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E-Newsletter - September

 

Welcome (or Welcome Back) to the Missouri State University Parents Association! The academic year has begun, and campus is once again a flurry of activity. From our office in the Plaster Student Union, we can see students coming and going. Some students are on their way to and from class, others grabbing a bite to eat. Many can be seen reading their texts books, while others are catching up with their friends and taking a much needed study break. Opening weekend here on campus included many activities: Playfair (a giant ice-breaker), Bear Bash – which included games of Deal or No Deal, New Student Convocation and New Student Festival (an exposition of many Student Organizations). Since opening weekend, multiple activities have been held every day here on campus.  The construction for the JQH Arena continues, and The Standard, the student newspaper, reported that the construction was on budget and on schedule. We are all excited and busy this time of year as we look forward to the year ahead, and we hope that you share in our excitement!

In this issue:

Family Weekend 2007

Animal House or Greek House: Greek Life at Missouri State

Student Services Spotlight - The Writing Center

Important Student Dates and Deadlines for September and October

Submit your ideas for E-Newsletter Articles

 

 

 

Family Weekend 2007
October 5-6

 

This year, Family Weekend will be held on October 5 and 6. We have several activities planned for this weekend, and we hope that you will join us. Friday night we invite you to Rock ‘n’ Bowl, First Friday Art Walk, and the Missouri State University Theatre and Dance Department production of “A Lie of the Mind.”

Saturday will include the Family Weekend Golf Tournament, a Brunch Reception, tours of Meyer Library, an opportunity to meet faculty members, BearFest Village, and the football game against Illinois State University.

Also, as members of the Parents Association, when you RSVP for Family Weekend, you will be entered into a drawing for SkyBox seating at the football game.

For more information about Family Weekend or to RSVP, please visit the Family Weekend website. 

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Animal House or Greek House?

by: Dixie Williams, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Greek Life
  

     I am sure that when many of you consider your son of daughter becoming a member of a Greek fraternity or sorority you automatically flash to the famous movie that made us infamous, Animal House. There is not a single movie that I can think of that has done more damage to the International Greek community. So before you write us off, let me tell you a little about the Greek community at Missouri State University.

    Collectively our fraternity GPA for the spring 2007 semester is 2.89 which is above the campus male GPA. The sororities GPA for spring 2007 is 3.12 which is above the campus female GPA. The chapters strive for excellence in academics through directed educational programs. This is a very important tenant of our community. Along with academic success we celebrate many accomplishments with philanthropy; a total of $123,401.34 was raised by the Greek community and distributed to many national and local philanthropies last year. The largest philanthropy was our Up Til Dawn event that raised over $108,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We will host our second annual fundraiser this fall. In addition to the money raised we logged 15,589 hours of community service to different agencies in the Southwest Missouri area. The Greek community really pulled together during our January Ice Attack, by volunteering to work at the special needs shelter located on campus. We are proud to give our time and money to our community. We also strive to offer a family to students on our campus through brotherhood and sisterhood and housing options to many students. We are a close knit community that places a value on high standards for all members.

    I think you can see that your son or daughter would be surrounded by positive opportunities and people. For more information on Greek Life, check us out at our website.  For further questions of if you are an alumnus or alumna of a chapter, contact me at dixiewilliams@missouristate.edu 

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  Student Services Spotlight - The Writing Center 

The Writing Center: Empowering Success through Improved Writing Skills
by Michael Frizell, Director - The Writing Center, Missouri State University

    The Writing Center, a division of the Student Success Office, is a free academic support service providing members of the education community of Missouri State University a place to share work in progress with knowledgeable, attentive readers. The staff of trained tutors, all active writers, strives to empower individual writing through personalized tutoring for any project. Undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty use the service to workshop papers for their academic courses, masters thesis, creative writing, speeches, presentations, course syllabi, and articles intended for publication.
 
    Tutors for the Center are hired from a variety of academic disciplines and must be a junior or above, have at least a 3.5 G.P.A., submit exemplary writing samples, and provide at least three academic references. Tutors participate in ongoing training in writing center theory and practice, composition, and academic citation methodologies. In addition to working one-on-one with clients, tutors offer various customized workshops on writing for university classes, departments, and organizations.
  
    During a session, a tutor, using a facilitative approach, focuses on the academic quality of the paper, aiding the writer in achieving college-level technique. Instead of merely proofreading, the tutor enhances the author’s work by asking questions, making suggestions, and guiding the author to a greater understanding of the paper at hand and of writing in general. Tutors can aid in every part of the writing process, including brainstorming, research, drafting, revision, organization, grammar, punctuation, and the citation methods of the Modern Language Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Associated Press, among others.
 
    The Writing Center asks authors to bring in a project well before it is due and, if possible, to bring the class assignment sheet to the appointment, making it easier for the tutor to interpret the particular demands of the paper. Every paper is different, and a writer’s needs differ from paper to paper. The focus of the session is to empower the author in becoming a better writer; thus, the advice offered by the tutor keeps in mind the larger issues regarding critical thinking and the writing process. Improved writing skills lead to educational and professional success in college and beyond.
 
    The Writing Center, located in Siceluff Hall 210, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Fridays during the fall and spring semesters. Advance appointments, which are recommended, guarantee up to a 45 minute session. The Center opens on Monday during the second week of classes and closes on the last Thursday of classes before finals week and is closed when the university is closed. For more information, please call The Writing Center at (417) 836-6398. To schedule a presentation for your class, department, or organization, please contact the director, Michael Frizell, at (417) 836-5006 or MichaelFrizell@MissouriState.edu.

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 Important Student Dates and Deadlines for September and October

 

Your student and you may want to be aware of the following list of dates and deadlines, which include holidays, registration deadlines, and more.

For a complete list of Important Dates and Deadlines, please visit www.missouristate.edu/registrar/acad_cal.html.

  

September 3
 

Labor Day Holiday

(No Classes/Offices Closed)
September 17

Fall Deferred Payment Plan Installment Due
September 18

Office of the Registrar Semester Audit from 8:00 a.m. to noon

(No drops, withdrawals, change of schedules, grade changes, etc. processed today; however, forms/requests will be accepted and processed at a later time.)
September 19

Grading Options Deadlines for First Block Classes: Last Day to Drop With Automatic N Grade, Pass/Not-Pass Declaration, and Change to or from Audit
October 3

Mid-Semester Grade Rosters Available on the Faculty/Advisor Resource Center; Must be Submitted by 10:00 a.m. on October 10
October 4

Last Day to Drop or Withdraw from First Block classes
October 8

First Block Classes End
October 9

Mid-Semester/First Block Final Exams Period
October 10

Second Block Classes Begin
October 10

Mid-Semester Grade Rosters must be submitted on the Faculty/Advisor Resource Center by 10:00 a.m.
October 11

Last Day to Register or Add Second Block Classes; Last day to Drop Second Block Classes at 100% (less $60 for Withdrawals)
October 11

Mid-Semester Grades Available on Web My Information System
October 15

Fall Deferred Payment Plan Installment Due
October 18 – 19
Fall Holiday (No Classes/Offices Open)
October 24
                      

Grading Options Deadlines for Full Semester Classes: Last Date to Drop With Automatic N Grade, Pass/Not-Pass Declaration, and Change to or from Audit

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Parent Association E-Newsletter Ideas

 Have ideas for future Parents Association E-Newsletter articles? We'd love to hear them! Please send your article ideas to us at ParentsAssociation@MissouriState.edu.

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