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ACC students are preparing to take part in a mock congressional hearing on healthcare reform legislation this Saturday, February 13, at the Texas Capitol. The event, sponsored by ACC’s Center for Public Policy & Political Studies (CPPPS), the Center for Student Political Studies (CSPS) club, and other organizations, will feature ACC and UT students filling the roles of Democratic and Republican members of Congress. They will hear expert testimony on the issues of primary care expansion, patient safety, hospital staffing, and healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured.
Members of the public and the media are invited to observe the hearing.
“This is a unique opportunity for the students involved to learn about the legislative process while also having an objective and factual debate about some of the issues involved in healthcare reform,” says Peck Young, CPPPS director. “For those who come to watch, it will be an informative and interesting program.”
The National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) and Dr. Ray Marshall, professor emeritus at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, helped select the topics of the debate. In addition, students learned about hearing procedures in anticipation of the event from lobbyist Mike Kelly and ACC Professor of History /CSPS Faculty advisor, Dr. David Lauderback. Dr. William Sage, vice provost for health affairs at the UT School of Law, joined the NNOC in providing healthcare information to the students.
“Healthcare is an issue that affects every person and every business in Texas,” says Sage. “I hope that this workshop, and similar collaborations between institutions of higher education and among academic disciplines, will help our students better understand government and inspire them to public service.”
The mock hearing begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 13 at the House Appropriation Committee Room (Capitol Extension room E1.030; the State Capitol is located at the intersection of 11th & Congress).
Click here to download a map.
For more information, please contact Carla Jackson, associate director of the CPPPS, at cjackso3@austincc.edu or 223-7049.
Posted in the ACC Homepage Announcements, ACC Newsroom category on February 8th, 2010, No Comments »
Students can celebrate Valentine’s Day early with a three-day love and relationship series held February 10-12 at various campuses. Events range from a fun dating game to serious talks on how to survive a breakup.
Hasani Pettiford
Special guest is “Date Doctor” – sexuality and relationships expert Hasani Pettiford, co-founder of the non-profit Touch & Agree Family Institute in New Jersey. Pettiford spoke at Austin Community College last year and is back by special demand to facilitate this year’s events.
“There were a lot of students who wanted to ask questions, but we ran out of time,” says Cheryl Richard, director of the Student Life Office which hosts the series. “We invited Mr. Pettiford back to give more students an opportunity to learn about breaking up, being single, and even how to make long-term relationships work.”
Join your fellow students for the following free events. For room locations and other details, see the Student Life calendar.
Wednesday, February 10
- Eastview Campus, 12:30 &1:25 p.m., Breaking Up Without Breaking Down
- Rio Grande Campus, 6 p.m., Date to Mate Café
Thursday, February 11
- Pinnacle Campus, 9 a.m. & Noon, Breaking Up Without Breaking Down
Friday, February 12
- Northridge, 4 p.m.: For Rich and For Poor, presentation by A+ Credit Union
- Northridge, 5 p.m.: LIVE taping of talk show, with a Student Life version of “The Dating Game
“The team has put together an exciting series of events that have a lot of students talking,” Richards says. “It’s going to be a lot of fun!”
Posted in the ACC Homepage Announcements, ACC Newsroom category on February 5th, 2010, 2 Comments »
The ACC Board of Trustees unanimously approved a contract on Thursday, February 4, to purchase additional property for the college’s Rio Grande Campus in downtown Austin. ACC will purchase three tracts of land adjacent to the campus, totaling about half an acre, for $2.1 million plus closing costs, which are available from 2009 revenue bonds. The purchase is part of a land banking initiative in ACC’s service area that was approved by ACC Trustees in June 2007.
The land is located at 1209 Rio Grande Street, 1215 Rio Grande Street, and 605 13th Street. The Board of Trustees authorized the college to negotiate for the purchase of land in the vicinity of the Rio Grande Campus in February 2007 to allow for future expansion.
ACC’s district-wide facilities master planning is currently underway. That process, scheduled to be completed this year, will recommend specific uses for the property.
Posted in the ACC Homepage Announcements, ACC Newsroom, Official ACC Press Releases category on February 5th, 2010, 1 Comment »
Join the Austin Community College District for hands-on demonstrations and information sessions at Feria Para Aprender, a regional learning fair for Hispanic students and families. Organizers expect more than 10,000 parents and youth to attend the event, which includes activities and exhibits by school districts, non-profits, colleges, universities, and organizations that provide scholarships.
ACC will have several booths at the Feria, showcasing various programs and providing key information about the college. Activities include robotics and solar technology exhibits, opportunities to take apart hybrid engines to learn how they work, and demonstrations of computer animation.
