Kids Kollege beneficial to WTAMU students parents

Web Editor’s Note: This is part three of a three part series. To read part one, click here. For part two, click here.

Kids Kollege, WTAMU’s on-campus childcare service, is not only cost efficient for students, but also provides flexibility for class schedules.

“Our rates are usually much lower than other daycares and we are more flexible based on students’ schedules,” Darla Jenkins, director of Kids Kollege, said. “We have a minimum of two days a week while most daycares have a minimum of three to five days per week.”

Jenkins said this helps students who only have class two days a week because they don’t have to pay for days their child is not there.

Kids Kollege is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and ranges in age from 18 months to five years old.

Currently, there are three different childcare rates – student, faculty/staff and a community rate. The rates start at $15 per day or $12.50 per half day.

Jenkins said most of the children who attend are students’ children because students are given priority. Continue reading

WT students preferred spring break activities

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With spring break approaching fast, The USA Travel Guide has identified the top 2012 spring break destinations – Cancun, Amsterdam, London, Jamaica and South Padre Island. However, some WTAMU students are choosing alternate vacations.

Some students opt to spend spring break with the United Way or Habitat for Humanity.

Both organizations offer week long trips to students to experience communities such as Jamaica to rebuild homes or care for the people of Costa Rica.

Others go on trips to learn conservation practices in Mexico and become more culturally familiar to the communities of Morocco. Continue reading

Students help mentor high schools for GEAR UP

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GEAR UP is a grant program designed to help prepare students, academically and financially for postsecondary education.

“We follow one class of students from the time they are in seventh grade until they graduate from high school, all the while providing guidance for future careers, colleges and opportunities available to them,” GEAR UP Enrichment Coordinator Kyla Kentworthy said.

GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. The goal of the program is to improve college awareness, stress the importance of education, increase family and student knowledge of postsecondary school preparation, increase the number of students who complete high school and sustain the program beyond federal funding.

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Dr. Raul Ruiz lectures about overcoming obstacles

Voted by Southern California newspapers as the most influential Latino of the Year in 2009, Dr. Raul Ruiz will make his way onto WTAMU campus on Feb. 23 to discuss the importance of dreams and defying the odds to achieve them.

“He is the type of person that we want to be a part of the Distinguished Lecture Series as it pertains to the College of Education and Social Sciences,” Dr. Dwight Vick, assistant professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice, said.

Dr. Ruiz is the son of migrant farm workers who, despite financial problems and language barriers, became the first Latino ever to receive three graduate degrees from Harvard, including a Masters in Public Policy and Masters in Public Health.

The journey from small town farm boy, who did not speak English as his first language, to medical doctor and public health expert from Harvard is what made Dr. Ruiz a prime candidate for the lecture. Continue reading

Readership WT, Chili’s partner to help community

On Feb. 20-22, Readership WT—Community Service (RCS), in partnership with Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurant, will sponsor a “give back to the community” event. During these three days, from 10:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Chili’s will donate 10 percent of its proceeds to help Eastridge Elementary School provide clothing for students.

“We wanted our first event of the semester to be both challenging and exciting,” Ceci Hernandez, junior Social Work major, said. “This endeavor will be an enormous task; however, I think we have a great opportunity to meet a local need, and we have excellent people, both in our organization and at Chili’s, who can help achieve these goals.”

Eastridge Elementary is a Title 1 school that has several students beneath the poverty line.

Whenever RCS sought out this project, choosing Eastridge was at the top of their list. Continue reading

Lady Buffs Win Sixth Straight Game

The WTAMU Women’s Basketball team traveled to Commerce on Feb. 15 to attempt to extend their winning streak to six in a row.

The Lady Buffs started out strong, grabbing a 4-2 lead but after a few mistakes, lost the lead when the Lions went on a 9-0 run to lead 11-4 with a little over 14 minutes left in the half.

WT spent a large chunk of the first half playing catch up, finally tying the game with 7:15 left on the clock. WT took back the lead with six minutes left before going on a 12-0 lead to take a large lead over the Lions. However, as the half drew to a close, A&M-Commerce would gain back some momentum, pulling the team within four going into the locker room with a 33-29 WT lead.

Ashley Leven extended WT’s lead only seconds into the second half, putting four points on the board in less than 20 seconds to advance the score to 37-29. A&M-C was held scoreless until the 17:24 mark, but the team only scored two more times in the first half of the period. The Lions’ dry spell allowed WT to increase its lead to 56-34 after a 13-0 run.

The Lady Buffs kept a 20-point lead for most of the half, but the Lions would close the gap in the final minutes, ending the game with a 17-point difference. In the end, the scoreboard showed a score of 78-61 in favor of the Lady Buffs

Kenisha Harris would be atop the leader board in multiple categories when the clock ran out. Harris led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds in addition to four assists and three steals. WT shot 46.2 percent from the field and converted 67.5 percent of their attempts at the charity stripe.

“I thought we struggled the first half but we fought through it and then came out at halftime and owned it,” Sophomore Lacee Logan said.

WT’s season record went to 15-8 and 13-4 in the LSC with the win. The team sits third in the LSC behind Midwestern State. The Lady Buffs have secured a playoff spot but will be more focused on their next few games rather than the upcoming playoffs.

“We just take it one game at a time, right now our focus is on Tarelton. We’re just going to knock one off at a time,” Logan said.

The Lady Buffs will face one of their toughest opponents in their next out as they take on LSC-leading Tarleton State at the First United Bank Center at 4 p.m. on Feb. 18.

Communication Week presents “WT’s Got Talent”

WTAMU's Got Talent. Logo courtesy of Comm Week 2012.

WTAMU's Got Talent. Logo courtesy of Comm Week 2012.

WTAMU’s Communication Department will be holding Communication Week  2012from Feb. 20-23. The theme chosen for this year is “WTAMU’s Got Talent”. The annual series of events will run Monday through Thursday with each day having different activities, including a guest speaker.

“The week showcases the fantastic work in our departments and contributions by our graduates locally, nationally and internationally,” Dr. Hannah Oliha, associate professor of Communication, said.

This year’s honored speaker is Liz Murray. Murray is a New York Times best seller for her memoir “Breaking Night,” which tells of her experience of homelessness and journey to Harvard University. She is also the founder and director of Manifest Living. The presentation by Murray will be on Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Mary Moody Northern Recital Hall. Continue reading

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