Family Fusion Newsletter

Student Financial Planning

October 1^st is right around the corner. Well, for us in the Student Financial Planning Office it is!  We want to remind you of the changes made by President Obama last September allowing all students and their parents to file the 2017-2018 FAFSA beginning October 1, 2016.  This FAFSA form will use the income tax information from 2015, same tax information as used on the 2016-2017 FAFSA for those of you who file.

Please keep an eye out to your email, mail and the financial aid page of the Alvernia University website for more information and tools to filing the Early FAFSA!

 Below are a couple of videos discussing the changes and why this change is important to you and us.

https://www.nasfaa.org/ppystudents

https://www.nasfaa.org/early_fafsa

Campus Ministry

ALTERNATIVE BREAK

The Alternative Break (AB) program engages students in the critical examination of what “solidarity” with those in poverty looks like and how to connect service with others to our values and faith. We will be looking at urban poverty through healthcare experiences in Reading and Washington D.C., rural poverty through our experience in Virginia with financial literacy programs, education in the Dominican Republic, and environmental sustainability through experiences in Tennessee. AB experiences take place during winter break, spring break, and at the end of the school year. Applications are due September 16 and can be found on myAlvernia or by contacting cristina.urena@alvernia.edu.

First Year Retreat

An afternoon of talks with other students followed by reflection time and fellowship. All first year students are welcome!

September 10, 2016
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Campus Commons Living Room

Campus Ministry hires a Campus Minister in Residence

Cristina Ureña is a new member to our Campus Ministry team, but not new to Alvernia!

Cristina graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Alvernia in 2014. During her undergraduate years, Cristina served as a tutor, peer mentor, student ambassador, and as an orientation leader.  After falling in love with her college experience, she decided to pursue her Master’s degree in Higher Education Counseling and Student Affairs at West Chester University. At WCU, she was a Graduate Assistant for Residence Life and was often referred to as the “Icebreaker Queen.”

This alumna has now returned to serve as the Campus Minister in Residence. This year she will be coordinating the alternative break trips and implementing new spiritual programs in the residence halls.  She is thrilled to be back home.

Cristina enjoys learning new things and developing new relationships with others. She loves to eat a good meal and explore new places. Her recent adventures include visits to Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico! Stop by to say HOLA! Her office is located in the Campus Commons 104C.

Residence Life

Check-in for new freshmen who will be living on campus is Thursday, August 18 between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. If your student is a fall athlete (men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, women’s volleyball and cross country), move-in day is Tuesday, August 16. If you have specific questions regarding athlete check-in please contact Athletics at (610) 796-8276.

As you prepare for moving onto campus please know that the first day of Orientation, August 18, is a very busy day. Dress comfortably and bring your patience; we will do our best to check everyone in as quickly as possible. Remember to label all of your belongings. Things like boxes, plastic bins and text books should all have your student's name, building and room number so that our volunteer staff can help you move in. If you get to campus and realize that you have forgotten something, don’t panic; stores such as Target, Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond are only a few minutes away from campus. Also, the second weekend of Fall semester is Labor Day weekend and a great time to bring anything to campus that you forgot.

Returning students are able to move on to campus Sunday, August 21 between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Check-in is at the Veronica Hall lobby.

Student Accounts

A Note from the Office of Student Accounts…

Don’t forget, it’s time to pick up your fall invoice: myAlvernia / Finances / Student Accounts. From our page, you can Retrieve Statement and Pay Your Bill. The due date for Fall 2016 is August 15, 2016.
If you are expecting a refund, be sure to sign up for an Electronic Refund (e-Refund) to receive your money faster!! You can also set up a parent as an Authorized User (set up Parent Pin) and enroll in an interest free Payment Plan!

Got Insurance? All degree-seeking and certification-seeking students are responsible to maintain student health insurance. Students will be enrolled in the Alvernia Student Health Insurance plan if they do not submit current medical insurance information using the online waiver (https://alvernia.studenthealthportal.com). There are no exceptions and premiums are non-refundable. Insurance waivers must be submitted ONLINE each year and are required in addition to information submitted to other departments including Athletics.

Need assistance or additional information?
610.796.8319 or Student.Accounts@alvernia.edu

Health & Wellness Center

If your student is not currently utilizing the Student Health Portal, the Health & Wellness Center staff asks you to encourage him or her to do so.  The Student Health Portal is the primary mode of communication between our staff and the student in regard to medical records.  Your student can utilize the portal for the following functions:

• Completion of required health forms (My Forms)
• Completion of the annual insurance decision form available after June 1^st (My Forms)
• Submission of immunization records, physicals, tuberculosis testing, and medical record updates (Document Upload)
• Notification from the Health & Wellness Center regarding medical requirements (Messages)
• Print current immunization history (My Profile)

Students who will be participating in an off-campus learning experience (internship, field work, student teaching, clinical rotation) in the fall should check with the Health & Wellness Center regarding any additional health requirements for their sites.  It would be best to do this once they have confirmed site placements with their departments and early enough in the summer to allow time to complete these requirements.

 It is important for new students and students participating in off-campus learning experiences in the fall to submit all forms, supporting documents, and images to the Health & Wellness Center by August 1^st in order to prevent any delays in moving onto campus and participating in the educational experience. 

 Finally, the Health & Wellness Center does periodic review of student medical records. It is important to the health and safety of our campus that students maintain the minimum vaccination requirements.  We will contact your student if he/she needs to update any vaccines.  Timely response to these requests is important to prevent future registration delays.