Student Activities has a special treat  for students taking night classes! Stop by Java the Hutt and show your Student ID to the Student Activities staff get a free small beverage of your choice (coffee, hot chocolate, tea, etc.)! Please note, there is a 1 beverage per student limit.

When: Monday and Tuesday,  December 5 and 6

Times: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Java the Hutt - Campus Commons

"I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same." - Rachel Scott (First person killed at Columbine High School shootings).

Join us in starting Virginia Western's chain reaction of kindness!

Wednesday - December 7, 2001

9:00 a.m. - Noon

Third Floor of Webber

Organized by the Student Leadership at Virginia Western. Contact the Student Activiites Office for more information at 857-6326 or nlee@virginiawestern.edu.  

As part of the deficit-reduction efforts, Congress is attempting to cut Pell funding in their 2012 budget.  In light of this, there is a nationwide push to help save Federal Pell Grant funding from being slashed by Congress.  NAICU and the Student Aid Alliance are asking people to visit this website and “sign off” on their support of the Pell Grant program.  Here is the website:  http://action.studentaidalliance.org/5371/save-student-aid-statement-support/

The House wants to maintain the maximum grant of $5,550.  In order to do so under the current budgetary constraints, it wants to make changes to the Pell Grant eligibility rules. These changes include:

• A reduction in the maximum number of semesters that students can receive the Pell Grant from 18 to 12,
• An elimination of Pell Grant eligibility for students that are attending school less than half-time,
• A reduction in the amount of a student’s personal earnings that can be excluded from a Pell Grant award calculation,
• A cut to the maximum family income that would automatically qualify a student for the maximum grant from $30,000 to $15,000
• The proposal would also end Pell Grant eligibility for students who qualify for less than 10 percent of the maximum grant.

The Senate wants to maintain the maximum grant by adding supplemental funding to the program. The supplemental funding that the Senate proposes would be paid for by the provision in its proposal that ends the interest-free benefit on the Subsidized Stafford loans during an undergraduate borrower’s six-month grace period after leaving school.  This would mean that students with subsidized Stafford loans would start to accrue interest six months earlier and their loans would cost more in the loan run.

Neither of these proposals has become law yet and both are still in the negotiating stage.  However, your voice can make a difference!  Please take two minutes to click on the website listed above and also spread the word to your family and friends.

Domino's Pizza will be open regular hours through December 8th and 7:30a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 9th. They will reopen for the spring semester on January 9th.

Java the Hutt will be open regular hours through December 8th and 7:30a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 9th. They will be open 7:30 a.m. to noon during exam week, December 12th - 16th. They will reopen for the spring semester on January 9th. 

TED Talks TODAY! Business Science Building, M228, 12:15 p.m.

Chris Anderson: How YouTube is driving innovation TED's Chris Anderson says the rise of web video is driving a worldwide phenomenon he calls Crowd Accelerated Innovation -- a self-fueling cycle of learning that could be as significant as the invention of print. But to tap into its power, organizations will need to embrace radical openness. And for TED, it means the dawn of a whole new chapter ...

Join us in the Natural Science Center TODAY at noon for a discussion of the best-selling novel, The Help. If you've read the book and can't wait to see the movie on December 1st, bring your lunch and please join us.

Post submitted by Tara Nepper

Join us Saturday, December 3rd, as the Met Live in HD series continues with a performance of Handel's Rodelinda. Order lunch in advance from McAlister's Deli by calling 819-9422.

Doors open at 11 a.m. and the performance will begin at 12:30 p.m. (please note the time change) in Whitman Theater. The performance is scheduled to run approximately 4 hours, 15 minutes with two intermissions. Scott Williamson, General & Artistic Director of Opera Roanoke, will present a discussion of this opera prior to the performance.

Sensational in the 2004 Met premiere of Stephen Wadsworth’s much-heralded production, Renée Fleming reprises the title role. She’s joined by Stephanie Blythe and countertenor Andreas Scholl, and Baroque specialist Harry Bicket conducts. 

General admission prices are $20 for adults, $18 for Met Members, Opera Roanoke Subscribers and senior citizens, students and children are free. Contact Tara Nepper (tnepper@virginiawestern.edu or 857-6492) for more information.

Radford University BSW (Social Work) Information & Application Process Session
Thursday Evening, December 1, 2011
6:00pm until 7:30pm
Room 608, Roanoke Higher Education Center
[2012 Term of Entry for Roanoke is Fall 2012]
All articulation students and others who plan to apply or reactivate for fall 2012 should plan to attend this session. Prospective students will meet the Roanoke BSW Coordinator/Advisor, be briefed on specific steps that should take in the application process and financial aid readiness, learn about BSW program requirements and standards including the development of the BSW portfolio. Some prospects who have decided to proceed with admissions for next fall have been advised to submit their applications at this time. (It is not required). It is recommended that students bring copies of their unofficial transcripts if they have questions about what will transfer and what will be needed. A print-out from “My VWCC” will suffice.
Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP to the RU Roanoke Office (540-767-6190) or via e-mail (ruroanoke@radford.edu) no later than Wednesday, Nov 30.

■Radford University B. S. Interdisciplinary Studies [PreK-6] Licensure Program
Information & Application Process Session
Friday Afternoon, December 16, 2011
4:00pm until 6:00pm
Room 602, Roanoke Higher Education Center
[2012 Term of Entry for Roanoke is Summer Session I (May, 2011)]
Hosted by College of Education Academic Advising Center Coordinator, Donna Dunn and Eulah Price, RU-RHEC Site Coordinator
This is a critical meeting for all prospective students who plan to apply for admission to the Summer 2012 cohort which begins May 2012. Bear in mind that this program only admits students in Roanoke once per year (Summer Session I). Their application process needs to begin immediately. Those who attend will hear about the application timeline, procedures in admission to RU, testing requirements for eventual admission to the RU Teacher Preparation Program, financial aid planning, etc. All students should plan for a general meeting which will begin at 4pm followed by individual consultation and transcript review by Donna Dunn. Again, we urge students to bring unofficial transcript print-outs. Those who plan to apply may also present sealed copies of their official transcripts to Ms. Dunn. It is encouraged that students bring their completed RU Roanoke Applications if they have already decided to proceed with the application process. RSVP no later than Wednesday, December 14 by dialing 767-6190 or e-mailing ruroanoke@radford.edu

We will be holding our last event for the semester this Thursday, December 1. We will be having a Career Bytes seminar on Winning Interviewing Skills. You can register to attend at 12:15pm or 5:15pm. The seminar lasts 30 minutes. You can register by calling 857-7298 or emailing rrice@virginiawestern.edu. This is the Last Chance to get that 3rd stamp you may be needing on your Hall Career Center Passport in order to be eligible for prize drawings. ALL PASSPORTS MUST BE TURNED IN BY DECEMBER 5 TO BE ENTERED INTO DRAWINGS.