UA Cossatot Colts Basketball Coach Brad Phillips
Special guest on the Monday Ed-ition of the Morning Show with Loren will be UA Cossatot basketball Coach Brad Phillips who talked about the Colts' scrimmage this past Friday night, the upcoming schedule and more.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
Last flu season, 113 influenza related deaths were reported in Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), 71% of the adults who died were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccine history.
ADH also reported that 28 schools closed briefly due to the flu last season.
While only moderate in severity, the 2018-2019 season was record-breaking in duration, with flu activity remaining elevated for 21 weeks. The 2017-2018 flu season was the most severe in a decade, with 228 deaths in the state.
If you have not already done so, now is the time to get your flu vaccine. Last week, the ADH began its yearlymass flu vaccine clinic effort, which involves mass vaccine clinics in every county at no cost. Clinics will continue through the beginning of November. The department will also offer the vaccine at every public school.
People of all ages can get the flu, but certain people are more likely to have serious health problems with it. This includes older adults, young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), people who smoke, and people who live in nursing homes. Therefore, ADH strongly recommends that people in these groups get a flu vaccine. It is also recommended that friends, family members and people who provide care to people in these groups also get a vaccine.
The flu vaccine is safe and does not cause the flu.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized flu patients.
Overall, CDC estimates show that flu vaccination coverage has increased over the past decade. Vaccination among kids across all ages was almost 63 percent. Vaccination coverage among adults is around 45%, leaving more than half of adult Americans unprotected from flu each season.
We have posted the schedules of the mass clinics and school visits on our website, www.arkansashouse.org.
Home - Arkansas House of Representatives
ARGIRLSLEAD #ARGIRLSLEAD is a movement started by women serving in the Arkansas House. Each of them have a unique story to share about their journey on the road to their current leadership position. Kids In The House Who says civics can't be fun?
First UA Cossatot Colts Pep Band Meeting to Take Place October 8th
UA Cossatot Pep Band leader, Dr. Laura Riddle has announced the first official meeting and rehearsal for the college’s pep band. This meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, at 6:30 P.M. at the UA Cossatot Lockesburg Campus.
The Colt’s Pep Band will be providing music for the Colt’s home basketball games. Anyone interested or wanting to learn more about the Pep Band is encouraged to join the meeting. The rehearsal will allow Pep band members to come together and discuss plans for the 2019-2020 basketball season.
This opportunity will allow students, faculty, staff, and the general public to play music and show school pride. Dr. Riddle is looking primarily for individuals who can play the flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, baritone, trombone, drums (set), electric guitar, bass guitar, or keyboards.
To join the Colt’s Pep Band or to learn more information before the first rehearsal, please contact Dr. Laura Riddle at 870-584-1137 or lriddle@cccua.edu
UA Cossatot Annual Drawdown Supports UA Colts Basketball
Projects Created by UAC Students Displayed at Nashville ERC
Tabetha Nguyen’s Lit I class presented their projects at the Nashville ERC Monday. There are some amazing students in her class and they were all very creative. The students have stored their projects and worked on them at the ERC for the last few weeks. All projects will be displayed at the Nashville ERC.
Thanks for allowing the ERC to be a part of your students’ projects, Tabetha!
If you’d like to see more photos, visit the ERC Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UACERC/
UA Cossatot Will Host Three Blood Drives During October
Lifeshare Blood Center in Texarkana has organized several community blood drives scheduled to take place during October. Three of these blood drives will take place at UA Cossatot. The college’s De Queen, Ashdown, and Lockesburg Campuses will be hosting individual blood drives for anyone who would like to donate blood.
The De Queen Campus blood drive will take place on October 7 from 10:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. The Ashdown Campus will be hosting their blood drive on October 14 from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. On the same day, October 14, the Lockesburg Campus blood drive will occur from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. that evening.
Lifeshare Blood Center employees have stated that there is a big need for people to give blood and that blood supplies are low throughout the region. To donate blood or to learn more information about these upcoming blood drives, please call 903-794-3173.
Natasha Cribbs Artist and Graphic Designer Former UA Cossatot Student
Artist and Graphic Designer Credits UA Cossatot for her Success
Natasha Cribbs is a former UA Cossatot student who now works as a graphic designer and illustrator for Phillips Media Group (PMG) in Springfield, Missouri. Cribbs credits UA Cossatot as being a big part of her journey in helping her get to where she is today.
