Greetings from the Vice President for Student Affairs

Dear Parents:

The spring semester is a time when extreme weather disappears (sometimes slowly!) and warmth descends upon us. It is the semester when extracurricular activity is at its peak. Student clubs and organizations sponsor wonderful activities, and there are major College events such as Scholars' Day, Honors Convocation, the Phi Kappa Phi honorary society induction ceremony, the Student Leaders Recognition Banquet, the Student Employee recognition event, Teacher Recruitment Days, Spring Fling, and, of course, undergraduate Commencement which will occur on May 17, 2008.

The spring weather inspires many off-campus activities as well. The College has around 3,000 students living off campus, woven into the community with their resident neighbors. It is of paramount importance that our students live harmoniously within their neighborhoods. If you have a son or daughter living off campus, please communicate with them the importance of establishing and maintaining good relationships with their neighbors in the greater Cortland community.

Spring break begins on March 7. This will be a well deserved break for our students. Many will travel home, but many will travel to vacation locations such as Florida, Virginia, Mexico, the Caribbean, or other interesting places. As the interim vice president for student affairs, I am always concerned about students' safe travel. Most students travel with friends, and it is important that friends stay together and not abuse alcohol or other drugs. While most destinations are generally safe, the disappearance of the young high school student on a field trip in Aruba last year reminds us that no one is immune from the consequences of a bad decision. I will be sending an e-mail message to our students encouraging them to use good judgment and be safe.

On another subject, recent national and SUNY Cortland data suggest that the sophomore year is a critical year for academic success. It was thought just a few years ago that the freshman year was the most critical, however, retention data for our sophomores indicates that we need to pay more attention to the sophomore year. Our judicial data reflects this need as well. I share this with you out of concern. We need to work together to keep our sophomores successful socially and academically. As always, please feel free to e-mail the SUNY Cortland Student Affairs Office SUNY Cortland Student Affairs Office.

I hope you find the information contained in this issue of the Family Page both of interest and helpful. Please feel free to browse the left sidebar for other items of interest.

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Richard C. Peagler
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs