Joel Johnson, Director, Office of First Year Experience
MSU Parents and Advocates,
Congratulations!!!
On behalf of the Office of First Year Experience, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the significant achievement your student has accomplished through the successful completion of their first year!
The first year transition truly is a significant life event for students. From the excitement of attending New Student Orientation, the monumental day of moving into the residence halls and saying goodbye to loved ones, the first day of classes, developing new friends and new peer support networks, academic transitions, and other unique and personal life transitions, combine to make the first year college experience a roller coaster experience! Your role as an advocate is a critical factor in your student's success! Please take this opportunity to recognize and applaud your efforts!
As we conclude the year, please take note of services that will continue to be available. Available services include advocacy for student academic issues and personal concerns, ongoing advising services for all Undeclared Major students, and a variety of academic and personal support resources available for students upon request. Additionally, in an effort to further enhance services for parents, please note that beginning Fall 2007, the FYE Office is excited to announce a new position, Coordinator of Parent Services. This position will be available to assist you individually with questions, concerns, and campus referral needs. You can access this resource by contacting the FYE Office by phone at 507-389-5498, or on the Staff page.
As your student prepares to transition to summer break, as well as prepares for their sophomore year experience, it is important to recognize additional challenges faced by many of our students. As you prepare to talk with your student about their second year of college, the following are some excellent discussion topics:
I hope our Parent/Advocate Newsletter has been helpful to you this past year! Please know feedback received is helpful in designing articles of interest for your review. As we conclude the year, I would like to invite your continued feedback. Please feel free to email me at joel.johnson-1@mnsu.edu or call at 507-389-5498.
As we look to next fall, the Office of First Year Experience plans to continue to send you our Parent Newsletter. If you wish to not receive this service, you can unsubscribe at the Subscribe/Unsubscribe page.
Have a great summer and we look forward to serving you and your student during the 2007-2008 academic year!
Hard to believe that the school year is coming to a close! Seems like just yesterday that your son or daughter moved away to school, and now it is time to pack up and leave the residence halls. We wanted to provide you with some upcoming highlights for your information as we wrap up the school year:
Here are some tips on helping your student have a successful end to their time in the residence halls:
Students should watch for flyers, speak to their Community Advisor, attend their closing floor meeting, and ask questions for a successful end of the year check-out.
Finally, most floors will have closing activities to participate in and wrap up the time spent together as a floor. We encourage your student to take part and celebrate the friendships made throughout the year!
Parry Telander, Graduate Assistant, Office of First Year Experience
Pat McAuley, Assistant Director for Financial Aid Programs, Student Financial Services
The college experience involves the process of learning many life skills. Some skills learned may include organizational, time management, and interpersonal communication skills, but one of the most important life-long skills that students will learn while in college is money-management skills. As parents, many of you hope that your student does not learn money-management skills the hard way. The office of First Year Experience and the Office of Student Financial Services at Minnesota State University, Mankato hope we can calm your fears by providing you with information that will help guide your student through potential financial situations.
With limited resources of income, your student represents a target population for credit card offers. Research has shown that 76 percent of undergraduate students have at least one credit card, with an average credit card balance of $2,169. Often with a limited amount of income, students will find themselves charging many expenses, such as textbooks, food, clothes, gas, and even utilities on their credit cards, which is why many students will often double and even triple their credit card debt by the time they graduate from college.
Not to fear, there is hope at the end of the rainbow. The office of Student Financial Services offers students and parents helpful strategies to improve their money-management skills. First, it is good to establish good credit early by using a credit card appropriately. However, it is not wise for your student to use a credit card to spend beyond their means. This can be done when your student establishes a workable and livable budget. The process for establishing a budget involves your student identifying their income and their expenses. Most importantly, it involves deciding what expenses are necessary, and realizing that not every need is necessary. As a way to keep track of their spending, it is also recommended to keep a "spending" diary. Often a visual reminder of their spending can be an effective tool to curb your student's spending behavior.
Another strategy to improve money management skills is to become more knowledgeable about the use of credit cards. For example, it is important that your student does their research before applying for a credit card. Some things to consider during the research process include finding a low interest rate (aim for 15% APR at the most), reasonable finance charges, a low or no annual fee, and a grace period before the incurring finance charges. Once a student has a credit card, it is important to pay off the balance in full, every month, if possible. As a way to reach this goal, it is recommended to have your student set their own credit limit once a month. Finally, it is encouraged that your student read the small print to avoid any "surprises" of credit card use.
Lastly, strong money management skills involve taking preventative measures to avoid identity theft. Some preventative measures that students are encouraged to take include paying close attention to any suspicious activity on their credit card report, as well as shredding statements. Also, it is particularly important to make sure that student's passwords, credit card numbers, and their social security number are secured. Finally, it is important to be aware of Internet "phishing scams" that often resembles a real email with a company's logo with an attempt to get a person's financial information.
The benefits of following effective money management behaviors certainly outweigh the negatives. By practicing these strategies in credit card use, your student will find themselves reaping the benefits of a strong credit score. By maintaining a good credit score and living within a budget, your student will find themselves with financial confidence and security, lower debt burdens, and a sense of financial wellness.
Gael Mericle, Director, Center for Academic Success
The staff in the Center for Academic Success enjoys working with your son/daughter as he/she strives to realize his/her academic potential. Students facing their first or second set of final exams can feel overwhelmed. Below are some "study/academic preparation" tips that you might consider sharing with your son/daughter as he/she prepares for the end of the semester.
Remember the Center for Academic Success is here to help you realize your academic success. Our services are free for all MSU undergraduate students. Our tutors are highly trained and have demonstrated mastery in the subjects they tutor.
David K. Williams, Vice President for University Advancement
Why do hundreds of Minnesota State Mankato parents make a gift to the University each year? Aren't they already paying enough in tuition, fees, room and board? Does a gift really matter? Who are these people?
They're actually concerned and loyal parents, who see ways to help improve the education their sons or daughters receive by providing a charitable contribution. They understand that the combination of state appropriation and their tuition payments aren't always enough to enhance the quality of a Minnesota State Mankato education.
Over the past twenty years, the appropriation we receive from the State of Minnesota has slid from around the 75% of our educational costs level, to slightly under 50% today. We have reluctantly had to steadily increase tuition costs to try to stay even, but we find ourselves reluctant to press too hard in this area to make big gains in quality.
Like most quality universities, we've long used the gifts and grants received through our Minnesota State University Mankato Foundation to help augment that quality and to provide access through additional scholarship support. Our alumni and some friends are regular and generous donors, providing several million dollars each year to improve our education.
We also ask parents to consider making a gift for the same reasons. Your child might see some immediate value if your gift helps underwrite new library materials, or helps with technology programs, or provides ways for a faculty member to improve his or her teaching. Scholarship support, while you can't designate it directly for your son or daughter, can help other talented students to attend who might otherwise not be able to afford a Minnesota State Mankato education.
All gifts are tax deductible, which helps ease the cost of making the gift. But the prime reason to consider support is knowing that you are improving the education your child and thousands of other students receive today and into the future. We hope you'll consider adding Minnesota State Mankato to your charitable contribution list for 2007. I would welcome your comments, thoughts or reactions: please feel free to email me at david.williams@mnsu.edu, or call me at 507-389-2021.
Rochelle Ament, Residential Life
Housing is available for students enrolled in at least one summer course at Minnesota State Mankato. Eligible students can choose to live in the residence halls all summer long, or they can choose to stay for just a few weeks. This year, our summer students will live in McElroy F Hall.
Though most of our residents live in double rooms during the regular academic year, students are free to choose a single room during the summer. These are regular double rooms, however, only one student lives in the room. Some two-person suites with two rooms and a full bathroom are also available on a first-come, first-served basis.
During the summer session, our residents enjoy many of the same features we offer during the academic year—paid utilities, internet access, cable TV service, housekeeping service for public areas, room maintenance, and live-in staff members. Plus, laundry and parking are free, and the common area lounges are air-conditioned.
Students can stay for as little as $66 a week in a double room or $88 a week in a single room. (A minimum stay of two weeks is required.) The rate for staying during the interim session prior to the start of summer classes (May 12 - May 18) is $59 for a double room and $79 for a single room. For the period following the end of summer session classes (July 28 - August 21) the rate is $212 for a double room and $283 for a single room.
