I asked a couple of people about the Blugold Maxx Card compared to the Blugold card. My daughter already has a US Bank check card and opted for the Blugold Card only. I could not get an answer to my question regarding this feature and the mailing sent was also confusing as to why anyone would want this Maxx card if they already have a US Bank Check Card. Since this seems to be a new feature at UWEC I can understand the confusion with some of the orientation leaders not knowing about it.

The Maxx card is a debit card that also can be used as your University ID Card. Your student can definitely choose to have the regular Blugold card and also carry the US Bank card she already has. The difference is carrying two cards versus one. They could link your current checking account to the Maxx card and the benefit would be having one card instead of two.

How will the Collegiate Bridge Program affect me?

The Collegiate Bridge Program is designed to help first generation freshmen students successfully make the transition from high school to college by providing them with academic and social experiences that ensure a solid start to their college career. All courses count toward graduation unless the student's placement scores require them to complete a lower level English course as a pre-requisite. There are many benefits such as smaller class sizes, closer contact with instructors, additional advising and career development activities, and additional tutoring services. This program does not interfere with a student's ability to take courses required to pursue their intended major or minor.

Will my daughter be able to participate in Choir this Fall?

This message is in response to your question about whether your daughter might participate in choir this fall. Yes, it is still possible for your daughter to join the Women's Chorus for this fall. Since she did not do the audition, I will need some additional information from you to make it possible for her to register. Please respond to this e-mail and answer the following questions to help us place her in the correct section:

Student's name
Student's Blugold ID Number
Student's Voice part: Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto 1 or Alto 2
Does she have Monday and Wednesday from 3:30-4:50 available in her schedule?

After receiving this information, I can pre-assign her to the ensemble, thus allowing her to register for the class. Once she has been pre-assigned I will contact her a through her UW-Eau Claire e-mail to let her know that she may register.

I hope this answers all your questions regarding the choral program. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is further information necessary.

Sincerely,

Dr. Alan Rieck

*****************************************************************
Alan J. Rieck, PhD.
Associate Professor, Music Education and Choral Music
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Department of Music and Theatre Arts
235 Haas Fine Arts
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
office phone: 715-836-3634
e-mail: rieckaj@uwec.edu

Looking at laptops, the dorm rooms (Towers-N) have ethernet connection correct? Is there a recommendation or any issues with using Apple Mac? Please let us know as we search for one.

Hello,

My name is Charles Probst, I am one of three Help Desk Coordinators. I will try to answer your questions that you submitted to the Orientation group.

The dorms have 4 ethernet ports per room, the odd numbered ports are enabled before the students arrive.
The even numbered ports can be activated should you have two computers, a video game, etc. You would need to contact Rescom to have the other ports enabled.
You can purchase a 25 FT. cable from the dorm front desk upon your arrival, this cable will allow you have the laptop in any location within the room.

We do not recommend any computer over another. There are no issues with using a Mac. In fact there is a Mac Group on campus where your daughter could interact with our Mac users.

When choosing your laptop, you will want to get at least the following;

2.1 GHz or higher processor chip
1GHz of ram. 2 would be nice
120GB Hard Disk Drive or greater
Wireless is pretty much standard on laptops now
CD-RW at least (DVD-RW would be nice)

Here is the link to the Apple Store for Education
http://store.apple.com/AppleStore/WebObjects/EducationIndividual
Custom?qprm=189120&type=higherEd

Here is our information:

LTS Help Desk
OL 1132
helpdesk@uwec.edu
http://www.uwec.edu/helpdesk
(715) 836-5711

Residence Hall Computing
Towers North 126B
rescom@uwec.edu
http://rescom.uwec.edu/
(715) 855-4271

Hope this helps,
Charles

When a student uses a meal in either of the two cafeterias, are they allowed to take any unfinished food out of there or do they have to pitch it?

Students are not allowed to take food out of the cafeterias, however, we do allow students to take "portable" food such as a piece of fruit or an ice cream cone with them on the way out.

I still have unanswered questions about technology on campus. We need to purchase a laptop for her. She wants a Mac (which I would prefer), but we have not idea if that will be compatible, what software she should have on it, etc.

Good Morning.

My name is Charles Probst and I work at the Learning and Technology Services (LTS) Help Desk.

You are more than welcome to purchase any brand of computer for your daughter. We support the Windows & MAC operating systems. When looking to purchase the MAC laptop make sure you use the education store on Apple's Web site for the best discount. I just went to the Apple education store and configured the machine below;

MacBook 13-inch (White), 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Part Number: Z0FJ 120GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm Accessory Kit 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Keyboard (English) / User's Guide

$1,089.00

The only thing that I might change from the standard would be to add the extra 1GB of Ram. You could also add a DVD Burner if desired. The CD Burner would be fine for her first laptop.

