European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars Anid stripes education monday january 11, 1993 in news of icy delays by Chuck Robert staff writer principal Mary Kubas Meyer had just five pupils in her care Early wednesday morning at Turner Junior High school at Rhein main a Germany but with school delayed two hours because of an ice storm that had glazed streets across Germany the five there were five More than expected a a. Quot there a always some that slip through Quot said Kubas Meyer who let the youngsters play Aind help her answer the phone until school officially opened. Normally when weather makes driving hazardous military Community officials determine when or if schools will open. Once they decide they notify the american forces network which broadcasts the delays or closures on am and pm radio. But wednesday the closure announcements were delayed by nearly two hours on the an am radio signal. An officials noted internal miscommunication As the cause of the wednesday delay on the am network but declined to explain How the Snag occurred. Delays in deciding to Call off school or Start it late and getting the word out Arentt unusual said Hal Haggard spokesman for the department of pc sense dependents schools in Germany. Contributing to those delays is the High turnover rate of service members and civilian employees in Europe. This Means that Many people involved with determining if the weather is bad enough to affect school schedules will be making those decisions Dorithe first time. For example it had been about two years since poor weather forced school delays at Rhein main so it was the first experience of its kind there for it. Col. Keith fennel and others. Still the process at the base went smoothly officials said Fennell Deputy commander for the 435th Airlift Wing got a Telephone Call about 4 30 . Wednesday from the base command Post alerting him to Security police reports of icy Road conditions. After talking to the police transportation officials and others Fennell decided by about 5 . To delay school for two hours past the Normal 8 30 . Starting time. A a a a a. ,. Then an was notified. Once an receives and confirms a school report the announcements Are made Between songs on local disc jockey shows and any time during network shows network officials said. \ about 5 15 . The Rhein main delay was reported on Afna Sam Channel. But announcements of schedule changes for schools there and in other communities were not reported on Afna Sam Channel until after 7 ., when some parents already were on the Way to school with their children. 1 from the Dodds end of the process Kubas Meyer got a Call from the Rhein main military Liaison officer about 5 15 ., and she started a Chain of tale it phone Calls to Alert All teachers. About 7 . She arrived at work in Case anyone showed up and of course the five Young people did. Parents of Dodds pupils should know How to find out if schools will close or Start late because of bad weather Kubas Meyer said because they get a letter of explanation during registration and details in the handbook they receive. And if parents have trouble receiving school closure information through an Haggard said they can Contact the staff duty officer of the base or Post responsible for the  a someone cares s6s Iofi Bohm a by the new York times Tough economic times and the rising Cost of a College education which can now top $20,000 annually have produced a Boom in computerized scholarship search operations for fees ranging from $50 to $250, these operations offer customized lists of corporate and foundation Grants for which a student might qualify. The services scan electronic data Banks of thousands of scholarships and match ethnic background religion intended career Choice or other criteria to the individual applicant. But Many educators believe that such services Are a waste of Money because similar financial Aid information is accessible at Public libraries High school guidance offices and College financial Aid offices Quot at the very most these firms save you a couple of hours of research in the Library Quot said Madeline Mclean a spokeswoman for the National association of student financial Aid administrators. Moreover students Are increasingly Able to conduct their own computerized scholarship searches at no Cost or at a minimal Cost because More academic institutions and libraries arc installing electronic financial Aid data bases. Charles Khoury director of guidance at Ridgewood High school in northeastern new Jersey said his school purchases scholarship search computer software for $211 annually from Peterson a a Princeton n.j., publisher of College and career guides and the program lists 45,938 private scholarships and Grants. A the level of specificity is pretty Good a Khoury said. Quot we can to find a scholarship based on whether you re left handed or right handed but if you re a White Catholic female and want to study nursing we can find something for  the College Board a higher education research group has developed a computer program on comprehensive financial Aid that should be available for $395, this month. The program will enable a family to calculate How much of a child a education it will be expected to pay based on Federal guidelines As Well As to search for state and private scholarships and Loans from among 3,000 programs said Maureen Matheson executive director of the College boards guidance publishing unit. Last year College financial Aid totalled $30.8 billion including government Grants and Loans and helped about half of Alt College students pay for their education according to the College Board Matheson said the Board was prompted to computerize financial Aid information partly in response to widespread complaints about scholarship search operations from educators students and consumer groups. Quot the Quality of the information these services provide is questionable Quot said Carrie Getty vice president of operations at the better business Bureau of metropolitan new York. Very few of those who paid the search Companio fees actually found scholarships she said. In some cases the scholarships the companies listed no longer existed or the deadlines had passed Getty said. A often she said the services did not make it Clear to students that they would have to Complete scholarship applications themselves. And Getty said the companies rarely made Good on promises of Cash refunds or savings Bonds if scholarships were not obtained. Some of the search operations defended themselves by saying that it is impossible to Tell How successful their services Are because they do not know whether students follow through on applying for scholarships. As a result the better business Bureau issued unset third grader Mindi Thieme daughter of  sol Kevin thimme and his wife Deborah of Ramstein a Germany a shows off a poster that won her honors from the combined Federal Campaign. Pupils from five department of defense dependents schools in Europe were recognized for their work promoting the Csc the defense department s annual Hind raising Effort for charities. The posters Are headed for Washington to be considered for use in next years Campaign. Have Pitfalls i factory ratings in september to 20 of 21 scholarship search services that it had examined in new York City. The Lone company that was not rated unsatisfactory was data search in Manhattan. Nine other search operations about which the Bureau had received Calls had closed before the consumer group contacted them pointing up what Getty said was the Fly by night Quality of the search operations. Quot it was a learning experience a said Sylvia Alvarado 22, of her dealings with a defunct new York City scholarship search company. The Brooklyn resident who studies accounting at la Guardia Community College in Queens wrote a Check for $89 to Money for school in August 1991 after calling the company and being assured that it had helped other students obtain financial Aid. Alvarado said that All she received was a Booklet listing some corporate scholarships and general financial Aid information. She also said she was unable to get the refund promised if she was not satisfied with the services provided. A students and parents Are often lured by what College k exper say Are misleading advertisements sent through the mail or posted on Campus bulletin boards typical in companies Promise to help students tap vast amounts of scholarship Money that supposedly goes begging every year because no one eligible applies. The thousands of search companies that have sprung up nationwide Are typically franchise like businesses which pay a Parent company to conduct data searches. Most of the search businesses examined by the better business Bureau had such arrangements with one of three Parent companies All of which Are a Juder government investigation for either deceptive marketing practices or advertising claims. N