Beyond the Border

My first job in admissions included recruitment at Hispanic-majority high schools in Chicago. As a Spanish speaker, it helped that I could answer questions for the parents of the students that attended these schools. There were more Hispanics in Chicago than I ever would have imagined.

The prototypical Hispanic-majority high school, in my estimation, was Juarez, located in the heart of of the Pilsen neighborhood on Chicago's lower West side. The Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, located between 18th and 26th streets on the north/south axis and Ashland and Pulaski east/west have the greatest concentration of Hispanics in Chicago. Burned in my memory are the massive murals that tower in the patio section of the first floor of Juarez high school. The murals depicted scenes of Mexican history and culture.

Since I no longer live and work in the city of Chicago, I hadn't visited Pilsen in a while. Reminiscing on my many visits to Juarez and its incredible murals, I was reminded that there is an outstanding cultural center in Pilsen where you can explore Mexico's proud muralist history and its other artistic wonders: the National Museum of Mexican Art located at 1852 W. 19th Street, not far from Juarez High School. I stopped by the NMMA last weekend and impressed by its artistic offerings. Founded in 1987, the museum has hosted visits by Mexican presidents, Carlos Salinas de Gortari and Vicente Fox, and by such noted Mexican writers as Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes and Sandra Cisneros. The NMMA expanded to 48,000 square feet in 2001 and houses some 6,000 works of art in the form of textiles, paintings and sculpture, photography and folk art. Special exhibitions on display when I visited included a series of works highlighting the Mexican Day of the Dead ceremonies; a series of paintings by the Mexican painter, Juan Carlos Macias, on the theme of "miracles and saints;" and a fascinating collection of photographs by Pedro Meyer of the scenes from the Mexican Revolution.

A key aspect of pursuing a bachelor degree is expanding your cultural horizons and getting beyond the tired ethnic stereotypes with which you are bombarded through popular culture. A trip to the National Museum of Mexican Art will go a long way towards gaining a greater appreciation of Mexican culture. I highly recommend it.

CW

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A Loan With You

A lot has been written lately about the difficulty that students are having in getting student loans. While this may be the case in certain circumstances, the issue has been confused beyond belief by a combination of journalists looking for catchy headlines and a consuming public already baffled by the vagaries of the financial aid process. My theory is that any issue having to deal with finance causes the reading public to turn off so quickly that they are seldom apt to dig for the truth. It just gets too complicated.

The biggest misconception regarding the availability of student loans is that the changes in the private loan market are somehow impacting the guaranteed Federal Stafford Loan process. Any student, enrolled at least half-time who is a citizen or eligible non-citizen and who is not in default of a previous Stafford loan or above the aggregate limits is eligible for student loans. Yes there are banks who have pulled out of the Stafford loan process. However, there are still hundreds of different lenders who are actively participating in the Stafford Loan process. Also, more colleges and universities are switching to the Federal Direct Lending system in which the loan funds come directly from the government.

It is true that in the non-federally regulated private student loan market that lenders are, as in other lending arenas, tightening their restrictions on credit worthiness and other aspects of the loan process. This will most greatly impact financially needy students who are enrolled at higher tuition private colleges. However, many of these students may still have the opportunity to obtain Federal PLUS loans, which are borrowed by the parent. If the parent does not pass a credit check for the PLUS loan, the student is then eligible for additional Unsubsidized Stafford Loan funds.

Simple isn't it? Financial matters rarely are, but you can help yourself by gathering information for financing college early. Stop by the CCSJ Office of Financial Aid and we'll walk you through the process in detail. Be aggressive, let us help you!

CW



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Seth Waves

The first time I came to Calumet College it was to interview for a position in Financial Aid. I have to admit that that first experience was a bit nerve racking. Along with an onslaught of questions I was hit with the realization that I didn’t know much about college life outside of being a student.

Although the life of Financial Aid Counselor can, at times, be very hectic I have grown to the college in my first few months.

The great advantage of being a student or staff member at Calumet College is that you can have close relationships with all of the staff. I love that each department is not closed off to other departments. Other colleges that I’ve attended have been notorious for being at war with different departments. It’s not like that here. There is an intimate feeling about this place and you can see that in the relationships we all keep.

I’ve had lunch on a number of occasions with different staff members outside of my department, got the walking tour of the hidden gems of CCSJ (Black Box Theatre, super secret top floor “don’t tell”), and have seen the new athletic building being built from the ground up.

Even though I have been pretty busy in financial aid I feel in tune to what is going on around campus and would not and have not hesitated to take a break to learn about other areas.

From my experience I can tell that Calumet College is a place that is hard working, dedicated, and more than anything there is a sense of comfort. The people that make this place exist are definitely part of the reason why in my first few months I have felt at home.

My hope is that CCSJ will continue to be a place in the coming years for me to further my skills. I am sure that I will see many of you with your financial aid concerns and if not maybe I will see you in the class room as well.

