REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 26, 2016 – In an effort to help students master their classes and to bolster an atmosphere where learning expands beyond the classroom walls, Course Hero, the leading educational technology platform for course-specific study resources and tutoring, has committed to giving away $1,000,000 worth of one-on-one tutoring. As many as 10,000 students will each win $100 in tutor credits (totaling $1 million) giving them on-demand, 24/7 access to thousands of curriculum experts on the Course Hero platform.

“How many times have students started their homework only to realize they don’t understand a key point?” said Course Hero CEO and Co-Founder Andrew Grauer. “Class time is exceptionally valuable, but students spend a lot of their time learning outside of the classroom as well. At Course Hero, our vision is to be able to help any student, in any course, ask and answer any question. We aim to harness the power of educational technology to reduce barriers, enable students to get the most out of their education, and ultimately help them best prepare for their careers and lives beyond school.”

Rooted in the Socratic method, Course Hero’s platform connects students who have questions with tutors eager to help them find answers. The platform is also home to the largest course and school-specific resources, and functions as a continuously refreshed digital archive, which includes study guides, notes, and customizable flashcards.

“With more than 7.5 million educational resources tailored specifically for the courses at over 11,000 colleges and high schools nationwide, the Course Hero platform has helped more than five million users to not only earn better grades but to reach beyond the walls of the classroom and discover new methods for efficient studying and deeper learning,” continued Grauer. “Our new $1 Million investment fills us with hope that we can make a tangible difference of the education and lives of 10,000 students.”

For more information on eligibility and requirements, please visit the Course Hero $1 Million Tutor Sweepstakes page here: https://www.coursehero.com/sweepstakes/one-million-giveaway/

About Course Hero
Course Hero is a digital learning platform providing students with a suite of online educational resources, including crowdsourced study documents, expert tutors, and customizable flashcards. For students exploring new subjects, mastering key concepts—and everything in between—Course Hero offers essential tools to help them achieve their goals and succeed in their courses. To learn more, please visit www.coursehero.com.

Media Contact
Jesse Wentworth
1-888-634-9397
jessewentworth@coursehero.com

Talk about an historical event.  Where will the website www.jazzassistant.com be in 150 years.  It may be a late bloomer; however, great it is, it contains an infinite loop of infinite numbers randomly selected printed in ones mind and on sheet music.  Sort of a loop of henly in composition, that one can play and enjoy the continual progressions of Ionian, dorian, mixolydian combinations in all keys and permutations honing his or her listening skills.  Be the first to write a symphony only on filling in the blanks of resolve and the harmony given.  The balance of 2-5-1 for each chord sequence and melody give one the basis to write your own music with the printout as a  template that one can copywrite with little or no pecuniary remuneration to the site or owners of the site Corny Cornball- look up in  amazon or google creations and be delighted at ( for one thing) mathematical proof of eternally living redundantly forever in his book Death Mythed or Sinc I eternity…A must read grounded in the mathematical theorem ….. any finite combinations of elements when combined an infinite number of times will produce a finite number of combinations an infinite number of times like you are finite.

The advances are staggering. Sophisticated algorithms can create 50 pages of original music in one nano-second. With the help of a friend, I’ve created an algorithm I call www.jazzassistant.com, which uniquely combines Ionian, Mixolydian and Dorian chords and scales, using a random number generator to create octodcillions of pages every second.

The music created by the site (www.jazzassistant.com) can be saved to a computer or iPad, printed and edited, copyrighted, played…. Entrepreneurs will present millions of pages to the public at a minimal cost. Festivals of spontaneously written music will flood the stadiums. Bye-Bye Sheet Music Pie.

Contact:
Douglas “Corny Cornball” Cornish
Chairman of the Board
Econplusminus Llc
dcorni1@gmail.com

Shannon Schuyler
Principal, Chief Purpose Officer and Corporate Responsibility Leader at PwC and President of PwC Charitable Foundation

My young colleague Gabi has a great career ahead. She graduated from a first-rate university last year with a double major and double minor in high demand fields. She interned with PwC starting in her second year of college, taking on progressively sophisticated roles each summer, and transitioned to working with us as an associate immediately after graduation. Gabi’s a smart, competent young adult who has managed many challenges successfully. She immigrated to the United States from Chile with her parents and older sister when she was seven. But like most of her peers—millennials who will comprise more than 75 percent of the workforce by 2025—Gabi is worried about money.

