Ask DU!

What is the Center for Multicultural Excellence?

The Center for Multicultural Excellence serves as a home base for many of our historically excluded communities and allies to find camaraderie with other students, faculty, and staff through our cultural groups, educational trainings and workshops, leadership development and support, college-to-career transition and additional opportunities to become a contributing member of our university community. The following are just a few examples of the opportunities we provide our students to enhance their engagement at DU:

•       Fall Diversity and Unity Retreat - The annual Diversity & Unity Retreat is a two-day program bringing together a diverse set of students to explore issues of identity and social systems and to build campus alliances. Participants develop their knowledge of self and others to enhance their awareness of historical and current intergroup dynamics and expand their "toolkits" of campus resources and involvement opportunities. 

•       Excelling Leaders Institute (ELI) - ELI is designed to support incoming first-year students making the transition to college. The program consists of a one-week training in the areas of academic preparation, leadership development, social identity development, campus networking and many other key components to ensure overall student success.

•       Diversity Summit - The summit is an annual event including over 600 students, faculty, staff and community members to discuss key issues related to diversity and Inclusive Excellence. Our workshops raise ideas and train participants to understand, implement, and embed inclusiveness in our learning, teaching, work, and personal lives.

Please visit us on the web to learn more about upcoming events, programs, and resources (http://www.du.edu/cme). 

 

What's Discoveries Week all about?

Discoveries Orientation will be one of the most busy and fun weeks of your first year at The University of Denver (DU). Discoveries is designed to help first-year students have the most successful start to the year by integrating them into campus before classes begin. Orientation week centers around 100 awesome orientation leaders.  These involved and enthusiastic upperclassman students will lead a group of 15 first-years, all in the same First-Year Seminar (FSEM) class, and give them the low down about Pioneer pride, registration, dorm life, roommates, clubs to join, DU traditions like the hockey season ticket campout, and much more. Discoveries is packed with activities that will let you meet other first year students and get acquainted with DU; These are some of my favorite from the week!

The Hypnotist:

Every night, there are activities for solely for first-years and orientation.  This ensures an environment where the Class of 2016 will be about to meet one another.  One of the all time favorite evening activities is the hypnotist that performs on Saturday.  You’ll get to watch 20 first-year students and orientation leaders go up on stage and attempt to be hypnotized.  Some people it works for and others it doesn’t, but the hypnotist knows and will send people back if it doesn’t work for them.  With this genuine performance crew, you’ll see your new friends do things from pretending to have a baby to being in the Miss America pageant.  This is a non-stop hysterical event that you won’t want to miss!

An orientation leader hypnotized into believing he was having a baby

Registration:

Most students are extremely nervous about the classes they will be taking their first quarter at DU, but DON’T WORRY!  With the help of your orientation leader and faculty mentor (your FSEM professor), you’ll have three schedules that work with University requirements and major requirements by the time you walk into registration.  Advisors will be available from each department during the week, so questions about transferring in AP credits, what courses to take, how to pick a major, etc. will all be answered during Discoveries!  

Note: the only class you need to register for over the summer is your FSEM.

Other Exciting Events During Discoveries:

• Pioneer Pep Rally: hear coaches, players and students speak about traditions and a winning community at DU
• Midnight Movie On the Lawn: feature film shown on a giant blow up screen
• Tailgate and Women’s Soccer Game: Meet DUGS (DU Grilling Society) and tailgate before supporting our soccer team!
• Rec Night at the Ritchie Center: Play broomball, volleyball, basketball, and get to know the awesome gym facilities
• Destinations: Head downtown, to a Rockies game, to the mountains or anywhere with your FSEM group to see what Colorado has to offer!

Be sure to check the Discoveries website during the summer for information about the Parent Orientation Program, student schedule for the week and get other questions answered! http://www.du.edu/studentlife/discoveries/

I would encourage all first-years to attend as many events as possible. Everyone is in the same place as you, making friends and meeting new people.  It’s a little uncomfortable but just put yourself out there, introduce yourself every chance you get and have tons of fun!  I speak for all the upperclassman when I say we are excited to welcome the Class of 2016 to DU!