Hope this helps.

Thanks
Charles

Are allocations from Subsidized and Non-Subsidized Stafford loans credited to Student Accounts at the beginning of each semester and bills adjusted accordingly?

Yes, all financial aid (grants, scholarships, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, etc.) is credited to the student’s account on the first day of the semester. Students may check MyBlugold to view the status of their account -- how much they still owe or the amount of their refund.

I didn't get to the financial group. How does the school loan work? Were we to sign any papers?

The first step in receiving a federal student loan is having a FAFSA on file. If the FAFSA is complete and all paper work is completed, you will receive a financial aid award notification which will indicate what you are eligible for in grants, loans, and workstudy. This will need to be signed and returned to our office in order to receive any financial aid.

If you would like to check on the status of your financial aid, please contact us and we will let you know what step you are on in the whole process. We will need the student ID or social security number so access the appropriate account.

I hope this answers your question.

Carrie

UWEC Financial Aid Office
115 Schofield Hall
105 Garfield Ave
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
Phone: (715)836-3373
Fax: (715) 836-5816
Email: finaid@uwec.edu
http://www.uwec.edu/finaid/

Yes my daughter and I have a question. She has applied to be in the marching band, which requires an earlier move-in of 8/23 instead of 8/28. Will her dorm allow her to move in early - it is Oakridge.

Marching band students are approved to move in early as long as they are on the list provided to us by the band director. They will be able to move into their rooms on Saturday, August 23rd. More information is provided on the marching band's Web site (www.blugoldmarchingband.com/campdates.html.)

Does UWEC have phone plans at a discounted student rate through Alltel? One of my friends goes to UWSP and has a plan which he got through the school. I was wondering if UWEC had anything comparable to that?

From the best of our knowledge, Alltel does not offer discounts to UWEC students. UWEC does not have any affiliation with Alltel. If you are curious to find out more you could try to contact the Alltel in Eau Claire. Their number is 715-835-7370.

What is the best cell phone carrier to communicate clearly between Waukesha Wisconsin, and Eau Claire?

The best way to determine the cell phone carrier that would work best for you would be to contact the providers in the Eau Claire area. In Eau Claire the providers which are available are: Sprint, AT&T, Cellular One, and Alltel. There are also other carriers that have service in Eau Claire, but do not have a store in Eau Claire such as Verizon.

We forgot to have the FERPA form signed. Is there a way to do that before fall?

Information regarding FERPA can be found at (including the Student Information Release Authorization): http://www.uwec.edu/registrar/student/parents.htm

I had a roommate change and with my previous roommate the info said that I move in from 8am-10am on August 28th. Does this time remain the same even after my roommate change?

Your move in time will remain the same even if your roommate assignment has changed

I was wondering if there was any job openings on campus for this summer. I live in Eau Claire and would really like to start a job and work through the summer into the school year.

The best resource UW-Eau Claire has for both on and off campus jobs is our job board. This can be found online at http://www.uwec.edu/fasj/index.asp or you can search for “job board” on the home page. Make sure to check if the job requires federal work study or is non-federal work study to see if you are eligible. Your eligibility will depend on your financial aid award.

I want to know what is the policy for having guest from out of town inside the dorm and are they aloud to sleep over.

The students in each hall vote on their visitation policy for the semester in their first two weeks. Typically, we have found that most halls vote to have 24 hour visitation, 7 days per week. This means that guests of either sex may visit at any time. You may check with the hall director of the hall you are moving to in order to determine what policy has generally been in place in the past in your hall. This is usually a good predictor of future student preferences. However, roommates of each room must also agree on how long a visitor may stay. If a roommate in the room does not want overnight guests, then neither roommate may have overnight guests. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Deborah Newman
Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
PO Box 5025 Eau Claire,
WI 54702-5025
Phone (715) 836-3675
FAX (715) 836-4857

I am still concerned about that HILL! The winter trek must be pretty bad. And the trip across the river in the dead of winter??! Please be straight with us. Have there been accidents on slippery winter days? Has anyone ever considered a tunnel with elevators at say the library and one of the topside dorms? After all, UW-Green Bay uses it's tunnels as a selling point!

Hello!

Thank you for your response to the feedback form. Your question regarding the hill is actually a popular one. However, as an alum and a supervisor of many of our current students who work in Admissions, I assure you the hill is not as dangerous as it would seem in the winter. There are some water pipes that run under the hill that keep the walkway clear of ice/snow. Our maintenance team is also top-notch and realizes the importance of keeping the hill, bridge and all walkways clear. Have students slipped? Yes, but thankfully it's not as common as most people think and we have our great maintenance staff to thank for that.

As for how cold it gets on the bridge - yes it is cold, but students and staff deal with it just fine. The walkway is clear, and your student might be surprised to find out that in college it is cool to "bundle up for the walk across the bridge". :)

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you.
Have a great day,
Heather

Heather Kretz
Recruitment Coordinator

If we need a job is there anything on or off campus that we could look at?

The most valuable source of information for jobs around Eau Claire is the job board. It can be found online at http://www.uwec.edu/fasj/index.asp. If you lose the link you can also find it by searching for job board on the homepage or through the financial aid Web site. The job board is a great resource because it posts both on and off campus employment opportunities If you are looking for on-campus jobs, make sure you are aware of your federal work study eligibility as some employers only accept those who have federal work study.

How does my son get a work study job?

How easy is it to get a job on campus? Do you recommend a job on campus or off campus?

There are various jobs on campus which are frequently updated on the online job board. This can be found at http://www.uwec.edu/fasj/index.asp. It lists availabilities in both on-campus and off-campus jobs. The ease of obtaining a job on campus will depend on your qualifications and experience, much like any other type of employment. Your federal work study eligibility can also be a factor in some cases. If you are unsure of your federal work study eligibility, please check your financial aid records.

Both on and off campus jobs can be beneficial for different reasons. On campus employment is a good option because it is convenient and employers often allow you to schedule work between classes. Also, working on campus connects you to the university. Off campus jobs are a good option because they allow you to make connections to the Eau Claire community outside of the university. They also tend to pay higher than minimum wage.

I was informed that students planning on being in the Marching Band need to attend a camp the week before classes, but I was not told what day we are supposed to arrive and if we will be allowed to move into our dorm room early.

The Blugold Marching Band Web site is a great tool for you to use. The Web site is www.blugoldmarchingband.com. In the member info section of the Web site, there is a calendar which lists Saturday 8/23 as move in day. The camp will take place 8/23-8/29 and is required for all members. The residence halls will be open early for members. You will be able to move directly into your permanent room assignment, not a temporary rom.

I would like specific examples of how the unused meals at the end of the week can be used to purchase snack items, etc. I would also like specific examples of converting a "meal" to items at the non-meal plan vendors.

Unused meals can be used within the same week (Sunday-Saturday) as transfer meals either during "traditional meal times" Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. Or they can be used during "Late Night" meal period 8pm-close (midnight or 1am) in either the food court or the convenience store for any of a variety of items.

As an example a student could go one night and get a meal at Taco Bell as a transfer meal or a student could go to the C-Store and get say a box of cereal and milk to have in their room.

Please let me know if I can further clarify any of this.

Best,

Charles F. Farrell, Director
The University Centers
Division of Student Services
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
W.R. Davies Center 107b
105 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
715.836.5904 (ph)
715.836.2301 (fax)
715.225.2575 (mobile)
http://www.uwec.edu/centers/

If my son gets a parking pass for the year, does he always have to have the same vehicle parked in it? He is rooming with someone else from the same home town & they would like to share the parking spot. He also knows of 5 more students who could rideshare.

Residence hall permits are not transferable and must be displayed on the vehicle registered at the time of purchase. Permit holders wanting to change vehicles at any time during the year must return the permit to our office and purchase a replacement permit for $2. We strongly suggest that students wanting to do this stop in and purchase the replacement prior to bringing the other vehicle to campus. To ensure they are not ticketed in the process we tell students to remove the permit, park their car in a meter and stop in our office right before they are heading home to exchange vehicles. They should never, even temporarily, display the permit on a vehicle other than the one the permit is registered to as it could result in a $50 permit fraud ticket.

If you have any additional questions regarding this or any other parking related items please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kimberly O'Kelly
Coordinator
Parking and Transportation
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
(715)836-2726

When I got my bill after registering for my classes it was high because I have not yet applied for reciprocity. Can I still do that?

Yes, you can still apply for reciprocity. Here is the information I got about reciprocity from the Financial Aid Web site:

The current reciprocity agreement between Minnesota and Wisconsin enables a Minnesota resident to attend Wisconsin public institutions of higher education at rates approximating tuition prevailing in the Minnesota State University System. Those wishing to take advantage of this tuition remission must apply well in advance of their initial enrollment at a Wisconsin System institution. Approval covers the full year (including summer sessions) and is automatically renewed each year for the campus initially approved. You may apply online at www.getreadyforcollege.org or if you have additional questions about reciprocity, contact the Minnesota Office of Higher Education at (800) 657-3866.

Please use the link above to apply for reciprocity. Let me know if you have any other questions!

What is offered for classes during Winterim, Spring interim and Summer school? How do we sign up for them?

