Cleveland State hosted its fifth annual Freshmen Connection on Saturday. First-time freshmen and their family and friends were invited to take advantage of this day devoted entirely to new freshmen. Students were encouraged to take a tour of campus, purchase books, have their student i.d.s made and tie up any loose ends prior to the first day of class. Pictured: The Bell family of Ooltewah attended the Connection to support mom Becky. (Left to right) Rex, Becky, Wesley and Max Bell take a break to eat some pizza.
Tameka Ford, BJ Dickerson Re’Nike Speed and Charmaine Speed of Chattanooga were among approximately 400 new freshmen that attended CSCC’s Freshmen Connection on Saturday.
Octavia Ware (left) CSCC Nursing Student, speaks with Jaime Barks, (right) Service-Learning Program Assistant about the Service-Learning program.
Catherine and Dr. Bill Seymour speak with Joy Veenstra, Curator of Education at the Museum Center at 5ive Points at Saturday’s Freshmen Connection.
Mark Wilson, director of CSCC’s ACCESS Center teaches a session on Resources for Success.
Cleveland State Community College hosted its Freshmen Connection on Saturday.
This event allows incoming freshmen time to do the “last minute” things that they will need to take care of prior to school starting, like meeting with representatives from their major departments, meeting with student leaders, picking up their books and having student IDs made. Participants also have the opportunity to find out where their classes are, and if they have questions about financial aid, admissions, their respective areas of study, etc., they can also take care of these issues on this day.
Tracey Wright, director of Special Programs and Community Relations, said, “The name ‘Freshmen Connection’ reflects our goal of helping students get connected to all of the services, resources and opportunities that will aid them in being successful students at Cleveland State.”
Freshmen Connection is part of the school’s First-Year Experience (FYE). The goal of the FYE program is to challenge and support CSCC’s first-year students. The FYE program consists of several components including New Student Orientation, New Student Advising and Registration (NSAR), First-Year Seminar (a course devoted entirely to the student that guides them through the intellectual and personal growth they will need to succeed), Advising and Early Alert—all areas designed to help students succeed at CSCC.
Students were able to participate in valuable breakout sessions such as Resources for Success, How to Transition from High School to College, Cooperative Education, Service-Learning, Financial Aid, Library 101 and many more. There were also sessions designed specifically for non-traditional students, as well as parents of first-time freshmen.
Participants were also given the opportunity to win door prizes, such as a digital camera, Kindle, iPod Touch, $100 book scholarships to the CSCC Bookstore, tickets to Dollywood, Tennessee Aquarium, Ruby Falls and an iPad mini valued at over $450.
Holly Vincent, Public Information coordinator, said, “We really try to make this an informative, yet fun event, not only for our students, but for their families, as well…which is why we have inflatables, interactive games, and face painting—things the whole family can enjoy. The Freshmen Connection really is a fun atmosphere.”