Getting into the parking groove. Or not.

The driving gods are not with me today. Three parking lots and not a spot to be found. I settled for a distant one, behind a building I have never heard of. I had a nice refreshing walk to contemplate this: Why is it so much more crowded than last year? Here's looking at you, admission statisticians. Are there more enrollees this semester?

Anyways, this year is awesome so far. Yesterday, I got a free candy bar from commuter services! My two online classes are fun with attentive professors. It surely is a great beginning (corny-factor intended).

Lastly, I retract my use of the word "draconian" in my last post. Poor choice of adjective to describe the bookstore. My English professor would not be pleased.

Just in from UC: NO LINES

11:19 a.m. Wednesday -- Currently there is no one in line at the UC.  It is much quieter (so far) today and the crowds seem to ebb and flow with the Seawolf Shuttle schedule.

Come on dowwwwwwwwn!

Student newspaper has some hefty goals for 2011; plus, survival tips from the editor

The staff at TNL is getting geared up times two this year.  We're all starting our classes and we're also getting ready to put our first issue of the semester out next Tuesday.

This semester the staff has decided on a couple of specific goals we'd like to share with our readers.  First, we're looking to cover more hard hitting news.  We're toning down the fluff and bringing you real news about your campus that you will hopefully find useful.

Part of this goal includes putting breaking news up online instead of waiting for the weekly issue to come out.  Like:  Did you know a bicyclist got hit at the UAA Drive crosswalk on the first day of school?  You can go to our website, thenorthernlight.org for more on that story.

Another goal we're looking forward to doing is working with Student Activities on a creative writing contest, you'll see more on that soon.  You'll also see a chance to take our reader survey and enter to win $100 cash soon.

Who's on staff?
Did you know the TNL is staff is not primarily made up of journalism majors?  We've got a hefty amount of English majors as well as some in philosophy, art and other majors.  And they're all pretty crazy.  Which is why you should be scared of our new T-shirt shooter.  We'll be out and about with it as much as possible, mostly because we're pretty die hard about it.

Featuring Taylor Hall on firing, Ashley Snyder on catching and Heather Hamilton on ducking!


And did you also know that several times a day people walk in our office looking for parking services?  We're confused since we've been in this office for at least five years.  Perhaps parking services is playing a joke on us?

 Survival tips:
To close I'll give you three tips I've learned now that I'm a Senior at UAA:

1. Avoid taking first term Professors.  They've got to get their kinks worked out and you should let them do so on other, less fortunate students.
2. Get here at 9 and do your homework.  You'll get a parking spot and you'll have some time to refresh before classes.  And you won't be late.
3. Follow UAAfreefood and watch green + gold student edition  for food tips and you can eat almost every meal for free around campus!

Keep in touch with us this year, we're really hoping to get you, the students, the best paper possible and we can only do that with your help!  Check us out on Facebook too!

Leaving...on a jet plane

So, with Labor Day Weekend closing in, you're thinking of what fun you'll have with some free extra time, the last taste of summer freedom. (Note to weather gods: Could you help out here a little?)

Well, let's just take a minute to acknowledge that Seawolf Volleyball will be headed to California for two games Friday and two games Saturday in the Coyote Labor Day Classic. Their Friday match ups are Chico State at 11 a.m. and California State San Bernardino at 6:30 p.m. Saturday is Cal State Domingues Hills at 11 a.m. and Cal State LA at 4 p.m.

Follow their progress here. Go Seawolves!

An image by Travis Rector featured today on Hubble website

Another of Travis Rector's deep-space images -- the Orion Complex -- is highlighted in a press release issued today from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Here's what the release says about the image:

This image from the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) 4-meter telescope shows a roughly one-half-degree-square region of the sky in the constellation Orion (about the same size as the diameter of the full Moon). This is a small part of the the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a giant region of gas and dust undergoing active star formation some 1,500 light-years (460 parsecs) away.

Numerous small knots known as Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, labeled in white on the illustration, are signatures of recently formed stars ejecting material into space. The three HH objects labeled in green have been the subjects of intense study by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope over several years, resulting in a better understanding of how the material ejected from stars interacts with the surrounding medium. A few of the brighter stars in the image are labeled in yellow.

