September 2010

Greetings WSU Parents,

Your students are now through the first month of the Fall 2010 Semester.  They probably have some good study routines started and are preparing for mid terms in the next two weeks.  We have gathered relevant information from some of the departments your student may need to seek out during the upcoming months.  Please feel free to pass this information on to your student in case it is at the end of their long “To Do” list. 

From your Advisor…

It is time for students to meet with their academic advisors again.  Yes, their fall schedule is all set, but students need to start planning their winter courses as well as making sure they are following along the correct academic path for their major. 

• For the College of Liberal Arts and Science, College of Fine Performing Communication Arts and pre-professional programs (nursing, and the other majors offered through Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences i.e. pre-pharmacy, clinical lab science, mortuary science, pathologists’ assistant, radiation therapy, etc.) students go to the University Advising Center, 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library ( 313 577-2680), to schedule an appointment or they can utilize walk-in Tuesdays.  Off campus students can also visit the Oakland Center Office (248 489-5963) to schedule an appointment.

• Business Administration students call 313 577-4505 to schedule an appointment with their advisor and they also have walk-in Tuesdays as an advising opportunity.
• College of Education students call 313 577-1601 to schedule an appointment with their academic advisor or join for walk-in Tuesdays.
• Honors Advising – Honors Program Advisor
  Liza Lagman Sperl
  2100 Undergraduate Library
  313-577-9075
  ab8898@wayne.edu

 Engineering:  Engineering Students may call their prospective departments 

• UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING ADVISING CONTACTS
  • Biomedical Engineering
    Namrata Murthy
    2110 Bioengineering Building
    313-577-1345
    murthy@eng.wayne.edu
  • Chemical Engineering, and Undecided Students
    Andrea Eisenberg
    1106 Engineering
    313-577-3716
    aeisen@eng.wayne.edu
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Engineering Bridge
    Casey Rue
    2163 Engineering
    313-577-9850
    crue@wayne.edu
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Mary Jo Vagts
    3116 Engineering
    313-577-2771
    mjv@wayne.edu
  • Engineering Technology
    Karen Travis
    Engineering Technology Bldg
    313-577-0802
    ktravis@eng.wayne.edu
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
    Gail Evans
    2045 Manufacturing Engineering Building
    313-577-2660
    gevans@eng.wayne.edu
  • Mechanical Engineering
    Keith Wadley
    2129 Engineering
    313-577-5939
    keith.wadley@wayne.edu
• All engineering students must meet with their engineering advisor on a
  regular basis. NOTE: Office Hours for the Advisors within the College of Engineering are posted outside of the Dean’s Office hallway (1100 Engineering).

Registering for Winter Semester

The Winter 2011 class schedule will be available on October 4 at classschedule.wayne.edu. This is the perfect opportunity for your student to plan ahead and get an early peek at course offerings. Winter Registration begins on November 1 and we hope that your student will be among those who register early. Registering early ensures that your son or daughter will get the best schedule and into the right classes before they fill up.

If your student has any questions about what to take, have them run their own “Degree Audit” on Pipeline –  Log into Pipeline -> Student tab -> STARS for Degree Audit. Students can also consult an academic advisor about course selection. Students are encouraged to complete their winter schedules before the busy period of final exams, but if it is necessary to drop and add a class, students can adjust their schedules through Saturday, January 1 with no additional fees. We hope you will talk to your son or daughter about their winter term classes and schedule. Questions? Contact registration@wayne.edu, call (313) 577-3541 or join us for a chat at reg.wayne.edu.

Amanda Snyder
Manager, Records and Registration Services
Wayne State University
313-577-3541

Did you ask your student about their Early Academic Assessment?

Early Academic Assessment (EAA) is one of the tools used by the University to assist our undergraduate students’ academic success and therefore to help the University retain its students. The University policy on EAA requires that courses numbered below 3000 include a means of assessing student progress, normally by the beginning of the third week but no later than the end of the seventh week of each Fall and Winter semester. This assessment should provide students with feedback regarding their academic performance and can provide a meaningful opportunity for intervention. Students who are performing at a C- or below in courses below 3000 must receive EAA grades.  Faculty teaching courses numbered 3000 or above are encouraged to give EAA grades, but it is optional. In both cases students would receive a letter by e-mail.

EAA grades do not become part of a student’s academic record; their purpose is to give students a sense of how they are doing and encourage them to address any academic issues that are affecting their success.  They are also used for advising and counseling.

