USC Aiken Parent and Family News-January, 2020

Volume 2 - Issue 4 - January, 2020

In This Issue:

Facebook Live

Housing and Residence Life

Sandy Talbott, parent and family relations coordinator, and Kevin Kerr, director of housing and residential life, will host a Facebook Live session at 7 p.m. eastern standard time, Thursday, Feb. 13. The casual discussion will feature USC Aiken housing and engagement opportunities and answer your general questions in real time. Viewers will also get a tour of a Pacer Crossings suite.

You can join the live stream by logging into Facebook. Don't have a Facebook account? No worries! The program will be recorded and available on the USC Aiken parent website.

Last Day to Pay Tuition is January 22

Students are ultimately responsible for making sure their USC Aiken bills are paid, but we realize that many parents and families are stakeholders as well. For this reason, we share the following information:

Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 5:00 p.m. eastern time is the deadline for bills to be paid in person
If bills are not paid by that time, students' classes will be cancelled
Students can pay with a credit card through their SSC account, or
Students can pay in person at the Business Office (check or cash only)
Students were emailed reminders several times
Business Office staff is ready to assist with questions and can be reached at 803-641-3543 or [email protected], Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Room 200 of the Business and Education building

Chancellor Sandra Jordan

Aiken Standard's 2019 Person of the Year

Dr. Sandra Jordan, chancellor, was recently named Aiken Standard's 2019 Person of the Year.

Students know Dr. Jordan for her willingness to stop and chat while walking through campus or her participation in a student initiative. Faculty, staff, and the Aiken community know her for outstanding vision and goal-oriented leadership.

Read more about Dr. Jordan's appointment to the NCAA Governor's Board, her efforts to include USC Aiken students in cyber security education, and her determination to make a USC Aiken degree a reality for all.

Magellan Scholar Program

for Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate students who have research interests should investigate the Magellan Scholar Program. The program provides up to $3,000 to support research in varied disciplines. Interested students are required to attend the USC Aiken workshop below or a workshop provided by USC Columbia as detailed on their website.

Thursday, January 23

4:30 p.m.

Business and Education Building, Room 140

Chancellor Ambassador Opportunity

The university is accepting applications for Chancellor Ambassadors. These select students represent the institution at university and community special events throughout the year. Please encourage students to consider this opportunity. For job description, benefits, and other details, click here.

Deadline to apply is March 1.

Legacy and Student Involvement Scholarships

USC Aiken's Alumni Association offers scholarships each year, including the Legacy and Student Involvement Scholarships. Please encourage your student to investigate these opportunities. For details, click here.

Deadline to apply for these two scholarships is April 1.

Student Health Has Free Flu Vaccine

ACE says: "Students should get a flu shot. It's not too late!"

USC Aiken students can bring photo ID and get a free flu shot at the Student Health Center (SHC), SAC Room 106 near Starbucks.

The SHC opens at 10 a.m., and accepts the last patient at 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Generally, the best time to get the shot is from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. No appointment necessary.

Let’s keep our Pacers healthy!

Temporary Office Moves

Due to renovations in the Penland Building, several offices including business services, financial aid, and admissions have temporarily moved to the Business and Education (B&E) building, Room 200.

If you or your student need to see representatives from any of the offices listed in the sign above, please go to the Business and Education Building which is adjacent to the Student Activities Center in the quad. Look for these directional signs.

Homecoming

Join students, faculty, staff and friends of the university as we celebrate Homecoming 2020 on Feb. 22. Committees have worked hard to provide fun activities beginning with a public dedication to former alumni director, Randy Duckett, followed by the traditional homecoming walk across the USC Aiken Pedestrian Bridge to the convocation center.

USC Aiken's men and women's basketball teams will take on Clayton State, alumni will be recognized, and a new homecoming king and queen will be crowned.

Find times and details here and plan on joining us! Go Pacers!

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Seeks Interns

A representative from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) will be on campus to talk about internships and application process strategies.

The deadline for these opportunities is fast approaching, so encourage interested students to attend. All majors are welcome!

Career Fair

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, employers and graduate schools will be on campus to recruit students for part-time, full-time, and internship positions. Students from all majors and academic years are strongly encouraged to attend.

A list of employers will be updated on this website in the coming weeks. This site also includes information on other USC Aiken career services.

Students who need appropriate professional clothing to wear to the career fair or to any career-oriented event, can investigate the Career Closet in the Career Services office, Penland Building.

It's Time to Apply for Financial Aid

The 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available now!

Both the student and parent will need their FSA ID and 2018 tax information (as applicable) on hand. We highly recommend using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA to easily and accurately provide tax information.

USC Aiken, Aiken Technical College, and the SC Commission on Higher Education have collaborated to host a Spring FAFSA Night on

Feb. 4, 6-8 p.m., in the Business and Education Building, to help area families navigate the federal aid application process.

If you have any general financial aid questions, please call the USC Aiken Financial Aid office at 803-641-3476. If you are calling with specific questions regarding an individual student's aid, you will need the student's VIP or USC ID.

Priority deadline to submit is March 1.

Online Parent and Family Calendar

(Click on the calendar image to view)

Click on the red arrow to open the calendar.

Did you know you can check important dates by clicking on the USC Aiken parent and family calendar? You can also download it for easier viewing.

The calendar, which starts in June of each year and ends in May, highlights directory information, pre-populated dates, and a campus map.

A 2020-2021 calendar is in the planning stages. Please let us know by the end of January if you have suggestions to improve next year's edition. Thank you!

December 2019 Graduation Ceremony

Would you like to see what a USC Aiken graduation ceremony looks like? Or, maybe you would like to share this link with family or friends.

Click here to view USC Aiken's December graduation ceremony. Audio introduction: video begins at the 4:03 mark.

Students Must Apply for May 2020 Graduation

Students who will complete degree requirements this semester should apply now for May graduation. The deadline is January 31 . Students can complete the graduation application through Self Service Carolina.

If your student is an August 2020 graduation candidate and would like to participate in the May graduation ceremony, they must complete the Early/Late Commencement Participation Form found here. This form is also due by Jan. 31.

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USC Aiken Winter Holiday Celebration

Students and the Aiken community enjoyed Holiday Fest on Dec. 2 in the Student Activities Center with several faith groups including Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism, and Baha’i who represented their holiday traditions.

Student organizations displayed storybooks that featured a winter holiday. Guests enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus, and were able to build a (stuffed) critter!

Thank you to USC Aiken's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and particularly Jenesis Garcia, student coordinator, who planned and implemented the event.

Newsletter Survey

Thank you for reading these newsletters and for your feedback which helps us improve this effort. You may see some of your ideas incorporated into future newsletters.

Please complete this six-question survey regarding this newsletter. We appreciate your time and thoughts.

Parent and Family Relations Assistance

It is our goal to develop independent, self-sufficient Pacers. If you need guidance or resources to help you support your USC Aiken student, please feel free to contact me.

You can email [email protected] or call 803-641-2825 during office hours, Monday –Thursday,

8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. I am happy to serve as a resource person for parents and families of USC Aiken students.

Sandy Talbott

Parent and Family Relations Coordinator

[email protected]