August 2007
The monthly e-newsletter for members of the UNCG Parent/Family Association

Dear Families of UNCG Students:

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to interact with and enjoy your student! The 2007-2008 academic year has begun with an abundance of activities, community enhancing programs, and growth experiences for students.

All of us that work at UNCG want your student to succeed. Research tells us that one of the most significant predictors of student success, in terms of grade point average, retention, and graduation on time, is whether or not the student makes a connection on campus. Your role in assisting your student in making connections is to offer options and encourage taking advantage of opportunities. This campus is rich with a wide variety of ways for students to meet others and enhance their own interpersonal, academic, athletic, and leadership skills, and build on a community service ethic. The opportunities are too numerous to list for you. Take a look at our website www.uncg.edu for a sampling of all that is available.

Ask your student which activities he or she has tried. Suggest attending a club meeting or participating in a club sport practice. With well over 170 different student organizations, there is something for everyone. Encourage your student to join a group, reminding him or her that not only is it a great way to get connected, meet new people, and increase his or her chances of success, it also increases marketability for graduate school or the job market.

What if you start having concerns about your student? We have several different support services that can be of assistance. One caution for you is that as a state institution we are bound by a federal law that prohibits us from discussing your student with you, unless we have a signed release from the student, or proof that the student is claimed on your 1040 as a dependent. From an educational perspective, we'd much rather work directly with your student, as we believe that helps teach the student the skills to problem solve his or her own issues. Suggest that your student access the Counseling Center, free tutoring and academic skills workshops through the Student Success Center, general acclimating assistance from Residence Life staff, advisement through his or her advisor or Student Academic Services, or advocacy and support through my office. The hardest thing for us to do is get the student to ask for help. With your assistance, I hope if your student needs help, he or she will ask so we can mobilize the large force of educators here to contribute to your student's success.

College can be such a fabulous time in a student's life. It is up to your student to make the choices that lead to a positive, enriching UNCG experience. However, we do everything we can to provide an environment with an abundance of opportunities and support systems. Your support and encouragement are just as important to your student's success- even if your student doesn't recognize that yet!

I'd love to hear from you about anything you'd like me to particularly address. My email address is jdshaw@uncg.edu. Take care! Jen

Written by: Dr. Jen Day Shaw, Dean of Students, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will start its 116th year Wednesday, Aug. 15, when new freshmen and transfer students arrive for fall semester.

Classes begin Monday, Aug. 20, with the annual Fall Kickoff festival taking place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. along College Avenue. UNCG is expecting another large freshman class but official figures aren't available yet.

Beginning this fall, the university will offer a new major in environmental studies through the College of Arts and Sciences. A new PhD in communication sciences and disorders also begins in the fall.

Dr. David Perrin will begin his first semester as the university's provost after the retirement of Dr. A. Edward Uprichard in June. Uprichard will return to UNCG in 2008 as a professor of mathematics education.

Under UNCG's Student Laptop Initiative, all incoming, full-time freshmen will be required to have laptop computers that meet the university's requirements. All major academic buildings and residence halls have wireless Internet access. The UNCG wireless network now allows Instant Messenger traffic for AIM, Yahoo IM and MSN Messenger.

Among campus construction projects, major renovations are under way for Aycock Auditorium, Petty Science Building, Brown Building and the Alumni House. Construction is beginning on the first new building of the Gateway University Research Park, a joint project between UNCG and North Carolina A&T State University.

The School of Music begins its year-long presentation of concerts and lectures on Thursday, Aug. 30, with a lecture by Reeves Shulstad. To view a calendar of events vist http://www.uncg.edu/mus. Gate City Remnants, a performance sponsored by the department of dance, will take place on Friday, Aug. 31, at the UNCG Dance Theatre. Visit http://www.uncg.edu/dce for more information about upcoming dance events.

Other back-to-school events include:

Wednesday, Aug. 15 - Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan will give her State of the Campus address at 9:30 a.m., followed by the faculty convocation from 10:30-11:45 a.m., both in Cone Ballroom of Elliott University Center. Lunch for faculty and staff will follow in the Dining Hall.

