Volume 4, Issue 2

parents.sdes.ucf.edu

Parents and Family members, welcome to the University of Central Florida family. As your students embark on this new chapter, in this big book called life, you also turn the page and begin your own journey. Even though your student’s journey and your journey are slowly starting to take different courses, we believe that there is still much, you as parents and family members can do to stay connected to your student as well as build a positive relationship with the university. That is why we have created this monthly Family Newsletter, to give you resources, advice, stories of success, important deadlines and much more, to help you assist your students on their journey and help you build a positive relationship with the University. The UCF creed is an extremely important concept, and is also a big part of who we are at UCF. University of Central Florida students and parents are expected to embody the creed and its five parts including Integrity, Scholarship, Community, Creativity, and Excellence. Students, as well as parents, can use these ideas to be successful during their first year and beyond. This month’s newsletter will explore the Creed.

The UCF creed is intended to guide our conduct, performance, and decisions. It is designed for everyone who is a member of the UCF Community, including students, faculty, staff, and families. By practicing Integrity, Scholarship, Community, Creativity, and Excellence, your student can have a smooth transition throughout their first year. As a Pegasus Parent, we ask your assistance with encouraging your student and challenging them to strive toward these goals. In this issue, we have highlighted various offices and events that focus on the values identified in the Creed. These are tools we hope you can use as you navigate conversations with your student during this first year. We hope that with your support, your student will be successful at UCF. The information provided in these pages will help you stay connected and feel a part of this great institution.

We look forward to sharing more information with you over the course of the year. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at ucfparents@ucf.edu. Enjoy and Go Knights!

Sincerely,

Corey EsquenaziGraduate Assistant Office of First Year Experienceucfparents@ucf.edu

Table of Contents: UCF Creed: History...................Page 5

The UCF Creed...........................Page 6

Upholding Integrity..................Page 9

Developing Scholarship..........Page 10

Building Community..............Page 12

Sparking Creativity.................Page 16

Celebrating Excellence...........Page 20

Following one year of research and brainstorming by a task force appointed by President John C. Hitt, the UCF Creed was introduced to approximately 1,500 UCF students and their families at the New Student Convocation on August 2001. This began a new UCF tradition.

From a statistical standpoint, past creeds and honor codes at various universities have shown on average a ten percent decrease in regards to students cheating on exams. The venture of adopting a new creed for the university was led by Patricia MacKown, Student Development and Enrollment Services, guiding the efforts of Ryan Mallory, a UCF student. Mallory was participating in a LEAD Scholars assistantship, and researched other universities, colleges and military institutes’ creeds and honor codes. His research included the University of Virginia and the University of South Carolina, looking at traditional honor codes and modified versions from across the country. Following that research, a focus group / task force of students was formed to review ‘trial creeds,’ in the hopes that their collaborative efforts would find the perfect solution for UCF.

The reason for UCF developing a creed was to adopt a value system for the students, faculty and staff to share, making it just as important that they practice honesty, integrity and respect, not only for themselves but for others as well. The creed was also put in place to discourage behavior that threaten the freedom and respect for all members of UCF.

Since its inception in 2001, the UCF Creed has been incorporated into various aspects of university life, including housing, orientation, SGA and in the classroom. Additionally, the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services embraced the UCF Creed into its learning objectives with students, all with great success.

Courtsey of:publising.ucf.edu/sites/sdes/Pages/Creed.aspx

“Integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence are the core values that guide our conduct, performance, and decisions.”

“Integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence are the core values that guide our conduct, performance, and decisions.”

“Integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence are the core values that guide our conduct, performance, and decisions.”

“Integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence are the core values that guide our conduct, performance, and decisions.”

Integrity

Scholarship

Community

Creativity

Excellence

I will practice and defend academic and personal honesty.

I will use my talents to enrich the human experience.

I will strive toward the highest standards of performance in any

endeavor I undertake.

I will promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights and contributions of every individual.

I will cherish and honor learning as a fundamental purpose of my membership in the UCF

community.

The Office of Student Conduct provides educational opportunities that foster individual growth, ethical development and personal accountability while promoting the core values of the university which include integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence.

The Office of Student Conduct strives to work with both students and their families to educate students on community responsibilities and standards of behavior. In addition, the office provides a fair and impartial review for students that are charged with violating University policies. Sanctions are assigned that support the personal growth and development of students. Our goals include promoting a campus of civility and accountability as well as a safe and inclusive atmosphere conducive to student success. In order to achieve these goals, students, faculty and staff need to be treated fairly and with respect. If behaviors are in violation of these community standards they may be adjudicated to informal administrative hearings or the Student Conduct Review Board.

