August 19 marks the return to school. Hooray! I am thrilled because I am in my final year. But a new school year is beginning, and there is so much that needs to be done. There are different processes and procedures that need to be completed. Most people learn about the many things at Southeastern by attending orientation, but it may feel like information overload trying to take everything in at once. So, some students may need to be reminded.
First of all, students should be registered for classes. I have a suggestion for registering classes: Make sure that your class locations are sensible. For instance, if you have classes in D Vickers Hall, McClimans Hall, White Hall and on North Campus, it would make sense that you don’t schedule a class in White Hall right after a class on North Campus. That would mean you would have 10 or 15 minutes to make it to the class on time. But, if it is your last resort, plan to wear comfortable shoes for that walk.
Next, all students must have a Southeastern student ID card, which is very versatile. It is used for identification purposes, to ride the shuttle bus, to purchase food from any dining facilities and even to get discounts at particular places in the Hammond area. It’s basically a license and debit card in one.
To obtain a student ID card, students need to visit the Campus Card Operations office in the North Campus Main Building, Room 223. All students enrolled at the university must have a student ID handy at all times while on campus.
I think that the most important thing for students is a parking permit or a decal. According to the Student Handbook, all students and employees must have a current parking permit, regardless of status and times they attend class or are present on campus. Also, students should become familiar with the parking and traffic citations to avoid receiving a citation. For instance, you can get a ticket for parking in reverse. Some people do not know that, but I found out the hard way.
There are four designated areas on campus for parking: housing zones, freshman commuter, upper-class commuter and faculty/staff. The four areas are color-coded. Faculty and staff have a sign with a red rectangle. So, students, please do not park there. It will cost you a nice ticket. You may say, “Okay, I’m running in here for a minute to turn something in, so it will be fine for me to park here.” That’s not true. You can still get a ticket.
Upper-class commuters have a sign with a gold rectangle. Freshman commuters have a sign with a brown rectangle. Between 8 a.m. and noon, it is difficult to get a spot. If you decide to come to campus at 7:50 a.m. and your class begins at 8 a.m., you may luck out and get a spot. But it is better to arrive early in order to park near your class (which we all want) than to walk a longer distance. I am not really familiar with the different housing zones because I’ve never stayed on campus. But I know that I’m not supposed to park there. Also, there are parking spaces available for students commuting by motorcycle and for students with disabilities.
Students and employees can pick up their parking tags and decals at the University Center in Room 125 from August 10 until August 20 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Students must present a valid picture ID, a valid vehicle registration and their W number to receive a decal.
Now we have reached the fun part, textbooks! I know that everyone wishes that they didn’t have to get a book. I wish I could only have one book per class, but it does not always work out like that. If you are new to the university, then it would be great for you to know the university has a textbook rental system. You can rent your textbooks instead of paying for them. Obtaining rental textbooks is very easy, because the rows and shelves are neatly labeled. There is also help available to students.
Students can begin picking up textbooks from Textbook Rental, which is located on North Campus. Students must present their student IDs to obtain books. To make locating textbooks easier, students should visit their LEONet accounts to obtain a list of required books. Once logged into LEONet, click Self Service, then Textbook Rental Information and click Book Location/Semester to see a list of books required for scheduled courses.
Books that are not available through Textbook Rental, such as lab manuals and workbooks, may need to be purchased. Students can visit the University Bookstore in the Student Union to determine whether or not books need to be purchased. The University Bookstore offers books, class supplies, university apparel, snacks, study aids and many other products.
It is understood that students need a student ID card, textbooks for classes and parking decals to park on campus in designated areas. However, fees and fines need to be paid in order to move forward to obtain an ID card, textbooks and a decal. To pay any fees or fines, visit the Controller’s Office in the North Campus Financial Aid Building.
For more information about the university enrollment and registration process, refer to the 2009-2010 Student Handbook, which is available online under the Division for Student Affairs main page (www.selu.edu/admin/stu_affairs) by clicking on Student Handbook.