Newsletter for December 17, 2007
HELP Center Announcements
STUDENT IDENTITY PROTECTION ALERT
It has recently come to the attention of the Student Legal Service that unknown individuals have attempted to obtain sensitive personal identification information from University of Minnesota students through email by representing themselves to be from the "Office of Financial Aid" and/or "Work Study." These messages request personal and private data which may then enable access to secure information leading to identity theft. The University of Minnesota never sends e-mails requesting student ID numbers or passwords. Do not respond to any email without first confirming that it is valid. Do not provide any personal information, such as student I.D.#, passwords, or Social Security numbers to any unknown third party. If you have questions or concerns, contact University Student Legal Service (USLS) at 612-624-1001, or stop by their office at 160 West Bank Skyway to make an appointment.
Changes to Our Computer System
As many of you have likely noticed we have undergone some changes to our computer policies and procedures in the center. We are no longer able to post the SPHC username and password. You should now be logging on with your individual X500 username and password. If this does not work, you will need to activate your Active Directory Account. Detailed instructions regarding how to do this are posted on each computer terminal and staff is always available to provide assistance. Also, please remember to save your work either to a USB port memory stick or to your e-mail account. Saving it to the desktop, even if you are logged on as yourself, is not secure as any documents on your desktop will be removed daily.
Sign-In Policy
Thanks to everyone for adapting to our sign in policy this semester. This will provide us with useful information as to the amount of student traffic we have in the center on a daily basis, which is necessary for future funding requests. Remember that if you come in more than once a day, you can simply put a check mark by your name each time you’re here. Thanks for your continued cooperation!
No Group Over Winter Break
Once again we had a fabulous semester of group with lively discussions, engaging speakers and delicious food. Our final day of group for 2007 was on December 12th. We will meet again starting next semester on Wednesday, January 23rd at 12:00 p.m. Group meets every week on Wednesdays from 12:00-2:00 in Room 24, Appleby Hall. The group provides the opportunity to connect with other student parents, discuss the challenges and joys surrounding academic studies and parenthood and share a FREE lunch with your fellow SPHC friends. The direction of the group will be determined in large part by your needs and ideas. Your willingness to share experiences and personal challenges will undoubtedly help others, so we hope you will join us as often as you can. Feel free to come for all or part of the group and remember that you are not obligated to come every week. Simply come as often as your schedule allows. (Your little ones are welcome).
If you have suggestions for a specific topic or program, contact Jerri Wagner or Katie Schoeppner at sphc@umn.edu.
Please remember that the center is closed during group on Wednesdays from 12-2 for all other computer use and studying spaces. Please come back in around 2 PM and we will re-open the doors. If you are going to join us for lunch, please stay at least 1/2 hour and join in the group in order to respect the food budget of the HELP Center.
Scholarship Opportunities to Check Out
Follow these web links to applications for scholarships available through the Sallie Mae Fund. Deadlines are indicated in red.
First in My Family Scholarship: For Hispanic-American students who are the first in their family to attend college, and have financial need. Open to Hispanic Americans who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at approved, accredited institutions. Must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Scholarship range: $500-$5,000.
Application: www.hispanicfund.org DEADLINE: 04/15/08
Unmet Need Scholarship: Open to families with a combined income of $30,000 or less with financial aid packages that fall more than $1,000 short of students' financial need. This scholarship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are accepted or enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at approved, accredited institutions. Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Scholarship range: $1,000-$3,000.
www.thesalliemaefund.org/smfnew/scholarship/Unmet_need.html Deadline:05/31/08
American Dream Scholarship: Open to African Americans with financial need. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and meet Pell Grant eligibility criteria. Must be enrolled full-time at an approved, accredited, undergraduate institution. Scholarship range: $500-$5,000.
www.uncf.org DEADLINE: 04/15/08
Community College Transfer Scholarship: Open to Hispanic students transferring from a community college to an approved, accredited four-year institution. Eligible students are Hispanic Americans who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and full-time undergraduate students. Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Scholarship range: $1,000-$2,500.
