Housing selection process announced

The phone rings. It’s your student.

“Mom, I have to pick a roommate and a place to live. What should I do?”

That conversation will be common for first-year students and their parents during the coming weeks. The process of choosing a new residence hall (and, perhaps, a new roommate) may sound confusing to your student. But she will have some company in not knowing the system well. Because of changes in the housing selection system, all undergraduate students will be dealing with new choices and some new procedures.

Under the housing procedure, most students now in their first year will have completed enough credit hours to be considered a “rising” sophomore in the fall.
The St. Bonaventure Housing Committee has selected several choices as potential residences for rising sophomores. Shay, Devereux, Francis and two floors of Doyle halls will be available for “rising” sophomores and for juniors and seniors. In addition, sophomores can apply on a competitive basis for space in the Garden Apartments.

Francis Hall will be offered strictly for students who want to have a single room. No “triples” will be offered on campus next year.

Determining Lottery Numbers
Under the new housing proposal, students are all entered into one lottery, regardless of their class year.
The housing proposal states, “Each student eligible to participate in the housing selection process is assigned a random lottery number, which will serve as the foundation for his/her final lottery score.”

Positive factors can be considered to subtract points off the random lottery number and negative factors add points to the random lottery number score.

One way to reduce the random lottery number score is by achieving academic excellence and co-curricular excellence points. Academic excellence points will be determined from a student’s cumulative GPA as of Dec. 31, 2009. A cumulative GPA is used to determine a GPA multiplier score. That GPA multiplier is then multiplied by the number of credit hours a student has completed to determine a final academic excellence point score.

Co-curricular excellence points can also change a random lottery number score. Being a leader or a member of an active organization on campus sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) will allow students to have co-curricular points subtracted from their random lottery number score. Students who have documented service work or students who are a member of a Division I athletics team will also be able to subtract co-curricular points.

Students are responsible for documenting their co-curricular involvement. These forms can be obtained in the office of any residence director or in the Office of Residential Life. The forms are due no later than March 31.

The important thing to remember is that academic excellence and co-curricular involvement points are positive factors that subtract points from a random lottery number.

Judicial points may be added to a student’s random lottery number if a student goes through the judicial process on campus. The judicial process usually occurs when a student does not follow the St. Bonaventure University Student Code of Conduct.

After all of the additions and subtractions to a student’s random lottery number, a final lottery number will be established.

Students will be notified of their final lottery number April 9. Information sessions will be scheduled over several nights to allow students interested in a particular residence hall to select where they opt to live next school year.

The Application Process
Sophomores interested in living in the Garden Apartments must submit an application by March 17. Students will be notified if they are eligible to live in a Garden Apartment on April 9. Apartment selection will take place April 15. Only students approved to live in Garden Apartments will register for housing on April 15.

If your student wants to live in Shay next year, applications are due April 14. Applicants for Shay will be notified April 16 if they are eligible. Approved students will pick where they want to live in Shay on April 20. Shay will also be an option for “rising” juniors and “rising” seniors next year.
Also on April 20, part of the general selection for students who wish to live in a traditional style residence hall will be handled. The second half of that process will happen on April 22.

Another option your student may consider is the themed living idea. Students would live in a specific wing of a designated hallway that has a common living theme. This application process is separate from the traditional housing process. Interested students can talk to their resident assistant and resident director about this style of living.

Help is readily available for students who have questions about the housing process. Chris Brown, coordinator for residential education and housing, said residence directors and resident assistants will undergo intense training within the next few weeks to be able to advise residents of the changes.
All students are advised to begin identifying possible roommates for the 2010-2011 academic year because the housing process will start very quickly after students return from mid-term break.

-Robbie Chulick
Class of '13

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Academic assistance opportunities plentiful

Midterms: Time for exams and a break. And time for some students to worry about their grades.

One place to find help for those who are worrying is the Teaching and Learning Center, located in the lower level of Doyle Hall. The center offers a variety of academic help, including tutoring and labs in some subjects.

“In the spring semester, we’re usually a little bit busier,” said Jean Trevarton Ehman, director of the Teaching and Learning Center. By then, she added, students have realized that assistance is available if they want it or need it.

“There is a line between trying to learn a subject independently and getting help,” Ehman added. “We want to assist students, but we don’t want to do the work for them.”

Students struggling in a class can visit the center to request a tutor; the tutee then is matched to a tutor appropriate to his or her needs.

Before requesting a tutor, students are encouraged to consult their professors. Professors can provide useful cues and tips to students who need help. Tutors can then further help students by focusing on the problem areas.

Tutoring is scheduled for once a week, up to one hour per subject. Students can be tutored in more than one subject. However, the center makes students responsible for their own successes.

