October 2012 - Parent eNewsletter

Parent eNewsletter - October 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 Parents,

Well, it is finally starting to cool off a bit and feel a bit like fall around here.  But we certainly aren’t complaining.  Fall holds a very busy and exciting for PLNU, from the Fall Festival to Family Weekend!  Don’t forget that Fall Break is in there too. 

This month’s Parent eNewsletter is filled with a plethora of information, so be sure to click on the link below to view the full eNewsletter.  As always, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Sincerely,
 
Cristy Booher
Parent Connection Manager

 

Important Dates

October 6 – MSN Information Event
October 7 – Music: Brenda Martin, Piano Concert
October 8 – Graduate School and Seminary Fair
October 8 – Careers in International Development Luncheon
October 9 – Perspectives on Science with Dr. Sejnowski
October 9 – PLNU Cultural Event: Kevin Ayesh, Piano
October 10 – Study Abroad: Baggage Claim: New Awareness of Global Issues
October 12–13 – Jesus Creed Retreat
October 15 – Academic Advising Chapel
October 15-18 – Seminar by the Sea: The Missional Church in a Mixed Up World
October 16 – OSV: Jimmy Langley’s Press Play
October 16 – Music: Paul Kenyon, Faculty Piano Recital
October 16 – Quad I Classes End
October 17 – Quad II Classes Start
October 17 – ASB Chapel
October 17 – Study Abroad: Baggage Claim: Love Story Party
October 18 – Fermanian: MBA Information Event
October 18 – Institute of Politics: Not for Sale: The Campaign to End Slavery
October 19 – Fall Break: No Classes
October 20 – Fall Festival
October 23 – Music: PLNU Chamber Music Ensembles
October 23-24 – Mid Semester Grades Distributed
October 24 – FBEI: FBEI ROTC BBQ Lunch
October 25 – Study Abroad: Global Dinner
October 25 – Miss Representation: A Film Forum
October 26-28 – Family Weekend
October 26 – Music: Cantate: The Point Loma Singers and the PLNU Vocal Jazz Ensemble
October 27 – PLNU Cultural Events: Les Trio
October 28 – Music: Passione String Quartet
October 29 – Priority Online Registration Begins
October 30 – Nov. 3 – Theatre: Tartuffe

Looking Ahead:
November 2 – Loveworks Application Deadline
November 12-18 - Homecoming
November 15 – FBEI Economic Outlook Forum
November 21-23 - Thanksgiving Recess
December 7 – Classes End
December 10-14 – Final Examinations
December 15 – Residence Halls Close (Noon)

Full PLNU event calendar.
Full PLNU academic calendar.

 

Be in the Know
*Campus Offerings for Your Student*

Musical Theater Club Presents: “Edges.” A contemporary song cycle, this performance is about coming of age, growth, and self-discovery. This show is coming up soon, taking place on October 10th-13th in Crill Performance Hall, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for students, $10 for alumni/staff/faculty, and $12 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the door, but for presale, please contact anthony@whitsonmartini.com.

Homecoming Variety Show Auditions: Got Talent? Start practicing NOW! We want the most entertaining student acts out there to audition for Variety Show 2012. Music, comedy, whistling like a boss, jump roping, and anything else that falls under awesome…we want to see it! Auditions are on Thursday, October 25th, with the performance being November 16th. Contact bethanydenney@pointloma.edu for more information or questions. There are limited audition time slots available so lock in your audition now! Click Here to sign up!

A Hot Night of Cool. The PLNU Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble will be performing on Friday, October 5th, at 7:30 p.m., in Crill Performance Hall.   This annual event kicks off the first of the many PLNU ensemble concert that students, staff and faculty enjoy attending. Admission is free. Visit http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/arts-culture, or contact music@pointloma.edu, for further information about this event.

