April 29–May 5, 2009, Number 539
Finals Week Spring 2009
It’s finals week at Michigan Tech and that means students are busy trying to finish any last minute reports or projects and study for their finals. There’s only a few days left and we’ll be free for the summer doing whatever we choose. For those graduating it’s the light at the end of the tunnel! The last 4+ years have been an adventure at Michigan Tech for most of us. Included in this article will be information about what all parents should know in terms of commencement and moving students out at the end of this week.
Commencement – May 2
The commencement ceremony will be held on May 2, 2009 in the John MacInnes Ice Arena. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and should last for about 2 hours. The commencement homepage holds all the relevant information about what students and parents need to know. What’s even more exciting is the countdown ticker, or at least it makes me excited every time I see it.
Here’s the low-down in terms of important, need to know information: caps and gowns are available all week in the campus bookstore from 8:00am to 4:30pm. The price is $30 and garb belongs to the graduate after commencement (these are not rentals). If the student is unable to pick them up during the week, they have to head up to University Images in the Student Development Complex on May 2 after 9 a.m. to receive their cap and gown. Tickets have been on sale since April 20 and will continue up until April 30 at the Tech Express office. Students show their ID and receive 4 tickets. If additional tickets are needed, students can head up to the ticket office of at the SDC and receive more (first come, first serve basis). All tickets for this event are free. A mandatory rehearsal will take place on May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in the ice arena and last for approximately 1 hour. It is important that the student know their seating assignment before they go to the rehearsal. The seating arrangement is based on department and then the students are seated alphabetically within their respective departments. An interactive seating chart is also available online so that students can search by department and by their name to find their exact location. As stated above commencement begins at 10:30 a.m. and graduates are asked to arrive to the ice arena no later than 9:45 a.m.
If there are any questions about commencement or you need more information, please check out the main commencement homepage as it has all the relevant information. If you still have questions, contact Lisa Wallace (Degree Services) by calling (906) 487-2395 or by emailing her at lwallace@mtu.edu.
I’m looking forward to the ceremony and extend a hearty congratulation to my fellow graduates!
Move-Out
Seems like only yesterday we were moving students in for orientation week and now the time has come to move them out! Students are able to check out any time during this week, checking in with their Resident Assistant (RA) and returning their key before they leave. It is important that the student schedule an appointment with their RA at least 48 hours before the day they intend to check-out. Then, once the student has checked out with your RA they can return the key to their room to the front reception desk in their residence hall. The last day to move out is Saturday, May 2 as the residence halls will close at noon and won’t re-open for summer session until the Sunday before Track A starts (May 11). This applies to non-graduation seniors only. For any graduating student, they are able to check-out with their Resident Assistant on May 3 before noon. If there are any questions, the best people to contact would be the hard workers of the Housing and Residence Life Office, by calling (906) 487-2682 or by emailing them at housing@mtu.edu. Housing and Residence Life also provided the students with information and guidelines in a packet titled “You Deserve a Break". This has all the information about residence hall dining hall hours, room cleaning, check-out procedure, parking, storage, and more. Definitely check it out if you aren’t sure about anything regarding the check-out procedures.
Next week I’ll be writing my last – ‘farewell’ – article for ParentNet. I’ve greatly enjoyed this opportunity to share my experiences and help you parents along the way. If there are any questions or comments about this article feel free to email me at my personal email address. Any suggestions for future articles are still welcomed as I can pass them along to my successor.
Until next week,
- Michigan Technological University
- 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
- 906-487-1885