Where do youwant to GROW?

BULLDOGA Magazine for the Families of UGA Residence Hall Students

FALL 2011

Editors

Tracy GieseSabrina Cuadra-Cramer

Contributors

Allison HarperLarry Correll-Hughes

Margaret Perry

Mallory Whitfield

Design

Ronda WynveenUGA Printing

Bulldog Families is written and published by the

Department of University Housing at The University of Georgia

Russell HallAthens, GA 30602-5575

Bulldog Families is distributed free of charge to

families of University of Georgia residence hall students.

Comments or questions about articles should be directed to

Tracy Giese(706) 542-1421

E-mail: housing@uga.edu

All suggestions and ideas for articles are welcomed.

•©2011 The University of Georgia

•The University of Georgia is committedto principles of equal opportunity and

affirmative action.

c o n t e n t s

Where does your student want to GROW? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Get Involved!

RHA—Where you want to be!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Housing 4 Housing builds second home in final year. . . . . . . . . 4

Explore! UGA at Oxford Study Abroad Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Sign Up! Live on campus next year!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Historic Mary Lyndon Hall renovated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

F A L L 2 0 1 1

Our Mission: The Department of University Housing provides

comfortable, affordable and secure on-campus housing options

in residential communities where the academic success and

personal growth of residents are encouraged and supported.

2 b u l l d o g f a m i l i e s

presents

JAN. 11, 2012 • 11AM-3PM • GRAND HALL, TATE CTR

Find your Dawg House for 2012-2013!

So your student has survived almost the entire semester at his/her new home-away-from-home. He/she has been learning to balance a new life as an adult and

establishing him/herself as an independent person who hopefully has developed responsible habits and skills for the transition after college. The new adult has been doing laundry, conducting personal banking and financial transactions, making food choices, hanging out with friends, and coming and going at hours that may or may not coincide with yours. That’s a lot of change and personal growth for the first three months of independence!

Thanksgiving break is a welcomed respite from the pressures of college and provides the perfect opportunity to talk about what the next few months will bring, including where they will live next year at school. The first-year live-on experience affords students the opportunity to make new friendships, which may also encourage roommate choices for the next year. While trying to figure out if they want to continue living on campus or move into an off-campus apartment, it’s important to remember several factors in the decision making process.

1. Is your student interested in pursuing an internship or study abroad program next year? Most apartment complexes will not allow a tenant to terminate a contract. Students are responsible for payment of rent whether or not they are living in their chosen space. Some complexes allow students to sublet, but not all will do this. There’s also the stress of trying to find someone to sublet for a semester, and introducing an unknown person into their roommates’ home. University Housing will allow students to terminate their contract without penalty as long as they are in a university-sponsored internship or study abroad program and they meet the contract cancellation deadline prior to the semester they are absent from campus. For more information, call (706) 542-1421.

2. Does your student have transportation? Cars certainly make it easier for students who live off-campus to traverse back and forth, but they are also required to purchase a parking permit for parking on campus, as well as pay for the gas for their vehicle. Students without a vehicle may ride the city bus, which has several routes coming onto campus throughout the day; however, students will need to schedule their classes around the transit schedule. Students who live on campus don’t have to include fuel costs in their daily expenses. They can either walk to class or take a campus bus. Both campus and city buses run daily at locations all across campus, providing valuable transportation needs both on campus and off.

3. It is important to consider all costs of living in an off-campus apartment. All utilities and services—water, electricity, trash pickup, cable and Internet—are included in the cost of residence hall rent each semester; and students don’t have to worry about splitting bills with their roommates because everyone pays their own rent at the beginning of the semester.

Those students who choose to stay on campus experience a great sense of community connection, convenience and cost savings, as well as an opportunity for further academic and personal development and growth with relationships already established on campus.

So where does your student want to GROW next year?

Where does your student want to GROW?Where does your student want to GROW?

b u l l d o g f a m i l i e s 3

and delicious food, all of which are free. Students can look out for great programs this year including Cosmic Bowling, Scream on the Green, Casino Night, Kiss Me I’m Sustainable, RezFest and many more events!

RHA also provides a service to residents and their parents/guardians during final exams. RHA offers a care package — including stress relieving items and supplies for studying — that parents can send to their students. This is a way parents can support their students, while at the same time supporting an organization that uses its funds to further benefit residents. You will be receiving a pamphlet in the mail later in the semester.

