Parent and Family Relations Newsletter
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In This Issue:
Family Day - A Beautiful Day | It's Time to Apply for Financial Aid/Fall FAFSA Night | SC Education Lottery Ambassadors | New Police Chief |
Parenting a Pacer: Loosen the Reins | Featured Student Organization - Impact | Did'Ja Know - Free Tutoring | Newsletter Survey | Parent and Family Relations Assistance |
Save the Date and Quick Links
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Family Day- A Beautiful Day
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More than 200 students, family, and friends attended Family Day on Sept. 21. Students and guests enjoyed the Jazz Band Brunch, student organization information tables, crafts, the Seven Wonders show in the DuPont Planetarium, and more! We hope to see you at Family Day 2020; date to be determined. Stay tuned!
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It's Time to Apply for Financial Aid
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The 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA)
is available now!
Both the student and parent will need their FSA ID and 2018 tax information (as applicable) on hand. We highly recommend using the
IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA to easily and accurately provide tax information.
In addition, Aiken Technical College, University of South Carolina Aiken, and the SC Commission on Higher Education have collaborated to host a
Fall FAFSA Night
on Tuesday, Oct. 29 to help area families navigate the federal aid application process.
If you have any general financial aid questions, please feel free to give our office a call at 803-641-3476. If you are calling with specific questions regarding a student's aid, you will need the student's VIP or USC ID.
Priority deadline to submit is
March 1!
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SC Education Lottery Ambassadors
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The South Carolina Education Lottery is recruiting
Lottery Scholarship Ambassadors
to share their stories in the Lottery’s marketing communications. This could include social media posts, being guests on local radio programs to share their story about receiving a lottery scholarship, or appearing in person at special events.
If your student received the PALMETTO FELLOWS or LIFE scholarships from the SC Education Lottery and they are interested in this marketing opportunity, please have them contact
Leslie Hull-Ryde
, director of news and information at USC Aiken.
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Jason Zike accepted the position of chief of the
USC Aiken Police Department, effective Sept. 16.
A graduate of Western Carolina University and several professional development training programs offered by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the S
.C
. Criminal Justice Academy, Jason brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to USC Aiken. He comes to Aiken from the Columbia College Police Department, where he was a captain. He also served on the Rock Hill Police Department and currently serves as a command sergeant major in the N.C. Army National Guard.
A recognized leader in his field, Jason also taught at the Georgia Military College.
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Parenting a Pacer: An Opportunity to
Loosen the Reins
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Many articles and books are written about students' transition from high school to college. In recent years, more has been written to help parents and families make that transition, and it
is a transition for them as well.
Even though our Pacers are college students, and adults, we may still want to fix things for them. We want to eliminate barriers to success and prevent failure.
Instead, we might consider these moments as opportunities to "loosen the reins" on Pacers and let them have the slack to seek out helpful resources at USC Aiken, i.e. faculty office hours, resident mentors, tutoring. This way, students find solutions and forge ahead to become leaders on the track and in life.
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Featured Student Organization - Impact
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Ashley (l) and Alaine (r) working at a
Habitat for Humanity project
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My name is Ashley DeFore (on left in photo). I am a USC Aiken sophomore and an Impact Coordinator.
Impact is a community service organization that provides a convenient way for students to participate in community service events in the Aiken area. Students receive emails letting them know when and where our events take place.
Through Impact, other student organizations that require community service hours can easily collect and record those hours. In addition, Impact provides opportunities to volunteer in our community so students can accumulate required
ICE credits and fulfill one of the
core values at USC Aiken, citizenship.
Because of Impact, I have grown as an individual and a servant leader. I have such a passion for volunteer work, and I am so thankful that my job allows me to give others a chance at community service experiences, too!
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USC Aiken has free tutoring!
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Parent and Family Relations
Student Assistant
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My name is Gracen Farr, and I am a freshman exercise and sports science major from Aiken, SC. I am the Parent and Family Relations student worker.
This semester, technically, this is not my first year here. In my senior year of high school, I took two
dual-enrollment courses, so I began my freshman year with six college credits. Dual enrolling also helped me make a smooth social transition from high school to college.
One of the reasons I chose USC Aiken is because of all the opportunities for students, including clubs, organizations, intramural sports and
job opportunities. With this job, as the parent and family relations student assistant, I am able to meet new people, work in between classes, and help organize parent events like our recent Family Day.
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Gracen working at Get on Board Days
Where students could write a note of thanks to family or friends. Parent and Family Relations supplied note cards, envelopes and postage.
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Thank you for reading these newsletters and for your feedback to help us improve this effort.
Please complete this six-question
survey regarding this newsletter. We appreciate your time and thoughts.
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Parent and Family Relations Assistance
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Dear USC Aiken parents and families,
While it is our goal to develop independent, self-sufficient Pacers, we know that sometimes parents or guardians may need guidance. Please feel free to contact me for assistance.
You can email
parents@usca.edu or call 803-641-2825 during office hours, Monday
–Thursday,
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Please leave a message at other times, so I can reply. If you have an emergency, call USC Aiken police at 803-648-4011.
Sincerely,
Sandy Talbott
Parent and Family Relations Coordinator
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Save The Date
Fall term
November 26-27 - Thanksgiving holiday
December 6 - Classes end
Spring term
January 13 - Classes begin
March 9 - 13 - Spring break
April 9-10 - Scholar Showcase
May 6 - Commencement
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Parent and Family Relations| University of South Carolina Aiken | 803-641-2825 | parents@usca.edu | www.usca.edu/parents
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