The Office of Integrity and Ethical Development (IED) specializes in the promotion of individual responsibility and personal development. Programs are designed to develop awareness toward integrity, ethical decision-making, conflict resolution, and supportive communication. Services include mediation, coaching sessions, and outreach workshops. These services are designed to provide students (undergraduate and graduate) with the college life skills necessary for academic and personal success at UCF.

The Office Of STudenT cOnducT

PegaSuS ParenT ambaSSadOr nick OlekSy

aSSOciaTe direcTOr, Office Of STudenT cOnducTnichOlaS.OlekSy@ucf.edu

The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR) promotes a campus climate of integrity, civility and accountability by providing a wide array of resources, education, and crisis management services for the university community. We are dedicated to fostering a campus environment of student success that balances student rights and responsibilities. Furthermore, we purposefully challenge students during their development as productive citizens of the UCF community, to consider ethical practices and the importance of making critical decisions. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities oversees the Golden Rule Student Handbook, a compilation of various university policies and procedures and upholds and supports the values of the UCF Creed: integrity, scholarship, community, creativity and excellence. Offices reporting to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities include the Office of Student Conduct and the Office of Integrity and Ethical Development.

STudenT academic reSOurce cenTer

The Student Academic Resource Center (SARC) provides high-quality academic support programs, including tutoring and supplemental instruction, retention programs, and various other academic programs and services. SARC serves as a means for retention of students and is an important element in enabling UCF students to achieve their academic goals. Visit sarc.sdes.ucf.edu for more information.

TuTOring

SARC offers Supplemental Instruction (SI), providing weekly study sessions for students taking historically difficult courses (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, physics, engineering). SI leaders are undergraduate UCF students who partner with professors within subject areas to assist students enrolled in specific sections with strategies to learn the course content. SI leaders participate in intensive semester long training and evaluation. Students participating in SI can develop a better understanding of course content and more effective ways to study, thus increasing their chances to earn better grades.

SARC provides undergraduate students with free individualized and small-group tutoring in areas like accounting, astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and statistics. The staff of peer tutors provides over 200 hours of tutoring a week. Peer tutors are certified through three levels of the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Tutoring Certification program. Students who make tutoring a part of their regular academic routine notice an increase in academic performance.

Learning Skills specialists are available for one-on-one consultations designed to help students develop the study skills necessary to meet the demands of college-level learning. During these consultations, students assess their study skills, discover their individual learning style, and learn new strategies to help them become more efficient, effective learners at the college level. Topics covered include (but are not limited to) time management, note-taking, textbook-reading, test anxiety, test preparation, and memory techniques.

The univerSiTy maTh lab

The univerSiTy WriTing cenTer

The Office Of undergraduaTe reSearch

The purpose of the Math Lab is to provide tutoring for students enrolled in mathematics courses here at UCF. We offer tutoring in the following courses: Finite Mathematics, Explorations in Mathematics, College Algebra, Trigonometry, Business Calculus, Precalculus, Mathematics for Calculus, Calculus I, II, III, and Differential Equations.The University Math Lab is located in the Mathmatical Sciences Building, Room 113 and they can be contacted at 407-823-3489.

The mission of the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is to strengthen and enrich the undergraduate research climate at the University of Central Florida. Undergraduate research gives students an opportunity to work closely with faculty while having a hands-on learning experience. Additionally, the learning that occurs when undergraduate researchers work with experts in their field cannot be gained in a traditional classroom setting but is best disseminated in a laboratory, field, clinic, or studio environment. Visit www.our.ucf.edu for more information.

Our purpose is not merely to fix papers or to make better writers, but to teach writers strategies to understand and to navigate complex, situated literacies, both in and outside the University. The UWC supports writing instruction provided by UCF professors across the disciplines. Individual and small-group consultations focus on helping you learn skills and thinking practices to advance your writing. For more information visit www.uwc.ucf.edu or have your student contact us at 407-823-2197 to schedule an appointment.

August 18th August 19th August 20th August 21st

LINK Launch

UCF Arena7pm-10pm

Opening Knight

Student Union4pm-6:30pm

A Knight with CAB Cinema

UCF ArenaDoors: 8pmMovie 9pm

A Knight with CAB Comedy

UCF ArenaDoors: 7pmShow: 8pm

Pegasus Palooza is UCF’s official welcome week. This week is designed to help your students have the best start to the new school year. Pegasus Palooza will offer over thirty events the first week of the fall semester designed to get your students involved with the campus community, meet new friends, get connected with campus resources, and have an all around great time. Pegasus Palooza is taking place August 18th - 26th. Encourage your students to attend and engage in the week’s events. Check palooza.sdes.ucf.edu for a full calendar of events.

