University of Memphis

Parent E-News

December 9, 2005

Reminder:  You can click on the links below to go directly to the topics listed

IMPORTANT DATES

COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT OF THE MONTH

TIGER PRIDE

FINAL EXAMS

SEMESTER GRADES

SPRING 2006 REGISTRATION

FINANCIAL AID

RESIDENCE LIFE

STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES

BURSAR

COMPUTER SUPPORT SERVICES

TIPS FOR PARENTS

TIGER ATHLETICS

IMPORTANT DATES

December 9-15, Friday-Thursday, Exams

December 16, Friday, Residence Halls close

December 17, Saturday, Commencement, 9:30 am, FedEx Forum http://saweb.memphis.edu/commencement/

January 13, 2006, Friday, Residence Hall check-in begins

January 17, Tuesday, Spring Classes Start

March 7-13, Monday-Sunday, Spring Break

For a more dates, please view either the

Academic Calendar

www.enrollment.memphis.edu/registrar/calendars/academic/ay0506.htm

or the University Event Calendar

http://events.memphis.edu 

(best if viewed using Explorer)

COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT OF THE MONTH

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

• Mission Statement:  The College of Arts and Sciences is the heart of the University of Memphis, an urban research university. The College provides quality undergraduate and graduate education by training students to think critically about their course of study, themselves, and the world around them. Through programs of basic and applied research, the College's faculty and students increase knowledge and address the complex issues, local and global, facing all citizens.

• The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest college in the Tennessee Board of Regents system, comprising 24 academic units, the ROTC, and multiple research centers, including two Centers of Excellence.
• The College of Arts and Sciences offers a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum to equip its students in pursuing rich personal and professional lives. It is dedicated to providing educational opportunities that broaden student knowledge within the major areas of human study, in-depth understanding of at least one area of inquiry, and the skills and abilities necessary for a lifetime of learning, career success, and participatory citizenship.
• The College of Arts and Sciences publishes two newsletters: E-Files, a bi-weekly newsletter, and Profiles which is distributed in the fall and spring semesters.  These are great resources to see what is going on in the College of Arts and Sciences!     

Check out The College of Arts and Sciences website at http://cas.memphis.edu

TIGER PRIDE

All academic buildings on the main U of M campus have wireless Internet access.

FINAL EXAMS

The last regular class meeting for Fall 2005 is Wednesday, December 7. The Final Exams period begins Friday, December 9 and ends December 15.  For a detailed schedule of exam dates and times, see the Fall 2005 Final Exams Schedule.

SEMESTER GRADES

STUDENTS AND GRADES

Grades are available on TIGERWEB as soon as instructors enter them. However, Fall 2005 grades and related academic statistics are not “official” until December 22, the Thursday following the session’s last exam date. Your student should recheck his/her grades, statistics, and academic action after that day.

Grades are not routinely mailed out. If your student needs a printed grade report (for example, to send to an employer), the he or she needs to request a grade mailer; this can be done in 2 ways:

• In person at the Registrar’s Office, 003 Wilder Tower (student must show Student ID).

• Online through TIGERWEB; for instructions see, How to: Request a Grade Mailer.

NOTE: Grade Mailers may be requested only for the University term that has just ended, are available only for a few weeks after grades are official, and are sent by U.S. Mail to the student’s Permanent Address.

PARENTS AND GRADES

“Can I see my student’s grades?” No, not unless you have your student's consent or you can show that the student is still a dependent for federal income tax purposes.
This may seem strange to you, but federal law prevents us from releasing a student's information to anyone but the student unless we have the student's written consent. The specific law is the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment.
We recommend that you follow this procedure and that you talk to your student at every stage:

• Ask your student to show you his or her grades on TIGERWEB.

• If this isn't practical, ask your student to complete a “Student Consent to Release Education Record” form that would permit the Registrar to release a copy of the grades to you. For further information, including a link to the form, see Student Consent to Release Education Record.

• If your student is unwilling to complete the consent form, you can complete a “Request for Disclosure of Education Record Information” form, provided your student is a dependent for tax purposes. For further information, including a link to the form, see Parent Request for Student Record.

SPRING 2006 REGISTRATION

Registration for the Spring 2006 semester opened November 14, 2005 and will run through January 13, 2006. 

Students should review their schedules immediately after registering and again just before the first day of classes: class building and room assignments are sometimes changed at the last minute.

