FamilyEdIUPUIWHERE IMPACT IS MADE

Higher Education Information for Families of StudentsUniversity College Fall Edition 2008

How Do College Freshman View the Academic Differences Between High School and College?

Rationale for this Report I have been using a three-part strategy to help my students adapt to their freshman year in college for over a third of a century. The first stage in this strategy is to bring their attention to the ways in which their college classes and professors are going to be differ-ent from their high school classes and teachers. For example, the work in college is harder, there is more of it, it must be completed in a shorter period of time, and most of it must be done outside of the school environment. The second stage is to help them identify and value the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) they will need to adapt to their new academic envi-ronment. For example, they must have knowledge of the

resources their college provides (e.g., the library, the writing center, and academic advising), the skills their classes will require (e.g., the ability to follow instructions, think critically, and manage time), and the attitudes they must exhibit to be academically successful (e.g., the willingness to take responsi-bility for their own learning and to assume an active—rather than a passive—attitude toward their education). The third stage is to engage them in assign-ments and activities designed to develop or strengthen these KSAs. I have identified these academic differences and the KSAs needed to adjust to them by com-bining the wisdom of experts in the field of the first year experience with the experiences I have had with the thou-sands of freshmen I have taught during my 35-year career as a college professor. My strategy has been reasonably successful, but it suffers from a reliance on

the faulty assumption that younger people (i.e., college freshmen) will eagerly attend to, value, believe, and act upon the advice given to them by older people (i.e., college faculty). I am sure my students perceive me as a friendly, well-meaning person who sincerely desires to help them, but as I have aged, my ability to serve as a credible source of advice for college freshmen has diminished. This paper represents an attempt to create a source of advice for college

freshman

that comes from a far more cred-ible source than a person who is three times as old as they are. The source of this advice is students who, only one short year ago, were freshmen, too. My method to create this advice was simple. During the fifth week of the fall semester of 2004, I asked the 24 students enrolled in my fresh-man learning community to tell me the differences they had experi-enced between (a) their high school

classes and their college classes and (b) their high school teachers and their college professors. I then content analyzed their responses

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by Drew Appleby

Director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology

dappleby@iupui.edu

into categories that reflected basic differences between their academic experiences in high school and col-lege. The remainder of this article presents a summary of the dif-ferences in these two crucial aspects of the academic environ-ment (i.e., classes and teachers) supported by the actual “voices” of my students printed in italics. The article ends with a few para-graphs of advice that

can be drawn from this summary. It is my fondest desire that the freshmen I teach during my next 35 years will be

receptive to this advice.Perceived Differences Between

High School Classes and College Classes

My students identified several differences between high school classes and college classes, most of which dealt with the work assigned in classes. Students said that both the amount and difficulty of the work they are required to do in col-lege classes had increased signifi-cantly from high school. One said, “You have to read everything in college, whereas in high school you barely had to read anything at all.” A second noted, “High school class-

es were really easy to pass, but college classes take a lot of work for you to suc-ceed.” A third said, “College classes are really hard and much more in-depth com-pared to high school classes.” Time was also a factor men-tioned by many stu-dents, both in terms of the amount of time

it takes to complete assignments and the speed with which material must be learned. One student said, “We just don’t have as much time

to do assignments as we did in high school because a lot more material is covered in a much shorter amount

of time.” A second stated, “Even though you may not be in class as long as in high school, the amount of time you have to put in to complete the assigned work is doubled, even tripled.” Another aspect of the dif-ferences between the work done in

high school and college is where the work is done. One

student provided insight into

this differ-e n c e

by saying, “In high school, you learn the material in class. In col-lege, most learning takes place out-side the classroom.” The most commonly cited dif-ference between how learning takes place in high school and col-lege was that more responsibility is placed on students to learn on their own in college. This difference was clearly communicated by one stu-dent who said, “You did not have to do reading assignments in high school because your teacher taught you everything you had to know for tests. In college, if you do not do your homework, you have no crutch to lean on. You are on your own in college classes.” Another supported this opinion concisely by saying, “In college, you need to learn how to learn on you own.” A final difference that a few stu-dents noted between high school and college classes was classroom atmosphere. The following two quotations make it clear that high school students should expect a dif-ference in the way their classes will be run in college. “College classes are more laid back, longer, and don’t

have as many rules.” “The biggest difference is that they don’t make you stand if you’re late, there are

no assigned seats, and you don’t need passes to leave.” (Please note that these comments refer to rules for class-room behaviors, not academic rules such as deadlines for papers and tests, which tend to be more strict in college as we will learn later.)

Perceived Differences Between High School

Teachers and College Profes-sors My students also identified several differences be-tween high school teachers and college profes-sors, the most important of which cen-tered on t h e

fact that college professors ex-pect their students to be more responsible partners in the teach-ing-learning process. Several stu-dents’ responses focused on the syllabus that college professors use to communicate the structure, procedures, and requirements of their classes to students. One student commented about this by saying, “High school teachers tell students what’s due the next day, whereas college professors expect students to read for themselves what’s due in the syllabus.” This idea was reinforced by another student who said, “College teach-ers don’t tell you what you’re sup-posed to do. They just expect you to do it. High school teachers tell you about five times what you are supposed to do.” The following poignant comment from another student communicates the feeling of frustration and helplessness that can be experienced by a freshman who has not yet fully adapted to this greater level of responsibil-ity. “College teachers expect their Wstudents to read the syllabus and

“In high school, you learn the material in

class. In college, most learning takes place

outside the classroom.”

