Falcon Families Newsletter: October 2007
Smart Money Week - Scheduled for October 15-18!
Throughout this week, students will
have the opportunity to educate themselves on one of the most important
issues of their future…MONEY. Topics will include: Credit Smarts,
Money Smarts, Protecting yourself from Identity Theft, Negotiating Salaries
and evaluating Job Offers, Budgeting, Credit Cards, and much more! One
highlight of the week is the annual Career Fair scheduled for October
17. Although your student may not be thinking about their career quite
yet, this is a great event to encourage them to attend to get a jumpstart
on their career planning. Throughout the week, students will also have
the opportunity to learn about the University's new electronic bill
payment system for spring semester, and drop in for questions and answers
with the Office of Financial Assistance! The campus television channel
will also be showing movies and short shows about credit, debt, and
money smarts. Encourage your student to attend and get smart with their
money!!
Quote of the Month
"I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to
find out what they want and then advise them to do it."
--Harry S. Truman
Getting Connected…
The Weeks of Welcome (WOW) programs have wrapped up and our student
leaders have worked hard to help your student become more comfortable
on campus and prepare for success as a Falcon! During WOW, new students
had the opportunity to find their classrooms, get their textbooks, learn
about the library, campus computing, and get tips for succeeding academically!
They also had the chance to connect and find new friends at Make your
Own Music Video, Hypnotist Frederick Winters, and the Campus Block Party
and Picnic.
Each week, your student receives an electronic newsletter with tips
to improve their academic and social success. The newsletter also introduces
them to River Falls and the campus community. Last week, we asked new
students what they had discovered about UWRF. Here are a few of our
favorite responses:
"One of the new things that I found actually surprised me.
I found that there are actually a lot of people like me that are into
the same things I am. I have already made lots of great friends, and
it is only the second week! "
"After being a student for a little while now, I've discovered
many hidden study rooms and nooks in all the odd places in several of
the buildings. These areas come in handy as I escape my dorm and prepare
my speeches and papers for class."
"One new thing that I have discovered in River Falls that I
did not know before I arrived on campus is how friendly other students
are. I have met so many new people, and not all of them were freshmen.
I really believe that the college and the campus are like a big family."
We hope that your student is feeling the same way that these three
students are about their UWRF experience.
We will continue to do our best throughout the year to keep your student
(and you) connected with the information, resources, and support needed
for a successful college experience.
If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact
us.
Best Wishes,
Sarah R. Egerstrom
First-Year Experience
Parenting a College Freshman: Empty Nest Syndrome:
Wasn't this the goal?!?
When children are young, you taught your student how to tie their own
shoes, fix their own sandwiches, and eventually how to drive a car and
do their own laundry. You've spent this time teaching your children
these tasks in hopes they will become independent, productive, young
adults. And wasn't this the goal?
As your student begins their first year of college, it's not uncommon
for you to have conflicting feelings as your student begins to venture
out on their own.
You may find that you are searching for ways to spend the extra time
that was once spent on chauffeuring, attending school functions, hosting
slumber parties, and helping with homework. As you explore new ways
to fill your time, consider the following:
Do Something. Find new ways to occupy the time you once devoted
to your student. Check out volunteer opportunities, enroll in a class,
take a vacation, find a new hobby, or spend more time with friends and
family.
Take a Trip... and Take Your Honey. If you are in a relationship,
this time can be used to focus on your significant other. It can be
an amazing time to renew the intimacy you once shared together and concentrate
on
your relationship.
Make Those Care Packages. Consider sending your student a care
package that includes snacks, towels, games, note cards, seasonal items,
or something special from home. Sending care packages can be really
effective during midterms and finals when your student may be overwhelmed
with their studies. Your student will be reminded that you're thinking
of them even when they're away and you'll feel better by doing something
special.
Get Support. Adjusting to this life change can be difficult,
so if you find that you are having a very difficult time with your student
leaving home ask for help and talk to other parents who are also coping
with an empty nest.
Keep in Touch, but Don't Overdo it. The Sunday night phone call
is no longer the norm. Intermittent cell phone calls and e-mails are
now common. Recognize your student's new independence and take this
opportunity to develop a different kind of relationship.
Congratulate Yourself! Although the job of being a parent is
never done, you have reached a goal. You have raised an independent
young adult, which is no easy task... give yourself a pat on the back
for a job well done.
Family Day 2007
The whole family is invited to campus on Saturday, November 3rd to celebrate
Family Day! This campus tradition is a great
way for families and students to spend quality time together while enjoying
beautiful UW-River Falls and participating in exciting events all day
long. This day-long extravaganza features a pig roast, various academic
showcases, family activities, games and activities for the kids, live
music, athletic events, a theatre production, and more! In 2006 we had
a record setting attendance of 800. This year we are expecting over
1,000 in attendance and hope you and your family will join us!
Registration and schedule of events is available online.
Cost: $10/person UWRF Students & children under 5 years old are
FREE!!!
