Tag Archives: Returning Studdents

EVENTS, FACULTY, Featured, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU students excited to return to campus despite pandemic

January 25, 2022 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) -New and returning Tennessee State University students say they are glad to be back on campus despite continuing challenges posed by the pandemic. Classes began on Monday, Jan. 24, following a one-week delay due to the COVID-19 omicron variant.

A father helps his daughter to unload her luggage at Wilson Hall. (Photo by Aaron Grayson, TSU Media Relations)

For the first two weeks of class, the university is enforcing a safer-in-place policy for students arriving on campus. The policy requires students to stay in their places of residence unless they need to perform essential activities, such as getting food, or going to medical appointments. During this time, all classes will be online.

Even with these policies, many students are highly enthusiastic about returning to campus. Just ask senior health sciences major Tredarius Lassiter, of Atlanta.

“I am very excited, and I am sure other students are as well,” says Lassiter. “Of course, safety protocols are in place but it’s been so long that we haven’t actually had a college experience. I think that’s the reason why we are so ready and anxious to get back.”

Dr. Curtis Johnson, associate vice president and chief of staff, leads the university’s COVID taskforce. He says students want to come back because the university has “gone to great lengths” to be as accommodating as possible.

“The safer-in-place policy allows us to create a bubble for the students in the event that they are positive (for COVID),” Johnson says. “We are better equipped to deal with it immediately and to also conduct contact tracing to determine if others have the potential to test positive and be quarantined right away.”

Chandler Cotton, a freshman, who spent his first semester taking classes online, says he was able to interact with some classmates virtually and even join some student organizations.

“Even though my first semester was virtual, I was still able to connect with other students, join other organizations, such as the Freshman Institution,” says Cotton, a biology major from Tulsa, Oklahoma. “So, I am excited to get back to that. I first came here in my sophomore year of high school during a college tour. When I stepped on campus during that visit I felt right at home. I said right then that TSU is the place for me.”

Tasha Andrews, TSU’s executive director of new student programs, says that because many incoming freshman students missed out on starting in-person classes in the fall, the delay further fueled their excitement about being on campus.

“They are very excited to know that after all that the world has been going through, being able to come to college for the very first time, live in a residence hall, and be a part of organizations and clubs is really very exciting,” says Andrews. “It is a great time to be at Tennessee State University, and to be a Tiger.”

Carla Boudal and Nil Moinet, now in their second year at TSU, are student athletes from France. Boudal is a junior international business major on the volleyball team, while Moinet, also a junior majoring in exercise science and kinesiology, plays tennis for the Tigers. The students say although they miss their families and friends back home, their experiences at TSU make them anxious to come back.

“I get to keep all of my classes, finish my major, and get to prepare for our next season,” says Boudal, who is from Cannes. “It’s been a tough time …missing family and friends, but coming back gives me more time to work out and practice with my teammates.”

Adds Moinet, “It might sound kind of childish, but I met some friends here that I have missed, and I get to see them again. It is a whole new experience living in the United State and coming to TSU. I just enjoy everything about it.” Moinet is from Guadeloupe, France.

Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, says students are going the extra mile to adhere to the university’s safety measures.

“We feel good about how we will manage this spring semester, especially as it relates to our COVID protocols,” says Stevenson. “Our students have done a great job of following rules and regulations from fall 2021 and I am hopeful it will continue.”

Excitement about campus living is expected to continue next fall when TSU opens its new 700-bed ultra-modern residence hall on the main campus. The building, estimated at $75.3 million and the first new residence hall on the campus in nearly 25 years, will house lower and upperclassmen. It is described as a mixed community living facility that will offer upscale living, dining, recreational and leisure concepts.

FEATURED PHOTO BY Aaron Grayson
A Family from Massachusetts made the overnight drive to Nashville to check their son in at Eppse Hall on the main campus.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, Featured, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

TSU streamlines process for welcoming returning students; program saves time, money

July 15, 2021 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – For Tennessee State University students planning to return for the fall semester, the university has announced new streamlining measures to make the admission process much simpler and easier. The new measures affect housing application, registration, and financial aid processes. Officials say the course of action will save students time, money, and make campus living more accessible.

In Residence Life, for instance, between now and July 22, students with a balance of up to $5,000 are eligible to apply for housing. That’s up from the previous threshold of $400. Additionally, students can now apply for and receive housing assignment immediately, while returning students get the opportunity to select their rooms, using a new, self-serve (RMS Mercury) software that enables housing and residential staff to deliver customized content to students.

Registration for summer and fall began March 1 and ends August 20. The university plans to return to in-person classes in July.

Jeia Moore, an information systems major from Memphis, Tennessee; and Michael Forney, a mass communication major also from Memphis, are already enrolled. Moore is returning for her junior year, and Forney, his senior year. Both students say navigating through the system is “so much easier” than years back when they first came to TSU.

“This smoother process has really made the procedures so easy and helps students understand what we are registering for,” says Moore. “Being able to select your own room choice and roommate is an exciting privilege.”

“The new housing portal system is very efficient, with step-by-step instructions,” adds Forney. “This is really exciting.”

For registration and records, the university says it has enhanced the myTSU portal to help students register for classes at a much faster and easier pace. It also provides step-by-step instructions on how to log-on, pay outstanding balances, and how to remove holds – prerequisites to getting fully registered. For upperclassmen and those in doubt about their academic standing, DegreeWorks – a web-based degree audit and academic tool – provides students and advisors with an overview of remaining courses and credit hours required for degree completion.

“We encourage returning students and all other students to use the myTSU portal. Once they have met with their advisor, it is very efficient in helping them register themselves,” says Dr. Verontae L. Deams, TSU’s registrar. “DegreeWorks is updated regularly, and it lets students know where they stand academically.”