“College classes are really hard and

much more in-depth compared to high school classes.”

Continued on page 2

the classroom is set up to where it is sink or swim. Do the work or fail. High school teachers re-minded us about the deadlines for our projects everyday and tried to help us if we were struggling.” A second aspect of increased student responsibility for learning in college emerged in comments about the difference between what is taught by high school teachers and college professors. One stu-dent explained this difference by saying, “High school teachers teach you what’s in your text-books. College teachers expect you to actually read your text-books.” A second student high-lighted this from a more personal perspective with the following comment. “High school teach-ers assist you more. They kind of hold your hand through things.” A third student’s comment summa-rized the concept of increased stu-dent responsibility quite succinct-ly by saying, “College knowledge is self-taught.” A final comment lends a cultural perspective to the different atmosphere of academic responsibility in high school and college and the different way this responsibility is valued by stu-dents. “In high school, you were a dork if you got good grades and cared about what was going on in your classes. In college, you’re a dork if you don’t.” Another responsibility-related difference that students reported between high school teachers and college professors was adherence to rules. One student noted that, “College teachers expect much more from you. There are no late assignments or make-up tests. They do not hold your hand any-more.” The following comment helped to explain the potentially negative results of this difference for college students who are ac-customed to high school expec-tations. “The biggest difference between the two was that in high school, I could usually get an as-signment done whenever I could and there wouldn’t be much of a consequence if it was late.” A final difference that my stu-dents perceived between high

school teachers and college profes-sors dealt with student-teacher rela-tionships. One student said, “Col-lege professors aren’t as personable as high school teachers. I could stop into my high school teachers’ offices and sit there for 30 minutes to just hang out.” A second student commented that, “College teachers don’t try to get to know you as well as high school teachers did.”

Advice That Can Help High School Students Become Aware of the Differences Between High School and College and Success-fully Adapt to These Differences The advice in the following paragraph should help incoming college students who would like to know how their academic expe-rience in college will differ from high school. If they take this advice seriously and use it to modify their academic behaviors and attitudes, it can prevent them from blundering into their freshman year in college and expecting it to be their thir-teenth grade in high school. I truly believe that the transition from high school to college can be as serious as the culture shock experienced by travelers who aren’t instructed about the customs of countries they visit. Imagine arriving in England and renting a car if no one had told you that the English drive on the left side of the road. You might survive your first encounter with an English driver but, then again, you might not. Before you begin your freshman year in college, prepare yourself to be challenged by harder work, more work, and work that must be com-pleted in a shorter period of time. You should begin to change your educational work ethic because you will be doing most of your work outside of the classroom, and you will be expected to learn the ma-jority of your assigned material on your own, rather than relying on your teachers to teach it to you. You should also begin preparing yourself to learn in a less-structured class-room atmosphere in which your teachers will no longer remind you about what you are supposed to do, will hold you responsible for com-

pleting your assignments in the cor-rect and timely manner described in the course syllabus they give you on the first day of class, and will be less likely to bend the rules or allow you to earn extra credit if your work is late or if you perform poorly. You may also discover that college pro-fessors are less available than high school teachers and that some pre-fer to maintain a somewhat more formal relationship with their students than high school teachers. Time management is a tre-mendous problem for many freshmen. For most high school students—especially bright ones—the education-al day ends when the school day ends because they have been able to learn all they need to know while they were in school. Learning does not end when the class day ends in college. In fact, learning often begins when classes end because so much learning takes place outside the classroom. This abrupt change of events is particularly difficult for students who are accustomed to going to high school for seven hours and then having the remaining sev-enteen hours of the day to eat, sleep, relax, shop, play video games, watch television, listen to music, and hang out with friends. One of the purposes of higher education is to prepare you to become a person who is capable of mastering large amounts of difficult ma-terial in a short period of time and performing this work in a responsible and independent manner without having to be remind-ed to do it. In other words, one of the objectives of a college educa-tion is to transform adolescents into adults. The following comment from A. J. Thut, one of my former learning community students, puts this objective into sharp perspec-tive. “It’s time for me to step out of the purgatory between my teenage years and adulthood and take some

responsibility for my life.”Reference Appleby, D. C. 2006. How do col-lege freshmen view the academic differences between high school and college? Pa-

per presented at the annual meet-ing of the Midwestern Psycholog-ical Association, Chicago.

