.......Students wanting to lighten their academic load might want to consider a new policy concerning financial aid before doing so.

......." Full-time students must now complete 20 hours per academic year," said Anita Barnhill, Southeast Tech financial aid coordinator in Bell County. " This is a change from last year, when only 18 hours per academic year were required to be completed."

.......According to Barnhill, to keep in compliance with title IV federal financial aid programs, guidelines concerning the required number of academic hours are established by the UK Community College System.

.......Students must also keep in mind that audited or incomplete classes do not count toward academic progress, and a grade point average of 1.2 to 2.0 must be maintained, depending on the amount of hours previously completed.

.......Barnhill said, " Student loans were pro-rated according to the amount of hours previously completed. For example, a student failing to complete the required number of hours will be loaned less money in the following semester, and students not complying with the requirements can be temporarily disqualified from the student grant programs. Students not completing requirements are placed on a Reasonable Academic Progress List,"

.......Students failing to meet financial aid standards at one college in the system will also be ineligible at another college, according to Barnhill. To return to a UK community college, students would have to pay for the first semester to reestablish themselves, or they can file a letter of appeal in writing to the financial aid coordinator at the school. A successful appeal reestablishes student's eligibility to receive financial aid.

......." Most of the appeals received up until now have been medically related, "said Barnhill.
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Bell Co. programs promote awareness of disabilities

.......The Bell County campus of Southeast Community College recently hosted two disabilities awareness programs.

.......The topic of the first program, held on October 21, was "Drugs and Alcohol Use Prevention." Dennis Trickett, Regional Prevention Director of Cumberland River Comprehensive Care Center, was the guest speaker.

.......The second program, which was held on October 23, was about invisible disabilities. Counselor Jim Kirk of the Kentucky Department of Rehabilitation at Southeast Tech presented the program.

.......Many interested persons from the community, including students and faculty, attended the programs. They discussed various situations where they didn't know what to do.

.......The programs provided a positive way of getting the information out to the public about disabilities, according to SECC assistant professor and program coordinator Jamie H Vaught.

.......Vaught says there will be another disabilities awareness program in the spring semester at SECC in Middlesboro.
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Survey reveals SECC faculty prefer to stay with University of KY

.......The issue of whether or not Kentucky's community colleges should be seperated from the University of Kentucky seems to be forging mixed opinions throughout the state.

.......According to Southeast Community College President Dr. Bruce Ayers, a survey of SECC faculty was taken concerning this issue at a recent meeting. Faculty were asked, "Should community colleges remain with the University of Kentucky?"

.......Ayers said the vote was 62 in favor of remaining with UK, with two voting in favor of separating from UK. "I feel that this vote shows that, without a doubt, our faculty are pleased with the current system," said Ayers. "The relationship between the University system and the Community College System is working well", said Ayers. "The goverance structure provides an environment of stability and continuity within which local leadership, autonomy, and operational flexibility at each community college are accomplished through local advisory boards."

.......Dr. Karl Winegardner, faculty member and Academic Support Center Director, said,"Why change a system that works?"

.......Several SECC students seem to be concerned about the "separation" issue as well. "If community colleges are removed from UK, what will our degrees be worth?" said Bethsheba V. Hollon, an SECC sophomore. "Our degree and course work mean something because of Southeast's affiliation with UK," continued Hollon.

......."I shudder to think what would happen to SECC if it was removed from the University of Kentucky," said freshman Terry Day. "Where would our funding come from? I don't think we could compete financially with the larger institutions in the state without the support we got from UK."

.......According to Ayers, Governor Paul Patton recently appointed a task force to study higher education in the state and to make recommendation for possible reform; the task force has asked for position papers from several groups to provide input as to the future path of higher education in the state.

.......According to a recent article in the Lexington Herald- Leader, the task force recently received a report from consultant Aims McGuinness of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, which was commissioned to study post-secondary education in our state and to make recommendations for the future.

.......According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, in three of four scenarios presented, McGuinness suggested taking the community college system away from the University of Kentucky and putting it under a new board, stating that the current system of organization and financing "helps pit people against each other," referring to the relationship between UK and the regional universities.

.......The report also criticized the state's funding formula for higher education, which currently bases 70 percent of a college's funding on the number of students enrolled. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, McGuinness suggested setting up a system of goals and rewards to tie funding to the quality of a college's program and success rates in particular areas.

.......Governor Paul Patton called the report "very interesting" but cautioned that a decision on the matter is far from being reached, calling for everyone to remain open-mined on the issue, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

.......Ayers said that the current UK/Community College goverance structure is cost effective, with the system being able to maintain a lean central staff compared to state system being able to maintain a lean central staff compared to state systems of simular size and scope. "Numerous studies during the past 30 years highlight the sound management, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Community College System," Ayers said. "Separation of the system from UK could result in the unwarranted duplication of services and increase operational costs by millions of dollars."

.......Ayers also emphasized that the academic quality of the 14 community colleges is enhanced by their affiliation with UK, offering the same undergraduate transfer curriculum as the University system. He added that the existing structure allows the community colleges to serve as feeder institutions for all of Kentucky's public universities, with approximately 80 percent of all community college transfer students enrolling at the regional universities.

......."Our UK Community College System has one of the highest transfer rates to four-yearinstitutions of any system in the country according to studies at UCLA," said Ayers. "The new General Education Block Transfer Agreement-one of the strongest in the nation- is an indication of the Community College System's quality and high standards." Ayers cited reports from the Futures Commission in 1989 and 1996 and an independent public opinion survey conducted by the Preston Group in 1995, all of which supported the community college's affiliation with UK. "For reasons of quality, efficiency, and effectiveness, I believe the community colleges should remain with the University of Kentucky," said Ayers.

