Message from theJust as we did in December, we're planning a number of activities to help students clear their heads and stay relaxed as they write papers and prepare for finals. We're lining up activities from May 6 through May 16 – and the list is extensive, ranging from free 10-minute chair massages and visiting puppies, to pick-up basketball and Zumba, to a nap room. We're also providing extended hours of operation in many key on- and off-campus areas, providing snacks and study breaks, and doing what we can to ease students' stress at one of the busiest times of the semester.
And because we all know this can be a difficult time for students, we ask that you help us remind them of our extended counseling resources, open hours in the Dean of Students Office and 24-hour crisis information. Check out the complete Stress-Free Spring schedule and more on this website.
We also want to take this opportunity to say good luck to our graduating students. For information on Commencement weekend, which includes individual ceremonies for each school and college for the first time, visit the Commencement website.
As always, know that our ultimate goal is to help our students be successful. If you have any suggestions or comments, don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call at 607-777-2804 or e-mail me at dos@binghamton.edu.
Campus Activities and the Student Association Programming Board are proud to present Binghamton's annual Spring Fling from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, May 4! The carnival part of the day begins with the "Stepping on the Coat" tradition — dating back to 1962, when students first threw a winter coat onto the ground and stepped on it to welcome spring. Carnival favorites including games, food vendors and free rides including the pirate ship will be on hand. Various student performances will also take place throughout the day.
At night, there will be a free, outdoor concert that begins with the winner of Late Nite Binghamton's Battle of the Bands, followed by DJ Kap Slap and closing with headliner Yellowcard. Spring Fling is a great (and free!) annual tradition that allows students to have a fun and relaxing Saturday before the hectic last week of classes and exams begin. Encourage your student to attend and if you are nearby, we invite you and any family members to join us, too! (Visit the Facebook event page here.)
Top job candidates, in addition to having the requisite major, GPA and relevant work experience, should possess a number of soft skills. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2013 survey, employers are looking to hire candidates who are good communicators and who can make decisions and solve problems while working effectively as part of a team. Candidates should also have the ability to plan and prioritize their work, obtain and process information, as well as analyze quantitative data. Technical knowledge related to the job, software program proficiency and the ability to create and/or edit reports and sell or influence others were also identified in the top-10 candidate skills/qualities employers seek.
To gain these valuable workplace skills and qualities, students are encouraged to participate in out-of-classroom experiential learning opportunities such as internships. Applications for Binghamton-area fall 2013 internships can be submitted directly to internship sites, and most sites secure their fall interns before the end of the spring semester. It's also not too late for students to apply for summer internships. To find internship opportunities, students are encouraged to check out opportunities posted on the Career Development Center's on-line eRecruiting site, individual organization websites, other aggregate internship listing sites such as idealist.org and/or use Twitter and follow feeds such as @NYinternships. Students should also network with personal, professional and family contacts to identify internship leads. Students who need assistance with their internship search are encouraged to speak with a career counselor during the CDC's Counselor-On-Call walk-in hours which can be found on the calendar on the CDC website.
Students can complete their 2013-14 FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval option when completing/correcting the FAFSA. Once federal taxes are filed electronically, information is available for retrieval within two weeks. It's easy, accurate and a time saver!
Students attending summer session can find information about summer financing options here.
On BU BRAIN, students can:
Note: Students must clear all holds before they can register for summer or fall courses.
With course registration here make sure to remind your students to talk with a Discovery Advisor (DA) or a professional advisor about course selection for the fall semester. Also encourage your student to begin planning his/her study preparation for final exams and the completion of final assignments since the semester will end rather quickly! Visit our website and check out our useful academic resource link which will provide helpful information for your son or daughter about studying and time management. As always, our DAs have office hours from 5-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday in College-in-the-Woods, Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center and Hinman Library.
Our fraternity and sorority community has completed recruitment and inductions for the spring semester. The University is holding students accountable for violating the Code of Conduct and appreciates the partnerships formed with families to keep students safe.
Greek Weekend – a fun weekend to foster and promote fraternity and sorority life at Binghamton University – culminated in an awards ceremony with awards given based on nominations from the fraternities and sororities themselves. The weekend, which was held April 18-21, stressed the values of leadership, scholarship, unity, respect, service and integrity, and was all about friendly competition and building community.
With nearly 2,000 student-athletes involved in Club Sports, chances are many of you have sons or daughters who are members in one of the 35 active Club Sports and we want to share some highlights for this academic year. Club Sports offers students a wonderful opportunity to participate on a team, learn new skills, improve existing skills, become more educated about fitness and health, engage in competition, and enjoy recreational and social fellowship. While some clubs are purely recreational, others are highly competitive, yet all clubs practice and compete throughout the entire academic year. Club Sports student-athletes are a highly dedicated, motivated and busy group of individuals!
During the 2012-13 academic year, the clubs have hosted almost 75 home events and traveled to over 130 away competitions. This month, we were pleased to announce that an Equestrian Club member, Marissa Langett, qualified for nationals -- is a first in the club's history! In addition, the Crew Club recently won silver in the men's open weight 4+ event at the Spring Metropolitan Regatta in New Rochelle, N.Y. and after hosting the highly successful McKenna 5K race in March (with over 600 registered runners) Crew hosted its annual Busfield Regatta Saturday, April 20. Women's Rugby hosted their annual Scrumstock tournament on Saturday, April 27.
As the academic year winds down, a number of other club teams are representing the University in championship games or tournaments. Both men's and women's volleyball clubs recently returned from the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Tournament held in Dallas, Texas. Ultimate Frisbee traveled to Rochester, N.Y. April 20, to compete in the Western NY College Championships hosted by USA Ultimate. And lastly, we are proud to announce the Men's Lacrosse Club is currently ranked #13 (NCLL, Div 2) and will be competing the weekend of May 4-5 in the National Collegiate Lacrosse League's Conference Tournament. Congratulations to all of our Club Sports student-athletes!
For more information on Club Sports or any of the programs within Campus Recreation, visit play.binghamton.edu. To see pictures of them in action, visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/playbinghamton.
Want to know more about what's going on at Binghamton University? Check us out on Facebook.
If you're planning a trip to Binghamton, visit the Visiting Binghamton section on our website or the Greater Binghamton Convention and Visitors Bureau for information on what to see, where to stay and where to eat while you're here.
Keep your contact information updated in our parent database. If your address, phone or e-mail has changed, send a note to kellis@binghamton.edu to let us know. And if you're looking for more from us, check out some of our pages targeted directly to parents and guardians:
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