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@TheAllState #TheAllState Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013
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Cold water for a good cause
Left: Particpants jump into the Foy Center pool during the Polar Plunge Thursday, Jan. 31. Top Left: Sophomore business major Brena Andring poses with freshman Lindsey McCoy after taking the plunge. Top Right: Freshman marine biology major Dustin Burney and senior business marketing major Gary Willis warm up after taking a dip in the Foy Center’s pool at Polar Plunge. Bottom Right: Participants rush out of the cold water after the plunge. BRANDON CAUTHEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
» By PHILIP SPARN News Editor
More than a hundred APSU students, faculty and staff plunged into the cold waters of the Foy Center pool on Thursday, Jan. 31, to benefit the SOS Food Pantry in the fourth annual APSU Polar Plunge. At 3 p.m. the water temperature in the Foy Center pool was 48 degrees and the outside temp was 43 degrees, according to University Recreation but the cold air and water did not stop 135 brave members of the APSU community from jumping in. An estimated 674 cans of non-perishable food were collected for the SOS Food Pantry on campus for students in need, according to Jason Wills, assistant director of programs. Not only were participants there to help raise food supplies for the SOS Food Pantry, they were also there for a good time. “It was a lot more fun than I had expected,” said Sierra White, freshman political science major. “It definitely took my breath away and it was really cold, but I am looking forward to doing
it again next year.” Many participants wore costumes for the plunge. There were participants dressed in cowboy hats, aerobic outfits, speedo’s and even Care Bear costumes. President Tim Hall did not break tradition and plunged in the pool wearing a suit and tie as he has done the last several years. There were also many APSU nursing students that jumped in wearing their red and white scrubs as well. Many of the nursing students also broke out in a flash mob dance routine just before the plunge to add some more entertainment to the event. This year, University Recreation incorporated a team canned food drive into the Polar Plunge. Nineteen teams plunged into the pool and competed to raise the most cans in order to win a private pool party for their groups. Members of the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance won the group competition, donating 126 cans for the SOS food pantry, according to University Recreation. For many participants, the anxiety of waiting for the plunge was
Degree Compass program gains national attention » By CHASETON DONAHOE Staff Writer
Desire2Learn recently announced the acquisition of the Degree Compass system from APSU. Degree Compass is the new course recommendation system available to students on the D2L website. This system was inspired by the predictive result systems of websites such as Netflix, Amazon and Pandora, and was developed by Tristan Denley, provost and vice president of academic affairs. Using a combination of data to pair students up with courses that are best for them personally, the system attempts to ensure the best academic progress and success for each individual. By utilizing this tool, Desire2Learn aims to be even more effective in providing a personalized learning experience and improving college graduation rates. “Degree Compass is transforming the higher education student experience,” said D2L CEO and President John Baker in an APSU press release. “Using predictive models to determine ideal curriculum and the quickest path to degree completion, Degree Compass is a game-changer that will help guide students to academic success.” Degree Compass begins working on a student’s first day of school, monitoring success and giving recommendations accordingly. Degree Compass uses information about each student’s past academic
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progress and its own predictive models to determine which courses he or she should take next, based on the appropriate program of study and with respect to the best sequence of courses that program has to offer. It then uses its grade records from thousands of previous students to modify its recommendations so that the user is presented
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the hardest part. “The wait was probably colder than the plunge itself even though the water is way colder than I am used to,” said Craig Rossiter, sophomore digital media major. “It was a great experience and I recommend everyone to come try it out next year.” TAS
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APSU now offering streamlined Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs » By DIONA GARDNER Guest Writer
In the spring of 2013, APSU began offering three-year bachelor’s degrees and “3+1 year Bachelor’s to Master’s” programs. The three-year Bachelor’s degree is available in several different areas of concentration including art, business, communication arts, computer science, english, health and human performance, history, Mathematics, philosophy, political science, psychology and theatre. The 3+1 year Bachelor’s to Master’s degrees are available in communication arts, corporate communication, public relations, and business. APSU offers accelerated degree programs by implementing heavier workloads, as well as utilizing the under used summer session. Course loads during the fall and spring semesters are scheduled anywhere between 16 and 22 credit hours while the summer sessions can be between six and 18 credit hours. Scheduling varies based upon the area of concentration. Offering the three-year bachelor’s degree allows APSU students to graduate sooner than a four-year degree and spend
less money paying for their degree. Students, traditional and nontraditional, now have the option to pursue their career cheaper and sooner. Graduating faster will also help cut the amount of debt students accumulate. In an APSU press release, provost and vice president of academic affairs, Tristan Denley was quoted stating, “At APSU we are committed to finding ways to help our students successfully complete their degrees. Sometimes that means creating new pathways to success. These dozen degree pathways will provide accelerated academic tracks for those wishing to expedite their education. We are also ever watchful of the cost of higher education. The total tuition cost to follow each of these new paths is also less than following a path that takes four or more years.” Although the workload for the threeyear degree is significantly heavier, students have the potential of jumpstart their careers earlier and of saving thousands in debt. For more information on the Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree completion or the 3+1 Bachelor’s to Master’s program or to view the complete list of degree concentrations available, visit apsu.edu/academics. TAS