With success measured by graduation rates and only 44 percent of our students graduating after six years, UNM is filling a family‐friendly toolbox to help students cross the finish line. In addition to enrollment preparation, including parent orientation and freshman convocation, the university’s parent programming includes a Parent Relations Office with a parent liaison and the Parent Association. Students embrace increased family involvement. New research is quantifying positive outcomes such as higher self‐esteem.

Amanda Dussault and Rudy Montoya provide administrative staff support for Student Affairs’ Dean of Students Office, home to LoboOrientation and the Family Connection (parent orientation), National Student Exchange and the Parent Relations Office. Dussault, fondly chided by colleagues as the office’s lone “Aggie,” said her first semester at New Mexico State University was smooth sailing, but the following spring led to a fork in the road. 

“I could not find the balance between friends, homework and everything that comes along with being a college student. I got every grade out there – A, B, C, D and F,” she said. “My dad just got real quiet, and then he said, ‘You are going back in the fall, you will get a job and earn back the lottery [scholarship] or you will find a way to pay for college on your own.” Dussault buckled down and is a proud NMSU alumna. “Part of it was learning not to be afraid to ask for help,” she said. 

Complicating matters is the “tutor stigma,” a high school hangover easily cured by facts. Nearly 85 percent of students are tutored during their college career, said Center for Academic Program Support Director Karen Olson. Good students looking to be great scholars are the first to arrive at the table. Convincing struggling students of the benefits is another matter, she said. 

Montoya, a UNM cinematic arts alumnus, said that from CAPS to department and program‐specific services such as mock testing, study groups and guidance from teaching assistants, professors and peer mentors, help is abundant.
Students typically seek academic support midterm and during finals. “It’s better to do it throughout the entire semester,” Montoya said.

UNM senior Adriana Romero said parents should get involved early on and not worry about being labeled as over‐involved. “I didn’t seek academic support until I was a junior. It can be embarrassing, but it’s about committing yourself more to your studies and not getting so caught up in the fun stuff. We forget that we have papers to do.” 

Romero advises parents to be open and understanding about academic progress. “It’s scary to have to tell someone who is helping you pay for your education that you are not doing so well. And you don’t want to disappoint them.”

The next installment of UNM’s Parent Talk speaker series is Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. in the main campus Student Services Building, Dean of Students Conference Room, rm. 260.

The University of New Mexico is encouraging students, staff and faculty who smoke to participate in the Great American Smokeout Thursday, Nov. 19 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the SUB Atrium.

Tobacco educational activities, and information about cessation and secondhand smoke part of the event. Quit kits and free nicotine patches and gum will be given to those who pledge to quit for 24 hours. 

The Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, Student Health & Counseling and the Employee Health Promotion Program sponsor the event. For more information call 277‑2795 or e‐mail, cosap@​unm.​edu.

Need help paying tuition and other college‐related expenses? The next installment of UNM’s free Parent Talk series is focused on finances.

Susan Chavez of UNM Financial Aid and Bill Bloom of the Scholarship Office will discuss how the financial aid process works. Prepare now so that you are ready to apply for the 2010 financial aid package; application period begins Jan.1.

Join us from 6  –  7 p.m. in the Dean of Students Conference Room, Student Services Building main campus. Parent networking begins at 5:30 p.m. Parking is available in the Cornell Parking Structure for $1.75 per hour. Student Services is located just east of the Student Union Building at the rear of Mesa Vista Hall. 

UNM’s 2^nd annual Family Weekend, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 – 24, is an opportunity for parents to connect with and support their student’s experience at UNM mid semester.

This year’s theme, “A New Mexico Adventure,” was developed by a campus‐wide committee with input from parents and students. Early‐bird registration is ongoing through Thursday, Oct. 1. For more information visit: Family Weekend.

“Many universities celebrate their state or region during Family Weekend,” said Committee Chair Laurie Mellas of the Parent Relations Office. “The philosophy behind hosting a weekend for students and families is two‐fold: it aids recruitment from the standpoint that siblings and other young people attend, but at the heart of it is retention. Students need family support and this is a way to reconnect with their families at a time of the semester when some are homesick or have other issues that might affect their success at UNM.”

On Friday, from noon — 5 p.m., visit the Student Union Building to pick up your Family Weekend packet, with event tickets, free tote bag and other goodies. Also in the SUB, starting at 1 p.m., meet the Parent Association Board of Directors and learn how to become involved in the association’s activities, events and philanthropy. (more…)

The beginning of a new semester is often full of frenzied activity for UNM students, faculty and staff. Between starting new classes, settling into a new schedule and routine, and getting to know fellow students, fellow professors and colleagues, it is easy to get caught up in all the commotion.

Unfortunately, this time also often brings an increase in spam e‐mail and hacker attempts, as spammers send out mass e‐mails asking for personal information or by embedding viruses in attached hyperlinks.  Encourage your student to protect both personal information and the UNM network by following a few simple rules.

•  If your student does receive a message he or she thinks is spam, forward it to spamdrop@​unm.​edu.

 • Don’t click on hyperlinks within e‐mail messages — this is a primary way that hackers spread viruses and spyware.

 • Don’t open e‐mail from people or sources you don’t know, and don’t download files sent by strangers.

 • Students should not respond to any e‐mail that asks for your date of birth, UNM NetID and/or password, or Social Security number. Many hackers send out mass e‐mails pretending to be from UNM’s IT Department, but IT will never send you an e‐mail asking anyone to provide personal information. If in doubt, delete the e‐mail and contact the IT Support Center at 277‑4848.

