November 2010 Transfer Student Initiatives and Services Newsletter Inside this issue: Volume 1, Issue 1 Tau Sigma Honor Society 2 CDC and ISSS Information 2 Campus Recreation 2 Ways to Get Around Binghamton and Beyond! 3 Prepare for Spring Registration 4 What to Eat and Where 4 transfer 5 providing Becoming a Mentor We’re Just as New as You! The Transfer Student Initiatives and Services Office is new to Binghamton this year. Our office: • Our office is well equipped with a friendly, helpful director, Terry KelleyWallace and five hardworking interns; Mogana, Jenna, Matt, Serves Rachel, and Mengye (Jessie). students by mentoring, advocacy, advice and referrals. Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss • Provides help in making • strong connections to the University community. Here at the Transfer Student Initiatives and Services Office we dedicate our time to bringing transAssists in your transition fer students, like yourself, the new and upcoming news on to Binghamton. campus through newsletters, eWorks to meet the SUNY mails, and socials, as well as chancellor’s new transfer helping to answer all your transfer questions! mobility policy. Transfer Student Initiatives and Services Interns. From the left: Jessie, Rachel, Matt, and Jenna. Mogana was unable to make it. • Bob Dylan Music icon Bob Dylan and his band are scheduled to perform in concert at Binghamton UniShows at the Anderson Center versity’s Events Center this fall. The concert, part of Dylan’s present nationwide tour of universities and civic centers, will take place at Little Shop of Horrors 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17. November 19, 20 @ 8 P.M. and November 14, 21 @ 2 P.M. National Dance Company of the Philippines Friday: First Friday Art Walks November 17 @ 8 P.M. First Friday Art Walks: A walking tour in downtown Binghamton highlighting about 45 Shows at The Forum galleries, open studios of artists and artisans, art exhibits and sales, restaurants and shops. November 17 @ 7:30 P.M.: Warren Miller’s Wintervention Held from 6:00 pm — 9:00pm on the first FriDecember 9 @ 7:30 P.M.: Celtic Thunder Christmas day of each month. Sponsored by the GorDecember 12 @ 3:30 P.M./7:30 P.M.: Legally Blonde geous Washington Street Association. Transfer Student Initiatives and Services Newsletter The Career Development The Career Development Center, located on the ground floor of the Bartle Library, is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm. The CDC offers a wide range of opportunities for students, from internship/job opportunities to resume building and interviewing skills. A weekly listing of seminars and programs taking place can be found on the CDC website at http://www2.binghamton.edu/ career-development-center/ cdc-updates/index.html. Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and A few upcoming programs include; • I Don’t Know What Major to Chose!, November 15 @ 7:00pm in Whitney Study Lounge, Dickinson Community • Academic Hiring Process, November 19 @ 12:00pm in UUW 325 • Federal Resume Writing, December 1 @ 4:00pm in LNG 307 • Job and Internship Search Etiquette, December 2 @ 3:00pm in LNG 307 • JC Mentor Spring App Due, December 9 @ 12:00pm Barack Obama were all transfer students. International Transfer Student Student & Honor Society Scholars Tau Sigma, the national transfer Services student honor society, has a chapter at Binghamton University. It was founded in 2007 and over 60 other universities have established or are currently establishing Tau Sigma chapters in their efforts to improve the services that they provide to their transfer student population. To qualify for membership a transfer student must be enrolled in a 4-year college and be pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a GPA no lower than 3.5 their first semester. Eligibility is limited to the first term of enrollment at the institution to which the student transfers. If you are eligible, you will receive an invitation in February following completion of your first term here at Binghamton. We are very proud of Binghamton’s current 48 members in Tau Sigma! For more information about Tau Sigma, please contact Terry Kelley-Wallace at transvcs@binghamton.edu The International Student and Scholars Services office offers a variety of programs to help international students adapt and adjust to their new environment. We encourage international transfer students to take advantage of these programs and contact the ISSS to learn more about them. Here are some descriptions of a few of the programs offered. A complete list of programs and descriptions can be found on the ISSS website at http:// www2.binghamton.edu/isss/ about/index.html The Friendship Family Program pairs an international student with a family or individual in the community to ease the feeling of homesickness. Whether it is a family dinner or simple phone conversation, the families are there to make the international student feel more at home. An application for this program can be found on the ISSS website. On the first Friday of every month, the ISSS holds the International Coffee Hour, where students and faculty are invited to mingle and chat over coffee and refreshments. Campus Recreation Page 2 Interested in becoming involved in athletics but don’t know how to get started? Campus Recreational Services offers a variety of activities, such as group exercise classes and club sports. The club sports range from soccer to water polo and even fencing! A list of the club sports offered can be found on the campus recreation website. If your sport isn’t listed, you can start your own! Campus recreation also offers intramural sports. Although the fall registration deadlines for intramural sports have passed, you can