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Dear USD Parent,
We were delighted to see many of you during the Family Weekend activities—thank you for joining your student for this special weekend. As we anticipate the Thanksgiving holiday later this month, please keep in mind that the semester comes to a quick close after that break. Encourage students to stay focused on deadlines and good time management habits to prevent becoming overwhelmed in the closing weeks.
November can be a month of planning—students meet with advisors to plan for class scheduling for the spring semester, travel plans are being made for the Thanksgiving holiday and the end of the semester and some students are planning ahead for international study, service-oriented spring breaks or intercession classes. Remember that USD has resources to assist students in all planning efforts. Many resources are highlighted in various articles below.
We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and safe travels to all our students and families.
Family Weekend Highlights
 During Family Weekend 2008, nearly 250 families joined their USD students for a wonderful campus experience. Torero athletic events, informational programs, and scrumptious meals ensured a great time for everyone!
The weekend began on the morning of Friday, Oct. 31 with a series of informational sessions and mini-classes involving many campus departments, from business and sociology to academic resources. Friday's lunch of gourmet sandwiches and salads featured Halloween décor to create a festive setting. On Friday afternoon, families had an opportunity to meet the two new academic deans on campus—Mary Boyd in the College of Arts and Sciences and David Pyke in the School for Business Administration. Saturday's informational presentations by representatives from study abroad and residential life in the University Center forum were filled with parents and students eager for insight and direction.
On Saturday evening, USD student clubs and organizations added some fun for families with carnival-style games, face painting and more. The Tailgate Party was the perfect preparation for fans to support their Toreros through a hard-fought loss against Dayton. Congratulations to Peter Nguyen '10 and Cindy Lape '12, who won residence hall room makeover supplies valued at $600, courtesy of The Container Store.
Sunday morning the USD community gathered for a wonderful Family Liturgy in Founders Chapel. The Founders Chapel choir provided the beauty of their musical talents and Monsignor Dillabough presided over the mass.
 The 2008 Parents of the Year are Ted and Terri Gosen, nominated by their daughters Katie '09 and Colleen '11. In their nomination, Katie and Colleen wrote, “Our parents have shown us how important it is to get to know everyone we cross paths with in life, and how we are all one big human family. The simple acts of kindness that our parents do, that they think go unnoticed everyday, are actually noticed by us, their children, and we are so grateful to them."
 The 2008 Award of Excellence was presented to Liberty Hebron '07, executive assistant in the Student Leadership and Involvement Center. Andrew Woodbury '08 wrote in his nomination, “Liberty has helped make my experience at USD such a memorable one and has taught me so much outside of the classroom that I will always value and cherish."
We hope that everyone who was able to join us for Family Weekend 2008 enjoyed their time in San Diego and their time with their student. We were glad to meet so many of you and hope that you have already begun planning your next visit to campus. Keep an eye out for Family Weekend 2009 information coming soon!
Family Weekend Supports USD Parents Fund
Thanks to the generous support of USD parents and families, more than $5,200 was raised to support the USD Parents Fund. Many families made gifts in conjunction with registration for the weekend. The Parents Fund is directed each year to a specific project by vote of the Parents Association Board. We thank all of you for your commitment to supporting the experiences of all USD students. You may make a gift to the USD Parents Fund today at http://sandiego.edu/giving/
Save the Date – Grandparents Weekend 2009
Grandparents Weekend is February 20 — 21, 2009. If you have not yet sent us mailing addresses and contact information for your family's grandparents, it's not too late to do so. Please send this information to parents@sandiego.edu. Invitations will be sent to grandparents in early January. To assist in your planning, it may be helpful to view information about last year's Grandparents Weekend . Please note that schedules and events are subject to change.
Message from Student Affairs
Dear Torero Families,
It was a joy to see so many of you during Family Weekend events and activities. Students are still talking about how exciting it was to connect with family and share our Torero pride with you.
During the month of November, students often begin to feel additional stress as they become entrenched with their academic demands and the responsibilities of a college lifestyle. As students seek ways to find a sense of balance, this is a great time for you to have a conversation with your student regarding his or her academic experience. Engaging in a conversation about your student's academics reinforces your support and can provide a boost of encouragement during this intense academic period. It is also a time for your student to plan his or her spring 2009 class schedule; November 3, 2008 marks the beginning of the 2009 spring class registration process. Additional information and details about this process can be found on the Registrar's website at www.sandiego.edu/registrar.
As you discuss academics with your student, you may find that academic demands are heavily weighing on your son or daughter and perhaps negatively impacting other aspects of your student's daily life. This is not uncommon for this time of year. If your student is feeling significantly overwhelmed, I encourage you to have your student consult a Counseling Center staff member (http://www.sandiego.edu/usdcc/ or (619) 260-4655). Free and confidential initial consultations are available at the Counseling Center from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, Mondays through Fridays.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and students are beginning to plan for a much needed break with family and friends. While many students are looking forward to the comforts of home, as a parent you must remember your student has experienced a significant sense of autonomy in the past few months. You may find that you and your student now have different expectations as to how he or she will spend his or her time while at home. Setting aside time together to clarify these expectations prior to your student's return home can set a positive tone for a great Thanksgiving experience. If your student is staying at USD for the holiday, staff will be available in all of the residential halls. I encourage you to have your student connect with a staff member to ensure your son or daughter spends the holiday with other community members who are enjoying the holiday at USD.
May the Thanksgiving holiday provide you with special time to reconnect with your son or daughter. Each time I have the opportunity to connect with family members of our USD students, I reflect on how grateful I am to partner with you as we work to support the goals and dreams of your student. Happy Thanksgiving!
