New Students!!

Incoming Panthers!

First of all I want to extend a big congratulations to all of you on your acceptance to UW-Milwaukee! We can't wait to have you join us on campus. In fact, we aren't even going to wait all summer! Before you begin your collegiate journey, all incoming freshman are required to attend New Student Orientation.

NSO is a two-day, overnight glimpse into the coming year where you will become familiar with campus, register for classes, be introduced to the multitude of involvement opportunities available and so much more! In addition, you will all spend the night at RiverView Residence Hall where you'll get to experience first hand the residence hall lifestyle as well as meet other incoming Panthers!

Before you're able to register for your NSO the following tasks must be completed:

1. Pay at least $100 towards the $235 New Freshman Fee (either before or after taking the placement test)

2. Take Placement Tests - Register for testing here

3. Submit the University Housing Contract or an Exemption Form

4. Pay the $100 housing deposit (only if you completed a housing contract)

Once all of these steps are completed you will receive an e-mail invitation to register for your New Student Orientation! Parents are encouraged to accompany incoming students to NSO so make sure you coordinate schedules with them! There will be a lot of information delivered to you quickly and parents are great for helping remember and understand everything happening during this exciting process. There will also be special informational sessions for parents throughout the day. Parents are not required to stay overnight, but there is space available in Kenilworth at a cost of $40 per person per night which can be reserved during registration. Several hotels are also close-by if they prefer.

By completing all necessary steps to register for NSO and registering you will be all ready to come learn more about what it means to be a Panther! I would like to leave you with one tip though; most first year students take a lot of the same classes so they tend to fill up very quickly. The earlier New Student Orientation session you attend the more options you will have when selecting classes and setting up your schedule exactly how you want it!

Have a great start to your summer and I'll see you soon!

Eric

Move out Information

Happy May Panthers!! 

As the semester quickly comes to an end, it is time to start thinking about moving out of the residence halls and enjoying your summer vacation!! Your RA will be your guide to the move out process. I have posted some tips and tricks to make moving out an easy and breezy process for you all. 

UWM residence halls will close on May 17th, 2014 at 6pm! Residents are asked to depart 24 hours after their last final exam but no later than May 17th at 6pm. If you need to stay longer please fill out a late departure request form and turn it into the housing office.

My first trick and tip for you all is make sure you do the following three things to avoid an improper checkout charge! 

• Sign up for a checkout appointment with your RA on signup.com
• Show up on-time for your checkout appointment with your RA
• Checkout with an RA

Below are some more tips for the move out process!!

1. Pack up all items. We encourage you to start packing up prior to finals as that week can be stressful. Also, due to limited parking and supplies during move out it is often easier to move small loads home prior to move out.

2. If you have a loft, disassemble it and store it under your bed. The room should be returned to the same condition and arrangement it was in when you moved in.

3. Remove all items from your walls. Remove any tape, poster putty, etc. from walls and wash the marks off the walls. All spills/splashes must be wiped off walls, ceilings, heating units.

4. Clean and dust all furniture surfaces, including:

• Closet shelves
• Bookshelves
• Outlet covers
• Drawers in desk and dressers
• Windows: sill, panes, tracks
• Bed frame
• Under the bed
• Blinds
• Heating and A/C units
• Kitchen and bathroom cabinets
• Fridge and Freezer (top and inside)

6. Wash out waste baskets and place them on top of your desk. Clean all common areas of your suite. Empty out all kitchen and bathroom cabinets.  Clean the toilet bowl and walls in the bathroom area. Clean out fridge and freezer, and stove top. Wash out kitchen trash can and place on top of kitchen table if applicable.

7. Sweep and clean tile floors. Please do not sweep debris into hallways or stairwells. Vacuum all carpeted areas within the suite. When vacuuming, you are responsible for the 4-foot area (left and right) outside your suite.

8. Donate unopened non-perishable food items, clothing and small appliances.

9. Clean out your mailbox and update your forwarding address information on the myhousing portal prior to check out.

10. Submit any necessary work orders for all damages or repairs needed in your room or suite at www.fixit.uwm.edu

11. Close your blinds and windows. Turn off lights and lock your room and suite door. Return your keys and of course enjoy your summer! :)

Finally, I am sure a lot of you are wondering what happens to all that left over money from your meal plan at the end of the semester! 

If you do not have an outstanding balance or end of year charge, your meal plan funds will be refunded to you, minus a $10 administrative fee. Refunds are provided in the same fashion as your payment was made. Refunds typically take up to 45 days after closing. If you have charges owed on your PAWS account, your refund would first be applied to those charges.

