The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, April 26, 2012, Image 1

Carroll College Student Newspaper Helena, Montana Volume 98 Edition 6 April 26,2012 SIFETeam 2012 Commencement On Friday, March 30 the Carroll SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) team won Regional Champion and Rookie of the Year at the SIFE USA Regional Competition held in Seattle. The event is one of 11 SIFE USA Regional Competitions being held across the United States in March and April. SIFE is an international organization dedicated to creating a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business. Carroll’s SIFE team is one of nearly 600 programs in the United States. Members improve the lives of people in need by using business concepts to develop community outreach projects. The team prepared for the regional competition by compiling information from two projects they organized in the Helena community. The first being the Let’s Can Hunger event in partnership with Campbell Soup, which aims to collect 5,000 pounds of food. The second project, the American Free Enterprise project, involved helping small businesses in the community understand Montana laws and manage problem employees. The Carroll College SIFE team selected seven members of its 12- student team to attend the competiton along with faculty advisor, Dr. Annette Ryerson. The attending students, Michael Yamoah; Blake DeShaw; Megan Gretch; Nikole Drummond; Allie Winkler; Claire Miller; and Conor Summers, presented the results of their team’s projects to business leaders who acted as judges. “The students spent practically every evening for two weeks meeting to work on the presentation,” said Ryerson. “They also worked very hard on the drive to Seattle and many hours in the hotel rooms prior to the presentation.” Up until the last minute, the team was perfecting the presentation. “We struggled with putting together an effective presentation and continued to make changes up until we presented,” said Claire Miller, a junior political science major from Spokane, Wash. Ryerson said the competition was also a great place for networking with various companies such as Pepsi and Sam’s Club. SIFE is currently preparing for Nationals which will be held in Kansas City, Mo. at the end of May. The team still has to continue working on the Let’s Can Hunger project, raise money for the trip, and make a video. Even though this is a lot of work, Miller is confident the team can get the work done. “Our team is so passionate about our projects and as we begin to see the effects of our work, we grow even more committed,” she said. I> Kelly Meros Staff Writer 288 students will graduate in May Jena Boehnke Lead Writer This year, the Commencement Ceremony will take place in the physical education center on Saturday, May 5. As this school year comes to a close, 288 seniors will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. This year’s graduates come from all over the United States including, Montana, Oregon, California, Washington, Georgia, Idaho, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, Indiana, Vermont, Tennessee, Utah, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. As of the end of fall semester, the graduates will be leaving with an impressive average cumulative GPA of 3.31. The most popular majors chosen by the graduating class are nursing, biology, psychology, elementary education, health science, and business administration. This year’s class elected student commencement speaker is Pete Markuson. “I am very excited and blessed to have been granted this opportunity,” said Markuson a senior business administration major from Miles City, Mont. “As a class, we are comprised of so many accomplished men and women. To be the individual chosen to represent a class full of distinguished scholars, volunteers, and athletes is truly humbling. I’m very blessed to have this opportunity, and I will do my absolute best to reflect the true value that can be found in Carroll’s Class of 2012.” After graduation Markuson plans to work as an intern for the Senate Finance Committee’s Taxation and IRS Oversight team in Washington D.C. As these seniors leave for the real world, reality is setting in. The average debt of a Carroll graduate is $29,136. While this number seems overwhelming, a Carroll education does pay off. Graduates of Carroll pay off their loans more quickly than graduates of other schools. “Carroll College graduates are responsible borrowers who graduate on time and are easily employable; therefore, able to repay their loans on time,” said Janet Riis, the director of finance at Carroll College. “Carroll’s cohort loan default rate is only 1.3 percent compared to 7.1 percent for the Montana University System and 8.80 percent nationally.” This official statement is also mirrored by graduating seniors. “Realizing you have that much debt is hard and definitely not fun, but Carroll is worth the price,” said Vicki Dettman, a senior biology major from Bozeman. “When we leave here we are put in such a good place to get jobs and pay it off.” There is a silver lining for this year’s graduating class. Employers say they plan to hire 9.5 percent more graduates from the class of 2012 than the class of 2011, according to US News. Graduates also look to make six percent more than the class of 2010. As this year’s class prepares to walk across the stage, their financial burdens may be crossing their minds, however, more of them are thinking about the memories they made at Carroll. “I am excited to graduate and proud of the whole class for making this far, but I am also sad to leave Carroll and what we [the class of 2012] have had these last four years,” said Dettman. See Commencement Calendar, page 3 Courtney Jones lands dream internship Ryann Lannan and Aimee Ciez Editor and Staff Writer One out of 5,000 applicants, Courtney Jones, a junior communications and public relations major from Bozeman, was offered a chance to make her dreams come true. Cheerleader, editor of The Prospector, host of Saint’s TV, model student, and now, this summer, Courtney will have the honor of working for Fox News on “The Cost of Freedom.” The show airs Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. until noon ET, with Neil Cavuto, Brenda Buttner, David Asman, and Cheryl Casone. “Courtney is smart and motivated” says Emily Halvorson, a junior psychology major from Seattle and one of Courtney’s roommates. “I’m really excited for her opportunity in New York this summer. I know she will be really successful.” Courtney is not your stereo typical cheerleader. “She is such a driven, focused and fun person,” said Ashlynn Contreraz, a fellow communications major from Laurel, Mont. “I know she will do outstanding in New Courtney Jones photo by devon bathon York and will represent Carroll well.” It is Courtney’s work ethic and motivation to succeed that has defined her as a student. “A young man who was working with Courtney on a project came up to me once to express dismay that he had been assigned a cheerleader as a partner,” said Brent Northup, one of Courtney’s communications professors and faculty adviser for The Prospector. “I just stared at him and said, ‘underestimate Courtney at your own peril.’ He wasn’t complaining for long after Coutney’s work ethic kicked in and the project started humming.” When asked about her responsibilities on “The Cost of Freedom,” Jones replied, More Jones, page 3 INSIDE Student Opinion on Freshman Numbers Where will they live? p. 10 Victoria Dettman ASCC President making a difference, p. 8 Softball Weekend 314 in Progress wins the tournament! 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