The color image is a composite of data taken through filters sampling light emitted by sulfur (red), hydrogen (green), and oxygen (blue). Full-resolution images and additional information are available at:http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im1086.html.

From Rachel Waters in IT; visitor stats on UAA's website

On the first day the website saw 42,656 visits, 24,806 unique visitors.

Manage your UAA password here.

The Call Center received 663 calls.This is lower than in past years, most likely because of the self-serve me.uaa site that is now available.

Espresso machine hiccup at Daily Grind; fix within the hour

8:04 a.m. Wednesday -- Our espresso machine has been having some trouble lately, so please be patient with us as we try to fix it. We are still open and have many other options.

If caffeine is your need, we still have drip coffee, tea, fraps, as well as soda and water.

8:18 a.m. Ahhh! Our machine is currently being fixed; we should have espresso within the hour!

Important survival tip: Books on reserve at the Library

Thus far I have regaled you with tales of my procrastination habits and my lack of funds, but today I have a change of pace for you.

So. Of the three classes I've attended (my fourth is this afternoon and my fifth is Thursday evening), two of my professors have placed their books on reserve in the library. Oh happy day! For those of you who aren't familiar with the library's reserved books system, I'll fill you in. Professors receive copies of the texts they require their students to purchase. Some of these professors then take that text and hand it over to the library. The library then hides it on a special shelf behind the main desk, where a student can access it for up to 2 hours at a time. All the student has to do is ask, "Hey! Is professor so-and-so's book for class such-and-such available?" Bingo, bango, bongo.

Oh, and a friend of mine happened to have an old edition of the text for the third class I've attended. $10 vs. $80. Yes, please! Sure, the pages don't match up perfectly, but the text contains all the same readings. Glory, glory hallelujah!

And my grant money finally appeared in my bank account. Life is looking up. Time to study!

Kate Lindsley: Today, life is good

Money spent on textbooks so far: $8.25. Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual. While there are still some things about the bookstore that are utterly draconian (my new English professor's frequently used adjective), all of the people waiting to assist you in finding your desired textbook are AWESOME. No more aimless wandering and awkward social floundering.

Today, I also scored a free T-shirt from The Northern Light and officially became a contract columnist. Very exciting! I already was thrilled yesterday when I read that my Anatomy & Physiology professor was ranked #3 overall on RMP (ratemyprofessors.com).

What a wealth of knowledge provided in the first issue of Fall 2011!

Associate Registrar Lora Volden answers, 'Where's my money?'

Things are hopping at the UC, helped a great deal by the fact that unbeknownst to us they began construction on our sidewalks again.  It may be faster, easier, and safer to park in the front parking lot (across from Lazy Boy & Peppercinis) and walk through the mall to get to us.

Most of the individuals coming in have questions regarding financial aid.  We have found that almost all questions can be answered through the fabulous financial aid website. Check out the FAQ link at the bottom of the page.  Below are the three biggest questions that we have seen over the past couple days:

My financial aid is more than my tuition bill, what happens to the extra money?
If the total of your financial aid (grants, scholarships, loans, etc.) is greater than the amount of your bill, you will receive a refund.  You may enroll to have your refunds sent to your bank account by setting up a direct deposit via UAOnline.  If you do not set up direct deposit, a refund check will be mailed to the address you have on file with UAA.  It is therefore very important to update your address via UAOnline if and when you move.

Just like excess financial aid can not sit in a student's account for use in a future semester, excess financial aid can not typically be used to pay for previous balances, per Federal Regulations, unless that balance occurs within the same award year.  If you owe an outstanding balance, contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance for the best advice on available options.

How do I know if my refund has been direct deposited?
You can check to see if your financial aid refund has been directly deposited via UAOnline.  To do so:
    •    Login to the secure side of UAOnline.
    •    Select the "Personal Information" Tab.  S
    •    Select "Financial Information"
    •    Select "Direct Deposit Services"
    •    Select "Review your direct deposits"
    •    Select the fiscal year from the drop down menu that you wish to view and then hit "Display"
    •    Each direct deposit that has been applied to your bank account will be listed.  The "Process Date" is the date the money was deposited.