The Financial TrAnSiTion

Fall Edition 2008 | Page 2 IUPUI | FamilyEd

STuDenTSLearn how to manage money.• Remember that spending money has its consequenc-es and debt will follow you throughout your life until it is paid in full. Many students get over their head in debt throughout their college years.• With you parents, research the financial institutions around you. Find a checking and savings account that will work best for your needs. Understand the differ-ence between banks and credit unions.• Avoiding the use of credit cards will help you limit the amount of debt you accrue. Academic debt is looked at differently than credit card debt when it comes to get-ting that first new car, or even home purchase. • Save and then spend. Choose to save your funds for your purchases and pay cash, as opposed to using cred-it cards. This will help eliminate impulse spending, as well as save you from paying additional interest.• Make a budget that will work for your needs. Be re-alistic and include some spending money in the bud-get. This will help you avoid using that credit card.

Use these CampUs Life tips • Borrow only what you need for school. Keep records of your loans for future reference.• Used textbooks have the same information as new ones, and cost less.• Use campus transportation, bikes, and buses to avoid purchasing a car. Walking can be a great source of exercise.• Split meals with a friend when you are dining off campus. • Maintain a good credit rating for future borrowing ability. You can check your credit report for free by visiting, www.AnnualCreditReport.com.• Look for student discounts. Many times, restaurants and stores near campus will offer a discount to stu-dents when they show their student ID cards.

Call or visit Indiana Members Credit Union for more details or for questions about our student checking and savings accounts. www.imcu.org ~ IUPUI Campus Center Branch ~ 317-636-8479

*Sources: www.msnbc.msn.com, www.360financialliteracy.org, and www.forbes.com.

by Jennifer Newby

Business Development Officerjnewby@imcu.com

The transition from high school to college is a trying and important time in every student’s life.

This is the time when students are making more and more of their own decisions, especially when it comes to finances. in what seems like an instant, students are now in complete charge of their own checking account, bills, and credit/debit cards. The following is a

guide for both the student and parents to navigate through this financial transition.

PArenTSshare yoUr adviCe and experienCes.Talk with your student about money manage-ment. Many high school students do not have checking accounts, credit cards, and have not had control of their finances.

researCh CampUs finanCiaL institUtions.With your student, research the financial in-stitutions on his or her college campus. Find an account that provides free ATM access on campus, free checking accounts, and easy ac-cess to a branch. Will you be providing spend-ing money for your student?

heLp them pLan a bUdget. Help them begin a budget and recognize their daily, weekly, and monthly expenses. Do they have a plan for emergencies? Encour-age them set up an emergency-only fund at their local financial institution, allowing

them access to those funds, if needed.

Having these conversations prior to college will help them prepare and manage their fi-nances responsibly in the future.

by Stormy Thrasherssthrash@iupui.edu

There are volumes written on tactics and tools students need to survive college, and rightfully so. But, if I had to equip you with only what you can carry on your back before I dropped you from a helicopter in the middle of campus and left you to fend for yourself, this is what I would give you:

one ruggeD BACkPACk

This bag should be strong enough to hold at least fifty pounds of books while having enough pock-ets to hold all other survival gear. A backpack that lasts through your senior year can be handed down to your son or daughter when he or she starts col-lege or burned as a rite of passage at your gradua-tion party bonfire.

MAP oF THe CAMPuS

Although you may have the foresight to visit the campus and find your classes before the semes-ter begins, you never know when you will have to navigate out of that comfort zone and find an office in some obscure building.

TexTBookS

Yes, this is a no-brainer. But, I thought it was worth mentioning that, until your professor tells you in person on the first day of class that the text you bought for that class is both correct and required, you should keep it wrapped in plastic if it is new to ensure a full refund, if necessary.

BinDerS

There are many ways to organize notes and home-work, but there are some fundamental components to the system: class syllabus, paper, and pockets. Of course, a person could add dividers, page pro-tectors, strobe lights and a big metal gong if he/she chooses, but the basics must be there for notes, assignments, and reference.

WriTing inSTruMenTS

Anyone can grab the economy pack of pens out of the bargain bin, but can that same person then write with those pens for three consecutive hours

College Freshman Survival Kit: Deluxe Model for the Non-Traditional

without suffering extreme hand cramps? Splurge a little on quality writing instruments that will glide on the paper effortlessly and grab some highlighters and mechanical pencils while you’re at it.

TrAVel STAPler

This gadget will quietly save the academic lives of you and your pro-crastinating classmates when papers are due, making it the unsung hero of the college backpack.

SCienTiFiC CAlCulATor

Most freshman math courses do not permit graphing calculators, so a nice scientific model with protective case should be perfect and may last through graduation.

Cell PHone AnD FAMily CAlenDAr

As an adult with a family, you may find yourself spread a little thin from time to time and you will need the support of your family in order to survive college. To ensure that your family re-mains supportive through graduation and beyond, participate as fully as possible in your home life as a partner and parent. Keep the family calendar handy so you can check study group times, evening lectures, sporting events and such against planned fam-ily events. And if you’re going to be later than you thought looking up research at the library, give them a call on your cell phone. Always remember that they are the vital component—the very center—of the brighter future you are working so hard to achieve.

