may 2010 family newsletter

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Aggie Quick Connection Inside... 2 New Student Programs 3 Upcoming Events 4 General Resources 5 Bacterial Meningitis Vaccinations ...On the Calendar 1 May 2010 Family Edition Welcome Family Members, The month of May is a time of great expectations on campus. Not only are final exams looming for some, but many students and families are also experiencing the emotions that come with Commencement exercises and New Student Conferences. Whether your Aggie is graduating, a new student, or somewhere in between - we want you to be informed. We encourage you to visit the Aggie Parent web site for additional updates and helpful resources. You can visit us at http://parents.tamu.edu/. Please feel free to contact the Offices of the Dean of Student Life at (979) 845-3111, or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions. Dr. Carol Binzer Director of Student Life Message from the Director of the Offices of the Dean of Student Life • Teen drivers are four times more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near crash events directly related to talking on a cell phone or texting. • Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving. • People who text while driving are 23% more likely to be in a car accident. • Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated. • For every 6 seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road. This makes texting the most distracting of all cell phone related tasks. • A truck driver texting while driving is 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road. • A driver reaching for a cell phone or any other electronic device is 1.4 times more likely to experience a car crash. For more information, please visit: http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car- accident/cell/statistics.html Texting & Driving Don’t Mix May 3-4 Prep days, classes meet May 5-6 Reading days, no classes May 7, 10-12 Final examinations May 17 Final grades due May 31 Memorial Day

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Messages from the Office of New Student Programs

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Aggie Quick Connection

Inside...2 New Student Programs3 Upcoming Events4 General Resources5 Bacterial Meningitis Vaccinations

...On the Calendar

1

May 2010 Family Edition

Welcome Family Members,

The month of May is a time of great expectations on campus. Not only are final exams looming for some, but many students and families are also experiencing the emotions that come with Commencement exercises and New Student Conferences. Whether your Aggie is graduating, a new student, or somewhere in between - we want you to be informed.

We encourage you to visit the Aggie Parent web site for additional updates and helpful resources. You can visit us at http://parents.tamu.edu/.

Please feel free to contact the Offices of the Dean of Student Life at (979) 845-3111, or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Dr. Carol Binzer Director of Student Life

Message from the Director of the Offices of the Dean of Student Life • Teen drivers are four times more likely

than adults to get into car crashes or near crash events directly related to talking on a cell phone or texting.

• Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving.

• People who text while driving are 23% more likely to be in a car accident.

• Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated.

• For every 6 seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road. This makes texting the most distracting of all cell phone related tasks.

• A truck driver texting while driving is 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road.

• A driver reaching for a cell phone or any other electronic device is 1.4 times more likely to experience a car crash.

For more information, please visit: http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cell/statistics.html

Texting & Driving Don’t Mix

May 3-4 Prep days, classes meetMay 5-6 Reading days, no classesMay 7, 10-12 Final examinationsMay 17 Final grades dueMay 31 Memorial Day

Aggie Quick Connection

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New Student Programs

AMPLIFY: THE SUCCESS SERIES FOR STUDENTSEncourage your student to attend Amplify, a year-long series of programs and workshops designed to assist freshmen, transfer and sophomore Aggies develop skills and make them aware of resources that will enhance their Texas A&M experience. Some example sessions offered this semester include: Cooking on a Budget, Time Management and Procrastination, and Career Assessment Workshop: Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to Help Identify Personality Characteristics. To view a complete listing of this semester’s workshops, please visit: http://amplify.tamu.edu/workshop.

Every program offered through Amplify is completely FREE so we hope your student will take advantage!

Registering for Amplify workshopsA reservation is required so that presenters can prepare the appropriate amount of materials and also to help track the programs students are most interested in so that we can refine our offerings in the future.Remind your student to go to http://amplify.tamu.edu, click on a workshop, and select “View Details to Register”. At any time students can view, manage or change the list of programs they are registered for by clicking on “My Profile.”

THIS MONTH IN AMPLIFYMay 3, 2010 4:00 - 5:00 PM Conquering Finals

May 5, 2010 2:00 - 5:00 PM Aggie Allies Advance

May 2010 Family Edition

NEW STUDENT CONFERENCESAll new undergraduate students are required to attend a New Student Conference. These mandatory conferences seek to connect new students with all aspects of their new Texas A&M community. While parents and families are not required to attend, we highly encourage them to do so. Various resources have been designed specifically to help parents and family members as their student starts college. For more information on New Student Conferences, please visit http://newaggie.tamu.edu/.

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FINAL EXAMINATION SCHEDULE Final Examinations will be held for all students on Friday, May 7 and Monday, May 10 through Wednesday, May 12, 2010. For a final exam schedule, please visit: http://admissions.tamu.edu/Registrar/General/FinalSchedule.aspx.

