Welcome to FIU


As blue-and-gold enthusiasm builds for 2009-’10 academic year, below is a guide of important information for incoming freshmen and returning Golden Panthers.

By Martin Haro

Aug 19 4

This fall, FIU is kicking off not only a new semester – it is kicking off a new era. The university’s fifth president, Mark B. Rosenberg, wants everyone in the blue-and-gold community to know that FIU will become increasingly student-centered in the months and years ahead.

“If we keep our students at the forefront,” Rosenberg says, “there is no doubt that FIU can become the very best university in Florida and the country.”

It is with that revitalized spirit that FIU welcomes to its campuses more than 39,000 Golden Panthers, including nearly 2,000 freshmen, for the 2009 Fall Semester.

If you are a returning student, you are bound to notice some changes to both Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC) and Biscayne Bay Campus (BBC) as the university moves forward with its commitment to elevate the FIU experience.

On the other hand, if you are a new student then let us welcome you as a Golden Panther and tell you that you, too, and “Feel the Pride.”

So – what have you been up to?

This fall, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine opens its doors to a truly international inaugural class of 43 students that includes students from Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Nicaragua, Canada, China, Cuba, India, Romania and the Philippines. Most of them are South Florida residents.

Aug 19 1The 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.

Also at BBC, the Office of the Vice Provost will launch on Nov. 7 its brand new Prestige Cultural Series with a performance by FIU artist-in-residence and School of Music professor Kemal Gekic in the Mary Ann Wolfe Theater. The BBC Vice Provost Office also plans to host a scholarly panel debate on “The Future of Democracy in the Middle East” on Dec. 3. For more information on these events, call Jan Solomon at 305-919-4008.

Let us entertain you

From Sept. 24-27 and Oct. 1-4, FIU Theatre will present “Sonia Flew” at the Wertheim Main Stage at MMC. The play follows an overwhelmed mother who learns that her son has enlisted in the military only weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. 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 on Sept. 2 with the opening of Geoffrey Olsen’s “Miami Paintings” and a performance by the Isadora Duncan Dance Ensemble.

Also opening that evening at the museum is “Poet’s Room. Teorema,” a co-presentation between the Frost Art Museum and the Centro Cultural Español de Miami. All Target Wednesday After Hours events are free and open to the public.

The Wolfsonian-FIU will host on Nov. 20 the opening of “Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939,” an exhibition exploring the synergy of modern man and machine as seen in the artistic movements of early 20th century England.

The School of Architecture will host on Nov. 12 the 23rd Annual Festival of Trees. Opening at Coverings Etc. (7610 N.E. 4th Court, Miami), the event will benefit the university’s interior design endowed scholarship fund. For more information, call 305-348-0496.

Then, on Dec. 3, the 6th 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. The annual event will take place at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. For more information, call 305-348-0496.

On Dec. 6, FIU will celebrate Art Basel Miami Beach with the 7th Annual Breakfast in the Park, an official event featuring tours of the Sculpture Park at MMC, a light breakfast and a lecture by artist Michele Oka Doner.

For more information on this event, call the Frost Art Museum at 305-348-3892.

Let us hear you roar

The women’s and men’s soccer teams will go for goals on Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, respectively, against Florida Gulf Coast.

Head volleyball coach Danijela Tomic and her team will seek to improve on its stellar 2008 season when FIU won the East Division for the first time in university history, setting a school record for attendance and registering the program’s longest winning streak (12 matches).

The volleyball team will open at home at U.S. Century Bank Arena at MMC on Thursday, Sept. 10, against UM in the first game of the FIU/UM Invitational, scheduled for Sept. 10-12.

Aug 19 3On Sunday, Sept. 12, head football coach Mario Cristobal’s team will kick off the 2009 football season with an away game at Alabama.

The Golden Panthers’ first home game is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, at FIU Stadium at MMC, against Toledo. FIU football games will be broadcast on (WAXY-AM) 790 The Ticket.

The renovated FIU Stadium is a fantastic venue to “Feel the Pride” and watch the FIU football team, including Heisman-caliber wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. For tickets and information for these and all other fall sports, call 1-866-FIU-GAME or 305-348-4263 in Miami-Dade County or click here.

Your Welcome Week roundup

Here are some of the Welcome Week events happening at MMC and BBC Aug. 21-30.

For a complete schedule, call 305-348-6414 or click here.

  • Fri.-Sat., Aug. 21-22: Move-In Day. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. at the Residence Halls.
  • Sun., Aug. 23: The 10th 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. 24: An FIU Sports Pep Rally will be held at Betty Chapman Plaza, from noon-2 p.m.
  • Mon., Aug. 24: A GLBTQ Lunch will be held in the GC West Ballroom, from noon-2 p.m.
  • Wed., Aug. 26: A Farmer’s Market will take over the GC Lawn, from noon-4 p.m.
  • Thurs., Aug. 27: The BBC Freshman Luau is set for noon at Panther Square.
  • Thurs., Aug. 27: 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. 28: President Rosenberg’s Ice Cream Social, in the GC Pit, is scheduled for 3-4 p.m.
  • Sun., Aug. 30: A Freshman Brunch will be held in the Fresh Food Company dining hall at GC.

Registration and Payment Important Dates:

Sun., Aug. 23: Last day to register without incurring a $100 late-registration fee.

Sat., Aug. 29: Last day to drop courses or withdraw from the university without incurring a financial liability.

Mon., Aug. 31: Last day to add courses.

Mon., Sept. 7: Labor Day Holiday (FIU will be closed)

Fri., Sept. 18: 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 decals and pay/appeal student tickets online.

Decal enforcement will begin on the first day of the 2009 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
Telephone number: 305-348-2626

BBC Public Safety
Offices located in the SO II Building
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 normal text-message fees from your carrier may apply.)

Aug 19 2MMC 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.

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 at the main office in GC and at the Gold and Blue parking garages. At BBC, tickets may be purchased at the Information Desk 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 and “Feel the Pride.”

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
  • UP 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