Category Archives: Uncategorized

Measles student no longer infectious, but officials wait for signs of spread

01/31/2015Uncategorizedsamclaug

Are you or your students protected against the measles? What’s going on at your college campus?

Along with studying students on campus need to take precautions regarding their health. Especially at this time of the year with colds and flu season in full swing. In addition there is an increase in Measles compounded by the fact that larger numbers of individuals have not received the Measles vaccination.

BringMeTheNews.com

It will be another week before health officials will find out if the confirmed case of measles at the University of Minnesota has spread elsewhere.

The Minnesota Daily reports that the 20-year-old student, identified as the first confirmed measles case in Minnesota in 2015, passed the infectious stage of the highly contagious disease on Wednesday night.

The student is recovering off-campus, with health authorities now waiting to see if any more cases are confirmed, saying that residents of Sydney Hall may have been exposed between January 20 and 28. He also attended class between January 20 and 23.

“The people who are most at risk from this particular case would be those who may have been in classes with this student, or lives with this person,” Lynn Bahta, of the Minnesota Department of Health, told WCCO. “It can include people in the building, because the measles virus is small…

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Dishonor Code: Rape, Reputation, and Repercussion at UVA

11/29/2014Uncategorizedsamclaug

quiteirregular

This is a guest post by Willa Hammitt Brown, a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia, where she is finishing her dissertation, “Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth and the American Lumberjack, 1860-1920”. She is a teaching assistant in the Department of History and the Women’s and Gender Studies program. Content note: this article mentions sexual assault.

“I have worn the honors of Honor

I graduated from Virginia” – :The Honor Men”, James Hay Jr, 1903

“Nobody wants to send their daughter to the rape school” – Rolling Stone, 2014

This morning I got an email from the President of my University, the University of Virginia. In it, she quotes Thomas Jefferson, and invokes tradition, honor and idealism. She harks back to the long history of a storied institution. “Honor and tradition inform our thinking,” she explains, but where “success is demanded as much as it is sought” we…

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How to learn a new language: 7 secrets from TED Translators

11/06/2014Uncategorizedsamclaug

In Preparation for Election Day: Voter Lookup

10/30/2014UncategorizedElection 2014samclaug

Please use this Voter Info Tool from The Pew Institute & WordPress to prepare yourself for next Tuesday’s mid-term election. Mid term elections are just as important any other election. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!

Should You Hire a College Planner??

10/01/2014

A recent article in in USAToday (Is Private College Counseling the Key to Getting Into a Top School), reported that 26% of college applicants hired a college counselor in 2013. That was up substantially from 2003— three times greater. When looking into private college counselors, consider the following points.

1. What are your needs? Do you need College search assistance, application process guidance, admissions interview coaching, essay writing counseling, test prep or financial aid application process guidance? Know what you need and make sure that counselor you work with doesn’t try to talk you into more than you are looking for. Larger college counseling companies have structured programs, so you may not get the personal counseling you need.

2. Ask for the background and experience level of the counselor. There is no license for college planners, so you really need to ask questions about the counselor’s qualifications. Many people enter this field without related or strong backgrounds in college admissions or financial aid. Frequently financial planners offer this as a service as a lead in to their financial planning services.

3. Does the counselor have set counseling programs or does he/she offer an hourly fee?

4. Make sure your personalities are compatible and that you feel comfortable working with the counselor. You must feel free to express you needs and concerns, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.

As a college planner who has over 20 years of experience as a college admissions and financial aid administrator, I am more than happy to answer these questions for my prospective clients!

Prior Learning Assessment: What It Is & What It Isn’t

07/18/2014Uncategorizedsamclaug

Inside Higher Ed published a great piece on Prior Learning Assessment awhile ago. PLA has been gaining in popularity at colleges and universities. PLA is a great option for adult students who are looking to start a college degree. Unlike CLEP (College-Level Examination Program), which also provides students college credit for life experience, you are not sitting for a subject based test. PLA requires the student to research and write a paper on the subject incorporating their knowledge on the topic.

The article provides great information on what PLA involves and includes YouTube videos of adult students sharing their experiences and insights on their own PLA projects. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/08/02/look-students-who-have-earned-credit-prior-learning

Cooper Union’s Decision to Charge Tuition

07/15/2014Uncategorizedsamclaug

Within the past year Cooper Union College in New York has made the decision to forgo its long held tradition of being tuition free. It was one of a handful of colleges in this country that is tuition free. The Chronicle of Higher Education printed a thought provoking editorial discussing what is lost as a result of this policy change. You can read it at: http://chronicle.com/section/Home/5

Do you think CU made the right decision?

Pres. Obama’s New Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

06/11/2014SERVICES, Uncategorizedstudent loan debtsamclaug

President Obama signed his Student Loan Debt Relief Order earlier this week. The plan opens up the availability of the Pay As You Earn Repayment option to those who have borrowed prior to 2007. An estimated 5 million student loan borrowers will be effected by this Executive Order. They will be able to limit monthly payments to no more than 10% of monthly income. It is not clear when the change will actually go into effect. The Washington Post is reporting officials as stating December 2015 is probably the earliest that borrowers can take advantage of this expansion of Pay As You Earn.

Watch President Obama sign and discuss his plan.

President Obama signs Student Loan Debt Relief Executive Order

There are over a half dozen repayment options for Federal Student Loans. Most borrowers will be eligible to use several of these options. Deciding which is best for you takes considerable thought. You are only allowed to Consolidate your Federal Student Loans once.

Consider the following:

What is your potential for salary increase and advancement in your job or career?

Do you understand the ramifications of taking a lower monthly payment on the overall cost of your loan and the increase in length of repayment?

Do you have other options such as employer repayment programs, federal or state loan forgiveness plans or profession specific repayment plans?

Wading through your loan repayment options can be confusing and overwhelming. If you would like help determining your options, schedule a Student Loan Debt Counseling appointment with me. Call 507-365-7330 or email me at headforcollege@netzero.com.