“The Feria improves access to education and support services for a growing part of our community,” says Dr. Richard Armenta, ACC’s associate vice president for student success. “Taking part in this event is in line with ACC’s priority to help close the achievement gap among demographics that traditionally have low participation in higher education.”
The Feria will be held Saturday, February 6, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane in Austin. Additional details about the Feria are available at feriaparaaprender.com/austin.
Posted in the ACC Newsroom, Official ACC Press Releases category on February 4th, 2010, 1 Comment »
Joey Gidseg's grand prize photo in the 2010 International Student Exhibition and Competition.
Austin Community College student Joey Gidseg was awarded top honors recently for work she entered in two international photography competitions.
The Photo Imaging Education Association presented to Gidseg its grand prize award for single image in the college/university category at its 2010 International Student Exhibition and Competition.
Gidseg also has three photos on exhibit in San Antonio as winners of the Texas Photographic Society International Student Photography Competition. Gidseg is one of 15 students whose work is on display through February 19 at the Semmes Gallery at the University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway, San Antonio.
Posted in the ACC Newsroom, Banner Stories category on February 4th, 2010, 3 Comments »
Photo courtesy Phoenix Commotion
Floors made out of wine corks and banisters from branches? It’s all in a day’s work for Dan Phillips, a builder who creates low-income housing out of reused and recycled materials otherwise destined for the landfill. Phillips, whose work has been featured in People magazine and on CNN, will speak at Austin Community College’s Riverside Campus on Wednesday, February 3. The event is free and open to the public.
“Attractive, affordable housing is possible, and I’m out to prove it,” says Phillips. “You can’t defy the laws of physics or building codes, but beyond that, the possibilities are endless.”
Phillips, a self-taught carpenter and builder, estimates at least 80 percent of the material in his houses comes from leftover construction waste. The finishing touches are odds and ends such as plates and serving dishes, picture frame samples, and broken tiles.
“Recycling building materials helps the environment and also minimizes the cost of construction,” says Phillips. “By reducing those costs, we can build homes for single parents, low-income families, and artists.”
Phillips began building recycled homes in Huntsville about 14 years ago.
He will speak in Riverside’s Building G lecture hall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3.
Posted in the ACC Newsroom, Official ACC Press Releases category on February 2nd, 2010, 1 Comment »
NOTE: It is up to each taxpayer to determine eligibility for Educational Tax Benefits and how to calculate them. ACC cannot advise you on how to claim the tax benefits. Please contact a tax professional regarding your 1098-T questions.
For information available through the IRS, on both Educational Tax Benefits (deduction or credit) and the 1098-T, click on IRS Publication 970 (PDF).
IRS Form 1098-T
The IRS form 1098-T (Tuition Statement) is issued to all students who attended an eligible education institution and paid qualified tuition and fees for the calendar year. The information on Form 1098-T is used to determine if you are eligible to claim an education credit on your Federal Income Tax Return.
The amounts reported in boxes 2 through 7 reflect transactions which occurred during the tax year. [Important: This 1098-T indicates the amount that ACC billed you. If you need the amount you actually paid during the tax year, please refer to your receipts; if they are not available, see Statement of Account below.]
If you did not receive a 1098-T or need a replacement, you may print one from the Online Services web site (Student Login) or you may request the replacement 1098-T be mailed to your address on file with ACC by sending an email to 1098T@austincc.edu or calling 512-223-1122.
If you need a Statement of Account or a prior year 1098-T, you may request this information be mailed to you by sending an email 1098T@austincc.edu or calling 512-223-1122. The information will be mailed to your address on file with ACC.
Requests should include the student’s full name and student ID or the last four digits of their Social Security Number.
PLEASE NOTE for Address Changes:
If the address on file is not your current address, you update your address through Admissions and Records by completing a Student Data Change form (PDF). If you are faxing or mailing the form to ACC, be sure to include a photocopy of a picture I.D. Once your address has been updated, please send an email to 1098T@austincc.edu to have a duplicate 1098-T mailed to you.
If you have any other questions that are not answered by this website or the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the 1098-T or related issues about ACC, please send an email to 1098T@austincc.edu or call 512-223-1122.
FAQs for IRS Form 1098-T
More information about “Tax Benefits for Education” is available here (PDF).
- I did not receive a 1098-T
If you did not receive a 1098-T or need a replacement, you may print one from the Online Services web site (Student Login) or you may request the replacement 1098-T be mailed to your address on file with ACC by sending an email to 1098T@austincc.edu or calling 512-223-1122.
