Second East

Hello Residents and Families of 2E!

You can find out more about SAB and see upcoming events on their website.

PSAT:

NCSSM will be administering the PSAT to the entire junior class on Wednesday, Oct. 16th. You do not need to do anything to register nor do you need to make a payment as that was part of the security deposit. If you think your student might qualify for a fee waiver, please email financial.assistance@ncssm.edu to get the information you need ASAP. Students may access the PSAT student guide electronically. If students would like to prepare further for this exam, they can do some practice problems through Khan Academy.

In preparation for Wednesday’s PSAT administration, we will follow a Wednesday Lab schedule during the day on Monday, Oct. 14th. All juniors will take the PSAT in the morning on Wednesday; we will then follow an abbreviated Monday schedule that afternoon. Evening classes and Online webinars will meet on their normal Monday schedule.

1:1s:

Over the next few weeks your students will be receiving emails from me to schedule 1-on-1 meetings. These meetings give me a chance to get to know your students better, respond to any issues they are having on hall or campus, get ideas about things they would like to see on hall, and just generally check in on how they are enjoying their time at NCSSM. 1:1s typically last between 20 and 30 minutes. We will have these meetings every semester.

Progress Reports:

As October draws to a close, faculty across campus will be completing grading assignments so that we can release second progress reports for your students on November 8th. To view your student’s progress report you will need to log into Blackbaud and select the “progress” tab. Then click where it says “report cards” to open all the progress reports for this year. Select either “Semester 1 - Durham” or “Semester 1 - Durham (no comments),” depending on whether you want to view grades and teacher feedback, or just grades.

If you have concerns about your student’s performance, please let me know. I always meet with students who have multiple Cs or a D to help develop a plan for improvement, but will be happy to meet with anyone if there are concerns. It is also important that your student reach out to their individual teachers, guidance counselor, and the Center for Advising and Academic Success for advice on how to improve. This is also a good time for students to evaluate whether they should be attending tutorials more often.

Residence Halls Closing & Opening:

Just a quick reminder that the Residence Halls will be closing once before our next update:

• Closed Friday, September 27th at 5:00pm. Opens Sunday, October 6th at noon

Students will complete an electronic Extended Sign-Out Form during hall meeting. On this form they indicate where they are going for the break, who they are traveling with, and how they are getting to their destination. If students have specific questions about checkout procedures for Extended Weekends, they should speak to me.

Thanks!

--Randall, 9/27/24

Welcome and What to Expect:

Hello and welcome to the website for Second East.  My name is Randall and I am the Community Coordinator residing on 2E this school year.  I am excited for the opportunity to meet all 2E's residents in the coming weeks and hope you are all equally excited to begin a new academic year at NCSSM.  Throughout the year this website will provide important information to both students and parents as well as monthly updates on hall activities, upcoming programming ideas, and even the occasional photo or video showcasing what the residents of 2E have been up to.  Keep this site in your bookmarks and check it regularly so you do not miss a thing here on 2E!

How to Contact Your CC:

If you need to get in to get in contact with me, the best way is always email at randall.spence@ncssm.edu  I always respond to emails within 24 hours (if for any reason this is not true, there will be an automated response indicating this).  I typically work the night shift at NCSSM, so please keep in mind my communication may arrive later than you would normally expect.

Family Zoom Meeting:

I will be hosting a Family Meeting via Zoom. This will be an opportunity for us to meet before move-in day.  Families and students are welcome to attend.  I will be reviewing information concerning what a Community Coordinator is, some basic expectations regarding residential life on campus, and giving families an opportunity to pose questions.  The meeting is scheduled to occur on Tuesday, August 6, 2024 from 7:00pm-8:00pm.  The Zoom link for the meeting is located here.  Students and families will need to be logged into their NCSSM provided google accounts to access the Zoom meeting.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Move-In Reminders:

For move-in we strongly encourage students and families to label all of their belongings.  There are a lot of individuals moving around campus on move-in day and sometimes items are misplaced.  Labeled belongings are much easier to reunite with their owners, so please be sure to label all items with your name, residence hall, and room assignment.

I am sure that everyone has already received this information, but please double check while you are packing to confirm that you are not bringing any items on our prohibited items list.  You will be asked to take them back home if you arrive on campus with them.

