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Jayhawks move on from Weis with Bowen at helm

By WTOP Staff

AMIE JUST
Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ben Heeney woke up Sunday morning to a phone full of missed calls and text messages. One of them had come from Kansas assistant George Mataskis, and the linebacker had slept right through it.

“I finally woke up to one of my teammates giving me a call,” Heeney said. “He asked if I had seen anything and said no. He said Coach Weis got fired and Bowen’s our head coach now. I thought, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ Then I got on my phone and Twitter and saw everything.”

It wasn’t until a team meeting on Sunday afternoon that athletic director Sheahon Zenger informed the players that Charlie Weis had been dismissed four games into his third season leading the Jayhawks. Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen had been elevated to interim coach.

“He said it was something he had been working on for a while,” Heeney recalled Wednesday, the first day that players were available to the media after the coaching change. “He had full trust in Coach Bowen and thought he was going to be the guy for us right now.”

Running back Corey Avery, a freshman who had been recruited to Kansas by Weis, said players had different emotional reactions to the change. Some of them were disappointed, others grateful for the opportunity that Weis gave them. Some were ready to move on.

“I wish I could have been around longer, get to know Weis better,” Avery said. “I haven’t been here that long. I was glad I got to play under his coaching as long as I did.”

Still, the entire process has become second-nature for some of the Jayhawks.

“It hasn’t been my first change,” said offensive lineman Pat Lewandowski, who began his career when Turner Gill was the coach. “Going through it before, you know not everything is permanent.”

When Bowen was introduced as the interim coach in that meeting Sunday, the team erupted.

“It was pretty amped up,” defensive tackle Keon Stowers said. “When they announced Coach Bowen it was the loudest I’ve heard a meeting, as far as clapping. Applause went on for half a minute into about a minute. He was very emotional. You could see it on his face.”

Bowen is one of the Jayhawks’ native sons. He grew up in Lawrence, played for the program in the 1990s, returned as an assistant under Mark Mangino and again a few years ago.

“He’s a guy who has been such a big part of Jayhawk football, to see how excited he is has really trickled down to us.” Lewandowski said. We’re all excited for him and are excited for the rest of the season to see what he can do. Hopefully we help him prove himself as a coach.”

The coaching change resulted in a trickle-down effect of other changes.

Lewandowski said practice has been different, that the mentality and attitude have changed. He said those changes have come directly from Bowen and how he likes to run things.

“He’s about business, but he likes to have fun whole he’s doing it,” Lewandowski said. “He likes to bring a lot of energy and a lot of excitement.”

Heeney said that Bowen was even running sprints with the team during practice. Some graduate assistants may do one or two to relive their glory days, but Bowen ran all of them with the team.

Shepherd said the team runs out of the locker room together to go to practice. Once they hit the field, they run from station to station with a sense of urgency.

Perhaps there is one. The Jayhawks (2-2) visit West Virginia on Saturday, the first game of what could be described as an eight-game audition for Bowen for the head coaching job.

“I was excited about it,” defensive back JaCorey Shepherd said of the change. “I was excited to see what Coach Bowen had to bring to the table as a head coach. I know what he brings from being on the defensive side of the ball.”

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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