by Justin Boulmay
Staff Writer
The Staff Council will take applications from staff members or their
dependents for two scholarships that will be awarded later this
semester.
There are two different scholarships awarded every year: the endowed
and the annual scholarship.
“The endowed is a scholarship where we rely on the stock market
and how those stocks perform in order to be able to award any scholarships,”
Staff Council Vice-President Jennifer P. Ware said. “The annual
is funded through fundraisers the Staff Council does throughout
the course of the year.”
Ware said as much as $1000 can be awarded from the scholarships.
Applications are due April 15.
“It’s one of our major fundraising events of the year,
the scholarship along with the Christmas shopping trip,” Staff
Council Treasurer Lorraine P. Childers said. “We feel that
it’s very important, because we’re assisting children
of staff members who are seeking to further their education.”
Students must be a child of an Appalachian State University staff
member. They must be enrolled in school to be eligible to apply,
and be in good academic standing with the institution, Ware said.
Applicants also must carry a GPA of 2.5 and be eligible for Free
Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to the Staff
Council Web site. FAFSA applications can be found on the Web site.
Staff members, so long as they are a Subject to the Personal Act
(SPA) employee and are currently enrolled, can apply for the annual
scholarship, Ware said. “So if we have an eligible staff member,
then they’re eligible as well, which is nice because it helps
to encourage staff members to continue pursuing their educational
goals for themselves,” Ware said.
Ware said applicants are not limited to Watauga County. Some staff
members live in Tennessee. “[Students’] parents, lots
of them staff members, travel a great distance to work here, so
it is not just people in Watauga County who are eligible for this,”
Ware said.
Money will be raised for the scholarships through upcoming fundraisers,
such as the Tiny Doubles on March 20, where participants can have
their pictures taken and have those pictures mounted on tiny figurines.
This is the first year Staff Council will do the Tiny Doubles, Ware
said.
The Silent Auction will be held April 1 in the Convocation Center.
Students, faculty, and staff members can bid on items donated by
local stores.
Ware said Staff Council raised a good portion of its money last
year through the auction.
“That’s the biggest fundraiser that we do,” Ware
said.
Childers said this scholarship plays an important role in a student
or staff members’ education.
“We do have students who are repeat recipients, and I think
it would be a major loss to the student if they didn’t have
a scholarship because it is based on need, their grade point average,
and their success in high school,” Childers said.
Staff Council’s other fundraisers include the Staff Council
Cookbook and taking local children Christmas shopping each December.
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