by Tonica Johnsontj21@iupui.edu

When the end of my senior year arrived and orientation was just around the corner, I began to feel uneasy about the beginning of my freshman year. I graduated from a small school with only twenty-four students in my class; attending IU-PUI would be something completely different for me. After I picked my classes I began to worry about where they were and if fifteen minutes be-tween classes would be enough time to get from one to the other. Then I received a flyer in the mail about an internship that would allow me to become familiar with the campus before school starts. I thought that internship might be able to end all of my worries. I called to arrange an interview. When I was chosen as one of the interns, I was informed I would be working for University College in Taylor Hall. I would learn how to use InDesign, create the basis for a Web site, and learn my way around my new school as well as learn more about what it had to offer me. The first assignment was to get to know my fellow interns by inter-viewing and creating personality profiles of each other. Then we were assigned a scavenger hunt to find different buildings around campus. The final assignment was an essay that we were asked to write about the major we are interested in and

Getting Involved Before the First Day of Class

“As an adult with a family, you may find yourself spread a little thin from time to time and you will need the support of your family in order to survive college.”

what classes needed to be taken in order to graduate in that field. We also had to write about what careers opportunities are available with that major. When we finished the paper, we visited the writing center to get familiar with how the tutors there could help us with our current paper and how they could help us once we were students. With all of the assignments we had been given, my apprehension about the start of school was be-ginning to fade. Becoming a part of IUPUI before school started was one of the smartest things I could

have done. I was able to meet new friends, find the buildings where my classes would be held, meet advisors and have work-study lined up when school starts. The internship helped me mentally prepare for my first year and without it I would not have been nearly as prepared as I am. I would suggest to all incoming freshman to look into programs that begin before school does. Being able to get to know some of your peers and see what you have in common and how you can relate to them, meeting advisors and getting acquainted with the campus are all great opportunities. Having work-study for the year is not too bad, either, if that is an option. Getting involved makes you recognizable around campus and puts you in a great posi-tion that not all freshmen will have. Take advantage of that chance. Get a head start.

Fall Edition 2008 | Page 3 IUPUI | FamilyEd

by Chris J. Foley

Director of Undergraduate Admissioncfoley@iupui.edu

Fall is here and that means that a new wave of students are entering high school classrooms. The excite-ment is palpable in the hallways as students renew friendships, make new ones, talk about what they did over the summer and what they’ll do in the upcoming year. New class-es mean new teachers, new subjects and new challenges. For seniors, all these may not seem so new. After all, they’ve done this so many times before, it’s all “old hat” to them. No big deal. Seniors know every-thing, right? Well, actually that’s not true. Some of them will encounter new subjects and take courses at higher levels. Some will try to make up for lost time in earlier courses. Some will take on extracurricular activi-

ties and leadership positions in their classes,

while others catch

a disease that afflicts many high school seniors. It’s silent and deadly to a student’s success, and it’s been around for years—“senioritis.” Each year, I am faced with final high school transcripts where other-wise strong students have suddenly, and with little excuse, had their grades nose-dive in the spring se-mester of their senior year. Despite multiple warnings, students seem to believe that we simply “don’t mean it” when we say we will revoke ad-missions for stu-dents who re-ceive poor grades in their final semester. After all, they

may have already attended orien-tation, signed up for classes, and bought their IUPUI sweatshirt. Unfortunately, we do mean it, and not because we like to be mean. In fact, revoking an admission is one of the worst things I have to do as a Director of Admissions. I like noth-ing more than to see students who are excited and doing what they need to do to get enrolled. But I also know that I want these students to graduate and not just be at IUPUI for one semester, and working hard throughout their final year in high school is the best way to ensure that a student will succeed at IUPUI.

A bad case of senioritis doesn’t just hurt a student’s senior

A Pandemic in the Senior Class

Fall Edition 2008 | Page 4 IUPUI | FamilyEd

year; it also sets him or her up for a bad start in college. As a result, I have to cancel several students’ admissions each year because they aren’t on a path to college suc-cess because they lost their focus on academics. So help your students avoid se-nioritis. They should have fun in their senior year—after all, they have worked hard to get to this point. They should get involved in extracurricular activities and be-come leaders and contributors to their high school community, but academics cannot take a back seat to other activ-

ities. Seniors should also remember that they need to end with strong grades in their senior year. As family members, make sure your seniors are focusing on their academics. Ask them how well they are doing in their classes, and if they are struggling talk to their teachers and high school counselors. Often-times, teachers and counselors are willing to help, but they often get asked for help when it is too late.Most of all, don’t wait for your se-nior to come to you. Remember, they are seniors. They know every-

thing, right? They may just not know when it is time

to ask for help.

by Regina Turner

Associate Professor of Communication Studiesregturne@iupui.edu

As the summer days zoom by for some and drone on for others, there is a group among us that is sustained and excited by a catalog of images that continue to float through their imaginations. That group is the parents and students who look forward to a new chap-ter in the family history: College! There are hundreds of questions

that bombard the imagi-nation through-

out the

day: Will I like it? Will she be smart enough? What will my roommate be like? Will he have enough money? Will classes be fun? Boring? Will he eat right? What about a job? Will the car hold up? Will college pull her away from family? Will the pro-fessors be mean? Nice? And on and on. The decision to go to college, as difficult as that may seem, is the easiest part of the college-going process. The hardest part

is surviving until you graduate, particularly surviving

the first year. First of

all, know that attending college is one of the most important deci-sions you have made and one of the best. According to study after study and person after person, col-lege graduates can look forward to a higher quality of life. The U. S. Census Bureau report (2004) indicates that college graduates• are more likely to be employed;• can expect to earn between $300,000 and $2.1 million more dollars during their lifetime than high school graduates;• are happier and more satisfied with their lives;• have greater career mobility and longer lives;• are more likely to vote and as-sume leadership positions in their communities;