www.hsf.net/Scholarships.aspx?id=428 DEADLINE: 03/15/08
The Sallie Mae 911 Education Fund: Open to children of those who were killed or permanently disabled as a result of the terrorist attacks who are enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at approved, accredited institutions. Scholarship awards of up to $2,500 per applicant, per school year, are available and may be renewed on an annual basis, subject to satisfactory academic progress.
www.thesalliemaefund.org/smfnew/scholarship/911_fund.html DEADLINE: Open
For general information about Sallie Mae Funds visit: http://www.thesalliemaefund.org/smfnew/scholarship/index.html
Opportunities to Share
Student Parent Success Stories
We would like to continue featuring announcements of student and family successes as regular newsletter items. If you will be graduating at the end of fall term, are welcoming a new child, purchasing a home, getting married or experiencing any related event that you would like to have us post in the newsletter, please send the details to the SPHC email address, sphc@umn.edu. We would be proud and honored to share in celebrating these wonderful life transitions with you and your families.
Photo Gallery
Sharing photos of our children and families is a great way to get to know each other. If you have a photo of your child(ren) or family and would like to see it featured in one of our upcoming newsletters, send it as an e-mail attachment to sphc@umn.edu.
Parenting Information and Resources
Parent Warmline 612-813-6336
The Parent Warmline is a free consultation service for parents provided by Children’s Hospital. If you have questions or concerns about behavioral or developmental issues such as toilet training, discipline, sleep patterns, temper tantrums, fears, etc., call this free hotline (612-813-6336) and leave your name, telephone number and a brief description of your concern. Within 24 hours a professionally trained volunteer will call you back to offer practical advice, encouragement or community resource referrals. Please note that the Parent Warmline is a non-crisis, non-medical service. This service is free to parents who live in the Twin Cities metro area.
Postpartum Support International
The mission of this organization is: “To promote awareness, prevention and treatment of mental health issues related to childbearing in every country worldwide”. If you or a family member or partner is struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety call their warmline at 1-800-944-4PPD for emotional support and resource referral. For more detailed information visit the Postpartum Support International website www.postpartum.net.
University of Minnesota Extension Service
The University of Minnesota Extension Service offers a host of resources for Minnesota parents. Please bookmark the following website for access to answers and advice regarding a number of common parenting questions.
Energy Assistance
Whether we like it or not the cold is upon us! Many Minnesotans will see significant increases in their energy bills, sometimes beyond the ability of some to pay. The Energy Assistance Program provides grants for individuals in need. Please visit the following link for more information: http://liheap.ncat.org/
Mom Talk!
Looking for a place to learn from other moms, share resources, recipes and experiences? Visit www.momtalk.com. This is a great online forum with information on health and wellness, upcoming events, pregnancy and just about anything related to being a mom in the Twin Cities.
Other Resources
U of M Career Services: Online Workshops
In the past 6 months, several career offices have been working hard to move their career workshops to an online format that students can access at any time or place. Significant progress has been made on this project over the summer. At this time, 9 workshops have been completed and are available for student viewing. To see a complete list of the workshops now available, feel free to visit the St. Paul Campus Career Center web site - they are a listed at http://www.stpaulcareers.umn.edu/workshops.html
Resume Writing https://umconnect.umn.edu/resumes/.
Job Fair Success https://umconnect.umn.edu/jobfairsuccess/
Interviewing https://umconnect.umn.edu/interviews/
Networking https://umconnect.umn.edu/networking/
Graduate School Planning https://umconnect.umn.edu/gradschoolprep/
Writing Effective Personal Statements
https://umconnect.umn.edu/personalstatement
Pre-Law Workshop https://umconnect.umn.edu/lawschool
Professional Portfolios https://umconnect.umn.edu/portfolios/
Transitioning From Student to Professional
https://umconnect.umn.edu/transition.
University of Minnesota Business Reference Library
Visit http://busref.lib.umn.edu/ to access many tool for researching employers! Find company annual reports, newspaper articles and much more. Lexis Nexis and Hoovers are particularly useful databases on this web site to research organizations for job interviews and career fairs.
Community Events and Activities
Check out this link for a list of great activities to enjoy over the holidays:
From Every Voice: The University of Minnesota's Annual Concert in Honor of the Life and Work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr.
