September 2015 Parents & Family Newsletter Website: uakron.edu/pfa | On Facebook: Zip Parents In this issue:
Help for your son or daughter having personal or academic difficulties Help-A-Zip: College can be stressful for students as they balance academics with their lives outside of the classroom. Referrals can be made for students who are experience academic, mental health, financial, or personal problems. Learn more or make a referral online. Counseling Services: Free and confidential personal, career and educational counseling is available for current students through the Counseling & Testing Center. Billing and due dates Your student has certain privacy rights on campus. The FERPA release allows the University to disclose information in person, or by phone, to individuals authorized by the student. The FERPA form can be found on the Student Accounts website. Otherwise, UA cannot share any unauthorized information, such as amount due, financial aid, etc.
Success Coaches We are excited to bring to the University a new program, in partnership with Trust Navigator: Success Coaching. The primary role of the success coach is to complement other University support resources and ensure that students do not “fall through the cracks.” Almost all freshmen will have a success coach. Coaches will be nudging students to action, reminding students of important deadlines, checking in on their academic progress, making sure students are connected to the resources they need, and generally serve as a mentor and connector to critical University resources. Success coaches will be in regular contact with students, including monthly in-person meetings. Please urge your student to meet regularly with his or her success coach throughout the semester. Questions or concerns may be directed to Dave Harris, success coach liaison, at dah77@uakron.edu, or Dr. Stacey Moore, associate vice president of student success, at staceyjm@uakron.edu or 330-972-5770. Surprise your student with a care package The University of Akron has partnered with U Care Packages to provide a great way to show your student how much U Care! Students are always on the go. The U Care Packages Zips Go Pack is a handy assortment of snacks and useful UA-branded items, such as a University ID holder with lanyard, light-up keychain, stylus pen, highlighter, screen cleaner and can koozie, plus snacks, all delivered in a drawstring tote your student can carry year round. Price is just $30. Order the Zips Go Pack online or call 330-379-3341. Your student will be notified by email to pick up his or her care package from the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in the Student Union. Please be sure to include your student's UA email address when you order. U Care Packages is a project of United Disability Services, Inc. in Akron, Ohio. United Disability Services is dedicated to serving people with disabilities through creative employment and life enrichment opportunities. Free tutoring available in Bierce, Polsky for all students Students have access to support for their classes through the Office of Student Academic Success, which offers on-campus tutoring in two locations as well as online. On the ground floor of Bierce Library, students can find math tutors, obtain feedback on a writing assignment, or meet one-on-one with a tutor with expertise in introductory-level courses. In some introductory-level math and science classes, your student may have an embedded tutor, or learning assistant, assigned to the class. The learning assistant holds regular study and exam preparation sessions. The Polsky Building also houses both a math lab and writing lab, and has a special center targeted specifically for reading and study skills. Polsky Tutoring also can provide help with basic computer skills, including Microsoft Office and Springboard. See hours of operation and complete scheduling/appointment details. In addition, to supplement our campus face-to-face tutoring services, UA offers free online tutoring through eTutoring in writing, math, statistics, biology, anatomy and physiology, physics, and chemistry. eTutoring provides trained faculty and student tutors through the Ohio eTutoring Collaborative and provides support that is especially helpful to students in online and distance-learning courses. Register online now. Accessibility Services The Office of Accessibility (OA) provides students with documented disabilities full access to, and the opportunity to participate in, the academic environment at The University of Akron. Some students may have received services in high school. These students need to provide the OA with documentation addressing learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, physical, or psychological disabilities. Students requesting academic accommodations, including students experiencing acute temporary health conditions, are able to seek assistance through the Office of Accessibility anytime throughout the semester. The Office of Accessibility works closely with other offices on campus to make the coordination of accommodations work well for the student. The Office of Accessibility is located in Simmons Hall 105. We are here to help students with disabilities as well as students with temporary medical conditions. To get more information or to make an appointment to meet one of the disability specialists in the Office of Accessibility, please call 330-972-7928 or visit the Office of Accessibility website. Students interested in providing note-taking services for students with disabilities, please view our note-taking Web page. Parent and Family Events Homecoming – Saturday, Oct. 3 On Oct. 3, Zips Programming Network is inviting students with a valid Zip Card to bring family members to the Homecoming Football Game at 2 pm. Prior to the game there will be a tailgate at 1 p.m. in the Student Union second floor lounge where refreshments, corn hole, sign making and face painting will take place. The tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. The student of the family member must have a valid Zip Card and be present to receive tickets. We will leave together promptly at 1:45 p.m. from the Student Union to get checked-in and seated. Save the Date - Saturday, Oct. 17 - Soctoberfest Celebrate Oktoberfest Akron style with Zips Men's Soccer! “Soctobefest” will take place Saturday, Oct. 17, from 5-7 p.m. on Coleman Common at the UA main campus. The Zips face Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. Join your student and experience Akron Soccer! Details on food and ticket prices coming soon! |