Score financial aid help with College Goal Sunday

Students and parents who are facing the prospect of finding funding to help with college can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Thanks to the efforts of the Coalition of Alaskans Supporting Higher Education (CASHE) and a three-year grant from the Lumina Foundation, Alaska College Goal Sunday is a community service to help students and families climb the mountain of paperwork necessary apply for college financial aid.

This year the events will be held simultaneously in 17 communities across Alaska, including Soldotna, Seward, and Homer.

College Goal Sunday will take place at 2 p.m., Feb. 11 at the Kenai River Campus in Soldotna in rooms 107, 108, and 109 in the Ward Building. The information presented will be applicable to all colleges and universities, not just KPC and the University of Alaska.

This is an opportunity to have financial aid professionals join community volunteers to provide assistance with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the universally required financial aid application. The FAFSA is the form that must be filled out by every student seeking federal, state, and private grants and loans, to attend any college or university in the nation. The FAFSA has become the basis that almost all financial aid evaluations are based on. The intent of the session is to fill out the form, collectively as a group, line by line.

According to KPC’s financial aid coordinator Carrie Burford, dependent students should bring a parent or legal guardian to the program. If a minor student attends alone, he or she should bring his or her parents’ completed 2006 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 form or other income and benefits information. Independent students do not need parental financial information.

Other documentation that may be helpful includes social security number, alien registration card (for persons not citizens of the U.S.), driver’s license, other recent income records, untaxed income records including social security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare or veterans benefits records. Other recent income records could include 2006 bank statements and business and investment or mortgage information, business and farm records, and stock, bond or other investment records.

If a student or his or her parent will be filing a 2006 federal income tax return, it is recommended that they file prior to completing and submitting the FAFSA. It is not, however, required that the return be filed prior to submitting the FAFSA. Income estimates can be used and the information can be updated when it becomes available.

Last year, 66 people attended KPC’s Alaska College Goal Sunday. It is hoped that this year more families will take advantage of the event. Refreshments will be served and there will be support provided by financial aid personnel and Campus Service’s peer advisors.

Short courses still available for registration

Some people don’t realize that they can register for classes that begin after the start of the semester up until the first day of class. Registration has to be done in-person at Campus Services and tuition and fees paid in the bookstore.

Classes can begin on different dates for a number of reasons including instructor availability, compression of course timeline and class room availability.

Having a course delivered in a short format can be advantageous to students who work off-campus or for busy Alaskans who want to take a personal interest class but don’t have the time to devote to an entire semester.

The short courses offered this semester are listed on page 42 of the spring 2007 course schedule. There are 10 short courses beginning in February including: A Natural History of the Kenai Peninsula; The Art and History of Brewing; and Introduction to Active Trading.

For more information about these and other late-starting classes, contact Campus Services at 262-0330.

Rarefied Light 2006 on display now

The public is reminded that time is running out to see the traveling statewide photography show Rarefied Light 2006, currently on display in the Gary L. Freeburg Gallery at the Kenai River Campus in Soldotna. The exhibition features photography by some of Alaska’s most renowned photographers.

The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 7. The gallery is open 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Fridays.

This column is provided by Suzie Kendrick, community relations coordinator at Kenai Peninsula College.