It’s no secret that students attending OLLU pay a significant amount of tuition in order to attend the school. At the same time, like many other young people across the nation, OLLU students receive countless credit card offers through the mail, and they become vulnerable to incurring more debt if they do not use their credit cards responsibly.

That’s why the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization is hosting a free credit card workshop in collaboration with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater San Antonio (CCCSSA).
The workshop, which will be held March 28 from 9 to 11 a.m. in Library Room 102, is targeting students in order to educate them about credit card use.

“Students sometimes take on too much debt. They don’t understand the fine type, and they don’t know what hidden charges there are,” said Sujata Venkateswar, assistant professor of accounting and SIFE faculty advisor.

CCCSSA, a Debt Management Service Provider licensed by the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, was invited by SIFE to conduct the credit card workshop in order to inform students about using credit cards responsibly and to teach them about various aspects of credit.
“Some students are not being fiscally responsible,” said Venkateswar. “They graduate with a heavy debt so were trying to help them manage their credit.”

According to CCCSSA’s Web site, www.cccssa.org, the credit card workshop includes information about different types of credit cards, credit card terms and conditions, and tips for avoiding fees and penalties.
“Our goal is to get out the information about what to do and what not to do with credit cards,” said Leticia Pena, senior and SIFE president. “Students should research credit cards and not immediately sign up for them.”

SIFE is a worldwide organization with chapters in various countries and universities. The OLLU chapter was formed in the spring of 2006 as both a class, under the course name Special Studies in Business Administration, and a Registered Student Organization (RSO) on campus.

The goal of SIFE is to create and implement outreach programs that teach SIFE’s five educational topics: Financial Literacy, Success Skills, Entrepreneurship, Business Ethics, and Market Economics.
This year, SIFE scheduled four basic computer literacy classes, among other projects, at the Benavides Learning Center on Castroville Road. The classes inform participants about the basics of computers and Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel and Power Point.

SIFE will compete at the SIFE Regional Competition in Dallas on April 3-4 where they will have 25 minutes to present all of the projects they have completed over the past year.