Parent Newsletter – December 2012
• Welcome
• Important Dates
• Be in the Know: Campus Information
• Offices of Strengths and Vocation
• Important Student Financial Information
• Send Some Sweet Treats
• Study Skills from the Tutorial Center
Welcome
Hello PLNU Parents!
It’s hard to believe this semester is already almost over. This semester has brought with it many exciting events, opportunities, and blessings for us here at PLNU. From Family Weekend to Homecoming and Cider Celebration, life here has been a whirlwind of fun and community.
This month’s Newsletter has a lot of important information regarding the semester’s end, so be sure to click on the link below to view the full eNewsletter. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. I am praying that this season brings you and your family joy, peace, and restoration.
See you next year!
Cristy Booher
Parent Connection Manager
Important Dates
December 8 | Music: Jazz at the Point
December 8 | Justice & Reconciliation: La Posada
December 11 | Perspectives on Science with Dr. Kelly Stewart
December 10-14 | Finals Week
December 15 | Residence Halls Close (Noon)
Looking Ahead:
January 6 | Residence Halls Open
January 7 | New Student Orientation
January 8 | CLASSES BEGIN
January 21 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day (NO CLASSES)
January 28-February 1 | Spiritual Renewal Week
March 2 | Residence Halls Close (Noon)
March 4-8 | Spring Break Week (No classes)
March 10 | Residence Halls Open (Noon)
Full PLNU event calendar.
Full PLNU academic calendar.
Be in the Know
*Below are campus offerings for your student*
Graduating Seniors—know what you owe! If students are graduating in December and they have received a Federal Student Loan and/or an Alternative Private Loan 
during their time here at PLNU, they must complete a mandatory Federal Direct Loan Exit Counseling session. They will be provided with details about their current student loan balance and repayment options, as well as information on what to do if they have trouble paying their loans. Refreshments will be served. Counseling sessions are available for the following days and times in Draper Hall:
Friday, December 7th at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday, December 11th at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, December 12th at 11 a.m.
Each session will be in a group setting and will last about 45 minutes. In order to better serve our students, we ask that they reserve a day and time by contacting karawatkins@pointloma.edu, or by calling the SFS office at (619) 849-2538.
Spring 2013 bills are on their way! The Student Financial Services Office has mailed the Spring 2013 bills to all students registered for the spring semester, so keep your eyes out for an envelope from us, as it contains important information from our office.
Spring Registration? Has your student registered for their spring classes? If they are unable to register for spring because they are still struggling with how to settle their fall bill, the Student Financial Services Office is here to help! Please contact us if you need to discuss your student’s account or have financial aid questions. We’re located in Draper Hall and are open Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. You can also contact us by e-mail at sfs@pointloma.edu, or by phone at (619) 849-2538. We are here to serve you!
Senior Women’s Retreat. Sign-ups for the Senior Women’s Retreat are here! It’s going to be taking place from January 25th-27th of this upcoming year at Camp Stevens in Julian, CA. Senior women, check your e-mail, sign-up online here, or e-mail Nicole Fountas at nfountas@pointloma.edu. Space is limited!
What’s Happening in Chapel this Week?
Monday = Faith Stories
Wednesday = Mary Paul
Time Out = Night of Worship
Friday = Celebration of Light
Bike the Jam this Friday! Student’s can stop by the Cross for some breakfast on-the-go as they commute to PLNU this Friday, December 7th. All bikers, walkers, rollerbladers, or skateboarders are welcome to join Sustain PLNU from 7-9:30 a.m. to refuel, and enter to win a gift card. Bike the Jam!
December Nights. Get into the holiday spirit with decorations, Christmas music, food, and other festivities at Balboa Park’s annual December Nights! Catch a ride to this celebration on Friday, December 7th, at Brown Chapel, where buses will be loading at 7 p.m., and then returning to campus at 10:30 p.m. Transportation is free for students with Lomativities, and $2 for those without.
More than a One Night Stand. O|N|S is a counter-culture movement. More than music. More than a party. More than a club. More than a one night experience. “More than” is a lifestyle. Join us for this free event on Friday, December 7th, at 8 p.m. at the Moniker Warehouse in Downtown San Diego, located at 701 16th Street. For more information about what an event looks like, visit the Facebook event page here, or contact coreyschwarz1991@pointloma.edu or austinfares1415@pointloma.edu.
Breakfast with Santa. Who doesn’t love Santa? Connect with your inner child, and come out on the Saturday morning of December 8th to help local kids with special needs experience a fun visit with Santa. Join the Agape Ministry as they serve with San Diego Parks & Recreation to provide an awesome time with Jolly Ol’ St. Nick. Students can take a break from studying for finals, and bring smiles and joy to some amazing youngsters! Departure time from campus is 7:30 a.m., and we’ll return by 12 p.m. An RSVP is required to kaitlynhughes2010@pointloma.edu or Melinda melindareyes1993@pointloma.edu. Visit the Student Ministries page to find further information about this event.