International Ministries Chapel. Interested in international ministries? Opportunities will be presented on how you can serve in Mexico—and all over the globe! We will be announcing the LoveWorks trips for this coming summer, so you won’t want to miss it. If you would like more information regarding LoveWorks, come to our info session on either Monday, October 8th, or Tuesday, October 9th, in Colt Forum, from 7-8 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/faith/spiritual-development/international-ministries or contact mairlopes@pointloma.edu.

What’s Happening in Chapel this Week?
Monday =  Praise and Worship
Wednesday = Re:Focus Chapel
Time Out = Courtney Smith
Friday = Mary Paul

ASB Campus Activities Board wants YOU! Hey! Did you enjoy Glow With the Flow? Movie in the Greek? Do you want to plan and help out with these future events? Good, we’re glad you do! ASB is bringing on some newcomers. You can apply by emailing the Director of Activities at asbactivities@pointloma.edu by Monday, October 8th. Include your name, grade, and why you’re interested.

Carnaval Latino. Joint ALAS (Association of Latin American Students), in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2012, at the 5th annual Carnaval Latino on Wednesday, October 3rd, from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on the Campus Mall. There will be Latin Country Booths, Piñatas, cultural entertainment, and music, as well as authentic Latin food: tamales, pan dulce mexicano, pupusas, and agua de horchata!

Play Powderpuff! Ladies and gentlemen of Loma, here's your chance to reverse the common gender roles of sports: PLNU's Homecoming Powderpuff game! Females represent in flag football, while the males cheer them on. Practice times are as follows:
Freshmen/Sophomore Teams:
Friday, October 5th, 4:30-5:30 p.m. on the Soccer Field
For more information, contact the coach at kaztrypuc@pointloma.edu

Junior/Senior Teams:
Saturday, October 6th, 9-10 a.m. on the Soccer Field
For more information, contact the coach at miltonkarahadian@pointloma.edu

Cheerleaders
Monday, October 8th 9 p.m. in Barton Conference Room (3rd floor of Commons by ASB Suite)
Need more information, contact Danielle Friberg at daniellebrown@pointloma.edu

Fit Club. Looking for a new workout besides running around campus? Come join Fit Club in the ARC on Saturday mornings, at 10:30 a.m., for a high intensity workout that will start off your weekend with a bang! There will be workouts to DVD series like Turbo Fire and Insanity. Bring a water bottle, a friend, and a great attitude! Check out the Team Beachbody website, at http://www.teambeachbody.com/workout-routines/turbofire-workout, to find out more about these calorie-kicking routines.

Careers in International Development Luncheon. Come take advantage of an opportunity to learn from people working in the international development field, network, and eat some great food. On Monday, October 8th, from 12-1:30 p.m., in the Fermanian Conference Center, Jesse Casler from Hope International and alumni Clair Henry will be talking about what it takes to get into the international development field. All students, staff, and faculty interested in international development should come hear these great speakers, make contacts within the field, and enjoy lunch for only $5. If you would like to sign up, visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/FSOB to put your name down and pay for lunch. With any further questions, you may contact centerid@pointloma.edu.

Sunset YOMA. Come enjoy free chai tea and some free tai chi on behalf of PLNU's Martial Arts Club. Stop by Colt Forum on Wednesday, October 10th, from 6-8:30 p.m., and be sure to BYOM (bring your own mug). See you there!

Colleges Rock Hunger. PLNU will be hosting a food and fundraising drive for the San Diego Food Bank, along with the local universities from  October 15th-28th.  We are looking for students who would be willing to help plan for the drive.  The commitment is minimal: two half-hour meetings. If you are willing and interested, please email melissaburt-gracik@pointloma.edu.

Not For Sale: The Campaign to End Slavery in our Lifetime. Join Not For Sale on Thursday, October 18th for a day of workshops, music, and awareness campaigns dedicated to ending slavery in our lifetime. This Brewed Awakening event will host two workshops, “Social Entrepreneurship” and “Faith-Based Activism,” and will feature guest artists The Wrecking and NomiS, as well as over 30 organizations actively working to end human trafficking. For complete details visit the CJR website; find further information at http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/academics/centers-institutes/center-justice-reconciliation/brewed-awakenings, or by contacting cjr@pointloma.edu.

