Newsletter Jan 2017
Inside January 2017 Edition
Upcoming Events
Spring 2017 Academic Dates may be found online here.
Parents Appreciation Weekend
February 17-18, 2017
April 21-22, 2017
April 22, 2017
Join the Parents Association Today!
Your annual membership pledge of $40 or four year pledge of $100 supports Parent and Family Programming, Student Scholarships and campus improvements to increase student success. Be sure to designate your gift for the ‘Parents Fund’ when submitting your form.
Read more about the benefits of being a Pirate Member at the $40 or $100 level HERE.
Valentines Day
Care Packages Now Available!
Valentines Day is right around the corner, surprise your student with one of our care packages thoughtfully designed with this special day in mind. Your purchase provides valuable funds to the East Carolina University Ambassadors, a student run and governed organization that utilizes funds earned to support initiatives that directly impact all on campus populations. Deadline to order is February 1, 2017, but order prior to that at https://www.swaku.com/ecu. We thank you for your support! *Visibility on the website indicates availability.
Transitions
ECU parents and families, thank you for your patience and accept our apologies, as our office was unable to send out October and November newsletters. We are, however, excited about the New Year as our office is fully staffed again and ready to serve you! We take pride in our opportunity to provide ECU parents and families with the information needed to support your students pirates.
Welcome, Emily-Lynn!
The Office of Parent and Family Programs is pleased to welcome our new Assistant Director, Emily-Lynn Adkins. Emily-Lynn is a 2008 graduate of East Carolina University and has worked with the university since 2009. Her background in alumni engagement and event planning will help move our office forward as we continue to grow our programs and Parents Association. Emily-Lynn’s responsibilities include all parent engagement, parent programming as well as the Parents Association and it’s governing body, the ECU Parents Advisory Council. Welcome to the team, Emily-Lynn!
Parent Association Scholarship Applications Due January 31
The ECU Parents Association is accepting online applications for our Leadership Scholarships to be awarded during 
the 2017-2018 academic year. Applications are due in the online system by January 31, 2017.
Approximately 5 scholarships of $2,000 are available to full-time undergraduates with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who demonstrate leadership and service on campus and in the community. First preference is given to students of Parents Association members. Students may submit their scholars application through Academic Works.
You may join the Parents Association online here:
https://parents.ecu.edu/
Parents Appreciation Weekend
We value and appreciate the partnership that parents have with the university to promote student success. Join us for a special weekend as we celebrate an important group – YOU!
The weekend highlights include the ECU Excels celebrations, a Parent Pre-Game Mixer, and the Men’s Basketball Game, with a special “Buy One, Get One” offer on tickets for Parent Association members.
We hope to see you there!
Congratulations to our Parents Association Members!
At the Fall 2016 Parents Council meeting, the Parents Council, along with the help of Dowdy Student Stores and Financial Services raffled a free semester of textbooks and a free semester of in-state tuition. Pictured right, Kathy Siemon and son Addison (Freshman) are receiving Addison’s spring textbooks from Bryan Tuten, Director of Dowdy Student Stores.
Also, we congratulate Michael Durand, whose daughter Hannah (Freshman) is the recipient of free tuition this semester.
A special thank you to our campus partners, Dowdy Student Stores and Financial Services for helping the ECU Parents Association provide these opportunities for our parents and students!
Family Fellows Program
Embrace this moment FOREVER and join the Family Fellows Program.
Pirate families can leave a lasting legacy through an unrestricted gift to the Parents Fund named or endowed that provides an annual award in your graduates’s name. This fund will support ECU’s parents fund and/or a program of your choosing. It can be a student organization, undergraduate scholarship, academic program, or a gift to the parents fund to support scholarships.
This program is a unique way to honor and celebrate your graduate through giving. This symbol of recognition allows you to stay connected with you Pirate family and provide resources and tools for future generations of students.