Congratulations Point Loma Speech and Debate! This past weekend (Nov 30- Dec 2), the Point Loma Speech and Debate team won Second Place in Tournament Sweepstakes at the PSCFA Fall Championship in the Four Year College division. This semester ending tournament held at Cerritos College had over 35 colleges and universities competing, including schools such as UCLA, SDSU, Chapman, Biola, APU, and many of the Cal State Universities, as well a good number of extremely well coached community college teams. The PLNU debate team of James Wilson and Christopher Danks were named Champions of the highest division of parliamentary debate. Thanks for your continued interest in and support of PLNU Forensics!
Finals Week. Finals Week begins Monday, December 10th and goes through Friday, December 14th. Travel arrangements for the Christmas break should therefore be made beginning after your student’s last final and not before in order to maintain the integrity of the Academic Calendar. Thanks for planning ahead! Click here to view the Final Exam Schedule for 2012 and 2013 semesters.
Not returning to PLNU? If your student will not be returning to PLNU for the Spring 2013 semester, due to a reason other than graduating, please be sure to have them come by the Records Office to fill out a Withdrawal Form before leaving for Christmas Break.
Offices of Strengths and Vocation
Home for the Holidays!
Christmas break is a time to enjoy those special moments with family and friends. It is a time for your student to relax and unwind from a busy semester, and to reflect on the year past. Christmas break can also be used as a time for them to get ahead, and set themselves apart. Though the need to unwind, and relax is important, the opportunity to gain a better understanding of their future, and to fine tune their career tools are critical. There are several activates your student can do over the break that will better prepare them for the upcoming semester, and graduation. There are also some ways in which you can help them.
Informational interviews are highly recommended for all students. They can provide a better sense of what the future has in store for them. An informational interview offers
an opportunity to hone interviewing skills, as well increase student’s network. Students should be encouraged to seek out professionals who currently work in a field that interests them. These professionals can be found in already close circles: Friends, family members, neighbors, church community, local businesses. This is an area where you can be of assistance to your student. Reach out to your own network to provide possible interviewing resources. Generally most professionals are very open to speaking with students about their career choices. However, make sure your student treats this as a professional meeting. They should set an appointment that fits the schedule of the person they are meeting, as well dress and act accordingly. Informational interviews are a great way for students to gain a better understanding of their career options. Here is a link to that will provide information on conducting an informational interview: http://bit.ly/WsjfxD
Another strategic activity your student may want to undertake while on break is to shadow a professional for a day. The only thing better than asking someone what they do, is to actually see them do it. This may be more difficult than the informational interview, just based on the professional’s time however it does not hurt to ask. If your student has an opportunity to get behind the scenes of a business, it may have a greater impact on their career choices. Just like the informational interview, these professionals can be found within the circle of professionals either you or your student already has.
Christmas break is also a good time for students to either develop, or fine tune their career tools. These tools include your resume, cover letter, reference list, and LinkedIn profile. Encourage your student to at least start thinking about these tools. The sooner they get started the more effective they will be when they actually use them. Here is a video that will help your student create an effective resume: https://vimeo.com/49619347 as well a video that discusses creating an effective LinkedIn profile: https://vimeo.com/49638152
The important thing is for you to encourage your student to take advantage of their time off to continue to learn, and explore, as well as develop the tools that will make them successful. A little time invested over break will go a long way in the future.
Follow us!
Student Financial Information
Spring 2013 Statement of Account
The first bill for the spring semester has now been sent to all students who are currently registered for spring classes. All future bills for the spring semester will be available electronically, through the student and parent portals. Payment for Spring 2013 is due January 3, 2013. Amounts showing as Pending aid will be considered payment, even if they haven’t yet posted. (Financial aid will not be posted for the spring semester until January 22nd. Credit balances created by financial aid cannot be accessed until after that date, although a book advance of up to $600 can be granted during the first two weeks of school provided that such a credit will exist when financial aid is posted.)
If your student has provided you with financial information releases, you will receive a postcard each month that a bill is generated if there is a balance due, to let you know that the bill is available to be viewed online through your parent portal. You can choose to receive notification by email instead, or you can choose to not be notified at all, if someone else is handling the account. Please be sure that we have a valid email address on file for you if you choose to be notified by email.
