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Too soon? How about not at all for Ebola Halloween

By WTOP Staff

LEANNE ITALIE
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — No holiday screams pop culture controversy quite like Halloween.

So what’s the costume flap of the year? It might just be Ebola, as in Ebola zombies, bloody Ebola patients and faux protective gear.

Twitter and other social media were abuzz leading into the holiday with talk of hazmat suits and respirators. Too soon? How about just no, said Philadelphia physician’s assistant Maria McKenna.

One of her own, a Dallas nurse who at 26 is exactly her age, was diagnosed with the virus in the United States after she had helped care for a Liberian man who died at her hospital.

The idea of riffing on the crisis for Halloween “definitely rubs me the wrong way,” said McKenna, who works with post-surgical patients at a hospital.

“Normally I think that irony and humor is funny, but this thing with the costumes, is it really that funny? I mean, Ebola’s not even under control yet,” she said Monday by telephone.

Like it or not, some costume sellers have leftover yellow jumpsuits, rubber gloves and masks from the “Breaking Bad” craze last Halloween. Some sellers predict Halloweeners will repurpose those for takes on Ebola or make their own getups.

Halloween, falling on a Friday, is sure to be a big season for many costume sellers, including Ricky’s NYC.

Some revelers are notoriously last- minute on costumes, so it was a bit too early to tell whether all the talk about dressing up as Ebola something or other will actually take off. Talk, after all, especially on social media, is cheap.

“I wouldn’t say we can see an uptick in sales. I’d say it’s still chugging along because it’s a good seller no matter what,” said Ricky’s president Richard Parrott of the ‘Breaking Bad’ look. “But people are definitely asking about an Ebola-type costume.”

Ricky’s had gone so far this season as to internally kick around the idea of selling some type of Ebola costume and donating a portion of proceeds to finding a cure, Parrott said. Ultimately, “we felt like it probably crosses a line that we don’t want to cross.”

If searches on Google are any indication, the Ebola crisis doesn’t match the Top 10 popularity of Elsa from “Frozen,” or even your basic Wonder Woman, among searches for DIY costumes.

Regardless, the costume site BrandsOnSale went there. It’s selling an “Ebola Containment Suit Costume” for $79.99, complete with white suit emblazoned with “Ebola,” face shield, breathing mask, safety goggles and blue latex gloves.

“You are sure to be prepared if any outbreak happens at your Halloween party. This will literally be the most ‘viral’ costume of the year,” declares the online product description.

The company’s chief executive, Johnathon Weeks, said he sold about a dozen of the costumes in the first week after its Oct. 8 launch. That’s barely a ripple in the more than one million costumes he stocks, but it was shared on social media 7,000 times Monday — the most shared item on his site. Word of the costume was greeted by some blowback from outraged members of the public, he said.

“We don’t stray away from anything that’s current or controversial or anything like that,” Weeks said from his 127,000-square-foot warehouse in Banning, California. “If I told you we had a toddler ISIS costume in the works, your mouth would drop.”

Does he?

“I will definitely let you know when that goes on sale,” Weeks said. “I can tell you it will come complete with a fake machine gun.”

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Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie

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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