--Jordyn Michaud (and the rest of the 2012 Discoveries Team!)
Discoveries Orientation Intern

 

Living on Campus

We already talked a little this year about Living and Learning Communities on our blog, but I wanted to talk a little about living on campus.  I lived on campus for three years, two of which I was a Resident Assistant (or RA is the more commonly known name), so I have quite a bit of knowledge about living on campus.

The first concern that always comes up when I start to talk about incoming students about housing is the roommate situation. How are roommates chosen? Can I choose my own roommate? What if I don't like my roommate?  Maybe it is just because of the great experience I had, but I think DU is doing something right when they match up roommates.  I am still good friends with my first year roommate, and we did not have any problems throughout the year.  The probable reason? When we filled out the housing survey, we were both very honest with ourselves.  The survey is only six questions, with things like "Are you a morning person, or a night owl?"  Take your time on this survey! It is a huge help to everyone involved.  All DU students do have the option of requesting a specific roommate, which is done through the DU myWeb page.  All you need is your future roommate's ID number to add; however, you both must add each other's numbers to ensure the match! If this is something you are looking to do, a great way to start to meet people is to head over to the University of Denver app on Facebook.  Another great thing about housing at DU is that at the beginning of the year, you sign a roommate agreement.  This agreement is something you should take your time on, because it is a resource for you, your roommate, and your RA.  It outlines everything from how the trash will be taken out, how loud music will be played after certain times, and a lot more. And, if things just aren't working with your roommate, Housing and Residential Education (the housing department on campus) works very hard to solve any and all problems.  Your RA will be there to help in any conflicts you might have, referring back to the roommate agreement.  If none of that works, each quarter, in the second week of the quarter, there is a no questions asked room change night where students go to request new housing.

The next question is always the same: Which dorm should I choose?  I wish I had a concrete answer to this question, but all the dorms on campus offer their own awesome qualities.  One huge benefit of the third floor of Johnson-Macfarlane is the lofted ceiling, making your room feel enormous!  Halls is great, especially when all your classes end up being in Sturm Hall, and it only takes about 3 minutes to get to class.  Having a shared bathroom with one other suite in Towers is amazing too, though.  I personally lived in JMAC my first year and loved it.  My friend Doug, who has contributed to this blog as well, lived in Halls and says he could only ever love Halls.  It just really depends on your style, I guess.  If you want, you can take a video tour of all the residence halls on campus.

There are all sorts answers to even more questions than those we talked about on the Housing website, and I highly suggest checking it out.  No matter what housing decisions you make, we are excited to see you on campus September 2, 2012 for Discoveries Orientation!

-Jay Rathbun

Inclusive Excellence - What does it mean?

            At the University of Denver (DU), we put a great emphasis on Inclusive Excellence. This means we accept students from many different backgrounds and beliefs with the purpose of making our campus more diverse. The fact is that we currently live in a globalized world where people from different cultures must interact with each other to succeed. In order to achieve an inclusive environment, we ensure that every student has every possible resource at their disposal so they can achieve their highest potential. An inclusive environment is one that not only makes the students feel welcomed and challenged, but it also delivers the opportunities evenly so everyone can succeed. One great example of such opportunities is the Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME). CME fosters inclusivity to the highest degree by sponsoring student activities such as the Diversity Summit (Friday, May 4th, 2012) and movie nights (featuring movies that deal with diverse issues). To learn more about these events, as well as, any other activities that CME sponsors, feel free to visit their website.

As a student in an inclusive environment, you will become part of an inclusive community where anything is possible and your horizon has no limits. In addition to taking advantage of the activities that CME sponsors, you will be able to join a wide range of organizations and meet people from different walks of life, which can broaden your perspective of the world. Student organizations like the Black Student Alliance and the Queer Straight Alliance are examples of the kind of groups you will be able to join. In essence, Inclusive Excellence not only gives you the opportunity to develop relationships with diverse people, but it also allows you to strengthen your community and thus, make an impact in society, like some of our students do through our Public Achievement program, which pairs DU students with schools in the Denver area school children to tackle a school or community issue.

-Aminta Menjivar
Diversity Fellow 

 

Pioneer Prep Leadership Institute

Opportunities to learn are abundant here at the University of Denver... and not only for our admitted students!  For the third year, the Office of Undergraduate Admission at the University of Denver will be hosting our annual Pioneer Prep Leadership Institute in July.  A three-day experience for college-focused African American high school juniors and seniors, the Institute provides dynamic learning opportunities on the DU campus.  You can check it out at http://www.du.edu/pioneerprep!

