The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, March 01, 2006, Image 11
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WWW.CARROLL.EDU T he P rospector 11 this year ’ s C harlie ’ s FILM FESTIVAL A BIG HIT by mark bisaccio intern writer It is th at time of year again. A time when fun and fancy, along with amateur film making, get compiled into one fabulous night. It is a time when Carroll faculty, staff and students can forget about the pressures of life, and turn to creative forms of expression to relax. It was time for the 2nd annual Charlie's Film Festival This year's entries were a dif ferent breed than the inaugural bunch. More drama, comedy and vision made these films stand out. If one had seen the festival last year, they would have seen the difference this year. The musical scores were better. The acting, in some cases, was much better. But most impor tantly, it was the relentless edit ing and time put into the movies that made this year's festival stand out. This year there were over four teen film submissions, of which the top four were shown at the festival on Thursday, Feb. 16. These top flicks, all made by stu dents, included: Buddy Cop, Midnight Skulker, Trailer Made and The Lion and the Mouse. John Early, founder of the fes tival, believed this year's festival was a success but still saw room for improvement. \We had great support from the upper classmen, but we would have liked to see more of the freshmen and sophomores contribute.\ With the 2nd Annual Charlie's now over, David Gerke, will take over Earley's position. He believes he is up to the challenge to continue the tradition. \This year's movies bode well for what's to come. I am really excited for next year and making further improvements,\ Gerke said. \The point I would like to get across is that film making is a fun process th at anyone can be a part of,\ Gerke said. STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATES TO INCREASE by scott peterson intern writer After World War II, a new generation of individuals were able to afford a college education through funding provided by the G.I. Bill. In turn, the size of the middle class grew' exponentially. Realizing the success of the G.I. Bill, the tradition of government encouraging and financing higher education has lived on through the federal stu dent loan program. That tradition is about to end, though. In the Deficit Reduction Act th at recently passed Congress, the government recently boosted interest rates for student loans. With nearly 60 percent of Carroll students taking some ty pe of federal loan, these new increases will cost many fellow classmates thousands of dollars. The new loan system will gain money by a nearly 25 percent increase in interest rates for the loans. For those with Stafford loans, the new rate is 6.8 percent compared to the previous 5.3 percent. For those with PLUS loans, the rate increases from 6.1 percent to 8.5 percent. ^the new rate is U percent compared to the previous 5J percent^ ^ So what does this new numbers mean? According to Janet Riis, the head of financial aid at Carroll, the average Carroll student grad uates with a debt of $23,067 and w ill take 10 years to pay off that debt. Given those averages and assuming the total debt w as in Stafford loans, the average student will pay an extra $5,865 under the new system. If the debt is moved to half Stafford and half PLUS loans, the amount increases to $8,054. Needless to say, get ting ahead has become a lot more difficult. Even w ithout the increasing interest rates, rising school costs are becoming nearly impossible to manage. Carroll tuition w ill increase by approximately $1,200 next year alone, or a 14 percent increase. To put th at in perspective, the cost for the rapidly inflating health care system rose by approximately 13 percent last year. The price of attending college has become all but unaffordable and our elected leaders have only made the situation worse. Unfortunately for Carroll, Washington's ignorance will cost students thousand of dollars. LITTfllA SiircG 1 94>G Eldon Harston Personnel Coordinator Business: (406) 442-9001 or (406) 495) 3049 Fax: (406) 495-3077 * Email: eharston@lithia.com 1501 Cedar Street * Helena, M T 59601-1022 VOLUME 89, NO. 5 W ednesday , M arch 1, 2006