PARENT’S NEWSLETTER November 2007 Department of ATHLETICS, GO OWLS! FAU Traditions: The history behind our "OWLS".
FAU earned the Owl role because… The FAU campus was designated a burrowing owl sanctuary in 1971 by the Audubon Society. The Owl came here because there are not many predators, other than cats, near an airport. The feisty bird, traditionally associated with wisdom and determination, serves as the University's mascot. Also see What is a burrowing Owl?
Student-Athlete Center for Academic Excellence
The primary goal of the Student-Athlete Center for Academic Excellence (SACAE) is to assist FAU's 450 student-athletes in reaching their educational goals while they compete in intercollegiate athletics. As academic affairs officers, counselors function as liaisons between the athletic and academic communities. Counselors work closely with coaches, faculty and a variety of campus resources in order to help facilitate students' academic progress and personal development throughout college life. This is accomplished by instituting academic and social support programs which include, but are not limited to: - Academic Enhancement
- Tutorial Services
- Counseling
- Secondary Advising
- Study Hall
- Life Skills Programs
The SACAE is located in room 261 of the Oxley Center.
SACAE Services:
Individual Academic Counseling All FAU student-athletes are assigned to an academic counselor who works closely with them on a variety of academic enhancement activities. Counselors have weekly meetings with designated student-athletes in which they help students develop important fundamental academic skills and time management strategies. These weekly meetings are mandatory for all freshmen student-athletes and students who have demonstrated a history of academic difficulties. These meetings also serve as an important monitoring opportunity in which counselors can assess students' progress in their classes and implement intervention strategies when appropriate. By utilizing feedback from faculty and students' own self evaluations, counselors can often help students identify potential problems early in the semester and take the necessary steps to address important issues before they evolve into serious concerns. Renovations
FAU Arena: $10 Million dollar renovation of the arena began in March. It featured refurbished locker rooms, lobby, and scoreboard, which will feature a high definition monitor. There is also chair back seating on the west side of the Arena, and an enhanced exterior look to the Arena. The arena is still under renovation, but volleyball is playing there now, and renovations are expected to be finished later this month.
New Football Stadium: The Board of Trustees votes unanimously to approve a 30,000 seat, open-air, on-campus stadium, which will be the centerpiece of the FAU “innovation village”. It is a $62 million stadium which will be a steel structure and will be located on the northern part of campus. Financing is currently underway to pay for the new stadium. It is expected to open in 2010.
Track & Field Complex: Ground was broken on the Track and Field complex in May of 2007; the facility costs $4.2 million and features an eight-lane track with a Field Turf infield which can cater to football practices and Campus Rec activities. It will be used by the track and field team this spring.
Athletics’ Events for this month
- Cross Country
The Florida Atlantic University cross country team will travel to Bowling Green, KY to take part in the Sun Belt Championships this weekend. The Owls did not compete over the weekend, choosing to focus their efforts on this weekend's meet.http://fausports.cstv.com/sports/c-xc/spec-rel/102207aab.html For more information on Athletics, please visit http://fausports.cstv.com/trads/fau-trads.html Calendar of EVENTS Jazz Band
Location: University Theater, Boca Raton Campus
Saturday November 11
Time: 3p.m. Salary Negotiation
Location: Career Development Center, Boca Raton Campus
Date: Monday November 19
Time: 4-5 p.m. 5th Annual Health & Wellness Fair
Location: Counseling Center, Jupiter Campus
Date: Wednesday November 7
Time: 3-6 p.m. For more events and happenings on all FAU campuses, please visit www.fau.edu/success/CampusCalendars You will find all sorts of activities like Football games, Resume/Writing Workshops, Symphonies, Jazz Band presentations and so forth. OFFICE OF THE MONTH Housing & Residential Life The Department of Housing & Residential Life is home to over 2700 students and nearly 200 student and full-time staff on the Boca Raton and MacArthur campuses. Our vision is to educate students outside the classroom to provide them with a collegiate experience that better prepares them for a pluralistic society. We see our job as assisting students in their continuing education; as a person, as a community member. Although we’ve been known to act as tutors, we do not teach math or geography, we teach LIFE SKILLS: The role of educator comes in various forms – active or passive, formal or informal. This is achieved through: -
Floor and Hall Programs: Each Resident Assistant (RA) presents educational and social activities for residents. Programs in September included: Secrets of College Writing, International Day of Peace, Scavenger Hunt, Time Management, Guitar Hero Contest, Study Skills, and Flag Football.
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Bulletin Boards: Each month, staff members create bulletin boards educating our students on various topics.
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Roommate Mediation: Whenever roommates or suite mates are struggling to live together, our staff is available to help students work through the issues. At some point in our lives, most of us will choose to live with someone, thus learning to communicate. Setting expectations and boundaries are just part of being in a healthy relationship.
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Community Council: Within each hall, a group of students gets involved in their home or community, similar to student council in high school. Students plan activities, advocate for students and their issues, manage budgets, learn event planning, teamwork, and other leadership skills.
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Residential Life Staff: As experienced college students, our RA staff is there to help students navigate college and residential living. Our staff goes through extensive training each semester to better serve students. One of their jobs is to role model behavior that leads to a successful, productive college experience.
As we near the end of the Fall semester, here are some friendly reminders regarding the Housing Contract: - The residence halls and student apartments do remain open during Thanksgiving and Semester break with limited services.
- All students signed a full academic year contract or 12 month contract.
- Students leaving in December for reasons other than graduation or out-of-area internships will most likely incur contract penalties.
- November 15 is the deadline to cancel with no penalties if graduating, student teaching, interning, etc. away from campus.
- All students must fill out a Contract Cancellation form in the main Housing Office to receive permission to cancel their Housing Contract.
- If leaving in December, students must be checked out by Friday, December 14 at Noon or 24 hours after their last final, whichever comes first.
- Don’t forget to cancel your meal plan if leaving housing.
- Spring rent will appear on a student’s account in late December. Remember it will be $200 more since there is no prepayment to offset the rate, as in the Fall.
- Students will have an opportunity to sign up for a room for the 2008-2009 school year in March, through the room selection process. A $200 deposit or prepayment will be required at that time.
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