Gabi is a typical millennial in many ways. She graduated from college with long-term debt (student loans and a car payment) and experiences considerable stress around meeting monthly expenses. Something else Gabi has in common with her peers—she received very little financial education (one week in a high school math class) before choosing to study accounting in college.

Millennials are on course to become the most educated generation in American history. But they face greater economic challenges than previous generations and are already financially fragile. A study our firm released this month, Millennials & Financial Literacy—The Struggle with Personal Finance, conducted by The Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) at the George Washington University with the support of PwC, found that students like Gabi aren’t alone. In fact, a wide majority of millennials are struggling to understand fundamental financial concepts and manage their debt. Among the findings:

- Only 24% of millennials demonstrate basic financial knowledge.
- The majority of millennials carry long-term debt. 55% of college graduates have student loans, including 34% of young adults with annual incomes of more than $75,000.
- More than half of millennials carried over a credit card balance in the last 12 months and 45% make only minimum monthly payments.
- Millennials are unprepared to weather a shock. Nearly half say they could not come up with $2,000 within the next month to meet an unexpected need.

Despite the fact that millennials are facing these issues in large numbers, the study found that they are afraid to ask for help. In fact, a startling few (27%) seek professional financial advice. Financial literacy is such a pervasive issue for this generation, and it’s important to know that it’s okay to ask for help.

The gap is widening between the amount of financial responsibility given to young Americans and their demonstrated ability to manage personal finances. It’s time to reduce that gap. Young people must be empowered to make smart financial decisions, because the economic stability and success of our businesses and communities depends on their choices.

In 2012, my firm launched its Earn Your Future (EYF) commitment focused on helping young people develop critical financial skills and providing educators with resources and training to teach financial literacy. In 2015, we extended our commitment, now totaling $190 million. We don’t have all the answers, and our efforts will continue to evolve. Still, I am optimistic. A few months ago, I met with an exuberant group of third-and-fourth graders participating in an EYF program. I asked if they thought it was better to spend on a toy or a game that they wanted now or to save for the future. In unison they shouted “save!” These kids have something in common with Gabi.

Unlike many of her peers (perhaps because she studied finance in college or because of her family’s experience), Gabi is saving rather than spending—for now, she has chosen to live at home with her parents in order to pay off her student loans more quickly—and she is learning about ways to boost her credit score. She also reaps benefits from working at PwC, which this past year announced a student loan pay down program to help reduce student loan burden. But all adults, regardless of education or employer, should be able to manage their personal finances. Expanded access to financial education can bring powerful improvements in financial literacy and financial stability for the next generation of Americans.

For more information on millennials and financial literacy, visit pwc.com/us/millennialsfinlit.

Media Contact
Sarah Tropiano
PwC
(703) 307-3823
sarah.b.tropiano@pwc.com

WASHINGTON (January 14, 2016) – College-aged adults (age 18-25) have more accepting views of mental health care than other adults, but they still see challenges when it comes to accessing care, according to results of a nationwide poll released today by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). The survey was conducted online among more than 2,000 adults, including 198 age 18-25, on behalf of the Anxiety Depression Association of America, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention by Harris Poll.

“We’re seeing a shift in the stigma of mental health in emerging adults, but until we can improve access to mental health care, it is unlikely that this generation will receive the support and care for a long-term change in mental well-being,” said Anne Marie Albano, PhD, ABPP, a member of ADAA and a child and adolescent psychologist and a professor at Columbia University. “Changes in our health care system have made it possible for them to get services and establish a new tenor for how future generations view mental health care. We must act to ensure this care is delivered.”

A majority of college-aged adults (60 percent) view seeing a mental health professional as a sign of strength, but nearly half see it as something most people cannot afford (46 percent) and one-third (33 percent) see it as inaccessible for most people. This age group, adults 18-25, report higher rates of diagnosed mental disorders than older adults, including anxiety and depression. Additionally, 65 percent of college-aged adults have ever thought  they may have a mental condition.

While the vast majority (90 percent) of college-aged adults recognize that mental disorders can put someone at an increased risk of suicide, they may not fully grasp the risk associated with certain mental disorders. In fact, only 52 percent recognize anxiety disorders as a risk factor for suicide, compared with recognizing the impact that life situations, like bullying and relationships, have on suicide risk (91 percent), and they primarily see suicide as a way to escape pain (61 percent).