Where's my refund? I was told my financial aid would disburse today but I don't have my check/direct deposit.
First of all, the disbursement date for financial aid is the date that UAA can request the money and apply it to your student account.  It is not the day that you should expect to receive a refund.  The earliest UAA can legally request a disbursement of your financial aid is ten days before the start of each semester.  UAA then has to process your financial aid and request a paper check be mailed or direct deposit be issued to your bank (if you've set up a direct deposit).  This processing generally takes between 5 and 7 business days.  Therefore, if you are confident your financial aid is in order before the scheduled and published disbursement date (ex. you have no outstanding paperwork to be completed, you are admitted, in good SAP, etc.), you should expect to see your refund NO EARLIER than the first day of class.
 

Secrets of the Library

No, we really don’t keep secrets here at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, but we do have some really cool stuff that you might not already know about:

Scanning at the scanner in the Library.

• Inside the Copy Room, next to the copiers and microfilm viewers, we have two Book Eye Scanners. These will let you digitally scan your materials and either save to a jump drive or email the electronic version to yourself. No paper copies necessary, no cost required

• Copy Room also has one of only four Value Transfer Stations on campus. This is the black box that you use to add WolfBucks to your WolfCard, which you can use for purchasing power in the library and all over campus.

• You can check out an Ipad at the Circulation Desk. Or a laptop computer. Or headphones. Our equipment is your equipment to use for up to two hours while you’re visiting the library.

• There is always free WiFi throughout the entire library building and you can configure your laptop for mobile printing. Or you have the option to use the many research computers and printers available to students on the first and second floor.

• We have a Media Room where you can listen to music or watch a DVD. Here you’ll also find a variety of popular movies, academic videos, and CDs available for borrowing.

This brief post only reveals a few of our resources - the library is full of cool tools so we invite you to come in and discover them for yourself.

First day of fall 2011

Today I had STAT 252 and Beverage Management.

I am excited to finish this semester! I will finally have my associate in culinary arts this December. I am still going for the bachelor's in hospitality and restaurant management. By the time I get my associate, I will have over 200 credits. Most of my credits were given to me for my Army training. I am an LPN in the Army Reserves now, and none of those credits count towards my current degree. I decided to use my GI Bill to change careers. I only have five months of it left, and am still trying to figure out what I will do after it runs out. A scary thought I'm sure a lot of Veterans have been facing.

As the President of the Student Veterans of UAA, I hope to answer questions about education benefits and other resources available to veterans and military service members. Please visit our website for more info!

Like us on  Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Surviving that first day

First day of school down! And very thankful I bought my day to day planner. I recorded when all my exams will be (according to my syllabi) and when I have days off (can I get a woo hoo for the upcoming 5-day weekend?).

Also today, I worked on my online classes. Recorded due dates and set aside times to work on my classes. Time management, baby! I sure hope they go smoothly and I have enough discipline. With two online classes and much more in the future, it'll behoove me to make a pattern of being a dedicated blackboard visitor and checking up daily.

How did your first classes go today? For those of you freshmen, was it everything you expected it to be? Or are you overwhelmed? For those of you returning students, isn't it positively insane how packed the parking lots are?

By the way, here's a little video I did before I headed for the wedding in Connecticut. Time flies!

Spirit, caught in the act of coding UAA's new homepage

Thanks to a handy iPhone video of the live stream event, you can see the moment Spirit launched UAA's new homepage, Friday, Aug. 26 at noon. Well, actually, he launched the look...and the page went live by the first day of school, Aug. 29. Thanks for all that coding, Spirit!

Lora Volden: We survived Day One! Plus a tip regarding prerequisites

End of the first day of add/drop, my mouth is dry and I’m exhausted.