Questions related to the EAA program should be directed to Dr. Naida Simon

 Academic Success Center: Get Help Early!

Students can find opportunities for support all around Wayne State’s Campus.  One of the many services for support can be found in the Academic Success Center.  Whether a student is struggling in a class or just wants to take advantage of resources to get ahead, the Academic Success Center (ASC) is open to all students.  The ASC is located in the Adamany Undergraduate Library on the first floor.  They have extended hours on Monday and Thursday from 8:30am until 7pm.  Normal business hours for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday are 8:30am until 5pm.  Although many students don’t realize the need for support until the end of a semester, we stress for students to take advantage of the ASC now.  They offer walk-in tutoring, supplemental instruction sessions for specific classes, as well as workshops that students can take advantage for better study skills.  All these schedules can be found at the ASC website (success.wayne.edu).  Study skills tutoring sessions can also be requested by appointment.  Don’t let your student fall behind; remind them they can stay ahead by acting now and visiting success.wayne.edu or calling the ASC at 313-577-3165.

WSU Parent News for August 2010

Greetings WSU Parents,

While some of you are about to watch your student finish their last couple of semesters at WSU before they graduate in the spring, others are sending their child off to college for the first time.  Either way, the WSU Parent News will be here to help connect you to campus and your child’s success.  For our seasoned parents, please follow the newsletter down to “Information for All WSU Families” and our parents of incoming freshmen; please continue reading and take note about important information as your student comes to college in the fall.

Welcome

I’d like to personally welcome all of our new Wayne State University families.  I am very excited to share with you the upcoming events on campus and keep you up to date with WSU’s deadlines and resources.  You will come to find that WSU is a gem located among Detroit’s Mid-town, Tech-town, and the Cultural District.  Not only do students get involved with on-campus activities, but they will find ways to spread their wings and gain invaluable experiences in the Detroit area whether it is through Alternative Spring Break Detroit, community service with their fraternity or sorority, or just venturing out with friends to find the best place for food and music.

Orientation

While I met most of the parents from our new incoming class of Wayne State Warriors, I would also like to welcome those who were unable to make it to Parent Orientation.  We understand that parents are valuable resources for our students and created Parent Orientation to ensure that you know how to reach the necessary departments and resources around campus to aid your student.  For parents who attended Parent Orientation 2010 I ask that you take a couple of minutes to follow this link to the Parent Orientation Survey to help improve and strengthen our Parent Orientation program if you have not done so already. http://studentvoice.com/wayne/parentorientation2010.  Your feedback is very important to us.

iStart

Your Warrior will start gaining college experiences at New Student Days of iStart.  Please feel free to frequent the website at istart.wayne.edu for updates.  Although Sunday, August 29, is Green and Gold Day and optional for students to visit the campus, get their books, and tour the campus to learn their schedule, iStart officially begins Monday, August 30, from 8-9AM for check-in at the Matthaei Athletic Complex.  New students are required to attend iStart and will begin with team building activities and then get lunch as they head off to Warrior Service Day.  The day will conclude around 4PM so students can get dinner before participating in any of the social events going on around campus that evening.  The dinning halls will be offering a reduced price dinner for $6 both evenings of iStart if your student does not have a meal plan.

iStart will resume on Tuesday, August 31 for the academic days of iStart.  While new students are busy on Tuesday, parents are invited to join us on campus for a parent information session at 1:30PM at the Matthaei Athletic Complex.  Following this meeting is New Student Convocation and Festifall.  Families are welcome to attend these two events by following this link to sign up, http://parents.wayne.edu/.  After the conclusion of Festifall students can join their new friends for dinner before Tuesday’s social events on campus.

Information for All WSU Families

Housing, Move in, and Roommates

If your student is still trying to decide if on campus living is for them, they better make up their mind soon because space is limited and filling up very fast.  We know students that will be living with us are eager to move in and start setting up.  Our new incoming freshmen should clear their schedules for Saturday, August 28 for move in.  All returning students will move in on Sunday, August 29.  Roommate assignments have gone out so your student will want to talk and start planning what to bring with their new roommate(s) now, before move in day.  Many students these days find social networking sites like Facebook useful when it comes to communicating with their roommate, especially if they don’t know each other.  The bottom line is, however you communicate, make sure your student is planning ahead.

