Save the Date: Meliora Weekend

Meliora Weekend 2011, a University-wide celebration combining homecoming, reunion, and family weekends, will take place Oct. 20–23. Learn more at the Meliora Weekend website.

Eastman Family Weekend Planned for October

Eastman Family Weekend will be held Oct. 21-23. Parents and families are welcomed back to Eastman for a weekend full of concerts, recitals, and other programs. Check the Family Weekend website for updates.

Fall Billing Statement Available Online

The fall 2011 billing statement is available online beginning today in UR ePay. Visit the bursar’s website for more information.

Financial Aid Updates

The Financial Aid Office recommends that students bring money to campus to help pay for their books and supplies since financial aid is not always available to help with the items. Next steps for loan requirements will be emailed to incoming students in mid-August. Students should get into the habit of checking their University email as all financial aid information will be emailed to that address going forward. If you are interested in borrowing through the federal Parent PLUS Loan, please visit the Financial Aid website for details and a link to the federal application.

Communal Principles: The Year of Respect

The Communal Principles Project, coordinated by the Office of the Dean of Students, is an initiative of the College. This project aims to promote the communal principles of fairness, freedom, honesty, inclusion, respect, and responsibility, which are woven into the fabric that make up the University’s community of engaged, lifelong learners. Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year, one of the six principles will be highlighted annually. This year will be the Year of Respect. Students will be invited to apply for mini grants to develop a program or activity that exemplifies the spirit and purpose of respect to the community. For more information, call (585) 275-4085.

Entrepreneurship at the University

The University understands entrepreneurship to have a broad definition: the transformation of an idea into an enterprise that creates value—economic, social, or cultural. Undergraduates can get involved in entrepreneurship by joining the UR Entrepreneurs Club, taking courses such as ENT 225 Technical Entrepreneurship or ENT 227 Entrepreneurship in the Not-for-Profit Environment, entering a business plan competition in the spring, or stopping by the Center for Entrepreneurship to learn more.

Student Employment Opportunities

Students who plan to work at the University must complete an I-9 form. These forms can be completed in the Financial Aid Office. Proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States must be provided when completing the I-9. Acceptable documentation includes a driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate (or a certified copy), and/or a passport. Originals of these documents need to be presented by students when completing the I-9; copies are not accepted. A Student Employment Job Fair will be held Friday, Aug. 26, for all incoming students to meet potential employers. Read more...

Sustainability News

Over the summer, Monroe County expanded its recycling criteria for both plastics and metals. The University’s sustainability website includes information for the University community on the new guidelines. Two residence halls—Anderson Tower and Wilder Tower—have also received Energy Star Certification for energy efficiency. Fewer than 100 residence halls have qualified for Energy Star awards across the nation.

Third Move-out Cleanout a Success

This year’s Move-out Cleanout, an effort to collect and donate unwanted items as students move out of their campus housing in May, resulted in a collection of 7,930 pounds of gently used clothing, exceeding 2010’s collection by almost 400 pounds. Read more ...

TEAM Master’s Program for Business-Savvy Engineers

The new interdisciplinary master’s program in technical entrepreneurship and management, or TEAM, jointly offered by the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Simon Graduate School of Business, is a GEAR option for undergraduates. GEAR, or Graduate Engineering at Rochester, allows selected students to accelerate and complete their master’s degree in engineering and applied sciences in a 3-2 BS/MS Program. Students in the TEAM MS program can concentrate in an engineering area that is different from or the same as their undergraduate major while simultaneously taking graduate-level business courses. To learn more about the program, contact Andrea Galati at (585) 276-3500 or andrea.galati@rochester.edu.

Spotlight on Diversity: Pride Alliance

The Pride Alliance is an employee resource group dedicated to creating and sustaining a positive work environment in which all individuals are valued and supported regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Learn more about the group and its mission on this flier. Learn more about diversity at the University in future installments of Spotlight on Diversity.

Welcome from the Center for Study Abroad

The Center for Study Abroad would like to let you know that study abroad is available for virtually any undergraduate, regardless of major, financial situation, foreign language proficiency, or other factors. Study abroad is also an excellent stepping-stone to future endeavors. In areas like graduate school admission and employment prospects, international experience is becoming a necessity. The University offers programs in more than 60 locations in nearly 40 countries. Planning is key: Encourage your son or daughter to learn more about the study abroad opportunities available. Students and parents can also call (585) 275-7532, email abroad@admin.rochester.edu, or stop by Lattimore 206 to ask questions, pick up materials, and meet with advisors. 

It’s a rite of passage for college freshmen everywhere: the move from the comforts of the family kitchen to the realities of mass-service in a campus dining hall. But when a renovated Danforth Dining Hall and a new campus marketplace open for service in August, Rochester students may find they have little reason to be homesick. Read more ...

About Parents Buzz

Parents Buzz is produced by University Communications, Parent Relations, and the Parents Program. It is emailed monthly to parents of undergraduates in the College and at the Eastman School of Music. View issues online at www.rochester.edu/parentsbuzz. Direct feedback and questions to parentsbuzz@rochester.edu.

WELCOME TO ROCHESTER!
Orientation leaders at the College  are getting ready to welcome the Class of 2015 to Rochester during this year’s orientation, Aug. 24-30.
A Parent Orientation program for parents of students at the College provides information about resources available to you and your student. Parent registration is not required, but if you know you are coming, you may register online by Aug. 15. A fee-based Sibling/Teen Orientation program will also be held for kids ages 5–17. Email Eleanor Oi or the orientation staff with any questions.

At the Eastman School, incoming undergraduates will attend orientation between Aug. 21 and 28. Read more...

Wondering what move-in day will be like? Check out a video from last year’s move-in day on the River Campus.

What’s It Like?

See what it’s like today in Rochester. Check out the River Campus Web cams. Or view today's forecast.

Maps & More

View maps of the University and take a virtual tour.

Planning a visit? There's a lot to do and see in Rochester.

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