The Residence Hall Association has been recognized on the campus, state, regional and national level as an outstanding and influential organization. Its leaders, programs and services have received numerous awards over the past year of which we are incredibly proud. We hope that your student will be want to be a part of the award winning-efforts of RHA next year. Though every resident is already a member of RHA, they are encouraged to get more involved in community councils, participate in programs and attend general body meetings every week.

The RHA Executive Board would like to formally welcome your students and you to the Residence Hall Association, University Housing and the Bulldog Family. We are anticipating an exceptional year full of opportunities for your students to get involved and make memories that will stay with them long after graduation. If you would like more information about RHA, including organizations, programs and applications for committees, please visit our website at www.uga.edu/rha. Feel free to share any of your comments and concerns with the RHA Executive Board by e-mailing us at rha@uga.edu or calling our office at (706) 542-1169. We look forward to hearing from you. Go Dawgs!

Mallory Whitfield, 2011-12 presidentResidence Hall Association

RHA – Where you want to be!With more than 600 registered student organizations on the University of Georgia campus, there is no shortage of ways for students to get involved in college life beyond academics. Whether big or small, student organizations are a means for students to make their time at the university unforgettable. The Residence Hall Association (RHA) is one such organization through which students can make a difference in residential life.

RHA is the second largest student organization on this campus, consisting of the nearly 7,500 residents living in University Housing. For the past 40 years, RHA has sought to give University Housing residents a unified voice in policies and programs that affect our students and life in the halls. RHA offers a number of services and programs to residents in an effort to make living on campus one of the greatest aspects of a college career.

One of the most important ways RHA impacts residents is through the community councils. Every fall, residents of the seven residential communities on campus elect a council of student representatives to act as stewards of the housing activity fee each resident pays. These representatives work throughout the year to put on programs and pursue initiatives, which are important to

the residents of their community or hall. The councils hold weekly or bi-weekly general body meetings that all residents are welcome to attend. A day-long leadership training conference called Exec N’ Rec is held at the beginning of every semester that is open to members of our community councils.

Each council also sends representatives to RHA General Body meetings. These representatives gather weekly to discuss and vote on policies and decisions

that affect all residents of University Housing. These meetings are run by the RHA Executive Board, which consists of student leaders elected by the RHA representatives.

The RHA Executive Board hosts a number of programs throughout the year that have become traditions for our residents. Our programs are known for having awesome t-shirts

Get Involved!

Housing 4 Housing builds second home in final yearIn its ninth and final year, Housing 4 Housing, University Housing’s philanthropy has partnered with Athens Area Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build Organization to build a second home for the Athens community. During the philanthropy’s existence within the department, more than $105,000 has been raised for Athens Area Habitat for Humanity.

First adopted in fall 2001 after a similar model at the University of Tennessee, Housing 4 Housing sponsored and built its first home in 2005. During the first five years, events such as couch-a-thons, penny wars, buy-a-brick, and hall/colony/building competitions sponsored by housing staff helped to raise money for the first home. These events resulted in partnerships with the Residence Hall Association and community councils, as well as the Committee of 1,000, an initiative where individuals were recruited to become a member of the committee by pledging $25 towards Housing 4 Housing.

In December 2010 Housing 4 Housing decided to partner with the Women Build Organization to help promote women in the construction field. Almost every Saturday this past spring, students and staff, including women, from UGA participated and volunteered on the build site to assist in building the home. This home was dedicated to the new owners on June 23, 2011, with a block party and a few words from Dr. Gerry Kowalski, executive director of University Housing.

by Megan Horan, Assistant Area Coordinator, Brumby Community

UGA at Oxford Study Abroad Program by Margaret Perry

Imagine waking up on the first day of classes, walking down from your room, and stepping out into a city that was established more than 1,000 years ago. Here’s a hint: it’s not Athens. You are in Oxford, England and this is not a dream.

Students who come to the University of Georgia are presented with a wide array of opportunities and choices—their major, what clubs to join, what sports to play, and what activities to do in their spare time. The most memorable choice they will make is a continuously growing and popular decision at UGA: Should they study abroad, and if they should, where should they go?

