Beginning Aug. 1, students who travel to and from OCCC or anywhere in the city using the Metro Transit bus system must pay a quarter extra per trip, said Megan Mitchener, Metro Transit marketing coordinator.

Mitchener said the change will bring one-way bus fares to $1.50.

In addition, she said, Metro Transit will also offer two new passes: a daily pass for $4 and a weekly pass for $14.

Just in time for near-100 degree heat, OCCC completed installation last week of a new irrigation system that is intended to bring more eye appeal to the campus, said Gary Phillips, Building and Campus Services supervisor.

Phillips said the irrigation system would water the landscape, trees and sod.10

He said the system, which is made up of underground tubing and sprinkler watering systems, would be set on a timer.

The cost of the irrigation system was $6,208, Phillips said.

He said the money for the system came from campus improvement funds.

Students who use the college’s Main Building doors between the Keith Leftwich Memorial Library and the Welcome Desk will have to find other ways to get inside the building Monday, said Chris Snow, Facilities Management assistant director.

Snow said Facilities Management will be tearing up and fixing the outside sidewalk area beginning today, until late Monday evening.

The sidewalk is a danger to all who use it, Snow said.

Students who want help choosing classes can now chat with an adviser without coming to the college thanks to a new online distance advising portal, said Academic Adviser Sara McElroy.

The virtual program, which began July 6, works as a chatroom on OCCC’s website, where students can webchat with an adviser to prepare for next semester’s classes.

More students than ever are using the services in Student Employment and Career Services — and they’re getting jobs, said Director Debra Vaughn. She said since 2008, the career guidance programs in her department have seen a 124 percent increase in use.

“Career Services are giving the student the tools and empowering them to land the job,” Vaughn said.

One program getting the most use is Optimal Resume online at www.occc.optimalresume.com, she said. Some of the tools Optimal Resume offers are cover letter creation, résumé, and interviewing skills practice.

Students in the Information Technology Division will soon be staring at two monitors instead of one when using lab computers, and using a faster operating system in the classrooms, Computer Aided Technology Department Chair John Helton said.

Helton said the multimedia lab on the third floor of the Keith Leftwich Memorial Library will have its computers fitted with two screens each.

The dual monitors will “give the student more screen real estate,” Lab Supervisor Gary Dominguez said.

After three days of cleaning up from torrential rains that closed the Aquatics Center, the Weight Room and the Social Sciences Center, all three areas reopened last week Khari Huff, Recreation and Fitness Coordinator said.

The cost of cleaning and repairs hasn’t been totaled, Huff said. She said she was not sure when a final amount would be tabulated.

The centers were closed July 7 when more than 2.5 inches of rain flooded parts of the low lying areas of the college.

OCCC night students and staff say they are hungry and unhappy now that the college does not provide hot food service for them.

The cafeteria in the College Union closes at 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 2 p.m. Fridays.

The OCCC Coffee Shop closes at 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

OCCC’s Cyber Security program was nationally recognized in June as one of the best programs in the nation, according to a letter from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency.

The college is one of only six two-year schools in the nation to receive the award for how well it prepares students to enter into the cyber security field, said Tom Ashby, acting dean of Information Technology.

“The criterion for this award were very high and by exceeding them we showed our continued commitment to excellence in this area of study,” Ashby said.

Graduating business students on a tight budget won’t have to scour the sales racks at the local mall to find professional dress for interviews.

Some students will be able to select free clothing from the Business Clothes Closet starting this fall, said Lisa Adkins, Administrative Office Technology professor.

Located in the Business Department, the closet will be available at the start of the school year, Adkins, who directs the program, said.