Parent Newsletter
Inside this Issue
Good Reads! 1
Spring 2018 Calendar 2
Academic Advising 2
Advice from Parents 2
Study Abroad 2
Career Services 3
Career Development 3
Campus Resources 3
Spring Break 4
Your Student - March 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
Click To Watch This Video
C
ollegiateParent.com offers som e gr eat articles for parents of
college students. From insider advice to answering the most frequently
asked parent questions, this website is a valuable resource.
Two good reads for this month are:
“Summer Plans for College Students”
“What I Love About Parenting Older Children” (view the companion video
below)
GOOD READS!
Page 2
Spring 2018
Academic Calendar
March 12-23
Academic Advising Period
March 30 - April 8
Spring Break/Easter Break
April 9
Class Resumes
April 25 - 29
Dead Days
April 27
Last Day of Classes
April 30 - May 1
Final Exams
May 4
Semester Ends
Academic Advising
Advising for Summer/Fall is tak-
ing place from March 12 - 23,
2018. All students are assigned
a specic counselor from their
academic college.
If your child does not know who
his/her counselor is, have them
check ULink.
Once logged in, click on the
“Academic Prole” tab.
Once on this page, under the
“Academic Prole” secon,
select the “Spring 2018” term.
Advisor(s) will be listed below.
Advisor informaon will include
the advisor’s name, oce
locaon, phone number, and
email. Students can also view
Transcripts and any Holds that
might be on their accounts .
View Advisor locaon by college
here.
ADVICE FROM PARENTS
R
ead some great advice from parent to parent to help you and your student
get through the month of March!
“Let your child handle it. It was hard for me to step back and let her do
(soar or fail) but I know it was something I had to do. I would give
plenty of advice, but I know in the end, she had to handle it. The best
advice is to let go.”
“Have your student write down a plan that details their educational
goals, the steps to achieve them, and a weekly schedule to allocate time
for out of class work which includes reviewing past tests and notes
related to them.”
“Let them make mistakes and learn how to fix things on their own. This
is a time for them to learn to be an adult.”
LOOKING TOWARD SUMMER:
STUDY ABROAD
H
aving the opportunity to study abroad can
be a transformative experience! In addition
to building confidence and global competence,
students who have international experience are considered to be more valuable
to almost any potential employer as our world becomes more globally
interconnected. Luckily the UL Lafayette Study Abroad Program works hard to
facilitate this experience for Ragin Cajuns.
It’s never too early to discuss study abroad options with your first-year students.
Although most students do not actually enroll in a study abroad program until
later in their academic career, the time is now to start thinking about locations,
costs and options. Typically students enroll for 3-9 credits and live/study
abroad for one semester or during the summer. UL Lafayette hosts programs in
Costa Rica, France, England, and Italy; For the summer of 2018,
Costa Rica, France, and Italy are closed.
Did you know that financial aid packages may be able to be applied to study
abroad, making this an affordable option for many? If your student is interested,
have them fill out the “I’m Interested” form online or get more information by
email at studyabroad@louisiana.edu.
Page 3
Campus Resources
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
(ODS)
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
PARENT’S GUIDE TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT
The most valuable things parents can do to help a student with career planning
are listen, be open to ideas, and help your student find information.
1. Encourage your child to visit the career center. Next time you
visit campus, drop into the career services office and pick up a business card
from one of the career counselors. When your son or daughter is feeling
anxious about his/her future, offer the card and say, "Please call this person.
He (or she) can help you."
2. Advise your student to write a resume. W riting a resum e can be a
"reality test" and can help a student identify weak areas that require
improvement. Suggest that your student get sample resumes from the
career center.
3. Emphasize the importance of internships. The career center w ill
not "place" your child in a job at graduation. Colleges grant degrees, but not
job guarantees, so having relevant experience in this competitive job market
is critical. Your son or daughter can sample career options by completing
internships and experimenting with summer employment opportunities or
volunteer work.
4. Encourage extracurricular involvement. Par t of exper iencing
college life is to be involved and active outside the classroom. Interpersonal
and leadership skills—qualities valued by future employers—are often
developed in extracurricular activities.
5. Teach the value of networking. Introduce your student to people
who have careers/jobs that are of interest. Suggest your son or daughter
contact people in your personal and professional networks for information
on summer jobs. Encourage your child to "shadow" someone in the work-
place to increase awareness of interesting career fields.
Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers
T
he Office of Career Services offers a full range of
career development and job-search help,
including:
online job listings for volunteer, part-time,
internships, co-ops, and full-time jobs,
workshops on writing resumes and cover letters,
a recruiting program,
individual career advising, and,
career fairs.
~ View Career Services on the web for more
valuable information. ~
CAREER SERVICES FOR YOUR STUDENT
Page 4
Outside Tips on
Spring Break
Spring Break Safety Tip Sheet
Travel Safety Tips
Spring Break Tips for Parents
Another “Leng Go”
Experience
Alternative
Spring Break Ideas
○ Stay in Lafayee to enjoy
sleep and Ragin Cajun Athlec
events.
○ Take a trip through Louisiana
Plantaon country.
○ Go camping in a Louisiana
state park.
○ Volunteer abroad as a way to
see the world but also give
back.
○ Visit aracons such as Blue
Bayou.
○ Gain experience by traveling
to locaons that support your
academic or career interests.
TAKING ON SPRING BREAK
T
he coming of sunshine and warmth means one thing to college students:
Spring Break. This mid-semester vacation has become equated with a
dangerous experience steeped in alcohol, drugs, and sex due to coverage in
American media and cinema. Unfortunately there are facts to support some of
this mentality; a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin found that 75%
of males and 43% of females in college reported being intoxicated on a regular
basis during Spring Break. Exploring the world is an important part of life in
college, so what can you do as parents to help your student prepare for Spring
Break?
According to the website Fight Back on Spring Break, one of the best ways to
plan a trip is to research the location and know its reputation so your student
knows what he or she is getting into. A growing trend amongst college kids is to
head for new locations that don’t match the typical “spring break beach trip.”
Once there, the best rule is the simplest rule: follow the law. Don’t partake in the
use of illegal drugs, and if underage, don’t consume alcohol. For those of age, the
best advice is to be smart and rely on your gut. It may be urban legend, but you
always know what the right thing to do is, and your gut is the friend that reminds
you what that is. Following it will always lead to smarter decisions.
A second situation to be aware of is that your student may not always have to
fend for just him or herself. The smartest thing any student can do on Spring
Break is stick with a group of trustworthy friends. That could mean your student
may have to take care of a friend should any situations arise. Knowing how to
recognize and respond to things like binge drinking and alcohol poisoning may
be critical to keep a bad situation from getting worse. Also, when sticking with a
group of friends it is always a good idea for at the least one to remain sober, to be
fully aware of any situation and provide uninhibited assistance.
Finally, the last thing we can do for these freshmen is to trust them. Despite how
we may sometimes feel, they are now adults and deep inside they know right
from wrong because they were taught these principles by you (their parents) and
us (their teachers). We can prepare them for any situation, but in the end they
are out there flying free and will more than likely make the right decisions to
stay healthy and safe. For additional tips about planning a Spring Break trip and
staying safe, please explore the links provided in the left hand column under
Outside Tips on Spring Break.
Page 5
Contact Information
Visit us at our office:
230 Hebrard Blvd.
Lee Hall, Room 106
Monday-Thursday
7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday
7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
firstyear.louisiana.edu
(337) 482-6599
ofye@louisiana.edu
Follow OFYE on
Social Media
D
uring the month of March, students begin
preparing for the upcoming Fall semester by
scheduling classes and meeting with their
advisor. Often, students begin to feel the
pressure and stress of mid-term exams at this
point in the semester as they begin preparing
for them. Additionally, if your student has not
declared a major or is dissatisfied with their
major choice, they may look into changing
majors, or declaring a major. Students may also
feel stressed about the summer. Finding
summer jobs or internships can often be difficult.
As parents, here are a few things that you can do to help them:
1. Be open to communication. They may or may not ask you for advice; this is ok. Be there for them if they ask.
2. Send postcards or care packages during this stressful time. Maybe include notecards, pens, granola bars, or
gum. Anything to show that you are there for them.
3. If they ask for guidance, especially in academic-related areas, refer them to see academic counselors. Here at
Lee Hall, we offer counseling if students are unsure about their major, want to see if they’re on track to
graduate, or any other academic advice—with no appointment necessary!
Click here and scroll
to March to see what
your student can
expect this month!
Contributed by the University of
Michigan website.
MARCH