This year, the Institute will be from Friday, July 27 to Sunday, July 29.  Some of the topics covered will include college access, cultural competency, and leadership workshops.  It offers an amazing college experience, including the opportunity to live on campus for three days and two nights!

Interest in the program continues to grow; last year we received 120 applications for the program with only 50 spaces to fill!  If you are interested in applying to this competitive program, make sure to get all your materials submitted by Friday, May 14, 2012.  This program encourages all interested students to apply; there are even opportunities to apply for a travel stipend to assist non-Colorado students with the cost of round-trip airfare!

This amazing prgram has an all inclusive cost of $60, with scholarship consideration for families who demonstrate financial hardship.

You can tell from the photos below how much fun the program is!

From the opportunities to socialize and meet new people, to the real college experiences offered, we are excited to bring students together again this year.

Visit our website to learn more about the program and download an application.  If you have any additional questions, please contact us at diversity@du.edu or 303.871.6679.

We hope to see you in July!

Jay Rathbun

Sustainability at DU

From the moment I started at DU, I found myself surrounded by information about how to be a "greener" person.  Working in housing, I started to see how important sustainability really was at DU.  My fourth and final year at the University of Denver has really opened my eyes fully to all the wonderful things happening on campus to try and reduce our waste as much as possible.

One of the first facts I learned about DU in my college search was that the university offsets 31 percent of campus energy use through renewable energy credits. This statistic really opened my eyes to how many different ways companies, universities, and individuals can make a difference environmentally, being the frist time I learned anything about energy credits.

After learning about energy credits, I came to my first tour of campus, when Nagel Hall was in the process of being built.  It was then that I learned that buildings could actually be built sustainably, and that the University of Denver was trying just that.  My tour guide informed me about LEED certification, or  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and how Nagel Hall was being built in this way, as well as the Ricketson Law Building.

Of course, I also take advantage of the University of Denver supplied Eco-pass, which allows students, faculty, and staff members a pass for the great public transit in Denver.  I can take the 0 bus from Broadway all the way downtown, or all the way south to visit friends, as well as utilize the Light Rail that runs all around the city.  So do many staff and faculty members, such as Marijke Swierstra, who won Transportation Solutions' "Ride, Walk, Roll, Win" promotion which encouraged our campus community to leave their cars at home and get to work by an alternate method at least once a week.  Using the Eco-pass earned her a brand new Schwinn motor scooter.

While working as a Resident Assistant, I learned that there was actually a person that worked for housing who was trying to provide as many opportunities to keep our environmental impact as low as possible.  From discounts for buying recycled and repurposed goods for programs, to planning programs with an environmental message, we could go to this person for feedback, support, and resources.

DU didn't stopped there. In my second year, we also piloted the bike sharing program that the City of Denver implemented.  This offers people in Denver the opportunity to rent a bicycle to ride from any of the stations in Denver to another, where they can leave the bike.  This offers a great way for people to use their cars less, while not having to own a bike, or worry about their bike down on the street.  One of the lecturers, Kevin Lynch, in the Sturm College of Law on campus even uses the bike sharing program to commute to and from work 6 miles each way!

If you want to learn more about all of the sustainable and environmental projects going on at DU, please visit our website that highlights all of our achievements, or take a look at the most recent newsletters, where you can find more information about Marijke Swierstra and Kevin Lynch in volume 9 of the newsletter!

Beans

One of the most important things about being in college is knowing where you can go to study and hang out with friends.  There are a ton of places to study on campus, but one of of my absolute favorites is Beans coffee shop.  It is entirely student operated and it is a great place to get a lot of work done.  When I asked Beans to describe themselves, this is what they told me:

"Beans is a student run coffee shop that opened in the fall of 2008. The concept was developed in one of the hospitality classes by students and designed to give the student staff a chance to apply the skills learned in the classrooms in a real world setting. TodayBeans not only supplies students with this experience but it also connects people from all over campus. With freshly made sandwiches, the highest quality of coffee, Bean After Dark Wine Bar every Thursday night and friendly staff, Beans is the perfect place to study or catch up with an old friend."