“More than 90 percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable illness such as clinical depression, and often in combination with anxiety or substance use disorders and other treatable mental disorders,” says Mark Pollack, MD, ADAA Past President and Grainger Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center. “Effectively diagnosing and treating anxiety disorders and depression, especially when they occur at the same time, are critical to intervening and reducing suicide crises.”

The survey, conducted in August 2015, assessed perceptions about mental health and suicide awareness. The overwhelming majority of college-aged adults (96 percent) reported that they would take action if someone close to them was thinking about suicide; however, 57 percent admit that something might stop them from trying to help, compared to 43 percent of older adults (those age 26+), because they were fearful that:

- They would make them feel worse (39 percent of college-aged adults vs. 23 percent of older adults);
- There may be nothing to could do to help (27 percent vs. 17 percent); and
- Talking about it might make the person attempt suicide (25 percent vs. 14 percent).

Early diagnosis, intervention, and treatment of mental disorders are critical to preventing suicide. Mental disorders are treatable, and the vast majority of people can be helped with professional care. Although treatment is individualized, several standard approaches have proved effective.

- Therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or interpersonal therapy (IPT), involve people in their own recovery and provides a sense of control.
- Medication, including serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, beta blockers and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, is a proven treatment.
- Combination therapy, which includes behavioral therapy and medications, is also a proven treatment for many.
- Complementary and alternative treatments, like stress and relaxation techniques, meditation and yoga, are sometimes used to treat anxiety and depressive disorders alongside or instead of conventional treatments.

College-aged adults seeking help have many options:

- Go to your campus health or counseling center.
- Find a mental health professional near you.
- Contact your health insurance provider to understand treatment options covered under your plan.
- Have a conversation with friend.
- Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time.

Visit www.adaa.org for more information on identifying the symptoms of anxiety and depression and the warning signs and risks of suicide.

Methodology
The Mental Health and Suicide Survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of ADAA, AFSP, and NAASP between August 10-12, 2015, among 2,020 adults ages 18+, among which 198 are age 18-25. Results were weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, income, and education where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of U.S. adults. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Poll panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For subgroup sample sizes, please contact Tamara Moore.

About the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, and PTSD through education, training, and research. Our mission focuses on improving quality of life for children and adults affected with these disorders. ADAA improves patient outcomes by promoting scientific innovation, encouraging translation and implementation of research into practice, providing continuing education of evidence-based treatments across disciplines and increasing public knowledge about how to find effective treatment.

Media Contact
Tamara Moore
(202) 745-5114
tmoore@gymr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, Jan.12, 2016 – The vast majority of recent college graduates believe that the current presidential candidates are not talking about the issues that matter most to them, according to a new survey of millennials by GenFKD, a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting economic understanding and financial literacy to college students and recent graduates.

Millennials account for 36 percent of eligible voters, the largest demographic in the 2016 election, according to ThinkProgress.  Despite their voting power, 86 percent of those 18 to 34 say this year’s presidential candidates are not addressing them or their key issues they care most about.

- Jobs and economic growth (19%)
- Climate change (14%)
- Health Care (11%)
- Student Debt (10%)

“It is very disappointing that the presidential candidates are ignoring a vital demographic group and the issues that matter most to millennials,” said Justin Dent, president and co-founder of GenFKD. “With an uncertain economy and international instability, millennials are more engaged than ever in the upcoming election, yet they are left out of the discussion.”

GenFKD polled 752 millennials through Survey Monkey to determine which issues most concern them and if they felt their concerns were being adequately acknowledged in the national debate.

“Millennials are clearly concerned about the economy they will inherit, and the opportunities available to them,” said Christopher Koopman of the Mercatus Institute at George Mason University.   “Unfortunately, political candidates have a strong incentive to support special interests over the causes that matter most to young people. There is a danger in doing that because millennials are concerned, active, and engaged.”

“Until now, there have been less than a handful of millennial issues addressed in hours and hours of debates and interviews,” said Dent, a student at the University of Maryland. “We’re worried about jobs and graduating into a nation of the underemployed.”

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About GenFKD
GenFKD is a non-partisan peer-to-peer organization that utilizes editorial content and grassroots organizing to engage millennials on economic and financial public policy and basic pocketbook finance. The non-profit organization seeks to utilize its expansive social following and network of 28 college chapters to present critical information relating to jobs and the economy in a way that is informative, approachable and useful

About The Sruvey
The GenFKD “Millennial Sentiment” survey was conducted online December 15-22, 2015, among a national sample of 752 adults between the ages of 18 and 34. Respondents for this non-probability survey were selected using a SurveyMonkey Audience. As the sample for the survey self-selected for participation, sampling error cannot be calculated.