One tip that can save you a trip to the University Center is in regards to pre-requisites.  If you are unable to register because UAOnline indicates you do not have the prerequisite or test score, please see the department.  We are not able to override this requirement here.  Even with faculty signature the department is the final authority on authorizing a prerequisite override.  If they do so, you will be able to register online without a special trip.

Hope your first day went well.

Lora Volden, Associate Registrar
UAA
(907) 786-1560

Now open for pedestrians

A new sidewalk on the north side of the UAA/APU Consortium Library has been laid out and is now available for walking. This is a good way to stay safe when you stroll between the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building and the Social Science Building / east campus lot. I just tried it out myself and it works great!

News from the Faculty Technology Center

Lee Henrikson, instructional designer, reports that the FTC Tech Camp that ran the week of Aug. 8-12  had terrific attendance. The center offered 15 workshops and averaged about seven students a workshop for a total of 120 tech campers. Lee was pleased!

The FTC won't hold any classes during the first few weeks of school so that Lee can be readily available to support faculty as needed. Future classes will be advertised through Green & Gold. Find the schedule here:
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/facultytechnologycenter/workshops.cfm

The FTC staff also  built a new Blackboard shell loaded with resources for faculty. Any faculty member can self-enroll.  Go to the courses tab in Blackbaord, in the search bo, enter "Blackboard for faculty" When a course comes up, select the Enroll button on the right. The password to enroll is  ftc. "It's loaded with resources, and any faculty member can enroll."

As the semester launches, Lee has a few tips:

• Don't forget to launch your Blackboard site. (The minimum requirement is a syllabus so students can access it at any time, The course evaluation survey is also available in blackbaord, so remind students to take it at the end of the class.)
• If you're new to technology, don't try to absorb it all at once. Try 1-3 new things a semester, and take it from there.

Find the the Faculty Technology Center here:
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/facultytechnologycenter/index.cfm

Lee can be reached at: 786-4451 or by email at
lmhenrikson@uaa.alaska.edu

11:30 a.m. and we've got 8 cashiers working the Bookstore

Hello and welcome back Seawolves.

This will be a short little blog today, seeing as we are super busy here in the bookstore.  The good news is that the lines are moving fast.  There are eight cashiers on and they are getting customers through as fast as they can.

We've had a steady flow of people this morning. . . the key word is steady so come on down to the bookstore and get your textbooks or supplies or some Seawolf gear.

Talk to you all later this week. Peace.

Daily Grind is open for caffeine ;-)

Hey guys! What a beautiful day for coffee!. The Cuddy Coffee House is open for business and I'm ready to make coffee! Come try our yummy Seawolf Latte. I'll be here until 1 p.m., and hope to see you.

More Campus Kick-Off photos in the UAA Facebook album

Here are more shots from the Campus Kick-Off afternoon, collected in an album on UAA: University of Alaska Facebook page.

There is also an album there on Freshman Convocation, which preceded Campus Kick-Off. The convocation welcomed the Class of 2015 (Can you believe that date?!) and their families to UAA.

Enjoy!

Tips from the Registrar's Office on add/drop and capacity overrides

The deadline for add/drop is Friday, Sept. 9

It’s the first day of the semester.  After all the festivities of the weekend it’s now time to get down to business. The next two weeks are usually filled with individuals adjusting their schedules, discovering that a class was not what they expected, and trying to find one more to “fill” their schedule.

The best piece of advice I can give right now is to “GO TO CLASS.”  The first days are really important for not only gathering your syllabi but also for learning what this class and instructor are all about.  If you’ve changed your mind about a class you have until Friday, Sept. 9 to drop the class without being financial responsible for it.


 Dropping a class
After Sept. 9, regardless if you have paid for the class or not, you will be held accountable for the charges, so make sure if you decide it’s not for you to officially drop. You may do this on UAOnline.  If you are still trying to pick up a class which is full, again you are generally best served by going to class.  If the class is full you may continue to watch for openings through UAOnline.

Faculty override
Seats will continue to open and fill over the next several days.  Your other option is a capacity override. These are given at the discretion of the faculty member.  If the faculty member so chooses they may give you an override so that you may add their class.  They can do this electronically so you can register through UAOnline, or they may sign an add/drop form which you bring to the UC for manually processing.

