FYI from FYE - July 2019

Dear Members of the Class of 2023,

Welcome to Skidmore!  By now you know that we have chosen Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong about the World—and Why Things are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund, and Ola Rosling as the summer reading selection for your class. The Selection Committee—Kate Greenspan (English), Sang-Wook Lee (Art), and Leigh Wilton (Psychology) —joins me in urging you to utilize the resources on the FYE Summer Reading webpage  .

As you plunge into this intriguing book, the Summer Reading webpage will complement your reading experience.  It includes various articles, reviews, and related materials about Factfulness, as well as short response essays by faculty members who have been reading along with you and are eager to share their thoughts.  Consider these materials as you prepare to discuss the book with your seminar groups during Orientation.  (Please remember to bring the book with you to campus.)

I am also happy to announce that the Class of 2023 Summer Reading lecture, to be held on Monday evening, September 9th, will feature Dr. Jennifer Hochschild of Harvard University.  Dr. Hochschild is the co-author of Do Facts Matter?: Information and Misinformation in American Politics (2015); she will discuss this year’s book selection in the context of her own work on the uses of data in the political arena. 

I encourage you to read Factfulness  with care, discuss it with your family and friends, and come prepared for lively discussion. 

Sincerely,

Professor Janet Casey
Director, First-Year Experience

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Checklist of Upcoming Deadlines

July Checklist

Activity	Due Date
Register for Pre-Orientation	through July 15
Submit ID picture	July 1—August 15
Write RAP	July 1—August 30
Mail in Health Services forms	Due August 1
Register for Skidmore Urgent Notification System (SUNS)	Ongoing
New Item: First-Year Student Survey	Please check your inbox for a letter from Dean Cerri Banks with a link on/around July 24.  Due Sept. 18.

Upcoming Deadlines

Activity	Due Date
Complete online alcohol education class (students will receive an email with a link to the course on or around August 1)	August 1—31

Past Deadlines

If you have missed any of these deadlines, please contact the appropriate office as soon as possible.

Activity	Due Date
Residential Life Housing Questionnaire	Contact Residential Life
Registration	Contact the Registrar

For a complete list of dates and deadlines, visit the Dates and Deadlines page.  

London First-Year and Opportunity Program students should use the dates and deadlines for your programs:

• London FYE dates and deadlines
• Opportunity Program dates and deadlines

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Your Skidmore ID

Your ID is essential for your first day at Skidmore. It is not just for the dining hall and library; your ID is also the key to your residence hall, your room, and a declining balance card. Prior to arriving on campus, we ask you to upload a photo for your ID. Once approved, your photo will be processed and your ID will be available at your residence hall when you check in on your first day of Orientation. However, students who do not submit appropriate photos (or never submit photos) will face unnecessary delays when they arrive on campus.

Please use the guidelines below when submitting your photo. Photos that do not follow these guidelines or are deemed inappropriate will not be processed.  

Between July 1 and August 15, incoming students should upload a photo for their student IDs. 

Photo Submission Guidelines

• This picture is for identification purposes
• The picture must be in color
• The picture must be less than 500 KB in size
• The picture must be a minimum of 300 x 300 pixels
• The picture must be a file type of .jpg, .jpeg, .gif., or .png
• Please use a plain light color or blank background
• No hats, sunglasses, jewelry, or garments that obstruct the view of your face
• Eyeglasses should be worn if normally used by students
• Eyes should be open and looking at camera
• There should be a small space between your head and the top of the image
• Head should be positioned directly facing the camera, not leaning on anything

Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Card Office at 518-580-5854.

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What is Student Academic Services (SAS)?

SAS serves all Skidmore students interested in strengthening their academic performance or skills by organizing peer tutoring and Peer Academic Coaching (PAC), and by offering professional one-on-one and small group academic support. SAS collaborates with other campus offices and faculty to support all Skidmore students—with specific responsibility to international students, English Language Learners (ELL), students of color, student-athletes, and students with disabilities.

Student Academic Services and Accommodations

Skidmore College cultivates an inclusive and supportive learning community and values the diverse learning styles of our students. In pursuit of this effort, we are committed to providing students with disabilities full and meaningful access to all college programs and activities, and we strive to provide individualized accommodations necessary for students to realize an equal opportunity to succeed.

Following admission, we encourage students to submit an Application for Accommodation along with supporting documentation as soon as possible. The purpose of early application is to foster an interactive process of accommodation, to familiarize students with the Skidmore community, and to enable students to be fully informed about Skidmore's disability services policies and procedures (prior to the first semester on campus). There are also important differences between high school and college that students should be aware of. The central purpose of accommodations at the college level is to provide equal access to Skidmore's academic programs and curricular and cocurricular activities. All accommodations must be approved by the Coordinator for Student Access Services and are never retroactive. 

Common Accommodations

• Extended test time
• Testing in a distraction-reduced location
• Supplemental class notes
• Texts in alternative (digital) format

Differences between High School and College

High School	College
Academic support is often scheduled for students.	Students must schedule and access the support they need.
Teachers, guidance counselors, and parents typically take the lead on advocating for students.	Students must advocate for themselves.
Parents can provide students with excused absences due to illness or the effects of a disability.	Attendance requirements are established and enforced by individual faculty members. All students are expected to adhere to class attendance policies which cannot be waived as an accommodation for a disability. Similarly, assignment due dates cannot be waived or altered as an accommodation for a disability.

