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As blue-and-gold enthusiasm builds for the 2010-’11 academic year, here is a guide of important information for incoming freshmen, transfer students and returning Panthers.
A view of BBC.
As summer break comes to a close, FIU is set to welcome the newest members of our growing family to our pack, as well as our returning Panthers, Aug. 23.
For our freshmen and transfer students, everything about FIU will be a brand new experience, with different surroundings, people and classes. If you are a returning student, slight changes at both Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC) and Biscayne Bay Campus (BBC) will surely catch your eye as the university moves forward with its commitment to elevate the FIU experience.
So – what have you been up to?
Earlier this month, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine welcomed another diverse class of 43 students that includes students from Florida, Alaska, California, Maryland and Michigan.
The Graham Center at MMC.
Renovations in the Graham Center at MMC, which started earlier this year, now offer the FIU family more options for dining, gathering and shopping. The GC Food Court received a makeover and now seats approximately 360 guests. And the openings of Jamba Juice and Chili’s Too were met with enthusiasm, as were the expansion of the Panther Stop, the arrival of Game Stop and the new and improved Barnes & Noble at FIU.
PG5 Market Station, the new parking garage on S.W. 8th Street, features six new restaurants (including Chick-fil-A, Moe’s and Papa John’s), classrooms and a cyber café, as well as 2,000 parking spaces.
Construction on Phase I of the new School of International and Public Affairs building is nearing completion. The completed structure will boast the largest auditorium on campus (480 seats), a 10,000-square-foot green roof (currently the largest in South Florida) and a proposed Silver LEED certification. The building is scheduled to open during the spring semester.
At BBC, the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management broke ground on its new Carnival Student Center in April. The 2,600-square-foot space is being completely renovated and repurposed to create a formal and informal gathering place for students.
Coming up on campus
From Aug. 26-29 and Sept. 2-5, FIU Theatre will present A Bicycle Country at the Wertheim Main Stage at MMC. Nilo Cruz’s play follows the journey of three Cuban exiles and their harrowing journey across the Caribbean Sea. For more information, call 305-348-0496 or click here.
The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum’s Target Wednesday After Hours monthly series of events designed to complement the museum’s exhibitions with lectures, films, panel discussions, music and dance performances, poetry slams and performance art, returns in September. The Frost’s “Tap-Tap: Celebrating the Art of Haiti,” and “Spiritual Healing – Shamans of the Northwest Coast” exhibits will remain on view through Sept. 5 and Oct. 3, respectively.
This fall, the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management will continue to host its popular luncheons in the Hospitality Dining Room overlooking the bay at BBC when it launches its fall schedule after Labor Day.
The Wolfsonian-FIU will host the Sept. 17 opening of “Speed Limits,” an exhibition exploring the powers and limits of the modern era’s cult of speed in five key domains.
Later this fall, the School of Architecture will host the 24th Annual Festival of the Trees, the opening of which benefits the university’s interior design endowed scholarship fund. For more information, call 305-348-0496.
Also at BBC, the Office of the Vice Provost will launch on Nov. 20 its monthly Prestige Cultural Series with a Chamber Music Concert featuring FIU’s Graduate String Quartet and the String Chamber Music Ensembles in the Mary Ann Wolfe Theater. Tickets are $20, with a reception following each performance. For more information on these events, call Jan Solomon at 305-919-4008.
In December, FIU will celebrate Art Basel Miami Beach with another Breakfast in the Park, an official event featuring tours of the Sculpture Park at MMC, a light breakfast and guest lecture, while the 7th Masters’ Mystery Art Show will dazzle art aficionados bidding on postcards created by community and university artists to raise funds for the FIU MFA in visual arts program. Stay tuned for more information on these events.
Let us hear you roar
The women’s and men’s soccer teams will go for goals on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21, respectively, against Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in Chicago, Ill. The women’s team will kick off the home season on Aug. 27 against Delaware State, while the men will take on Wisconsin on Sept. 10 at home.
The volleyball team will open away from home in Tallahassee against New Mexico State in the first game of the Aug. 27-28 FIU/FSU Invitational. In the first of many conference games, the volleyball team will play against Denver at home on Sept. 24.
On Sept. 11, head football coach Mario Cristobal’s team will kick off the 2010 football season with a home game against Rutgers at FIU Stadium at MMC. For tickets and information on these and all other fall sports, call 1-866-FIU-GAME or 305-348-4263 in Miami-Dade County or click here.
Your Week of Welcome roundup
Here are some of the Welcome Week events happening at MMC and BBC Aug. 20-27.
