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- September 14 Deadline for undergraduate students receiving incomplete grades in a previous semester to submit the coursework.
- September 27 First progress grade reporting deadline (30th class day)
- October 1 Complete 2018/19 FAFSA
- October 5 & 6 Fall Break - no classes scheduled (subject to change)
- October 9 ACCOUNTS DUE - Students should review and pay all past-due account balances; service charges will begin to accrue now.
- October 9 Mid-point of semester & Last day to drop a course with a W grade (36th class day) 5:00 p.m.
- October 13 Last day to apply for December 2017 degree via myState - $50 fee
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Dear Parents
Advice - Figure It Out!
Tailgates & Tees - Event, October 21
Bulldog Family Weekend - Event, February 23-25, 2018
Campus Safety - Maroon Alert
Student Information - Update Information
Career Center - Services & Upcoming Fairs
Housing & Residence Life - Important Info
Financial Aid - FAFSA opens October 1
Graduation - December 2017
Holmes Cultural Diversity Center - Events
MSU Post Office - Order a PO Box
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Holy Moly this weather is gorgeous. It's so tough to enjoy though, knowing the craziness/danger of weather in surrounding areas. Texas remains in our hearts and now we have Florida on our mind and in our hearts as well. Many of you have reached out and asked if there is anything y'all can do to help. Two things come to mind, check out both if you have a few minutes.
Also, don't forget to check in with your students about grades. In the next week or so, all students should have a good idea regarding where they stand in class. (Make sure you have Parent Portal Access.) And please keep encouraging your student to get involved on campus and in the community; it's so important to finding a niche here.
Please do not ever hesitate to call or email me or our new office Coordinator, Becky Faulk (662.325.3611 or
[email protected]
) with any questions or concerns. And I always welcome suggestions on how we can better support our parents. Have an idea? Share it, please!
Cat Walker and Becky Faulk
Office of Parent Services
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A little advice for parenting a college age student. Implement it all or take it with a grain of salt!
Years ago I sat through a talk by our then baseball coach (now Athletic Director) John Cohen, and his message resonated through me... FIO kiddos. Figure. It. Out. Three simple little words but their magnitude struck me like a ton of bricks. In an age where information is basically at our fingertips, we struggle with some simple figure it out skills. (I say "we" because as a mama I'm not always exempt from this either.) It's so much easier to pick up the phone and text mom or dad or grandma or grandpa a question. Asking someone else v. being resourceful is what Coach Cohen likes to call the lazy route. I will call it just plain easy. It's the easy button. Hey mom, where's this? Hey dad, what does this mean? Hey grandma, what should I do? Oh, you'll do it for me, great. Who doesn't want an easy button?!?! But... the cost analysis of an easy button v. FIO mentality would likely show FIO as the clear winner for adequately preparing our sweet babies for their future in "adulting."
Let your student establish some independence and FIO skills. How can you do that?
If you do answer the phone (or text),
ask your student three questions
before reacting or contacting the college to fix a problem:
- What do you think you should do?
- What resources have you looked into?
- Are you venting or do you need my assistance?
Or you can do what I quickly learned to do on week 2 of freshman year. I would get an "emergency" question text from bonus daughter #1 and I would set my phone back down. Fast forward several hours. Oops, sorry honey but I was in a meeting, whatcha need? Every single time the answer would be, "Oh nothing, I figured it out."
Parenting Win.
So I could probably give you a list of "don't"s like Don't be their alarm clock and Don't contact their professors and Don't get in the middle of a roommate conflict, but I don't need to because I can simply say... Do let your student FIO.
Letting go a little is not the same as leaving - you are still there, tucked safely in every fiber of their being. So at the end of the day, be there for them. Listen to them. Encourage them. Empower them. Even challenge them. But push back a little - they will thank you in the long run, I promise.
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Register now for
TAILGATES & TEES
by clicking
HERE
!
The Office of Parent Services invites you and your family to join us for our inaugural Homecoming event,
TAILGATES & TEES
, on October 21, 2017.
The Tailgates & Tees event is a great opportunity for families to spend time with their student while enjoying MSU's Homecoming events. Join us for some yummy food and festivities. Tailgates & Tees will include an original Homecoming t-shirt and an indoor tailgate in the
Colvard Student Union Dawg House (1st Floor)
three hours before scheduled kick-off. The tailgate will run until an hour after kick-off.
