Dear Parents,

On November 2 and 3, the Parent Council gathered on campus for its first biannual meeting of the academic year. (The council also will meet during Family Weekend, February 22-24.) Goal-setting was the focus of this meeting, and each council committee--Admission, Advancement, Career Services and Internships, and Marketing and Communications--established objectives for 2012-2013, which include:

• helping the College's Office of Advancement raise $330,000 for the Parent Fund, a 5 percent increase from last year;
• working with the Center for Career Planning and Applied Learning to secure more than 45 internship and job opportunities for students;
• assisting the Office of Admission with Explore Eckerd days and Admission fairs, and making calls to prospective and admitted student families; and
• continuing to produce an informative and timely e-newsletter for all parents.

These and other goals will help make this great institution even stronger. If you'd like to participate in any way, please contact us. We look forward to seeing the results of everyone's hard work!

Warmest regards,

Bill and Leslie Pearson (P '13)

2012-2013 Parent Council Chairs
 

All Parent Council chairs, past and present, were in attendance during the weekend.

Midsemester can be a time of stress for college students. Exams, projects and term papers sometimes all hit at once. Students may face competing social demands. Those who became involved in too many campus organizations might have trouble balancing the demands of the organizations with the demands of coursework. 

This is a good time for a college parent to ask some important questions and do a lot of listening--not just to the words, but to the messages between the lines.  

There is one very important question to ask your student at this midpoint in the semester: Are you going to class? It may seem simple, but some college students don't see the connection between class attendance and better grades. Beyond common sense, some recent studies have determined there is a direct relationship between class attendance and a higher GPA. So, talk to your student about the importance of showing up. Encourage your student to get back on track if he or she has been missing some classes. Midsemester is only the halfway mark. There is still time to make a difference.

What else can you do as a parent?

• Be sympathetic, but don't try to "fix" problems for your student. By letting him fix his own problems, you will demonstrate your confidence in him and help him build confidence in himself.
• Direct her to college resources for assistance with papers and assignments.
• Encourage your student to meet with his mentor and other professors to get a sense of his class standing at the midpoint of the semester.

Sharing Your Student's Success 

Eckerd College has started using readabout.me, a new platform that sends news items about student achievements back to their hometown newspapers, when appropriate, as well as publishes them on the Web. When Eckerd College issues a news story about your student's accomplishments, your student and you--if you have requested to receive communications from the College--will receive an email from Alizza Punzalan-Randle (punzalat@eckerd.edu), director of community and media relations, with a link to view your student's personalized story online. Your student can then connect with Facebook, add a photo, and share the achievement with friends and other family members.

Stay Connected with Athletics    

Did you know the Eckerd Tritons have their own Web site? Stay informed of the latest Athletics news and schedules by visiting www.eckerdtritons.com. If you live near a Triton sporting event, please come and cheer on the team!

You might recall that Eckerd College Athletics also offers opportunities to help parents celebrate their student's birthday or other special event, holiday or occasion. The Birthday Cake and Balloon programs enable parents to arrange for these items to be delivered to their student on campus.

For $35, a member of the Basketball program will deliver a quarter sheet cake (feeds 10-15 people) to your student for any special occasion, and a personal message can be included on the cake.

If you would like to order a cake, please contact Kendrick Wilson at 727-864-7877 or wilsonk@eckerd.edu.

The Balloon program allows students to receive balloons delivered to their campus residence by a current member of the Eckerd Basketball team. Prices for balloon packages are as follows:

1) Mylar balloon with eight latex balloons: $25

2) Triton Special (one dozen latex balloons): $20

If you would like to order balloons, please contact Paul Honsinger at 727-864-8586 or honsinpf@eckerd.edu. Payment must be made by check.

Funds raised through the sale of these items will help support Eckerd Athletics. Go Tritons!

Woody Taylor '13 keeps the USF Bulls on their toes during a recent basketball game.

Annual Thanksgiving Feast on Campus

For those students unable to travel home for the Thanksgiving holiday, November 22-23, Dean of Students Jim Annarelli and his family will host an annual Thanksgiving Feast in Fox Hall at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. There will be a delicious buffet of turkey with all the traditional trimmings, football-game viewing in Triton's Pub and activities for all ages. Meal cards will admit students who are on the meal plan; for other students, faculty, staff and guests the dinner charge is $7.50 per person. Tickets can be purchased in the Bon Appétit Dining Services Office, which is located in the Café Bon Appétit building. 

Important Dates and Deadlines 

Examination Period

December 10-13

Fall Semester Ends

December 14

Winter Term Begins

January 3

Winter Term Ends

January 25

Spring Semester Begins

January 29

Family Weekend 2013

February 22-24