Media Contact
Grant Greenberg
(212) 235-0259
ggreenberg@lumentus.com

December 14, 2015 — Communications specialist Carolyn Nachman has joined GenFKD, a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting millennial financial literacy, as Community Manager. In the role, Nachman will be tasked with expanding the organization’s digital presence, with a focus on amplifying the GenFKD’s expansive grassroots network through social media.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Carolyn to our growing team at GenFKD,” said Justin Dent, GenFKD co-founder and Policy Director. “Carolyn’s addition will be a major catalyst as we continue to expand our digital footprint and increase our social engagement to support the efforts of our student fellows raising awareness across nearly 30 campuses.”

Nachman, a graduate of Ohio University and native of Miller Place, New York, will manage GenFKD’s digital outreach program, with a focus on core social media channels including Facebook and Twitter. She will lead the development of integrated strategies to drive conversations and enhance shareable content.

“The economic issues that GenFKD focuses on are relevant to all millennials and it’s crucial that we succeed in promoting financial literacy among our peers,” Nachman said. “Working with fellow millennials to educate and inform current and recent college graduates, is an amazing opportunity. Social media is my passion and I’m excited to combine it with my background in political science in this role.”

She will report to GenFKD Outreach Director Michael Gorman, who leads the organization’s Fellows Program. Nachman graduated from Ohio University in May of 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Strategic Communications and a certificate in political communications. Before joining GenFKD, Nachman worked in information technology at Diversified Micro Systems. Her previous experience includes internships at Rural Action, a non-profit devoted to environmental sustainability, and entertainment media outlet, Celebrity Cafe.

About GenFKD
GenFKD is a nonpartisan peer-to-peer organization that utilizes editorial content and grassroots organizing to engage Gen Y on economic and financial issues. The non-profit organization seeks to utilize its expansive social following and 26 college chapters to present critical information relating to jobs and the economy in a way that’s informative and approachable.

Media Contact
Jesse Jacobs
GenFKD
jesse@genfkd.com
(212) 235-0248

Whether you’re participating in a Friendsgiving get together or gathering with family for the winter holiday season, a traditional holiday meal can add up to more than 4,000 calories. Check out top tips from Robyn Flipse, registered dietitian, cultural anthropologist and consultant to The Coca-Cola Company, on how to enjoy all of your favorites while trimming the excess calories.

Are Colleges and Universities Neglecting 85% of Potential Unwelcome Sexual Encounter Title IX Violations?

Likely YES they are. Here is the how and the why.

More than 85% of unwelcome and unwanted sexual encounters go unreported according to the major surveys done on college campuses in 2015 85%. Not that these encounters did not occur, not that these encounters were consensual, not that these encounters were okay … they were UNREPORTED.

This statistic matches the most recent data showing that 90% of all colleges and universities reported ZERO sexual assaults in 2014 under the terms of the Clery Act.

Unwelcome and unwanted sexual encounters are potential violations of Title IX whether or NOT they get reported. Colleges and universities are required to address ALL such encounters that have the potential to significantly interfere with a student’s access to educational opportunities.

The existing scope of efforts in prevention and dealing with unwanted sexual encounters is quite broad. These include education sessions, awareness communications, and victim counseling. What these efforts omit is two-fold: 1) programs directly aimed at the 85% of victims who are non-reporting and 2) prevention efforts that are both ongoing and a part of the daily life of the typical student. Central to these omissions is the idea that participants in unwanted and unwelcome encounters need to identify themselves as victims. If a participant fails to identify as a victim, then the existing system all too often fails to provide ANY meaningful help.

The 85% are entitled to help. They are entitled to the support which enables them to access educational opportunities without fear or paralyzing confusion. The existing system needs to change.

The 85% are NOT just like the 15% who do report. By definition, the simple fact that almost 9 out of 10 of all who experience unwelcome and unwanted behavior do not report means that there is something DIFFERENT going on with that 85%. It is likely that the key difference comes down to the perception of the label of “victim” and all that is associated with it.

As noted in last week’s Chronicle of Higher Education, many in the 85% feel a degree of co-responsibility for bad choices made, communications that either did not occur or instead mis-occurred, thus creating contexts that gave rise to misunderstandings and miscommunications. There is an unwillingness to be explicit and clear about the word “No.” Co-responsibility is the opposite of victimhood. When there is or was an absence of physical coercion, co-responsibility is more likely than victimhood.

