Greetings to Parents from the New President

Penelope, Benjamin, and I greatly look forward to meeting you at Trinity events in the future, particularly at Spring Family Weekend.

Regards,
Dennis
Dennis.Ahlburg@Trinity.edu

Midterm Grade Reports 

As a type of early warning system, midterm grade reports are sent out each semester before the last day to withdraw from courses.  This semester, the course withdrawal deadline is October 29.  (A student’s GPA is not affected by an approved course withdrawal, though the transcript reflects a “W.”) Midterm grade reports will be sent to students late next week by email, along with copies to their academic advisors.  They are also posted online on TigerPAWS.

Only poor grades – grades of D and F – are reported by faculty at midterm.  Not all faculty members send midterm grade reports: In other words, students may ultimately do poorly in some classes from which they did not receive mid-term grade reports. Midterm grade reports have a notation instructing students to contact their academic advisors right away to discuss their grades and decide the best course of action. This is also a good time for parents to have a discussion with their students about their academic progress this fall. 

October Fall

October is one of the most stressful months of the academic year.  This is reflected in both the numbers of counseling sessions at Counseling Services and patient visits at Health Services.  As students approach mid-term they experience a marked increase in the amount and intensity of academic work.  Exams cluster in the weeks before midterm.  Papers are due.  The roommate who seemed so wonderful at the beginning of the year may now be annoying.  The vibrancy and energy of residence hall living may now seem more like a lack of privacy.  Often students are receiving back their graded work and may be disappointed or even doubting their ability to succeed at Trinity.

As parents you may begin to hear frustration and disappointment from your students, especially First Year students.  Their sleep patterns may be erratic under pressure; their diet and exercise may change.  They may be more irritable or depressed than you have previously heard.  Some First Year students will question whether they should continue at Trinity or transfer.  It may seem to them that their friends at other colleges are having more fun and making better grades with less effort.

Fall break’s long weekend (October 16 - 18) may provide an opportunity for your student to return home.  If so, you will have a chance to hear any concerns s/he is expressing and offer support.  Encourage your student to use the available on-campus resources.  For academic concerns, suggest that your student see their professors during office hours, use the Writing Center, or consult their peer tutor if available.  The Residential Life staff, both student staff and professionals, is a great resource for issues with communal living.  The Counseling Services staff can help students sort out time and task priorities, make sense of changing relationships, and deal with anxiety and depression.  Many others on the Trinity campus can provide support and help students through both the predictable development challenges of college and more serious difficulties.  As a parent one of your most important roles at this stage is coaching your student to advocate for him-/herself in negotiating their Trinity experience.

By Dr. Gary Neal, Director of Counseling and Health Services

Fall Family Fotos

Dr. Nancy Mills and Dr. Bob Blystone (left, and second from left) visit with parents over Fall Family Weekend. Click here for more information and to view a slide show from Family Weekend. See slide show on blog.

Student Life: The Roommate Game

New roommate's, Jackson Orr (left) and John 'Scott' Collins (right), participate in Residential Life's roommate version of the Newlywed Game on October 13. Click here for more information and to view a slide show of new student participants.

Special Events Your Student Should Consider

Nothing to do for fun, on campus, at night, and weekends?
Two of the best entertainment events on campus are happening on Thursday and Friday next week. Trinity Idol, TU's answer to American Idol, is a really fun and high quality showcase for our campus singers and musicians. Trinity grad and singer/songwriter Rob Drabkin is doing a show in the Tigers' Den on Friday night. This offers a coffee house-type performance and atmosphere and he is a real crowd pleaser. Current student Nicole Roth will sing a couple numbers with him. Nudge your students to attend one or both of these programs. Then, to cap it off, many students attend the Saturday night dance (see TigerFest schedule below). Most attend as groups of friends rather than as couples.

Students can meet the new President
October 20 from 4 to 5 p.m. (see Micro Mail).

TigerFest Schedule
SPIRIT WEEK: (Campus Favorites voting 10/19-10/23) Ticket Sales 10/13-15 and 10/19-23

Announcements

Career Services
The Resume Workshop
October 19, 7 p.m., Mabee Conference Room
Students will learn how to structure a resume to be a better tool to market their experiences, skills and abilities. Then put it to good use at the Career Fair on Wednesday!

Fall 2009 Career Fair
October 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mabee
This event is open to all students. Last year over 60 employers attended with excellent full-time and internship opportunities.

Wine, Dine, and Act Fine - Etiquette for your personal and professional life
October 26, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Skyline Room
Seniors are invited to enjoy a six-course meal with hosts Vice President Marc Raney and Mrs. Gail Raney as they discuss the finer points of how to navigate through a formal dinner. The cost is $12.50. RSVP Oct. 6 - 20 through Career Services, ext. 8321. Sponsored by Alumni Relations, Career Services, and Ambassadors.

Career Services Corner with Brian Hirsch

A Major Challenge
Sometimes students come home and they announce with great joy “I’ve decided on a major and its ______________________!  And sometimes parents are overjoyed, surprised, worried, and even panicked.  There are certain majors which just don’t seem to match up to any really good jobs, which is what many of us would aspire to on behalf of our students.  That said, all majors have potential and all majors create a lot of options for students.  Personally, I am excited to talk with a student who is excited, interested, and passionate about their major because it becomes a launching point to discuss future plans and life beyond college.

There are 2 very important things to be evaluated from one’s educational program:  The first is what skill
set(s) it provides because those skills are going to be transferable to a variety of occupations.  Secondly, evaluating how transferrable skills relate to the needs of an occupation or employer and developing  a strategy to communicate those skills to prospective employers.  The most critical element in the planning process for many majors is starting to evaluate these things early, making some choices about occupations to explore, and then gaining work experience related to what one wants to do after graduation.

Career Services offers multiple resources to help students with major decisions and then to evaluate their next steps.  Let us know if we can help.

Dr. Brian Hirsch is the Director of Career Services

Campus Spotlight

Source: University Communications

Micro Mail

This section features e-mails that were sent to all students since the last TrinitE newsletter. Parents are invited to micro-manage their students into reading this important information. For past due items, they are offered simply for information. By policy, students are responsible for information sent to them through e-mail, which serves as an official Trinity University communication tool -- because all students are assigned accounts. (Click on each heading to read the full e-mail.)

Class Registration
Why it matters: This is the type of information that if not followed, can put students behind during the registration process, which is already anxiety-provoking for newer students.

From the Class Marshal to the Class of 2012
Dessert with (Dr.) (VP) Felicia Lee

From the Class Marshal to the Class of 2013
Class Marshal Cafeteria Psychology
Class Marshal Tip: Accordion Festival!

Informational Announcements
Annual ARAMARK Dining Survey
Have you made the move to T-mail?
Annual Security Report
SoCol Newsletter
Distinguished Scientists Lecturer, Dr. Henry Schaefer, October 19, 2009
Move to T-mail by November 4
ITS Maintenance - Thursday October 15
President Dennis Ahlburg - Unplugged
File-sharing, Trinity and your fall break

The Difference

The difference between… The Trinity Parent and Family newsletter is a hard copy newsletter that is distributed to parents of new students in the summer. The TrinitE Parent and Family electronic newsletter is sent to subscribers about every other week during the academic year. ParentTalk is an interactive list serve available to parents and family members. Participants must subscribe to this list, which allows parents to respond to posts submitted by others. It is a valuable list to utilize to pose questions about local services, parental dilemmas, general concerns, and inquiries.