Traffic Changes for Main Gallatin Entrance May Start Next Week

Just a reminder that the traffic pattern for the main Gallatin entrance may change next week as part of the ongoing Humanities Building construction project. They are not sure of the exact start date yet, but please be prepared. You will still be able to enter and exit at that Nashville Pike entrance, but it will be down to one lane in each direction, and require lane shifting.

TN Promise FAFSA Event Details

We welcome TN Promise students and family members coming to the TN Promise FAFSA meeting on Saturday, January 31 at 10 a.m. on the Vol State campus at 1480 Nashville Pike in Gallatin. The event will be held in the Ramer Building and the Wood Campus Center. Use the main entrance to the college off of Nashville Pike (the one with the large electronic sign). Caudill Hall is at the top of the driveway. If you walk in at that entrance to the campus grounds there will be people to direct you to the correct building.

Students should be sure to bring: 

• Student and parent Social Security Numbers
• Student Driver's License or ID Card
• Student 2014 Tax returns (and spouse if married) and W-2's 
• If not a citizen: Alien Registration number or Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) 
• Parent's 2014 Tax Return and W-2's
• Any 2014 untaxed income information, such as child support
• Current balance of cash, savings, and checking account (amount only)
• Current net worth of your (and spouse's) business and investments
• Your PIN (if you do not have a PIN, go to www.pin.ed.gov a few days before the workshop)

Drop/Add Reminders

We hope you are set with your classes, but if not, keep in mind that starting today students who wish to drop a class (while still remaining enrolled in at least one other class) must obtain a signature from their professor and complete a DROP/ADD/WITHDRAWAL FORM. After completion, the form should be taken to the Records Office. Students who wish to drop all of their classes, however, must speak with an Advisor/Counselor in the Advising Center (Ramer 174 in Gallatin, check with front desk in Livingston and Highland.) Dropping classes can impact Financial Aid, so check with them first to make sure you have enough hours.

This Student Didn't Skip Class - And Here's Why

Morgunn Siewak and his homemade E-bike.

A little ingenuity can go a long way, or to be more exact, 8.6 miles.

Morgunn Siewak found out he had car trouble recently, he knew he had to find a way to get to his 9:30 a.m. class. With no ride to speak of, Siewak — a computer information systems student and circuit board maker — took a look through his homemade electronics lab.

"I had a couple of old batteries I picked up at Goodwill for $6 each, a hub motor for another project I was working on, so I just decided I would cobble them together and make an E-bike," he said.

Cut to a few hours and zip ties later, Siewak's MacGyver-like skills got him to campus just in time for him to find a suitable place to recharge the batteries for the ride back home to Hendersonville. He was able to plug in at the Campus Police Department.

"I did my math right, and I was able to get here on a single charge, but just barely," Siewak said.

Assistant Chief of Police Angie Lawson said she was blown away by Siewak's determination to not miss his 9:30 a.m. class.

"This is extremely impressive to me that this student would go to this length to get here for one class," she said.

This won't be the last time Siewak brings his homemade E-bike to campus. He doesn't think his car will be fixed anytime soon.

"I can see this becoming a recurring issue, so I needed a semi-permanent solution to be able to get Vol State and back whenever," he said.

So, instead of missing class next time, take a page out of Siewak's book and get creative.

Don't Get Left Behind: Graduation Deadline is Feb. 1

You've likely spent at least a couple of years working towards a degree. You're not going to give it all up by falling behind, are you?

Spring graduation might be several months away, but the deadline to apply is less than a week away.

The final deadline to turn in your graduation application is Feb. 1, but Vol State's Office of Records and Registration will accept applications through Monday, Feb. 2. Students who apply by the final deadline date are expected to follow up with their advisors and DegreeWorks to ensure they have met the requirements to graduate.

Graduation analyst Amber Regan said it's extremely important for students who have yet to apply to use DegreeWorks via the My Vol State to audit themselves to make sure they aren't missing requirements they will need to graduate.

"Schedule an appointment with an advisor to go over your graduation packet and keep an eye on your DegreeWorks audit, because that's what I use to audit students and it's what I use to graduate students. If they see something that's missing or see something that's wrong on their degree works, they can talk to their advisor or contact me," Regan said.

To apply to graduate, you must have completed one of the following requirements: 30 hours toward an associate degree, half of the coursework required for a two or more semester certificate program, or are currently enrolled in a one semester certificate program.

Another important aspect of making sure everything is ready to go for graduation is double-checking to see if your major and catalog year are correctly filed with the Admissions office. Regan said DegreeWorks pulls the information for an audit based on what major is on file. If the major is incorrect, fill out the appropriate paperwork and turn it into the Admissions office.

If you don't apply by the final deadline, you will have to wait until the end of the summer semester to graduate.

