Posts from May, 2019

2018-2019 EWC Lancer team finishes 13th at Nationals. Team members (left to right, back): RJ Moya, Mason Hale, Gonzalo Arcelay, Coach Zach Smith. Front (left to right): Harry Walch, George Elliott

The Eastern Wyoming College Lancer Golf team competed at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I championship held in Melbourne, FL, May 14-17. The Lancers competed in a field of 24 teams and finished the tournament in 13^th place, the programs best national finish in its history. The total team score for the four round tournament for the Lancers was 1183. Central Alabama Community College won the tournament with an 1116.

“I’m really happy with how they finished,” said Coach Zach Smith. “We had a great first round and then a few ups and downs but ultimately to finish 13^th in the nation was a special year for us.”

Harry Walch finished tied for 27^th place with scores of 73, 74, 73, 69 – 289. Other Lancer scores were as follows:

Gonzalo Arcelay, tied 46^th, 72, 74, 75, 75 – 296
RJ Moya, tied 75^th, 71, 78, 72, 82 – 303
George Elliott, tied 75^th, 73, 72, 75, 83 – 303
Mason Hale, tied 96^th, 80, 82, 74, 76 – 312

Players returning to EWC to fill the 2019-2020 roster include Moya, Hale, Eric Stevens, and Colby Clay.

Coach Smith added, “I already miss the sophomores but am really excited for next year.”

Sophomores transferring on to continue their golf career include Arcelay – Wingate University, Elliott – Southeastern Oklahoma, Walch – West Texas A&M, and Kash Kaufman – Minot State University.

Dawson Sharman with former EWC Volleyball Coach Julie Sherbeyn as she signs her commitment to Peru State College in Peru, NE

Eastern Wyoming College sophomore Dawson Sharman, Sidney, NE, has signed to continue her volleyball career at Peru State College in Peru, NE.

“I am over the moon excited about this opportunity that has been presented to play at the next level at Peru and to represent EWC volleyball! I would like to take the time to thank the following people…Coach Julie, thank you for believing in me and allowing me to play for you. You have molded me into a better athlete, a better teammate and a better person. You have taught me life lessons that I will carry with me and for that I am forever grateful.  To all of the EWC fans…you are amazing! The support I have received on and off campus here is absolutely above what I could have ever imagined. EWC truly has the best fans! My teammates, I love you…I will never forget what you have all contributed to helping me adjust and for making lifelong memories with each and every one of you, I will forever remember. Last, I would like to thank God for showing me the way and guiding me through the most amazing 2 years here at EWC. Thank you EWC…I will never forget the time I spent here and will take a piece of you with me and I will truly miss you all. Go Bobcats!” Shared Dawson.

Former EWC Volleyball Coach Julie Sherbeyn added the following: “It’s been an honor to be part of Dawson’s volleyball journey, and I am so proud that she is embracing this opportunity. She is a dedicated and determined athlete who has led our program with poise and grit over the past two years. She’s also been an outstanding student at EWC earning Dean’s List honors twice and Academic All-Region awards both years. As gifted of an athlete as Dawson is, her talents extend far beyond volleyball…I can’t wait to see the impact she makes at Peru State and beyond.”

Eastern Wyoming College in Douglas, will be closed Monday May 27 in observance of Memorial Day. Offices will reopen on Tuesday May 28.

Eastern Wyoming College will be closed Monday May 27, 2019 in observance of Memorial Day. Offices will reopen on Tuesday May 28. The Fitness Center will be closed May 25-27 and will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday May 28.

Eastern Wyoming College has announced that four new student registration events will be held at the main campus in Torrington on May 24, June 10, July 19 and August 5. Students will sign up for a 30-minute session to meet with their advisor to register for the Fall 2019 semester.

Students will have the opportunity to begin with ACCUPLACER placement exams, if needed. This placement exam is used to ensure placement into the appropriate English, reading and math courses.  There is a fee of $20 for these computer-based exams.  Students should bring a calculator for the mathematics portion of the test.

Financial Aid staff will be available to assist students with the financial aid process and preparing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Students are encouraged to sign up early for the new student registration sessions. To sign up, call Michelle at 307.532.8230 or visit the EWC website at ewc.wy.edu to sign up online.

Registration for the Summer 2019 session is also currently open.  A complete schedule is available online at ewc.wy.edu.

Employees recognized at EWC
(L to R): Holly West, Amy Smith, Holly Lara, Holly Branham, Laurie Mueller. Not pictured, Zach Smith and Tyler Vasko.

Eastern Wyoming College recently held a reception to recognize and honor employees for their years of service to the College. President Dr. Lesley Travers, spoke to congratulate and thank each person for the contributions they have made to the College.

Retiree Holly Branham, Executive Assistant to the President was also recognized for her almost 35 years of service.

Receiving recognition for 20 years of service to the College was Holly Lara; 10 years – Laurie Mueller, Amy Smith, Zach Smith, Tyler Vasko, and Holly West.

Left to right: Heidi Edmunds, V.P. for Academic Services, Dr. Georgia Younglove, Livestock Judging and Show Team coach, Myca Cantrell, Student, Kelly Downer, Farm Credit Services of America, Kaitlyn Steben, Agriculture Instructor, and Dr. Monte Stokes, Agriculture Department Head/Instructor.