What Did You Just Say? A Mini-Guide to Jargon
at UWRF!
"After I had one of my Gen. Eds in KFA today I met up with Sarah,
another CL from my Res. Hall and we went to the IC to make a "Happy
Birthday" poster for one of the girls on my wing. Afterward we
had dinner at The Riv with my RA and HM!! Right now I'm headed to the
Fish Bowl to study for a little while before I head to a concert that's
in the EC tonight."
Catch any of that? It's not unusual for college students to create
their own language and it's not unusual for you to have no idea what
they are saying. Here is some commonly used jargon that will help you
out next time your student calls home.
Your Student Says - It Really Means:
CSH- Centennial Science Hall
KFA - Kleinpell Fine Arts
WEB - Wyman Education Building
Old Student Center - Hagestad Hall
Knowles - Knowles Complex
Karges - Karges Center
Hunt - Hunt Arena
Ramer - Ramer Field
IC - Involvement Center
UC - University Center
EC-Entertainment Complex/Falcons Nest
The Riv - Riverside Commons
Ag. Sci. - Agriculture Science Building
Res. Hall - Residence Hall
Poli Sci - Political Science
Mark Comm - Marketing Communications
CL - Community Leader
HM - Hall Manager
RA - Resident Assistant
Res. Life - Residence Life
Block I & II - Elementary Education Practicums
DARS - Degree Audit Report System
eSIS - Electronic Student Information System
FredNet - On-campus Computer Tech Support
Greeks - Members of a fraternity or sorority
WRFW - Campus Radio Station
Mall - Grassy area in front of University Center
Fish Bowl - Study area in Centennial Science Hall
Econo - Econo Foods Grocery
Swinging Bridge - Bridge located near campus
Hoffman Hoffman - Park in River Falls
Glenn - Glenn Park located near campus
Hopefully you will be able to decipher some of what your student is
saying next time you ask them to tell you about his or her day. If you
still have trouble understanding what your student is trying to communicate,
ask them to stop, rewind, and clarify for you!! Before you know it,
you'll be telling your student how happy you are that they visited the
FYE Office in the IC and received the help that they needed! (And just
so you know, FYE = First Year Experience!)
Falcon Family Spotlight:
Having sent two of our children off to college and comparing notes with
friends, we've found it's difficult to predict exactly how things will
go for your family. Our best advice is try to stay tuned in to how your
son or daughter is feeling and how you are feeling as parents, but most
of all "go with the flow." There are so many emotions involved
for both parents and kids. Parents have to struggle with giving up control
and allowing their child to be independent. Students may feel sad about
leaving friends and the most important thing to them is to spend every
minute of the summer with those friends. Others are so excited and anxious
to go off to college that they have to go out and buy that futon before
you make it through the graduation party! Experiences also vary once
that day arrives and you help your student move in. Some students want
to be dropped of at the door and say good-bye and others want you to
stick around and help with arranging their rooms. This big day and the
days following are hard for parents, and by the way, it's not just moms
who have a hard time! Following move in day, we checked in with our
kids often and encouraged them to get out of their rooms and get involved.
Both adjusted well and we survived as parents (but maybe only because
we had child number 3 still at home!)
Judie Ginter
Mother of UWRF Junior, Jeff Ginter
A Look at the Past Decade
Each Fall for the past decade, Beloit College in Wisconsin has released
the Beloit College Mindset List. Its 70 items provide a look at the
cultural touchstones that have shaped the lives of today's first-year
students -- most of them born in 1989. Below is a sampling of the items.
Check out the world your student has been living in…
1. What Berlin wall?
2. Humvees, minus the artillery, have always been available to the public.
4. They never "rolled down" a car window.
5. Michael Moore has always been angry and funny.
7. They have grown up with bottled water.
13. "Off the hook" has never had anything to do with a telephone.
14. Music has always been "unplugged."
18. The NBA season has always gone on and on and on and on.
20. Half of them may have been members of the Baby-sitters Club.
23. Wal-Mart has always been a larger retailer than Sears and has always
employed more workers than GM.
27. Al Gore has always been running for president or thinking about
it.
28. They never found a prize in a Coca-Cola "MagiCan."
29. They were too young to understand Judas Priest's subliminal messages.
31. Multigrain chips have always provided healthful junk food.
32. They grew up in Wayne's World.
33. U2 has always been more than a spy plane.
38. On Parents' Day on campus, their folks could be mixing it up with
Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz with daughter Zöe, or Kathie Lee and
Frank Gifford with son Cody.
42. Women's studies majors have always been offered on campus.
43. Being a latchkey kid has never been a big deal.
44. Thanks to MySpace and Facebook, autobiography can happen in real
time.
45. They learned about JFK from Oliver Stone and Malcolm X from Spike
Lee.
55. MTV has never featured music videos.
56. The space program has never really caught their attention except
in disasters.
Check out the complete list online!
