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Make the Most of Your College Experience
 Most likely, academics are what brought you to DCCCD. But the college experience is about more than just the classroom – and that’s where SPAR comes in.
Not familiar with SPAR? Each DCCCD college has a Student Programs and Resources Office, also known as SPAR. According to Cathy Edwards, Mountain View College SPAR director, “SPAR is the heartbeat of the school.”
So, what does SPAR do? And what can it do for you? The answer is a little different at each DCCCD college, but in general, SPAR:
- oversees student clubs and organizations – from honor societies and course-emphasis clubs, to social and political clubs and student government
- helps bring speakers and performers to campus, including motivational and political speakers as well as famous actors, writers and entertainers
- sponsors leadership conferences for students
- hosts fun social activities, such as welcome back parties and holiday celebrations
How SPAR Can Help You
Making the time to get involved in extracurricular activities can be tough, but participation pays off, Edwards says.
“About 80 percent of our involved students — students who participate in a leadership program or in a club or organization — earn scholarships,” she says. Mountain View provides students with a student leadership transcript that proves those individuals have been involved with leadership activities.
[VIEW THE FULL STORY]
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Save Time - Buy Books Online
 Did you know that you can save yourself some time and trouble by buying your textbooks online? After you register for classes, you can buy your books online through eConnect.
With this eConnect feature, you can buy books for classes at any Dallas County Community College (except Dallas TeleCollege) from any of the campus Follett bookstores. You can choose to have your books shipped to you, or you can pick them up at your preferred location.
Here’s how it works:
1. Register for classes.
2. Go to eConnect and log in to the Buy My Books screen.
3. Select the term for which you want to buy books.
4. You’ll see a list of the classes you registered for and the books you need for each.
5. Select the books you want to buy and check out. You may also buy your books online directly from each DCCCD online eFollett bookstore.
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NLC Dance Team Boosts School Spirit
 If you go to a North Lake Blazers home basketball game, you’ll see some great hoops action from the reigning NJCAA Division III champions — and also enjoy entertainment from 15 dedicated women who make up the North Lake College Dance Team.
Yeah, that’s right — just like the big NBA teams, the Blazers have their very own dance team to get the crowd pumped up. Led by instructor Brenda Parker-Braswell (with the support of Blazers coach Tim McGraw), the NLC Dance Team performs at every home game. They also perform at various college events, serve as ambassadors to the community by performing for groups such as the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, and can be seen in the North Lake Dance Department’s fall and spring dance concerts. (The fall dance concert is free and will be held Nov. 21 and 22 at 7 p.m. in the NLC Performance Hall.)
Women interested in joining the dance team must audition in April. Those selected make a three-semester commitment to the team, practicing for an hour every morning, five days a week, during the Summer II semester, and for an hour twice a week in Fall and Spring. Although members don’t have to be dance students to be on the dance team, once selected, they enroll in DANC 1212.7001 and get course credit for their participation.
Second-year dance team member Denise Roque says getting to spend time with the rest of the team makes the hard work worth it.
“It’s encouraging to come to class every day,” she says. “The other members of the team are humble girls who know they still have more to learn. They’re all cooperative and have so much energy and spirit.”
For more information, including an FAQ about Dance Team auditions, visit the North Lake College Dance Department Web page.
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Get a “Cool” Career That’s Always in Demand
 Texans can’t cope without air conditioning, no matter how the economy’s doing. That’s just one of many reasons why you may want to investigate a career in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (or HVACR for short).
Actually, demand for skilled HVACR technicians has grown significantly nationwide. HVACR systems are increasingly complex, meaning they need service more often. And rapidly changing laws require skilled technicians who stay up-to-date on the latest regulations.
So if you like working with your hands and would enjoy the challenge of working with different machines and a variety of people, this career field could provide wonderful opportunities for you.
DCCCD’s Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology program, offered by Cedar Valley and Eastfield colleges, can prepare you for a career as an HVACR technician. Visit http://www.dcccd.edu/ACR for more information.
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