For an additional $10
, you can add an individual ticket to the football game to catch our MSU Bulldogs in action as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Kick-off time is still to be determined.
Register
before October 10
to make sure you get a t-shirt.
- $25 per Person (Includes Tailgate and T-Shirt)
- $10 per Football Ticket
- $12 per Additional T-Shirt ($2 additional for XXL and XXXL)
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Save the Date - February 23-25, 2018
Registration will be live October 1, 2017
Registration will include an opportunity to purchase Men's Basketball tickets - MSU v. University of South Carolina - at a very discounted rate. Details coming soon but you may want to go ahead and make lodging arrangements if you plan to join us.
Details coming soon! If you have any suggestions for the weekend's events, please submit them to
[email protected]
.
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Mississippi State University is committed to a safe and well informed campus. Please encourage your student to verify their registration for Maroon Alert texts and emails. We also want you to be informed of campus emergency notifications through the use of our website and Twitter feed:
This site provides tips for preparing for emergencies and outlines the response guidelines for those on or near campus. During an emergency, the page will be updated with important information or instructions.
Maroon Alert Twitter feed: @MaroonAlert
Follow us on Twitter to receive important advisories and emergency notifications.
If you have any questions, please contact Brent Crocker in the Office of Emergency Management at
[email protected]
.
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We need your help, parents!
Please ask your student to check and update their
Personal and Maroon Alert Information
in Banner. In case of an emergency, it is imperative for the university to be able to contact students directly and for students to be able to receive official MSU communications.
Students
should do the following to update their information:
- Go to Banner and under Personal Information tab click on Update Your Directory & Address Information .
- Home Address: Address that you call home. Where you return when not in school.
- Local Mailing Address: Address where you wish to receive local mailings while at school. (Must be a valid street address or P.O. Box).
- VERIFY/UPDATE PHONE NUMBERS
- Click on link to update MAROON ALERT information
- Add or update student cellphone number.
- Send a TEST text and email message to make sure students are receiving alerts.
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If your student is not utilizing the Career Center, he/she is missing out on an invaluable resource. Whether your student is creating a first resume or preparing to step out into the working world, the Career Center can help.
Upcoming Career Fairs
The largest career fair for the fall semester will be held September 19 & 20, 12–4 p.m. each day in the Humphrey Coliseum. Organizations participating are seeking Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Forestry and many other majors. Over 175 organizations have registered for the fair. All students are encouraged to attend to explore co-op, internship, and full-time opportunities.
October 10-12 will be the Co-op and Internship Interview Week. Students seeking positions for the Spring or Summer 2018 can participate in this event. Students should go by the Co-op and Intern office in 335 McCain Engineering Building for details.
The Landscape Architecture/Landscape Contracting fair will be held October 9 with interviews with the participating organizations the following day. and the Professional Golf Management Fair will be October 16-17. Education Career Fair and Interview Day will be October 24. Students can check with their liaison for details.
On the MSU-Meridian campus, we will have a business career fair on October 3 and all majors career fair on October 25. We will have a career fair on October 2 for engineering majors on the Mississippi Gulf Coast campus.
Our Graduate and Professional School Fair will be held on October 17. Freshmen through seniors interested in any graduate or professional school program should attend this fair and speak with the admissions counselors in attendance to find out application deadlines and hints for making your application stand out. There will be programs from MSU as well as over 30 other schools.
For more details on any of these fairs, students should visit the Career Center in 300 Montgomery Hall or call 662-325-3344.
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The Department of Housing & Residence Life has kicked off to a great start for the fall 2017 semester with Operation Bulldog Programming, Intentional Interactions with your students, and other events that will help get your students connected and acquainted with MSU.
Please encourage your students to get involved on campus and within housing. The Residence Hall Association offers many opportunities for students to get involved and help their communities. This organization is dedicated to supporting the needs of students on campus housing through various programming. Upcoming events include: The Annual Haunted Horse Park which is scheduled for October 27-29. This will be an opportunity for students to volunteer to scare other students and community members in our haunted house. If scaring is not their thing, encourage them to come out and attend so they can be spooked! All proceeds from this event are donated to local charities and benefit our local community. To get involved, please contact Rebecca Van Pamel at:
[email protected]
.
