Ready for a little class? Spring registration for credit courses begins November 10 for current and former students. New student registration begins November 17. Visit www.austincc.edu/support/admissions/registering.php to begin your registration process and get the classes you want this spring.

Payment plan eases tuition burden. ACC is offering Central Texans a little economic relief just in time for spring registration. A new payment plan makes earning a college education more affordable. It allows students to spread their tuition bill over four installments without penalty. In-district residents pay $39 per credit hour; a full course load averages $1,000 per semester. The plan would break those payments into four equal installments of 25 percent, or $250 over a 16-week semester.

One-stop ESOL registration. ACC is hosting an Assessment, Advising and Orientation Day for students wishing to enroll in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. It will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at the Rio Grande Campus, 1212 Rio Grande Ave. ESOL students will have an opportunity to complete all the required steps, including placement testing, to be eligible for spring registration. Spaces are limited, and reservations are required. Call 223.3139 for an appointment.

Build a Park

Build it – a park, that is – and they will come. Student Life is hosting the seventh annual Build a Park project November 8 at the Country Club Creek Trail, located at Krieg Field, 515 S. Pleasant Valley Rd. The project is a partnership between ACC and the Austin Parks Foundation to maintain and improve Austin’s public parks. About 300 students participated last year, and an estimated 500 students will attend this year. This is ACC’s largest community service event, and Student Life is looking for students to volunteer for two shifts – 8 a.m. to noon, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first 100 students for each shift will receive a free T-shirt. The early shift gets free breakfast, while the second shift gets free lunch. Contact Dot Dearinger at 223.3167 for more information.

Accent reporters recognized. Kevin Stutz, a reporter for Accent, the ACC student newspaper, won second place for news writing during the Texas Community College Journalism Association Competition held in Corpus Christi in early October. Alma Hernandez and Trevor Goodchild earned honorable mentions for news photography and editorial writing, respectively. Newspaper staff also received honorable mentions for headline writing, overall excellence, and editorials.

Carnival Ah!

Mark your calendar for ah! thursdays. The Arts and Humanities Division hosts events on most Thursdays during the semester. Visit www.austincc.edu/carnival/thursdayevents.php to see the variety of listings available for ah! thursdays. Upcoming events include Election Expression on November 6 and a film and panel discussion on the concept of Identity on November 13. Both events will be in the Multipurpose Room 8500 of the Eastview campus.

Parents of the Year. Baylor University has named ACC Adjunct Business Law Professor Jim Nelson and his wife, Joanna, as 2008 Parents of the Year for their support of current and prospective Baylor students and families. The Nelsons were honored during the halftime ceremony of the Baylor football game October 11.

New scholarship offered. The ACC Foundation has established the Earl Maxwell Endowed Scholarship through the generosity of the accounting firm Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP. The scholarship will assist students entering the business field through programs in ACC’s Business Studies Division. The endowment recognizes the contributions of Maxwell, who was the founding lead partner in the accounting firm until his retirement in October 2007. Maxwell also helped establish the ACC Foundation and served on its board from 1991 to 2000.