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Northwestern turns focus to wins, not union

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — No college football program spent more time in the spotlight in the offseason than Northwestern. Now, the team hopes the headlines center on victories.

The Wildcats are ready to move on after a disappointing season and an offseason at the center of the debate over unionization.

A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled in March that Northwestern’s full scholarship players can bargain with the school as employees, sending shockwaves through the sports landscape.

Whether the Wildcats support unionization is unclear. They voted in April, but the result is not known because the NLRB impounded the ballots pending an appeal by the university.

No matter how the vote went, quarterback Trevor Siemian and coach Pat Fitzgerald said the discussion helped bring the team closer.

“I think it gave us an opportunity to discuss and connect on things at a little bit of a higher level than … ‘what are you getting for dinner?'” Siemian said. “In doing so, you establish these relationships with guys maybe you wouldn’t have established with, and it was good for us. I think it unified us and I think we came out better after it.”

How that translates to the field remains to be seen.

The Wildcats were hit with two major blows Wednesday when the school announced running back Venric Mark, who was recently suspended for the first two games of the season, will transfer and receiver Christian Jones will miss the season with a knee injury.

Those are two big losses for a team that fell far shy of expectations last year at 5-7 overall and 1-7 in the Big Ten.

The Wildcats were aiming high coming off a 10-win season and their first bowl victory since the 1948 team won the Rose Bowl, but things fell apart after a promising start. Northwestern was 4-0 and leading Ohio State by 10 at home last season, only to bow 40-30 to the Buckeyes and start a seven-game losing streak. The first game is at home against California on Aug. 30.

Here are five things to look for this season:

NO MARK: The Wildcats will have to regroup without Mark. That means Treyvon Green likely becomes the No. 1 tailback.

That’s not a bad alternative considering Green ran for 736 yards and 5.4 per carry as a junior. Still, Northwestern was counting on a healthy Mark once he served his suspension.

He would have sat out the first two games against California and Northern Illinois for violating an unspecified team policy. Instead, he hopes to play closer to his family this season.

Mark, who is from the Houston area, missed most of last season with a broken ankle and was granted another year of eligibility. As a junior in 2012, he ran for 1,366 yards and scored 15 touchdowns, including two on punt returns and one receiving. He ranks fourth all-time at Northwestern with 4,271 all-purpose yards.

ONE MAN, ONE QB: No more sharing. Siemian is the quarterback after sharing the job with Colter the past two years.

“(He’s) really starting to lead from the way he addresses the guys and taking over the complete ownership of our football team,” Fitzgerald said.

A senior, Siemian has thrown for more than 3,700 yards in his career, and he ranked sixth in the Big Ten in completion percentage (59.7) last season.

TAKE IT AWAY: One thing Fitzgerald has been harping on is takeaways. The Wildcats led the league with 19 interceptions but tied Nebraska with a league-low four fumble recoveries last season.

“The 10-3 season we had, we recognized that the biggest correlation to winning games is turnovers,” safety Ibraheim Campbell said. “They stress nonstop in practice, ‘Make sure in practice every opportunity you get to go after the ball, you’re going after it.'”

TARGET CHOICES: Losing Christian Jones, who caught 55 passes for a team-high 668 yards, leaves Siemian without one of his top targets. He still has Tony Jones (no relation) back after finishing with 630 yards and leading the Wildcats with 55 receptions.

EXPERIENCED STOPPERS: Northwestern has experience on defense with nine starters back, including Campbell and linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo. There is one big hole to fill with defensive end Tyler Scott gone.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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