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Parent Newsletter Inside this Issue Finishing Strong 1-2 Freshmen Spotlight 1 Your Student - April/May 1 Acing Final Exams 2 Tips for Passing Finals 2 Spring 2018 Calendar 2 Summer Housing 2-3 Fall 2018 (Tentave) Calendar 3 Parent Survey 3 Campus Resources 4 Resources for the Sophomore Year 4 End of School Checklist 5 I t’s a big deal. The first year of college can be a year of tumultuous change, uncertainty, and anxiety. It can also be a year of unparalleled intellectual, social, and emotional growth. The noted schol-ar Vincent Tinto identified three stages of development that occur during the first year of college. The first stage is separation, in which students physically and/or emotionally move away from their former environment. Second, the transition stage is characterized by stu-dents feeling torn in their allegiances between their old environment and their new one. Finally, incorporation is the stage in which students now feel a full-fledged member of their new environ-ment. In short, the first year can be a roller coaster ride for both students and their families. As this first year of college comes to a close, take time to recognize what you and your student have accomplished. Ragin’ Cajuns love a good celebration, so now is the time to take a few mo-ments to reflect and celebrate. Here are some of the topics you may wish to discuss with your students in wrapping up the first year and preparing for the second: Let your student know that you recognize the changes that have occurred. Reinforce that completing the first year is an accomplishment. This can help remind your student that education is important in your family’s values. Talk with them about the classes they have taken this year. What were their favorite courses? What classes gave them trouble? Help them to put this into the context of the greater issue of their future life’s work. How certain are they about their choice of major? Changing majors after the first year can often be done without substantially increasing the length of time they will be in school. (Continued on page 2) FINISHING STRONG Original article from @Louisiana e-News and the SOAD Fashion Show photo album on Facebook. Click here and scroll to April to see what your student can expect in April and May! Contributed by the University of Michigan website. APRIL & MAY
Page 2 Spring 2018 Academic Calendar April 25 - 29 Dead Days April 27 Last Day of Classes April 30 - May 1 Final Exams May 4 Semester Ends Tips for Passing Finals Make a study schedule and sck to it. Use mnemonic devices. Choose study locaons wisely. Don’t reread the enre course textbook. Actually look at class notes again. Make sure to get enough sleep—no all-nighters. Study socially by organizing groups. Don’t assume that you already know the material. Ask your student how he/she feels about their level of engagement with UL Lafayette. Have they found students clubs or activities in which they feel comfortable? Have they discovered student organizations that may help them to develop résumé building skills and experiences or to network? Have they found a circle of friends? If not, encourage them to look at the UL Lafayette Get Involved website for a list of student groups and/or attend activities such as Get on Board Day in the fall. These and other celebrations and family discussions over the summer months may help your student to continue to feel connected to UL Lafayette and return for their sophomore year refreshed and focused. (FINISHING STRONG -- Continued from page 1) ACING FINAL EXAMS Y our student has now been in college for roughly nine months and you probably feel proud of him or her. However, the academic calendar is ten months, not nine. A tendency amongst all college students when returning from spring break is to “check out” until summer hits. Passing finals is an important step in making it to summer. One of the top things you can do to help prepare your student for finals is simply ask them when their finals are. The last few weeks are filled with project and paper deadlines, so studying for finals tends to be pushed to the back burner. Asking them about their final exam schedule makes them begin to think about it and plan out their study schedule. The Spring 2018 final exam schedule can be located on the University Registrar’s website. Passing finals is one of the most important things your stu-dent will have to do each year. Help us give them the tools they need to succeed! SUMMER HOUSING S ummer housing will be available in Huger Hall, Legacy Park Apartments, and the Conference Center for all students. Students do not need to be en-rolled in summer classes to live on campus for the summer as long as your stu-dent is registered for Classes for the upcoming fall semester and has contracted for housing for the upcoming academic year. Students will not be considered for a reservation unless you submit a residence hall application and contract and all housing debts from any previous semesters/sessions are paid in full. Summer rooms do require a meal plan. Summer housing room and meal rates are available on the housing website. In addition, due to occupancy expectancy for the summer, no Summer Storage is available. (Continued on page 3)
Page 3 RESIDENCE HALL CHECK-OUT Students moving off campus must properly check-out by express check-out or with the hall staff by filling out pre-scheduled check-out form found in the email sent to students from the Housing Office on April 9 and reminder on April 19, 2018 (this email subject was “Important Information concerning check out”). Your student must make plans to properly check out after their last final exam. Students may check out any day prior to the deadline, BUT EVERYONE MUST BE CHECKED OUT BY NOON ON SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2018. Unsched-uled or late-scheduled checkouts will be “improper” check-out and will result in a $25 per hour fee being assessed to your student’s account. EXPRESS CHECK-OUT Express Check-Out is available to all students living on campus. By choosing express check-out, students agree to pay all damages, missing furniture, cleaning charges, etc. and waive the right to dispute any charges under $500. Express Check Out is the process by which students are able to deposit their key enclosed within an express check-out envelope into the express check-out box located near the front desk of the residence hall. P.O. Box keys are the responsibility of the student to return and may be turned to the Post Office located in the student union. An express check-out envelope can be retrieved from the front desk of their residence hall. Students are required to remove all belongings from their rooms (an item removal fee can be assessed if items are left at the hall). Students are also required to remove command strips carefully; any damaged caused by a command strip will result in a $75 repair charge for each damaged wall. Your student must adequately clean their assigned room, bathroom, and common area to pass inspection at the time of check out (floors must be swept, tub and toilets scrubbed, etc.). If these areas do not pass inspection, a cleaning charge may be placed on their account. All trash must be taken out and all belongings need to be removed. If your student does not abide by these rules, cleaning and disposal fees can be assessed on your student’s account. (SUMMER HOUSING -- Continued from page 2) Fall 2018 Tentative Academic Calendar August 8 Deadline to pay tuion/fees August 13 Student classes dropped for nonpayment of tuion/fees August 20 Classes begin August 24 Last day for adding classes September 3 Labor Day Holiday October 3 Last day to drop class with a grade of W October 4-5 Fall Holidays October 15-26 Advising sessions for Spring 2019 begin November 22-23 Thanksgiving Holidays November 28 - December 2 Dead days November 30 Last day of classes December 3-7 Final Exams December 7 Semester ends December 14 Fall Commencement PARENT SURVEY P arents, keep an eye out for a survey headed your way via email! OFYE would love to hear your feedback on our monthly Parent Newsletters. We have enjoyed this year with you and your students and we look forward to hearing from you.
