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Washington State unveils Cougar Football Complex

By WTOP Staff

NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Washington State athletic director Bill Moos was sure of one thing Tuesday as he showed off the new $61 million Cougar Football Complex.

“Now we take a backseat to nobody,” Moos said as he gave a tour of the five-story building that houses all football operations for the Cougars, including locker room, weight room, cafeteria and coaches offices.

The building was made possible by the Pac-12’s lucrative television contract, which will pay the Cougars an average of $20.5 million a year for 12 years.

The team will move into its new building, which is located behind one of the end zones, in mid-July.

In the arms race of college football, the Cougars needed to keep up with their Pac-12 competitors in the fight for top recruits, Moos said.

“We did not want to get left in the dust as the conference expanded,” Moos said.

This continues an upward trend for Washington State, which has the smallest stadium and remotest campus in the Pac-12. Last year the Cougars built a new press box with luxury boxes. The year before they hired coach Mike Leach.

Quarterback Connor Halliday said the new building is a fantastic place to enjoy his senior season.

“This is head and shoulders above anything I have seen,” Halliday said.

He recalled signing with the program in 2010, a time when the Cougars were struggling on the field and occupying rundown facilities.

“I said on signing day that I wanted to be part of the team that starts to get this place turned around,” said Halliday, who led the Cougars to the New Mexico Bowl last season, their first postseason game in a decade.

Moos and his staff toured six programs when the new building was in the design phase — Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and LSU. They cherry picked the best features of the buildings they saw. Everything in the 84,000-square foot building is bigger and better than before, from the laundry room to the equipment room.

The tour started on the ground floor, which has a spacious locker room that Moos called “as good as it gets.”

The custom-made lockers are set in wide aisles to accommodate big players. Each locker contains an exhaust system to dry out equipment. There are individual power outlets for cellphones and tablets.

Then it was upstairs to the cavernous weight room.

“This is where football teams are made,” Moos said.

There were dozens of weight stations, abundant light streaming in through the windows, and a floor built on 400 springs to absorb the impact of falling weights.

There is a large room for sports medicine, where players can get taped and injuries can be treated. It includes hydro-therapy pools.

Each position has its own meeting room. There’s also a 163-seat auditorium with oversized theater seats for meetings of the whole team.

A cafeteria will be open to all student-athletes at Washington State. The school has hired two European-trained chefs among a kitchen staff of a dozen to prepare three meals a day for athletes.

“You can’t build a championship body on fast food,” Moos said.

The top floor includes offices and a separate locker room for all the coaches. The office of the head coach has a magnificent view of the stadium, plus its own bathroom.

“This building is designed to develop our players,” Moos said. “And it’s just as important in attracting future players.”

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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