The Nelsonite vol. 26, no. 7

              ARCRIWS
Thomas Nelson Community College Student Newspaper VOL.26 NO. 7 October 1995
Student Financial Aid programs: Thing of the past?
By Willie Brown
The 104th Congress recently forwarded to
the Senate a bill concerning the departments of
Health and Human Services, Labor, and
Education, for the fiscal year ending September
30,1996. The bill, if passed, would greatly
reduce the amount of money available for
programs such as Employment and Training.
Community Service Employment for Older
Americans, School to Work Opportunities, Low
Income Home Energy Assistance, Child Care
and Development Block Grants. Although the
House version of the bill increases the amount
of the maximum Pell Grant award to $2440, it
also stipulates that "no Pell Grant shall be
awarded to any student during award year
1996-1997 if the amount of that grant is less
than $600, as determined under section 401(b)."
This would greatly affect
30% or more of community
college students. Don't let
Congress, which we the
people elected, take away the
means for us to better
ourselves. I urge you to take
a moment and tell Congress
not to put our future in
jeopardy. If you have a Pell
Grant story and need to see
financial assistance continue,
send me a letter: Willie
Brown do ASACC, P.O.
Box 3284, Hampton,
Virginia 23663 or call (804)
723-7855 or 825-2855.
Willie Brown with Senator Pell
Photo Courtesy of Student Council
Renovations:TNCG Receives Face Lift
The renovations of Gators, the library, and
the computer center began in August. This has
led to some confusion and inconveniences for
the fall semester students. Many people have
asked, "Why weren't the renovations started in
the summer? What will it look like? Where are
we supposed to eat until Gators opens?"
Ray Wharton, Head of Plant Services, was
able to clear up queries about construction and
the appearance of Gators. Thomas Nelson has
•been planning renovations since 1989, but
didn't receive funding until 1993. By then, the
original estimate of $1.5 million was not
enough to coverall the plans. It took until the
middle of 1994,to redesign the plans and the
project was sent out for bid in March, 1995.
The school was still around $250,000 short of
the lowest bid and had to apply to the state for
more money. This tedious process delayed the
renovations until August of 1995.
Wellness Center
The renovations to the cafeteria should be
completed by January. Then, students will be
able to enter Gators through an attractive
walkway lined in columns which will separate
the serving line and kitchen from the dining
area. The dining room will include an enclosed
game room, a meeting room and a platform
stage. • >
The library will have a new study area
students can access outside of library operating
hours. This should also open in January.
A conference area is being created in Moore
Hall. The financial aid area and the computer
lab are other areas undergoing renovation.
These should be completed by February.
A]1 of this sounds good, but what are
students supposed to do until they are
completed? According to Ray Wharton, "We've
By Alyssa Tippens
tried to accommodate all the services, but on a
reduced scale." Computers are available in
room 139 in Moore Hall. The hours are 8:00
am-10:00pm M-Th, 8:00am-5:00pm on Fridays,
10:00am-4:00pm on Saturdays and
4:00pm-8:00pm on Sundays.
Unfortunately, the school is doing a better
job of providing computer access than lunch.
The cafeteria is completely closed and the only
food available is in vending machines. Some
machines offer spaghetti and sandwiches that
can be heated, but the machines are often
empty. Kay Rosier, the business manager, said,
"We don't have the facilities to have 'open'
food." But expecting students to subsist on
vending machine sandwiches until January
shows a lack of concern and planning. To
many students, the present situation is simply
pathetic.
ByRitaMcGee
Do you want to have fun, feel good about
yourself, meet new friends and get into good
physical shape at one time? This sounds
incredible, doesn't it? Well it can happen right
here on campus, at the Wellness and Fitness
Center located in the Hastings Hall annex. The
center, which is open to faculty, staff and
students, operates Monday through Thursday
from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and is closed
weekends.
Instructors are on hand to assist you with the
various equipment and instructional aids. There
are four main rooms in the center: Nautilus,
Flex Weights, Bikes and Tracks and Aerobics.
Appointments can be made to schedule physical
fitness assessments which can be custom
tailored to meet your individual needs. Based
on the assessment, programs can be designed to
work out deficiencies step by step.
Assessments take approximately thirty minutes.
I have visited the Wellness and Fitness
Center. It is quite impressive, so I recommend
that you stop by and take advantage of what
TNCC has to offer. .
t