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This is the fifth week of Spring semester, meaning we are approaching the one-third mark! Please send your students positive thoughts and positive words of encouragement as they dig into their courses and their many other commitments. Please also remind them of the need to take care of themselves and prevent illness by washing their hands regularly, staying hydrated, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep! As always, review past issues of eeweemakiki on our Stay In Touch page.
Please consider joining us for our second in a series of virtual Town Hall Meetings about high-risk alcohol at Miami: Thursday, March 2, 1-2 p.m. Eastern Time. This Town Hall will feature the Chief of Miami Univeristy Police, the Director of Residence Life, and the Director of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution. You can register for this Town Hall and view a recording of the first Town Hall on our Webinars page. Thank you in advance for your participation in this important conversation.
Love and Honor,
Mark W. Pontious Director, Parent & Family Programs
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| In this issue:- Conversation Corner: High-Risk Alcohol Consumption
- Miami Family Fund Supports MU2DC Trip
- Updates from the One Stop
- New Off-Campus Housing Listing Service Available
- Spring Involvement Opportunities and Events Calendar
- Unrecognized Fraternities at Miami University
- Commencement: Featured Speaker, On-Campus Accommodations, Meals, and More
- New Outdoor Leadership Certificate Available
- Career Exploration during Spring Semester
- On-Campus Room Selection Process for Current First-Year Students
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| Conversation Corner: High-Risk Alcohol Consumption"Miami University is a scholarly community whose members believe that a liberal education is grounded in qualities of character, as well as intellect" is the first line of Miami's Values Statement. Normally, our students embrace this concept, as well as the other virtues espoused in our Code of Love and Honor. That is why it is such a challenge to understand why the practice (and even celebration) of high-risk alcohol consumption has made its way into our community.
While alcohol use and abuse by college students is not unique to Miami, recent incidents have highlighted the dangers associated with high-risk drinking. We have been and will continue to work on many initiatives to counter high-risk alcohol use in our community - and indeed, this is a community-wide issue that requires community-wide attention. Thus, as a critical and influential stakeholder, we need your help in our continued efforts to reduce high-risk consumption and promote legal, safe, and smart alcohol use.
We recently held a virtual Town Hall with parents and other Miami community members to review current initiatives, provide context and the unique challenges we face, and solicit suggestions and questions. A recording of this meeting is available on the Parent & Family Programs Webinars page. Future virtual meetings on specific topics will occur throughout the semester. We highly encourage your involvement.
What can you as a parent do now and in the coming weeks? Below are suggestions that can make a difference, some of which you may have already recently done:
- Talk very explicitly about your expectations for their choices around alcohol use, including consequences for not meeting those expectations. Ask about the ways in which high-risk drinking aligns with their goals for their time at Miami. Review and discuss this handout about alcohol from orientation, which includes additional questions.
- Stress the importance of getting help for someone who is too intoxicated to care for themselves. Review Miami's Good Samaritan Policy with your student to reinforce that Miami cares first about getting someone necessary medical assistance, rather than punishing them for intoxication or underage drinking. Ask them to consider that they would want their friends to do if they were the one who was severely intoxicated and couldn't care for themselves.
- Role model appropriate and moderate alcohol consumption - when you visit your student, choose alcohol-free activities or limit your alcohol intake, as you would want them to do every other weekend.
- Remember that it is only legal in Ohio to provide alcohol to your underage student (and for them to consume any alcohol) when they are physically in your presence.
- Encourage your student to attend "Building a Better Community by Confronting High-Risk Alcohol Consumption" - a Town Hall meeting this Friday, 4-5 p.m., Shriver Center, Room 104 (the Admissions Welcome Center) and will feature a presentation, Q&A, and an interactive brainstorming session.
The values articulated in Miami's Values Statement closely mirror the values espoused within most Miami families. You continue to be among the most important and influential people in the lives of your students, and we are thankful for your help in reducing the prevalence of high-risk consumption in our community.