August 23rd August 24th August 25th

Late Knights

UCF Arena9pm-1am

Volunteer UCF

8am-1pmvolunteerucf.com

A Knight with CAB Concerts

UCF ArenaDoors: 7pm

August 22nd

UCF Arena9pm-11pm

Students struggle with food insecurity especially in these difficult economic times. Some do not know where their next meal will come from. For some students who have part-time jobs, their paycheck covers only rent and utilities. The Knights Helping Knights Pantry is a student resource that provides UCF students with food, toiletries, and professional clothing free of charge. With a valid UCF ID, students can receive 5lbs. of food per day along with an unlimited amount of toiletries and clothes. Volunteers and staff understand the benefit of nutritious food in achieving academic excellence and are committed to offering these items in a friendly, nonjudgmental environment.

When some people picture a college student, they visualize an 18 year-old freshman. Because of downsizing in corporations, there has been an increase in adults returning to college to earn degrees. Some of the full-time students we serve are single parents who, before utilizing the Pantry, would not eat so they could feed their children. Now that we have marketed our services, we are serving more students and families than we have in the past and we continue to receive donations from committed students, faculty, staff, and community members.

We all are working together because “Knights don’t let Knights go hungry”.

For more information please visit knightspantry.org

Help build the UCF community by registering for Family Weekend 2012, occurring September 14-16, 2012. This annual event is a great chance for families and students to share memories that will last a lifetime. Registering for Family Weekend in advance provides for general admission to Family Weekend 2012 as well as the opportunity to reserve your space for the Friday Knight welcome event. Check out a listing of the weekends events and register to attend by visiting parents.sdes.ucf.edu/family weekend. Registration closes August 27th.

The UCF Art Gallery is also a Donation site for the Knights Helping Knights Pantry, a student driven program with a focus on serving UCF students in need. We encourage donations at any time

during gallery hours.

The UCF Art Gallery serves as a catalyst for culture, community engagement, and art education. Our mission is to encourage a dialogue between viewers and artists as well as promote an atmosphere where students, faculty, and members of the community can fully engage in art as a translation of the human experience.

Established in 1974, the UCF Art Gallery has been a pillar for a constantly morphing atmosphere. Having curated over 200 exhibitions and featuring numerous artists throughout the world, the UCF Art Gallery reflects the eclectic vision that makes the university a thriving entity within Central Florida. Today, the gallery continues to integrate a diverse approach to the education, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of art in its many forms.

For a look into the gallery’s past shows and to view our schedule, please visit the UCF gallery website: http://gallery.cah.ucf.edu.

In discussing the development of UCF, President Hitt often references the creation of a “well-educated citizenry” as a goal of the university. The Department of Theatre, a.k.a. Theatre UCF, is proud to play an integral part in that vision. “Each year, Theatre UCF mounts eleven productions – dramas, comedies, contemporary work, classics and dance concerts”, says Christopher Niess, Theatre Chair and Artistic Director, “in two theatre spaces in the center of campus that serve as a laboratory for department students, faculty, and guest artists. By providing access to what is contemporary and relevant in the theatrical and entertainment industry, we service not only Theatre students, but further the creativity, sense of community and scholarship for all of UCF and the surrounding area.” The legacy being constructed by the growing number of Theatre UCF grads (both baccalaureate and graduate degree earners) includes Broadway and national theatre credits, movie and T.V. appearances, regional theatre contracts as well as a wide array of employment in the entertainment field. But there is also a large number of graduates pursuing hospitality, business, legal, and human resources careers who have benefited from a theatre education. In the web blog “10 Ways Being a Theatre Major Prepared Me for Success”, Tom VanderWell states that “A stage production is basically a business project. You have teams of people making up one team working to successfully accomplish a task on time, on budget in such a way that you earn the applause and an occasional standing ovation. Being taught to stand at the helm of a theatrical production was a project management practicum.” Niess states that “it is in an environment that embraces the value of both the pursuit of a career as a performing artist, designer or manager and the role of an education steeped in the arts that a complete education can be fostered. This is the environment encouraged by the tenets of the UCF Creed.”

Photo Courtsey of Tony Firriolo

FALL 2012

STOP KISSSEPTEMBER 27TH-29 & OCTOBER 10TH AND 12TH

The relationship between two friends is irrevocably altered with one kiss.

GOOD BOYS AND TRUEOCTOBER 4TH-6TH, 11TH AND 13TH

A scandalous video tape threatens to unravel the lives of students at a prestigious prep school.

