See you Soon! We ve been winding down the Spring se- hope you have a safe and satisfying Summer!

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1 May 1, 2017 See you Soon! Earth Day Celebrations As the Spring semester nears its end, we at the Student Senate, wish all you who are graduating continued success! For those of you returning, we look forward to seeing you this Fall and hope you have a safe and satisfying Summer! Laura Olafson, Student Senate Public Realations Coordinator BINGO CALLERS BINGO PRIZES We ve been winding down the Spring se- B I N G O! mester with some fun-filled events! We d like to thank everyone that participated in the Earth Day Clean-Up and Pizza Party and Bingo night. Many smiling faces were seen at both occasions. We hope you all enjoyed goodies and giveaways! Continued on page 2

2 Continued from page 1 As an 11th grader now, I could enter Anoka Tech as a full-time PSEO student. Life would be good. I signed up for classes in the Fall of 2016 and have been attending ever since. I am now on track to graduate the Spring of 2018 with my degree in Machine Trades and my high school diploma. I asked Erica Stene, Counselor at Anoka Technical College, for the number of students who attend Anoka Tech and the number of PSEO students. She was able to provide me with the student counts listed below. School as a PSEO Student April 14, 2017 Ryan Barnier Semester PSEO Students 47 Part-time Students 863 Full-time Students 743 Have you ever encountered a student in class and thought, Boy, that student really looks really young? Or pass a group of students at a table in the cafeteria and wonder why those young kids are hanging out at Anoka Tech? Well, I might be one of them. I am Ryan, a full-time Post Secondary Education Opportunity (PSEO) student at Anoka Technical College. The concept of PSEO is not new for high school students. It was first approved by Legislature in 1985 ( Since then it has been gaining popularity across the state. Imagine, being able to attend college as a high school student, getting both college and high school credit for classes. And the best part, there is no cost to the student or family. Sure it might sound easy but there are requirements that must be met to be able to qualify for this opportunity. And as students find out, just because they qualify doesn t mean they can pass the Accuplacer test. The number of PSEO students follows the same pattern of part-time and full-time student enrollment. The opportunity of PSEO should not be taken lightly. Students must pass classes to continue with the program. It is not for everyone, but for the ambitious student, it is a great way to get a class, a semester or a whole program costs covered and graduate with a degree. Sources Gustafson, Marissa, Diana Chao, and Joe Nathan. Students & Families Need to Know About PSEO. A report on the state of PSEO information in Minnesota, August, Web. 14 Apr To simplify things, let s assume a student qualifies and passes the Accuplacer. As a 10th grade student, I was able to take one technical class each semester. General education classes are not available to 10th grade students. I knew early on I wanted to get a degree in Machine Trades. I was still in high school and couldn t drive so I had to pick a class that would work with my high school schedule. I also needed to figure out transportation to school. Luckily for me I was able to work my schedule at high school to allow me to arrive late each day. I took my first class in the Fall of 2015 and was hooked. I was successful and passed the class. Spring 2016 was now a reality. I took one more class specific to the Machine Trade degree. Having now completed two classes I knew I couldn t go back to the traditional high school day. I also knew the idea of me sitting through classes at a four-year college wasn t a reality either. Continued on page 3

3 Continued from page 2 I know that looking at and reading about laws and bills is rather boring and often times you ask yourself what does this have to do with me? Well this is something that has the potential to affect every college student in the state of MN. HF 2198 wants to make all student fees optional. How does this affect you? That s a great question! First you would have the option on whether or not you want to pay those fees. Second, because no one really wants to pay any extra, a vast majority will opt out of those fees. Third, you know that club you are in or considered joining? OTA, nursing club, horticulture club, peer tutoring, even student senate and PTK all of them would be affected. They wouldn t exist, everything that those clubs do to support the student body would be gone. There wouldn t be any lobbying by the Student Senate on behalf of the students to lower tuition or provide more funding for our schools. That free pizza we just had a couple of weeks ago in the cafeteria, or the bingo night we just put on would never have happened. The community outreach done by our organizations wouldn t happen. These organizations would just be gone. As student senate president I urge you to call or write your lawmakers and tell them that you DO NOT support this bill. Tell them you support student life and want to have the opportunity to join clubs and organizations. Tell them that you want your voice heard. With all of this being said I am sure you are wondering how much you are paying in student fees. That is easy, let me show you. For every credit you take, you pay $3.55. So if you are taking a 60 credit degree that means that you will pay a total of $213 in student life fees. That breaks down to $ per year or $53.25 per semester if you are going full-time. Again I will ask for your support by calling or writing your lawmakers and telling them you DO NOT support this bill and they need to vote NO! We will have templates in the senate office for you to fill out. All you will need to do is put your name on it, sign it and fill in your representatives names. We will even mail it out for you. Tom Lien, Student Senate President Continued on page 4

4 Continued from page 3 Dates and Announcements May 2: New Student Orientation 4pm 6pm May 3: End of the Year Picnic 11am Last Day to Accept Loans Pet Therapy Day 11:30am All Student Senate Meeting 1:30pm 3:00pm May 8: Finals Week Begins May 9: Summer Semester Tuition Due Free Bread 10:30am May 11: Spring Semester Graduation 7pm 8:30pm May 12: Book Buy Back, Mon. Thurs. All Semester Spring Semester Ends May 16: Spring Grades Due May 17: Summer Hours Begin May 29: Memorial Day May 30: Summer Semester Starts Continued on page 5

5 Continued from page 4 Senate Council Corner If you have ideas you d like to constructively work towards, Please feel free to participate! Senate meetings are the first and third Wednesday of every month, at 2pm. On April 19, 2017 the Senate discussed: The success of the Earth Day Clean Up Party and student feedback from the Student Body. Campus reactions from the introductory newsletter and content ideas for the next one. Election surveys had been tallied and discussions were begun on actions. Senate members received a budget presentation from Vice President for Administration and Finance of Anoka Technical College, Don Lewis. Senate members participated in a survey from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. The Student Senate would also like to congratulate our President, Tom Lien, on his nomination and election of President s Chair of LeadMN! Student Senate members, representing Anoka Technical College at the LeadMN General Assembly. Student Senate members, enjoying the LeadMN General Assembly formal dinner.