The old societal standard of “no means no” is rooted in the idea that sexual relations are between a powerful male and a powerless female. This power relationship was not between two people of co-equal free will. Instead it was analogous to a chattel relationship – in effect, one of “property.” The right to say “no” was then rooted in society drawing limits regarding what the powerful could do “to” his property. By definition, the assertion of physical coercion is itself an expression of a chattel relation – and it correctly identifies “victims” and “predators” or “perpetrators.” BUT, as EVERY study has shown, most unwanted and unwelcome sexual encounters do NOT involve physical coercion.

When resources and programs are conditioned upon the use of a label like “victim,” that label gains significance. Those who feel a degree of co-responsibility – the silent 85% – are quite often repulsed by the term “victim” – a label that denies them both agency and freedom. To be a victim is to be on the receiving end of an expression of power in what seems to be a chattel relation – one where notions of ownership, privilege, and property take precedence over free will, personal choice, and equality. If one believes that sexual encounters are to be governed by licensure instead of chattel, then one is asserting that BOTH parties need to be actively involved in granting consent and in fulfilling the pre-conditions to the license.

Agency — free will — is a troubling precondition. If one believes that consent can be withdrawn at any time, then one must examine why aggressive/inappropriate and unwelcome behaviors continued after such consent was withdrawn. The granting of consent is the responsibility of both parties so that they need to communicate clearly, render the boundaries of the “license grant” clearly, and enforce violations.

Victimhood denies the possibility of agency and co-responsibility. With victimhood, all of the responsibility is held by the privileged holder of chattel rights. It is the failure to “look out for the welfare of the less privileged” that makes the less privileged a victim. Many in the 85% would argue that the relationship with the other party was not chattel and unilateral but that it was bi-lateral so that it was they who had the sole or at least shared responsibility for safeguarding their own interest. If they were a “victim,” it was as a victim to their own errors, misjudgments, passions, or lack of control – NOT the result of the abuse of privilege by a chattel holder.

These views are NOT now politically correct BUT THEY SHOULD BE. It makes no sense that colleges’ education efforts are focused more on getting men to agree that “rape is bad — so do not rape,” rather than on “if you find yourself in an uncomfortable or threatening position here is how you might disengage” that is directed at BOTH sexes.

In an age that proclaims the equality of the sexes, in teaching about the role of consent in sexual encounters why are college students taught lessons with their roots in chattel instead of licensure? – in the failure of the noblesse oblige of the “perpetrator” instead of the co-responsibility of equal participants? The vast majority of students on any given campus do not see themselves as even having the possibility of being a sexual predator – thus how are they expected to resonate with educational programs whose main lesson is “don’t predate?”

Where are the tools designed to help all students move away from unwelcome and unwanted sexual encounters and joining either the 85% and the 15%? Where are the props which students need to help cue in appropriate behaviors to prevent such encounters? How are the co-responsible supposed to get counselling about being more responsible – when available counselling is more focused on dealing with being a victim and better exploration of victim’s rights? Prevention efforts which fail to deal with co-responsibility are band aids at best and moral failures at worst.

What colleges and universities are NOT doing is taking steps to prompt discussions amongst prospective partners before a sexual encounter. To speak of “yes means yes” WITHOUT an “only” in front is to broadcast a meaningless platitude. To speak of consent presented in the context of chattel instead of licensure is to degrade and disrespect one if not both prospective partners before they even contemplate a relationship. To fail to provide safe zones for discussion where the co-responsible can explore better ways to respond and react – responsibly – throughout an encounter, is to deny students the very education this sordid topic can best provide them.

America’s colleges and universities are failing in their Title IX responses because those responses fail to take into consideration that the overwhelming number of students don’t think of themselves as either predators or as victims.

Full disclosure my institute produces mobile phone apps to address these issues. We began with a focus on co-responsibility and licensure, and our suite of apps is the result.

So yes, I and my organization are biased. But for effective protection against potential Title IX liability it is time for college and universities to admit that the approach of “don’t rape” and “don’t be a victim” is NOT working – despite the increased emphasis on education and the increased awareness of sexual assault. MOST unwanted and unwelcome sexual encounters involve TWO unhappy people not just one. MOST involve a lack of clarity about boundaries and the absence of well-articulated licensure. MOST unwanted and unwelcome sexual encounters do NOT involve physical coercion. MOST do involve alcohol and other “rationality impairing” substances. Title IX efforts need to embrace these realities, not ignore them.

