VITA program canceled for the semester

After the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance live sessions were temporarily delayed for two weeks, the ultimate decision was made to cancel the sessions altogether.

The decision was made after professor Judy Peterson was unable to get the sessions up and running. Peterson has headed the program for numerous years, and thus is the only person who would be able to set up the sessions through the tax database.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is a program that has been vital for the Monmouth community, and it will be missed by a large amount of Monmouth residents. Students enrolled in the class will still be able to receive their credit. The VITA students will still practice preparing returns to better prepare themselves for the real world. This will enable students to still use the software that they would have used had they performed the live sessions, thus gaining valuable experience. This will also allow for students to take VITA again next year after having gained the valuable experience of practicing this year.

Students are currently taking VITA as part of either a half a credit service learning course, or as a part of their senior capstone course. The class is offered every spring semester, and is open to students of all academic disciplines. Their is no pre-requisite for the class, meaning it is open to students freshman through senior. It is a good way for all types of students at Monmouth to give back to their community.

Despite live sessions being canceled, the VITA program is expected to be around in the coming years. Even though it was canceled for the year, it is still fully expected that the Monmouth community will continue to support the VITA program in the coming years. It is one of the best services that Monmouth College provides for the community, and it is very evident that the city of Monmouth reaps the benefits.

Riley Dulin - Sports Editor