More information about our summer housing program and rates is available online at the Residential Life. Rooms can be reserved by visiting the Office of Residential Life. You can also call 507-389-1011 or email reslife@mnsu.edu to request more information be sent to you.
Gabe Afolayan, President of MSSA
My name is Gabe Afolayan and I serve as the president of the Minnesota State Student Association (MSSA). The MSSA is the official student government of Minnesota State University, Mankato. We are the representative voice of Minnesota State Mankato students to administration and all levels of government. A unique attribute of the MSSA is the fact that any student enrolled in classes is a member. That means that all current students have a voice on campus. The distinguishing part of the MSSA, however, is the senate.
The MSSA Senate is comprised of 29 voting members. This includes the President, Vice President, academic senators representing each college, and residential senators representing students living on or off campus. This constitutional provision allows for students to be represented twice—once for their academic major, and once for where they live. The MSSA also has various executive positions appointed by the president to lead specialized areas of concern such as academic affairs, student affairs, legislative affairs, and public affairs.
The MSSA engages in various forms of consultation to advocate for student interests and concerns: committee meetings, weekly senate meetings, and monthly meetings with the university president and his executive cabinet. More informal methods are used to solicit student input. These include open forums (similar to a "town hall" meeting), surveys, message boards, and interactive use of web pages. Through this collective communicative process, university decisions are made in the best interests of students.
As you can see, the representation of 14,000 students requires structure, organization, and most importantly, committed competent leadership. Student representatives are, without question, the backbone of the MSSA. Invaluable leadership experience, high level networking with Minnesota State Mankato administrators, and service to students are the only incentives for MSSA senators as their positions are strictly on a voluntary basis. These incentives are worth more than gold after graduation as many senators draw on their leadership experience to land internships and careers post-graduation.
Desiring to be a student leader is the first step to getting involved with the MSSA. Students must also be elected by their peers and fulfill constitutional requirements. To be eligible, one must be a current student. Elections took place on April 10th to fill seats for the following academic year and a vacancy election will take place in early September to fill available seats. Additional information is available at the MSSA website. Visit the site to learn more about what the MSSA does for students and how to get involved
2007-2008 financial aid award notices will begin arriving in students' e-mail inboxes around mid-May. As part of our mission to provide more timely and convenient services to our students, a number of financial aid processes will now be available online. Students will be able to accept work-study and loans electronically through guided web links. The award checklist and other helpful information will be available online as well. While paper forms may still be used, we are excited about the transition to a more streamlined electronic approach to delivering financial aid resources.
If your student has not yet applied for financial aid for 2007-2008, we highly encourage you to guide them to the FAFSA on the FAFSA website as soon as possible.
Please remind your student to stay connected with Minnesota State Mankato during the summer break by monitoring his/her university e-mail account. It's the fastest way for students to receive up-to-date information about their university finances.
Expanded payment plan options are now available to Minnesota State Mankato students at a reduced cost, offered through Nelnet Business Solutions, the official external payment plan provider for all of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
Nelnet/FACTS plans provide students the ability to set up convenient monthly payments spread out over up to five months. Automatic bank payments and online credit card/debit card options that include Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are some of the improved features made possible through Nelnet/FACTS plans. Online enrollment for Fall Semester 2007 can begin as early as this month, at the Payment website.
Signing up for a Nelnet/FACTS plan is a fast and easy process that includes a budget estimator where you can factor in expected financial aid. Enrolling by the August tuition due date is one way your student can protect his/her fall registration under the new cancellation for nonpayment policy.
| April 27, 2007 | Deadline for Official Withdrawal of All Spring Term Classes |
| May 5, 2007 | Final Exams for Saturday Classes |
| May 7-11, 2007 | Final Examinations |
| May 12, 2007 | Graduation |
| May 21, 2007 | First Day of Summer Classes |
| August 27, 2007 | First Day of Fall Term 2007 Classes |
Comments and questions about the Family Connection Newsletter can be directed to Office of First Year Experience via e-mail at familyconnection@mnsu.edu.