Move-In Days, Wednesday through Saturday, Aug. 15-19 - Specific move-in days are scheduled for residence halls to minimize congestion. For details, check the Housing and Residence Life website at http://hrl.uncg.edu.

Thursday, Aug. 16 - Orientation for all new faculty members, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., State Room, University Dining Hall second floor; 9 a.m.-noon, orientation for new graduate students, EUC Auditorium.

Friday-Friday, Aug. 17-25 - Orientation activities during Spartan Welcome Week and a week's worth of activities for new and returning students. More details are available at the Orientation Office website at http://orientation.uncg.edu/programs/welcomeweek/.

Sunday, Aug. 19 - The Chancellor's Convocation for new students will be at 4 p.m. in Fleming Gymnasium. Charlie's Lawn Party will follow at 5 p.m. on the lawn of EUC.

Monday, Aug. 20 - Classes start at 8 a.m. UNCG is expecting another large freshman class. From 11 a.m.-3 p.m., the annual Fall Kickoff carnival will be held on College Avenue.

Wednesday, Aug. 29 - A part-time job fair for students and Triad employers will be held from 12:30-4 p.m. in Cone Ballroom of EUC.

Thursday, Sept. 6 - The UNCG Board of Trustees will hold its first meeting of the year.

Written by: Jill Yesko, University Relations, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
This release is available online at http://www.uncg.edu/campus_links/univ_news/, posted 8-6-07

We hope that you will begin making plans now to attend UNCG's Family Weekend, September 28-29, 2007, during our annual Fall Fest. This is a special time designed to allow families and students to reconnect and spend time together around numerous University events. Please visit the Family Weekend website, http://orientation.uncg.edu/families/weekend/, for additional information about activities, registration, and hotels. Also, don't forget to take a look at other exciting Fall Fest events by going to http://www.uncg.edu/ure/fallfest/.
We look forward to seeing you in September!

UNCG offers a series of commuter student delis as an opportunity for commuter students to meet other students and get information about campus programs and services. This year's schedule for commuter delis is as follows:

Day	Date	Time
Wednesday	August 22	11am-2pm
Thursday	September 27	11am-2pm
Tuesday	November 6	5-8pm
Wednesday	February 6	11am-2pm
Wednesday	March 19	5-8pm
Wednesday	April 30	11am-2pm

The Delis will take place in the Cone Ballroom, located in the Elliott University Center. Lunch or dinner will be provided and commuter students must present a valid UNCG FirstCard to attend. For additional information, contact the Office of Campus Activities & Programs at (336) 334-5800.

Schedule adjustment for fall 2007 will extend from April 23 through August 24. This period allows students to modify their schedules without having such transactions recorded on their academic record.

Drop/Add Guidelines
-You cannot add courses or change sections after Friday, August 24, without special permission. Courses added after August 24 must be processed in the University Registrar's Office.

-You cannot add courses or change sections after Friday, August 24, without special permission. Courses added after August 24 must be processed in the University Registrar's Office.

-You may continue to withdraw from (drop) courses by Web through Friday, October 12. Use your fall 2007 advising code to access the online system to process all drops.

-Drop any course for which you registered but that you later decide not to take. Make sure that the section of a course you are attending is the section for which you have registered; make final adjustments before the Deadline to Drop Without Academic Penalty (Friday, October 12) so that you will not receive an F on your academic record for a course you did not attend.

-Courses dropped during the fall 2007 drop/add period (April 23 through August 24, 2007) will not be recorded on your academic record.

-Courses dropped after August 24 but prior to the Friday, October 12 Deadline for Dropping Without Academic Penalty will be recorded as W on your academic record.

-Courses dropped after the Friday, October 12 Deadline for Dropping Without Academic Penalty will be recorded on your academic record as WF. WF grades are calculated in the GPA as F (failing) grades.

Please see the University Registrar's Office website for additional information about course registration at http://www.uncg.edu/reg/.