Benefits of Family Fellows Program:
- Families, including the graduation senior, will be honored as members of the Family Fellows Program
- Engraved Cupola Brick
- ECU Diploma Frame as Family Fellows special gift
- Recognized as a member of the Chancellor’s Society by ECU Foundation
- Invitation to annual Family Fellows reception
- Reserved limited seating and parking at University commencement
- Special presentation at Senior Celebration (sponsored by the Alumni Association)
- Personal interaction and seminars with university leadership, professors, and staff
- Opportunities to network with other philanthropic East Carolina families
- Family Fellows gifts will count towards annual Senior Parent Campaign totals
For more information please contact Zack Hawkins, Director of Student Affairs Development and Parent & Family programs. Zack can be reached by phone at 252-737-4970 or via e-mail: parentgiving@ecu.edu
Spring Family Weekend
Save the date for the upcoming Spring Family Weekend held on April 21-22, 2017. Exciting events include: Tailgate, Purple/Gold Spring Football Game, Corporate Leadership Awards, and much more.
Information and ticket details will be forthcoming.
Pirates LiveSafe at ECU
East Carolina University has a new mobile safety application, called LiveSafe, and safety officials are asking parents to encourage their students to download the app. LiveSafe is a free app (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) for students to engage in discreet two-way conversations with ECU safety officials (including ECU Police, Dean of Students, and ECU Cares). It is an integral tool to assist in providing more personal safety and security while traversing campus and Greenville.
LiveSafe allows the user to report safety concerns anonymously, send text/pictures/videos/audio to assist with ongoing investigations, hold two-way conversations with police, have someone virtually watch them while on a run or walk to their apartment with the SafeWalk feature, or even contact SafeRide. The app also allows the user to easily access helpful campus resources (like what to do in case of an active shooter, bomb threat, or tornado).
Parents are also welcome to download LiveSafe to gain access to campus resources, request wellness checks, or to utilize SafeWalk with their student.
LiveSafe has been ranked one of “10 apps every college student should download today” by The Huffington Post. Learn more at https://oehs.ecu.edu/emergency-management/livesafe/ – and encourage your student to download LiveSafe on their cellphone.
Benefits of LiveSafe
- Share information, tips and safety concerns with campus safety via text messaging, including picture, video, and audio attachments, or even through live chat.
- Stay anonymous anytime, or send your user information and location to ECU Police as soon as you call or message, allowing faster response times.
- Report non-emergency tips such as: hazing, concerning behavior, safety/repair issues, stalking, suspicious activity, hate/bias, and more to the police through the app.
- View a helpful Safety Map that displays where recent incidents have occurred, as well as nearby safety locations.
- Activate, SafeWalk, a GPS-tagged monitoring feature to let your friends and family keep you covered until you arrive safely to your destination.
- Receive timely notifications with important safety information from campus safety.
- Contact 911 or ECU Police through the app.
To download and set-up LiveSafe:
- Download the app on your iPhone or Android.
- Select “East Carolina University” as your affiliation.
- Fill in your user profile (sign up with Facebook or your name and email/cell phone number).
- You’re set! Start using the app to stay safe every day.
Joyner Library Offers Quiet Study Space for Students & Spaces to Collaborate
Parents: Has your student griped about not having a quiet place to study or asked you for help with a research paper? If so, here are the answers you need:
During the semesters, Joyner Library is open 24/5 from Sunday at 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Friday. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Third floor is a designated quiet area. Joyner Library is a great quiet, safe space to study. Your student can reserve a group study room to work with classmates on projects or have a group study session.
Studies show that students call home for guidance when tasked with their first major research paper. When you get that call, remember that Joyner Library can help. At the library, your student can:
- Schedule a meeting with a librarian for individual assistance on research projects and papers: Book a Librarian
- Walk in, telephone, email, send a text, or instant message for immediate help: Ask A Librarian
- Search scholarly databases, books and journals: Research Services
- Check out a laptop, e-reader, and other technology equipment: Borrow Equipment
- View online tutorials to learn about the research process: Tutorials
Studies have shown that students who use library services have higher GPAs and higher retention rates. Encourage your student to visit the library early and often in his or her academic career.