PLNU in South Africa 2013. More than a study abroad...it's a pilgrimage!  Join PLNU profs and students for the Spring 2013 semester studying the history, politics and cultures of South Africa on campus; then travel there with us for a month over the summer!  Examine the role that Christianity played in subjugating and liberating. Visit memorials of deep hurt and pain and sights of unmet beauty. Live with local families, learning from them about their lives while examining your own. Info sessions take place on Tuesdays, at 4:30 p.m., in the Study Abroad Office. For more information, contact Dr. Jamie Gates at cjr@pointloma.edu, or visit http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/academics/centers-institutes/center-justice-reconciliation/south-africa.

Study Abroad Scholarship Workshop. Studying abroad can be a very affordable endeavor. Come on down to the Study Abroad office on any Thursday, at 4:30 p.m., for our Scholarship Workshop and we will teach you how to apply for scholarships ranging from $100 to $20,000. Visit http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/academics/special-programs/study-abroad/financial-aid, or contact studyabroad@pointloma.edu, to find out more about these weekly workshops.

Grad checks. Juniors and seniors—the Record’s Office is scheduling grad checks NOW! Please get your application in early to reserve a meeting time. You can find the grad check application in the Records Office Forms link at https://portal.pointloma.edu/web/records/home.
Check out our new online catalog! The Record’s Office catalog is now available for viewing. Check out the new catalog and make yourself familiar with all of its nifty new features!

Like us on Facebook! Find the Office of Records on Facebook and receive updates about important deadlines, write on their wall with questions about how to petition a class off-campus or online, or simply like the page at http://www.facebook.com/roary.loma. 

Banned Books at Ryan Library. In celebration of your right to read, Ryan Library is recognizing Banned Books Week.  These are that in various libraries have been banned and/or challenged, including titles like Huckleberry Finn, Harry Potter books and the Holy Bible.  Come to Ryan Library and “check out” banned books.

 

Offices of Strengths and Vocation

Be an Encouragement
We’ve been feeling the effects of the struggling economy for quite some time now, and now our children are experiencing it first hand in their lives. There are many pressures on students these days to figure out what they want to do earlier in college due to employer demands for more internship experience in order to be considered for employment come graduation. These demands are feasible because it is so competitive out there – many students are doing four internships by the time they graduate.

More than anything, what they need is specific encouragement. Not just the ol’ “You can do it, Johnny! Buck up and figure it out!” Rather start by learning their top 5 strengths that they discovered as soon as they started PLNU. Remind them of times they utilized those strengths and were successful. Those examples could be very helpful in an interview. Encourage them to attend the networking events that OSV puts on to connect with professionals even if they are unsure of what they want to do. The more they talk to people and hear about the work, the more chances they will hone in on an area that really stands out to them. Sitting down with a career coach in OSV is also extremely helpful, as the coaches will review the student’s personal career assessments and take them step by step through a career discovery process.

So, if you ask what you can do to encourage, these are definitely good examples. If you ask what not to do, I would tell you silence or overbearing micromanagement. Both can be equally destructive. This is their time to self-discover, but in that process they need your love, support and encouragement, and to remember Jeremiah 29:11 to be confident that they will find a way.

"More people fail for lack of encouragement than for any other reason."  Unknown

Don't forget to follow OSV on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter! (Click the icons below to access.)

 

 

Student Financial Information

Important Financial Hold Information!
A financial hold will be placed on all delinquent student accounts on Friday, October 12th.  This hold will prevent your student from registering for classes for the spring semester until the balance is paid in full.  Please have your student contact Student Financial Services to let us know his/her plan for covering any owing balance.

Pending Aid
All financial aid should now be posted to student accounts, and pending aid will not be taken into consideration when financial holds are placed.  If there is still pending aid on your student’s account, please make sure that your student has:
• Accepted or declined all awarded aid through the portal
• Signed a Master Promissory Note (MPN) at www.studentloans.gov, using the FAFSA pin
• Completed entrance counseling at www.studentloans.gov, if your child is borrowing Stafford loans for the first time.
• Submitted all necessary paperwork.  Students can track necessary documents while viewing their financial aid award status through their student portal.
Note that this does not apply to pending ROTC, VA, or Voc Rehab payments, which will remain as pending aid until payment is actually received in our office.  As long as we have received confirmation of these funds, they will be considered as payment when financial holds are placed.

Parent PLUS Loan 
If your student is having difficulty covering the remaining balance on his/her student account, you may want to consider applying for a PLUS loan, if you haven’t already.  The PLUS loan is a credit-based government loan specifically designed for parents of undergraduate college students.  If you are denied a PLUS loan, your student will become eligible for an additional amount of Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

You can apply for the PLUS loan by visiting www.studentloans.gov and signing in with your FAFSA pin number (you can request a duplicate PIN if you don’t remember it).  You will also need to sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) through this site.

Have you set up your parent portal? 
First, your student must give you permission to have access to his/her statement of account. (This is due to federal law (FERPA) which states that college students are responsible for their own records and forbids educational institutions from divulging information without the student’s permission.)

Your student can grant you permission through the Profile Update>Update Information Releases section of his/her student portal, and will need to make note of your parent ID number.

Once you have permission, you can set up a parent portal at my.pointloma.edu by clicking on “Create Account” on the left-hand side of the page.  Enter your parent ID number and your zip code and follow the directions to set up a portal.

You can access your student’s statement of account online
Once your portal is set up (about 15 minutes after creating the account), you can log in to your portal and choose Financial Services and then Statement of Account.  To see the most recent statement generated by our office, click on View Bills and then on the most recent “FA2012 – Student Statement UndrG”.  Bills are generated around the 15th of each month, if there is a balance owing.  If your student has granted you financial information releases, you will receive a postcard notification in the mail when bills are generated. If you would prefer to receive notification by email, click on Change my bill notification preferences at the top of the Statement of Account page.  Please be sure that you have provided us with your email address.
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.

Did you know that you can generate a new statement of account at any time?
Through your portal, you are able to generate a new online statement at any time in order to see up-to-the-minute posted transactions.  (Note that most transactions post overnight, so you will be able to see these changes the following business day.)  To generate a new statement, click on “View Bills” and scroll down to the link entitled “Generate a New Bill”.  For Fall 2012, click on “Current Monthly Statement of Account” and then click “Generate”.  Your newly-generated bill will now be available at the top of the right-hand column entitled “Self Generated Statements”.

To Make a Payment
Log in to your parent portal at my.pointloma.edu and choose “Financial Services” and then “Make A Payment”.  This will link you to our online payment site, where you will be able to make a payment by electronic check or credit card.

Student Financial Services is here to serve you!  Please feel free to email us at sfs@pointloma.edu or call us at 619-849-2538. We have extended our office hours and are now available 8:30AM-5:00PM, Monday through Thursday, and 8:30AM-4:30PM on Fridays.

 

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

Stress Reduction
• LOOK AROUND. See if there really is something you can change or control in the situation.
• SET REALISTIC GOALS FOR YOURSELF. Reduce the number of events going on in your life and you may reduce the circuit overload.
• REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE STRESSFUL SITUATION. Give yourself a break if only for a few moments daily.
• DON’T OVERWHELM YOURSELF…by fretting about your entire workload. Handle each task as it comes, or selectively deal with matters in some priority.
• LEARN HOW TO BEST RELAX YOURSELF. Meditation and breathing exercises have been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. Practice clearing your mind of disturbing thoughts.
• GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Lack of rest just aggravates stress. Work off stress with physical activity, whether its jogging, tennis, or gardening.
• TRY TO “USE” STRESS. If you can’t remedy, nor escape from, what is bothering you, flow with it and try to use it in a productive way.
From: Study Guides and Strategies, “Managing Stress” http://www.studygs.net/stress.htm.

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!