On Monday, October 13 Freedom Financial Expo Center held an out-of-sate college fair. Over 180 colleges and universities participated in the fair. Hundreds of students and parents attended the event.

Each college had a table with materials such as brochures about the colleges and a representative to answer questions and provide information.

The universities ranged from smaller private schools to larger state universities. The event was held by Palmer Ridge High school.

Many parents expressed disappointment that Manitou Springs High School did not tell anyone of this event. This angered parents because this could have been a great resource for all the kids of Manitou if they had known of the event.

Maxx Ives (11) attended this event, and when asked about his thoughts on the Expo he said, “I think this is a great resource for kids who don’t know what college they want to attend. It gives them a chance to look at colleges that most would not be able to consider because of location.”

One program advertised at the event which is offered for the western part of the United States is the Western Undergraduate Program (WUE). This program is offered by many of the schools in the west. States that participate in WUE include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and US Pacific Territories. The program is a joint tuition program between many of the western states. Students who meet the requirements can get a large discount on tuition at participating schools.

For more information, check out the website www.wiche.edu.