Their description is pretty convincing, so I have been checking it out more and more, and have yet to be disappointed! Since I was spending so much time there, I thought I may as well make it productive so I tried to capture a student perspect of Beans coffee shop.  The video below just offers a little insight into what Beans in all about, as well as some of its background. I hope you enjoy!

 

2012 Presidential Debate part 2

I recently posted about the Presidential Debate at DU.  One of the things I am not sure I was able to convey about everything I knew and could find out about the debate is the immense excitement around campus about the fact that we will be hosting such an amazing event!  So, to try and capture some of the excitement, I was able to capture some video of the event held on campus to officially kick-off the preparations for the debate at DU!

 

Along with the event, we also had the good fortune to capture a few on the spot interviews with current DU students.  We asked them all the same question, "What do you think it will be like next year with the University of Denver hosting the first 2012 Presidential Debate?

 

Campus is abuzz as we gear up for the historic year ahead of us!

Open House or Pioneer Days - Which should you choose?

Are you considering visiting the University of Denver?  As you explore our visits options, you  might discover our Open Houses and Pioneer Days, and wonder why you should pick one or the other, or both?

 First off, these larger, full-day events provide considerably more programming than any of our other visit options and are perfect for students looking to learn as much as possible about the University of Denver.  Both Programs include:

• Lunch
• Campus Tour
• Student Panels
• Parent Q&A with the Chancellor
• Student and Academic Life Fair
• Even better, both the Open House and Pioneer Days programs offer the option of a free overnight stay as well, allowing you to gain the firsthand experience of actually staying with a prospective student in our residence halls.

However, there are some key differences that distinguish the two programs, meaning that you should consider the following factors before deciding on which program to attend.

The Open House programs are our fall visit programs, typically welcoming around 300 students and their guests for a full day (and possibly overnight) of programming.  Since they take place in the fall, they are more geared towards students who have not yet applied to the University of Denver.  Some factors that make Open House unique include:

             -Personal Ammi Hyde Interview appointments for those students who live more than 2 hours                   from a Hyde city

             -Our general information session about the University of Denver

Our Pioneer Days, on the other hand, are in the spring, and just finished our first day Monday, March 5^th. The remaining Pioneer Days will be held April 2^nd and April 16^th.  These programs are somewhat larger (including some 350 students and guests), are geared towards students who have already applied and most likely been accepted to DU, and who now want to decide whether our school is a good fit.  Some factors that make Pioneer Days unique include:

                -Individual Financial Aid Appointments to help answer your specific financial aid questions

                -Our Next Steps Presentation, which breaks down the process of finally choosing your best fit                  school.

                -Departmental Tours where you can be guided through any of the following departments by an                  actual member of that faculty.

(Art, Biological Sciences, Business, Hotel,

Restaurant, & Tourism Management, Pioneer Leadership

Program, Living & Learning Communities, Music, Physics

& Astronomy, and Theatre).

Regardless, both programs offer an excellent in-depth look at the University, and are a great way to really get a feel for our campus!

-Doug Gagne

Visits Fellow

 

2012 Presidential Debate

Here at the University of Denver, we are very excited to have the great fortune of being able to host the first Presidential Debate of the 2012 campaign.

On Monday, February 20 there was an unveiling of the 2012 logo that will be used, seen above.  Speakers from Undergraduate, Graduate and Administration all detailed the excitement buzzing around campus regarding the debates.  Though the unveiling did not go entirely as planned (to the crowd's comedic relief, the sheet cover the logo fell off in the middle one of the speaker's comments), there were members of the DU and Denver community gathered tightly into the Pub to learn about what is to follow in the next few months!

The event was very exciting and well attended by local media.  The Denver Post wrote a detailed article about the debate logo and countdown unveiling as well.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20004627

DU is also trying to keep everyone up to date about the debates that will be held on campus on the DU Today blog, where they posted a more detailed description of the day's events in the Pub.

http://blogs.du.edu/today/news/du-launches-countdown-clock-logo-for-2012-presidential-debate

You can also find more info on the University of Denver debate website.

http://debate2012.du.edu/

And with that, I leave you to devour the plethora of information and satiate your excitement about the coming debates; I know I will.

-Jay Rathbun
Digital Media Fellow