September 2012 Resident Newsletter

HOUSING & DINING PROGRAMS

SEPTEMBER 2012 E-NEWSLETTER FOR CAMPUS RESIDENTS

2012-2013 Important Dates (Mark your calendars!)

Monday, September 10th Package rooms move to individual desks Tuesday, September 11th Meal Plan Change Deadline (5pm) Friday, October 12th Fall Break, No Classes

Thursday, November 1st Spring 2013 Housing Termination Deadline Monday, December 17th Fall Semester Final Exams End Wednesday, December 19th Residence Halls Close at 12noon for Winter Break Sunday, January 6th Residence Halls Open at 3pm for the Spring Semester Monday, January 14th First day of Spring 2013 classes Monday, January 14th Information and applications available for 2013–2014 housing Friday, February 1st 2013-2014 Housing Applications due at 5pm (no exceptions) Wednesday, May 8th Residence Halls close at 12noon for move-out for undergraduates

Dear Campus Residents, Welcome to campus housing at American University for Fall 2012! As this message will highlight, we've had a very busy summer on campus! From welcoming new students and families during Eagle Summit, summer conferences, and the renovation of Letts North Residence Hall, I can certainly tell you that we are excited that the fall semester is finally here!

Campus just isn't the same without you and I am looking forward to an exciting year ahead. I am hopeful that your semester has gotten off to a great start and that you are already achieving great successes in your classes.

Each month, I will send you an e-newsletter to keep you connected to what's happening in Housing & Dining Programs.

I invite you to read these updates with interest as they will be very beneficial to you. If you have any questions about what is written in this message, please contact your Resident Assistant, your Resident Director or our Main Office staff at x3370 or housing@american.edu.

Sincerely, Chris Moody Assistant Vice President

HOUSING & DINING PROGRAMS Use EagleBucks.com to Make a Deposit!

Meal Plan Change Deadline-Tuesday, September 11th, 2012 at 5pm

Don't forget that you can add Dining Dollars and EagleBucks to your student AU ID card at any time and in any amount by visiting www.eaglebucks.com. If you lose your AUID Card, please make sure to freeze your account at www.eaglebucks.com and to contact Public Safety at 202-885-2527.

Meal Plan Change Deadline is Tuesday, September 11th at 5pm.

Please email mealplans@american.edu if you want to change your plan. You should send the email from your @student.american.edu email address and include your AU ID number, full name, and the new plan into which you would like to enroll.

Personal and Property Safety in the Residence Halls Residence halls on college campuses typically experience a higher rate of theft than other buildings at a university. Students should be vigilant about locking residence hall room doors when leaving the room. If you have a bike on campus, Public Safety recommends using a U-lock to provide maximum protection against theft. For more information on recent campus thefts, please visit the Public Safety Crime Alert website at www.american.edu/finance/publicsafety/crime alerts.cfm.

Students can sign-up for personal property insurance through a third-party company that AU endorses. To learn more about signing up for personal property insurance, visit their website at http://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/

Campus Housing During Fall and Thanksgiving Breaks The residence halls will remain open over the Fall and Thanksgiving Break periods, but many of the hall desks will be closed. In other words, you do not have to return home or find alternate housing during these breaks, but your front desk will not be fully operational.

Planning Ahead for Winter Break Residents should make arrangements to depart for Winter Break within 24 hours of their last final exam. If you're planning ahead for Winter Break, please note that the residence halls will close for all students on Wednesday, December 19th at 12noon. More details on closing will be provided towards the end of the semester by your residence hall staff.

Campus will re-open on Sunday, January 6th at 3pm for the Spring 2013 semester. Spring 2013 semester classes will begin on Monday, January 14th. We encourage students to schedule your return to campus between January 12th-13th as campus service and hours of operation will be very limited between January 6th – 12th.

Join us for McDowell Hall’s 50th birthday celebration!

Monday, September 10th at 5pm in McDowell Formal Lounge Come join Housing & Dining Programs in celebrating McDowell Hall's 50th Birthday! We will be celebrating in style with cake, appetizers and a special address by President Kerwin and Dr. Gail Hanson.

Congratulations to our Online Photo Submission Winners!

Thank you all for sending in your AU ID Photos over the summer. We are thrilled to announce our randomly selected winners: Marko Vasic won an iPad! Emily Bulkeley won a 4-year Student Advantage membership!

Kathy Kim won a loft rental & Taylor Peterson won a micro-fridge rental for their rooms!

To stay up to date with the One Card Office & hear first about student discounts - like us at www.facebook.com/auonecard

HOUSING & DINING PROGRAMS

SEPTEMBER 2012 E-NEWSLETTER FOR CAMPUS RESIDENTS

Just a couple more things… 

Campus residents should check their AU spam email filter regularly to ensure that you are receiving all of the official communications from American University.

All official communications from AU will come to your student.american.edu email address.

Got Conflict? Try Mediation!

Whether with your partner, roommate, or classmate, AU Conflict Resolution Services offers a new program for students on campus. Each residence hall has an inhall mediator who hosts weekly drop-in hours and is available by appointment. Inhall mediators are trained in mediation and conflict coaching and available to help individuals or groups. For your hall’s mediator, visit http://american.edu/ocl/sccrs/ServicesOverview.cfm.

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You can now follow us on Twitter at @AUHDP. Follow us for up to date information regarding our department and events on campus.

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During the first three to four weeks of opening, we receive hundreds of packages per day. As a service to our residents, all packages received between August 16th and August 19th were delivered to your residence hall room or the residence hall room listed on the package. If you have received any mail or packages that don't belong to you or any of your roommates, please promptly return the box to your residence hall front desk. Please see the front desk for package pick-up or hours for certain halls.

If you live off-campus, our general services are available by contacting conflictresolution@american.edu

Be sure you are swiping your AUID and showing it to the staff member at the desk every time you enter your residence hall. Any students/guests in your residence hall MUST be claimed at the front desk of the building and escorted by a resident at all times.

Reminder: Illegal File Sharing is a Crime!

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Please continue to be mindful of our neighbors when traveling to and from offcampus. We want to be respectful of the neighbors and families living near campus. You can help us make sure that the AU community continues to have positive relationships with our neighbors by keeping noise levels down when walking along Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues and by ensuring that trash is thrown into the proper trash receptacles.

Follow us!

4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Anderson Hall Washington, DC 20016 (202) 885-3370 www.american.edu/housing housing@american.edu

The unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials through illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution or file sharing of intellectual property on the university’s network is prohibited as stated in the university’s Computer Use and Copyright Policy http://www.american.edu/oit/policies/Com puter-Use.cfm Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or "statutory" damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed.

For "willful" infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed.

A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys' fees.