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Petty, No. 10 Baylor ready for new season, stadium

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

WACO, Texas (AP) — The shiny new stadium on the edge of the Baylor campus along the Brazos River is ready for its big debut.

As for the shiny Big 12 championship trophy the 10th-ranked Bears won last year, that wasn’t even on public display Monday.

It is time for a new season that finally starts this week.

“We know we’re really going to have to be at our best, because this is 2014. All that stuff that happened last year, that’s gone. It’s gone,” coach Art Briles said during his first weekly news conference. “This is when we start our football team, this Sunday night, for this year. And that’s all that matters.”

A sellout crowd of 45,000, which will include people arriving by boat, will be there when the Bears open McLane Stadium against SMU.

“We’ve got a stadium because of what we’ve done in the past, and I don’t think it’s changed our mentality at all,” quarterback Bryce Petty said. “We want to make sure that the game we play on the field is Baylor football. It goes back to that’s the reason we’re there.”

There were initial discussions about a new stadium during the 2011 season. When Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy that year, the first time the Bears won 10 games since their 1980 Southwest Conference title, the idea really took off and the donations starting pouring in to make a campus facility a reality.

“It’s reality. It’s not a hope, it’s not a vapor, not a vision. It’s real,” Briles said. “The thing that I’ve got to do as a coach and we have to do as a football team is understand that we’ve got a job to do. Our job is to take care of all the people that cared enough to make all this happen. So, we’re very intentionally focusing on winning the football game on Sunday.”

Griffin, now the Washington Redskins quarterback, is scheduled to attend the opener and take part in a pregame ceremony when a statue of Baylor’s only Heisman winner will be dedicated in a plaza just outside the stadium.

The Bears will also still have an outstanding quarterback on the field in Petty, the reigning Big 12 offensive player of the year and an early Heisman Trophy front-runner this season.

Petty, who waited his turn behind Griffin and a record-setting season by Nick Florence, threw for Big 12-leading 4,200 yards with 32 touchdowns and only three interceptions when he finally got his chance last season. He also led the league with 14 rushing TDs.

“I’m excited personally. That’s one of the reasons that I came back, I want to be the best to ever play here,” Petty said. “Experience, everything helps. So I’m feeling really confident right now with what I’m doing personally, with the feel of the offense and the guys that we have out there, and the coaches especially, they instill that in you.”

Petty also has plenty of proven players with him on offense, including the top two receivers from the nation’s productive offense — fellow seniors Antwan Goodley (71 catches, 1,339 yards, 13 TDs) and Levi Norwood (47, 733, eight TDs). Even though Big 12 rushing leader Lache Seastrunk (1,177 yards, 11 TDs) bypassed his senior season, Shock Linwood (881 yards, eight TDs) and Devin Chafin 295, four TDs) were impressive as freshmen last season.

And they all follow Petty.

“He’s going to be pretty good again. He’ll be better,” Norwood said. “The difference now is it’s his team. We know it and everyone has that respect for him and it makes everything a little more comfortable.”

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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