Dear RAM Families:

It's hard to believe there are only five and a half more weeks until the end of the 2008-2009 academic year!

I want to pass along one last reminder of this Saturday's RAMFAM Association meeting with Interim President Dr. Tony Frank. Please travel to Fort Collins to attend this historic meeting with current CSU parents and families on Saturday, April 4 from 10-12 (MST) in the Campus Recreation Center. Your students are also welcome to attend the meeting. If you cannot attend in person, please dial in and participate over the phone. Directions to the Campus Recreation Center as well as instructions for phoning in are included in this newsletter. I spoke with Dr. Frank yesterday and he is looking forward to an engaging dialogue and is ready to respond to your questions and concerns.

We are moving forward on our RAMFAM Family Friendly Business Directory to compile a directory for students and their families of trusted businesses who have a record of quality service for our students. Please forward your recommendations to Kacee Collard at Kacee.Collard@Colostate.Edu. Our RAMFAM Association volunteers will be working on this initiative in the upcoming months.

I just returned from a trip to Dallas and Houston to meet with incoming and current students' parents and families from Texas. We are starting to create a network of state-wide Colorado State RAMFAMily Groups across the country. If you are interested in helping to start or becoming a part of a group of parents and families of CSU students in your area, please send me an email or call me.

Included in this e-newsletter are the following articles:

• Details and Logistics about the RAMFAM Association meeting April 4 with Interim President Dr. Tony Frank.
• RAMFAM Family Friendly Business Directory
• The Boomerang Generation-What if your Student Returns Home after Graduation!
• CSU Dining Services Score Above National Average
• Summer School at Colorado State
• April Calendar of Events at Colorado State University

If you are no longer interested in receiving my monthly e-newsletter, please unsubscribe using the following link: http://wsnet.colostate.edu/cwis463/list-serv/.

Thank you again for supporting your students and their educational journeys. We appreciate our partnership for student success.

Sincerely,

Jody

Jody Donovan, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Students/
Executive Director of Parent and Family Programs
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
Colorado State University
201 Administration Building
Fort Collins, CO 80523
(970) 491-5312
jody.donovan@colostate.edu

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RAMFAM Association Meeting Logistics

Interim CSU President, Dr. Tony Frank, will be attending the April 4, 2009 RAMFAM Association meeting from 10:00 am - 11:00 am to speak with parents and families of current CSU students!  Parents and family members can participate either in person or via conference call to hear the perspectives of President Frank on topics ranging from institutional vision under new leadership to the current tuition and fee structure at CSU.  Logistics for attending the meeting and dialing in to the meeting are as follows:
Location:  Campus Recreation Center, Long's Peak Room
Date:  Saturday, April 4, 2009
Time:  10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time

Dial-In Number:  970-491-1238
Dial-In Instructions: 
1) Call in just before 10:00 (MST) on the morning of Saturday, April 4. 
2) The first person to call in will experience continual ringing until someone else calls in. 
3) Once two people have dialed in to the system, the party line will engage and the first two individuals will be able to speak to one another.  As RAMFAM Association members call in, you will hear a click and then will be able to engage in conversation. 
4) Please be aware that all members will be able to hear you at any given time and will also be able to hear when any member has ended the call.

Directions to the meeting location:

• Map of campus
• The Student Recreation Center is here with marked building and parking options
• The Student Recreation Center is positioned behind Moby Arena
• Parking can be found in the lot west of Moby Arena, off of Shields and Elizabeth
• Head east on the foot trail past Moby Arena until you see the Student Recreation Center on the left side of the walkway
• Map of the Student Recreation Center
• The meeting will be held in the Long's Peak Room of the Student Recreation Center
• Enter through the sliding glass doors and take the staircase immediately in front of you (elevators can be found to the right in front of the Information Desk by the pool)
• Take a left at the top of the staircase and walk through the door onto the walking track. Follow the walking track to your right and look for signs to the Long's Peak Room on the east side of the building, past the group fitness room (room 208 on the map).

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RAMFAM Friendly Businesses: Help Us Help All Parents and Families!

Have you had a great experience with a business in Fort Collins? Tell us about it! The RAMFAM Association, in conjunction with Parent and Family Programs at CSU, is creating a list of "friendly" local businesses as a reference for parents and families of CSU students. We've created categories of businesses and are soliciting suggestions from seasoned parents and family members to start the list. Here are the categories:

Recommending a business is easy! Just send the following information to kacee.collard@colostate.edu or jody.donovan@colostate.edu and the RAMFAM Association will do the rest of the work.