Be well and go crimson wave!

Seth Frank
Financial Aid Counselor


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Haiku U.

Haiku is an ancient form of poetry of Japanese origin consisting of three metrical phrases of 5-7-5 syllables. While poetry is more typically associated with nature and human emotion, there is no reason why financial aid cannot be expressed in verse. Thus, below is the first in a series in what we in ADFA are calling "financial aid haikus." (CW)

PIN Dropping

Filing the FAFSA

Not as hard as you might think

Remember your PIN

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Get to the Finish Line!

In these tough economic times, as an adult student, a college education is becoming increasingly important in order to currently maintain employment or to make a career change due to the loss of employment. But, with the priorities of raising a family, working, or searching for new employment, college may not be seen as a viable option at the present time. However, you can still raise your family, work, and be able to attend college.

Depending on your current schedule, there are day, evening, and weekend classes available to work around your schedule. Our adult students enjoy the evening and weekend classes because they are convenient for them to attend since they are one day a week. In addition, our adult students take advantage of the free child care that is available. Children must be at least 3 years old in order to attend child care.
Financially, you may think that that college is a quest that is unattainable due to cost. However, you can afford to attend college. Financial aid is available to students by filling out the FAFSA form. By not filling out the FAFSA form, you are missing out on receiving financial aid from the State of Indiana and the U.S. Government.
Get started on the right path to getting your college degree by attending the CCSJ Adult Student Enrollment Day on December 4. This day is designed so that you can complete the enrollment process in one day. Hope to see you there!

Becky Leevey
Admissions Counselor


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Run For Your Money

Does it seem that your paycheck has legs of its own? Sometimes it can feel as though it has vanished in the blink of an eye with nothing tangible to show for it. One of the most important tools to gain mastery of your finances is to know where it is going in the first place. Save all your receipts for the next month, throw them in a shoebox and then tally them up into categories. Different color high-lighters can add some fun to this project.

Housing, transportation (including car payment), food, entertainment, medical, charity/gifts, pets, technology/communication, late-night pizza orders, are some to start with. Make up your own categories that are meaningful to you or use these as a base. You may be surprised by the results. Spending on food is one of the most commonly underestimated categories, those subway runs can add up to a surprising chunk of your earnings. So empowered with your new knowledge, is this how you want to be spending your hard-earned dollars? Stay tuned for more on how to take back your paycheck.



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Crystal Eyes Whiting

For those of you who know nothing about me besides being an Admissions Counselor here at CCSJ, I thought I would let you in on a few things. I grew up in Whiting and lived here for 23 years until I decided to move to Hammond. Whiting is a smaller town with a population of a little over 5,000. Some people think that there is nothing to do around Whiting, but I can honestly say that the town of Whiting is really a great place to live! We have Wihala Beach right down the street, which is a fun spot in the summer to swim, go boating, jetskiing, and get an awesome tan! You can even see the Chicago skyline and the fireworks from Navy Pier on those hot summer nights from the beach. We also have the new and improved Horseshoe Casino right next to the beach. If you’re not a gambler, it’s okay. The Horseshoe offers a great buffet as well as Jack Binion’s Steakhouse. They also have a brand new Venue, where many concerts and comedy shows are held each week. Some of the most recent performers that came to the Venue were the Smashing Pumpkins and Alicia Keys.

As for 119th Street, this is the place to be. There are many shops and restaurants all along what people from Whiting call the “1-1-9”. My two favorite places to eat are Grillers, which is a great place for burgers and wraps, and Sunrise Restaurant where they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Besides eating and shopping along 119th Street, Whiting knows how to put on a good party! What other town knows how to celebrate like we do? Two of the greatest events held in Whiting is our 4th of July Parade and fireworks and the Pierogi Fest. I look forward to this every year! People from all over come to our little town of Whiting just to get a taste of this experience. For those of you who haven’t been, I’m going to say no more. I guess you will just have to find out for yourself what all the hype is during the month of July. Until next time….

Crystal Chocholek
Admissions Counselor
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Writer's Blog - Welcome to our World

Change happens. Blogs are suddenly everywhere – somewhere between 37 – 100 million of them according to Google. But this is not just another blog. This will be your home for a continuing conversation on Calumet College of St. Joseph campus updates, CCSJ admissions and financial aid information, interviews with CCSJ students, and other features (we’re even talking about doing financial aid haikus!) designed to give you, the prospective student, a great idea of why CCSJ is a leader in higher education in the Calumet region of Northwest Indiana and South Chicago. I encourage you to respond to the blog entries with your own comments. We can cover any topics of concern to you that will give you a better picture of what is it like to be a CCSJ student. I have invited the Admissions-Financial Aid staff to submit entries in this blog. If all goes well, current CCSJ students will also be published here. Hang on for the ride – it should be a good time.

Chuck Walz
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
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