Hello Parents and Family Members!
We have some very important and exciting updates for you in this edition of the Eagle
Family Connection. While we always strive to make our campus a safe and welcoming
place, Campus Police has offered some tips for staying safe on campus in their article.
In the MLK Day of Service article we highlight this amazing opportunity for students
to get involved with Winthrop's community service efforts. The International Center
has provided some information about different types of study abroad opportunities
in their article. Also, Dining Services wishes you a Happy New Year and reviews important
deadlines for selecting meal plans in their article. Finally, we have included some
important dates to keep you updated about campus news and events. As always, the Office
of New Student and Family Programs is here to keep you connected and informed. Please
feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
The Office of New Student and Family Programs
248 DiGiorgio Campus Center
803/323-2387
familyprograms@winthrop.edu
www.winthrop.edu/familyprograms
Happy New Year from the Office of New Student and Family Programs
Happy New Year from the Office of New Student and Family Programs! We hope that you
and your student have enjoyed your break and your time together.
We are looking forward to another great semester with many exciting events and activities!
Encourage your student to take advantage of all the opportunities Winthrop has to
offer and to bookmark the University Events Calendar. This is a great way to keep up with university events, and it includes approved
cultural events as well.
As always, the Office of New Student and Family Programs is available if you have
any questions or concerns. Feel free to contact us at 803/323-2387 or via e-mail at
familyprograms@winthrop.edu.
Go Eagles!
The 2017 spring semester is under way, and in September Campus Police completed the
2016 version of the Winthrop University Annual Security/Fire Safety Report and Drug Free Campus Statement. This report is required under federal law and is created to provide parents, students,
faculty, staff, and visitors information on campus safety including crime statistics.
You will see from our published report and crime statistics that Winthrop is a very
safe campus. However, I am asking each of you to remind your son or daughter that
he or she must also play a part in assuring campus safety. I ask you to remind your
children to lock their doors, be aware of their surroundings, and use good judgment
while out in the campus or surrounding community. Although our campus is among the
safest, we are not immune to real world occurrences.
Campus Police offers safety programs including Rape, Aggression, Defense (RAD) training for females, we offer an online computer anti-theft option, property registration, bicycle registration, Live Safe App, and we have a very extensive safety tips webpage. Ask your student to visit the page or better yet, please take time as a parent
to visit the webpage and provide reminders to your son or daughter.
Winthrop University and Campus Police are always doing what is necessary to ensure
the campus community is safe. But we do need participant assistance. I am certain
you lock your doors and take steps to ensure you are safe while in your home community.
This is what we are asking our students to do. Please assist us and take the steps
to help us keep your children safe while in their campus community.
If you have any questions about campus safety or our RAD program, please feel free to contact me at 803/323-2214 or via e-mail.
Thank you,
Frank Zebedis
AVP for Student Life / Chief of Police
Winthrop University Police Department
Service is a large part of the Winthrop University culture. It is found in the Winthrop
mission statement as one of its core values. This is the motto that has been resonating
at Winthrop University for years, as students, faculty and staff come together and
celebrate a great role model and leader, Martin Luther King Jr. His dream is alive
and supported each year, as more than 300 students come together and serve the community
in various ways.
On January 16, 2017, instead of taking the day off, more than 300 volunteers will
provide more than 600 hours of service by working with the community and building
unity and relationships across campus and community. Each participant contributes
their time and talents to area agencies and service projects as part of a day of giving
back.
The day's events kick off with greetings from President Dan Mahony, as he motivates
and inspires others to serve. He is then joined by his wife Laura and their two children
as they wait for their assignments. As tradition stands, a student group will perform
to add to the celebration and spirit of the day.
Each group of students will then receive a "mission service packet" that will reveal
their service challenge for the day, and then they will travel to their destinations.
Each site will consist of an educational component so the students understand why
it is important to serve, the issues that are being addressed, the population they
are serving and the impact the service has on the community.
Each year there is a focused need or theme to be addressed in the community. In the
past few years, the concentration has been on children, serving the elderly, food
insecurity and this year we will add serving our veterans. After service to the agency,
the students will return for lunch and reflect on the service, the needs in the community
and their own unique experiences. The day's event concludes with a pledge to stay
connected to the community to celebrate and embrace Martin Luther King's legacy, to
think critically about the needs and issues in the community, and to advocate for
social justice.
MLK Day of Service is a cherished event at Winthrop. Students look forward to participating
and serving in such a meaningful way. Martin Luther King, Jr is quoted, "The function
of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence
plus character - that is the goal of true education." The education gained on this
day is one that the faculty, staff and students will remember. MLK Day at Winthrop
is a day of reflection, service and fun, a day "on", not a day off.
What is study abroad?
Studying abroad is an unparalleled opportunity for students to study at a university
overseas. Short-term opportunities include faculty-led programs, allowing Winthrop
students to take an academic course on campus but include a short travel component
abroad. Longer programs allow students to study for a summer, semester or full academic
year and earn transfer credit upon successful completion. Internships and service
learning are additional opportunities available for students.
Finances
One of the most frequent concerns about studying abroad is whether it is affordable.
In most cases, financial aid and scholarships are able to be utilized for a semester
or full academic year abroad. If a student chooses to participate in a Winthrop program,
course tuition and program fees are paid to Winthrop and housing is paid to the host
institution.
Is studying abroad safe?
Yes, studying abroad is safe. Many of the ways one would stay safe in the United
States apply while abroad. Researching the current social, economic and political
climate of a country is an important consideration when choosing a program. The International
Center reserves the right to deny access to programs which may pose safety concerns
to students. For updated information about safe traveling, visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en.html.
For more information about study abroad opportunities, please visit the Study Abroad website.
Happy New Year! We hope you had a refreshing winter break and that you are energized for the spring semester! We have an exciting year coming up, and we are looking forward to having you dine with us more in 2017 with some great new offerings!
It's a new semester and time for students to choose their meal plans! Residents, if you want to make any changes to your meal plan, you need to go to the Residence Life Office, located in Room 237 of the DiGiorgio Campus Center. Students will have until the first Friday after classes begin (January 13) to make any changes to their plans.
For commuter students, you can now purchase your meal plan! We have a total of six plans commuters may choose from — two being created specifically for commuters. To purchase, your student can log onto their Wingspan account and choose the meal plan of their choice — this will be charged to their student account. If your student qualifies for financial aid, the cost of their meal plan can be covered by their awarded financial aid. If you would like to pay it immediately, you can go to the Cashiers Office and pay — otherwise it will be placed on your next bill from the university. Commuters, if you signed up for a meal plan in the fall you will be automatically assigned the same meal plan for the spring semester. If you wish to change or opt out of your meal plan for the spring semester, you need to e-mail us to notify us of this change before the first Friday after classes begin (January 13). For more information, please check our website and click on "Meal Plans." If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Dining Services office at 803/323-2119.
Have a great 2017!
Monday, January 9
First Day of Classes
Monday, January 16 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
MLK Day of Service
Tuesday, January 24 from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the Richardson Ballroom
Spring Involvement Fair