If the address on file is not your current address, you update your address through Admissions and Records by completing a Student Data Change form (PDF). If you are faxing or mailing the form to ACC, be sure to include a photocopy of a picture I.D. Once your address has been updated, please send an email to 1098T@austincc.edu to have a duplicate 1098-T mailed to you.
- Box 1 is blank and I paid for my tuition.
ACC is not required to complete Box 1. ACC uses the billed amount for reporting to the IRS, not the amount paid. If you need the amount paid, please refer to your receipts; if they are not available, e-mail 1098T@austincc.edu to request a Statement of Account to be mailed to the address on file with ACC.
- Box 2 is zero. If the amount in Box 2 is zero:
- The student’s tuition and fees may have been paid by an exemption or a sponsor. The amount billed, less the amount paid by the exemption or sponsor, is the amount reported in this box; or,
- The student’s qualified tuition and fees may have been paid by a “guaranteed tuition plan” (such as Texas Tomorrow, now called Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan). The amount billed, less the amount paid by the “guaranteed tuition plan,” is the amount reported in this box. [In previous years, we reported the total amount billed. However, IRS does not require us to include the “guaranteed tuition plan” payment on the 1098-T. The agency that operates the plan will report that amount to you on an IRS 1099-Q.] Or,
- The student did not have any billing for the reporting year but received financial aid for a previous year. In such a case, Box 2 would be zero but there would be an amount reported in Box 5.
- Box 3 is blank
This box indicates whether the institution has changed its reporting method. ACC did not change its reporting method for the 1098-T.
- Box 4 has an amount in it
This box shows any adjustment made for a prior year for qualified tuition and related expenses that were reported on a prior year 1098-T.
- Box 5 is for scholarships and grants
If the box is blank, the student did not receive any scholarships or grants. If the student received a loan, it is not reflected in the box because it does not qualify as a scholarship or grant. If there is an amount in box 5, the student received a scholarship or grant for that amount during the tax year.
- Box 6 is for adjustments to scholarships or grants for a prior year.
If there is an amount in box 6, an adjustment was made to the student’s scholarship or grant from a previous year.
- Box 7 has an ‘X’ in it
This box indicates whether the amount in box 2 includes amounts for an academic period beginning January through March of the current calendar year.
- Box 8 has an ‘X’ in it
This box indicates whether the student was registered for 6 hours or more each semester. If it is blank, the student was registered for fewer than 6 hours each semester.
- Boxes 9 and 10 are always blank.
- If the student is requesting a 1098-T for a prior year, they must send an e-mail to 1098T@austincc.edu, specifying the year for which they are requesting a 1098-T.
Posted in the ACC Newsroom category on February 1st, 2010, Comments Off
The Center for Student Political Studies is hosting a special event on Wednesday, February 3 to highlight the importance of political engagement and civic involvement. Texas State Representative Diana Maldonado (D – Round Rock), former Austin mayor Bruce Todd, and Peck Young, director of ACC’s Center for Public Policy and Political Studies, will address students at the college’s Eastview Campus. The event will be held on February 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Eastview’s Multipurpose Hall (building 8000).
There will be free food and drink along with a drawing for an iPod shuffle. Students will also have an opportunity to learn about a Center for Student Political Studies charity program. The Silver Star Project aims to promote literacy among children.
For more information, contact Avy Gonzalez at 223-7049 or avygonzalez1@aol.com.
Posted in the ACC Newsroom category on January 28th, 2010, No Comments »
The ACC Transfer Academy is kicking off the spring semester with a series of advisory sessions designed to prepare students for transfer to a four-year university.
Titled “Transfer Essentials,” the 1½-hour sessions will help university-bound students:
- Identify and select a career/major in line with your transfer plans
- Select the core curriculum or identify classes to count towards your transfer degree plan
- Improve your transfer admissions application
- Apply for transfer financial aid
- Follow steps for a smooth transfer
- Adapt to the transfer university life and culture
Admission is free, but registration is recommended. View dates and register online at the Transfer Academy website.
About Transfer Essentials:
Transfer Essentials advisory sessions are hosted by the ACC Transfer Academy in partnership with College Connection 2+2+2 and the College Access Challenge Grant.
Posted in the ACC Newsroom, Banner Stories category on January 27th, 2010, 1 Comment »
Barbara Powell helps Austin Smiles as it brings reconstructive surgery to people in developing countries.
Her next medical mission is scheduled for February
After walking alone through jungle and hilly terrain for several days, a teen-age girl found the Americans she was seeking at the military hospital in San Salvador. She had a request for them. Could they fix her cleft palate so that food wouldn’t pass through her nose when she ate? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in the ACC Newsroom, Banner Stories category on January 27th, 2010, 2 Comments »
