Opportunity Grant - Whatcom Community College

Opportunity Grant
Winter Quarter Newsletter
Opportunity Grant Students,
Welcome to Winter quarter at Whatcom!
We hope you had a great holiday and restful break after the fall quarter. It is now a new year and we
are ready to begin 2016 at WCC! Hopefully you have fared well out there in the cold, rain, sleet and
snow! Please keep in mind WCC’s inclement weather procedures shall you find yourself in a
situation unsuitable for transportation to class:
College closures and inclement weather
In the event of any emergency that calls for College status changes or closures, the College will post
information on our website homepage. You can also call 360.383.3000 to check closure status.
For updates in emergency conditions or inclement weather, please call 360.383.3000, check back to
this website or tune in to the following radio and TV stations after 6 a.m.
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KGMI 790 AM
KAFE 104.1 FM
KPUG 1170 AM
KVOS Channel 12
KOMO Channel 4
KING Channel 5
KIRO Channel 7
In emergency conditions, Whatcom Community College posts key information to its website. We
stay open to fulfill our mission whenever possible, but we expect individuals to err on the side of
protecting their own health and safety if conditions where you live make it unsafe to travel to campus. Work with your supervisors or instructors if you need to make other arrangements in an
emergency.
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Registration Dates for Winter 2016
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Important upcoming registration dates you should be aware about!
Check out the full schedule in more detail on our website:
www.whatcom.edu/get-started/registration-calendar/
Event
Date
Last Day to Drop Without a “W” grade on transcript
1/25
Martin Luther King Day — college closed
1/18
Last Day to officially withdraw from classes
3/1
Last Day to add/remove S/U grading, audit or change variable credit 3/1
courses for winter quarter
Registration access for currently enrolled students beings for Spring
quarter
2/29
Presidents Day — college closed
2/15
NOTE:
Remember that if you withdraw from any of your courses, your Opportunity Grant scholarship
could be in jeopardy. If you are concerned about your progress, please get in touch with Kelly or Hanna early
on, so that we can figure out a workable solution together.
Tips for Success—Self Development
The Importance of Sleep to Brain Health
By: Josh Anderson
In children, sleep is very critical in brain maturation, with connective tissue strengthening between the left and right hemisphere of the
brain during sleep, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study. This study, which was conducted on children two, three and five
years old indicates that sleep is linked to brain development by strengthening the bonds between the two hemispheres.
Likewise, in adults and even more in children, sleep has been linked to processing and storing what we have learned and encountered
during the day by a University of Tubingen study. During sleep, materials that we have learned during the day are stored as long-term
memories, making future learning easier. The study looked at the memorization capabilities of children between the ages of eight and 11
and young adults by showing them a series of actions and then either having them sleep for a full night or stay awake for an entire day.
The group that slept was significantly better at remembering the previous tests than the group that stayed awake. Not only that, but children were significantly better at remembering than the young adults. It is important for all of us and especially children to get a full night's
sleep to store our memories.
Lastly, recent research by Uppsala University in Sweden indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to brain tissue loss. In a relatively small
study (n = 15) a group of healthy, young men were sleep-deprived for one full night and then slept for eight hours a different night. Following sleep loss, the men's blood concentration of two molecules typically found in the brain (NSE and S-100B) were significantly increased compared to after a normal nights sleep. The rise of these molecules typically is witnessed during brain damage and brain degeneration, indicating that sleep deprivation may induce brain tissue loss or neurodegeneration. A normal eight hours of sleep per night could
be critical in maintaining a healthy brain.
Ways to improve your sleep
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Several 2013 studies have demonstrated several ways to improve your sleep. A University of Florida and Research Triangle Park study
indicated that smokers sleep substantially less than non-smokers, and those who quit smoking significantly improved their sleep. The
study estimated that each cigarette smoked equated to a 1.2 minute loss in sleep. Likewise, a study published in the Journal of Clinical
Sleep Medicine illustrated that late afternoon caffeine (even six hours before bed) can disrupt your sleep. In fact, two-three cups of
coffee six hours before bed are enough to significantly reduce total sleep time by more than an hour, without the study participants
even being consciously aware of the disturbance in their sleep. The authors suggest avoiding caffeine after 5 pm.
