South program helps students reach for STARS
by Betsy Page, reporter

    Academic assistance is available to eligible South Campus students through the STARS program.

   Students Targeting and Reaching Success is a federally funded program that strives to increase the number of students who attend and graduate from college.

   The STARS program assists low-income, first-generation and disabled students through academic advisement, degree planning, peer mentoring, group tutoring, college transfer trips, cultural enrichment activities and student-centered workshops.

   The program helps students succeed by case managing their education, Sharron Crear, interim program director, said.

   “When students first get involved, they don’t realize how much we have to offer,” she said.

   Each of the 165 program participants is counseled individually to assess needs and determine academic goals. Working in collaboration with other campus departments, the STARS program helps students fulfill their academic goals while coping with other challenges they might face, Crear said.

   “It is important for us to know each student individually, and what their situation is,” she said.

   Tutoring is a major component of the STARS program, Crear said.

   In an effort to assist students in achieving and maintaining a grade point average at or above 2.0, students are offered free tutoring.

   The tutoring, usually offered in group sessions, is available for core curriculum subjects including algebra, history, sociology, literature, writing, reading, government, chemistry, calculus, physics and biology.

   STARS presents various workshops throughout the semester including topics ranging from test anxiety and test-taking skills to memory strategies and stress management.

   STARS students have access to a private computer lab for academic needs, Internet searches and e-mail, Crear said. Students are encouraged to use the computers, recently upgraded with Plato educational software, to assist in studying for the TASP test.

   The STARS program also offers an emergency book loan program that allows students to borrow up to $150 worth of books, based on availability, for core curriculum classes.

   Students in the program must overcome a variety of barriers that might otherwise hinder them from reaching their academic goals, Crear said.

   “It is important for the program to individualize the help because all participants are unique and bring unique needs,” she said.

   Despite the many obstacles, STARS participants have a history of success. Eighty-four percent of the STARS students are currently in good academic standing while many of those students are far above the minimum passing grade point average of 2.0.

   Over the 2000-2001 academic year, eight program participants were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges.

   Five participants were listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges, a publication which identifies and recognizes outstanding students in two-year colleges.

   Nine STARS students graduated from Tarrant County College during the 2000-2001 school year, and 12 students transferred to a four-year university.

   Crear stressed that the STARS program is a collaborative effort.

   “We are not here to try to replace anything, but to enhance what’s going on here on South Campus,” she said.

   STARS operates through a Department of Education grant that covers four years at a time. The current grant proposal was written in September 2001 and will provide funding for the program until 2005, at which point a new grant proposal must be written.

   When the new grant proposal is written, Crear hopes to be able to serve more students through the STARS program.

   “The program is bursting at the seams,” she said.

   In the near future, Crear hopes to establish mentoring for STARS participants that would include job shadowing.

   As a long-range goal, Crear envisions the program expanding to assist students on all four campuses.

   “Needy students are everywhere,” she said.

   Students interested in applying for the STARS program should call 817-515-4260 to speak to a member of the STARS staff.

   Interested students are also encouraged to check things out in person, Crear said. The STARS office is located at ACB 167.