In Torero spirit,
Carmen M. Vazquez
Vice President, Student Affairs
Keeping Our Students Safe and Informed
The University of San Diego takes the safety and well-being of our students very seriously. It has come to our attention that businesses in downtown San Diego and across the border in Tijuana, Mexico are specifically marketing events at nightclubs to USD students; these events include transportation to the venues on “party buses". Promoters of these events often distribute flyers and postcards to students with the University of San Diego's name inappropriately appearing on the materials. Marketing for these events suggest alcohol beverages are served and in Tijuana, Mexico it is legal for students, 18 and over, to consume alcoholic beverages. The Dean of Students office is working directly with these businesses to stop these marketing efforts and effectively enforce the university's 'no solicitation' policies. Additionally, Student Affairs has implemented efforts to educate our students regarding the risks associated with these events, while ensuring our students are informed that these events are not sanctioned by or affiliated with the university. As a parent or family member, we are asking that you speak with your USD student regarding this issue. Please confirm such literature is not a product of the university, nor are these events sanctioned by the University of San Diego.
While we can not monitor every choice students make, we do make great efforts to be proactive in educating students about choices that may put their safety at risk.
Please assist us by talking with your student about these issues, responsible decision making, and the risks associated with party busses. Thank you for your continued partnership in making sure our students are safe and responsible.
Class Registration for Spring Semester
 It's that time of year again when students are preparing to set up their class schedules for the spring '09 semester.
As an important first step in this registration process, students should arrange a meeting with their academic advisor in order to discuss what classes they should be enrolling in as well as discussing their overall academic progress. For freshmen students, the assigned preceptor is the academic advisor. If additional advising is necessary, students should contact the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at http://www.sandiego.edu/as/contact/.
At this meeting, the advisor and student will together examine the student's DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System), which is an online resource that tracks the student's progress towards completion of their degree. Based on what courses are outstanding for the core curriculum (http://www.sandiego.edu/core/), as well as for their major, a schedule of classes is formulated, as well as a backup list in case these classes are unavailable. Students who are undeclared, and who are still trying to explore major options, are advised to take core curriculum classes in areas they might consider for a major. They are also directed to Career Services, where they can utilize the vast resources available to help them make this decision (http://www.sandiego.edu/careers/).
Since students register according to how many units they have completed (eligibilitytable.pdf), freshman are typically the last to be eligible to register, and hence may not be able to find open slots in classes they want to take in the spring semester. The advisor will have talked to the student about a number of strategies to use in this case. One is to enroll in one of the back-up classes identified at their advising meeting. Another is to contact the department offering the closed class section to see if any waitlists exist for the class. A third alternative is to wait to see if a slot opens up in a closed class section. This frequently happens, especially during the first few days of classes, when large numbers of students change their schedules. Yet another strategy students can use for Arts and Science classes is to 'crash' a class. This means the students go to the first class meeting and appeal to the instructor to let them into their class. Using these different strategies, we find that students will eventually secure a class schedule that is satisfactory and keeps them on track. (It will often be necessary to enroll in available courses in order to meet a minimum number of units to maintain full-time student status or for specific scholarship or financial aid situations. And as the spring semester approaches, these strategies should be used to change to the desired or more appropriate courses.)
Another purpose of the advising meeting prior to class registration is to discuss the student's academic progress. The advisor can direct students to resources available on campus to help them deal with any type of difficulty they are experiencing, including tutoring programs, workshops on time management or how to deal with the stress of exam time. Students are also encouraged to utilize the services of the Office of Student Learning Initiatives, which runs many of these workshops and can work with them on an Academic Assistant Plan to help them achieve their academic goals. For more information on Student Learning Initiatives, go to http://www.sandiego.edu/sli/.
Torero Athletics
 Torero teams are fighting for first this weekend! Women's volleyball, currently ranked #15 nationally, faces the University of San Francisco on Saturday afternoon in San Diego—the teams tied for first with a record of 8-1 in the West Coast Conference. On Saturday evening, the women's soccer team will fight for a first place WCC finish against Portland in Torero Stadium. The men's soccer team has a hold on their WCC top spot and is preparing for a pair of games in the Pacific Northwest this weekend.
Torero football suffered a hard-fought loss to Dayton this past weekend, a loss that ended a 28-game home winning streak that started in October of 2004. The team travels this weekend to Davidson College.
Cross country, golf and other sports are in action, with basketball season starting later this month. It's a great time to catch Torero fever! Find standings, schedules and ticket information at http://usdtoreros.cstv.com/.
Looking ahead - Important Dates
Nov. 11 — Last day for students to withdraw from classes
Nov. 26-28 — Thanksgiving break (no classes; offices closed Thursday and Friday)
Dec. 12 — Last day of classes
Dec. 15 — 19 — Final exams (schedule determined by student's class schedule; click here for general schedule http://www.sandiego.edu/search/classes/finals.php)
Dec. 20, noon (or 24 hours after a student's last exam) — Deadline for checking out of residence halls
Jan. 4, noon — Students who have been granted Intersession housing may move in to residence hall (Students must apply for Intersession Housing — Click here for Intersession Housing information http://www.sandiego.edu/residentiallife/special/intersession.php)
Jan. 5 — 23 — Intersession classes
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday — no classes
Jan. 20 — 25 — Sorority Recruitment — click here for information http://www.sandiego.edu/panhellenic/RecruitmentSpring08.html
Jan. 23, noon — Students allowed to return to residence halls for spring semester
Jan. 26 — Spring semester begins
March 9 — 13 — Spring Break, no classes
April 9 — 13 — Easter Break, no classes
May 15 — 21 — Final exams
May 23 — 24 — Commencement Weekend http://www.sandiego.edu/Commencement/
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