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UMParent E-news: October Edition

By this time in the semester, exams and papers may begin piling up. Students can sometimes acquire poor eating habits, increased stress and other factors that may require the help of Student Health Services. Keep in mind that an active mind needs a healthy body, so encourage your student to find ways of relieving stress, keeping active and staying healthy while at college.

Remember, there are people at the U of M who want to help. Parent and students should talk about challenges that come up.

What parents can do...

Be there! Students will often turn to the safety of family when times are tough, and it is important to know that you will always be there for them.
Encourage your student to make time for exercise, healthy meals, and sleep.
If your student is feeling physically ill encourage them to visit the Student Health Services for a medical checkup. Visits are free for students.
Make sure your student is registered for the spring semester.

Calendar and Dates

Below are a few of the important upcoming important dates and deadlines. To stay up to date on all dates, deadlines, and University events, please check out our UMparents Calendar. Below are a few other calendars that we think you might find helpful.

November 1: 2nd Installment Fee Payment Deadline

November 6: Daylight Savings Ends

November 11: Veteran's Day (Classes will be held)

November 14-23: Spring 2012 registration begins

November 24-27: Thanksgiving Break (No Classes; University Closed)

December 1: $200 Spring Semester rental prepayment for Residence Hall

December 7: Last Day of Classes

December 9-15: Final Exams

December 16: Residence Hall Check-out

December 17: Commencement at FedEx Forum

General News

The next Parent Chat will be held on Wednesday, November 9 from noon to 1:00 pm (CST). There will be various administrators to answer your questions. For more information on how to join, click here.

Join the University of Memphis Alumni Association for a True Blue Festival to welcome the Lambuth community to our Tiger Family on Saturday, October 29, from 11 am to 2 pm, at the U of M Lambuth Campus in Jackson, TN. For more information, please click here.

Do you think your student could "test out" of a class? The University of Memphis has options available to students to gain college credit for subject matter already mastered by students and that relates to the student’s field of study. Opportunities for taking CLEP and DSST (DANTES) are regularly available through the Testing Center in Brister Hall room 111. Students can also gain credit by examination through the University. For more information, please visit the Testing Center's website or call them at 901.678.2428.

The 5th Annual True Blue 5K race will be held on Friday, November 4 at 7:00 pm on the U of M campus. All proceeds from the race will go to support the work of the Young Alumni Committee and its commitment to encourage alumni interaction, engage current students, and raise money for the Young Alumni Legacy Scholarship. For more information, click here and to register, click here.

For an indepth look at all that is going on at the University of Memphis, check out Update. It is the monthly newsletter for the University of Memphis. Click Here to read the latest edition.

Registrar

Students may now view Spring’s course offerings online through their myMemphis portal. Spring 2012 registration begins on Monday, November 14. Students should refer to the Spring 2012 Dates and Deadlines calendar to see when they can begin registering based on their classification. Students should register as early as possible to ensure they can get into the classes that they need to take.

Students are required to be advised prior to registering. If your student has not ready seen their advisor or made an appointment to do so, please encourage them to do this as soon as possible.

Bursar's Office

Bursar registration holds will be set on November 11, 2011, for students who have an outstanding debt at that time. Students should check their accounts online through TigerXpress to ensure that they do not have charges that would prevent them from registering.

For students who enrolled in the installment payment plan for Fall 2011 term, the second and final installment is due by November 1, 2011. A $25 late payment fee will be assessed for both tuition and housing (if included in the plan), if payment is not received by the University on or before the due date.

Fees can be paid by credit card or eCheck online on TigerXpress.

If you are an authorized user, you can access your student’s account to view/pay fees by clicking here.

Financial Aid

Students can still apply for federal financial aid by completing the 2011-2012 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who qualify for the HOPE Lottery Scholarship must have completed the FAFSA by September 1, 2011 to receive the Fall award or by February 1, 2012 to receive the Spring award.

Students should continue to monitor their myMemphis account for updates throughout the semester. New federal guidelines/rules have been added to the Financial Aid website – one that may affect your student in a future semester. To qualify for financial aid for Spring 2012, students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress. Detailed information about this will be posted on the Financial Aid office website by the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Residence Life

Fall contracts are for both the fall and spring semesters. Students who are not returning for the Spring 2012 Semester must cancel in writing by November 1 in order to not be responsible for the $200 Spring rent prepayment. Residents who cancel after November 1 will be responsible for the $200 Spring rent prepayment. All cancellations must be submitted in writing to the Residence Life and Dining Services Office, 011 Richardson Towers.