• are less likely to commit crimes;

• are more likely to have children who do well in

school. When you read

this list of benefits, it is not difficult

to see that the decision to

attend col-lege is a

w i s e

o n e —re me mb e r

that when times get rough

and you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Second, everybody needs

The First year of College: Surviving the ultimate Mind gameto expect an experience that is different, not only from everyone else’s but also from any other ex-perience you have had both as a family or as an individual. Third, your attitude and mind-set can help or hinder your college experience. Here are some things to remember to help keep a posi-tive mindset:• Since you/your student was ad-mitted, you CAN do the work IF you try hard enough.• Some classes and professors will be interesting; some will not. All will have something that you need to get a degree.• Money will be tight (there is never enough!) for most of you. Books and supplies are expensive. You will probably have to make some hard choices. • College is equally as much about WHAT YOU LEARN as it is about CAN YOU LEARN in a variety of different situations (classes and social situations)?• More than anything, college is one of those life experiences that is designed for your fast growth. It compresses trials and challeng-es. Is your mind made up to get through them? Have you ever thought about how reality show contestants win? A great part of their winning has to do with the mind games they play with themselves and keep-ing the end in mind. Contestants

are convinced that what they will get in the end is worth

all the trials they have to endure. (You may rest

assured that whatever problems you have,

other students have or have had the same chal-

lenge, and there’s someone at IUPUI who can help!) Surviving college, and espe-cially the first year, is a test of the will and the mind. Just remember to jump the hurdles, one at a time, until the big win. For college stu-dents that big win, the degree, can deliver the greatest gift in life: to do what you love and get paid for it! Now that’s a mind game worth playing!

Fall Edition 2008 | Page 5 IUPUI | FamilyEd

by Laura Masterson

Academic Advisor lcknapp@iupui.edu

“I would never be where I am today without the rela-

tionships I made during my

f i r s t

semester at IUPUI.” Haili Theriac, an intense, dark-eyed sophomore, appears confident and assured of success. However, when she came to IU-PUI, she was new to the city of

A PoTenT ACADeMiC Tool:

Indianapolis and unsure of her ability to fit in a major dominat-ed by male students. Haili only began to feel comfortable during her first semester when her First-Year Seminar went into high gear on a group project. From there, she followed the scent of success and began to take advantage of

opportunities that arose in combination with

creating her

own pathway to success. Haili is a student who rapidly understood and began to tap into the power of other people early

in her college education. IUPUI, like most colleges, understands that students cannot succeed in a vacuum, so students are sur-rounded by an environment that takes responsibility to help stu-dents maximize their abilities. Students in college that feel con-nected are much more likely to continue and to be successful. Connections and networks can provide a sense of accountability,

membership, and sup-port for new students.

Networking is an effec-tive academic skill that has a strong impact on major satisfac-tion and career placement. Long celebrated in the business world, successful networking can work in college in a similar way. It involves discovering how key people like faculty members, li-

Ten years later, illegal Downloading Still Threat to Students, Parentsby Josh Flynn

jpfynn@iupui.edu

It’s been 10 years since the advent of Napster, the file-sharing network that changed the music world, cre-ated headaches for universities and lawsuits for their students. Napster may have transformed itself into a legitimate downloading service, but many other illegal services have popped up to replace it, from Kazaa, Soulseek, and Pirates Bay to Web sites that offer songs for 20 cents but don’t pay royalties to the labels or artists. Despite the warn-ings and mounting evidence that the Recording Institute of Ameri-can Artists (RIAA) will take ac-tion against file sharers, students continue to download—actions that could end up costing them and their parents plenty of money. Merri Beth Lavagnino has been at the forefront of the file-sharing battle at seven of Indiana University’s eight campuses. Early in the decade, IU created the “Are You Legal?” campaign to educate its students and raise awareness of the dangers of music downloading. During that time period Lavagnino has witnessed several shifts in the downloading paradigm. “In 1998 we focused on educating in-coming students that this was ille-gal. They really didn’t know that,” she explains. “Then when we start-ed the ‘Are You Legal?’ campaign they knew it was illegal but they had philosophical problems with it being illegal and they didn’t think they needed to pay attention to the fact it was illegal. Now we feel it’s moved again—it changes for each generation of students. Now, they know it’s illegal. For the most part they don’t want to do illegal things but the problem is they can’t figure out how to be legal. They are be-ing tricked into being illegal when they are intending to be legal.” The trick comes from Web sites selling music or offering down-loading software for a monthly fee. Once the user has made a