Just a reminder that 24 hour quiet hours are in effect starting Thursday, May 8th at 10pm until Saturday, May 17th at noon!

Good luck on all your finals and we hope you all have a great summer,

Haley

Hungry Hungry Residents!

With contracts coming out soon I'd like to take a minute to explain the meal plan in more depth to clear up or prevent any confusion that may be surrounding the topic. Any resident that does not have a kitchenette in their suite is required to have a meal plan. When filling out a housing contract, three meal plan levels will be available to choose from. Level 1 is the lowest dollar amount and level 3 is the highest. Anyone assigned to a room which requires a meal plan but selected a no plan choice will default to level 2, if necessary. Each plan also includes (within the cost posted) a Dining Administration Fee which traditionally has been equal to the base amount of meal plan level one. This fee enables Restaurant Operations, who controls and coordinates all food related efforts, to provide the great service and convenience our residents become accustomed to throughout their time in University Housing.

The best place for residents to use their meal plans is in the cafeterias (Cambridge, RiverView and Sandburg plus Palm Gardens in Sandburg) because food purchased with a meal plan at those venues gets a 50% discount! Spending the meal plan money in the cafeterias is the best value for the price and helps you recoup the admin fee.

Everything available for purchase in the cafeterias being a la carte, so each transaction is only for the exact food purchased. There are no buffet-style cafeterias in University Housing (and you don't swipe or pay just to be able to enter the facility).

It is unlikely anyone will spend their entire meal plan in the cafeterias, but this is good information to be aware of and take into consideration when trying to budget out how to spend the meal plan.

"Eric! Help! There's still a month left in the semester and I don't have any more money left on my meal plan! Do I have to starve for the rest of the semester?!"

Absolutely not! Residents can add money to their meal plan online at Managemyid.com or in person at the cafeteria Cash Value Center located in Sandburg. On the other side of the fence, there is no penalty for not using the entire meal plan amount. Any balance at the end of Fall semester is carried over into the Spring semester, and the balance at the end of the contract (end of Spring semester) is refunded back to the resident, less a ten dollar processing fee.

If you have any questions about meal plans or if you would like to change your meal plan level, you can call or email our office at university-housing@uwm.edu.

Hopefully everyone understands meal plans a little better now!

Eric

Fall Welcome and New Classes!

Happy Friday!

As fall welcome comes to an end, I know I have personally had a blast going to various fall welcome events!! Don't forget there are still a ton of ways to keep getting involved in and around UWM. UWM has absolutely amazing centers and offices that can help you academically and socially!  Some of my favorite offices around campus include The Center for Student Involvement which offers a whole list of available student organizations you can become apart of. Another great office is The Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership and Research, which includes volunteering opportunities around the UWM campus. The Office of Undergraduate Research can help you find various research opportunities around campus and The Recreation Center can match you up with different sports clubs! These offices are great starts to kicking off your school year and hopefully keeping you very busy during all of your down time! As classes continue, remember all of the resources available to you to help you academically excel. PASS tutoring, The Writing Center, Mentors, professor office hours, and of course your RA! All of these people can help make your year at UWM the most successful it can be. As always if you have any questions about anything please feel free to ask below!! I know it's only three weeks into the semester but don't forget to get involved!!

Haley


 

Exercise on Campus!

In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is important to incorporate exercise into your routine. There are benefits for exercising now and in the future. Starting the habit of exercising now makes it easier to continue the habit later in life. 

I've come up with 5 top reasons why it is important for college students to exercise.

1. It helps control weight
• A change in diet, daily schedule, or just overall environment can make your body react in strange ways. Stress is another huge component that can make your weight fluctuate.
2. Improves your mood
• When you exercise your body produces endorphins, which make you happy. If you are mad at someone or stressed about a class, take a 30 minute walk. You can listen to music or call your mom, but whatever you do...get moving. It'll make you feel better.
3. Boosts Energy
•  It seems like you would be super tired after exercising and it's true, you probably will be. But once it becomes part of your routine you'll realize that you have more energy. 
4. You'll start sleeping better
• Probably because you're so tired from exercising right? Nope (well, sometimes). The healthier your body is, the easier it is to relax. 
5. It's just fun
• Personally running 5 miles is never something that has appealed to me or sounded like fun, but the first time I ran 5 miles was incredibly satisfying. In order to qualify as "fun" I take Zumba or exercise with a friend. Some people can read while running on the elliptical.You can make it fun for you and sometimes even be productive. 

