An official transcript documents all of the coursework a student has completed  at a college or university.  It is provided by the Registrar at the academic institution and is issued in a sealed, unopened envelope. When a student applies to a college or university, he or she needs to obtain an official transcript from all accredited academic institutions previously attended.

Otterbein’s admission policy requires transcripts from all regionally accredited institutions  attended, even if credit is recorded from multiple colleges on the student’s current transcript. For example, if a student first  attended Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and later attended Ohio State University(OSU), OSU probably  evaluated the CSCC courses and awarded credit towards the OSU degree.  If the student decides to complete his or her degree at Otterbein, an official transcript from each school, in this case CSCC and OSU, would be required.

Once Otterbein receives the transcripts, the student receives an email or notification from the Continuing Studies office acknowledging receipt of the transcript and informing the student of  any other items needed to complete his or her application. It is also suggested that the student make an appointment with an Admissions counselor to discuss the academic program of interest.

For more information, please contact the Center for Continuing Studies: 614-823-1356.

“Paper accounts for one third of all municipal landfill waste, and the number of trees used in the paper industry is nothing short of staggering. So the big question: Is the continued use of disposable paper products sustainable? Is using dishtowels better for the environment than using paper towels? Similarly, are cloth napkins greener than paper napkins? Virgin fiber is that which comes straight from a tree. Doesn’t it seem a waste to use a tree for a single-use item? Well how’s this: If every household in the United States replaced one roll of virgin-fiber paper towels with 100 percent recycled paper towels, we could save 1.4 million trees. If every household in the United States replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins with 100 percent recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees. With those numbers in mind, using virgin fiber for single use items seems simply outrageous.

Gleaming, bright white paper towels and napkins don’t get that way naturally. There are several methods of bleaching paper products, some far better than others. The one to avoid is Elemental Chlorine (chlorine gas). This is the worst of the bunch, and is responsible for the release of chlorinated compounds like dioxins and furans, which are powerful carcinogens and mutagens. These chemicals can adversely affect immune systems and reproductive systems and are dreadful for aquatic life and wildlife. If you can’t find paper products that are made of 100 percent recycled paper, look for ones with at least some recycled content. Also, steer away from products bleached with elemental chlorine and instead chose ones that use alternative bleaching. Process Chlorine Free (PCF) is a great choice, this process does not use not bleach with chlorine or its derivatives. Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) is the best choice—this is pulp that has never been bleached with chlorine or its derivatives.

There are two types of materials used in recycled paper products: Post-consumer fiber and recovered fiber. Post-consumer fibers come from paper that has already been used by the consumer and sent to recycling. Recovered fiber is from paper waste leftover in manufacturing, such as trim, scraps, unused stock. When you are buying recycled paper products, strive for 100 percent recycled paper with a minimum of 90 percent post-consumer materials. The higher the post-consumer percentage, the more paper is being saved from hitting the landfill.

If you approach your cloth towels and napkins conscientiously, cloth is the greener option.Some say that washing cloth must be more energy-intensive than using paper, but electric dryers are actually twice as energy efficient as the manufacture of paper towels. When you factor in all of the components of making a paper towel or napkins (harvesting the material, processing and bleaching it, packaging it, shipping it, stocking it at a supermarket, transportation to and from the store to purchase it, etc). all for a single use, you find that the paper towels and napkins are about twice as energy-intensive and create more greenhouse gases overall. A cloth napkin or dishtowel may go through similar processes to get to your kitchen drawer, but it will stay there for many, many years, rather than being sent directly to the landfill”.

For more information, please go to: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/greenestpaper-towels-and-napkins.html

As you prepare to register for the 2010/2011 academic year, one very useful tool is the Degree Evaluation.  The degree evaluation allows you to view the coursework  you have completed for your degree.  It breaks down the requirements by hours, integrative studies, core classes, residency requirements, major and minors.  This information will help you create a schedule designed to complete your requirements and keep you on track towards graduation.   You should  print out your Degree Evaluation and take it with you when you meet with your faculty advisor.

To run a degree evaluation:

• Step 1:  Log onto Self-Service Banner
• Step 2:  Click Student
• Step 3:  Click on Student Records
• Step 4:  Click on Degree Evaluation
• Step 5:  For Select a Term – just click Submit.  It’s fine if the preselected term is a future one.
• Step 6:  On the Degree Evaluation Record screen, follow the instructions that appear just below your name.
• Step 7:  On the Generate New Evaluation screen, follow the instructions that appear just below your name.
• Step 8:  On the Degree Evaluation Options screen, follow the instructions that appear just below your name.
• Step 9:  View your Detail Requirements.  Note any requirements that say “unmet” in red on the left.  To see coursework  that is not being counted towards your degree program, click the back arrow button in the top left hand corner to return to Degree Evaluation options.  Then click the radio button next to Additional Information and click Submit.
• Step 10:  If you wish to save the Degree Evaluation you generated, there are no other steps to follow.  If you wish to delete it, click the Previous Evaluations at the bottom of the screen and click in the Delete box on the right.  Then click Delete Requests at the bottom.  Otherwise, the list of evaluations  you generate will continue to accumulate.  Degree Evaluations generated by advisors and student services administrators can be retained by that population as well.

2010 Navigating Your Career Transition Workshop

Otterbein College is hosting the Navigating Your Career Transition Workshop from 8:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, in Roush Hall, 27 S. Grove St., Westerville. Four workshops are being offered that are designed to assist alumni, adult learners, and community members affected by the downturn of the job market. The purpose of the half day workshop is to assist participants in refocusing their talents and skills to meet the demands of today’s global economy.