To view your student’s bill online and/or to change your bill notification preferences, simply:
• Log in to your portal at my.pointloma.edu
• Click on PARENTS at the top of the page
• Click on “Financial Services” in the column on the left side of the webpage
• Click on “Statement of Account”
• At the top of the page is a link entitled “Change My Bill Notification Preferences”. Below that, you will see an account summary for any student who has given you financial permission.
• To see the most recent detailed statement, click on “View Bills”. You will see a list of all Official School Statements and a list of any statements that have been generated by you or by your student.
You also have the ability to generate your own online statement at any time in order to see up-to-the-minute posted transactions. NOTE: You will need a PDF viewer to view the statement. You likely already have this on your computer, but you will be able to install a free Adobe Reader from our website if necessary. If you have any difficulties in viewing the statement, please contact our support staff at 619-849-2222 or helpdesk@pointloma.edu.
DE-ENROLLMENT
If your student has not registered for spring due to a balance owing for fall, s/he is in danger of being de-enrolled from PLNU at the end of this semester. Please contact our office as soon as possible to let us know how you plan to resolve the balance; we can help you work through your options. If you haven’t already, you may want to apply for a Parent PLUS loan at www.studentloans.gov, or have your student apply for an Alternative loan with a co-signer at www.elmselect.com.
TUITION INSTALLMENT PLAN
It’s not too late to sign up for a Tuition Installment Plan (TIP) for the spring semester! Simply log in to your parent portal and click ‘Enroll in a Tuition Installment Plan’ under the financial services section. Payments are due on the 15th of each month and you will receive an email 3 days before your payment due date, letting you know that your installment is due. Please be sure to keep an eye on your student’s PLNU statement of account as well, to make sure that your TIP contract covers your student’s school bill. TIP contracts will not automatically adjust to match the balance owing on your student’s account.
CHAPEL AND DORM FINES
Chapel and dorm fines are often posted to student accounts after the end of a semester, (after the last chapel service and after students have left the dorms for the holidays). This means that you would not see the fines on your most recent statement of account or on the initial spring statement. You will be able to see these fines if you generate an online statement in early January.
1098-T TAX FORMS
1098-T tax forms will be made available online (through the student portal) by the end of January. PLNU has partnered with ECSI to provide you with your 1098-T tax forms. ECSI has been providing other services to PLNU for many years, and is a trusted partner.
To access the 1098-T, have your student follow these steps, beginning in February:
1. Log into your my.pointloma.edu account.
2. Click on the “Students” tab.
3. Click on “Financial Services”
4. On the left hand side navigation bar, click on “1098-T”
5. The instructions will direct you to your 1098-T forms at ECSI’s website.
CHRISTMAS BREAK
Our offices will be closed December 24th through January 1st, for the holiday season. The online services will be available for making payments during this time and will post immediately when a payment is submitted. Any checks sent through the mail will be processed when we reopen on January 2nd.
If you have any questions regarding your student’s statement of account, please feel free to contact the Student Financial Services Office at 619.849.2538 Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM or 8:30 AM-4:30 PM on Friday. You can also email us at sfs@pointloma.edu. We are here to serve you!
HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON!!
Send a Celebration Treat!
Point Loma Nazarene University Women’s Auxiliary
Would you like to send your student some homemade desserts? For a $25 donation, the Women’s Auxiliary of PLNU will lovingly bake homemade cakes, cookies, or brownies and have them delivered right to your student’s residence hall!
You can order and pay online at www.pointloma.edu/cake.
Proceeds from this fundraiser are going toward Women’s Auxiliary’s fundraising efforts to fulfill the wish lists of each residence hall. They will be working on projects like putting in bike racks, kitchen upgrades, purchasing printers, adding dehumidifiers, and so much more. So, it is a double benefit for your student!
Please note: Two weeks advanced notice is appreciated.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mary De Luca at 858-461-1640.
Study Skills: Tutorial Center
Steps to Avoid Exam Burnout
Before the test:
• Attend class faithfully
• Ask about study guides or other pertinent hand outs
• Review in short chunks every day
• Check syllabus for specifics about the test
• Study actively, not passively-create flashcards; highlight notes/text
• Make up practice test questions; study with a partner
During the test:
• Do easy questions first; stick with your first answer unless you misunderstood the question the first time
• Begin essay questions with a clear statement (thesis)
• Re-read entire paper/test; check Scantron forms carefully
After the test:
• Analyze what you did wrong
• Note what you did right
• If you have questions, ask your professor for clarification
• Ask your tutor to review the graded exam with you
Hours: MONDAY-THURSDAY 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. and 6 - 9 p.m., FRIDAY 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
The Tutorial Center is located in Bond Academic Center next to Study Abroad Office. Stop by and make a FREE tutoring appointment today. Or call us at X2593 or e-mail us at tutorialservices@pointloma.edu for more information!