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| Miami Family Fund supports MU2DC trip Sophomore Imani Fields spent one week in Washington, D.C., over Winter Term and left with a cemented desire to work in foreign policy. During the whirlwind trip, shemet dozens of Miami alumni working in D.C., shadowed an alumnus who works in government, and attended the presidential inauguration. “I was lucky enough to shadow alumnus Jim Warden ’95, team leader for the agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation at the U.S. Department of State,” Fields said. “I want to go into foreign policy, so I was happy to be paired with him.” Fields, a double major in political science and international studies also studying Chinese, went to D.C. with support from the Miami Family Fund. Her trip, called MU2DC: The Miami Capital Experience, was coupled with an online class. To enhance the students’ experience in D.C., the professor assigned coursework like revising their resumes, researching and writing about Miami alumni they would meet, and reading articles pertaining to the inauguration. Early in the trip, Imani and her classmates heard from several alumni, including one who owns his own lobbying firm and some who work for House Speaker Paul Ryan ’92. They also attended a reception where they mingled with more D.C.-area alumni. Fields was impressed with the number of professional connections she made throughout the trip, especially during the reception. “This was my first time in D.C., and it was an unforgettable experience,” Fields said. “Witnessing the peaceful transfer of power, being in the presence of past presidents, networking, shadowing – everything about the trip was amazing. Thank you to the Miami Family Fund for making this possible.” Made possible through the generous support of Miami families, the Miami Family Fund strengthens the University's efforts to provide a safe, vibrant, and well-rounded college experience by offering support in several areas. Learn more about the Miami Family Fund.
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Updates from the One Stop
Upcoming academic calendar dates: Form 1098-T: The Form 1098-T should be used by students and parents to determine eligibility for the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. For more information about the Form 1098-T and how to access it, visit our Education Tax Credit Information webpage, or IRS publication 970.
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| Miami recently launched a new off-campus housing website and service to simplify the off-campus housing search. The site includes properties for rent, sublet listings, message boards, a resources section, and other features. The website is offered through Off Campus Partners, LLC, and is the official off-campus housing service for the University.
The new site offers a user-friendly, searchable database for off-campus students, faculty, and staff to find housing in the Oxford area. It includes photographs and floor plans; maps showing the location's proximity to campus; direct links to a property owner's or manager's email, website and application or lease; as well as text descriptions and a list of amenities. The service is free for Miami students; but property managers and owners pay a fee to post listings. Students are able to post sublet opportunities for free.
Off Campus Partners works with 105 other colleges and universities across the United States to provide off-campus housing listings to students. Questions can be directed to OffCampus@MiamiOH.edu.
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Spring Involvement Opportunities and Events Calendar Spring 2017 is full of opportunities for students to get involved on campus! Miami Activities & Programming (MAP) hosts free events for all students, including Late Night Miami events on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. View the Late Night Miami spring calendar of events. Does your student love a good laugh? Make sure they get a ticket to Matt Bellassai: Why I'll be Single Forever show! Student tickets are $10 with the code MATT@MU and can be purchased with MUlaa at the Home Office. Encourage your student to find out more about events by following @Miami_MAP on social media!
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Unrecognized Fraternities at Miami As we begin Spring semester and conclude sorority and fraternity recruitment, the Office of the Dean of Students and the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life encourages parents and families to talk to their students about their fraternity and sorority experience. Many of our fraternities and sororities provide a positive and meaningful experience, however, we are aware of chapters that are functioning without University recognition. An “unrecognized” fraternity is one which has either graduated out all of their members and has closed, has just started and not yet gained university recognition, or is one that was closed through the University’s conduct process but has elected to exist “off campus” and does not follow University policies and regulations. These organizations are not permitted to use university facilities, post flyers, or have any of the privileges recognized organizations have earned.
Below is the list of currently unrecognized organizations:- Acacia
- Alpha Chi Rho
- Kappa Sigma
- Phi Kappa Psi
- Phi Kappa Tau
- Sigma Lambda Beta
- Sigma Nu
- Sigma Tau Gamma
- Zeta Beta Tau
For more details on the dates of suspension and/or closure, visit out the fraternity and sorority life website. Unrecognized status means the organization does not have a connection with the University and/or their national headquarters for oversight, support, advisement, insurance and structure. If your son affiliated with one of these unrecognized chapters, we want to make sure you are aware of the associated risks. For those of you with students in recognized chapters and those with students not affiliated with a fraternity or sorority, we also encourage you to talk about the risks of associating with these unrecognized groups through socials and other events. Miami does not support these organizations and we urge you to make sure your students are cautious if they choose to affiliate with them.
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Spring Commencement: Featured Speaker, On-Campus Accommodations, Meals, and More Daryl Baldwin, director of the Myaamia Center at Miami University, a leader in Native American language and cultural revitalization, and a 2016 MacArthur Fellow, will be the commencement speaker at Miami’s ceremony 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Yager Stadium. Read the full story.
Limited On-Campus Accommodations are still available for Saturday, May 13 only in Miami's residence halls. Visit the accommodations page on the Commencement website for full details.On-Campus Meal Options are also available, including dinner buffet on Saturday, May 13, and brunch buffet on Sunday, May 14. Visit the campus meal options page on the Commencement website for more. Catered celebration packages from Miami Catering are also available for a variety of group sizes. Meals are deliverable to Oxford-area off-campus locations at a time convenient to individual needs. More information is available on the campus meals page. Additional details regarding May Commencement ceremonies, including important information for graduates and for families, is available on the Commencement website.