payment, the Web site pockets the money without paying royal-ties. One such example Lavag-nino cites is a service called Mu-sicETC. Not long ago a student received a settlement letter from the RIAA. The student claimed he did nothing illegal and was paying for his music service. While he did pay a monthly fee for the service, the fine print read that the pay-ment

w a s o n l y to use the M u s i c E T C software, which is essentially a file-sharing platform like Nap-ster. Any music downloaded or shared was still illegal. Other sites like Alltunes or MP3fiesta offer songs for far less than iTunes’ 99 cents legal downloads. On MP3-fiesta, Kanye West’s 2007 album “Graduation” can be downloaded in its entirety for a mere $2.04, compared to $9.99 on iTunes. Lavagnino estimates that of the

seven campuses on the IU net-work—the Ft. Wayne campus uses a different network—the univer-sity “typically receives 70 notices from the RIAA a month. There are 98,000 students using the network so we think that’s pretty good.”

It’s estimated that downloading on college campuses only makes up three percent of all illegal file sharers, though in the past the RIAA has used a misleading sta-tistic stating that 44 percent of file sharers are college-aged to help its war on universities. There is a big difference between “college-aged”

and those who are actually attend-ing college. Despite that minor three percent, the RIAA and music industry lobbyists want colleges to install monitoring software on their networks—software that can cost in the millions once installa-tion fees are figured in and can be

easily circumvented by switch-ing to another network or

using free wireless internet at an

off-campus site. “We

c a n ’ t real-

l y

h e l p [ t h a t ]

these stu-dents came to

us as 17- and 18-year-olds already doing

this,” Lavagnino says. “They aren’t coming to campus and sud-denly discovering file sharing. They are coming to campus with their computers already configured to do this and have been doing it for a very long time.” With the first offense of illegal file sharing, IU educates the stu-dent on the situation and requires them to pass a quiz at 100 percent.

“At that point we’ve given them the knowledge to make whatever choice they are going to make. The fact very few of them choose not to download—or at least not on the IU network—is very good.” Subse-quent violations eventually lead to being removed from the network.“We do the education because we are trying to teach our students to be good citizens. The out-of-court settlements students are paying run from $3,000 to $4,000. So we are trying to educate them so they can make an appropriate choice.” Lavagnino offers advice to par-ents and students on how to protect themselves from having to pay the expensive fees. First, buy a new computer or completely wipe and restore your current one before arriving on campus. Often, file sharing software can install sec-ondary programs on a computer without the user being aware of it doing so. These programs may allow the user’s files to continually be downloaded even if they uninstall the pri-mary program. The only way to be 100 percent positive that a computer is free of any hidden programming is to do a complete wipe. “And then be

vigilant in regards to what soft-ware you download and install

because they can be very disin-genuous,” warns Lavagnino.

Second, do your research. If you have never heard of a download site or service before, investigate it to see if it’s legal. Indiana Uni-versity and the RIAA both compile lists of legal sites. They can be ac-cessed at http://filesharing.iu.edu/alternatives.php. If there is still a question regarding the legality of a site, Lavagnino recommends call-ing the campus technology sup-port center and asking if the site is legal.Finally, Lavagnino urges parents to talk with their children about downloading. “Parents need to talk to their kids because you know who pays the $3,000—the parent. So talk about it amongst yourselves. Decide what risks you are willing to assume. And then take action in order to deal with those risks.”

brarians, advisors and mentors can help students take full ad-vantage of their potential.Discovering the power of people should come naturally to a gen-eration of students that rely on MySpace and Facebook to cre-ate networks of friends that can grow exponentially over time. Translating this acquired skill to college is the challenging part, but when it occurs, rewards are not far behind. The main differ-ence between online networking,

like MySpace and Facebook, and face-to-face

n e t w o r k i n g lies in the personal con-

tact that is both required and expected at the college level to develop relationships and keep them strong. So, how can you help your student discover and maximize the power of people in college?1. Encourage your student to en-roll in and make strong connec-

tions in a First-Year Seminar. This course creates a network for them and starts the process of making contact with peers, faculty, librarians, and even ad-visors.2. Recommend that your student gets to know at least one faculty member each semester. Fac-ulty relationships lead to great recommendation letters and a strong connection with your stu-dent’s major.3. Suggest membership in a stu-

d e n t organization. There is no better way to get connected with peers that share similar interests. Plus, many student academic or-ganizations carry membership in national organizations that are great resume builders. As you progress through college, you will discover other ways to create a strong network of people who care, but the im-portant thing is to start the net-work early and harness the pow-er of people. It is a skill that will keep on giving.

The Power of People

by Shani Jonesjones305@iupui.edu

Going to college as a single parent can be a real financial challenge. In and of themselves, raising a child and taking care of a household means considerable bills. Add to these costs tuition, books, and meal

plans and an already wearisome financial burden becomes even more exhausting. In order to survive that first year of college, single parents need to be able to focus on their family and their schoolwork.

When I made the decision to return to college, I wanted to be sure that I would be able to concentrate on the important things in my life—my daughter and completing my undergraduate education. In order to do this, I had to make sure that I would not be distracted by the ever-increasing costs of earning my bachelor’s degree, so I did my research. After searching through various scholarship sites, I discovered that as a single mother and non-traditional student I have many more financial aid opportunities than I could have imagined.

