TCC is You

TCC is flexibility. TCC is fun. TCC is learning. I could go on, but I'd rather you take it from here! I will be out on the campuses this week asking people to fill in the blank of "TCC is______" If you see me wandering around campus with a funny sign (see above), come tell me what TCC is to you. I'll take your picture and share it on Inside Out and on Facebook. What is TCC to you? See our new "TCC is" TV spot.

Around T-Town with TCC

To start off this week right, we are beginning the unveiling of a series of images that have been taken across Tulsa. These images will change periodically to show off stores, restaurants, parks, entertainment venues, walking trails and other places that make Tulsa a great place to live, work and study. The images will appear on TCC's home page throughout the 2012-2013 academic year. When you see a favorite place you've been, an icon you have admired throughout your life or a restaurant you love, share your memories and thoughts here on Inside Out or post them to the TCC Facebook page.

Update: TCC students also to premiere documentary Thursday

As I posted last week,  Professor Ed Taylor is showing a documentary on Thursday. I just learned that TCC students in Taylor's Documentary Filmmaking class will also show their documentary, "Cathedrals of Downtown Tulsa," making Thursday's event a Documentary Double Feature! This is a great opportunity to sit inside a comfy, air-conditioned building and learn more about our world and our awesome city!
When: 1 p.m. Thursday
Where: Event Space, Center for Creativity
Why: To learn about study abroad, service learning, documentary filmmaking, cathedrals in Tulsa, etc.

Professor to debut documentary about students helping Nicaragua community

Caption: Professor Ed Taylor, whose hand can be seen holding his camera on the far right, will premiere a documentary about TCC students in Nicaragua on Aug. 2. 

A 40-minute documentary that follows Dental Hygiene and Nursing students on their recent service learning trip to Nicaragua will premier next week. The premier showing of "TCC in Nicaragua....An Excellent Adventure" is 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2 in the Event Space in the Center for Creativity on TCC's Metro Campus.

If you are thinking about taking a class that requires a service learning component, thinking about ways to volunteer, or thinking about taking a study abroad class, this is a great opportunity to hear directly from students.

For more information about any of these subjects, visit http://www.tulsacc.edu/

Want to quickly figure your summer grade? Here's a website to help

After making a not-so-wonderful grade on my mid-term, I decided I needed to figure out what my current grade is in my summer class. I'm not a whiz at math, and so I googled to find a website that would figure my letter grade for me quickly. Sure, I could have done it myself if I wanted to invest some time, but I wanted to figure it out fast so math.com was my answer.
All you have to do is enter the number of points you received and the number of points possible. Then, the calculator figures the percentage. Obviously, you can see from that percentage if it is an A (90 & above), B (80 & above), C (70 & above), etc.

The website gives you a couple of different options of figuring your grade. I used the second one, BTW. Good luck with the rest of your semester!

Chronicle: Ex-offenders less likely to return to crime if educated

Why should we care about educating incarcerated offenders? Because one of these days they are going to be released, and research shows they are less likely to re-enter the prison system if they get an education. This article published today in The Chronicle of Higher Education explains: Ex-offenders prepare for work, and life, at community colleges.

Note: TCC has a Corrections Education Program in which incarcerated offenders can take TCC classes in their correctional facilities. Since many of them don't have money or families to pay for tuition, TCC has established the Second Chance Scholarship to provide funds so that they can take classes. Learn how you can help here: Give someone a second chance

Save time & money by taking TCC 1st Class (for free)

TCC students share information about TCC with first-time students last year at 1st Class.

Are you attending TCC for the first time this fall? Or would you like to get some personalized guidance in navigating through TCC? Then I suggest attending TCC's 1st Class. This is a non-credit class that takes an hour and a half, but it will save you many, many hours of frustration by introducing you to all things TCC. You'll learn how to get the most from your TCC advisor, important details about financial aid, how to enroll using TED, how to use the MyTCC Plan for Success and a lot more. Plus, you will get a planner to take with you that has all this information in it. The planner also has a "College Terminology" mini-dictionary, that explains things like "academic suspension," "credit hour" and "open-door institution."

For a complete schedule, visit http://www.tulsacc.edu/orientation. 

Stats:

• 94 percent of students who attended 1st Class in summer 2011 successfully completed the fall semester 2011
• 81 percent of students who attended 1st Class in summer 2011 enrolled in the spring semester 2012
• Students reported increased knowledge and understanding of TCC processes by attending 1st Class in summer 2011