Class schedules will vary each term. What was offered last Winterim, Spring, and Summer is not necessarily offered the following term. The class schedules are available at different points during the semester. To find out when the class schedules are posted you can view the registration calendar at http://www.uwec.edu/registrar/Calendars/0809regcal.htm. To view class schedules, you can use the course searching tool on MyBlugold or the class schedule web site: http://www.uwec.edu/registrar/classSched.htm. Registration for Spring and Winterim will occur in Fall and registration for Summer will occur in Spring. This will be done similarly to the registration you took part in during orientation. Watch for an email about Winterim registration or ask your advisor if you have additional questions.

When and how do you get involved with college sports?

The answer depends on what kind of college sports you are referring to. There are varsity sports, club teams, and intramural sports at UWEC. If you were referring to varsity sports, the best way to get involved would be to contact the coach. The coach’s contact information can be found on the Blugold Athletics Web site at http://www.uwec.edu/athletics/index.htm. Select the sport you are interested in from the menu on the left side of the screen which will bring you to that sport’s homepage. If you are interested in club teams or intramurals at UWEC, the best source of information could be the University Recreation & Sport Facilities Web site. From the homepage, (http://www.uwec.edu/recreation/index.html), locate the “Activities” menu where you can select Sport Clubs or Intramurals. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact Jon Bollinger about Intramurals (bollinjr@uwec.edu) or Andy Jepsen about Sport Clubs (jepsenan@uwec.edu).

What should we do about books for next year? Do we have to buy some of them?

Your required book list is included on the schedule you printed off at orientation. You can pick them up anytime in Fall before classes start or you can pre-order them online so they will be bundled for you to pickup at the bookstore. The Web site to pre-order books is www.whywaitforbooks.com. Although the majority of textbooks on campus are rental, there are some classes that require books to be purchased. Information on whether your textbook is rental or purchase is included on your schedule.

Your Web site indicates that textbook rentals are included in tuition. When we went to the bookstore at orientation, I was told to purchase them early. Are they included in tuition or are they a separate cost?

Although the majority of the textbooks are rental, there are some that need to be purchased. This will depend on the textbook the professor selects for the course. Information about rental/purchase textbooks can be found on the student’s schedule which they should have printed out during orientation. The required books are found on this schedule as well as whether they are rental textbooks or need to be purchased.

How does the inter-campus bussing work?

The campus is served by two bus routes, which are offered in cooperation with the Eau Claire City Transit. One route serves the upper campus, Bollinger Fields and Imperial Circle Apartments, and the other serves the Water Street area. Students, faculty and staff with a valid UW-Eau Claire Blugold ID Card may ride these or any other city bus routes free.

Where are the stops etc? The stops are located within the bus schedule which can be found at: http://www.uwec.edu/parking/documents/2007-08busschedule.pdf. The schedule is also available in kiosks in 106 Schneider Hall, Hilltop Center, Towers Hall, Mc Phee Center, Davies Center, Haas Fine Arts Center, Brewer and Hibbard.

I have friends from other colleges that would want to visit me during the year, is there anything I should know concerning policy on visitors (especially on having visitors stay in my dorm)?

If the visitors plan on driving to visit you and will have their car on campus, the residence hall lots have open parking from 3 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday. If the visitor is of the same sex, there should not be any issue with visitation policies. Just make sure your roommate is okay with the visitor staying with you and you go over guidelines beforehand. If the visitor is of the opposite sex, the policies will differ depending on which residence hall you will be living in. Please see the Housing and Residence Life site for more information: http://www.uwec.edu/housing/ResidenceHalls/AboutTheHalls/index.htm#top

My daughter signed up for her classes and she has 10 minutes to get from one class to another. She said it will be no problem, but I am concerned. She will be going from Hibbard to Schneider. Should I be concerned?

All classes are set up 10-15 minutes apart because students are able to get from one building to another in that amount of time. Problems can sometimes occur when students are traveling from across the bridge to upper campus, in which case the student can speak personally to their professor. Schneider and Hibbard Hall are very close and only about 3 minutes apart so there shouldn't be a problem!

I don't remember my username/password to get into the UWEC Web site (aka My Blugold) I also don't know my school email address.

Your username can be found on the upper right-hand corner of the binder you received at orientation. It is an 8 letter name which includes your last name (or the first 6 letters), your first initial, and your middle initial. This username can sometimes differ slightly depending on if there are others on campus with a similar name. Your password will be whatever you changed it to during registration. If you have forgotten your password you can go to this link: http://users.uwec.edu/ to reset to the default setting. The default password will be uwec?**** (**** = the 4-digit pin you received on a blue card in the mail). Your school email address will be your username@uwec.edu.

Related Links:

Orientation for Freshmen

FAQs from the Orientation Evaluations

Blugold Card

Bridge

Cell Phones

Choir

Computers

Dining

FERPA

Financial Aid

Housing

Jobs

Marching Band

Meal Plans

Parking

Reciprocity

Registration

Sports

Textbooks

The "Hill"

Transportation

Username / Email

Walking Distance