Lastly, a Mayo Clinic study has demonstrated that the use of smartphones or tablets before bed doesn't have to disrupt your sleep.
The bright light emitted from tablets and smartphones has been thought to interfere with melatonin (hormone that regulates natural
sleep patterns), therefore causing sleep disruption. This study found that using your tablet or smartphone on a low- to mid-level
brightness setting and holding the device at least 14 inches from your face did not cause sleep disruption. The low- to mid-level brightness at that distance is not enough to disrupt the melatonin cycle and therefore your sleep.
Sleep's importance in physical health is apparent, and its significance in brain health is equally as important. Individuals who sleep less
than five hours or more than nine hours per night were more likely to identify themselves as being of lower overall health, indicating
that we need to sleep within the nightly sleep recommendations. Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep nightly can help
strengthen brain connections (especially in children), turn what we learned during the day into long-term memories and help us maintain a healthy brain!
Upcoming Events
Scholarship Workshop
Do you need help finding additional ways to pay for your college education? Don't miss this once a year workshop on how to snag
scholarships!
Monday, February 1
5:30—7:30pm
Heiner Auditorium
RSVP at: whatcom.edu/scholarshipworkshop
*Seats are limited to 150 attendees.*
Questions?
Call Entry and Advising at 360-383-3080.
Agile Grad Degree Planning Sessions
During this session, Advisors will show you how to use the degree planning tool AgileGrad, and be available to help
you build a degree plan. Your plan will show options you have, classes you can and should take, when to take them
and when you might graduate. Whether you've never used the degree planner or you want to update what you have,
it's always a good time to plan!
Agile Grad Workshops: 2nd and 4th Tuesday Each Month in LDC 211!
Upcoming Sessions: 12/22, 1/26, 2/23, 3/22 from 2 –3 pm
1/4, 2/9, 3/8 from 11am—12pm
Resources
Late Nights at the Library have Arrived!
Late Nights at the Library are back! Whatcom Community College's library will stay open until 10 p.m. the following
days:
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Wednesday, Dec. 2
Thursday, Dec. 3
Monday, Dec. 7
Tuesday, Dec. 8
Join them for hot drinks, research help, and study space. Tutors for writing, chemistry, and math are ready to help you
in the library from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on these nights.
Student Clubs
Find a club that is right for you! Contact the Office
of Student Life in Syre 2018 to learn more.
Afro American Association (AAA)
ANIMEtion Club
Anthropology Club
Bernie Sanders Democratic Socialism Club
Business Club
Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF)
Criminal Justice Leadership Club
Drama
Engineering Club
Ethnic Student Association
Foam Wars Club
French Club
German Club
Global Citizen Association
Hiking Club
Improv Club
Indo Club
International Sports Club
IT Professionals
Japanese Club
Latino Leadership Club
Medical Assisting Club
Phi Theta Kappa
Programming Club
STEM Club
Student Nurses of Whatcom (SNOW)
Sustainability Club
Teachers of Tomorrow
The Game Dev Club
What is the role of Student Government?
Tutoring in the Library
Math, chemistry, and physics tutors are available in the
library Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6pm-9pm and
also on Saturdays from 12pm-4pm in Room 301D.
Academic Progress Policy
Are you familiar with the WCC Academic Progress Policy? In order to remain eligible for the
Opportunity Grant Scholarship every quarter, you
must meet the criteria below:
Requirements to be in Good Academic Standing:
1. Achieve a quarterly and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or
higher
2. Complete at least 50% of the credits you signed
up for that quarter
You must meet both requirements. If you do not satisfy this while you are receiving tuition
assistance from Opportunity Grant, your
scholarship status will be placed on warning. If you do
not meet these requirements for a second time in a
separate quarter, your funding from
Opportunity Grant will be terminated.
CONTACT INFO:
Kelly Bashaw
Opportunity Grant Coordinator
360.383.3054. [email protected]
Hanna Hurlbert
Student Support Coordinator
360.383.3048. [email protected]