Gresham, Oregon | Februar y 1, 2013 | Volume 48, Issue 15
advocate
The independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College
the
www. advocate -online . ne t
Whatcha gonna get?
No more student dilly dallying on financial aid Jackie Garrity The Advocate
Up to four new board members will take their seats in spring — Page 5
Energy crisis: Are energy drinks a valuable addition to one’s everyday diet or an empty source of calories? — Page 3 Bookstore now offering more healthy snacks for students on the go — Page 4.
New rules this year for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) dictate the pace at which students should be completing their degree. Know this: Dilly dallying is definitely frowned upon. So far in 2013, 848 MHCC students have been mailed a letter telling them they either were loitering – they had accumulated more than 150 percent of credit hours needed toward their degree – or were failing to meet the required pace towards their degree. Meeting pace with a specified degree is defined as students earning 67 percent of their attempted credits and transfer credits during each term. Those who fall short might find their financial aid cancelled unless they apply for an appeal. “Gone is the day where college is the place you find yourself: You need to find yourself somewhere else,” says MHCC academic adviser Calvin Walker. Previously a FAFSA review would start to check on a student’s progress towards their degree around 120 credit hours. Now, it’s 90 credit hours with more rigid requirements, said Walker. If students are nearing that cut-off point, they can meet with an academic adviser to assess how close they are to a particular degree, Walker said. “We try to custom fit a degree for them, because they’ll only have so much time.” What does this change mean for MHCC students? “Transferring (to a four-year university) should be something they should be thinking about the moment they start at this campus,” said Walker. On the MHCC campus there are a multitude of resources to help students on the journey to a degree: the career counseling center, academic advising and transfer center and tutors. There also is an option to dual-enroll at MHCC and a four-year university if students need to stay on track for financial aid but have not fulfilled all their
See “Transfer” on Page 5
rent
the next three profiles of leads in the winter musical pages 6-7
asg progress
baller profile:
student leaders work toward more security cameras, diversity center and d.c. lobbying
barlow grad becomes the man behind the mask on defense
pages 9
page 12