-Vega. “The Engineering Career Fair at N.C. State connects some of the nation’s brightest engineering students with innovative companies and government organizations. There is no better place for employers to meet the leaders who will engineer a better tomorrow,” Martin-Vega said. Some of the 200 companies at the fair included Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, BMW, Halliburton, IBM and General Electric. Most of the companies employ N.C. State alumni, and many of the representatives at the fair are former students. The College of Engineering has more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students with 18 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s degrees and 12 doctoral degree programs. Brian Koe-
hler, director of international engage- University, came all the way from ment for the college of engineering, Greenville, N.C. just to attend the runs the Engineering Career Fair. He fair. Kelsey McKinney, a representasays companies are looking for everything from internships to full-time, tive from Praxair, a global Fortune part-time and co-op jobs. Students 300 company with 26,000 employand employers come from all parts of ees, said the biggest thing the comthe country, including states such as pany looks for is drive. “We are looking for students Florida and New York, to attend the with drive, a mission and a solid infair. “Students come looking here for the terest in work. We want people who best jobs in America,” Koehler said. want to learn as much as they can “The opportunities are tremendous. and want to be a part of something The career fair is one of those ways larger and do real projects and real students can differentiate themselves work,” McKinney said. Another company, Atlanta-based and become the successful people they Manhattan Associates, develops want to be.” Dillon Love, a sophomore in chemi- supply chain software. It has 2,000 cal and biomolecular engineering, employees in offices throughout came to the career fair to look for a the world including India, the United Kingsummer internd om , Au s ship in his field. tralia, France He wants to work and the with a pharmaNetherlands. ceutical compaThe company ny, particularly looks for stuNovo Nordisk. Kelsey McKinney, dent s who “They have evrepresentative from Praxair have a proberything that I lem-solving want to do. They have actually already contacted me background in an engineering about being an engineer for the sum- nature, along with people and personal skills. mer,” Love said. Kieon Dorsey, a representative Jessica Puszynski, a junior in civil engineering, was looking for a sum- from Volvo, said his company mer internship with the North Caro- looks for “bright, intellectual and lina Department of Transportation, articulate individuals who can while Dilip Sehal, a graduate student interact with different types of in electrical engineering, came to the people and have at least a 3.0 GPA.” Koehler encourages students career fair looking for internships in his field. Sehal worked on a set of from all majors and colleges to problems for the hardware company come to the Engineering Career NVIDIA, which is headquartered in Fair. “It’s important to increase your Santa Clara, Calif. Danielle Barber, a junior in indus- experience and skills,” he said. trial engineering at East Carolina
According to Vidya Sankar, senior in sociology as well as a member of Occupy N.C. State, there are two ethical issues with how student-loans are currently set up. First off, tuition is rising while the quality of education is going down, evidenced by bigger class sizes, fewer sections and fewer classes being taught by professors. Second, according to Sankar, the principle of people having to go into tens of thousands of debt for a degree which is essential in today’s society is ethically wrong. Whether you’re already receiving student-loans or considering them for the future, it’s important to be careful. According to Hart, the best piece of advice is to read the fine print and make sure you understand the whole process, especially with unsubsidized loans, which get very expensive, very fast.
what happened to winter?
“We are looking for students with drive, a mission.”
insidetechnician
Oliver Sholder/Technician
Tyler Burton, freshman in psychology, is poised to catch the Frisbee in Owen Beach. “It’s a high of 70 in the middle of winter and I’m going to take advantage of this,“ Burton said. He added that playing Frisbee is a great break in between classes because it is fun and does not need a lot of time to be spend playing.
New club seeks to improve environment Kings of Nowhere find their place
Members of Durham band Future Kings of Nowhere, play for recreation. See page 3.
Balancing activism and education, the Jane Goodall Institute asks students to get involved with their planet. Anna Riley Staff Writer
Gottfather takes over student section Student shows support for coach in unique way. See page 8.
viewpoint features classifieds sports
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The Jane Goodall Institute has come to N.C. State as a new student club that seeks to better the environment. Students will now have the opportunity to get involved with global environmental and conservation issues with the recent establishment of a “Roots and Shoots’”club chapter. With various educational and social backgrounds, graduate Haley
Thornton, seniors Tara Easter, Carley had already been established at UNCMiller and Rachel Barnum, and ju- Chapel Hill and Duke. “We wanted to start a club that was nior Sara Reichelt recognized the need for student activism on N.C. State’s accessible to all majors and [one that campus. Together, they co-founded would] focus on serving the passion of loving animals Roots and Shoots and wanting to on campus. c on s e r ve ou r Co-founder planet,” Miller Carley Mi l ler, said. a senior in inThe club, with terdisciplinary a n i ncrea si ng studies, said after number of new conservationist members, strives Ja ne G o o d a l l to raise awaretransferred her Carley Miller, senior in ness about local headquarters to interdisciplinary studies and global conDu ke Un iverservation issues, sity, a few of the girls saw her speak and were inspired as well as animal protection. Unlike to start a Roots and Shoots program at N.C. State. She said club chapters root continued page 2
“We wanted to start a club that was accessible to all majors.”
student thesis & research projects novels & poetry collections autobiographies & memoires children’s books, genealogies cookbooks, comic books compilation of student essays
Located at Atrium Food Court