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T 1-1 EVI STA UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003
Job climate may dampen graduation time by Mark Schlachtenhaufen ms@thevistaonline.com A state economist said Oklahoma's struggling economy has created a gloomy job climate, contradicting the results of a national survey of employers. In the short-term, there will be increases in a few unspecified occupations, said Lynn Gray, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) managing economist. Given the shape of the economy, he said graduating seniors might want to consider graduate school, delaying their entry into
the job market. "It's lousy," Gray said of the state's job climate. "The unemployment rate is going up. It's going to be a difficult time for college graduates." He said Olclahoma graduates thinking conditions are better in other states could be disappointed as well. The job climate this year is similar both regionally and nationally, he said. According to a survey of employers conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), provided by UCO Career Services, 75
percent of employers said they expect to be on college campuses this spring recruiting full-time hires, while 21 percent would not. A majority of respondents, 90.1 percent, said the Iraq war would not have any effect on their hiring of 2003 graduates. Companies that said the war would impact their hiring are directly tied to the war effort, the NACE survey found. According to OESC figures, Oklahoma's unemployment rate in February 2003 was 5.6 percent, compared to the national
rate of 6.4 percent. In March, the national unemployment rate was 5.8 percent. Gray said the September 11th terrorist attacks, the stock market slowdown, lack of corporate trust and uncertainty about the Iraq war have slowed the state's economy, resulting in fewer job opportunities for graduating seniors. Businesses uncertain about when the war was going to begin and if it would have a successful conclusion delayed making economy-aiding investments, Gray said. Now that the war is over,
the economy will grow, but growth will be anemic. Other preliminary results of the NACE survey show: ♦ 44 percent said they would be hiring full-time employees and interns. • 16 percent indicated they would be hiring full-time only. • 13 percent said they met their college recruiting goals in the fall. ♦ 8 percent said they would be on campus only to maintain their presence.
Senior third baseman John Rogers will close his collegiate career at UCO as the all-time leader in batting categories. - Page 7
see Job Climate page 4
SARS warning derails
summer travel plans by Mark Schlachtenhaufen ms@thevistaonline. corn SARS is causing some UCO international students to alter their summer travel plans, and the outbreak may result in a slight decrease in fall enrollment numbers. On April 28 the World Health Organization (WHO) said the spread of SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, is being controlled in many countries, but is still a serious health problem in China. UCO has 43 students from China and 15 from Hong Kong, countries with areas affected by SARS. UCO also has 127 students from Taiwan, China's neighbor, which has not yet been adversely impacted by the virus. One consequence of the disease is that fewer student visas may be issued in affected countries, potentially causing a slight decrease in fall enrollment, said Dr. Ronald Paddack, director of UCO International Student Services. Some other international students have altered their travel plans, delaying departure dates or choosing to remain in Oklahoma over the summer, Paddack said. The International Office has not been flooded with SARS questions, he said.
"it has not.been a major issue in our office at all," Paddack said. "It's been rather quiet. I don't think our students are thinking about it much at all." While the UCO International Office often receives notices from the federal government about issues pertaining to international students, thus far none have been sent regarding SARS, Paddack said. Scientists believe SARS originated in a province in southern China. Primarily, SARS is spread by close person-to-person contact. The virus is also possibly spread more broadly through the air or by other ways currently unknown. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other laboratories detected the previously unrecognized virus, called a coronavirus, the leading hypothesis for the cause of SARS. Worldwide, the cumulative number of probable cases of SARS is at least 4,649, the number of deaths at least 274. WHO lists Canada, Singapore, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Vietnam as countries which contain regions reporting local transmission of SARS. WHO lists affected areas as
see SARS page 5
Spike It
Photo by Juli Barker
Financial Aid representatives at UCO assist students hoping to find monetary assistance for college. Oklahoma students often rely on scholarship programs to help them through school.
Money woes reduce program aimed to help Oklahoma students by Rick Russick Student Writer A higher education official told lawmakers funding reductions for a state scholarship program could result in fewer opportunities for Oklahomans to obtain a college education, reversing current upward trends. The Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP) promoted by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, allows families making less than $50,000 per year to send their children to college by paying for their college tuition, according to the Southeastern Oklahoma Enterprise GEAR UP Partnership website. To qualify, eighth, ninth and tenth graders must "pass college prep high school courses, as well as stay away from trouble such as gangs, drugs or alcohol," the website said. OHLAP requires that students enroll in the program during the eighth, ninth, or tenth grade, complete a 17-unit core curriculum based on college admission requirements, graduate from an accredited or non-
accredited high school and score a 2.5 GPA overall. Non-accredited school graduates must also score a 22 on the ACT. Home school students are not currently eligible. The purpose of OHLAP is "to increase the number of college graduates in Oklahoma and to encourage more students from families with limited income to prepare for college and earn college degrees." The OHLAP 2002-03 scholarship was $1,500 for universities and $2000 for research universities. "To avoid students leaving the state, tuition wavers are in place. If we encourage enough students from out of state to come to Oklahoma, then certainly some of that money will be funneled back into OHLAP" Bryce Fair, associate vice chancellor for Grants and Scholarships, said April 28. "As it stands, the main objectives are to have no reductions in funding; however, if there are reductions, we will need to find every way possible to keep those reductions from occurring," he said.
According to the March 2003 Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY, 26.7 percent of adults in other states earned bachelor's degrees or higher in 2002, compared to 20.4 percent of Oklahomans who earned bachelor's degrees. Eventually, that number is expected to change and improve as more high school seniors graduate. Experts predict a 15 percent increase in enrollment per year. In 2003, 75 percent of OHLAP students completed the necessary requirements. This number has steadily risen since 1996, when only 39.6 percent of OHLAP students completed their requirements. OHLAP students show increased improvement over other students as well. In 2001, the average OHLAP student GPA was 3.49, while other Oklahoma seniors held a 3.0. ACT test scores are improving also. Although OHLAP students fared slightly higher than the national average at 20.9 percent in 2002, other Oklahoma students scored 4 points lower at
Red-shirt freshman Chance Cruson and sophomore Donnie Martin will lead UCO golf into the UCAA Division II championship. - Page 7
The Vista presents an overview of top stories from the spring semester. - Page 8
see OHLAP page 5
Financial aid keeps college attainable by Caroline Duke cd@thevistaonline.com
Photo by Zach E. Nash
Students take advantage of the nice weather to play a game of volleyball April 29.
More than half of students attending Oklahoma state universities received some form of financial aid during the 20012002 school year. Most of the aid given was in the form of federal, institutional and private loans. The rest was comprised of grants, scholarships and student employment. About $36 million in total resources was disbursed this year from UCO, said Sheila Fugett, director of Financial Aid. "As the cost of tuition fees and books increase, we try to make sure that the financial aid
budgets are in sync with that," she said. She said that some changes will be made relative to the economy. "At UCO, we are trying to make sure that, as our fees increase and as dorm costs increase, we have budgets that are consistent with that," she said. Nine percent of aid given statewide was disbursed in the form of scholarships. "[This] number is not reflective (of UCO] because UCO gets a lot less funding than other institutions in the state," said Adam Johnson, assistant director and scholarship coordinator for
Prospective Student Services. Additionally, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education reported that the amount of financial aid given has nearly doubled in the last decade In a press release from Regents, Chancellor Paul G. Risser said although Oklahoma has some of the lowest tuition rates in the nation, there are many students who still cannot afford to attend college. He said, "We want to make sure that college affordability is not diminished and that access is not restricted for students who meet the requirements to be admitted to any state system institution."
Graduation brings up questions of the future for departing students. - Page 4