Charter Chatter - Q209 - Issue #1

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Department of Student Services

Have you ever found yourself asking “What does the Department of Student Services do?” Well, here’s the answer. To begin, the name of the department says it all—Student Services. We are here for you from your 1st financial aid appointment until the day you graduate.

The Department of Student Services provides students with a variety of services. Here are just a few of the services we provide:

When you walk into the Department of Student Services, you will be greeted by the Student Records Technicians (SRTs). An SRT can schedule an appointment for you with your Student Service Officer (SSO), print off your unofficial transcript, help you obtain your enrollment or completion letter, and assist you with making payments. SRTs are also a great resource when trying to communicate with the SSOs’ or faculty members.

So, if someone should ask you, “What does the Department of Student Services do?,” you can now tell them. We’re here for you.

We are open Monday – Thursday 8:00am to 7:30pm, Friday 8:00am to 5:30pm, and Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm. If you haven’t stopped by to visit or say hello, please do so.

Symantic Endpoint Protection

We recently upgraded our Antivirus to Symantec Endpoint Protection. Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) is a comprehensive security solution that will help protect against malware, spyware, Trojans, worms, adware, bots, zero-day threats, rootkits, and viruses. You will benefit from SEP by having a safer network environment and fewer computers down due to viruses and other threats.

One thing to note is that Symantec will keep track of every application that is installed, who installed it, at what time it was installed. So far a couple students have already been counseled about installing LimeWire and downloading music. Although we don’t yet have an updated computer usage policy, installation of any software is prohibited and violators will face penalties. Repeat offenders and students using Peer-to-Peer applications will only be warned once before their computer usage privileges are revoked. Furthermore, Symantec will let us know if you try to disable the protection.

Walk and Roll for Hope

Hello everyone, this is Amber Bean, Vice President of Phi Beta Lambda or Future Business Leaders Association. I'm writing this article so that you as a student body might want to get more involved in your community. With PBL we are planning to give back to our community by doing the Walk and Roll for Hope. Walk and Roll for Hope is an organization that helps earn money for people with disabilities. This is the 40th Anniversary of Walk and Roll for Hope. There will be food, live music, and free massages. So come join me as well as many other Charter students in the Walk and Roll for Hope. It’s at the Park Strip downtown. You can register online at www.hopealaska.org. If you wish to contact me about more information on this my email is abean@chartercollege.edu.

Student Success News

Student Success is located in the Library. Our goal is to increase college retention and graduation rates. Our department is dedicated to the students and we offer services such as tutoring, counseling, advising, and seminars to help motivate toward successful completion of their goals.

In every Quarter we sponsor and/or put on some kind of activity for fun and enjoyment. For Quarter Two the event will be LAN Party here at the college. Date TBA.

Student Government elections will be the held April 20 – April 25. Please vote for the person that you feel will represent you the best.

Top Tips for your Interview

In the last issue of the Charter Chatter, we here at Career Services gave you five strategies which will help you immensely when you interview for your next position. Interviewing skills is a vital tool for any professional, as it doesn’t matter how skilled or smart you are, there’s only one chance to make a first impression. And if you impress during that impression, receiving the job will be a snap. In the last issue, we promised ten strategies. And since this is a new issue, so now it’s time to give you the last five strategies to improve your interview IQ.

Use Appropriate Language

It’s a given that you should use professional language during the interview. Be aware of any inappropriate slang words or references to age, race, religion, politics or sexual orientation—these topics could send you out the door very quickly.

Don’t Be Cocky

Attitude plays a key role in your interview success. There is a fine balance between confidence, professionalism and modesty. Even if you’re putting on a performance to demonstrate your ability, overconfidence is as bad, if not worse, as being too reserved.

Take Care to Answer the Questions

When an interviewer asks for an example of a time when you did something, he is seeking a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don’t answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.

Ask Questions

When asked if they have any questions, most candidates answer, “No.” Wrong answer. It is extremely important to ask questions to demonstrate an interest in what goes on in the company. Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to find out if this is the right place for you. The best questions come from listening to what is asked during the interview and asking for additional information.

Don’t Appear Desperate

When you interview with the “please, please hire me” approach, you appear desperate and less confident. Maintain the three C’s during the interview: cool, calm and confident. You know you can do the job; make sure the interviewer believes you can, too.

Win a Wii or a Laptop

Early this month, the Department of Student Services had a drawing, where students who pay their account balances in full by April 15th will be entered to win their choice of a laptop or a Nintendo Wii. We would like to congratulate David Denherder for winning, and would also like to encourage you to make sure that your account balance is paid in full.

Honors Society Students

Seniors about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree should be looking for an announcement soon on how to apply for the honors program for the upcoming graduation.

In 2008, four Charter College students were inducted into Alpha Beta Kappa, a National Collegiate Honor Society. Each student was presented with a Lifetime Membership, Certificate and Gold Key. They included Elizabeth Fontenot, Lyudmila McFarland, Michelle Kroeker and Pat Rose.

Congratulations to these students for the national recognition they have received while at Charter College.

Welcome Dody Donn

The Charter College Admissions Department would like to welcome Dody Donn to the team.  Dody is our newest Admissions Representative and comes to Charter with many years of customer service and leadership skills.  Stop by and say hello to Dody!

Future Business Leaders of America—Phi Beta Lambda

Mission

Imagine building a portfolio of documented accomplishments as a complement to your academic experience. During a job interview, you can demonstrate how you served in a leadership position for the largest collegiate business student organization in the world. If you are interested in developing leadership, communication, and team skills, or simply looking for an organization to meet and network with others at the local, state, or national levels; PBL is the organization for you.

Meet student and business leaders from across the country—join PBL today!

Goals

Our goals are to shape future business leaders, develop character and work ethics, through networking and community service.
In addition our goals include fundraising, to send some members to the national conferences that are held around the country throughout the year.

Activities

Since beginning the Charter Chapter FBLA-PBL has raised money at the Anniversary Celebration last year and gave away turkeys for Thanksgiving. Our activities for the Spring/Summer are just getting under way; we have a lot of exciting plans on the table, for fundraisers and community service work. Come join us and see for yourself what our plans are, they will not only be life shaping but fun as well.

Upcoming Events:

Next Meeting:
Saturday, April 18, 2009
12:45 p.m. in the Symposium
Car Wash:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
2009 NLC—Anaheim, California
PBL: June 20 – 23
FBLA: June 25 – 28

For more information, either check out PBL’s next meeting, or email us at pbl@chartercollege.edu