South Campus Transfer Week will provide tips for smoother transition
Students needing tips about transferring to a four-year university can get them during Transfer Week Feb. 14-16 on South Campus.
On Feb. 14, representatives from area universities will discuss how to make transferring a seamless transition.
Panelists include Rebecca Esposito from the University of Texas at Arlington, Leslie Mills from Tarleton State, Barry Grubbs from Texas Wesleyan, Lovell Brigham from DeVry and Autumn Boyd from the University of Texas at Austin. The program starts at 1:30 p.m. in the SSTU Forum Room.
At 11 a.m. Feb. 15, Transfer Tips 101 will be presented by Mills in the SSTU Texas Room. She will lay out general steps students should take to transfer.
On Feb. 16, Esposito, Mills and Grubbs will talk about Pre-Professional Transfer Planning, including specific prerequisites for majors such as pre-law, pre-med and pre-dental.
They will also discuss the importance of choosing a bachelor’s degree and gaining experience. The program will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the SSTU Forum Room.
— Jenna McLaughlin
SE professor to answer questions on study help, strategies after speech
A SE Campus psychology professor will conduct a workshop on Successful Study Strategies Feb. 7.
Vince Lembo said he thinks students will benefit from his descriptions of techniques students can use.
“Students maximize chances of becoming academically strong and achieve their dream,” he said.
Renetta Wright, special services coordinator for SE counseling and testing, helped organize the event.
“The professor will be touching on study skills and the purpose of group work,” she said.
Highlights of the presentation will include information regarding mnemonics, memorization, reading skills, flash cards, study groups and research information, Lembo said.
“Plenty of time will be included for student questions,” he said. “The material presented will be very concrete and practical.”
The presentation will be 11:30 a.m.-12:50 p.m. in the North Ballroom on SE Campus. Light refreshments will be served.
— Amelia Smith
Introduction to online accounts’ uses, options given by NE instructor
Students learned some of the ins and outs of CampusCruiser and WebAdvisor at a presentation Feb. 1 on NE Campus.
NE government instructor Leigh-Anne Regenold began by discussing some best-known functions of CampusCruiser, then turned to more obscure details.
Students might not know, she said, that passwords have to be changed every 180 days, that they should contact faculty only with TCC email and that they can look at old classes from past semesters and can “chat” with fellow classmates.
WebAdvisor is the business side of TCC, Regenold said, explaining that students can check financial aid, attendance records and register for classes.
Students can also print off tax information by looking under “Financial Information” on the main student page and clicking on “1098T Tax Information.” Graduating students, she said, should not forget to apply for graduation under “Academic Links.”
It is also important for students to know their Colleague ID numbers, Regenold said.
Regenold concluded with some tips on how to have a successful semester, the most obvious being to attend class.
“If your butt is in a chair, you are learning,” she said.
— Kelly Chown
NE, TR students debate challengers in Two-Step forensics tournament
TCC students won two awards at the Texas Two-Step Forensic Swing Tournament on NE Campus.
NE student Shane Simms and TR student Santiago Hernandez teamed to take first place in parliamentary debate. This was Simms’ first time to participate in a speech and debate tournament. NE student Zeke Branin took sixth place in prose interpretation.
Students from 13 schools competed in the event including Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University and West Texas A&M University as well as some from other states.
Texas Two-Step was hosted by NE and West Texas A&M. Events in acting, speech and debate are included, and the program is held early each spring semester.
The competition, sponsored by the NE Campus communication arts department, is open to all students.
Lisa Benedetti, NE communication arts chair, said that although TCC has won numerous awards, trophies are not the prime motivator.
“It’s about the process,” she said. “Our students have won before, and they generally do very well, and we work with them. For those students who want to compete, it’s usually after they’ve put their time and hard work into it that the trophies will become the end result.”
— Kirsten Mahon
Students called to share videos to win Achieving the Dream competition
Achieving the Dream is sponsoring a video competition open to TCC students and those from more than 150 other community colleges nationwide.
The video should address what helps students succeed and what makes them want to finish school. The video also should tell the entrant’s personal story.
Information is available by visiting and “liking” the Facebook page, Facebook.com/achievingthedream. Entries must be three minutes or shorter and playable on YouTube.
Videos must be original in content and be created entirely by the student. Completed entries should be posted online to the Facebook page by 10 p.m. Feb. 20.
Achieving the Dream is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping more community college students, particularly low-income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Stacy Thorne, NE co-coordinator for Achieving the Dream, said the program involves “doing a lot of work to help our students succeed and finish and to help improve student retention and student success.”
Video contest winners will be announced at the Achieving the Dream annual meeting in Dallas Feb. 28-March 2. Prizes include iPads, Amazon.com gift cards and scholarships.
The first 15 people to enter the contest will automatically win the Amazon.com gift cards. Students with questions may contact Thorne at 817-515-6943.
— Kelly Chown
