Miami Family,
In this issue:

  • Conversation Corner: Fake IDs
  • 2017-2018 Webinars for Parents and Families
  • Dates and Deadlines from the One Stop
  • #MiamiOHFamily Weekend 2017
  • Miami Masculinities Committee Promotes Healthy Masculinities
  • Fraternity & Sorority Life Open House on Move-In Day
  • Request Your Copy of the 2017-2018 Miami Family Calendar
  • 2017-2018 Student Health Insurance: Waive or Enroll by August 31, 2017
  • Libraries' Textbook Initiative has Bottom-Line Impact on Student Finances 
  • Thanksgiving Break Pick-Up Rate at The Marcum Hotel
  • Miami's New Official Online Textbook Resource

Conversation Corner: Fake IDs
At our community standards presentations delivered to families and new students at orientation, we emphasize that the Division of Student Affairs exists to support students in achieving their goals. Accordingly, we focus the conversation on some of the common obstacles students face in their quest to reach their goals. One of these potential roadblocks is the possession/use of fraudulent documents, or more commonly, "fake IDs." For most college students, this usually means a fake drivers license, either obtained from a sibling or older friend, or purchased online (just try searching "fake ids" on your favorite search engine).  
Although students often use these fake IDs to enter bars, fake IDs are not necessary for that purpose. Bars and clubs in Ohio may legally allow entry to anyone 18 years old or older (you still must be 21 to purchase alcohol). If your underage student seeks to enter an Oxford bar for purposes other than drinking - to dance, for example - a fake ID is unnecessary. 

The possession of a fake ID can quickly derail a student at Miami. In Ohio, the use or possession of fake IDs/identity fraud is a crime, and violates Miami's Code of Student Conduct. Miami students found with a fake ID face a dishonesty charge in our Office of Ethics and Student Conduct Resolution. Mandatory suspension results for any student found responsible for dishonesty - including academic dishonesty - twice at Miami. We expect that multiple Oxford merchants will adopt a technology this fall that can easily and accurately detect fake IDs. 

With late night programming every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Armstrong Student Center, regular weekend residence hall programming and informal community events, activities related to our over 500 student organizations, and academic lectures, there is much to do on campus and in Oxford that does not require someone to be 21 years of age. Please remind your loved ones of these options, and please also talk with them about the perils of fake IDs. A couple of questions to ask include:
  • Have you considered obtaining (or obtained) a fake ID? If so, what was your motivation behind doing so?
  • Have you compared the benefits of having a fake ID to the potential consequences?
  • How do you plan to find new or additional organizations to join and events to attend this fall at Miami?
Not all topics can be adequately covered in a written newsletter. Recognizing this, Parent & Family Programs partners with offices across campus to offer timely and topic-specific webinars throughout the year in a format that allows you to ask questions and receive clarificationin the moment. Unable to make the live webinar? Recordings are posted online for later viewing. Many of these are targeted specifically at families of first-year students, but there are also sessions about the study abroad planning process and moving into off-campus housing, for example. Visit the Webinars page for the full schedule and to view past sessions.