The 85% are entitled to a safe campus. They are entitled to refuse the label of “victim.” They are entitled to the help they need to learn and grow from what happened. And a safe campus will minimize future occurrences of unwelcome and unwanted sexual encounters that have the potential to significantly interfere with a student’s access to educational opportunities.

Title IX was supposed to ensure that all students receive opportunities to learn and grow. It is time our institutions of higher education stepped up to their responsibilities and provided such opportunities.

Not all unwanted and unwelcome encounters rise to the label “assault” nor do they involve only predators or victims. These other experiences are the world of the 85%. Let’s serve them too.

Please visit http://protectequalsrespect.com for more information. Please email lissack@isce.edu to request a free demo of the app suite.

Meningococcal disease is a rare but aggressive bacterial infection that can be fatal or cause serious life-long disability within 24 hours of onset of symptoms: about 10-15 percent of people infected with meningococcal disease will die, and 11-19 percent of survivors will have long-term consequences, including deafness, nervous system problems, brain damage or loss of limbs.

GSK is hosting an event (#GSKsummit) on December 9, 2015 in New York City with bloggers, advocates, a patient survivor and caregiver to brainstorm ways to reach parents and young people with important disease information and to highlight knowledge gaps as identified in two national consumer polls with parents and teens/young adults. Follow #GSKSummit on Twitter to learn more.

For more information about the event, please contact: anna.x.padula@gsk.com.

Brought to You by Discover

Your list of people to shop for during the holidays grows by the day, making it easy to get carried away spending money on purchases that may not fit your budget. To avoid re-gifting the free T-shirt from the job fair or leftover meal points from the dining hall, here are five money-saving tips for the holidays.

1. Budgeting Made Easy
Creating a budget can seem daunting, but there are many apps available to help simplify your finances by syncing all of your accounts. And, since your phone is always by your side, use an app to:
• Monitor your spending.
• Manage your budget while shopping.
• Pay your bills on time.

These easy tips can help you save some extra cash for the spring semester.

2. Get Extra Credit for Your Shopping
Using the budget you’ve created, research the gifts you want to buy to see if there are any promotions, coupons or deals. Most major credit card issuers also offer an online shopping portal, like Discover Deals, which gives you cash back when you shop at your favorite stores after connecting through the Discover Deals site. With Discover, you can redeem those credit card rewards for a statement credit or a direct deposit.

3. DIY to Save Dollars
If you want to avoid the crowded malls and overzealous shoppers, DIY gifts are a great option. Not only are they great for the hard-to-please people on your list, but also making the gifts can also be a fun activity with your friends. A few inexpensive and easy-to-make gifts include:
• Mason jar recipes filled with delicious treats for late-night study sessions.
• Tie-blanket using your school’s colors or favorite sports team.
• Print canvas of your best selfie or travels from studying abroad.
• Homemade treats for holiday parties. Make a few extra so you have leftovers for study groups during finals week.

4. Out with Gifts, in with Giving
What better way to make an impact on your community and create lasting memories than getting friends together to put time and money toward a charitable cause instead of each other? Here are a few ways you and your friends can give a gift that keeps on giving:
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
• Collect canned goods for a local food drive.
• Clean out your closet and donate your clothes.
• Read to children at a local hospital.

5. Make Your Money Work for You
If you’re planning to buy gifts this year and pay with your credit card, make sure it has benefits that will put money back in your pocket, like discounts from your favorite retailers and cash back rewards. You can even use that cash back to pay for those gifts. For example, the Discover it® chrome for Students card gives you:
• 2% Cashback Bonus® at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 of combined purchases quarterly
• 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases
• The ability to pay with your Cashback Bonus on Amazon.com
• The option to get a boost in value on merchant gift cards and eCertificates when you redeem your Cashback Bonus for them – This is a great gift option for anyone you may be struggling with gift ideas for.

And new cardmembers can get a Good Grades reward where you can earn $20 in Cashback Bonus if your grade point average is 3.0 (or equivalent) or higher each year you are enrolled in school, for up to five years from your account opening.

Now that you have all of the tips you need for a budget-friendly holiday season, start shopping!

About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

Media Contact
Derek Cuculich
224-405-0665
derekcuculich@discover.com

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