There are numerous private scholarships and government grants whose sole purpose is to ease the financial burden of single parents by helping pay for their education. Along with the private money that I have applied for, I also contacted my school’s financial aid office to find out what help is available right here at “home.”Making the decision to attend college while raising a family does not necessarily mean adding debt to already overwhelming family obligations; the help is out there, you just have to be diligent in looking for it.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SINGLE PARENTS and NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS:

www.iupui.edu/~scentralwww.fastweb.comwww.grants.govwww.govbenefits.govwww.raisethenation.orgwww.patsyminkfoundation.orgwww.sunshineladyfdn.orgwww.soroptimist.org

by Linda Trackwelllrspring@iupui.edu

Text messaging is the communication of choice among young people in this age of elec-tronics. Most text messages can only be 160 char-acters in length, and it takes some time to type in a message so teens have developed “shorthand” to make messaging quick and easy (and maybe a little harder for adults to translate). Shortened forms of communication are not new, however. Some time ago when letter writ-ing was the accepted way of communication, many letters to a sweetheart were sealed with a kiss by writing the letters “SWAK” on the flap of the envelope. Autograph books included: 2 good 2 B 4 gotten.

Below is a cheat sheet of some of the acronyms and expressions used by teens and young adults in text messages. Don’t forget, though, teen lingo changes often so keeping up can be a challenge.

Teen Lingo Decoded

2nite = tonight

Adr = address

ASL = age/sex/location

B4 = before

B4yki = before you know it

Brb = be right back

Cya = see you

Ctn = can’t talk now

Cttc = can’t talk, teacher’s coming

Gudluk = good luck

Hak = hugs and kisses

Itoyt = is it on YouTube?

J/k = just kidding

l8r = later

Lmk = let me know

Lol = laugh out loud

Msu = miss you

Nbl = no battery left

Nifoc = nude in front of computer

Omg = Oh my God

P911 = parent alert

Pir = parent in room

Otp = on the phone

Rhb = read his/her blog

Rotfl = rolling on the floor laughing

Ru OK = are you okay?

Saw = sibblings are watching

SorG = Straight or gay?

Sml = Send me the link

Swdyt = So what do you think?

Tmi = too much information

Tos = teacher over shoulder

Twd = typing while driving

Wycm = Will you call me?

Financial Assistance and the

Single Parent

TexT MeSSAgiNg ShoRThAND woRkS Like ThiS:

• No punctuation. • Most vowels are removed. • Words are written phonetically.• Replace words with symbols.

Nt 2 hrd 2 du! Why text? Texting is less intrusive, is much quieter than a phone call, and, therefore, easier to use during class! The recipient can respond at his or her conve-nience. A text can be entered then sent to several people at once. And, as stated above, it may be a safe way to keep prying adults in the dark if the message is intercepted.

Fall Edition 2008 | Page 6 IUPUI | FamilyEd

STEP Stands For:

SElf-focuSKnow your interests, skills, personality, and values to identify majors and careers which will satisfy you.

TargET Use what you know about yourself to create a list of occupa-tions, work settings, areas of study, and so on that are compat-ible with your unique traits.

ExPlorE

Discover real information about your options through written resources, real people, and real life experiences to find the best fit.

PlanMaking a plan of action to help efficiently achieve your life and career goals. More information is available at IUPUI Uni-versity College or through our Web site at http://uc.iupui.edu.

At IUPUI, among the many support resources to assist in student success, University Col-lege (as well as many individual schools) has a staff of academic and career professionals to assist in academic and career decisions. You can find out more about these resources at http://uc.iupui.edu. Once you are admitted to IUPUI, you will have full access not only to our online resources but also to academic advisors and career counselors throughout your degree program and after graduation.

by ed Squires, M.S. ed.

Career Counselorecsquire@iupui.edu

So, you – or someone in your fam-ily – are in college, or thinking se-riously about going to college. A family member, friend, or educator may have told you that a college education will make a big differ-ence in your life. You may have seen statistics comparing the cost of college with the expected earn-ings of someone with a college degree or the expected earnings of someone with a college degree versus someone without a degree. It all sounds positive, but what can you individually expect from a college education?Much is made of the dollar value of a college education – usually by way of statistics about wages and benefits compared to tuition fees and such. And as a practical matter, the economic benefits are a neces-sary part of the decision for most of us. But even well-researched, broad statistics aren’t the total story. Each of us should research the anticipated cost of our chosen major compared to the expected income and other benefits from likely careers for that major. Excellent information is available from a variety of sources. Estimated costs of tuition, fees, liv-ing expenses and the like should be available from each university’s ad-missions office or a similar, central contact on campus. One convenient source at IUPUI is online at http://www.iupui.edu > Admissions. As for specific information about ca-reer options, trends in educational requirements for specific types of jobs, and anticipated income, Web sources like the online Occupation-al Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco/ or the O*Net at http://online.onetcenter.org/ can be valu-able starting points. It’s not only about money, howev-er. The prevailing wisdom among many career experts is that while wages and benefits are a necessary part of most careers, they usually aren’t enough to keep us happy in a job or career long-term. As much as possible we need to find work and work settings which fit our personality. At IUPUI, we offer a “STEP” process to help each stu-dent plan his or her academic and career future.

exploring the Costs and Benefits of College

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Admissions Center

Officeof the

Registrar

Student Financial Services

Indiana Members

Credit Union

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Services/JagTag

USPS Contract Station

Chartwells Food Service

Dean of StudentsOffice

StudentRights,

Responsibility and Conduct

Student Organization

Center

Multimedia Production

Center

CampusCenter

Administration Office

Barnes & Noble @ IUPUI

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Campus and

Community Life

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IUPUI CAMPUS CENTER 420 University Blvd

Make Things Happen!

