Month: January 2021

 

Conducting research or working on another hands-on academic project alongside a faculty member is a great resume-builder for college students.

At Longwood, these mind-expanding, confidence-boosting opportunities aren’t just for science students. They’re accessible to every student, regardless of their rank (freshman, sophomore, etc.) and regardless of their department or discipline. Likewise, every student is eligible to apply for financial support from Longwood to help cover the expenses of their projects.

The Office of Student Research is currently accepting grant applications for this semester. The deadline for the first round of funding is 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. Your student can find the application on the Office of Student Research website under Student Research Funding.

Awards range from as much as $500 for individual projects up to $1,500 for team projects undertaken by three students.

Take a look at the latest issue of Longwood’s journal of undergraduate scholarship, INCITE, and you’ll likely be surprised by the diversity of the work taking place on campus with the encouragement and guidance of faculty. It includes an analysis of a Mozart piano sonata; a student’s photography exploring his life with cerebral palsy; and research aimed at developing quick and simple methods for detecting counterfeit anti-malarial drugs.

Benefits for students who participate in this type of work are far-reaching. For starters, it facilitates active learning and spurs more creativity, better problem solving and stronger written and oral communication.

Grants from the Office of Student Research can be used to cover expenses such as laboratory, media and field equipment; art supplies; software; photocopying, printing and film processing; communication costs (postage, phone, etc.); travel to support the investigative phase of the student’s work (such as travel to field sites, museums, archives or libraries); and travel expenses related to presenting their work at a scholarly conference or the equivalent* (including transportation, mileage, lodging, registration, meals and other related expenses).

If you have a chance, ask your student if they’ve thought about doing a project this semester. If they have, encourage them to apply for a grant!

—Sabrina Brown

*Please note that during the 2020-21 academic year, support for student travel will be limited to virtual conferences and in-state travel only. The Office of Student Research encourages students to apply to present their research and creative inquiry projects at virtual conferences and symposia during the 2020-21 academic year.

 

With move-in starting Saturday for students who live on campus, I thought the following information might be helpful.

We are so excited to welcome your students back for the spring semester!

Move-in Schedule for New and Continuing Students

Jan. 9: noon-5 p.m.
Jan. 10: noon-5 p.m.
Jan. 11: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Jan. 12: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Move-out Schedule for Noncontinuing Students

Students not enrolled for spring semester should retrieve their belongings on Saturday, Jan. 9, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. These students will be provided special ID card access. Property retrieval arrangements after this date should be coordinated with the student’s REC. Contact information for each hall’s REC and front desk can be found here.

Helpers

Please remember that, due to Covid-19 precautions, only 2 helpers per student are allowed to assist with moving in or out.

Move-in Dining Hours

Dorrill Dining Hall will be open the following special hours Jan. 7-11:
Brunch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Dinner: 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Covid-19 guidelines

As I mentioned in a post last month, students who test positive for Covid-19, are experiencing possible symptoms or are awaiting test results should not return to campus. Contact the university Health Center at 434-395-2102 for medical advice, questions, instructions and/or testing. If your student needs help with starting classes remotely, email questions@longwood.edu.

Residential and Commuter Life Move-in Weekend Office Hours

Location: Lancaster Hall Room G13 (ground floor)
Phone: 434-395-2080
Hours
Saturday, Jan. 9: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 10: noon-5 p.m.

Building Access and IDs

Building entry doors will not be unlocked during move-in, and residents will be expected to use their ID cards to enter their buildings. If your student is new to Longwood and didn’t submit a photo to the Lancer Card Center before arriving on campus, they can get a temporary loaner card at check-in. These cards must be returned to the Lancer Card office in Room G10 Coyner Hall; phone, 434-395-2715. Because the office will be closed on Saturday and Sunday, the card should be returned when the office opens for normal hours on Monday, Jan. 11.

Lost or nonworking card issues should be directed to the Lancer Card office during normal business hours Monday-Friday or to the Longwood University Police Department after hours or on the weekend (434-395-2091).

Emergency After-Hours Facility/Housekeeping Needs

The Work Order Center and the Budd Group office will be closed Jan. 9-10. Email and voicemail will not be monitored. Normal business hours resume on Monday, Jan. 11.

Emergency needs after hours or on the weekend should be directed to the Longwood University Police Department (LUPD) at 434-395-2091.

Farmville Area Bus Schedule

The Express and Campus lines begin service at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 10. Service on Monday, Jan. 11, and Tuesday, Jan. 12, will be on the weekend schedule, with regular service hours resuming on Wednesday, Jan. 13.

—Sabrina Brown

 

It’s January, and that means New Year’s resolutions, the start of spring semester—and thinking about your student’s housing for next year.

Today’s post will be aimed primarily at parents of students who will be juniors and seniors next year. We know there are many housing options available to your student. And we know you are weighing many factors as you make this important decision.

You want your student to be safe. You want them to have somewhere to turn for help if they need it—especially if it’s in the middle of the night and you’re not close enough to get there quickly.

One of the biggest advantages Longwood-managed apartments offer is peace of mind. Below are a few more of the advantages of living at Lancer Park and Longwood Landings (pictured above):

—If your student tells us by Jan. 24 that they will be registering to live in a Longwood-managed apartment, they’ll automatically be entered to win $4,000 toward their apartment for next year. Registration for apartments begins Feb. 8.

—Staff are on call 24/7 to respond to your student’s needs.

—Longwood Police Department officers keep a close eye on Longwood-managed apartments with regular patrols 24/7.

—Emergency phones and security cameras are placed at strategic locations at both complexes.

—An LUPD officer lives with his family on site at Lancer Park.

—All of your student’s neighbors will be Longwood students or staff.

—Residents can store their belongings FREE in their apartments over the summer (if they will be living in the same apartment the following fall). No more moving belongings in and out.

—Residents can live in their apartments over breaks and the summer at no additional charge (if they will be living in the same apartment after the break or for the next regular semester).

—Longwood has restructured its meal plans. A new 50-meal plan offers flexibility and savings.

—Use of washers and dryers is FREE.

—Cable, internet, water and electricity are included in housing rates. No more surprise utility bills or hassles with splitting bills and security deposits.

—Main-campus parking for apartment residents has been expanded to include 24/7 access to commuter spaces for Lancer Park residents and residential spaces for Longwood Landings residents.

A list of apartment and meal plan options, along with pricing for the 2021-22 year, can be found at go.longwood.edu/housingrates.

Longwood-managed apartments also are an option for sophomores, although we encourage the on-campus residential experience for students’ first two years.

—Sabrina Brown

P.S. Just a reminder for your student to tell us by Sunday, Jan. 24, that they plan to register for a Longwood apartment so they will be entered to win a credit of $4,000 toward the apartment! You can find the details here: go.longwood.edu/myhousingplans