“It puts a lot of responsibility on the student who wants the tutor,” said Taylor Janak, a junior elementary and special education major who is a tutor. Janak started to tutor in her sophomore year. She is currently tutoring students in biology 101.

Students who become tutors are usually referred to the center by professors, although Ehman said some students will come on their own to request tutoring jobs. The center can also reach out to students who have previously done well in a class.

The center strives for one-on-one tutoring sessions, but sometimes small-group tutoring sessions are desirable. If there’s a big demand for tutors in one subject and only one tutor is available, that tutor may end up helping two or three students.

“Often tutors are very busy students. They’re actively involved with activities on campus and I think often that the busier some people are the more they get done. Sometimes, that’s the way it is with our tutors,” Ehman explained.

Janak, for example, also interns off campus and is a peer coach for freshman students, among other things.

“I really enjoy tutoring,” Janak said. “It’s a nice work atmosphere. You come in and you get to set up your own hours” through an agreement with the other student.

In addition to peer tutoring, the Teaching and Learning Center offers writing and math labs. These labs can help students focus on assignments and papers. They can even help students brainstorm.

Tutors should be told of big projects, such as research papers, at least 24 hours before a session so there is enough time for the work required.

“A lot of students need help with time management skills, setting priorities and tackling a project step-by step,” said Ann Lehman, the registrar and director of institutional research.

Lehman is a member of the Academic Review Committee. She refers to the Teaching and Learning Center students who have fallen severely behind in their studies.

“When they (those at TLC) see a student who comes in, puts in some hard work and turns around -- it’s the most gratifying experience as an educator,” Lehman said.

The Teaching and Learning Center is located in room 26 of Doyle Hall. Its hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

-Shana Hurley
Class of '11

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SBU students have a subscription to the online magazine Student Health 101. There is a parent companion piece for you!
Access this online magazine.

Father Mychal Judge Center plans St.
Patrick's Day festivities

The University’s Father Mychal Judge Center offers some different ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with events scheduled for mid-March.

Olean native Edward Gabriel, a former ambassador to Morocco, will discuss the politics of the Middle East in an event on March 15 at 7 p.m. at The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The program is open to all. Gabriel’s speech will include a discussion of the Franciscan/Islamic dialogue and the ties between the Middle East situation and the Irish peace process. He will spend all of Monday on campus meeting with students and faculty.

On St. Patrick’s Day itself, the Center will co-sponsor an evening of reflection on Celtic Spirituality at Mt. Irenaeus. Center director Larry Sorokes said the evening is intended as an alternative to the traditional March 17 festivities. Again, it is open to everyone.

Two bands that show Irish musical influences will perform a free concert from 8 p.m. to midnight March 19 in the San Damiano Room of Francis Hall.

Playing will be McCarthyizm, a rock band with Celtic flavors from Buffalo and Black 47, a Celtic Rock band from NYC that was a favorite of Fr. Mychal Judge.

Further details on the March 17 and March 19 events will be announced, said Sorokes.

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The U.S. Census goes to college

Where does a college student live?

Seems like such a simple question. But as the U.S. Census Bureau begins to conduct its 2010 count, the answer may surprise you.

In the Census Bureau’s version, college students living on campus live in the community where that campus is located. For your student at St. Bonaventure, that’s St. Bonaventure/Town of Allegany, not the community in which you live.

Chris Brown, University coordinator for residential education and housing, noted students living on campus will be receiving census forms in their residence halls. The students will be able to turn in those forms on campus without having to mail them.

You will also be receiving a census form, but you should not count your child at St. Bonaventure (or any other child attending college and living away from your home).
Census Bureau material explains how students in five different situations are counted for the census:
1. Students living on campus should fill out a census form for their campus location and return it on campus. They should not be listed on their parents’ forms.

2. Students living with parents or guardians should be included on their parents’ or guardians’ household form.

3. Students living in off-campus housing which is not the home of their parents or guardians should fill out a census form for that address. The Census Bureau says all students living at an off-campus address are considered one household and should complete just one form.

4. International students and those who are not U.S. citizens should fill out a census form. The idea is to count everyone living in the United States as of April 1; that includes those who are not American citizens.

5. Because the idea is to count those living here as of April 1, students who are studying or living abroad should not be listed on a census form.

Residence life staff will be able to answer questions from students on filling out the census forms. And now you can answer that first question: College students living on campus live, for census purposes, in the community where their campus is located.

Financial Aid for College: Keep it going

Tips from St. Bonaventure’s Office of Financial Aid
Many families need assistance to pay for a college education. The first thing to do is file the FAFSA as soon as possible. Sound familiar? You are probably flashing back to your previous experience with the FAFSA. That experience will pay off when you complete it this year. Remember, you need to file the FAFSA every year.

