With increasing tuitions and the continuing economic slump, many students are seeking ways to save a little cash when it comes to their education.

 Others feel more secure in a smaller, more intimate classroom setting but still want to enjoy the typical on-campus social life.

 With both Macomb Community College and Oakland Community College nearby, many students opt to use community colleges as either a stepping-stone or in conjunction with their workload at OU.

 Junior psychology major, Elizabeth Tanalski, opted to take a lot of her general education requirements at Oakland Community College.

 “I took classes in the summer there ‘cus it was far cheaper than OU and I could quickly get them out of the way,” said Tanalski.

 In addition to the monetary benefits, Tanalski also noticed a more diverse student body at OCC.

 “The thing I noticed about the OCC is that there is a far wider variety of people who go there opposed to the university,” said Tanalski.

 Kaitlin Carnaghi, a freshman health science major, said the option to take summer classes at Macomb Community College would help to ease her financial burden.

 “It is cheaper than taking summer classes at OU,” said Carnaghi about her decision to possibly take chemistry or physics at MCC.

 In addition to the option of applying and registering for classes at a neighboring community college, OU offers students a direct line to Macomb Community College through the Macomb 2 Oakland program.

 The program, which is available to students with less than 32 college credits, eliminates the legwork of applying as a guest student and transferring credits by allowing prospective students to submit one application to OU, which is then also processed at Macomb.

 “The idea here is that the student can be concurrently enrolled at both establishments at the same time,” said Cheryl Rhodey, the academic coordinator for student success and advising at OU’s Macomb campus. 

“You can be working on an associate and a bachelor’s taking classes toward them at both schools, and they are automatically transcripted to the opposite school.”

 The program has seen a steady increase since its start in 2006. 

Now at 532 students, M20 grows by 20 to 30 percent each year, said OU director of enrollment outreach, Julie Dichtel.

 “The M2O program gives the best of both worlds,” said Dichtel. “You are an Oakland University student but you can take classes at Macomb for less money … Students are able to enjoy the university experience from day one.”

 However, the Macomb 2 Oakland program offers more to students than cheaper classes at Macomb and coordinated financial aid. Concurrently enrolled students also have access to both schools resources including advising, library facilities and a more expansive course selection.

During Monday’s address to faculty and staff, OU President Gary Russi said enrollment is up for community colleges, which could affect OU both positively and negatively. 

While it may initially take away from OU enrollment as more students go to community colleges, most of them transfer to larger schools, including OU.

Russi also suggested that a program similar to the M2O program with OCC may be in the works. 

Students interested in the Macomb 2 Oakland program, can visit the M2O site at http://www.oakland.edu/m2o/.