The UGA at Oxford program is the University of Georgia’s premier study abroad program, holding nine programs year-round with more than 90 courses in 25 different subjects. UGA at Oxford offers courses that will suit any student with any major. There are no transferred courses; all courses are worth UGA credit. As a UGA sponsored program, all financial aid counts toward the program, including the HOPE Scholarship and other scholarships, grants and loans. Tuition for the program is the samecost as in-state tuition, even for out-of-state students.

Once in Oxford, students will live in the University of Georgia’s Center in North Oxford. Owned by the University, the Center is a Victorian home with large, newly furbished rooms which hold two to four students. Most rooms have private bathrooms.

Students will enjoy an associate membership to Keble College during the academic year and to Trinity College during the summer semester. Classes are primarily taught by Oxford professors, but also by UGA faculty. Students will experience how to live and study abroad in a completely unique environment at a world-renowned university. They will dine with Oxford students, have access to the college libraries, common rooms and pubs, and participate in the college’s social, cultural and sporting societies and events.

Studying abroad is a rewarding and unforgettable experience. Studying at Oxford is even better, and as many of our students have said, it is an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

www.uga.edu/oxford

Explore!

b u l l d o g f a m i l i e s 5

No commutes, no hassles, no monthly bills – just college life the way it was meant to be! Any resident who wants to continue to enjoy these and the many other benefits of on-campus housing for the 2012-2013 academic year must submit an online request to participate in the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process between December 1, 2011, and January 22, 2012. To make this log into The Dawg House and follow the instructions outlined. Our continuing commitment to provide housing to every first-year student will mean that spaces for returning students will be limited! For this reason, any resident who wishes to return to campus must submit an official online request to participate in the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process between December 1 and January 22! To follow is an outline of the complete process, with essential dates and deadlines noted in blue.

PHASE 1: REQUEST TO PARTICIPATE December 1, 2011 – January 22, 2012: Students must submit a request to participate by logging in to The Dawg House, our online housing system which can be found through the University Housing website. New this year, students will be able to enter up to three roommate preferences during this phase. Only students who request to participate in Returning Resident Room Sign-Up between December 1 and 11:59 p.m. on January 22 will be considered for participation in the initial round of the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process.

PHASE 2: STUDENT SELECTION & FEE PAYMENTJanuary 23-24– The Housing Assignments Office will identify those individuals who will be eligible to participate in Returning Resident Room Sign-Up based upon the total number of requests received, the number of spaces available for non-first year students and the number of UGA hours earned.

January 25 – On this date all students who were selected to participate in the initial round of Returning Resident Room Sign-Up will receive an e-mail and have a non-refundable $100 charge posted to their Student Account. While this charge is non-refundable, the full $100 will be applied toward the $300 fall semester prepayment that is required to activate a contract with University Housing. The $300 prepayment will then be applied toward fall rent. Students not selected to participate in the initial round of Returning Resident Room Sign-up will receive an e-mail indicating that they are on the Fall Waitlist. More information about the Fall Waitlist is below in the Phase 4 section.

February 10 – Payment of the non-refundable $100 charge will be due at the Bursar’s Office. Students who do not pay the $100 charge will not be eligible to continue in the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process. Students who pay the $100 charge by this due date will be assured a living space in UGA Housing for 2012-2013.

PHASE 3: ROOM SELECTION & FINAL PREPAYMENTFebruary 11 – Students who did not pay the $100 charge will be dropped from Returning Resident Room Sign-Up by University Housing. Students on the waitlist will be notified via UGA e-mail as the dropped student’s spaces become available.

February 13 – Students who paid the $100 charge will be notified via UGA e-mail of their ability to:

Participate in Same Room Sign-Up on Wednesday, February 15. Participate in Same Hall Sign-Up on Thursday, February 16. Participate in Appointment Time Sign-Up on Friday, February 17, by

selecting from any available space on campus that has not been reserved for incoming first-year students or a special program using an assigned appointment time.

All three of these sign-up options for the initial round of Returning Resident Room Sign-Up will be accessed through The Dawg House, our online housing system.

February 15 – Same Room Sign-Up Day – Any student who has been selected to participate, paid the $100 Sign-Up fee and wishes to remain in his/her current assignment during the 2012-2013 academic year may access The Dawg House to sign up to live in the same space. Note: Some returning students may be unable to select their current assignments due to spaces being held for entering first-year students or a special program.