Center of ACtivity

What your Student needs to know now

Scott Evenbeck - Dean of University College

By Scott evenbeck

Dean of IUPUI University CollegeEvenbeck@iupui.edu

IUPUI is committed to your student’s success. We work together to help students be success-ful in their academic pursuits. At University College, we have many programs available for students to enhance their success. While our programs and resources are very helpful to stu-dents, success begins before students even ar-rive in the fall. There are things that you and your student should know now, before the fall semester begins. First, summer programs make a differ-ence. IUPUI offers many programs in the sum-mer, including orientation, Summer Academy Bridge Program, Summer Bridge to College Algebra, and summer classes. These programs help students get off to a good start. Summer programs allow students to learn about campus resources, meet faculty, become familiar with the campus, and make friends. Students of-ten take advantage of summer school and are, therefore, more likely to graduate in four years.

Second, first-year programs will help your student be successful. IU-PUI offers first-year programs such as first-year seminars, themed learn-ing communities, and critical inquiry. The schools at IUPUI also offer many services and resources including academic advising, career planning, and academic support programs. Especially popular are the Bepko Learning Center, the Mathematics Assistance Cen-ter, and the University Writing Center. IUPUI faculty recom-mend students participate in study abroad, undergraduate research, service-learning, and internships. Encourage your student to take advantage of these wonderful op-portunities. Third, working on campus makes a difference. Many of our students work, but students who work on campus are more likely to graduate. We urge students to seek campus employ-ment. The Office of Career and Employ-ment Services is a great resource to find a job on campus. We are always seeking more ways to help students work where they study. Please be in touch if you have comments or want information on any of these programs. We value your feedback (ucoldean@iupui.edu).

Given societal concerns about obe-sity among youth, should teen-ag-ers diet? “That’s a tricky issue. Obesity is rampant,” says Dr. Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, associate professor of clinical pediatrics and medicine in the HYPERLINK “http://www.medicine.iu.edu” IU School of Medicine, located on the Indiana University-Purdue University In-dianapolis (IUPUI) campus. However, while dieting involves limiting caloric intake to loose weight, not all dieting is appropri-ate, says the doctor whose practice includes treating adolescents with eating disorders. For teens who are overweight, “dieting” is appropriate if it means a lifestyle modification that in-cludes limiting caloric intake while at the same time making healthy food choices and exercising more, explains Rohr-Kirchgraber. “Twelve-hundred calories a day when it is hot, hot spicy Cheetos and a can of Coke, may help you loose weight … but it is not going to be a healthy weight loss. You are going to be miserable and uncom-fortable and you are not going to be able to perform,” the physician says. “Twelve-hundred calories in five servings of fruits and veg-etables; three glasses of milk a day, and an adequate portion of protein with every meal would be an appro-priate way to diet.” Among Rohr-Kirchgraber’s first questions to young patients are: 1.) “Are you comfortable with your current body/weight? And 2.) “What have you done to change your body shape or weight in the last year?” The physician offers a checklist of questions to help parents dis-cern whether a teen is suffering from an eating disorder or is simply conscientious about a need to loose weight:

Med Professor Weighs In On Teen Dieting and Eating Disorders

Is the teen: • weighing more frequently, espe-cially more than once a day? • continually making discour-aging remarks about the way he/she looks? • becoming more and more restric-tive about what he/she eats? • spending time in the bathroom after a meal where he/she is hid-ing the fact that she is throwing up her food? While eating orders are more prevalent among girls, boys aren’t immune. About 12 to 20 percent of new cases of eating disorders involve men, says the physician. Parents should be aware that symp-toms among boys can vary from

those among girls. “It is less common for boys to throw up,” Rohr-Kirchgraber says. “They might do their type of purge with exercise. If a boy mentions, ‘Well, if I eat this, that means I’ve got to go run that much more,’ and then he actually does the extra run-ning, that is something (a parent) has to be concerned about.”

With permission, this article is re-printed from Inside IUPUI., Sep-tember 5, 2008.

Dr. Theresa Rohr-kirchgraben IU School of Medicine

Correspond with FamilyEd online at hbennett@iupui.edu. We welcome letters to the editor, story ideas and comments about FamilyEd. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited.

FamilyEd is provided by IUPUI University College Office of Development, Operations, and Employee Relations. The telephone number is 317-274-5037.

Photographers: Victoria Son & Peter Stamenov

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