On Campus-October 2009

Bellarmine Gets Bigger: Updates
As BU's student population grows, so do the facilities and services offered for students. This growth has brought many exciting changes to the Bellarmine campus, not the least of which is the remodel of the Bellarmine Activities Center and Kosters Dining Hall, which began just a few weeks ago. To read more from Tom Fisher, Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management, about the remodel of Kosters, the addition of more environmentally sound systems, and other construction, click here.

Online Registration for Undergraduates
All degree-seeking Bellarmine undergraduates will register themselves for spring classes online this November, beginning November 2 with Seniors. Freshman online registration will open November 10, and open registration online will continue through January 1. In order to gain access to the computer system, students must first meet with an advisor who gives them electronic permission to register. Their advisors will also receive a copy of their schedules and a notification of any changes students make to that schedule before the beginning of next semester. To read more about registration from Registrar, Ann Olsen, click here.

To read student registration procedures and policies, click here.

Asking for Advice: How Your Student Benefits from Academic Advising
For all undergraduates, one integral step in the registration process is obtaining approval from an advisor (see the "registration policies and procedures" link above). Many students view this visit as a cursory item on their registration checklists, and in doing so fail to take advantage of all the helpful opportunities an advising session can offer. Advisors are meant to guide and support students through all elements of college survival, from internship and career strategies, to job and family concerns, your student's advisor is there to listen and help. To read more about how to help your student make the most of his or her advising appointment, click here.

To read "Your Kid is Fine," the BU Academic Advising blog, click here. This week's topic is "The Tragic Syndrome of Neglected Advisors."

The Advantages of Internships

The academic preparation of a major is a very important aspect of preparing for a student's future career. However, a student's gaining experience related to his or her career field offers something extra to prospective employers. To read more from Ann Zeman about student internships, click here.

Interesting Internships: Felicia Mohr, Congressman Yarmuth's Office
Last summer, while the rest of us were planting tomatoes or refining tans, BU senior Felicia Mohr spent thirty hours per week working for the district office of our local congressman, Representative John Yarmuth. Mohr, a Political Science and Sociology double major, demonstrates just one stellar example of the types of internships open to BU upperclassmen to prepare them for careers. To read more about Felicia's internship, click here.

Revealing Research: Chelsea Rupp, Environmental Estrogens and Cancer
As part of her senior research project requirement, Chelsea Rupp, a senior biology major with a chemistry minor, has been conducting experiments as part of a long term project to investigate whether or not gender-related factors are involved in lung cancer. Her experiments are part of a larger collaborative effort between Dr. Mary Huff, of the Bellarmine Department of Biological Sciences, and Dr. Carrie Klinge, of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Louisville, School of Medicine. To read about Chelsea Rupp's research project, click here.

Revealing Research: Nicholas Derfler and Andrew Parks, Traumatic Aorta Rupture
Traumatic aorta rupture occurs when the aorta—the largest artery in the human body, and also the one connected to the heart—is torn as a result of traumatic injury. Rapid loss of blood from this tear or rupture can easily be fatal; traumatic aorta rupture is the 2nd leading cause of death during a car accident (brain injury is the first). BU seniors Nick Derfler and Andrew Parks have spent their semester investigating the correlation between lateral impact accidents and traumatic aorta rupture. Click here to read more about their project.

Bellarmine Emergency Response Team
BU now has its own on-campus emergency response team, known as BERT (Bellarmine Emergency Response Team). This ambitious student group of EMTs, CPR instructors, and volunteers has worked for two years, with the help of Team Director, Evan Kuhl, former professor & advisor Dr. Joan Combs Durso, and faculty advisor Dr. David Porta, to make this project—originally an idea sprung from a senior seminar class—a reality. To read the inspiring story of how a handful of students aspired to improve disaster-preparedness campus-wide, click here.

Courier Journal story

To see local media coverage of BERT, check out this link: 89.3 WFPL News

A Mid-semester Message from Campus Ministry
Just as the leaves begin to change colors and fall to the ground, we notice a little increase in anxiety around campus. Most students have taken their first assessments (tests) and are either overjoyed at their grades or beginning to show signs of stress because they didn't do as well as they'd hoped. They've made new friends and are asking themselves identity questions such as what and why they believe what they do about God and their respective place in creation. To read more about faith-based groups open to your student, click here.

The Sporting News Tabs Bellarmine as Preseason No. 1 in Men's Basketball
The Sporting News preseason guide for college basketball has Bellarmine's men's team ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II, marking the first time any Bellarmine sports team has held a No. 1 national ranking. To read more from Sports Information Director, John Spugnardi, click here.

NO SMOKING: BU Campus Goes Smoke-Free
As new members of the Bellarmine community, freshmen are an important part of a vibrant campus. We are proud to let you know that Bellarmine is taking an important step toward making our community healthier for everyone. Based on information gathered during a campus-wide survey and year-long study, Bellarmine will become a tobacco-free campus on January 1, 2010. To hear more about smoke-free BU, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 2:
Registration Begins

November 3:
Hillside Concert—Maroon 5

November 16-20:
BAC Heritage Week

November 20:
Pioneer Dance

November 25-29:
Thanksgiving Break

December 3:
Study Day

December 4-10
Final Exams

December 16:
Fall Commencement Exercises

Do you or your student have a question about?

Living in the residence halls?
Leslie Maxie-Ashford, Director, Residence Life; 502-473-3000, lmaxie-ashford@bellarmine.edu

Trouble with a class or an assignment, or making a change in class schedules?
Dr. Catherine Sutton, Dean of Advising and Director of Academic Resource Center; 502-452-8071, csutton@bellarmine.edu

How to find something fun to do on campus?
Sarah Fromm, Assistant Director of Student Activities; 452-8433, sfromm@bellarmine.edu

Financial Aid?
Alie Spahiu, Fianancial Aid Assistant 502-432-8124, aspahiu@bellarmine.edu

Workstudy?
Jennifer Likes, Financial Aid Counselor, 502-452-8134, jlikes@bellarmine.edu

Getting a terrific summer job or internship?
Ann Zeman, Director of Career Development and Counseling, 502-452-8151, azeman@bellarmine.edu
Todd Reale, Assistant Dean, Career Services and Experiental Learning; 502- 452-8242, treale@bellarmine.edu

Joining an intramural sports team?
Chuck Vogt, Director of Intramural sports; 502-452-8348, cvogt@bellarmine.edu

What to do when sick or injured?
Alice Kimble, Director, Campus Recreation and Health Services; 502-452-8493, makimble@bellarmine.edu

Who to talk to about personal problems?
Dr. Gary Petiprin, Director of Counseling Center; 502-452-8480, gpetiprin@bellarmine.edu

Studying abroad?
Hannah Holler Egea, Study Abroad Advisor; 502-452-8423, hholler@bellarmine.edu

Spiritual programs, service, or faith-based networks?
Dr. Melanie -Prejean Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry and Service; 502-452-8051, mpsullivan@bellarmine.edu

Disability Accommodations?
Ronda Purdy, Coordinator of Disability Services; 502-452-8480, rpurdy@bellarmine.edu

A more general question about life on campus?
Helen Grace Ryan, Dean of Students; 502-452-8426, hryan@bellarmine.edu