Return to flip book view

Office of First-Year Experience April-May 2017 Inside this Issue: Finishing Strong 1 Acing Final Exams 2 Summer Housing 2 Sophomore Year Resources 3 Parent Survey 3 Move Out Process 4 End of Semester Checklist 5 At This Time, Your Student 6 Parent Newsletter It’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 scholar 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 students 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 environment. 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 moments to reflect and celebrate. Here are some of 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. 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 1

2 SPRING 2017 ACADEMIC CALENDAR Apr 26—30: Dead Days Apr 28: Last Day of Classes May 1—5: Final Exams May 12: Spring Commencement May 12: Semester Officially Ends TIPS FOR PASSING FINALS  Make a study schedule and stick to it.  Use mnemonic devices.  Choose study locations wisely.  Don’t reread the entire 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. ACING FINAL EXAMS Your student has now been in college for roughly nine months and you probably feel pretty 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 a pretty 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 finals schedule makes them begin to think about it and plan out their study schedule. The schedule for final exams can be located on the University Registrar’s website. Passing finals is one of the most important things your student will have to do each year. Help us give them the tools they need to succeed! SUMMER HOUSING Summer housing will be available in Huger Hall, Legacy Park Apartments, and the Conference Center for all students. Students do not need to be enrolled in summer classes to live on campus for the summer as long as your student has applied 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. In addition, due to occupancy expectancy for the summer, no Summer Storage is available.

3 RESOURCES FOR THE SOPHOMORE YEAR Many 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. PARENT SURVEY Parents, keep an eye out for a survey headed your way. UL Lafayette’s Office of First-Year Experience would love to hear your feedback on these monthly Parent Newsletters. We have enjoyed this year with you and your students and we look forward to hearing from you. Click here for the parent survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q3RHP99. FALL 2017 TENTATIVE ACADEMIC CALENDAR Aug 9: Deadline to pay tuition/fees Aug 14: Student classes dropped for nonpayment of tuition/fees Aug 21: Classes begin Aug 25: Last day for adding classes Sept 4: Labor Day Holiday Oct 4: Last day to drop class with a grade of W Oct 5-6: Fall Holiday Oct 16-27: Advising session for Spring begins Nov 23-24: Thanksgiving Holiday Dec 1: Last day of classes Nov 29: Dead days begin Dec 4-8: Final Exam week Dec 8: Semester ends Dec 15: Fall Commencement

4 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 19, 2017 (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 7, 2017. Unscheduled or late-scheduled checkouts will be “improper” check-out and will result in the forfeiting of the deposit and a $25 per hour fee will be 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 may be turned in when turning in their room key; simply place the key in the envelope and fill out the required sections. An express check-out envelope can be retrieved from the front desk of their residence hall. Stu-dents 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. Students must move all of their possessions out of their room and clean all rooms, bathrooms, and common areas. They must sweep and mop floors and clean their bathtub, shower, toilet, stove, drip pans, microwave, refrigerator, furniture, counter-tops, tables, etc. 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. RESIDENCE HALL CHECK-OUT RESOURCES ON CAMPUS Office of University Housing Buchanan Hall, 2nd Floor Suite 111 Boucher Street (337) 482-6471 oncampusliving @louisiana.edu UPCOMING FESTIVAL Festival International de Louisiane is one of the most exciting and fun festivals around the Lafayette area. The Festival is completely free and includes many shows from artists all over the world! In addition to music, there are many vendors selling art, clothes, and other things. Many Lafayette restaurants set up booths to sell their classics and even some off-the-menu items. For more information and the Festival schedule, click here. Just keep in mind, Festival falls on the week immediately before Final Exam week, so make sure your student prepares!

END OF SCHOOL CHECKLIST 5 RESOURCES ON CAMPUS Academic Success Center Lee Hall Rm. 115 (337) 482-6818 asc@louisiana.edu Writing Center H.L. Griffin Hall, Rm. 107-108 (337) 482-6447 Counseling & Testing Center Saucier Wellness Center O.K. Allen Hall (337) 482-6480 counseling@louisiana.edu Office of Disability Services (ODS) Conference Center, Rm. 126 (337) 482-5252 ods@louisiana.edu STEP Computer Labs on Campus Student Affairs Division Martin Hall Rm. 211 (337) 482-6266 studentaffairs@louisiana.edu 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, etc.). Remove command strips from walls carefully. 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.

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 6 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 two short weeks of school when students return. The first week back includes dead days, while the second week is the Final Exam week. Summer 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, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep. 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 va-cations, 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. Click here to see what freshman go through during each month!