The Academic Year Begins

Dear St. Norbert Families:

I can’t believe it’s so close to the start of the academic year! Where did the summer go? Some of you may have already dropped off your student(s) for fall athletics.

As the school year gets started, it’s important to keep a number of things in mind.

Homesickness
It’s not just first-year students who get homesick. Older students may get homesick as well. If your student is homesick, they are not alone! This is a great resource for students and parents regarding homesickness. One of the best ways to combat homesickness is for your student to attend events on campus. They can see all upcoming events in mySNC, our one-stop shop for student events, programs, news and resources. Attending events may help them connect with other students and start creating a network of acquaintances who could become friends. Reaching out to our Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff can be a big help as well.

Tutoring/academic support
Another obstacle your student may encounter is the need for assistance in courses. As soon as your student receives their class syllabi, they should start thinking about whether or not they could use some assistance. The earlier they go to the office of academic success, support and accessibility, the easier it will be to get services scheduled. They have a number of different ways to assist students in their courses.

Athletics tailgating policy
As you consider your schedule and whether or not you’ll be attending athletic events, you’ll want to keep in mind our tailgating policy. The policy covers students and visitors alike. You can find the football schedule here. FYI: Green Knights Football kicks off its season at home against Ripon College on Sept. 2. We’d love to see families and students at the game.

Applications for graduation
Graduation?! The school year hasn’t even started yet! (I’m assuming that’s what you thought when you saw that headline.) For those students who will graduate this year (either December 2023 or May 2024), it is definitely time to start thinking about it. Students must apply for graduation by the end of the first week of their final semester. So December graduates must apply by Sept. 1. Once the application is submitted, the registrar’s office will place your student’s name on the degree candidacy list and will begin a final degree audit. Also, if your student is planning to graduate in December, we do not have a December Commencement ceremony. December graduates walk at the May Commencement ceremony.

Upcoming events
You are able to see a list of our upcoming events here. Students can see a more detailed list of events in mySNC, either in the app that they’ve (hopefully) downloaded to their phone or on their laptop. Make sure they know about these:

• Monday, Aug. 28 — First day of school pictures under the Arch
• Friday, Sept. 1 — Deadline to add or drop a class. Students should contact academic advising in Todd Wehr Hall if they need assistance.
• Tuesday, Sept. 12 — Involvement Fair on the Campus Center lawn

Students will get emails with specific information about events happening every weekend (including Labor Day weekend) in addition to finding a full list of all events on mySNC.

I look forward to seeing all the students back on campus soon, and if there are any questions that I can answer, please let me know! My direct phone number is 920-403-3888 or you can email me at shelly.mumma@snc.edu.

Shelly Mumma
Director of the Center for Student Engagement
920-403-3888
shelly.mumma@snc.edu