Hello, 1st Year Students!

Mandatory Advising for First-Year Freshmen - Freshmen in their 1st or 2nd semester will ALL need to complete this.

Our NEW J. Paul Leanard Library! It's finally open!

Opting for Credit/No Credit grading instead of a Letter Grade.

Using your Major Roadmaps - a tool to keep you on track.

Planning to continue living on campus next year?(deadlines)

Do you have dietary restrictions? Explore a few food options.

Career Center Services - for job/career preparation and employment.

Our Fabulous Vista Room - a taste of fine dining on campus.

Utilizing Campus Tutoring Resources - free and available to all.

Setting up your eMail on iOS devices - iPhone/iPad/iPod

What many do not know about our SF State Bookstore

Entertainment on campus - things to do at SFSU

For each of your first two semesters at SF State, ALL first-year Freshmen must complete an advising option appropriate for your major! There will be a hold placed on your next semester's registration until this is competed and cleared.

The Following Majors have a specific tasks to clear your hold:

Please go to your major department for advising:

Engineering (all concentrations)

Chemistry & BioChemistry

Meteroology & Oceanography

Economics

Journalism

EOP and/or SSS Students:

You must meet with your EOP/SSS advisor, as well as review the workshop and pass the quiz to clear your hold for Fall 2012. Appointments will fill, so make your appointment as early as possible.

All other majors and Undeclared complete an online tutorial.

These students must take and pass a quiz after studying an online workshop about Fall 2012 class planning and registration.

You will complete the mandatory freshman advising by reviewing an online workshop/tutorial. Afterwards, there will be a quiz based upon the workshop material. A high score on the quiz will complete your mandatory advising requirement and your registration hold will be cleared withing 24 hours.

 Here is the link to the online workshop:  http://www.sfsu.edu/~fyi/

What happens if I do not complete this requirement?

Freshmen who do not complete this requirement will have an advising hold preventing you from registering for Fall 2012 classes. Do not let this happen to you!

If you have other questions, feel free to write to advising@sfsu.edu

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!

After waiting for 4 years, the newly renovated J. Paul Leonard Library is finally open! Students, however, are only granted to enter the first floor as of right now, but slowly will the rest of the library open, in stages, during the rest of this semester.  Compared to the "old library", the "new library" will have 34% more total space; 50% more seating; 50% more group study areas; 50% more collection capacity, both in open stacks and a high-density automated retrieval system; and 100% more computers. The Library will also be the home to the Sutro Library, Labor Archives and Research Center, and also the Academic Technology center. The Library will also have a little café on the first floor for those who need a boost while studying.

Everyone around school is wondering if the Library will be open for 24-hours. From our interview with one of the Library workers, she said that only the first floor will be open 24-hours, but the ground floor will be open only to 2am.  They said to expect more changes in the library, which will take place sometime right after spring break. The entire library is projected to be open before the end of this semester.  Hopefully, it’ll will done before our finals!

By Nadia and Skye

Have you checked your email from Housing regarding your License Agreement? Lets break down the basics...

"Where can I live next year on campus?" 

You have three options: University Park North, University Park South, or Village at Centennial Square.

As a sophomore next academic year, you are no longer eligible to live in the Towers at Centennial Square or the Residence Halls (Mary Park and Mary Ward) which are reserved for freshman only.

"Which housing option should I choose?"

Important things to consider are price, location, and the option of a meal plan. University Park South and North are farther away from the central campus, while the Village is closer. The Village is a bit more expensive compared to University Park (both North and South). While living in the village you have the option of a meal plan - living in University Park, you don't. 

You can view exact prices, photos/landscape, and general facts about these housing options here:

http://www.sfsu.edu/~housing/options/18-24.html

"How do I start?"

On Wednesday March 7, 2012 at 9:00am go to the Seven Hills Conference Center to turn in your filled out License Agreement. Here you will be issued a number based on the order of which you arrived which will determine your priority. Basically, It’s first come first serve, so make sure you’re early to better guarantee your housing option.