In enrollment and student success, officials say innovation and strengthening relationships and communication are helping to get the message across to returning and prospective students about the quality learning environment at TSU.

“There are many things we learned during the pandemic, many of which we will keep as we look forward to serving our students for the 2021-2022 academic year,” says Terrence Izzard, associate vice president for admissions and recruitment.

In financial aid, officials say most scholarship offers are geared toward returning students, but students must act fast.

“Applying for admission and completing all admission requirements timely allows a student to be considered,” says Amy Boles Wood, assistant vice president for Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Overall, admissions and student affairs officials say with the coming return to in-person learning, everything possible is being done to make the transition easy and seamless for all students – using technology and lessons learned during the pandemic to make “learning and campus life far more exciting.”

According to Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, the university is establishing a “virtual one-stop space,” equipped to handle students’ concerns.

For instance, says Stevenson, with the virtual space, if a student has questions about housing, financial aid, or records, they won’t have to go to all three offices physically to get answers.

“They can visit the one-stop through an appointment and individuals from each of those areas will be available in a virtual space to address the student’s concern,” he says. “Using Zoom or TEAMS, you can get on and schedule a meeting and someone will meet you in that virtual space. That’s exciting!”

Stevenson also announced that the university will continue its partnership with myURGENCYMD, a national telemedicine firm, that provides 24-hour, seven-days-a-week virtual doctors’ visits at no cost to the university’s student population. The service connects students to doctors via phone, video, and email.

“We offered telehealth as a trial during the pandemic,” says Stevenson. “We are very satisfied with the services our students were able to receive. So, we are currently preparing to offer that as a full menu during the fall and spring to our students.”

To learn more about TSU’s fall return operations, visit https://www.tnstate.edu/return/.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Alumni, FACULTY, FEATURED, Featured, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Home or away: Amid pandemic, many TSU students still see campus life as a better choice

February 17, 2021 Emmanuel Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – As a new semester begins, returning students at Tennessee State University say they are glad to be back, despite challenges they faced last semester trying to live on campus amid the pandemic.

Residence halls opened Jan. 21 for new and returning students. Classes are offered in hybrid, online and in face-to-face formats, including distance learning. Students have the choice of staying home and taking classes online at a discounted tuition rate, but many have instead selected to live on campus, stay in their door rooms, and complete their courses online without the discount.

One of them is junior information systems major Jeia Moore of Memphis, Tennessee, who sees campus life as the essence of going to college and won’t trade it for anything. Besides, Moore says, TSU is providing an “atmosphere that makes us very safe.”

“It’s a little bit different, because you know, we have to wear a mask, social distance and everything,” says Moore. “We are limited in some ways in how we move around, so it’s a little bit different, but I understand that they’re doing it to keep us safe, and I rather be here than at home.”

Moore is not alone. In interviews to gauge returning students’ experience about living on campus during the pandemic, and why many chose campus life over home, many say it’s “a missed opportunity” not to experience what a college campus offers. For the spring semester, about 1,600 students, including returning and new students are living on campus, that’s about 50 percent of full occupancy.

“I just feel like you only get four years of college and you better make the best use of that experience, even during the pandemic,” says Danielle Glenn, a junior criminal justice major from Atlanta. “I feel like campus is safe. The university is taking all precautions that need to be taken to make sure everyone is safe. Temperature checks, quarantines, having a place for students to go if they test positive. All of my classes are online. So even when I go on campus to get food or go to the post office, everyone is wearing a mask and there are stickers to keep everyone distant.”

A TSU expert on social behavior says that students’ preference to stay on campus even during a pandemic “could be due to many factors.”

“Their identity as a student is tied to being on campus. Their reference groups – other students and faculty – are on campus and close contact with them is important for their success,” says Dr. Oscar Miller, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology. “Being a college student is being a member of a select group of people who have achieved an important rite of passage. To a large measure what that means to a student is engaging the campus experience as an independent adult. For some, assuming the role of a student may require getting away from their home environment.”

TSU officials say students’ optimism about campus life that makes them want to come back even during the pandemic is rooted in the campus preparation they saw and experienced last semester. For instance, the university is continuing a comprehensive plan put in place last semester, which includes a 14-day “safer in place” policy for all residence halls. The policy requires students to stay in their places of residence unless they need to perform essential activities, such as getting food, or going to medical appointments. Last semester, of all Tennessee colleges, TSU reported one of the lowest COVID-19 cases, with mostly mild to no symptoms and no hospitalization.

“Creating a campus environment that is welcoming to the students and that provides opportunities for them to interact in the safest way possible are what we strive for every day,” says Johnson.

Frank Stevenson, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, says “the university is very intentional” about creating a home environment for the students that makes them want to come back.

“For many students, TSU becomes their home. When they go home, they are visitors,” says Stevenson. “They know that we’re going to be there to support them. This is their village, so knowing that they have that TSU village of RAs, hall directors and others surrounding them, they know they are home.”

Damien Antwine, one of the returning students interviewed, agrees. He says coming from a neighborhood with drugs and other distractions, he “definitely” didn’t want to stay home.

“It definitely helped a lot that campus was open, where I could be with people who are there to help me succeed,” says Antwine, a junior agricultural science major from Memphis, who also has a job in Nashville. “Teachers were accommodating. It was a great experience.”

Terrance Izzard, TSU associate vice president for admissions and recruitment, says that the university’s goal is to let returning and new students know that their safety and wellbeing remain a major priority.

“Our ultimate goal is that we get through this together and that students understand their social responsibility, as well as the university’s commitment to safety,” says Izzard.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University