Reminders from the One Stop: Important Dates

Tuesday, August 1: Registration opens for fall semester payment plan (3-payment option).
Tuesday, August 8: Fall 2017 semester bills are due.
Thursday, August 17 at 4:30 p.m. to Wednesday, August 23 at 4:30 p.m.: BannerWeb/online registration for Fall 2017 semester is closed to Oxford students.
Friday, August 18: Disbursement of financial aid for Fall 2017 begins. Credit balance funds will be paid during the first week of class. Students should sign up for RedHawk Refunds to receive reimbursements as quickly as possible.
Monday, August 28: Fall semester classes begin.
Wednesday, August 30: Last day to add or drop a full semester class using BannerWeb.
Thursday, August 31: Final day to waive Student Health Insurance.
Miami Masculinities Committee
Promotes Healthy Masculinities
The Miami Masculinities Committee, a joint initiative of the Women's Center and Office of Student Wellness, engages the campus community in an exploration of healthy masculinities. The Committee was formed in the summer of 2011 when a small number of Miami staff began a conversation about the male-identified students they were seeing (for student conduct) and not seeing (for counseling or health education). The committee hosted a regional conference in Oxford in 2012 and in 2014, as well as the national Conference on College Men in May 2013
Under the leadership of doctoral associate Kyle Ashlee (Student Affairs in Higher Education-SAHE), the committee has sponsored or co-sponsored several campus programs over the past two years, performances by theatre troupe Phallacies and spoken word artists Guante and Wilson Okello; two Men of Miami panels; screenings and discussions of the films The Mask You Live In and I Love You, Man; and two day-long conferences of the newly formed Ohio Consortium on Men and Masculinities in Higher Education (OCMMHE). The Miami Masculinities Committee also brings Miami faculty, staff, and students together for monthly discussions of scholarship on men and masculinities. A new course titled “Moving Beyond ‘Man Up,’” developed by Kyle Ashlee and Brandon Cash (SAHE) will be offered this fall.
Are you interested in learning more about the fraternity and sorority community at Miami? How about tips supporting your student through the recruitment process? The Office of Student Activities and Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life is here to help! Drop by the Cliff Alexander Leadership Library in the Armstrong Student Center on Thursday, August 24, noon to 3:00 p.m., to meet with staff and ask questions about the recruitment or intake process. 
Registration for Formal Recruitment opens August 1. For more information visit the recruitment page of each of Miami's governing councils: IFC Fraternity recruitment, NPHC Intake, and Panhellenic Sorority recruitment. As a reminder, to join a social Greek letter organization at Miami, a student must have completed 12 university/college credit hours, have a 2.5 cumulative GPA, be a full-time student on the Oxford campus, and complete an online orientation to fraternity and sorority life. First year students may join a fraternity or sorority their second semester at Miami (when Formal Recruitment occurs).
Request Your Copy of the 2017-2018 Miami Family Calendar!
Loved your 2016-2017 Miami Family Calendar for the beautiful pictures of campus, wealth of information, and important dates? This year's calendar promises to be just as useful!
You can request your free copy of the 2017-2018 Calendar. Fill out this request form and we'll ship it to you!
2017-2018 Student Health Insurance: Waive or Enroll by August 31, 2017
All full-time Oxford students must be covered by health insurance. Students are automatically charged for our student health insurance coverage until the student has completed and been granted a waiver, if already covered under a comparable plan. The plan premium for 2017-2018 is $1,521, is through Aetna, and provides coverage August 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018. Visit the student health insurance page to access the portal and find more information.
Libraries' Textbook Initiative has Bottom-Line Impact on Student Finances
As universities and families nationally look for opportunities to reduce the financial burden on college students, the rising cost of textbooks has garnered increasing attention. Through the textbooks on reserve program, originally developed in partnership with the Parents Council and the Associated Student Government, the Miami University Libraries are saving students thousands of dollars in textbook costs. The program makes 500+ textbooks for Miami’s most enrolled classes available for in-library use, loaned out for two hours per checkout.
The textbooks on reserve program has become so popular that many of the most checked out items in the libraries system are textbooks, with some surpassing 1,000 checkouts each.
“The first thing I do when I get a class is come over to the Library to see if they have the textbook on reserve” said senior Hannah Liming. “As an education major, I’m already dipping into my pockets to do lesson plans and activities for my students, so paying for a textbook can be a real drain.”
Last year the textbook initiative was a fundraising priority during the #MoveInMiami day of giving campaign, raising enough support to purchase 30 new textbooks. It is once again a priority during #MoveInMiami 2017 because of the direct impact it has on Miami students.
“I’m putting myself through college,” said Joy Hartfeld, a junior zoology major. “If there are two textbooks, or even one, I don’t have to pay for each semester, it takes a big financial burden off me. Just in the last year, the Textbook Initiative has probably saved me $600. That’s my entire paycheck as an RA.” 
Story by Vince Frieden, strategics communications coordinator, University Libraries

It's Never too Early to Start Thinking
About Thanksgiving Break


Coming to Miami to pick up your student for Thanksgiving Break and need a place to stay? The Marcum Hotel & Conference Center has a rate for parents of $89 a night for the dates of 11/20/2017-11/22/2017. Call the Marcum (513-529-6911) and ask for the Parent Thanksgiving Pick-Up Rate! 

Miami's New Official Online Textbook Source


Miami is changing the way students order textbooks, moving to an online textbook source. Students buy all books online and books are then shipped to students via free UPS shipping. Students can also buy and sell books from/to other students through the Marketplace (free shipping not included). Download the Online Textbook Source FAQ (PDF) for more information.
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