You can choose to pay three ways: full payment, installment plan, or financial aid/loans/grants. Either way your fee is due to the housing department by May 4, 2012. You can choose to pay on March 7, 2012 while turning in your license agreement, if you would like.

For additional questions, contact the Housing Department at (415) 338-1067 or visit their FAQ page for quick answers here: http://www.sfsu.edu/~housing/returning/index.html

Good luck and Happy Housing! 

By Alexis

Located in the Student Services Building in room 206 is your resource to finding a job and getting on a career path: the Career Center!
The career center hosts a variety of workshops and events that help SFSU students find employment. This includes workshops on improving resumes and interview skills, and career fairs that give SFSU students a chance to meet with employers from a variety of companies and organizations.
But maybe you're not sure what kind of job you should get, or what you should do with your major, or what career path you should take.
No problem! You can make an appointment with a career counselor (via email) to find a major and a  career path that works for you!
Here are some events that are coming up (all workshops are in SSB 206):

Job and Internship Search Strategies Workshops

March 8 @ 4pm

March 14 @ 4pm

Rev Up Your Resume Workshop

March 6 @ 4pm

March 13 @ 4pm

Make the Interview Count Workshop

March 7 @ 4pm

March 15 @ 4pm

To make an appointment with a career counselor, email a counselor your name, class level (freshman), major, phone & email, days and times you can meet, and reason for appointment.

You can find career counselors' contact info here: http://www.sfsu.edu/~career/about/contact.html#counselors
For more information, visit: http://www.sfsu.edu/~career/

by Angela and Emily

There are several ways to get help in all of your classes around campus. So there are no excuses to not do well. The best part about them is that they are all free!!!
There are three main ways to get free tutoring help:

1. LAC:

• LAC stands for Learning Assistance Center
• LAC offers free tutoring in many academic subjects
• There is one on one tutoring available with weekly appointments as well as drop in
• There are also group tutoring available
• Hours are earlier in the day, good if you have breaks earlier rather than later
• Located: HSS 348

2. CARP:

• CARP stands for Campus Academic Resource Program
• CARP offers free tutoring in many academic subjects
• There are one on one tutoring options as well as group settings
• There hours are late afternoon to evening hours, great if you are free later in the day
• Located: HSS 346

3. Professor Office Hours:

• Office hours are such a great way to get help in all classes
• Professors have to give office hours, they should definitely be utilized!
• They are especially beneficial because the teacher learns who you are and sees the effort you are putting in to the class and you know you are getting all of the correct information you will need because they are the ones who teach you!
• If a professor’s office hours do not match your free time, they will sometimes allow appointments to be made, make sure to utilize them! They are here to help!
 
It is so important to be on top of class work, no students are alone, and there are plenty of resources available to help! Make sure to take advantage of them! More info can be found on the sfsu website!

By Monica

While cashiering at the bookstore, I get to interact with a lot of people, and I love my job because it gives me a chance to converse with the student body. I interact with possibly more than one hundred people every day, and I get to learn more about the school community and what goes on around it. There are still some things, though, that the students who come up to me don’t know about our campus, or even about our bookstore. Since it’s always difficult to reach a large audience at once, there are basic facts about the bookstore that go unsaid. Let me give you a few examples that you can share with other freshmen.

1. Sign Up For Gator Rewards

Gator Rewards is our free rewards system whereby you can earn a $25 gift card that you can use in the bookstore, HealthyU or Lobby Shop. It will take a cashier literally five seconds to sign you up. You won’t get any email spam or calls about your account, and all you need to do is bring your student id with you.  You’ll automatically earn your gift card after you spend $350 in a semester. There’s also the chance to earn more than one. If you happen to spend $700 in a semester(books are expensive), you’ll receive two gift cards. Your total will reset when you get your gift card so that you can continue earning the cards if you spend enough money.
There are still going to be some second, third, fourth, and even fifth year students who don’t know this information, and even if you only shop at the bookstore once every blue moon, this is good to know. Go ahead and share your newfound knowledge with them.
Unless you just want all of the Gator Rewards points for yourself.
 