The First Week of School

While some of the student population is moving in, August 29 through September 1, others are commuting to campus, but no matter where you are living there is a lot going on.  Make sure your student joins us Monday, August 30, at 7PM for free social events like karaoke, ice-less skating, and a movie all here in the heart of campus.  On Tuesday evening, August 31, students will want to return for the Comedy Jam at 7PM in the Matthaei Gym.  Also, dinning halls will offer dinner at a reduced rate of $6 on both Monday, August 30 and Tuesday, August 31 for students who do not have a meal plan.

Buying Books and their Safety

Barnes and Noble, located next to the Wayne State Welcome Center, is already receiving faculty requests for books.  Students can contact the campus bookstore now to start buying books for class in the fall.  Your student is able to utilize other companies like amazon.com and half.com to search for texts, but need to remember that buying books online needs to happen well before classes begin to ensure your student receives their books on time.  Students can also order online or walk into Barnes and Noble on campus too.  A new feature that the bookstore offers is “renting” books.  For more information please visit them at wayne.bkstore.com or contact them at bkswaynestu@bncollege.com or (313) 577-2436.

Now remember, class textbooks have a dollar value and can be sold back to the bookstore for cash.  With this in mind, students need to remember to keep their belongings in eyesight no matter where they are and never leave their things unattended, even if it is just for a few minutes.  Also, tell your student to make some kind of symbol like a star or smiley face in the corner of the same page in every text they own.  Should a textbook go missing, your student can contact the bookstore to let them know what the title of the text is and the page with the specific mark.  The bookstore will have a note in the computer that comes up anytime someone is trying to sell back the title of the stolen book.  This way your child gets their book back and has helped catch a thief.

Stay Connected

It is imperative that your student stays connected with what’s going on around campus and in their classes.   Wayne State University staff and faculty will only contact your student by their official Wayne State email, connect.wayne.edu.  That means your student needs to check this regularly and if they are forwarding messages to their other accounts they should check periodically to make sure their WSU mail is not being blocked.  Also, Blackboard, blackboard.wayne.edu, is another site your child will need to check often and should visit even before class begins.  Some faculty may only post the class syllabus on Blackboard throughout the course of the semester, but others may already be trying to communicate with your student about things they need to do for class.  Finally, your student’s “pipeline” to all of WSU is at pipline.wayne.edu.  This is not only where your student will see events going on around campus, but will be able to view their records, add and drop classes, pay their tuition, and so much more.  Please make sure they become familiar with this site and visit it regularly!

Money Matters

As I already mentioned, your student will be able to view and pay their tuition bill at pipeline.wayne.edu, but they can also use this portal to add money onto their One Card (more information at onecard.wayne.edu) as well as view their Financial Aid Information.  Current students can log into pipeline and go to their Financial Aid tab from this portal.  Once there, your child may want to check and make sure they are not missing any documentation for Financial Aid by clicking on “My Financial Aid Requirements”.  Also, students should visit the “Accept My Financial Aid Award” to accept or decline any Financial Aid they were approved for.  Finally, your student should check out “My Award Information” to provide more information about what your student will be receiving.  You can also walk into the Welcome Center to talk to a Financial Aid Adviser or call their office at 313-577-3378.

Get Involved

To be a well rounded and fully developed college student I suggest your student does more than attend class and stay connected.  They need to also get involved.  There are so many activities, events, programs, and student organizations on campus that the Dean of Student’s Office can help anyone find an organization or program that’s right for them.  By visiting doso.wayne.edu we have a link to all of our student organizations on campus as well as a number of programs that we put on for your child to get involved with.  Make sure your student has set aside time on September 15 to attend Student Organization and Services Day.  Here they can talk to representatives about their interest in the different groups on campus.

FERPA

Now that your student is in college, all of their records are confidential to them, even if they are under the age of 18 or you are paying all of their bills.  I suggest having an open conversation with your student about your expectations and how you would like to assist them on this journey.  In doing so, your child may decide that they would like to sign the FERPA waiver which allows those they name on the waiver access to their academic records.  When contacting anyone at the university you will need the FERPA waiver signed if you would like to talk about your child and their records.  For more information please visit http://parents.wayne.edu/ferpa.html.

Parents

As the director of Parent Programs at Wayne State University, I am always here to assist in whatever way possible.  If I do not know the answers then I will help you find them.  Please feel free to use our parent helpline and email to reach me.  The helpline and email address comes directly to me at my desk so you never have to worry about an automated response.  The parent helpline is 1-877-WSU-PARENT, or 313-577-CALL.  You can also email me at parents@wayne.edu.  Finally don’t forget to visit our website which contains a lot of information that you may want to know along with past Parent News articles.  Parents.wayne.edu.

Best regards,

Kelly Duca