Natasha was born in Waxahachie, Texas. As a child, she grew up in different towns in east Texas. Eventually, Natasha moved to Murfreesboro, Arkansas. In 2012, she graduated from Murfreesboro High School, and then directly went to college at UA Cossatot.
Cribbs said, “I chose to attend school at UA Cossatot because it was affordable. Plus, I had already taken a class there when I was in high school.”
When asked about her experience at UA Cossatot, Natasha said, “UA Cossatot was a great experience! When I started college, I didn’t even have a car. Going to UA Cossatot made school more affordable and accessible to me. I took all of my classes, either online or at the Nashville Campus. I was also able to take college classes with friends I graduated high school with.”
At UA Cossatot, Natasha chose to take her basics so she could receive her Associate of Arts degree. This degree allowed her to take her general studies courses that she would need to transfer. This degree also allowed her to explore career options while taking required courses and other classes she was interested in, like Creative Writing.
In 2014, she graduated from UA Cossatot and then transferred to Henderson State University. At Henderson, Cribbs ended up majoring in art and design. Natasha said, “I’ve always been interested in art and created art of all kinds. I love it! I knew this career field would make me happy, and I felt it was where I belonged. UA Cossatot also gave me extra time to realize that, while not wasting time and money.”
In March of this year, Natasha Cribbs landed a job working for Phillips Media Group (PMG) where she was hired to work as a Designer/Paginator. PMG works with multiple newspapers in the Missouri and Arkansas area, and Natasha helps these newspapers with their layout and design on a computer. She designs pages and ads primarily in Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, while corresponding with co-workers, and making sure everything gets sent to press.
Natasha Cribbs said, “I love my job! I am also glad that I started my education at a community college. It gave me what I needed at the time, instead of going straight to a university. UA Cossatot was a great school for me to begin my college education. If anyone is thinking about pursuing their education like I did, by starting at UA Cossatot, I would recommend them to look into it and talk to an advisor!”
Natasha is active on social media. She has social accounts where people can keep up with her art work on Facebook and Instagram. To view some of her work, please visit Natasha Cribbs - Artist (https://www.facebook.com/NatashaCribbsArtist/) on Facebook and @nalightful (https://www.instagram.com/nalightful/) and @nalightful.photo (https://www.instagram.com/nalightful.photo/) on Instagram.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
In 2016 in Arkansas, a total of 2,226 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 400 women died from the disease.
Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women.
October is breast cancer awareness month. This is an opportunity to remind Arkansans of the importance of mammograms for early detection and life style changes that could help prevent cancer.
Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms.
In 2017, the General Assembly passed Act 708 which ensures that insurance policies cover annual mammograms for women over 40. It also ensures that 3D mammograms or ultrasounds are covered for women with dense breast tissue. While traditional mammograms are effective for many women, the ultrasound can detect changes in women with dense breast tissue.
Only about 5–10% of breast cancers are believed to be hereditary, meaning they’re caused by abnormal changes in certain genes passed from parent to child.
The vast majority of people who get breast cancer have no family history, suggesting that other factors must be at work, such as environment and lifestyle.
If you are uninsured or underinsured, you may qualify for a free or low-cost mammogram through the Arkansas BreastCare program.
BreastCare’s mission is to increase the rate of early detection of breast and cervical cancer and reduce the morbidity and mortality rates among women in Arkansas by lowering barriers to screening that result from lack of information, financial means, or access to quality services. It is funded by the Arkansas Department of Health with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Arkansas Tobacco Excise Tax.
For more information visit: www.healthy.arkansas.gov.
Arkansas Secretary of State
Copyright © 2017 Arkansas Secretary of State. All Rights Reserved.