Working out on and around campus is really easy. The Klotsche Center and Pavilion is open most of the year and has convenient hours. It has everything including a weight room, track, basketball/volleyball courts, a pool, racquet ball, and classrooms. The classrooms hold group exercise classes. There are GroupX classes like Zumba, Guts and Butts, Group Cycle, Kickboxing, and many more. All of those classes are free as long as you are a full time student.

The Klotsche Center also coordinates Intramural Sports. If you played a sport in high school and want to continue, this is a great way to do that. You can form a team with your friends or use it as a way to meet people. All the information about Intramural Teams can be found on the Klotsche website.

If you don't know how to get started when it comes to exercising or you need some personalized help, Klotsche has personal trainers. They will work with you to come up with a program that is best for you. I can say from personal experience that this is an amazing resource to use.

UWM also offers classes called Sport and Rec classes, which are one or two credit courses that only last half of the semester. Those classes range from rappelling to organic cooking, flower arrangement to outdoor survival, tango to bowling. It's a great way to have fun, earn credit and get exercise into your daily routine.

If you are living in any of the Residence Halls you'll have access to a small exercise room. They aren't as extensive as the Klotsche Center, but if you just want to run on the treadmill or lift some weights it's really nice not to have to leave your building. Make sure you check those out once you move in.

All around Milwaukee are different biking, walking, and running trails. This is a great way to get moving outside and see a lot of different parts of Milwaukee. Here is a website that had different routes planned out http://www.walkjogrun.net/running-routes/USA/WI/Milwaukee.

Exercise is a huge key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are many benefits, mentally and physically, so remember that when debating whether or not to go to the gym. Exercise is beneficial now and later on in your life.

Reasons to learn Chinese

你应学习中文

（you should study Chinese)

I know this is completely random, but I figured now, before classes start, would be as good a time as any to try to convince you to add Chinese to your schedule. I'm not sure if Chinese is full yet or not, but you could always just go to Chinese and add it when someone drops it out of fear, because they will ;)

1. It's pretty impressive to be able to talk to Chinese people in Chinese, even just a little.

2. The grammar is SUPER simple, I kid you not. Always put time first because it's most important.. "I'm having dinner tonight" would be written "tonight I am having dinner"

3. There are no tenses or genders or any of that nonsense, it's very pictorial.

4. Questions are grammatically simple. "You are a dad" turns into "Are you a dad?" simply by adding a question word ("ma") on the end of the original statement... So your sentence would literally translate to- "You are dad 'ma'?" This works with pretty much every question.

5. You do have to spell things correctly in pinyin form- 你好 is ni hao. But this is just a way to spell things out in letters so they can be sounded out, there are no spelling tricks.

6. You will be incredible memorization skills after you take it. I promise you that.

7. It sounds really cool when you start speaking in dialogues and it looks really cool once you start writing short responses from memory.

8. You'll occasionally be able to tell when someone's tattoo is incomplete or grammatically incorrect, even if they have no idea. Or if it's just plain embarrassing and ridiculous.

9. Chinese professors are generally pretty awesome.

10. It's a very sing-songy beautiful language with the intonations.

11. Around 20% of the world speaks various dialects of it. I'd recommend simplified Mandarin if you're going to learn Chinese. Cantonese seems to be the other big dialect.

12. Awesome people take Chinese; the longer you take it the more awesome people you will meet!

13. Time is also simple. Put it in order from biggest to smallest unit- year, month, day, part of day...

14. Once you know your numbers you know your months!- month one, month two, month three... For instance February (my birthday) is the second month. 二 means two. 月 means moon (month). So February is 二月. It's just that simple!

15. Once you know your numbers you also know your days of the week- day one, day two, day three.

16. Numbers are simple-ish 一二三四五六七八九十 See how 一 has 1 line, 二 has 2 lines, 三 has 3 lines, 四 looks like a mustache in a box, 五 kind of looks like and upside down 5 if you squint, and 七 looks like an upside down 7? Ah yes, not so bad. 十 is 10 and if you want to make a number like 12 it is simply a matter of combining the two- 十二 Easier than Spanish I tell you!!

17. If you are a visual/audio learner, like me, then this is the perfect language for you!

18. Periods look cool, they look like a tiny soap bubble- 。

People often ask me why I took 2 semesters of Chinese in the first place. They wonder if I have some secret interest in the culture or if I am planning a trip there. Nope! I just didn't want to take Spanish anymore and I needed a foreign language for college applications :-) I still have no plans of traveling to Chinese or putting the language to use, but I'm still glad I took it.

Chinese is mostly just time consuming memorization and it's hard to catch back up if at any point you start slacking, so if you are taking it make sure you have the motivation/time to really dedicate yourself to it.

