Author: streslifemedia

Each student matters at UWGB and we care about each of our students. Student success is the goal of every member of the Phoenix family.   However, sometimes students need a little help when life hits a bump in the road. The Dean of Students Office at UW-Green Bay has created anew program entitled Phoenix Cares to help support students when they need it the most.

The Phoenix Cares website offers information for students needing help with academics, mental health, personal safety, food resources, and even homelessness. Resources are available both on and off campus depending on the issue. It is a one-stop shop for our students most serious needs outside of the classroom.

The website is also a place to ask for help or report someone who needs help using our three web forms. Anyone, student, employee, or parent, can submit information about bias incidents, students who are in a difficult place and need professional assistance, or just general concerns about the campus. Think of it as a place to tell someone, when you aren’t sure who to tell. From the Phoenix Cares website we can route concerns to the best resources to help students. So please, encourage your student to say something about that friend they are worried about, or do it yourself. The sooner we know, the sooner we can help. Check out the webpage at www.uwgb.edu/phoenix-cares/

Not everyone is accustomed to driving significant distances in inclement weather.  Please make sure you are prepared for winter and weather/road conditions that can threaten safety. The following are a few simple driving habits such as planning ahead, driving at a safe and legal speed, driving alert and sober, and buckling up that could ensure that you make it to your destination safely.

If you must use your car during a storm:

• Plan your travel, selecting both primary and alternate routes.
• Let someone know your travel routes and itinerary so that, if you don’t arrive on time, officials will know where to search for you.
• Check latest weather information on your radio.
• Try not to travel alone – two or three people are preferable.
• Travel in convoy (with another vehicle) if possible.
• Drive carefully and defensively. Watch for ice patches on bridges and overpasses.
• Take note of your odometer and coordinate it with exit numbers, mileposts, or crossroads so if you are in a crash or slide off the road you’ll better be able to identify where you are and summon law enforcement officers, rescue workers, or tow truck operators more quickly to your location.
• If a storm begins to be too much for you to handle, seek refuge immediately.
• If your car should become disabled, stay with the vehicle, running your engine and heater for short intervals. Be sure to “crack” a window in the vehicle to avoid carbon monoxide build-up.

Be courteous to those awaiting your arrival:

• Call ahead to your destination just as you are leaving.
• Let someone at your destination know the license number of your vehicle, what route you’ll be traveling, and give a realistic estimate of your travel time.
• If you have a cell phone, give that number to the party at your destination.
• If you have friends or family at your place of origin, you should call when you arrive to let them know you have arrived safely.
• If road conditions, tiredness, etc. delay or postpone a trip, make a phone call. Let people on both ends know of the delay.

Prepare a safety pack for your vehicle:

• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• First-aid kit
• Shovel, booster cables and windshield scraper
• Non-perishable food like raisins and energy bars
• Water
• Sand or cat litter for traction
• Cell phone adapter

Additional Tips:

• Encourage your student to register for GBAlert.  The Snow Emergency text function is used to update students and faculty regarding changing campus conditions.
• Check online for driving conditions from the Department of Transportation
• Make a family emergency plan

UWGB Parents & Family,

Happy holidays! It’s hard to believe the winter holidays are but a few short weeks away. I hope you were able to reconnect and enjoy a visit from your college student over their recent break from classes. Many of them were looking forward to returning home in order to enjoy time with loved ones, good food and much undisturbed sleep before heading back to campus to prepare for their first round of final exams.

The brief turn-around between now and Winter Break can be extremely stressful for your college student. This is the time when they will have the opportunity to prove they’ve retained all that they’ve learned this semester in the form of many tests, papers, and projects. Many of us remember from our own experiences what that type of pressure feels like! If you are looking for ways to show your support you may consider sending them text messages just before/after their big tests, mailing cards or letters of encouragement, or shipping them a small care package filled with a few of their favorite things. At heightened times of tension and anxiety, even the smallest gestures are both meaningful and impactful.

As I close out my last note of 2017, I want you to know what a pleasure it’s been to serve you and your student so far this academic year. Our newsletters will continue into next spring, but you don’t have to wait for information to reach you. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us; we would enjoy to opportunity to answer any and all of your inquiries. We can be reached at 920-465-2040. Thank you for all you do to assist your student in being successful here at UWGB!

Sincerely,

Gail Sims-Aubert
Director
Office of Residence Life

Do you have some feedback regarding your on campus living experience? Well, we want to hear it!

We are currently conducting our annual Resident Satisfaction Survey and we want to hear any feedback you have regarding facilities, services, your RA, and your overall on campus living experience. Your unique survey link was sent to your UWGB email and the final day to complete the survey is Tuesday, November 28.

Need an incentive to take the survey? All respondents will be entered in weekly prize drawings for a $25 gift card to the Phoenix Bookstore, Marcus Cinema Tickets, Green Bay Gambler hockey game tickets, and much more!

So, check your email for your unique link and take the Resident Satisfaction Survey! If you have any questions, contact Gail Sims-Aurbert at (920) 465-2040 or simsg@uwgb.edu.

Our Spring 2018 Semester Room Change Event will take place Wednesday November 15th from 5-8pm in the lower level of the Community Center. Not sure how the Semester Room Change Event works? Well then you’ve come to the right place!

Earlier this week, on November 6th, students who were aware of rooms that will be vacant for the Spring 2018 semester began reserving those rooms by navigating to this link and filling out the Semester Room Change Request Form. This form will be available until 11:59pm on November 12th. After Nov 12th, we will not accept any reservations and any student wanting to switch rooms must just show up to the event. Students reserving rooms must understand that just because you fill out the survey, does not necessarily mean you will get that room.

On November 14th, the Office of Residence Life Assignments Coordinator, Dawn Abernathy, will go through the submitted reservations and send out e-mails notifying students if their reservation went through, or if the room they wanted is unavailable. If your reservation is approved, the e-mail will have a reservation form attached which you MUST BRING to the Room Change Event along with your STUDENT ID. If your room is unavailable, you will still receive an e-mail and are still encouraged to come to the Semester Room Change Event and see what rooms are available to you.

The actual Semester Room Change Event will take place on November 15th from 5-8pm. All students attending the event should check-in at the Student Mail room on the lower level of the Community Center. The first hour, 5-6pm, we will serve the students who have an approved room reservation and brought their ROOM CHANGE FORM and STUDENT ID to the lower level of the CC.

After 6pm, any rooms that are previously reserved and not claimed, will be released and may be taken by any other student. Any other students, who did not have a reserved room, can begin the room change process. Priority numbers will be issued beginning at 5pm and are issued on a first come, first served basis. Any students changing rooms at this event will still be charged the $50 room switching fee and any student wanting to change their rooming assignment MUST bring their STUDENT ID to the event, you CANNOT just know your student ID number.

REMINDER: Students who are not attending UWGB next semester or are student teaching outside of Brown County for the Spring 2018 semester should apply to cancel their housing assignment AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

If you are unable to attend the room change event, you are not out of luck! On the room change form, there is a section for a proxy. A proxy is someone who you assign that is allowed to change your rooming assignment at the event. The proxy must bring the, already filled out, semester room change form with the proxy portion filled out as well and THEIR STUDENT ID. They are there to pick out the room for you, but they may not be able to call you during their session to ask you if the room they are choosing is alright so you must discuss with them exactly what you want.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Office of Residence Life at (920) 465-2040 or housing@uwgb.edu.