Second East

Hello Residents and Families of 2E!

Hall Update:

Hard to believe that we are already in the home stretch!  Time really does fly at NCSSM!  To help keep this month moving right along, there are several activities available for students!  We have the usual Hall Meetings, CCChats, Food Runs, and Open Gyms, but we also have a S'mores Interhall, a Karaoke Interhall, and we also have our annual Prom and Spring Break!  April is set to be one of the fastest months yet!

NCSSM Prom 2025:

On Saturday, April 5th, NCSSM’s 2025 Prom “Medieval Promenade” will take place in the Museum of Life and Science. Pre-sale tickets are $50 and may be purchased here until April 12th, and day-of tickets will be $60 in exact change. If your student is planning to stay off campus on the night of Prom, please have them fill out an Overnight Orah pass request with exact details of their travel plans (including address, mode of transportation, and full name of their host) by Midnight on April 1st. No concessions will be made if this date is missed.

Students may request to bring their vehicle from home to campus for the day of Prom. Please visit the NCSSM Prom Website permissions tab to learn more about important dates and deadlines for Prom vehicle use.

Parents! Parent volunteers can help with food prep, clean-up, decorating, ticket sales, coat check, and more, and are always essential for creating a beautiful Prom night. Sign up here if you’re interested in lending a helping hand!

For more information about our prom, check out the NCSSM Prom Website, and feel free to email prom@ncssm.edu with any questions.

Spring Break:

Residence halls will close on Friday, April 11th at 5:00pm and will reopen on Monday, April 21st at 12:00pm. Since this is a long break students must unplug all items in their room, including fridges and fish tanks. Students should properly defrost their fridge to avoid puddles or mold growth over the break. Students are encouraged to take home as many items as possible that they will not need for the remainder of the year. Students are also advised to return to campus with boxes to prepare for move out.

Senior Leadership Campus Service Update:

The Senior Leadership Campus Service process is coming to a close. Senior Leadership announcements will be sent out on Tuesday, April 22 at 4:00pm and applicants will have until Thursday, April 24 to submit their decisions to program coordinators. Please note that the SLSC process does not account for every senior campus service assignment. Juniors should reach out to any employees that they may be interested in working with next year if they chose not to participate in the SLCS process. They can also contact Justin Plummer (plummer@ncssm.edu), Campus Service Coordinator and Associate Director of Student Services, if they have any questions.

Latin America Fest:

Looks like we’ve got a mystery on our hands… Latin America Fest is happening on May 3rd from 7-8:30 PM in the ETC Auditorium, and the clues all point to an unforgettable night. Join us as we unmask the beauty of Latin culture through dancing, spoken word, music performances, and more. Grab your magnifying glasses and get ready; because this is one case you won’t want to miss!

Spring Final Assessment Schedule:

The Spring Final Assessment Schedule has been shared by Academic Programs.  Synchronous final assessment blocks are arranged to minimize exam conflicts and to minimize conflicts with the AP Exams scheduled for Friday, May 16.  Academic Programs will work directly with students and instructors to resolve those conflicts in the weeks before the end of the semester.  As in previous semesters, Academic Programs have indicated deadlines for submitting projects, papers, and take-home exams by academic discipline to ensure that all asynchronous assessments are not due at the same time.

Take Care!

--Randall, 3/31/25

Senior Leadership Campus Service:

The Senior Leadership Campus Service (SLCS) selection process is underway! Over twenty different assignments participate in this process which should help juniors find a senior campus service assignment they’re excited about. An overview of the process and the various positions can be found on the site. Please note that the SLCS process does not account for every senior campus service assignment. There are many opportunities for leadership in campus service to consider. Juniors should reach out to any employees that they may be interested in working with next year.

Residence Halls Closing & Opening:

Just a quick reminder that the Residence Halls will be closing on Thursday, February 27th at 5:00pm. Halls will reopen on Sunday, March 2nd at noon.

Students will submit an Overnight pass on Orah before or during our hall meeting right before the Extended Weekend. On this Orah pass, 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 the Extended Weekend, they should speak to me.

Take Care!

--Randall, 2/3/25

January Term (J-Term) is an essential part of the NCSSM Academic Program. Since class meeting patterns are different during J-Term, attendance is calculated differently. One unexcused hour of missed class will be recorded as one unexcused absence. J-Term is considered its own term for attendance purposes. The number of accumulated absences reverts to zero at the beginning of spring semester.

During J-Term every year, Second East and Second West engage in the annual Second Floor War!  Throughout the month of January, we will have multiple interhall programs with 2W.  We will score events based on participation, objectives, and behavior.  At the end of the month, one hall will emerge as the victor of the Second Floor War.

One Last Reminder About SAB Winter Semi-Formal:

Semi-Formal, NCSSM’s annual winter dance, is Saturday, December 7th from 8:30 – 10:55 PM in the PEC Gymnasium. All students are invited to enjoy the evening with friends and hallmates! There will be festive winter decorations, music, snacks, and dancing!

Students planning to attend are encouraged to bring semi-formal dress clothes back to campus after the break. Appropriate attire includes a dressy skirt, shirt and tie (jacket optional), dress pants, a dress, and dress shoes.

Families, if you are interested in volunteering at or donating to semi-formal, view the opportunities and sign up here!

Winter Break:

Can you believe that we have reached the halfway point for the year? With winter break beginning Friday, December 13th I wanted to provide a breakdown of how students should prepare for these longer breaks. Residence Halls close on December 13th at 5:00pm. Halls will reopen on Tuesday, January 7th at noon. Some students may leave earlier than the 13th if they are done with exams. Because this is a very long break we require that students unplug all items in their room, including fridges and fish tanks. During room inspections this week I will check that students have properly defrosted their fridges, so that we can avoid any puddles or mold growth over the break. Students should also make sure to take home any open food packages due to the long break. Signing out for this break is handled similarly to an extended weekend.

Students will submit an Overnight pass on Orah before or during our hall meeting right before Winter Break. On this Orah pass, 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 Winter Break, they should speak to me. This is similar to our last extended weekend.

Take Care!

--Randall, 12/2/24

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