Page 4 RESOURCES FOR THE SOPHOMORE YEAR M any first-year students spend the summer months away from academics, working summer jobs or relaxing. This is often a necessary break from the rigors of academia. Come August, encourage your student to reconnect and re-engage right away by utilizing any of these campus resources: 1) Career Counseling and Career Services If your student remains uncertain about his or her major, there are plenty of resources available to help your student explore and decide. For those who have made the decision, Career Services can help identify internships or part-time job opportunities in your student’s field of study. Networking! This is the year to start attending on-campus career fairs and networking events. 2) Academic Advising Your student can meet with an advisor to ensure that he or she is on track to graduate on time. 3) Academic Success Center The place to go for tutoring or supplemental instruction. For those with strong GPAs, consider looking here for a position as a tutor. 4) The Office of Student Engagement and Leadership Sophomore year is the time to take an active role in leadership and service opportunities. These kinds of experiences lead to greater satisfaction while in college and better jobs upon graduation. YOUR STUDENT THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER: APRIL & MAY During the month of April, students begin to feel the pressure and stress of final exams and final projects. At UL Lafayette, our spring break falls late this year leaving only three short weeks of school when students return. The first week back includes dead days, while the second week is the Final Exam week. Sum-mer plans, summer jobs, housing arrangements for Fall, and dealing with course scheduling issues are all things that your student will be thinking about during the last weeks of school. As parents, here are a few things that you can do to help them: 1. Remind them to take care of themselves by eating healthy, exercising, drink-ing plenty of water, and getting enough sleep. (Continued on page 5) Campus Resources Oce of University Housing Buchanan Hall, 2nd Floor Suite 111 Boucher Street (337) 482-6471 oncampusliving@louisiana.edu Academic Success Center Lee Hall, Rm. 115 (337) 482-6818 asc@louisiana.edu Counseling & Tesng Center Saucier Wellness Center, O.K. Allen Hall (337) 482-6480 counseling@louisiana.edu Oce of Career Services Agnes Edwards Hall, Rm. 104 (337) 482-1444 careerservices@louisiana.edu Oce of Disability Services Agnes Edwards Hall, Rm. 126 (337) 482-5252 ods@louisiana.edu Student Support Services DeClouet Hall, Rm. 106 (337) 482-6828 specialservices@louisiana.edu STEP Computer Labs Student Aairs Division Marn Hall, Rm. 211 (337) 482-6266 studentaairs@louisiana.edu Wring Center H.L. Grin Hall, Rm. 107-108 (337) 482-6447
Page 5 Contact Information Visit us at our office: 230 Hebrard Blvd. Lee Hall, Room 106 Monday-Thursday 7:30am-5:00pm Friday 7:30am-12:30pm firstyear.louisiana.edu (337) 482-6599 ofye@louisiana.edu Follow OFYE on Social Media Make a To-Do list (including due dates) with everything that needs to be done so you don’t forget to do it. Study hard for finals. Finish exams. Pack up your belongings (clothes, books, furniture, etc.). Clear out your room. Clean everything (sweep, mop, and vacuum floors, scrub bathtub, shower, and toilet). Dust and clean cabinets, closets, desks, and countertops. Make an appointment with your RA or get an express check-out envelope from the front desk. Make sure your classes are scheduled for next semester. Return any rented textbooks or checked-out library books. Look for summer jobs or internships. Make sure summer housing is in order (if needed). Sell textbooks back. END OF SCHOOL CHECKLIST 2. Respect and appreciate who your student has become; they will likely be more independent, self-reliant, and mature so it is important to appreciate them. 3. If your student will be moving home for the summer months, it is important to communicate your expecta-tions to them ahead of time. This will allow them to be respectful of your expectations when scheduling vaca-tions, social activities, and summer jobs. 4. Encourage your student to manage their time wisely as the summer months go by quicker than expected and Fall classes begin soon. (YOUR STUDENT THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER -- Continued from page 4)