http://www.curiomagazine.com

http://web.jmu.edu/fsl/

http://www.jmu.edu/mba/aboutinfosec.htm

James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Madison Family Connection Fall 08 Edition - Index

Make Your Mark On Madison
Make Your Mark On
Madison is an exciting
and selective leadership
program for 85 freshmen
and sophomore students. Around
campus, this program is commonly
referred to as MYMOM. This fall,
the MYMOM program is excited
to kick off its fifth semester of
exposing freshmen and sophomore
students to campus and community
involvement, while fostering
lifelong learning and leadership.
Each participant in MYMOM
is placed in a small group that
includes 10 to 12 peers and two
upperclass Leadership Counselors.
This small group is known as a
“council.” Every Monday night a
presenter speaks about one of the
basic tenants of leadership such
as personal values, organizational
values, difficult conversations, and
diversity, among a variety of other
topics. The presentation is followed
by “council time,” where the night’s
presentation is processed through
small group exercises and facilita-
Greek liFe
When a student expresses
interest in sorority or
fraternity life, parents
may feel excited or concerned.
Either way, there are usually many
questions. What does it mean to
be part of Greek life? How does a
student learn more about joining?
JMU fraternity and sorority
life includes 15 national fraternities
and nine national Panhellenic
sororities. Membership within
these organizations offers leadership,
friendship and the chance to
be a part of a national organization
where members are connected for
a lifetime. All JMU chapters offer
unique experiences, and students
are encouraged to explore all organizations
to find the best fit.
The fraternity recruitment process
is informal. Chapters host a
series of events during a week and a
half in September. Sorority recruit-
tion and where each student is able
to make connections to their own
leadership development and experiences.
Outside of Monday night
sessions, participants have scheduled
one-on-one time with their Leadership
Counselors in order to develop
a deeper mentoring relationship.
Counselors, as well, have personal
time to reflect on their experiences
within the program and on campus.
ment is a formal, five-day, mutual
selection process. The potential
new member (your student) will
begin by visiting all nine chapters
and then continue to narrow the
chapters down as the process continues.
Both fraternity and sorority
recruitment culminates with
chapters extending bids, which are
formal invitations of membership.
These processes are time consuming
and can be stressful. If a student
is interested in fraternity/sorority
life, the following tips will help
guide them through this process.
MYMOM equips participants
with lifelong leadership skills. Participants
of the program have gone
on to be leaders in clubs and organizations,
taken active roles in the
sponsorship of campus-wide events,
and served the Harrisonburg community
in a range of capacities.
Participants from the fall 2007
program describe their experiences
continued on Page 7
n Parents should keep an open mind
and encourage students to ask questions
and learn about all chapters.
n If parents were Greek life
members in college, they should
remember that the chapters they
were in may be different now and
may not be the right fit for their
students.
n Ask about financial obligations
and time commitments up front.
n Encourage your student to ask
about chapter philanthropies and
values.
At the end of the day, the
recruitment process is about students
finding a home away from
home at JMU and a place to share
meaningful experiences in college
and beyond. For more information,
please reference http://web.
jmu.edu/fsl/ or call the Office of
Student Activities and Involvement
at (540) 568-8157. M
By the
numbers
30
JMU’s student
magazine
Curio,
which highlights
Harrisonburg and
the surrounding
areas, celebrates its
30th anniversary this
year. Read magazine issues by
visiting the Web site at www.
curiomagazine.com.
100
Students
helped
the JMUsponsored
Gus Bus program
(in the Institute of Literacy)
donate and load more than
100 boxes of food in a new
partnership that helps children
in Rockingham County.
The Blue Ridge Area Food
Bank’s Back Pack Program
teamed with the
Gus Bus in April to
meed the nutritional
needs of young children
entering grade
school. The new partnership
fills backpacks with
nonperishable foods like juice
boxes and cans of fruit. The
Gus Bus distributes the food
weekly, along with books,
to children in low-income
neighborhoods throughout
Rockingham County.
9
JMU’s Information
Security MBA began
its ninth cohort in
April. Established in 2000, the
online MBA program was created
for working professionals
who want to learn to manage
information security in a business
environment. U.S. News
& World
Report rates
JMU’s MBA
program
as one of
the top 20
business
schools offering
online education. Learn
more at www.jmu.edu/mba/
aboutinfosec.htm
continued on Page 5
Fall 2008 3