Hello Parents and Family Members!
October is a very exciting time at Winthrop! With the fall season underway, we have
included many essential articles in this edition of the Eagle Family Connection. In
the Family Day article, we reflect on our record-breaking Family Day event and fun
opportunities that families had to spend time with their student on campus and in
the Rock Hill community. The Academic Success Center has provided an article regarding interim grades to help keep you up-to-date about
academic resources for students. The Department of Residence Life outlines important information regarding residence halls closing for Fall Break in
their article. In the DiGiorgio Student Union (DSU) article, you will find exciting updates about their All-Access Pass and upcoming
events. Winthrop Dining Services outlines interesting trends in our students' food habits in their article, while
also offering information about a Café Cash Add-On Special that is available for a limited time only. Don't forget to like the Office of New Student and Family Programs Facebook page for updates and information about what is going on in our office and at Winthrop.
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
Thank you to everyone who participated in Winthrop University's Family Day 2016. We had a record number of participants this year. In the morning, families had the opportunity to enjoy coffee and muffins while being welcomed to Winthrop by President Mahony. Every family member had the chance to learn about the academic opportunities within his or her student's individual college and hear highlights from students and professors. For lunch, our families enjoyed a BBQ picnic with grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, coleslaw, and some sweet treats at our Picnic and Family Festival event on the Byrnes Lawn. There were also many family-oriented activities such as pottery painting, caricature drawings, and corn hole tournaments. We hope that all of our participants enjoyed the time that they spent at Winthrop with their student. If you missed out, be sure to join us next year!
On Monday, October 10, interim (mid-term) grades will be made available for all current
students to see via Wingspan. This provides a valuable resource for students hoping to get a better idea of their
academic standing in classes they are enrolled in. These initial grades often act
as a good indicator of student performance and can therefore prompt changes in behavior
or coursework as needed.
Evaluating interim grades can ultimately yield modifications to a student's course
load, major choice, use of campus resources, and/or utilization of academic resources.
Interim grades are reported prior to the course withdrawal deadline and the deadline
to elect the S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) option for a full semester course,
both of which are on Friday, October 21. So, there is adequate time for students to
meet with their professors and advisors to discuss their academic options. This also
gives students time to meet with Financial Aid to discuss potential monetary implications. While interim grades do not affect a
student's scholarship directly, they could be an indication that scholarship money
is at risk if a student's final grades do not meet the minimum requirements at the
time of renewal.
If your student receives interim grades that are lower than expected, there is no
need to panic. While interim grades serve as a helpful indicator of overall academic
performance, sometimes they do not show the whole picture. The grades may be based
on only one or two assignments or tests and do not take into account class participation
or improvement. Given that this is only mid-semester, there is still plenty of time
left to make choices and implement changes that can positively impact a student's
final grades.
For those students in need of some additional assistance after interim grades, the
Academic Success Center (ASC) can help! All students, regardless of academic standing or major, can partake in a
wide variety of free services aimed at helping students learn more effectively. The
ASC's services include:
Please be aware that as your students have the opportunity to learn their standing in the coming weeks, they would benefit from your support in making any necessary changes that will set them on course for success. The ASC office is dedicated to offering services that "help underprepared students prepare, prepared students advance, and advanced students excel" (NADE). We are delighted to be a part of your student's journey towards greater achievement. For more information about the ASC, please visit our website.
Residence halls close for Fall Break Friday, October 14 at 9 a.m. and reopen Monday, October 17 at 2 p.m. Students will not be allowed to enter their residence hall room after the 9 a.m. closing. As students depart, residence hall staff will check every room for general health and safety. These inspections are plain view searches. Staff will be checking for prohibited items including fire hazards (extension cords, candles, etc.) and will also check the general cleanliness of the room and suite bathrooms. Residence hall contracts state that health and safety inspections periodically occur.
Special arrangements for students to stay can be made for those students who are student teachers, participating in an internship, athletes whose names have been submitted by the Athletic Department, students with Rock Hill area jobs, and students that live more than 300 miles from the Winthrop campus. Please keep in mind, dining service options are extremely limited over Fall Break. A Break Stay form, which is passed out to all students with more instructions, must be returned to Residence Life. Students who are staying for the holiday break must make their own arrangements to stay in Lee Wicker, Phelps, Richardson, Roddey or The Courtyard, if not currently assigned. All other halls will be closed.
All approved students will receive a permission form that they must keep throughout the break. Students are not allowed to have room guests during the break. Students are able to call their Residential Learning Coordinator (RLC) or Residence Life at 803/323-2223 with further questions.
The DiGiorgio Student Union, or DSU, is your one-stop source for on-campus entertainment and educational events. DSU has designed an All-Access Pass to cover your entrance to all events for the entire academic year! Students can purchase the All-Access Pass for $20 with cash, or charge it to your student account. DSU has also made some progressive changes to our programming board. We have a new promotions committee to keep the campus engaged with everything we do as well as to increase our social media presence. We have also gotten back at the helm of the on-campus theater in the form of our EagleFlicks committee. We will be bringing a personal touch and experience to all the films we show in Dina's Place at the DiGiorgio Center. Throughout the month of October please join us for a talk with Linda Hancock on alcohol awareness (October 2), Salsa Magic's salsa lessons (October 6), the Hispanic Heritage Festival (October 7), as well as a trip to Scarowinds (October 30) and MORE!
Greetings from Dining Services! We have enjoyed getting to meet your new students here at our dining locations. With a new selection of students, we have noticed many new trends in food habits. The managers are working hard to keep up with the latest trends and hope that your student is enjoying dining here at Winthrop University. If you should ever have any feedback or concern, please feel free to contact us — we are here for your student and want them to feel at home every meal!
We also know that students are now beginning to understand their meal plans and Café Cash. During these next few months we start to notice students getting low on Café Cash. We are now running a Café Cash Add-On Special available for a limited time only. For every $100 of Café Cash you purchase we will credit your student's account with an additional 10% for FREE. Café Cash can be used at any dining services location on campus (including the Eagle Express convenience store). You can easily add Café Cash with a credit card on our Winthrop Dining Services website. You will need to set up a user name and log-in. Remember, Café Cash will carry over into spring if your student does not use all of it.
Please make sure you check out our Dining Services website, Twitter and Instagram to see all the exciting things we are doing in the dining locations. You can find us on social media by searching for Winthrop Dining Services (@winthropdining). Our theme meals have been a hit, and we are excited to offer more — you never know, you might just see your student in our pictures!
Tuesday, October 11
Accessibility Fair in DIGS Lobby and Scholars Walk (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
Friday, October 14 - Monday, October 17
Fall Break (no classes; offices open)
Friday, October 21
Course Withdrawal Deadline
Wednesday, October 26
Winthrop Ghost Tours in Tillman Lobby ($5 per person) (7 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.)
Thursday, October 27
Fresh Check Day Wellness Fair in the West Center ( 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
Friday, October 28
Pumpkin Fest on Campus Green (2 p.m. - 4 p.m.)
Saturday, October 29
The Great Pumpkin Race ( 7 a.m. - 11 a.m.)