SIDE SHOWOCTOBER 25TH-28THNOVEMBER 1ST-4TH

A bright and moving musical based on the true story of sideshow freaks Violet and Daisy Hilton, conjoined twins who achieve fame but yearn for more.

ZOMBIE TOWNNOVEMBER 15TH-18TH, AND 29THDECEMBER 1ST AND 2ND

BRAAAINS! The zombies are coming and what have you done to prepare? We recommend working on strengthening your funny bone, because this mockumentary received rave reviews and a lot of laughs at last year’s Orlando Shakes PlayFest.

Have your students check the pegasus palooza event guide or

mobile app for a chance to get free tickets to Death

Trap.

DEATHTRAPAUGUST 23RD-26TH

Clifford’s writing a masterpiece and his colleague Sydney is having a dry spell. What’s a playwright with writer’s block to do? Murder him, of course! Oh, that it were so simple. This play includes all of the classic murder mystery elements: murder, deceit, hidden meanings, and plot reversals, with just the right amount of comedy.

A Foundation for ExcellenceBy Shanna Davis, 2012 First Year Scholar Recepiant

UCF’s Office of First Year Advising and Exploration welcomes you and your student to a new school year! We are confident that your student will have a great experience as a new Knight and that they will embrace the various traditions that our university is extremely proud to continue. One of the most prestigious traditions available to our newest Knights is the recognition of being a First Year Scholar. A First Year Scholar is a student who achieves a 3.50 grade point average or higher in the fall semester of his or her first year at UCF. Our belief is that students achieving this demanding GPA are also promoting the fundamental purpose of the Scholarship and Excellence tenants of the UCF Creed, and should be honored accordingly. All eligible students are invited to attend a reception early in the spring semester, coordinated by the Office of First Year Advising & Exploration. Our office looks forward to working with your student in his or her first year!

First Year Scholars

As Helen Keller once said, “I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” Hard work, perseverance, and dedication are essential pieces to achieving academic excellence. I believe that academic excellence is a stepping stone for greater opportunities to present themselves. Becoming a First Year Scholar presented me with the opportunity to get involved with my school and to truly become a UCF Knight. It was an honor to be presented with this award because my long hours of studying, constant visits to office hours, and sleepless nights were not squandered. I take pride in myself for achieving this award during my first year of college because I know I worked hard for it. Although becoming a First Year Scholar is not my ultimate goal, it is this small task that will give me the confidence to achieve much more.

Jennifer Black with her father, Ted Black, during The Order of

Pegasus Reception.

The Order of Pegasus recognizes exemplary performance by University of Central Florida undergraduate students in the areas of academic achievement, outstanding university involvement, leadership, and community service. Graduate students are selected separately based on academic achievement, professional or community service, leadership, and publication or research experiences. Because of the breadth of accomplishments required for this award, the Order of Pegasus is the most prestigious and significant student award that can be attained at the university.

Entering UCF in 2008, I never envisioned standing next to President Hitt while being presented with the University’s highest honor—the Order of Pegasus award. I began college, as most students, with goals of doing well academically, getting involved and truly becoming a Knight. I quickly became dedicated to my academics, and submerged myself in various involvement opportunities. I never did anything with the motivation to be awarded accolades, but rather receive personal fulfillment that can only come with being a Knight.

Although, it is necessary to be nominated through UCF Higher Administration to simply begin the application process for Order of Pegasus, I believe every UCF student has the opportunity to achieve this prestigious honor. Upon entering the UCF community, I made the effort to become well connected with the faculty, staff and student population through diverse experiences inside and outside of the classroom. I feel honored to have been selected as a member of the 2012 Order of Pegasus Class. The 2012 class was comprised of 25 members, selected from the entire UCF population, and is an award that brought my UCF career to its apex.

A Journey of ExcellenceBy Jennifer Black 2012 Order of Pegasus Recipient

The Order of Pegasus

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$99.95 plus s&h-

35% Off Retail A percentage of Sales is donated back to the

University Organization!

Keurig® Coffee Machine Gift Package

Order at: betterworldbrands.com/backtoschool/ and choose UCF

Includes a brewer with auto shut-off • assorted K-Cup coffees • steel travel mug glass jar with organic chocolates • cookies • K-Cup discount coupon

Add your personal note with our free message card

Ask any Knight, a good cup of coffee or tea, makes every day start off right!

W: www.betterworldbrands.com E: info@betterworldbrands.com BETTER W RLD BRANDS

The Most Tasteful Deals on Earth!

A great Welcome Back gift - perfect for Dormor Apartment use - saves money and time.