File the FAFSA
To get started, find both the parents’ and student’s PIN. If you forgot your PIN, you can get it again at www.pin.ed.gov. File the FAFSA electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Make sure to include St. Bonaventure’s school code: 002817. If applying for aid for the fall 2010, use 2010-11 as the academic year for the FAFSA and submit 2009 income information on the FAFSA. The deadline for St. Bonaventure University returning students to file the FAFSA is April 1, 2010.

After you successfully file the FAFSA, watch for a Student Aid Report (SAR). Review the SAR and make corrections if necessary. If you are selected for verification, the SBU Office of Financial Aid will notify you regarding specific documentation you must submit (usually income verification, tax returns, W2s, verification of family size). Reply to this verification request as quickly as possible. The student’s financial aid is considered tentative pending the completion of verification. New York state residents attending a New York State school will be directed to the New York State Higher Ed Web site to complete the application for the New York State TAP Grant through TAP-on-the-web using a PIN. If you want to file the FAFSA by paper you can download one at www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov or call 1-800-433-3243 to have one mailed to you.

Stafford Loan
In the past, if you borrowed a Stafford loan your money came from a bank as the lender. This year we are changing our process and your lender will be the Department of Education. With the change in lenders, all students borrowing the Stafford loan will need to complete a new MPN, or Master Promissory Note. The process is very easy. Log onto the Department of Education’s web site at www.dlenote.ed.gov/empn and select to complete new MPN for student loans. You will need the student’s PIN to complete the MPN.

Investigate other sources of financial aid
Private scholarships can be a source of additional funding for some families. Many families find they need to borrow to supplement the student’s financial aid package. If you decide to borrow, we recommend you exhaust all federal loan options (Stafford, Perkins and PLUS loans) before seeking private or alternative loans in the student’s name. Federal loans have the best terms and rates available.

The SBU Business Office offers plans which enable you to pay your balance in monthly installments. You will receive specific information about payment plans in a separate mailing from the Business Office. Questions can be directed to the Business Office at (716) 375-2100.

Financial aid from SBU
Finally, your student should watch for a financial aid package by late June. Academic awards are renewed at the same amount each year provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required for the award. Need-based aid will stay relatively the same as in prior years provided the family financial situation is relatively the same and federal funding levels remain constant. In all cases, the student must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress toward his/her degree in order to renew financial aid. Returning students receive notification of the financial aid award via their SBU e-mail account. They should review the financial aid award on our secure intranet at my.sbu.edu, where they must accept or decline their awards. Please remind your student to watch his/her SBU e-mail account for financial aid and other SBU notices over the summer.

For further information about financial aid at St. Bonaventure, please see our Web site at www.sbu.edu.

Application Tips:
1. File the FAFSA as early as possible. Estimate information if necessary. Watch for the Student Aid Report.
2. NYS residents attending a NYS school , complete the TAP-on-the web as early as possible.
3. Keep copies of all application materials.
4. Follow up to make sure everything is received.
5. Pay attention to application and billing deadlines.
6. Respond as soon as possible to requests for additional information.
7. Seek out additional “free” sources of aid through private, state, and federal organizations.
8. If you need to borrow, exhaust federal loan sources first.

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WHAT'S GOING ON . . .
Upcoming events on campus include:
Ongoing - Math Lab available for drop-in assistance in mathematics
Saturday-Sunday, 2/27-3/7 - Midterm Break - Residence Halls close Saturday, 2/27 at 10 a.m. and reopen Sunday, 3/7 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, 3/10 - Mt. Irenaeus Service Evening Away
Thursday, 3/11 - Lecture by Beverly Foit-Albert "China's Sacred Sites"
Thursday, 3/11 - Environmental Health lecture featuring Dr. John Vena
Friday, 3/12 - Women's Lacrosse vs. Robert Morris
Friday, 3/12 - Men's and Women's Tennis vs. Robert Morris
Monday, 3/15 - Every form of Government needs policing "Police, Governance and Regime(s) in Argentina" - Dr. Guillermina Seri
Monday, 3/15 - Politics of the Middle East and the Franciscan/Islamic Dialouge - Dr. Ed Gabriel
Tuesday, 3/16 - Jesus, Captain America and Barack Obama - lecture by Dr. Robert Jewett
Thursday, 3/18 - Jazz and Wings with Les Sabina Jazz Sextet
Tuesday, 3/23 - Women's Lacrosse vs. Bucknell
Tuesday, 3/23 - "Globalization, The Perspective of the Franciscan Tradition" - Sr. Mary Beth Ingham
Tuesday, 3/23 - A Journey Through Our Eyes - Black History Celebration

Spring semester is jam-packed with Campus Activities Board events!