• Make sure your student has a firewall and antivirus software on their computer. UNM provides Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) antivirus software to all UNM students at no cost. Your student can visit Symantec Endpoint Protection to get a free copy of of the software.

UNM is planning far in advance for what could be a very significant flu season. Not only is the UNM Health Sciences Center planning for the annual seasonal flu, but also the next anticipated wave of the H1N1 flu, sometimes called “swine flu.”

For the seasonal flu, HSC has ordered 45,000 doses of vaccine to administer through HSC’s clinical facilities on – and off‐campus. When the vaccine is received, HSC will publicize dates, times and locations where people can get a flu shot. Locations will include UNM Hospital, Student Health Center, Lobo Care Clinic and UNM family clinics throughout the city.

While the seasonal flu vaccine is important for people who fall into high‐risk categories, it will not be effective against the H1N1 influenza. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and vaccine manufacturers are hard at work developing a separate vaccine, expected to be available in September or October. Unlike the seasonal flu vaccine which takes only one dose, the CDC anticipates protection against the H1N1 virus will require an initial vaccination followed by a booster at a later date.

One reason UNM is working hard to prepare for a potential H1N1 outbreak is that unlike the seasonal flu, which primarily affects infants and the elderly, the World Health Organization reports that the H1N1 influenza has disproportionally affected people 6 – 24 years old. That age group is a CDC priority for receiving the vaccine, and HSC and UNM will work with the New Mexico Department of Health to administer pandemic vaccine to students within that age group when it is available. (more…)

G. Randy Boeglin, UNM Dean of Students, has announced that the Parent Relations Office and Parent Association will now be units in the Dean of Students Office, which also oversees LOBO Orientation for  incoming freshmen as well as the Family Connection Program, an orientation for parents and family members.

“All of these units are committed to enhancing student success and all share a common core value of embracing and facilitating connections and partnerships with UNM parents and family members,” Boeglin said today in a memorandum to the UNM Parent Association.

Boeglin, a UNM alumnus, has worked at several institutions that includes a 30‐year tenure at UNM.  He has served as Dean of Students for the past 13 years. 

 “I am excited and energized to be a part of this organizational design, " Boeglin added. “I am confident our combined efforts will produce a strengthened UNM effort to connect to and partner with you, your family, and your student.  I look forward to sharing what I know will be a rewarding future for all of us who care about and work with our most precious institutional asset:  Your sons, daughters, and family members.”

Laurie Mellas is senior program manager for the Parent Relations Office and executive director of the Parent Association, both relatively new UNM programs.  For more information, visit the About section of this site.

UNM Residence Life and Student Housing has teamed with the UNM Parent Association to host “Parent Roundtables” from 2 – 3 p.m. each day from Aug. 18 – 21 in the Student Residence Center (SRC), room 205. The casual chats, held as part of move‐in week activities, are designed to introduce parents to UNM residence life and parent programs.

All residence hall check‐in desks will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Tuesday, August 18.  Students must be officially checked‐in by Monday, August 24, at 7 p.m. to avoid cancellation of contract and a no‐show fee. 

For more information about living on campus, visit http://housing.unm.edu

Tradition welcomes new students

The University of New Mexico will celebrate Freshman Family Day on Sunday, Aug. 23. Held the afternoon before the start of fall classes, the event has become an annual tradition at UNM welcoming incoming students and their families to the college community. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. with the Freshman Convocation at Popejoy Hall.

A ceremonial event held at most colleges and universities, Freshman Convocation is a combination of the serious and light‐hearted providing an opportunity for the administration, current students and parents to address families.

The convocation is followed by a social celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. near University House and the Duck Pond. Freshmen and their families are invited to stop by for food, fun and music. There will be a variety of activities for kids including jumpers and slides. Ice cream will be served on the lawn at University House. Additionally, the UNM Parent Association will have a table with information for parents.

A class crawl begins at the UNM Duck Pond at 5:30 p.m. Students can print out class schedule and tour guides will provide a campus tour to help students locate their classrooms. The event concludes with the movie, ‘X‐Men Origins: Wolverine,’ at 8 p.m. on lower Johnson Field.

The event demonstrates how the university partners with the families to ensure student success.

For more information and to register visit: Freshman Family Day, an event organized by the Office of the University Secretary.

Creative, efficient transportation options for UNM students will be explored during the free Parent Connection Workshop Wednesday, July 1, from 6 to 7 p.m., at the main campus Student Services Building, rm. 260. 

Danielle Gilliam of UNM Transportation and Parking Services and Nick Manole of the City of Albuquerque Transit Department will share information about campus parking and alternative transportation options for students living on and off campus.

From renting zip cars to hopping on the state’s Railrunner, there are ways to get around the city and state on a student budget. Learn how students can buy a parking permit, bike to campus or take advantage of student bus passes and other public transportation.

Check‐in begins at 5:30 p.m. Parent Association members are on hand to visit with you about their campus experiences.

The series is sponsored by UNM’s Dean of Students’ Family Connection Program, Parent Relations Office, Parent Association and Extended University.

Workshops are taped and archived. For online viewing, visit unmlive.unm.edu or parent.unm.edu.

The workshops are held the first Wednesday of each month. From the Cornell Parking Structure (parking is $1.75 per hour), walk north on Cornell Mall. When you reach the north end of the Student Union Building go east to the Student Services Center, located behind Mesa Vista Hall.