still get started thinking about the spring! In the spring, intramural sports will include basketball, bowling, racquetball, indoor soccer, volleyball, softball, and tennis. Outdoor Pursuits offers classes such as tree climbing, hiking, and bicycling that can be taken for credit, so if you still need to fulfill your physical fitness requirement, be sure to check out Outdoor Pursuits! Campus Recreational Services also offers use of the pool located in the West Gym where students can enjoy recreational swim, lap swim, or aquatic classes (check the daily schedule). No matter how chilly the weather may be, students still have the opportunity to go for a dip! Volume 1, Issue 1 Travelling Around Binghamton There are a variety of bus services in Binghamton that serve our campus. Whether you are looking to go home for the weekend or take a trip to the Oakdale Mall, it is easy to find transportation for all your needs. ESCAPE – If you live on Long Island or in New York City then Escape is your ride home! Escape is Binghamton University's only student run bus company serving New York City and Long Island. Ticket price is $35 one way and $60 round trip. The bus leaves campus for Huntington, Fresh Meadows and Manhattan at 3pm from LOT P, located between College-in-theWoods and Newing College communities. The bus leaves to return to Binghamton from Huntington at 6pm, Fresh Meadows at 6:30pm, and Manhattan at 7:30 pm. Sound like an excellent way to get home? Then you can purchase your tickets in the Escape Bus office in the New Union, Room 320 during their office hours; Monday through Thursday: 12pm to 4pm & Friday: 11am to 3pm. For details see: http:// escape.binghamtonsa.org/ index.htm College Express Bus- Although not run by Binghamton University, we are lucky to be one of the few stops made by the College Express Bus! College Express is a perfect way to get you home on weekends and breaks. They offer affordable and convenient transportation between BU and NJ/NYC/ Queens and Long Island. College Express Bus services Binghamton University as well as Cornell, Ithaca College, Cortland, and Geneseo. Ticket price is $35 one way and $60 round trip and can be purchased on their website or by phone. Buses depart Friday afternoons from the Holiday Inn Express directly across from campus and return Sunday evening. College Express Bus also offers special break departures for all your holiday travel needs. A schedule can be found on their website at : http:// www.collegeexpressbus.com/ index.html Coach USA Shortline and Greyhound- Need a bus to get you home on short notice or do you want to depart earlier than a Friday? Binghamton University students have two commercial bus lines located in the city of Binghamton: Greyhound and Coach USA Shortline. Each bus line has its own terminal on Chenago Street in downtown Binghamton. Ticket cost varies depending upon your choice of destination. Tickets can be purchased at the terminals. Local taxi services can transport any Binghamton student to either one of these bus terminals for a reasonable price. Bus schedules change frequently, so please check the Shortline or Greyhound web sites for the most recent schedule before planning your trip. Schedules can be found at http://shortlinebus.com/ or http://www.greyhound.com/. OCCT-Off Campus College Transport- Live off campus and don’t have a car? Or maybe you simply want to take a ride to Wal-Mart or Wegmans? OCC Transport is Binghamton University's student driven, managed, and operated bus service (blue buses). This bus service has routes all over the Binghamton/Vestal area. Not having a car has never been easier! Thanks to OCCT, students have the option of moving off campus and still having a reliable way of getting back and forth to class. OCC Transport's first and foremost priority is the transportation of students between their home and campus for academic purposes; but they don't stop there. The blue buses travel to many locations in the community such as: Walmart, Wegmans, Target, the Oakdale Mall, downtown Binghamton, B-Mets Stadium and much more. This is in addition to on-campus shuttles that stop at all the residential communities and the east and west gyms. This safe and reliable bus service has routes all over the campus. The schedule and bus routes can be found on the OCC Transport’s website: http:// occt.binghamton.edu/ “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”Mark Twain Page 3 Transfer Student Initiatives and Services Newsletter About 1/3 of Binghamton Spring 2011 Advance Registration & Winter Classes The Spring 2011 schedule of classes is available on line at http:// bubrain.binghamton.edu beginning Monday, October 25. Just select “spring 2011” as the term. The on line version is the most up to date and accurate source of course information and is the only published version of the Schedule of Classes. Currently enrolled degree-seeking undergraduate students and all graduate students can register for courses for the spring 2011 term beginning Wednesday, October 27. Online registration in BU Brain will be available seven days a week until pre-registration ends on Friday, December 10. Students are assigned starting times University undergraduate students start their college studies elsewhere. Page 4 (called "Time Tickets" in Banner) for registration according to their total completed cumulative credit. This does NOT include in-progress courses. To know the earliest starting time for spring 2011 early registration for your credit level, log into BU BRAIN to view your personal registration start time by clicking on “student tab,” then “registration,” then “registration status.” Financial obligations and missing health forms will block registration: Students with outstanding