NEWS BRIEFS

Three PSU students flee downtown Cairo

Three Portland State students studying abroad in Cairo, Egypt have left the downtown area, according to Education Abroad Adviser Blythe Knott.

The students were studying abroad at American University when riots broke out between President Hosni Mubarak supporters and anti-government supporters, according to Oregon Public Broadcast.

“It was getting harder and harder to stay because they were confined to their dorms,” Knott said.

One of the students, Gwen Bowers, is currently in Cairo’s Zamalek district, according to her mother, Jessica Waddell. Zamalek, an upper-class neighborhood, is northwest of Tahrir and is roughly three kilometers away from downtown Cairo.

Waddell said that other students are being transferred to the neighborhood as well. The students now have Internet again, and Waddell said she has been talking to her daughter over Skype. In addition, she said that classes are set to start up again soon.

Bowers, a junior majoring in international studies, has been studying in Cairo since August.

According to Knott, the other two PSU students had just arrived in Cairo when riots broke out. One of them is still in the Middle East, while the second is returning to the United States. The students’ names could not be released.

Corie Charnley, Vanguard staff

Campus to offer free tax preparation and filing

Though the deadline is still two months away, students are starting to fret the looming tax season. To help alleviate the burden, Portland State’s student accounting group, Beta Alpha Psi, is partnering with Student Legal Services (SLS) to help students prepare their taxes for free.

“It’s simple—come prepared with your basic forms, W-2, 1040, certain itemized deductions and in a 30–45 minute session, we will have your taxes done,” said Steven Nguyen, Beta Alpha Psi president. “This program is exclusively for lower and moderate income people.”

Additionally, Nguyen said that the student group can only assist those whose taxes are fairly simple.

“Someone coming in with a shoebox full of tax write-offs and other large deductions won’t find our services useful,” he said.

The program runs alongside Cash Oregon and AARP Tax Aide services, which has been helping millions of people file their taxes since 1968. The majority of volunteers are students and retired certified public accountants.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the assistance provided by Beta Alpha Psi and the volunteers.

“What most college kids don’t know is that they are qualified for the American Opportunity Credit, which is a refundable amount of up to $2,500,” Nguyen said.

The American Opportunity Credit is just one of the few credits from which students may be able to qualify and benefit.

“It is a great service to the community and a wonderful learning experience for our accounting students,” said Elizabeth Almer, an associate professor of accounting.

The tax preparation service will be available until April 15, and more information can be found at www.betaalphapsi.pdx.edu, or at the School of Business and Administration.

Christina J. Maggio, Vanguard staff

“The Biggest Loser” comes to Portland

NBC’s show “The Biggest Loser” will host an open casting call in Portland on Feb. 26 at the Rose Garden Arena for its 12th season.

“We would love to find a college student this year who’s Mr. (or Ms.) Personality…but would love to get healthy,” said Karen Happel, the show’s casting director, in an e-mail.

To qualify, contestants must need to lose at least 100 pounds. No registration is needed, but only the first 500 people are guaranteed an interview.

The casting call begins at 10 a.m. For those that cannot make it, NBC is also taking video submissions. For more information, visit www.thebiggestlosercasting.com.

Corie Charnley, Vanguard staff

Deaf scholar to host lecture at PSU

Carl Schroeder, who was born deaf in the Netherlands, will be holding a lecture on Feb. 15 about the current status of American Sign Language (ASL).

“Since 1965, the American Sign Language has been reluctantly examined as fully-fledged language of the Deaf that is sight-oriented. Signed, not spoken,” according to a press release.

Schroeder is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Capella University. He used Gebarentaal (Dutch sign language) until 1963, when he moved to the United States with his parents. He then had to learn ASL.

The lecture is sponsored by the American Sign Language Book Club, the School of Social Work and the ASL Program at PSU.  It will be held in the Native American Student and Community Center on Feb. 15 at 6 .m. 

Corie Charnley, Vanguard staff