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Wednesday’s Sports Transactions

By The Associated Press
BASEBALL

COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE — Suspended N.Y. Mets RHP Jeurys Familia 15 games for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.

American League

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Optioned RHP Mike Wright to Norfolk (IL).

BOSTON RED SOX — Reassigned LHP Edgar Olmos to minor league camp.

DETROIT TIGERS — Optioned LHP Blaine Hardy to Toledo (IL). Reassigned RHP Angel Nesbitt, C Miguel Gonzalez, OF Alex Presley and INFs Omar Infante, Efren Navarro and Brendan Ryan to minor league camp.

MINNESOTA TWINS — Reassigned RHPs Nick Tepesch and Alex Wimmers to minor league camp.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Reassigned INF Tyler Wade to minor league camp.

TEXAS RANGERS — Optioned RHP Nick Martinez to Round Rock (PCL). Reassigned RHP Allen Webster and C A.J. Jimenez to minor league camp.

National League

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Designated RHP Evan Marshall for assignment. Placed OF Socrates Brito on the 60-day DL. Optioned SS Ketel Marte to Reno (PCL). Selected the contracts of RHP Tom Wilhelmsen and LHP Jorge De La Rosa from Reno.

ATLANTA BRAVES — Released LHP Paco Rodriguez. Optioned RHP Matt Wisler to Gwinnett (IL).

CINCINNATI REDS — Released RHP Deunte Heath.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Optioned INF-OF Rob Segedin to Oklahoma City (PCL). Reassigned INF Ike Davis, INF-OF O’Koyea Dickson, OF Tyler Holt, INF Charlie Culberson, INF-OF Cody Bellinger and RHP Brandon Morrow to their minor league camp.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Optioned RHP Drew Hutchison to Indianapolis (IL). Placed RHP Jared Hughes on unconditional release waivers.

SAN DIEGO PADRES — Optioned RHP Kevin Quackenbush to El Paso (PCL). Reassigned C Tony Cruz, RHP Carlos Fisher and INFs Jamie Romak and Brett Wallace to minor league camp.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Optioned RHPs Trevor Gott and A.J. Cole to Syracuse (IL). Reassigned RHP Jacob Turner, LHP Neal Cotts and C Jhonatan Solano to minor league camp. Released RHP Vance Worley.

American Association

KANSAS CITY T-BONES — Signed RHPs Chris Perry and Will Morris.

SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS — Released RHP Derek Callahan.

SIOUX FALLS CANARIES — Signed RHP Bryce Morrow.

Frontier League

EVANSVILLE OTTERS — Signed RHPs Hasten Freeman and Rob Tasin.

LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS — Signed OF/1B Brandon Murray.

SCHAUMBURG BOOMERS — Released C Charlie Meyer.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MINERS — Signed RHP Charles Rossman.

BASKETBALL
National Basketball Association

CHICAGO BULLS — Recalled G Cameron Payne from Windy City (NBADL).

INDIANA PACERS — Waived G Rodney Stuckey.

FOOTBALL
National Football League

ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed WR Harvey Binford.

BUFFALO BILLS — Waived/failed physical DE Scott Crichton.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed G Justin McCray.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Re-signed TE John Phillips to a one-year contract.

HOCKEY
National Hockey League

ANAHEIM DUCKS — Assigned G Kevin Boyle from San Diego (AHL) to Utah (ECHL). Recalled LW Ondrej Kase from San Diego.

DALLAS STARS — Recalled D Julius Honka from Texas (AHL).

NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Agreed to terms with F Tanner Fritz on a two-year, entry-level contract.

NEW YORK RANGERS — Reassigned G Brandon Halverson from Greenville (ECHL) to Hartford (AHL) and F Adam Chapie and G Mackenzie Skapski from Hartford to Greenville.

OTTAWA SENATORS — Recalled D Macoy Erkamps from Wichita (ECHL) to Binghamton (AHL).

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Recalled F Joel Vermin from Syracuse (AHL).

American Hockey League

CHICAGO WOLVES — Assigned D Kevin Tansey to Missouri (ECHL).

HARTFORD WOLF PACK — Signed F Vinni Lettieri, G Chris Nell and D Vince Pedrie to amateur tryout agreements. Returned D Garrett Noonan to Greenville (ECHL).

PROVIDENCE BRUINS — Assigned F Mark Naclerio to Atlanta (ECHL).

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE — Signed F Brady Shaw.

ECHL

ADIRONDACK THUNDER — Released D Ben Masella and F Dean Yakura.

ALASKA ACES — Added G Alex Zion as emergency backup.

BRAMPTON BEAST — Added G Tim Pietraniec as emergency backup.

FLORIDA EVERBLADES — Signed G Steve Summerhays.

KALAMAZOO WINGS — Signed F Tyler Heinonen.

WICHITA THUNDER — Released F Ben Duffy. Signed F Chris LeBlanc.

MOTOE SPORTS

JOE GIBBS RACING— Announced crew chief Dave Rogers is taking a personal leave of absence. Named Scott Graves crew chief.

SOCCER
Major League Soccer

NEW YORK RED BULLS — Signed F Bradley Wright-Phillips to a multiyear contract.

REAL SALT LAKE — Named Mike Petke coach.

United Soccer League

USL — Suspended OKC M Jose Barril one game.

COLLEGE

BARUCH — Named Angeoline Piguave-Cowan men’s cross country coach.

FORDHAM — Sophomore G Joseph Chartouny declared for the NBA draft.

MARYLAND — Junior G Melo Trimble will enter the NBA draft.

MASSACHUTTES — Named Matt McCall men’s basketball coach.

NEBRASKA — Announced F Ed Morrow Jr. will transfer after the spring semester.

NORTH DAKOTA — Announced it is eliminating the women’s hockey program and the men’s and women’s swimming programs.

OKLAHOMA STATE — Promoted assistant men’s basketball coach Lamont Evans to associate head coach.

PEPPERDINE — Promoted DeLisha Milton-Jones to women’s basketball coach.

PROVIDENCE — Signed men’s lacrosse coach Chris Gabrielli to a contract extension.

PURDUE — Announced the resignation of assistant men’s basketball coach Jack Owens so he can take the head coaching position at Miami (Ohio).

ST. JOHN’S — Granted releases to men’s basketball senior F Darien Williams and junior G Malik Ellison so they can transfer.

SEATTLE — Named Jim Hayford men’s basketball coach.

UNLV — Announced basketball freshman Gs Tony Baxter Jr. and Zion Morgan and sophomore G Jalen Poyser will transfer.

VIRGINIA — Announced the resignation of men’s tennis coach Brian Boland, effective at the end of this season, so he can take a position with the USTA.

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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