Ashdown High School's Tobacco Prevention Chapter of Project Prevent Youth Coalition
A portion of the Ashdown PPYC chapter with their anti-vaping bulletin board. L-R VonJoy Thomas, MaKayla Dixon, Aniya Polite, Chloe Silva, T’Nia Washington, Cole Smith & Anijah Ramnarine
Ashdown High School's tobacco prevention chapter of Project Prevent Youth Coalition (PPYC) is beginning it’s second year on the AHS Campus. The chapter is funded through a grant by Stamp Out Smoking and Arkansas Children’s Hospital for seven years. According to their website, “Project Prevent is a youth tobacco prevention initiative of Stamp Out Smoking. By exposing the truth about Big Tobacco and arming you and your peers with knowledge, tools, and power to make informed choices, our goal is to prevent Arkansas youth from smoking or using tobacco products. Project Prevent works year-round to provide events and programs to engage you and your friends in new ways.” Project Prevent Youth Coalition is "aiming for a happy, healthy, and tobacco-free Arkansas."
The mission of PPYC will provide youth with action-oriented activities that address social norms about tobacco and nicotine.
Throughout the year students will have two advocacy projects which may include providing signage around campuses to inform that it is illegal to smoke on campus grounds and read age appropriate books to elementary students on the unhealthy effects of smoking.
More information can be found at sosprojectprevent.com.
Project Prevent
Sign up now to join the movement, we will be in touch on how you can get involved. Sign your chapter up now to join the movement, we will be in touch on how you can get involved. What activities has your chapter completed recently?
Ashdown High School Students Honored at SAU Induction Ceremony
Six students from Ashdown High School were recently honored at Southern Arkansas University in an induction ceremony for teacher cadets. The Arkansas Deputy Commissioner of Education, Dr.
Pfeffer, spoke to the students. The Teacher Cadet Program at Ashdown High School is a concurrent credit college class, partnered with SAU, that encourages “academically talented, high-achieving, high school students with exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills to consider teaching as a career.” The Teacher Cadet Program has become the national model for pre-collegiate teacher recruitment programs across the United States. The course will include, among many other things, instructional, motivational, and disciplinary tools for teaching and first-hand knowledge of teaching through practical experience in the elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. The Teacher Cadets include Ricky Branscum, Will Burnett, Blaire Gentry, Lannah Huddleston, Anna Moss and Keely Turner. The instructor is Dr. Julie Sheppard.
UA Cossatot is Leading in Post-Secondary Enrollment
The Arkansas Department of Higher Education has announced the statewide colleges and universities fall 2019 preliminary enrollment numbers. The data shows that from fall 2018 to fall 2019, UA Cossatot had the highest post-secondary enrollment increase for all public two-year colleges and four-year universities in the state of Arkansas.
Since the beginning of the academic year in August of 2018, the college has achieved a 14.8% increase for post-secondary students. This increase surpasses the community college total average of 0.6 % and the four-year university average of - 2.5%.
UA Cossatot’s overall student enrollment percentage combined for concurrent and post-secondary students saw a 4.0% increase in enrollment beating the community college average in Arkansas, which is 1.4%. The four-year university average in Arkansas for total enrollment is -2.4%, which UA Cossatot exceeded as well.
According to UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole, “We are obviously pleased with our numbers, especially the large increase in post-secondary students. I think this is reflective of how our students and future students view us, and that is a college that not only offers highly skilled technical training, but also a college that prepares them for university transfer. Add to that the new transfer scholarship to the University of Arkansas, where transfer students pay our tuition rate at the U of A, and I think we have a pretty good idea why our post-secondary numbers look the way they do”.
UA Cossatot has also announced that the college has reached a total enrollment of 1,521 students for the fall 2019 semester, which is UA Cossatot’s largest enrollment since 2014, and the eighth highest of the 22 two-year colleges in Arkansas.
Cossatot Community College
The University of Arkansas - Fayetteville's Chancellor, Dr. Joe Steinmetz has announced that the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville will now charge associate degree graduates from UA Cossatot the same tuition rates those graduates were charged at UA Cossatot. Upcoming Events
Morris Ranch & Triple J Angus Ranch Angus Sale October 19th
Big event coming up for one of our newest Ed 88 Community Partners, Morris Ranch, Inc.
