First Year Focus December 2009
Click on the above image to see the latest in our First Year Focus video series about what your freshman is dealing with this year, or click here to watch the video.
To see the finals week checklist provided to your freshman, click here.
Click here to check out and subscribe to the Academic Resource Center's youtube channel
For more about what's going on at BU, check out the Parent's Facebook Page, the Bellarmine photos page, or Bellarmine news releases.
Commuters: Getting "Fueled Up" for Finals
If you are a parent of a commuter, as the end of the semester approaches you may notice that your student is running low on fuel, but not the $2.50-a-gallon kind. As the semester continues, and your student becomes stressed with pending deadlines, more hours at work, and other life stressors, he or she may be running low on the "fuel" needed to motivate and push through to the end of the semester. For tips on how to keep your commuter "fueled up" during finals time click here.
"Life in the Fast Lane": Commuters During Finals Week
The Eagles, Hotel California, 1976. Asylum Records.
Finals time if often tricky for commuter students. They don't have the convenience of a nearby residence hall to go back to between exams, and often have difficulty structuring their spare time on campus. Fortunately, Bellarmine has lots of resources for commuters. Click here to read tips for commuters during finals week, as well as hear about resources for commuters.
How do you keep financial aid money coming after your student's freshman year?
Your first-year college student is deep into the first semester of classes. So the struggle with financial aid forms, tax documents and expected family contributions is over, right? The Office of Financial Aid wants students and parents to know financial aid is not automatically renewed. You must reapply each year. Click here for more information.
Athletics: Student Athlete Advisory Committee
Every school in the NCAA is duty-bound to have a Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and BU is no different. The SAAC at Bellarmine aims to promote leadership and service opportunities, to foster a positive image of athletics, and serve as a liaison between student-athletes and the NCAA. To read about the exciting things the Bellarmine University SAAC has been up to this year, click here.
We've had a busy semester in Campus Ministry this fall. There were five retreats in or around Louisville, a half dozen Hillel gatherings, the Blessing of the Animals, Dinner with the Archbishop, Alternative Spring Break planning meetings and fund raisers, Memorial Services in November, and several new prayer groups in the Residence Halls. The Catholic Students Association initiated new members and the BU Wesley group organized our first "tail gate party" for the Campus Ministry Council.
As the semester comes to a close, some students realize how much their spiritual lives need re-adjustment. To read more about this topic from Melanie Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry, click here.
EDGE: Getting Connected
The EDGE portfolio program was revised and re-launched in August 2009. Students have the opportunity to intentionally connect their in and out of classroom experiences. This is accomplished utilizing a transcript and portfolio. It is our hope that, through tracking and reflection on involvement experiences, students will become more self-aware. This will prove valuable in graduate and job interviews as well as in helping prepare students to understand the development that takes place during their four years at Bellarmine. Click here to learn more about the EDGE program.
FAMILY WEEKEND-THANK YOU!
Thank you to the 175 plus families that joined us for "It's Game Knight": Family Weekend 2009! We appreciate your energy and all the fun you brought to a great weekend. The weekend was a huge success with well over 750 Bellarmine family members in attendance. Nearly $700.00 was raised for the Home of the Innocents and a plethora of needed items were collected throughout the weekend and donated to the organization. Have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to seeing you at Family Weekend Fall 2010. Be sure to check out family weekend pictures. Click here.
-Family Weekend Committee
Reminders from Residence Life
It's time to welcome your favorite Bellarmine Knight home for Winter Break! Students must exit the Residence Halls by 8:00 PM on Thursday, 12/10/09. The Resident Assistants will hold closing community meetings during the first week of December to detail the check-out procedure for residential students. For more information about holiday break check out for those in the residence life halls, click here.
Extra! Extra! Another Way to Support Your BU Student
A new service is being provided to parents wishing to go the extra mile to stay involved with their students. Parents may now take out an advertisement in the Concord, Bellarmine's newspaper, wishing their students good luck on finals, the upcoming semester, congratulating them on making Dean's List, and more. Click here for more info.
Meet Your APA: Shannon Siders
Academic Peer Advocates (APAs) provide another type of guidance for your BU Knight living in the residence halls. Their job is to help your student adjust, academically, to life at Bellarmine. They provide direction and support as your student becomes accustomed to collegiate academics. APAs organize tutoring and study group opportunities, plan programs, and foster good relationships to freshmen so they may serve as role models. This month's highlighted APA is Shannon Siders, a junior Communication/Political Science double major and (among many other things) Chief Editor of the BU campus newspaper, The Concord. Shannon's original home is Dayton, Ohio, but during the year she occupies a room on the third floor of Newman Hall, and serves as the APA for the third floors of Newman Hall and Kennedy Hall. To read about Shannon, Click here.
The "High Stakes" Course: Economics 111
Economics 111 (Principles of Microeconomics) serves as the foundational economics course for majors in the Rubel School of Business, as well as a basic economics course for any majors outside the business school who are interested in the subject. Given its dual purpose, the course must be thorough. The goal of this course is to help students develop the ability to apply economic logic to many types of problems associated with scarcity, such as how individuals, consumers and businesses make decisions. To read information from Dr. Myra McCrickard, who teaches Economics 111 and 112, about the course structure and material, the challenges students may face, and how they can overcome them, click here.
Rhodes' Reads: Millennials Rising
This month, Dr. Fred Rhodes, Vice President for Academic and Student Life, has selected a book that is sure to be enlightening to the parents' of any college-age students, and has a few words to share about his selection:
Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Howe and Strauss, will provide you a sense of perspective, history, humor and hope as we engage our newest college-age culture. As parents of millennials you will want to read what the media, researchers and the millennials have to say about our next great generation. As a parent of both Generation X and millennial young adults, I have found this book informative and helpful as I parent. This is an excellent resource for improving communications, understanding, and recognizing the potential of our current college-age young adults. Enjoy!
UPCOMING EVENTS
December 3:
Study Day
December 4-10
Final Exams
December 10:
Students must exit the residence halls
December 16:
Fall Commencement Exercises
January 3:
Students may re-enter the residence halls
Spring 2010:
Majors and Minors Workshop
(Undeclared/undecided students can register for a five-week workshop about choosing a major or minor, on my.bellarmine.edu. The workshop begins at the start of the spring semester).
Spring 2010:
Declaration Day-Details forthcoming
(A celebration of the day freshmen transition to advisors in the department of their majors).
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; 502-452-8433, sfromm@bellarmine.edu
Financial Aid?
Alie Spahiu, Fianancial Aid Assistant 502-452-8124, aspaihu@bellarmine.edu
Workstudy?
Jennifer Likes, Financial Aid Counselor, 202, 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