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Parent
E-mail—March 3, 2008
—Spring Break
—Financial News
—Proof of Enrollment
—Scholarship Search Site
—Miscellaneous
Students should never complain that "There's nothing to do
on campus." On any given day, there will be art exhibits,
lectures, performances, or recreational activities. This week,
for example, students can try out for Jeopardy! on Thursday afternoon,
attend the Mystery Cafe Dinner Theater Friday evening, learn what
kind of games are played around the world at Gophers After Dark
Saturday night, and on Sunday afternoon, choose between a lecture
on wildebeest at the Bell Museum or a performance of Aeschylus's "Women
of Persia" at the Rarig Center. These are just a small sampling
of events on campus this week. Check the list at http://events.umn.edu/.
—Spring Break
Spring Break is scheduled for March 17-21. Many students choose
to remain on campus during spring break and use the time to rest,
catch up on homework or spend time on major projects, and explore
the Twin Cities. All residence halls are open for spring break,
but meals are not served in the dining centers that week. The
last meal before break is dinner on Friday, March 14, and the
first meal following the break is dinner Sunday, March 23.
—Financial News
The second billing for spring semester was sent by e-mail to students
February 23 with payment due March 19. Spring
billings details.
Parents are encouraged to fill out a Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) form each year, even if you are not sure that
your student will qualify for financial aid. Sometimes families
undergo a change in their financial situation over the course
of a year, and amendments to financial aid decisions can be made
if there is a record on file. FAFSA information is posted here:
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. For returning students, the priority
deadline for FAFSA consideration is April 1. The final deadline
is June 30, but the earlier the form is filed, the better the
chance for receiving financial aid. For more information on FAFSA,
see http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/financialaid.html.
—Proof of Enrollment
A number of parents have been asking for certification of their
student's enrollment for health insurance policies. Often auto
insurers also require proof of enrollment or an indication of
the student's grades to qualify for a good student discount. Students
can download a form from the OneStop Web site that will cover
both these issues. The form is at www.onestop.umn.edu/onestop/forms.html.
On that Web page, scroll down to the heading "Verifying
your Academic Record," and link to the Acrobat file called "Request
for Certification." Your student will need to sign the form.
Students also can get the form by going in person to one of the
Registrar offices, which are located in Fraser Hall on the East
Bank, in the West Bank Skyway, and in Coffey Hall on the St. Paul
campus.
—Scholarship Search
The OneStop Web site now has a Scholarship Search function to
allow students to quickly find a list of scholarships for which
they may be eligible. Students can sign in from the Web site at
http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/Financial_Aid/Scholarships.html.
By entering their ID and password, the search engine sorts a comprehensive
list of scholarships based on the student's profile including
college within the university, major, grade point average, year
in school, and residency status. Encourage your student to check
out the site and investigate some of the scholarship possibilities.
—Miscellaneous
President Bruininks will present the annual State of the University
address at 3 p.m., Thursday, March 6, at the Mayo Auditorium on
the East Bank of campus. Parents can watch from home since the
speech will be available online through a live video link at www.umn.edu/pres/stateoftheu2008.html.
(Check compatibility at least one day in advance.)
Students face different concerns depending on the time of year.
Our Timely Issues page has a list of topics that parents often
hear about during the month of March: www.parent.umn.edu/timely.html.
Our Parent Question of the Month for March is now posted on the
University Parent Web site: www.parent.umn.edu.
Please take a moment to answer it.
Last month's parent question asked, "How often do you and
your student text message one another?" Just over 58 percent
of parents say they do not send text messages; among the 42 percent
that do send texts, nearly 20 percent text once a week or less.
Parent comments indicated that text messaging is a way to check
in without committing to a longer phone conversation; students
send notes to update parents on a test or paper; parents send
photos from home via text; or the student asks parents to send
a needed item. For more results from the February question, see
www.parent.umn.edu/previous.html.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Savage
Parent Program Director
University of Minnesota
www.parent.umn.edu |
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