For a complete schedule, call 305-348-6414 or click here.
- Fri.-Sat., Aug. 20-21: Move-In Day. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. at the Residence Halls.
- Sun., Aug. 22: The 11th Annual Freshman Convocation at U.S. Century Bank Arena will begin at 2 p.m. (doors will open at 1:30 p.m.).
- Mon., Aug. 23: The Grand Opening of PG5 Market Station will be celebrated from 6-8 p.m.
- Mon., Aug. 23: A Welcome Back Barbecue will be held in the GC West Ballroom, from noon-2 p.m.
- Wed., Aug. 25: A FIU Pep Rally will take place in the GC Pit from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., as well as a celebration of FIU’s 45th Birthday.
- Thurs., Aug. 26: The BBC Freshman Luau is set for noon at Panther Square.
- Thurs., Aug. 26: The annual Trail of the Torch tradition, sponsored by the Student Alumni Association and the Student Government Association, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Housing Quad.
- Fri., Aug. 27: A Pepsi Float Party, in PG5, is scheduled for 2-4 p.m.
Registration and Payment Important Dates:
Mon., Aug. 30: Last day to drop courses, add courses or withdraw from the university without incurring a financial liability.
Mon., Sept. 6: Labor Day Holiday (FIU will be closed)
Fri., Sept. 17: Last day to withdraw from the university with a 25 percent refund of tuition.
Important Links:
Office of the Registrar: MMC – 305-348-2320; BBC – 305-919-5750; Broward Pines Center – 954-438-8600
Cashier’s Office: MMC – 305-348-2126; BBC – 305-919-5540
Parking and Transportation: MMC – 305-348-3615; BBC – 305-919-5558
Students may now order their parking decal and pay/appeal student tickets online.
Decal enforcement will begin on the first day of the 2010 Fall Semester.
GreenRide Carpool Program: FIU’s GreenRide Carpool Program encourages students to reduce the number of times they drive alone to campus each week.
Public Safety: Police dispatchers are available to take your emergency phone call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
MMC: 305-348-5911
BBC: 305-919-5911
MMC Public Safety
Offices located in the Public Safety Tower (11200 S.W. 8th Street)
Telephone number: 305-348-2623
BBC Public Safety
Offices located in the SO II Building (3000 N.E. 151st Street)
Telephone number: 305-919-5559
Students may sign up to receive Panther Alerts, a text messaging system available to the blue-and-gold community providing everyone with notifications during an emergency affecting FIU. (The service is free, but standard text-message fees from your carrier apply.)
MMC Bookstore: 305-348-2691 (also for information on the bookstore at the Broward Pines Center)
BBC Bookstore: 305-919-5580
Libraries: Green Library at MMC – 305-348-2451; BBC Library – 305-919-5718; Broward Pines Center Library Liaison – 954-438-8608.
The Rec Center at MMC.
Rec Centers: MMC – 305-348-2575; BBC – 305-919-5678
Campus Shuttles: There are two shuttles that travel between campuses: the Golden Panther Express, which travels between MMC and BBC, as well as the CATS shuttle, which travels between MMC and the Engineering Center.
Golden Panther Express tickets are $4 per trip (i.e., per round trip), $20 for 5 trips and $54 for 15 trips. You can save one of your rides to use at a later time when you purchase a round-trip ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
At MMC, tickets may be purchased primarily at the Gold parking garage. At BBC, tickets may be purchased in Room 353 in the Wolfe University Center.
The CATS shuttle is a free shuttle.
Finally, as a student at FIU there is a lot you can do to become involved.
There are many extracurricular university activities to help you enrich your time at FIU, including more than 100 student clubs, an intramural sports program and an ever-growing Greek presence, just to name a few. Here are some useful telephone numbers to keep in mind:
- Campus Life Information Hotline: 305-348-ROAR
- MMC Campus Life Office: GC 2240 at MMC, 305-348-2138
- BBC Campus Life Office: WUC 141 at BBC, 305-919-5804
- Broward Pines Center Campus Life Office: 954-438-8610
- FIU Alumni Association: MARC 510 at MMC, 305-348-3334
- Greek Affairs: GC 2240 at MMC, 305-348-2138
- Kayak on the Bay at BBC, 305-919-4701
- Panther Safety Tram: 305-348-6173
Students may text “FIUSPC” to 41411 to subscribe to the SPC Text Message System and receive updates, announcements and special offers from the Student Programming Council. (Standard text-message fees from your carrier apply.)
— Reporting by Emily Cochrane
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