Graduation packets can be picked up from the Records office, or they can be found online. For more information on graduation application, including a comprehensive checklist of prerequisites, visit the graduation page, or visit the Records office in Room 183 in the Ramer Administration Building. The office is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FBI Warns of Student Work-at-home Scam

This news release comes from the FBI. There is nothing specific to our area. It's a general warning for college students:

FBI CYBER DIVISION

IC3 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

13 January 2015

Alert Number 01132015a-PSA

FBI Warns of Fictitious ‘Work-from-home’ Scam Targeting University Students
College students across the United States have been targeted to participate in work-from-home scams. Students have been receiving e-mails to their school accounts recruiting them for payroll and/or human resource positions with fictitious companies. The “position” simply requires the student to provide his/her bank account number to receive a deposit and then transfer a portion of the funds to another bank account. Unbeknownst to the student, the other account is involved in the scam that the student has now helped perpetrate. The funds the student receives and is directed elsewhere have been stolen by cyber criminals. Participating in the scam is a crime and could lead to the student’s bank account being closed due to fraudulent activity or federal charges.   Here’s how the scam works:

• The student is asked to provide his/her bank account credentials under the guise of setting up direct deposit for his/her pay.
• The scammers will add the student’s bank account to a victim employee’s direct deposit information to redirect the victim’s payroll deposit to the student’s account.
• The student will receive the payroll deposit from the victim’s employer in the victim’s name.
• The student will be directed to withdraw funds from the account and send a portion of the deposit, via wire transfer, to other individuals involved in the scam.Consequences of Participating in the Scam:
• The student’s bank account will be identified by law enforcement as being involved in the fraud.
• The victim employee has his/her pay stolen by the scammers utilizing the student’s bank account.
• Without the student’s participation, the scam could not be perpetrated, so he/she facilitated the theft of the paycheck.
• The student could be arrested and prosecuted in federal court. A criminal record will stay with the student for the rest of his/her life and will have to be divulged on future job applications, which could prevent the student from being hired.
• The student’s bank account may be closed due to fraudulent activity and a report could be filed by the bank.
• This could adversely affect the student’s credit record.

 
Tips on how to Protect Yourself from this Scam:

• If a job offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Never accept a job that requires the depositing of funds into your account and wiring them to different accounts.
• Look for poor use of the English language in e-mails such as incorrect grammar, capitalization, and tenses.Many of the scammers who send these messages are not native English speakers.
• Never provide credentials of any kind such as bank account information, login names, passwords, or any other identifying information in response to a recruitment e-mail.
• Forward these e-mails to the university’s IT personnel and tell your friends to be on the lookout for the scam.

If you have been a victim of this scam, you may file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Please reference this PSA number in your complaint.   The IC3 produced a PSA in May 2014 titled “Cyber-related Scams Targeting Universities, Employees, and Students,” which mentioned this scam. The PSA can be viewed at http://www.ic3.gov/media/2014/140505.aspx .

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Vol State February Events Calendar

Vol State Events Calendar February 2015

All events are free, unless specified.

Jan. 29                         Unity Day: Dr. Thomas Bynum of MTSU on Black History, Caudill Hall, 12:30pm and 7pm

Ongoing                      Andy Dailey, art exhibit, Thigpen Gallery, 8am to 4:30pm, Mon.-Sat.

Feb. 2                          Lecture: “Created Equal: Loving v. Virginia” by Carole Bucy, Rochelle Center of Thigpen Library, 12:20pm

Feb. 4                          Honors: Student panel on digital technology, Thigpen Library, 12:20pm

Feb. 4                          Spoken Word Artist: Odd Rod, Cafeteria, 12:30pm

Feb. 10                        One Book: “American Promise” film, Thigpen Library, noon and 3:30pm

Feb. 11                        Transfer Day: Four-year school reps meet with students, Ramer Great Hall, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Feb. 11.                       Soul Food Luncheon, Nichols Dining Room, Noon

Feb. 12                        “Clearly You”, free laser crystal imaging, presented by Evening Services, Nichols Dining Room, 1:30pm to 7:30pm

Feb. 13                        Andy Dailey, artist gallery talk, Thigpen Library, 10am

Feb. 16                        One Book: Effects and possible solutions to the issue of “deadbeat dads”, Nichols Dining Room, 12:30pm

Feb. 17                        Lecture: “Race, Slavery & American Values,” Grady Eades and Nancy Blomgren, Thigpen Library, 11:10am

Feb. 17-19                   Hispanic Family Week, Advising Center, Ramer 174, 8am to 7pm each day

Feb. 18                        Honors: Psychology panel on mental health, Thigpen Library, 12:20pm

Feb. 19                        Coffee with the Prez, Cafeteria, 10am-11am

Feb. 19                        Lecture: “Transcendentalist Communes in Fiction,” by Shellie Michael, Thigpen Library, 11:10am

Feb. 19                        Lunch and Learn, bring your own lunch, Nichols Dining Room, 12:30pm

Feb. 19                        Cumberland Nursing Program Info, Warf 110, 12:45pm-2:10pm

Feb. 24                        Lecture: “James Baldwin’s Politics of Love,” by Laura Black, Thigpen Library, 11:10am

Feb. 24                        One Book: Tense relationships between police and the African-American community, Nichols Dining Room, 12:30pm

Feb. 25                        Black History Recognition Luncheon, Nichols Dining Room, 12:30pm

Feb. 28                        Science Olympiad, area schools compete, campus-wide, all day