Orientation events welcome students to campus, community

Aug. 28, 2009

Fairbanks, Alaska - The University of Alaska Fairbanks will welcome more than 750 new students this weekend at the kickoff of this year's new student orientation activities. The four-day event, which runs Sunday, Aug. 30 through Wednesday, Sept. 2, will include workshops and activities for new students and their families, as well as opportunities for students to connect with the Fairbanks community.

Highlights of this year's new student orientation events include workshops on making sound financial choices in college, sessions with tips for academic success, a special late-night shopping event at West Fairbanks Fred Meyer and several trips with Outdoor Adventures. A full schedule of events, as well as information on how to register for orientation, is available online at www.uaf.edu/orientation.

Campus residence halls will open for students to begin moving in at 8 a.m. Sunday. Student move-in includes -Rev It Up- activities in Hess Recreation Center in the Moore-Bartlett-Skarland complex from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is designed to be a one-stop resource for incoming freshmen. It includes information on academics and student life, and alumni and community volunteers will be there to help students move into their new homes at UAF. This year, more than 1,300 students will live in campus residence halls. Hundreds more will live in campus apartments.

The weekend's events will also include family orientation on Sunday, Aug. 30. Student and Enrollment Services offices will be at Rev It Up from 8 a.m., to 3 p.m. and in their regular offices from 3-5 p.m. Classes at UAF begin Thursday, Sept. 3.

CONTACT: Terin Porter, new student orientation coordinator, at 907-474-2760 or via e-mail at taporter2@alaska.edu. Jamie Abreu-Napolski, first-year experience coordinator, at 907-474-1885 or via e-mail at fnjra@uaf.edu. Marmian Grimes public information officer, at 907-474-7902 or via e-mail at marmian.grimes@alaska.edu.

ON THE WEB: http://www.uaf.edu/orientation/

Crane Festival in Fairbanks

Hey,
This last weekend was one of my favorite events in Fairbanks: The Sandhill Crane Festival! I know this may sound silly, but I love the birds we get in this town! Every year we get migratory birds from 5 continents flying through Fairbanks as a nesting stop on their migratory routes. It's so cool to see the birds covering Creamer's Field and then to see them flying off at the end of the week for their nest stop. Just one more thing about living in Fairbanks that I love. If you want to find out more about the birds, visit the Fairbanks Daily News Miner article about it here. Thanks for reading, and we'll be coming back at you soon with UAF New Student Orientation!

Joe

UAF Women's Volleyball Rocks!

My husband, Mark, is the coordinator of the UAF Outdoor Adventure program and just took all 18 members of the UAF women's volleyball team on a 50 mile rafting trip down the Chulitna River. The team was so inspired by their trip that they have incorporated "all forward!" as their team chant. Last Friday the team played their first exhibition game. It was great to see their energy and team spirit. This is one team you don't want to miss at UAF!

Check out this recent article in the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer... Nanooks spikers have high ambitions http://newsminer.com/news/2009/aug/26/nanooks-spikers-have-high-ambitions/.

Lael

UAF Students shoot for the Moon!

The Juneau Empire just ran a great story on 6 UAF engineering students who participate in NASA's Microgravity University program, riding the "Vomit Comet" as part of their undergraduate research project. Engineers get to have all the fun . . .

Finan¢ial $ense

Finan¢ial $ense

The Financial Aid Office will be offering weekly Finan¢ial $ense workshops this semester. All workshops will take place on Thursdays from 1-2pm in the Gruening Building, Room 413 on the UAF Campus. All faculty, students, alumni and staff are invited to participate in these workshops. For more information, please contact Ashley Munro at 474-1934 or akmunro@alaska.edu.

The workshop schedule and topics are:

• Sept 17 - Budgeting Your Money: Students will learn the importance of budgeting and will leave with a budget in hand.
• Sept 24 - Financial Aid 101: Students will learn about all sources of financial aid.
• Oct 1 - University Resources: Students will hear from representatives from university departments who can offer financial resources (Career Services, Student Support Services, etc.)
• Oct 8 - Money Realities: Students will see how much money they may be making upon graduation and be able to compare that to student loan debt.
• Oct 15 - Understanding Credit: Students will learn how to build credit and how to avoid bad credit.
• Oct 22 - Saving Money: Students will receive money saving tips
• Oct 29 - SAP and other financial aid rules: Students will learn about Satisfactory Academic Progress and other financial aid rules that may affect their eligibility.
• Nov 5 - Writing a Scholarship Essay: Students will receive tips on what to include and what to avoid in scholarship essays.
• Nov 12 - Applying for Scholarships: Students will learn how to create a scholarship portfolio and where to look for scholarships.
• Nov 19 - Debt Management: Students will receive tips on how to avoid debt and how to manage they debt they already have.
• Dec 3 - Identity Theft: Students will obtain instructions on how best to avoid identity theft.
• Dec 10 - Student Loan Repayment: Students will hear all the repayment options and receive information on who to contact before entering repayment for student loans.

On the radio...

Joe and I visited KFBX yesterday and had a great time meeting with our local DJ, Charlie O'Toole. Click here to listen to our interview!

- Lael







Charlie O'Toole from KFBX AM

UA offers veterans residency status for tuition discount

Greetings!

I thought you might find this article helpful. Veterans will now have the opportunity to receive at tuition discount at any of the UA Schools. This is great news for veterans!

- Lael

UA offers veterans residency status for tuition discount

The University of Alaska is now granting eligible veterans, their
spouses and children in-state tuition at any of the UA system’s 16
campuses.

The move was intentionally timed to coincide with the new post-911 GI
Bill, which offers eligible veterans generous benefits based on the
highest in-state tuition rates in all states, a housing stipend and
textbook allowance. The Post-911 GI Bill went into effect Aug. 1.

“We’ve offered the in-state tuition benefit to active military
personnel for years,” said UA President Mark Hamilton, who is also a
retired U.S. Army Major General. “Our veterans deserve this benefit
every bit as much, as well as our thanks for their sacrifices and
service.”

The UA Board of Regents approved granting veterans residency for
tuition purposes in June. Students accepting the benefit must move to
Alaska and live here while taking classes.

There are approximately 1,400 Alaska veterans using GI Bill education
benefits; about one half of those attend UA. Without the policy
change, veterans attending UA would have had to come up with the
difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition themselves, a
cost of almost $4,000 per semester.

“The University of Alaska’s policy change, coupled with the new Post
911 GI Bill, makes it very affordable and attractive for veterans and
their families to attend UA,” said Saichi Oba, associate vice
president of Student and Enrollment Services at the UA System.

It’s difficult to know exactly how many veterans will take advantage
of the new UA policy and federal benefits, but it’s realistic to
anticipate an increase, Oba said.

“In any given semester, we have about 700 veterans enrolled in UA.
We’d like to see that number increase, so we changed our policy to
make it more financially attractive to our veterans and their
families,” Oba said.

For specific enrollment information, visit or call:

· UAF: http://www.uaf.edu/veterans/
UAF Admissions Office 907/474-7500

For more information on VA benefits under the new GI bill, go to
http://www.gibill.va.gov/