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID OFFICE

• Registration for the Spring 2006 semester began November 14, 2005.
• Students and their parents are encouraged to check on their financial aid award information in Tigerweb, under the 2006 award year.
• If financial aid award is NOT enough to cover fees and/or housing, students may contact the Student Financial Aid Office at (901) 678-4825 to determine if there are other options/alternatives.
• Newly admitted, degree-seeking students for the Spring 2006 semester wishing to receive any type of federal financial aid should complete the 2005-2006 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible by going to:   www.fafsa.ed.gov
• The University of Memphis’ federal school code (for FAFSA) is 003509.
• Fee payment deadline is January 13, 2006; first day of classes is January 17, 2006.
• The University of Memphis offices will be closed for the Holidays from December 24, 2005 through January 2, 2006.  We will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2006.

RESIDENCE LIFE AND DINING SERVICES INFORMATION

FALL 2005 CLOSING

• The University of Memphis residence halls will close for the Semester Break on Friday, December 16, 2005, at 3 PM.  All residents are required to leave the residence halls 24 hours after their final exam, unless they are involved in Commencement Exercises. 

• Residents of Carpenter Complex and Richardson Towers do not have to vacate their rooms during the Semester Break unless their Spring 2006 room assignment has been canceled.

• Residents required to vacate their rooms during Semester Break will not be allowed to remain or be readmitted to the buildings during the Semester Break.  The residence hall staff will not be available to permit reentry into the buildings after closing.

• Residents of Rawls, Smith, South, West, and Mynders are required to sign up for an appointment to check out and surrender their room keys to their resident advisors before they leave.  Residents of Richardson Towers and Carpenter Complex should sign up for a room inspection. 

• Students who are not returning to the residence halls in the Spring must officially check out of the room no later than 3 PM on December 16 and cancel in writing with the Residence Life and Dining Services Office in Richardson Towers.

• Students who are returning for the Spring are not required to remove their belongings from their rooms during the break; however, they should take all valuables and possessions needed during this time period.

• The buildings will be open at 1 PM on January 13, 2006.

RENT PAYMENT FOR SPRING 2006

• Current residents must pay the $200 rental prepayment for the Spring 2006 Semester by December 15, 2005, to the Bursar’s Office in Wilder Tower.  Current residents who do not make the $200 rent prepayment will have their Spring 2006 room canceled.  To obtain a room after your room is canceled, you must make the $200 rent prepayment and bring the receipt to the Residence Life and Dining Services Office and complete another application for housing for the Spring 2006 Semester.  Assignments will be made according to availability and date of application.

• The remainder of the Spring 2006 rent must be paid by January 13, 2006, for the 2006 Spring Semester.  Payments may be paid in advance by mail to The University of Memphis, Bursar’s Office, P. O. Box 1000, Department 313, Memphis, TN  38148-0313 or may be paid in person in 115 Wilder Tower or online at http://bf.memphis.edu/ebursar/.   If a resident is receiving financial aid or is unable to make payment in full, the resident may be placed on an installment plan.  There is an additional charge of $40.00 added to your account if you are placed on the installment plan.  Students who are on the installment plan are required to pay one-fourth of the rent and installment fee prior to January 13, 2006.  If you are receiving financial aid or scholarships for the Spring 2006 Semester, all aid will be applied toward any debts owed the University, such as rent.

SPRING 2006 CHECK-IN DATES

Friday, January 13, 2006 or Saturday, January 14, 2006

1 PM – 4:30 PM

• All assigned rooms must be claimed by 4:30 PM on Saturday, January 14, 2006.  Residents failing to properly check into their rooms by the above stated deadline will forfeit their room assignment and their $200 rent prepayment.  In order to prevent the room and rent prepayment from being forfeited, the student must contact the Residence Life and Dining Services Office, 011 Richardson Towers, 901-678-2295 and request to be placed on the Late Arrival’s List if the student will be late checking into the room.

SPRING 2006 ROOM CHANGE

Thursday, January 19 or Friday, January 20

STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES

Student Health Service’s Health Education area has had a very productive semester. Programs have been presented across campus including: the Student Health Fair and Heart Health during September, Breast and Testicular Cancer Self-exam training, Health and Wellness classes for ACAD 1100 classes, the Fatal Vision Goggle Obstacle Course during the National Collegiate Alcohol and Alcoholism Awareness Week in October, Influenza and Meningitis Awareness and Diabetes Awareness in early November. Mr. Butts toured campus and urged smokers to join various free smoking cessation groups in the area; carbon dioxide testing was done to demonstrate the increased level of CO2 in smoker’s blood for the Great American Smokeout. On December 1, we participated with NAACP in an awareness fair for World AIDS Day. Our last function of the year will include a Stress Relief activity and Safety program. Our Peer Health Educator’s group has grown and helped with many of these activities!  For more information about Student Health Services, visit their website at www.people.memphis.edu/~health/