 

For more information regarding access services, the process for applying for accommodations, and documentation requirements, please refer to our website.

Students can also reach our Coordinator for Student Access Services, Meg Hegener, at (518) 580-8150.

See you in September!

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Required Course for Incoming First-Year Students

We know you're excited about coming to Skidmore and we are thrilled to welcome you to our community. Skidmore College is deeply committed to the health, wellbeing, and happiness of its community members. In an effort to prepare you for the unique challenges and responsibilities of college, we require each incoming student to complete the following online courses offered through our partnership with 3^rd Millennium Classrooms:

1. Alcohol-Wise.

This is an alcohol prevention program. Whether you drink or not, Alcohol-Wise will empower you to make well-informed decisions and will help you cope with the drinking behavior of peers.

2. Marijuana-Wise

This is a marijuana prevention course that provides you with accurate information about marijuana, including its effects.

3. Consent & Respect

This is a comprehensive course addressing intimate partner violence, healthy relationships, bystander empowerment, and consent.

 

The courses will become available to you on August 1, 2019. The deadline for completion is August 31, 2019. Failure to complete the courses may result in a referral to the Student Conduct Office.

The instructions and the link for accessing the courses will be sent to your Skidmore email address.

If you have questions, please contact Kim Golemboski at kgolembo@skidmore.edu or 518-580-5484.

Please note: We will also be sending a Part 2 to these courses approximately 30 days after the start of the semester. Additional information and instructions will be sent to your Skidmore email account once the semester begins. 

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Your Thoughts Matter – The First-Year Student Survey

Skidmore College is participating in a national study about incoming college students conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA.  We want to hear from you and we need your input!  In late-July, you will receive an email from Dr. Cerri Banks, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs at Skidmore, requesting your participation. The request to participate will be coming from the following email address: CIRPFreshmanSurvey@DataRecognitionCorp.com on behalf of Cerri Banks (cbanks@skidmore.edu).

 We’d greatly appreciate you taking a few minutes to tell us about yourself by completing this First-Year Student Survey.  Your responses will help us to better understand our incoming students and their needs.  The survey will provide us insight regarding your expectations for college, your academic experiences, what influenced your college choice, your goals and values, and how you spend your time. 

We assure you that your responses will remain confidential and will never become part of your permanent record at Skidmore.  All findings will be reviewed in aggregate form only.  We look forward to hearing from you!

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Pre-Orientation Programs

One of the best ways of making the transition to college life is through participation in one of the many Pre-Orientation Programs at Skidmore. Whether it's hiking in the Adirondacks, creating sculpture, or doing community service, there are many ways to meet students with similar interests and goals. Participation in Pre-O is optional and takes place just before Orientation (which is required for first-year students.) 

For any other questions or concerns, please contact Pre-Orientation Programs via email or call us at (518) 580-8338.  

There are still spaces in the following programs:

On-campus programs

On Campus Programs
Behind the Scenes at the Tang   CRN # 60128  Art lovers (not just art majors) are invited to learn all about the Tang Teaching Museum. You’ll explore the exhibitions, take a look behind the scenes and make art. No previous art-making experience required, just an openness to new experiences and a willingness to have fun.
Theater  CRN# 60125 Skidmore's Theater Company opens it's doors to first year students who would like to experience some stage, improv and a play in Lenox, Massachusetts. Meet new people in a fun environment. Come "play" with us!
Tell Your Story!  CRN #60129 Join the students who staff Skidmore’s DOCLab (a hub for audiovisual production both in and out of classes, serving all majors and all media) to explore the art and craft of documentary storytelling—sonic, visual, and performed. We’ll listen together to our favorite podcasts, swap podcast recommendations, try out the art of live storytelling (a la NPR’s The Moth) in a low-stakes open-mic setting, and split into teams for a 24-hour filmmaking race. No previous experience required!
Chillel CRN#60131 Come hangout and meet other students interested in Hillel and Jewish Student Life at Skidmore as we explore the Saratoga area through kayaking and other fun events! You will have the opportunity to ask your peer advisors questions about Jewish life on campus see what Skidmore has to offer!
TAPAS CRN#60188 TAPAS is a transfer specific program where you will meet other transfer students and explore everything (or at least quite a bit) of what Saratoga and the surrounding areas have to offer.

 

Off-campus programs

All SCOOP programs take place off-campus in the Adirondacks.

 For more information, please visit the Pre-Orientation website.

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Class of 2023 on Facebook

If you haven't done so already, please join the FYE at Skidmore Facebook group.  This is a closed group for students in the Class of 2023 only, so if you'd like to join, please visit the page and send a friend request. If your Facebook username is different than your legal name, please email our student monitor  Becca Schilsky and let her know both your legal name and your Facebook username.

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For Families:  Wellness at Skidmore

Can my student get a flu shot on campus? When are immunizations due? My student seems really stressed and lonely-where can they go for help? My student wants to find other first-year students who prioritize being substance free, how can they meet like-minded peers? My student has a fever and is throwing up on a weekend, how can they get help?

 For information about how Health and Wellness resources, supports and clinical services help students thrive at Skidmore, please link to: https://www.skidmore.edu/health/ .