February 16 – Same Hall Sign-Up Day – Any student who has been selected to participate, paid the $100 Sign-Up fee and wishes to remain in his/her current building during the 2012-2013 academic year may access The Dawg House on this day to sign up to live in the same building if space is available. Students already residing in any East Campus Village hall may sign up for a room in any East Campus Village hall on this date. Note: Some returning students may be unable to select their current building due to spaces being held for entering first-year students or a special program.

February 17 – Appointment Time Sign-Up Days – Students may access The Dawg House at any time beginning with their assigned appointment time to select any available space on campus.

February 20 – The balance of the prepayment, $200, will be posted to the Student Accounts of all students who selected a room during Returning Resident Room Sign-Up. Housing contracts will be available for students to view and activate at this time.

Also on this date, access to the Fall 2012 Assignment Change site will begin at 9:00 a.m. through The Dawg House on the University Housing website: http://housing.uga.edu. This site should be utilized by anyone who successfully secured a space on campus, but hopes to make a change to a different room, hall, or community.

February 27 – Housing contracts must be activated by this date or the housing assignment will be canceled.

March 10 – Payment of the remainder of the fall semester prepayment, $200, will be due at the Bursar’s Office.

PHASE 4: FALL WAITLIST PARTICIPANTSAny student who was not selected to participate in the initial room selection phase of the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process will be placed on the Fall Waitlist. For students on the Fall Waitlist, weekly sign-up rounds will occur throughout the spring semester, beginning February 22nd. As cancellations are received and vacancies identified, students on the Fall Waitlist will be notified via e-mail of any change in their status, including their ability to participate in the next sign-up round. Once they

become eligible to select a room in a sign-up round, they will be contacted and a non-refundable $100 charge will be immediately posted to their Student Account. While this charge is non-refundable, the full $100 will be applied toward the required $300 fall semester prepayment. The $300 prepayment will then be applied toward fall rent. Payment of the non-refundable $100 charge will be due at the Bursar’s Office by the date determined by the Bursar.

NEED MORE INFORMATION? Please visit the University Housing website: http://housing.uga.edu/residence/register/returning-students. Topics covered in more depth include an explanation of how people are selected to participate, how student studying abroad can participate, and other detailed aspects of the process and timeline. In January 2012, University Housing staff will conduct information sessions to answer questions about any aspect of Returning Resident Room Sign-Up.

Don’t forget: Any resident who wishes to return to campus must submit a request to participate in the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process between December 1 and January 22 by logging in to The Dawg House, our online housing system which can be found through the University Housing website or at https://TheDawgHouse.uga.edu.

Information Sessions

Information sessions will be conducted detailing the Returning Resident Room Sign-Up process, when to sign up, and to answer student questions about living on campus next year. The info session schedule will be available on the University Housing website: http://housing.uga.edu/residence/register/returning-students.

Tuesday, January 10th @ 7:00PM-- Reed (Payne Hall Lobby)Tuesday, January 10th @ 9:00PM-- Brumby ( Brumby Hall Rotunda)Wednesday, January 11th @ 7:00PM-- Creswell (Creswell TV Room)Wednesday, January 11th @ 9:00PM-- Myers (Myers Hall Programming Room)Thursday, January 12th @ 7:00PM—Tate Student Center (Room 142)Tuesday, January 17th @ 7:00PM-- Russell (Russell Academic Center)Tuesday, January 17th @ 9:00PM-- Hill (Hill Hall Lobby)Wednesday, January 18th @ 7:00PM--  ECV (Rooker Hall Fireside Lounge w/ tours of ECV and 1516 to follow)

Completed UGA Credit Hours and GPA are taken into consideration in the following categories based on the percentage of students from each category requestingto participate:

New Students (0 credit hours) First-Year Students (1-29 credit hours) Second-Year Students (30-59 credit hours) Third-Year Students (60-89 credit hours) Fourth-Year Students (90+ credit hours) Off-Campus Students (any credit hours)

Sign Up!

Live on campus next year!