BURSAR

• Registration for Spring ’06 has begun!  Students should check their accounts online at http://bf.memphis.edu/ebursar to ensure that they do not have a registration hold due to an outstanding debt. 
• Visit eBursar at http://bf.memphis.edu/ebursar to see fee payment deadlines and other information that might be helpful to you and your student.
• If your student is expecting to receive excess financial aid, s/he should sign up for direct deposit  before December 19, 2005, for earliest disbursement of funds.
• Invoices will be available online at http://bf.memphis.edu/ebursar in early December.  Emails will be sent to students notifying them when invoices are available.

• Students can set up a PIN number at the above site for you to be able to view and pay the statements and invoices. (This PIN number is new and different from any other that you may have established prior to the Fall semester.) 

COMPUTER SUPPORT SERVICES

Are you interested in purchasing a computer for your student for Christmas?  Click on the link below for recommendations from the Internet Technology Division at the University of Memphis http://support.memphis.edu/standards/students.php

TIPS FOR PARENTS OF FIRST SEMESTER FRESHMEN

Parents: What you can do to help your son or daughter adjust to being a first semester freshman at the University of Memphis?

Listen – The transition from high school for most students will include interactions with new friends and acquaintances, faculty, staff, and advisors.  However, don’t be surprised when they turn to you for support and encouragement.  It is important that you do not rush to judgment and giving quick solutions.  Besides when you tell them what to do, more than likely, they will say “I already tried that” or “You just don’t understand”.  Surprisingly, they are very likely close to finding a solution.  You could listen, provide support, and say something like, “What do you think you should do?” or “Let me know what you decide.”

Keep in touch - Your child will be very busy adjusting to college life. Challenging classes, making new friends, football games (GO TIGERS!), student organizations, and other activities will consume a lot of time on their schedule. You may have to arrange a regular time that your child phones home. Even while they are in college, there is still no place like home.

Expect Change – Most students undergo significant change after going to college.  Change is often rapid and evident the first time they come home for a visit or it may take place more slowly over their college career. Regardless, change is inevitable and normal.  However, going through this kind of change in college will sometimes make it difficult for students to cope with major changes at home.  So, don’t change their bedroom into a guest room or new exercise room right away.  Discuss major changes with your student when they come home for a visit.

Maintain Trust - Being away from home for the first time, many new college students are always excited about the freedom they have now. However, with freedom comes responsibility. Allow your son or daughter to learning from their mistakes. If your son or daughter sounds very different or somewhat sad, ask them if they are having difficulty.  If it is too overwhelming for them, encourage them to talk to a counselor. Hopefully, you can have confidence and trust them to make wise decisions concerning the many things they will be involved in.

Stay Informed – Knowing what’s going on campus will prove to be a benefit to you and your student. Knowing when breaks are coming around is important, but knowing when mid-terms and finals start allows you to be an important support and resource.  Besides this information may even explained why your students sounded stressed last time you spoke.  There are many ways to know what’s going on.  The University maintains an online calendar of events, academic calendars, the Daily Helmsman (the campus newspaper) and the UofM homepage.

Don’t Panic When They Panic – If your son or daughter panics stay calm. If they are failing, encourage them to seek educational assistance. If they say they are unsatisfied with their major or course choices, encourage them to seek career counseling.  If they say they are depressed or anxious, encourage them to seek psychological counseling.

Know Where To Turn If There Are Difficulties – If your son or daughter tells you “I’m not going to class” or if the begin to sleep constantly and withdraw, encourage them to seek counseling. Remember the Center for Counseling, Learning and Testing is a resource available to students who might need assistance with career, personal, or academic issues. Of course there are other offices on campus with staff available to assist students with concerns they may have. Contact us advise and direction that have to do with counseling (901-687-2068), learning (901-678-2704) and testing (901-678-2428) issues.

 TIGER ATHLETICS

How about those Tigers?!

Motor City Bowl, December 26,  3pm Central time
http://www.memphis.edu/alumni/bowl.html

And upcoming basketball games for the #7 Men's Tigers:

Your “U of M Parent Information Team”

Remember the Parents web page with links at http://www.memphis.edu/parents.html or you can address specific inquiries to parents@memphis.edu.  Past Parent E-news are posted at http://www.people.memphis.edu/%7Estudent/parentslist.html.

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