Hello to everyone to a new semester here at Northeastern. For those who are returning students, welcome back. I hope this semester is just as good as or better for you than the last semester. To new students, welcome to Northeastern and good luck in all your classes. As a former transfer student, I know that sometimes this university does not always give you all the necessary information to make your way around the campus. Here’s some information that could prove useful to you.
Building names are a bit tricky. You will notice on your schedule that there is a letter next to your assigned classroom. This is the building that the classroom is in. Many of the buildings are just called a letter or are abbreviated. Building B is always referred to as “the B building” while the Classroom Building is written as CLS on class schedules. While these instructions might seem like common sense for some people, there are still stories about people arriving a half hour late to a 50 minute class because they could not figure out the schedule. I remember walking into my intro to theatre class late because I mistook the FA, Fine Arts, Building for the F building which houses Stage Center Theatre. It was embarrassing at the time but now I can look back at it and laugh.
The first thing that you will be asked to do in any of your classes is to register for NEIUport. It is your one stop to all of your pertinent information. There you can view your financial aid, see your assigned counselor and their email address, and your class schedule. It also has links to Blackboard, which is one resource that many teachers use religiously, and NEIU email, another resource teachers rely on. It makes your lives easier to activate your NEIUport account as soon as possible through the NEIU website (www.neiu.edu).
Spring is a great time to get involved with the university. Clubs are always looking for members. For a full list of clubs, look at the Student Activities Office website at www.neiu.edu~SAO. There is also a calendar of events that show the meeting times for some clubs and organizations. One organization near and dear to me is, of course, the Independent. We are always looking for new writers and photographers who are willing to learn the ins and outs of journalism. Our staff meetings are the same day that a new issue comes out. Our next meeting is January 27. I hope to see some of you there.
As always I would love to hear from readers. My email is L-Ocasio@neiu.edu. Please don’t be afraid to contact me with questions or complaints about the Independent or NEIU. I would be happy to be of service and answer any questions you might have or direct you to someone who can help.