Again you do need to be officially registered by Friday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m., otherwise you will not receive credit for the course.  Typically the University Center is VERY busy today and tomorrow so be prepared for longer wait times both in person and via phone.

Lora Volden, Associate Registrar
UAA
(907) 786-1560

Hey, I'm new at this blog, old at the SU INFO DESK

SUNDAY, the day before school started -- Procrastination is an awful sickness. And I am very sick. In an effort to cure myself I am taking a few steps in the direction of preparedness... kind of.

Well. Not really. Instead of doing the responsible thing and purchasing my books,  I have been enjoying this beautiful Sunday weather and watching children's television. Not a bad way to spend the last day of summer break, if I do say so myself.

Yeah, maybe I should have been more responsible with my time, but after the past week and a half of grueling training for the Student Union and Commuter Student Services (the pretty rad-awesome UAA department that pays me) and then working THREE booths at Campus Kickoff yesterday, I feel I've earned a day of utter relaxation. Mission successful.

WolfCard = Library Card

It’s hard to believe that the first day of classes has already arrived – are you ready? Well, if you’ve got your WolfCard in hand then the UAA/APU Consortium Library is definitely ready for you.

You'll be here a lot, so  make friends with the Library.

Take a closer look at the back of your WolfCard and you’ll notice that it functions as both your UAA ID as well as your Library Card. This gives you an all access pass to many resources and services that the library has to offer:  our generous borrowing privileges, printing and copying, research databases, placing items on hold, etc.

Also remember that your WolfCard comes with a $10 printing allocation that you can use with any of the research computer printers on the first or second floor. So remember that your Library Card is your friend and once you’re familiar with using it, that first assignment will practically write itself!

Karaoke in the Cama-i Room was a blast

Check-in is officially over and Welcome Week is off to a great start.

Cama-i Room, scene of Sunday night Karaoke.

Sunday night, we had  Karaoke in the Cama-i room. Students came and shared their talents and had a blast.

Tonight, Monday 8/29, we have Super Frequency (a local band), coming to play at the commons during dinner. After that we have Volunteers of America, putting on their program "Who Is Influencing You"? There are so many great prizes to win!!! Welcome Week continues stay posted or visit our website.

A few more snaps from Campus Kick-Off

Spirit made the rounds at Campus Kick-Off

Hopefully we can add more great photos from Kick-Off as they roll in. Here are a few more:

Yum, that fry bread smelled delicious!

The Butt Sketcher was busy all day!

Student Veterans: Feeling great after a successful Campus Kick-Off booth debut

Campus Kick-Off was a success! Our booth was awesome! We had camo netting, ammo cans, a parachute and other gear.

Thank you to our supporters at the Alaska Veterans Organization for Women, and 907 Supply for their donations! Our club members really came together! The push up and pull up contest was a lot of fun. I got to meet a lot of veteran students, and others interested in supporting veterans.

I still can't believe school starts Monday. Where did the summer go? Between family, my internship at Alyeska, work, and my training for the Army Reserves I had no time to enjoy the summer! This made the sunshine at Campus Kick-Off a special treat. Tomorrow I am hoping to make the most of the last day before school starts. I'm going to take my family to the Downtown Market and just relax.

-- SSG Nichole Tovar  LPN, US Army Reserves

    Student Veterans of UAA website

Nikkie Viotto reports in from 'The Islands,' soon to be homeward bound

HAWAII -- Hey everyone!

Last day in Hawaii today and it's finally time to enjoy the sun! A few of the girls and I woke up early this morning for a nice walk along the beach to stretch our sore legs out after yesterday's tough matches!

Overall we did well this weekend, winning two matches and also loosing two, but we learned a lot about our strengths, what we need to work on, as well as our capabilities. (Check out www.goseawolves.com for game stats and details.) We beat two extremely good teams and that showed us what we can do. What's important now is maintaing those skills and becoming more consistent as we play more games. The games were a lot of fun, but Now it' time to head home and get back to reality. But first were going to have some fun!