Each workshop is presented by an alumnus of Otterbein College who is a career strategy expert. Attendees will participate in each breakout session. The sessions include the following:

• 8:00 a.m. Registration
• 8:45 a.m. Career Transitioning: Preparing for Change, Andy Hoover
• 9:30 a.m. The Power of Networking, Amber Dinopoulos
• 10:15 a.m. Updating Your Resume and Cover Letter, Susan Merryman
• 11:00 a.m. Where to Look: The Effective Job Search, Kate Visconti
• 11:45 a.m. Open forum with Q&A
• Event Moderator, Carol Ventresca

Navigating Your Career Transition Workshop is limited to the first 40 participants.

Date: Saturday, April 10, 2010

Time: Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., Roush Hall Lobby

Audience: Otterbein alumni and adult learners, and surrounding community members

Event Registration Fees:

• $20 for general public
• $15 for alumni and adult learners

To register, please visit https://howard2.otterbein.edu/ocevents/.

Interested in Global Warming?  Please read the following excerpt from 350.org:

350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.

For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide. By now the planet has 390 parts per million CO2 – and this number is rising by about 2 parts per million every year.

Scientists are now saying that’s too much – that number is higher than any time seen in the recorded history of our planet – and we’re already beginning to see disastrous impacts on people and places all over the world. Glaciers everywhere are melting and disappearing fast—and they are a source of drinking water for hundreds of millions of people
Getting back to 350 means transforming our world. It means building solar arrays instead of coal plants, it means planting trees instead of clear-cutting rainforests, it means increasing efficiency and decreasing our waste. Drought is becoming much more common, making food harder to grow in many places. Sea levels have begun to rise, and scientists warn that they could go up as much as several meters this century. If that happens, many of the world’s cities, island nations, and farmland will be underwater. The oceans are growing more acidic because of the CO2 they are absorbing, which makes it harder for animals like corals and clams to build and maintain their shells and skeletons. Coral reefs could start dissolving at an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 450-500 ppm. These impacts are combining to exacerbate conflicts and security issues in already resource-strapped regions.

For more in-depth information on climate science, policy, and solutions, please see : http://www.350.org/about/science

The schedule of classes for 2010/2011 will be available the second week of Spring Quarter. Please review the course offerings and plan your academic year before meeting with your faculty advisor.   This will provide you with the opportunity to use your time productively with your advisor.

A tentative schedule often leads to important questions concerning course prerequisites, class requirements, internships, and degree audits.   

If you will not be graduating prior to Fall Quarter 2011, meeting with your academic advisor is a good opportunity to discuss semester conversion and what it will mean for your degree plan.

The registration schedule is posted under the Student Tab in MyOzone. Early registration will increase your chances to enroll in your first choice of classes.

A new program links payments on federal student loans to income and forgives balances after 25 years. Those working in public service could have their debts erased after 10 years.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/CutCollegeCosts/repaying-student-loans-gets-easier.aspx?gt1=33006

Curious to know what you think! There is a movement afoot in Ohio to change the entry level nursing degree to BSN and require the ADN’s to upgrade their education (within a 10 year time frame). We know that the health care setting has changed dramatically. We now have ICU type units as the norm in the hospital and a major portion of health care occurs in the home setting. Is the time now? I vote yes.

We need to make the BSN the entry level degree for RN preparation. Between increases in acuity and the shift to homecare, I believe you can no longer safely prepare practitioners in a 2 year program for the current health care arena. I would also suggest we need to adapt the BSN education to prepare students more strongly for these new and divergent health care settings as well. What do you think?

Spring is just around the corner and there is no better time than now to review and “dust off” your resume for the spring  job market.  It is important that you make necessary changes to your mailing or email address, phone number(s), job descriptions, skills, and  job experiences. 

Be sure to mention the necessary skills you have to offer for a particular job that you are applying for, such as problem-solving, communication, analytical, technical and computer skills.  You may want to enliven your resume by including action words such as:

Accomplished                                  Improvised

Achieved                                            Increased

Adapted                                              Initiated

Balanced                                             Maintained

Bargained                                           Motivated

Budgeted                                            Negotiated

Communicated                                Operated

Completed                                         Organized

Coordinated                                      Participated

Created                                               Planned

Corresponded                                  Presented

Demonstrated                                  Produced

Designed                                             Recruited

Developed                                          Reduced

Evaluated                                           Solved

Established                                        Streamlined

Formulated                                       Strengthened

Generated                                          Supervised

Identified                                           Transformed

Implemented                                   Translated

Westerville North High School, DeVry University and The Ohio State University at Godman Guild will host the state-wide college financial aid event “College Goal Sunday” (CGS) on February 14, 2010 at 2 p.m. The free event, presented by the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) and endorsed by the Ohio Board of Regents, assists students and parents with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the federal application that is required to be completed in order to receive federal financial aid which includes the Federal Pell Grant, student loans and the need-based state grants.

Due to the great demand expected for assistance in completing the FASFA, families are encouraged to register for the free event at www.ohiocollegegoalsunday.org or by calling 1-877-428-8246. The FAFSA is the key to funding a college education and helping families to overcome financial barriers that otherwise would prevent students from attending their preferred institution. Studies show that a student is 50% more likely to attend college after they have completed the FAFSA.

 While walk-ins are welcome, registration is encouraged. Record numbers are expected to be in attendance at CGS.
OASFAA is a non-profit, professional organization for individuals actively engaged in the administration of financial aid within the State of Ohio for higher education. As an educational organization, OASFAA strives to offer resources to students, families and high school advisors to promote higher education and increase awareness of financial aid opportunities.