2014 ORIENTATION ISSUE
UNIVERSITY PRESS A THIRTEEN-TIME ASSOCIATED PRESS MANAGING EDITORS AWARD WINNER
The Newspaper of Lamar University Special Edition
Summer 2014
WELCOME TO LAMAR
CARDINAL FAMILY ENCOURAGES INCOMING FRESHMEN TO JOIN COMMUNITY Lamar University welcomes incoming students to the Cardinal family. “We have longstanding traditions on our campus, and one of the first things we are excited to have for our freshmen is an engaged campus,” Teresa Simpson, director of student development and leadership, said. “We are the office of student engagement, and that is more than just
words on a wall. We have taken a lot of great pride, especially this last year, in really bringing the campus alive with various components.” There is a plethora of opportunities for freshman coming into Lamar University, Simpson said. “We have a freshmen leadership program that we want all of our freshmen to apply to,” she
said. “It will really create a foundation for those that were high school leaders on their campus to be accepted in this program. President Kenneth Evans takes great pride in the freshmen leadership program. “What we have found, is that the students that have taken part in this program have already started their own organizations, and they have surfaced quickly
into leadership roles on our campus. We know that it sets a good foundation for our students to be successful on our campus and successful in community relations as well.” There are nearly 200 student organizations on campus, Simpson said. “We have 20 Greek chapters that are broken down into four councils, so there’s a little some-
thing for everybody,” she said. “We do an enormous amount of community service through civic engagement, so the students can work with local non-profits in the Southeast Texas community. It’s a great way for students to part-
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Advising Center helps freshmen, sophomores engage with university life “The Undergraduate Advising Center provides proactive advising for all freshmen and sophomores,” director Daniel Bartlett said. “What we mean by that is that every student has a designated adviser based on their major. “These advisers are connected to departments. They understand what degree plans are, what the departmental expectations are — they understand who the faculty are and what the events and organizations are. “Advisers are here to not just get students registered, but also to follow up with them — to make sure they are taking advantage of everything that’s here.” Advisers help students get involved in activities and events, Bartlett said. “We just make sure that incoming students, all the way through that sophomore year, are really taking advantage of everything here so that by the time they are juniors and getting to be seniors, they have a really strong foundation,” he said. Bartlett said he encourages students to visit the advising center yearround.
“It’s not just something they should do when it is time to register for classes,” he said. “We want students to really get to know who the advisers are, because the advisers are going to help students get connected with their major and the faculty. Students tend to take a lot of core classes, classes that don’t necessarily have to do with their depart-
Financial aid fulfills all students’ needs The experiences associated with higher education may be more than a family can afford. If so, students and their families should know that they may qualify for financial aid. The financial aid office is located in 200 Wimberly on the Lamar University campus. The staff is prepared to help students with their financial aid questions. They provide an informational brochure in all incoming students’ orientation packets that has lists of websites needed to complete the financial aid application process. Most first-time students’ first question is, “What do I do?” Jill Rowley, director of student financial aid, said. “We tell them to fill out the free application for student financial aid — FAFSA — at fafsa.gov.” Students still need to be accepted for admissions, she said. After the FAFSA has been processed, the potential student is loaded into the Lamar system. “Then we send out emails that say, ‘OK, now you need these documents,’” Rowley said. “And then they can go to the website and print out all the documents they need.” Located on the FAFSA is a tax transfer data tool that students must use. All colleges in the United States now use this instead of asking students for tax returns, Rowley said. “(Students) use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when they fill out the FAFSA. It will load their in-
come information for them.” If the student is selected for verification and they did not use the Data Retrieval Tool, they will have to submit a tax transcript, she said. “It is imperative that students use that data retrieval tool,” Rowley said. There are different kinds of aid that have different requirements. “There is no set pattern,” Rowley said. It depends on many different factors like household income, how many people are in college in the household, and if the student is Pell Grant eligible. The standard options are Pell Grants, and subsidized and unsubsidized loans. If enough funds are not available or eligibility requirements are not met, there are also Parent Plus loans available to parents and students based on credit scores. Lamar University also has scholarship opportunities that students may apply for, but like other aid, the requirements vary. Besides standard loans and scholarships, Rowley encourages students to look to their community — churches and other organizations often have small monetary scholarships or can help out with books or fees. “Every little bit helps,” she said. For more information, visit financialaid.lamar.edu/types-ofaid.html.
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ment. Those students don’t usually get to know their department very well. So we are trying to help them do that.” Bartlett said the center alerts students to campus opportunities. “There are a lot of great things all over campus that sometimes are only seen by a few people just because they’re not aware of it,” he said.
The advising center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. “We have extended hours, too,” Bartlett said. “We will have designated Saturdays when we have appointments available.” For more information, call 409880-8822 or visit www.lamar.edu/ advising.
CARDINAL VILLAGE
ner with like peers and establish a sense of camaraderie.” It’s never too soon for students to get involved in campus life, Simpson said. “It’s exciting to be a Lamar University Cardinal,” she said.
Lamar 1101 designed to help students Students will benefit from a course specifically designed to help them successfully transition to college, both academically and personally. Lamar 1101: University Success Seminar will help students develop a variety of skills and resources they will need throughout their college careers and after graduation, including writing, critical reading and thinking, discussion, note-taking and study skills, and time-management strategies. Each one-credit course will meet twice a week and will be taught by a fulltime faculty or staff member assisted by an upperclassman serving as peer leader. Many top universities offer similar introductory courses for new students to help them learn to successfully navigate life and study on campus. Through Lamar 1101, which officially will be listed as LMAR 1101 for registration purposes, new students will gain knowledge indispensable not only to their first year of college, but also to each year thereafter as they work to walk across the stage and accept their hard-earned diplomas. “Student success has always been at the forefront of our efforts at Lamar University,” Senior Associate Provost Kevin Smith said. “Our mission of preparing students for leadership and lifelong learning includes our commitment to provide each Lamar University student every opportunity to succeed in all academic endeavors.” With the addition of Lamar 1101, Lamar University’s core curriculum will grow even stronger. Previously, a Washington Post column advised students to “Forget Harvard and think Lamar,” recogSee 1101, page 4
MENINGITIS VACCINATIONS REQUIRED
living on campus. There are also a lot of services that are offered in the evenings, and a student who doesn’t live on campus might have to leave.” Crayton said he encourages students to reside in the dorms to strengthen their independence.
Incoming Lamar University students need a vaccination against bacterial meningitis to attend on-campus classes. Universities across Texas must comply with the vaccination regulations for admission set forth in Texas Senate Bill 1107, Shawn Gray, Student Health Center director, said. “Any new student to an institution of higher learning, public or private, will be required to show evidence that they have received a meningitis vaccine within the previous five years if they are under the age of 22,” she said. The law also applies to students returning after a break in enrollment for at least one fall or spring semester, Gray said. “There is an option (for students to decline a vaccination) for reasons of conscience or religious reasons, or if it is a detriment to their health,” she said. “If they choose to opt out, there are certain papers that they have to fill out on the Texas Department of State Health Services website.” The university encourages every-
See DORMS, page 2
See VACCINE, page 2
Students play volleyball in the recreation area of Cardinal Village’s Combs Hall.
Dorm life enriches college experience Living on campus is a beneficial experience that can broaden your perspective and expand your social skills during college, Baraka Crayton, director of resident life, said. “There are many benefits to living on campus,” he said. “It takes away that big commute. The time that you would spend getting to class is shorter just by
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