—
Submitted by:
Jan Lewis | Director, Joyner Library
Academic Library Services
Mailstop 516
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
email: lewisja@ecu.edu
phone: 252.328.2267 (w); 252.375.0479 (m)
On the weekend of March 24th-26th, 2017, the Residence Hall Association at East Carolina University will be hosting a Medieval themed Siblings Weekend 2017. This event will be a great time for your college student (the Sorcerer) to bring his/her younger sibling (the Apprentice) to campus and give the Apprentice a glimpse of what it can be like to be an ECU Pirate and experience campus living. During this weekend, we will be hosting multiple events providing fun and games for our Sorcerer to begin training their Apprentice in becoming a Pirate!
The age range for the siblings allowed to participate is school age (9 to 14 years). If during this academic year (August 2016-May 2017) your child was 14, we will allow them to participate in Siblings Weekend. Also, if your child was 8 during this academic year, we will allow them to participate. The fee for the weekend will be $30. The late fee will be $40. The preferred payment method is by a debit/credit card. You can pay with a debit/credit card by clicking here. The fee for the weekend will cover; a meal card for the sibling to use for the weekend, t-shirts, souvenirs, and more.
Help for Sophomore Writers
Students with sophomore standing should look for special themed sections of English 2201: Writing About the Disciplines. To make sure that students get the most out of this required course in the Foundations Curriculum, the English Department has recently redesigned the course to assist students as they transition into their majors by helping them to recognize and practice the common formats, types of evidence, styles, and structures used in writing in their prospective majors and career areas. The English Department also now offers several sections of ENGL 2201 each semester that are geared toward students interested in particular kinds of majors or career paths. For example, students thinking about going to medical school or entering other health-related careers might take ENGL 2201: Writing About the Health Sciences, while students thinking about becoming teachers might take ENGL 2201: Writing About Education. Other themed ENGL 2201 sections include:
- Writing About the Arts and Humanities
- Writing About Business
- Writing About Engineering and Technology
- Writing About Communication
- Writing About the Natural Sciences, and
- Writing About the Social Sciences
Encourage your students to look for sections themed around the major/career path they are considering. If no appropriately themed sections are scheduled for a time that fits in their schedules, do not worry: they can still take one of the many sections of ENGL 2201: Writing About Multidisciplines. These sections are intended to help any student from any major explore and practice writing conventions in their potential major or career.
Wanting more Family Connection? 
The ECU Family Therapy Clinic, located at 612 E. 10th Street, has been serving Pirate families for over 25 years. In our warm brick therapy home we offer individual, couple and family sessions to all ages on an income-based fee. The winter and the holidays can be difficult for many people and we wish to extend our relational approach to help build connection throughout families and improve individual well being. We offer EAP services for permanent ECU employees at 75% or more. For more information please contact our office at 252-737-1415.
CLEP Information for Parents
Did you know that your child can earn college credit and shorten his or her path to a college degree even before applying to college? By taking any of the 33 College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) exams, your child can minimize the time it takes to graduate, and significantly reduce the cost.
- At $110, CLEP is a fraction of the tuition and fees for a college course.
- CLEP can lower the burden of college loans by eliminating the cost for one or more courses.
- A satisfactory score on any of the 33 CLEP exams can earn your child 3 or more college credits.
- Taking CLEP exams early can help your child fulfill the requirements of his or her major more quickly.
Register for CLEP
Registering for a CLEP exam is an easy two-step process.
- Registered for the particular CLEP exam at https://clep.collegeboard.org for a low fee of $80.
- Call the ECU Testing Centers at (252)328-6811 to schedule a time to take the CLEP exam and pay the remaining $30.
For more information about CLEP exams, please visit https://clep.collegeboard.org. You may also contact the ECU Testing Center at (252)328-6811 or stop by our office located in Brewster Building D-102.