Hope move-in is going well for everyone! The back of my dad's truck is filling up and I am almost done. Tomorrow is the big day! If there isn't room for my bike I will just ride across the entire state of Wisconsin (and part of Minnesota) alongside my parent's truck on the highway. Just kidding!.... although I did just buy that helmet, maybe we could rig something with a water skiing rope? ;-) ha.

Tina

Advice for Freshman

That's my planner, and that's me and my family :) Although my bug won't really be moving to Milwaukee :(, it was just a cuter doodle than us in my dad's truck. And in case my sloppy handwriting has thrown you, the first appointment of the day is to "wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy!"

College is what you make of it. The best advice I can give a college freshman is to get your smiling face out there to meet as many new friends as possible. You never know when you’ll meet a lifelong friend. I met some of my best friends last year standing in a line for a hotdog.

Get involved with the community. Find a cause that you believe in and commit to it, even if it’s just once a week. Working for a cause will give you a tie to your new community that life on campus can’t give you, it will get your focus off of your own life’s stressors, and you might get more out of it than you ever bargained for (learning, personal growth, networking).

Get involved with your resident hall’s activities and meetings. Get to know the people in your building. Resident hall meetings might not sound like the most exciting thing ever, but they are a great way to meet people. Make these people your family and your best friends and I promise you won’t be nearly as homesick in the long run. And if you run into a problem, any problem really, talk to your resident assistant about it. They are a great resource to you. And if for some reason you don't feel comfortable talking to your RA, or maybe yours is gone for the day, by all means go find another, I'm sure they would be happy to help you out. RAs are helpful and nice like that.

Try new things, on and off campus. Expand your awareness of different cultures, sports, art forms, politics…. This is what college is all about! Go to random new clubs for the free food and come out with a new hobby, learn to salsa dance, join a meditation group and see if you can sit still and not think for an hour... Whatever floats your boat! Get outside your comfort zone though.

Last year I was challenged by my religions professor to attend prayer at the masjid (Arabic word for "mosque" meaning place of prostration - prayer) with one of my best friends in Rochester, a Muslim originally from Sudan. I learned more that day than I have in most of my life, both about my community and about myself. It threw me into a different culture and it gave me first hand experience with the glares and other forms of discrimination you get just for dressing like a Muslim, even in a fairly progressive city... Within a few minutes of changing into a traditional dress and hijab (headscarf) one woman in Culver's bathroom was too scared to even walk past me. I was in the same city I'd grown up in, but I was being treated completely differently.

Sure I was scared to dress like this, surround myself with people who weren't speaking English, and I tripped over the hem of my dress walking up the parking ramp's stairs twice, but I wouldn’t trade that day for the world. I felt like I was in a different world seeing out of someone else's eyes, and I loved every minute of it.

That's me shopping at the Red Sea International African Mall across the street from the Abu-bakar Sidiq Masjid. Most people in Rochester, Minnesota don't even know we have an African Mall, I sure didn't! Turns out it's a great place to find cheap pashmina scarfs (sooo soft!) and delicious Kenyan tea... And that rug I am holding is a prayer rug, Muslims stand, kneel, and prostrate on them during prayer. Muslims pray facing Mecca, Saudi Arabia, specifically towards a building with a cube in the middle called the Kaaba. This prayer rug has a compass (all in arabic and totally impossible to read, even to my friends who speak Arabic) to assist you in figuring out what direction you should be praying as you travel. I thought it was pretty spiffy.

Best of luck with your packing :-)

Tina

Building a college wardrobe

The summer’s winding down fast, and I don’t know a single girl who isn’t prowling their closets and running to the mall to fill in gaps they find in their wardrobes. College is the perfect time to start defining your style and building a “real” wardrobe.

A rule of thumb of mine is quality over quantity; define what you need and find the very best fitting and best quality of that item. Spend a little more, save a lot in the long run. But this is just one strategy of shopping, another is to run into mall and buy stuff that is pretty and shiny and the next week find your dress’s strap has broken… Save yourself the time, money, and frustration. Buy stuff that will last.

Anyway, I've compiled list according to my own closet and I've added wardrobe advice from my own freshman year. I hope it will be helpful to you-

Socks & Underwear – Bring lots of these. Personally I hate doing laundry, so I like to make sure I have 4 weeks worth of socks and underwear on hand. For socks I would recommend ankle-highs so you can wear them with either jeans or shorts. For underwear look for something that fits, doesn’t bulk up or leave lines, and try to match the colors up with your shirts as much as possible.