FINAL GRADES Parents should discuss setting up a parent password to access grade and other information with their student. For more information on University grade disclosure policies please refer to “Grades for Parents/Guardians” on page 14 of the Aggie Family handbook: http://newaggie.tamu.edu/sites/newaggie.tamu.edu/files/FamilyHandbook2009.pdf.

Aggie Quick Connection

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Upcoming Events & Programs

Plan Ahead: Summer is NearYour student’s first year is nearly over and summer is almost here. Hopefully he/she spent the time wisely and is doing well in his/her classes, but what about after finals? If all that studying and fun hasn’t left your student much time to think about those months between May and September, there are a ton of things to do.

Summer School:The summer is a great opportunity for your student to catch up or get ahead with classes. Summer classes are often smaller and offer a more relaxed environment. It might be a good time to take a hard class or a few classes to get one step closer to the Aggie Ring.

Texas A&M offers a variety of classes for Summer I, Summer II and the 10-week semester. Registration begins for summer and fall semesters on April 15th – encourage your student to check Howdy for the designated time and to make an appointment with his/her advisor before registration!

Community College is another option that many students choose. It is CRUCIAL that your student verifies transferability of community college credits BEFORE he/she signs up. It would be a shame to spend the summer trying to get ahead or taking a prerequisite and then not have it transfer. Encourage your student to contact his/her academic advisor. Check out the Texas Association of Community Colleges website to search for a campus: http://www.tacc.org/tcc_links.htm.

Work & Save Money:Another option is to work during the summer. Some students work while taking classes, but others focus on one or the other. If your student is interested in a summer job, visit the sites http://careercenter.tamu.edu or http://jobsforaggies.tamu.edu for helpful resources.

Relax and Sleep:Right now this may seem like the perfect choice to your student, but boredom may sneak in after a few weeks. Encourage your student to utilize his/her free time with something exciting or service-oriented. Check out: http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/online/aggieserve/.

CAREER CENTER There are many career resources and tools available to Aggies through the Career Center. From career advising to job searching, the Career Center is committed to your student’s success in landing the right job. For more information on available resources and how to make appointments, please visit http://careercenter.tamu.edu/.

One tool available to Aggies through the Career Center is the AggiE-folio: An on-line personal skill-based professional portfolio. With the AggiE-folio, students can showcase examples of knowledge, skills, and strengths to employers. Find out more about this great resource at: http://careercenter.tamu.edu/services/s24.cfm?sn=DefaultNav.

FINANCIAL AID The Student Financial Aid website has a wealth of information about how to pay for college, including tips on how to apply for financial aid and how to avoid scholarship scams. For more information, please visit their website at http://financialaid.tamu.edu/.

AGGIE MOMS’ CLUBS Joining a Mothers’ Club is an excellent way to become familiar with Texas A&M University, to support the student body, and to form friendships. With 126 Aggie Mothers’ Clubs, we hope there is one in your area. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.aggiemoms.org/.

General TAMU Resources

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Aggie Quick Connection

May 2010 Family Edition

SPRING GRADUATION Commencement ceremonies on the College Station campus for the spring semester of 2010 will be held May 14 and 15. For information on the commencement ceremonies (including specific dates, times, and locations), please visit http://graduation.tamu.edu/.

RESIDENCE HALL CLOSINGS Although the residence halls close May 15, 2010 at 12 p.m., residents are expected to leave within 24 hours of their last final. More information on the closure can be found at http://reslife.tamu.edu/

PARKING PERMIT REGISTRATION Students can register for Fall 2010/Spring 2011 parking permits now through July 13, 2010. For information on permit pricing and policies, please visit: http://transport.tamu.edu/.

Upcoming Events & Programs

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Aggie Quick Connection

May 2010 Family Edition

Help us spread the word:Are you a family member of a student coming to their New Student Conference or know someone who is? BACTERIAL MENINGITIS VACCINATIONS FOR STUDENTS STAYING ON CAMPUS FOR NEW STUDENT CONFERENCES

Beginning on January 1, 2010 Texas House Bill 4189 requires that all incoming students who will be staying on campus either in the fall or for their New Student Conferences must provide either evidence of vaccination against bacterial meningitis or a document declining the vaccination prior to their conference stay. Students will not be able to stay on campus for their New Student Conference until one of these two documents is received by the Department of Residence Life. If you have not done so already, please fax or scan & e-mail your bacterial meningitis documentation to 979-862-3122 or [email protected]

For more specific information about the bacterial meningitis vaccination requirement, please go to http://reslife.tamu.edu/ or Bacterial Meningitis Letter to Residence Hall Students at http://reslife.tamu.edu/download/current/safety/bacterialMeningitisReshallStudentInfo.pdf.