• Suggested Items to Bring

• Room Decoration Guidelines

• Room Occupancy and Safety Guidelines (Prohibited Items)

Feel free to review this resource to get a better idea of room layouts.  Please note that while we provide general measurements for each residence hall, each room is unique and variations exist in room dimensions.  You should use these measurements as a general guide only.  We are unable to provide specific measurements for specific rooms.

Roommates:

For many students their time at NCSSM will be the first time they have experienced sharing a room with someone.  It is natural for there to be some growing pains as students adjust their habits and learn to live together.  For this reason we encourage students to spend their first few weeks getting to know one another and discussing their sleep habits, study preferences, and what makes them feel comfortable in their shared space.   After the first extended roommates will work together to craft a roommate agreement; this agreement will outline how they will respect one another’s space, accommodate each other's sleep and study habits, what they can borrow and share with each other, and how they will keep their room clean.  The agreement is a living document and can be revisited as needed throughout the year.

While we hope that all students will get along well, it is possible that your students develop a conflict with their roommate that they have trouble navigating on their own.  If this occurs you or your student should let their CC know.   We will work with the students to mediate the conflict and work towards a mutual resolution.  It is imperative that you speak only to your student about any conflict they are having, do not contact the other student or their family.  If the conflict continues the CC may ask that the students work with either the Assistant Director or Director of Housing and Residence Life to continue working towards a solution.  NCSSM operates at full occupancy; therefore, room changes are not easy to accommodate it.  No room changes will be approved during the 1st quarter of the school year.  Changing rooms is considered only if all conflict resolution options have been exhausted, a space is available, and the move is considered a positive step for all parties involved.  For these reasons, a room change should not be viewed as a likely outcome to resolve a conflict.

CCs and Security Staff On-Call:

CCs are available 24 hours a day to assist your students. The Bryan CC desk is staffed each day from 7:30am to 1:00am. All other CC building offices are staffed beginning at 6:30pm each day. Outside of these hours there will always be 2 CCs on call while students are on campus. The contact numbers for the on-call CCs are posted at each CC desk and can be viewed here. If your student has an emergency they are encouraged to reach out to the on duty CCs. 

NCSSM also has Campus Safety Officers available 24 hours. They can be contacted at 919-416-2911

Clinic:

Student Health, often referred to as the Clinic, is located on the first floor of the Hunt Residence Hall. The Clinic is staffed by a nurse, medical assistant, and a family nurse practitioner. Our medical director oversees the Clinic’s daily operation and is present in the Clinic one day a week. The Clinic is staffed and equipped to manage most acute and chronic illnesses that occur while students reside at NCSSM. Common over-the-counter medications, bandages, splints, and crutches are dispensed at no additional charge to students. Prescriptions, if required, can be picked up from a local pharmacy. Some problems may require additional care, in which case students are referred to area professionals. Families will be notified if this referral is necessary. 

Students are prohibited from keeping certain types of prescription medications in their rooms (e.g., narcotics, psychotropics, stimulants). These medications must be retained and distributed by the Clinic. Students may keep over-the-counter medications in their rooms for their personal use (e.g., pain relievers, cold medications, stomach remedies, herbal remedies, vitamins, etc.).

The clinic is open Monday - Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm. After hours and on the weekends students can reach out to CCs on duty for help; the CCs will contact a 24 hour telephone nursing service called UNC Nurse Connect to seek advice on how to aid your student. 

Students may schedule telehealth appointments and in-person appointments, as well as medication drop-off/pick-up appointments. The Clinic is not open to drop-in appointments as it has been in the past.

First Extended Preparation:

As students prepare for the first extended weekend it is important to understand that we use a special sign out for these weekends away from NCSSM:

• Halls close at 5pm on Friday, August 30th and reopen at noon on Monday, September 2nd.

• Students will sign a virtual Extended Sheet during hall meeting. On this form they indicate where they are going for the break, who they are traveling with, and how they are getting to their location. 

• If a student is not departing early, is not returning to campus late, is not taking a train or Greyhound bus home, and their final destination is home or they are being picked-up by a parent/guardian, they do not need to submit a pass on Orah (our signout system).

• If a student is departing before the day the Extended Weekend begins or returning to campus late they will need to have a parent/guardian sign them out at Bryan desk or submit an overnight pass on Orah and sign out at Bryan desk with whomever is picking them up. 

• If a student's final destination is not home and they are not being picked up by a parent/guardian, or if they are taking the train or Greyhound bus, they will need to submit an overnight pass on Orah and sign out at the Bryan desk. 

Take care!  

--Randall, 8/1/24