6 b u l l d o g f a m i l i e s

UGA Food Services

®

At UGA Food Services, we strive to make a difference in the lives of our students. That’s why we go beyond just serving meals and create an environment in which students can succeed. When students dine on the UGA Meal Plan they find that we help them grow by providing:

Great Customer ServiceOur employees go above and beyond to make sure students feel welcome in the dining commons and that the food being served is always top notch. In January of 2011, UGA Food Services received the Governor’s Award for Customer Service after staying open to feed students when the university closed during a snow storm. We are the only team in Georgia to have received the Governor’s Award for Customer Service three times. We have also twice received the Chancellor’s Award for Customer Service. Students experience personal customer service and many have come to call the dining commons a second home.

Exceptional FoodStudents on the meal plan enjoy a wide selection of great tasting foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all the snacks in between. With the dining commons offering continuous service and 24 hour weekday dining at Snelling, students have all the time they want to enjoy the award winning food served on campus. Additionally, Food Services hosts over 10 special events every year which allows students on the meal plan to try new and exciting cuisine throughout the year.

Nutrition EducationEducating students on how to eat well in the dining commons and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle is important to Food Services. That’s why we offer free nutrition counseling to any student on the meal plan. Our registered dietitian can answer questions and assist students in establishing healthy eating habits. Students

To sign up for the meal plan, visit us online at:www.uga.edu/foodservice

For more information, please call 706-542-7130

can also participate in the Eating Smart Courses offered by our dietitian or read about our nutritional information in the Food Fact Finders located in every dining commons and online.

TechnologyWe strive to implement technology that will benefit students and improve our services on campus. Students on the meal plan can find a new kiosk ordering system in place at Joe at the O’ in Oglethorpe Dining Commons. The kiosk provides faster service for students on the go. Students also have access to real time updates about what is happening in the dining commons through our Facebook page (facebook.com/ugafoodservices). Plus, our Food Fact Finders and gluten free menu items have been added to our website so students can access this important information no matter where they are.

Student LeadershipFood Services employs more than 900 student employees. We help grow student leaders through a leadership program in which students take on managerial responsibilities. The skills they learn during this program help better prepare them for the workplace.

b u l l d o g f a m i l i e s 7

Division of Student AffairsDepartment of University HousingRussell HallAthens, Georgia 30602-5575

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDAthens, GA

Permit No. 165

University Housing Phone Numbers

Assignments (Central) Office . . . . . .(706) 542-1421

Brumby Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-8250

Creswell Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-8344

East Campus Village Community . . . . . . (706) 542-2041(Building 1512; McWhorter, Rooker and Vandiver Halls)

Hill Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-5934 (Boggs, Church, Hill, Lipscomb andMell Halls; Oglethorpe House)

Myers Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-5217 (Mary Lyndon, Myers, Rutherford and Soule Halls)

Reed Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-3753 (Building 1516; Morris, Payne and Reed Halls)

Rogers Road Community . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-1473

Russell Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (706) 542-8331

Work Order Office . . . . . . . . . . . . .(706) 542-3999

University Housing continually strives to maintain and improve facilities to provide the safest and most modern residence halls for our students. The latest renovation came this summer with upgrades to Mary Lyndon Hall in the Myers Community.

Built in 1937, Mary Lyndon had its last major renovation more than 40 years ago when it was repurposed from U.S. Navy preflight training program barracks and subsequently a male residence hall into a graduate women’s hall. Since 2000, Mary Lyndon Hall has housed male and female residents participating in a cultural emersion learning program with the French and Spanish Language Communities.

Some of the key changes to Mary Lyndon include a new fire sprinkler system, updated kitchen and lounge area, upgraded heating and air condition system with in-room temperature control, updated computer lab rooms, and ADA improvements (exterior wheelchair ramp, elevator and ADA compliant rooms), as well as a fresh coat of paint in modern colors and new carpet.

For a gallery of photos, go tohttp://housing.uga.edu/residence/tour/myers/mary-lyndon/media.

Historic Mary Lyndon Hall renovated

Like Follow Watch Go!

An exterior wheelchair accessible ramp was added to better accommodate students.

Even the student lounge and kitchen on the bottom floor received a facelift!

Beautiful archway entrances were added to hallways, along with fresh coats of paint in modern colors and new carpeting.

Another major

upgrade to Mary

Lyndon is the addition

of in-roomtemperature

control.

8 b u l l d o g f a m i l i e s