The University of Memphis residence halls will close for the Semester Break on Friday, December 16, 2011, at 3:00 pm. All residents are required to leave the residence halls 24 hours after their final exam, unless they are involved in Commencement Exercises.

Residents of Carpenter Complex and the Living Learning Complex do not have to vacate their rooms during the Semester Break unless their Spring 2012 room assignment has been canceled.

Residents required to vacate their rooms during Semester Break will not be allowed to remain or be readmitted to the buildings during the Semester Break. The residence hall staff will not be available to permit reentry into the buildings after closing.

Residents of Richardson Towers, Rawls, Smith, South, and Mynders are required to sign up for an appointment to check out and surrender their room keys to their resident advisors before they leave. Residents of the Living Learning Complex and Carpenter Complex should sign up for a room inspection.

Students who are not returning to the residence halls in the Spring must officially check out of the room no later than 3:00 pm on December 16 and cancel in writing with the Residence Life and Dining Services Office in Richardson Towers.

Students who are returning for the Spring are not required to remove their belongings from their rooms during the break; however, they should take all valuables and possessions needed during this time period.

The buildings will reopen at 1:00 pm on January 10, 2012.

The $200 Spring Semester rental prepayment must be paid by December 1, 2011. The remainder of the Spring 2012 rent must be paid by January 11, 2012, for the 2012 Spring Semester. Payments may be paid in advance by mail to The University of Memphis, Bursar’s Office, P. O. Box 1000, Department 313, Memphis, TN 38148-0313 or may be paid in person in 115 Wilder Tower or online at http://bf.memphis.edu/finance/bursar/loginchoice.php. If a resident is receiving financial aid or is unable to make payment in full, the resident may be placed on an installment plan. There is an additional charge of $40.00 added to your account if you are placed on the installment plan. If your student is receiving financial aid or scholarships for the Spring 2012 Semester, all aid will be applied toward any debts owed the University, such as rent.

Educational Support Program (Tutoring)

Best Tips parents can share with their students...

Tip 1: Only 5 weeks remain to ‘love’ these fall courses. Getting out of ‘love’ (with the BEST results) starts today!

Tip 2: Print a NEW Calendar for the rest of the semester. Put details on the calendar using the same color pen to write reminders for a specific course. For example, the course that needs the most attention could be written in red. The course that is going well could be written in green. At a glance, the student can see that each calendar day includes colored details related to each course.

Tip 3: Change study places. Today’s students do better when they have different places to study. For example, work on writing in the English Learning Center in Patterson Hall and study science in the Science Learning Center in Mitchell Hall and study their easier courses in their residence hall or at home.

Tip 4: Attend one seminar weekly to learn how to adjust a strategy to get better academic results. Seminars currently offered include Tips for Reading Faster, Earning Grades of A/B, and Getting Ready for Exams.

For more information about the Educational Support Program's offerings and how they can help your student, please click here.

Athletics

Women's Soccer Team Ranked #4 in the Nation! Sporting the nation's best winning percentage (.972), No. 4/8 Memphis (17-0-1, 9-0-1 C-USA) clinched at least a share of the C-USA Regular Season Championship with a 3-0 victory at Southern Miss on Oct. 21. A 3-0 victory at UCF on Oct. 23 earned Memphis its third regular season crown in the last five seasons and a fifth-straight championship overall. The Lady Tigers have won the last four C-USA Championships and were regular season champs in 2007 and 2008. For more information on their fantastic season, click here.

Men's Basketball Team Ranked #9 in Preseason poll! The University of Memphis 2011-12 basketball season got off to a raucous start in front of a jam-packed crowd at Memphis Madness at FedExForum. The Tigers start the regular season Nov. 15 against Belmont at 11 a.m., as part of ESPN's 24 hours of hoops. For more information and for tickets, click here.

Fun Fact & Quote of the Month

Fun Fact:

"The origin of the tiger nickname dates to a 1914 football game parade, where several students shouted, “We fight like Tigers!” The nickname was born, and was adopted as the official nickname of the University of Memphis in 1939. Today, the tiger nickname is synonymous with the University and is widely used across campus and during sporting events." cited from: http://www.memphis.edu/development/tigersculpture.htm

Quote:

"Curiosity is the high-test fuel for the engine of learning." - Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey