SpringHillian the
March 11, 2010
Volume 90, Number 6 Mobile’s 1st Collegiate Newspaper
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Account Spring enrollment increased at Spring Hill balance could affect credit score JASMINE WILLIAMS Staff Reporter
JASMINE WILLIAMS Staff Reporter
With graduation quickly approaching, most seniors are busy job and apartment hunting, applying to graduate school or focusing on Senior Seminar. Unpaid student loans and tuition fees however, can seriously affect a student’s future and credit score. Shortly after graduation, students who took out loans and who left the college owing money will be expected to pay the money back. Depending on the school and lender, there may be a general grace period anywhere from six months to a year. The Business Office has a policy which states that if a student leaves the college owing more than $100 they are allowed a one semester grace period to pay the money back, according to Tracie Lawrence, Coordinator of Student Accounts. If no payments have been made after this grace period the issue is sent to the collection agency, which takes over the case. The collection agency starts with a letter notifying individuals that their case has been turned over to them. Then, after 30 days of the loan going unpaid, it appears on the student’s credit report, and affects their credit score. Spring Hill College’s Business and Financial Aid Office tries to be as helpful as possible when it comes to See UNPAID page 3
Spring Hill College experienced a double-digit increase in spring enrollment, according to the Press-Register. Spring Hill enrolled 1,497 this spring, compared to 1,460 in 2009, and the school plans to see a larger increase in the fall. Spring Hill’s Office of Admissions offers prospective students new and innovative ways to experience life on the Hill. These efforts are obviously working. Steve Pochard, Dean of Admissions, states that this is because the admissions staff does their research. “If we think there is something needed to be done, we do it. Most of our recruiters have Facebook pages and new leaders bring new ideas,” said Pochard.
Like Pochard, who has been working in admissions at Spring Hill for the past 15 years, the rest of the admissions staff has the same continuity. Pochard states, “We have eight counselors on staff and five of them have been here for at least eight years or longer.” Over the years, recruiting techniques have changed to include social networks sites like Facebook, virtual aspects of the campus like the online view book and student experiences captured via YouTube videos. But the Hill has never changed. Since 1830, Spring Hill College is known for its small community and a mission that puts emphasis on diversity, personal development and service to others. “It was the baseball field and the campus that attracted me,” said freshman Brian
Courtesy of Press-Register Spring Hill’s men soccer team helps freshmen move into their dorms for fall semester.
Traina. “It reminded me of my high school.” Freshman Taylor Johnson’s principal recommended Spring Hill to him. Johnson said, “My principal thought it was a good community that reflected my diligence.” Despite the new technology, it is the traditions that the admissions staff wishes to reflect and maintain. “We
The Mobile Experience: Battleship Memorial Park KATELYN IKNER Life and Culture Editor
All aboard for Mobile’s historic attraction: the Battleship USS ALABAMA at Battleship Memorial Park. The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is dedicated to honor all Alabama
veterans who have participated in all conflicts of the United States Armed Services. The park includes: the Battleship USS ALABAMA, Submarine USS DRUM and an aircraft pavilion. The Battleship USS ALABAMA first began storming the seas when
Courtesy of Battleship Memorial Park Web site
it was first commissioned on Aug. 16, 1942. According to the Battleship USS ALABAMA Web site, she measures in at 680 feet in length, with a beam of 108 feet 2 inches. She is armed with nine, 16-inch guns in three turrets and 20, 5-inch .38 caliber guns in 10 twin mounts. Her four propellers also weigh more than 18 tons. The ship is registered as 35,000 tons (70 million pounds), however under battle conditions it weighs in at 45,000 tons (90 million pounds). During her 37 month-long adventure, from 1944 to 1947, she had an assigned crew that included: 127 officers and See BATTLESHIP page 2
still market the same package: the strong faculty, good communication with students, small classes, personalized attention, a beautiful campus, coaches that get out and recruit,” said Pochard. “This is what we promote per say; this is what we sell. We change and improve to keep up with the technology but we have not let go of our traditions.”
‘Tuition will affect students’ Correction
» An error was made in the March 4, 2010 issue The article “Tuition increase will affect students” in the March 4, 2010, newspaper edition of The SpringHillian stated an incorrect tuition increase. Tuition and fees for a full-time undergraduate in 2010-11 will be $26,730, which is a 5 percent increase from this year’s $25,450. The SpringHillian regrets the error.