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New Outdoor Leadership Certificate Available Leadership skills will always be in high demand and Miami’s College of Education, Health and Society (EHS) continues to offer programs designed to prepare the next generation of graduates for success. In response to growing interest in civic and public leadership, EHS now offers an interdisciplinary Outdoor Leadership Certificate, which allows students to pursue professional or volunteer positions as trip coordinators, outdoor educators, scout leaders, adventure programmers, and more.
Made possible through a partnership between EHS’s Department of Educational Leadership (EDL) and the Outdoor Pursuit Center (OPC), the certificate is the latest EDL initiative to expand upon an already comprehensive array of undergrad leadership course offerings. “Like all EDL leadership programs, it’s based in interdisciplinary coursework and a strong hands-on approach,” says Kathleen Knight Abowitz, EDL professor and department chair. “The curriculum is designed to ensure that outdoor leadership practices are inclusive and help achieve goals of educational equity.”
The Outdoor Leadership Certificate program will include courses on sustainability, environmental science, interpersonal group dynamics, and critical youth studies, as well as an introduction to cultural diversity and leadership theory. “Students start out honing their outdoor skills through learning the fundamentals of rock climbing, backpacking, paddle sports, mountain biking, and challenge course facilitation,” says Jennifer Siliko, Miami University Outdoor Pursuit Center Director. “Then, the coursework culminates with an internship through the Outdoor Pursuit Center in which they will put their new skills and theory to practice.”
Students will also receive Wilderness First Aid certification and Leave No Trace Trainer credentials, as well as an opportunity to plan and lead their own outdoor experience. Visit the Outdoor Leadership Certificate website for more information.
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Career Exploration during Spring Semester Spring semester is a great time for students to explore career possibilities. The Center for Career Exploration and Success (CCES) (formerly Career Services) hosted over 220 employers on February 1st for the Spring Internship and Career Expo and the day after, 46 of those employers stayed and interviewed students in Millett Hall. This spring, many of the employers who attended our Spring Internship and Career Expo will return to campus to interview students for full-time and internship opportunities. Those opportunities, in addition to thousands more are available for your student to view on Miami CAREERlink.
In addition to on-campus visits from employers, the CCES plans dozens of programs each semester with alumni and employers to help students explore possibilities for their future and prepare for the application and interview process. Explore the list of all CCES programs.
One new program takes place this Friday, February 24th, 4-8 p.m. The Wilks Leadership Institute and CCES are hosting The Passion Driven Career: A Lessons in Leadership Symposium. This symposium is an evening of talks and breakout sessions designed to help students think about turning their passions into careers. Miami alumni will be in attendance to lead some of the breakout sessions and talk with students during a networking reception. Students can register for the symposium until tonight at midnight (pending space availability)! The insight students bring to the table will be just as valuable as that of our facilitators. Please pass this opportunity along to them today! The CCES appreciates the partnership of our Miami families in helping students explore career opportunities and engage with the offerings of our office. We work hard to make sure every student hears from us in some way, but often encouragement from a family member to attend our programs, check out alumni panels, or stop by our office for career coaching can make all the difference for a student.
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On-Campus Room Selection Process for Current First-Year Students The 2017-2018 room selection process for current first year students begins soon. There are several room selection processes and options, so we encourage you and your student to check out the Room Selection page of our website. The general room selection process begins at 9 a.m. on April 14, when your student has the opportunity to sign-up for 2017-2018 housing, based upon the timeframe the student or student's roommate received in the online lottery, which is open from April 10 to April 11.
We anticipate full occupancy this fall, which means that during room selection we expect to have periods of time when there are no open rooms to choose. This is completely normal. During spring and summer, we learn of a large number of students who will not return to University housing, which enables us to open rooms previously unavailable. Therefore, a small number of students may not see any available rooms. If this happens to your student, we ask that they still proceed with signing a housing contract. Instead of choosing a room, your student will be assigned to Assignment Pending Status, which means they will still be immediately able to enter roommate requests and housing preferences. As spaces become available, we use those preferences to make room assignments. Each year we are able to assign every returning second-year student by mid-summer.
If your student selects a room but would like request a different location, they will be able to submit an online room change request beginning at 9 a.m. on April 18. We strive to satisfy as many of these requests as possible throughout the summer.
Visit our website to read more details and view timelines. Contact us if you have additional questions: home@MiamiOH.edu, 513-529-5000, 129 Campus Avenue Building. NOTE: First- and second-year students are required to live on campus. We are unable to release students from their housing requirement as a result of signing an off-campus lease. Visit the Housing Policies and Requests section of our website to learn more about our Residency Requirement and other procedures.
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