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Scarlet to Black

Financial Literacy Program

Prior research has shown that the main reason why students drop out of college and fail to complete their degree is related to money - lacking funds to pay for tuition, books, and supplies; funds running out before the end of the semester causing students to have to drop out and seek employment, or students working so many hours during the academic year that their grades suffer and they are unable to complete their education. The financial struggles do not end when a student receives a college diploma. Financial issues are a leading cause of divorce in the United States and a key factor in increased stress levels. Increased stress has been shown to cause a myriad of health problems.

Who are we?

The Scarlet to Black Program (“S2B Program”) was created in April 2018. The goal of the S2B Program is to improve the financial wellness and literacy of students at Arkansas State University with a specific emphasis on assisting our first-year students. Studies have shown that it generally takes 66 days or almost 10 weeks for something to become a habit. The S2B Program strives for our fellow Red Wolves to be in the habit of making smart financial decisions, having superior financial literacy skills, and exemplary financial wellness that becomes ingrained in their everyday lives.

What do we do?

To assist the Red Wolf Nation in achieving these goals, the S2B Program utilizes multiple avenues to reach students where they are. At the beginning of each academic year, every first-year student at A-State attends the First-Year Financial Wellness Boot Camp, where Dr. Tew provides a discussion on the importance of budgeting, how to budget, needs vs wants, debt, and planning for the future. Throughout the academic year, the S2B Program hosts online workshops every other week which are recorded and shared on our Vimeo Channel, a podcast during those weeks when there is not an online workshop, a written blog, and vital information shared on our social media outlets.

For students who are interested in a more in-depth coverage of financial wellness topics are encouraged to take FIN 2013, Personal Asset Management. The course is taught every semester by Dr. Tew and is open to any student on campus with no prerequisites required.

In addition, students are encouraged to reach out to the S2B Program to set up one on one meetings with peer mentors to assist in developing budgets, sticking with their budgets, and other financial issues that may arise during their college career. These meetings can be done in person, via videoconference, or through phone calls and emails.

What else do we do?

The S2B Program is proud to partner with the H.O.W.L. Transition Program at A-State and provides financial mentoring to the students within that Program.

The S2B Program conducts research that looks at different aspects of financial wellness among college students. Since 2015, Dr. Tew has conducted an annual survey to determine the financial literacy, financial-induced stress, and financial wellness of the incoming first-year class. Additional research is conducted by members of the S2B team and has been presented at conferences around the country. Additional information on presented and ongoing research can be found under the section entitled “Honors, Awards, and Research”.

Talk to us!!

Finally, members of the S2B Program have spoken to groups, classes, companies, and organizations with ages ranging from 3rd grade through soon to be retired. Topics have included budgeting, the stock market, economics, entrepreneurship, and other financial wellness topics. If interested in members of the S2B team speaking to your organization or class, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Tew.