December 1, 2010

Reminder: Winter Family Day Registration Open

Winter Family Day registration is now open, and a limited number of basketball tickets remain for Parents Association members to attend the men's and women's games against Vanderbilt-both on Saturday, January 15. Family Day registration allows you to still get tickets to these sold out games, so register today! This rare doubleheader and competitive SEC matchup promises to be exciting! Click here for a complete schedule of events and for more information about Family Day. Registration will close on Friday, December 10, 2010.

Please Note: You will need your email address and Parents Association Member ID in order to log in to the Family Day registration system. If you need assistance locating your Member ID, please feel free to call the Parents Association office at (865) 974-4546.

Parents & Families Fund Year End Gifts

Thank you to all the parents and families who have helped us meet 75% of our goal. Our annual campaign is finishing strong, and our annual goal of $100,000 set by the UT Parents Council is well within reach. We know this goal is very attainable if every family in the Association gives just $25. The Parents & Families Fund supports student scholarships and programs for parents and students. Click here for more information or to give online. Call (865) 974-4546 to talk to a staff member about supporting the Parents & Families Fund.

Final Exams for Students

The final exam period for students lasts from Thursday, December 2, through Thursday, December 9. Click here for more information on the University's exam policy.

There are numerous resources on campus available to assist your student during the final exam period. Student Government Association is hosting UC Study Days on December 2, 6, 7, & 8. Click here for more information. The Black Cultural Center also offers students a great place to study with their Late Night Study Sessions December 2 & 3. Study hours last from 8:00AM - 3:00 AM on December 2 and from 8:00 AM-midnight on December 3. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Library Extended Hours During Final Exams

During study days and final exams, all floors of Hodges Library will be open 24 hours continuously from noon, Sunday, November 28, until midnight, Thursday, December 9. Click here for more information.

Residence Halls Closing for Winter Break

If your student lives in a campus residence hall, it is imperative he or she take certain steps prior to leaving for Winter Break. All campus residence halls will close at 5:00 PM on Friday, December 10 for all non-graduating students, and 8:00 PM on Saturday, December 11 for graduating seniors. Residence halls will reopen at 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 9. The Apartment Residence Hall and Volunteer Hall will not close.

All students in campus residence halls have been provided a list of closing instructions by their Resident Assistant (RA). Please encourage your student to speak with his or her RA prior to leaving for winter break to ensure they have properly prepared for the break.

Online Course Evaluations

At the end of each semester, students are asked students to complete evaluations of their courses. These evaluations will be entered into the Student Assessment of Instruction System (SAIS). While some evaluations may be administered in class, more than half will be administered online. Moving SAIS away from paper forms will save more than 1.25 tons of paper annually, but to make the online process successful and to realize this savings fully, it is important that your student fills out the evaluations online when asked to do so. Online course evaluations are available until midnight on Friday, December 3. Students can click here to access the evaluation system.

Spring 2011 Payment and Confirmation Deadline

The Spring 2011 Payment and Schedule Confirmation Due Date is Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 4:30 PM. Please note: This is a correction from the date printed on page 10 of the 2010-2011 Parents Association Handbook and Calendar.

All students are required to set their Confirmation of Attendance to "YES" via MyUTK/Banner Registration System and make a 50% payment by the due date or their schedule will be canceled. Please remind your student of his or her responsibility to set their confirmation of attendance to "YES" by the payment due date.

CNC Grading Option Assists Students on Entry Level Courses

As the fall semester comes to a close, your student may notice a unique grading option for one or more entry-level courses. The common grading option for courses at UT is "A-F." However, some students may see "CNC" as the grading option for some introductory courses. The Credit/No Credit (CNC) grading option is designed to help students build a strong GPA in their early courses at UT. The CNC option means that if your student earns a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, or C, (which counts as credit for the course) then their GPA is impacted according to the Grade Point Average Explanation chart offered by the Office of the University Registrar. If your student earns a grade of C- or lower, then the course counts as no credit (NC) and does not impact the GPA in any way. In this case, a student may retake the course as per the University's Course Repeat policy outlined on page 43 of Hilltopics, the Official UT Student Handbook. You can access a copy of Hilltopics on the Parent Resources tab of the Parents Association website here.

University Commencement & Rehearsal

University Commencement will be held on Saturday, December 11 at 9:00 AM in Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena for students graduating in December 2010. Students planning to participate in the Commencement Ceremony are encouraged to attend the Commencement Rehearsal held in the Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena at 11:00 AM on Friday, December 10, 2010.

Governor-elect and Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam will address graduates at the commencement ceremony. More than 2,900 undergraduate and graduate students, who have completed degree programs during the summer or fall semesters, will be awarded diplomas. Five graduates will receive commissions as second lieutenants in the U. S. Army. For more information, click here.

University of Tennessee Congressional Internship

The Congressional Internship Program gives students the opportunity to experience government in action. The internship is designed to provide students with the opportunity to work with Tennessee's Legislators in Washington, D.C. The program is six weeks long, during of May and June. Interns will work closely with legislative staff on a variety of projects, as well as assist with clerical tasks, depending upon the office in which they are placed. Students must have completed 60 credit hours and have a 3.0 GPA to participate. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2011 at 5:00 PM. Click here for more information.

Encourage Your Student During Final Exams

Send your student a quick pick-me-up during Final Exams by utilizing the Encourage & Support Your Student section of the Parents Association website. Click here to see all the ways to encourage your student. You can also utilize our partnership with The Flower Pot and enjoy free delivery on flowers or a care package delivered to your student in the campus or downtown area. Click here to visit our Discounts and Partnerships section.

A Christmas Carol at the Clarence Brown Theatre

Join the Clarence Brown Theatre as they celebrate the holiday and recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with the timeless Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. The show runs through Sunday, December 19. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at (865) 974-5161, Tickets Unlimited at (865) 656-4444 or click here.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE OFFICE OF THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION
412 STUDENT SERVICES BUILDING, KNOXVILLE, TN 37996
http://parents.utk.edu  ::  [log in to unmask]

Important Dates

December 1, 4-5: Study Days

December 2-3, 6-9: Final Exam Period

December 9: Campus Dining Fall Meal Plan Ends

December 10: Residence Halls Close at 5:00 PM for Non-graduating Students

December 11: Fall 2010 Commencement

December 11: Residence Halls Close at 8:00 PM for Graduating Seniors

December 24-31: University Closed for Winter Break

January 1: First Day to Submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for Fall 2011

January 9: Residence Halls Open at 1:00 PM

January 10: Campus Dining Spring Meal Plan Begins

January 11: Spring 2011 Payment and Schedule Confirmation Due at 4:30 PM

January 12: Full and First Session Spring 2011 Semester Classes Begin

January 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (No Classes)