financial obligations to the university and students who have not submitted a health form to the Health Services office will be blocked from registering. Students may view their account balances and pay any outstanding debts through the BU BRAIN. See the previous article for information on how to view your account. Please note: release of financial holds will not occur until the next business day. Accessing your schedule: You can view and print your schedule online by logging into the BU BRAIN. Room assignments shown online are the most accurate and up to date, but know that these assignments are subject to change. Winter 2011 classes are also viewable on BU Brain. Registration for the winter term starts on November 15th. Experience the Binghamton University Campus in 3 Meals Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it gets you started and motivated, therefore a good breakfast spot needs to provide a variety of choices. From bacon and eggs to waffles and fresh fruit, the Dickinson Dining hall is a great place to go for a good breakfast. The menu changes on a daily basis. Some days there are pancakes and home fries and other days there are eggs with cheddar and potato and turkey bacon. This huge dining area makes the overall atmosphere very lively and it can get hectic at times but it is the perfect wakeup call in the morning. The College in the Woods (CIW) dining hall was last renovated in 2007. With its brand new dining hall setting and bright lighting, it is quickly becoming one of the most popular dining halls. There’s a wide range of seating, from small, high chaired tables to long, low tables. Besides the regular hot foods served in every dining hall, CIW has a taco/burrito station that lets the students customize their own Mexican meal. One of the favorites is the strawberry taco. The cinnamon flavored shell complements the strawberries and whip cream perfectly. It is one of the most popular desserts. Dinner is the busiest time in all dining halls. The Hinman Dining hall offers a variety of dinner choices like Thai food and Chinese food made to order by a chef every evening. Hinman Dining hall is mostly made up of long tables, booths, and round tables that allow you and your friends to relax at the end of the day. Looking for a midday snack? Well if you’re up for a bit of a walk, the Appalachian Collegiate Center (ACC-located outside Mountain View residential halls) is the perfect place. This dining hall offers the same choices as the other dining halls, but also a special treat that some students may not know about. ACC has a delicious parfait bar. Pick as many different types of yogurt, fresh fruit, and granola as you would like and you have the perfect midday snack. Along with other great food options, this dining hall also offers an amazing view of the mountains and hills surrounding our campus. So grab a parfait, take a seat, and enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Southern Tier right from your on campus dining hall. In the mood for something different? The New Union Food Court is the ideal place to go. There is hot Chinese food, salad toss, sandwich station, Sbarro, Taco Bell, a pasta bar, and a yogurt and smoothie shop. In a rush? The Food Court also offers premade salads and sandwiches along with hot soup for your on the go needs. No need to worry about getting bored with the food at Binghamton University. Dining services realizes that it's nice to have a change of pace, so our dining halls host events, celebrity chef themed dinners, and other special meals that provide variety in the dining halls. All dining halls, as well as the Food Court, accept your Binghamton University meal plan. But don’t worry if you do not have one. These eateries also take cash and credit cards (although you will have to pay more - 2.5 times the posted item amount). Thinking Ahead: Moving Off-Campus or Around the Globe As the Fall semester comes to a close, it is already time to start thinking ahead to next year! Are you looking to move off campus for next year? If so, now is the time to look for housing. Binghamton University’s Off Campus College can help. To look at housing lists’ as well as sublet lists, check out http://saffairs.binghamton.edu/ occ/housinglist/ Thinking about studying abroad for a semester? Now’s the time Volume 1, Issue 1 to start planning! What courses should you be taking to keep you on track for studying abroad? Where should you look for your major? To learn more about studying abroad and to see how others have enjoyed their experiences, check out http:// www2.binghamton.edu/ oip/study-abroad/ index.html “Do what you can, Becoming A Mentor: Searching for where you are, with Off-Campus Transfers Students Are you a transfer student who likes to help others? If so, The Transfer Initiatives and Services Office and the Tau Sigma transfer honor society are working together to recruit transfer student volunteers who live off campus and are interested in mentoring new off-campus transfer students. By sharing your experiences, clarifying what you have.” - expectations, answering questions and discussing the Binghamton area, you can help smooth the transition for a new transfer student living off campus. This does not require a big time commitment. If you are interested please e-mail Terry Kelley-Wallace at transvcs@binghamton.edu or tausigma@binghamton.edu Theodore Roosevelt Let Us Know What You Think! Did you enjoy this newsletter? Are there other items you would like to read about? Would you like to write an article or share your transfer student experience? Let us know! Send us an e-mail, give us a call, or stop by our office, transvcs@binghamton.edu 607-777-3868 Tuscarora Office Building We would love to hear from you !!! Page 5