Today we will be at the beach enjoying our day off! Some of the girls talked about taking surf lessons! We leave late tonight and don't get in until 5:14 a.m. With classes starting tomorrow this is one of the cons of getting to travel with the team. Many of the girls have 8 or 8:30 a.m. classes so they will have to immediately head to the school upon our arrival. We also have practice tomorrow of course; no time to waste before we head to California on Wednesday and we have lots to work on!

Among the Hawaii treats that will be missed!

During season time flys by! Once pre-season starts at the beginning of August we are always moving and preparing for our next practice, match, or game. Then before we know it school is starting and it's time for conference games and we're traveling every other week. Of course it's always fun, but there are some downfalls when you are constantly traveling. We miss a lot of class and it becomes even more important to get in at least 2-4 hours or more of good study time in every day. Not to mention the exhaustion our bodies go through then getting on a plane where germs are everywhere. If we don't take good care of our bodies its extremely easy to get sick. It's Go! Go! Go! for four months, then we get a break. Every good thing comes with a bad it seems like, but when it's all over you look back and the only thing you remember is that you have the time of your life.

PS:  One thing I'll be missing the most here is the fresh pineapple, bananas and coconut waters. Mmmmmm!

Quad is a scene for Campus Kick-off

AHAINA's booth had cool games & prizes.

Hundreds, I mean HUNDREDS of people are strolling along the quad walkways and picking up some awesome Green & Gold gear.

Chancellor Tom Case in a UAA T-shirt ;

I've seen amazing cool stuff --- giant laundry bags, caribiners, Frisbees, yo-yos, water bottles, pens, cookies, cupcakes. There's great live music, amazing acrobats, and free food for students with a wolf card.  From our booth at Green & Gold I can hear Seawolf Thunder bucket band rolling through its rhythms, pulling in a pretty big crowd. Lively!

This giant festival continues  through 7 p.m. and then other festivities take over.  Here's a few shots from the day, which despite its damp beginning delivered dry skies and even some breakthrough sunshine!

Next up, the comedy show!

Spirit joins Welcome Week festivities

FRIDAY NIGHT, Gorsuch Commons -- Welcome Week is off to a great start. So many residents have checked in with so many more to come. Visit the UAA  Campus Living Facebook page for more photos of dorm move-ins and activities.

Last night, there was wildlife safety with ice cream and we has a special appearance by Spirit. Spirit walked the halls and met many new great students to this school. 

Who's that tall, good-looking guy in the middle?

Then there was volleyball and banana boat and smores. Tonight we have Welcome Home dinner and ultimate frisbee. Target has been at the Residence halls all day promoting their Target night. Target is opening their doors to college students tonight from 10:30 p.m.-12:30 am. Hope to see you there.

Fleeing Hurricane Irene, bound for Alaska and school on Monday

ALASKA-BOUND -- Now I'm on the return journey to Anchorage, after the madness that is escaping a family wedding.

I had to leave the day of the wedding to beat Hurricane Irene, and lo-and-behold, I made it out by the skin of my teeth. The outskirts of the storm rained to the ground as my plane landed in Chicago.

All I have to do when I return to Anchorage is pretty much everything. Find my classes, buy notebooks, and find out if buying textbooks is actually necessary for the courses I'm enrolled in. Nothing grinds my gears more than spending $80 on a book to be taught by PowerPoint alone!

Revving up for Saturday's Kick-Off

Annie Route sent pictures of the earliest workers getting ready for today's festivities. Tables lining the Quad with classic green and gold alternating tableclothes, bright  but closed canopies spread out like pencils on the green grass, ready to be put up. For some silly technical reason, we can't get those posted right away, but it was like having a web cam giving us an early bird's eye view to the day. Not raining at the moment, but the sidewalks look wet. Might want to bring your own umbrella today ;-). We'll add the photos if we can.

Pizza party planned for Justice students and alumni Sept. 20

Here's one for your calendar. Mark it down right now so you don't forget. The Justice Center is hosting a pizza party for Justice students and alums
Sept. 20, 4-5 pm in LIB 213.