Bras- I’d recommend maybe 10 bras that fit well and are comfortable for everyday. If you’re not sure what size you are go in and get fitted, the right size bra makes all the difference to the outfit. At least one of these bras should be something that works under your dressier clothes. Also, make sure you don’t forget about sports bras and comfortable bras for around the residence halls.

4-5 Pairs of Jeans in various washes- Jeans are a college staple. If you get about 4 pairs of good-quality jeans in various washes you can rotate them. Oh and no one will notice if you wear the same jeans twice in a week, I promise. TJ Maxx is having HUGE sales right now as many college students have already left for school. I just picked up quality brands like DKNY and Lucky Jeans for $15 a pop. It was, in a word, amazing.

4-6 Basic, 100% cotton tank tops- Get a variety of different colors for layering. I recommend cotton over spandex and polyester blends simply because with pure cotton you won’t get the strange clinginess that you often do with blends. Look for something that isn’t see-through so you can wear it alone if you so choose. If you like lace keep your eyes open for tank tops that have lace edging, they look really nice when you’re layering.

At least 3 Cardigans – Personally I will be bringing about 10, but cardigans and sweaters are pretty much my middle name. Old Navy has some GREAT cardigans out right now for about $10 each.

Warm Sweaters- These are great to have if you ask me.

Formal wear- (for interviews and the like) At least 1 pair of dress pants, 1 Button-down dress shirt, and 1 pair of formal shoes, ideally black pumps since they will go with everything. The key with these dress shoes is to go for both quality and comfort, if you find the perfect pair they will last you many years. You’ll probably want a few dressy tops on hand for semi-formal events. Also, if you plan on attending many formal events during college, now would be the time to invest in a blazer or, if your in something like forensics, a full suit might be more appropriate. This can be pricy but it's an investment, especially if you're going into something like business.

A Bag- Look for a good quality handbag that will hold everything. I’d say your best bet is TJ Maxx. Go for a style and color that you can carry day or night and will last you throughout the seasons.

A backpack- Maybe it’s so obvious that you forgot to pack it? :-P

2 winter coats- I say 2 just in case you plan on getting into any major snowball fights, in which case you’ll want a spare handy in place of the drenched one. And I mention winter coats because I’m moving 5 hours and will not have a chance to go home outside of breaks. If you live closer I’d recommend picking up your coats once it gets cold to save precious closet space.

1 pair of winter boots- Look for a pair that is meant for walking, you do a lot of that in college. I found a great pair from Northface that only weighs a pound or two a boot; so they’re incredibly light but still cute and VERY warm. Plus I’m fairly sure they’ll last me all of college and beyond.

1 Rain Coat- Unless you like getting you and all of your stuff wet, bring a rain jacket and possibly an umbrella. I also have rain boots, but I’m an avid puddle-jumper.

**Keep in mind that umbrellas often direct water flowage directly onto one’s backpack. And if you’re paranoid like me, you might even consider sticking your laptop in a large ziplock inside your backpack on such days, just in case.

1 light jacket for the in-between seasons- I splurged a little and sprung for a London Fog trench coat off Overstock… I highly recommend London Fog. My mom one in college and I think someone somewhere is still wearing it. They’re cut great, water resistant, and built to last.

A pair of casual flats- It’s always nice to have another option in place of heels just in case you’re not up for them, or if you’ll have to do a lot of walking. Plus these look very cute with jeans.

Cute Sweats- These are great for wearing around the residence halls and working out, but wear with caution, you don't want to be wearing them to class a lot.

Shower Flip Flops- Unless you like feet funguses and standing in who-knows-what, don’t shower barefoot... I like Havaianas, they're a squishy sort of comfortable and they last for years.

Tennis shoes- Necessary, you’ll wear them often. I recommend Earth tennis shoes. They feel weird at first since your heels sit lower, but if you do a lot of standing or walking they’re amazing to your ankles and back, I promise. My chiropractor recommended them to me and I haven’t bought another brand since.

Slippers- optional, but cozy

Bathrobe- optional, but very very nice in the middle of the winter when you’re room’s cold and you’re all wet. Remember, you have a roommate, and she might prefer living in a climate slightly different from what you are used to. It’s always good to have warm things like robes and sweatshirts and blankets on hand to counteract such unexpected climate changes.

A random side note- Do not put a banana in your backpack, just don’t, it’s a death wish. It might seem like a good idea when you get that banana, but you will forget about that banana, and when you do you'll find yourself looking at a pile of gooey papers and a wet backpack.

My Post-Milwaukee Tour Day Advice

My Post-Milwaukee Tour Advice from Kelly Kloth on Vimeo.