Eastern Wyoming College Livestock Judging and Show Team received an $850 grant for the Lancer Judging Jamboree. The grant is provided through Farm Credit Services of America’s (FCSAmerica) Working Here Fund for Agriculture Education.

The Working Here Fund grant was used to host the Lancer Judging Jamboree that was held on May 4, 2019. The judging event was open to youth from both Wyoming and Western Nebraska. The participants were able to evaluate eight classes of livestock and provide three sets of reasons to endorse their placings.

“The livestock judging projects provide youth the opportunity to develop decision making and communication skills,” said Dr. Georgia Younglove, EWC’s Livestock Judging coach and instructor. “This event will provide an opportunity closer to home.”

“We value the opportunity to support an organization such as EWC Livestock Judging and Show Team, which shares FCSAmerica’s passion to serve the next generation of ag producers,” said Melany Kizzire, vice president of retail operations at FCSAmerica’s Casper office.

EWC’s Livestock Judging and Show Team is one of 81 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the first quarter of 2019. FCSAmerica awarded $136,760 during the latest grant cycle ending March 31, 2019.

Eastern Wyoming College Livestock Judging and Show Team is designed to develop leadership, decision making and communication in collegiate students through livestock evaluation.

Farm Credit Services of America is a customer-owned financial cooperative proud to finance the growth of rural America, including the special needs of young and beginning producers. With more than $29.8 billion in assets and $5.5 billion in members’ equity, FCSAmerica is one of the region’s leading providers of credit and insurance services to farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and rural residents in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Learn more at fcsamerica.com.

Eastern Wyoming College is pleased to announce the development and completion of a 2 + 2 agreement with the University of Wyoming for students who have earned an associate’s degree in Social Science with a Social Work emphasis.

This agreement will provide a pathway for students to seamlessly apply and transfer from EWC into UW’s Social Work program in the College of Health Sciences. Course-by-course evaluations were completed in order to develop this agreement and students who complete the required coursework and are accepted into the program will transfer to UW’s Social Work bachelors program with a junior level standing.

Debbie Ochsner, Social Science Instructor, recognizes this as, “an amazing opportunity for our students who know they want a career in the social work profession to complete the exact courses that UW requires from their freshman and sophomore social work majors.  The University’s Social Work department is just as excited to receive our students as we are to send our graduates as junior level students without any complications or setbacks.”

For more information on completing a Social Science degree at EWC, contact Ochsner at 307.532.8384.

Eastern Wyoming College staff members have recently received multiple student loan relief scam calls from 1-800-400-7942 to personal cell phones. Voicemails left by the companies include statements such as “I believe we may have called you a while back because you qualify for a reduction in your student loans,” and “You actually have a notification on your federal student loan that you’re not in the lowest possible repayment option. This can be costing you thousands of dollars annually, and tens of thousands over the course of the loan, so it is important that you contact me as soon as possible as this is a time sensitive matter.” Callback numbers given include 844-866-1433 and 858-926-5084, but there are likely additional numbers being provided. Emails and letters are also a common form of communication from companies claiming student loan debt relief.

Staff members called back each number several different times as former student borrowers with loan debt (and once as a financial aid administrator) to gather more information and to better understand the scope of the issue so students and parents could be informed and warned. Each call resulted in different information being given to the presumptive borrower and requested back from the representative. Different business names were provided: Certified Enrollment Center, Student Loan Advisory, and Student Loans Resolution. Several identified themselves as working for the Department of Education, while others only said they could help the borrower qualify for federal loan forgiveness programs. All offered loan reduction and/or forgiveness of up to 90% of the borrower’s student loan debt for any amount of loan over $5,000 as long as the borrower earned at least $1,000 per month and hadn’t already had wages garnished for the loans. Several representatives hung up on the staff members when probing questions were asked or personal info wasn’t freely given. Staff got far enough along in the process with two to get a quote of a “processing fee” of anywhere from $207 to $247 a month.

Because these services can seem legitimate, especially to borrowers stressed with meeting monthly student loan payments, EWC’s Financial Aid Office offers the following tips:

• Work directly with the Department of Education through your federal loan servicer for FREE help in applying for income-based repayment plans that can lower your monthly payments and/or to see if you may qualify for any federal loan forgiveness programs. Find your federal student loan servicer by logging in with your FSA ID to ed.gov.
• NEVER give your Federal Student Aid ID to ANYONE (or allow a student debt relief company to set one up for you). If the debt relief companies were really working for the Department of Education, they would already have access to your loan information without you having to provide this to them.  Giving access to the personal information contained within your FSA ID can leave you vulnerable to identity theft and further scams.
• Similarly, NEVER provide your Social Security Number, bank account numbers, or any other sensitive personal information via the phone or online to unknown entities.
• If a company requires a monthly fee or up-front payment, assures quick loan relief, promises the majority of your loan can be forgiven, or says that the offer is “limited-time-only,” hang up or don’t respond.
• Call EWC’s Financial Aid Office before responding to any student loan debt relief offers.

If you have questions about the legitimacy of a contact you have received from a student loan relief company or on how to find your federal loan servicer contact info, please call EWC’s Financial Aid Office first: 307.532.8224 or 1.866.327.8996 ext. 8224. For more information about avoiding loan scams, as well as suggestions for what to do if you already shared your information with one of these companies, please go to the Federal Student Aid Avoiding Loan Scams webpage.