Last year's party, rhe fun to be repeated this year!

This event is a great way to meet your advisors, professors and fellow students, as well as graduates of the program. Barbara Armstrong, editor of the very active Justice Center blog, even included proof from last year that hungry people got plenty to eat, and had fun!

Graduate Student Reception, white tableclothes and catering, oh yes!

Kristi Powell, blogging for us today from both the Resource Fair in the Student Union earlier this afternoon, and now at the Graduate Student Reception and Resource Fair on the third floor of the library.  Kristi said more than 100 people flooded into a reception in LIB 307 that was festive with balloons and crisp white tablecloth-covered arrangements for enjoying a tasty selection of treats.

LIB 307 is a great place for a gathering.

A special resource fair for grad students ran concurrently in LIB 309.

Here are a few more shots from  Kristi of the event. All graduate students and faculty and staff who work with them were invited to attend. What a great way to launch a new academic year.

Warm and cold appetizers led to conversation...

Ask Eddy Ozoma about parking at UAA; he's got the answers

Don't let this be your windshield.

Eddy Ozoma reporting! I’m one of two Enforcement Supervisors at Parking Services. I’ve been a student as well as a staff member here at UAA, and I’ve certainly gotten my fair share of parking tickets.

As a student I learned to park and usually avoid tickets. There were a few days in which I was in a rush, or just tried to slip by and hope that Parking wouldn’t get me.

As a staff member working for Parking Services, I learned the system through and through. I know exactly what people can do to avoid getting parking citations, and the mistakes they make that cause them to get parking tickets. Because I’m an Enforcement Supervisor, I can tell you all how to avoid tickets, and what to do whenever you get one. There are also the things that Parking does besides just giving tickets. Check out Zimride and share the driving with others.

I hope I can help you out with any potential parking issues you may have. Or better yet, help you avoid them entirely.

This is Eddy Ozoma signing off!
Good night, and good luck!

Friday afternoon Student Union resource fair was jammed

Kristi Powell contributed these photos from the Student Union.

The Student Union was a major traffic area as students strolled through and visited various information booths promoting available resources Friday afternoon. Working in the Student Union was student Windy Thomas.
Her take on Friday:
Hi Everyone!!!!

The Student Union is starting to get busy with students getting ready to get back to school. Don't miss the kick off this Saturday!!!!!! Its going to be amazing!!! ------    Windy :)

This week -- Resource Fairs; next week -- classes!

Saturday's events include the Freshman Convocation as well as Campus Kick-Off festivities.

Sunday, Michael Dirda, Pulitzer-winning book critic, will give a free public lecture at the Wilda Marston. His talk is about how much reading matters -- it can change your life!

The word from UC: All quiet on the Western front

Associate Registrar Lora Volden has this update:

It is QUIET at the University Center this afternoon.  Although there are lots of phone calls there are very few individuals in the lobby.  If you need to speak with someone about financial aid, VA, pay your bill, submit an add/drop form or get your wolfcard this would be an excellent time to come.  My guess is that most people decided to take advantage of the sunshine and head to the fair.  That’s where I will be going after work for my annual pork chop on a stick!  

UAA Student Veterans have a booth at Saturday's Campus Kick-Off

Things have been busy with Campus Kick-Off around the corner.  The Student Veterans of UAA Club has been pulling together to make our booth stand out. We have had a lot of things donated to us from different organizations to include a military surplus store. I am excited to see how everything comes together!

This will be my first time even attending Campus Kick-Off. I have been so busy with club administrative stuff and family, I haven't prepared for the upcoming semester.

I use the post-911 Gi Bill and usually have the same problems every semester. I have to go into the Financial Aid Office to point out that all my financial aid should be deposited into my account, and none should go to pay my tuition because I am a post-911 GI Bill recipient. It's an easy fix

I have a lot of plans for that money! I still need books. I have to pay for daycare, fix my car, and buy tickets to the national Student Veterans of America conference in Las Vegas. This is going to be a busy semester!