Roane State Community College

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Aug. 26, 2016

With bright sun and cooler weather, students at the Roane County campus of Roane State Community College were also greeted Monday on the first day of the fall semester with giveaways, information, and snacks during the college's sixth annual Welcome Back Student Info Fair in the campus courtyard.

A similar celebration was held Tuesday in the atrium of the Coffey-McNally Building at Roane State's Oak Ridge campus.

She's organized the fair so often, "it's down to a science, and it gets a little bigger every year," said Sarah Hooper, the college's coordinator of student engagement.

"If you want to keep students engaged, you want them to become involved in the first six weeks of college in a way that's convenient with all the demands of their lives," she said.

Student planners, T-shirts, pens, refreshments and plenty of sunglasses were given away both days, while local organizations and businesses exhibited their offerings.

Ginger Hausser, with the Tennessee Board of Regents, was handing out sunglasses both days as part of a "My Future's So Bright" campaign. It's a reminder of the Tennessee Promise program where students can attend community colleges tuition-free.

"It's a fantastic opportunity," she said.

Jacob Reagan of Rockwood and Oakdale resident Faith Clark are Tennessee Promise students who were figuring out Roane State's Harriman campus Monday.

Also attending the fair were Roane County high school juniors Emily Ashbrook, Reagan Dudley, Colin Haba and David Clark.

They're taking advantage of Roane State's Middle College program, where they take college-level courses during the morning and return to their high schools in the afternoon. That way, by the time they graduate from high school, they've completed requirements for an associate degree at Roane State.

"It's about to get challenging," Reagan said of her budding collegiate career, which she said should eventually lead to a law degree. Colin said his long-term plans are to become a mechanical engineer.

Three members of Roane State's Lady Raiders basketball team — Ema Plentauskaite, Ariana Prather and Liz Quinio —  also checked out Monday's exhibits and displays.

"I love it," said Ema, a native of Lithuania. "The community is really nice, the people are friendly and the classes are challenging."

"Everyone here is really nice and helpful," said Kaylee Morgan of Oliver Springs. She's in the 2+2 program, where she's earning a bachelor's degree in education from Tennessee Tech University faculty while going to Roane State.

Alisha Lane of Sweetwater has attended Roane State sporadically, returning after changing majors and taking four years off. She said her advisors have been understanding of her situation and have been helpful getting her back on the academic track.

Watching Tuesday's goings-on in Oak Ridge was state representative John Ragan of Oak Ridge.

Ragan praised the Tennessee Promise program, saying lawmakers are "fully committed" to it, and it's intended to give students an edge when it comes to landing jobs.

"I had a relative go here and told me how good the school is," first-year student Corteze Dodd of Knoxville said Tuesday as he began his second day of classes in Oak Ridge. "It seems like a logical choice."