Health and Safety Inspections of the Residence Hall Rooms are scheduled to occur September 27- October 4. Please remind students to review the prohibited items list and make sure that they do not have any of these items in their rooms. These items will be asked to be removed and taken home during fall break; follow up inspections will occur October 9- 13.
Reminder:
All residence halls
will be open
through Fall Break, October 5 & 6, and the Thanksgiving Holidays, November 22, 23 & 24.
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Financial Aid from the State of Mississippi
September 15
th
is the deadline to apply for Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) and Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG) through the State of Mississippi. Apply here:
www.riseupms.com/state-aid
. Starting Fall 2017, a student can only receive funds from one aid program from the State.
For aid from the State, a student must:
- Be a Mississippi resident,
- Apply each year before the deadline: March 1 (Nissan), March 31 (HELP) and September 15 (MTAG and MESG),
- Be enrolled in and earn (complete with passing grades) at least 15 hours each semester. Earning below 15 hours during the semester will make a student ineligible for aid.
- Keep the required cumulative GPA. At the end of each semester a student’s GPA is checked, and falling below the required GPA will cause them to lose their aid from the State the next semester. A 2.5 GPA is required for MTAG and HELP, and a 3.5 GPA for MESG.
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If your MSU senior intends to graduate at the end of this semester, please remind him or her to go online and “
Apply for a Degree
” in myState. The deadline to apply is
October 13.
After October 13, late fees apply. November 29 is absolutely the last day to apply.
Once your student has applied for his or her degree, it is important to make sure the account balance has been paid in full. The deadline to pay accounts and be awarded a degree this semester is
December 8 (Graduation Day!)
Students owing money after December 8 will not graduate this semester and must reapply for Spring graduation.
There will be TWO commencement ceremonies on December 8. Details will be finalized soon regarding ceremony times and which ceremony students should attend. Information will be posted to the Academic Calendar as soon as it is available.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Lastly, students who plan to participate in the Commencement ceremonies on December 8 should contact Barnes & Noble bookstore to order caps and gowns. Late fees apply to orders placed after October 31.
If your students have questions about the degree application process, encourage them to contact the Registrar’s Office at 662-325-4123.
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HOLMES CULTURAL DIVERSITY CENTER
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Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration:
To celebrate and recognize the contributions made by Hispanic and Latino Americans the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center will host a series of events:
- The kick-off for the Hispanic Heritage Month will begin on September 19th with an art gallery reception featuring the artist, Jose’ Galvez, at 5 pm on the 2nd floor of the Colvard Student Union. Shortly after the gallery reception Jose Galvez will give a keynote address entitled “Aqui Estamos, Here We Are” at 6:30 pm in Foster Ballroom S.
- Do you like Latin Ballroom dancing? Well come out and enjoy Salsa in the Streets on September 21st from 7 pm to 9:30 pm! There will be free Salsa lessons from 7 pm to 8 pm and then you can dance the night away with live music from 8 pm to 9:30 pm all in front of Lee Hall (facing the Drill Field).
- Come be informed on the Hispanic/LatinX student experience here at Mississippi State during the “Ask a Latino” panel discussion on Thursday, September 28th at 7 pm in the Colvard Student Union’s Fowlkes Auditorium.
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Do you want to send your student a letter from home? Students living on campus are encouraged to have their own PO Box through our campus United States Postal Service (USPS) located in the Rogers Building between McKee Hall and Burger King on the east side of campus.
The smallest and cheapest box is only $23 for six months. When packages arrive to the USPS a notice is placed in the student's box. While boxes can be accessed anytime, packages that do not fit in boxes can be picked up during their regular business hours. (Fed Ex and UPS packages can be shipped to PO Boxes.)
Parents can sign up and pay for the box at
usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm
by using zip code 39762 for location Mississippi State 414 Lee Blvd. Once a box is rented online, the student can then come by our location to pick up the keys for the box. Students will need their state issued and student IDs. They will also need the telephone number associated with the account, so it's best to use your student's number.
If you have any questions, please call Ken Oglesbee at 662-323-5772.
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View our website by clicking the button above to find valuable resources for you and your student.
Make sure you #MSStateFamily when you post on social media.
#MSStateFamily
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