This wonderful event will take place on Sunday, January 20,2008, at 4:00 p.m. at the Ted Mann Concert Hall. The concert is sponsored by the Office for Equity and Diversity and the School of Music. The concert will feature The Steeles, an award-winning Minneapolis gospel/soul quintet. The Steeles, a family group of five brothers and sisters, have performed around the world and with artists including Prince, George Clinton, Mahalia Jackson, and many others.The concert is a wonderful opportunity for the University and the communities to celebrate, honor, and remember our shared ideals of equity, diversity and social justice, and it's also a great time! The concert is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required. For more information about the concert, visit the event web site at http://www.academic.umn.edu/equity/MLK2008.html or call the Office for Equity and Diversity at 612-624-0594.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Ten Sundays each year the Art Institute hosts Family Days. These events feature music, art, dance performance and hands-on activities for kids. The next event, "Weathervanes and Whirligigs", is in January. There will be hands-on activities, live bluegrass music and access to the work of local artists. This event is free and takes place on Sunday, January 13th between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm. There is no pre-registration required-simply show up anytime between 11 and 5.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is located at 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404. Visit http://www.artsmia.org/ for more information.
The Bell Museum of Natural History
The Bell Museum of Natural History located right on our own U of M, East Bank campus offers two fun family events. Visit their website for more details: http://www.bellmuseum.org/calendar.html
Nature Play
A drop-in family program from 1-3 p.m. on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Free with museum admission. For families with kids ages 4 and older.
Nature Tots
A program for toddlers and preschoolers with their parents, held the first Thursday of every month from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Free with museum admission, but registration is required. Call 612-624-9050.
MN Science Museum
Did you know…families who receive any assistance in the form of WIC, MFIP, GA, MA, MN Care, SSI, FS, or Section 8 qualify for reduced admission rates at the MN Science Museum. Just bring along current proof that you receive any of the assistance forms listed above, and you and your family can enjoy the Science Museum for the following prices:
Exhibits: $1.00
Exhibits + Omni Theater: $3.00
Please contact the museum with any further questions: (651) 221-9444, www.smm.org
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 9:30 am-5:00 pm, Thursday-Saturday 9:30 am-9:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am-5:00 pm CLOSED MONDAY
Hot Tip
Try these simple tips to make potty training easier:
Set up target practice
Put a flushable item, such as Cheerios or Fruit Loops, in the toilet. (You can also use shaving cream or colored ice cubes.) The game is then to aim and shoot. Rewards can be given based on accuracy and number of downed Cheerios (Fruit Loops add the extra challenge of shooting a particular color).
The colored water trick
Dye the toilet water with red or blue food coloring; it changes to orange or green and kids love knowing that they did this.
Sitting solution
Try putting the child on the toilet backwards (especially useful for boys.) That way your child is automatically aimed in the right place, and has the back of the toilet to hold on to. For BM's just have your child scoot his bottom up a little more toward the tank.
Dress her in dresses
A little trick with girls: Put her in dresses for about three weeks while training. It will be easier for her to get ready for the potty and allows for quick decisions when she is in the middle of playing.
Quick and Easy Recipe
Yummy Thumbprint Cookies
| RECIPE INGREDIENTS: | |
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1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened |
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1 cup sugar |
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1 tsp. vanilla extract |
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3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour |
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1/2 tsp. salt |
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Seedless strawberry or apricot jelly |
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar and stir in the vanilla extract. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour and salt. Combine the flour mixture and the butter mixture until the dough is crumbly but holds together when pinched.
2. Take a walnut-sized piece of dough in one hand. With the thumb of the other hand, gently knead it three times. Roll it into a ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your knuckle or thumb, press a well in the center and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jelly.
3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
Grants Update
Keep an eye out for child care grant applications for Spring Semester 2008. For those who qualify, grant applications will be mailed to your home in early to mid-January. Please be sure to contact the center if your address has changed.
COOL WEB LINKS:
http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/tips_tametube.shtml
Featured Books
*Note* All of the books/CD’s listed below are available for check-out at the Student Parent Help Center
- I Can Draw Dinosaurs by Terry Longhurst
- Mario Andretti, The Complete Record by Mike O’Leary
- Night-Night, Settle-Down Activities for Easy Bedtimes by Cynthia MacGregor
- We Can Get Along, A Child’s Book of Choices by Lauren Murphy Payne, M.S.W.