2. One Card Baybucks, NOT Gator Dollars

If you have money on your OneCard or your BayBucks, you can feel free to spend it at the bookstore, HealthyU, or Lobby Shop. Gator Dollars are for use mainly in housing, but BayBucks/OneCard is for use campuswide. Keep this in mind and you’ll be saved a lot of frustration when you go to buy bookstore goodies.
 

3. Rent Textbooks

You might want the security of being able to see your book before you purchase it, or you might need your book today for a test later this week. That rules out purchasing online. But sometimes you just don’t have the money for the full price of the new book. It happens. In that case, try renting a book from the store. You’ll need to have your school id with you and you’ll need to pay at least $3.00 on a credit or debit card so that there is something to charge if you don’t return the book. You’ll get it at a cheaper price, and all you have to do is return it to the bookstore by May 18, 2012. Not all books are available for rent, but a cashier will tell you if they are. I have seen some of the more expensive books sell for up to $90 less than the original price when they are rented, so this is definitely a feasible option for those of you looking to save money.
 

4. Promotions and Sales

Occasionally through GatorRewards, you’ll receive an email that speaks about upcoming promotions and sales. For example, on February 29, there was a sale that had most of the gifts in the bookstore at 29% off. You would be aware of this only if you had read the email or if you had actually walked into the bookstore on that day.

By Montanah

As a freshman at SFSU, you might not know of many things to do, or places to go. So I’m going to tell you what is happening at SFSU campus now and in the near future.
 
It’s always exciting to go out and find something new to do, even learn something in the process.

The first thing to do is check out the Art Gallery in Cesar Chavez Student Center. "The Multivalent Body: Varying Perspectives of the Human Form" is showing now until March 15th. The Art Gallery says, “By interpreting the familiar, universal image of the body, significant truths about our social environments emerge.” It is definitely something to see. The gallery is open M-F from 10am to 6pm, for all shows at the Art Gallery go to: 

http://www.sfsustudentcenter.com/artgallery/

The Fine Arts Gallery is also showing SmART Space until March 15th. It is an interactive exhibit at the intersection of are and technology, free general admission, you can go to: http://gallery.sfsu.edu/ for more information.
 
If you ever want to do something at night The Depot offers FREE live music, films and televised sporting events in a relaxed environment. For upcoming events just go to: 

www.sfsustudentcenter.com/thedepot/ for a full calendar of events. If you head over there, you can see anything from Rooftop Comedy March 7th to Film Night on March 14th, there is something for everyone at The Depot.
 
If you’re feeling particularly empowered, go to Breaking Boundaries: 1st Annual Women’s Conference 2012. It is on Saturday, March 10th and you will see the ASI Women’s Center in action. According to ASI’s Women’s Center, “the purpose is… to create an organized front by uniting women… to educate, empower, and challenge gender norms that have been enforced upon women for generations.” For more information you can head to:

 http://www.sfsubreakingboundaries.com/
 
SFSU Theatre Department is putting on “Sorry Fugu” on Tuesday, March 6th at 7:30 in the McKenna Theatre for $12 at the door for students. “The dreaded Willa, critic terrible, is coming to Albert's restaurant. Disaster ensues--until Albert concocts a diabolical plan.” SFSU Theatre is always busy; go to: http://theatre.sfsu.edu/events for upcoming shows.

 
If Theatre is not for you, there is always Film. “Vigilante, Vigilante” is showing March 8th at 7pm in the Coppola Theatre, Fine Arts building. For only $2 asked donation, you can see this film, described as “two filmmakers go undercover to expose anti-graffiti vigilantes who stop at nothing to rid their neighborhoods and cities of street art, stickers, tags and posters.” Variety writes: "Engaging... entertaining... nary a dull moment."
 
If sports is your thing, our Gators are throwing some fast pitches in baseball vs. Sonoma State on Saturday March 10th at 12PM head to Maloney Field to watch the action for free. To get a full schedule of upcoming athletic events, visit: www.sfstategators.com
For more spectacular events you can “like” SFSU ASI’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ps.asi.sfsu, for day-to-day updates of events at SFSU.