NWS Shreveport Issues a Flood Warning for Little River Near Idabel
Issued by the National Weather Service
For Sevier County, Arkansas
RIVER FLOOD WARNING FROM 8:20AM CDT WED UNTIL 3PM CDT FRI THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WARNING FOR THE LITTLE RIVER NEAR IDABEL. * FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING TO FRIDAY AFTERNOON...OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED. * AT 8:30 PM MONDAY THE STAGE WAS 15.5 FEET. * MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FLOOD STAGE IS 30.0 FEET. * FORECAST...RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE TO RISE TO NEAR 32.2 FEET BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THE RIVER WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY THURSDAY BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
Heavy Rains on the First Day of Fall
Heavy rain drenched parts of the 4-state area this morning on the first day of fall. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will remain in the forecast for the next couple of days followed by a slight chance of rain possible for the remainder of the week into the weekend.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
In Arkansas, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men will be the victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime. In 2018, 44 Arkansans died as a result of domestic violence.
Domestic violence occurs among all types of families, regardless of income, profession, region, ethnicity, educational level or race.
This week, a rally was held inside the Capitol to raise awareness as we approach Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The Governor and legislators also recognized the work of the 32 domestic violence shelters across the state assisting 18,000 Arkansans last year.
Every year, we study ways to strengthen our domestic violence laws in an effort to reduce and eliminate this epidemic.
In the 2019 Regular Session we passed the following bills addressing domestic violence:
ACT 499 creates a privilege of communication between a victim of domestic violence and the personnel of a domestic violence shelter or center and makes confidential certain communications between a victim and a victim advocate.
Act 498 reconciles the differences between the offenses of domestic battering in the first degree and battery in the first degree and increases the penalties for battery offenses under certain circumstances.
Act 324 allows for an additional sentence of 1 to 10 years in prison if certain offenses are committed in the presence of a child. The offenses include murder, aggravated robbery, felony assault or battery, and rape. Domestic violence is the leading predictor of child abuse.
Act 113 helps ensure that the $25 fee added to domestic violence convictions is directed to fund domestic violence shelters.
Act 908 amends the Arkansas code concerning orders of protection to align with federal code.
Domestic violence not only affects victims and families, it harms entire communities.
Below are numbers to 24-hour crisis lines:
Women and Children First - (800) 332-4443
Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault - (800) 656-4673
Arkansas State Police Child Abuse - (800) 482-5964
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - (800) 799-SAFE (7233)
National Human Trafficking Resource Center - (888) 373-7888
Local Mass Flu Clinics
October Flex Courses Are Available
UA Cossatot has released the class schedule for available October flex courses. These eight-week classes will begin on October 7 and end on December 6. The last day to sign up for one or more of these classes is October 4, 2019.
Flex courses allow students to take classes in a faster amount of time rather than in a traditional sixteen-week semester. They also enable students to take more courses and graduate sooner.
The October flex classes include several welding courses at Lockesburg, Nashville, and De Queen. The college will also be offering online courses in Accounting II, Micro Computer Apps, and Databases. Other available courses include Intermediate Algebra in Ashdown and Anatomy and Physiology II in Nashville. To view the full class schedule, please visit www.cccua.edu. To sign up and enroll in an October flex course, please contact Student Services at 870-584-4471 or studentservices@cccua.edu
Cossatot Community College
The University of Arkansas - Fayetteville's Chancellor, Dr. Joe Steinmetz has announced that the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville will now charge associate degree graduates from UA Cossatot the same tuition rates those graduates were charged at UA Cossatot. Upcoming Events
Jennifer Lorenzo, Berenice Martinez, and Travis Yarbrough, members of the De Queen High School Fellowship of Christian Students
Jennifer Lorenzo, Berenice Martinez, and Travis Yarbrough, members of the De Queen High School Fellowship of Christian Students invite everyone to next Wednesday's "Meet You at the Pole Ceremony" at DHS.
UA Cossatot Foundation Hosts Annual Scholarship Appreciation Luncheon
On Friday, September 13, 2019, the UA Cossatot Foundation hosted its annual Scholarship Appreciation Luncheon at the Historic UA Cossatot Bank of Lockesburg Gymnasium. The event took place from noon to 1:00 P.M. and gave scholarship recipients, their family, donors, and friends of the college a chance to meet one another.
One hundred and twenty guests attended the event and UA Cossatot Foundation Director, Dustin Roberts opened up the ceremony. Food was provided by Mary Pops in De Queen.
Roberts said, “It was great to honor our scholarship recipients at the luncheon and have our donors and friends of the college join us in the celebration.”
To apply for a UA Cossatot Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year, students and potential students can complete a UA Cossatot Scholarship Application online at www.cccua.edu/pay-for-college/scholarships.