Business Category:
Business Name:
Address:
Phone Number:

EXAMPLE:
Business Category: Laundry/Dry Cleaners
Business Name: Palumbo Cleaners
Address: 1005 W Stuart St, Fort Collins, CO 80526
Phone Number: (970) 482-9661

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You Can Go Home Again

By Judy Brobst
Career Center Assistant Director

They are known as "Boomerangers" the twentysomethings that move back home after graduation from college. Reasons vary widely: low wages for new graduates, the debt the student has amassed through college loans and of course, the economy is just not hiring these days. Whatever the reason, are you prepared to welcome your student back home? Is this something you have talked about? Graduation is only seven weeks away!

Recent reports show hiring of new college grads down 22% from 2008 and in the finance area, it's down 71%. But not to fret, there are jobs out there and students should be willing to relocate and move for the job. The Federal Government is hiring and here in Colorado we hear of new opportunities with companies such as Vestas making wind turbines in Windsor, Brighton and now a plant in Pueblo. The Water Company in Pueblo and other new industries are also coming to Colorado.

So, what's a parent or family member to do? Here are some tips to help you weather this tough economic climate:

• If your student needs to move home, have the conversation early and set some clear boundaries and guidelines. Will they pay rent, what about friends spending the night, when will they move back out?
• Offer to assist with "developing a network." Many students don't have a professional network or haven't considered one. Who do you know that might be able to assist your student with informational interviews and perhaps serve as a mentor?
• Encourage them to "think outside the box" when it comes to their job search. While the finance industry has dried up, the health care industry needs finance people.
• Work with them if they need to relocate to take a position. So many students don't want to leave Colorado or Fort Collins but they may have to leave. Be supportive of this decision.
• Have them start to read the business section of papers and online sites such as CNN, and USAToday. Did you know that Target will open 27 new stores employing 4,300 people?
• Having a part-time job while searching for a full-time job is better than no job at all. Don't forget that volunteering can also build skills, a professional network and lead to a full-time position.

Career services are very optimistic that the economy will turn around and companies will start hiring again. A recent graduate who is working when the economy changes will have a much better chance at the job they really want than a student who decided to "wait it out." Encourage your student to use the services that the Career Center offers. We're here for them even after graduation!

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Colorado State University Students Score Dining Services Above National Average

With over 10,000 meals served a day there is no doubt that Residential Dining Services at CSU is busy, but how does the food services at CSU compare with other universities? The 2008 NACUFS (National Association of College and University Food Services) Customer Satisfaction Benchmarking Survey asked over 1,500 students at CSU how satisfied they were with dining on campus and compared their responses to responses from students from 108 universities across the nation.

Survey results show that CSU students were more satisfied with Residential Dining Services on every factor in the NACUFS 2008 Survey when compared to the national average. Below are just a few questions to highlight CSU's scores in the survey. The survey used a Likert scale with 5 = very satisfied and 1 = very dissatisfied. The study was conducted by Industry Insights, Inc., an independent research and consulting firm.

CSU students more satisfied with residential dining

"In general, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the dining services provided by your college/university?"

Mean

CSU students more satisfied with all factors on NACUFS Survey

Student Satisfaction with Dining Services

CSU students more satisfied with most attributes related to FOOD

CSU residence hall students were more satisfied with Residential Dining Services on every attribute related to FOOD in the 2008 NACUFS Survey when compared to the national average.

Satisfaction with Food

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Summer Session 2009 at Colorado State Universtiy

The theme for Summer Session 2009 is "Go Global! Study Local!" There are over 50 courses offered during summer school to enhance students' multi-cultural education. Students may take courses to satisfy the core requirement for Global and Cultural Awareness, prepare for Study Abroad or to meet the requirements for several of the interdisciplinary diversity programs for International Education, Religious Studies, Women's Studies and more! We offer the Language Immersion Courses, Beginning I & II in Spanish, Arabic, American Sign Language, and Chinese. Students can learn a semester's worth in 4-weeks or a whole year of language in 8-weeks.

The weekend Psychology courses remain popular and this year's selection includes Conflict Resolution, The Psychology of Happiness, Movies and Mental Health, Forensic Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Psychology of Women, Introduction to Clinical/Counseling Psychology, and Basic Counseling Skills

The CSU campus atmosphere is friendly, laid-back and hassle-free in the summer. It is a good time to focus on one or two classes. There are over 500 courses offered in the 4- and 8- week terms, giving students the flexibility to work and make other summer plans.
Summer Session provides students the opportunity to complete a prerequisite, knock off a required course, and improve their GPA. Students who are not yet CSU admitted students can enroll in Summer Session: there are no formal admission requirements. "Summer-Only" students need to complete the simple online summer application. Visit www.summer.colostate.edu . Call the Summer Session Office at (970) 491-1590 if you have any questions.

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