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Campus Clues Newsletter

Campus Clues: February 2012, Issue 1

Campus Clues is the College of Design's online freshmen newsletter. Read on for important topics that clue you in on what's important now. Check out the academic calendar at right for important deadlines. The next issues will be online in March, and then May. Check back here for future Clues!

Topics in this issue (linked):

Welcome to the College of Design
Meet our students!
February 25, 2012 is YOUR Dean's Reception
Hold your place!
$:financing college
Welcome Home
Get placed and oriented
Join our Strengths-based Campus
Gophers? Maroon and Gold? Ski-U-Mah?
International Buddy Program
www.parent.umn.edu
Questions? Need Help?

Welcome to the College of Design!

Welcome to the College of Design (CDes), a learning community of students and faculty who are thinking and designing in innovative, sustainable, and socially responsible ways to enhance the well-being of people and communities. Our vision is to apply design innovations to the needs of all people and the entire planet. We need more students like you to work with us on design initiatives such as Design and Health, Design and Sustainability, Design and the Economy, and Design for All.

We want you to feel a part of the College of Design, starting now. What do you need or want to know? What should you expect? How can you get involved? What’s it like to be a student here? This newsletter was designed to help clue you in. We’re glad you’ll be joining our community!

Meet our students!

Meet Ashley (Interior Design), Eric (Landscape Design/Planning), Patrick (Graphic Design), Sashka (Retail), Jessie (Housing Studies), Holly (Architecture), and Lucie (Apparel Design)...CDes students who are blogging about what it's like in their CDes major. Find out their viewpoint on topics such as classes and assignments, using Career Services, advising, internships, final exam week, studying abroad, tutoring, teamwork, final projects, computer labs, buses, buildings, staying healthy, networking and mentors, and more! Read about their experiences, check out their photos, and comment on their blogs!

February 25, 2012 is YOUR Dean’s Reception

Invitations will start arriving in the mail in early January inviting you to the Class of 2016 College of Design Dean’s Reception, to be held the afternoon of Saturday, February 25, on the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. Why should you attend? Meet CDes deans, faculty, students, alumni, and advisers. Find out about the great resources in our college and at the U of M. Check out our classrooms, studios, and computer labs. Get ALL your questions answered. Be sure to send in your online Dean's Reception RSVP by February 18!

Hold your place!

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to confirm your fall 2012 enrollment by May 1, 2012. When you confirm your enrollment, you are declaring your intent to enroll at the University of Minnesota, in which case we will reserve a place for you in the incoming class and invite you to orientation. Simply return the enrollment confirmation form (included with your admission letter) and the $250 non-refundable confirmation fee to the Office of Admissions by May 1, 2012. Confirmation forms and fees received after the May 1, 2012, postmark deadline are accepted on a space-available basis. Call 1-800-752-1000 for more information.

$: financing college

Check out our Financial Aid Website for everything you need to know about paying for your education. By the way…financial aid packages start arriving in the mail in March and scholarship recipients will be notified by the end of March.

Have questions? Financial aid email counseling is available at onestop@umn.edu. Financial aid phone help is also available from 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Friday, at 612-624-1111, or toll-free from outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area at 1-800-400-8636, or 612-626-0701, TTY (for hearing-impaired students only).

Welcome home

Plan ahead

If you want to live in a residence hall, plan ahead! You’ll be glad you did. Here is key information on applications and deadlines.

If you haven’t received the 2012-13 Residence Hall Application—call Housing and Residential Life at 612-624-2994 and it’ll be sent to you.
Housing is guaranteed to incoming first-year freshman students who are admitted to the U of M and who send in their housing application by May 1, 2012. Note: If you are interested in a Living Learning Community (see below) or the roommate search, be sure to send in your application by the March 1, 2012, priority deadline.
To confirm your application, your final housing guarantee fee is due by May 15, 2012.

Live and learn together

Make friends fast by living with people who share your interests. Apply to live in a special Living Learning Community (LLC). Examples of LLC communities are Design House, Environment House, American Indian Cultural House, Honors House, Global Studies House, Lavender House, Casa Sol, and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) House. To apply for a LLC, submit your “house” preference by the priority date of March 1, 2012.

Get placed and oriented

In mid March you’ll receive orientation and placement exam information in the mail. Students who have confirmed their enrollment to the U of M for fall 2012 can begin choosing their orientation date online beginning Wednesday, April 4th, 2012. Also, make sure your parents sign up for parent orientation at that time! In any case, be sure to NOT schedule vacations during June and July! More information will also be in the March issue of Campus Clues.

Join our Strengths-based campus

We are committed to your success as a student and to supporting your personal and academic growth. Along with many other areas on campus -- including career services, Housing and Residential Life, student employment, and student organizations -- we use a strengths-based approach in our academic advising and College-to-Career program. Through the StrengthsQuest inventory, you will learn your top five talent themes, which can help you understand and articulate your natural strengths, work more effectively in groups, discuss your abilities effectively with potential employers, and much more! All incoming freshmen will discover their unique strengths this summer and begin learning about them at Welcome Week.

GOPHERS? Maroon and Gold? Ski-U-Mah?

Yes, our mascot is Goldy Gopher (we’re the Gopher State), which came from a satirical political cartoon in 1857 depicting nine Gophers with the heads of local politicians pulling a locomotive. Goldy certainly turns up everywhere at the U; you’ll know him when you see him! So, why maroon and gold? In 1880, an English instructor, Augusta Smith, selected the first consistent colors to use for graduation ribbons. What’s the Little Brown Jug? The prize for the winner of the annual Michigan/Minnesota football game. Ski-U-Mah (pronounced sky-you-mah)? It’s the school cheer. Evidently it came from two rugby players 100 years ago. “Ski,” legend has it, was an American Indian victory cry, and U-Mah represents University of Minnesota and rhymes with “rah-rah-rah.” Now you’re ready to be a U of M fan.

International Buddy Program

If you are a new international student at the U of M, you might have a lot of questions during your first weeks on campus. The International Buddy Program was created to help you with this transition. Through the Buddy Program you connect with a current U of M student (buddy) before arriving, get a personal tour of campus and resources, explore cultural differences in studying and living here, and join large group events with other new and current international students. For more information email ibp@umn.edu or check out their Web site at isss.umn.edu/programs/Interbuddy/.

www.parent.umn.edu

…click on it...that’s the U of M Web site for your parents/guardians. This site has information on topics such as academics, health, safety, finances, housing, transportation, parent events, and career planning. Parents also receive a great newsletter and can email Marjorie Savage, the director of the Parent Program, with specific questions. You might even show your parents this Campus Clues newsletter to let them know about the Parent Program and others mentioned in Campus Clues.