Star Staff for February
Sherry
Reinwald
Technology Team, Financial Aid
STAFF RECOGNITION
The Executive Directors have approved a new selection process for the Star Staff/Team. For details, click above. For more information on Sherry, click her name.
Student Financial
Service Survived Spring Cancellations Collects
85% of Spring 2002 past due accounts and processed 2266 Refunds!
Click above to see pictures from Survivor SMU.
CONGRATULATIONS
Eartha Walls, leads the spirited fans of her son Bryce's basketball team at Cedar Valley College. Five more games to the championship!
NEW STAFF
Christina Little, Financial Aid Counselor
Marilyn Roubal, Financial Aid Counselor
STAFF CHANGES
Sharla Roderick, Module Lead for Financial Aid area
STAFF LEAVING
Melanie Cutbirth, January 18
Jackie Nicholas, January 31
Adrian Galvan, January 31
Wendy Mazan Cook, February 14
ANNIVERSARIES
Pat Woods - 24 Years!
Faye Gough - 19 years
Patricia May - 13 years
Adrienne Hawa - 4 years
Barrie Glasscock - 3 yrs
Winn Perdue - 1 year
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
Chris Salone - Feb. 3
Erin O'Neil - Feb. 8
Mary Ann Plante - Feb. 11
Thomas Frazier - Feb. 13
Charles Harper - Feb. 18
Joe Papari - Feb. 19
VIPs -
Very Important Ponies
Since SMU is not the "The Rainbow Trouts" -- rather the Mustangs -- it was suggested that the program of "Tattling on Your Co-Workers" not be FISH but VIPs. Very Important Pony cards are now available in the Leadership Suite. You put your completed cards in "The Corral."
The criteria remains the same. VIPs are given to staff for excellent customer service -- to students, families, or co-workers, faculty, staff.
Some
of our VIPs this month are:
Epi Ramirez - whenever I have
called Epi, he has immediately tackled the problem and found a solution. I
recently had a problem with a student's records and called several folks.
The student's transfer work was not matching the DPR (Degree Progress Report).
Within an hour of me contacting Epi, he found the problem and had it fixed.
The DPR ran perfectly. I am grateful for Epi and impressed by his cheerful
attitude.
Dewayne Espinosa - even though he has been working long hours and weekends, the weekend that we were to organize and distribute the Cancellations for Spring 2002, Dewayne brought Pigs in the Blanket for everyone working on Saturday.
Rocky Newby - talked with an upset student and solved her problem. He found out that her loan had not disbursed and explained the situation to her.
Kelly McMillan - After leaving work at 5pm one day, Kelly returned with hot cookies for those working late. She also volunteered to work one night a week just to help us out.
Cathy Smith - I don't know how many times I have seen Cathy Smith politely direct students who get lost at the end of the hall.
Chris Salone - Chris went out of his way to track a refund check for a distressed student. He got the check after it was processed and contacted the the person to arrange for her to pick it up.
Peggy Park - calmly explained to a father that he was confusing academic policy with Financial Aid policy - helping him to understand the situation with his student.
Cheryl Moore - During Drop/Add, Cheryl continually went through the line at Registration, letting waiting student know that they could Drop/Add on ACCESS.SMU. She would walk them through the process. It really sped up the line.
Catherine Hadnot - A parent stopped by to get transcripts for her son who was withdrawing from the University. Catherine help with the request for new transcripts as well as tracked down an earlier request. This was not a very happy time for the parent. She remarked that Catherine's helpfulness was refreshing and appreciated.
Records If a student has completed
transfer work at another institution, as part of their admission process, they
are required to provide transcripts for all institutions that they have
attended. The folders are then brought to the Records area where each transfer transcript is entered and evaluated by the academic
deans office to determine what credits will transfer. Once the student enrolls, our academic
record keeping has just begun. A few of our activities include
daily grade changes, academic suspensions, advance placement, semester grading,
repeated course information, and honor violations. One of our tasks as an area
includes processing academic grade rosters for Early and Midterm Progress each
semester. This program was instituted by the Provost Office to monitor the
academic progress and retention of new transfer, new from high school and new
readmit students. The students are notified of courses in which they have a C-
or lower. The students are given an opportunity to seek help if they're having
difficulties and not be surprised going into finals exams. Records also maintains
biographical information which includes but not limited to updates to the SSN,
name changes, date of birth, and citizenship status. Each Records Analyst has a
specific SSN range that they work with as well as certain academic schools whose
degree information they process. Which brings us to probably our most high
profile activity - degree processing and graduation. Degrees are conferred for
recipients in May, August, and December with ceremonies in the months of May and
December. We are beginning our degree process for May 2002 candidates.
Applications to graduate are due in our office Feb. 8 There is actually very little down
time for Records, the work flow is constant. We are usually juggling transfer
folders, end of term grading and graduation simultaneously. Being a team player
is a must in the Records area. Whatever has to be done, Records staff always
manages to pitch in a team effort and meet our deadlines as needed. Records Team is headed by Jackie
Wilborn with Sylvia Wiseman, Laura Phelps, Jean Porter, Epi Ramirez, Donna
Rodriguez, and Monica Gomez.
The
Records Area handles most every piece of academic information from a student's
application through graduation!
Division Highlights
Mustang Monday
AARO 2002 Dates
Blanton Bldg.
Groundbreaking The DES offices will be
closed from 11am to 1pm in order for the staff to attend the ceremony. May Commencement 
Summer
School Only - May 28
First Year - July 5-6, 8-9. 10-11, 12-13, 15-16, 17-18,
19-20, 22-23, 26-27, 29-30, 31-Aug. 1, 2-3, 18
Transfer/Readmit - Aug.
13
The first step in
our long anticipated move to the Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building
begins with the groundbreaking ceremony at 11:30am on Thursday, February 21.
Still
time to
mark your calendars for May Commencement 2002 which will be held
Saturday, May 18 at 9:30 a.m. in Moody Coliseum.
If you are interested in volunteering at any of the academic ceremonies
please contact Erin O’Neil at 8-2037 or
eoneil@mail.smu.edu.
Quotation
of the Month
It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that
makes happiness.
Charles Spurgeon
STAFF DEVELOPMENT