- Communication Miracles for Couples, Easy and Effective Tools to Create More Love and Less Conflict by Jonathan Robinson
- 31 Words to Create an Organized Life, Simple Strategies and Expert Advice to Win the Battle Against Chaos and Clutter by Marcia Zina Mager, 2 copies
- Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen by David Walsh, Ph.D.
- NO-Why Kids-of All Ages-Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It by David Walsh, Ph.D
- Brain Tools: Say NO! to Frustration & Distraction by Dr. Gary Johnson (This is a stress relief CD for adults and teens)
Who’s Who at SPHC
Susan Warfield, MSW, LICSW
As the Director of the SPHC, I am responsible for overseeing all programs of the Student Parent HELP Center and supervising SPHC staff. This has meant that I have had to step back from having the degree of direct contact with students I have always enjoyed having. This has been a difficult but necessary step for me to take in order to meet the needs of our growing program. If you have an issue that absolutely cannot be addressed by another SPHC staff member, you may schedule an appointment with me. These appointments should be booked through the SPHC front desk. Intakes and basic questions about services offered should be directed to Jerri Wagner, Rebecca Hassett, Katie Schoeppner, or Zer Xiong. I am entering my 8th year with the HELP Center and during this journey have moved from on-line staff, to Coordinator and now Director. With this evolution has come an increase in responsibilities and duties. Please know that even though you may not see as much of me in the actual Center as you may have in the past, I continue to work each and every day to bring you the programming, funding and visibility on campus that student parents need to have a successful experience at the U of MN. We are experiencing a bit of a crisis on the private child care funding side and I really need to devote most of my attention this year to finding more child care assistance and emergency grant funding in order to keep up with demand. Have no fear; you will continue to hear my raucous laughter echoing through the SPHC!
Jerri Clark Wagner, MSW, LGSW
I am the Direct Service Program Coordinator for the Student Parent HELP Center. Originally from New York State, I graduated from Syracuse University in 2000 with an undergraduate degree in theatre, with minors in sociology and women’s studies. After undergrad, I was an AmeriCorps volunteer for one year in Chicago, teaching arts integration on the west side in a Chicago Public School. In June of 2003, I graduated with my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Chicago. While in graduate school, I served as a therapist with Chicago’s Metropolitan YWCA, working with survivors of sexual assault and their families. From 2003-2006, I coordinated two statewide youth violence prevention programs for the Illinois Center for Violence Prevention in Chicago. Prior to relocating to Minneapolis, I spent March-June of 2006 traveling and learning abroad in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. I would love to talk about any of these varied experiences with you and really look forward to working with such an amazing and resilient population at the SPHC!
Rebecca Hassett
Hello! I am one of the new Graduate Social Work Interns this year. This is my first year in the MSW program and my first year at the U of M. I studied Political Science and Spanish at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. I am very excited to be working at the Student Parent HELP center; I think it is an amazing program with much to offer students. I will be helping Jerri out with group during fall semester and I can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you!!
Katie Schoeppner
Hello student parents! I am so excited to meet all of you and get to know you over the course of the school year. I am in my first year of the Masters of Social Work program at the U of M and will be interning here for the entire school year. It has been five years since I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in Psychology and Scandinavian Studies. Since graduating I have worked as a nanny in Sweden, as a program manager at an agency for adults with traumatic brain injuries, as a legal assistant at a small personal injury law firm and in the publisher’s office at the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, MN. It is sure to be an eventful and exciting year!
Zer Xiong
I am the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UGTA) for the Student Parent HELP Center. This is my second year as the UGTA. Part of my responsibilities is to assist you in the Center so feel free to ask me for help. Like you, I am also a student parent. My son Alexander will be 2 on November 27th, 2007. In May 2008 I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Family Social Science, and Public Health from the Inter-College Program. It has been a pleasure and privilege getting to know all the student parents who use our center and I am looking forward to another great year!
Comments, questions or ideas about useful information for this newsletter can be directed to Katie Schoeppner at Sphc@umn.edu.