Augie students over estimate the
us of aicobot their classmates.
use aisvtio1 at !east owe a woeig
Graph Submitted By Jim Bies/The Mirror
Students' perception of alcohol consumption
on campus (dark blue bar) is much higher than
actual reported consumption (light blue bar).
Brenda Murtha
Photo Submitted By Bob Preloger and Shannon Viereck/The Mirror
A group of alumni celebrate after receiving their diplomas last May. Despite a difficult job market, 93 percent
of last year's graduating class reported finding a job in their chosen field eight months after graduation.
Augustana graduates report
93 percent job placement rate
THE AUGUSTANA I IZRO
3: mirror paNatismaismugs
eium.00: must sees
Know-it-alls frustrate
early-morning classgoer
Page 4
1.) Students practice Lent in
44. different ways Page 6
Women's track team
claims conference
championship Page 9
Friday, March 5, 2010 1908 • 2010 • AUGUSTANAMIRROR.COM
Vol. XCVIII No. 14
Students drink less than expected, according to online survey
By Alan Thompson
Mirror Staff Writer
Augustana students overestimated
their peers' actual use of alcohol during
an average school week, according to an
online survey.
Specifically, students' responses to the
"Core Alcohol and Drug Survey" show
they believe that 82 percent of their class-mates
use alcohol at least once a week.
However, just 34 percent of students re-ported
using alcohol one or more times
per week. Forty percent of students corn-pleted
the survey.
Senior Ryan Becker estimated that
between 30 and 50 percent of students
use alcohol once a week. The 22-year-old
rarely drinks and thinks that alcohol con-sumption
is "probably not a lot different"
when comparing Augustana with other
South Dakota colleges and universities.
However, in Nov. 2005, survey data of
2,800 students from five South Dakota
colleges and universities (Augustana,
University of Sioux Falls, University of
South Dakota, South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology and Western Da-kota
Tech) was collectively published, but
the percentages were not matched with
the names of the schools. This survey
found that 86 percent of students at Au-gustana
reported alcohol consumption in
the past year. This number has decreased
to 78 percent since 2007.
Nearly 45 percent of Augus-tana
students indicated binge
drinking in the previous two
weeks, which was a lower per-centage
than the other four
schools, according to Dean of
Students Jim Bies. In 2007 and
2009, this number has been con-sistently
below 40 percent.
For senior Becky Nelson,
drinking is not a competition—it
is a social event.
"If I do drink, it is in.a social
atmosphere, such as at dinner
See ALCOHOL SURVEY, page 12
Student loans will see
changes in lenders,
repayment options
By Mari Stensgaard
Mirror Copy Editor
Change is on its way this year to the 75 percent
of Augustana students who rely on Federal Stafford
Loans.
Last September, the Student Aid and Fiscal Respon-sibility
Act (SAFRA) passed in the U.S. House of Rep-resentatives
by more than 80 votes, advancing to the
Senate for final approval. This bill determines whether
the federal student loan program will undergo a na-tionwide
transformation.
"The act passed in the House with flying colors:'
Brenda Murtha, director of financial aid, said. "Then
it got to the Senate right when healthcare took center
stage
If the transformation happens, the government will
terminate the Federal Stafford Loan program and re-place
it with the Federal Di-rect
Loan program. The dif-ference
between the two is
the lending source. Federal
Stafford Loans require an ex-ternal
lender that students
choose, such as Wells Fargo
or Citi Bank, whereas Federal
Direct Loans come straight
from the government.
"Obama wanted to take
over:' Murtha said. "The Direct
Loan program cuts out the mid-dle
man. Lenders have been mad, but they know they'll
still have business with private loans!'
A couple benefits of the Direct Loan program in-clude
public service cancellations and more repayment
options. Direct Loans also do not require students to
shop around for lenders.
Augustana sophomore Sawyer Vanden Heuvel ac-cepted
Federal Stafford Loans his freshman year. His
lender was U.S. Bank, but in September the bank with-drew
from the program.
"Between sophomore and junior year, we are all giv-en
more subsidized loans," Vanden Heuvel said. "After
interim, I became junior status credit-wise. So instead
of choosing a new lender, Financial Aid wanted me
to test this Direct Loan program because most likely
See FINANCIAL AID, page 12
By Megan Brandsrud
Mirror Assistant Editor
The welcoming of March marks the countdown to
spring break for many students. For seniors, it means
that the weeks until graduation are dwindling and the
search for a job in the "real world" is well underway.
Though this thought may cause some seniors to break
out in a cold sweat, the Augustana Career Center is con-fident
in its students' job placement success, as recent
graduating classes have managed to find jobs amidst a
struggling market.
A recent survey of Augustana's 2009 graduates re-vealed
that 93 percent of Augustana's newest alumni
accepted a job position related to their major or career
field. Sixty-four percent of those graduates accepting
employment remained in South Dakota, with a vast ma-jority
staying in Sioux Falls.
"I am very pleased with the results," said Sandi Vietor,
director of the Augustana Career Center. "We have an
"I worked harder than I've ever
worked to separate myself from the
rest of the pack"
Andrew Brynjulson
eight-month window for reporting job placement of our
most recent graduates. Many of those students had jobs
upon graduation; however, this year it took some [grad-uates]
until the end of the year to find placement."
With the healthcare field in demand of employees
nationwide, all 2009 nursing program graduates found
job placement, even if it was filling a temporary posi-tion.
Those entering the business, computer science and
human service fields saw similar job placement success.
See JOB PLACEMENT, page 12