Welcome to the first issue of the 2005-06 academic year for Staying Connected, a newsletter for parents of first-year students. We hope you'll enjoy the informative articles which have been written by students and staff members.

This e-newsletter is coordinated by Kim Alt, a senior advertising/marketing major from Affton. Our web designer is Jared Bridgeman, a senior from Quincy majoring in interactive digital media. They have done a very nice job and I hope you appreciate their work.

By the time you all read this, most of you will have enjoyed a wonderful experience during New Student Orientation weekend. We offer quite a few programs for parents and we hope that you got most of your questions answered. We know that it can be a stressful time for parents, but we do try to make it go as smoothly as possible.

If your son or daughter did not attend the Orientation weekend activities, it is extremely important that they seek out assistance to find out what they missed. Many important campus resources are introduced during Orientation. By contacting the Information Desk in the University Center, new students can check to see if there are any leftover packets of information that might prove helpful. Any student who did not attend Orientation should come to the UC front desk to pick up a student handbook and planner. We expect new students to review the policies, procedures, and resources contained within this handbook. This is how they know what the University expects of them.

I highly encourage new students to attend Webster's Involvement Fair on August 31 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Quad (rainsite is the gym). Booths will be set up to provide information and allow students to sign up for all the student clubs and organizations, as well as other opportunities for involvement on campus.

If your son or daughter is wondering where they can eat on campus, please ask them if they have been to our one-year-old restaurant, Marletto's Marketplace. This dining facility offers many options at every meal. And now students can enjoy a late evening meal in Marletto's from 8:30-10:00 p.m. on weekday nights. There are brochures at each station filled with nutritional information about the food. And while nothing may be as good as the home cooked meals your son or daughter enjoyed prior to coming to Webster, the food at Marletto's has received rave reviews from students, faculty, and staff. The Kung Pao Chicken that I had for lunch yesterday was outstanding!

We hope to have another newsletter out to you later in the Fall semester. We'd love to hear from you with comments or suggestions for articles.

Sincerely,
Ted Hoef, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students