Roommate Challenges
One of the biggest adjustments your student will experience is living with a roommate, often someone they just met. Not only is there the stress of meeting a new person, but the living space and amount of privacy is usually less than what was experienced at home. Housing and Residence Life seeks to provide communities that are safe and comfortable. If your student is having roommate challenges, they should seek out a Community Advisor (CA) or the Coordinator of their specific building (you should encourage them to take these steps, not to rely on you to solve the issue). Some common guidelines to make sure you are sharing when discussing such issues include:

Practice common courtesy when it comes to visitation, study time, and sleep time.
Maintain your personal rights while compromising. Be flexible but not at the expense of your studies or health.
Express issues and develop tactful, effective communication skills. These skills will be useful in the future!
Set-up agreements on the borrowing of personal items (food, clothes, auto, etc.).
Try not to get caught in the middle of your roommate's personal issues. It is good to listen to your roommate but when others call and try to get "investigative information" about your roommate, it is wise to not share.
When all else fails, involve a Housing and Residence Life staff member; they will not solve your problems for you, but they will assist you in coming up with a solution.

Upon specific conditions, and if space is available, room changes are a potential option. However, we recommend that residents first attempt to work through the problem with their roommate either on their own or with the assistance of a CA. Remember, your student is learning about their roommate while at the same time he or she is learning how to solve daily issues without immediate parent or family member involvement. College is a great place for your student to learn independence but family support is also important! If you have specific questions, you can e-mail hrl@uncg.edu. and we will answer your question and/or have a staff member contact you. Thank you and good luck….it is a transition time for you also!

Residence Hall Room Repairs

All students or parents/family members may report a needed repair in a residence hall room by visiting the Housing and Residence Life website and submitting the issue via FIXT or by calling 334-FIXT. Don't let your student live all year with a burnt-out light bulb, or a drawer off track, or a broken chair. Encourage your student to put in a work order.

FIXT is staffed 7:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday; after these times the student will be given instructions via voice mail. When a student submits an issue online or calls 334-FIXT, a work order is generated to have the repair completed. It is our policy to respond in some way to work requests within 36 hours. Please submit these requests as early in the day as possible.

Workers are in and out of the building from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM to make necessary repairs. They are required to announce themselves and knock before entering student rooms/suites and public bathrooms. When a representative of Maintenance Shop/Physical Plant arrives, he or she will be wearing a UNCG name tag and carrying a work order that describes the job to be done. Students are entitled to ask to see these credentials before permitting the individual into their living space.

Special thanks to Mr. Curtis Erwin, Associate Director for Residence Life, for contributing these articles.

Hello! My name is Megan Moore and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. I have recently come on-board with the Office of Orientation & Family Programs as the Assistant Director. I come to UNCG from the University of Virginia where I served as a Program Advisor to the University's student-run programming board. I hold a Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Virginia Tech and received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Political Science from Guildford College. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the parents and families of UNCG students and look forward to meeting many of you throughout the semester. If there is anything our office can do to assist you during your student's transition to college, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Interested in becoming more involved on the UNCG campus? Consider applying to become a member of UNCG's Parent Family Advisory Council (PFAC). PFAC serves as the board for the Parent/Family Association and meets bi-annually on campus to discuss current ideas and issues facing the UNCG community, as well as helping out with SOAR, Family Weekend, fundraising, and other events. The deadline to apply is January 30. For more information on PFAC, please visit: http://ori.dept.uncg.edu/families/council/ or you can link directly to the application by visiting: http://ori.dept.uncg.edu/families/council/pfac.html

We are here to serve you, the parent and family members of UNCG students. If you have suggestions for future articles in Family Connections or any general suggestions, comments, or concerns, please email us at families@uncg.edu . We look forward to hearing from you!

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Thank you for joining
the UNCG Parent/Family Association!
UNCG Orientation & Family Programs
245 EUC, P.O. Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
PHONE:
(336) 334-5231
E-MAIL:
families@uncg.edu
WEBSITE:
www.uncg.edu/ori