.......It remains to be seen what action the Governor and his task force will take in this matter, but the issue of separation from UK continues to produce varied opinions.

.......The Southeasterner would like to hear your opinions and concerns on this issue. A survey found on page 16 can be completed and returned to the appropriate address, with results to be printed in a future issue of The Southeasterner.
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Coming to a TV or computer near you

.......What is distance learning, and how might it affect us as students in the near future?

.......Let us first address the term distance learning. When researching distance learning one will find that the concept dates back to the 1800's when the first correspondent courses were offered through the mail. The next step in the evolution of distance learning came about through the use of television in the form of telecourses. Today we find that while correspondent courses and telecourses are still available, the evolution of distance learning is continuing through the use of modern technology.

.......Morehead State University's Director of Distance Learning, Dr. Autumn Grubb defines distance learning today as,"The delivery of instruction from one location to multiple locations using a combination of telecommunication technologies. The instructor, students, and course content do not have to reside in the same location or at the same time, physically or virtually."

.......In an October 1995 U.S. News & World Report article Mary Lord reports the following: "As many as 4 million Americans are now plugging into distance learning...All told some 75 universities and colleges offer online degree programs...Great Britain's Open University, with nearly 150,000 students worldwide, offers a highly regarded curriculum...The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth recently started an online course in writing for the World Wide Web."

.......SO what does all this mean for students in our area? It means,TAKE HEART APPALACHIA! As the world moves toward a new century, for once we may not be left decades behind.

.......According to Dr. Roger C. Noe, Dean of Academic Affairs at SECC,"A distance learning classroom is currently being put into place here at SECC and should be up and running by spring semester. Also,the little theater is being renovated with the placement of a distance learning classroom being installed. This project is to begin in May or June. Once in place more and more (course) offerings will be provided."

......."Distance learning is becoming increasingly important in higher education. I see it growing in leaps and bounds over the next few years," said Dr. Noe.

.......Karen Drake, instructor of biology and chairwoman of the interactive TV/distance learning subcommittee, said, ". . .the classrooms will consist of seating for 25-32 people. Each table will be equipped with microphones, and there will be 35" televisions in the front and back of the room. "The teacher or facilitator will stand at the front of the room facing the students, and, when the interactive session begins, the teacher will also see the people in the distance classroom by looking at the TV in the back of the room. The students on Southeast's campus will be facing the teacher but will also see the people in the long distance classroom by looking at the front mounted screens. Because of the microphones, both the students here and in the distance classroom can ask questions; the possibilities are limited only by our imagination," said Drake.

.......Through the use of modern technology, distance learning does indeed seem to offer almost limitless oppertunities in the field of education. As Dr. Noe points out, there are "opportunities for students to be introduced to courses that otherwise could not be taught here at SECC unless distance learning technology is used."

.......Drake said, "If we wanted to have a question and answer session with someone such as Hillary Clinton, she could go to a classroom near the White House and we could talk to her and see her almost as if she were in the room with us."

.......All the interviews for this story were conducted via electronic-mail, and this ,said Grubb, "is a perfect example. Just a short time ago if you couldn't get me on the phone or send me a letter, I would not be able to share this info with you. E-mail allows students to communicate with their faculty and their peers in ways they have never been able to before. This one small example is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the capabilities wirh distance learning technologies,"

.......If you , the students of SECC, have questions or comments concerning distance learning, please send them to The Southeasterner, c/o Carlton W. Hughes, Southeast Community college, Cumberland, Ky 40823. Comments and questions will be addressed in the spring semester issues of The Southeasterner.
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Books are in new shelf spots as library converts to Library of Congress system

.......Southeast Community College's Gertrude Angel Dale Library on the Cumberland campus has recently converted its system from the Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress.

.......According to Laurie MacKeller, SECC's Technical Services Librarian, the transaction began in March of 1996 and "was endured" until this past August.

.......However. MacKeller said, "In 1986, my predecessor Sha Li Zhang decided to change from the Dewey to the LC (Library of Congress) scheme.

......."Both systems are classification schemes that assign a particular book a particular location on the shelf. This means that a patron can know exactly where to go to find a book on the shelf; it also means that a shelver knows exactly where to put a book back on the shelf," said MacKeller.

......."I haven't worked enough with DD (Dewey Decimal numbers to state that I prefer one scheme over the other," continued MacKeller, "DD numbers can get very long. LC also has its own set of problems. It was designed specifically for the Library of Congress and that Library's needs- it favors law and literature. LC numbers assigned to works on the Internet can get long, since there were no computers in the nineteenth century and no Internet."

.......MacKeller added, "Academic libraries tend to use LC numbers, while public libraries tend to use Dewey Decimal numbers. You can recognize the different schemes by looking at the first line-if it begins with one or two letters it is an LC number, if it begins with a number it is DD."

.......MacKeller extended her thanks her co-workers, Darlene Coots and Pam Creech; the University of Kentucky Library, for "taking the Community Colleges under its wing," and "everyone here in the library."

.......In addition, MacKeller would also like to thank the Defense Department, "which brought us the Internet, which made this project possible. Without it, I would have had to create each number by hand, which would have delayed the completion of the project by, oh, say a few years."

.......MacKeller added that the other alternative would have cost the library a charge of $8.95 per hour for locating numbers.

.......According to MacKeller, some of the library's reclassed books haven't been reshelved, and more books will need to be moved during winter break.

.......MacKeller concluded, "Bear with us-ask for help if you cannot find a book." return